Browsing by Author "Doganis, R."
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access Corporate failure and distress prediction based on the combination of quantitative and qualitative data sources: the case of new - entrant airlines in the United States(Cranfield University, 1995-11) Guomundsson, Sveinn Vioar; Doganis, R.; Alamdari, FaribaSince deregulation in the Unites States most jet operating new-entrant carriers have failed. Theories on competition had been put to the test and reality turned out to be different to the vision. The new-entrant airlines were to challenge the inefficient incumbent carriers and provide lower fares for the benefit of the public. To begin with they were successful, but were not able to create sustainable strategy to survive when the incumbents had adjusted to the new operating environment. The background to the failure predicament is examined in the thesis in considerable detail, in order to give a fairly good overview of the characteristics of new-entrants and the environment they existed in. Much attention is given to the new-entrants' strategy in order to explore past deficiencies and pave the way for successful alternatives. The European liberalisation is examined in order to contrast it with the US deregulation. The purpose of such contrast is to examine whether the lessons learned in the United States will apply to European new-entrants, both at the present and in the future. The literature on the causes of corporate failure is examined in detail in order to discover some underlying traits. Success is examined as well in order to identify whether success mirrors failure. In addition, the role of success in causing failure is highlighted. Statistical failure prediction models are explored in order to cast light on the present status of the failure prediction methodology. That overview explains the foundation for selecting the Logistic Regression statistical methodology for the thesis. Results of a questionnaire survey performed on new-entrant airlines, is introduced in terms of the dichotomous failure and distress variables. On the grounds of that qualitative survey and a new-entrant airline quantitative data-base, a number of failure prediction and distress models were developed. Finally, the best failure prediction models of these different sources are combined in order to examine whether such combination enhances prediction quality. The main conclusion of the thesis is that the combination of quantitative and qualitative data sources for failure and distress prediction of corporations, in this case new-entrant airlines, enhances predictability. Furthermore, the general conclusion is that no single prescription exists for success or avoidance of failure due to the dynamism of the corporations and the environment they operate in. However, few prerequisites of success and non-failure were found to be: (i) high relative quality; (ii) dominant market share on routes and airports; (iii) high relative aircraft utilisation; (iv) high relative employee utilisation; (v) controlled growth in terms of maintaining item (ii); low cost in terms of achieving items (iii) and (iv); and (vi) resourceful innovation without going into the extremities.Item Open Access The identification and analysis of the critical success factors of strategic airline alliances(Cranfield University, 1996-10) Bissessur, Abhimanyu; Alamdari, Fariba; Doganis, R.Since the beginning of the decade, the structure of the industry has been changing rapidly as airlines from various parts of the world have been forming alliances. These alliances transcend the traditional types of co-operation which have always existed in the industry and constitute a strategy designed to give the partners a competitive edge. However, many of these alliances are failing. This can be attributed to a poor understanding of the managerial and operational characteristics of airline alliances. This research attempts to correct this deficiency by identifying and analysing the factors which are important to airline alliance success. In order to set the background of the research, the various ways in which firms have traditionally been linked are reviewed. The evolution of co-operation in the airline industry in the US, Europe and Asia is traced and the forces which have driven airlines to adopt the alliance strategy are identified. The various collaborative strategies of airlines are described. The definition of alliance success is critical to this research. Various definitions are explored and the ones considered most appropriate for this study are taken as alliance stability and alliance operational performance. The issues to be considered in ensuring airline alliance stability are qualitatively analysed. Among the most important ones are a pragmatic and careful approach in the formation process of the alliance, an understanding of the relationship between the partners with particular importance given to commitment and the generation of trust, and recognition of the evolutionary process of alliances as the priorities of the partners change over time. The operational objectives of airline alliances are identified and classified as either market-related or production-related. Market-related objectives include economies of scope and density, and market power. Alliance performance is mathematically modelled using linear and logit regression techniques. The results of the analyses point to the following: network size and network complementarity, network integration,connection quality, the type of flight (on-line, code-shared or interline) and alliance frequency of service as important alliance success factors. The reaction of competitors is also found to determine the benefits of airline collaboration. On the production side, the objective of allying is to decrease unit costs and increase efficiency by combining certain operational areas. A case study of Austrian Airlines is performed to identify the cost and productivity areas which have benefited from alliance formation. Graphical analysis shows that benefits were reaped mostly in the areas of labour productivity and aircraft utilisation. This implies that these are the areas which should be targeted when making use of the alliance strategy. Unit costs were not found to be greatly affected by alliance formation.Item Open Access The impact of sea-air mode on air cargo transport(Cranfield University, 1997-04) Al-Hajri, Ghanem Mohamed; Doganis, R.The following research looks into the concept of sea-air intermodality, a combination of two or more modes of transport for the carriage of goods from origin to destination. The study examines why and how this form of transport evolved to become a viable alternative to the conventional single modes of ocean and air transport. The viability of the sea-air mode depends on various equally important factors which are analysed in depth, with a special emphasis on the sea-air transfer port. fn this context, research findings of the world's existing sea-air hubs are recorded and evaluated in terms of their present and future trends. At a sea-air transfer hub, ocean cargo is converted to direct air freight, thus adding new volumes of air cargoes. In this respect, sea-air plays a positive role in the present and future development of the air freight industry. The impact of the sea-air mode can be most clearly seen in the case study analysis in Chapter 10 of this thesis, whereby the potential for 'convertibility' of large portions of low density ocean cargoes to the sea-aix mode, is successfully demonstrated.