AIRLINE CONSULTANCY PROJECT - 2022/3

Module code: MANM335

Module Overview

This module provides a comprehensive overview of the global airline industry from a strategic management perspective. It captures a broad spectrum of various business strategies deployed by Airlines in Asia, Europe, Gulf and the Americas.

Module provider

Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

O'CONNELL Frankie (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Overall student workload

Independent Learning Hours: 115

Lecture Hours: 24

Seminar Hours: 11

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:


  •  The core concepts of strategic airline management

  •  The macro & micro operating environment encircling the aviation ecosystem

  •  Powering growth

  •  Smart strategy in creating value and gaining competitive advantage

  •  Bases of competitive strategy (cost leadership, differentiation, hybrid, focus differentiation)

  •  Airline positioning for success in a hyper-competitive airline market

  •  Airline operating costs (fuel, crews, aircraft ownership, maintenance, airport landing & navigational charges, depreciation, ground handling, passenger services, ticketing, sales & promotion, administrative)

  •  Conquering strategies employed by the American, Asian, European and Gulf carriers

  •  Airline Revenue Management best practices

  •  Performing strategic analysis (SWOT, TOWS, BCG, ANSOFF applications)

  •  Implementing creative strategies to respond to competition through an aviation lens

  •  Effective diversification strategies (air cargo divisions, maintenance, catering, holidays)


Assessment pattern

Assessment type Unit of assessment Weighting
Project (Group/Individual/Dissertation) GROUP REPORT (5000 WORDS) 50
Oral exam or presentation GROUP PRESENTATION 50

Alternative Assessment

In cases where the original group report is not suitable for re-assessment (e.g., only one student needs to retake the failed group report), an individual essay of 2000 words will be assigned. In cases where the original group presentation is not suitable for re-assessment (e.g., only one student needs to retake the failed group presentation), an individual presentation will be assigned.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is aimed at giving students the opportunity to gradually build up their knowledge and understanding of key issues in air transport management and is designed to allow students to evidence their achievement of the learning outcomes. The assessment comprises a group presentation and a group report.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:


  • For the first assessment (i.e., the group presentation) students will be working as a group to solve a simulated problem faced by an airline.

  • Students are required to write up a group report based on the group presentation.  This report has a target length of 5000 words.



Formative feedback


  • During the first seminar, the coursework and the feedback process is explained.

  • Feedback is also provided during and after in-class discussions

  • Students work in groups on a task which reflects the report requirements and receive feedback on their work.

  • As part of the formative feedback, students are provided with good and bad practice examples and in group discussion will discuss the key components of good reports and less good reports.

  • Once marking is completed, students are able to access a report online which contains detailed generic feedback as well as a breakdown of marks. This enables students to assess their own performance compared to their peer students.



Summative feedback


  • For the group presentation, students receive oral feedback immediately after the presentation

  • For the group report, students receive written feedback together with their returned reports. Apart from comments on the reports, students will be given a formal sheet outlining their strengths, areas for improvements and suggestions on how to improve students’ performance for other assignments.

  • A post-coursework feedback session is designed to help students to fully understand the feedback given


Module aims

  • Enhance students' understanding of strategic concepts and to solve complex Airline commercial issues by making winning strategic decisions.
  • Create and describe strategies by which airlines can successfully achieve a sustainable competitive advantage, and uncover the reasoning that underpins why certain strategies fail.

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed
001 Understanding key management and strategic issues in airline management KC
002 Applying strategic management concepts and analytical tools to the airline industry. CT
003 Assessing how different strategies impact the competitiveness of airlines PT
004 Evaluating and explaining the strategic choices made by airlines PT
005 Developing critical thinking and foster commercial acumen KC
006 Gaining knowledge on how an Airline strategically position itself in highly competitive markets. PT

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to provide a framework of contemporary knowledge and theories supported by examples from industry. The current issues and debates will be highlighted so that the students are able to apply critical thinking to the literature. The teaching and learning methods are based on a series of lectures and, where appropriate case studies and guest lectures.

The learning and teaching methods include:


  • Seminars and/or class discussion (1 hours x 11 sessions)


Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM335

Programmes this module appears in

Programme Semester Classification Qualifying conditions
Air Transport Management MSc 2 Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.