Week 3 Case Study

Ritz-Carlton. The name alone evokes images of luxury and quality. As the first hotel company to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the Ritz treats quality as if it is the heartbeat of the company. This means a daily commitment to meeting customer expectations and making sure that each hotel is free of any deficiency.

In the hotel industry, quality can be hard to quantify. Guests do not purchase a product when they stay at the Ritz: They buy an experience. Thus, creating the right combination of elements to make the experience stand out is the challenge and goal of every employee, from maintenance to management.

Before applying for the Baldrige Award, company management undertook a rigorous self-examination of its operations in an attempt to measure and quantify quality. Nineteen processes were studied, including room service delivery, guest reservation and registration, message delivery, and breakfast service. This period of self-study included statistical measurement of process work flows and cycle times for areas ranging from room service delivery times and reservations to valet parking and housekeeping efficiency. The results were used to develop performance benchmarks against which future activity could be measured.

With specific, quantifiable targets in place, Ritz-Carlton managers and employees now focus on continuous improvement. The goal is 100% customer satisfaction: If a guest’s experience does not meet expectations, the Ritz-Carlton risks losing that guest to competition.

One way the company has put more meaning behind its quality efforts is to organize its employees into “self-directed” work teams. Employee teams determine work scheduling, what work needs to be done, and what to do about quality problems in their own areas. In order to see the relationship of their specific area to the overall goals, employees are also given the opportunity to take additional training in hotel operations. Ritz-Carlton believes that a more educated and informed employee is in a better position to make decisions in the best interest of the organization.

Case Study 1 Questions

1. In what ways could the Ritz-Carlton monitor its success in achieving quality?
2. Why might it cost the Ritz-Carlton less to do things right the first time?
3. What are some nonfinancial measures of customer satisfaction that might be used by the Ritz-Carlton?
4. How could control charts, Pareto diagrams, and cause-and-effect diagrams be used to identify quality problems at a hotel?
5. Many companies say that their goal is to provide quality products and services. What actions might you expect from a company that intends quality to be more than a slogan or buzzword?

All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way.

• Introduction
• Problem identification
• Analysis (pros and cons)
• Solution choice and rationale
• Conclusion

Discussion Week 3

Needs Assessment and Use of a Specific Type of Needs Assessment" Please respond to the following:

• Distinguish between organizational needs assessment and strategic planning, and assess how each can be helpful to identify the needs of an organization.
• Review the theories and models described at the Needs Assessment Website located at http://www.needsassessment.org/. Next, using two models or theories from the e-Activity, justify the conditions in which a person analysis would be critical to the development and delivery of effective HRD programs.

360-Degree Appraisal

Create a slide presentation that you will be presenting to your entire organization relating to the implementation of a 360-degree feedback appraisal process. Prepare 10-15 slides and notes to go along with each.

• Make a persuasive presentation. As the VP of HR (known for being creative and intelligent), your task will be to define this unique performance management appraisal tool, how it will be implemented, the added value to each employee of using this type of system, and what the consequences might be of an employee receiving a low rating.

Assignment 1: Developing And Managing Multi-Cultural Teams

As the diversity manager of a global company, you have developed a deep appreciation for the importance of understanding multi-cultural teams in the workplace. However, you know that some of the managers struggle with developing and managing multicultural teams in your company. There seems to be a need for company-wide information and training on the topic of “Developing and Managing Multi-Cultural Teams.”

You decide to prepare a training handout for the next managers' meeting, that emphasizes the following points:

Dimensions of a multi-cultural team

Discrimination laws and their impact on managing a multi-cultural team

Affirmative action programs and their impact on managing a multi-cultural team

Building an inclusive culture within the team

Challenges of managing a multi-cultural team

Recommendations for improving communications within a multi-cultural team

Modeling and leading diversity acceptance and change

Prepare a six to eight-page Word document as a training handout for managers, addressing each of the points listed.  Include an executive summary and conclude by summarizing your handout by describing three important concepts you learned while researching this topic.

Use at least three resources in addition to your textbook to justify your responses. Apply current APA standards for writing style to your work.

Visioning Before Strategizing

Visioning Before Strategizing

Imagine that you are the HR manager for a new company just opening its doors in your community. The owners have asked you to prepare a vision for compensating the staff. They do not want specific policies, but guiding principles that will help them collect data and write specific HR policies later. Complete the following:

Describe the type of business, number and types of employees, such as exempt and non-exempt, and the customer base you will use as your example company for this assignment, as well as the state and city or area of the state where your company is located.

Create a list of essential guideposts for developing a total compensation policy. In your vision, include statements that can be made public to your customers and employees. Also consider whether your vision will be strategic in a strong economy, as well as in a down economy. Will you be able to adapt your vision during various economic conditions?

Using Exhibit 2.3 (Tailor the Compensation System to the Strategy) in your text, identify which of the three business strategies is most appropriate, and include an analysis of why you believe this is the case.

Discuss the appropriate business response, HR program alignment, and compensation system for this new business.

How will other existing businesses in your community affect the compensation vision and strategy of this new company? You can use the Overview of BLS Wage Data by Area and Occupation Web page from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site and linked under Resources to help you research information for your response.

Refer to the text's example in Exhibit 2.4 (IBM's Strategic Principles and Priorities in Strategy Execution) outlining IBM's strategic principles and priorities. Do not be limited by IBM's choice of words.

Medical Innovation

 Is having access to the latest and greatest medical innovations always a good thing? What impact does this have on overall healthcare costs? 

Discussion Board

Identify the challenges confronting managers within the context of global environment, international and domestic issues, employee compensation and diversity in the workplace. How much discretion do you believe managers should have, and what are some of the examples of ethical and unethical leadership?

Mod 2 Critical 1 501

Locate five different types of healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia. Formulate a chart that describes the differences in the facilities. Be sure to include items that describe their:

• financing, 
• ownership, 
• staff information,
• mission statement,
• areas of treatment, 
• advantages and disadvantages to the structure, and
• any other relevant information.

Your chart should meet the following requirements:

• Be 4-6 pages in length, not including the cover or reference pages.
• Provide support for your statements with in-text citations from a minimum of six scholarly articles. Two of these sources may be from the class readings, textbook, or lectures, but four must be external. 
• Provide full APA citations for articles under review. 

Assignment 1: Adult Learning Experience

Assignment 1: Adult Learning Experience
Due Week 3 and worth 125 points

Organizations typically offer many different types of learning activities designed to appeal to the wide variety of employees who may have a preferred style of learning. Reflecting on your experience with an organization in which you have worked, describe how you were trained to perform the function you perform currently or in a previous role. Indicate what you believe to be effective training strategies and those that did not help you learn your role well. Make suggestions about how improvements could be added to future training for employees in the same situation.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1. Describe a training event in which you were a participant.
2. Point out the less-effective part of the training.
3. Describe the effective parts of the training.
4. Identify at least one (1) different activity you would have included in the training event and how it would improve the effectiveness of the event.
5. Use at least two (2) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.   

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Design and implement HRD programs that address skills with appropriate transferability to the workplace.   

Mod 2 Critical 1 550

Taking the policy you discussed in Module 1, look at the Systems Model on the policy process, Figure 1.3 (Problem Identification, Policy Formulation, Policy Implementation, Policy Evaluation) on page 36 in your textbook. Write a paper with the purpose of overcoming the problems described by the four Rs (Reaction, Repetition, Results, and Raising Funds) on page 57.

Assume the role of the leader who will be building a coalition by creating a policy vision for the internal and external stakeholders of your geographical area or country. First, begin by identifying the deficiencies in a global policy that you have researched so that you can establish a policy vision by determining the needed funding for the services you feel must be provided and including that in the policy. Explain how your policy would benefit your target population. Include the following headings/sections in your submission:

• Introduction—Describe the population affected by the policy
• Deficiencies of—Name of Global Policy
• Vision of Changes—Needed what needs to change to make the policy better
• Gaining Support for the Vision—Internal and external
• Needed Funding—Where will funding come from for services discussed in the policy
• Conclusions
• References

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

• Be 3-4 pages in length, not including the cover or reference pages.
• Provide support for your statements with in-text citations from a minimum of six scholarly articles. Two of these sources may be from the class readings, textbook, or lectures, but four must be external.
• Be formatted according to  APA writing guidelines.
• Remember to utilize headings to organize the content in your work.