C/OM/49. British Airways and SouthWest Airlines: the case studies analysis

The paper analyses two case studies from the 'Operations Management: Strategic Context and Managerial Analysis' book by Terry Hill: 'British Airways: Customizing the Service' and 'Southwest Airlines'. The paper presents SWOT analyses of BA and SouthWest airlines, their Key Order-Winners and Order-Qualifiers, the delivery system components of the airline industry and the competitive operations for British Airways and South West Airlines. Assignment specifically addresses the following questions: Analyse BA's and SouthWest's markets as described in the case study. Identify the key order-winners (OW) and qualifiers (OQ) that constitute operations' strategic task. Briefly explain why you have identified each specific OW and OQ. Construct a schematic diagram of the elements of the 'operations delivery system' for an airline. Explain how operations in BA and SouthWest can support the needs of their markets in each segment of the delivery system.