Below you will find 2 Weaknesses and 2 Threat statements from a Southwest Airlin

Question

Below you will find 2 Weaknesses and 2 Threat statements from a Southwest Airlines SWOT analysis. Following the statements are questions that you need to answer to demonstrate your understanding of the implications that elements of a SWOT Analysis could have across the 4 disciplines of the Integrated Core.

Read the Weakness and Threats statements carefully then proceed to answer the questions noted below:

Southwest Airlines SWOT Analysis - Weaknesses

SWA only caters to the Budget Traveler.

Negative comments about SWA on Social Media due to overbooking of flights

Southwest Airlines SWOT Analysis – Threats

Other airlines trying to imitate SWA strategies.

A possible decrease in business travel demand due to technology.

MARKETING ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS (graded for 100 Points)

1). Assume you are the Vice President of Southwest Airlines, explain how you would recommend taking the weakness and turning it into a strength and the threat and turning it into an opportunity.

Next provide 2 explanations as follows:

Explain how the weakness turned into a new strength would impact the disciplines of Marketing, Finance, Management and Operations.

Explain how the threat turned into a new opportunity would impact the disciplines of Marketing, Finance, Management and Operations.

Explanation / Answer

1).

Turning weakness into strengths:

Given the weakness of catering only budget travelers and negative comments about SW Airlines on social media due to overbooking of flights, the steps that can be taken to convert them into strengths are mentioned below:

Budget traveler issue:

It can be resolved by introducing new attractive schemes for luxury travelers. The company can give discounts for penetrating into the segment.

Negative comments issue:

The company can ask its customer care section to be more vigilant and proactive in case of query resolving. The company can also make a social media group which will take care of all these things. The company needs to improve its service and it can publicize the positive feedbacks to counter the effect of negative feedbacks.

Turning threats into opportunities:

Given the threats of intimation of strategies by other airlines and decrease in business travel demand because of technology, the following steps can be taken to convert them into opportunities:

Imitation issue:

The strategies should be disclosed only to a limited people and the information that is common should only be disclosed. The organization can go for a proactive approach and do market intelligence. It can change its policies according to the market conditions and use the best possible opportunities.

Decrease in business travel demand:

It can lower its fares to attract more business class customers. Also, this will help the upper middle-income group to switch to the business class.

Effects of weakness turned into strength on marketing, finance, management and operations:

Marketing: The company will require aggressive marketing for the new schemes to attract more and more customers. This will increase the work of the department.

Finance: The company will incur more expenditure to promote its marketing strategies and adjust more customers in less amounts.

Management: It may be required that the management needs to be restructured to handle the increased number of functional departments effectively. The overall customers will change in terms of class. The management will thus be required to be more coordinative with all the departments.

Operations: The strength will help the company to acquire more customers. This will require the operations department to plan the flights and ground activities more efficiently to keep the flow smooth.

Effects of threats turned into opportunities on marketing, finance, management and operations:

Marketing: The company will require aggressive marketing for the new schemes to attract more and more customers. This will increase the work of the department.

Finance: To give discounts and not affect the company’s wealth and overall profit an effective financial planning will be required. This will increase the workload of the department. Also, the department will need to be more creative and attentive.

Management: The overall customers will change in terms of class. The management will thus be required to be more coordinative with all the departments.

Operations: The strength will help the company to acquire more customers. This will require the operations department to plan the flights and ground activities more efficiently to keep the flow smooth

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