Essay on "Exploring Relevant Issues to Junction Hotel"
Essay 8 pages (2451 words) Sources: 8
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Junction Hotel is one of the more popular destinations for both the young as well as the mature consumers. It carries tradition and history, but has managed to combine them with modernity and style in a manner which attracts consumers of all ages and socio-cultural backgrounds. The product and service selection at the Junction Hotel is increased, to as such ensure high levels of satisfaction for the various clients.The Junction Hotel -- despite its success -- also faced a series of issues. These are complex and pegged to numerous organisational features. Among these features three have been selected as more important to be addressed: efficiency, employee management and international expansion.
Efficiency drive
Junction Hotel, similar to any other economic agent functioning within the modern day society, is faced with mounting threats and challenges. They -- the economic agents -- must for instance face incremental competition at both national as well as international levels. Then, they have to ensure customer satisfaction and the ability to continually adapt to the newer and emergent demands of the customers. Also they have to motivate the staffs to increase their performances and they have to operate in a means in which they support environmental stability. And through all these, they have to attain their financial objectives. In other words, the managerial team at the Junction Hotel has to attain the traditional objective of profit registration, but it must do so through the satisfaction of the needs and wants of as many stakeholder categories as possible.
In an effort to respond to all these challenges and still attain the pro
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The promoter of organisational efficiency is generically accepted as Henry Ford, the visionary who made the automobile accessible to the wider population and forever changed the face of humanity. This outcome was however possible not due to a vision, but more so due to a practical decision -- the creation of the Ford automobile on the production line. This specifically meant that the assembly line was formed in the materialization of a conveyor belt which transported all components to the employees. Efficiency was created as the employees were no longer forced to themselves get the pieces they needed, and they no longer wasted valuable time completing transitory operations.
Aside from reducing the need for transitory operations, the assembly line was also efficient as it ensured that each staff member working on the assembly line was only completing the tasks assigned to them. In other words, while redundant, all employees were specialized on a specific task and came to the ability to complete that task within restricted time frames and with high levels of efficiency.
Henry Ford as such created the practical context in which organisational efficiency was born, but he also created the circumstances and the environment in which efficiency was supported within the long-term. As the specialized literature of today tells us, whenever change is implemented within the organisational context, employees tend to reveal reticence and not embrace the change process. This result could be the reaction of numerous features, such as fear of the unknown, lack of desire to learn new things as the current position is comfortable or other reasons. But like a visionary, Henry Ford did not allow the staff members to be reticent to the assembly line, but increased their wages to stimulate them. Practically, in a context in which the weekly salary was of $11, Ford raised it to $5 per day, to a more than double weekly total of $25 (The Lincoln Library of Shapers of Society).
The decision made by Ford could be debated today through the lenses of the numerous approaches to the motivational theory. What Ford virtually did was to stimulate change implementation by financially rewarding the employees. He as such used money to motivate the employees and it would appear that the strategy paid off. Nevertheless, when assessing Ford's decision through the lenses of Herzberg's motivational theory, it is revealed that Ford did not generate employee satisfaction. To better explain, Herberg argues that the employees' satisfaction on the job -- and ergo their motivation, commitment and performance levels -- is pegged to two distinct sets of motivators: true motivators and hygiene factors.
The hygiene factors include the salary, the working conditions, the working policies and other such features. Herzberg argued that these hygiene factors created a safe working environment in which the employees were not dissatisfied, but in which they were neither motivated. He in fact believed that true motivation came from the true motivators, which include the sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility, personal development and advancement (Chapman, 2010). Henry Ford's financial incentives to the employees are integrated within the category of hygiene factors, which create mere content. It would as such be visible how the implementation of financial incentives to create efficiency and employee satisfaction at the Junction Hotel would be necessary, but insufficient to also create motivation and commitment.
Today, efficiency is created no longer through the assembly lines alone. The standardization of production remains a focal point of efficiency, but it is no longer sufficient. A relevant example of modern day efficiency creation is represented by the McDonald's Corporation. Blamed for its promotion of an unhealthy nutrition throughout the world, McDonald's in the epitome of business success and its triumphs are so great that they embody the entire process of globalization under the syntax of McDonaldisation -- the term is in fact a particularization of the wider concepts of Westernisation and Americanisation, which imply that the phenomenon of globalization is in fact unilateral, with the predominant influences and benefits being registered on the part of the Western Hemisphere, particularly the United States, and with the influence of McDonald's being tremendous on the populations outside the U.S.
At a more specific level, the term of McDonalisation was coined by George Ritzer, who defines it as:
"The process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world" (Outside In, 2011).
According to Ritzer, and based on Max Weber theories, there are four particular principles sitting at the basis of McDonaldisation, as follows: efficiency, predictability, calculability and control. All of these are necessary to attain the level of corporate success which has been attained by McDonald's. In other words, in order for the Junction Hotel to attain the high levels of success it strives for, it is not sufficient for it to only seek efficiency, but it must also possess predictability, control and calculability.
3. Internal issues
At the level of the internal issues at the Junction Hotel, emphasis is placed on two distinctive concerns: the management of the staff members and the international expansion of the hotel. Each of these two issues is more than complex and further divides into a myriad of other concerns. In terms of the management of the employees for instance, some of the more common issues would include the compensation packages, the training of the employees, the compliance with the employment legislations, the creation of positions and job designs and so on. Then, at the level of the international expansion, some of the more important issues could refer to the legal, political or economic barriers in expansion, the business model used in expansion (for example sole proprietorship vs. franchise) or the resource necessities and restrictions pegged to the expansion process.
Still, in spite of the complexity and large number of issues, it is important to only select two of the most relevant ones. In this order of ideas, at the level of the employee management, emphasis is placed on the efforts to be made to increase efficiency. In terms of the international expansion, emphasis is placed on the cultural dimension of the expansion process. Specifically, it is wondered how standardized international expansion would be impacted by the need to work with individuals of different cultural backgrounds.
The employees at the Junction Hotel generally perform standardized tasks, which require low levels of performance and quality of work. The result is that of low levels of wages and the subsequent low levels of employee performance and satisfaction. This in turn negatively impacts organsational efficiency. The lines below reveal some recommendations as to how efficiency could be increased at the Junction Hotel, especially in the context of the highly standardised operations:
Reducing the number of breaks to one, two most, during the eight hours of work (United States Air Force, 2008). This refers specifically to the number of breaks, not the overall duration of the total break. If for instance one Junction Hotel would offer its employees 8 breaks, of 8 minutes each break, it would mean that the employees can interrupt… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Exploring Relevant Issues to Junction Hotel" Assignment:
A 2500 word essay in four sections exploring Junction Hotel using a number of themes from the module (see below)
An appendix with copies of relevant material to the essay, such as websites and newspaper articles
You are asked to produce a 2,500-word essay applying academic theory to relevant issues that have occurred at Junction Hotel. The assignment should be constructed in a proper essay format with a beginning, main body and conclusion. The essay should be made up of four sections as detailed below, with a section heading for each. You do not need to cover all these suggested topics but the answer must relate to themes from the course. Do not though use these topics as headings for the essay, rather incorporate them into your writing.
Please use academic literature relevant to each of the themes, as well as sourcing information about the company from its website and from high quality newspapers and business periodicals. Copies of websites and newspaper articles used should be added as an appendix.
Section 1 (100 words): Introduction
Briefly introduce Junction Hotel and the key issues to be addressed in the essay.
Section 2 (1000 words based on Theme 1): Efficiency drive
Describe and an***** the efficiency drive introduced by Jerry Maguire. How does it relate to the work of Taylor and Ford, and to more modern day organisations exemplified by McDonalds.
Suggested areas that you might cover include:
Description and analysis of the changes in work practices, focusing in particular on what makes them efficient
What, according to Rizter, are the four key principles of McDonalisation? Describe them and give examples of how they operate in practice in Junction Hotel.
To what extent are the principles that McDonalds use in their work practices based on the ideas developed by Frederick Taylor and Henry Ford? Discuss your answers with reference to the literature and real life examples. How have they been implemented in Junction Hotel? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach from the employers and employees perspective?
What are the advantages of a McDonaldized/bureaucratic approach from the organizations viewpoint?
What, according to critiques of Taylor/Ford and McDonalization, are the problems of this approach (you can use Harry Braverman and Max Weber among others)
Section 3 (1,000 words based on a choice of one of themes 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6): Working for Junction Hotel
What is it like as an individual working for Junction Hotel? Choose one only of themes 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 to help you describe and an***** the experiences of the workers.
Suggested topics that you might choose from include:
Jerry Maguire*****s changes could be described as creating a low paid, unskilled job. Relating to literature on the course what criticism and defence of Maguire*****s change and for the types of jobs they create?
These changes have created highly standardised jobs. Relating to academic theory what impact might that have on motivation of staff? What challenges do you believe a manager of Junction Hotel might have to motivate their staff?
Junction Hotel is organised into a series of departments. To make them work effectively what team building activities could Junction Hotel introduce? Base this on appropriate theory (i.e. Belbin, Tuckman etc).
How can the management of emotions and appearances be seen as key skills for the Junction Hotel worker? Give examples from real life situations or academic literature. Which departments do you feel are the most likely to experience emotional labour and why? According to the literature how should employees manage their emotions? If Junction Hotel recruit a new bar staff member what assessment techniques, if any, can they use to see if they can cope with the demands of emotional labour?
Personality tests (such as OCEAN) are a popular way assessing the suitability of a person for a role. Drawing on academic theory to what extent do personality tests capture the *****˜true nature***** of an individual? Would you recommend Junction Hotel to introduce personality tests as part of their recruitment process?
Junction Hotel is increasingly a global organisation having become part of the Hilvomada chain that operates across many different countries in a highly standardised manner. What particular challenges does this raise when working with people from different cultural backgrounds?
What are the ethical, social and environmental issues facing Junction Hotel?
Section 4 (400 words): Conclusion
Write a conclusion, examining the key issues covered in the essay. Make any relevant links here between issues raised in your essay and items presented in your appendix.
Reference list in Harvard style
Assessment criteria
1. Addresses and answers the coursework brief in full
2. Shows evidence of independent wider academic reading using the correct citations in the text with a bibliography in Harvard style.
3. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of relevant theories and concepts.
4. Written in appropriate academic style and makes arguments based on the literature and related to Junction Hotel.
5. Well structured with introduction and conclusion and well presented.
6. A set of relevant supporting materials is presented as an appendix.
Suggested readings:
French, R; Rayner, C; Rees, G and Rumbles, S (2008) Organizational Behaviour, Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. Mainly Chapters 1, 4, 5, 7
Knights, D and Willmott, H (eds) (2007) Introducing Organizational Behaviour and Management, London, Thomson. Chapters 2, 6, 12
Morgan, G (2006) Images of Organization London: ***** (Ch. 2 �*****" *****˜Mechanization Takes Command*****)
Ritzer, G (2008) The McDonaldisation of Society (5th edition) London: *****. (Ch. 3 �*****" Efficiency, Ch. 5 �*****" Predictability)
Donkin, R (2001) Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work London: Texere. 4, 10, 11, 17)
Taylor, S. (1998) *****˜Emotional Labour and the New Workplace.***** Ch. 5 in P. Thompson and C. Warhurst (eds.) Workplaces of the Future. Basingstoke: MacMillan
Schlosser, E (2002) Fast food nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the Rest of the World. London: Penguin. See especially Chapter 7: *****˜Cogs in the Great Machine*****
Hickson, D and Pugh, D (1995) Management Worldwide: The Impact of Societal Culture on Organizations around the Globe London: Penguin. See chapter 2 in particular, but the rest of this book may be useful.
Parker, B (1996) *****'Evolution and Revolution: from International Business to Globalization.*****' In S.R. Clegg; C. Handy and W.R. Nord (eds.) (1996) The Handbook of Organization Studies. London: *****
Bakan, J (2005) The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Ch.3 �*****" The Externalising Machine)
Watson, J (2002) *****˜Transnationalism, Localization and Fast Foods in East Asia.***** Ch. 23 in G. Ritzer (ed) McDonaldization: The Reader London: ***** 222-232
Klein, N (2001) No Logo London: Flamingo
Toynbee, P (2003) Hard Work; Life in low-pay Britain London, Bloomsbury Publishing
Ngai, Pun (2004), Women workers and precarious employment in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, China, Gender and Development, Vol 12 No 2, p 29-36
Callaghan, G and Thompson, P (2002) *****˜We recruit attitude: The selection and shaping of routine call centre labour***** Journal of Management Studies; 39:2, pp233-254
Al-Husan, F; Brennan, R and James, P (2009) *****˜Transferring Western HRM practices to developing countries; The case of a privatized utility in Jordan.***** Personnel Review; Vol 38, No. 2: 104-123
How to Reference "Exploring Relevant Issues to Junction Hotel" Essay in a Bibliography
“Exploring Relevant Issues to Junction Hotel.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/junction-hotel-one/5416016. Accessed 5 Oct 2024.
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