Global Marketing Management Report: RFDS SWOT and PESTEL Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Australia, examining its operations within the context of a non-profit organization. The report begins with a brief historical overview of the RFDS, highlighting its evolution and current functions. A SWOT analysis is conducted to assess the organization's internal strengths and weaknesses, along with external opportunities and threats. Furthermore, a PESTEL analysis is undertaken to evaluate the macro-environmental factors influencing the RFDS. The report identifies key stakeholders based on these analyses and concludes with strategic recommendations aimed at maintaining the RFDS's viability and relevance in the present environment. The report covers aspects like community fundraising, technological advancements, and government financial assistance, offering a comprehensive view of the RFDS's challenges and opportunities.

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Executive Summary:
This paper provides a brief overview of the Royal Flying Doctors Service in Australia and
analyses its position and operations within the context of non-profit organizations in the
context of Australian conditions. The paper presents a short history of the client and mentions
how they evolved to merge in their present, contemporary form. The paper also conducts a
SWOT analysis, analysing the internal strengths and weaknesses and comparing them with
the external opportunities and threats affecting the operations of the organization. Next, the
paper conducts a PESTEL analysis in an effort to understand the macrocosmic contributors to
the existence and operations of the firm. The key stakeholders are also identified on the basis
of these two analyses. Finally, on the basis of these short and brief investigations, the paper
present certain recommendations to maintain the viability of the Flying Doctors.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
A Brief Overview...................................................................................................................3
SWOT Analysis.....................................................................................................................5
Strengths.............................................................................................................................5
Weaknesses........................................................................................................................6
Opportunities......................................................................................................................6
Threats................................................................................................................................7
PESTEL Analysis...................................................................................................................7
Political..............................................................................................................................7
Economic............................................................................................................................8
Social..................................................................................................................................8
Technological.....................................................................................................................8
Environmental....................................................................................................................8
Legal...................................................................................................................................9
Stakeholders...........................................................................................................................9
Recommendations..................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The Royal Flying Doctor service is one of the largest and one of the most
comprehensive aeromedical services in the world, providing extensive primary healthcare
and twenty-hour emergency services throughout the length and breadth of Australia, totalling
at some 7.69 million square kilometres ("About RFDS | Royal Flying Doctor Service" 2019).
The RFDS, informally called the Flying Doctors, aim to provide the most sophisticated
medical care and treatment to isolated communities spread out across the Australian Outback.
Starting out as the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service in 1928, the Flying
Doctors successfully combined the two emergent technologies of flight and radio
communications to the extent that it helped them to effectively save patients and provide
immediate medical assistance to individuals residing in isolated communities.
This paper shall take a brief overview of the Flying Doctors’ history, present-day
operational capabilities, finances, conduct a SWOT analysis and analyse the political, social
and economic conditions which allow it to function by conducting a PESTEL analysis of the
Flying Doctors and recommend certain strategies and suggestions which would enable them
to remain relevant and viable in their operations, in the present material conditions of
Australia and of the world.
Discussion
A Brief Overview
The history of the Royal Flying Doctors Service can be traceable to the actions of the
Reverend John Flynn, who had worked in isolated, rural communities of Australia,
particularly in the State of Victoria, and with the aid and commission of Presbyterian Church,
he was tasked with the responsibility of serving the needs of Outback communities. His
seminal report to the Presbyterian Assembly in 1912 was instrumental in the founding of the

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Australian Inland Mission. The Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service was
founded as the medical branch of the Mission in 1928, as a consequence of Flynn’s
missionary work involving the establishment of hospitals in rural, bush communities. Due to
the isolated nature of these communities, providing medical service to the people of these
communities emerged as a huge challenge and it resulted in the suffering and death of many
people belonging to such communities.
Initially operating on voluntary contributions, community fundraising and private
donations. However, with the increasing success of the AIM air ambulance service, it began
to prominently come into the awareness of the public. Therefore, a further need was felt to
create a national network of such air ambulance services, with the hope that the Australian
Government would sponsor the costs incurred in provision of medical service of the people.
This caused the formation of the Australian Aerial Medical Service in 1934, with the opening
up of “sections”, involving the setting up of bases in airfields which could serve the needs of
rural communities effectively. The service was renamed in 1942, as the Flying Doctors
Service, with the title of Royal being bestowed upon it in 1955.
Today, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is still heavily reliant upon community
funding, although it receives a substantial amount of finances from the Commonwealth
government as well. Having had the distinction of contributing much to the development and
well-being of rural, regional and remote communities, it is accorded due respect and prestige
throughout Australia. Over the years, the Flying Doctors has increased its list of services to
include a holistic and comprehensive set of medical facilities and assistance, which is further
aided by the use of modern aircraft and four-wheel drives, augmenting the Flying Doctors
ability to provide transportation and communications.

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The effect of the Flying Doctors is felt even in the realm of education, as it promoted
the use of educational services through the means of connecting teachers and educational
professionals to remote and isolated communities. Dubbed School of the Air, this
organization too used the same radio equipment as the Flying Doctors until the emergence of
the Internet and data connectivity.
SWOT Analysis
In order to understand the efficacy and viability of any organization functioning
within a given industry, it is essential to undertake a SWOT analysis of an enterprise. It is a
straightforward technique of determining the internal abilities and limits of a firm, and how
external conditions may affect the enterprise’s ability to function in the way it is supposed to
function (Bull, et al. 2016, 99-111) . In this section, a SWOT analysis of the Flying Doctors is
being conduct to assess its viability and capability to survive in the dynamics of the present
era.
Strengths
The Flying Doctors has a dedicated staff of pilots, doctors, nurses and technicians
who continue to provide continuous service to the people of the outback. This is perhaps the
biggest strength for the RFDS, in having a motivated and committed group of professionals
who are able to utilize their knowledge in the pursuance of providing medical attention and
medical facilities to the people ("Global Marketing Management - Week 2 Client Brief:
Questions And Answers" 2019).
The Flying Doctors is always on the lookout for innovation and technological
advancements that would help them in achieve their objectives of providing medical and
primary healthcare services even to the most remote party of the country. Therefore, the

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Service regularly updates its use of aviation, medical and communications technologies in
order to save more patients and improve upon positive health outcomes.
The biggest strength of the Flying Doctors lies in its community-oriented approach.
This includes still relying on mostly community fundraising and helping in the upkeep and
maintenance of rural and remote communities across the country. This people-centric,
community-oriented approach helps to win the Flying Doctors goodwill as well as more
resources through the use of various donations.
Weaknesses
However, the very nature of its method for obtaining the finances for running its
operations is also its biggest weakness. True, the Flying Doctors does maintain amiable
relations with the communities it serves and it has won respect among the citizens of
Australia for the service they have provided. However, community fundraising and donations
offer very limited means of financial viability as fundraising and donations entirely depend
upon the fundraiser’s capabilities and donor’s will. This would limit expansion.
Another weakness lies with its organizational structure. The Flying Doctors, even
though a national, federated body, is actually a conglomeration of autonomous and mostly
independent sections who operate independently of each other. This decentralization prevents
large-scale co-ordination and the lack of a centralized structure would be detrimental in the
event of a national emergency.
Although recognized and at times financially assisted by the Commonwealth, the
Flying Doctors are not associated with any of the health policies that are instituted by the
Commonwealth government. This prevents them from having any organizational focus on
areas where a certain kind of disease or a certain type of accident or injury might be
statistically common, weakening the Flying Doctors’ organizational ability to respond to

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medical issues quicker and with more specific, dedicated medical equipment suited for a
particular reason.
Opportunities
Despite its internal weaknesses, the Flying Doctors have opportunities that they could
utilize to their own advantage. The first such opportunity being the expansion of their aircraft
fleet from the existing 71 to more. This can include the induction of two new jet-propulsion
aircraft which halves the travel time between the domicile of the patient and the air base as
well as increases the overall range and reach of the aircraft.
Another opportunity that they can utilize is the expansion of its existing bases and the
creation of new ones, in order to expand its scope and reach among the rural and remote
communities located within the environs of Australia.
Threats
Despite these available opportunities, there are two principal threats that can
jeopardize the operations of the Flying Doctors. The first one is the rising costs pertaining to
the purchase of aviation fuel, which would become impossible to cover as an expense if the
current method of financing is continued.
Another equally dangerous threat comes from the increasing pace of digitization of
communication technologies, making it possible for rural communities to connect with health
practitioners in cities provided they have a strong and working Internet connection.
PESTEL Analysis
Apart from SWOT analysis, a PESTEL analysis is a method by which one can
examine and investigate the contextualizing factors of an enterprise or an industry, by briefly
taking a look at the conditions that go on to shape the creation and operations of a particular
enterprise (Felicio, Gonçalves and da Conceição Gonçalves 2013, 2139-2146). In this

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section, a PESTEL analysis for the Flying Doctors is conducted to understand its role and
relevance in the present era.
Political
Considering that the Flying Doctors are a non-profit, air ambulance service, it is
essential that the political conditions within the country remain stable and optimal for it to
properly function and continue to provide medical service to remote communities throughout
the country. At the same time, government financial assistance and rates of tax exceptions
help the Flying Doctor to remain financially viable despite its community-based funding
strategies.
Economic
There are a number of conditions which interplay in the economics of a country, and
it of course has an effect on non-profit organizations like the Flying Doctors as it affects the
ability of the donors to financially contribute their part to the cause of the organization.
Factors such as inflation, living standards, employment rates and interest rates have to be
negotiated by the donor before they can even think of contributing.
Social
The social aspects of the donors have an impact on the resources and functionality of
the Flying Doctors. People who are more likely to be settled in urban areas and working in
adequately-salaried jobs would be able to contribute more than those individuals who reside
in rural communities and are thus prone to a more mobile, dynamic lifestyle.
Technological
As much as technological progress has enabled the Flying Doctors to attain new
scopes and arenas of functionality, technology also makes it possible for the Flying Doctors

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to come into contact with new patients and new donors, allowing them to utilize new media
platforms to communicate and convey the nature and extent of their air ambulance services.
Environmental
The operations of the Flying Doctors and the extent and frequency with which their
donors are able to respond depend on environmental factors such as the availability of
infrastructure and the nature of natural conditions that may affect operations in the area.
Legal
One of the major macroscopic factors that can affect the operations of non-profit
organizations like the Flying Doctors has got to do with the laws, rules and regulations passed
by the government that covers a wide variety of topics such as laws of competition,
employment rules, safety and health regulations, etc. Even the legal nature of the Flying
Doctors is determined by the law dealing with the constitution and administration of non-
governmental entities.
Stakeholders
As far as the Flying Doctors are concerned, their major stakeholders include the rural
and remoter communities that they serve, the donors and fundraisers who play an important
role in raising the financial capabilities of the enterprise and the government itself, who are
responsible for passing laws and instituting policies that may affect the working of the
enterprise ("Global Marketing Management - Week 2 Client Brief: Presentation" 2019). The
Flying Doctors have to negotiate between the interplay of all these key stakeholders in order
to provide the best possible form of medical services for the people who need it the most.

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Recommendations
From the SWOT analysis and PESTEL analysis conducted above as well as briefly
taking a look at the key stakeholders for the flying doctors, the following recommendations
are placed for the consideration of whomever it may concern:
 The method gathering financial resources should be changed. While community
fundraising should remain an important way of interacting and developing the
communal aspects around which the Flying Doctors are created, there should be an
increasing reliance on funds provided by the government to ensure expansion.
 The organizational structure should be subjected to a change, converting it from a set
of autonomous, loosely connected sections to an integrated, centralized national
organization that can offer medical services in a more effective and professional
manner.
 To keep on expanding the fleet of aircraft as well as upgrading the existing ones to
increase their capacity and capabilities to be able to retrieve more patients in the
shortest amount of time possible. The inclusion of jet-propulsion aircraft should be a
top priority in this regard.

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References
"Global Marketing Management - Week 2 Client Brief: Presentation". 2019. Youtube.
Accessed September 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2LJYFucmtc.
"Global Marketing Management - Week 2 Client Brief: Questions And Answers". 2019.
Youtube. Accessed September 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgmSqgPhZUM.
"About RFDS | Royal Flying Doctor Service". 2019. Flyingdoctor.Org.Au. Accessed
September 19. https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/about-the-rfds/.
Bull, Joseph William, N. Jobstvogt, A. Böhnke-Henrichs, A. Mascarenhas, N. Sitas, C.
Baulcomb, C. K. Lambini et al. "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats: A
SWOT analysis of the ecosystem services framework." Ecosystem services 17 (2016): 99-
111.
Felício, J. Augusto, Helena Martins Gonçalves, and Vítor da Conceição Gonçalves. "Social
value and organizational performance in non-profit social organizations: Social
entrepreneurship, leadership, and socioeconomic context effects." Journal of Business
Research 66, no. 10 (2013): 2139-2146.