The Southwest Airlines is an airline whose purpose is to provide air transportation for its passengers into the US on schedule. The services are point to point and are lowly priced with a connection into 72 cities and into 37 states in the US. Its headquarters are based in Dallas in Texas, and the company employs a total of 34,901 personnel (Jackson, 115). Management in any organization has functions that include; planning, controlling, leading and organizing. These functions help to ensure the smooth running of the organization and that the internal and external factors that affect the organizations operations.
Planning plays a very key role in the running of the company. A plan has to be well laid out on where the company is at in the present and where it wants to be in the future. A plan has to be well communicated to all the players and explained to them so that they understand. A plan that is well laid out and is implemented with caution can reap many benefits for the airlines in the end (Wood, 89).
Globalization has greatly influenced this function because it has made the transfer of information to the personnel fast and efficient. It has helped to ensure all the employees are well informed and that they understand the role that they play in ensuring the various plans are in motion and on time. It has enabled the communication of ideas over long distances and people over long distances can converse using tools such as the teleconferencing. A plan that many people have gone over and approved of is able to bear great fruits and could be considered foul proof.
Government regulations are always present and they have a great influence in the running of the airlines (Jackson, 45). They are strict on the issues that influence the passenger’s security and the fuel. These are mainly in relation to airplanes that are considered old and hazardous to the passengers. The regulations have made it hard for the airline to plan ahead because of the expenses that are brought about by the need to always to comply with the regulations.
People around the world are very diverse they come from a variety of cultures and they have different beliefs that they believe in. This therefore makes vital for the airlines to understand the various beliefs of the many personnel and customers when they are planning. They have to be well understood so as to ensure that the plan they intend on implementing does not offend others. The process of understanding the diverse people could end up being expensive and time consuming but it is vital in the formulation of a vital plan.
Ethics are important for the running of the airlines. Any plan that is meant to be implemented at any time needs to be ethical in front of the eyes of the management of the airlines, the employees and the customers (Carsrud, 59). If a plan is considered unethical it could prove to be detrimental in the overall success of the airlines. What is considered to be ethical by one community could end being seen as so unethical by another community hence this has to be taken into consideration by the people involved in planning.
Organization is a key element in the overall smooth running of the airlines. A well-organized airline is able to attract many customers and this is the main goal of the airlines. This helps to bring the airlines management as a focused group as time wastage is avoided as customers are served well and in time and also few resources are wasted as a result. Consensus is able to be arrived at in time.
Technology has evolved to great extent in the years. For an airline to achieve high levels of organization they have been forced to rely greatly in technology (Wood, 95). It helps to save on resources, time, and energy this improve on efficiency in formulating ways to improve their levels of organization. Technology helps in developing new ways of improving the organization levels and fast track the implementation process of the ideas. The use of technological advanced equipment’s help to ensure the airline is at the top of its competitors.
The economy keeps on changing from time to time. This therefore, calls for the company to keep on reinventing themselves in that they can anticipate the changes. The economy is usually unstable for most periods hence the need for organization from the top management so as to maintain profit margins. The airlines are well organized In a way that ensures that the debts levels are always in check and are relative in relation to the sales volume.
The marketing strategy and the mission statement have enabled the airline to remain competitive. ‘To get passengers to their destination safely and with a laugh or two along the way’ (Jackson, 62). The organization levels brought about by this have ensured that they have caught the attention of the customers hence culminating into profit margins. The choice of the airline to work in the tourism has increased the number of customers that use the airline on a regular basis high.
The organization of the internal management has ensured the continued profits that have been witnessed in the company to be many. Organized departments ensure that the employees are busy and hardworking because they know they are being watched by the top management. This ensures motivated employees as they know their efforts are being recognized and awarded. This leads to profits levels increasing in the airlines as the employees are responsible and they understand their job roles. This is because a happy employee will in turn serve the customers well and this brings about repeat purchase (Eaton, 123). Employees need to be controlled at all times to ensure that their time is spent well and that they understand their job roles and their importance in the company.
Technology has helped to ensure that the management is able to watch the employees that are over long distances as they work on other chores (Carsrud, 48). This is with the help of gadgets such as the security cameras, detectors, security checkups when accessing some places. This controls theft and makes employees responsible for their actions. Technology has made control work easy for management, therefore culminating into profits for the company since time is spent doing sometime important.
Regulations such as those imposed by the government makes the controlling process easy because the employees are well informed of them. This therefore means that they are responsible for their own actions (Jackson, 38). The regulations however need constant supervision as if they are not checked they could end up costing the company lots of resources. If the regulations are controlled they could help in making the process of estimating the cost of fuel efficient.
Controlled levels of pricing they have enabled the Southwest airlines to remain competitive overtime in relation to its competitors (Eaton, 105). Controlled operation costs that are employed by the airlines have ensured that the savings are passed on to the customers and this in turn leads to higher returns to the various customers. This form of leadership and controlled strategic structure has ensured a healthy status of business at all times.
Internal relations that are controlled play a vital role in the success of the company. This achieved faster when the various employees are given a chance to learn new things form one another and develop themselves (Wood, 105). A controlled movement of information between the employees and the employers makes them to feel that their ideas are heard and have been put into account. The front officers are allowed to make instant decisions that they consider appropriate, this in turn makes them feel empowered.
Leading is a stage that carries along with it a lot of weight. The employees have to be led and monitored from time to time for them to work hard and produce good profit margins for the airlines company. The changes that have taken in the world overtime and have made the world into one global village have made the work of leading an easy task (Carsrud, 67). A manager is therefore able to lead the people that are in far flung areas efficiently and without using a lot of resources. Globalization has enabled one to study the working moves of other airlines and try to apply them in their own airline. One is also able to learn from the mistakes of others and improve his or her leadership skills.
Technology has made the availability and the storage of crucial information easy. The information can therefore, be accessed on a later date and help the management team in the running of the information. The use of technological machinery such as the security cameras have toned down the instances of theft and therefore making the process of leadership an easy task.
People are born form a variety of cultures and their beliefs are very diverse. For a leader to be successful in leading the people he needs to understand the differences and respect them. The customers need and beliefs be well understood by the employees to ensure that their needs are always met. This therefore calls for the leaders to educate the employees.
The various people in the world have a variety of ethical practices that they have put into practice (Jackson, 87). A great leader has to understand the cultures of the people who are in the area the airline are directing its flights. This shall help to reduce the confrontations that may occur between the employees and the customers. One may consider one thing as ethical as a leader but the customer or the employee may consider the same thing as so unethical. As a leader it leaves no room for any assumptions.
The airlines ability to maintain good relations with the customers with the help of the frontline staff has ensured that the problems that arise a dealt with fast. Satisfied employees and customers are able to bring great profit margins for the company as the employees work well and there is repeat use of the airlines by the customers.
Work Cited
Carsrud, Alan L, and Malin E. Brännback. Entrepreneurship. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print.
Jackson, Susan E, Randall S. Schuler, Steve Werner, and Susan E. Jackson. Managing Human Resources. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
Eaton, Jack. Globalization and Human Resource Management in the Airline Industry. Aldershot [u.a.: Ashgate, 2001. Print.
Wood, Ron. Into the Value Zone: Gaining and Sustaining Competitive Advantage. Lanham: University Press of America, 2008. Print.
