Organization and Leadership - Analysis of Thomas Cook Group

The essay discusses the concept of leadership styles through the lens of the organization 'Thomas Cook Group' of the United Kingdom. The essay also takes into consideration other factors like ethics, values, innovation, and change management for the analysis of the same.

Running head: ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
Organization and Leadership
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
Introduction
The changing nature of the business world has made it of paramount importance for
the organizations to take the help of various strategies for the process of their business
(Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012). Many scholars are of the opinion that globalization has
impacted the world of business in a positive manner and furthered the cause of business in a
positive manner (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012). Thus, to counteract this dynamic
nature of the business world and also to sustain themselves in the ever competitive business
world the organizations take the help of various policies (Smith, Rees and Murray 2016). One
of the commonly used processes by the various organizations is the concept of effective
leadership (Smith, Rees and Murray 2016). Therefore, within the framework of the
contemporary business world it is generally seen that the various organizations take the help
of diverse kinds of leaders to increase the net revenue of the organisation (Smith, Rees and
Murray 2016). Furthermore, it is generally seen that the various leaders take the help of
various kinds of leadership styles depending on the organization or the industry in which they
are working (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012). However, many scholars are of the opinion
that in the dynamic business world of the present times one particular style of leadership is
not enough and the various leaders need to take the help of a combination of leadership styles
in order to deliver better quality results (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012). This essay will
discuss about the concept of various kinds of leadership styles through the lens of the
organization “Thomas Cook Group” of the United Kingdom. The essay will also take into
consideration other factors like ethics and values for the analysis of the same.
“Thomas Cook Group plc”
The “Thomas Cook Group plc” founded in 1841 is a “British global travel
company” which provides a wide range of travel and tour packages to the people from the

2ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
different parts of the nation of the United Kingdom and also of the world
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization was earlier called by the name of “Thomas
Cook & Son” and it was only recently in 2007 that the modern day “Thomas Cook Group”
was formed as a result of the merger with the organization “Thomas Cook AG”
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). It is significant to note that the organization was a subsidiary
of the organization “Thomas Cook & Son” at the time of its foundation
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization under discussion here is “listed on the
London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index”
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization can be seen as a conglomerate of a number
of tour as well as travel service providers (Gamble, Thompson and Peteraf 2013). The
organization though initially founded in the nation of the United Kingdom has in the recent
times followed the path of globalization and operates on a global basis. Some of the major
areas in which organization under discussion here is operational are “UK, Central Europe,
Germany, West Europe, Northern Europe” and others (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The
organization currently has “a joint fleet, at merger, of 97 aircraft, 2,926 stores” and provides
services to more than 19.1 million from the different parts of the world
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization under discussion is also one of the largest
private recruiter of the world and provides employment to more than 33,000 people from the
different parts of the world (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The net revenue generated by the
organization for the year 2017 was around “£9,007 million” (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018).
Furthermore, the organization in the recent times has emerged as the 2nd largest private tour
company of the continent of Europe not only on the basis of the net revenue which it
generates on yearly basis but also in terms of the number of the people which it serves
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization under discussion here is also famous for its

3ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
sponsorship of the “Manchester City and Peterborough United football clubs” and also the
“London 2012 Olympic Games” (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018).
The organization under discussion here takes the help of various kinds of strategies
for the process of their business operations (Gamble, Thompson and Peteraf 2013). One of
the key strategies used by “Thomas Cook Group” is the strategy of cost leadership (Gamble,
Thompson and Peteraf 2013). It is significant to note that with the help of this particular
method the organization provides better quality services to the customers from the different
parts of the world at very affordable prices (Cook, Hsu and Marqua 2014). The organization
“Thomas Cook Group” is also known for providing a wide range of attractive tourism
destinations to the customers from the different parts of the nation (Cook, Hsu and Marqua
2014). Many scholars are of the opinion that the use of these strategies have enabled the
organization to emerge as one of the largest private travel organizations of not of the nation
of the United Kingdom but also of the world (Cook, Hsu and Marqua 2014).
Leadership Style
The organization “Thomas Cook Group” takes the help of the concept of effective
leadership to further enhance the prospects of the organization in the tourism industry. The
key individuals associated with the organization are “Frank Meysman Non-Executive
Chairman Peter Fankhauser (CEO)” (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). Furthermore, other
important individuals associated with the organization are “Bill Scott (Group Chief Financial
Officer), Dawn Airey (Senior Independent Director), Warren Tucker (Independent Non-
Executive Director)” and others (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). The organization “Thomas
Cook Group” takes the help of these leaders as well as managers for the purpose of the
management of their different offshore business centers (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012).
It is significant to note that these leaders follow different leadership styles for the purpose of

4ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
effectively managing the different centers related to the organization with the most popular
style of leadership being the “transformational style of leadership” (Selcer, Goodman and
Decker 2012). However, in the recent times it is seen that with the emergence of the style of
situational leadership most of these individuals related to the organization are increasingly
taking the help of this particular style of leadership (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012).
Many scholars are of the opinion that the effective leadership provided by these different
related to the organization “Thomas Cook Group” is one of the key reasons for the success
attained by the organization in the recent times (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012). The
organization “Thomas Cook Group” is the 2nd largest travel organization of the continent of
Europe and thus it becomes very important for the organization to take the help of various
kinds of leadership styles not only for providing effective leadership to the organization but
also for motivating the employees in the most effective manner so that they are able to
“achieve the goals as well as the objectives set out by the organization”
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). For example, the organization “Thomas Cook Group” in the
year 2006 faced a crisis wherein two people died at one of its resorts and it a cause a
considerable amount of loss of reputation of the organization (Thomascookgroup.com. 2018).
However, many scholars are of the opinion that the organization “Thomas Cook Group” has
been able to regain its loss status by dint of the effective leadership which its various
provided to the organization (Heath et al. 2013). One of the most important emerging styles
of leadership is the style of situational leadership. The leaders who take the help of this
particular style of leadership are of the opinion that one particular style of leadership cannot
resolve all the issues which a particular organization faces and therefore it becomes important
for the leader to adopt this particular method for the purpose of their leadership.

5ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
Ethics
Another significant aspect which influences the business process of the concerned
organization is the concept of ethics (Huxtable-Thomas, Hannon and Thomas 2016). The
organization under discussion here takes the help of the concept of ethics and the various
ethical theories for the process of the decisions as well as the strategies which they formulate
and implement for their business process (Huxtable-Thomas, Hannon and Thomas 2016).
The primary ethical theory which the organization takes into consideration for the process of
their business activities is the ethical theory of Utilitarianism, which believes “in doing the
kind of activities which causes the maximum amount of utility or benefit to the maximum
number of people” (Huxtable-Thomas, Hannon and Thomas 2016). Many scholars are of the
opinion the use of effective leadership styles as well as various kinds of business ethics for
the process of business has significantly contributed to the success of the concerned business
organization (Huxtable-Thomas, Hannon and Thomas 2016).
Values
The three core values of the organization “Thomas Cook Group” are “Put Our Heart
Into It”, “Wear Their Flip-Flops” and “We’re One Thomas Cook” (Smith, Rees and Murray
2016). The organization under discussion here intends to provide the best quality services to
the customers from the different parts and that too at very affordable prices (Smith, Rees and
Murray 2016). Furthermore, the organization takes the help of the concept of cost leadership
to provide effective services to the customers at very affordable prices (Smith, Rees and
Murray 2016). It is significant to note that the use of the strategy of cost provides dual
benefits to the organization concerned (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012). Firstly, it helps
the organization under discussion here to provide quality services to the customers and

6ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
secondly the use of this particular strategy also helps the organization to fulfill the basic
values outlined by them (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012).
Innovation and Change management
The organization “Thomas Cook Group” since its foundation has been taking the help
of the concepts of creativity as well as innovation for the process of their business (Cook,
Hsu and Marqua 2014). Therefore, the organization provides taking the help of innovative as
well as creative ideas provides attractive travel offers to the customers from the different
parts of the nation (Cook, Hsu and Marqua 2014). Furthermore, the organization “Thomas
Cook Group” provides tourism facilities at some of the rare tourism locations of the world
which are not provided by other important travel companies of the world (Cook, Hsu and
Marqua 2014). Moreover, the organization under discussion here takes the help of the
concept “innovative value chain” for the process of their business (Čavlek, Matečić and
Vlahov 2012). Thus, taking the help of this particular concept the organization “Thomas
Cook Group” not only generates innovative as well as creative ideas for the process of their
business but also implements the ideas for the process of their business which shows
promising prospects (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012). Furthermore, the insistence on the
concepts of innovation as well as creativity also helps the organization “Thomas Cook
Group” to come up with new innovative ideas which could help the organization in a
significant manner to further enhance the prospects of their business (Čavlek, Matečić and
Vlahov 2012). Therefore, it would be apt to say that the use of the concepts of creativity as
well as innovative has lead to the success of the organization in the recent times in a
significant manner.
The organization “Thomas Cook Group” is taking the help of the concept of change
management for the process of their business not only in the nation of United Kingdom but

7ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
also in the other locations of the world (Gamble, Thompson and Peteraf 2013). Therefore,
taking the help of this particular framework of management the organization not only
constantly implements new ideas in the framework of their business but also changes the job
roles of the employees related to them with the objective to enhance their performance
(Gamble, Thompson and Peteraf 2013). The insistence on the concept of change management
also has other added for the organization as it helps the organization to make the employees
who are related to them to make them more versatile and suitable to different job roles
(Gamble, Thompson and Peteraf 2013). This forms one of the key requirements of the
services as it requires the employees to work in different job roles. Therefore, it can be said
that the use of this particular concept has considerable improved the prospects of the
organization in the recent times. One of the most important approaches used by the
organization for the purposes of change management is the process of involvement and
participation. Therefore, it is seen that the organization takes the help of the process of
change management enhance the participation as well as the involvement of the employees.
Leadership and “Thomas Cook Group”
The changing nature of the business world has made it imperative for the various
organizations to take the help of diverse kinds of innovative leadership styles as it is seen
that one particular style of leadership is not suitable for all the situations (Jalilvand et al.
2012). Thus, in the present times it is seen that various kinds of leadership theories as well as
styles have gained prominence in the recent times. The leadership style which the major of
the business leaders try to follow in the present times it the “situational leadership style”
(Jalilvand et al. 2012). It is significant to note that the leaders who follow this particular style
of leadership are of the opinion that one particular style of leadership cannot be applicable to
all the situations as each situation needs to be taken care of based on its merit (Jalilvand et al.

8ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
2012). It is with this inherent motive that the concerned leader needs to have an open outlook
so that he or she can follow the best course of action that would be applicable to him or her
for the effective control of that particular situation (Tsui et al. 2012). As already mentioned
the organization under discussion here takes the help of the concept of transformational style
for the process of their business. However, the changing nature of the business world has
made it imperative for the leaders to follow the concept of situational style of leadership.
Therefore, it becomes very important for the leaders related to the organization “Thomas
Cook Group” to take the help of this particular style of leadership for the purpose of leading
the individuals related to the organization in an effective manner (Tsui et al. 2012).
The organization “Thomas Cook Group” in addition to the above outlined leaders also
takes the help of various kinds of managers for the effective management of the employees
who are related to them (Čavlek, Matečić and Vlahov 2012). It is a reflection of this
particular fact that the organization has various kinds of regional managers as well as center
managers for the effective management of the various offshore centers (Čavlek, Matečić and
Vlahov 2012). However, all these managers are to report their activities as well as the
progress made by them to the leaders and the CEO of the organization (Čavlek, Matečić and
Vlahov 2012). The organization for the process of their business takes the help of the
strategies of cost leadership as well as product differentiation for the process of their business
(Smith, Rees and Murray 2016). The organization by dint of their strategy of cost leadership
provides superior quality offers to the customers at very affordable prices (Babić and
Milošević 2015). The strategy of product differentiation, on the other hand, enables the
organization to provide services to the customers from the different parts of the world which
are different from the ones provided by the other organizations operational in the same field
of business (Smith, Rees and Murray 2016). The organization though initially founded in the
nation of United Kingdom in the recent times had expanded into the other nations of the

9ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
world as well. The organization therefore in the present times is operational in the majority of
the nations of the continent of Europe (Babić and Milošević 2015). The organization takes
the help of the strategies of cost leadership as well as product differentiation for its
international business as well. Many scholars are of the opinion that the use of these
strategies have significantly contributed towards to the success attained by the international
operations of the organization in the recent times (Babić and Milošević 2015).
Global business strategy and competitiveness
The organization Jet2 Holidays in the year 2017 overtook the organization “Thomas
Cook Group” as the 2nd largest travel company of the continent of Europe
(Thomascookgroup.com. 2018). Therefore, it would be apt to say that the organization faces
a considerable amount of competition in the international business market on the score of the
various organizations which are operational in the same field of business (Selcer, Goodman
and Decker 2012). The strategies of cost leadership and product differentiation does provides
the organization a considerable bit of competitive advantage over its competitors however it
is seen that the various competitors of the organization are taking of various kinds of
effective as well as innovative strategies for the process of their business in the international
arena (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012). Therefore, it would be apt to say that the
organization “Thomas Cook Group” is facing intense in the international business arena
(Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012). Many scholars are of the opinion that the use of
electronic media and other innovative methods can significantly help the organization to
improve its prospects in the international arena (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012).
Furthermore, the use of situational leadership and other effective kinds of leadership styles
would significantly help the organization to deliver better quality services to its customers
from the different parts of the world (Selcer, Goodman and Decker 2012).

10ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
Recommendations
The organization can take the help of the concept of “innovative value chain” in order
to gain competitive advantage over their rivals by means of the use of innovative and creative
ideas. Another method which the organization can take the help of is to follow the method of
collaboration which will significantly reduce the high level of competition faced by the
organization and at the same time enable it is use the resources and the customer of the other
company involved in the process.
Conclusion
To conclude, the concept of leadership has emerged as one of the most important
factors which the various organizations use not only to enhance the performance of their
employees but also “to bring about the overall growth as well as the development of the
concerned business organization”. Therefore, it is generally seen that the various
organizations take the help of effective leaders for the process of their business. Furthermore,
the ever changing nature of the business world has also made it imperative for the various
organizations to take the help of various different kinds of leadership styles as it is seen that
in the present times one leadership style cannot effectively fulfill all the requirements of a
particular organization. Furthermore, the emergence of the concept of situational leadership is
generally seen as an added boon to the various organizations. The situational style of
leadership not does believes in taking the help of one particular style of leadership and the
situations are being handled as per their merits or urgency. Therefore, the benefits provided
by this particular style of leadership has made it imperative for the various leaders related to
diverse kinds of business organizations to take the help of this particular style of leadership.

11ORGANISATION AND LEADERSHIP
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