Business Strategy Case Study: Delta Airlines

In order to achieve and sustain competitive advantage, a business needs both resources and capabilities. Resources are assets that are owned or employed by an organization. The organization utilizes and uses these assets to carry out their business operations. Resources can be grouped either tangible assets or intangible assets. Capabilities are complex skills or ability that a firm develops with time to perform business operations competently and utilize their resource effectively.

This theory is based on the concept that there are five forces that determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of a market. Porter 's five forces help to identify where power lies in a business situation. This is useful both in understanding the strength of an organization 's current competitive position, and the strength of a position that an organization may look to move into.

Ryanair is a famous low-cost airline company which was established in 1985 by Tony Ryan family. It’s headquartered in Ireland and provides services across Europe. Ryanair was built on Southwest Airlines model, which is highly successful in US, and now Ryanair is one of the most successful and profitable low-cost airlines in the world.

In the startup phase of Lululemon Athletica they had a high bargaining power. This was due to a desire to work with leading fabric suppliers and increased investments. A majority of their apparel production was in Asia however they are willing to use Canada as well as the United States for production facilities as they are required. There are many suppliers competing for retailer’s business. Common materials used in apparel making such as rubber and cotton are readily available. This gives Lululemon a lot of choice in picking who they want to buy supplies from. In this situation, the suppliers have a low level of bargaining power.

The use of modern technology by the airline manufacturers can contribute significantly to the growth of the

Since it was founded in 1923, Walt Disney Company has become a world-famous entertainment and media company, and its turnover brings it to the second place among global media companies (after Time Warner). It is constantly working to provide people with the most special entertainment experience, and has been adhering to the company 's good tradition of quality and innovation. After years of development, Walt Disney is already a successful transnational corporation and its operations involve in parks and resorts, consumer products, media networks, and studio entertainment these four industries. By the end of September 2017, its media network is the most profitable business which the revenue is 42.6% of the total while

Canada being a big country and the travel time taken by road is far greater compare to air flight, the consumer prefers to travel by air to reach their destination in timely manner “The threat of substitutes is moderate due to the above stated reason.

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese company that is involved in the design, assembly, manufacture and sale of a wide range of motor vehicles such as minivans, passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and assorted accessories and parts (Nkomo, 3). Examples of brands under the Toyota portfolio include, but are not limited to; Lexus, Toyota, Hino and Daihatsu. Toyota was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda and has grown to not only be the world’s leading auto manufacturer in the automotive industry, but also the world’s eighth largest company with operations in virtually every corner of the world (Nkomo, 3).

With its humble beginnings as a crop dusting operation in 1924, Delta Airlines, Inc. (Delta) has grown to be one of the major airlines in the US with listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company consists of an airline segment and an oil refinery segment. The airline segment provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo and other services such as aircraft maintenance and repair. The refinery segment provides jet fuel to the airline segment from its own production and through jet fuel procured through agreements with third parties.

Looking at the respective case studies, SIA, EA and Lufthansa have shared similar challenges like striving for cost effectiveness and differentiation from competitors. Despite these similarities, SIA and EA seem to have survived throughout as an individual highly recognized brands while being involved in Star Alliance overshadows Lufthansa. As well, Lufthansa also operated with higher labor costs than low-cost players or emerging market competitors – years of union advocacy, pension fund obligations, and industry regulations forced these airlines to devote a larger share of revenues towards labor benefits. EA advantage mostly comes from government support and their self sufficient in fuel compared to the other two airlines. External factors like fuel prices or government factors may affect the airlines, but the root of sustaining competitive advantages still lies within the organization’s strategies and core values in order to gain

“Within the aviation industry, MRO, ground handling, catering, CRS and freight forwarding created economic profits, but these were much more than offset by economic losses by airlines and airports. Airlines were responsible for the large USD17 billion of economic losses globally. The returns generated by airports are weighed down by the US, where airports are owned by local governments and funded by tax-efficient municipal bonds. They are not run to generate a return in their own right, but to bring wider economic benefits. Outside the US, airports generally produce higher returns, often aided by price regulation.” (CAPA,

Threats: FlyDubai just like any other business faces threats to its existence. For instance, with the global financial crisis and later the Eurozone crisis, the number of travellers has significantly reduced due to economic hardships. This has affected the profit levels of the airline as well as slowed down its growth prospects. The airline also faces intense competition from other low cost airlines forcing it to extensively invest in product differentiation to counter the competition. This is an expensive

Below is Porter’s Five Forces Model applied to the Saudi Food & Beverage industry in order to assess its attractiveness.

Nok Air has two major hubs located in Don Mueang international airport, which is a central domestic airport, and in Chiang Mai. A key competitive advantage that leads Nok Air to be the top budget domestic airline and to gain higher market share is using the product differentiation. Nok Air differentiates itself from other competitors in terms of routes and periods. The firm offers a variety of routes and periods to passengers to enjoy with Nok Air compared to other competitors in the market of low-cost airline. Expanding flying route is one of the firm’s strategies to serve more passengers. As a result, Nok Air is often the first choice in customer’s mind. In addition, by reaching the destination where its competitors cannot, Nok Air can gain valuable benefits. Since there is no competitor in that destination, Nok Air is the monopoly in that specific area. As a consequence, the firm can compete in price and can set any level of price that Nok Air prefers. Another key advantage that Nok Air has is the offering more weight of baggage. This is what Nok Air can offer better than its competitors. However, the disadvantage is the current Nok Air’s operating cannot generate enough profit. Since Nok Air positions itself as “premium low-cost airline”, the firm is now facing the high cost. The costs include fuel engine price, the premium onboard service, foods and beverages, the cost of offering high weight of baggage, and so on. Also, as Nok Air has to hedge fuel engine from Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, it mainly drives Nok Air to have the higher cost, and it results in decreasing the profit (“Broken Wing Nok Air,” 2008). However, the firm cannot increase passenger ticket price. Otherwise, it will be inconsistent with Nok Air’s position. To solve such a problem, Nok Air should supply fuel by itself to maintain the cost