Managing Products and Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Products and Services - Essay Example 100 million. Growing competition in the local hospitality sector, changing customer preferences and the rising importance of green practices were the primary reasons behind this decision to undertake an extensive of the entire hotel. The hotel remained closed for nearly 3 years and opened in 2007 after investing over ?220 million (an excess of ?120 million over the initial budget) in the renovation and replacement of its entire infrastructure (Schwab, 2010). All along, the emphasis on the part of Savoy’s management was to preserve the hotel’s identity, elegance and its old-fashioned glory. Notable features such as the statue of Peter II or the American bar were retained although having undergone extensive makeovers and improvements. In simple words, Spenceley (2008) terms the restoration project implemented by Savoy can be termed as an elaborate improvement. A lot has been written about the green makeover that the hotel underwent during this phase. While the identity of Savoy as a luxury hotel or a place of extravagance does not require any introduction, the question does arise over just how green the hotel has become. The resulting strategies that the hotel’s management has adopted to market and promote its efforts towards environmental safety and customer satisfaction present an interesting situation with the reopening of the hotel. This paper describes an analysis that begins with an analysis of the key internal and external factors that influences the strategic decisions of the Savoy Hotel. The effectiveness with which the hotel has positioned itself in the market post-renovation and the steps taken to maintain and improve customer satisfaction are discussed thereafter. Key macro and micro factors influencing Savoy Hotel The effects of global warming and climate change are being felt the world over. Travelers and customers are increasingly aware of this growing problem and are becoming more active towards reducing their carbon footprint . Renewed needs from customers for green solutions and practices and rising costs associated with conventional methods of operation have prompted some much needed change on the part of the hospitality sector in the UK. The restoration of the Savoy hotel that commenced in 2007 was mainly driven by these considerations and the need to adopt a greener image (Peeters, 2010). Another factor that prompted the Savoy hotel to undergo the expensive renovation was the constantly rising costs as the hotel had previously not considered long-term savings through cheaper, greener solutions (Roth, 2011). The latest renovation and reopening of the hotel in 2010 has also led to the question of how much farther the hotel must go in order to become sustainable. Competition from rival hotels in implementing similar solutions to aid in environmental protection is another trend that facilitated a change in strategy on the part of Savoy hotel. Since 2006, the UK hospitality industry has witnessed a rapid surge in energy costs due to rising fuel prices (Horner, 2008). Prices for conventional fuels like gasoline and natural gas have been on higher over previous years. The ongoing tension in the Middle East and the resulting volatility in the markets have also contributed to this increase in fuel costs. Hotel chains like the Hilton International and the Grosvenor House Hotel have

Surprising reversal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Surprising reversal - Essay Example This plan is supposed to take care of the soldiers’ children in times of deployment. Many a time, this does not work the way it is supposed to. Often a soldier has to assign temporary guardianship to a relative. Soldiers are also sent back home to reconstruct a new FCP, because the previous one has failed and the time a soldier gets to complete this task is just not enough for such an important exercise. FCPs are something that soldiers need time to put together. This is not a task to be taken lightly. It takes a lot of time, thought and effort to put together an effective Family Care Plan. Instead the military gives only thirty days for them to find someone to entrust their loved ones. FCP helps the military maintain its level of readiness for deployment. On the face of it, it is a deceptively simple exercise but from the soldier’s point of view, it is a rigorous task that is not easily completed by a long shot. There are several factors that must be addressed when imp lementing the FCP. The ‘person of choice’ to entrust children is to me, the biggest choice a soldier has to make. Someone that appeared to be a prime candidate might have issues/flaws that would keep that person from being able to take care of the soldiers’ loved ones. ... The soldier found herself charged with desertion, which is a very high wartime crime. If it had not been for the local media in her home town, this soldier might have even been convicted. FCP exercises are hard to complete and most of the time, they don’t even hold up. Everything is documented and placed into the soldiers’ files. Everyone knows that deployments come and go, but no one knows when. Knowing when and where a soldier will be deployed is one thing, but not everything goes according to how it was planned. When the time came for me to activate my FCP in which I named my mother as the preferred guardian, she was ill with cancer – an unforeseen factor. She was unable to provide the necessary care to my children due to her illness. When I tried to get one of my sisters to take my mother’s place in my FCP, I was unsuccessful; she had marriage issues that she was dealing with at the time, which made her not a very good candidate for the job of care of my two boys. Such unforeseen factors reduce the efficacy of FCPs. I was separated from the armed forces recently, in March of 2009 for a collapse of my FCP. Of course, I was honorably discharged. In conclusion, despite the military’s best intentions and beliefs, FCPs are not what they appear to be. They have been known to trap soldiers into legally binding contracts, which in some cases are not in the best interest of either the soldiers or their families. On the other hand, FCPs appear to have been designed to free soldiers from any obligation that they might have, so that the military does not have to lose them from its deployment readiness. Reference Engler, A. (2011). â€Å"Deployed military parents: Choosing custody or duty†. Good Housekeeping, April 3, 2011. Available