Case study: Greenway Hotels Group i

Case study: Greenway Hotels Group international expansion

Background

Greenway Hotels, PLC, owns more than 60 hotels throughout the United Kingdom. They recently acquired a small hotel chain headquartered in Germany. Greenway’s chief executive decided that half of the new hotels in Germany would be retained and rebranded as part of the Greenway Hotels Group; the other half will be sold. This will support Greenway’s strategic objective of growing the organization slowly to make sure that new ventures are well supported and opened on time and on budget.

Greenway’s hotels are considered budget accommodations; they are functional, clean and reasonably priced. Additional information about UK hotel standards is available at
http://www.qualityintourism.com/content/pdfs/Standards/Budget%20Hotels%20
Standard_INT.pdf .

Most guests stay for one to three nights and are a combination of business and leisure travellers. The hotels are typically situated in downtown locations that are easily accessible by mass transit. Tourists are attracted to these hotels in popular visitor destinations where the many local attractions mean that they will not be spending much time in their hotel rooms.

The organization has decided to initially use an ethnocentric approach and send some of their existing UK-based managers to Germany to lead the changeover of the new hotels and then manage them after they re-open. If this new overseas venture is successful, Greenway may decide to acquire other small hotel groups in other European countries. The organization would like to own 150 hotels in the next five years. Their 10-year plan is to own 300 hotels across Europe. This is an ambitious target, so it is important that the organization finds an effective formula to operate successfully in other countries.

They provided the consultants the following information during their initial meeting:
• A majority of their existing managers said they would like a chance to work abroad.
• None of their existing managers speak German fluently.
• They will allow four weeks to rebrand the hotels. The new hotels must be ready to open after that time.
• They expect to recruit a large number of staff for the new German hotels, because more than 70 percent of the employees from the acquired organization left.

They will require their managers to be flexible and move between countries if any problems arise.
The organization has never owned hotels outside the UK before, and has hired a team of independent management consultants to advise them on how to proceed. They are seeking your advice on one of the following topics:
1. What approach should they take to resourcing their management team?
2. What cultural differences might they need to take into account between the UK and Germany? What is the implication of these for their HR practices?
3. What should their long-term strategic approach be? Should they stick with an ethnocentric approach of adopt a different strategy?

Recommended reading

The core text (Brewster et al, 2011), in particular chapters 2, 3 and 14, will provide you with a lot of relevant information.

Some additional recommended reading:

Brewster, C. (1997). International HRM: Beyond expatriation. Human Resource Management Journal, 7(3), 31.

Brewster, C., and Scullion, H. (1997). A review and agenda for expatriate HRM.
Human Resource Management Journal, 7(3), 32-41.

Ingemar Torbiörn, I. (1997). Staffing for international operations. Human Resource
Management Journal, 7(3), 42-51.

Matthews, V.E. (2000). Competition in the international hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(2), 114-118.

Kết quả (Ireland) 1:

Cás-staidéar: Féarbhealach Óstán Grúpa leathnú idirnáisiúnta Cúlra Óstáin Greenway, PLC, úinéireacht níos mó ná 60 óstáin ar fud na Ríochta Aontaithe. Fuair ​​siad le déanaí slabhra óstán beag cheanncheathrú sa Ghearmáin. Chinn príomhfheidhmeannach Féarbhealach go mbeadh leath de na hóstáin nua sa Ghearmáin a choinneáil agus a rebranded mar chuid den Ghrúpa Óstáin Glas; Beidh an leath eile a dhíol. Beidh sé seo tacaíocht cuspóir straitéiseach Féarbhealach de ag fás ar an eagraíocht go mall chun a chinntiú go bhfuil fiontair nua tacaíocht go maith agus d'oscail in am agus laistigh den bhuiséad. óstáin Féarbhealach s meastar socruithe buiséid; go bhfuil siad feidhmiúil, glan agus ar phraghas réasúnta. Tá eolas breise faoi chaighdeáin óstán sa Ríocht Aontaithe ar fáil ag http://www.qualityintourism.com/content/pdfs/Standards/Budget%20Hotels%20 Standard_INT.pdf. An chuid is mó aíonna fanacht ar feadh 1-3 oíche agus go bhfuil meascán de gnó agus fóillíochta lucht siúil. An óstáin atá suite de ghnáth in áiteanna Downtown atá inrochtana go héasca ag idirthuras maise. Turasóirí á mealladh chun na óstáin i gceann scríbe do chuairteoirí tóir nuair a chiallaíonn na nithe áitiúil go leor nach mbeidh siad a chaitheamh cuid mhór ama i gcuid seomraí óstáin. Tá an eagraíocht a chinneadh a úsáid ar dtús cur chuige eitnealárnacha agus roinnt de a mbainisteoirí bunaithe sa Ríocht Aontaithe atá ann cheana féin a sheoladh chuig an Ghearmáin i gceannas ar an athrú na n-óstán nua agus ansin iad a bhainistiú i ndiaidh ath-oscailt acu. Má tá an fiontar nua thar lear rathúil, féadfaidh Féarbhealach a chinneadh do ghrúpaí óstán eile beaga i dtíortha Eorpacha eile a fháil. Ba mhaith leis an eagraíocht buíochas a féin 150 óstáin i na cúig bliana amach romhainn. Tá a phlean 10 mbliana chun féin 300 óstáin ar fud na hEorpa. Is é seo an sprioc uaillmhianach, agus mar sin tá sé tábhachtach go gcinnfidh an eagraíocht fhoirmle éifeachtach a oibriú go rathúil i dtíortha eile. Chuir siad na comhairleoirí an fhaisnéis seo a leanas le linn a chruinnithe tosaigh: • Dúirt formhór na n-mbainisteoirí atá ann cheana féin ar mhaith leo deis a ag obair thar lear. • Níl aon cheann de a mbainisteoirí atá ann cheana féin a labhairt go líofa Gearmáinis. • Beidh siad ar chumas ceithre seachtaine chun athbhrandáil na hóstáin. Ní mór na óstáin nua a bheith réidh a oscailt tar éis an ama. • Tá siad ag súil le líon mór den fhoireann a earcú do na óstáin nua na Gearmáine, mar gheall ar níos mó ná 70 faoin gcéad de na fostaithe as an eagraíocht a fuarthas ar chlé. Beidh siad a cheangal ar a mbainisteoirí a bheith solúbtha agus bogadh idir tíortha má tharlaíonn aon fhadhb. Riamh Tá an eagraíocht óstáin taobh amuigh den Ríocht Aontaithe faoi úinéireacht roimh, agus tá fhostaigh foireann de chomhairleoirí neamhspleácha chun comhairle a chur orthu bainistíochta maidir le conas dul ar aghaidh. Tá siad ag lorg do comhairle ar cheann de na hábhair seo a leanas: 1. Cén cur chuige ba chóir siad chun acmhainní a gcuid foirne bainistíochta? 2. Cad iad na difríochtaí cultúrtha a d'fhéadfadh gá iad a chur san áireamh idir an Ríocht Aontaithe agus an Ghearmáin? Cad é an impleacht na as a gcuid cleachtais Acmhainní Daonna? 3. Cad ba cheart a gcur chuige straitéiseach fhadtéarmach a bheith? Ar chóir bata siad le cur chuige eitnealárnacha de straitéis éagsúla a ghlacadh? Molta ag léamh an téacs croí (Brewster et al, 2011), go háirithe caibidil 2, 3 agus 14, ar fáil duit le go leor de faisnéis ábhartha. Roinnt léamh molta breise: Brewster, C. (1997). HRM Idirnáisiúnta: Beyond easaoránachta. Bainistíocht Acmhainní Daonna Journal, 7 (3), 31. Brewster, C., agus Scullion, H. (1997). Athbhreithniú agus clár oibre le haghaidh HRM expatriate. Daonna Bainistíocht Acmhainní Journal, 7 (3), 32-41. Ingemar Torbiörn, I. (1997). Foirne le haghaidh oibríochtaí idirnáisiúnta. Acmhainní Daonna Bainistíocht Journal, 7 (3), 42-51. Matthews, VE (2000). Iomaíocht sa tionscal óstán idirnáisiúnta. Idirnáisiúnta Journal of Bainistíochta Fáilteachais Comhaimseartha, 12 (2), 114-118.