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Essay, 37 pages (9000 words)

The impact of luggage allowance tourism essay

In a number of different fields, qualitative research method is used, usually it is used in the social sciences but with the passage of time it is now being used in market studies and other fields as well. The researchers in qualitative research try to collect detailed knowledge about the behavior of humans and the reasons why they do such acts. Hence the qualitative research not only interprets the what, where and when of decision making but also the why and how. While conducting a qualitative research, smaller and more focused samples of population are required rather than large and vague samples that do not represent the target population. This sort of research aims to gather knowledge of a specific event rather than a larger population as it aims to provide a clear picture of a group of participants. It is also called ethno methodology as it gets data about groups of humans in a social setting. (” Wikipededia,” 2012)Qualitative research does not introduce handling or maneuvering of variables, or enforce the researcher’s operational description of variables on the participants. Rather, it lets the meaning come out from the participants. It is more flexible as it can adjust to the setting. Concepts, data collection tools, and data collection methods can be adjusted according to the research. Qualitative research aims to get a better perception through first hand experience, honest reporting, and reference of actual conversations. It aims to recognize how the participants obtain meaning from their surroundings, and how their meaning manipulate their behavior. (Saint-Germain, 2002)Qualitative research often classifies data into patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting result. Qualitative researchers typically rely on the following methods for gathering information: Participant Observation, Non-participant Observation, Field Notes, Reflexive Journals, Structured Interview, Semi-structured Interview, Unstructured Interview, and Analysis of documents and materials. Qualitative researchers utilize various methods in gathering data like the narration, telling stories, shadowing, grounded theory practice or classical ethnography. Also in other studies like actor-network theory and action research, qualitative approach is used. Through qualitative research, observations, different texts, images, group discussions, reflection field notes and a number of other data are collected. (Fichten & Dreier, 2003)The ways of participation and observation can vary in different settings. A technique of spontaneous leaning is participant observation which is not a technique of observing. In this technique the researchers themselves become a part of some particular group, social setting or culture and enforce some duties that go with that setting. The purpose of this is that the researcher gets a chance to closely observe the values, cultures and emotions. It has been claimed that the capability of the researcher to comprehend the society can decline if he himself does not become a part of that setting. Some typical qualitative methods are the use of focus groups and interviews. The focus group technique is conducted by a moderator and there are 8-10 participants varying on the type of research. The moderator asks several questions on a specific topic and the responses are recorded from different participants. This is a notably famous technique used in market studies and experimenting latest program with workers and users. (Saint-Germain, 2002)One traditional and particular form of qualitative research is called cognitive testing or pilot testing which is used in the expansion of quantitative survey items. Survey variables are piloted on study participants to gauge the reliability and validity of the variables. (Saint-Germain, 2002)Various other qualitative research approaches include the Ethnographic Research that is utilized for searching traditions by gathering and explaining data that is given to assist in the making of a theory. The way a culture interprets a particular disease and the culture itself is an example of ethnographic research. Another approach that is used by the researcher to study the ways in which people interact and build up symbolic meaning is Critical Social Research. Similarly, Ethical Inquiry, a scholarly study of moral issues. It consists of the analysis of morals as linked to responsibility, rights, tasks, good and bad, preference etc. The research that looks up into the basis of a science and finds out how the foundation of knowledge can change due to current information is Foundation Research. The research that highlights the current and old experiences and the light of the current scenario and permits one to ponder and give solutions to already present troubles and issues is Historical Research. A theory that has its basis from the data or material from which it initially arose is called the Grounded Theory. It applied a range of information sources like measurable data, surveys, interviews and analysis of records.” Subjective reality” of some experience has been defined by Phenomenology as accompanied by the research of population; it is the research of something occurring. This kind of research is done by trained people in field in the limits of an exact area of research or vocation, the most expert person in any area of research to utilize an academic analysis, in order to simplify definitions, classify morals and create value verdict related to a problem in their area of research. (Fichten & Dreier, 2003)

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

Quantitative Research is the strategic experimental testing of any social issue through numerical, percentages and computational techniques. The purpose of quantitative research is to form and develop mathematical models, hypothetical statements related to the issue. The procedure of measuring is essential to quantitative research as it gives the main link amongst the experimental observation and mathematical explanation of quantitative links. Quantitative data is the data that takes the form of numbers and percentages. Generally it means that the researcher in this field gathers data on any topic and then quantifies it on the basis of the results of the data. The researcher interprets the collected data through the assistance of statistics. In this way the researchers aim is to reach results that are unbiased at can be generalized to a larger mass. (Wikipedia, 2013)Quantitative research is related to measuring the link among different variables. Variables include things like time, weight and performance. The variables are assessed on a sample of subjects that may be humans or any other thing. The link between different variables is expressed through statistics which includes correlations and relative frequencies. (Hopkins, 2008)The primary focus of quantitative research is on evidence and measurement. It takes a scientific stance. It is holds the opinion that if something can be counted, only then it has worth and meaning. Its important feature is measurable data that allows a variety of statistical interpretation. There are various approaches to quantitative research that consist of descriptive, experimental, correlation and causal research. In order to generalize the population from sample inferential statistics is used. A common quantitative research will give the number of people from a specific population and demonstrate data. The cause and effect relationship between the different variables is shown through statistics. (E A Hesketh J M Laidlaw, 03)The three common types of quantitative methods include: 1. Experiments: real experiments consist of exposing the subjects to certain experimental conditions with the help of controls used in particular experiment.2. Quasi-Experiments: all the characteristics of an experiment are discussed in Quasi-Experiments apart from the non-randomized exposure of subject to the conditions of experiments. 3. Surveys: all the research that is based on interviews, questionnaires, longitudinal and cross sectional approaches for gathering data are included in survey method. Their purpose is to gather data for calculating the features of a huge population on the basis of a small sample size. (Mason)

MIXED RESEARCH METHODS

Mixed Research Methods are the ones in which both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used, so it is a general kind of research. So it tries to bring together different paradigms together. It is also called triangulation. Mixed research method is the one in which the researcher employs the qualitative research techniques in one part of the study and quantitative methods of research in the other part of the theory. For instance by applying the quantitative methods, the researcher initially carries out an experiment and then by applying the qualitative methods, he conducts an interview. So mixed research methods include the combination two of two small studies to achieve the desired results. A mixed model research is the one in which both the qualitative and quantitative research methods are used together in a particular research stage or future stages. For instance during the research the researcher conducts a questionnaire in which he used close ended questions for quantitative study and open ended questions for qualitative study. Also, another thing the researcher can do is to first collect qualitative data and then attempts to quantify it. (” www. southernalabama. edu,” n. d)The advantages of mixed research method include that it is very feasible. It is a step to enhance the methods of research for the researchers and will assist in conducting an efficient educational research. The aim of the researcher who conducts a mixed research is that the researcher keeps its basis on the principle of mixed research. This principal says that the researcher should combine the qualitative and quantitative methods of research in such a way that they should enhance the strengths of the research and minimize the weakness. When two different methods are used in doing a research it will result ” corroboration” which means that the researcher have enough proof for the results. Another major reason for conducting mixed research is to balance one portion of results with the other or to extend the results or to find out something that has not been included when separate qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. (” www. southernalabama. edu,” n. d)

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE THREE METHODS

Quantitative ResearchQualitative ResearchMixed Research MethodTesting and proving various explanations and theories. Finding out what variables to study. Establishing link of variables with questions. Using validity and reliability methods. Observing and calculating data in numbers. Using approaches that are not biased. Making use of statistical methods. Personal positioning. Gathering participant meaning. Giving attention to one phenomenon. Introducing own values in the research. Proving is the research is valid. Making analysis of data. Creating room for change. Coordinating with participants. Gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. Creating basis for mixing. Incorporating information at various parts of research. Visually presenting the different parts of study. Includes the methods of both qualitative and quantitative research.(Galt, 2009)1BWhen it comes to the research on ” the impact of luggage allowance on passenger decision of selecting his/her flying career”, it can be done through various techniques which might include qualitative, quantitative as well as mixed methods. Talking about the qualitative methods first, this can be the best resource to carry out this research. We can carry out certain interviews from people who visit more often via plane. This face to face interaction with the potential customers or the users of this service would give a clear and instant feedback about the importance they give to the luggage payment when they decide which airline to prefer. Similarly, a focus group would be another very effective technique which would give different point of views and in depth analysis of the people who are involved in the use of this service and feel luggage payment as an important factor. Other qualitative methods such as observation can also be very useful if the passengers attitude is observed at various airports or booking lounges which would portray their significance to this specific perspective. On the other hand, quantitative techniques can also be very useful in carrying out this research. When a data collected is quantified, it gives a more secure picture which can easily be interpreted to give out the results of the survey. The percentages and numbers using statistical techniques allow the data to be applied to the larger masses and hence the perspective of a larger population can be generalized by forecasts and growth figures. The data gathered can be interpreted using quantitative facts and figures which would ensure that the research has some true meaning and significance and hence in this case would be considered more valid. Mixed research techniques would be the best in this research type as it requires us to first collect some data through qualitative techniques and then quantify them by using quantitative techniques. This way of portraying the results would make the research more reliable as the data collected verbally or by questionnaires could be given a representation with numbers and percentages which will give it a better meaning. The use of both techniques will also help us to avoid any sort of data collection and interpretation bias as it will be now explained in a very detailed manner while it will also make the research more understandable and applicable to the problem at hand. 2A

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Strategic management is the procedure that requires the manager and head to make systematic plans for their organization in order to get maximum work from their workers and increased performance from their business process. The manager or head carefully plans the decisions and makes sure that the decisions are directed to their aims and objectives. Before finalizing the decision the opinion of all the players in an organization is sought regarding that. Different players give different approaches and perspectives which enables the organization to achieve a well-formed approach to dealing with work. (Bianca, 1999)This definition of strategic management includes two important facts. The first is that there are three major processes in an organization i. e. analysis, decisions and actions. This means that strategic management involves the analysis of systematic goals like the mission and vision. Moreover, it includes the interpretation of the internal and external scenario of an organization. Next, the leaders of the organization should make essential decisions. These decisions should be objective oriented and made by the consensus of the all the leaders. After the decisions, actions are important. There is no purpose of making decisions unless they are accompanied by actions. Actions involve the actual implementation of the strategic plan in an organization. The second important fact in the definition is the comparison between two organizations and the way one organization overpowers the other. This is determined by the managers that what strategies should be adopted by the organization to compete in the market and how these strategies will help them in the long run. (Dess, Lumpkin & Taylor, 2005)

MAJOR ELEMENTS

There are certain key elements and steps that are essential in strategic management. These steps are carried out in chronological order when a company or organization is devising a management plan. The organizations and companies that already have a management plan need to look back to its steps according to the need of the hour and make changes in accordance with what they require. Following are the major elements of a strategic management process: Environmental Scanning: The first major element of strategic planning is environmental scanning. As the name suggests it is a procedure of gathering, analyzing and giving information for systematic purposes. By gathering various kinds of information about a particular organization, it becomes easier to evaluate the organization on the basis of its internal and external factors. After analyzing the environment thoroughly, the organization should have the potential to evaluate and interpret the information gathered. In the end they should to make necessary improvements to it. Strategy Formulation: The next important element of strategic management is strategy formulation. This step involves the ” action” part of the management practice. It includes how the best possible action is to be taken by an organization and how the plans and objectives of the organization are fruitfully implemented. This will enable the organization to achieve its purpose. After analyzing the environment the duty of the managers is to form functional and corporate strategies. Thus, strategy formulation includes the creation and designing of organizations strategies. In order to form these strategies there is a need to find out the strengths of the organization. There are three stages of strategy formulation. These include the operational strategies that are temporary and are linked with different sections of the organization like the human resource, marketing, finance and production (Coutler, 2005, p. 7). For instance the plans for human resource will include the task of employing and training people who have an aim of raising their capital. The next are the competitive strategies. These strategies involve the techniques of how to compete in the market. For this purpose information about the competitors is required. The organization should know about their potential competitors and how do they function. They should also know what are their strengths and weaknesses. By getting all this information, the organization can develop strategies to overpower the competitors. The third is the corporate strategy which last for a longer time and is inked with planning the most favorable combination of business and the whole direction of the company. The different parts of corporate strategy include both the individual business working capacities as well as businesses having many sections. Strategy Implementation: The third element of strategic management is strategy implementation. This means that the strategy that the organization has devised is put to work and finally implemented in this stage. It consists of designing the structure of the organization, delivering resources, creating decision oriented procedures and dealing with human resources. It basically consists of implementing the strategy. The procedure consists of making steps, procedures, and methods to implement the strategy. It also includes finding out the order in which the strategies will be implemented i. e. which strategy will come first. This is determined by how vital the issue is. For example the organization should initially consider the most important problems and issues and then discuss other issues after the important ones have been discussed. The techniques to enforcing the numerous plans should be focused as the strategies are made. The organization should also ponder over the fact that how these strategies will be implemented once made. For instance when strategies related to human resource management are being formulated, at the same time, consideration must be given to the fact that in what ways will the employees be trained, when it will occur and the details related how much will the training cost is considered. Strategy Evaluation: This is the last step of strategic management process. The main areas covered in this step include the assessing of internal and external factors that are the basis of the current strategies, evaluating performance and taking corrective actions. This steps ensures that whatever the aims and objectives of the organization are, they are efficiently implemented and practiced. It involves observing in what ways can the strategy be enforces and also the result of the strategy. The procedure includes if the work has been completed on deadlines, if the strategic practice is going on in accurate way and if the desired solutions are produced or not. If it comes out that work is not completed on deadlines, procedures are not done accurately and results are different from the intended goals, then there is a need to change and alter the strategy. This step not only involves the management but also the employees. This because each and every player has a different perspective of analyzing the implementation of the strategy. The employee may find out certain problems related to implementation which the management is unable to figure out. The interpretation of strategy must thus consist of testing metrics and deadlines that can be achieved easily. A strategy will result in failure if schedules and plans are not accurately achieved. (” Management study guide,” 2012)

THE LINK BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS

Strategic management is an incessant and ongoing procedure. As the solutions and consequences are found, at any part of the company, the players in the company analyze the problems and make the plans as required. Moreover, when a company or organization develops and boosts, the strategies will subsequently change and grow too. This means that the current plans would be replaced by new and improved strategies. This is all included in the continuous procedure of enhancing the organizations performance to attempt to grow and achieve desired aims and goals of the organization. Another important fact is that there is a continuous linking between all the elements of the strategic management process. Each element interacts with the other element to complete the process. For example, after the strategy evaluation, the company or organization can start the entire procedure again by developing a new strategy with environment scanning in the beginning and in between strategy formulation and strategy implementation. (Melissa, 2007)This is explained in the diagram below. Components of Strategic Management Process(” Management study guide,” 2012)

IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PROCESS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Whatever the status of an organization, be it imperfect or perfect it has its own strategic planning and internal working agenda for implementation. Often this happens that the strategic plans of an organization are explicit and known by everyone through the management but often they are hidden through the decisions of management and the way of organizations working. Often the desired actions are chosen after doing the analysis and sometimes the actions are taken suddenly because of some previous accidents that occurred due to the experience and character of the old leaders, the status of the organization in the industry and the economic factors that affect its growth. On the other hand, these actions can be the result of a number of analysis of interior and reviews, continuous feedback from the market as to what was achieved and what was no, initial planned moves and decisions, interpreting what the future would bring, and a huge amount of judging power and experience. In a nutshell, it includes all the knowledge acquired by the organization on time. The benefits associated with matchless strategic planning and a full commitment to the strategic management procedure consists of help it gives to the whole management in clarifying the objectives and aims of the organization and what it is planning to get, the part it plays in identifying and answering to the alterations in the market, new chances, and threatening growths; the basis it gives for management in analyzing contesting requests for investment money and new players; the management it includes to the decisions related to strategy made by the managers throughout the organization and the practical instead of hasty action that it provides to the organization. As it is mentioned that top class organizations utilize their knowledge and experience to purposely attempt to affect the target markets with a strong strategy; they attempt to start and lead; not only act and protect. According to their point of view the actual reason and worth of strategy is to produce a workable plan that will effectively attract the costumers, develop a good competition power, succeed in the organization in the market, place more competition and pressure on the competitors, and increase their performance to a high level. (Nedelea & Paun, 2009)

Decision-Making

A model is used in making strategic decisions. In this model the managers have the duty to keep the workers, resources and daily work with organizations aims and policies aligned. In order to make sure that the standard of the products and services is maintained, the managers make decisions using the decision matrix, flowchart or in accordance with the process and policy manuals. There might be more carefulness by both the workers and the managers in other models. In order to help the organizations make such decisions that enable them to achieve their goals, strategic management is very important.

Resource Management

Managers obtain input from all possible sources. If the manager wants to lower down the cost of a car she can coordinate with different people including purchasing agents, engineers, manufacturers of equipment, car designers, material buyers or various other employees who have substantial input. After this she can use a standardized procedure in formulating a decision. She can also do consensus of opinions of different managers by making a team. The decision she makes should have the highest amount of returns, and the resources are not for dealing with the small needs of a particular person or section.

Flexibility

Flexibility is what the main feature of a strategic management is. When there is a need to divert the organizations decisions from the already present model, the strategic management of the company should be flexible enough to do so. For instance a manager of customer services can guarantee an important refund for an old customer in order to make sure that he continues his business with the organization though the representatives of customer service cannot give refunds to customers automatically.

Talent Development

Those managers who employ strategic management in their organizations come to know the worth of organizational learning. They utilize various techniques to enhance the skills of their workers. They decide for the future to make sure learning in working area gets ready the upcoming generation of workers to fit in to essential posts. Without strategic management an organization cannot make the best use of their worker’s skill and potential. (Bianca)A well formulated strategy for an organization can bring it a number of benefits in the long run. These include the future perspectives that strategic management takes into account for the particular organization. If the strategy is based on logic it will make sure that the organization will succeed in its aims. Since strategic management follows a systematic process it reduces frustration. It looks for chances and opportunities, thus developing the organization through directional work. It also brings good repute to the organization because of the element of consistency. Organizations with strategic plan remain at a stable level in the market and have future prospective. It helps the organization to eliminate potential threats from the external environment by changing them into an opportunity that would lead to the success of the organization. Through its proactive stance, it helps the organization to get every possible opportunity available. (” Hubpages,” )2BThe research topic is very important strategically to the organization under consideration i. e the airline industry. As we all know that most of the airline companies have mostly the same kinds of services that they provide to their customers. So the most important thing that they compete with their competitors is their cost. So my research topic is very important for the airline as the luggage cost can either make or break a customer perception about a specific airlineStrategically analyzing this organization, all the elements of the strategic management are very important for the companies to have a competitive edge over the other. A company that succeeds to apply their strategy in the most effective way takes the lead and grabs the market share. When a problem arises about the cost of luggage, each organization aims to levy a strategic plan that is most effective. For that they need to scan the environment in the most efficient manner. They need to make sure that the information that they are gathering is authentic and is relevant to the problem at hand and the organization. Similarly, when the strategy is being formulated, they need to make sure that they make the best possible solution to cater to the problem which in this case is the luggage cost. If an airline succeeds in making a viable strategy to tackle this problem by gaining their customers added services or lowering the luggage cost, they will surely be able to retain their customers. Likewise, another element of strategic management i. e. strategy implementation is most important and crucial for the companies. After the strategy is made, not all companies can implement it effectively. They need to make sure that the best human and other capitals are employed to make the strategy most effective and in the end evaluate the strategy in order to make rectifications if any process or decision is going wrong. So if the airline companies make and implement strategies to tackle to the luggage cost problem in the most effective and efficient manner, they can easily have a competitive edge over their rivals and can easily attract more and more customers to select their airline for travelling. 3A

LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Luggage is any item that you are carrying with yourself while travelling from one place to another. In this study the term luggage will be used for the items that are carried by a person during an airline flight. This luggage can be carry-on luggage or the other. Luggage allowance means that how much of the quantity of the luggage you are permitted to carry with yourself without having to pay for the luggage fees. This is usually done by measuring the weight of the luggage. If for instance that you are going with a luggage that is more than your luggage allowance then you have to pay extra fees in order to carry that luggage with you further. (” Baggage,” )In order to study the effects of luggage allowance on the decision of the passenger in selecting his or her flying carrier, there is a need to study the rules and regulations of luggage and its allowance in the airlines. This will help better understand the dissertation topic.

RULES FOR LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Starting with the goods that cannot be accepted for travelling with, these are: any item, baggage, fluid or any other thing that can be a cause of danger to the health of the people travelling on the airline and for the security of the flight or the possessions of the particular airline or to the people travelling during transportation. These items also include harmful chemicals, burning materials, dangerous and damaging substances, compressed gases, magnets, radioactive substances, explosives, or any other material that is forbidden for travelling and can cause notable damage to the travelling crew as well as the passengers. Also it includes the baggage and goods whose travelling is not allowed by the legal system of the particular country from which they are travelling and to where they intend to go. Also items that cannot be transported because of their mass, size, characteristics, features, odor or any other thing cannot be transported. Moreover it is not allowed to transport living species like animals and birds. Also more importantly it is advisable not to carry arms and ammunitions made of steel or any item that serves the purpose of cutting be it a simple knife of scissors. (” Passenger and luggage,” )The second general rule for the airlines is that they have all the rights to refuse the transportation of any luggage item which is not desirable to carry. These items may include all the forbidden items that are dangerous mentioned above. Also they include anything that is prohibited to carry forward. They can also deny the transportation of the luggage because of the fact that the passenger failed to pay the fee and extra charges for exceeding the luggage allowance. Thus all the items that have been refused transportation by the airline are no more its responsibility, so their losses are not to be accounted to them. (” Passenger and luggage,” )Another right that the airline enjoys is the right to check the passengers and their luggage respectively. In order to ensure safety and security during the flight and for the airline and its passengers, it is necessary that the passengers undergo an inspection not only of themselves but also of their carry-on luggage. This is done by the staff of the respective airline and other authorities. The baggage also undergoes inspection through X-ray or some other technique in which each and every item is inspected without the presence of the passenger himself. If the inspection of the luggage fails to satisfy the rules of carrying baggage then that baggage will not be allowed to transport further in that airline. In case any damage or loss is carried out during the checking of the luggage, the airline authorities are not responsible for it unless the damage is caused due to lack of care by the airline authorities themselves. Before boarding on to the plane the inspection of the passenger and his luggage respectively can continue id the AC commander orders to do so. This is usually done when there is some threat detected from any passenger or he or she appears to be suspicious. (” Passenger and luggage,” )Another rule is to for the checked baggage. It is the duty of the passenger to allow his baggage for weight measurement and other checking. Once the luggage goes outside from the ” check-in” the entire baggage is now the responsibility of the airline itself. This is mentioned and reaffirmed in the ticket of the passenger where the number of goods and their respective weight is mentioned. It is also mentioned in the identification tag coupon which the passenger issues. If there is case in which the weight of the items is not mentioned in the ticket than it will be taken as if the weight has not crossed the standard limit and should be allowed transportation hence. If for instance the luggage is not properly locked and is not secured and fastened, then it will not be allowed transportation unless and until it is secured rightly so that it can pass the mechanical luggage handling devices. It is also the duty of the airline to make sure that the luggage is being transported in the same AC in which the passenger himself is travelling. In case the luggage is not in the same AC then measures are taken to transport the luggage immediately to the right destination where the passenger himself is. In order to make sure that the luggage has proper safety and security the airline recommends certain things. Firstly, it is advised to use a suitcase or bag that is good in quality. Secondly, if the bag or suitcase is made up of cloth it is recommended to fasten it up with padlocks or ropes tightly so that nobody else can access it easily. Also, it is advised that the tags that were placed in the previous flights should be taken off. Moreover, the name and address of the passenger should be written on the bag. In order to make it easier for you to identify your bag instantly it is advised to put a strap or a mark on it. Following are the things that are recommended by the airlines to be not included in the luggage: delicate, breakable goods, than can be easily damaged, cash, keys, ornaments and things created out of metal and silver, fur, electronic devices, laptops, computers and several parts of computers, all the equipment required for taking photos and making videos, all items for viewing things like spectacles and binoculars, technological, scientific and other documents, business and individual documentation, personal goods and items, goods that are manufactured or are samples, any audio or video devices like CDs and cassettes, equipment used for medical purposes, photographs and old goods, unusual items and goods, fluids, perfumes, alcoholic fluids and various tools. If the passenger does not comply with these recommendations then the airline authorities will not be responsible for the safety of these items except in case of neglect in weight. The passengers are not permitted to have permission to use checked luggage since their loading to AC and till the time when they have to be collected from the exact location or destination. It is advised not to make your luggage heavier than 45kg in weight. If the luggage exceeds the mentioned weight than the items will be carried in the cargo and the rules of airline related to cargo transportation will be followed. (” Passenger and luggage,” )The most important rules that are related to this study are the rules for free luggage allowance. In accordance with the general rules established by the airline regarding the luggage allowance, it is the right of the passenger to travel without paying for the luggage fees if the weight does not exceeds the limit. This is also accompanied by the size and other features of the luggage. There are also some laws related to carrying essential items which will be required during the flight. There are carried free of charges in the cabin. Such items consist of in case of rain a raincoat or a simple coat is needed, a walking stick or umbrella, a device for making video and capturing photos, reading material which can include books and magazines, food for small children and cradles in order to keep them entertained during the flight, also small seats for children, wheel chairs or crutches that can be folded for disabled and elderly. The weight of the mentioned things and the other luggage should not exceed the limit set by the airline. (” Passenger and luggage,” )Also there are a number of rules for luggage allowance. These include that the particular airline in lieu of the commercial scenario or negotiations between that airline and various other carriers, can alter the not charging of the checked luggage allowance. These laws of the airline are written in the form of instructions according to the command of the officials who are responsible for the particular airline. (” Passenger and luggage,” )

LAWS OF UNITED STATES AIRLINES

Coming specifically to United States airlines, it has been stated that a number of norms were introduced by the United States Department of Transportation. They introduced norms related to baggage allowance on 24 January 2012 for all the airlines in the United States that provided tickets for travelling to or from United States. This rule stated that the luggage allowance and its fees must be told when the passenger has decided to use a particular airline and has confirmed his ticket for online, codeshare and interline travelling. As it is seen that the rules of DOT have raised the level of transparency for the passengers who are traveling, these essentials, together with the IATA resolution 302 can be difficult for the airplanes, travel agencies, and procedures that control the costs and the departure should obey their rules. It is thus important to analyze the five facts of ATPCO. (” Five facts you,” )Firstly it describes the disclosure rule of United States DOT. It states that on 25 April 2011 the US DOT gave a set of rules for luggage allowance to all the airlines operating within United States to follow them during and before the flights. Following are the rules:• If there are any changes in the policy of the airline regarding the luggage allowance it has o be changed on their web site and the changes must remain there for a period of approximately three months.• During the passenger fare quote the respective airline and travel agents should elaborate in detail about the cost of carrying items and the luggage allowance.• The charges for the first and second checked bag as well as the details for the carry-on luggage must also be told by the airlines and travel agents during the time of ticketing.• All the regulations regarding the luggage must be implemented by the airlines themselves on the basis of Airlines Most Significant Carrier (MSC) during the entire travelling of the passenger. Also the cost that the passenger has to pay for the checked bags and other material like the pets should not differ throughout the journey. These entire rules and regulations regarding luggage allowance were implemented on 24 January 2012. All these disclosure rules had a great affect on the following: a) All the airlines that travel within, from or towards United Statesb) All the airlines that have interline negotiation and can be a part of the ticket that is subjected to travel from within, from or towards United States. c) All the travel agents be it online or offline, people linked to travel selling, and procedures that handle the costs and departures that control luggage data for all the airlines in United States are influenced by these rules as well. (” Five facts you,” )It is vital to observes that these requirements will have an influence on almost all section of an airline ranging from the costing, ticketing, and check-in of passengers to revenue statistics and management. (” Five facts you,” )IATA Resolution 302 was also in important contribution in this regard. This resolution was implemented on 1 April 2011, elaborates on the type of luggage allowance and cost rules that are applicable on both the interline or codshare travelling. It utilized a geographical procedure to point the MSC on the checked part of a flight. This means that the point where the bag of the passenger is checked to the point where he picks it up. It is also mentioned in the Resolution 302 that MSC which is the airline carrying the people is also called as the ” operating carrier”. The United States DOT accepted the rules of IATA for luggage allowance but it claimed that MSC cannot be an operating carrier but it is a marketing carrier. (” Five facts you,” )The report will now elaborate on the various studies that have been conducted on the luggage allowance and its impact on passenger’s decision in selecting his or her flying carrier.

STUDY 1

The first study is conducted by B. Campbell and D. Vigar-Ellis. This detailed study aimed to find out what things do the passengers keep in mind when they are deciding about which airline within South Africa do they have to choose. In accordance with the requirements of the research the respondents were made to analyze the working of the airlines on the basis of their decision making tactics. The attributes which the passengers or respondents claimed were essential for choosing a particular airline and the factors that led to the comparison with other airlines were security, timely and reliable flights and most importantly the low cost. The low cost was particularly attached to the luggage fees. The respondents clearly showed that just because of the low cost and free luggage allowance they were ready to give up on Voyage Miles and legroom and on board capacity. (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

Objectives of the research

Following are the objectives of the research:• To find out the factors that passengers consider when selecting an airline in South Africa• To find out the factors that passengers are ready to give up for a low price (including free luggage allowance) when selecting an airline• To search the status of different airlines in South Africa’s domestic airline industry hold in the perceptions of the passengers. (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

Research methodology

The target audience for this research was explained as the business and elite customers who had an experience and facilities to travel with more than one domestic airline within South Africa and who have journeyed inside and outside the Durban International Airport. As it was next to impossible to gather data and information from all these arlines, in short a sampling frame, and so the factors of population had no occurrences of being chosen as participants (Sekaran & Bougie 2010: 268), the methodology utilized for sampling was non-probability sampling. The sampling utilized was Convenience. The drawback of non probability sampling method is that it does not take into account the subjectivity in calculations and also if any change is because of the sampling error. Hence it lessens the generalization of the results of the results. (Aaker, Kumar & Day 1998: 389). Another drawback of this research is that it cannot be generalized to the entire flying passengers of South Africa and because of the use of non probability sampling method. The airport through which most of the people travel in and out of South Africa was chosen as Durban International Airport. This area would increase the likelihood of getting people in South Africa who had an experience of traveling through the domestic airlines. Since at the Durban International Airport all the flights come from various areas of South Africa, it makes sure that the sample of the research included the entire population of the country. After seeking the consent of the ACSA (Airport Companies South Africa), data was gathered in two occasions that is during the middle of the week and in the week end in duration of six weeks. In the Taiwanese research Liou et al (2011: 4) also gathered data on one week day and one day in the weekend. In the research that is under consideration data was gathered from people who were in the main building during the entire day and evening on the weekday as well as the weekend. The data was gathered from random people who were chosen to fill the questionnaire. This is a very common method used in researches of this type. As a result, 185 filled questionnaires were received. To lessen down the amount of attributes to a convenient amount for a mall-intercept method survey to be conducted on the airport, the research’s outcomes explained above were used, and in order to find the most vital attributes a focus group was held from Starydom et al.’s (2000)listing of 34. The list was very detailed and it covered all the attributes mentioned by the same researches. The reason was to mention the best ten attributes. A focus group was done with seven respondents consisting of Indian groups, Black and White of males and females with ages among 21 to 45. All these people had travelled on the domestic airlines for a number of times. The attributes were explained to make sure the mutual comprehension and the people rated them on a scale of 1 to 10, in which 1 was not important and 10 was extremely important to the airline option for travel within South Africa domestic airline industry, the mean scores of the passengers in it were over 7. 5. These scores were argued in focus groups to make sure the negotiation that they were extremely vital attributes and were hence made a part of the final questionnaire. (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

Data analysis

As mentioned previously the respondents were made to rate their option of attributes on a scale ranging from 1 to 10, in which 1 stood for not important and 10 for extremely important. As the scale used was an interval scale the ” mean” was applied as a measure of central tendency (Cooper & Schindler 2006: 345) to be used for vital scores. In order to calculate the performance of the airlines on the basis of these attributes, a same scale was utilized. Using the same rating from 1 to 10, here 1 stood for poor performance while 10 stood for remarkable performance. Mean was again utilized as the measure of central tendency for calculating the scores of performance. In order to discover if an attribute was thought to be a differentiator inside the domestic airline industry of South Africa, the disparity amongst the maximum and minimum performance scores for every attribute was measured. A range from 0 to 9 could be found for the scores of differentiation. Hence those attributes where all the airlines had the same score, which means that on the basis of those attributes the performance of all the airlines was more or less the same, were not utilized by the respondents to calculate disparity amongst the various airlines in the industry. On the attributes on the basis of which there were differences in the performance of the airlines, had higher differentiation and were thus vital to the customer. These attributes were to be used in differentiating amongst the performance of various airline and hence the selection of a particular flying carrier by the passenger. Cronbach; s alpha, a methos of internal consistency validity was used to check the validity of the differentiating attributes that were rated by the respondents (Sekaran & Bougie 2010: 162). 0. 738 was calculated as the alpha score to the factor queries that is a suitable reliability coefficient (Hair, Bush & Ortinau 2003: 397). In order to find out if respondents were ready to give up any attributes a statement asking for a yes or no answer was required. The results were shown in percentages. In order to find out the status of the South African domestic airline industry’s airlines, respondents were made to rate the airlines they had mentioned on all of the eleven attributes by utilizing the scale in which 1 stood for poor performance while 10 stood for remarkable performance. Average scores were measured and mapped on the basic maps. In the view of Gilligan and Wilson (2003: 440), to choose the most efficient market status, the person conducting the strategy has to start by pin pointing the composition of the market and the status of recently held by their challengers. This can be accessed by the procedure of perceptual mapping. These maps with various dimensions mark the thinking ways of consumers about different brands in the market on the attributes and proportions that are most vital for the customers (Li 2001). (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

Discussion of results

The size of the sample was 185 which included 53% of male respondents. The highest section of the sample, 25% of the respondents were those who had an income ranging from R 10 000 and R25 000 per month. These were followed by 15% of the respondents with an income between R5 000 and R10 000. Amongst all the respondents, there were 45% who travelled twice or thrice per year and 29% of the respondents travelled one time a year. Most of the respondents that is 54% travelled for the purpose of spending their holidays and for leisure where as 36% of the respondents travelled for business purposes. There were several other reasons for travelling which included athletics and attending family functions like weddings and funerals. (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

Low price

The most important attribute that was rated as 8. 29 out of 10 was price. Strydom et al. (2000: 132) claims that the reasonable and affordable price, extremely expensive prices and optimum worth for money as the three major attributes that effected the price factor in the research mentioned above. A number of researchers claim that low price for luggage is an important attribute in choosing the flying carrier (Román et al. 2008; Wen & Yeh 2010). The disparity amongst the maximum and minimum score for this factor was 2. 16. This clearly showed that people preferred the low price airlines over the high price ones in the South African domestic airline industry because the difference was more than for reliable flights. (Vigar-Ellis, 2012)

STUDY 2

The composition of travelling through air has altered al lot in the previous years as the growth of the airlines enforcing explicit cost for various services that previously were a part of the cost of the ticket. To add to the misery of the passengers, the airline that initially cost them less now included taxes and prices of various explicit things. These new prices which are now increasingly introduced in the airline industry since 2008 consist of the charges for petrol and also the cost for the snacks given during the flight. They also include the cost for selecting a particular seat, priority boarding as well as most importantly the cost for checked luggage. Although most of these charges are now accepted by the passengers so far as they think a utility from their allowance, but the charges for checked bags, in spite of their commonality utilization in the industry, have not been accepted by the passengers to a great extent. A study was conducted by Stoller (2010) passengers claimed that due to the absence of the luggage charges they made a choice for Southwest Airlines instead of U. S. airlines. It is the perception of the passengers that the checking of the luggage at least for the first checked bag is necessary for travelling and hence they think that the charges for checked luggage are a sign of the failure of customer services of that particular airline as they fail to meet the expectations of the passengers. This thinking of the passengers about the failure in customer services is only limited to the luggage fees and not to the other things for which the airlines charge. In reality however when the airlines gave the reason that they included the fees of luggage because of the rising oil prices, some of the passengers accepted these charges as well. But the frustration of the customers rose and they claimed it to be a failure of customer services of the airlines when they continued to impose the luggage fee even when the oil prices went down. (M Coy & Chiang, 2012)

EXPLICIT vs. IMPLICIT BAGGAGE FEE PRICING

The failure of the products and services can have a huge impact on the working of the firm. As the passengers want that their first checked luggage must be a part of the services that are provided to them during their travelling, they become dissatisfied when their expectations are not met (Oliver and DeSarbo, 1988). This phenomenon claims that the satisfaction of the passengers is determined by their already existing expectations regarding the extension of the services. When it happens that their thinking about the performance is less than what they had expected, they become dissatisfied. In the view of Bitner (1990), dissatisfaction is exaggerated when the passenger sees that the failure can be controlled by the particular firm or the reason for failure is probable to occur again. The charging for the checked luggage explicitly demonstrates that this is performance is likely to occur again and is in the control of the firm. (M Coy & Chiang, 2012)Folkes (1984) claims to passengers frustration and a high level of reason to make complains as a a major result of the failure of products and services that can cause an urge to destroy the business of the particular firm. The urge to destroy the firm is done by the passenger by swapping or using foul language that can cause further passenger swapping behavior. The largest loss to a firm with regards to failing in its service providing is when customers switch. As it is mentioned in Carlsson and Lofgren (2006), swapping charges in the airline industry can be more, and hence if a passenger opts for switching the effect on the profits can be huge. Moreover, Keaveney (1995) claims that ” post-switching” attitude is also a result in the industries providing services, demonstrating that 75% of the customers who swapped services had mentioned as a minimum one more person and often a number of others regarding the experience that led them to switch. Passengers should comprehend that airlines have to make decisions about their business that gives them high profits to compete in the market. It is open to all that there has been an increase in the cost of oil in the recent years and has been too drastic. This rise in the oil cost along with the demand of the passengers on weekend, because of the slump in the economy, is the risks that the whole airline industry has to meet in the current times. The U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) claimed in a study conducted on the commercial aviation industry, there was a loss of $4. 4billion faced by the passenger airline industry between 2008 and 2009. This is because of the increase in the cost of oil and also because of the rise in the price of security (Blunk et al., 2006). All of this made the airlines include additional fees in the airlines which were previously a part of the ticket including most importantly the fees for checked bags which makes them earn huge profits. However, as it seems the cost of luggage fees has angered the passengers to a great extent, the airlines must decide whether they have to continue charging for these checking or it should stop doing that. It is claimed by Anderson and Claus (1976) that an urging influence of charging price for a service is that they persuade effective attitude. But, hidden fees for checked luggage have instigated the reverse influences. The GAO (2010) studies a rapid rise in the quantity of carry-on luggage as an immediate consequence of passenger’s effort to avoid the charges for checked luggage. It is stated by Darby (2010) that apprehension of passengers regarding the rise in the carry-on luggage together with their heavy weight. This leads to a rise in the checked luggage in the entrance where there is no space for them in cabin, and resulting stoppage that result from the procedure. The late flights are the largest hurdle towards the revenues of the airline (Morrison and Winston, 2008 and Bishop et al., 2011) charging the airline industry approximately $40. 7 billion in 2007. If the delay in the flights is linked to the time consumed for collecting the luggage fees and hence results in the depletion of the profits earned by the airline, then the industry should consider the luggage allowance once again. The study deals with the query or if hidden luggage cost is the favorable strategy for airline industry to raise profits to cater to the increase in the costs of operating. (M Coy & Chiang, 2012)

Results of the study

If there are incidences in which the operating cost of the airline increases, the airline should find methods to compete in the market. In the past few years, airlines have tried to settle the increase in operating costs by the use on unbundling services which were before used in the cost of the ticket. The cost that has angered the passengers the most is that on the checked luggage. This study gave a basic research with experimental proof that explicit checking of luggage cost is not favorable for the airlines when all the operating costs are calculated. It is still early to find out if this cost subsequently stays in the airline industry or not. (M Coy & Chiang, 2012)This research will help in further evaluating how the luggage allowance can affect the decision making of the passengers in terms of choosing a particular flying carrier. By analyzing the various strategic management elements and then applying them to this dissertation topic, will ensure that every fact is supported by the values of marketing. In the light of the studies previously conducted in this regard, evidences can be taken regarding the influence of luggage allowance on the passengers. 3BThere are certain aspects that a researcher needs to cater before the research gets started. First comes the research team that the researcher will decide who will go on the site from where the data or information will be collected. These people must be reliable and educated enough about the problem at hand as well as the way to conduct a research. Secondly, the area where the research is to be conducted must be collected that in this case must be the airport as we suggested. The research team has to first take permission for the airport management for asking some questions from their potential target customers. If the permission is not granted, you cannot carry on with the research and whatever methods you have go wasted. Then comes the time frame during which the research needs to be completed. The researcher must make a plan before starting about how much time he/she is going to spend at the location in order to get the desired information so that the research gets completed within the allotted or available time frame. Without planning this, the process may go too long at times which add to the cost. The researcher also needs to decide what their target customers are before they start. In this case, they need to select one segment of the travelers such as the business class or economy class travelers and collect data from them. This becomes easier for the researcher to collect data initially as well as interpret and analyze the results to come up to a recommendation. They also need to decide in advance about what research methods they will use that might include qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. All such decisions and many others must be decided and planned before the research begins otherwise the research may get vague and the results may not give the true representation of what the main aim of the research was and it might not come up with a solution that directly related to the problem at hand.

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