WestJet Airlines Case Analysis WestJet Airlines was founded in 1996 in Calgary, Alberta. Clive Beddoe, Don Bell, Mark Hill, and Tim Morgan got together to create an airlines that stood apart from the other airlines in Canada. They wanted to create a low-fare carrier in Canada similar to what Southwest Airlines was in the United States. Another big part of their airlines was the company environment and culture. WestJet Airlines started off small by only working in certain regions in Canada. This quickly changed as more and more opportunities were becoming available to expand. WestJet Airlines major competitors were struggling and they seized the opportunity to move into other markets. WestJet Airlines had created a very unique culture. Most
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He was hired to take over the CEO position which was Beddoes former job. Beddoe shifted to being chairman of the board. Smith was from a different company culture and his management style showed that top-down style that is commonly used. Most of the work Beddoe had done to maintain the company culture was unraveling as Smith clashed with employees. He overrode employee’s decisions which were accustomed to making their own decisions for years. He also ran into issues with PACT, which was a group for employee’s to keep in touch with management. Beddoe had to step in and resume his duties as Smith resigned from his …show more content…
Expansion brings about more competitors from regional airlines and markets that the major competitors are already in. The biggest threat from expansion is to their company culture which has been one of their best attributes. More personnel will be needed to handle the continued expansion and that could bring about threats to the company culture. Beddoe seems to be the driving force behind maintaining this culture so he will be key going forward. The alliance with JetBlue could also have a negative effect on the company culture. If they are not as invested or have the same company culture, it could leave a negative look for WestJet Airlines. I would advise them to slow their expansion down a bit and research which markets would be worth expanding to. Being more selective would be helpful to combat the pitfalls of rapid
He was hired to take over the CEO position which was Beddoes former job. Beddoe shifted to being chairman of the board. Smith was from a different company culture and his management style showed that top-down style that is commonly used. Most of the work Beddoe had done to maintain the company culture was unraveling as Smith clashed with employees. He overrode employee’s decisions which were accustomed to making their own decisions for years. He also ran into issues with PACT, which was a group for employee’s to keep in touch with management. Beddoe had to step in and resume his duties as Smith resigned from his …show more content…
Expansion brings about more competitors from regional airlines and markets that the major competitors are already in. The biggest threat from expansion is to their company culture which has been one of their best attributes. More personnel will be needed to handle the continued expansion and that could bring about threats to the company culture. Beddoe seems to be the driving force behind maintaining this culture so he will be key going forward. The alliance with JetBlue could also have a negative effect on the company culture. If they are not as invested or have the same company culture, it could leave a negative look for WestJet Airlines. I would advise them to slow their expansion down a bit and research which markets would be worth expanding to. Being more selective would be helpful to combat the pitfalls of rapid