THE CASE SITUATION

The case situation for this assignment is the case in the text and the eight articles that follow below about Southwest Airlines. Please read the text case, Case 17.2 on page 592. Also, read the eight articles, below, on Southwest Airlines, dated from January 22, 2013, to October 8, 2015. The case in the text and eight articles in total make up the Southwest Airlines case. In other words, students are to consider the text case and the eight articles in total as one case situation. Once you have read the text case and eight articles and consider them one case situation, complete the following five sections of the case paper by answering the questions in each section as follows:

Section 1) What macro-environmental factors external to the company should Southwest Airlines be most concerned about? How do these factors affect Southwest Airlines? Explain.

Section 2) How would you segment airline customers? What should Southwest Airline's target customer(s) be? Explain.

Section 3) How is Southwest Airlines positioned in the minds of the consumer? Do you think Southwest Airlines should change this positioning? If yes, to what position and how might Southwest Airlines do this? If no, why not? Explain.

Section 4) What strategies do you feel Southwest Airlines should consider to grow? Describe in some detail.

Section 5) Choose a growth strategy from your answer to Question 4 above, and recommend what Marketing Program (4 P's strategy) Southwest Airlines should implement to achieve this growth strategy. Be specific in your answer.

Article 1

Southwest Airlines Prepares to Take on United in Houston

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/10/07/southwest-airlines-prepares-to-take-on-united-in-h.aspx

Article 2

Southwest Airlines making change to rewards program

http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/blog/morning_call/2013/09/southwest-airlines-making-change-to.html

Article 3

Southwest a ‘game changer'
http://bransontrilakesnews.com/news_free/article_8dd99332-2221-11e3-9d3b-001a4bcf887a.html

Article 4
Southwest Adds $40 Early Boarding Fee
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2013/01/southwest-adds-40-early-boarding-fee/

Article 5
Southwest Hangs Up Its Low-Cost Jersey
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-09-11/southwest-airlines-no-longer-the-low-cost- leader

Article 6
Southwest Is Trying to Fix a Problem With Late Flights
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-06-19/southwest-is-trying-to-fix-a-problem-with- late-flights

Article 7

Southwest Airlines launches first international destination
http://www.click2houston.com/news/southwest-airlines-launches-first- international-destination/31707206

Article 8

Southwest Airlines Brings Transfarency To Airline Industry

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/southwest-airlines-brings-transfarency-to-airline-industry-2015-10-08