USA: +1-206-973-7012 
Sign in
As with an assignment you must include:
(1) an introduction,
(2) body, conclusion,
(3) And references with appropriately named headings. (Please note I want to see headings for the introduction, body, conclusion, and references.
You don’t actually use the word “Body” as a header. You replace the word with something meaningful and specific to your paper.The body should correspond to the grading criteria.
References: (3 or more) are should be APA format and please included above following instructional text book source at least one.
Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J., & Gamble, J.E. (2010). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage: Concepts and cases: 2009 custom edition (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill-Irwin.
| Assignment #5 – Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation
Students are required to conduct an analysis of Case 23 Southwest Airlines (Page C-401 from Thompson, A.A., Strickland, A.J., & Gamble, J.E. (2010). Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage: Concepts and cases: 2009 custom edition (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill-Irwin. And prepare a report. Students will address the following:
1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.
2. Evaluate the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, and return on stockholders’ equity).
3. Describe the characteristics of company’s culture and how you think it affects company performance.
4. Given the strategic decisions in the case, recommend actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given.
5. Given the strategic decisions in the case, identify three leadership actions that the company would need to consider to implement the decisions. Explain why these are critical to implementing the strategic decision.
NOTE: One of the criteria that you will be graded on is the quality of your answers, the logic/organization of the report, your language skills, and your writing skills. |
| The assignment will be graded using the following rubric:
|
|
|
Outcomes Assessed |
|
|
Grading Rubric for Assignment # 5 – Corporate Culture/Leadership Actions for Strategy Implementation |
|
|
Criteria |
0 Unacceptable |
20 Developing |
30 Competent |
40 Exemplary |
| 1. Discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage.
|
Did not attempt assignment or did not discuss the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage sufficiently. | Discussed the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage with 70 – 79% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Discussed the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage with 80 – 89% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Discussed the corporate culture at Southwest Airlines and how it leverages its culture to achieve a competitive advantage with 90 to 100% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. |
| 2. Evaluate the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios (operating profit margin, net profit margin, return on total assets, return on stockholders’ equity).
|
Did not attempt assignment or did not evaluate the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios accurately or sufficiently. | Evaluated some of the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios with 70 – 79% accuracy and thoroughness. | Evaluated most of the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios with 80 – 89% accuracy and thoroughness. | Evaluated all of the company’s financial performance by calculating and interpreting the profitability ratios with 90 to 100% accuracy and thoroughness. |
| 3. Describe the elements of a company’s corporate culture and how it impacts performance. | Did not attempt assignment or did not discuss elements or the impact sufficiently. | Described some of the elements of a company’s corporate culture and how it impacts performance. Discussed with 70 – 79% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Described most of the elements of a company’s corporate culture and how it impacts performance. Discussed with 80 – 89% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Described all of the elements of a company’s corporate culture and how it impacts performance. Discussed with 90 to 100% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. |
| 4. Recommend actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given. | Did not attempt assignment or did not recommend actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given. Or, discussed recommendations insufficiently. | Recommended actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given. Discussed recommendations with 70 – 79% accuracy, thoroughness, logic, and insight. | Recommended actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given. Discussed recommendations with 80 – 89% accuracy, thoroughness, logic, and insight. | Recommended actions that Southwest’s management should take to sustain/strengthen the culture (or implement a change) based on the situation given. Discussed recommendations with 90 to 100% accuracy, thoroughness, logic, and insight. |
| 5. Identify 3 leadership actions the company needs to consider to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest and explain why they are critical. | Did not attempt assignment or did not identify actions and did not explain why they were critical sufficiently. | Identified 1 of 3 leadership actions to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest and explained why 1 of 3 was critical. Discussed with 80 – 89% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Identified 2 of 3 leadership actions to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest and explained why 2 of 3 were critical. Discussed with 80 – 89% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. | Identified 3 leadership actions to implement the strategic decisions at Southwest and explained why each was critical. Discussed with 90-100% accuracy, thoroughness, and insight. |
| 6. Clarity | Did not complete the assignment or explanations are unclear and not organized.
(Major issues) |
Explanations generally unclear and not well organized.
(Many issues) |
Explanations generally clear and/or organized. (Minor issues) | Explanations very clear and well organized.
(Added helpful details.) |
| 7. Writing – Grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation, APA usage.
|
Did not complete the assignment or had 8 or more different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Major issues) | Had 6 – 7 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Many issues) | Had 4 – 5 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage. (Minor issues) | Had 0 – 3 different errors in grammar, sentence structure, paragraph structure, spelling, punctuation or APA usage.
|
