Strategies to Retain Revenue Management Analysts in the US Airline Industry

187 Pages·2016·0.8 MB·English

Walden University
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Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
Collection
2017
Strategies to Retain Revenue Management Analysts
in the U.S. Airline Industry
Curtis Raynard Williams
Walden University
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Walden University

College of Management and Technology

This is to certify that the doctoral study by

Curtis Raynard Williams

has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,
and that any and all revisions required by
the review committee have been made.

Review Committee
Dr. Brodie Johnson, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Dr. Brenda Jack, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Dr. Ify Diala, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty

Chief Academic Officer
Eric Riedel, Ph.D.

Walden University
2017
Abstract
Strategies to Retain Revenue Management Analysts in the U.S. Airline Industry
by
Curtis Williams

MBA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1995
BS, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1993

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Business Administration

Walden University
March 2017
Abstract
The voluntary turnover of revenue management analysts in the U.S. airline industry is an
issue, compelling revenue management leaders to implement retention strategies that
successfully reduce employee turnover. The purpose of this qualitative single case study
was to explore strategies revenue management leaders used within the last 15 years to
retain revenue management analysts. The conceptual framework that grounded this study
was Maertz’s 8 motivational forces of job attachment and voluntary turnover. The
targeted population was comprised of revenue management leaders at an airline in Dallas,
Texas who had demonstrated successful strategies to reduce employee turnover. Using
criterion-based sampling, 4 revenue management leaders were selected for study
participation. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews and
company documents, then analyzed via Yin’s 5-step process of compiling, disassembling,
reassembling, interpreting, and concluding. Interpretations were then subjected to
member checking and methodological triangulation to strengthen the trustworthiness of
findings. Two main themes emerged: leadership influence and analyst career
environment. The findings provide a better understanding of revenue management
analyst retention and increase knowledge of factors that influenced turnover in the U.S.
airline industry. With this knowledge, revenue management leaders can implement
retention strategies that have successfully reduced employee turnover. The implications
for positive social change include the potential to overcome emotional discomforts about
work or psychological obligations to leave, which can encourage job satisfaction and
improve employee retention.
Strategies to Retain Revenue Management Analysts in the U.S. Airline Industry
by
Curtis Williams

MBA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1995
BS, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 1993

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Business Administration

Walden University
March 2017
Dedication
I dedicate this work to my farther, the late Curtis Albert Williams of Macclenny,
Florida. Words cannot express how much I miss you. I wish you were here to see this
accomplishment.
Acknowledgments
First, I give honor to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am humbled before God
and inspired by those who paved the way for me to accomplish this goal. Second, it is
with the utmost humility that I express my thanks to God, my Heavenly Father, and to the
late Curtis Albert Williams of Macclenny, Florida, for the life lessons I have learned from
him. I acknowledge, and I am thankful for, the love and support I received from my
family, especially my wife, Dr. Adina Williams, and my son, Christian Williams. Thank
you for your patience that allowed me to read and to write this doctoral study. Finally, I
would like to thank my doctoral study committee members, Drs. Brodie Johnson, Brenda
Jack, and Ify Diala, for the countless hours spent reviewing and providing comments and
feedback.
I acknowledge that my opportunity for a terminal degree came by way of the
opportunities provided by the 16th, 35th, 36th, and 44th presidents of the United States.
There were many nights throughout this doctoral journey where I found myself on my
knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. I found my own
knowledge, methods, and wisdom, as well as that of those around me, insufficient for the
years I had to endure to achieve this terminal degree.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Foundation of the Study ......................................................................................1
Background of the Problem ...........................................................................................2
Problem Statement .........................................................................................................3
Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................3
Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................3
Research Question .........................................................................................................4
Interview Questions .......................................................................................................5
Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................6
Operational Definitions ..................................................................................................6
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................................7
Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 7
Limitations .............................................................................................................. 8
Delimitations ........................................................................................................... 8
Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................9
Contribution to Business Practice ........................................................................... 9
Implications for Social Change ............................................................................. 10
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature ..............................................10
Eight Forces Framework of Attachment and Voluntary Turnover ....................... 13
Turnover ................................................................................................................ 38
Turnover Theories ................................................................................................. 49
Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction...................................................................... 52
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Retention Strategies .............................................................................................. 54
Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 56
Transition .....................................................................................................................56
Section 2: The Project ........................................................................................................58
Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................58
Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................58
Participants ...................................................................................................................59
Research Method and Design ......................................................................................60
Research Method .................................................................................................. 60
Research Design.................................................................................................... 62
Population and Sampling .............................................................................................63
Ethical Research...........................................................................................................65
Data Collection Instruments ........................................................................................66
Data Collection Technique ..........................................................................................67
Data Organization Technique ......................................................................................69
Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................70
Procedures for Compiling Data ............................................................................ 71
Procedures for Disassembing Data ....................................................................... 72
Procedures for Reassembing Data ........................................................................ 72
Procedures for Interpreting Data ........................................................................... 73
Procedures for Concluding Data ........................................................................... 74
Software Plan ........................................................................................................ 74
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Key Themes .......................................................................................................... 75
Dependability, Credibility, Transferability, and Confirmability .................................76
Dependability ........................................................................................................ 76
Credibility ............................................................................................................. 77
Transferability ....................................................................................................... 77
Confirmability ....................................................................................................... 77
Data Saturation...................................................................................................... 78
Transition and Summary ..............................................................................................78
Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change ..................79
Presentation of the Findings.........................................................................................79
Main Theme: Leadership Influence ...................................................................... 82
Main Theme: Analyst Career Environment ........................................................ 121
Applications to Professional Practice ........................................................................142
Implications for Social Change ..................................................................................146
Recommendations for Action ....................................................................................147
Recommendations for Further Research ....................................................................150
Reflections .................................................................................................................151
Conclusions ................................................................................................................152
References ........................................................................................................................154
Appendix A: Interview Protocol ......................................................................................176
Appendix B: Interview Questions ....................................................................................177
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