competition winner<\/p>\n
Hotel General Manager Position in Dubai By Fezvi Okumus<\/p>\n
Introduction This case study presents a scenario about a US born and educated<\/p>\n
HGM currently managing a hotel in England but receives a similar job<\/p>\n
ofer for a larger property in Dubai within the same hotel group. The<\/p>\n
case study provides background information to the HGM, First Quality<\/p>\n
Hotels group, the hotel property in Dubai and the hospitality industry<\/p>\n
in Dubai. It ends by raising several questions about the HGM\u2019s options<\/p>\n
in response to the job ofer.<\/p>\n
Background to Mr. David Miller After completing his undergraduate degree in Hospitality Man-<\/p>\n
agement at a reputable university in the United States (US), Mr. David<\/p>\n
Miller joined First Quality Hotels group as a management trainee<\/p>\n
in 1995. He worked for this company at properties in New York, Las<\/p>\n
Vegas, Chicago, Miami and Houston. He held various managerial po-<\/p>\n
sitions in food and beverage along with sales and marketing in the<\/p>\n
company\u2019s hotels in Chicago, Miami and Houston. As a result of his<\/p>\n
outstanding performance, he was promoted to Food and Beverage<\/p>\n
Manager at the Chicago property in 2000; Hotel Manager in Miami in<\/p>\n
2002 and became Hotel General Manager at the 400-room property in<\/p>\n
Houston in 2004.<\/p>\n
David completed his MBA in 2005 and was subsequently sent to<\/p>\n
Athens, Greece, where he worked as the HGM at the chain\u2019s 450-room<\/p>\n
hotel for three years. In 2008, he was promoted to a larger five star<\/p>\n
property (600 rooms) in London, England as the HGM. He has been<\/p>\n
responsible for implementing a turnaround strategy for the hotel, with<\/p>\n
impressive results in guest service metrics and overall profit margin.<\/p>\n
He is often described by those who have worked with him or for him<\/p>\n
as being a hard-working, analytical, approachable, team builder, team<\/p>\n
player, fair, motivator, good communicator, good listener and inspir-<\/p>\n
ing.<\/p>\n
David is married to Jennifer and they have two daughters who<\/p>\n
are six and nine. Jennifer has not been particularly pleased with their<\/p>\n
moves from one location to another one every three\/four years. She is<\/p>\n
also concerned with their daughters\u2019 education since it takes time for<\/p>\n
them to settle down and get used to their new schools and the educa-<\/p>\n
tion system in each location. David is less concerned with this since he<\/p>\n
knows that there are generally first class private schools in every loca-<\/p>\n
tion they go and the company pays for their daughters\u2019 educational<\/p>\n
Fezvi Okumus is Chair and Associate Professor at Rosen College of Hospitality of Central Florida at University of Central Florida.<\/p>\n
expenses. He also thinks that it is a great exposure for their daughters<\/p>\n
to live in diferent countries and cultures, which can give them a com-<\/p>\n
petitive edge in the long term. On the other hand, Jennifer hopes that<\/p>\n
one day they can go back to the US and she can perhaps start build-<\/p>\n
ing a career for herself as well. Jenifer also believes that David works<\/p>\n
for long hours and does not spend enough time with her and their<\/p>\n
daughters. In other words, due to his demanding position, David has<\/p>\n
not been very successful in managing work-life balance. In addition,<\/p>\n
because of their moves from one location to another one, they do not<\/p>\n
have many close family friends to socialize with.<\/p>\n
First Quality Hotels Group As of May 2011, First Quality Hotels group manages 164 hotels<\/p>\n
worldwide. The company has over 80,000 rooms and employs over<\/p>\n
52,000 people globally. The properties are four and five star hotels tar-<\/p>\n
geting business travellers and upper class leisure travellers. Of the 164<\/p>\n
properties, 12 of them are owned by the hotel chain, 91 have manage-<\/p>\n
ment contracts, and 61 operate as franchises. In terms of geographical<\/p>\n
locations, 122 hotels are located in the USA, 16 in Europe, 12 in the<\/p>\n
Middle East, 10 in Asia and four in Africa. The company plans to open<\/p>\n
at least another 20 hotels in the Middle East and Asia within the next<\/p>\n
10 years believing that compared to other regions, there will be major<\/p>\n
growth opportunities in the Middle East and Asia.<\/p>\n
Under First Quality Hotels Group, management practices devel-<\/p>\n
oped and practiced in US properties are followed and implemented in<\/p>\n
all other properties in globally. In other words, First Quality Hotels has<\/p>\n
more an ethnocentric orientation (Roper, Brookes and Hampton, 1997)<\/p>\n
in its management practices. This home country orientation has creat-<\/p>\n
ed some conficts and challenges particularly in marketing and human<\/p>\n
resources management practices at properties outside US but the<\/p>\n
senior executives of the hotel group claim that their regional directors<\/p>\n
and HGMs are empowered to resolve any problems and challenges in<\/p>\n
such cases by thinking global and acting local. However, they further<\/p>\n
acknowledge that the company needs to work on this area to develop<\/p>\n
strategies and policies to make the company\u2019s management practices<\/p>\n
more international.<\/p>\n
Hotel General Manager Position in Dubai During the company\u2019s annual convention in Houston early 2011,<\/p>\n
Mr. John Wise, the Regional Vice President of Operations for Europe,<\/p>\n
the Middle East and Africa informed David that if he is willing, the<\/p>\n
company is considering him for a move to Dubai to become the HGM<\/p>\n
of the company\u2019s five star hotel there. This can be a great career move<\/p>\n
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases 7<\/p>\n
for David as two previous general managers of this property including<\/p>\n
Mr. Wise were promoted to senior corporate positions.<\/p>\n
The hotel property in Dubai is owned by a local corporation, but<\/p>\n
First Quality Hotels group has been managing it since it was opened in<\/p>\n
2004. It has 650 rooms, five restaurants and a convention center. The<\/p>\n
hotel is located at Jumeirah Beach with its own private beach. Its direct<\/p>\n
competitors are Hilton Dubai Jumeirah, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi<\/p>\n
Beach Resort and Marina, Sofitel Budai Jumeirah Beach and Le Merid-<\/p>\n
ian Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina. David was a guest at this<\/p>\n
property in 2007 during the annual regional hotel managers\u2019 meeting<\/p>\n
for the company. Overall, he was very impressed with the property<\/p>\n
at that time. However, in recent years the property has started show-<\/p>\n
ing some signs of aging, therefore it needs to be renovated within a<\/p>\n
few years. In addition, several new luxury hotels have been opened in<\/p>\n
Dubai which has put much pressure on the property.<\/p>\n
David has learned that one of the competitor hotels in Dubai<\/p>\n
has recently head hunted the hotel general manager of this property<\/p>\n
and the human resources manager and the marketing manager have<\/p>\n
followed him. Due to the economic recession in recent years, the ho-<\/p>\n
tel has implemented some cost cutting exercises and as a result let<\/p>\n
go about 150 employees. The property currently employs over 510<\/p>\n
employees. Due to the labor shortage in the region, the hotel has<\/p>\n
recruited employees from 14 different countries: 18 from the USA,<\/p>\n
14 from England, 12 from Germany, 12 from France, 37 from Egypt,<\/p>\n
32 from Jordan, 26 from Russia, 70 from Pakistan, 105 from India, 88<\/p>\n
from Philippines, 25 from China, 47 from United Arab Emirates and 24<\/p>\n
from other countries. The property\u2019s executive team has people from<\/p>\n
several diferent countries, including the USA, France, Greece, Spain,<\/p>\n
England, Egypt, Jordan, and United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
The Hospitality Industry in Dubai Dubai is the second-largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates<\/p>\n
(UAE). It is located in the north-eastern part of the UAE with an area<\/p>\n
of 3,885 km2 and is the only emirate without substantial oil and gas<\/p>\n
revenues (Leemann and Younes, 2005). Over 900,000 people live in<\/p>\n
Dubai and over 80% of this population is expatriates. As summarized<\/p>\n
in several recent publications, Dubai has a very strong infrastructure<\/p>\n
and it has become a major tourism and economic hub due to major in-<\/p>\n
vestments (Balakrishnan, 2008; Henderson, 2006; Leaman and Younes,<\/p>\n
2005; Sharpley, 2008). The ruling Al Maktoum family and investors<\/p>\n
from the region and other countries sponsored major project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s which<\/p>\n
include Dubai Maritime City, Dubai International Financial Centre,<\/p>\n
Dubai Festival City, Dubai Marina, Palm Project, Mall of Emirates, Dubai<\/p>\n
Mall, Dubailand, Dubai Health Care City and Dubai Waterfront. Due to<\/p>\n
regional and economic recession in recent years, completion of some<\/p>\n
of these project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s has been delayed.<\/p>\n
The Dubai hotel market is divided into two major sub-markets:<\/p>\n
Jumeirah Beach and the City. Europe, Russia, Arabic countries have<\/p>\n
been the main feeder markets for upper scale hotel demand in Dubai.<\/p>\n
The Dubai hotel market has often outperformed other hotel markets<\/p>\n
in the Middle East in terms of occupancy and Revenue per Available<\/p>\n
Room (RevPAR) (Leeman and Younes, 2005). However, starting from<\/p>\n
2009 the hotel industry in Dubai faced major declines in occupancy<\/p>\n
and revenues. For example, in 2009 RevPAR declined 31% to $163<\/p>\n
(Anon, 2010) which was about $236 in 2008 (Walid, 2009). However,<\/p>\n
starting from 2010, there have been signs of recovery in the hotel<\/p>\n
industry in terms of the number of visitors, occupancy and RevPAR<\/p>\n
(Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, 2011). In a recent<\/p>\n
online article (Freed, 2011), it is stated that despite recent turmoil in<\/p>\n
the region, Dubai, neighboring Emirates and surrounding countries<\/p>\n
have a bright future with the economic potential and resources. In this<\/p>\n
article it is further noted that \u201cPolitical turmoil is the wildcard, but to<\/p>\n
most it is a speed bump, even a catapult to an even greater future in<\/p>\n
the region\u201d (Freed, 2011).<\/p>\n
Supporting this, there have been signs that the hospitality indus-<\/p>\n
try in Dubai is on the way to recovery. For example, Gerald Lawless, the<\/p>\n
Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group, the hotel management com-<\/p>\n
pany that operates Dubai\u2019s sail-shaped Burj Al Arab stated that \u201cThere<\/p>\n
is a lot more depth in the market than there has been in the past in<\/p>\n
terms of the length of booking and amount of booking we are receiv-<\/p>\n
ing\u2026 We are seeing an improvement in the conference market as the<\/p>\n
economy improves globally\u201d (Bloomberg, 2011). Similar to this, in a<\/p>\n
recent interview, Starwood CEO Frits Van Paasschen was also optimis-<\/p>\n
tic about the hotel industry in Dubai after occupancies remained high<\/p>\n
in 2010. He noted that the market in Dubai is not saturated and there<\/p>\n
is a room to have more hotels in Dubai and the region (Reilly, 2011).<\/p>\n
Should David Accept this Offer? Although this could be an excellent opportunity, David has some<\/p>\n
concerns regarding the potential offer. First, Dubai faced some finan-<\/p>\n
cial difculties and the hospitality industry in the region has been<\/p>\n
facing challenges due to low demand and reduced room rates. Based<\/p>\n
on the company reports and other external industry sources, David<\/p>\n
has found that since mid-2009 the property has been performing well<\/p>\n
in key performance areas, although it was not one of the company\u2019s<\/p>\n
top performing hotels in the region. He also learned that the hotel<\/p>\n
unit\u2019s direct competitors have achieved better results than this prop-<\/p>\n
erty.<\/p>\n
David\u2019s second concern relates to the global political and eco-<\/p>\n
nomic effects on the hotel. This is a critical \u201ctime-milestone\u201d in his<\/p>\n
career with First Quality Hotels, since the next step for him would be<\/p>\n
to a senior corporate position and this new ofer could be an excellent<\/p>\n
stepping stone. However, David also knows that, even when a General<\/p>\n
Manager is sharp and makes good decisions, his performance is often<\/p>\n
dictated by fuctuations and changes in the economy and political en-<\/p>\n
vironment. Global uncertainty has escalated, civil and political unrest<\/p>\n
in several countries in the Middle East has increased (demonstrations,<\/p>\n
street disturbances in several countries in the region), and global cur-<\/p>\n
Volume 1, Number 1 8<\/p>\n
rency stability continues to decline.<\/p>\n
Finally, he is mostly concerned with how well he can work with<\/p>\n
employees and managers from diferent cultures and countries. He<\/p>\n
knows that national culture of employees and managers afect man-<\/p>\n
agement practices (Ayoun and Moreo, 2008; Hofstede, 1989). During<\/p>\n
his career in the US, Greece and England, he has worked with employ-<\/p>\n
ees and managers from diverse backgrounds and cultures, but none<\/p>\n
as varied as this one. One thing is certain: working in Dubai as a Hotel<\/p>\n
General Manager would be the most challenging task he has faced<\/p>\n
yet. He knows that if he says no to this ofer, this may be a missed op-<\/p>\n
portunity for him and he may not be approached again for such ofers<\/p>\n
within the hotel group. On the other hand, if he accepts this ofer, he<\/p>\n
will continue working far more hours than before which means that<\/p>\n
his work-life balance (Blomme, Van Rheede and Tromp, 2010; Deery<\/p>\n
and Jago, 2009) will be worse than before. He needs to make a deci-<\/p>\n
sion within one week: Should he accept the ofer?<\/p>\n
Discussion Questions \u2022 What would be the advantages and disadvantages for David to<\/p>\n
accept this ofer?<\/p>\n
\u2022 If David accepts the position, what should he do to prepare for<\/p>\n
success in his new role?<\/p>\n
\u2022 What should First Quality Hotels do to prepare David for suc-<\/p>\n
cess in his new role?<\/p>\n
\u2022 If you were to develop a cross-cultural training program, which<\/p>\n
topic (sample nursing essay examples by the best nursing assignment writing service)s and activities would you include?<\/p>\n
\u2022 How can David better manage work-life balance?<\/p>\n
References Anon. (2010). Dubai Hotel Occupancy Sees Sharp Jump in February,<\/p>\n
Yahoo!Business Industries. Http:\/\/en.news.maktoob.com\/20090000451930\/ Dubai_hotel_-occupancy_sees_sharp_jump_in_Feb\/Article.htm. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
Ayoun, B. and Moreo, P. (2008). Does national culture affect hotel manag- ers\u2019 approach to business strategy? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(1): 7-18.<\/p>\n
Balakrishnan, M. (2008). Dubai \u2013 a star in the east: A case study in strategic destination branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, 1(1): 62-91.<\/p>\n
Blomme, R., Van Rheede, A. and Tromp, D. (2010). Work-Family Conflict as a Couse for Turnover Intentions in the Hospitality Industry. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 10(4): 269-285.<\/p>\n
Bloomberg. (2011). Jumeirah Group plans to open at least six hotels this year, Arabian Business.Com, January 13, 2011. Http:\/\/www.arabianbusiness. com\/jumeirah-group-plans-open-at-least-six-hotels-this-year-373586.html. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
Deery, M. and Jago, L. (2009). A Framework for Work-Life Balance Practices: Addressing the Needs of the Tourism Industry. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 9(2): 97-108.<\/p>\n
Freed, J. (2011). Dubai\u2019s Hospitality Provides Platform for Discovery, HotelNews. com, May 4, 2011. Http:\/\/www.hotelnewsnow.com\/articles.aspx\/5473\/ Dubais-hospitality-provides-platform-for-discovery. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
Henderson, J. (2006). Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming barriers to destination development, International Journal of Tourism Research, 8(2), pp.87-99;<\/p>\n
Hofstede, G. (1989). Organizing for cultural diversity, European Management Journal, 7 (40: 390-397.<\/p>\n
Leemann, S. and Younes, E. (2005). The Dubai Hotel Market \u2013 Hot or Soon to Overheat? London: HVS International.<\/p>\n
Reilly, D. (2011). Dubai hotel industry set for growth in 2011 \u2013 Starwood CEO, Arabian Business.com, January 14, 2011. Http:\/\/www.arabianbusiness.com\/ dubai-hotel-industry-set-for-growth-in-2011-starwood-ceo-373646.html. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
Roper, A., Brookes, M. and Hampton, A. (1997). The Multi-cultural manage- ment of international hotel groups. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 16(2): 147-159.<\/p>\n
Sharpley, R. (2008). Planning for Tourism: The Case of Dubai, Tourism and Hospitality Planning and Development, 5(1): 13-30.<\/p>\n
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. (2011). Statistics. Http:\/\/ www.dubaitourism.ae\/Resource%20Center\/Statistics. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
Walid, Tamara (2009). Dubai Hotel Industry in Crisis, Yahoo!Business. Http:\/\/ en.news.maktoob.com\/20090000006266\/Dubai_hotel_industry_in_crisis\/ Article.htm. [Accessed the 22nd of April 2011].<\/p>\n
International CHRIE’s Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education<\/p>\n
The award-winning Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education is a refereed, interdisci- plinary quarterly magazine designed to serve the needs of all levels of hospitality and tour- ism education through the presentation of is- sues and opinions pertinent to the field. The main objective of this periodical is to facili- tate scholarly interchange among hospitality & tourism educators, industry practitioners & educators from related disciplines. All mem- bers of International CHRIE eligible to receive JHTE as a member benefit receive the Educator in March, June, September, and December.<\/p>\n
Regular features of the JHTE include: \u2022 Papers on relevant academic issues \u2022 Forum articles addressing current trends and developments related to hospitality and tourism education<\/p>\n
\u2022 Creative essays through which educators share unique instructional techniques or other innovative approaches in the classroom<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to submit your submission to JHTE for review & consideration! For submission guidelines, go to: http:\/\/www.chrie.org\/publica- tions\/jhte\/index.aspx<\/p>\n
Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases 9<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.chrie.org\/publica
\nhttps:\/\/en.news.maktoob.com\/20090000006266\/Dubai_hotel_industry_in_crisis
\nwww.dubaitourism.ae\/Resource%20Center\/Statistics
\nHttp:\/\/www.arabianbusiness.com
\nhttps:\/\/Business.com
\nHttp:\/\/www.hotelnewsnow.com\/articles.aspx\/5473
\nHttp:\/\/www.arabianbusiness
\nhttps:\/\/Business.C<\/p>\n
Http:\/\/en.news.maktoob.com\/20090000451930<\/p>\n
winner of the competition<\/p>\n
Position for a Hotel General Manager in Dubai Fezvi Okumus wrote this.<\/p>\n
Introduction This case study depicts a scenario involving a US-born and educated individual.<\/p>\n
HGM currently managing a hotel in England but receives a similar job<\/p>\n
ofer for a larger property in Dubai within the same hotel group. The<\/p>\n
case study provides background information to the HGM, First Quality<\/p>\n
Hotels group, the hotel property in Dubai and the hospitality industry<\/p>\n
in Dubai. It ends by raising several questions about the HGM\u2019s options<\/p>\n
in response to the job ofer.<\/p>\n
Background to Mr. David Miller After completing his undergraduate degree in Hospitality Man-<\/p>\n
agement at a reputable university in the United States (US), Mr. David<\/p>\n
Miller joined First Quality Hotels group as a management trainee<\/p>\n
in 1995<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
competition winner Hotel General Manager Position in Dubai By Fezvi Okumus Introduction This case study presents a scenario about a US born and educated HGM\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[16,38,22,19,26,18,13,30,32,37,28,20,34,14,8,6,11,23,21,24,33,36,31,9,4,5,15,17,10,12,25,27,35],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nursing-study-help","tag-best-college-paper-writing-services","tag-best-nursing-essay","tag-best-nursing-paper-writing-service","tag-best-research-paper-writing-services-in-usa","tag-cheap-paper-writing-service","tag-dissertation-help","tag-dissertation-writing-service","tag-essay-contests-for-college-students","tag-health-care-and-life-sciences-paper-writers","tag-health-care-essay-writing-services","tag-healthcare-assignment-writing-services","tag-healthcare-essay-writing-services","tag-help-with-writing-healthcare-academic-papers","tag-journal-paper-writing-service","tag-medical-essay-writing-service","tag-medical-research-paper-writing-service","tag-medical-school-essay-writing-service","tag-nursing-assignment-writing-service","tag-nursing-assignment-writing-service-uk","tag-nursing-essay-examples-uk","tag-nursing-essay-help","tag-nursing-essay-writing-examples","tag-nursing-essay-writing-service","tag-nursing-paper-writing-service","tag-nursing-paper-writing-services-reviews","tag-nursing-writing-services","tag-paper-writing-service-reddit","tag-paper-writing-service-reviews","tag-professional-nursing-essay-writers","tag-research-paper-writing-services","tag-top-paper-writing-service","tag-write-my-nursing-essay","tag-write-my-nursing-essay-paper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}