Assignment 2: Integrating Culture and Diversity in Decision Making: The CEO and Organizational Culture Profile
BUS 520 – Leadership and Organization
Dr. Danielle Camacho
Tomika Williams

Provide a brief (one [1] paragraph) description of the organization you chose to research.
I chose to research Southwest because living in Atlanta, Georgia I’ve personally waited for the discount airline to land on our doorstep and they did just that with the merger and acquisition of Airtran Airways. Southwest by way of the merger is now in Atlanta which is the nation’s busiest airport (McCartney, 2013). Southwest bought AirTran way back in 2011 for $1.4 billion with the intention of combining fleets and operating the newly merged airline under the Southwest brand. Another specific reason for Southwest opting to obtain AirTran was – in part – to extend its reach to AirTran's international destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Southwest was also able to expand its presence in the Northeast to cities not previously serviced by Southwest i.e. New York and Boston. Southwest by way of the merger is now in Atlanta which is the nation’s busiest airport (McCartney, 2013).
Examine the culture of the selected organization.
Southwest Airlines is probably one of the better examples of a company that outlined a very clear and simple key business principle, chose the right business model to support that principle, and consistently demonstrates the core values and behaviors derived from their key business principles.
The brand promise of Southwest Airlines is “Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit” (Southwest, 2014). Every single employee of the company is aligned with this brand promise, and in spite of the current economic turmoil in the airline industry Southwest's performance in