Climate Change and Its Impact on Operations Management of EasyJet (Dissertation Sample)

Climate Change and Its Impact on Operations Management of EasyJet Name: Prem Student ID: C7248148 Words: Professor: Victoria Harte Course: MSc Management Date of submission: Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Chapter 1: Introduction PAGEREF _Toc101850940 \h 41.1 Background and Context PAGEREF _Toc101850941 \h 41.2 Problem Statement PAGEREF _Toc101850942 \h 51.3 Research Rationale PAGEREF _Toc101850943 \h 51.4 Research Question PAGEREF _Toc101850944 \h 61.5 Research Objectives PAGEREF _Toc101850945 \h 61.6Research Significance PAGEREF _Toc101850946 \h 61.7 Research Structure PAGEREF _Toc101850947 \h 7Chapter 2: Literature Review PAGEREF _Toc101850948 \h 82.1 Climate Change Is a Major Long-Standing Challenge for Aviation PAGEREF _Toc101850949 \h 82.2 Influence of Climate Change on EasyJet and Their Carbon Offsetting PAGEREF _Toc101850950 \h 92.3 Carbon Trading Schemes PAGEREF _Toc101850951 \h 102.4 Impact of Climate Change on The Aviation Industry PAGEREF _Toc101850952 \h 112.5 Actions to Cope Up with Climate Change PAGEREF _Toc101850953 \h 13Chapter 3: Methodology PAGEREF _Toc101850954 \h 153.1 Overview PAGEREF _Toc101850955 \h 153.2 Research Philosophy PAGEREF _Toc101850956 \h 153.3 Theoretical Framework PAGEREF _Toc101850957 \h 163.4 Research Method PAGEREF _Toc101850958 \h 163.5 Research Design PAGEREF _Toc101850959 \h 173.6 Data Collection Method PAGEREF _Toc101850960 \h 173.7 Data Analysis Technique PAGEREF _Toc101850961 \h 183.8 Sampling PAGEREF _Toc101850962 \h 193.9 Research Strategy PAGEREF _Toc101850963 \h 193.10 Ethical Considerations PAGEREF _Toc101850964 \h 193.11 Summary PAGEREF _Toc101850965 \h 20Chapter 4: Findings PAGEREF _Toc101850966 \h 204.1 Secondary Qualitative Data PAGEREF _Toc101850967 \h 204.2 Primary Quantitative: Survey PAGEREF _Toc101850968 \h 234.3 Secondary Qualitative: Interview PAGEREF _Toc101850969 \h 29Chapter 5: Discussion PAGEREF _Toc101850970 \h 33Chapter 6: Conclusion, Recommendations and Future Research Scope PAGEREF _Toc101850971 \h 37References PAGEREF _Toc101850972 \h 41 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background and Context For the last couple of decades, business’s impact on climate change has been examined and regulated, and organisations across all industries are developing practical strategies for reducing carbon emissions while preserving or strengthening their competitive position in their respective industries (Alves et al., 2017). The aviation industry both contributes to and is influenced by climate change. Organizations are under increasing strain as a result of increasing pressure from a varied array of stakeholders (Lee and Ahn, 2019). Organizations are focusing on immediate remedies to climate change, with a particular emphasis on cost savings. The global aviation industry is under immense pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and adhere to international agreements and standards controlling carbon emission rules, among other things. Due to the fact that climate change determines a business’s capabilities and chances to serve society, operations management in this sector must be strongly integrated with climate change in order to be effective (Engauet al., 2017). In a similar line, the firm is impacted by ongoing climate change. EasyJet, a low-cost international airline based in the United Kingdom, has recognised the operational disruptions caused by unfavourable climate change and is leading the way in introducing new operating standards.The climate change plans of the company are inadequate to address the ongoing impacts of climate change on business and industry. The firm’s goal is to lower its carbon footprint by 31% over the next five years. For example, the organisation looks into how temperature and humidity affect airline flight schedules. Unfavourable airline circumstances result in greater airport traffic and a decrease in overall consumer satisfaction levels (Lee et al., 2020). Similarly, extreme rainfall, snow, wind speed, and fog all have an effect on the organization’s capacity to cover large areas and assure safe and dependable aircraft operations. Climate change is accelerating in the “European Union”, and it is affecting the company’s “services”, “operational efficiency”, and ‘cost management” techniques. For some firms, the increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes and tornadoes create worry about sustaining normal operations (Leamon et al., 2019). In certain locations, large snowfalls create significant difficulties for airline operations, and the company is compelled to turn away potential passengers due to the inconvenience. Along with this impact, climate change is highly affecting temperature, and all over the globe, the temperature is increasing at an alarming rate. Europe is especially experiencing climatic warming at a rapid pace than all over the world. It has been anticipated that in some continents, the temperature level could increase by 4C-5C by the end of the century (Hasan et al., 2021). A high increase in temperature is highly impacting upon the performance of aircraft. For instance, it is reducing lift which has delivered a knock-on impact upon runway length requirements. Furthermore, airport range and payload will be highly impacted due to the cause. Therefore, this research study makes an attempt to develop a holistic understanding of the multifarious effects that the phenomenon of climate change has on the operations management practices and strategies of airline companies, with special reference to the specific case of “easyJet” in the European region. 1.2 Problem Statement The profitability and efficiency of a corporation are inextricably linked to operational management. The airline sector has an influence on climate change and its operations, and there is no real-time reaction strategy in place to address the challenges. Additionally, it is the result of collective efforts to address climate change issues. From an operations management viewpoint, the fundamental issue is to guarantee that business operations run smoothly and to manage “customer trust” and “customer satisfaction” (Wright and Nyberg, 2015). Operations management inside the organisation must assess how climate change is affecting operational efficiency and what significant enhancements and methods may be incorporated into procedures to get a better outcome. The organisation must strike a balance between operational and environmental advantages. 1.3 Research Rationale Numerous research papers on climate change and the aviation business have been published. While this study focuses on the impact of climate change on organisations, there is a lack of clarity on the impact on operations management. Developing strategies to combat climate change necessitates careful consideration of an organization’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions (Dharmasasmitaet al., 2017). Objectives and methods for satisfying stakeholder demands are lacking. There is also a lack of consistency in the amount of money being invested in climate change response efforts across various businesses. Operational management is expected to implement a multi-faceted approach capable of responding to climate change circumstances throughout various time periods of the year, while supporting technical improvements to lower carbon footprints, given existing industry and organisational constraints (Ritchie et al., 2017). Strategic management is thought to aid in achieving sustainability despite the incidence of climate change repercussions throughout the year. The present research intends to contribute towards the development of a comprehensive understanding of the area of strategic management which can be in turn utilised for making some practical changes in the scenario. This is the scholar’s rationale behind carrying out the present research study. 1.4 Research Question The central question to be addressed through this research work is: How does climate change impacts directly the operations management practices and strategies of easyJet in the European region? 1.5 Research Objectives The chief objectives to be accomplished through this research work are as below: * To examine the relationship between business operations and climate change * To investigate the previous ten years of climate change and their impacts on operations management in the airline business * To analyse the operational changes required in easyJet for carbon reduction to 31% in the next five years * To recommend the practices for strategic alignment of the operations with identified and assessed climate change impacts 1.6Research Significance It is critical for the organisation to make appropriate modifications in operations in order to save money and reduce complications as a result of the harmful influence of the climate on operations. It also guarantees that answers to current and urgent difficulties are more closely aligned with the company’s vision and strategic objectives (Karnauskaset al., 2015). An effective investigation into the potential repercussions and their implications aid in the preparation of a risk management strategy for the organisation. It is critical to strengthen management techniques and to include climate change reactions into operations in order to be successful. Aside from these, it has values that enable it to produce values and contributions that are geared toward the society in the context of climate change management (Ko et al., 2017). It holds the company accountable for its actions and outcomes, and it motivates the company’s leadership to make good changes. The research work intends to figure out practical ways in which businesses, particularly airline companies, can make a positive impact on the environmental condition and help mitigate the ill-effects of climate change as well as reverse the same through a more sustainable procedure of conducting their business activities. Herein lies the...