Domestic Airline Operations and Management in Nigeria (Problems and Prospects)
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study aim at examining the characteristics and challenges of domestic airlines in Nigeria. In achieving this broad aim, the following objectives would be pursued:
(i) To examine the structure and management of domestic airlines in Nigeria
(ii) To appraise the challenges and prospects of domestic airlines in Nigeria
(iii) To access the impact of government policy and regulation on airline operations in Nigeria
(iv) To highlight the strategies that can enhance airline profitable operations in Nigeria.
(v) To establish the importance of airlines to economic development of nations.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter will review the relevant literature on the lapses in the aviation sector as well as organization control system. The author intends to review the nature of organizations; system characteristics, and the functions of management in an organization, emphasizing the importance of systems control in organizations. Since control is the major management function that is intended in this study, the author wishes to emphasize the idea of organizations as cybernetic systems and the relevant literature on organizations as cybernetic systems so that the variables to be studied will be presented.
OBSERVED/RECORDED LAPSES IN THE AVIATION SECTOR
Between what the aviation sector is and what it should be certain factors have been observed to have created the gap. These are:
Safety and Security:
The maintenance of safety culture in aviation is inevitable. Safety, culture, according to Eliff (1999:3) refers to a situation in an organization where each individual employee, regardless of position, assumes an active role (supported by the organization) in error prevention. Emphasising the essence of safety culture, Wiegmann et al. (2002:2) recognize that operators do not interact with technology in isolation, rather they function “as coordinated teams embedded within a particular organizational culture. Johnson et al (2006:30) argue forcibly that safety initiatives are required to help reduce the frequency of air accidents. They suggest the approach whereby new cockpit technology can be utilized to enable pilots avoid completely adverse weather or recover speedily from hazardous situations. Reason (1990:173) posits that the basic cause of air accidents is the fallible decisions made by designers and high-level managerial decision makers. He identifies two types of errors; active errors (effects of which are felt in no distant time), and latent errors which linger for a long period, and present themselves sequel to the intervention of regulators, internal auditors or accidents, only when, the have acted with other factors to collapse a system’s defences. Active errors, according to him, are associated with the actions of air traffic controllers, pilots and control room crews, while latent errors are linked with the actions of maintenance personnel, designers and high-level decision makers. Thus, these errors “pose the greatest threat to safety of a complex system”.
The Reason Model
Source: Reason (1990). Human Error. Cambridge University Press.
In his work, Westrum (2002:12) posits that most accidents are directly linked to bureaucratic failure. Some airlines deliberately violate regulations and neglect problems that seem inimical to safety, while concentrating on protecting their territories and masking their ineffectiveness.
Wiegmann and Thaden (2007:6) identify four essential elements/organisational indicators of safety culture in aviation. These are: the organisation’s commitment to safety; the involvement of operational supervisors in safety-related activities; the formal safety system of the organization; and the organisation’s informal safety system.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter, the methodology adopted in carrying out the research will be discussed. This methodology is divided into the following subheadings. The research design; Sources of data; The population; The samples and sampling techniques; The research instrument; Methods of data collection and analysis; and Reliability of data collected.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The type of research design to be used in this study is descriptive survey design. Gay (1976:47), posits that descriptive design is a process of collecting data in order to test hypotheses or to answer questions concerning the current status of the subjects in the study. It is concerned with the relationship between variables, and development of universal validity.
Cochram (1977:72) points out that a descriptive survey deals with the use of selected sample(s) of the population.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority is described as a cybernetic system. This permits the study of the various sections of the Authority, as well as enhance perception of the role of management.
SOURCES OF DATA
Information was gathered from two main sources of data – primary and secondary sources.
PRIMARY SOURCES
The primary data for the study were collected basically by means of questionnaire. This served as the chief instrument designed and utilized for the collection of data with respect to the management characteristics, attitudes, approaches and methods within NCAA.
The purpose and objectives of the study, as well as the research hypotheses, all combined to form the basis for constructing the questionnaire. Thus the questionnaire addressed such issues as age, gender, marital status, number of children, status of respondent, adoption of management principles, managerial attitudes and styles, and management problems.
A total of two hundred and fifty – six copies of the questionnaire were distributed, based on the earlier stipulated approach, where each category of workers got a specified number of questionnaires.
To enrich further the information collected for the study, observations were used largely in the various sections of NCAA as a means of generating independent information on management and administration processes in the said section, as well as corroborating the data obtained from other sources.
SECONDARY SOURCES
The secondary data used for this study were generated mainly through reviews of some relevant materials on management, aviation industry and airline operations.
Some other secondary data came from published studies and unpublished thesis. Newspapers, journals, and articles from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, all relating to the topic of study, also served as secondary sources of data.
STUDY POPULATION
“The population or universe is the group of interest to the researcher, the group to which he would like the results of the study to be generalizable” (Eze, 1999:47). The population of this study ideally constitutes the entire staff and management of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Lagos.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
The data generated in this study are presented and analyzed in this chapter. The said data were collected from administered questionnaires. Out of the 256 copies of the questionnaire distributed, 240 were duly completed and returned. This represents 93.75% of the sample size. The remaining 6.25%, for reasons not revealed to the researcher, failed to return their questionnaires.
In the analysis of responses obtained from the questionnaire, percentages were employed. For hypotheses testing however, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Chi – Square (X2) were used.
Findings
The findings are presented below:
The level of integration among the component systems within NCAA is related to achievement of objective.
The overall performance of NCAA can be attributed to the level of integration among its component parts. The prevalent style of leadership in NCAA is autocratic leadership style, where the boss asserts and sub–ordinates simply submit. The analysis in Table 4.3.42 depicts that a higher percentage of the employees failed to vouch for a guaranteed cohesion among the various units in NCAA. Bateman et al (2002:52) posit that the benefits of groups get reduced when they are not permitted to make important decisions. They further maintain that management needs to support groups by allowing them a measurable degree of freedom and rewarding their contributions. Despite the fact that the adoption of administrative style is a function of both administrative problems and situation, the leadership style adopted in NCAA does not seem to agree with the views of Bateman et al. Stoner (1995:33) maintains that organizational development can be enhanced by sharing management power with employees. This collaborative management demands that managers ignore hierarchical authority structure and allow employees to participate in decision making.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings from the study, the following conclusions are hereby made.
(1) NCAA is not able to control the activities of airlines and parastatals within the aviation industry. This situation was observed to have stemmed from inadequate information, aggravated by poor radar coverage and scanty feedback from airlines and parastatals whose activities are regulated by NCAA.
(2) There is a gap in the communication line within the authority. This is attributed to the style of leadership (autocratic leadership) adopted by line managers. The prevalent leadership style does not permit employee participation in decision making.
(3) Private airline operators are not working in tandem with the laid down safety rules as enunciated by the world aviation regulatory body, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via NCAA. It appears the aviation business is rather complex, in relation to the available capacities of the said airlines.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the above conclusions from the study, the following recommendations are hereby made:
(1) To ensure a more effective communication network, better dissemination of information and a unique control capacity, the government should consider as a matter of urgency, the provision of adequate radar coverage. NCAA in its own part, needs to think positively towards establishing goodwill by embracing and maintaining the culture of total quality management (a total company – wide effort to guarantee quality and customer satisfaction through an integrated system of tools, techniques and training) as a strategy for acquiring prestige in the environment.
(2) To ensure a better and more meaningful comparism of performance with standards, the books of airlines should be inspected at appropriate periods. This enables the authority to obtain first hand information, thus maintaining a better coordination of airlines’ activities.
(3) As a move toward ensuring effective control, a Board of Directors needs to be established. This will enhance a proper balance between control and autonomy. The Board is meant to act as an overseer, directing and guiding management on matters of priority concern.
(4) Considering the demands of pre–requisite capital base and recapitalization, there is an ardent need for airlines in Nigeria to merge and become strong carriers in order to compete favourably. It is better to have few strong airlines than many weak ones. In other words, proliferation of airlines should be discouraged.
(5) To foster cohesion among the various systems within NCAA, members of temporary task force can be drawn from each unit.
(6) To maintain an appropriate service culture, the nation’s civil aviation authority needs to take a clue from the civil aviation authorities of developed countries in order to install an effective disaster management framework and converge telecommunication resources, for which information is inevitable. For example, the British Aviation Authorities has a unique mode of handling emergencies. Immediately an aircraft goes off the screen, action is initiated. Forces converge to investigate and track down the aircraft.
(7) By virtue of its position as the regulatory body of the parastatals and airlines within the aviation industry, NCAA needs to ensure undisputed adherence to the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA).
This adherence is considered pertinent, as the rules are in consonance with the main goal of NCAA – to ensure aviation safety.
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