Is There Room for Ryan Air?
As a professional consultant in the transportation marketing field, you have faced several career challenges in the past few years, especially challenges related to air transportation. The industry has increasingly struggled with escalating costs (fuel and employee benefits like pensions and health care), changing behavior among travelers, and increasing competition. You are aware that while some airlines are profitable, others operate under bankruptcy protection. Several have sought to limit their support for pension programs and to reduce labor costs. In addition, buyer behavior among travelers is a key variable with many travelers using the Internet to compare prices. With access to this online information, the pricing strategy of airlines is transparent to consumers. Further, with added concerns over security and the hassles of traveling in the age of terrorism, many consumers opt for other forms of transportation when possible.
Despite these industry trends, you have watched as new competitors have entered the marketplace over the last few years. While brands like Jet Blue have established a desirable brand image, they also tend to rely on outsourcing of key functions like mechanical servicing of equipment.
Now, Ryan Air, a low-price airline based in the United Kingdom, is considering whether to enter the U.S. market. Because you are an expert in transportation marketing, Ryan Air has asked that you prepare an assessment on its chances for success in the U.S. given the state of the industry and consumer behavior relative to airline travel. Your assessment and recommendations will determine what Ryan Air decides to do regarding entrance into the U.S. market. As such, you begin to make notes of what information and analyses you will need in order to make your recommendations. You decide that you must analyze the airline industry using the Porter's Five Forces Model paying particular attention to the success of Southwest and Jet Blue, as this will give a context for your recommendation. You know that you must first explain the value of using Porter's Model, as well as educating your audience about each specific step. Additionally, since consumer behavior has changed in recent years both in terms of when air travel is considered as an alternative for transportation needs and how travel decisions are informed and evaluated, you decide that you must be sure that Ryan Air understands the steps in the consumer decision-making model as they relate to decisions about transportation via air. This is important so that they will have a clear understanding of the implications of each of the five steps in this model for Ryan Air's decision.
NOTE: Specific supporting information is available from many secondary research sources, including the following.
1. Company Web sites and literature
2. Industry trade show observations and contacts
3. Online databases, including ProQuest, DIALOG, Lexis-Nexis, EBSCO, First Source, PROMPT, Trade & Industry, and Investext
4. Hoover's
5. Dow Jones/Factiva
Great Expectations
You are the director of nursing at Blythe County Hospital. You love your job and the responsibilities that go with it, but it is not always easy being in charge. Some things are not under your direct control but are mandated by regulations and the hospital administration. Nevertheless, where you do have decision-making power, you work hard to do the best for your nurses, nursing techs, and others under your supervision.
You depend greatly on your charge nurses, Richard, Laura, and Sarah, all three of whom are experienced and level-headed. Richard is a former military nurse and is a great organizer; he makes sure that the nurses, techs, and orderlies follow the regulations. Everyone loves Laura; she is almost like a great aunt or grandmother to new staff coming in, doctors and nurses alike. She is an encourager, and people want to please her. Sarah is younger than the other two, but her health care knowledge, techniques, and professionalism make up for any experience she lacks.
There are several other good RNs on the staff and some very diligent LPNs as well. One of these, Jessie, is a single mom who lives at home with her parents. She is hardworking and compassionate with the patients, and she would like to advance in the nursing field. You can see a lot of potential for her, but her education level prohibits her from going further. Lately you have been directing several temporary nurses as well.
One of your greatest challenges right now is this: You have been experiencing a great deal of turnover on your staff. Many of the reasons for this are beyond your control, but you want to do everything you can to make the situation better for the staff nurses who look to you for leadership. Morale is low because the remaining nurses have to work longer hours, and temporary nurses are being contracted through agencies to supplement the staff nurses (often at higher rates than "employed" or staff nurses, which, the employed nurses, of course, know). You have met with Richard, Laura, and Sarah and have asked them to support you as you try some strategies to resolve the problems, and they have agreed to do all that is possible to assist you.
You decide to begin by tackling the problem of morale. You describe the situation to the staff psychologist, and he suggests that you research and apply a motivational model called the expectancy theory to boost the morale of the nursing staff. You return to your office to begin researching and addressing this theory.
Describe, in general, how the expectancy theory motivates behavior. Then, apply the expectancy theory specifically to the nursing morale issues at the hospital, i.e., describe the rationale for using the theory at the hospital and the specific techniques you would use to motivate the nurses that are consistent with the expectancy theory. Additionally, describe at least one (1) specific example where you might apply this theory to a staff member at Blythe County Hospital.
As a professional consultant in the transportation marketing field, you have faced several career challenges in the past few years, especially challenges related to air transportation. The industry has increasingly struggled with escalating costs (fuel and employee benefits like pensions and health care), changing behavior among travelers, and increasing competition. You are aware that while some airlines are profitable, others operate under bankruptcy protection. Several have sought to limit their support for pension programs and to reduce labor costs. In addition, buyer behavior among travelers is a key variable with many travelers using the Internet to compare prices. With access to this online information, the pricing strategy of airlines is transparent to consumers. Further, with added concerns over security and the hassles of traveling in the age of terrorism, many consumers opt for other forms of transportation when possible.
Despite these industry trends, you have watched as new competitors have entered the marketplace over the last few years. While brands like Jet Blue have established a desirable brand image, they also tend to rely on outsourcing of key functions like mechanical servicing of equipment.
Now, Ryan Air, a low-price airline based in the United Kingdom, is considering whether to enter the U.S. market. Because you are an expert in transportation marketing, Ryan Air has asked that you prepare an assessment on its chances for success in the U.S. given the state of the industry and consumer behavior relative to airline travel. Your assessment and recommendations will determine what Ryan Air decides to do regarding entrance into the U.S. market. As such, you begin to make notes of what information and analyses you will need in order to make your recommendations. You decide that you must analyze the airline industry using the Porter's Five Forces Model paying particular attention to the success of Southwest and Jet Blue, as this will give a context for your recommendation. You know that you must first explain the value of using Porter's Model, as well as educating your audience about each specific step. Additionally, since consumer behavior has changed in recent years both in terms of when air travel is considered as an alternative for transportation needs and how travel decisions are informed and evaluated, you decide that you must be sure that Ryan Air understands the steps in the consumer decision-making model as they relate to decisions about transportation via air. This is important so that they will have a clear understanding of the implications of each of the five steps in this model for Ryan Air's decision.
NOTE: Specific supporting information is available from many secondary research sources, including the following.
1. Company Web sites and literature
2. Industry trade show observations and contacts
3. Online databases, including ProQuest, DIALOG, Lexis-Nexis, EBSCO, First Source, PROMPT, Trade & Industry, and Investext
4. Hoover's
5. Dow Jones/Factiva
Great Expectations
You are the director of nursing at Blythe County Hospital. You love your job and the responsibilities that go with it, but it is not always easy being in charge. Some things are not under your direct control but are mandated by regulations and the hospital administration. Nevertheless, where you do have decision-making power, you work hard to do the best for your nurses, nursing techs, and others under your supervision.
You depend greatly on your charge nurses, Richard, Laura, and Sarah, all three of whom are experienced and level-headed. Richard is a former military nurse and is a great organizer; he makes sure that the nurses, techs, and orderlies follow the regulations. Everyone loves Laura; she is almost like a great aunt or grandmother to new staff coming in, doctors and nurses alike. She is an encourager, and people want to please her. Sarah is younger than the other two, but her health care knowledge, techniques, and professionalism make up for any experience she lacks.
There are several other good RNs on the staff and some very diligent LPNs as well. One of these, Jessie, is a single mom who lives at home with her parents. She is hardworking and compassionate with the patients, and she would like to advance in the nursing field. You can see a lot of potential for her, but her education level prohibits her from going further. Lately you have been directing several temporary nurses as well.
One of your greatest challenges right now is this: You have been experiencing a great deal of turnover on your staff. Many of the reasons for this are beyond your control, but you want to do everything you can to make the situation better for the staff nurses who look to you for leadership. Morale is low because the remaining nurses have to work longer hours, and temporary nurses are being contracted through agencies to supplement the staff nurses (often at higher rates than "employed" or staff nurses, which, the employed nurses, of course, know). You have met with Richard, Laura, and Sarah and have asked them to support you as you try some strategies to resolve the problems, and they have agreed to do all that is possible to assist you.
You decide to begin by tackling the problem of morale. You describe the situation to the staff psychologist, and he suggests that you research and apply a motivational model called the expectancy theory to boost the morale of the nursing staff. You return to your office to begin researching and addressing this theory.
Describe, in general, how the expectancy theory motivates behavior. Then, apply the expectancy theory specifically to the nursing morale issues at the hospital, i.e., describe the rationale for using the theory at the hospital and the specific techniques you would use to motivate the nurses that are consistent with the expectancy theory. Additionally, describe at least one (1) specific example where you might apply this theory to a staff member at Blythe County Hospital.
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