1. Is there anything that you find particularly impressive about Southwest Airlines? Provide at least four examples.
2. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does
Southwest have a winning strategy? Explain your answers.
3. What are the key policies, procedures, operating practices, and core values underlying Southwest’s efforts to implement and execute its low-cost/no frills strategy?
4. What are the key elements of Southwest’s culture? Is Southwest a strong-culture company? Why or why not?
What problems do you foresee that Gary Kelly has in sustaining the culture now that Herb Kelleher, the company’s spiritual leader, has departed?
5. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in implementing and executing the company’s strategy? Which of Southwest’s strategy execution approaches and operating practices do you believe have been most crucial in accounting for the success that Southwest has enjoyed in executing its strategy? Are there any policies, procedures, and operating approaches at Southwest of which you disapprove or that aren’t working well?
6. What weaknesses or problems do you see at Southwest Airlines as of mid 2010?
7. Does the AirTran acquisition make good strategic sense for Southwest?
8. What strategic issues and problems must Gary Kelly and Southwest executives address as they proceed to close the deal with the AirTran acquisition and contemplate how best to integrate AirTran’s operations and AirTran’s employees into Southwest?
9. What recommendations would you make to Gary Kelly and Southwest executives as the company heads into the next year?

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