Boeing 737 Max 8 - A Stalled Communication Take-Off?

Name: Boeing 737 Max 8 - A Stalled Communication Take-Off? (English version)
SKU: IMB903

Ganapathy, Deepti; Gomes, Jacqueline

Product #:IMB903

Supplier:Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

Discipline:Strategy

Setting:Africa;Asia;United Kingdom;United States

Details:Case (PDF) • 15 pages • 2021-12-09

Subjects:

Business ethics Communication strategy Crisis management Decision making Leadership Managerial behavior Organizational culture Business law and ethics Corporate communications Business management Decision making and problem solving Leadership and managing people Management Strategy

Geography:

Africa Asia United Kingdom United States Europe North America

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$12.40

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This case focuses on a key business decision taken by The Boeing Company to counter competition from its rival Airbus - in a duopoly market. The pressure to stay relevant, be competitive and bag a large market pie in the burgeoning aviation sector, led Boeing to make a series of untimely decisions that resulted in two plane crashes, followed by an expos of several safety and regulatory practices and processes. The case presents Boeing's flagship 737 MAX 8 aircraft; throws light on the popularity of the model; provides an overview of the aviation market; and the context surrounding the two crashes that occurred when the 737 MAX aircraft were released; and the ensuing communication debacle that followed.

Learning Objectives

The case puts the students in the shoes of Dennis Muilenberg, former President and CEO of The Boeing Company, and makes them rethink his actions and decisions. The students will be allowed to dive deep into the case, vicariously living through the life of the protagonist while putting their decision-making capabilities to test when they will have to consider the decisions made by Boeing - before the crashes, after the crashes, and while the aircraft were grounded. Students will explore the role of communication and channels used by Boeing in dealing with such a scenario. Through varying sets of problems such as regulatory bodies' slack attitude, short-sighted business decisions, and leaked internal employee communication, the case builds on to how this led to a communication failure that affected not only Boeing's business, but also threatened the already volatile aviation industry.