Singapore Airlines Case Study
It would be difficult to deny the fact that modern businesses operate under conditions where human resources are viewed as the most important, while other sources of competitive success are less powerful than they used to be (Caliskan, 2010). In order to win competitive edge, many companies reconsider their HR strategies, and focus on hiring, training, and retaining the right people (Benedict, 2008).
The validity of this assertion is proven by Singapore Airlines (AIS). In less than a decade, the company managed to move from the 57th to the 9th place in the ranking of world’s largest airlines (Wyckoff, 1986). The present paper approaches strategies adopted in AIS by assessing the company’s workforce management program, advertising, and measuring service quality. While approaching these issues, the paper aims to prove that investing in human resource development is the most profitable investment in constantly changing market conditions.
Workforce Management Program
SIA’s workforce management program can be generally described as successful. This conclusion is made when approaching the company’s young crew policy, training program, performance management, feedback, and communication procedures. Changes in the company’s retention policy are welcomed to further increase the effectiveness of SIA’s HR policy.
The young crew policy is assessed as both culturally sensitive and sensible. The workforce has become increasingly diverse (Society for Human Resource Management, 2008), and competent HR policy helps companies to benefit from it. SIA has managed to create a diversified team, whose members are well aware of cultural characteristics of their customers. In Asia, there is a strong respect for age, so a passenger would feel awkward if serviced by an older person (Wyckoff, 1986). The company’s decision to hire individuals aged 20-25 years is sensible, because they are usually physically fit, attractive, and enthusiastic (Wyckoff, 1986).
While electing to hire young people, SIA has managed to create a unique atmosphere of youthfulness and innovation that resonates with many customers.Since young people often lack experience, SIA makes training an important component of its HR policy. The training includes six weeks of ground training and six weeks of flight training (Wyckoff, 1986). The evident advantages of SIA’s training are the focus on the company’s history and attention to details. The former improves employee morale by instilling a sense of pride and responsibility for a common cause (Vasantham, 2014). The latter transforms SIA’s service into art.In SIA, training does not stop after one becomes a member of operational crew (Wyckoff, 1986), and skills are honed based on collected feedback. It is retrieved from three sets of evaluations – feedback from senior flight stewards and stewardesses, training-check, and written compliments or complaints from passengers (Wyckoff, 1986).
The company communicates the collected feedback through preflight briefings, ward meetings, training-check meetings, administrative-staff committee meetings, and newsletters (Wyckoff, 1986). A wide range of means indicates social responsibility of SIA that has managed to maintain cooperation between its major stakeholders.Despite the many positive reviews, SIA …
