Business Plan For Southwest Airlines

Business Strategy – BAD 4013 – SUMMER 1999 Case Study Southwest Airlines I. Strategic Profile and Case Analysis Purpose 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. Twenty-seven years ago, Rolling King, owner of floundering 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). Southwest Airlines is the fourth

Southwest Airlines Co., established in 1971 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher, began its operations with only three Boeing 737 aircrafts. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas(Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012). Southwest is well known as one of the largest low-cost carriers. With this strategy, the company has dramatically grown up and deeply rooted in the US airline industry. Now, Southwest Airlines Co. operates 633 aircrafts to 93 domestic cities and the highest number of passengers used Southwest Airlines to fly around U.S in Jan 2014 (Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012). To accomplish more than 40th consecutive years of both profitability and competitiveness, Southwest Airlines Company is constantly trying to find the routes to differentiate itself from other domestic carriers (Hawkins, Misra, & Tang, 2012).

Southwest Airlines is a major US airline established in 1967 that services a multitude of cities in all 50 states and beyond. The company is known for its outstanding quality in providing services and it 's cost effective ticket prices to its many passengers throughout the nation. This airline is based in the southwestern United States, in the city of Dallas Texas, and due to the tremendous number of airplanes that it has and the timely service that it provides to its passengers, this airline services more US passengers than any other airline. This airline also has the largest fleet of planes of any economical or low-cost airline service in the world and employees more than 45,000.

1. What is SWA’s competitive strategy? What does it take to execute the competitive strategy?

Strategic planning requires all levels of an organization, from the head of the company to the most junior member, to think about where the organization is today and how they can influence the organization to move forward in a “positive” manner to attain its goals (profit, growth, downsizing, etc.). One method used in strategic planning is for an organization to conduct a “Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats” (SWOT) analysis. Just as the name implies, a SWOT analysis looks at the four dimensions that can affect an organization. One business that can benefit from a SWOT analysis is Lennar Home Builders, Inc. This assignment will focus on one of the largest national offices for this company, located in Miami, FL. First, the paper will describe the history, products, and major competitors of one of the largest home builders in the country. Next, the focus shifts to create a SWTO analysis detailing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that may affect the organization. The assignment begins with a brief discussion on Lennar Homes, one of the most successful home builders in Florida and the United States.

SWOTT examination is a crucial systematic device used for evaluating both the external and internal elements, which have an influence over the company. In existing business conditions a corporation uses SWOTT analysis to assess it market standing regarding share of the market, competitive edge, and complete feasibility. SWOTT examination offers a company upgraded information about its achieved and unachievable weaknesses, strengths, possible opportunities, dangers, risks, and business trends. The main elements of SWOTT examination can be split under the heads of external and internal elements

Southwest Airlines was founded by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher and began in 1971 as Air Southwest, servicing Dallas, Houston and San Antonio (AvStop Online Magazine, n.d.). In its rich history, Southwest Airlines has had many “firsts” in the airline and transportation industry. The airline carrier was the first airlines to offer frequent flyer miles program, which is also the most generous program in the industry (Parnell, 2014). Alongside of the frequent flyer miles, Southwest also offer senior citizen’s discount, fun fare and fun packs, “wanna get away” discounts, no assigned seats, and the most popular two bags fly for free (AvStop Online Magazine, n.d.). One of Southwest major accomplishments is having consecutive profit years since its

During the rapid globalization, being one of the topmost and sustainable airlines is not easy due to the highly competitive airlines industry. Southwest Airlines, founded by Rolling King, Herbert Kelleher, and Lamar Muse in 1967, is considered a very long history of success following its goal that emphasizes on customers’ satisfaction. The key of organizational success relies on human value of Southwest CEO, managers, and employees who try to help each other in order to reach the customers’ best service because these people are the major factors to justify their own images that represent their organization. Furthermore, Southwest has motivated its employees to be more creative and improvable by allowing suitable norms and

When Herb Kelleher and Rollin King founded Southwest Airlines in 1971, their mission stated the “dedication of the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit” (Smith, 2012). With that mission in mind, Herb Keller and Rollin King managed to make Southwest the only profitable airline in the United States (Smith, 2012). Southwest’s mission is not the only reason why the airline continues to grow. Without the way, Herb Kelleher former CEO of Southwest, had developed a particular leadership style, power base, and a set way the organization motivates its’ work force, the company would not be as successful as it is

“Competitive advantage refers to what sets the organisation apart from others and provides it with a distinctive edge for meeting customers or client needs in the marketplace.” (Daft and Marcic, 2011, p.152) I will use a SWOT analysis to identify Tesco’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats so it will be clear what Tesco need to improve so they can go on to making decisions to compete with their competitors and threats.

Using SWOT analysis, it's possible to analyze a case study for identifying points of internal strengths and weaknesses in any given organization, as well as the external opportunities and threats facing this organization (Donohue, Adinolfi and Shrestha, 2009). In this short essay, the SWOT analysis framework is applied to the case about Wendy's International Inc.

This proposal addresses the needed steps to be taken in order for Southwest Airlines to see continued growth in the airline industry. Southwest Airlines has been able to remain one of the most profitable airlines in the industry for an extended period of time. Even with the hindrance of the 2001 terrorist attacks involving airplanes and the U.S recession of 2008, Southwest has continued to see strong revenue growth. Meanwhile, other companies were experiencing major losses and in some cases folding. Southwest Airlines has capitalized on the company’s strength of being the top low cost

Southwest Airlines: Culture, Values and Operating Practices (in Thompson, A. A., Strickland. A. J. and Gamble, J. (2005) Crafting and Executing Strategy (Fourteenth Edition), McGraw-Hill, New York, pages C-636– C-664).

Southwest Airlines faced many barriers to entry from the fierce competition of other airlines in the industry. Though competition was fierce, Southwest Airlines managed to succeed by doing things differently. Their mission was to provide affordable air travel to those who would not normally fly. Contradictory to the rest of the airline industry, Southwest maintained a profit while keeping its fares low. Southwest was unique to the industry in two ways. They focused on the short haul traveler and used a point-to-point method of flight connections.

Southwest Airlines was created in the late 1960’s by a businessperson Rolling King, and law school graduate Herb Kelleher, who sought a faster travel time between Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, Texas (Dess, et al., 2014, p. C137). After overcoming all of the antagonism and legal problems of many major airlines, Southwest was able to take its first flight in 1971 (Dess, et al., 2014, p.C137). With a dedication and will power to grow the company, King and Kelleher sought out ways to increase growth.