Read the case study, the paper should include answers to the following questions:
1. Is there anything that you find particularly impressive
about Southwest Airlines? Provide at least four examples.
2. What grade would you give Southwest management for
the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What
is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does
Southwest have a winning strategy? Explain your answers.
3. What are the key policies, procedures, operating practices,
and core values underlying Southwest’s efforts to implement
and execute its low-cost/no frills strategy?
4. What are the key elements of Southwest’s culture? Is
Southwest a strong-culture company? Why or why not?
What problems do you foresee that Gary Kelly has in sustaining
the culture now that Herb Kelleher, the company’s
spiritual leader, has departed?
5. What grade would you give Southwest management for the
job it has done in implementing and executing the company’s
strategy? Which of Southwest’s strategy execution
approaches and operating practices do you believe have been
most crucial in accounting for the success that Southwest
has enjoyed in executing its strategy? Are there any policies,
procedures, and operating approaches at Southwest of
which you disapprove or that aren’t working well?
6. What weaknesses or problems do you see at Southwest
Airlines as of mid 2010?
7. Does the AirTran acquisition make good strategic sense
for Southwest?
8. What strategic issues and problems must Gary Kelly and
Southwest executives address as they proceed to close the
deal with the AirTran acquisition and contemplate how
best to integrate AirTran’s operations and AirTran’s
employees into Southwest?
9. What recommendations would you make to Gary Kelly
and Southwest executives as the company heads into the
next year?
