HM370 Phoenix Effective Communication & Decision Making Strategies Paper Resource: Introduction to Hospitality Management, Ch. 17 As an executive for a ho

HM370 Phoenix Effective Communication & Decision Making Strategies Paper Resource: Introduction to Hospitality Management, Ch. 17

As an executive for a hospitality consulting group you have been asked to evaluate and recommend effective communication and decision-making strategies for a four-star hotel. (For more information, read the “Guests Complaining about Waiting Too Long for Elevators” Case Study in Ch. 17 of Introduction to Hospitality Management (p. 679).)

Review the issue and provide a response that both solves the problem and provides suggestions for avoiding such challenges in the future.

Include the following information in your 700- to 1,050-word paper:

A definition of effective communication and why it is important for both management teams and employees.
Key communication concepts that can be used to resolve multi-departmental problems, including recommended methods or approaches to use.
Proposed solutions and key considerations involved in your decision-making process (e.g. rationality, conditions, styles).
Suggested best practices for avoiding such interdepartmental challenges in the future.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Guests Complaining about Waiting Too Long for Elevators
Case Study Guests Complaining about Waiting Too Long for Elevators
Guests at a busy eight-story, four-star hotel are constantly complaining about having to wait too
long for the elevator. At 8:00 a.m., some of the elevators are in use by the housekeeping
department, whose associates are going up to begin work on the guest rooms. At the same time,
room service has an elevator blocked off to serve in-room breakfasts because the kitchen and the
banqueting departments are using the service elevators. Then, at about 10:30 a.m., the
housekeepers use the elevators to go down for their morning break. The general manager
recognizes your potential and asks you to come up with suggestions to take care of the
problem/challenge.
Discussion Question
What suggestions do you have to remedy the situation described?
Trends in Communication and Decision Making
Courtesy of Dr. Greg Dunn, Senior Lecturer & Managing Director, University of Florida, Eric Friedheim
Tourism Institute
Maintain a Solid Business Reputation. In today’s connected, social media–prevalent world, it is as
important as ever to maintain a solid and positive business reputation. Public comments and
observations, both positive and negative, can be captured and shared in real time to a global audience.
The status and reputation of a hospitality business is not only evaluated through articles in the popular
press or on review sites such as TripAdvisor—the potential market reach is much greater. With realtime, global reach of social media, it is important for businesses to always represent their company and
industry positively. “Social is Mobile” is a new saying which emphasizes how important it is to create
great experiences, which ultimately result in great reviews. Just one negative review can impact a
company and guest perceptions very quickly. Today’s management must be able to handle all situations
with an active, responsive, and positive outlook and with their customers’ best interests in mind.
Ignoring comments and social media postings is not an appropriate strategy in business reputation
management.
Integrated Marketing Communications. When marketing in hospitality, one of the most important tasks
is for businesses to remain consistent in messaging across all communication channels. This includes
taking an integrated approach to marketing and communications. For instance, a business shouldensure
that all ofthe information and content on its website andapplications, as well as on traditional, digital,
and social media platforms, are consistent. The use of supplier-based or customer-based video
continues to increase in use and popularity among hospitality organizations. When done properly, video
clips and campaigns on digital and social media have proven to be very successful. Many videos provide
new information and perspective to a business’s experience, and the best videos connect with guests.
Guest or visitor videos shared on social media can prove that the experience a business presented was
actually true as advertised.
Ethics in the Hospitality Industry. Unfortunately, there continues to be a significant amount of
discussion regarding ethical practices in the hospitality industry. Companies and managers face
accusations of theft, harassment, negligence, and discrimination thatcan result in costly and public cases
and lawsuits. Since the right ethical decision is not always clear, it is important for managers to gain a
better understanding of the many ethical issues facing the hospitality industry. Understanding the
ethical issues is just one aspect; hospitality managers also have the responsibility of maintaining the
highest level of services, guest satisfaction, and optimal return on investment.
Employee Satisfaction Leads to Guest Satisfaction. One of the most, if not the most, important assets of
the hospitality industry are the employees. It is imperative for businesses to take great care of their
employees. This includes the interview process, training, listening to them, and much more. It is the role
of the manager and management team to understand what the employees think; how they perceive the
culture, goals, and missions; what they think of the working environment; and overall, how satisfied
they are with their jobs. Research has proven that higher levels of employee satisfaction can lead to
higher levels of guest satisfaction and firm profitability.
New Decision-Making Models. In many cases, people are hired into a hospitality business for their
exceptional analytical and decision-making skills. Although this mostly affects managers, all staff have to
be able to make decisions. Having a model for decisionmaking can ultimately help the business succeed.
The first part of this model should deal with defining the problem. What is the issue, and are we capable
of taking care of this problem on our own? The next part is to think about expertise. Decisionmaking
often deals with thinking critically rather than consulting an expert. Next, it is important to look at the
evidence, and finally, it is important to make a final decision.
Improved Hospitality Consumer Insights. The saying goes, “Solid insights drive solid strategy.” Top
hospitality companies understand the value of solid consumer research and insights. In order to better
understand hospitality consumer decisionmaking, it is imperative that we learn more about some of the
choices individuals and groups make. There are several types of consumer decisions we research in
hospitality. One decision theory centers on consumer financial allocation and trade-off analysis,which
involves the study of how consumers budget and allocate their spend on various hospitality products
and services and the related benefits received. Otherresearchers have focused on studying consumer
brand and style decisions that involve consumer review and screening of specifications of the goods or
services provided. This research goes into observing how a customer evaluates the value and
importance of a hospitality brand and the factors that drive decisions on which brands to purchase.
Divergent Market Segmentation. As the Gen Y and Millennials continue to evolve as strong consumer
groups, hospitality organizations will continue to be challenged in ways to successfully serve all market
segments. For instance, as each generational cohort matures and their lifestyles evolve, their spending
and travel habits typically also start to change. To attract more mature travelers, hospitality
organizations may have to offer some older, experienced, or budget-conscious travelers (such as those
falling in the Gen X, Boomer, and Mature segments) discounts, more value, and premium offers. On the
other hand, to attract younger consumers (such as Millennials and Gen Y), hospitality organizations may
have to offer experiences that include fast connectivity, high tech solutions, and novel approaches to
mature products and services. We are now faced with five very different groups of travelers, each of
which have unique needs and wants. Hospitality organizations will continue to be pressed to find ways
to appeal to and serve each segment.
Innovative Technology. Hospitality organizations will need to continue to invest in technology to help
improve the guest experience, but they must also make smart investments. With limited budgets,
hospitality organizations can’t afford to try every new technology. They must upgrade to technologies
that have been proven to add to revenues and reduce costs. For instance, hospitality organizations are
offering mobile check-ins as they realize that seamless connectivity across platforms and devices are no
longer the future—they are the present. Today, mobile apps are being used as everything from a digital
concierge to accessing big data. Geo-location can make it easy to sell guests something that is literally
right in front of them. Some hospitality organizations have developed their own apps that send offers
toguests to do everything related to eating, playing, and shopping. Additionally, monitoring guest use of
the Internet relative to bandwidth can provide a different data set, perhaps one that will drive down
theever-increasing costs of providing ridiculous levels of said bandwidth. Most importantly, when
looking at the face of a changing consumer today, technology innovation is paramount.
Case Study: Effective Communication &
Decision Making Strategies Grading
Guide
HM/370 Version 4
Hospitality Management
Copyright
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Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix® editorial standards and practices.
Case Study: Effective
Communication & Decision
Making Strategies
Grading Guide
HM/370 Version 4
Individual Assignment: Case Study: Effective Communication & Decision Making
Strategies
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of the assignment is to help students evaluate and recommend effective communication and
decision-making strategies in a real world scenario. Students explore multi-departmental communication issues
and effective decision-making processes.
Resources Required
Introduction to Hospitality Management, Ch. 17
Grading Guide
Content
Met
Partially
Met
Not Met
Total
Available
Total
Earned
7
#/7
Partially
Met
Not Met
Comments:
The student defines effective communication
and why it is important for both management
teams and employees.
The student explores key communication
concepts that can be used to resolve multidepartmental problems, including
recommended methods or approaches to
use.
The student proposes solutions and key
considerations involved in their decisionmaking process.
The student suggests best practices for
avoiding interdepartmental challenges in the
future.
The paper is 700 to 1,050 words in length.
Writing Guidelines
The paper—including tables and graphs,
headings, title page, and reference page—is
consistent with APA formatting guidelines and
meets course-level requirements.
Met
Comments:
2
Case Study: Effective
Communication & Decision
Making Strategies
Grading Guide
HM/370 Version 4
Writing Guidelines
Met
Partially
Met
Not Met
Total
Available
Total
Earned
3
#/3
10
#/10
Intellectual property is recognized with in-text
citations and a reference page.
Paragraph and sentence transitions are
present, logical, and maintain the flow
throughout the paper.
Sentences are complete, clear, and concise.
Rules of grammar and usage are followed
including spelling and punctuation.
Assignment Total
Additional comments:
#
Comments:
3

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