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Case Study

Singapore Airlines (A): The India decision (Abridged)

By Daina Mazutis, John R. Weeks, Ivy Buche and Luis Vivanco

5 pages

October 2014

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Reference: IMD-7-1615

The case highlights the key features of the domestic Indian aviation industry in terms of its growth potential and contrasts this with the operational challenges. The exhibits hold significant information which students can analyse to get a deeper understanding. First, a discussion about the attractiveness (or not) of the Indian aviation market can be carried out. This will help to position Singapore Airlines as a new entrant and discuss its competitive advantages vis-a-vis local players. Some students might focus on the parallel entry of Air Asia, a leader in the low-cost aviation arena, with the same potential local partner – the Tata Group. This will allow for a richer discussion and enable decision making on the question posed in the case – to enter the highly competitive Indian aviation market or not? This abridged case has been designed for use in either MBA or executive classes where advanced readings are not possible. It can also be used as a standalone case to explore Porter’s 5 Forces and STEEP frameworks in the context of the Indian Airline Industry without a detailed discussion of Singapore Airline’s strategy specifically. As a short case, it can be read in-class in approximately 10 minutes.

Learning Objective

1) Learn to gauge the attractiveness of an industry based on Porter’s five forces analysis; 2) understand how each of the five forces (supplier power, customer power, substitutes, new entrants and degree of competitive rivalry) affect industry profitability; 3) apply a STEEP analysis (social, technological, economic, environmental, political) to predict the future attractiveness of an industry.

Keywords

Airline, Aviation, Market Analysis, Five Forces Framework, New Market Entry, General Management

Settings

Asia, India
Singapore Airlines, Travel and Leisure, Airlines and Aviation
2007-2013

Type

Published Sources

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

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This case study is part of a series

Singapore Airlines (A): The India decision
Singapore Airlines (A): The India decision (Abridged)
Singapore Airlines (B): Strategic positioning in the Indian airline industry
Singapore Airlines (C): Managing a strategic paradox
Singapore Airlines (D): The sustainability question

This case study is part of a series

Singapore Airlines (A): The India decision
Singapore Airlines (A): The India decision (Abridged)
Singapore Airlines (B): Strategic positioning in the Indian airline industry
Singapore Airlines (C): Managing a strategic paradox
Singapore Airlines (D): The sustainability question

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