Questions
Boeing had supply and quality issues leading to production delays in the development of their 787...

Boeing had supply and quality issues leading to production delays in the development of their 787 aircraft.

• What happened with the execution of Boeing’s planned strategy – did Boeing achieve planned results?

• What were Boeing’s responses to the issues identified?

• What role did senior management play in the execution of the strategy?

• Did you find issues with senior management’s approach?

An important part of this paper is your analysis of the issues that Boeing faced

• Analyze

• What went right for Boeing?

• What went wrong for Boeing?

• Why did these issues occur?

• Analyze the quality issues

• What do you believe was the cause of these issues?

• Assuming that you have just been named CEO of Boeing, what would you change or do differently?

In: Operations Management

While globalization is sometimes referred to as westernization, there is some thought to the idea that...

While globalization is sometimes referred to as westernization, there is some thought to the idea that it is mostly Americanization. Discuss and analyze the spread of the American political and economic model. Provide examples of countries where you feel it has been welcomed and successful and why and countries where it has not and why not.

In: Operations Management

Safety Award: Imagine you are on a newly formed national committee that will be awarding safety...

  1. Safety Award: Imagine you are on a newly formed national committee that will be awarding safety awards to Canadian organizations. The mandate of this committee is to recognize excellence in the promotion of safety at work. What criteria do you think should be used to assess organizations’ performance in this area? Create a draft of a rating form that the committee might use to evaluate nominated organizations. Do not worry about formatting the form, the content is what matters.

400 words.

In: Operations Management

Examine the dark side of entrepreneurship by explaining how any three of the following issues impact...

Examine the dark side of entrepreneurship by explaining how any three of the following issues impact entrepreneurs:

  1. Financial risk
  2. Career risk
  3. Family and social risk
  4. Psychic risk
  5. Stress from loneliness
  6. Stress from immersion in business
  7. Stress from the need to achieve

In: Operations Management

Discuss why it is important to have a balance between the three elements of behavioral control—(1)...

Discuss why it is important to have a balance between the three elements of behavioral control—(1) building a strong and effective culture, (2) motivating with rewards and incentives, and (3) setting boundaries and constraints.

In: Operations Management

MALAYSIA AIRLINES: THE MARKETING CHALLENGE AFTER MH370 AND MH17 MAS was the national carrier of Malaysia....

MALAYSIA AIRLINES: THE MARKETING CHALLENGE AFTER MH370 AND MH17

MAS was the national carrier of Malaysia. The company started as Malayan Airways Limited and had its first commercial flight in 1947. After the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, the former partners formed separate entities in 1972, and were independently branded as Singapore Airlines and MAS. The larger part of MAS’s shareholdings (69.4 per cent) was retained by the Malaysian government’s sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional Berhad.8 MAS’s two subsidiary airlines, Firefly and MASwings, operated on different routes; Firefly operated only between tertiary cities in Malaysia and its two home bases, while MASwings operated inter-Borneo flights.9 Committed to customer service, MAS has received many awards, including a five-star rating from Skytrax and the title of “world’s leading airline to Asia” at the World Travel Awards.10 MASkargo and MASCharter, the other subsidiaries, operated cargo and charter flights, respectively. The airline’s non-aeronautical services included maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) (see Exhibit 1).

First Phase of Loss

In 1997, the Asian financial crisis brought the expansion of MAS to a halt. Reports revealed that much of the company’s growth had been ego-driven and without efficient management.14 During this turbulent phase, the organization suffered a loss of RM260 million. The airline reduced its losses by 63 per cent in FY1998/99, but the trend turned downwards again. There were subsequent losses of RM417 million in FY2000/01, and RM836 million in FY2001/02.15

Second Phase of Loss

The second phase of loss occurred in 2005. Although the business saw an increase in passenger traffic (10.2 per cent) and passenger revenues (10.3 per cent) as compared to 2004, MAS still incurred a loss of RM1.3 billion. The main reasons for this decline included a decrease in cargo revenues in comparison to the previous year (4.2 per cent) and an increase in the various cost overheads, which primarily consisted of increased fuel prices (40.4 per cent), handling and landing, MRO, and widespread assets unbundling (WAU) charges and leases.16

Turnaround Phase (2005 to 2007)

Management realized that a business turnaround was needed to sustain MAS. Starting in 2005, the senior management team decided to draft a new blueprint to drastically improve the situation. At the end of 2005, Idris Jala was inducted as managing director to implement the business turnaround plan. While publicizing the restructuring plan, Jala was quoted as saying,

We are dedicated to the creation of a company that will be a source of pride and admiration for its employees and indeed all its stakeholders. The Malaysia airline of tomorrow will maintain its fivestar product, have a competitive cost structure in the region, be renowned as being one of the best places to work in Malaysia, have closed much of the revenue performance gap to our peers, and will return to profitability in 2007. We can do this, and we will.17

After the plan was put into practice, MAS announced a profit of RM851 million by the end of 200718 — far beyond the expected target of RM300 million. The restructuring exercise emphasized the key areas of pricing, revenue management, route rationalizing, rescheduling of flights and tweaking the operating model (from point-to-point services to hub and spoke).

Third Phase of Loss

MAS recorded a massive loss of RM2.52 billion in 2011, due to an increase in fuel (25 per cent) and nonfuel expenses (50 per cent).19 Although revenues improved marginally from RM13.5 billion in 2010, to RM13.9 billion in 2011, the higher fuel and non-fuel expenditures — namely, the redelivery of aircrafts (RM602 million), impairment of freighters (RM314 million) and stock obsolescence (RM179 million) — pushed the organization towards another loss.20 As part of a major restructuring of the leadership team, Yahya was appointed managing director and group CEO in September 2011.21

Subsequent Turnaround Phase

Led by its new CEO, MAS implemented various initiatives in response to its losses, such as route rationalization. The rerouting exercise enabled the airline to reduce available seat kilometres, one of the key performance indicators (KPIs) in the aviation industry, by 6 per cent. The company posted a net profit of RM51.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, a turnaround from the year before when the company was running at a net loss of RM1.3 billion.22 Yahya stated, “We continue to gain traction in multiple initiatives that focus on increasing revenue and managing costs. The results are very encouraging for our teams who have worked hard throughout the year.”23

Although aggressive pricing improved the seat capacity and protected the market share of MAS, the weakening of the national currency increased the operating cost of its expanding fleet. The airline recorded a loss of RM375.4 million in the first half of 2013.24 Yahya expressed his concerns: “We are extremely disappointed with these results, which emphasize the need to maintain our focus on cost control and drive improved efficiency and performance across all divisions.”

EVENTS IN 2014 The MH370 Disaster

MAS flight 370 was an international passenger flight departing from Kuala Lumpur and bound for Beijing. The airplane vanished on March 8, 2014, after losing contact with air traffic control within an hour of taking off. The plane carried 227 passengers of 15 different nationalities and 12 crew members.25 The search operation, supported by numerous nations, started in the Gulf of Thailand and expanded to the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.26 A week-long investigation concluded that the airplane had diverged from its original route plan.27 Thus, the search area was expanded to the Southern Indian Ocean (West Australia).28 The internationally supported investigation teams used various tools, such as satellite communication, hydroacoustic data and ping detections, and considered possible in-flight happenings, such as a power failure, an unresponsive crew and passenger/crew involvement, to rule out various explanations. After an extensive search of all likely locations, no debris was retrieved. None of the locations could be declared the crash site. Although the lack of information gave rise to many wild speculations about the disappearance of the aircraft, flight MH370 was eventually declared as having fallen into the Southern Indian Ocean.29 The hunt for MH370 was the most expensive search ever undertaken, with costs reaching as high as US$100 million.30 Unsurprisingly, the tragic disappearance had an enormous impact on MAS’s post-performance figures. The company’s stock prices declined, booking rates plummeted, cancellations increased31 and there were even boycotts by travel agents in China.32

The MH17 Tragedy

Just 131 days after the MH370 disaster, MAS suffered yet another blow. On July 17, 2014, flight MH17, en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, was hit by a surface-to-air missile while flying over Eastern Ukraine near the Russian border.33 The conjecture was that the aircraft was brought down by pro-Russian separatists with weapons provided by Russia.34 The killing of 298 passengers, 66 per cent of whom were citizens of the Netherlands, was announced as the deadliest air incident35 and the worst civilian airline shootdown in aviation history.36 In light of this catastrophe, various airlines, including Aeroflot, Transaero, Air France, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and S7 Airlines decided to detour around Ukrainian airspace.37

The two unforgettable tragedies, along with other competitive and operational difficulties, left MAS in a vortex of challenges. What immediate strategy could the leadership team use to counter such obstacles?

THE IMPACT OF TWO DISASTERS

The 2014 catastrophes had deeply impacted each member of the business value chain. MAS employees were in a state of emotional shock. The president of the flight attendants union reported, “Some of our members cannot fly because they have been affected mentally.”

MAS stock prices dropped drastically (13 per cent)39 after the MH17 tragedy, and the impact of the crisis was felt throughout the world. The markets in the United States and Europe witnessed a decline. Chris Weston, an IG market analyst, noted, “Today is going to be a pretty ugly day.”

Apart from MAS, the stock process of other global airlines also recorded a downturn. Some of these losses included the stocks of Delta Air Lines (by 3.4 per cent), United Continental (3.9 per cent), China Eastern (2.2 per cent) and American Airlines (3.3 per cent).41 Overall, MAS lost US$148 million in the first quarter of 2014. The loss included the cancellations or delays of more than 30,000 bookings after the first disaster.

Further impacts of the MH370 and MH17 tragedies included increases in insurance premiums, particularly for flying over conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Bypassing conflict areas and taking longer routes to reach destinations would substantially increase the fuel and other costs. As per the clauses of the international treaty, MAS was legally responsible for disbursing US$175,000 per person impacted by the tragedies, for a total of more than US$40 million.44 Beyond these costs, employee salaries, union pacts and catering agreements would have to be renegotiated to help overcome this challenge. How could MAS regain its position as one of the finest airlines in the world in order to retain and attract customers?

MALAYSIA: THE HUB Tourist Destination

Malaysia was known for its plethora of tourist attractions. Its rich history, culture and natural attractiveness made it an ideal vacation destination. In 2012, the United Nations World Tourism Organization listed Malaysia as the 10th-most visited country,46 and it had been witnessing a consistent increase in the number of tourist arrivals since 1998.

Tourism had been cited as a recession-proof industry, as both domestic and international travelers commuted throughout the year. Offers of affordable airfares by low-cost carriers emerged as an important enabler in promoting Malaysia as a popular tourist destination. The rising demand for medical tourism, ecological tourism, luxury tourism and business tourism had propelled Malaysia’s acceptance as a preferred tourist destination across the globe. Tourism had been designated a national key economic area by the Malaysian government. The government started the “Entry Point Project,” which included the removal of import duties, to help in eventually positioning Malaysia as a popular and duty-free shopping country. Its geographical proximity to China and India also helped in increasing the flow of tourists.

The conducive legislative environment was one of the critical contributing factors in promoting tourism in Malaysia. The increased focus on medical tourism had also furthered economic growth. A government controlled agency called the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council was introduced to supervise and promote healthcare-related travel. Malaysia attracted 236,836 foreign patients in 2012, generating RM751 million in value sales. To further improve business tourism, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) had been reinforced. To provide potential travelers with holistic entertainment, the Malaysia Mega Biodiversity Hub created many initiatives to develop and promote ecological tourism in Malaysia.48

Travel and Tourism: Future Potential

In 2013, travel and tourism directly contributed RM70.4billion to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) (7.2 per cent of total GDP) and this figure was anticipated to increase by 7 per cent in 2014. From 2014 to 2024, travel and tourism was expected to increase by 4.4 per cent per annum to eventually reach RM115.4 billion (7.6 per cent of total GDP) in 2024. Similarly, the total contribution of travel and tourism to the country’s GDP was RM158.2 billion (16.1 per cent of GDP) in 2013, and was predicted to increase by 6.8 per cent in 2014; the evaluation would reach RM262.5 billion (17.3 per cent of GDP) in 2024.

Moving in a phased manner, MAS planned to choose countries that may be prioritized as part of its restructuring plan. Data shows forecasted arrivals by country of origin from 2014 to 2017, with Singaporean and Indonesian nationals expected to make up the highest number. Singapore would provide the highest-spending tourists .Table shows that air travel would be the preferred mode of travel in the country. MAS, being the national carrier, could target a maximum share of this expected increase in air travel by incoming tourists.

The situation was equally promising in terms of departures. The number of passengers seeking overseas departures was expected to witness consistent growth. Of the potential tourists, the majority would leave for vacation purposes, and most were expected to travel by air.

FINANCIAL KPIS AND THE FUTURE

After the first tragedy in March 2014, MAS witnessed a decrease in the number of travelers and in revenue passenger kilometres, a criterion which was often used in evaluating aviation performance. In line with the broader trend, the Samoan women’s rugby team switched from MAS to Thai Airways on July 27, 2014, for a World Cup event in France.49 One travel agent who saw a cancellation rate of more than 30 per cent of MAS bookings in her office noted the anxiety of the passengers, saying they were “very, very afraid about anything else happening again.”50 MAS recorded an after-tax loss of RM576 million at the end of November 2014.51

Of all the possible options, could a restructured pricing strategy play a critical role in retaining and attracting customers to MAS? What specific new pricing structures would make customers choose MAS over other airlines? How should the tradeoff of decreasing price and increasing value be managed? After so many tragedies and such a massive backlash, what actions must be taken in order to recover loyalty to the airline and recoup MAS’s losses? Yahya knew that the answers to these questions would decide whether MAS would take off once again or remain grounded.

1. Faced with prospective restructuring options - namely rebranding, a merger, bankruptcy, and privatization - How should each be weighted to save MAS from monetary and non-monetary losses?

2. Of the three likely pricing strategies (i.e. increasing value, decreasing ticket prices or undertaking both), which would you choose if you were the CEO of MAS in order to retain and attract customers?

3. What is value communication? How can value communication strategies be classified? How could such a strategy be leveraged to restore MAS's market share?

4. Could change management bring about the desired transformation of MAS, particularly in terms of customer perception? In what contexts could change occur?

5. Bearing in mind potential of the travel and tourism industry in Malaysia, can diversification into this arena help MAS retain its market share?

In: Operations Management

Let's also discuss ethics and social responsibility from Chapter 7 of the CapsimCore Business Primer eTextbook....

Let's also discuss ethics and social responsibility from Chapter 7 of the CapsimCore Business Primer eTextbook.


What makes a problem or situation an ethical issue?


How are business ethics and social responsibility related?

In: Operations Management

What is Publix performance plan?

What is Publix performance plan?

In: Operations Management

Define the micro-operations in the Coca-Cola World.

Define the micro-operations in the Coca-Cola World.

In: Operations Management

What are the advantages of spending much money on retailer support in industry ?

What are the advantages of spending much money on retailer support in industry ?

In: Operations Management

project written report To do a marketing plan of the business venture for lanuching a new...

project written report

To do a marketing plan of the business venture for lanuching a new consumer product in HongKong market. New consumer producta are those not present or launched within 3 months in HongKong.

the new consumer products is Camping gears

The written report should include the following elements :
Specific consumer behaviour of the chosen segment(s)

report plan:

Consumer Behavior of the target Customer
Consumer Behavior-Factors: Social and Psychological Bases
Consumer buying decision behaviour: Complex Buying Behaviour

about 500 words

could you written by computer not by hand,Because I can't see very clearly

In: Operations Management

1). Moonstruck sells fat-tire bicycles. An average customer for Moonstruck buys a bicycles every five years...

1). Moonstruck sells fat-tire bicycles.

An average customer for Moonstruck buys a bicycles every five years and spends $500 every time they buy one. An average customer also spends $250 in parts and service.

An excellent customer buys 8 bicycles in their life time and spends $800 every time they buy one. An excellent customer spends $500 in parts and service very year.

The average profit margin for Moonstruck on its bicycles is 25%.

The average profit margin for Moonstruck on service and parts is 50%.

Moonstruck customers buy their first bicycle when they are 30 and ride bicycles until they are 80 years of age.

  1. What is the Customer LifeTime Value of an average customer who is 30 years of age?
  2. What is the Customer LifeTime Value of an excellent customer who is 45 years of age?
  3. Would you advise Moonstruck to spend $1 million dollars on a marketing program that would turn 1,000 average customers age 50 into a 1,000 excellent customers?

2). Moonstruck has been tracking behavior of its customers. Below is a table showing three of their customers. Specify how you would recommend Moonstruck to deal with each of them.

Customer Name

Recency

Frequency

Monetary

Deshaies

1

5

5

Yang

5

5

5

Perez

5

5

1

  1. DESHAIES:
  2. YANG:
  3. PEREZ:

3). Moonstruck is interested to maximize the Customer Life Time Value. What are the variables that management can manipulate to try to maximize CLTV, i.e., make CLTV as large as possible?

4) What are the applications of Market Basket Analysis? Give two examples.

In: Operations Management

12. Cindy Szadokierski’s “interactive leadership” style has worked at United. A.. Describe her leadership style in...

12. Cindy Szadokierski’s “interactive leadership” style has worked at United. A.. Describe her leadership style in a few words. b. Would this style work lead you and your peers in your current job? c. Why?


Cindy Szadokierski, United Airlines
Twenty-five years ago, Cindy Szadokierski quit her job teaching high school French and went to work as a reservations agent for United Airlines. Today, she is vice president in charge of operations for United’s largest hub at O’Hare International Airport.After joining the company, Szadokierski served in positions of increasing responsibility, including being general manager of United’s hub at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. From the beginning of her career with United, Szadokierski wanted to be in operations because she liked the idea of bridging the gap between what goes on in the field and what happens at headquarters. At O’Hare, where she oversees 4,000 employees and 600 flights a day, her favorite times are the weekly afternoon walkabouts on the O’Hare ramp and the weekly morning strolls through the terminal. Why? Because they give her a chance to connect with employees and customers. Pete McDonald, chief operating officer of United’s parent, UAL Corporation, says there were serious operations problems at O’Hare, so they put ‘‘the most communicative person’’ in the job. ‘‘She’s everywhere. She talks to everybody,’’ said Don Wolfel, president of United’s mechanics union at O’Hare.Szadokierski’s approach to leadership is more collaborative than command-and-control. In addition to learning from employees and customers, Szadokierski emphasizes regular meetings with her leadership team to talk about what’s going right, what’s going wrong, and how to collaboratively fix any problem

In: Operations Management

What are the Political conditions like government policies and trade restrictions that an international Freight Logistics...

What are the Political conditions like government policies and trade restrictions that an international Freight Logistics organisations face during its operations?

In: Operations Management

What kinds of companies use standard costing and what is the purpose for its use. -...

What kinds of companies use standard costing and what is the purpose for its use.

- Who are some companies that use standard costing?

- When and why would this be useful?

In: Operations Management