MKT501 - Strategic Marketing ; The structure of the passenger airline market

Let’s start our assignments for this class by examining the structure of the passenger airline market. Market structure analysis requires a look at both the supply and demand sides of the market, in this case, airline passengers and airline companies.

Case Reading

Wen, C.-H., & Yeh, W.-Y. (2010). Positioning of international air passenger carriers using multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis. Transportation Journal (Winter):10. Available 5/4/12 through ProQuest database.

Rothman, A., & Jasper, C. (2011). The unbearable heaviness of business class. Business Week (December 19)1. Available 5/4/12 through EBSCO database.

Structure of the airline industry (n.d.). Littleton, CO: Avjobs. Available 5/4/12 at: http://www.avjobs.com/history/structure-of-the-airline-industry.asp

Assignment Expectations:

Develop a report in terms of the following guidelines. A well-written report should have a brief introduction, headings or subheadings, and a brief concluding comment. Note that you should use some keywords as headings or subheadings such as “Key External Factors,” instead of a sentence or a question.

Identify and explain key external factors that affect the passenger airline industry.
Briefly explain segmentation, targeting, and positioning.
Identify the major airline market segments.
What are the target markets for First Class, Business Class, and Economy Class?
Contrast JetBlue and Southwest Airlines in terms of the following two aspects:
(1) Compare and explain the impact of key external factors on each company (e.g., economic conditions and the growing consumer interest in leisure travel).

(2) Describe each company’s target market and positioning. Give some examples of how these strategies are implemented for each company.

Expectations Regarding Your References and Defense of Your Positions

Write clearly, simply, and logically. Your paper should be 750-1500 words long, excluding title pages and references, but quality of writing is more important than length. Use double-spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font in 12 pt. type size.

Back up your positions or opinions with references to the required reading found in the Background and Ongoing Useful Resources. In using those references, demonstrate your understanding of the concepts presented. Rather than grading on how much information you find, emphasis will be on the defense of the positions you take on the issues. Also remember:

(1) The “why” is more important than the “what.”
(2) The defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take.

Paraphrase the facts using your own words and ideas, employing quotes sparingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should not be more than a few words.

When writing an academically oriented paper, you will uncover many facts about the product. If you paraphrase the facts, cite the sources in your text and link those citations to references at the end of the paper.

Guidelines for handling quoted and paraphrased material are found at:

Anonymous (n.d.) Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Copyright ©1995-2011 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Accessed 3/9/12 at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/

Anonymous (n.d.) Avoiding Plagiarism. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Copyright ©1995-2011 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Accessed 3/9/12 at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/

Your paper consists of arguments in favor of your opinions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelines; therefore, avoid the following logical fallacies:

Anonymous (n.d.) Logic in Argumentative Writing. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Copyright ©1995-2011 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Accessed 3/9/12 at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/