2 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................3 Company Overview.....................................................................................................................3 PESTLE Framework....................................................................................................................4 Porter’s Five forces......................................................................................................................8 VRIO Analysis...........................................................................................................................10 SWOT Analysis.........................................................................................................................12 Results from the Evaluations:....................................................................................................15 Objectives..................................................................................................................................15 Recommendation.......................................................................................................................16 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................17 References......................................................................................................................................19
3 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Introduction Business environment refers to the set of conditions in which a business or organization operate in. These forces influence businesses and business conditions to a great extent. These influences may yield to negative as well as positive outcomes, for which, it is important to pay attention to the environment. The business environments in the fast growing, globalizing world, change very rapidly or be subjected to rapid change, due to development and market shifts. It is therefore, very important to have a business perspective which can affect the business in a positive way to adjust as well as adapt to the changing scenario. The idea about the same will help in the process of analyzing the competencies and the areas which can be worked on to be ahead of other competing forces in the market. The business capability of a company can also be enhanced by employing proper understanding of the macro and the micro setting in which a company operates within (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes 2015). Based on the analyses conducted, strategic management plan can be developed according to which the future courses of action for the company can be devised (Itani and Mason 2014). The company which is chosen for the analysis in this report is British Airways. The Airlines Industry is sensitive and fast growing, in which British Airways is one of the pioneer companies. Company Overview British Airways is the largest carrierwhich is operating internationallyin United Kingdom. The company has its base located in Heathrow, which is considered to be among the busiest international Airports in the world with over 280 aircrafts constituting of the fleet. Over 40 million passengers avail services and are provided services to, by British Airways directly. The company is part of the parent group International Airlines Group. British Airways has flight networks spread across the globe with the help of partnerships shared by USAir, Qantas, TAT
4 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING and so on (Britishairways.com 2020). The Airlines Company offers services in over 441 Airports which are located in over 86 countries across the globe, with over 1000 aircrafts. IAG, which is the parent company of British Airways, is considered to be the world’s third largest Airlines group as per their revenue collection annually. The company, in Europe ranks second. British Airways was established in 1974, after the government in Britain decided to manage operations of the two airlines corporations which were nationalized which include British European Airways and British Overseas Airways Corporation alongside two comparatively smaller airlines which include Northeast Airlines Newcastle and Cambrian Airways Cardiff (Britishairways.com 2020). British Airways is considered to be the most commercial Airlines in the world which operate with the slogan ‘The World’s Favorite Airline’. Step 1: PESTLE Framework The PESTLE model allows analysis of the Macro Environment in which a company operates within (Abbott 2015). These factors directly affect and influence the company and its operations which will the analyzed further with the help of the framework. Political FactorsAirlines companies operate within strict regulations and laws in a specific region of a country. Different regions have different operating restrictions (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). The same gets faced by British Airlines, in the countries it operates. British Airways operate in many regions where there are political tensions as well as records of terrorist attacks. British Airways have operated even during the political
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5 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING turmoilofBREXIT,duetowhichtheyalsofaced instabilities and economic crises. Strict safety laws and regulations were imposed as they faced low customer confidence during the tensions and turmoil. Economic FactorsThe BREXIT has been one of the primary reasons behind the economic crisis and tensions which sprung up and the companies had to face consequences (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). Theprofitswerenegativelyimpactedduetolow confidence of the customers while they chose less to fly during the period. Thegovernmentinterventionsdirectlyaffectthe depreciation of pound which affect revenue collection negatively (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). Even though the company benefits due to low fuel prices, naturalfactorsareoftenthereasonbehindadverse outcomes economically. The global turndown of the economy has impacted the company in the last few years as Air Travel demands have gone down in severalregionswhere British Airways operate in (Rastogi and Trivedi 2016). Social FactorsBritish Airways has to develop strategies to target their
6 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING audience affectively due to societal factors and trends which reign (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). It has been found out that low cost travel has been preferred by the customers heavily. Thecompanyhadtofaceadverseoutcomesand negatively impacted their brand image in France due to ATC strikes. ATC Union strikes was the reason behind cancellation fo flights. Lifestyle and social and cultural factors are very important for consideration in order to offer products which meet the demand and expectations of the customers. These factors are to be paid attention to, in they are important in the macro environment (Perera 2017). The brand image can be enhanced while the shortcomings of the company can be overcome by offering products and services which are precisely curated to meet the social demands (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). Technological FactorsThe 9/11 terrorist attacks have been the reason behind disruption in the Airlines Industry. The digitalization and stability have been questioned. The role of internet have been emphasized upon which has taken shape of a revolution globally. BritishAirwayshavestrivedcontinuallytointroduce
7 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING technologicallyadvancedamenitiesandservicesto provide customers with the best experience. Quality and support for the passengers owing to risks and insecurities have been enhanced with time. Legal FactorsThe business of The British Airways is mostly affected and influenced is by the trade unions. Various strike actions have been the reason behind negative impact over the company (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). The Airline companies operate within strict rules and regulations in various regions, due to safety and security of the passengers. This often makes operation challenging and bring down profits of the companies (Gupta, Gupta and Gupta 2019). Lawsonlaborandtradeunionsoftenrestrictthe companies from taking strict action against strikes and walkouts of employees which disrupt operations. Environmental FactorsEnvironmentalfactorsareverycrucialforflight operations as bad weather conditions can directly affect flightoperations.Cancellationofflightsoftencause customerdissatisfactionandnegativeeffectonbrand imageeventhoughprovidingservicesamidthose situations are risky. Flight operations directly impact the environment and
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8 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING nature due to which there are strict environmental laws and regulations. British Airways should make sure that they maintain environmentalpositiveservicesandencourage ecofriendly initiatives which will benefit them to grow better brand image and customer awareness. Porter’s Five forces The model of Porter’s five Forces is very helpful to understand the micro environment of in which the company operates within. The framework helps to determine the competition within the market in which the company offers its products and services (Ural 2014). The model is used to develop strategies and evaluate the forces which are dominant and are to be paid attention to in order to enhance the business. The five factors, according to the model of Porters Five Forces are Threat of New Entrants, Threat of Substitutes, Bargaining Power of Buyers, Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Competitive Rivalry in the market. Threat of New Entrants There are several barriers which companies face while entering the Airlines Industry. The industry requires a company to make huge investments to enter the market and provide products and services alongside dominant forces. There are several companies which are already well established and have great market shares. Therefore, for a company which intends to enter the Airlines Industry, will have to develop immense competitive advantage and edge to establish themselves as a recognized company (Grant 2015). These market conditions make the threat of new entrants in the market comparatively low. Threat of Substitutes
9 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING The customers who are willing to avail air travel also have ways available which include transportation such as bus, train, ship and so on. These are used and preferred by passengers to a considerable degree However, air travel has its own edge as people can travel long distances over a short period of time. The people who need to travel across borders and abroad, the best option available is by air travel. On the other hand, if people need to travel within the country and have budget constraints, it is most likely for them to choose other modes of transportation rather than air travel. Therefore, it can be said that the Threat of Substitutes is moderate and people will choose British Airways for their air travel options if they wish to travel while saving money and have convenience at the same time. Bargaining Power of Buyers The dominant customer base in the Airlines industry is price sensitive and they look for affordable and cheap options for travel. Customers are aware about the rights which they possess, especially when they have array of options to choose from. The customers usually have many options to choose from until and unless they are extremely satisfied with British Airways and is a loyal customer. The customers usually look for the best deal and the cheapest option to choose from, when they travel. The company which offers the most relevant options are usually the chosen one. The cost of switching is zero if the prices at which the services are offered do not match what is expected by the buyer. Therefore, the bargaining power of the buyers is quite high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The suppliers of British Airways include the ones who supply fuels, parts as well as the laborers who contribute their effort. The work require expertise, when it comes to the laborers and the other suppliers which are made to the Airlines Company require high investments and
10 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING specialized items, which require licensing. There are less suppliers who are authorized and aere3 skilled enough to provide products and services to British Airways. The company therefor, needs to maintain proper relationships in order to ensure that they receive the resources and amenities which are required to run the business and offer services to the customers (Dälken 2014). Thus, the bargaining power of the suppliers are quite high, as British Airways will not be able to run their operations without their supplies. Which include fuel, labor as well as other resources. Competitive Rivalry The competition in the industry is quite high as there are numerous options to choose from. The prices at which the services are offered by the companies in the market are neck to neck, which makes the competition rise. There are local as well as international competitors in the market. The competition ranges on the basis of prices, convenience, as well as service qualities, which are of great importance to the buyers. Therefore, it is very important for the customers to maintain quality and standards of the services which are offered by them in the market. It can thus be stated that the competitive rivalry which is faced by British Airways in the market is very high. VRIO Analysis VRIO analysis is very effective to analyze the internal resources which are possessed by the company (Knott 2015). This analysis can be made use of to enhance the competitive advantage in the market. Resources and Capabilities ValuableRareImitableOrganizationCompetitive Advantage
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12 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING It can be understood that British Airways have gained long term sustainable competitive advantage in terms of resources and capabilities (Cardeal and Antonio 2012). Brand awareness of British Airlines is sustainable for the business. They have strong competitive advantage in terms of leadership which is followed in the company and customer satisfaction is realized as well as sustainable for the company in the market. SWOT Analysis Strengths of British Airways 1.British Airways have great experience in the industry which makes them one of the pioneer in the industry. The company is regarded as one of the giants in the UK’s international scheduled industry. It is ranked as one of the premium airlines across the globe which leads in the market. The company has its most recognition and awareness in London and Heathrow as well as they fly in 170 other countries across the globe, through several subsidiaries too. 2.The parent company of British Airways is IAG which is considered to be the third largest globally when it comes to revenue collection. British Airways is associated with IAC which has helped it emerge as one of the biggest airlines based in UK according to stability and financial capability. 3.The company has strong brand awareness which it can use for its commercial value. The companyhasassociationwithSaatchi&Saatchiwhichhasmadeseveralofits advertisements which also includes its famous Face Campaign (Britishairways.com 2020).TheadvertisingagencywhichisresponsibleformakingBritishAirways’ advertisements in Bartle Bogle Hegarty since 2007 which has been very significant for creating trust and recognition among the customers.
13 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING 4.The company has its own engineering branches which maintains the fleet. It provides maintenance to aircrafts which operate in over 70 airports across the globe. The two airports where Hangar facilities are provided include Gatwick and Heathrow and the major centers for maintenance is Cardiff and Glasgow. Weaknesses of British Airways 1.British Airways have grown up to be dependent on the market in United Kingdom. The revenue collection which is made by British Airways is more than 50% from the market in UK. The prospects which they have grown in the UK’s market is commendable, however, there are risks associated with such dependence, such as the political instability which British Airways had to face during BREXIT. 2.The workforce in British Airways is highly unionized. The power of unions are high which makes their power to bargain about their demands and expectations are quite high. These weaknesses can affect the performance of the company (Gürel and Tat 2017). The process of negotiation and bargaining between management and union may disrupt operations of the company. This can impact the performance of British Airways in a negative manner. 3.The penetration of British Airways in the globalized market is not adequate due to which the sales and revenue collection is poor. The presence and recognition of British Airways, globally has happened through subsidiaries. The presence of British Airways is still to be worked on by developing effective strategies to penetrate growing markets. 4.The bankruptcies in the US banking sector has affected British Airways as bookings which were received from the premium class faced a slowdown. The bookings made for premium travel decreased heavily which has affected the sales of the company.
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14 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Opportunities for British Airways 1.There is growing demand for connectivity and travel options in several parts of the world, especially in developing countries. The developing economies are emphasizing on the need for travel infrastructure and foreign tourism which the company can identify to strategize and cater to (Salar and Salar 2014). 2.The expansion of middle class in several countries has opened new opportunities for British Airways. The company can develop newer routes and provide affordable travel options in these regions. The pioneer brand will make good market presence in these regions and market. There will be increase of demand for travel options which are budget friendly and are developed while taking into consideration customer segmentation and trends. 3.Many companies are affected due to the high governmental regulations and interventions. Several companies are often compelled to make exit from the market. British Airways have great experience in the market which they can utilize to gain competitive advantage during such situations and gaining customer base by providing exciting services. Threats of British Airways 1.There is high competition in the Airlines industry due to the presence of numerous companies which operate locally as well as internationally. There are competition based on fares, quality of services and so on which may pose threats as there are competitive forces offering similar services at low prices. 2.There are strict government regulationsin several regions which make operations challenging. The operations of flights and services get regulated based on routes, business partners, slots available in airports, fares, security, safety, infrastructure as well as
15 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING impacts which are caused on the environment. These affect the industry as a whole as well as the companies individually as their operations gets controlled and stringent. 3.The developing technologies, infrastructure and alternatives have increased challenges for the airlines industry. Technological advancements are to be kept updated with, in order to offer best services. However, there also are alternatives which are available which has simplified travel options in the developed and developing nations. Step 2: Results from the Evaluations: 1.British Airways is located across various locations in the world, even though they are very much dependent in the UK market. 2.The company operates in many countries through subsidiaries, which is a restricting force to crease brand awareness globally. 3.The market penetration is poor in many parts of the world, especially the developing nations. 4.British Airways has unionized work force, which makes its operations vulnerable to negotiations and bargaining between management and unions. If there are tensions between management and union regarding expectations, the operations and services are most likely to be disrupted due to employee withdrawal. 5.The company has standardized options which brings competitive advantage to the company which can easily be identified by other dominant forces to capitalize the market in other regions of operations.
16 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Objectives The objectives of the company is to enhance market and sales by implementing several strategies for development (Horkoff et al. 2014). Effective planning and strategizing will help British Airways achieve newer heights and greater revenue collection in the market. 1.The company should enter various markets outside UK. 2.50% of its total revenue collection is restricted to the UK market which they should work on. 3.The company should create brand awareness in other parts of the world and not only operate through subsidiaries. 4.The weaknesses should be worked on to achieve competitive advantage in the market. 5.The intention should be to increase customer base in the market. Recommendation 1.The company should aim at entering the markets in the developing nation. The saturation of economic growth in UK and US might be very risky for British Airways if they do not expand their market in the developing nations with great prospects. 2.The company can employ various analysis to understand the trends and preferences of the target audience in these market before entering and offering services in accordance with them in order to maximize sales and profit in the newer markets. 3.According to ANSOFF Matrix, the strategy which is being employed by British Airways in the markets in which it operates in is following the Market development strategy to grow the business (Hussain et al. 2013). The company should rather opt to follow product development in the newer markets as well as customize the services based on the trends
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17 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING and expectation of the customers. The emphasis should be laid on to penetrate the market and create brand awareness by offering various services which are acceptable and exciting to the target customers in the market. 4.British Airways should target the middle class of the society in the developing nations as it is the largest section of the society which is growing continually. The aim should be to develop strategies to offer services based on their expectations and demands which will increase sales and prospect. 5.Brand awareness should be created in the countries of operation as there is poor brand awareness in many regions where British Airways operate. 6.British Airways should aim to grow less dependent in the UK Market as it also gets subjected to political and financial instabilities which directly affect the company and its business. 7.The company can enhance the quality and services at other countries of operation than its base by choosing the geocentric staffing which will help them have the best workforce with diverse knowledge affecting the company to grow positively and have a greater reach (Pesic, Milic and Stankovic 2013). 8.The company should aim at maintaining healthy relationship with the unions in the company which will ensure that there is no disruption of services and operation leading to poor operations. It would help British Airways maintain standards and good reputation. Conclusion British Airways have grown up to be one of the pioneers of the Airlines Industry in United Kingdom. It has been offering services to its patrons for over 90 years while the parent company is one of the three largest giants in the Airlines Industry, International
18 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Airlines Group. The company has gained reputation and market share even though they operate through subsidiaries in many parts of the world. The company should aim to grow and increase market share and revenue collection from developing countries and not tend to show over dependency on the UK market. The company should thus develop strategies to grow and enhance the business prospects.
19 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING References Abbott, R.J., 2015. Pestle Analysis for Students. Britishairways.com (2020).British Airways | Book Flights, Holidays, City Breaks & Check In Online.[online]Britishairways.com.Availableat: https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_in/ [Accessed 28 Feb. 2020]. Cardeal, N. and Antonio, N.S., 2012. Valuable, rare, inimitable resources and organization (VRIO) resources or valuable, rare, inimitable resources (VRI) capabilities: What leads to competitive advantage?.Cardeal, N., António, (2012), pp.10159-10170. Dälken, F., 2014.Are Porter’s five competitive forces still applicable? A critical examination concerning the relevance for today’s business(Bachelor's thesis, University of Twente). Grant, R.M., 2015. Five Forces of Competition.Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, pp.1-4. Gupta, A., Gupta, N. and Gupta, M., 2019. British Airways-A SWOT and PESTLE Analysis-The impact of Europe 2020 policy.NOLEGEIN-Journal of Corporate & Business Laws, pp.1-11. Gürel, E. and Tat, M., 2017. SWOT analysis: a theoretical review.Journal of International Social Research,10(51). Horkoff, J., Barone, D., Jiang, L., Yu, E., Amyot, D., Borgida, A. and Mylopoulos, J., 2014. Strategic business modeling: representation and reasoning.Software & Systems Modeling,13(3), pp.1015-1041. Hussain, S., Khattak, J., Rizwan, A. and Latif, M.A., 2013. ANSOFF matrix, environment, and growth-an interactive triangle.Management and Administrative Sciences Review,2(2), pp.196- 206.
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20 STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Itani, N. and Mason, K., 2014. A macro-environment approach to civil aviation strategic planning.Transport Policy,33, pp.125-135. Knott,P.J.,2015.DoesVRIOhelpmanagersevaluateafirm’sresources?.Management Decision. Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H. and Zentes, J., 2015.Strategic international management(pp. 978-3658078836). Springer. Perera, R., 2017.The PESTLE analysis. Nerdynaut. Pesic, M.A., Milic, V.J. and Stankovic, J., 2013. APPLICATION OF VRIO FRAMEWORK FORANALYZINGHUMANRESOURCES’ROLEINPROVIDINGCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.Tourism & Management Studies, pp.575-586. Rastogi, N.I.T.A.N.K. and Trivedi, M.K., 2016. PESTLE technique–a tool to identify external risks in construction projects.International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET),3(1), pp.384-388. Salar, M. and Salar, O., 2014. Determining pros and cons of franchising by using SWOT analysis.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,122, pp.515-519. Ural, O., 2014.Uncovering Porter’s Five Forces Framework’s status in today’s disruptive business context(Bachelor's thesis, University of Twente).