Global Operation Management of British Airways - Case Study Example

Introduction

The aim of the paper is to analyze the application of British Airways strategies on the real world scenario. The discussion will focus on the company’s operation management. British Airways is an international airline that offers low fares compared to other global airlines. The company has extended its international route network that enables it’s airplanes to fly to and from the airports around the world (Rapp and Eklund, 2002). The company believes in sustainability, and this has made them more popular. The company focuses on the three most important areas that include: prevention of environment impact, supporting the livelihoods of vulnerable children and communities at large. Additionally, British Airways believe in career development making it a responsible employer and a better business partner globally. For instance, the company has been able to enrich many livelihoods through supporting both local and global education sectors and charity projects that has changed the lives of many people (Marriott, 1997).

The company plays a very important role in the international economy through making sure that it gives people opportunity to enhance their business and being responsible for connecting people and places to improve their living standards. The company has facilitated this through the company’s renewed sustainability policies program.

How the company has been able to win orders in the market

British airway is one of the largest global airlines in the world because it has more passengers than any other airline services. This has been achieved through having in place better policies and framework regarding its operation. (Rapp and Eklund, 2002) For instance, one of the most important drivers to this is that it has been able to privatize its services. This has gradually changed the landscape whereby there has been the emergence of the no-frills airlines that has enhanced growth in the market in united states domestic and European markets compared to British Airways (Murray, 1983). Moreover, the creation of the international alliances between carriers has also helped in making the company win orders. It has allowed them to share ideas on activities that entail marketing, and frequent flyer programs and in the booking of the tickets. The company has introduced cheaper starting fare and the abolition of restrictions, like Saturday night stay policy. This has enabled the customer to have a choice of higher flexibility and the value for money. Consequently, the company has involved itself in enhancing a strong relationship with other airline operating services; they have agreed to have a joint service that enables them to share revenues (Murray, 1983). This factor has made the company able to have an extensive network hence increasing its presence in the international airline markets.

British has also been able to remove some of the difficulties that the customers were being subjected. For instance, there is speed service of the passengers in the immigration and customs, and therefore, the passengers are not charged to access their lounges. The company has made the access of this lounges to be part of their products. The company gets into touch with its customers through engaging their customers in telling them on their flight experience and how the experience should look like. So the company has been able to act on the customer’s considerations and suggestions hence making it be the first customer’s airline choice. The company has been able to help its customers deal with fatigue to improve their blood circulation. For instance, through providing meals that are healthy and showing exercises that customers can be able to perform in their seats (Marriott, 1997). The introduction of the main arrivals has been used by the customers who have to wait for the public transport. Hence boosting the company’s premium finance by a big margin.

Theme of the company

One of the British Airway’s themes is to deliver an outstanding experience for its clients. The company has to continue evolving its products and services (Endres, 1989). One of the ways the company is doing to achieve this is through rolling out old cabins and developing new products that fit Boeing. Moreover, the company is refining its terminal 5 experience that will best suit premium customers. Additionally, the company is enhancing the targeted business class that has enabled the customers to be able to interact with the company; this will foster competition in place (Chopra and Meindl, 2007). Furthermore, this has helped the company to remain relevant to its international clients. The outstanding customer delivery service, has enabled the company to reaffirm its brand in a changing market that is very competitive.

The operational management of British Airways

The company has restructured its operational management to enhance high customer attention and have efficient governance and leadership. Therefore, operation management team is concerned with increasing the services of the company to satisfy the needs of its clients. The company has restructured its management in an effort of realizing the goals of the company. Moreover, the management has helped to identify fresh professionals in the company, and this has helped in supporting the growth of the company (Endres, 1989). The company has a system of high-performance leadership, which assists in identifying those leaders who are talented hence equipping them with the right equipment’s to develop (Chopra and Meindl, 2007).

The company has the operation management board that is responsible for the issues concerning the vision and the strategic plan of the company. This enables the company to move in a good direction. Furthermore, the company has customer and operations management department that are basically concerned with customer service who meets weekly in making sure that there are high operational performance and high safety standards in the company. The director of the safety and security who have the responsibility for making sure that the company enhances its performance manages a legal department. These leaders have the obligation of making sure that the company achieves its long term vision

Proper operational management has led to the emergence of the online booking services known as ba.com that has helped the company to cut down its cost and enhance the revenues. Because most of the bookings are now made online. This new operational management has enabled customers to enjoy the convenience of the company through checking their departures and arrivals using their cell phones. This development has helped the company in enhancing the real value to its customers. There is a focus on improving and providing the premium products; this is done through improved technology in express services. New services have emerged such as scanning of the airmail and direct door deliveries from the airport (Nguyen, Felfe, and Fooken, 2013).

Operation management theme 2

Flexibility

To make the company remain on the competitive edge against other airline company’s, flexibility has been one of the most important aspects of the company. This has made British Airways to offer a 24 hr. Service to its customers with an aim of reducing the foreseeable inconveniences that may affect its customers. Moreover, the company has introduced the need for having an effective call customer care center that involves technological equipment’s to make it able to respond to the call of its customers. The call center does also involves most of the influential social networks. The company does this with an aim of addressing the customer inquiries and acting on their feedbacks concerning the services that are offered.

The company has also developed a strategy whereby all the customers are notified any changes that may occur. This technique ensures that the clients experience very few inconveniences hence assisting in retaining the reputation of the company (Manopiniwes, Suphameteeskul, and Janchai, 2013). All these developments have been realized through electronic notifications that are enhanced by a strong network. The company is also concerned with the welfare of its employees. Whereby, the employees, are regarded as an important aspect in the development of the company. The company has therefore ensured that there is a high level of flexibility concerning the employee requirements. For instance, there is a program that automatically assigns workers shifts fairly. As a result this has enabled the company to enhance flexibility in time management. The company is upgrading its software in the engineering department as a way of enhancing its flexibility; this will enable most of the programming machines to be understood efficiently for the services within the airlines.

Conclusion and REcommendation

KThe company has to improve its standard of the environmental performance through reducing the effect on its local and international environment. More emphasis has to be on the aircraft noise to prevent environmental effects (Ku Yusof, Razali, and Tahir, 2010). Moreover, the company has to put in place proper strategies to protect its image. This will help to prevent bad publicity that arises through advertisement campaigning that reaches out to many customers. It must implement policies that prohibit passengers from carrying brands that will affect the reputation of the company. In order for the company to put the customer at its core, there is need of merging commercial departments so as to have a new customer feedback team that will only focus on the experience of the customers.

The team has to put more focus on the company’s brand with an aim of enhancing profitability (Han and Du, 2011). The company has to make sure that the responsibilities and roles of the company are assigned to the people with required experience; this enhances the strength of the company. Additionaly the operational research of the company has to be enhanced through working across the company’s business that entails strategy and marketing. These skills will put more emphasis on delivering goals hence positively affecting the performance of the business. The company has to concentrate on training its professionals by offering different career avenues. This helps the company to be able to solve complex issues hence enhancing the business opportunities of the company. The company needs to put in place efficient and strong business policies that will help the company in analyzing its international markets. Moreover, it must be able to monitor both financial and political developments in areas that play vital role in the company. The company has to focus on the demand and the growth of the market by setting both price policies and the targets by advising several departments of the company on issues that concern both government regulations and monetary taxation (Davey and Ince, 2000). The company must be able to enhance and manage its global financial development schedule.it will help in maximizing the company’s value in its market network. This enables the company to be able to reconcile the condition of the market and operational opportunities. For the company to develop and have long-term plans, it has to represent financial part of the business about the managing small changes and involving in the implementing network component regarding the relationship with the other company partners.

The company has to manage properly its fleet planning because this is the vital aspect in the air transportation. This has to be done by evaluating the existing types of aircraft and comparing the cost compatibility. This will help the company in influencing the manufactures to produce aircraft that meets the future standards. Moreover, the company must be able to come up with better business planning by coordinating the wide business arrangement process. This has to be done by tracking the company’s strategic priorities and coordinating on how the company’s strategies are developing. The company must also aim at building its presence in most of the international cities through extending the partnership with the global nations. This will help in expanding the business opportunities of the company. In addition, developing its position in the competitive edge of the market (Davey and Ince, 2000). Running big business operation is equally important in both meeting client expectations and delivering of cost effective financial business. Operational management must be monitored through wide measures.in order to run the operation efficiently; high performance must be enhanced because it is a key measure to client satisfaction.

Conclusively, from the company themes. BA should focus in implementing the best strategy in order to gain potential business opportunities. They must create new markets into the already existing ones. This will enable them to rise very fast and assist them to have a stronger merger with other airline companies. On the other hand environmental issues is of great concern to the company ,therefore a serious policy must be put in place to be able to improve issues that affect environment. Strategic analysis is also very important because it focuses more on the passenger planes in order to strengthen the level of the business structure.it is therefore important that if these business structures are fully implemented and adhered to, the company will be able to achieve its operational goals and be able to reach the potential business opportunities. In the end, the company will be success and remain as one of the best aircraft company.