Personal Reflection of book Four Seasons
1. How the Company Leadership is Unique from other Hospitality Industry
Isadore Sharp is behind the success of the Four Seasons Hotel, and this company owes its success to the uniqueness that the management has been able to spur within its structure for over five decades of its operations. Four seasons has maintained a significant lead in the market for this duration, and is expected to command this lead in the future; if it adheres to its fundamental operational goals. The hotel’s managerial strength has been anchored on its ability to build a suitable brand name and sustainability in delivering impeccable quality services to its customers.
Unlike most hotels, four seasons has mainstreamed its managerial strength in creating culture within the company, which has consequently created a stronger brand name to the company and its products. The hotels brand is today recognized on the global spheres, with its operation spread to about 30 countries globally. Therefore, what started a small hotel in Toronto has grown to hit the global operation in just five decades of operation. Principally, the company’s operational strength has been entrenched on four critical pillars; culture, quality, service and brand (Sharp, and Alan Part III). In fact, these are the four pillars in which the hotel’s management ascribes to in its service delivery. However, Sharp’s master plan in offering these four eccentricities has been fully supported by the manifestation of the golden rule, which stipulates that one should accord another person positive treatment that he or she expects to be accorded.
Other than the managerial successes discussed above, the success of this company has also been chronicled through ventures , which were built based on mutual trust and advantages, though was very enduring to bear. With such partnerships and mutual joint ventures, the company was able to expand to initially considered invincible regions. Besides, this company managerial uniqueness is attributed to its HR practices, which often involves hiring local talents and promoting these talents within its folds. Besides, the hotel captures the unique nuances of the area of its operation, and this propels it to higher standards of operation and success (Sharp, and Alan Part V). All these factors have been behind the success of Four Seasons Hotel, and it is all owed to the managerial strategies deployed to spearhead the hotel’s growth and innovation.
2. How the company cares for internal customers (Employees)?
Sharp’s book, entails clear philosophical attributes that have successfully spurred Four Seasons hotel to its apical rating today. It is imperative to note that one person cannot build a brand name solely, but has to rely on other people who are integral to this success process. Therefore, the company’s care for employees is worth the mention that it has catapulted it to the right direction of success. Care of employees’ stems from the company’s culture, this states that one should be treated in a manner that the same individual would wish to be treated. This is a mainstream ideology embedded on the golden rule. Thus, care for employees by Four Seasons stems from the maxims of the golden rule, which is postulated as one of its core cultural precepts that streamline its operational portfolios.
As part of the company’s enshrinement of the golden rule, employees are put first in order of priority since they run the brand and make sure that the hotel meets its stipulated goals. The front-line workers are highly cared for by the company, having a vivid understanding of the roles played by this category of employees. For example, the front line workers are charged with the mandate of maintaining the clientele. As part of the company’s ethical responsibility and dedication to its four basic cultural precepts, it walks the talk by allowing employees to have a feeling of the organization, and embrace the company is if it were their own. Principally, employees have a stake in the company, and they are directly involved in making decisions that affect the operation of the hotel, especially in its product delivery. Indeed, the employees have the authority and flexibility to make critical decisions that bear the greatest responsibility of care to the customers.
4. How the company serves external customers?
External customers form the bulk of Four Season’s interest, since they contribute to the direct success of the company. As an extension of the company’s golden rules, Four Seasons believes in value creation and prompt delivery of its services and products to customers. Therefore, the main element behind a robust customer service by Four Seasons has been anchored on value creation. Creating value to a product differentiates it from other market products, thus leading to the establishment of the company’s brand name. This is a key pillar of customer service that Sharp values to ensuring customer loyalty and satisfaction from the five-star hotel.
One of the company’s quality service delivery roadmap has been articulated in its plan to ever deliver the best for customers. Indeed, sharp held a belief that customer satisfaction implies offering the best, but with greater distinction. With this approach, Four Seasons hotel has been able to retain its customer base, and managed to bring more customers on board.
Yet again, Four Seasons hotel has been a crusader of quality service and value provision through continuous improvements. A case in point of the company’s commitment to value creation and customer satisfaction relates to the 1968’s deliberative and researched idea to have spa in the hotels. The conception of this idea was spearheaded by the company in order to equip the hotels with spas, alongside other incentives that would add conform to the stay of the customers at the hotel. This move precipitated to even a further success to the company. This is a clear case of value improvement and creation to the target market.
Other than value creation in terms of product enhancement, the hotel strives to create cultural conformity by capturing the nuances of the area in which it operates. Therefore, each culture where the hotel is located will find a conformal meal and dish to its mainstream cultural cuisines. Besides, the company puts customers before thinking about the profit is seeks to make from a given customer.
This book has been both philosophically and ethically sound, and it’s ideal for an upcoming professional. In the first instance, I learned about the golden rule, which as I can see is the mastermind behind the success of Four Seasons Hotel. Therefore, I would apply this operational concept in my future professional life since the principle seems to favor progress and contentment in the organization. For example, good treatment to another person ensures satisfaction and fulfillment. Indeed, according someone treatment that one could offer to himself is a clear manifestation that progress is entrenched in selfless service delivery. I personally, believe in the integration of this principle to the organization.
As an aspiring future professional, I believe in the four philosophical beliefs enshrined in this book. Culture and quality are two most significant elements that I have taken with much attention. Indeed, it is my belief that the two concepts have the capability of turning around the fortune and fate of business towards progress and prosperity. Therefore, I seek to integrate these two pillars alongside the golden rule in my future career.
What is your own definition of “Service Management”?
This is a business term that refers to a customer-focused approach that is integral in the delivery of information technology. In the modern business world, service management integrates monitoring, developing, and improving the managerial structures of the organization by improving its IT infrastructure.
Moreover, the eccentricity of service management is anchored on the provision of value to customers and building positive customer relationships. Therefore, the way an organization interacts with its customers is deterministic to its value chains that help in forestalling negative outcomes to the organization. However, the value created must be perpetually maintained in order to suffice the core business demands to an organization; this means that a customer will only remain attracted to a business that is able to sustain and improve its customer service experiences. This is the definition of service management as it relates to business operations.
Work Cited
Sharp, Isadore, and Alan Phillips. Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy. New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2012. Print.
