Penn Foster Strategic Management - Random Thoughts

[UptonSinclair]

I am currently planning my final project for Penn Foster's Strategic Management course. For those unfamiliar, the course consists of 4 multiple choice exams, 4 discussion posts, 3 webinars, and a final project. The final project is a strategic analysis of Southwest Airlines.

In preparation for the final project, I have been reading through many similar projects involving Southwest. Most suggest Southwest expand in ways that contradict the business strategies that made Southwest successful to begin with. Many suggest expanding Southwest's fleet to include alternate models of aircraft, most suggest expanding into overseas flights, and some even suggest taking a confrontational approach to the unions. I can't help but think Herb Kelleher would hate most of these suggestions. But the idea that stands out in my head the most is a CEO that avoided labels and traditional "strategic analysis" would hate the very idea of trying to dissect Southwest using a set of canned analysis tools. When reading an interview with Herb, it is obvious that he sees Southwest as an organic entity rather than a machine.

I know that this post is somewhat off topic, but many people have questions about the course and I believe others might benefit from the discussion.