Unit 4 Safety Supervisor Question 1: What Happens When A Bod

Unit 4 Safety Supervisorquestion 1 Happens When A Body Is Ex

Happens when a body is exposed to an environment in which it is unable to cool itself. Thermal insufficiency Heatstroke Heat cramps Heat exhaustion

Which of the following is an example of a vapor contaminant? Ozone Hydrogen Chloride Trichloroethylene Hydrogen Sulfide

The theory of multiple causation states that it is the __________ combination of various factors that result in injuries and illnesses. random cumulative employee's employer's

__________ has long been known as an infection produced by drinking non-pasteurized milk from cows suffering from Bang's disease. Brucellosis Byssinosis Leptospirosis Psittacosis

Each type and brand of hearing protection has been given a __________, which describes how much an employee's exposure can be reduced by wearing the device. NRB RNN BNR NRR

__________ occurs in individuals who have experienced prolonged exposure to heavy air concentrations of cotton dust. Cottonosis Q Fever Tuberculosis Byssinosis

Visual evidence should be recorded by using all of the following EXCEPT __________. cameras video camcorders voice recordings drawings

TLV's are: limits on the time/limited/volumes of air allowed for various hazardous chemicals. levels of safe, repeated exposures for most workers. terminal limit values for maximum exposures for certain hazardous chemicals. parent regulations to time weighted averages.

Which of the following accurately identifies the following statements? "A report must do more than just identify at-risk acts or hazardous conditions surrounding an incident." This statement is incomplete. This statement is true. This statement is false. This statement is ambiguous.

Which of the following is an example of a mist contaminant? Hydrogen Chloride Sulfuric Acid Sulfur Dioxide Methylene Chloride

Mission, vision, and core values Mission: Southwest’s mission is the following: “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit” (Southwest, 2018). Southwest also provides a mission to their employees, which is, “We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer” (Southwest, 2018). Vision: Southwest’s vision is the following: “To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline” (Southwest, 2018). Values: The first core value that Southwest lives by is “Live the Southwest Way,” which includes warrior spirit, servant’s heart, and fun-LUVing attitude as sub-values (Southwest, 2018). The second core value that Southwest lives by is “Work the Southwest Way,” which includes safety and reliability, friendly customer service, and low costs as sub-values (Southwest, 2018). These values are appropriate because they allow the management to have a focus and a goal to shoot towards. The vision is also appropriate because it allows wiggle room for Southwest to adjust its course depending on how the market it is doing. The vision statement also makes good business sense as it relates to customer service and what Southwest is striving for. There are two recommendations that I would make for the vision statement. First, to include something that is forward-looking. This will allow the management team to better understand how critical this vision is while also having a target to shoot for. Second, I would recommend that the vision statement be more memorable. Every company out there wants to be “the most” in every class they can think of. This alone does not add value and is not memorable.

III: Evaluating your company’s competitive position 1: Strengths and competitive assets. The first and most important strength that comes to mind when evaluating Southwest is their competitive strategy. According to Southwest’s website, they pride themselves on having low fares that provide transparency while also having a high expectation from their customer service (Southwest, 2018). This strategy falls in line with the best-cost provider strategy. This has been a strength for Southwest given the recent economic climate and recession, but also because it can continue business without having to change much, if anything. Second, the culture can be considered a strength that may even be inimitable. While reviewing their website, there is a clear focus on customer and employee satisfaction. Southwest does a good job showcasing this by having a specific mission statement for customers and one for employees (Southwest, 2018). Southwest focuses on recognizing their employees through posting a Star of the Month on their website. This ultimately build morale and engagement within the employees, which can lead to a competitive advantage. Happy employees are difficult to imitate (Southwest, 2018). The culture is at the center of the strategy that drives Southwest. Building the right culture is also one key aspect that should be given more attention within any business strategy. Lastly, the fee structure for Southwest is also a strength. Having a fee structure that is transparent draws customers to Southwest. Yates (2014) speaks to this when saying that, “Southwest Airlines will draw travelers who are attracted by not having to pay a change fee”. This is a perfect example of how this can become a strength. A major reason for the ability to keep the fees low is Southwest’s strategy of fuel hedging or buying fuel at a specific price to avoid the volatility of oil prices. This at times leads to risky business, but according to Woodyard (2016) Southwest, “reported that it is on the hook for $1.8 billion in fuel hedging costs through 2018 at current market prices. That may sound painful, but overall the airline still emerges a winner on its overall fuel bill. Even when hedging losses are taken into account, Southwest still managed to slash its fuel costs by $189 million in the fourth quarter. The savings added about 17% of the carrier's fourth-quarter income before special items”. This savings of course spills over to profit and allows Southwest to continue its competitive strategy and fee structure.

2: Weaknesses and competitive deficiencies. The first weakness that comes to mind is the recent headlines that have plagued Southwest after the horrific accident where someone lost their life. Having a bad reputation or word of mouth in any industry can be devasting to the bottom line and future strategies. Shine (2018) describes that, “As National Transportation Safety Board investigators begin unwinding what went wrong in a fatal aircraft accident that left one Southwest Airlines passenger dead Tuesday, attention is focused on the plane’s left engine, where a fan blade broke off and escaped from the casing”. Shine (2018) also points out that a similar incident, less the fatality, took place in 2016 with a specific motor that is mainly used by Southwest. These types of incidents will counteract the strengths that Southwest possess if not handled correctly. The second most important weakness to consider is Southwest’s slow growth plan. Although Southwest has announced the expansion into the international markets, there simply has not been much result from this. The aging fleet that Southwest has does not help with this growth plan which is almost counteracting their effort to add newer and bigger aircraft. Lastly, the strategy that Southwest has can essentially be easily replicated which, means it is not inimitable. This leads to a lower competitive advantage as it may only be able to sustain this strategy for so long before it is replicated. 3: Market opportunities. Southwest has recently been in the news for the wrong reasons which leads us to the first opportunity, recovery of reputation. Their tarnished reputation, which has resulted from the recent accident will need to be considered an opportunity for now. Southwest can use this situation, not to profit from it, but rather to be a champion of improved safety in the airline industry. Secondly, the lack of international flights through Southwest also shines light on the potential opportunity to expand business. As mentioned above, Southwest does have an interest in moving into the international market, but they have been moving at a slow rate. Lastly, potential partnership with retailers for possible shipping opportunities should also be considered by Southwest. Retailers like Amazon have expanded into the shipping business which leaves opportunities for Southwest and other airlines. A partnership between two giants can be beneficial for both parties. 4: External threats to the company’s future well-being. The first and foremost threat to Southwest would have to be its competitors. According to Peters (2018), “American plans to expand flight capacity by 2.5% this year, and 3% when factoring in cancellations resulting from hurricanes in Florida and the Caribbean last year. Still, that's lower than United's plans for 4%-6% growth this year and a similar rate for next year and 2020”. Although one Southwest competitor is growing slower than another, the point is that they are both still growing. This may begin to take market share away from Southwest, so it is a very credible threat. The second threat that faces Southwest is the volatility of oil prices. This is a threat that every airline and oil consuming industry, for that matter, faces. Even though Southwest has a strategy of fuel hedging, oil prices are a threat none the less. According to Schlangenstein and Sasso (2018), “Saudi Arabia wants to get crude prices about $10 a barrel higher than the current level of around $70 for London’s benchmark Brent, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. That raises the prospect of more profit pressure at airlines, which are already contending with a 13 percent increase in the price of jet fuel since March 8”. Although Southwest has a fee structure that can effectively ride the wave of fluctuating oil prices, they must keep rising oil prices top of mind. Lastly, Southwest should consider terrorism and the cost to prevent terrorism a threat that could affect its long-term strategy. According to Kaspersen (2016), “From terrorist attacks to geopolitical posturing, if there is one industry that tends to find itself dragged onto the frontline of global security and cyber risks, it is aviation. While flying has always been one of the safest ways to travel, thanks to its wide-ranging international regulatory frameworks, aviation incidents have an outsize impact on the public consciousness”. Terrorism can also have an indirect effect on Southwest and the airline industry. In an article covering the effects of terrorism in the travel industry Burke (2018) says, “These recent acts of violence are beginning to take a toll on the travel industry. About 10% of American travelers have canceled a trip in response to the terror attacks, eliminating a potential $8.2 billion in travel spending, according to a survey of about 1,064 people by data collection site YouGov.” This is a real threat that Southwest must monitor closely considering that, “Direct spending on leisure travel by domestic and international travelers totaled $718.4 billion in 2017”. (U.S. Travel Association, 2018).

References

• Burke, K. (2015). Terror attacks have cost the travel industry $8.2 billion.
• Kaspersen, A. (2016). Four threats to aviation security- and four responses. Retrieved from http://example.com/aviation-security-threats
• Peters, B. (2018). American airlines back growth plans, outlook despite price war fears. Retrieved from http://example.com/airline-growth
• Schlangenstein, M., & Sasso, M. (2018). Airline stocks fall on oil price worries. Retrieved from http://example.com/oil-price-worries
• Shine, C. (2018). Southwest airlines’ fatal accident: What to know about the engine involved. Retrieved from http://example.com/southwest-accident
• Southwest. (2018). About Southwest. Retrieved from http://southwest.com/about
• Southwest. (2018). Culture. Retrieved from http://southwest.com/culture
• Southwest. (2018). Purpose, vision, values, and mission. Retrieved from http://southwest.com/mission-vision-values
• U.S. Travel Association. (2018). U.S. travel answer sheet. Retrieved from http://example.com/travel-answer
• Woodyard, C. (2016). Airline’s fuel price bets not always paying off. Retrieved from http://example.com/fuel-bets