Operation and Supply Management of a company
Course
Date
Operation and Supply Management
Selected Company’s Background
The company chosen by this paper for study is Southwest Airlines whose incorporation happened in Dallas, Texas in 1967 and which is its present headquarters. The corporate began its operations on 1971 with only three aircrafts serving San Antonio, Houston and Dallas (Southwest Airlines Co. 1). Southwest remains one among the most important US passenger airlines providing scheduled air transport. The corporate was selected due to its impressive performance because it had never recorded losses, not even during the 2008 global financial crisis, since its incorporation. Following its continued successful operations and profitability, it had managed to run 723 Boeing 737 airplanes across 40 states and t near international markets, which include Jamaica, Bahamas, Aruba, Belize, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica as at 31st December 2016.
Competitive Dimensions
Just like any other sector, the airlines industry remains very competitive as rivals can copy the core services. The main competitive dimensions that make an entity’s competitive position include: the price where the firm offers its products or services cheaply; quality through delivery of great service or products; delivery speed by availing the service quickly; delivery reliability by offering the service when promised; and adapting to changes (Lan; Diab 140).
To remain top in the market, Southwest Airlines Co. provides point-to-point services that have seen it offer more frequent and convenient as well as timed airlines. It also offers low-cost flights and supplementary services such as pets’ transportation and automatic check-in before boarding available positions. Through its friendly and reliable air travel, Southwest Airlines Co. remained the leader in half of the US states in 2016. According to the Southwest Airlines’ sustainability report, its point-to-point networking allowed it to offer more direct routing, and in 2016, around 76% of its customers flew without stopping on 657 city pairs (26).
Besides, it purchases only one type of aircraft, Boeing, which has enabled it to save in terms of costs. Above all, it has developed an experienced workforce to better serve its customers (Southwest Airlines Co. 20). Through the delivery of such excellent customer care services, its brand has become well known and among the customers and is ranked among the top domestic carriers with a 67% market share (Southwest Airlines Co.7).
Sustainability
Southwest Airlines Co. is committed to corporate sustainability through its focus on the triple bottom line that includes the planet, the people, and the performance (Southwest Airlines Co. 136). In regard to performance, the airline posted exceptional results in 2016 by preserving its strong financial position, delivering strong margins, increasing the number of customers, improving baggage delivery rates and on-time performance, growing its route network and returning significant value to its shareholders (Southwest Airlines Co. 14-26).
As a people-centric firm, Southwest Airlines Co. offers its employees a workplace that accommodates diverse viewpoints and their safety as well as that of the clients while also striving to make better the living places of communities around it (Southwest Airlines Co. 37-51). Southwest Airlines Co. believes in living responsibly and minimizing its impact on the environment. Consequently, it continuously undertakes measures the right measures on waste management, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions control (Southwest Airlines Co. 64-78).
Likely Interview Questions
i. How has your company managed to continuously post profits for over four decades?
ii. What type of service processes does your company utilize?
iii. What are your company’s approaches to sustainability?
Works Cited
Diab, Salah M. "Using the competitive dimensions to achieve competitive advantage: A study on Jordanian private hospitals." International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Vol. 4 (9) (2014): 138-150.
Lan, Huynh Linh. Competitive dimensions in operation management. 18 August 2016. http://kdtqt.duytan.edu.vn/Home/ArticleDetail/vn/33/2961/competitive-dimensions-in-operation-management. 30 November 2017.
Southwest Airlines Co. Southwest Airlines Co. 2016 annual report to shareholders. Financial report. Dallas: Southwest Airlines Co., 2016.
—. Southwest one report. Sustainability report. Dallas: Southwest Airlines Co., 2017.
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