In nine pages strategic management is defined and then the ways in which it benefits airline companies are discussed with examples of small domestic airlines that use them along with recommendations offered at the conclusion of the paper. Ten sources are cited in the bibliography.
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management in order to succeed in increasingly competitive markets. The airlines industry is no different from that of any other corporate entity. Depending on the country youre focusing on, airlines
today face a number of challenges ranging from government intervention (or lack thereof), to upstart start-ups, to bankruptcies, mergers and acquisitions. There is little doubt, therefore, that smaller, domestic airlines
need to plan strategically and effectively as do their larger counterparts. By examining some examples of small, domestic airlines and the strategic
thinking of their owners and managers, this paper will attempt to make some recommendations about what can be used to help smaller airlines in general. The Meaning of Strategic Management
Before examining in detail airline companies that make strategic decisions, lets examine the exact meaning of strategic management. Strategic management was one
of those buzzwords of the 1980s that has, nonetheless, made it into the 21st century because the basis of the concept is pretty much common sense. In its simplest form,
strategic management can be defined as ". . . a leadership discipline that ensures long-term business success and profitable growth through purposeful, systematic planning activities that link goals with actions
and measurable results" (EHCS, 2002). Defining this further, there are three major phases when it comes to strategic management: decision making, implementation and feedback (EHCS, 2002). Decision making involves compilation
of a lot of timely data about markets, consumers, competitors and a companys business processes (EHCS, 2002). Implementation tends to come in form of an operating plan that details goals
and activities as well as specific tasks for activities performed by departments (EHCS, 2002). Finally, the feedback (which involves "measurable results")helps analyze the strategic initiatives to determine if they, indeed,