SWOT Analysis from HR Perspective: Southwest Airlines
Objective of this assignment:
This activity serves as a final
assessment for the course. It provides you the opportunity to demonstrate how
well you have achieved the learning outcomes of the course. You are to provide
your knowledge of the strategic and administrative function of Human Resources
by thinking about the situation of Southwest Airlines recent merger and their
expansion.
Deliverable:
Read and reflect on the case
study below and prepare a response paper of not less than five pages (excluding
title and reference pages) with appropriate in text citations. Demonstrate your
research and analytical skills in developing your comprehensive paper by using
the organizations website and outside articles written about the organization
to supplement the information provided in the case study. However, the case
study is unique in that it is focused on the HR ramifications and most of the
outside reports you will locate articulate the business side of the merger or
expansion possibilities. Tailor your paper to the HR ramifications of the
merger and expansion.
Keep in mind that the purpose
of this final assessment is for you to demonstrate your knowledge of the
strategic and administrative function of Human Resources. While the business
side of the situation is the foundation, it is the command of the needed tasks
and role for the Human Resource function that you are to focus most of your
attention.
Key Components
The key components of the paper
are as follows:
1. Title page
2. Introduction in which
you restate the issue(s) and state the purpose of the paper
3. SWOT analysis from the
HR perspective
4. Recommendations to
address the issues. Scholarly research is expected to support the
recommendations.
Examples of issues that may
want to be elaborated upon may be possible redundant positions, maintaining the
culture of both organizations (or not), combining compensation and benefits
plans and union involvement (just to name some).
5. There are many tasks for
recruiting and hiring for the expansion (in various global locations). Think
about and list what those tasks are.
6. Provide the metrics for
evaluating the outcomes of the expansion of the organization (again, from an HR
perspective).
7. Synthesize and
summarize your thoughts about the merger and expansion (from an HR
perspective), including recommendations for aligning the HR function of the two
organizations and addressing any of the S.W.O.T. assessment HR related elements
as appropriate.
6. Reference page
containing at least five scholarly references cited in the paper and presented
in APA guideline format;
Situation:
Southwest Airlines is a major
airline in the United States with limited flights outside the country. The
organization has a strong culture which is described in the following excerpt from
Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines found on the Southwest Airlines Website.Living the Southwest
Way
Living the Southwest Way
(Gary Kelly states that).....I
ask three things of the 46,000 Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways Employees
every day: Work hard, have fun, and treat everyone with respect. We call this
Living the Southwest Way, and it comprises three characteristics that we look
for in job candidates and require of our Employees: a Warrior Spirit, a
Servant’s Heart, and a Fun-LUVing Attitude. While it may sound simple (and it
is), the impact can be profound. Our Culture has long been admired and has
earned Southwest much recognition, including a yearly spot on Fortune’s
“World’s Most Admired Companies” list (we ranked seventh this year) and the
distinction of being named one of the Best Places to Work in Glassdoor.com’s
2013 Employees’ Choice Awards. Our Culture is not a program or a campaign; it
is the sum of the personalities and behaviors of our People who Live the
Southwest Way every day.
(The following is fiction but
is the situation to consider for this assignment). Due to the recent
acquisition of AirTran Airways and with the possibility of acquiring other
airlines that will expand the organization to other countries, Southwest
Airlines will add thousands of employees quickly from any number of existing
airlines in a variety of global locations.
Faced with the tasks of
maintaining the values of the organization, consider and propose steps the
Human Resources team will need to take to achieve a successful merger of the
two companies and to expand to additional global locations.
PLEASE NOTE: Much has been
written about Southwest Airlines, its culture and the recent merger. While that
information may be used as reference material, the situation you have been
asked to use for your application of your knowledge about HR is unique. Do not
merely cut and paste from what you find in the documents you locate.
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