Delta Air Lines: Communications and Decision Making Annie Mullins, Camaryn Jackson, Marinela Prifti and Bree Hood Brenau University May 13, 2015 Delta Air Lines Communications and Decision Making C.E. Woolman, the first leader of Delta Air Lines, believed that the company should take care of its employees so that, in return they would take care of customers. At the root of this care included effectively communicating with his teams and empowering them to make the right decisions. As Debra Nelson and James Quick reference in Organizational Behavior: Science, the Real World, and You, (2013, p. 283) “…communication, especially between managers and employees, is a critical foundation for effective performance in organizations…this is especially critical when leaders are articulating vision and achieving buy-in from employees.” The buy-in that Woolman received from his employees stemmed from his intentional engagement with them and expectation to provide the best customer service in the airline industry. Throughout its history, Delta has deliberately engaged its employees and has modeled a human resource management (HRM) system, which is the “term increasingly used to refer to the philosophy, policies, procedures, and practices related to the management of an organization’s employees” (Sims, 2002, p. 2). The HRM system at Delta has impacted its organizational structure, corporate communications, and shared decision making.
Executive Summary An executive summary is a short section of a document that summarizes a longer report in such a way that readers can rapidly become acquainted with a large body of material without having to read it all. It will usually contain a brief statement of what is covered in the major document, background information, concise analysis and main conclusions.
Enhancing Service at Southwest Airlines Kevin Winstead Sullivan University MGT 620 Executive Summary 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
The article “U.S. Slaps Duties on Canadian Jet, Raising Trade Tensions,” written by Ana Swanson and published in The New York Times on September 26, 2017, describes how new duty fees will be charged on all new Bombardier CS100 airplanes imported into the United States. This conflict arose after Boeing (American airplane manufacturer) accused Bombardier (Canadian airplane manufacturer) of using subsidies to sell its jets at incredibly low prices in the American market. The United States Commerce Department confirmed that Bombardier’s CS100 aircraft had received subsidies that were worth 220 percent more than the value of the plane’s sales price. These subsidies, which were given by the Canadian government, allowed Bombardier to reduce prices on their aircraft. The profits that they
How did the specific HR programs (recruit, select, train, performance management, etc.) fit with, and support the Southwest corporate strategy at the time of the case?
Southwest Airlines Introduction While flying home to Texas last summer with Southwest Airlines, I had the most fun and unique experience with an airline that I could ever remember. It all started out quite oddly enough in the lobby just before takeoff. As I was checking in at the ticket counter, the representative asked me if I wanted to play a game that could get me free round trip tickets. "Sure, who wouldn't," I exclaimed. As she gave me my boarding pass she said, "Great, how many holes do you have in your socks?" Initially caught off guard, I responded, "Excuse me!" "The free tickets are being given to the customer who has the most holes in their socks," she explained with a perky smile.
Michele Lynn October 12, 2008 Marketing – Resnik Case Study: Southwest Airlines Air travel has its ups and down, as does basically any type of travel. However, Southwest Airlines has always been my favorite airline to fly. As a young single who loved traveling, I found their fares and schedules to be the most convenient for my taste. I always appreciated the staff’s sense of humor, and it really never bothered me where I sat, so I didn’t mind the “A, B, C” boarding groups as opposed to assigned seats: I actually appreciated the freedom of choice. It wasn’t until after a couple of marketing classes that I realized the things I preferred about Southwest were intentional marketing strategies that the company used to differentiate
Introduction “Your employees come first, and if you treat your employee’s right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that” (Byrne, 2012). This quote from Herb Kelleher, co-founder of Southwest Airlines, embodies the leadership at the airline. Southwest is the leading low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas and founded in 1967 by Herb Kelleher and Rollin King. They dare to differ from other carriers because their philosophy revolves around people both internal and external. Communication, culture, and leadership are the cornerstone of their success. This paper explores key leader’s communique tactics, the role communication plays in daily operations, how the mission, vision, and culture reinforce the goals, and the prominence of connecting with internal and external stakeholders. A clearer understanding the role of communication and culture at Southwest are beneficial in developing best practices for any organization.
If I were appointed CEO of Southwest Airlines following Herb Kelleher’s resignation, I do not believe taking the assignment would be easy, however I do believe that the transition would be successful. The framework that Kelleher as set into place for his organization allows for a successful transition for his successor, because of the culture that set into place revolves around the employees and customers. Treating employees and customers great and focusing on employee engagement is vital to the success of any organization, Southwest and Kelleher have established found a promising method that has worked for over 40 years. Kevin Kruse (2012) defines employee engagement as the emotional commitment that an employee has to the organization and
Why Southwest Traveler’s Choice Best of 2015: Favorite Airline (Trip Advisor). Best Low-Cost Carrier in North America (Premier Travel Magazine). #7 World’s Most Admired (Fortune Magazine). #18 Best Employer (Forbes Magazine). #21 Best Corporate Citizen (Corporate Responsibility Magazine). These awards speak for themselves. All of these accomplishments are extraordinarily impressive, however,
When on vacation, the first people you deal with are the airline companies, yes this is the dreaded trip to the airport. Way to often people have their happy vacations ruined by inconsistent and unreliable customer service, making them late for flights because of long lines, slow service, and unreliable technology that is difficult to use. However, Southwest airlines is one company that is standing out above all others. Known for their outstanding customer service and “Bags Fly Free” campaign, Southwest has held their ground against rising prices in airline travel and continued to expand its reaches while at the same time attracting many satisfied customers. Southwest Airlines was founded on June 18, 1971 by Rollen King and Herb Kellener. The very same year, Southwest began its flights servicing Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Southwest quickly climbed the ranks within airline the industry and became the fifth largest US air carrier by 1998, carrying an average of 50 million passengers a year across the United States. From then on, Southwest soared above the rest of the mid-range air carriers, and continues to do so to this day. Southwest quickly became known for its innovation when it comes to customer service and satisfaction, and it is still well known today for its simple and convenient customer service. Southwest has also been deeply involved when it comes to their social responsibilities, taking action to be ecofriendly whenever, and wherever possible. (Avstop)
Southwest Airline Analysis The goal of this paper is to explain the prominent success of Southwest Airline in the United States through a single case study analysis making use of the McKinsey’s 7-S framework. Developed in the early 1980s at the McKinsey & Company consulting firm by Tom Peters and Robert
Southwest Airlines Case Summary Southwest Airlines was originally named Air Southwest. It was started on March 15, 1967, by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. Southwest Airlines is an American low fare airline based in Dallas, Texas. It is also the largest airline in the United States by number of passengers carried domestically in a year and the third largest airline in the world by number of passengers carried. Southwest is also one the most profitable airlines in the world posting a profit for 34 consecutive years.
Mission and Organizational Culture Southwest Airlines incorporates a team orientated culture by cross training its employees so they are capable of helping each other if necessary. The company place a strong emphasis on training work teams and cultivating employee citizenship behavior. Employees participate in twice daily meetings where they can discuss any issues and determine a course of action. Job applicants who are not viewed as team players are not hired. This team oriented organizational culture offers more positive relationships with managers and coworkers thus providing a quality workplace.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Southwest Airlines provides short haul, high frequency, point-to-point, low-fare services to and from 58 cities across the United States. The company is known for its low-cost fares and superior customer service in the airline industry. The company was started in 1971 with a motto still lived by today, "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." This motto has been effective for the company because they recently reported their 58th straight quarterly profit.