American and Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines and American Airlines will be compared thoroughly in many aspects. Globalization, diversity, ethics and technology will be addressed in various ways. All four themes will be addressed through the strength, fit and adaptive ness of both company's cultures. The overall organizational culture of both Northwest Airlines and American Airlines will be clear.
Globalization
Globalization can be defined as "making worldwide in scope or application"(1). In this comparison of the global corporate culture of Northwest Airlines and American Airlines several areas will be addressed. The strength of the global culture with-in the companies. The fit of the company to the global marketplace, and the adaptive ness or the empowerment of the employees will be examined and compared. Perhaps more important, than whether they currently have a global atmosphere, is whether they can improve or create this atmosphere. A comparison between the two airlines will be made on their mission statements, information dissemination, global-mindedness, career paths, and the use of cultural differences as an asset and if a worldwide training system is in place. A conclusion will then be made as to which corporation has the best organizational composition to compete in the global market. The strength of Northwest and Americans' global culture can be compared by evaluating how well they "facilitate performance"(2,546). Both of the corporation's employees, it may be argued, have the common goal of wanting their company to expand and continue to grow in the global market. It could also be argued that the companies differ, in significant ways, when it comes to the motivating effect this common goal has. Northwest seems to be better motivated in obtaining this goal. Examples of this motivated corporate culture are illustrated by the fact that they were "pioneers in global alliances"(3) and in the fact that they have committed major investments, in the form of
Globalization
Globalization can be defined as "making worldwide in scope or application"(1). In this comparison of the global corporate culture of Northwest Airlines and American Airlines several areas will be addressed. The strength of the global culture with-in the companies. The fit of the company to the global marketplace, and the adaptive ness or the empowerment of the employees will be examined and compared. Perhaps more important, than whether they currently have a global atmosphere, is whether they can improve or create this atmosphere. A comparison between the two airlines will be made on their mission statements, information dissemination, global-mindedness, career paths, and the use of cultural differences as an asset and if a worldwide training system is in place. A conclusion will then be made as to which corporation has the best organizational composition to compete in the global market. The strength of Northwest and Americans' global culture can be compared by evaluating how well they "facilitate performance"(2,546). Both of the corporation's employees, it may be argued, have the common goal of wanting their company to expand and continue to grow in the global market. It could also be argued that the companies differ, in significant ways, when it comes to the motivating effect this common goal has. Northwest seems to be better motivated in obtaining this goal. Examples of this motivated corporate culture are illustrated by the fact that they were "pioneers in global alliances"(3) and in the fact that they have committed major investments, in the form of
Cited: 1. Merriam - Webster Dictionary. www. M-W.com . ‘Globalization ' 2. Debra L. Nelson & James Campbell Quick. (2003). Organizational Behavior, Fourth Edition. Thomson. Pages 539 - 559 3. Northwest Airlines. www. NWA.com . Company Overview 4. American Airlines . www. AMRcorp.com . AMR Corporate Information