Strategic Operations

Strategic Operations Management - Emirates

[Name of the Institute]

Introduction3

Emirates3

Assessment of Links between Operational Strategies4

General Airline Industry Profile5

PESTLE Analysis5

Political6

Economic6

Socio-cultural7

Technological7

Legal7

Environmental8

Operational Strategies8

Labour Cost Economies8

Fleet Cost Economies9

Seat Sale9

Effective Response to Demand10

Aggressive Expansion10

Strategic Alliance with Qantas11

Business Strategies11

Differentiation11

Competitive Advantage11

Recruiting the Right People12

Critical Appraisal of Issues12

Layout and Process Type Issues12

Use of Technology at Emirates13

In-flight Cell Phone Chatting14

Tracking Bags with RFID14

Reservations through Online Technological Platform15

Better Travel Experience15

Emirate's Exploitation of Value Chain16

Conclusion16

References18

Strategic Operations

Introduction

Sustaining and enhancing competitive advantage has been the foremost priority of organizations in today's competitive landscape. This is done primarily through strategic management of operations. Strategic management is the art and science of strategy formulation and implementation for creating and sustaining competitive advantage (Marilyn, L. T. 2005).

By considering the importance of strategic operations, this report tends to focus highly upon the evaluation of operational strategies. In addition, the links between the operational strategies have also been discussed within the report. To evaluate the strategies of Emirates, a general overview of the airline industry has been assessed along with PESTLE analysis. In particular, the operational strategies and business strategies taken into consideration by Emirates have been discussed in detail. Similarly, the operational issues have also been discussed and elaborated within the report study. In the end, the exploitation of the value chain and quality has been evaluated. The evaluation of the value chain indicates the effective utilisation of supply chain partners for the overall achievement of goals and objectives.

Emirates

Emirates is a wholly-owned government company in Dubai. Since its inception in 1985, Emirates has achieved significant positive growth and exceptional level of revenues in the airline industry. In initial years, the services offered by Emirates were limited to 60 destinations in only 42 countries including Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa, Far East and Middle East. Whereas, the services offered by Emirates currently extends to over 100 destinations across the globe. Being a provider of top-notch travel experience, Emirates has focused entirely on quality in products and services along with organization and equipments.

After troublesome initial years, Emirates has been acknowledged as the world's fastest growing airline. The strategic position of Emirates was considered a threat to several international carriers including Air France and Qantas. This was primarily due to the Emirates' competitive cost advantage of Emirates over other international commercial carriers. Being a wholly-owned government organization, Emirates was constantly accused of taking unfair advantage of its relationship with airport authorities and aviation authorities under the boundaries of UAE [Mnisri, K, 2010].

With the mission of being one of the top lifestyle brands across the globe, Emirates has continually provided its customers with outstanding and unrivalled experience across the globe. To achieve the stated mission, Emirates compete directly with almost 23 commercial airlines operating in 16 countries in the Middle East. Emirates has been a synonym of operational excellence and quality for over two decades. This operational excellence has supported Emirates in the achievement of several milestones. For instance, the partnership with Qantas has enhanced Emirates' opportunity of providing the frequent flyer with top-notch travel experience [Emirates Airlines, ...