Structure and Area of Operation of Thomas Cook Airlines Limited - Report Example

Business English Thomas Cook Airlines Commonly known as Thomas Cook, Thomas Cook Airlines Limited is one of the leading charter airlines in the United Kingdom. The airline is part of the Thomas Cook a services industry based in the United Kingdom offering varied hospitality services. The airline was thus a move that sought to diversify the company’s services. Through effective management and marketing, the charter airline currently boasts international presences as the market leader serving holiday resort worldwide. The airline serves a unique market, a group of the wealthy and leading business people in the first world society who contract private planes both for business and for pleasure. As explained earlier, the company developed the airline as a way of marketing its other hospitality service companies but the company grew thus developing a unique market of its own tapping on the previously virgin industry. Company structure and organization As an industry leader, Thomas Cook Airlines Limited has effective management that oversees the operations of the company ensuring seamless flow of operations. The company has a managing director whose office is the highest. The managing director makes all the operational decisions besides overseeing the company’s operations. He manages the airline’s staff through a series of other bureaucratic offices that enhance the operations. Among the other influential offices in the top-level management in the company are the director of finance and the head of operations (Meisenheimer, 1997). The two head their respective departments reporting directly to the managing director. The airline has an effective systems structure of operations with each of the above departments enjoying a degree of autonomy in their operations. Each of the departments makes decisions on their own with the view of sustaining the profitability of the company. However, they must consult the managing director who sanctions the major operations of the company. The managing director services as the link between the company and the board of directors who represents the interests of the investors. As such, he possesses a charismatic personality that makes him appeal to both parties. This way, he communicates the progress of the company to the board of directors while implementing the decisions of the board back at the company. His roles grant him unparalleled access of the company as he supervises every operation of the company. Besides the middle level managers, the company has numerous employees who operate under both the leadership and management of several managers who in turn report to their respective departments who thus report to the managing director. The managing director as discussed responds to the board of directors thereby ensuring the implementation of the decisions of the board (Price, 2011). The diagram below portrays the structure of the company and the flow of communication that exists at the company. Main product/ service The airline operates in a unique market. Its key service is chartered air travel to different destinations globally. The company serves leading holiday resorts globally. At inception, the company sought to serve the holiday resorts with the view of revitalizing the hospitality industry. However, demands for its services increased as the wealthy business people began contracting the airline for their unique business meetings in different parts of the world. Currently, the airline offers tailored charted airline services with the view of satisfying every customer. The unique industry requires equally unique service packages (Hill & Jones, 2011). As explained earlier, the company currently offers tailored services to its wide customer base. This implies that every service is unique with the company striving to meet all the unique demands of the customers. Such uniqueness implies that the airline serves different destinations besides its official destinations. As a market leader, the company understands the industry and therefore employs unique trading features in order to sustain its profitability. Just as with any other business venture, company the airline uses such marketing tools as the marketing mix that provides elaborate understanding of both the company and the industry. However, just as expected, the company concentrates on the its product, a fundamental element of the marketing mix. The company that boasts in tailored services ensures that each service package is unique to the demands of the customers thus striving to satisfy the customers an effective marketing strategy that has contributed to the company’s success. Among the important marketing features, that the company employs besides diversity is effective coverage of the market. Based in the United Kingdom, the company has offices in nearly all the leading cities in the country. This ensures ease of access to the company for its leading clients. Furthermore, the company has an unparalleled internet presence. Through e-commerce, the company enjoys global presence as it responds to different calls from different clients throughout the world. Area of operation and main trading links The company’s headquarter is in London with several other offices in some of the leading cities in the country such as Manchester. The company has bases in nearly all the largest airports in the country including, London Gatwick Airport, Bristol Airport, Birmingham Airport, Cardiff International Airport, Belfast International Airport and the Glasgow International Airport among many others. This proves the developments of the company as it strives to infiltrate the market. With such an effective coverage of the market, the company places its services strategically to their target market with the view of increasing profitability. The company’s primary objective is to provide chartered survives to the leading holiday resorts. The company thus targets holiday seekers in the country but has since diversify its services to include other business people who seek private jets to their different destinations globally. As a diversification strategy, the airline sought to improve the services of Thomas Cook, a holiday service provider with resorts in different parts of the world. With the airline, the company would increase demand for its holiday resort owing to the improved convenience of access. However, the company collaborated with other leading holiday service providers globally with the view of increasing its market. Currently, the company serves varied destinations throughout the world. Additionally, the airline collaborated with other holiday service providers such as the Cox and Kings thereby increasing its market. This way, the company increases demand for both its holiday resort and airline business. Finance structure As explained earlier, among the key offices and departments in the company is that of the Director of Finance Operations. Currently headed by Paul Hutchings, the department manages the company’s finances. The department works in close collaboration with both the managing director and operations manager thereby developing effective plans and budgets for the company. among the key roles of the department are setting the prices of the unique service the company offers besides controlling the utilization of the company’s capital by developing appropriate budgets (Heizer & Render, 2011). As a top level management, the Director of Finance operations helps observe the growth of the company thereby influencing the company’s progressive investment plans. This implies that the department monitors the successful business ventures thereby influencing the board of directors through the managing director to invest in such. Furthermore, the department works with the human resource department thereby establishing the appropriate remuneration of the company’s employees. In a summary, the office of the Director of Finance Operations controls the company’s revenue thereby guiding the utilization of money at the company. Training provision Effective management is a result of appropriate training and exposure of personnel to the operations of the company. Thomas Cook Airlines Limited therefore has effective training programs for its employees in order to introduce them to the unique market of chartered plane networks, through effective graduate training for example, the company safeguards its longevity by ensuring a steady supply of qualified individuals to inherit vacant positions. Furthermore, training is an effective way of improving the productivity of the employees thus motivating them to work hard. History of the company The company began its operations in 2008 following a successful merger between MyTravel Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines UK Ltd. The two companies had existed in the past with each enjoying a substantial market share. The merger was thus a way of pooling resources thereby increasing the company’s market share. Thomas Cook Airlines Limited began its operations on 30 March 2008 with a fleet of three airbuses and two Boeing planes. The company has thus grown to increase its presence in the market by diversifying its services. Future of the company The growth of the company within the last four years portrays the future of the company. The company seeks to grow increasing its market share by covering new destinations while offering diverse services. The company carries out effective marketing in order to determine the latest trend in the market. Through such, it continues to discover new markets besides new ways of doing business (OCarroll, 2002). As explained, the company enjoys e-commerce thereby a platform that has increased the company’s market thereby positioning the company strategically in the international market. Through e-commerce, the company carries out effective social media marketing besides the use of different internet features to serve its customers. This has increased the efficiency of the company thus improving profitability. Interview with key personnel Christoph Debus is the company’s current managing director, he explains the numerous features of the business besides the company’s drive to success. Interviewer: Good morning sir, would you please introduce us to both yourself and your company? Christoph Debus: Good morning, I am Christoph Debus, the managing director of Thomas Cook Airlines limited. The company is currently the market leader providing unique and diverse charted plane services throughout the world. Interviewer: What has been your key to success within the short time the company has been in the market? Christoph Debus: the key to success is understanding the industry. We portray this thereby diversifying our services in order to increase our relevance in the market. Furthermore, we have a dedicated and motivated workforce a fundamental feature in the company’s success (Sims, 2007). References Heizer, J., & Render, B. (2011). Principles of Operations Management. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2011). Strategic Management: Palm Beach State College Edition BAS Capstone Course 9th E. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Meisenheimer, C. G. (1997). Improving quality: A guide to effective programs. Rockville, Mar: Aspen. OCarroll, P. W. (2002). Public health informatics and information systems. New York: Springer. Price, A. (2011). Human Resource Management. Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA. Sims, R. R. (2007). Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. Greenwich, Conn: Information Age Publ. Read More