What is Jet Blue’s mission? How would you change it based on chapter 2 and the case material?
JetBlue’s mission is to be the leading U.S. LCC or low cost carrier providing top-notch customer service and transportation needs such as leather seats, gourmet snacks and on-board entertainment. JetBlue’s culture revolves around a set of core values; Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion. These core values are reflected in the decision making process of the company’s employees.
According to chapter 2 of the textbook, Crafting and Executing Strategy, there are two ways managers can connect these values. If the company’s values are deeply entrenched within the culture of the company, managers are careful to structure a vision or strategy that matches these values. If the company is fairly new, managers need to decide what values that they want their company to portray and structure their strategy with these values in mind. Based on the case study, I believe that JetBlue’s mission is effective and that it does not warrant much change. JetBlue lives by their values and this can be seen in their hiring practices where they wanted to hear that their candidates did something special for someone else. JetBlue’s strategy changed when external factors caused them to re-evaluate the way they do business. When fuel prices rose dramatically, they made changes on how the planes taxi on the runway to the altitude that they flew to conserve fuel. They also made it a point to grow at a much slower, sustainable pace.