Airline Arrival Times

Strategic management for local firms

For business firms and other organisations, threats and opportunities come from the outside environment.

The study is generally referred to as the external environmental analysis, a function of strategic management that organisations must perform to survive in the current competitive landscape. Businesses that ignore their outside environment can suffer adverse consequences.

Some firms miss out on opportunities while others suffer from threats.

For example, the recently reported case of the closure of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food operation was said to be a result of biosecurity regulatory breach linked to milk and egg-based raw material imports. It was indicated that a health safety certificate was needed for the import.

The media did not mention if the requirement by the local biosecurity authorities was an immediate compliance or if the KFC operator was given adequate notice of this new certification.

Businesses must keep awake to outside changes

Whatever the reasons in the recent KFC closure, it is obvious that businesses need to keep awake and monitor its external environment.

Regular scanning should become a necessary feature and whenever a sign of threat to the business appears, this element of danger must be kept under close monitoring.

Preparatory measures must be planned well in advance and the business should not become a victim at the eleventh hour. Firms that do not conform to these strategic management functions will become a target of competitors who are well prepared for such threats.

There are many examples of lack or poor competitive behaviours because of changes in the external environment.

These resulted in some firms being destroyed or severely impacted while the more innovative and creative firms have gained some opportunities by the outside changes.

The arrival of minibuses and in some towns' "microbuses" impacted the bus companies.

In many ways this is meeting a customer need. This did not happen overnight and the strategies or lack of adoption of good strategies by the bus companies have resulted in the predicament they are in today.

Domestic aviation history of recent times is another classic example.

The demise of Air Fiji and the arrival of Pacific Sun, assisted with the purchase of Sunflower Airlines, brought an end to whatever domestic airline competition existed.

The recent arrival of Northern Air is like the beginning of another era of struggle by a small enterprise to make a dent in the domestic air services. We see a repeat of history but such is the nature and climate of business operations, especially in competition strategies.

Centrav Blog: Arrival and departure times make a difference

Try South African Airways to East Africa via Johannesburg. With an arrival time into Nairobi of 2:45pm your client is getting in at the perfect time to easily get through customs and catch a taxi in broad daylight. Then they can unwind for a few hours, get something to eat, and finally go to sleep at a reasonable hour. On the return flight, South African Airways departs Nairobi at 4:00pm. Again this is a perfectly sensible departure time and your client will appreciate it.

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