This 8 page paper discusses the possibility of Southwest Airlines establishing service in Australia. The characteristics of the company that suggest it might be a good candidate for global expansion are presented. The marketing mix, using the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion) is presented in terms of such an expansion. Australia is discussed briefly in terms of air travel and why this might be a good time for Southwest to make such a move. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGswstau.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
global e-business. Two companies that might consider expanding into international territories are CVS, the drug store and Southwest Airlines. Of these two, Southwest is the better candidate for any number
of reasons. The following is an outline of the characteristics of Southwest Airlines that make it a good candidate for international expansion: * Southwest continuously expands its service within
the U.S., now serving 30 states (Hoovers, 2004). Southwest flies more than 57 million passengers each year (Southwest, 2002). * Southwest offers e-ticketing and tiketless travel (Hoovers, 2004). * Analysts
comment: "A top-10 US airline, Southwest stands as the inspiration for scrappy low-fare upstarts the world over" (Hoovers, 2004). * Southwest has been profitable for 31 straight years, an unheard
of accomplishment in this industry (Hoovers, 2004). * Southwest flies more short hauls, keeps fares low, keeps turnaround time on the ground to a minimum, stays on schedule, offers beverages
and nuts only on the overwhelming majority of flights, offers no reserved seating, and targets people who need to get to close cities (Robinson, 2000). * Fares are 30 to
40 percent lower than other airlines (Robinson, 2000). * Southwest has been awarded the monthly Triple Crown 31 times since 1988s, including five consecutive annual Triple Crown awards (Southwest, 2002).
The Triple Crown is: Best On-Time Record, Best Baggage Handling, and Fewest Customer Complaints (Southwest, 2002). One of the first international locations Southwest might explore is Australia. Over the
last years, Australia has lost many local and regional flight services. The three competitors would be Vietnam Airlines, which flies in and out of Sydney (Domestic Press Highlights, 2003), Virgin
Blue and Qantas, which fly in and out of Melbourne (World Tourism, 2003). Australia does not have a local/regional airline that provides local service exclusively. The marketing mix analysis