Choose the airlines as an industry to apply the Michael Porter's 'five forces' model and discuss how one established airline like SIA should respond to the competitive environment.

Essay by jaredqianUniversity, Bachelor's May 2008

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QUESTION:The industry analysis is necessary in the strategic marketing planning in order to identify the opportunities and threats in the competitive environment. Choose the airlines as an industry to apply the Michael Porter's 'five forces' model and discuss how one established airline like SIA should respond to the competitive environment, after analyzing the industry.

SIA is internationally recognised as one of the world's leading carriers. The company had recognised that in this highly competitive market, any advantage gained by one airline over others will be short-lived, and ideas that are new will become commonplace in a matter of months. As such, SIA noted the importance of having to always stay at the forefront both in service and technology.

This strategy of SIA focuses primarily not on reducing costs, but on enhancing quality or service and preventing any customer problem from arising. SIA has succeeded most uniquely with this type of strategy in the airline industry, a strategy commonly employed in service businesses that command premium prices with high margins, businesses in which there are a high degree of repeat business, with word-of-mouth praise by customers as one of the most important marketing channel.

Internally, three cost items account for half of SIA's operating cost: fuel, aircraft depreciation and wages. There is little that can be done with respect to fuel cost except for judicious hedging. As for aircraft cost, SIA is universally acknowledged as being second to none in securing the best prices and purchase terms from aircraft and engine manufacturers. That leaves wages. The airline's fixed wages amount to less than $800 million a year, roughly one tenth of total operating expenditure, a modest proportion indeed. Variable wages comprise the rest, consisting mainly of profit-based bonuses and crew allowances based on actual hours of flying by pilots and cabin...