Browsing by Author "Aquilina-Spagnol, Clive"
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Item Open Access A strategic analysis of Saudia using the PEG framework(2021-12-08) Aquilina-Spagnol, Clive; Ellis, DarrenThis paper conducts a strategic analysis of Saudia using a recent strategic framework of analysis developed specifically for air transport; that is, the politics, economics and geography (PEG) framework. The motivation to analyse Saudia stems from the ongoing doctoral research the lead author is currently carrying out which is focused on investigating the strategic trajectories of the Middle East big three (MEB3). In this study Saudia has been identified as a potential key competitor which can exert pressure on the future trajectories of the traditional big three Gulf carriers, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. Given PEG is a novel framework developed specifically for the airline industry, and is simple and straight forward to use, it is considered a ‘best fit’ for Saudia, particularly when primary data about the airline is yet to be collected. Saudia is also heavily influenced by geopolitics. The analysis in this paper is structured based firstly on the category of politics, then geography and finally economics. The outcome of the first two categories demonstrates the extent to which politics and geography are more important to the airline than economics, as far as strategic direction is concerned. They also reveal that the airline may even enjoy better fundamentals than the MEB3 and, given the new economic vision of the Kingdom, the possibility of overshadowing one of the MEB3 is not excluded in the medium term. Porter’s five forces of competition strategic framework of analysis was also used when analysing Saudia, particularly in relation to the PEG category of economics. It is recommended that a PEG analysis of Saudia is supported by further analysis through other strategic frameworks to better uncover key factors and forces shaping the airline’s strategic future.Item Open Access Viewing the Middle East big three (MEB3) carriers as heterogeneous(Elsevier, 2020-12-04) Aquilina-Spagnol, Clive; Ellis, Darren; Pagliari, RomanoThis paper considers the Middle East big three (MEB3) carriers – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – from the perspective of heterogeneous strategic decisions and future trajectories. This paper is based on an ongoing doctoral research project covering the topic. The rise of the MEB3 and their growing global impacts have seen the three major carriers very often analysed together, with little scholarly focus on differences and individual airline strategic decision-making. Emirates has typically dominated discussion and analysis, not surprising given its sheer size and global influence, but with Etihad and Qatar simply presented as imitators and followers alongside. Likewise, the ongoing blockade of Qatar by neighbouring countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has tended to be viewed as a regional political dispute and not as something likely to fundamentally change the MEB3’s apparent collective strategic goals and aspirations. The strategic analysis underpinning this paper is predicated on events and trends up to the end of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic became a global challenge. Each of the MEB3 is analysed individually and against a set of core strategic forces and factors in order to identify the extent to which there is homogeneity and heterogeneity in their respective strategic and business propositions. These carriers are also compared with each other; this allows for an evaluation of the strategic path of each airline, as opposed to mere profiling. This strategic analysis de-links each individual airline from the typical group analysis which occurs when the MEB3 acronym is employed and it critically challenges a common analytical approach which tends to perceive each carrier as part of a homogenous bloc. Key insights surrounding strategic differences are arguably as salient as when derived from viewing all three carriers as essentially the same or similar.