...Southwest Airlines Case Analysis Philemon Ngadigui BUS 478 Cases in Strategic Mgt. November 17, 2012 Introduction The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit. a little more than forty years ago, Rolling King, owner of a small commuter airline, and Herb Kelleher, King’s lawyer, got together and decided to start a different kind of airline that would provide a short-haul, low-fair, high-frequency, point-to-point service in the United States. The company began service on June 18, 1971 with flights between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio (“The Golden Triangle” as Herb called it), under the direction of Lamar Muse, who was brought in as a CEO. Muse was an aggressive and self confident airline veteran who knew the business well and who has the entrepreneurial skills to tackle the challenges of building the airline from scratch and then competing head-on with the major carriers. According to CNN.com citing the Fortune 500 journal, Southwest Airlines is the fourth largest customer airline carrier in the United States, and the 167th in the Fortune 500 annual ranking of America's largest corporations revue, with a annual revenue of $15,658.00 million . They use all Boeing 737 jets in order to save money on training and maintenance. The average age of company’s fleet is only 8.4 years. The average trip length is 451 miles with an average...
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...Issue/Decision Despite its industry-leading position, Southwest Airlines was facing new challenges in mid-2008 which threatened its annual growth potential. Historically, Southwest’s seat availability grew at a rate of 5-10% each year; however, 2008’s projected growth was limited to 3% year-over-year. This is a direct result of strengthened competition which weakened Southwest’s competitive advantage, the onset of an economic recession, a high fixed cost structure with high operating costs—particularly fuel which consumed 31% of the total operating costs—and overall market saturation. Strategic Framework Southwest Airlines was built with a strong cost-leadership strategy, focusing on domestic, short-haul (under 500 miles), point-to-point flights (not “hub-and-spoke” network like competitors), using only one type of aircraft and offering a “no frills” approach to service. Its operating efficiencies enable high frequency flights with quick turnaround times. Like all airlines, Southwest faced challenges with the market environmental factors. The industry is notorious for its high fixed-cost structure. With 80% of operating costs fixed, there are limited cost reduction opportunities, which make it low profit-potential industry. The airline industry was faced with pressures of customer dissatisfaction with airline services, increasing costs for aircraft safety maintenance, debt servicing, increased air-traffic delays, financial pressures encouraging mergers, and increased...
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...REPORT WEEK 9 Jonathan Jackson Dr. Daniel Terfassa 9/11/2015 FIN 534 Introduction Southwest Airlines was founded in 1971 by Herb Kelleher and Rolling king. The company started its services for San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. In the mid-1980s, the company was first to offer the frequent miles program. This program allowed travelers to bank traveled air miles to be used latter credit for a reduced airfare or free ticket. It was the first airline company to offer senior discounts, fun packs and fun fans. From 1981 to 1984, the company continuously received the top ranking of number 1. By 1998 Southwest Airlines had become 5th largest US air carrier, caring more than 50 million passengers per year servicing the Southwest and Northwest and other primary locations all across the United States. In 1987, the company took over TranStar Airlines and Morris Air in 1994. This gave Southwest Airlines a stronger edge in the market. Originally the company was incorporated for serving three cities in Texas as Air Southwest on March 15, 1967, by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. The airline experienced a great history of success, it adopted the first profit sharing plan in the US airline industry 1971. Employees own almost 10% of the company stock through this plan and others as well the company is almost 87 percent unionized. The pilots are represented by the pilot association of Southwest Airlines which is a union separate from the much larger Air Line Pilots Association. Rationale...
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...Southwest Airlines Case Study Jared G. Sanders BUSN412 Business Policy April 1, 2012 SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WWW.SOUTHWEST.COM AIRLINE INDUSTRY BACKGROUND /HISTORY/ COMPANY TIMELINE: Southwest, founded by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher, began as a small Texan airline almost 35 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. It was created on the following premise: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline!” (www.southwest.com). Today Southwest Airlines flies more than 70 million passengers a year to 60 great cities all across the country, and they do it more than 3,000 times a day. They have 436 of the newest jets in the nation, with each plane being an average age of 9 years. (www.southwest.com). Southwest’s combination of low fares, outstanding customer service, and strong leadership have helped the airline remain profitable even in the midst of tragedies like the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. SWOT ANALYSIS: Southwest was set up for success from the beginning because of its unique upside-down organizational structure. Upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the real experts. Kelleher’s unorthodox leadership style, in which everyone in the company makes management decisions, is largely unheard of these days. The company doesn’t...
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...hrmn 400 | ASSIGNMENT 4 FINAL ASSESSMENT | Southwest Airlines Case Study | | Temony McNeil | 3/9/2014 | | Introduction Southwest Airlines is a very aggressive company striving to increase its competitive advantage in the market without compromising the core values that have been set to differentiate itself from its competitors. It’s only by keeping the values of working hard, having fun, and treating everyone with respect that Southwest Airlines and its affiliates will continue to be an award winning organization. Southwest Airlines has been known to create a synergy between the multitude of personalities and behaviors which make up its workforce. Southwest has benefited from its successes by being able to acquire other airlines. The acquisition of new businesses will allow the Southwest group the opportunity to extend its services globally. Currently, due to limited resources and lack of saturation Southwest Airlines does not have a great market share in international flights. Southwest strives to increase its competitive advantage in the industry by increasing its market share of international flights. In order to do so, Southwest Airlines has recently acquired Air Tram Airways with goals of pursing other acquisition opportunities in the near future. Southwest Airlines must assess the organizational design since the process of aligning objectives can significantly impact its competitive advantage. (McGee & Molloy, 2014) This paper will attempt to detail...
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...Milestone One Analysis: Business Case and Discovery of Southwest Airlines Jacqueline L. Gholar GM543-01(1505D) Organizational Diagnosis and Design August 25, 2015 Professor Rebecca Herman Rebecca Herman, Ph.D., MBA, BS. Milestone One Analysis: Business Case and Discovery of Southwest Airlines Introduction Southwest Airlines has a complex organizational structure comprised of several multi-divisional structures. These structures are constructed on increasing horizontal and vertical differentiation, as well as customer relations as a service driven business (Dearinger, R., 2010). Southwest’s business strategy from its launch in 1971 encompassed four core competencies, which are; “the lowest operating costs per plane; an economical point-to-point airport network; a fanatical culture focused on customer service and cost savings, and an ability to keep planes in the air more of the time than its competitors” (Heller, I., 2008). For the past 40 plus years Southwest has exceedingly accomplished these competencies and strategies within a very competitive market, and has outstandingly been recognized as a low cost provider in airfare with frequent service domestically. In 2014, Southwest chose to integrate international flights in its business strategy. In an effort to identify issues and develop solutions for this new integration, clarifying strategic priorities and providing the company’s strengths and weaknesses will aid in supporting the use of the Strategy Canvas...
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...Decision Sheet Southwest Airlines Problem Statement: With respect to the current situation, Southwest Airlines needs to decide on whether to serve the LaGuardia airport and give a boost to their service in New York. A SWOT analysis of Southwest Airlines reveals the following: STRENGTHS: First mover advantage: The first airline to introduce the low cost, no frills airlines concept. One of the best in the industry in terms of on time arrival. Congenial and unorthodox relationship between the top management and employees. Highest levels of customer satisfaction with lowest lost baggage level. Maintained sustainable growth rate over the years ( approx. 8 to 10 percent ) | WEAKNESS: • Southwest has simple operating procedures which are not compatible according to new Government directives and regulation • Many of Southwest passengers fit the criteria of passengers to be thoroughly scrutinized according to new Government directives. • Point to point flying doesn't allow redistribution of the customer | OPPORTUNITIES: Expansion in terms of volume of long haul flights. Adding shorter flights to schedules connecting existing stations. Changes in operating procedures like boarding process. Change in fares, products, services and policies so as to differentiate its offerings. | THREATS: High competition prevailing in the industry in terms of fare structure and operating strategy. Increased turnaround...
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...Analysis of Strategic Structure of Southwest Airlines Uploaded by so cerious on Jun 26, 2006 [pic] |Analysis of Strategic Structure of Southwest Airlines | | | |Twenty-nine years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one | |simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and | |make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. | | | |Within 28 years, Southwest Airlines became the fifth largest major airline in America. With the addition of service to Buffalo-Niagara | |International Airport on October 8, 2000, fly more than 57 million passengers a year to 57 great cities (58 airports) all over the | |Southwest and beyond. And she does it over 2,600 times a day. | | ...
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...Mission Southwest Airlines' mission statement reads: "The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedicated to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit." All these traits are what have made Southwest # 1 in fewest customer complaints for several years running. Southwest continues to thrive on its reputation from this # 1 ranking as well as reap monetary rewards that come with this distinction. Southwest’s commitment to their employees reads: “We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer” Objectives Strategy The strategy that Southwest Airlines should use in order to continue its success is also based on the “Short-Haul” strategy. The difference is that the strategy must be inter-converted. Southwest can try its best to duplicate its “Short-Haul” strategy globally. For instance, it can do exactly the same business with the same strategy once again. But this time, Southwest has to do it in every part of the world. For instance, Southwest can expand its business in France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Greece, etc. All Southwest has...
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...falls into either cost advantage or differentiation, which applied either broadly or narrowly results in three generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. They are called generic strategies because they are not firm or industry dependent and are applied at the business unit level. The first generic strategy is cost leadership, a strategy which strongly emphasizes working towards a unified goal of a lower-priced product. With this strategy, the objective is to become the lowest-cost producer in the industry. An example of a company following cost leadership is Southwest Airlines. According to a recent SWOT Analysis done on Southwest Airline's, their current strategy is to position themselves as a cost leadership with a focus Is this Essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 450,000 just like it! get better grades strategy. Within their company mission it states they aim to cost-effectively and reliably fly large number of customers on short, non-stop flights. They truly are committed to making flying available to everyone. According to the SWOT Analysis some of their strengths include maintaining operating expenses per available seat mile at 15-20% below average, all their aircraft maintenance, turnaround, and training costs are contained, and they have a no meals, no central reservations, and no assigned seats. Southwest Airlines has experienced nothing but strong growth and profitability by following the cost-leadership strategy...
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...ANALYSIS OF THE AIRLINES INDUSTRY Introduction The airlines industry in the U.S. provides air transportation services for passengers. To determine the current state of the airlines industry, various analyses were performed. An analysis of the macro-environmental factors affecting the industry was first analyzed. Then, a Porter’s five forces analysis was used to determine the attractiveness of the industry, and current changes in the industry as a whole. Key success factors were analyzed to determine a firm’s ability to thrive within the marketplace. And lastly, a strategic group map was created to assess the companies that are best positioned and worse positioned in the industry, along with a financial analysis of major competitors in the industry. Macro-Environmental Factors Affecting the Industry Macro-Environmental components include, “demographics, social values and lifestyles, political and legal factors, economic conditions, environmental conditions, technological factors, and global forces” (Gamble, Thompson, & Peteraf, 2012, p. 79). The most influential factors in the airlines industry are economic conditions and environmental factors. The economic recession in 2009 greatly affected the airlines industry. Poor economic conditions reduced the demand for consumer and business travel. According to the IBIS World database, “Rising unemployment rates and falling disposable income during the recession resulted in a stark 16.3% decrease in revenue” (Brennan, 2013)...
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...Southwest Airlines, Case Analysis Your name BUSN412 Business Policy August 7th, 2011 CASE ANALYSIS Southwest Airlines. COMPANY NAME: Southwest Airlines. INDUSTRY: Air Travel. COMPANY WEBSITE: (www.southwest.com) COMPANY BACKGROUND: Southwest Airlines Co. incorporated in 1967, is a passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. As of December 31, 2010, the company had 548 Boeing 737 aircraft serving 69 cities in 35 states (Southwest Airlines Company profile, 2011). Key officers include: Herbert D. Kelleher – Founder and Chairman Emeritus. Colleen C. Barrett – President Emeritus. Gary C. Kelly – Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer. The Company functions primarily on point-to-point service rather than focusing on hub and spoke service. About 78% of the passengers of the airline travel on non-stop flights and the Company predominantly serve short-haul routes with flights operating highly frequent. (Southwest Airlines Company profile, 2011) SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths: By far the biggest strength of Southwest Airlines is the ability of the company to offer reliable low-cost prices; they are also able to maintain lower operating cost which enhances its profitability. They were the first to introduce online booking, ticket less traveling, and no reserved seating, thus making it easier to turn around flights. The teamwork and efficiency within the company’s employees is widely recognized as one of the reasons...
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...PART I INTRODUCTION History In 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia, John Pemberton developed Coca-Cola, a non-alcoholic version of French Wine Coca. The first sales were at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. It was first sold as a patent medicine for five cents a glass at soda fountains, which were popular in the United States at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was good for your health. Pemberton claimed Coca-Cola cured many diseases, including morphine addiction, headache, and impotence. When launched Coca-Cola’s two ingredients were cocaine and caffeine. The cocaine was derived from the coa leaf and the caffeine from kola nut, leading to the name Coca-Cola. Pemberton called for five ounces of coca leaf per gallon of syrup, a significant dose; in 1891, Candler claimed his formula contained only a tenth of this amount. Coca-Cola did once contain an estimated nine miiligrams of cocaine per glass, but in 1903 it was removed. After 1904, instead of using fresh leaves, Coca-Cola started using “spent” leaves –leftovers of the cocaine extraction process with cocaine trace elevels left over at a molecular level. Today, Coca-Cola uses as an ingredient a cocaine free extract prepared at a Stepan Company in Maywood, New Jersey. In the USA, Stepan Company is the only manufacturing plant authorized by the Federal Government toimprort and process the coca plant, which it obtains mainly from Peru, and Bolivia. Besides producing the coa flavoring for...
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...successful plan would require the organization to have a comprehensive understanding of their current environment. Environmental scanning is used to establish the focus of the strategic plan. To conduct an environmental scan external and internal information should be evaluated. A SWOT analysis will focus on the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. We will discuss the most signification environmental threats for Southwest Airlines. There are many environmental factors that could influence the performance of the company, Southwest Airlines, which provides low-cost air travel and service. This student will discuss two environmental threats pertaining to Southwest Airlines. Two environmental factors that have a major impact on how businesses operate are: economic factors and regulations. September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was a moment in history that effected Nation and the U.S. economy. Most importantly the airline industry was threatened by the aftermath of the economy. “The events of September 11 have had some of their worst economic effects on the airline industry, leading to a dramatic fall-off in passenger demand and substantially higher costs” (Gowrisankaran, 2002). After the attack in 2001 the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within the Department of Homeland Security were given the safety and security regulation responsibilities (Smith Jr. & Cox, 2008)....
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...Summary Corporate Culture & Southwest Airline Case Analysis CORPORATE CULTURE Corporate culture is an incredibly powerful factor in a company’s long-term success. No matter how good your strategy is, when it comes down to it, people always make the difference. Corporate Culture * Is the meshing of shared values, beliefs, business principles, and traditions that imbues a firm’s operating style, behavioral norms, ingrained attitudes, and work atmosphere. * Is important because it influences the firm’s actions and approaches to conducting business Corporate culture refers to the shared values, ingrained attitudes, core beliefs and company traditions that determine norms of behavior, accepted work practices, and styles of operating. How was a corporate culture developed and nurtured in your organization? A company’s culture is grounded in and shaped by its core values and ethical standards. I am working at PT. Tempo Scan Pacific, Tbk. and known as Tempo Group. Tempo Group has a “Corporate Culture” implemented in the 5 core values : 1. Honesty 2. Equality 3. Usefulness 4. Responsibility 5. Perseverance Here are a few ways my organization can facilitate the creation of a nurturing the culture : * Communications: This allows information and ideas to flow up from entry-level ranks to the top management of the company, but information from upper management is also shared more readily with the entire company. Always communicate...
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