United Airlines (UAL) is claimed to be the oldest airline in the United States since the establishment of the Varney Airlines airmail service by Walter Varney. The airline continued to develop its international routes, primarily by purchasing a landing slot at London Heathrow Airport from Pan Am, which experienced financial difficulties and went bankrupt in 1991. In 1997, United, together with Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and Thai Airways International founded Star Alliance, the world's first and largest global airline alliance. The airline declared a merger with Continental Airlines in 2010 and will combine the Continental livery (globe and livery emblem) with the words "UNITED" (will automatically retire the Continental brand). In developing business and achieving business goals, UAL implements several strategies such as increasing sustainable profit growth, consistent excellent products & services, increasing operational efficiency, and improving better work quality.

Required: a. Group these strategies into a perspective of a balanced scorecard and what initiatives are planned to be funded and implemented to ensure UAL strategies are successful?

b. Prepare a strategy map that illustrates the likely causal relationship among the strategic!