The Southwest Airlines Corporation Expansion Essay

Introduction: The HR Management Specifications in the Southwest Airlines

This paper explores the expansion possibilities of the biggest American airline, the Southwest Airlines corporation, which possesses the employees friendly mission statement. Specifically, the work reviews the case AirTran Airways acquisition that will extend the organization and bring it to the international level.

Since the global amplification requires a recruitment of new workers, it is critical maintaining the primary values that are appreciated by the airline company within the newly-developed workspaces. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to devise a consistent plan of organizations’ emerging that would correspond to the winning strategies of the Southwest Airlines.

The long tradition of the corporation’s success is long certified by the world-leading experts. According to the recent reports, all the attempts of the competitive companies, which tried to surpass Southwest Airlines through reducing the service prices, failed since it is hard to beat the principles of the company’s HR leveraging.

Thus, due to the guidelines of the airline’s corporate culture, the working process can be spoiled with seriousness and excessive persistence. Such an odd statement discloses the ultimate secret of the company’s effectiveness, according to which, only relaxed atmosphere, as well as exciting strategies, can guarantee the high quality of the work (McElhaney, 2010).

SWOT Analysis: Human Resources Perspective

The planning that has to be developed by the Southwest Airlines should include the peculiarities that define the general HR treatment within the corporation. Otherwise, the company may lose its primary success and recognition. According to Srinivasan, the major advantage of the airlines is its profit-sharing regulation for employees (2014).

Therefore, the main strength that may be incorporated into the SWOT analysis of the newly created organization is its attractiveness for the workers. The corporation that is famous for providing its employees with decent wages and positive mood is extremely successful among the specialists in the sphere.

The expansion plan has its weaknesses, though. Thus, due to the reports of the Southwest Airlines’s employees, they have long forgotten how it feels to work for the sake of receiving a paycheck (Analyzing Southwest Airlines, 2012). Instead, the achievements of the staff’s members are driven by their love and commitment to the company.

The approach is extremely unusual for the majority of technical specialists in the world since the professionals in similar spheres tend to be result-oriented rather than enjoy the process. Therefore, it may come problematic for the newly employed workers to accommodate to the new system. Accordingly, the lack of commitment may disrupt the corporation’s success.

The significant opportunity that should be prioritized in the HR SWOT analysis is a chance for the Southwest Airlines to establish the new level of relations between the employees and administration. The corporate culture that is based on trust and positive thinking provides an opportunity for the reformation of HR treatment throughout the world.

Finally, the threats of the extension planning represent the wrong interpretation of the corporation’s employee-driven strategies. In other words, the relaxed work may be perceived as neglect.

Examining the HR Expansion Possibilities: General Recommendations

The merging of two airline corporations typically accounts for the loss of competition. Moreover, due to the outcomes of scientific investigations, such alliances usually lead to the general enhancing of the average income for the companies (Brueckner, 2001). Nevertheless, in the cases of negative cooperation strategies, such expansion can result in the harm both to passengers and the workers.

Since both airline corporations possess high rating and are quite popular among the customers, it is crucial maintaining the work principles of two companies throughout their joint functioning. The task is relatively easy, for both the Southwest Airlines and the AirTran Airways provide the low-cost flights.

Still, it is acclaimed that compensation plans and employees program are more successful with the former’s workers than those with the AirTren’s employees. The reason for the discrepancy is a finance-driven strategy that was employed by the latter corporation. Consequently, it is recommended to create a standard HR plan for the merger organizations that would be oriented to the Southwest Airlines’ values.

Recruiting Tasks Analysis

The newly devised strategy planning of the merger organizations must include the HR tasks regulation. In other words, it is critical for the management of new companies to establish the effective employee selection process, which would ensure the further prosperity of the corporations. First, due to the originality of the airlines’ corporate cultures, there is a need to verify the psychological suitability of the workers.

Thus, the employers must ensure that the new human responses will be able to perform their duties in a relaxed and joke-driven atmosphere. Second, the managers handle verifying the professional skills of the employees. Specifically, it is important to check their knowledge of the technology devices that are operated by the merger organizations (HR in the airline industry, 2013).

Finally, the companies’ administrative organs are accountable for verifying the vulnerability to stress among the workers, for the aviation sector is prone to emergencies and damaging breakages.

Expansion Outcomes Evaluation Metrics

The primary results of the merger companies’ work should be evaluated on the basis of performance metrics, which includes such parameters as cost efficiency, customer ratings, and targets verification. The first point accounts for the quantifiable outputs of work. They may be measured on the basis of the mathematical model, which combines the general outcomes estimations within both companies.

If the result of calculation shows that the corporations’ outputs were not reduced in the newly founded organizations, the outcome is positive. Second, the new airline units have to be rated by the customers of the member corporations as well as the new clients, which are attracted by the merger organizations.

Again, the level of ratings should not fall behind the average assessment results of both the Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways. Finally, the target estimation should be conducted by the administrative organs of both companies, which handle the corporate culture aims and work objectives. In other words, it is critical creating the shared goals for the mergers so that they collaborated in concord.

Conclusion: Aligning the HR Functions in Two Organizations

According to the SWOT analysis that provides the general assessment of mergers’ functioning, there is a need to align the HR functions in terms of corporate culture understanding.

Therefore, it is crucial to hire not only the new employees but to relocate a part of old staff into the newly formed structures so that to ensure that the hired workers will have a chance to learn from airlines’ professionals. Moreover, the administrations of expanded units are responsible for the selection of recruitment strategies, due to which the values of both corporations will be preserved.

References

Analyzing Southwest Airlines. (2012). Web.

Brueckner, J. (2001). The economics of international codesharing: An analysis of airline alliances. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 19(10), 1475 1498.

HR in the airline industry. (2013). Web.

McElhaney, B. (2010). Southwest Airlines case study: Using human resources for competitive advantage [Press release]. Web.

Srinivasan, M. (2014). Southwest Airlines operations – a strategic perspective [Press release]. Web.