Home
>
Strategic Planning
>
Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - Rising costs

Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - Rising costs

Note to Northwest Airlines ? It's not about fuel costs

For the first quarter of 2005, Northwest Airlines posted a loss of $458 million. The main reason cited was high fuel costs.

Northwest complained that fuel prices surged to $630 million from $450 million for the same time period last year. Let's start by looking at some numbers. During the first quarter of 2004, Northwest lost $230 million. This means the increase in red ink was $118 million while fuel expenses increased $180 million. Obviously, with fuel expenses higher than the change in red ink, one could make an argument that higher crude is responsible. This argument does not hold up to scrutiny when you consider the entire cost of fuel was only $172 greater than the loss. Also Northwest has stated a penny fuel increase equates to $1.6 million in operating costs. A $458 million loss attributable to increased jet fuel cost would need to cost $2.86/gallon using Northwest calculations. At the end of the first quarter, jet fuel averaged $1.27 cents.

Okay, too many numbers, let's look at it a different way. Based on Northwest's total fuel bill, if fuel was the reason for the loss, the only way they could have turned a profit would have been to run their planes with only 25% of the fuel actually used. Although this would be a quick fix and return the airlines on paper, if their argument is correct, it would have had a dire effect on reaching each flight's intended destinations.

If this isn't convincing enough that Northwest's blame of fuel costs is invalid, consider Southwest Airlines. The first quarter of 2005 was the airlines 56th consecutive quarter of earnings ? earning $76 million dollars. Southwest, which has been able to compile a winning streak of 32 straight years of profits did not need to make excuses for their earning, despite fueling their planes sufficiently to reach their destinations. However, Southwest did comment on rising fuel prices when they released their earnings statement. Their comment, "While we are not immune to the challenging industry revenue environment and glut of capacity, we are well positioned for growth and will continue to explore long-term profitable market opportunities."

Blaming operational costs, including price increases from suppliers, is common among businesses. Entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies fall pray to this invalid excuse. Successful business professionals see increased costs in advance, and prepare for them. For example, Southwest Airlines has hedged their fuel expenses through 2009 in anticipation of higher prices. They said, "Excluding fuel, our unit costs declined 3.8 percent. This superb performance reflected a tremendous effort by our Employees, and they continue to work hard to improve productivity throughout our Company."

To create consistent earning, Southwest Airlines offsets the volatile fuel prices by buying crude oil derivative contracts to limit their risk to sharp changes in jet fuel costs. This practice makes it easier to budget for fuel. Although there is not a jet-fuel derivatives market, airlines can hedge indirectly by dealing in closely related oil futures, then use the proceeds to offset the higher fuel costs.

Rather than making excuses for higher costs, look at ways to offset those higher expenses through a team attack on budget waste. If possible, prepay or set aside money to counteract those costs when they do go up. Predictable increases should be written into proposals as early as possible.

Proper planning puts you on the path of max impact, where your business will flourish despite erratic business expenses.

Rick Weaver is President of Max Impact, a national leadership and organization development company based in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Rick is an accomplished business executive with experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain and project management, team building, and process improvement. He has worked with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results. MaxImpact offers leadership and organizational development services along with employee assessments and background checks. Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or via email, rick@getmaximpact.com. MaxImpact is on the web at rick@getmaximpact.com

scheduled cleaning services Winnetka ..

In The News:

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Invalid Excuses for Poor Business Results - Rising costs

Strategic Planning