New Ideas in Hotel Management - Essay Example

Week 9 Assignment Discussion Questions 4. As a hotel or restaurant manager, how would you gain new product ideas? Sourcesfor new product ideas can be found in many sectors of the hotel environment if one takes the time to observe their surroundings. There are a number of sectors within the hotel industry itself that one is able t gain new ideas from. One popular source for new ideas is from fellow competitors that are always coming up with new ways to improve their products in a bid to attract more consumers than their rivals. One can study the new products introduced to the market and come up with ways which one is able to take these ideas and differentiate them to give them a new anew identity while improving them in the process. Another source where one is able to receive new ideas is from surveys of the customers that visit the establishment. The best way to find out new ways of attracting customers is by simply asking them what they would like to see change or improved in relation to the services and products offered and in what way (John Pg67). 6. If you were the director of new product development for a national fast-food chain, what factors would you consider in choosing cities for test marketing a new sandwich? Would the place where you live be a good test market? Why or why not? There are a number of factors that need to be considered in choosing locations to test new products to be introduced to the market. Some of these factors include issues such as the population of the city. The city chosen should preferably have a fairly high population so as to have a maximum number of opinions; the more people who taste the sandwich the more opinions will be available to the fast food chain giving them a clearer view of the reception of the product (John Pg45). The diversity of the population should also be put into consideration, different people like different things and it is important to know if the product will only appeal to a specific market or if it is able to cross through them and appeal to everyone. My current place of residence would serve as a good example of such a location as it has both a high as well as diverse location with a fast food mentality as few bachelors and youth prefer to cook their own meals. 7. Explain why many people are willing to pay more for branded products than for unbranded products. What does this tell you about the value of branding? The concept of branded products has been the topic of many studies in the marketing profession as it has been discovered that they tend to sell more than unbranded ones. This can be said to be due to the fact that branded products are able to create an image that is appealing to their target market and thus individuals are willing to pay an extra cost for them as they perceive them to be better than the unbranded products even though this may not necessarily be true. Branded products are able to create an identity that enhances their appeal in the market and companies are able to play to this advantage when it comes to matters of pricing. This shows that branding is a valuable marketing tool in the selling of a product. Though the quality of the item that one is selling should be high, a company will also need to concentrate on building the brand name as well should they wish to achieve business success (John Pg87). 8. Apply the concept of the product life cycle to a hotel. How does a company keep its products from going into the decline stage? The product life cycle describes the different stages that a product undergoes from the moment of its conception to the time when it begins to decline, and disposal becomes a plausible option. In relation to a hotel, the attaining of funds and construction process can be categorized as the concept and design stages while the opening of its doors to customers and the beginning of doing business can be placed in the realization and service stages (John Pg23). A company is able to keep its products from going into the decline stages however through the redesign of its products and reintroduction into the market. The products can be spruced up and improved in various sectors to create a diversity turning it into a seemingly new product that is able to have a whole new product life cycle once more. Week 9 Assignment 1. Why are employees called internal customers? Employees are referred to as internal customers due to the fact that much like consumers of a company’s product, the organization is not able to function without them. Some individuals also use their employers’ products as well so the term can also be considered in the literal as well. 2. What is a service culture? Why is it a requirement for an internal marketing program? A service culture can be defined as the practice whereby a business focuses on the provision of quality service to their consumers and not just the quality of the product alone. This is especially popular in the food industry where businesses such as restaurants are judged on the services offered to them by the waiters, concierge and other personnel and not just the food alone. This is also a requirement for an internal marketing program as the services that are offered to an organization’s employees are essential in maintaining their satisfaction with the company encouraging them to work to the best of their ability in the process. These services can include the delivery of salaries and wages on time, the provision of perks such as dental and medical insurance among others. 3. Discuss the possible ways that marketing techniques can be used by human resources managers. Marketing techniques are used to attract potential customers to a product as well as maintaining the already existing consumers that an organization has (John 43). These techniques can also be used by human resource managers to keep the employees of a company happy. It is essential to maintain an employee’s contentment so as to increase their productivity and marketing techniques can be used to carry out this aim by the human resource managers. For example, niche marketing techniques can be used to identify the different types of employees that exist within a company and ways in which their working conditions can be improved in order to maintain their happiness. 4. What are the benefits of explaining advertising campaigns to employees before they appear in the media? It is always essential to keep the employees of a company in the loop of the various marketing strategies that are to be implemented by an organization. This ensures that all workers in the company are on the same wave length and allows them to function according to the aims that the business has set for itself with the introduction of these activities. This is especially true when it comes to advertising campaigns as such methods garner lots of attention from the public and an employee needs to be able to answer any question that is put to them in relation to these ads sufficiently to the inquirers satisfaction (John 98). This will ensure that the company maintains a good image depicting efficient employees who are aware of the on goings of the organization and its activities. 5. The handling of non-routine transactions separate excellent hospitality companies from mediocre ones. Discuss this statement. The handling of non-routine transactions separate excellent hospitality companies from mediocre ones as it depicts the actual capabilities of the company. Routine transactions do not hold much of a challenge as handling of such matters have been practiced over and over again by the employees and thus they are handled with relative ease and efficiency due to its familiarization with those in charge of handling them (John 116). Dealing with non-routine transactions however shows the ability of employees to adapt to new situations as they have not been practiced before and the efficiency with which they are handled depicts the quality of the service that is available from the hospitality company. Work Cited John, Stark. Global Product: Strategy, Product Lifecycle Management and the Billion Customer Question, 2006. New York: Springer Read More