WAC II, Assignment 3, PGP/ PGP-ABM I, 2014-15

February 14, 2014-2015

To: PGP I / PGP-ABM I
From: WAC II Team
Assignment 3: Industry-Company Report (Group Assignment)

Locating a Company on Its Industry Map

Tasks

Group
Formation

Target
Audience

Develop a map or profile of commercial air passenger services

industry/aviation industry; analyze a company (Company X), locate it on
the industry map vis--vis industry standards; examine a second company
(Company Z) which is either an acknowledged industry leader or Company
Xs nearest competitor and position Company X in relation to Company Z.
This is a group assignment. You will form groups of six. Depending on the
size of the section, a few groups may have five members. Select a group
leaderthe person who should communicate with the AA and/or the
instructor if necessary. Names of the group members should be
communicated to the section instructor and academic associate by
February 20, 2015.
You belong to Company X, and your report is addressed to the Head of the
Corporate Training and Human Resources Department. Your report is
going to be a key document for an in-house training programme for a
cross-section of middle/senior level employees of Company X. It should
reflect an understanding of where Company X stands in relation to industry
standards and to Company Z. Assume that no single employee has a
complete understanding of either Company X, Company Z or the
industry.

WAC II, Assignment 3, PGP/ PGP-ABM I, 2014-15

Steps for Analysis and Synthesis of Data and Preparation of Report

Objectives

Steps involved

Developing skills in assessing and using readily available information,

synthesizing and analyzing datasome of which may not be in fully
processed formand presenting a coherent picture of the industry and the
position of Company X in relation to industry standards and trends, and in
relation to Company Z.
Develop a
Understand the norms, criteria and standards that
numerical
define or describe the commercial air passenger
profile of the
services industry. For example, you might come
industry.
across cost and revenue per passenger kilometer, fleet
strength, fleet utilization, and load factor.
About 10% of the text should be devoted to this
section. This is only a suggested guideline; you need
to judge what is appropriate.
Develop a
Examine the recent trends and likely future directions
process profile
in capacity generation, throughput, efficiency,
of the industry.
markets, environmental considerations, fiscal policy
linkages, incentives and investments, technological
developments and implications for the players,
regulatory environment and growth in general.
This will give you an understanding of the prospects
and opportunities offered by the industry, and of the
constraints it faces. You will also be able to
determine if there are any unaddressed key gaps,
issues, and questions.
Length: About 20% of the text.
Select a
Make sure that the companies belong to the aviation
Company (X),
industry and that adequate and up-to-date
and identify its
information is available.
nearest
Collect relevant information about both companies.
competitor or
For the operational data, you may limit the time
the market
frame from April 2011 to September 2014 (end of
leader (Z).
second quarter). You are welcome to use the
information available for the operations after this
date.
Company reports, articles by independent analysts
and annual reports are particularly good sources of
information.
Work out the
Look at both the physical and financial indicators of
company profile
performance.
for Company X Identify internal and external strategies.
Explore any significant developments in the recent
past (including mergers-demergers, tie-ups,
technological developments, and environmental and
ethical concerns) which have implications for the
future.
Based on the above, develop an understanding of the
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WAC II, Assignment 3, PGP/ PGP-ABM I, 2014-15

Work out
Company Zs
profile
Locate
Company X on
its industry
profile and in
relation to
Company Z.

strengths and weaknesses of the company, and of the

opportunities and constraints it needs to consider.
Are there any unaddressed key gaps, issues, or
questions?
Length: about 30% of the text.
Use the same guidelines as for Company X.
Be brief and focus only on the relevant issues.
Length: about 20% of the text.
Identify the gaps vis--vis industry averages and in
relation to Company Z, along the dimensions of
performance that you consider critical.
These dimensions might include, at a minimum,
financial performance and physical indicators. Other
parameters could be strengths in technology, market
share, distribution network, competitive advantages,
links with parent companies, R&D capabilities, and
so on.

Your conclusion should address the question of

where Company X stands in relation to the industry
and Company Z. For instance, how far does it have to
go along the identified dimensions to meet the
industry standards or reach the status of Company Z?
Your analysis should suggest any measures for
closing identified gaps, and identify the advantages it
needs to protect.
Length: About 20% of the text.
You are expected to make your own choices regarding how you want to present the industry
and company profiles and the gap analysis. The Steps Involved offer some clues, but you
will have to develop appropriate sub-sections, with relevant titles.
We encourage you to explore visual representations of the companys position vis--vis
industry standards and Company Z, keeping in mind the nature of the target audience.
Conclusion

Submission

Soft copy: Submission through moodle on Saturday, March 7, 2015, by

2.30 pm
Naming of the soft copy: The soft copy should be named in the group
leaders name. The filename will thus be:
(first name_surname), followed by WAC3 (the assignment number), and
the section (A, B, C, D or E). E.g. Saurav_Sharma_WAC3E
Guidelines:
1. Word limit for the report: 4000 words, excluding a Letter of
Transmittal, an Executive Summary (10% of text), Exhibits, End Notes
and References.
2. Line Spacing: 1.5 for the text, Font: Times New Roman or Arial size
12.
3. Please align the body of the text to the left (Align Text Left or Crtl+L
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WAC II, Assignment 3, PGP/ PGP-ABM I, 2014-15

in MS Word). The titles/ headings may be be centred.

4. If you want to provide additional information on an important point,
which is not directly relevant to the text, use endnotes, not footnotes.
Endnotes should be numbered serially and placed at the end of the text,
before exhibits, appendices, list of works consulted, etc.
5. In case you have any doubts about the protocol to be followed for
referencing or acknowledging borrowing, please refer to the text,
Academic Writing, by Professors M. M. Monippally and Badrinarayan
S. Pawar, already distributed to you.
6. USE TWO TITLE PAGES. The first title page should conform to
IIMAs requirements. The second title page should be for company
use, and should include the following: Title of Report, Authors, Date,
Receiver (Head, Corporate Training & HRD).
7. Add a letter of transmittal to the Head, specifying the purpose of the
report (use in the training programme). You may want to give more
input (not mandatory) on how the report is to be read or used.
8. The Executive Summary should follow the second title page. It is a
miniature report and not a statement merely indicating what the reader
will find in the report.
9. One member of the group should take the responsibility for final
editing and proof-reading the report.
10. Screening of your submissions: Please screen your submissions
through Turnitin. One member of the group will be given the screening
rights. Please give yourselves enough time for the screening of
submissions. The WAC Team reserves the right to screen the
submitted reports with Turnitin or any other software.