Read and cite the required articles listed below, supplemented with other articles related to passenger airline industry as well as United and Southwest Airlines, and 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.
- Explain the major airline market segments by applying the marketing concepts of segmentation, targeting, and positioning.
- Briefly describe the branding and positioning strategies of United and Southwest Airlines. Do they build brand loyalty? If so, what emotions are involved?
- Discuss the brand personality of United and Southwest Airlines. Explain why you believe the personality represents each brand.
- What are the similarities between the two branding efforts? What are the differences?
- If you are a brand manager, what can you learn from these two cases?
Assignment Expectations
Expectations Regarding Your References and Defense of Your Positions
Write clearly, simply, and logically. Your paper should be 1000-1500 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.
Here are some guidelines on how to conduct information search and build critical thinking skills.
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Searching for Information. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/searching.htm
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Developing Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/critical_thinking.htm
Guidelines for handling quoted and paraphrased material are found at:
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Academic Writing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Avoiding Plagiarism. Retrieved from 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:
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in Argumentative Writing. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/