BUSINESS MANAGEMENT A+ WORK, ON TIME, NO PLAGARIZING; ON TIME

DOI: 10.4018/IJEIS.2020070105

International Journal of Enterprise Information Systems Volume 16 • Issue 3 • July-September 2020

 Copyright©2020,IGIGlobal.CopyingordistributinginprintorelectronicformswithoutwrittenpermissionofIGIGlobalisprohibited.



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Challenges in the Business Model of Low-Cost Airlines: Ryanair Case Study María Rodríguez-García, ESIC Business and Marketing School, Spain

Maria Orero-Blat, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain

Daniel Palacios-Marqués, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain

ABSTRACT

Inrecentdecades,low-costairlineshaveproliferatedintheEuropeanmarketofferingcheaptickets andincreasingpopularity.Thisbusinessmodel,characterisedbycostleadership,hasbeenstudied onnumerousoccasions.ThecaseoftheIrishairlineRyanairhaspresenteddifferentchallengesover thelastfewyearsinrelationtoitsstakeholders,whoareshapingthesustainabilityofthecurrent eraofairtravel.Thisbusinessmodelshouldbeadaptedtothecurrentdemandsofthemarket,such ascorporatesocialresponsibilityorcarefortheenvironment.Thefunctioningoflow-costairlines regardingtheusetheymakeofERPmanagementsystemsisalsoanalysed.Theyaimtobalancetheir coststrategywiththedevelopmentofinternalresourcesandcapabilitiesforthecompany’slong-term strategy.Amajorcurrentchallengeforlow-costairlinesistheimplementationofERPmanagement systemstomakestrategiesorientedtothecustomer,sustainability,andcorporatesocialresponsibility.

KEywoRdS Airline, Business Model, Case Study, ERP Management System

INTRodUCTIoN

Asaconsequenceofthe2008economicandfinancialcrisiswhichseriouslyimpactedthefinancial sectorandthelossofpurchasingpowerofthepopulation,companiesbasedonalow-costbusiness modelproliferatedintheairlineindustry,thusofferingaservice,whichhadalwaysbeendesignedfor theupper-middleclass,toawiderpublic(Dobruszkes,2006).Withtherestoftheeconomyhaving difficulties,thislow-costmodel,ledbytheIrishairlineRyanair,flewtheirplanesatfullcapacity andofferednewroutes. It rapidlybecameamodeladmiredbybothpassengersandcompetitors (Malighettietal.,2010).

However,thesustainabilityofitscompetitiveadvantageachievedincostsentailedprecarious workingconditionsforitsworkersaswellashavinganimpactonitscustomerserviceandafter-sales service(Barrett,2016).Inotherwords,itisamodelthatfocusesitsattentionongeneratingshort-term economic-financialbenefits,forgettingaboutthecreationofvalueinbothsocialandenvironmental dimensionsinthelongterm(Valleetal.,2019).Wearethereforetalkingaboutashort-termbusiness

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modelinwhichmanagerslackabifocalvisionandsufferfromvarioussyndromessuchasstrategic inertiaandthestrategicshortcut.Inspiteofthis,itsfinancialdatashowsthatitistheleadingairlinein Spain,notablyaboveitscompetitorssuchasVuelingandIberia,andthatitsprofitmarginisunbeatable.

Thediscussedmodelthereforepresentsadvantagesanddisadvantages;therefore,itsstrategic andorganizationaladjustmentisworthstudying.Overtheyears,strikescarriedoutbyitsemployees alongwiththeunions,unresolvedcomplaintsandchangesofbaggagepoliciesamongothers,have ledtoanincreaseintransactioncosts that theservicegeneratesonthecustomer(Martín,2018). Therefore,Ryanairfacestwomajorchallenges:ontheonehand,toachievethesustainabilityofits competitiveadvantageinthelongterm,andontheotherhand,tocontinuegeneratingsuperiorvalue fortheconsumer,oratleasttryingtodiminishitaslittleaspossible.

Thebusinessmodelof low-costairlinesappearedat theendof the1990s,morespecifically from1997,when thederegulationof the intra-Europeanair transportmarket tookplaceand led toasignificantincreaseincompetitionbetweenairlinesandairports(Lieshoutetal.,2016).The liberalisationofthemarketultimatelyledtotheemergenceoflow-costbusinessmodels.Inaddition, Lieshoutetal.(2016)alsoarguethatchangesinairlinecompetitionhavebeenmorepronouncedin areasthatwerepreviouslynotwellserved,suchasmoreremoteregionsoftheUK,SpainandItaly. Thisisduetothefactthatthesetypesofairlines,andmorespecificallyRyanair,generallyoperatein secondaryairports,andawayfromlargepopulations(Gillen&Morrison,2003;Dziedzic&Warnock- Smith,2016).ThisissuewillbediscussedindetailduringthecasestudyofRyanair.

Furthermore,takingadvantageoftheeconomicandfinancialcrisisof2008,andfollowingthe lossofpurchasingpowerofthepopulation,thisnewbusinessmodelresurfaceswithgreatforceto offersolutionstotheireconomicproblems,asitallowsthemtoobtainhighvalueproductsandservices (Servera-Francés&Piqueras-Tomás,2019).Thus,theimpactontheirprivateeconomieswouldbe lessaffected.Inaddition,theywereabletotakeadvantageoftheopportunitiesofthetechnological revolution(Guo-Fitoussi,2019)andmanagedtocreateawebsiteandbookingsystemthatwasclear, simpleandattractivetotheconsumer.

So,thesecompaniesarecreatedtofocusentirelyontheclientandabletoadjusttheirproduction coststotheminimuminordertorespondtomarketdemands.Inthissense,thistypeofbusiness modelcanbedefinedasanefficientsystem,whichhasmanagedtoeliminateunnecessarycostsforthe companyandreachahigherlevelofagilityintheorganization’sprocesses(Sanchis-Palacios,2018). Inaddition,theyhavemanagedtobringproductstraditionallyfocusedonamiddleandupperclassto alltypesofpublic.ThefactthatRyanair’spricesareverylowimpliesahighlevelofcompetitiveness in the sectorand forcescompetitors to strengthen theircompetitivepositionand findalternative strategiestofacethecostleadershipledbyRyanair.Initially,thissituationofhighcompetitiveness inthissectormayhavebenefitedtheconsumer.

However, it is necessary to analyze the sustainability of this type of competitive advantage and,moreover,ofthebusinessmodel.Someauthors,suchasSanchis-Palacios(2018),arguethat thisisamodelwhichdoesnotfocusitsstrategyontheconsumer,butistotallyfocusedonreducing internalcostsattheexpenseofothervariablesinordertomaximizeneteconomicprofit.Here,we arereferringtothereductionofcostsintheareaofpersonnel,maintenance,orprovisions(suchas fuel).Theresultofthesemeasureshasbeenthegeneraldissatisfactionoftheworkforceexpressedin numerousstrikescarriedoutbythecompany’sworkers,especiallyinrecentmonths,ortheincreasein problemsrelatedtothelackoffueltosuccessfullycompleteajourney.Ontheotherhand,theanalysis ofthisbusinessmodelfromthepointofviewoftheconsumeralsodeservesspecialattention.Itis interestingtoanalyzeiflow-costairlinesreallybringmorevaluetotheconsumerandaimtoputthe customeratthecentreofalltheircentreofthinking.

TheseresearchquestionsderiveinfurtherunknownsregardingtheuseofareliableEnterprise ResourcePlanningsystemthatmakesitpossibletointegratesystemsincompaniesthatfollowa purelycost-leadershipstrategy(Arasanmi&Ojo,2019;Sandviketal.,2019).

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Thefollowingreportseekstoanswerthesequestionsthroughthestrategicanalysisofthecompany, whicharesocrucialtopredictthefuturethatawaitsRyanair.

THEoRETICAL FRAMEwoRK: CHALLENGES IN Low-CoST FLIGHT CoMPANIES

Themainobjectiveofthissectionistoprovideareviewoftheliteratureregardingthechallengesthat low-costairlinesarefacingtoday,whichhavebeenmentionedthroughouttheintroduction.Firstly, anoverviewaboutthemainhighlightsofstrategicanalysiswillbeconducted.Thenanexplanation ofcompetitiveadvantagesandsustainabilityovertimewillbedeveloped,focusinginthebusiness modelsof low-cost airlines.Finally, the implementationofERP (EnterpriseResourcePlanning) managementsystemsinlow-costairlinesmustbestudiedtoseewhatchallengesthesecompanies stillhaveandhowthesesystemscanhelp.

Fortheinternalanalysis,differenttoolsfromthebusinessstrategyfieldwillbeused,suchas VRIOanalysis,thestudyoftheexistenceofstrategicandorganizationaladjustmentthroughmission, visionandvalues,andfinallytheanalysisofthevaluechain.

VRIo Analysis VRIOanalysiswasdevelopedbyBarney(1991)andhelpstoassesswhichinternalresourcesprovide thecompanywithacompetitiveadvantage,whichshouldbeconsideredasvitalandwhicharemost expendable.Anenterprise’sresourcesshouldbe:valued,rare,andinimitableandtheorganization must be able to exploit them sustainably over time. Organizations need to be aware that their competitiveadvantageisbasedontheresourcestheyhaveandthecorrectusetheymakeofthem. Internalresourcescanbefinancial,human,materialandnon-material(knowledge,information, culture,etc.)(Cardeal&Antonio,2012).

Theoriginofcompetitiveadvantagearisesfromthepossessionandadequateuseofinternal resourcesandcapacities,andfromtheanticipationoreffectiveandrapidresponse tochanges in theenvironment(Guerras&Navas,2007).Therefore,withregardtoexternalfactorsthataffectthe creationofcompetitiveadvantage,theabilitytodetectchanges,giveaquickandflexibleresponse andtakeadvantageofopportunitieswiththeaimofachievinggreaterprofitabilitycanbehighlighted (Ribauetal.,2019).

However,despitetheimportanceoftheenvironment,successorfailureisultimatelyduemoreto internalfactorsthantoexternalcauses.Todothis,itisnecessarytopossessresourcesandcapabilities whichhaveaspecificvalueinthemarketinwhichthecompanyoperates,whicharerare,inthesense thatnotallcompaniesinthesectorpossessthem,whicharedifficulttoimitate,andfinallywhichare internalisedintheorganization(Camisón-Habaetal.,2019).

Low-costairlinesaregenerallycompanieswhosimplifyalltheirprocessesasmuchaspossible, withallthepositiveandnegativepointsthatthisfactimplies(Diaconu,2012).Thisisbecause,for example,thepurchaseprocess,accesstotheserviceandaccesstotheplane(giventhelowtrafficat theairportswheretheyoperate)isverysimpleandeffective,providingapositiveexperienceforthe consumer.However,ontheotherside,resolutionofcomplaintsaswellascustomerserviceisequally simple,thusbeingofaverylowquality(Graham&Shaw,2008).

Mission, Vision and Values Organizationalmission,visionandvalueshavebeenwidelydefinedintheliteraturethroughoutthe lastdecade.Visionreflectsanorganization’sdesiredfuturestateprojection;missionexplainsthe purposeandthereasonfortheorganization’sexistence.Bothvisionandmissionareconnectedand interrelatedwitheachother(Martos-Calpena,2009).

Corporatereputationisconsideredanintangibleassetofgreatsignificancewhichisbuilt through the fulfilment of the commitments acquired by the company with its stakeholders.

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Moreover,reputationisnotastaticasset,butratheritisgeneratedovertimeandisreaffirmed andadaptedtothenewcircumstancesoftheenvironment(Bergetal.,2018).Infact,certain variationsintheenvironmentcangeneratereputationalcrisesthatdiminishorevendestroythe company’sreputation(Wenzel&Will,2019),whichcanlead,inextremecases,tothecompany goingintoliquidation(Helmetal.,2011).Ontheotherhand,asustainablecorporatereputation leadstolong-lastingcustomerloyalty(Moisescu,2018).

Forthisreason,low-costairlinesbusinessmodelswhichonlyfocusoncoveringcostsinthe mostprofitablewaypossiblemayconstantlyencounterreputationproblemsandconflictsbetween theirmission,visionandvalueswiththestrategyfollowed.Itisimportanttohaveagoodstrategy tomonitorthissituationsothatthebadreputationthattheairlinemayhaveamongconsumersdoes notdamageitsbrandimage.AccordingRauteretal.(2018),theeffectofopeninnovationisalso interesting in shaping long-term sustainable strategies, when considering value co-creation with customers(Lee&Park,2019).

Value Chain Analysis Anotherusefultoolforinternalanalysisisthevaluechain,whichspecifiesthedifferentactivities carriedoutbythecompany(Kaplinsky,2000).AccordingtoPorter(1985),thevaluechainisdefined asthebasictoolforanalysingthesourcesofacompany’scompetitiveadvantage,sinceitisasystematic meansthatexaminesalltheactivitiescarriedoutbythecompanyanditswayofinteracting.This toolallowsthecompanytobedividedaccordingtoitsactivities,inordertounderstandthebehaviour ofcosts,aswellasthesourcesofactionanddifferentiationpotentials.Thecompetitiveadvantage arisesfromeachoftheactivitiesthecompanyperformsindesigning,manufacturing,co-marketing, deliveringandsupportingitsproduct(Vega,2010).

AccordingtoKaplanandNorton(2011),inanyvaluechaintherearethreefundamentalprocesses thatareofgreatrelevance:theinnovationprocess,theoperationsprocessandtheafter-salesservice. Foralow-costairline, intheinnovationprocess, theneedsofcustomersareinvestigatedandthe productsorservicesnecessarytosatisfythemarecreated(Wang&Hsieh,2018).Theoperational processiswhereserviceisprovided,andtheafter-salesserviceiswherepossibleproblemswhich mayhavearisenduringtheoperationalprocessaresolvedbymeansofthepossibilityoflodging complaintsorclaims.Eachtypeoforganizationwillputmoreeffortintotheprocessthatgivesyou moreprofitabilitydependingonthestrategychosen.Inthecaseoflow-costairlines,whichinvolve costleadershipstrategies,after-salesservicesandpromotionsimplyasignificantlevelofcostsin absoluteterms.Themaincostsarefuel,maintenance,groundoperations,airportcosts(including costsforairportservices,navigationchargesandhandlingcosts),personnelcosts,insurance,aircraft costs, trainingcosts,administrationandsalescostsandexceptionalexpenses(Jurado&Fuentes, 2011).Inaddition,thecompany’sstrategicandsupportactivitiesshouldbedefined,andnotjust focusedontheshortterm.

Fromthisinsight,thelow-costairlinepresentsabusinessmodelbasedonsimplicity,thusorienting itselftowardsamodelofleadershipincosts,optimizingitsresourcesandprocessestothemaximum (Deveceetal.,2019).Porter(2008)alsostatedthatthefitofbusinessmodelandvaluechainanalysis isakeyelementnotonlyforcompetitiveadvantageduetothefactthatthedifferentactivitiesaffect eachother,butalsoforsustainability.

Generally, companies which show worse performance in the market are highly affected by externalvariablesandchangesintheenvironment,sincetheirresourcesandcapacitiesarelowand donotallowthemtosuccessfullyfacethechangesmentionedabove.

However, those companies whose level of resources and capacities is very high and highly qualifiedarelessinfluencedbychangesintheenvironmentbecausetheyhavethetoolstofaceand emergesuccessfullythesevariableeffects(Caseiro&Coelho,2019).

Therefore,low-costairlinebusinessmodelsworksuccessfullywhenthesituationisfavourable.Butwhen conditionsareadverse,itsresourcesandcapabilitiesareinsufficienttoaddresstheproblemssuccessfully.

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Ontheotherhand,thesavingsincostsandlowpricesthatthecompanyadvocatestherefore translatesintohighcosts,especiallylong-termsocialcosts,whichboththegovernmentandconsumers ultimatelyhavetoface.Itisthereforeamodelthatlacksbifocalvision,asitfocusesallitsattention ongeneratingshort-termeconomicbenefit,forgettingtocreatevaluefortheconsumerinthelong run.Inthiswayitcanbeconcludedthatitisashort-termmodel,whichinthelongtermhasbecome obsolete.Therefore,thislow-costbusinessmodelpresentsseveraldisadvantages.

Enterprise Resource Planning and Low-Cost Airlines Anyenterprisesregardlessofsize,scopeoractivityaimstoincreaseprofitabilityandthemaximization ofproductionwhilemaintaininglowcost,highlevelofservice,safetyandquality(Nikolopouloset al.,2003).Mostlow-costairlineshaverecentlyincorporatedEnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP) management systems, which usually include a selection of control software that facilitates and automates,asfarastechnologyallows,allthedepartmentsofthesecompanies(Hanetal.,2014).

AnERPsystemisintegratedsoftwarecomprisedofseveralcomplementarymodules(customer management,sales,humanresources,finance,etc.)whichcanbeadaptedtothespecificneedsof eachcustomer(Klausetal.,2000).Itsmainobjectiveistointegrateallthedepartmentsandfunctions acrossanenterpriseintoauniquecomputersystemthatclustersallprocessesinsideanorganization. Itprovides themanagementofaconstantcontrollinganalysisandstate-of-the-artofenterprises, includingservicecompanies(Botta-Genoulaz&Millet,2006).

ERPaimstointegratebusinessprocessesandinformationsystemsacrossfunctionalsilos.It involvesbusinessprocessreengineeringandstrategicreconfigurations.Italsoimpliesachangein mindsetandachallengeofthestatusquo.Aculturewhichtoleratesandresolvesconflictsiscritical forERPimplementationsuccess(Raman&Goyal,2014;Kandjanietal.,2014).

Boostinggeneralproductivity,competitiveadvantage,businessintegrationandcustomerdemand arethemostimportantbusinessdriverswhenselectingasuitableERP.HenceERPimplementation successisrelatedtostrategicanalysisandreorientationofthebusinessmodel(Ke&Wei,2008).

However,low-costairlinestrytobalancetheircoststrategywiththedevelopmentofinternal resourcesandcapabilitiesforthecompany’slong-termstrategy.Thatiswhytheusetheygiveto ERPismainlycontrollingandpricealgorithms.Therefore,amajorchallengethattoday’slow-cost airlinesstillhaveaheadofthemistheimplementationofthesemanagementsystemstomakestrategies orientedtothecustomer,sustainabilityandcorporatesocialresponsibility(Botta-Genoulaz&Millet, 2006;Gouveaetal.,2018).

RyANAIR CASE STUdy

Firstly,itisnecessarytostudythestatusquoofthecompany,inreferencetoitsinternalcapabilities anditscompetitiveadvantageandcomparethemwiththecompetition,inordertounderstandthe challengesthatitmainlyaddresses.Fortheinternalanalysis,differenttoolsfromthebusinessstrategy fieldwillbeused,suchasVRIOanalysisandvaluechainanalysis.Bothofthemhavebeenexplained duringtheprevioussection.

FortheparticularcaseofRyanair,MichaelO’Leary(LaProvincia,2019),CEOoftheIrishairline, statedthat“Sometimestherearestrikesthathavetohappen.Wedefendourmodeloflowcostand highproductivity”.Inthisway,theyarenotwillingtotoleratedemandswhich,fromtheirpointof view,arecompletelyunreasonable(Martín,2018),whichjeopardizetheirlowratesandtheirmodel highlyefficientbusinesstodate.AssoonasO’Learyannouncedtheselines,hethreatenedtoreduce fleet,routesandjobsintheeventthatthestrikescontinued.48hourslaterhefulfilledhisthreatand announced300layoffsinIreland.

TheproblemofRyanair’smanagementisnotsomuchinhowtofacethefuture,butinabandoning thepastandperhapsalsothepresentandbeingawarethatperhapstheirbusinessmodelneedsto

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undergodifferentrevisionssothatitcanbesustainableinthelongterm(Youssefetal.,2018),without theirreputationbeingdamagedanyfurther(Wangetal.,2019).

Ontheotherhand,theysufferinthesamewayfromstrategicshortcutsyndrome,inwhichthey arenotabletorecognizetherealityandthecurrentcontextthataffectsthem,sotheytrytoevade responsibilitiesandjustifythemselveswiththepositioningoftheirbusinessmodelinthecentreof alltheiractions.Inthisway,theyavoidlookingforsolutionsbyofferingthesimplestalternative,thus blockingthepathtowardsadaptationtothenewdemandsofthemarket(Alshanty&Emeagwali,2019).

From theprevious analysis, it canbe seen that the sourcesof the competitive advantageof Ryanairaremainlytheminimizationofthetimethattheplaneisontheground,madepossiblewith ahighrotation,thepossessionofasinglemodelofaircraft,verylowbasicfares,andpunctualityon flights(whentherehavebeennodelays).Ifaresourceorcapacityisvaluableandrare,acompetitive advantageisobtained(Barney,1991).Whileonlyifitisalsodifficulttoimitateandisexploitedby theorganization,itisalong-termsustainablecompetitiveadvantage.Itisalsonecessarytohighlight that theconceptof long-termsustainability iscurrentlya relativeconcept,given thevertiginous natureofchangesintheenvironment,whichnolongerfollowacleartrend,butareratherdisruptive (Grant,1996;Gianiodisetal.,2019).

Regarding the possession of a single airplane model, the fact that Ryanair focuses its routesondestinations that are amaximum flight timeof three andahalfhours isbasedon strengtheningcostleadership,sinceitonlyneedsoneairplanemodel.Onthecontrary,therest ofthecompetitorshavemoreextensiveroutesandthereforeneedtoprovidelargerandbetter equippedaircraft(Box&Byus,2007).

Ontheotherhand,Ryanairhasstrongallianceswithhotelcompaniesatdestinations,aswellas carrentalcompanies,offeringthecustomeraverylowpriceifyouhirethecompletepackagewith them.Lately,theyhavealsoincludedmanypromotionaloffersinthistypeofservice,inadditionto flights,theircoreservice.Thereisalsoanincentivepointprogrammeinwhich,throughhiringthe

Table 1. Ryanair VRIO analysis

Resources and capabilities Valuable (V) Rare (R) Inimitable (I) Embedded in the organization (O)

Online bookings  

Minimization of time on land (high rotation)    

Secondary airports (low rates)   

A single airplane model (cost savings)    

Single class of seats   

Very low basic rates    

Punctuality    

Simplicity in the purchase process   

Strong alliances with other companies in the tourism sector (hotels, car rental)

  

Source: Own elaboration

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accommodationwiththem,theygiveyoupointsforthenextflight.Nevertheless,themostoutstanding andexclusiveallianceiswiththeESNErasmusstudentorganization.Thosestudentswhotravelwith RyanairduringtheirErasmusexperiencehavetheopportunitytocheckina20kgsuitcaseforfree, aswellastheguaranteeofobtaining15%discountoneightflightsthroughouttheyear.However, althoughthesealliancesareasourceofcompetitiveadvantageforRyanair, theyarenotdifficult toimitate,sinceexceptforthealliancewithESN,therestoftheairlinesalsooffertotheirclients completepackswheretheaccommodationandcarrentalareincluded.

Verylowbasicratesareachievedthroughtheeliminationofallsuperfluouscostsinnatetothe organization,aswellastheoptimizationofresourcesandprocesses(O’Connell&Williams,2005). Therefore,Ryanairrefusestoofferahigherclassofseats,andrequirespaymentforanyservicethat isextratothesingleplaneticket.Ryanaircalculatesthenecessaryfuelforitsrouteswithahighlevel ofaccuracyandbuysaspecificproductfromthesamesupplierandinlargequantities,thusachieving economiesofscale.Thisimplieshighbarrierstoentryintothesectorandtherefore,adetermining factorwhenitcomestoprotectingcompetitiveadvantages(Dobruszkes,2006).

Asaresult,Ryanairsimplifiesallitsprocessestothefullest,withallthenegativepointsthat thisfactimplies.Thisisbecause,forexample,thepurchaseprocess,accesstotheserviceandaccess totheplane(giventhelowtrafficoftheairportswheretheyoperate)isverysimpleandeffective, providingapositiveexperiencefortheconsumer.However,wefindthattheresolutionofclaimsas wellascustomerserviceisequallysimple,thusbeingofaverylowquality(Julius&Jatmika,2019).

AnotherusefultoolforaninternalanalysisforRyanairisthevaluechain,inwhichthedifferent activities carriedoutby the companyare specified.The followinggraph succinctly summarizes whicharetheprimaryactivities(vertically),andthosesupportingthem,referredtoassecondary (horizontally).Onceagain,weappreciatethatitisabusinessmodelbasedonsimplicity,thusoriented towardsaleadershipmodelincosts,optimizingitsresourcesandprocessestothemaximum(Amit, 1986;Dutse&Aliyu,2018)

Figure 1. Ryanair value chain. Source: Own elaboration.

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ThedifferencebetweenthecostthatRyanairhastoincurincarryingouttheseactivities,and thepricethatconsumerspaytousetheirservices,correspondstothemargin.Itisveryimportantto highlightthat,sinceitisacompanythatplacesthedecreaseincostsatthecentreofitsstrategy,the valuechaintendstomovetheinnerlinecorrespondingtothemargintotheleft,asindicatedbythe bluearrows.Thismeansthatcostsarereducedinallactivitiesatthehighestlevel,withtheaimof achievingthedesiredmarginandofferinglowprices(Coello-Santos,2011).ThismeansthatRyanair reduces as much as possible the costs assigned to the implementation of enterprise information systems.Accordingtoseveralauthors(Raman&Goyal,2014;Kandjanietal.,2014),thecorrect functioningandintegrationofenterpriseinformationsystemsisoneofthemostdeterminantaspects ofacompanynowadays.

Onthecontrary,ifweanalysethestrategyfollowedbysomeofitscompetitors,suchasIberia, wewoulddistinguishastrategybasedondifferentiation.Inthiscase,thelineshowingthemargin wouldbeshiftedtotheright,sincethevaluecontributedbyeachactivityismuchhigher,andthe priceisalsohigher(Scridonetal.,2019).

It isnecessarytounderstandthat therehasbeenachangeintherules in thetourismsector, especiallyintheairlineindustry(Rotondoetal.,2019),andthatmanagerstakeintoaccountchanges intheenvironmentandusetheirresourcesandcapabilitiestocopewithexternalturbulence.Therefore, itisnecessarytocarryoutastrategicadjustmenttakingintoaccountthenewdemandsofthesector, tosubsequentlymakeanorganizationaladjustment,throughthedistinctivecapabilitiesnecessaryto implementthestrategyefficiently(Cao&Chen,2019).

Ryanair’sstrategycanbedistinguishedinthemission,visionandvaluesthattheydefendon theirwebsiteinthe“AboutUs”section.Theyannounce:“Ourratesarenottheonlythingthatsets usapart.WecanclaimtobetheEuropeancompanywiththemostpunctualtrips,tobeleadersinthe sectorfortravellingsafelyfor32years,anexquisitepunctuality,analmostperfectluggagetransport andaninnovativeenvironmentalpolicy.But,afterall,theonlynumberthatmattersistheprice,and Ryanairalwaysoffersthelowest”.

Like everything else, as explained, the values that Ryanair presents on its website are simple,concise,andworthyofathoroughreview.Firstly,theymentiontwicethepunctuality oftheirflights,whichreflectsacertainlazinessinthewording.Ontheotherhand,theyassure thatthefactthattheyofferflights“inasafeway”hasallowedthemtobeleadersinthesector. Undoubtedly,manypassengerswillreadthisstatementanddisagree.Inrecentyears,therehave beennumerousoccasionsinthemediawhereRyanairwasdenouncedinthemediaforpractices whichthreatenedpassengersafety,includingespeciallyforcedlandingsduetolackoffuel.Itis truethatafterthesescandalsworldwide,Ryanairhadtochangeitsfuelpolicy(Controladores Aéreos,2017).Recently,inNovemberof2019theIrishcompanyhadtoundergomorethan600 safetyinspectionsandclaimsinSpain(Europapress,2018).

Currently,althoughthecompanyhassuccessfullypassedalltheinspectionstowhichithasbeen subjected,theSpanishLabourInspectionsanctionedRyanairforeliminatingtherightofitscrewto strike(Martín,2018).Regardingtheinnovativeenvironmentalpolicy,thecompanyoffersitscustomers theoptionofoffsettingtheirCO2emissionsattheendofthepurchase,whichmeansthatthesefunds willgotoprojectstomitigateclimatechangecarriedoutbyanexternalcompany(Barrett,2016).

To analyse if Ryanair’s organization is consistent with the strategy, it is necessary to study whetherthereisorganizationaladjustmentinitsbusinessmodel.AccordingtoPorter(2008),the reserverequirementisakeyelementnotonlyforthecompetitiveadvantageduetothefactthatthe differentactivitiesaffecteachother,butalsoforitssustainability.Thus,itcanbedistinguishedthat ineachandeveryoneofthedifferentareasofthecompany–structure,processes,rewardandhuman capital–thesearchforcostsavingsandeliminationofsuperfluousexpensesisintrinsic.Therefore, whenweobserveifRyanair’sorganizationrespondstoitsstrategyintermsofitspricingpolicy,we distinguishthattheadjustmentismadeinfull,andthereforetheimagetheyoffertotheconsumerof beingtheairlinethatoffersthelowestpricescorrespondstoreality(Hill,1988).

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However,thefactofbeingleadersinthesectorforofferingsafeflightsisamaximthatisnot 100%identifiedwiththewayRyanairhastoorganizeandoperate.Thisisduetotheinnumerable andcontinuedstrikestakingplace,asaresultofnotbeingsubjecttothelabourstandardsofthe europeanterritory.Therefore,itisnotaverystablestructureatthemoment;neitherarethework contractsraised.Thisfeelingofinstabilityistransmittedtoallareasofthecompany,andmainlyto theconsumer.Inthissense,itisthereforeanorganizationthatisnotentirelyadjustedwiththeimage theywanttoconveyandthevaluestheydefend(Powell,1992).

Discontentdue to theirnew luggagepolicies iswidespreadamongcustomers (Independent, 2019).Similarly,customerserviceisreducedandonlyreachablethroughthewebsite.Moreover, therewereclaimswithluggage,theresolutionisslowandofpoorquality,accordingtoitsbusiness modeltosimplifyallprocesses.Therefore,thisstatementisnotalignedwiththeinternalwaythat thecompanyhastoorganize.

RyanairhasbeensubjectedinrecentyearstothecircumstancesoftheEuropeancontinent,where thecrisisaffectedallsectors.Thiscompanywaspresentedtosolvealowpurchasingpower,andto offeranopportunitytoyoungsterstotravelatlowpricesallaroundEurope(Monaco,2018).Itisa companywhich,whileallothercompaniesweredoingbadly,theygrewinanexcessiveway,increasing passengersoneachflight,aswellasthefleetandopeningnewroutes.Itisabusinessmodelthat thereforeworksverywellinadverseeconomiccircumstances,whentheconsumercannotaffordto flywithanothercompanythatoffersahighervalue,becausethepriceisalsohigher(Hunter,2006). OtherSpanishcompaniesinothersectors,suchasMercadonaorInditex,werealsostrengthenedin timesofcrisisduetotheirsamelow-pricepolicyandcostleadership.

CoNCLUSIoN

Thisstudyinvestigatestherelationshipbetweenthesustainabilityoflow-costairlines’businessmodels andtheuseofintegratedERPsystemstotracktheirstrategicperformance.Itaimstohighlightthe importanceofconsideringvaluecreationforstakeholdersandnotonlyeconomicperformanceand costleadership,inordertoguaranteetheirfutureexistence.Theresearchgapofthisstudyfocuses onidentifyingwhetherRyanair’sbusinessmodelofcostleadershipandsuchahighgrossmargin issustainableinthelongterm.Furthermore,weexpresstheideaoftakingintoconsiderationthe adaptationoftheirstrategytothedemandsofthemarket,andoftheirworkers.

Ryanair,asaleadingairlineinEuropehasfocusedallitsattentiononcreatingvaluearoundthe economic-financialsphere, leavinginaseconddimensionthecreationofvalueinthesocialand environmentalspheres.Althoughtheyhaverecentlyincludedenvironmentalpolicies,inwhichthey saytheyfightforclimatechange,itisnecessarytodistinguishtowhatextenttheyarepoliciesthat arebornfromCorporateSocialResponsibility,asanisolateddepartmentwithintheorganization, orasastrategydefinedduetotheircorevalues.Managerscontinuetoactandmakedecisionsbased onthestrategythathasworkedsofar,withouttakingintoaccountthattheenvironmentischanging, andespeciallythetrendinthetourismsectorisbeingmodified.

Ryanairshouldthereforeanticipateandactinadvancebeforethesechangesoccur,insteadof reactingtothem.Theyneedtorecognizetheneedtoestablishnewroutesindestinationsthatare increasinglyattractivetoEuropeantourists,suchasthecountriesofEasternEuropeandtheBalkans, asaresultoftheireconomicrecoveryandpoliticalstability.Itwillnotleadthemtosuccesstocontinue investinginmaturelines,ifthetrendofthesectoristakinganothercourse.

Ryanairthereforeneedstoquicklyreinventitselftoachievethesustainabilityofthelong-term competitiveadvantage.However,competingoncostsleaveslittleroomforinnovationandimprovement (Kashani&Roshani,2019).Asitisclarifiedinthearticle,thecostsinallprocesses,operationsand departmentsarereducedtothemaximumtoguaranteecostleadershipwithahighprofitmargin.

Thisresearchissubjecttodifferentlimitationsthatmustbepointedout.Firstly,itisatheoretical casestudyinwhichthebusinessmodeloflow-costairlineshasbeenanalysed,aswellastheiruse

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of ERP government systems, specifically Ryanair. However, a comparison of the different low- costairlinesandtheimpactofusingcomplexERPsystemstomonitorallaspectsoftheirbusiness modelcouldbeconsideredforthefuture.Inthisway,theadvantagesofitsuseandtheevolutionof theirbusinessmodelswithrespecttothecreationofvalueinthelongterm,themanagementofthe reputationandvaluesthateachcompanytransmitsandthesatisfactionofallitsstakeholderscould beempiricallyproven.

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María Rodríguez García is a PhD student in Business Administration at the University of Valencia (Spain). Moreover, she is Research and Teaching Assistant at ESIC Business & Marketing School. Her research is focused in family business line of research, highlighting family council. On the other hand, she is advancing in green entrepreneurship research. Among her research projects we can stand out SPRING (Succession Planning and Regeneration In Family Businesses for New Growth), a project under the light of the European Union and collaboration in the academic scope for ACIEK Conference. She is Editorial Assistant of International Journal of Intellectual Property Rights and Collaborator at the Chair “Entrepreneurship: Being student to entrepreneur”-Grupo Maicerías Españolas-Arroz DACSA.

Maria Orero-Blat is a PhD student in Business Administration at the Faculty of Business Organization in the Universitat Politècnica de València. Her research line is in the fields of digital competences and innovation, focusing in intrapreneurship in companies and digital transformation. She also cumulates professional experience in management of R&D projects and business development. Currently is a Collaborator at the Chair “Entrepreneurship: From being student to entrepreneur”-Grupo Maicerías Españolas-Arroz DACSA and contributes to the academic scope for ACIEK Conference.

Daniel Palacios Marques is Professor of Management at the Technical University of Valencia, Spain. He has published articles in journals such as Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Small Business Economics, Management Decision, International Journal of Technology Management, Cornell Quarterly Management, Services Industries Journal, Service Business, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Journal of Knowledge Management, Journal of Intellectual Capital, International Journal of Computational Intelligence Systems, International Journal of Innovation Management and International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Human Resource Management, International Journal of Project Management, Technological and Economic Development of Economy, Journal of Organizational Change Management. He is Editor-in-chief of International Journal of Services Operations and Informatics.

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