...' Academy ol Management Executive, 2002, Vol. 16, No. 4 Four Seasons goes to Paris floger HalloweU, David Bowen, and Carin-Isabel Knoop Europe is different from North America, and Paris is very different. I did not say difficult. I said diffeient. —A senior Four Seasons manager Executive Summary Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts opened its first French property in 1999. This article presents that opening as a case study to illustrate a perspective on how a company with a strong and highly successful organizational culture might approach a new national culture when that cuhure is both distinct and intense, as is the case in France. Managers can henefit from the case by understanding this approach to organizational and national culture, which the authors believe represents a useful framework for global management. The article begins with a discussion of the linkage between corporate cuifure and competitive advantage for service organizafions. It then describes the corporate support structure and the philosophy that Four Seasons developed over two decades to support its international expansion and to manage the type of challenges its French property posed. Finally, it describes how the firm went about transforming that property into one of its crown jewels. The Linkage Between Service Culture and Competitive Advantage The enduring success of service organizations such as Southwest Airlines, The Walt Disney Company, Wal-Mart, and USAA (among others) is frequently ...
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...BOWEN op yo CARIN-ISABEL KNOOP Four Seasons Goes to Paris: “53 Properties, 24 Countries, 1 Philosophy” Europe is different from North America, and Paris is very different. I did not say difficult. I said different. — A senior Four Seasons manager In 2002, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts was arguably the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels, managing 53 properties in 24 countries and delivering what observers called “consistently exceptional service.” For Four Seasons, that meant providing high-quality, truly personalized service to enable guests to maximize the value of their time, however the guest defined doing so. No tC In 1999, Four Seasons opened the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris (hereafter, “F. S. George V”), its first French property, by renovating and operating the Hotel George V, a historic Parisian landmark. Doing so was, according to John Young, executive vice president, human resources, “one of our great challenges and triumphs.” Young mused on what Four Seasons had learned from opening a hotel in France, wondering what lessons would be applicable to other openings given the firm’s growth plans, which suggested that new opportunities would be largely outside North America. (Exhibit 1 illustrates property locations in 2002.) Performance Do Four Seasons generally operated (as opposed to owned) midsized luxury hotels and resorts. From 1996 through 2000 (inclusive), Four Seasons revenues increased at a compound rate of...
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...What Leaders Really Do In the article Four Seasons Goes to Paris we learned about the ins and outs of Four Seasons’ transition into a market they were not in until 1999. The transition was extremely smooth and, as the article showed, that was due in large part to their rock solid approach to international growth. While it didn’t hurt that Four Seasons was already the world’s leading operator of luxury hotels and that their revenues increased at a compound rate of 22.6% per year from 1996-2000 (Hallowell, Bowen, & Knoop, 2003), for a company as deeply committed to customer service as they are, the real success of the Paris venture would not have been possible without their exceptional leadership and human resource management. Former Harvard Business professor John P. Kotter has done extensive research in the field of organizational change and development. His article What Leaders Really Do examines the role of leadership and human resource management in the transitions of an organization, which closely relate to the challenges that Four Seasons faced. Introduction Kotter promoted the theory that management and leadership are different but complementary and that, in a changing world, one cannot function without the other. While each have their own functions and specific activities, in an increasingly complex and volatile business environment, they are both necessary for success. He found that US corporations tend to be overmanaged and underled and that successful corporations...
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...Four Season Goes to Paris Four Seasons is one of the biggest midsized luxury hotels in the world. Although it is Canadian-based, it currently operates across different continents. Despite the fact that they operate in different parts of the world, they are known for its high standards of quality and providing good experience. Wherever they operate they bring their corporate culture, traditions and standards with them. Sometimes it is difficult to come and implement your corporate culture, because people are different, cultures are different, and lastly laws and regulations are different. Four Seasons faced these problems when trying to launch their hotel in Paris. When entering hotel market in Paris, Four Season faced number of problems both legal and cultural. France had its own laws regarding working hours, hygiene issues, and French people had their own moral, culture, attitude toward work, which differed from North American one. For a building they chose the building of old “George V” hotel. They tried to keep outside façade and change inside a bit. According to French hygiene laws, trash and food had to be carried via different corridors and elevators. Because of that Four Seasons had to create additional ways just for food and trash. “Right to light” law, which stated that each employee must work at least several hours a day by the window. Four Seasons management had to arrange schedules so that, no one was working all day in the basement. ...
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...Introduction The survey of the United Kingdom’s (UK) fashion industry concluded that the fashion industry in UK is now worth more than 21 billion pounds in one year and the value get even bigger when the tourism and related businesses are included. It could be as much as 37 billion pounds (“Telegraph,” 2010). Every year, there is an event known as London Fashion Week (LFW), where top designers present their new collections for the next season. LFW can bring in more than 100 million pounds a year (Armstrong, 2013). Fashion had started over a thousand year ago, and it is involves in many different areas such as fashion designs, businesses, fashion events and the film industry. The purpose of this paper is to show the evolution of London fashion into the current trend and to show the various reasons why London has become fashion capital and remained in first place for over two years. This paper also include with the history of London fashion, the reasons why London deserve to be the fashion capital, the background story of LFW and the positive impacts it has made. Finally, it will present case study of the differences in fashion industry between the UK and Japan. 1.0 Fashion Capital - London 1.1 Background Information A fashion capital is a city which has international fashion trends influences and is a centre for fashion industry, including designs, fashion events such as fashion shows, and products. Fashion...
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...around the globe: the Vipp pedal bin. He created it for his wife's hairdresser's salon, who needed a functional and sturdy bin. Later, dentist's offices and clinics adopted this pedal bin on account of its design and practicality. However, the conmpany Vipp was established after Holger's death in 1992, when his daughter Jette Egelund with her two childern Kasper and decided to start selling the bins not only to professional market, but to the public as well. Until present day, the company has expanded their product line from pedal bins only to wide array of bathroom and kitchen products ranging from espresso cups, laundry baskets, mirrors to towels and toilet brushes. Holger's philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: “Good design never goes out of fashion”. Vipp still continues to design and manufacture products based on the design of the first pedal bin, inspired by the 1950's and 1960's. Their product lines are currently offered to individuals who seek everyday products of supreme quality and classic design and are willing to pay the high-end price for them, to illustrate; their prices for the smallest pedal bins start at around 1600 DK (about 215€). The company's current marketing segment could be simply described as individuals and families of upper economic class, who are looking for trendy everyday products and pay more to get more quality. Since the start of Vipp, the professional market has showed a lot of interest in their products. Restaurans are one of them....
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...would also like to thank my manager Mr. Oliver Drutschmann who hired me as a Team Leader intern and allowed me to work in this environment, involving me in several projects such as the transformation process of the majority our standard rooms in terrace rooms situated in the main floor of our hotel (in order to get a higher average price / room) or empowering me and other team leaders in taking operational decision related to management. I had also the opportunity to work with a wonderful team, always available if needed and I’m grateful to them as my time at the Disneyland Hotel was very positive in terms of personal and professional experience. 3. Table of contents 2. Acknowledgments 4. Development I) Introduction II) Disneyland Paris: the Disneyland Hotel III) The overall quality of the reception of the DLH 5. Conclusion 6. Sources 7. Appendixes 4. Development Introduction The Disneyland Hotel is a five star...
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...Al-Qaeda making comeback in Iraq, officials say BAGHDAD (AP) — Al-Qaeda is rebuilding in Iraq and has set up training camps for insurgents in the nation's western deserts as the extremist group seizes on regional instability and government security failures to regain strength, officials say. / Iraq has seen a jump in al-Qaeda attacks over the last 10 weeks, and officials believe most of the fighters are former prisoners who have either escaped from jail or were released by Iraqi authorities for lack of evidence after the U.S. military withdrawal last December. Many are said to be Saudi or from Sunni-dominated Gulf states. Teenage School Activist Survives Attack by Taliban At the age of 11, Malala Yousafzai took on the Taliban by giving voice to her dreams. As turbaned fighters swept through her town in northwestern Pakistan in 2009, the tiny schoolgirl spoke out about her passion for education — she wanted to become a doctor, she said — and became a symbol of defiance against Taliban subjugation. / On Tuesday, masked Taliban gunmen answered Ms. Yousafzai’s courage with bullets, singling out the 14-year-old on a bus filled with terrified schoolchildren, then shooting her in the head and neck. Two other girls were also wounded in the attack. All three survived, but late on Tuesday doctors said that Ms. Yousafzai was in critical condition at a hospital in Peshawar, with a bullet possibly lodged close to her brain. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu calls for early elections JERUSALEM...
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...HR Management A leader can use human resources by implementing three areas to contribute to the goals of the organization. These three areas are creating, maintaining, and improving the human resources system. Through creating the human resources system, the leader should ensure that the organization is hiring the right employees. Candidates with very broad perspectives on business, have the right personalities regarding the organization's culture, and their needs, values, and interests in the organization are considered when hiring. These factors are crucial in selecting the right employees so that the employees will be able to collaborate more effectively within the organization and also build honest and reliable services to its customers. Not only that, but also when there is a change in the organization, these highly skilled employees will be more flexible and able to adjust and respond quickly and effectively to these changes (Cappelli & Crocker-Hefter, 1996). In addition, the leader should design the organization to control employee behavior through extensive socialization and training. This will encourage employees to collaborate more efficiently and work more productively, thus, contribute to the goals of the organization. When hiring employees across the border, it is very important to consider the attitudes of the candidates in addition to their experiences. This is because adaptation is very important in the...
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...Joshua Bell Joshua Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana on December 9, 1967. Bell discovered the violin when he was four-years-old and started studying violin. He performed his first solo with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra at age seven. Five years later, Bell began studying at Indiana University. He became the youngest soloist to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra and eventually made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985 with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Over the years, Bell started to venture outside of the traditional violin repertoire and into a wide range of musical genres and projects. He played for a movie, collaborated on a CD, went on television programs, worked with other musicians, and performed with orchestras. When Bell...
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...Market Entry Strategy Abstract This paper aims to study Lebanon’s market, which is a new market that is going to be entered by the Jordanian company, Mlabbas, in order to expand its business and become an international company, also it studies the Lebanese consumers perception towards apparel markets. The goal and the main objective of this paper is to create an accurate and realistic picture of Lebanon’s market as a whole including economic, political and cultural and social analysis as well as the customer opportunities and challenges needed for this expansion in Lebanon’s new market. Mlabbas’s unique products are studied in details in terms of describing, pricing decisions, channels of distribution decisions and promotion decisions. Further more, the areas where Mlabbas stores will be open, especially Downtown Beirut, is going to be mentioned and estimated for future support for new retail space in its market area. Table of contents CONTENTS | PAGE NO. | Abstract | 2 | Introduction | 4 | Part|- Market Analysis | 5 - 13 | Part ||- Market Entry Strategy | 14 - 20 | Conclusion | 21 | References | 22 | Introduction Market entry strategy is the arranged system for conveying goods and services to another target market and dispersing them there. In this project the Jordanian business, which is Mlabbas will expand its stores and business into Lebanon’s market in order to achieve its goal in becoming a bigger and an international company. Lebanon...
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...Table of contest I. Foreword 3 II. Introduction 3 A. History 3 B. Standards and Values 4 III. Strategy 4 A. Takeover by Fung Brands Limited 4 B. Modern technology 5 C. Personalizing models 5 D. Magazine 5 E. On invitation only 5 F. Collaborations and special offers 5 a) The many faces of Delvaux 5 b) Studio Delvaux 6 IV. Market 8 A. Situation 8 a) Turnover 8 b) Prices 8 B. Target 9 C. Competitors 9 V. Assortment and Packaging 9 A. Most famous bags 9 B. Packaging 9 VI. Materials 9 A. Different sorts of leather 9 B. Different animals 10 C. Cleaning my bag 10 VII. Most latest news about Delvaux 10 A. Topman Salez quits at Delvaux 10 B. Illustrator Valentine De Cort creates a beautiful little picture book for the Madam Delvaux bag. 10 VIII. SWOT-Analysis 11 IX. References 12 Foreword I chose Delvaux for many reasons. First of all because, it is original a Belgian Brand. But most of all I love the brand because of it’s high level of craftsmanship. They have a lot of know how and intelligence. The designs the House makes are timeless with a very high quality of leathers. They are not humping on the trends they keep designing functional new creations. They have a certain hautain-look and that makes their Brand very strong. There is no room for unprofessionalism. Introduction History Charles Delvaux opened his first workshop in the centre of Brussels 1829. In 1883 the family were appointed...
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...production over the consumption. In order to save expenses for middlemen who benefit from the producer in various fields, such as: bad weight, very low prices and loans at high rates of interest. When the system in force is archaic, it does not meet the requirements at all, involves many middlemen or compensates very weakly for the producer's work. Thus, a marketing cooperative must offer its members a more efficient service than that in force, so that its members obtain a greater profit from their work. When establishing a marketing cooperative, it is indispensable to study various aspects and problems: What products shall we produce and sell on the market? Whet, experience in regard to production? What species are marketable every season, quantities and qualities that are preferred? What are the perishable items that can be stored and under what conditions? What is the present marketing...
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...The communication policy and the marketing strategy of the French Stage Brief presented by Pereira Jeremiah In order to obtain the 1st year of Master of Marketing and Production of Services Under the direction of: Briot Eugenie Academic Year 2007-2008 Pereira Jeremiah Master 1 MIE 2 Summary Introduction… … … … … … . … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .p 4 1. The growth strategy of the French Stage… … … … … … … … … … … .p10 1.1 . The development of the sporting club … . … … … … … … … …................... p11 1.2 . The policy of sponsorship of the stadium Francais………………………………… .... p12 1.2.1 . Sponsorship: an evolving activity since 1990 … … … … … … .p12 1.2.1.1 . The economic evolution… … … … … … … … … … … … … …................... p12 1.2.1.2 . An evolution of methodes………………………………………… … …p13 1.2.2 . The foundations of the sponsoring………………………………………………… ... p13 12.2.1 . The characteristics of l'echange……………………………………… …p13 1.2.2.2 . The sponsorship as a component of a comprehensive system… … … … … … …p15 1.2.2.3 . The objectives of the sponsorship… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …p15 1.2.3 . Why the French Stage attracts t-it both for sponsors ? ......................................... p18 1.2.3.1 . Sponsorship: a dynamic positive……… … … … … … … … … … … .p19 1.2...
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...Branding in Soccer Light and Shadow Branding in Soccer Light and Shadow Introduction “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” (Gloves, S. 2012) This much quoted comment of the former, British football manager Bill Shankly describes exactly my view of football. I am a big fan of the most popular sport in the world. Sure I know that this comment is exaggerated, but football becomes more and more important. Not only for the fans and the sportsmen, also for the global economy. (Hamil, S. and Chadwick, S. 2010) In professional football the success goes hand in hand with money. Today it is almost impossible to win a big trophy like the UEFA Championsleague without investing lots of money. The FC Barcelona is ranked as the best team in the world and invested in the last five years an average of 40 Million Euros per annum in new players. (Transfermarkt 2011) But where does all that money come from? According to Uli Hoeneß, the president of German football club FC Bayern Munich, only 15% of the twelve million DMs (6.1 Million Euros) revenue were out of broadcasting, marketing and sponsoring when he began in 1979 his career as a manager. (RP online 2011) His aim was to make his club independent from earnings from the spectators. As you can see in the following diagram he achieved his aim. In the year 2010 Bayern’s matchday earnings were only 21% of the total revenue. The biggest part is now coming from the commercial...
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