Proposal concepts and development

¶ … Strategic Plan

Validation of the organizational vision, mission, and values statements

The research approach for this study will include an internal and external environmental scan of Southwest Airlines that will be used to validate the company's published organizational vision, mission and values statements. This organization was selected based on its consistent profitability (Ahmed & Rafiq, 2005), the availability of relevant financial data because it is publicly traded, and the fact that Southwest Airlines continues to redefine its mission by expanding its operations domestically and perhaps even internationally in the near future based on its recent purchases of larger aircraft (pers. obs.). According to Bowander, Dambal, Kumar and Shrodkar (2010), "Low-fare Southwest Airlines created a new market segment by using a number of innovative features. Fast turn-around time, low break-even load factor, and a large number of trips per day made it a very economical airline. Southwest has made a profit for the past 34 years" (p. 20). In order to sustain this performance level and fuel continued growth, though, will require a careful analysis of the internal and external environments in which the company competes.

The general objectives of the internal and external environmental scans will include the following:

1. Detect scientific, technical, economic, social, and political trends and events important to the organization;

2. Define the potential threats, opportunities, or changes for the organization that are implied by those trends and events;

3. Develop a future orientation; and,

4. Identify converging, diverging, speeding up, slowing down, or interacting trends with significance to the organization (Morrison, 1992).

Each of these general objectives will be supported by more specific internal and external environmental scans using the sources discussed further below.

Sources expected to perform an external environmental analysis

The sources needed to perform an external environmental analysis of Southwest Airlines will include recent industry analyses, peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly texts, and expert opinions contained in the popular media. The focus of this analysis will conform to the guidance provided by Rhodes and Keogan who note that, "External environmental analysis involves examination of opportunities and threats, competitive stance, political, economic, social and technological influences, and relations with stakeholders among others" (2005, p. 123). Some of the methods that can be used to accomplish the external environmental analysis of Southwest Airlines include a PEST, Porter's Five Forces, scenario planning and stakeholder mapping (Rhodes & Keogan, 2005).