British Airways and Innovation Modern

British Airways and Innovation Modern business structures are so highly complex and competitive that the old paradigm -- improving efficiency and the bottom line, is no longer all it takes to be successful. Instead, continued reinvention of both the company's product line and industry capabilities is not only necessary, but will help decide which companies succeed and which fail. Too, because the half-life of technology is so short, radical and category breaking innovation is needed not just to compete, but to provide the global environment with positive growth.

The actual type of company is immaterial, the key for this innovative paradigm shift rests on three major areas: exponential and innovative customer service; amping up profit and margins while building a new base; using innovation to transform internal stakeholders, employee ideals, etc. (Newman, 1998, p. 5). There are, of course, multiple approaches to innovation in the marketplace; dependent upon location, strategic planning, and tactical goals.

For instance, in the multinational real, there are four approaches that seem to work well: Look upon growth potential in broader terms; peninsulas, not islands -- particularly in this new era of globalism. Provide seed capital to subsidiaries to encourage their growth as opposed to focusing on new ventures. Use formal requests for proposals -- think of the subsidiaries as ways to increase the value and overall need of seed money. Encourage market and idea testing in the subsidiaries -- let them experiment with unconventional or out-of-the-box ideas.

Build international networks so that innovators have access to each other and other programs and ideas. Create the innovation culture, nurture it, fertilize it, and allow it to grow (Birkinshaw and Hood, 2001). One multinational corporation, British Airways, believes that it innovative products and services have been exactly what keeps the organization in a leading position globally.

One manager said that the website ba.com is one of the most important developments for the global traveller in the past decade, boasts 2.5 million visitors each week, allows clients to book flights, manage booking, select seats, order meals, check in, and even print a boarding pass. This also aligns the company with other travel partners to include ways to book hotels, hire cars, book attractions and sight-seeing, and create a total travel experience from just their site.

They know it is working because over 25,000 customers use the check in feature daily, reducing the time and stress of the airport visit (Story, 2010). Besides being innovative technologically, British Airways is also being lauded with its push towards face-to-face connections. Innovative contests and interesting businesses adventures were the theme of this promotion -- the idea of winning a face-to-face connection anywhere in the world that British Airways services.

One analyst noted, "The Company… succeeded in making itself top of mind not only for the selected entrepreneurs, but also for those connected and impacted by their stories. The successful program resulted in increased business and a newly established social media business community for" the airline (Daum, 2010). The organization, however, does not stop with either technological or promotional innovation. BA has a subsidiary, BAAE (British Airways Avionic Engineering).

BAAR is involved in one of most competitive fields possible -- the aerospace industry, where MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul services) can often make or break the organization. Because of this, MRO activities are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways to reduce costs and improve turnaround times. Leave it to BA, who placed a.