Linchi Kwok - A Hospitality Professional

High Unemployment Rate Does Not Mean an Easier Job for Hiring Managers

2012-02-05T15:12:00.001-05:00

High Unemployment Rate Does Not Mean an Easier Job for HiringManagers America added 243,000 jobs in January, which brought downthe unemployment rate to 8.3% (Dougherty, 2012). The result was better than anticipated, but it is still expectedto take a long time before the number drops to 5% or below. A high unemploymentrate means that many people are unemployed. Chances are they are all lookingfor a job. Then, does a high unemployment rate make recruiting and hiring easier?

HR managers will probably tell you how difficult recruitingand selection have become as they need to find the right candidates in “the seaof applicants.” According to Weber (2012), Starbucks attracted 7.6 million jobapplicants for about 65,000 corporate and retail job openings last year (about120:1). Procter & Gamble received almost one million applications for 2,000new positions (about 500:1).

Many companies have to rely on technology to help screencandidates (as seen in the embedded picture and video). Often, job seekers areasked to submit their online application, which builds a data base for thecompany. Then, a computer program will help the company screen the résuméor applications with “matched” keywords and relevant experience.

Selectedcandidates may then proceed to the next steps, such as phone or in-personinterview(s), assessment testing, background check, etc. A screening systemcosts between $5,000 and millions of dollars. With the aids of technology,however, companies can cut down the average cost of hiring a new employee to$3,479 (normally, it could cost $5,000+ for each new hire).

The major pitfalls of this automatic screening system comefrom its validity and reliability issues. It is possible that machines willmake mistakes by screening out some quality applicants and/or include some lessdesirable candidates.

How useful do you think these automatic screening systemsare? What strategies can a company take to ensure that the machine can yieldaccurate and reliable results?

How can job seekers prepare a résumé and an application letter that matchthe machine’s selection criteria?

Relevant discussions:

Cover Letter, Resume, and LinkedIn

Writing an Effective Cover Letter

Student Résumé

References:

Dougherty, Conor. (2012, January 4-5). Jobs power marketrebound: Unemployment dips to 8.3% on Broad Gains. The Wall Street Journal. pp. A1 and A6. Also available online.

Weber, Lauren. (2012, January 24). Your résumésvs. oblivion. The Wall Street Journal. pp.B1 and B6. Also available online. The picture was also downloaded from thisside.

Will Résumés Become Passé?

2012-01-29T11:34:00.002-05:00

In 2010, I shared a news article aboutseeking jobs by playing video games. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that more companies recruit andselect candidates without even asking them to submit a résumé. Will résumé become passé?

According to my 2010 discussion, some companies,including Caesars Entertainment, have utilized social gaming to assesscandidates’ professional skills. Candidates can win prizes if they are good. Thebest prize? It is probably getting the attention or a job offer from potential employers.

The Wall Street Journal provided moreexamples. IGN Entertainment uses a similar approach of social gaming by postinga series of challenges online for candidates. In addition, candidates mustsubmit a video to show their love of gaming and the companies’ products.

Union Square Ventures, the New York venture-capitalfirm which invests in many technology companies like Foursquare and Twitter, requirescandidate to provide the links of their online presence. The company isexpecting to see a Twitter account, a Tumblr blog, and a short videodemonstrating the candidate’s interest in the job. “We are most interested inwhat people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think,” said byChristina Cacioppo, a Union Square associate who blogs about the company’shiring process.

Because people use social media in almostevery minute of their lives, candidates “expose” rich and descriptiveinformation about their likes/dislikes. Companies can then better judge acandidate’s “fit” with the organizational culture and the position based on the“extra” information that they could not find from a résumé otherwise.

There are certainly legal considerations ofusing social media in recruiting and selecting candidates. Meanwhile, manycandidates may not feel comfortable of sharing their “personal information”with other. To my knowledge, however, EEOC has not stopped companies from usingsocial media in that regard. Even if EEOC does, there is a solution foremployers --- to hire a third party agent to screen candidates’ social media profiles without collecting any “sensitive information.

Today, there are still many companies usingrésumés in recruitment and selection. Companiesthat are forward-thinking might have looked into the tools available and see ifsocial media can provide a better solution for attracting and selecting toptalents. For job seekers, it might not be a bad idea to let potential employersknow their “authentic” personalities and true passion because supposedly, theyare also looking for the right fit for their career.

Do you think companies should assesscandidates’ fit and qualifications by looking at candidates’ social mediaprofiles? What considerations should be taken if social media is used? If youare looking for an internship or job now, what will you do to better prepareyourself when more companies are looking at candidates’ social media profiles?

Relevant discussions:

More Employers Are Using Social Media in Screening Job Candidates

Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)
One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

References:

Silverman, Rachel Emma. (2012, January 24).No more résumés, Say some firms.The Wall Street Journal. pp. B6. Also available online.

The picture was downloaded from the Small Business Development Center at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

Are Traditional Media Dead? “Garden and Gun” Says No.

2012-01-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

In this week’s agenda for my class of HPM200 Managing Service Organizations in Social Media, we will discuss the impact of social media on TV networks, newspaper, and magazines. Statistics have shown that people rely less on traditional media for information than they did before. The viewership of TVs and printed media declined. Then, are traditional media dead already or will be replaced by social media soon?

Garden and Gun, the magazine that was established by a New Yorker in 2007, dares to say no. As a matter of fact, the magazine is doing quite well in terms of subscriptions and industry recognitions.

What’s good about this magazine? Based on what I saw in this CBS News video, I contribute its success to the following factors:

It positions in a niche market. While there are many magazines and newspaper covering stories of either the Northeastern Region or the West Coast, there is a lack of attention to the “world” in between.
It has a clear focus: the southern lifestyle --- “authentic, old-school, and unapologetic.” No politics, religion, and SEC football.
It has a metaphor yet eye-catching name for branding.

What are the other attributes for this magazine’s success? From this example, do you think printed media still have room to grow? How so? If you believe that there is no future for printed media, please tell us why you think that way.

If you are interested in our discussion, please join our conversation on Twitter (#HPM200) every Tuesday and Thursday between 9:30 am and 10:50 am Eastern.

References: The picture was downloaded from Garden and Gun.

A MIT Dropout Became an Entrepreneur by Bridging Technology and Restaurant Service

2012-01-19T07:00:00.054-05:00

We had a discussion about technology, college dropouts, and higher education earlier. This CNN News video shows us a start-up of bridging thetablet technology and restaurant service¹. The entrepreneur happened to be aMIT dropout².

Actually, using a tablet computer like iPad as a menu in a restaurantor in a hotel’s Concierge is not new. Thisstart-up builds its service in a cheaper device, a smaller tablet. Currentlycustomers can play games, view pictures of the menu items, order meals, andmake a payment directly on the tablet, but this technology is not designed tocompletely replace wait service --- at least, not yet at this point.

The start-up charges $100 to $200 per month for the service. There are about 300 restaurants in theU.S. that have already adopted the menu-tablet service. It seems that customerslove this service; restaurant owners can probably save labor costs and increasesales with new service and a higher table turnover rate.

How do you like/dislike this service? Will technology becomea thread of jobs that are done by human beings? If so, what can waiters orwaitresses do to re-position themselves so that they can continue working inthe restaurant industry? If you are running a restaurant business, what businessopportunities do you see from this menu-tablet technology?

1. An example of “Great Entrepreneurship Ideas Must Root in Useful Service.
2. You may read more discussion about the value of college education in the previous discussion (also in the comment section).

Higher Education in the Age of Information Explosion

2012-01-17T15:45:00.001-05:00

I shared a YouTube video in my social mediaclass today. It shows how fast technology and our knowledge evolve in this age.There are some seem-to-be-terrifying statistics related to higher education:

The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did notexist in 2004.
We are currently preparing students for (future)jobs that don’t yet exist (today).
Using technologies that haven’t beeninvented in order to solve problems --- we don’t even know (what) are (the)problems yet.
For students starting a 4 year technicaldegree, this means that half of what they learn in their first year of studywill be outdated by their third year of study.

If that is the case, what is good abouthigh education? What should be taught in college?

I believe that colleges and universities ingeneral are the places to develop future leaders and that research institutesare designed to create new knowledge and innovative ideas. It is good thatstudents can learn the latest technology and information. Accordingly, weshould at least keep our students informed with the industry updates and trendseven though we may not be able to constantly change textbooks.

Considering the fact that there is always “newer”information available, however, I argue that it would be more important toteach students the core values/principles as well as the transferable skills throughthe process of learning, such as leadership, problem-solving, critical and independentthinking, communication skills, and the ability of learning on one’s own. Hoteland restaurant operations, for example, jobs can be re-designed; organizationcan be re-structured. Yet, the philosophy of taking good care of employees andcustomers or running an efficient business has never changed.

In my social media class, we will for sure talkabout Facebook’s and Twitter’s business implications. In my human resourcemanagement class, we will go over the legal issues, but who can guarantee that Facebookand Twitter will continue to dominate the network or that the Congress will notpass new regulations?

If you are an employer, what do you expectfrom a college graduate? If you are a student, how do you cope with informationexplosion? What do you expect to learn in class besides the subject itself?

Will Roomkey.com Become a Game-Changing Site for Online Hotel Reservations?

2012-01-12T23:36:00.000-05:00

Hotels must love and hate those onlinetravel agents (OTAs) like Expedia, Hotwire, and Travelocity because on onehand, OTAs bring more business to hotels and on the other hand, hotels have topay commissions to every reservation made through OTAs. For years, Hotels havebeen making efforts to improve their own websites so that they can compete withOTAs. Many hotels now guarantee customers that they offer the lowest price onthe hotels’ own websites.

According to the PhoCusWright survey reportedin The Wall Street Journal, reservationsthrough OTAs contributed 45% of all online reservations, representing $15.2billion of hotel sales, up from $12 billion in 2009. Certainly, it is the hotels’best interest of skipping the “middlemen” or at least minimizing their commissionspaid to OTAs.

As a result of the competition, Roomkey.comwas born, which serves as a search engine and will direct customers to thehotel websites that invested in Roomkey.com. Now, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, Intercontinental,Marriott, and Wyndham are onboard. Best Western also showed interest in thiswebsite. Starwood, however, prefers to “assess the potential benefits of thisnew distribution channel” before making a commitment.

In your opinions, how will OTAs respond to thesehotel chains’ strategy of forming Roomkey.com? Will Roomkey.com change the competitionlandscape of online hotel reservations? Who will be the ultimate winner(s) ofthis battle? How can hotels and OTAs work together to create a win-win-winsolution for everyone (the last “win” refers to customers)?

Relevant discussions:

Hotel Pricing Strategies

Making Hotel Reservations Directly on aHotel’s Facebook Page

References:

Berzon, Alexandra (2012, January 12). Hotelally on booking site. The Wall StreetJournal, p. B2. Also available online.
The picture was downloaded from roomkey.com.

Some Considerations of Promoting Business on Group-Buying Websites

2012-01-10T23:40:00.001-05:00

Many consumers use group-buying websites like LivingSocial and Groupon to find deals nowadays. Certainly, these websites can help business draw traffic and bring in new customers, but I must say that promoting business on group-buying websites is NOT for everyone, regardless how effective this distribution channel may appear.

Why? --- That’s a great question. First, please allow me to share four examples of mine during my recent visit to San Francisco:

Example 1: City Segway Tours. The company promoted a 3-hour Segway tour at LivingSocial.com (50% off). The tour was fun, but the weather was foggy (fog is normal in San Francisco, right?). Because of the fog, the tour guy asked us if we would prefer to skip the Golden Gate Bridge and spend more time in the Palace of Fine Arts. Then, she added --- I hope you guys won’t post a negative comment online because of this, stating that “this tour sucks as we did not spend time observing the Golden Gate Bridge.” It turned out that we could barely see the water when we were near the bridge.

Example 2: San Francisco Whale Tours. I purchased the 1.5 hour San Francisco Coast and Tributaries Eco Tour at Groupon.com (50% off). It was a great and enjoyable experience. I posted some pictures and said good things about the Segway tour and the eco tour on Facebook. Some friends asked me for more details of the tours after they saw my pictures. I highly recommend these two tours to my friends based on my positive experience.

Example 3: The Imperial Palace Restaurant. I purchased a half-priced voucher for a dim sum platter at Groupon.com, without paying attention to the “fine prints” --- I could only redeem this voucher after 5 pm, but as a Cantonese, I do not eat dim sum at dinner time. Since I have purchased it, however, I would use it anyway. The dim sum was poorly made and tasted way below-average. I was planning to order additional dishes but decided not to do so after trying the dim sum. In the end, the restaurant charged me $2 per person for the tea, which usually costs nothing or up to $1 per person in the restaurants in Chinatown. Afterwards, I wrote a negative review on Google about this establishment. My friend, who is a Chinese immigrant living in San Francisco, also told me that she would tell her friends to stay away from this restaurant. Most of all, she would never come back to eat in this restaurant again.

Example 4: House of Dumpling in Union City, CA. I did not have any coupons or vouchers for this restaurant. My American friend took me there because he read some very good reviews of this establishment on Yelp.com and wanted me to try it. It was a small and nice place. Actually, I also got a chance to speak with the owner regarding the restaurant’s online reputation. She was very proud of her business, saying “we do not do any advertisements or promotions online or offline. Yet, people review their experience. We are running a small but very busy business. People are lining up for our dumplings and (as a result,) we do not want to actively promote our business. Otherwise, we cannot handle the crowd --- everything here is made from scratch.” Even though I disagree with most online reviews on Yelp.com about one thing --- this is not a real dim sum place (Cantonese food), but it is a nice place for “Chinese breads” and dumplings that are often found in Northern China. Regardless, because of its good food and good service, I recommended this restaurant to my Cantonese friends who live in the Bay Area.

From these four examples, we can tell that social media can manifest the Word-of-Mouth (WOM) effect in a large extent. In particular, a business or a group-buying website may want to consider the following:

WOM effect is a double-edged sword. If a business fails to deliver good service and high-quality products, the negative WOM effect could be detrimental. Accordingly, businesses must feel certain that they can create positive WOM effect before promoting their businesses online.
Businesses must understand their capability before making a sales and marketing effort online.
It does not matter if a business chooses to actively engage in social networking sites or not, people are talking about it anyway. One has no choice but to manage his/her social media presence (it works in the individual and macro-organizational level).
A company’ online reputation can be very quickly created or ruined by group-buying websites. Chances are those users who use LivingSocial and Groupons also love to talk about their experience on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social networking sites. It becomes critical for businesses to pay close attention to these tech-savvy customers and address their needs.
Group-buying websites can help business to target the “right customers” by tracking users’ purchasing history, preference, and feedback. For example, recommendations of BBQ restaurants can be made to User A if s/he ate in a similar establishment before and liked the BBQ there.
Group-buying websites need to find ways to help companies develop business strategies of attracting repeat customers. It is good that group-buying websites can help businesses create a positive online reputation and draw traffic, but companies also want repeat customers. Accordingly, it is important to find out: Who will come back and who will not? What makes a customer come back even without a voucher or coupon.

What do you see from the four cases presented above? In your opinions, what needs to be considered before making a promotion on social media?

Relevant discussions:
Strategies for Responding to Online Reviews
Seeking Online Feedback from Customers: How Proactive Can It Be?
Science of Shopping: Do You Know You Are Being Watched?
Still Feeling Reluctant to Adopt a Social Media Strategy? Please Think Again

References:

The picture was downloaded from TheLunchBreakBlogger.com.

ING Direct Café San Francisco: Adding Hospitality to Banking Services

2012-01-04T18:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I visited the ING Direct Cafélocated at the corner of Post St and Kearny St in San Francisco. ING Direct Caféis an innovative banking concept, currently available in major cities like NewYork City, Chicago, Toronto, Las Angeles, and San Francisco. So, what makesthis bank so special?

There is big open space in this two-story “bank,”with free WiFi and many electronic outlets.
Instead of counters or desks for tellers orbankers, ING puts a nice café that sells coffee, tea, and snacks to customers.
The only ATM in the bank is “hiding”somewhere behind the stairs.
There are professional bankers in the store,providing banking services if needed --- promoting the services offered by thebank and helping customers navigate the bank’s online banking systems.
There are multi-purposed functional roomsin the basement. Customers can use the space with reservations.

I like this concept. With more customersare using online and mobile services, companies need to come up with innovativebusiness models for day-to-day operations. By adding hospitality services to atraditional bank, ING Direct Café creates a welcoming and cozy atmosphere forcustomers, promoting B2C (business-to-consumer) and C2C (consumer-to-consumer)relationship. Hopefully (and I believe that), business opportunities will comealong while customers are enjoying the hospitality services provided.

I can see that hospitality management, asan emerging discipline, will play a more important role in business in general.What do you think?

Click the link to the Album of ING Direct Café in San Francisco for more pictures and LIKE my Facebook Page.

Creating an Organizational Culture that Nurtures the Freedom of Thinking

2011-12-28T20:34:00.003-05:00

This holiday, I visited San Francisco BayArea, which is the home for many start-ups and IT giants. I can’t help butwonder why people in this neighborhood can create so many new ideas andinnovative products.

With this question in mind, I toured the GoogleCampus in Mountain View, CA today. The Campus is as nice and as “open” as whatmany business journals and case studies describe --- it provides great andflexible work environments with free workout facilities, free food and drink(even to visitors), childcare service (with a fee), and etc. It may seem tomany visitors like me that there are “no disciplines” in this place. Yet,Google has introduced a large number of successful products and services.

Many scholarly discussions contributeGoogle’s success to the company’s “exploratory culture.” For example, employeesin Google have the options of allocating 20% - 30% of their work time in acollaborative or innovative project of their choice. Different from Google, manycompanies set rules and boundaries for employees so that they can control a moreefficient work environment for standardized operations.

In a business standpoint, what is the artof controlling efficient operations and promoting the freedom of thinking? Asan employee, would you feel more motivated to work or become less efficient ifa company allows you to plan your own schedule and career? How so?

Strategies for Responding to Online Reviews

2011-12-17T13:15:00.001-05:00

Voyager’s World --- an “India’s premier Traveland Tourism monthly” --- featured my comments about online reviews in its coverstory of this month’s issue. I believe that no business can ignore onlinereviews anymore. It would be too late to fix a problem if a business has beenlabeled in the “worst list” of some sort by online review sites. Businesses caneither manage their online presence with designated staff or pay for an agent toperiodically feed the online reviews and comments about their establishments.

If monitoring online reviews is not a question,then how should a business respond to online reviews? Here are somesuggestions:

If the business makes a mistake,acknowledge it and fix the problem.
If customers repeatedly complain about oneissue, it is very likely that this is a serious problem, and the business needsto address it.
If customers said anything good about the business,“publish” and “share” it on as many social networking sites as possible.
In particular, if a customer reported an “isolated”negative review about a business, the managers need to fix the problemimmediately and more importantly, encourage other customers with positiveexperience to post their positive comments and reviews on social networkingsites.

For example, I reported a personal negativeexperience about a dry cleaner on my blog and on Google. After themanagers read my comments online, the store took immediate actions toacknowledge the issue and tried to find ways to fix it. The owners felt it was “unfortunate”that I had such a bad experience and took the approach to share my negativeexperience online. They assured that my experience was an isolated incident andthat many loyal customers would not feel the same way as I did. I can trust themanagers because I know this is an “old” family business in Syracuse, but Iwill not change my review because mine was still a negative experience. Wecannot change what had happened in the past. The managers, however, can asktheir loyal customers to post more positive comments about their business.Eventually, one “isolated” negative review will be buried by those positivecomments.

Regardless the “trustworthiness” issue of onlinereviews (as discussed in the cover story on Voyager’s World), I believe that authenticonline reviews can benefit both customers and business. In my experience ofdealing with the dry cleaner, I believe my negative review on Google helped megain big attention from the owners. For businesses, the feedback they can getfrom real customers can also be priceless. The key is to develop a valid andreliable rating system that helps customers and managers measure the businessperformance. Fake reviews will not help.

What are your experiences about onlinereviews? How do online review sites help you as a customer? If you are runninga business, how important do online reviews mean to you? How much do the onlinereview sites help you improve your operations?

References:

Firoz Fazil (December, 2011). Is that review genuine? (cover story). Voyager's World, p. 12 - 15.
The picture was downloaded fromCommonGroundWorks.com.

Science of Shopping: Do You Know You Are Being Watched?

2011-12-12T11:00:00.019-05:00

We just talked about how mobile technology allows marketers to track consumers’ shopping routines last week. Today, we aregoing to revisit more tracking tools available for retailers/marketers.According this ABC News video, retailers can tell if a shopper like or dislikea product by two indexes:

The “enthusiasm level” measured by theindicators of body temperature, motions, and heart rates
The “disagree score” with the aids of facialrecognition technology.

The goal of these marketers or retailers,however, is not to invade anyone’s privacy. Instead, it is intended to create amore pleasant shopping experience for consumers by tailoring to their preferences,habits, and budgets. What do you think of these tracking technologies?

video platform video management video solutions video player

Strategies for Managing a Company’s Social Media Presence

2011-12-09T23:59:00.001-05:00

There is a voice among hospitalityprofessionals, saying “People talk about my company and my brands all the timeon social media sites. What should I do? Do I need to hire somebody to watch it24/7? How many employees do I have to hire for this thing?!”

I understand their frustrations, but if we thinkpositively, it is nice to have people talking about the company/brand all thetime on the internet because by default, Google Search will display the resultspulled from multiple sources for the keyword(s) being used (e.g. the officialwebsites, Wikipedia, news, pictures, videos, blogs, customer review sites,etc.). The more people talk about a company/brand, the better this company can“optimize” the search engine results.

It is out of the question whether a companymust manage their social media presence. The questions is probably how or whichperson (position) should be hired to manage the conversations on social mediasites.

Today’s Wall Street Journal shared three best-practiceapproaches by Southwest, Wholefood, and Best Buy in terms of managing a company’sTwitter account. Tweets are the “voice” of a company or a brand. Whoevermanages the account must be well-trained and know what to say and when to say the“right” things. If tweets are ill-considered, a short message (≤ 140 characters) can cause a disaster for a company. A Chrysleragent, for example, tweeted: “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the#motorcity and yet no one here knows how to f--- drive.” Certainly, manyfollowers were not happy about this tweet. If the accounts are in good hands, however,Twitter is a very useful tool.

Southwest Airlines hires about 10 employeesto handle its twitter account (@SouthwestAir) that has 1.2 million followers. Initially,Southwest placed its Twitter account under the Advertising Division but movedit to the Public Relations (PR) Department later. The Twitter team worksclosely with the customer-relations team and responds to tweets between 5 amand 11 pm central time when its flights are in schedule. Because customersoften tweet about the problems they experienced, understanding the operationsand offering solutions are important.

Whole Foods (@WholeFoods) has 2.1 million followers. Surprisingly,the account is managed by one single employee, the Global Online Community (GOC)Manager. Whole Foods answers customers’ questions and tweet about the recipes. Thecompany now also has separate accounts for local stores. The GOC Manager stillchecks the Twitter feeds many times a day and hosts a weekly Twitter chat foran hour every week.

With 40 thousand followers, Best Buy has amain account plus multiple accounts with specialized handles, such as @BestBuy, @BBYNews, @BestBuy_Deals, and @BBYCEO. Best Buy puts the accounts on thehands of about 3,000 Best Busy employees who have signed up for the tasks. BestBuy lays out the terms and conditions for these employees. They must use theirBest Buy credentials to sign in to the company’s Twitter account. The companyalso has a social media policy in place. Employees are informed whatinformation can be shared and what cannot.

So, what do we learn from these threeexamples? Here are my summaries:

Companies must manage their social media accounts(please create one if you still don’t have any at this point).
Whoever manages the account needs toprovoke discussions online about the company/brand.
The person in charge of social media mustknow operations. Hotels and restaurants customers often talk about theirexperience or complaints on social media sites. Without a good understanding ofhotel or restaurant operations, this person would find it very difficult toprovide good solutions.
Companies need to check the updates oftheir social media presence many times a day. I believe it is important to givecustomers timely attention and responses.
Be very careful of the languages used onsocial media. It is never a good idea of making fun of the followers (e.g.Chrysler and Kenneth Cole as mentioned in the video and the newspaper).
Companies do NOT need to hire a big groupof professionals to manage their social media presence. They can hire one or ateam of social media managers. Or they can empower their current employees todo the task.
No matter who they hire, companies musthave a good social media policy in place and provide good training/guidelinesto the professionals.

Have I missed anything? What else can acompany do to better manage its social media presence?

References:

Holmes, Elizabeth (2011, December 9).Tweeting without fear: How three companies have built their Twitter Strategies;Burned by Baldwin. The Wall StreetJournal, B1 & B7. Also available online.

A Tour of the Newly Renovated Courtyard by Marriott in Syracuse

2011-12-08T11:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I toured the newly renovatedCourtyard Hotel by Marriott in Syracuse. I was very impressed with its newlobby.

Over the last two or three years, Marriott put big effort on transforming the Courtyard brand with a “refreshing business lobby.” Personally, I have stayed in several Courtyard hotels with the newlobby concept in different locations, but I have to admit that I really lovethe new lobby of this Courtyard in Syracuse.

Like many other newly renovated Courtyard,this hotel’s lobby also has many functional zones. It also has a cozy feel. WhatI like the most about this lobby, however, is how seamlessly one functionalspace flows to another. These functional spaces look great as individual zones,yet they are nicely put together as different components of the lobby. I alsolove the blue and orange accent, which blends with the SU theme very well. Ifeel relax in this welcoming atmosphere.

As food retail has become more important inhotel operations, I also saw the Market and the bistro in the lobby. Courtyard is the pioneer who responds to the proposed health-care legislation by posting the calorie information of all menu items in the lobby.

Overall, the hotel has gone through animpressive transformational change since my last tour in April 2011. To checkout more pictures I took during the tour, please visit the photo album on my Facebook page --- don’tforget to “Like” my page!

Do You Want to Own a Successful Career?

2011-12-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Carmen Wong Ulrich, Russ Michell, andRebecca Jarvis at CBS News discussed the traits that successful businesspersonshave in common. They include:

Stay “hungry” for success, creativity, andlearning. Being curious and striving to acquire new knowledge and skills are very important.
Maintain a positive attitude. Do you knowthat people will lose 10% of productivity in a day if they do not have thepositive attitude?
Pick your battles. Be effective. Askyourself what you can accomplish after doing this or that. One must demonstrate his/her accomplishments at work.
Less screen time and more face time. Networkingtakes place beyond social networking sites. It is important to sit down withsomeone for a face to face conversation. I, myself, use social media a lot, butI cannot agree more on this point. The truth is I will never get to know aperson or a co-worker unless I spend time drinking coffee, having lunch/dinner,or working with this person.
Career 24/7. Join affiliated groups andconnect with the members. Networking can take place everywhere and everyminute.
Move forward every day. I believe that a bigaccomplishment can come from a stack of many small accomplishments.
Focus, focus, and focus. There are so many distractionsat work. Focus = productivity.

What contributes to a successful career? Doyou have what it takes to succeed in your field?

Going After the "A" Players: Is It the Best Strategy for Every Organization?

2011-12-01T07:00:00.006-05:00

The Fortune magazine published a three-page long “Special Advertising Section” in its December 12 2011 issue, where a company offers solutions for other organizations to recruit, develop, and retain A players. I have no doubt that A players can be the best asset and may create great value for an organization. When I think deeper, however, I wonder if it is the best strategy for every company to go after the A players.

According to the Theory of Personality Fit (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005) or the ASA (Attraction-Selection-Attrition) Theory by Schneider et al. (1995), an organization tends to hire those candidates who are the most similar to the organization’s existing members. Those who “fit” in the organization, the job, the group, and the supervisors are likely to stay. On the country, those who do not “fit” will probably end up leaving the organization voluntarily or involuntarily.

If an organization is not among the top performers in the field, chances are this organization hires mostly B, C, or even D players. If this company hires mostly A players, these A players should have already turned this company into an “A” organization or the market leader in the field, right?

Based on the Theory of Personality Fit and the ASA framework, this company probably should not go after the A players at all. At least, it should not do it at this point because (a) it is not cheap to recruit A players and (b) A players may not “fit” with the B or C players in the organization, and definitely will not fit with the D players. If this company wants to hire an A player, it would find it very difficult to attract A candidates. Even if it hires some A players, they will end up leaving the company because they will find out later that they do not “belong to” this organization.

In this case, is it possible for a 2nd- or 3rd- tier company to turn around and transfer itself into a top-tier company that attracts and retains A players? I believe it is possible but will take many small steps. In general, a 2nd- or 3rd- tier company should consider the following:

Start from recruiting and selecting the B or C candidates. The company may want to hire some C players, but B players are desirable. D players are not suggested. Remember, a few bad apples can ruin everything!
Treat employees “right.” Even though B or C players are not as needed as the A players by the top-tier firms, they are needed by the competitors. No companies want their employees to end up working for the competitors.
Training and development become critical. If it is impossible for a company to recruit and retain A players, it needs to invest more in its current asset, namely the B players. Hopefully, with adequate training, a company can turn its B players into A players over time. Also, it is very important to outline a clear career path for the potential A players so that they know they have a future in the company --- otherwise, they may end up leaving the company for better opportunities, and the money spent on training and development will benefit the A players’ new employers, likely the competitors again.
It is necessary to hire a strong “A” leader because most of the time, A players are good friends of other A players. An A leader will not only become the center for an organization, s/he may also be able to help attract other A players in her/his network to join the company.

Over a period of time, it is hoped that this 2nd- or 3rd- tier company will build a team with a strong A leader and a group of A players. When the organization has more A players than C players, the C players will probably find themselves not “fitting” in the organization anymore.

The ultimate goal is to have mostly A players with some B players working in the organization. “An A leader + a group of A players” can pretty much guarantee a green return on any investment.

My point is --- if you are already running a top-tier organization, certainly, you can focus on recruiting A players; if you are not, you may want to forget about the A players for now. Rather, you should focus on the B players (i.e. the potential A players) and consider the suggestions I proposed above. Do you agree to my analysis? If not, what can a 2nd- or 3rd- tier company do to turn itself into a top-tier organization?

References

Kristof-Brown, A.L., Zimmerman, R.D., & Johnson, E.C. (2005). Consequences of individuals’ fit at work: A meta-analysis of person-job, person-organization, person-group, and person supervisor fit. Personnel Psychology, 58, 281-342.
Schneider, B., Goldstein, H.W., & Smith, D.B. (1995). The ASA framework: An update. Personnel Psychology, 48, 747-773.
Picture was downloaded from Australia.edu.

Technology Allows Marketers to Track Consumers’ Shopping Routines

2011-11-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to mobile technology, marketers can now track where and probably how consumers move from one location to another in a shopping trip.

As illustrated in this MSNBC News video, as soon as a consumer enters the parking lot of a shopping mall, his/her cell phone signal will be recognized by the sensors. Then, this consumer’s whole shopping trip will be recorded. The cell phone users’ personal or demographic information, however, will not be identified by this tracking system.

Such information could be critically important to marketers, and probably the landlords as well, but some people feel that tracking consumers’ shopping routines may violate their rights of privacy. This concern makes sense. If a hacker connects cell phone users’ personal and demographic information with the data of their shopping routines, customers are indeed being watched. Also, it would be quite different if consumers are tracked in a larger neighborhood rather than a mall, such as in a city, and if they are tracked for a week, a month, or 24/7.

In your opinions, what are the benefits of tracking consumers’ shopping routines? What are the potential risks of collecting such information? How may the benefits outweigh the potential risks in this case?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thanksgiving --- Let’s Thank Our Service Providers

2011-11-24T12:25:00.001-05:00

What do you do in Thanksgiving? Eating a nicefamily meal? Shopping for bargains? …

I love those traditions, but quite often, “Thanksgiving”also reminds me the importance of showing genial appreciations to those whohave done something nice to me in the past.

This CBS News video reminds us the samething --- we need to be nice to waiters and waitresses. Servers in restaurantsoften receive very minimal hourly wage as they must count tips towards their incomes.Accordingly, it is important that we tip them 15-20% of the bill.

In addition to tips, showing genialappreciations can mean a lot to the service providers. For example, it is niceto maintain an eye contact with the servers while they take the orders, givethem the attention when they place the food/drink on the table or remove theempty plates, and often, use words like “please” and “thank you.”

Being a good server is not easy. S/he mustbe very patient, possess good communication skills and multi-tasking skills, worklong hours, deal with the wastes, and usually sacrifice weekends and holidays. So,the next time when we dine out, let’s show our appreciations to waiters andwaitresses. Honestly, I believe that being nice to service providers and otherpeople is also a very good indication of who we are as a person. Do you agree?

If you waited tables before, how would youdescribe “the best” and/or “the worst” customers you’ve ever served?

Professional Dress in the Workplace

2011-11-16T22:34:00.004-05:00

This Tuesday, a colleague of mine, who is also a restaurant entrepreneur, briefly spoke in my Human Resource Management (HRM) class about the importance of HRM in his career. When he screened candidates, he started from three observable details: (a) whether the candidate carries a pen for interviews, (b) how well the candidate dresses for the position, and (c) what demeanors the candidate shows during the interview.

Indeed, how we dress and handle ourselves matter! According to the recruiter working in an international hotel chain (Kwok et al., 2011), hospitality is a still a conservative field; the hotel chain wants to see that candidates dress in business attire during job interviews, as what they would be expected at work.

Before, I shared some thoughts on business attire and business casual attire. In addition to those “common” what-not-to-wear tips (e.g., tattoos in most workplaces, mini-skirts, low-cut shirts, etc.), this ABC News video tells us more. For example,

Do NOT wear capes. It might look cute on the street, but not in the office. Instead, we should stick to the “classic” tailored suits.
Do NOT wear a designer bag or high-fashioned designer clothes for interviews. The underlying message conveyed in a candidate’s fashion statement is that s/he is so well-off that s/he might not really need the job.
Do NOT wear leggings. Leggings are NOT pants. So, no matter how comfortably leggings could fit, do not wear them. Personally, I do not think leggings should be wear in public, not even in schools or grocery stores.
Do NOT wear hats. A nice haircut is good.
Do NOT wear any perfume or cologne. Please be thoughtful for the coworkers as they may not feel comfortable with the perfume or cologne.
Do NOT wear flip flops. Flip flogs do not belong to the office regardless of the season.

Wearing appropriate dresses means more than just how we look --- it shows how much we care about ourselves and our coworkers. It also indicates how well we handle ourselves in professional occasions and how much we respect a company’s culture.

How important does the employees’ professional appearance mean to a hospitality business? Do you think hospitality companies need to put dress code in their employee handbook? Why or why not?

References:
The picture was downloaded from SophisticatedEdge.com.

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International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show 2011

2011-11-14T09:47:00.003-05:00

This is the third time that I attended the InternationalHotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (Hotel Show) in New York City. While my scheduledid not allow me to “explore” the new neighborhoods and trends in the City, Iattended the Leadership Forum in the Hotel Show and the Alligator Hour hostedby CHRIE.

I did not find any “wow” factors or information that reallysurprised me in the Hotel Show. I, however, wrote down some notes taken in theLeadership Forum. If you attended or presented in the Hotel Show, let me know ifyou agree or disagree with me on the following:

Overall, the statistics have shown signs of recovery basedon ADR and occupancy, but the performance has not bounced back to the “peak” yet.Many uncertainties still exist (from a variety of sources).
Opportunities can be found in the university, military, andairport markets because they have captive customers.
There are several market “myths.” The truth include: incomedoes not define segments; leisure, not business, drives the industry; there isa “clear cut” of business and leisure travelers; Boomers will not be completelyreplaced by Millennials; traditional reservation channels are still working.
Technology, especially “green technology,” is still a bigfocus of this year’s Hotel Show. I, however, did not hear anything unexpected.
Boutique hotel is still a big trend. As a matter of fact,Boutique Design New York also took place at the same time and in the samelocation as the Hotel Show did.

Overall, I liked this trip. I met many colleagues and thefuture industry leaders (students) in the Hotel Show and the Alligator Hour.

To check out the pictures I took in the Hotel Show, pleasevisit (and Like) my Facebook Page.

Relevant discussion:
International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show 2010
Pictures taken in the Hotel Show of 2010

Selected Picture 1: MenuPad and Using Technology in Portion Control

Selected Picture 2: Mini Bar in Hotels

Highlighting the Deliverable and Quantifiable Results: A Piece of Career Advice from a White Lodging Manager

2011-11-10T13:55:00.004-05:00

Today, Jason Bretz, theGeneral Manager of Hilton GardenInn Saratoga Spring (White Lodging),spoke in my Hospitality Human Resource Management class and conducted some jobinterviews on campus. He received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing, but he startedhis career in the lodging industry upon graduation. I was glad to hear hiscareer advice in class today.

According to Jason, relevantwork experience is definitely important, but he is also looking for candidates whocan deliver quantifiable results. For example, if a student tells him that s/heworked at the Front Desk, Housekeeping, or any position in a hotel, he knowswhat kind of work the position is involved. As a result, a resume that simply listsa person’s job responsibilities does not help this candidate stand out from thecrowd. It becomes critical that a job candidate can describe how much impacts/he has made at work. More specifically, it will be helpful to see a statementlike “increased sales/revenue by 10%,” “reduced costs by 20%,” “increased GSS(Guest Satisfaction Surveys) Score from 90 percentile to 95 percentile,” andetc. Employees may not have the access to the statistics, but they may cantheir managers before putting the information on their resumes.

When you write a cover letter and resume, do you pay attention to the deliverable and quantifiableresults? If you were in class today, what are your takeaways?

Relevant discussion:

Career Advice Suggested by a Restaurant Recruiter
Thoughts and Advices from Three Hospitality Professionals (Jason Bretz’ previous campus visit in the spring).

References:
The picture shows a White Lodging property --- the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis, which was downloaded from the hotel's web page.

Smart TVs in Hotels

2011-11-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

I heard about the gadget of smart TV soon after 3D TVs were introduced. According to this CNN News video, smart TVs are internet-enabled TVs that allow people to surf the internet and download/use the apps that were designed for smart TVs. I expect that smart TVs will appear in hotel rooms very soon because of the following reasons:

Many hotels have already linked their PMS (Property Management System) and on-demand services with the traditional TV sets in guest rooms. For example, guests can check out, play video games, and watch on-demand movies on TV. Very likely, smart TVs will allow hotels to manage these functions in a better way.
Hotels can purchase brand new smart TVs. Or, they may purchase some “boxes” to upgrade their existing TV sets to smart TVs.
Instead of charging guests the WiFi service, hotels may sell a “Smart TV Package” instead. Guests can use the smart TV and the internet service for an additional fee. Otherwise, they can still use the machine as a traditional TV set for free.
Some hotels and restaurants have already used iPads in operations. Smart TVs can do similar tasks as what iPads offer. The good news is hotels do not need to purchase additional iPads when every guest room is supposed to have at least one TV set.

It must be nice to be able to control almost everything in bed with a remote control. Do you see the future for smart TVs in hotels? In what way? If there is a fee for using smart TV, how much are you willing to pay?

What Is the Future for Newspaper in Hotels?

2011-11-07T07:00:00.019-05:00

We just talked about hotel fees last week. Newspaper happens to be one of those possible charges. This CBS News video reported that a man in Sacramento, California filed a class-action lawsuit for 7 million consumers against Hilton Hotels for $5 million. As quoted in the statement, the Hilton family was sued because the hotels “intentionally, recklessly, and/or negligently concealed, suppressed, and misled customers about the scheme.”

This lawsuit was triggered by the man’s stay in a Hilton Garden Inn. The man picked up the 75 cent USA Today that was lying in front of his hotel room without knowing the fact that he would be charged the 75 cents for the newspaper.

Here, I will leave the decision on this case to you and the judge. I, on the other hand, would like to share with you another relevant CBS news article: Marriott, which was the first hotel chain that delivered USA Today and other newspaper to guest rooms, had ended the “automatic delivery” of newspaper to guest rooms in April 2009. This time, Marriott became the first hotel chain that ceased such service.

Marriott made the decision because the hotel chain had observed a decrease of 25% of guest demand for newspaper. If guests would like to read newspaper, however, they may choose to “opt-in” the auto delivery options.

I believe that “opt-in” is a very smart approach to ease the anger from some guests about the newspaper fee. When more people seek information and/or read news updates on the internet or smart phones, traditional printed media, like newspaper, have become less important to today’s travelers. So, what do you think of the future for newspaper in hotels?

Relevant discussion:
What Is the Future of Hotel Minibars?
When Will Full Service Hotels Offer Free WiFi Service?

Will You Turn down a Job Offer because of the Company’s Strict Social Media Policy?

2011-11-03T11:50:00.003-04:00

It is no doubt that more employers are using social media in recruiting and screening job candidates. As a job candidate, however, willyou turn down an offer if the company does not allow you to use social media atwork?

This CNN News video reports some very interestingstatistics. According to a survey of 300 job recruiters:

91% employers use social media in screening jobcandidates; 9% do not.
When screening job candidates on social media, 76% useFacebook, 53% use Twitter, and 48% use LinkedIn.
69% had rejected a candidate based on the “negativeinformation” they found online about the candidate; 26% never rejected anyone;5% do not use social media in screening at all.
The top “negative information” includes lying about acandidate’s qualifications and the inappropriate contents posted on socialmedia sites.
68% had hired someone because of the “positiveinformation” they found about the candidate on social media sites.
“Positive information” is helpful in portraying acandidate’s positive personality, true qualifications/credentials, andcreativities.

Another interesting study by Cisco with 3,000participants who are between 18 and 30 years old reveals that: (a) 2/3 of jobcandidates will ask about employers’ social media policy in job interviews and(b) 56% will actually turn down a job offer if the company bans social media.

These studies support my advocates of managing people’spersona on social media as well as the needs for companies to develop a goodsocial media policy.

So, how important does social media mean to you duringthe time when you are looking for a job and later when you are making adecision among multiple offers?

For more discussions of using social media in job search, please check out the following discussion:
More Employers Are Using Social Media in Screening Job Candidates
Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)
One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I

Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

Do You Think Hotel Fees Reasonable or Rip-off Charges?

2011-11-01T23:45:00.003-04:00

In 2009, the airline industry collected $7.8 billion revenue because of fees. Seeing airlines’ ability of pocketing fees, I asked a question last year: Will fees become a new revenue stream for hotels? At that time, I was in doubt that hotels could do the same as what airlines did because there are way too many hotels. Customers have more options when selecting hotels than taking a flight, which makes it almost impossible for hotels to make travelers pay un-necessary fees.

Today, a student in my Hotel & Resort Operations class raised a similar question by presenting a CNN news article about hotel fees. According to the estimation, the lodging industry in the U.S. will be able to collect $1.8 billion fees this year, up 80% from a decade ago.

It happened that ABC News Network also raised a concern about hotel fees and thus provided some advice for travelers on how to save money when travelling (as shown in this embedded video). Probably because I worked in hotels before, I feel many hotel fees have always been in place even though I agree on the money-saving tips suggested in this ABC News video. For example:

Resort fees: many resorts charge $15 - $60 per room per day for unlimited access to the resort amenities, like swimming pools, exercise room, tennis court, etc. Guests usually cannot “get away” from these fees. If they pay a higher price, such as an all-inclusive package, they do not need to pay the resort fees.
Cancelation fees: there are always some guests who fail to show up as scheduled for a variety of reasons. A hotel usually holds the rooms for guests with guaranteed reservations --- in other words, the hotel will turn down the requests from other guests. If a guest with guaranteed reservation fails to show up at mid-night but never cancels the reservation, who is going to cover the hotel’s? However, if a guest remembers to inform the hotel about the changes of his/her travel plan according to the cancelation policy, this fee can be waived.
Newspaper: some hotels will actually credit $1.25 or $2.00 to the room if a guest does not want to read the newspaper in the morning. Such service may vary depending on the brand and/or the location. Travelers can always ask the Front Desk to see if there is a fee for newspaper before cancelling the service. For business travelers, newspaper could be important --- so, many hotels still keep this service.
Bag charges: it usually occurs in big cities, where the rent is very high, such as Manhattan and San Francisco. Even in those “expensive” locations, hotels only charge between $1 and $3.5 per check-in bag. It is important and necessary for hotels in those locations to attach a small price tag on check-in luggage because (a) the rent and labor cost of handling luggage are not cheap, (b) a small bag fee can help lower the demand of storing luggage in those busy locations so that the hotel staff can concentrate on providing good service to in-house guests, and (c) hotels are actually taking a high risk of handling guest luggage (e.g. possibly keeping a luggage for terrorists) --- no hotels will or can inspect guest luggage as TSA does.
Minibar fees: guests do not need to pay anything if they do not use the minibar. For more discussion about the “evolution” of hotel minibars, please check out my discussion of “what is the future of hotel minibar?” on my blog.
Early departure fee: it only applies to some special events, like the Graduation Weekend in Syracuse and the Canton Fair in Canton, China. Hotels will let travelers know in advance about the early departure fee if applicable. Similar to what I discussed above about the cancelation fee, because a hotel has to turn down other requests to “guarantee” a guest’s stays, this guest will have to cover the hotel’s lost if s/he change his/her travel plan in the last minute ---as the hotel may not be able to fill the room in the last minute, which otherwise the hotel could have sold the room to other guests.
Room service fee: it is provided for the convenience of hotel guests. Travelers may choose to eat in the hotel restaurants or other food outlets to save the service charges of using room service.
WiFi fee: Many full service hotels still charge guests a fee for WiFi, but many limited service hotels do not. In my personal opinions, all hotels should offer free WiFi as internet access has become a must-have amenity, just like towels and a comfortable bed.

Do you agree with me that these hotel fees are reasonable? Or do you think that hotels are actually trying to rip off guests? Please explain.

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Roof-Top Farming

2011-10-31T16:46:00.001-04:00

I first talked about roof-top gardening in August 2010 and believed that farm-to-table and urban-farming could be a great entrepreneurship idea. Fourteen months later, I am glad to see that roof-top farming has already become a common scene in New York City.

As shown in this ABC News video, solar energy and hydroponics system can help urban farmers create an almost complete control environment. Vegetables are harvested in 30 to 35 days. People can enjoy fresh vegetables that are grown right in their neighborhoods.

One may assume that it would cost a lot to install the solar panels and the hydroponics system, but I believe that such expenses can be offset by the ability of yielding fresh produce in a consistent and controlled manner as well as the low shipping costs. Roof-Top farming is already here.

It seems that in the future, cities will rely less on rural areas for produce. What can traditional farms do to prepare for this foreseeing change?

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The Importance of Listening Skills and the Impact of a Negative Online Review

2011-10-30T17:00:00.000-04:00

I experienced the most terrible customer service lastFriday in Dewitt Cleaners Inc. The manager does not possess any listeningskills and accused me for several faults. I posted my review on Google, and Ibelieve that we can learn a good lesson from the manager’s bad example.

The Story

I brought to the store three pieces of Ralph Laurenbrand-new garments in late September of 2011 (I always wash my new clothes beforewearing them). The girl who greeted me was nice --- she put my info in thesystem as a first-time customer, inspected my clothes, told me I could pick itup in a week or so, and put the cloths in the basket for dirty clothes.

On Oct 1 (at 12:46 pm), a girl from the dry cleaning calledme, telling me that the long jacket must be sent out to a special cleanerbecause it has leather trims in several places. As a result, it will take twomore weeks. The other two pieces (suit) can be picked up as scheduled.

I came back two weeks later as what I was told on Oct1. When I was in the store, I was told that my jacket had not yet been returnedto the shop. I was asked to come back the next week.

On Oct. 25, I called the store and asked if the jacketwas ready to pick up before heading to the store. I was told my jacket wasready, and I could pick it up at any time.

In the evening of Oct. 26, I came to the store to pickup my jacket. The girl did not find it. She asked me to come back in the nextweek. I then insisted that she need to find the jacket for me as it had takenfor so long --- three weeks! After 10 to 15 minutes of searching, the girl locatedmy jacket in the back. I took the jacket home. When I hang my jacket in thecloset, I found a couple blue stains on the fabrics. Plus, the khaki color lookeddarker than it used to be.

I took the jacket back to the store on Oct 28 andtalked to the manager and asked for a solution --- a minimum a re-wash. I also wantedto bring to the manager’s attention that it took me a whole month just fortrying to have a jacket cleaned. It is ridiculously long, would you agree?

Meeting the ManagerWho Did Not Listen AND Accused an Innocent Customer

His name is Kevin. He came out from the back. When Ipointed out the stains, he first told me: “It looks like paints. Somebody putthe paints on the cloths when he wore it … The person wore it like this and putthe paints in two spots (he was demonstrating to me what could have happened).”I told him that it was a brand new garment and I had never worn that jacketbefore --- I had not even opened all pockets by cutting all sewing lines yet.Then, he told me: “I know my business. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get any paints onthe cloths in our store.” Then, he asked me where I brought the clothes. I toldhim I brought that from a Ralph Lauren store. He suggested: “the paints mightbe already on the clothes when you brought it!” I told him that was not thecase. Then, he was telling me how the clothes need to be cleaned by theprofessionals in Canada and blah, blah, blah, which was not helpful in solvingthe problem.

When I was trying --- indeed just trying --- to tellhim the whole story. He never allowed me to finish my story. He always jumpedin to defend himself --- I have tried many times, but he never got the part ofwhen his staff searching for 10 – 15 minutes to locate my jacket. His responsewas always like: “Oh, I have listened. I know exactly what you are trying to say.You just want to repeat the same thing.”

…

He asked me for my phone number again in the end.According to him, his store only keeps 315 numbers (area code for Syracuse),but mine starts with the area code of 806. I told him that my number must bestored in the system already because his staff called me before. He said: “thesystem does not keep the numbers other than the ones starting with 315.” I wasthinking --- if that’s the case, why can the girl call me three weeks ago fromthe store? WHOM AM I TALKING TO? DOES THIS SO-CALL MANAGER EVEN KNOW THEOPERATIONS OF HIS STORE?

I knew it was useless to speak with this man. I wasready to leave the store. Then, he added: “Be NICE!” People who have spent timewith me know that I do not get angry easily and I always remain calm. I toldhim: “I was nice, but you NEVER listened.” He said: “you just repeated the samething. I knew what you say. Oh, do NOT come back again … you will waste yourtime if you come back without hearing from us.” What service is that? I wonderhow he can get promoted to a managerial position. It is possible that he is a hardworker and/or has excellent administrative skills, but I am very positive thathe has extremely poor customer service skills.

He should not have accused an innocent customer beforeeven listening to him/her --- I did nothing wrong in this case. Plus, I have beenextremely patient by waiting for one month for the dry cleaning service. Mostof all, he should have assisted the customer in investigating the issue andbetter, in solving the problem.

He kept my jacket now and said he would investigatethe issue and possibly help me clean the stains --- it is possible that thestore KNEW exactly what happened to my new jacket. It is possible that thestore kept my jacket in the back so that it could do a follow-up clean of thestains before returning the cloth to me --- remember the girls who did not findit even I was told the specialty shop has returned my jacket? What a horriblemanager!!!

What Is the Impact ofa Negative Review on Google?

I, myself, will never send any clothes to this dry cleanerin the future. I wrote a negative review about the store on Google --- I wantto inform other customers about my terrible experience. I assume that acustomer’s previous experience with a business will mediate the effects of eithera negative or a positive online review. If you never visited the dry cleaningplace in this case, will my experience prevent you from visiting the store? Inwhat degree? If you visited the place before but had a positive experience, howmay my negative experience influence your future visit to the store?

Dinner Etiquette

2011-10-28T15:07:00.001-04:00

Last night, I presented in the Etiquette Dinner for about 90 graduatestudents at SU. While it is important to know the basics like the appropriateways of drinking soup, using folks and knives, passing items on the table, andetc., I believe that showing respect to the host/hostess is the foremostimportant etiquette. In many cases, showing respect means going with the flow. Hereare some examples:

When I eat with my India friends in an India restaurant, even though silverwaresare provided, I will eat with my hands if all my Indian friends want to dothat.
I am not a Christian. If I am eating with my Christian friends and theywant to make a meal blessing by holding my hands on the dining table, I will holdtheir hands, but I usually just listen to what they say.
When everyone at the table uses hands on chicken wings and ribs, I willdo the same.
When I eat with my Korean friends in a traditional Korean restaurant,if they choose to sit on the floor, I will not object their choice by moving toa regular table with chairs.

What does showing respect or going with the flow mean to you? Can youprovide some specific examples?

Again, the key of dinner etiquette is “doing the right things” so thateveryone feels comfortable at the table. It is good to know the standards ofdinner etiquette. It is also important to observe others’ preferences andpossibly follow the lead of the host/hostess. What do you think?

References:

The picture was downloaded from a webpage of University of Wisconsin River Falls.

Career Advice Suggested by a Restaurant Recruiter

2011-10-25T17:29:00.003-04:00

Today, the recruiter of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants (LEYE) spoke inmy Human Resource Management class and conducted several job interviews oncampus. She shared with students plenty of good advice about career management.Interestingly, yet not surprisingly, I agree with her on every piece of heradvice. In addition to the fact that more managers are now screening potential candidates on social media, her suggestions are quite similar to the practicalimplications I drew from one of my research studies.

According to my research findings (Kwok et al., 2011), I made thefollowing suggestions for those students who plan to start a hospitality career(p. 394):

Seek career advancement opportunities at work and take a leadershiprole in extra-curricular activities, class projects, and at work.
(Also suggested by the recruiter of LEYE) Understand their career goalsand find a part-time job and/or an internship that closely matches their “dreamjobs.”
Complete personality test(s) and thoroughly research a company beforeinterview.
(Also suggested by the recruiter of LEYE) Prepare well for jobinterviews. Students need to show interest in the company they interview withby asking interviewers thoughtful and engaging questions and maintainingon-going conversations with the recruiters even after interviews.
Practice verbal and written communication, analytical, and problem-solvingskills in class and at work. Knowledge of accounting and financial managementis also important. Students need to illustrate that they understand “numbers”and can solve problems on their own.
Inform recruiters if they are flexible at work and/or in the locationwhere they begin a career.
Spend time in school, work, and extra-curricular activities wisely.

In addition to relevant work experience and interview behaviors, shealso suggested that students need to show their interest to a job and companyby giving the recruiter prompt responses. What other suggestions the recruitermade? Do you think her suggestions helpful? In what way?

References:

Kwok, L., Adams, C.R., & M.A. Price, (2011). Factors influencing hospitality recruiters’ hiring decisions in college recruiting. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism, 10, 372-399.
The picture was downloaded from the photo album on the Facebook page of LEYE.

Ad Hominem: Can It Be Used as a Tip?

2011-10-24T10:00:00.007-04:00

In a debate or an argument, people sometimes use “ad hominem” as a tactic to attack the rivals even though they may know that this tactic creates illogical fraud. The question is: Is it OK to use “ad hominem” as a tip when one receives poor service?

According to this NBC News video, a couple left a waitress no tip but the following sentence: “P.S. You could stand to lose a few pounds!” The victim (waitress) shared her story on Facebook. As a feminist, she does not feel that it is right for a man to “attack” her on her weights.

No matter how bad the service was, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to leave a comment like that. I had bad experience with waiters or waitresses before. There were also a few times when I did not leave any tips because of the level of service --- if I left no tips, however, I often wrote down why the service was not appropriate and asked the managers to better train their staff. Why would a person blame the poor service to the weight or the physical apparence of a server?

Instead, I encourage people to write down “Thank You” or something sweet when they are nicely treated or leave constructive suggestions when they have bad experience. I believe that every server will very much appreciate guest compliments for his/her hard work and the constructive criticisms. What do you think? I hope people are nice to all service providers --- tip them well and more importantly, appreciate their service.

Another interesting aspect of this story is that the waitress got her attention from a lot of people because of her Facebook update. Once again, Facebook can be very powerful! It is important that we know how to leverage the power of social media in a positive way.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Soul Kitchen: Another Pay-As-You-Want and Eat-As-You-Need Restaurant

2011-10-20T15:32:00.000-04:00

We first visited the social entrepreneurship project of Panera Bread’s pay-as-you-want and eat-as-you-need restaurants in June 2010, and then followed up with a video about their success a year after. I am not sure if Jon Bon Jovi was inspired by the Panera Bread’s social entrepreneurship idea, but I know he opens a restaurant call The Soul Kitchen in New Jersey, which is modeled by the pay-as-you-want and eat-as-you-need concept, and he plans to open more Soul Kitchens in the future.

Leaving alone the possibility that Jon Bon Jovi was trying to get rid of his negative stigma, as suggested by CBS News, I love this concept. People volunteer in the kitchen or in the community if they cannot afford for a meal. Or, they leave a donation for the meal.

I believe that this pay-as-you-want and eat-as-you-need concept works very well with the urban farming and farm to table trend in many communities. What do you think? Will we expect more restaurants that offer “free food” in the future? Will this concept “vanish” soon when the recession is over?

SoundTracking: How Can Hospitality Companies Use This App for Their Advantages?

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal called SoundTracking the “next big thing in tech.” It is a social mobile app that allows people to share the music they are listening to in the form of virtual postcard: First, it recognizes the music that is playing on air. Then, it lets users attach a picture, update, and the location with the song if they want to share it on the social networking sites. Within seven months, the app has created a community of over 750,000 users and has become “the most twitted music service on Twitter.”

For those hospitality companies that sell CDs and music (e.g. W Hotels and Starbucks), SoundTracking can be helpful in promoting their retail sales and the brand. If you are using this app, how do you like or dislike the service? If this is the first time you heard of this app, are you interested in using the service? Should SoundTracking become “the next big thing in tech,” how can hospitality companies use this app for their advantages?

A Director of HR’s Experience during a Hotel Transition

2011-10-13T22:15:00.001-04:00

Today, I invited Ms. Britney Bubrowski, the Director of Human Resources (HR)at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Syracuse to speak in my Hospitality Human ResourceManagement class. She shared with us her experience in the time when the hotelwent through a transition from a Renaissance Hotel (a Marriott brand) to aCrowne Plaza Hotel (an IHG brand).

Usually, executives will leave a company either voluntarilyor involuntarily when there is a shift of ownership, CEO, a brand, or amanagement company. In Britney’s case, she is among the two executives who stayed.According to Britney, she stayed because she, as the Director of HR, connectedwith employees. HR is the “go-to” department when employees have concerns abouttheir career or the future of the company. It is important for her to stayduring the transition process so that those who worry about their future can finda “trustful” person to talk to.

Personally, I believe that Britney’s positive attitude towardschanges also help her secure the position under new leadership. Changing from aRenaissance Hotel to a Crowne Plaza Hotel means way more than just switchingthe logo --- from payroll and standardized operation procedures toorganizational culture, everything is different. If Britney were not flexibleor had a negative attitude towards changes, she would not have survived thetransition.

If you were in the class today, what are your takeaways fromBritney’s experience? If you were not in the class, how important are flexibility and the ability of adopting new ideasin a person’s career?

References:
The picture of the Crowne Plaza Syracuse was downloaded fromHotel-Rates.com.

Tour of the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center, Oct 2011

2011-10-12T21:53:00.001-04:00

Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center is located right in the heart of the SU campus. The property is owned by SU and managed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Recently, it is finishing up a $5 million renovation. I am glad that my Hotel & Resort Operations class and I had a chance to hear about the renovation experience from the hotel executives and see the results of their hard work.

We all enjoyed the tour. I, in particular, liked the bigger-size and a more-modern-look Club Lounge, the more spacious workout room, and the clean design of the guestrooms. I believe that these changes reflect Sheraton’s vision very well under its system-wide $6 billion “revitalizing the brand” campaign.

I also very much appreciate the fact that every executive shared their work experience and advice with us. There are many takeaways from this tour, some of which can be found in my discussion of our previous tours. Here, I would like to highlight that regardless which executive position a person holds, s/he must know what is going on in the market, e.g. new laws and regulations, market trends, events, the directions that the competitors are moving to, and etc.

If you went on the tour, what are your takeaways? If you did not go with us, have you stayed in a newly-renovated Sheraton Hotel or Resort recently? What do you think of Sheraton’s campaign of revitalizing the brand?

Discussion of the Previous Two Tours:

Sheraton SU’s Green Initiatives and LED Bulbs, Oct 2010

Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center (Sheraton SU), Apr 2010

The pictures show a corner of the Club Lounge and the workout facility. Want to check out more pictures about this tour? Please visit the album on my Facebook Page (don’t forget to Like my page when you are there).

Etiquette for the New Age

2011-10-11T09:00:00.028-04:00

New trend comes and goes, but good manners should stay and will always be appreciated. The basic etiquette is to treat others with consideration and respect. Let’s see if you agree to the following etiquette discussed in this MSNBC News video:

It is fine to “de-friend” a Facebook friend if you no longer feel comfortable to be attached with that person.
One may buy a smaller gift if attending a destination wedding, depending on the person’s budget.
If a client is sick but s/he wants to shake your hand, do it but wash your hand immediately afterwards. If you are sick, you may refuse to shake hands and explain to the client that you are sick.
It is inappropriate to text or play with any gadgets when one is with others, regardless how busy s/he is. S/he may excuse herself/himself if it is absolutely necessary.

Interested in etiquette? Check out the following posts and read more.
New Dining Etiquette by Zagat
Wedding Etiquette
Smartphone Etiquette
International Etiquette
Social Media Etiquette for Business

What Are the Most Inappropriate Guest Conducts You Have Ever Seen in a Hotel or a Restaurant?

2011-10-10T07:00:00.056-04:00

Time can change a lot of things. When people show moreunderstanding of others and become more acceptant to our diverse society,certain behaviors that used to be considered “blizzard” will no longer be seenas “inappropriate.” Decades ago, for example, people of colors were not allowedto ride in the front of a bus or eat in a fine dining restaurant. Thankgoodness, those times have become history. The questions are: When can we drawthe line for changes? And who is entitled to define the appropriate or inappropriatebehaviors?

This NBC News video brings up an interesting case of hoteloperations --- Is the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis Missouri doing the rightthing by kicking a lesbian couple out of the property because they were kissingin the hotel’s jacuzzi? According the interview, the hotel received complaintsfrom other guests and believes that kissing (either between heterosexual orhomosexual couples) is one of those inappropriate conducts in the property.

Different from this Four Seasons in St. Louis, some other hotelchains and cruise lines are promoting their gay-friendly culture. What do youthink of the approach used by the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Louis? What areyour thoughts on those gay-friendly hotels, resorts, and restaurants? As aguest in a hotel or a restaurant, what are the most inappropriate or annoyingbehaviors you have ever seen? If you work in a hotel or a restaurant, how doesyour company define inappropriate guest behaviors? And what approaches yourcompany will take when handling undesirable guest conducts?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References:
The picture shows a jacuzzi at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, which was downloaded from the Four Seasons website.

The Art of Curiosity

2011-10-06T14:22:00.009-04:00

The Fall Career Fair at Syracuse University took place at the CarrierDome yesterday. I met with several hospitality recruiters in the Dome and askedthem about their recruiting experience with different schools in the Northeasternregion. They did not compare the calibers of students from different hospitalityschools, but they indicated that they prefer those schools where students arecurious about what their companies are doing and ask a lot of questions. I havefound it very interesting that recruiters’ impression of a good hospitality programis not built upon how many students sign up for an interview, how manygraduates they hire, or even how well the graduates perform at work after theyare hired. Instead, they value the students’ curiosity.

When making a presentation on campus, recruiters can tell whether studentshave interest in their companies and the hospitality industry in general by observingstudents’ behaviors and listening to their questions. If students are quiet orplaying with their cell phones (that is actually very rude), recruiters knowthat these students have no passion about the industry --- “if they havepassion for the industry and their major, they would LOVE to know what we aredoing as compared to others even if they do not want to work for us,” a recruitersaid.

Earlier this year, I published a qualitative study and anotherquantitative-focused study about hospitality recruiters’ selection criteria in collegerecruiting. According to the research findings, it is very important thatstudents ask engaging and intellectual questions during therecruiting-selection process if they want to get a job offer. If students areinterested in a topic, they will pay attention. For those who are curiousenough to pay attention, they must also know the subject very well before they cancome up with engaging and intellectual questions. I completely understand whyrecruiters will judge candidates or even the quality of a hospitality programbased on the curiosity shown by the students.

Curiosity also works in both ways. If a job candidate does not feel thata recruiter is “curious” about her/his education and previous work experience,s/he may probably feel disappointed for the recruiter and the company.

Besides what is discussed above, what else can you tell based on aperson’s curiosity?

References:
The picture was downloaded from the Center for Career Services at Syracuse University.

Companies Ask: What Does Facebook Mean to Business?

2011-10-04T09:00:00.006-04:00

Ever since I began doing reach on social media, I have often heard from people asking me: “Yes, you can build a large group of fans on Facebook, so what?” “What does it mean to business?” “After spending all these money and time on building a large fan base, I want to see some green on the book. Where is it?” Unfortunately, (to my knowledge) there is no such an easy formula like “X number of Facebook fans = Y amount of revenue.”

This Mondy’s Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that companies are eager to dig into the “rich” demographic information of their Facebook fans and get some value out of it (report + video). Walt Disney, for example, hires an independent customer relationship marketing agency to track the profiles of their fans, their previous visits to Disney, and their plans for future visits. According to this WSJ report, Facebook does not share individual users’ information with advertisers. One way to attain Facebook users’ information is to have them sign up for an app and grant the permission of accessing their information by the app developer.

The “rich” demographic information of Facebook users is certainly very important to every marketer and business. Based on the Facebook data I have on hand, however, I believe that the value of Facebook means more than just Facebook users’ demographic information. Smart companies understand how to engage with their Facebook fans. If it is used appropriately, Facebook can be used as a free market research tool. The feedback a company can get from its loyal Facebook fans is priceless. On top of that, there are companies (e.g., Delta Airline and Design Hotels) allowing Facebook users to make reservations directly on their companies’ Facebook page. These companies should know exactly “how much” Facebook means to their bottom line.

In conclusion, It may not seem easy to measure the ROI (return on investment) of a company’s effort on Facebook, but it is not impossible. In addition to the examples I suggested, what are the alternatives that a company can use to measure the importance of Facebook?

References:
Steel, Emily (2011, October 3). Facebook’s brand of loyalty: Companies hope to learn more about fans by offering applications on site. The Wall Street Journal, B9. Also available online.
Picture was downloaded from Hotwebsinfo.Blogspot.com.

More Employers Are Using Social Media in Screening Job Candidates

2011-10-03T07:00:00.052-04:00

I often discuss how employers are using social media in screening jobcandidates and how job seekers need to be proactive in building a strongpersonal brand on social media in order to secure a job offer. Today, I amsharing two additional MSNBC News video with you.

According to Video I, a survey by Microsoft suggests that 80% employersare screening job candidates on social media. Such number was just 11% in my February’sdiscussion (which was reported in the HR Magazine by the Society for HumanResource Management). Not surprisingly, employers are looking for candidates’pictures, comments, group affiliations, status updates, and who their friendsare on social networking sites. Another interesting finding revealed by a studyconducted at Columbia University, 100% of the students being surveyed mademistakes about social networking sites’ privacy settings. My advice to studentshas always been like this: nothing is really “private” on the Internet, nomatter what privacy setting a student turns on.

Video II offers some advices for those who are looking for a job onsocial media. I believe that we discussed almost every piece of the keyinformation revealed in this video before. So, are you ready to look for a job on social media?

For more discussions of using social media in job search, please check out the following discussion:
Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)
One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

Video I: Employers Increasingly Trolling Web to Screen Candidates

Video II: How to Use Twitter to Help Land a Job

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Does Guest History Interfere with Guest Privacy?

2011-09-30T07:00:00.004-04:00

As a hospitality professional, I understand the importance of “Guest History” for hotels and restaurants. Hotels and restaurants want to remember the special requests of their guests and the guests’ anniversaries, especially those of VIPs or repeat guests. Hospitality companies are doing that, not because they are nosy, but because they want to be hospitable and welcome the guests by addressing their special needs and celebrating the special dates for guests. For example, hotels may send a small setup or a cake to the room where a guest spends a birthday; restaurants can make sure that they do not serve anything cooked with peanut oils if they know a guest is allergy to peanuts (Cantonese use peanut oils for cooking).

As a customer, when you are staying in a hotel or dine in a restaurant, would you like being recognized and called by your last name? Being greeted with a sincere smile? Would you also like your servers to anticipate your needs? Know your preferences so that you do not need to repeat what you want again and again?

To ensure that the staff “knows” their guests, hotels and restaurants maintain guest records in Guest History, a software or a file that is used to record and track guest preferences and personal information, but normally, hotels and restaurants do not share any guest information with a third party. They keep the information only because they want to treat their guests right and make them feel special. Then hopefully, the guests will enjoy their stays or dining experience better. They will remember the business and brand, recommend the business and brand to others, and come back in the future. What’s wrong with the idea of using Guest History to provide exceptional guest experience to customers?

While the importance of Guest History was discussed, this Wall Street Journal video brought up a question of whether such practice by hotels or restaurants would interfere with the guests’ privacy. Seriously?!

Will people feel better if they are treated like a stranger? Would they rather repeat their preferences every time when they check in to a hotel or dine in a restaurant? If people must keep their personal information as a top secret, had they better never reveal any personal information to anyone in any place under any circumstance? There is no such thing as absolute safe place for data processing or storage in this world. Where shall we draw the line here? I would LOVE to hear your opinions!

The Tour of Hotel Skyler

2011-09-27T21:49:00.002-04:00

Today, the Hotel & Resort Operations class and I toured the newly-opened and the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified hotel in Syracuse, NY --- Hotel Skyler. What impressed me the most is that the developer transformed a historic building into a modern, boutique style hotel that meets the LEED Platinum standards, with 30% used materials that were shipped within 500 miles from Syracuse.

The property was built in 1921, first as the Temple Adath Yeshurun, then the Salt City Theatre, and now a 58-room boutique hotel. The developer blended the boutique hotel concept in this historic building very well. Based on the pictures here --- Coffee & Wine Bar, the lobby, and the Tree House Suite (from top to bottom) --- would you agree with me that this is a nice looking hotel?

Overall, I feel that Hotel Skyler reflects the hotel trends very well, such as the boutique hotel concept, the green concept, the new lobby concept, the mini market concept, the hotel design trend, the reward program trend, and the demand of free WiFi in hotels. Did I miss anything? What other trends did you observe from this hotel? Also, which unique characteristic(s) of Hotel Skyler impressed you the most?

Want to see more pictures of this property? Please check out the album on my Facebook page. When you are there, please do not forget to “Like” my Facebook page!

Will Social Media Change Company’s Organizational Structure?

2011-09-26T13:00:00.023-04:00

I am taking a MBA class on designing high performance organizations this fall. I can tell from the case studies that a company’s organizational structure can make significant impact on its bottom line. Accordingly, I have found it extremely interesting when reading this month’s cover story on Forbes about how social media may cause a new wave of corporate revolution. I wonder what transformational changes social media will make to Corporate America’s organizational structure.

The “new world” demands companies and leaders show “authenticity, fairness, transparency, and good faith,” according to the report. Through social media, people can tell whether a company or a leader cares about employees or customers. The era of dictating CEOs has gone. A successful CEO needs to be exposed and open to share his/her problems. The more s/he shares, the more trustful s/he becomes among customers and employees. Those who are still reluctant to share fail to show transparency and thus, will very likely be eliminated by the system.

Companies can no longer ignore those most powerful social media tools. Facebook is the most influential and can form the “viral consensus.” LinkedIn pushes companies to treat their employees “right” because every employee is “seachable” and "reachable" by recruiters on LinkedIn. Valuable employees will be “hunted” if they are not treated “right.” YouTube and Twitter can also be very powerful in damaging a company’s reputation for a “tiny” mistake the company made.

If a company bans social media within the organization, the company is going to make a common mistake. Instead, companies should empower their employees as well as customers on social media. Engaging is important but not enough. People also want their voices to be heard and their suggestions to be acknowledged. They want to make meaningful contributions to the company. “If you ignore these forces, you will probably fail.”

After reading this article, I feel that companies today are facing two options: to make changes or to fail. Companies must design an organizational structure that allows leaders to build authentic leadership, business units to effectively and efficiently communicate with other business partners and customers, and the company to show its commitments to communities and good faith. I can see why many organizations created new positions of social media officers.

What do you think? Must a company adjust its organizational structure when facing the growing power of social media? Why or why not?

References:
Kirkpatrick, D. (2011, September 26). Social power and the coming corporate revolution: Why employees and customers will be calling the shots. Forbes, 72-81. Also available online.
The picture was downloaded from the Presentation Advisors dot com.

What Does It Take to Run a Megahotel?

2011-09-25T00:25:00.004-04:00

I know some students who completed an internship in megahotelsand others in limited service hotels. They all had great learning experience.The big difference between these two options is that students can learn how to dealwith a large volume of business in one specific department within a megahotel, orthey can learn different functions of operating a limited service hotel.

Last Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published a reportabout MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In the second quarter of this year, the MGM Grandreported an OCC of 96.8% with an ADR of $125. On average, there were 12,000 guestsstaying in the hotel. The following statistics provide an idea of what it takesto run a megahotel like MGM Grand on a busy day:

It opens 36 check-in counters during peak hours.
It has 26 limousines and 3,000 poolside deck chairs.
It hires more than 8,000 employees, 900 of which work in Housekeeping.
It process 46 tons of linens.
It has a 65,000 square-foot laundry facility and employs 165 laundry attendants.
A towel-folding machine allows a laundry attendant to fold 600 bathtowels or 1000 hand towels per hour.
Laundries will run through a $1.2 million machine --- “the tunnel” forquick washing process.
There are 370 guestroom attendants on duty; each cleans a room within30 minutes.
Room service places 1,000 orders. Each must arrive within 30 minutes.
Lost and found receives 100 to 150 new items per day.
It hosts 20 weddings on a busy Friday.
The floral department hires 13 designers for 886 arrangements.

As far as career choice is concerned, bigger does not meanbetter. What really matters is whether a person fits in the workplace. Alimited service hotel may not be as busy but could mean multiple trainingopportunities in a more laid-back environment. I see no differences in careeradvancement opportunities --- people get promoted when they have good workethics and can deliver results. So, a megahotel vs. a limited service hotel,which one would you choose for your hospitality career? For what reasons?

Relevant discussion:
What Does It Take to Be a Wedding Planner?

References:
Petersen, A. (2011, September 22). When 12,000 guest spendthe night: How a megahotel tries to seem small; 20 brides in a weekend. The Wall Street Journal, D1 & D4.Also available online.
The picture was downloaded from Las Vegas Family Travel dotcom.

How Do You Define “All Natural” Food?

2011-09-21T09:00:00.017-04:00

Even though I understand that “all natural” or “organic” products are not necessarily equal to “healthy” food, they get my big attention. As a result, I end up I buying and eating a lot of “all natural” or “organic” food. Well, after reading Ashby Jones’ report (news + video) about “all natural” food in The Wall Street Journal, I have learned that I cannot trust these labels any more.

According to Ashby’s report, even FDA does not have a clear definition of what the term “natural” means. FDA’s “informal policy” or explanation of “natural” reads: “nothing artificial or synthetic… is included in, or has been added to, the product that would not normally be expected to be there.” Probably because of FDA’s vague definition, there are a number of lawsuits regarding the all-natural-labeled products recently. For example:

The “100% Natural” Arizona Green Tea contains high-fructose corn syrup.
The “All Natural” Kashi “allegedly uses unnaturally processed and synthetic ingredients.”
The “All Natural” Skinnygirl Margarita “contains the preservative sodium benzoate.”
The “100% Nature” Canola Oil by Wesson is “made from genetically modified plants.”

I guess customers have to define “natural” by themselves. When we shop, we had better read the ingredients carefully. Even better? We shall practice healthy and balanced diet. Is it right?

While labeling an item as “all natural” and “organic” may help a business increase sales, restaurants and foodservice providers are advised to doubt-check the ingredients. Otherwise, they are taking a risk of getting sued by smart customers.

References:
A. Jones (2011, September 20). Is your dinner ‘all natural’? The Wall Street Journal, pp. B1 & B2. Also available online.

Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)

2011-09-19T09:00:00.007-04:00

People often ask me: why they have no choice but to manage their online images on social media, including Facebook. In their minds, Facebook is an exclusive place for their private lives, and they want to keep it that way. For professional connections, they will use other social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Academia.edu. My advice to these people is: Please think again! First of all, there is no such thing of “privacy” on the Internet. Second, they are not leveraging the power of Facebook in job search and career advancement.

As suggested in this ABC News video, the number of Facebook users has reached three quarters of one billion. Most people probably know more “friends” on Facebook than in their real lives. When 60% of job seekers find jobs through someone they know, why can’t people, especially job seekers, use their connections on Facebook to land a new job or a career? In order to find a job through people’s connections on Facebook, however, job seekers do not have to use the Facebook ads --- even though this method could be very cost-effective. If job seekers do not have a budget for Facebook ads, they can begin with building a “public” professional profile on Facebook and then engage in intellectual communications with the potential employers and their friends.

Some may argue that they are extremely satisfied with their jobs and have no interest of switching employers. Accordingly, they see no reasons of “giving up” their private lives on Facebook. I feel very happy for them, but I believe that opportunities favor those who are prepared. It is really up to the person who chooses between privacy and efficacy. What would you choose? For what reason(s)?

For more discussions of using social media in job search, please check out the following discussion:
One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business

Using Facebook for Background Check

Social Media and Job Search I

Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media

Managing Your Online Reputation

Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

video platform video management video solutions video player

References:
Picture was downloaded from Agent-X.com.au.

What is the Future of Hotel Minibar?

2011-09-16T11:09:00.002-04:00

The Wall Street Journal featured an interesting story about hotel minibar (report + video). For decades, hotel minibar was a must-have amenity for hotels. Now, things have changed. Hoteliers are taking the minibar concept to two directions.

Some hotels (mostly limited service hotels) get rid of the minibars. From the operation standpoint, it does not seem worthy of keeping a minibar because the labor costs of purchasing, managing inventory, and preventing thefts are not cheap --- this is one of the reasons why hotels have to put a higher price tag on the minibar items. From the traveler standpoint, not everyone wants to pay a high price for food and beverage items in the minibar. Accordingly, some hotels replace the in-room minibar concept with the lobby mini-market concept.

Another group of hotels, mostly in the luxury or boutique hotel segment, customizes the minibar with a local flavor or makes it free for guests. For example, travelers can find ham-flavored Chilean almonds in the Ritz-Carlton, Santiago, and the Grand Canyon Pilsner, a local brew, in The Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona. The soft drinks and snacks are free in Hyatt’s Andaz hotels, which is call “Bartech’s eCube.”

No matter if it is a mini-market or a mini-bar concept, it is retail business for hotels. Category management can be helpful in analyzing the sales. According to The Wall Street Journal, the best sellers are:

Bottle water: No. 1 selling drink
Diet Coke: No. 2 selling drink
Pringles potato chips: No. 1 selling snack
M&M’s: Contributes to 7% of Omni Hotel’s minibar revenue

Another interesting discussion is that some hotels use sensors to control the minibar items. I visited the W Hotel on Lexington between E 49th St and E 50th St, which installed sensors for the minibars. If an item is removed, a charge will be posted to the room automatically. Personally, I do not think it is a good idea of using sensors in minibars; there are better places for sensors. As a hotel guest, I would feel that the hotel is “watching” me for every move I make. Moreover, guests may move the items to another place, or take a look at the items and then decide not to buy them. Thanks to the “smart” sensors, charges will be posted. Then, the guests will have to dispute the charges later.

In your experience, what are your favorite items or the most interesting items you have seen in a hotel minibar? In your opinions, what is the future for hotel minibar?

References:

A. Petersen (September 14, 2011). Cracking open the hotel minibar. The Wall Street Journal, D1 & D2. Online access through http://on.wsj.com/qHDp0r.
The picture of Bartech’s eCube was downloaded from HotelOnline.com.

Do You Measure Your Influence on Social Media? How?

2011-09-13T17:34:00.000-04:00

Many of us have more than one social media accounts, but not everyone is interested in measuring how much influence a person has on social media. Even for those who are interested, they may not necessarily know how to measure their impact.

This summer, I discovered a tool called “Klout,” which reports a person’s or an organization’s influence on major social media sites. It looks at the factors like how many friends and followers a user has, how many friends and follower a user can truly reach, and what attention and reactions a user can get from his/her/its friends and followers. “Klout” rewards those true influencers with a variety of “perks” according to the topic(s) of their influence.

Marketers will LOVE “Klout” because they see the opportunity of amplifying those top influencers’ power on social media. I am not a marketer; but I am active on social media, and I do research on social media. Despite the fact that I am not able to evaluate the scales used by “Klout” for its reliability and validity, I have found this tool very helpful in motivating me to actively engage with my friends and followers --- the more I communicate with my friends and followers on social media, the higher “Klout” score I receive. Engaging the audience --- that is what social media is about, isn’t it?

If you have one or more personal accounts on social media, do you care what your influence is? How do you measure your influence in your network?

If you are managing one or some social media accounts for your company or organization, what scales do you use to measure the “effectiveness” of the social media tools?

The ABC News Report about Klout

video platform video management video solutions video player

The MSNBC News Report about Klout

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References:
The picture was downloaded from AdWeek.com.

September 11, 2011: Looking Back and Moving Forward

2011-09-11T21:57:00.001-04:00

This year’s September 11 is very special for two reasons: it marks the 10th anniversary of 911, and it is the day before the Moon Festival*. 911 has changed everybody’s life forever --- even for those who do not know anyone who lost his/her life in 911 or in wars. After 911, nobody could travel the same way as it used to be.

According to the Chinese tradition, family and friends will get together under the full moon during the Moon Festival. When we enjoy the moon cake and seasonal fruits/snacks, we think about our beloved, including those who are with us and apart from us.

Looking back and moving forward, our presence reflects our past and points to the future. I remember I first came to the U.S. for graduate school in 2001. Back then, nobody talked about boutique hotels, Facebook, Twitter, Groupons, iPhones, iPads, or anything about social media or smart phone trends. Now, they all become the must-know terms in the field.

Looking ahead, this Fox News video reports the online travel trends revealed by Expedia’s President Scott Durchslag. Did 911 change your life? If so, in what way? What impacts has 911 made to the hospitality, travel, and tourism industry? To what directions is the hospitality and travel/tourism industry heading?

*Moon Festival takes place on every August 15th according to the Lunar Calendar. Fall is usually soon approaching after the Moon Festival. We call the day before the Moon Festival as “The Day for Welcoming the Moon,” the Moon Festival as “The Day for Admiring the Moon,” and the day after as “The Day for Chasing the Moon.”

What Do You Think of the Idea of Accepting Food Stamps in Fast Food Restaurants?

2011-09-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

There is a conversation of whether fast food restaurants should be allowed to accept food stamps as a form of payment. According to this CNN News report, food stamp use surged from $30.3 billion in 2007 to $64.7 billion in 2010 (the recession began in December 2007). Some believe that it is a good idea to let people use food stamps in restaurants because many food stamp users are the elderly or homeless people --- they may not be capable of shopping in grocery stores or cooking at home. Others worry that it would cause a even more severe diabetes problem among Americans because few people order healthy food in fast food restaurants.

I am not a gourmet chef, but I enjoy cooking at home. I know I have saved a lot of money as well just by eating at home. I, however, have to admit that there are also times when I do not feel like cooking or when I want to go out and celebrate a special moment. In that case, I will treat myself a nice meal in a restaurant. I am not sure if it is because of the food, the dining experience, or a combination of both, but I know that I feel good when dining out. With this rationale, allowing people to use food stamps in fast food restaurants could be a good thing. What are your opinions? Healthy food? Fast food? Or no food for food stamp users?

Allowing people to use food stamps in fast food restaurants also means huge business to the industry --- even 10% of $64.7 billion is still a tremendous amount. In addition to the bottom line, are there any other potential impacts? Will the clienteles of fast food restaurants change when food stamps are allowed? Do restaurants have to introduce new menu items in responding to the changes? Will accepting food stamps also affect the way of how business is operated? If so, in what way?

Last but not least, if you are worrying about the deficit that the government has already had, how may this change of using food stamps in fast food restaurants affect tax payers? …

One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image

2011-09-07T12:00:00.031-04:00

I agree with the mainstream media that people, especially job seekers, must manage their image on social media. This ABC News video, once again, reinforces this idea, but what’s new in this video?

80% recruiters looked up candidates online, and 80% of them had denied job candidates based on what they found online, which is higher than what I stated in my previous discussions.
Recruiters are looking for “person-organization” and “person-job” fit from a candidate’s online profile, which does not sound new to me but is a very important point.
The screening process on social media takes place even before interviewing, which is way earlier than what I talked about (e.g. at the background check stage).

The bottom line is --- if a job seeker wants to get a job, s/he must “look sharp” all the time --- online or on the spot (i.e. job interviews). Now, we have no choice but to manage our online reputation; and we had better do it well. Do you pay attention to your online reputation? How do you manage it? What suggestions do you have in managing a person’s online reputation?

Some Relevant Posts:
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II
Social Media and Job Search III
Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

video platform video management video solutions video player

What Should Be the Boundary of “Friending” People on Social Media?

2011-09-06T07:00:00.007-04:00

Last month, I shared a news video, reporting that the State of Missouri passed the law of “limiting” the amount of contacts that a teacher may have with his/her students on social media. According to this NBC News video, the City of Dayton, Ohio is moving a step forward --- the city’s public schools’ teachers and staff are prohibited from communicating with their students online or over text.

Jill Moberley, who spoke for the Dayton public schools, acknowledged that students are leading the social media trends and that they heavily use social media in communication. And because of that, she believes that the School District should be “forward thinking” by “prohibiting” the communications between students and teachers/staff on any form of social media or texting. “Children and teachers have to be protected,” says Dr. Dianne Parks-Love, a grandma of a student, “when you set parameters, then the protections are there; and there is no room for misunderstand.” Parents who support the School District also feel “friending” between teachers/staff and students will create a conflict of interest.

I certainly understand why people are worrying about the “social-networking connections” between students and professors, teachers, and staff. I am, however, very pleased that universities are a little bit different from high schools because most college students are no long “children.” Social media is where people communicate these days. Rather than blocking my students who choose to communicate with me on their preferred medium, I believe that I, as a professor, have the responsibilities of setting a good example for my students on how people should and can communicate professionally on social media. How can I accomplish that? By communicating with them in a professional manner on social media.

Actually, I wonder if the legislators are aware that some social media tools, like Twitter, do not even need to get a user’s permission before another person can “follow” this user. In this case, whom should be “punished” or “sent behind bar” if a student follows his or her teacher on Twitter? In addition, if one knows Facebook well, s/he should know that one can still receive updates or feeds from another person as soon as s/he sends “friending” invitation to that person, regardless if the person “accepts” the invitation or not. These days, universities and companies are actively using social media in recruitment and student/job candidate selection; professors and admission staff also actively communicate with prospective high school students on social media. So, under the “forward thinking” rationale, when the high school students get accepted, they should no long be allowed to talk to their professors or staff on social media anymore?

There is nothing wrong with setting the boundary. My question is what boundary is more appropriate when social media has become an almost must-have communication tool for everyone? Instead of trying to build the “Berlin Wall” among people, I feel it is more realistic if the administration sets up a practical “social media policy” and reinforces the policy at work. In this particular case, it may seem more effective if parents and teachers can educate themselves as well as students of what are the appropriate and inappropriate communications/behaviors on social media. What do you think?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What is the Outlook for the Lodging Industry?

2011-09-05T07:00:00.012-04:00

AAA estimated that there would be 2.4% less people travelling in this Labor Day weekend than last year. The Wall Street is worrying about the future of the lodging and leisure industry. So, how is the industry doing? What will the future look like?

Starting from 2010, I have heard from my industry network that hotels are picking up business. If we look at the 2011 Lodging Industry Profile by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, we can see that the ADR (average daily rate) is up slightly from $97.85 in 2009 to $98.07 in 2010 and that the occupancy rate is up from 54.7% in 2009 to 57.6% in 2010. Even though 2010 is not as good as 2008 (ADR: $106.84 with an occupancy rate of 64.37%) and everyone is still very concerned about the job market and their spending, we are able to observe some positive signs of recovery in the lodging and leisure industry. The issue is probably some market segments perform (or recover) better than others. In general, it seems that boutique hotels are doing fine and every hotel chain is trying to get into the boutique hotel market. Midscale and economy/budget segments are also doing well --- sales of Best Western are up 12% from last year as suggested in this embedded CNBC video; Wyndham is also doing well according to another CNBC report.

To become a market leader, one must continuously invest in the company even during recessions. Best Western focuses on Sales and Marketing, with the efforts of rebranding the chain and hiring more sales & marketing staff. Sheraton is having a $6 billion makeover plan. What about you? In which area(s) will you invest during recessions?

Do You Know How to Present Yourself with 140 Characters?

2011-09-02T14:04:00.001-04:00

I will not claim that social media is the only reason why people have little attention to long letters or articles, but I believe social media plays a critical role in how communications evolve today. “Short and sweet” is the norm.

I know the fact that many employers recruit and select job candidates on social media, but I still find it very interesting when it comes to yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article about selecting M.B.A. candidates based on what they tweet. Business schools are embracing the “short and sweet” communication trend and challenge candidates to present their best qualities in a very brief form.

Top business schools such as Wharton (UPenn), Booth (University of Chicago), Harvard, and Haas (UC Berkeley) are shifting from essays, which can be “carefully crafted” with the aids of professionals, to those “non-traditional” methods of selecting innovative and well-rounded candidates. The Tippie School of Management at University of Iowa, for example, offered a full scholarship worth $37,240 to the applicant who provided the best answer of “What makes you an exceptional Tippie full-time M.B.A. candidate and future M.B.A. hire?” on Twitter. The winning tweet was “Globally minded (5)/Innovative and driven (7)/Tippie can sharpen (5)” --- because the candidate used “an ancient form of poetry in a contemporary medium.”

In a large degree, what these business schools are doing reflects the evolution of communications. Critical thinking skills, business ethics, intelligence, and innovation are very important. In order to stand out from the crowd, however, one must know how to effectively demonstrate those desired qualifications in a highly “efficient” means. So, do you know how to present yourself with 140 characters?

Selected posts of relevant discussions:
Recruiting with Social Media Tools
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business

References:
Korn, M. (2011, September 1). Tweets, Plays well w/ others: A perfect M.B.A. candidate. The Wall Street Journal, pp. B1 & B6. (Also available online).
The picture was downloaded from Scholarships.com.

Yotel Hotel, New York: A Model of Future Hotels?

2011-08-30T09:00:00.032-04:00

The first half of the ABC News video features a short tour of the 600-room Yotel Hotel in Manhattan. Yotel Hotel is a small chain that has four international locations including NYC, London (two locations), and Amsterdam. The video describes the hotel “futuristic and fun.” Some of the highlights include:

Luggage Yobot: A luggage sourcing system with a robot
Self Check-in and Check-out Kiosks
20,000 square feet of public spaces, i.e. lounges, studio, restaurants and bars
Organic mattresses
Free WiFi
Monsoon Rain Showers
Thoughtful and “traveler-friendly” room design

So, do you think this hotel “speaks” for the future of the lodging industry? What trend(s) does this hotel embrace?

References:

The picture was downloaded from Stashrewards.com.

Yammer: A Social Networking Site Exclusively for the Workplace

2011-08-29T14:28:00.001-04:00

Effective internal communications among employees are related to some desirable organizational outcomes, such as robust morale, a clear vision, low turnover, and high employee engagement. The question is what platform can serve the purpose.

This ABC News video introduces “Yammer,” an exclusive internal communication tool for companies. A user must use a valid company e-mail address to sign up for an account. Once an account is validated, the user will be led to the company page that is pretty much like a Facebook page. The difference is that only the users whose e-mail addresses share the same domain can see the wall and communicate with each other.

I have no question about whether Yammer could be a useful internal communication tool for companies, but I just wonder: how many social networking sites do people need for communication? Why people have to “create” so many platforms or channels for “effective communications”?

To many people, Facebook is only for “friends,” where they talk about their “private lives.” LinkedIn is for their professional network. And so on, and so forth. I am, however, a very simple person and do not have a “second,” “third,” “forth,” “fifth,” … lives. As a result, I communicate with others with somehow “consistent” messages --- I believe I am still who I am, no matter if I am on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. Is it possible that we can have one or two social media tools that serve all of our “specific” needs of communication?

Making Personal Connections in Job Search

2011-08-26T16:02:00.000-04:00

Job seekers NEED to make the personal connections in order to get hired, no matter if it is done in person or on social media. Here are some examples:

A 90-year old woman got hired after she knocked on people’s doors. As illustrated in the embedded Wall Street Journal video, the lady was not able to find a job for 15 months. Then she went to the tallest building in the neighborhood. Starting from the top floor, she knocked on the door of every business. It happened that a firm on the second floor just fired the secretary. She got the job!

A friend of mine, who is now a GM at a four-diamond, four-star resort and convention center, found his first job many years ago in a similar way: He needed a job after college. He dressed up, brought a dozen of resumes with him, and stopped by the HR office of every hotel in the city. He landed his first hotel job in a Hilton hotel.

Recently, two colleagues of mine started a new career in another institution with higher rank and better salary. The positions were not even announced --- they were hired by referral.

Occasionally, I receive inquiries from HR managers and recruiters. They would like to see if I know some good candidates for their vacancies before they announce the positions online. If a job seeker does not connect with the “right” person, s/he would have missed a lot of good opportunities.

When making personal connections, however, one must open up and be honest to others. A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a student, asking me to write her a recommendation letter for a study abroad program. When I asked her for more detail information about the program, such as the country where the program is located and how she thinks the program will benefit her. She then told me that she was not able to answer my questions because by doing so, she felt she would have revealed too much of “her personal feeling” about the program. Without knowing the information I asked, how can I know if the program will benefit the student and in what ways? Likewise, a job seeker needs to open up himself/herself in order to let others to help him/her --- I was nice and wrote her a letter; but I am not going to refer anyone to any position until I sense that the person fits in the job and the organization well.

So, if you are looking for a job now, please start making personal connections with the industry professionals, no matter if it is in person or on the social networking sites. Please also note that many of these examples are about making personal connections in the physical world. Have personal connections helped you or the people you know in some way? Do you mind sharing your stories with us?

Relevant Discussions:
Social Media and Job Search
Revisit Social Media and Job Search
Social Media Job Search Tactics

What Can We Do to Stop the Spread of Fake Reviews?

2011-08-23T22:48:00.005-04:00

Recently, I had a phone conversation with David Streitfeld at The New York Times. We shared our opinions about fake online reviews. He later published a report entitled “In a Race to Out-Rave, 5-Star Web Reviews Go for $5” and cited some of my comments. After reading David’s news article, I can’t help asking myself --- are we (the hospitality industry) trapping ourselves by paying an agent for bogus reviews?

The Web 2.0 technology provides a platform (i.e. social media) for people to exchange user-generated content on the Internet. Over the years, I have heard that many small businesses benefit from the Word-of-Mouth (WOM) effect created on social media, and I also notice companies’ increasing attention about online reviews. If everyone plays a “fair” game, online reviews should be a good thing for everyone because companies will be striving to gain authentic positive online reviews by delivering quality products and exceptional services. What happens if somebody pays an agent for bogus reviews?

David Streitfeld suggests that companies like Amazon, Hilton, and TripAdvisor are making efforts to limit the fake reviews on their sites. I am glad to see what has been done, but I do not think that kind of “control” will be sufficient enough to stop the spread of fake reviews. We need to do more! I urge that those businesses that create fake reviews stop what they are doing and that customers need to post authentic reviews with their social media accounts. I have two seasons to support my suggestions:

First and foremost, faking will eventually hurt a business’ bottom line in the long term. Let’s say a crappy restaurant pays $5 dollar for every 5-star review created and accumulates 50 good reviews (at a cost of $250). New customers will probably eat in this place because of its “good” reviews. With a 5-star rating, however, customers will have a very high expectation. So, unless the restaurant can deliver 5-star food and service, customers will very likely feel disappointed with the place and stop coming again. Then what? They will probably “broadcast” their bad experience on social media because they are so disappointed. The crappy restaurant may then need to pay more cash to create more 5-star reviews to “balance” out the negative WOM effect. How much does this restaurant need to budget for fake reviews in the long term? I suggest the restaurant focus on delivering good service and food, and then encourage customers to post authentic reviews --- that’s the right long-term strategy.

Then, it is very important that customers post authentic comments with their social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. By doing so, they not only “magnify” the WOM effect in their social networks, but also allow other customers to easily distinguish their authentic reviews from the fake reviews --- I assume that many fake reviews are generated by anonymous users. Plus, companies like Amazon allow customers to rate the helpfulness of the online reviews --- those who write fake reviews with their real social media accounts will eventually “ruin” their own credibility. Would you agree?

What other solutions can prevent companies from hiring an agent to post fake 5-star reviews?

Relevant discussions:
How much can we trust those online reviews?
Who shall we trust in terms of hotel or restaurant reviews?
A new full time position: Someone monitoring online reviews and comments
Respond to online negative reviews
Seeking online feedback from customers: How proactive can it be?

References:
The picture was downloaded from iDownloadblog.com.

Great Entrepreneurship Ideas Must Root in Useful Service

2011-08-18T07:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I met with a group of college entrepreneurs at the 2011 Student Sandbox Demo Day, an event hosted by The Syracuse Tech Garden and Syracuse University, with the partnership of other colleges and universities in the region. Over the summer, more than 50 student entrepreneurs worked at the Tech Garden on startup ventures. In this culmination, they presented their business projects at the Pitchfest and showed off their business ideas in the Tech Innovation Demonstrations Exposition. Seventeen (17) projects were presented. It was a great and very successful event!

Many of these entrepreneurship ideas are built upon information technology, engineering, and computer science. The “core science” of these projects is certainly very important. It seems to me, however, it is the “service implications” behind the “core science” that turns human technology into great entrepreneurship ideas. To name a couple of examples: iGetMoreFit is an idea that connects a fitness sensor to a user’s iPhone so that people can monitor their workout process directly on the iPhones. The Helios Innovative Technology is an UV-C sterilization system that can safely eliminate bacteria and sterilize objects or surfaces. These projects may not make any break-through impact on science or technology; their value comes from the connections between existing technologies and the services that will benefit a group of target customers. An idea without the service component is not going to fly. Accordingly, a team with an interdisciplinary background might have some advantages over others when launching an entrepreneurship idea. Now, I can understand better why I, as a hospitality professional, am called a “domain expert” in SBP11.

In addition to technology and service, what other components are important for entrepreneurship?

References:
The picture was downloaded from the webpage of The Clean Tech Center, which is also located in The Syracuse Tech Garden.

NFC (Near Field Communication): Another Buzzword for Mobile Technology

2011-08-15T20:00:00.003-04:00

If you like sports, you will probably refer to NFC as “National Football Conference.” Do you know that NFC also stands for “Near Field Communication”? According to this ABC News video, NFC is another “buzzword” for mobile technology. As a matter of fact, “Near Field Communication” tops “National Football Conference” in Google Search as the No. 1 result for the acronym of NFC.

NFC allows mobile users to receive information, such as videos, photos, data, etc., over a “very short distance” (i.e. within a couple of inches). NFC can be used in e-commerce, similar to what we had discussed before about the barcode city, the mobile payment solution, and the mobile boarding pass. Different from the Bluetooth technology, NFC does not need users to “pair” different devices in order to transfer information. As a result, NFC is expected to be “the player” for future e-commerce and mobile technology.

I like the idea. I would love to have a NFC-enabled phone, and I can see how NFC can benefit the hospitality and the travel/tourism industry. How about you?

Whom Should We NOT “Friend” on Social Media?

2011-08-14T11:56:00.000-04:00

Do you “friend” your professors on Facebook? How about your supervisors or managers at work? In fact, “whether or not to friend a teacher” is an on-going debate in this nation. According to this CNN news video, 59% students are “friends” with their teachers. The majority of this group also believes that it would be easier to get their questions answered if they are “friends” with their teachers. On the other hand, the State of Missouri just passed the law, limiting the amount of contacts that a teacher may have with his/her students on social media.

While I am aware that some teachers attempted to take the “friendship” to a different level, I feel it might be a little bit too extreme if the legislation prohibits the contacts between students and teachers. Because social media have already been part of many people’s lives, being “friends” with teachers might also allow students to “understand” that their teachers are actually human beings --- they also “live and breathe,” “go shopping and partying,” just as everybody else. On top of that, there are teachers who use social media as a teaching tool to prepare their students with the adequate social media literacy for the real life. Rather, I feel the schools or legislation should provide guidelines to teachers and students, allowing them to understand what behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate on social media.

Personally, I do research on social media; I also use social media as a teaching tool. I let my students know what social media accounts I have and tell them that they are welcome to “friend” or “follow” me, but I never initiate any connections with my students (unless they have already graduated). Instead, I allow my students to choose whether they want to be my “friend” or not. I made an exception in my career management class about LinkedIn because I required all students to connect me on LinkedIn with their LinkedIn accounts. Again, many social media tools have become part of our lives --- can I teach student social media job search tactics without asking them to use LinkedIn? I have also found some students “friending” me on Facebook. Based on my conversations and interactions with my students on social media, I actually feel social media have given me the “power” of better communicating with my students. In most occasions, I can give students advices on social media. If I sense some “inappropriate” conversations or behaviors, I can be more proactive in seeking additional advices and teaching my students the “right things.”

So, if you are a student, what are your thoughts on “friending” your professors or teachers? Also, will you “friend” your supervisors at work? Why or why not?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What We Wear Matters!

2011-08-10T13:09:00.002-04:00

I am a firm believer that what we wear and how we handle ourselves matter in many occasions. I even talked about the importance of dressing business attire at work (also business casual during the summer). I, however, must confess that I feel somewhat surprised when reading George Hobica’s discussion on USA Today.

According to George, wearing a nice suit got his friend and him an upgrade from the economy-class all the way to the first class when they flew. None of them have elite status of the airlines; the planes were not even full. When everybody else is charged extra fees for a couple inches of extra leg room or an aisle seat, how come they are so “lucky” to get upgraded? Here is what the gate agent said according to George’s direct quote: “our station manager noticed how well dressed you were and told me to upgrade you.”

So, what do we learn from this story? Are we getting another good excuse to shop more? Or do we have to wear suit and tie all the time? Actually, my point is: what we wear and how we handle ourselves matter in all settings. The fact is human beings could be very judgmental at times. We can influence others’, especially strangers’, impression of us by taking good care of our appearance --- it may seem that I am using the impression management theory again. Well, let’s forget about the impression management theory. Do you sometimes feel good about yourself just because you are wearing a very nice dress?

References:
George Hobica (2011, August 10). Fly guy: Do well-dressed fliers get more perks? USA Today online
Picture was downloaded from NoHolidayNoLife.com

My Stay at the Westin Hotel - City Center in Washington, D.C.

2011-08-08T08:00:00.016-04:00

I stayed in the Westin Hotel – City Center in Washington D.C. last week for the 119th Annual APA (American Psychological Association) Convention. I enjoyed my stay and would like to comment on several small “impressive touches” added by the hotel staff.

Upon check-in, the Front Desk Agent asked me if I wanted to take part in the “make a green choice” program that I once discussed in February 2010. This program allows me to choose to opt out the housekeeping service during my stay. In return, the hotel will reward me either a $5 F&B (food & beverage) voucher or 500 SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) points. The reward is very small, but it lets guests get involved in a “feel-good” program. I like it.

I participated in the “make a green choice” program, and I put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door. When I came back from the Convention Center, I found additional refreshments (e.g. Starbucks coffee, tea bags, mouth wash, etc.) and extra sets of fresh towels in my room even though I opted out the housekeeping service. How nice!

I stayed on the SPG Guest Floor. Free bottle water and apples are included. It is another small nice touch.

The workout facility was nice. The hotel provides cleaned ear plugs and collects the used ones for guests. The ear plugs are those “cheap” ones and do not cost much for a hotel, but I feel very nice of the hotel’s thoughtfulness. I have found that a few nice hotels do that for guests.

The only thing I do not like is that the hotel charges everyone $12.99 per day or $39.99 per week for the WiFi service. Here, I have to ask the same question again --- when will full service hotels offer free WiFi service?

To see more pictures of the hotel, please visit my Facebook page.

Entrepreneurship and the Foodservice Industry

2011-08-01T07:00:00.029-04:00

I wonder why the foodservice or restaurant industry ties so much with entrepreneurship. There is certainly a demand in the market for good food --- we live, we breathe, and we eat. Another contributing factor is that restaurant or foodservice industry, as compared to other service or IT firms, usually has smaller business threshold.

This Fox News video, once again, reports another entrepreneurship idea for the foodies --- renting a community-supported commercial kitchen for start-up business with very flexible hours. The business model seems working very well.

I wonder if this business model will work for the rapidly-growing hospitality programs around the country. Already, academic programs are encouraged to reach out to the communities. As a professor in hospitality management, I know that many hospitality programs have commercial kitchens for teaching purposes. If we can make our commercial kitchens available at nights or during weekends, local entrepreneurs may be able to benefits from our state of art facilities --- they can use it as production or test kitchen. By doing so, hospitality programs may also gain extra revenues for scholarships and teaching, maintain a close relationship with the industry and community, and promote entrepreneurship and innovative spirit among students.

Of course, there will be many logistic and legitimate concerns involved in the progress of making a teaching-only commercial kitchen available to the communities. If you are running a hospitality program, do you think my suggestion above is feasible? What are the possible obstacles that a program must go through before leasing a kitchen to the public? If you are an entrepreneur in the foodservice or restaurant industry, how do you like the idea of working in the commercial kitchen in a hospitality program?

Selected recent relevant topics:
Blending In and Cashing out
What Are the Top Businesses for Starters?
A Gourmet Chef "Turning Lack into Luck"

Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business

2011-07-26T17:00:00.027-04:00

More employers are using social networking sites for background check now. As suggested in my February’s discussion, 11% of employers will use social networking sites for employee screening; 70% recruiters admitted that they had turned down a candidate based on the information they found about the candidate online.

Indeed, a candidate’s social networking profiles can provide additional information for employers when they make the hiring decision. However, if used without caution, checking a candidate’s social media profiles may get employers into trouble because these profiles often contain “rich” demographic information about a candidate. On top of that, hiring managers may find it difficult to follow a standardized procedure (if there is any) to fairly screen every candidate due a variety of “private” settings. So, what is the solution?

According to this CNN News video, companies like Social Intelligence may be the answer. These companies can help employers answer some important screening questions about a candidate based on his/her social media presence without “touching” the candidate’s sensitive information.

If you are a hiring manager, how important does social-media background check mean to you and your company? Do you think doing social-media background check will become another emerging profession? If you are a job seeker, do you understand how to conduct job search on social media?

Relevant Discussion:
Background Check
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II
Social Media and Job Search III

Snore Patrol: An Innovation of the Crowne Plaza Hotels

2011-07-25T13:10:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had any bad experience of your hotel stay because your next-door “neighbors” made too much noise or just could not stop snoring?

The Crowne Plaza Hotels are testing out “snore-absorption rooms” in selected European and Middle Eastern properties. In addition to special amenities, such as sound-proof walls, special designed pillows, and white noise machines, the hotels also hire designated staff for snore patrol. “Snore patrol officers” may knock on a door if they sense that a guest(s) is too loud.

How important does a quiet room mean to you during your hotel stay? What are your thoughts on Crowne Plaza’s approach?

References:

The pictures were downloaded from the website of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Syracuse, NY.

New Dining Etiquette by Zagat

2011-07-21T16:00:00.017-04:00

Tim Zagat, the CEO of Zagat.com, shared the results of the company’s survey in a MSNBC News video about the new dining etiquette for the Web 2.0 age. Let me know what you think of these new rules of dining out:

Women and men should be treated equally, no matter who is paying for the bill.
Whoever initiates a dinner date should pay for the bills, regardless of the gender.
Do NOT talk, text, tweet, or e-mail at the table and turn off a cellphone's ringer. It is fine, however, to use cellphones when one is alone.
It is fine to bring children to most restaurants, but not a good idea if it is a romantic place.
Casual dress is more acceptable these days.
One should honor his/her reservations. Or, one must cancel them on time.
Do NOT overstay one's welcome at a restaurant, especially in a busy location.
“Customers are always right.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What Channels Does Goupon Use in Talent Acquisition?

2011-07-20T14:54:00.001-04:00

Probably because of a long-lasting recession, coupons have come back to life, but in a different way. Online discounters like Groupon are very popular. According to the Fortune Magazine, Groupon has grown from 37 to 7,100 employees within 21 months. Ironically, this Internet/mobile discounter does not rely on the “net” to support the company’s dramatic growth. Then, what channels does Groupon rely on in talent acquisition?

The answer is employee referrals. Groupon uses internal recruiters, hiring managers, and social media tools such as Twitter and LinkedIn. “About 40% of new hires come from employees.” When employee referrals are so important these days, job seekers had better know how to leverage the power of their social network. So, forget about what you can do for a minute, my question for job seekers today is: Do you know the right person who can help you get a job?

Relevant recent discussions:
Tips for College Graduates on Job Hunting

Social Media and Job Search III

References:

Elmer, V. (2011, July 25). Hiring without a net: Groupon’s recruiter speaks. Fortune, p. 34.

The picture was downloaded from Bucksays.com.

Blending In and Cashing Out

2011-07-19T00:29:00.000-04:00

The secret of Karen Carrier, a successful restaurant entrepreneur, is to blend her talent of fine arts and culinary experience in her business. As shown in this CNN News video, she turned several old historic buildings into “theme” restaurants and made the best out of the places.

In the old times, business developers might have chosen to tear down a site and make everything new. If the site had been chosen for a hotel or a restaurant, probably the place would have been turned into a brand new establishment, with identical settings as a franchised business. What a waste if it is a historical site! Thanks to the boutique hotel concept (or boutique restaurant concept in this case), developers no longer need to cookie-cut their products.

I still feel very upset on the fact that the City of Syracuse changed the canals that used to be running through the downtown area into streets. Otherwise, we could probably have the best “River Walk” in the world. I know that the history cannot be changed, but looking forward, I believe that developers or business owners can learn a good lesson from the past. Nobody should destroy what may seem “old” or “outdated.” Rather, I suggest developers to twist their strengths with what is available and make the best out of it. Cash will follow with the right concept. What ideas do you have to help vitalize the places like Upstate New York?

Relevant discussion:
May the Innovative Spirit Win: An Interview with Ian Schrager

Urban Farming in New York City: A Follow-up Discussion

2011-07-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

For several times, we discussed the urban farming concept and the possibility of turning the urban farming idea into an enterprise. According to the Wall Street Journal, urban farming seems to work well in New York City, and some urban-farming entrepreneurs have already made profits last year.

The setup cost for urban farms is not cheap, about $2-$2.5 million for an acre of rooftop greenhouse in New York City. It usually costs less for non-greenhouse “agriculture-able” rooftops or lands --- the trade-off is the ability of providing all-season harvest. Regardless of whether a greenhouse is used or not, the benefits include fresh, better-taste and more nutritious food, closer to consumers, restaurants and markets, savings in transportations, little emissions of greenhouse gas, less water usage, and better utilization of urban lands.

Interested in watching the successful stories of the urban-farming entrepreneurs in New York City? Please check out the embedded Wall Street Journal video. I believe the urban farming concept will work even better in places like Canton, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Singapore, where the weather allows 11 months (if not all seasons) of harvest without any greenhouses. What do you think of the urban farming idea?

The Biggest Challenge and the Hidden Opportunity of Entering the Chinese Market

2011-07-13T16:37:00.001-04:00

Starwood’s top executives are in Shanghai, China now. They will stay there for a month to get “localized” by the Chinese culture and “Chinese way” of doing business. In this MSNBC News video, Frits van Paasschen, the President and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide provided many good reasons of why Starwood needs to pay top attention to the Chinese market. I agree with him 100% and will not repeat what he said on the video. Instead, I would like to bring up one challenge and one hidden opportunity of entering the Chinese market.

I believe that the biggest challenge is to manage a company’s human capital in China, including recruitment and selection, training and development, and retention management. It is very difficult to recruit well-trained local managerial talents in China. Companies may assume that there must be abundant good candidates in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people. Yet, not every candidate has the proper education or training that a company desires; many college graduates are “book-smart” and needs extra training before they are ready to make sound business decisions on their own. Accordingly, companies need to plan a large budget for some very basic HR functions.

Another relevant area that needs special attention is employee retention. If Starwood is opening a new hotel every other week in China, other hotel companies, like Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton, will not fall behind. Hotels are competing with one another to attract the top talents in a very small pool. If hotels do not want to see their well-trained managers working for their competitors, they had better take good care of their people and keep them aboard.

The huge hidden opportunity of entering the Chinese market lies in the advantage of gaining brand recognition among the Chinese consumers in China. Even though many developed countries still have very tight restrictions of issuing visa to Chinese travellers, I believe these countries, including the U.S., will open their tourist market to Chinese travellers soon. By then, if 1% Chinese will make their own travel arrangements to the U.S., those well-recognized hotel brands, as compared to the other local hotel chains, will probably have a better chance of attracting the 13,000,000 outbound Chinese travellers. Who does not want that business?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References:
The picture was downloaded from travelchinatour.com

May the Innovative Spirit Win: An Interview with Ian Schrager

2011-07-11T16:30:00.000-04:00

Ian Schrager is an iconic hotelier because he introduced the boutique hotel concepts to the industry. Today, almost every hotel chain is rushing to get in the boutique hotel market. I am very pleased to share this CNN News video about Ian Schrager. The topic, however, was not about boutique hotels. Rather, Ian Schrager talked about a much broader topic --- innovation.

“You cannot create something new by asking people what they want because they will always tell you what they know.” Iran Schrager introduced what he likes to the market and became the leader of the trends.
To make the true contribution, a person must “breaking the mold” and dare to do something that nobody has tried before.
When Iran Schrager sees a great picture or article, he will take it out and post it on the wall --- not because he wants to manipulate others’ idea, (it looks like) he gains inspirations from others’ work.
Iran Schrager is not afraid of making mistakes. I believe, if a person chooses to be a leader of some sort, s/he needs to get ready to face a variety of obstacles because nobody, except the leader himself/herself, is doing the “new things.”

I truly feel that Iran Schrager’s interview is very inspiring. Being an innovative leader is not easy. Nevertheless, following others’ work or path will not help a person make a true impact on what s/he is passionate about. Do you have what it takes to become an innovative leader?

What Documents Does a Company Need to Verify a Customer’s Identification?

2011-07-08T23:09:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine came from Taiwan to Upstate New York for graduate school. He wanted to open a high-balance account in a local HSBC. According to him, having a high-balance HSBC account in Taiwan and in the U.S. would allow him to transfer money between accounts without any transaction fees. That sounds like a good deal for international frequent travelers and students, doesn’t it?

Personally, I never had any banking experience with HSBC, but I know in the U.S., HSBC is known as “the world’s local bank.” People in Hong Kong call HSBC the “Lion Bank” for its high service fees (HSBC’s symbol is also two lion statues). This time, I experienced the extreme difficulty of doing business with HSBC. I wonder how HSBC would survive in such a competitive market.

I am actually well aware that a bank needs to verify a customer’s identification. However, I never heard such a long list of proof of identifications. To name a few:

Utility bills with a physical mailing address. Since my friend is living in a dorm, he was asked to get an official statement from the Housing Office in the school for proof of residency.
Passport and I-20.
Proof of residency of the home country. In my friend’s case, he was asked to get an official letter from Taiwan, stating in English that he actually lives in Taiwan regardless he has the Taiwanese passport.
Proof of the student status. He was asked to get an official letter from the school, stating that he is actually a student registered in the school regardless he has the I-20 and a student ID with him.

If my friend was able to provide all of the documents listed above, then the receptionist will photocopy everything and submit his application to HSBC’s headquarter in the U.S. for approval. HSBC may or may not allow my friend to open an account after the bank reviews all the “necessary” documents.

Seriously? I was wondering if I were helping a friend apply for a visa. Does HSBC want my friend’s business? I took my friend to the Bank of America two blocks away. My friend opened a checking account and a credit card within 15 minutes. All he needed to provide were his passport and I-20. I can tell Bank of America value my friend’s business more than HSBC.

Hotels are different from banks, but if a hotel asks you for two or more forms of identifications before allowing you to stay there, what would you do? I bet you would probably walk out the lobby and go to the hotel next door, wouldn’t you?

References:

The picture (cartoon) was downloaded from guidetocissp.com.

What Are the Top Businesses for Starters?

2011-07-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Kate Rogers reported the findings of the top five start-up businesses in 2011, a research completed by Sageworks, Inc, at FoxNews.com. They are:

Foodservice and catering rank the No. 1 on the list, with the average sales growth of 6.5%. While people cut spending in restaurants, food contractors in the workplaces “win” because they help people save money and time.
Graphic, interior or industrial design firm gets the No. 2 spot with the growth rate of 6.2%. One contributing factor is that people made improvements on their properties before putting them on the market.
No. 3 is website designing and consulting. Business understands that good websites attracts customers. Plus, I believe there is a growing emphasis on social media on websites.
Bookkeeping and accounting. Controlling costs and cash flows is always very important. This area grew 4.9% in the last 12 months.
Landscaping, janitorial or pest control services grew by 4.7% because “maintenance services never go out of style, despite cash being tight.”

I am glad to find that many of these top businesses are from the service industry. In the past 12 months, have you used any of the services listed above? Looking forward, what businesses will become the best startups in 2012?

One Year after Launching the Pay-As-You-Want and Eat-As-You-Need Concept

2011-06-29T15:40:00.001-04:00

A year ago, I discussed Panera Bread’s pay-as-you-want and eat-as-you-need concept to support the company’s initiatives of helping others in need. Now, let’s revisit the topic and see how this “business model” works for a not-for-profit organization.

Featured in today’s MSNBC News video is the interview with Ron Shaich, the Founder and CEO of Panera Bread and the President of Panera Bread Foundation. Over the year, Ron has found that 20% of customers paid more than suggested donation (price), 60% left about the same amount as suggested donation, and 20% paid significantly less than the suggested donation. The business manages to self-sustain and is able to continuously support the community. At this point, Panera Bread operates three not-for-profit stores and plan to build more in the future.

Panera Bread sets another great example of how hospitality companies utilize their strengths and show commitments to the community. During the recession, many people need helps for food and opportunities of acquiring new skills for jobs. What other examples do you see of how Corporate America shows social responsibilities? What innovative ideas do you have of helping Corporate America give back to the community?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A Gourmet Chef “Turning Lack into Luck”

2011-06-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

Today, I am sharing another CNN News video about a gourmet chef’s successful experience on entrepreneurship. This time, however, is not about starting up a restaurant business.

Mary Moore is a gourmet chef herself. She noticed that there was a lack of good cooking utensils in the market and decided to pair up retail with gourmet classes. She wanted to educate customers how to use those wonderful tools she sells. It turned out to be great success. Now, Mary is the CEO of an online business and four retail stores. The video highlighted three tips of her success:

Tip #1: Pair Things Up
Tip #2: Create an Experience
Tip #3: Expand the Brand (but Stay Truth to the Original Business Concept)

I agree that creating the “whole” customer experience is very important in today’s business. When I was in Texas, I loved to shop at the Market Street. When I moved to Syracuse, the Wegmans in Dewitt becomes my favorite grocery store. They both sell fresh produce, as every other grocery store does (regardless the fact that their food indeed looks better), but they also have huge “experiential” sections for prepared and ready-to-eat food. They offer cooking classes and sampling stations to educate customers how to prepare gourmet home cooked meal --- certainly using the ingredients and/or the cooking utensils they sell in the stores. If you are a business owner, may I ask you what experience have you created or can you create for your customers?

How Can Two Young Restaurant Entrepreneurs with No Relevant Education/Experience Survive in Recession?

2011-06-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

It is very difficult to find a job these days, and some people may want to start their own business. Indeed, it may seem to be a good time to start one’s own business during recession because the start-up costs tend to be much lower than those in the good times. Recently, I have shared several successful stories of restaurant entrepreneurs. As a matter of fact, today’s story is also about two young restaurant entrepreneurs featured in a CNN News video. When they started their business, they did not even have any experience in culinary arts or entrepreneurship. So, how can they survive in such a competitive market?

They took advantage of the low interest rate and lower the financial experiences.
They tested recipes with their friends before introducing the concept.
They took a year to launch a low fixed cost business plan and found a cheap rental space.
They did most preparations by themselves.
They only offered a limited tasting menu to cut down the food cost (actually, they will also have better control over food quality, operation expenses, and labor cost with a simple menu).
They used social media (blogs and Twitter) to promote their business.

As every entrepreneur, they made mistakes, but they grew and became better business owners. Here they are: two young successful restaurant owners are sharing their experience with us. May the best wishes to Tse Wei Lim and Dianna Kudajarova!

While I am sharing all these successful stories of restaurant entrepreneurs, I still feel that people need to seriously consider the high risk and huge commitment of running a restaurant business and be cautious of the business plan. My last comment is that I do not agree with Diana Kudajarova’s comment about education. She got a Ph.D. before starting her restaurant business, but I do not think she wasted her time on education at all. A good education will always benefit people in some way. I believe that there is a non-linear relationship between her education and her success in whatever she is doing. Do you think she wasted her time getting her Ph.D.?

Another Restaurant Owner As a Great Example of Successful Entrepreneur

2011-06-22T07:00:00.010-04:00

I am not sure if it is because running a good restaurant business could be very challenging; or if it is because the restaurant industry has a sales volume of $604 billion, hires 12.8 million employees, and has an overall economic impact of $1.7 trillion. I have found that public media love to use restaurant owners as good examples of successful entrepreneurs. This Fox News video, for example, also features an interview with Jeremy Merrin, the Founder and CEO of Havana Central, a growing Cuban restaurant chain. Let’s take a look at Jeremy’s secret ingredients:

Success starts from employee recruitment and selection: Hire the right people.
Train employees well.
Keep employees happy and retain them. Companies spend thousands of dollars in recruiting and training employees. Smart business leaders will certainly invest in their human capital and allow their employees to grow (stay) within the company.
Analytical skills are very important. Business decisions are made based on “numbers” in Havana Central.
In terms of cost control, Havana Central uses the 10-30-30 rule --- 10% or less (of sales) for rent, 30% or less for cost of good (food) sold, and 30% or less for labor cost.

Honestly, I do not see anything new from Jeremy Merrin’s recipe. Many business owners are well aware of the importance those ingredients discussed above. What matters is that Jeremy Merrin actually takes every ingredient seriously and consistently practices what he believes. Do you agree? What do you think of Jeremy’s secret ingredients for success?

Tips for College Graduates on Job Hunting

2011-06-20T16:05:00.000-04:00

Recently, I heard more exciting updates from students that they found their dream jobs. Congratulations to those who got job offers! For the others who are still in the job market, they may find it useful to watch this ABC News video about tips on job hunting:

Tip No. 1: Look for a person, not a job. Networking is extremely important in job hunting --- knowing the right person will very likely lead to the right opportunity with the right job. Statistically, 80% of jobs are filled by referrals; 80% of jobs never got advertised before they are filled. This is very true. Quite a few of my colleagues recently found very good career opportunities because of referrals.

Relevant discussion: Social Media Job Search Tactics; Revisit Social Media and Job Search; Social Media and Job Search III.

Tip No. 2: Figure out what you want to do – or fake. First of all, if a job seeker does not know what s/he wants, nobody can help her/him. Then, job seeking is different from internship seeking. It may work if a student wants to “explore” his/her career options in an internship, but it may not work in job hunting. If a job candidate cannot tell what s/he wants to do, how can a recruiter access this person’s long-term “fit” with the company? In a competitive market like no others, why will a company want to invest in a person without knowing his/her career goal?

Tip No. 3: Clean up your professional persona. Pay attention to every detail, from professional dress, resume paper, punctuality, tunes of speech, words or slang used in conversations etc. Everything must be “perfect.”

Relevant discussion: Dress to Impress: “Old-Fashioned” Business Attire Still Works; Smart Phone Etiquette

Tip No. 4: Access your transferable skills. Research and consider the competencies required for a specific job and see how a job seeker may relate his/her strengths and previous experience to the job. Be sure to use quantifiable examples to demonstrate a job candidate’s skills and abilities.

Relevant discussion: Cover Letter, Resume, and LinkedIn

Tip No. 5: Get over yourself. A candidate should not sound arrogant or naive. Instead, s/he must show that s/he can follow through a task and take initiatives at work.

Tip No. 6: Be careful if you wear piercings and tattoos.

Relevant discussion: Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?; Does Tattoos Go Alone With Professionalism?

How useful do you think of these tips? What is your (successful or not-so-successful) experience of job hunting?

The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas: A Not-for-Profit Organization

2011-06-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

I just came back from the Caesars Hospitality Research Summit in Las Vegas last week. I understand exactly how much this recession hit on the gaming and hospitality industry in Las Vegas. I saw many empty tables in casinos; there were not that much traffic in casinos, restaurants, or retail stores. According to this MSNBC news video, the recession actually cost the resorts on the Strip $6 billion in the last two years, casinos 24% of the gambling revenue as compared to the 2007’s figure, and the community an unemployment rate of 10%.

I discussed how Las Vegas is making big effort in re-branding the city. It takes time to make any transformational change. The good news is that professionals in the gaming and hospitality industry are already helping the community with their strengths. They founded The Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, a not-for-profit organization, which provides a variety of training programs to assist people in gaining the skills for a job or career in the gaming and hospitality industry. This is such a great example of how people/organizations commit to social responsibilities with their strengths and expertise.

When the recession hit the U.S., some people advocated the Corporate America to immediately stop any retreat and training programs in hotels and resorts. They might not notice the consequences of their words --- if nobody travels, one of the biggest employers of the U.S., namely the hospitality industry, would have to cease hiring or even cut the labor force. In turn, many hospitality-related workers will lose jobs, which will further hurt the economy. Occasionally, I also hear people criticizing the gaming industry for causing issues like gambling addiction. If people play it right, gaming could be a fun means of entertainment. There are so many types of addictions in the U.S., such as shopping addiction, eating addition, and sex addition (just to name a few). The problem is probably not what people are doing for fun, but how people control their behavior. What do you think?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit: Panel Discussion on Revenue Management

2011-06-14T15:19:00.003-04:00

The Caesars Hospitality Research Summit at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) also hosted a panel discussion entitled “Emerging Trends and Issues in Revenue Management.” Overall, it was an interesting discussion, but I still have a question in mind which the panel did not address.

To me, the key concepts of revenue management include forecasting, market segmentation, room (seat or space) allocation, and price discrimination. The panel briefly covered some of those areas. One clear message I heard from the panel is that the industry is in great need of qualified revenue managers who know some hotel operations, have a general business background, possess good statistical and analytical skills and communication skills, and demonstrate leadership potential. The panel would love to recruit more hospitality students to fill in the revenue management positions, but very often, they end up hiring students with a business background. There seems to be a gap between what the industry is looking for and what training/education hospitality programs provide to the students. Overall, the panel agrees with one of our previous discussion on revenue management.

Another buzz word I heard from the panel is “social media.” As I am interested in revenue management and doing research on social media, I “must” ask the panel how they see these two concepts tie in together. I assume that the “open” environment in social media would make it more difficult to exercise price discrimination strategies. While the panel suggested that social media may help a company estimate demands and better communicate with their target customers with clearer “price restrictions,” I still fail to see how social media will directly enhance the practice of revenue management. More exactly, I have difficulty figuring out what could be the research questions if I am asked to initiate a research project that ties social media and revenue management together. If anyone comes up with a research question about social media and revenue management, please leave me a comment. I very much appreciate that.

Relevant discussions:
Revenue Management: Are You Ready?
From Yield Management, Revenue Management to Profit Management
Revenue Management: Are Your Guest and Staff Educated?
Fees: A New Revenue Stream for Hotels?
What Are Your Pricing Strategies?
What Is Your Decision in Managing Room Rates under Unexpected Circumstances?
Yesterday’s discussion on the Research Summit: Las Vegas as the Technology Hub

References:
The picture was downloaded from the UNLV Library website.

Las Vegas as the Technology Hub

2011-06-13T19:04:00.001-04:00

What comes to your mind when you hear “Las Vegas”? The Strip? Casinos? Games? Shows? Restaurants? Night clubs? Shopping malls? … I would probably call Las Vegas the Entertainment Center. I am not sure, however, if I would call Las Vegas the Technology Hub.

Last week, I attended the Caesars Hospitality Research Summit at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The technology panel gave us a talk of Creating the Premier Hospitality Technology Hub. I agree with the panel that Las Vegas has many mega hotels and casinos and that these casinos have state-of-art facility and cutting-edge technology to manage their giant consumer database. Indeed, Las Vegas has the potential of becoming the market leader of the service industry in almost every aspect of hospitality management and operations.

The panel reminds me a MSNBC news video about turning Las Vegas into a destination of medical tourism (as embedded in this post). Such discussions indicate that Las Vegas is making a big effort of re-positioning the city as a “new” tourist destination other than just the Entertainment Center. The urge of making a transformational change is loud and clear. Yet, I cannot see a clear picture of the city’s new brand. I believe that it takes every stake holder’s input to brand or re-brand a destination. In particular, the CVB and the government need to take the lead in that regard. The panel, however, did not directly answer my question of how much the CVB or the government supports their idea.

No matter what new position Las Vegas wants to take, I hope the city’s new brand will go along well with its existing image of an Entertainment Center. While it is good to have a diverse consumer base with multiple brand images, the results of a multiple-brand strategy could also be devastating if consumers get confused with different branding messages.

What do you think? Besides entertainment, what other attributes can be used to brand Las Vegas?

Interested in reading more about the Hospitality Research Summit? Please stay tuned for my next post about the Panel Discussion on Emerging Trends and Issues in Revenue Management.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References:
The picture was downloaded from the UNLV Library website.