Report: Management at Mandarin Oriental Singapore Analysis

This report analyzes the management practices at Mandarin Oriental Singapore, focusing on training and assessment needs to enhance competitiveness. It examines external factors like workforce greying and high turnover, and their impact on work requirements. A PESTEL analysis evaluates political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, and legal implications. The report identifies required skills (tactical, explicit, cultural) and recommends a survey-based Training Needs Analysis. It suggests training resources (manuals, e-learning) and learning objectives (cultural interaction, communication, adaptability) using technology-based training, coaching, and role-playing. Experiential learning theory is deemed most suitable. The report emphasizes motivational factors (incentives, work culture) and strategies to enhance employee receptiveness, such as recognizing expertise and identifying strengths. The survey results point to an appropriate learning style, but the assignment is incomplete.

Running head: MANAGEMENT AT MANDARION ORIENTAL SINGAPORE
Contribute towards a learning organization-Hotel Management
Name of Student:
Name of College:
Authors Note:
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MANAGEMENT AT MANDARION ORIENTAL SINGAPORE
Contents
Summary......................................................................................................................................2
Unit 1...........................................................................................................................................3
Unit 2...........................................................................................................................................5
Unit 3...........................................................................................................................................7
Unit 4...........................................................................................................................................9
Unit 5.........................................................................................................................................11
References..................................................................................................................................13
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Summary
The main aim of the current project is to identify the training and assessment needs of the
employees of the Mandarin Oriental Singapore using various tools. The assessment also focuses
on providing necessary training to the staffs and employees of Mandarin Oriental Singapore in
order to help in maintaining the competitiveness of the hotel in industry. The assessment also
helps in ensuring the change which is identified in the hotel is managed effectively through the
implementation of effective strategies and model and which would help in transforming
Mandarin Oriental Singapore to a learning organization.
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Unit 1
1. The issues which affect manpower and training in Mandarin Oriental Singapore in local and
global context are as follows:
Greying of the workforce- The fall in birth rate in Singapore has lead to reduction in population
of younger workers in the country and higher percentages of older workers which is affecting the
manpower and training in the hotel industry and therefore the government of Singapore has taken
steps in order to encourage the workers to retire later than normal.
High turnover of labour- ‘hopping’ of the labourers and workforce from one job to other, has
resulted in high turnover of labour in Singapore in context of the hotel industry and one of the
main causes which are identified behind high turnover rate of labours in Singapore in context of
hotel industry is low morale at work.
The trends which affect manpower and training in Mandarin Oriental Singapore in local and
global context are as follows:
New Roles for staffs- With each passing day, more and more travellers are preferring technology
over human services and hence Mandarin Oriental Singapore, should focus on training their
staffs regarding providing more effective personalized services to the customers instead of basic
services which will help in increasing the satisfaction level of the travellers and visitors of the
hotel
Need for Seamless Technology- Various hotel groups all over the world are providing various
types of hi-tech services to their guests such as mobile check-in services and digital concierge
services as the target customers of the hotel industry are becoming more tech-savvy in nature and
hence Mandarin Oriental Singapore, should focus on training of their staffs regarding the
effective usage of high-tech services in order to assist the guests of the hotel in an effective
manner.
2.The above mentioned external factors is bound to affect changes to work requirements and
expectations of the workforce at Mandarin Oriental Singapore as the above mentioned external
factors will help in determining the competitiveness of the hotel in the hospitality industry of
Singapore. The external factors which are discussed above are bound to affect changes to work
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requirements and expectations in Mandarin Oriental Singapore as it will influence the Human
resource policies of the hotel which plays a major role in affecting changes to work requirements
and expectations. The external factors will also affect changes to work requirements and
expectations in Mandarin Oriental Singapore, as it will facilitate re-designing of the job roles in
the hotel and will affect the training and development program of the hotel.
3. The PESTEL analysis to evaluate the implications of global and local competitiveness at
Mandarin Oriental Singapore and its employment are as follows:
Political- The political environment of Singapore is stable in nature and the government of
Singapore also provides a social welfare service for the hotel industry of Singapore by forming a
Singapore Hotel Association, so that its members can gain access to various types of products,
equipment and information required by them and the Singapore Hotel Association also provides
information regarding various trends to the hotels so that they can design their strategy
accordingly and Mandarin Oriental Singapore, being one of its members receives adequate
support from the Singapore Hotel Association.
Economic- As opined by Barron, Leask & Fyall (2014) economic factors such as business cycle,
exchange rate and disposable income concern the nature and direction of an economy in which
the organization operates. The number of business travellers’ decreases during times of
economic recession and the disposable income of the guests influences the occupancy of the
hotel, such as leisure guests of five star hotels rises due to promotional discounts. In case of
International Hotel chain, such as Mandarin Oriental Singapore, its profit may be influenced
when converting from Singapore Dollar to the currency which is set by Hong Kong Headquarter.
Socio-cultural- The socio-cultural environment of Mandarin Oriental Singapore, comprises of
various broad societal trends which affects the hotel. The most remarkable socio-cultural trend
which is observed in terms of the hotel industry is the entry of women in the workforce of the
hotel. As stated by Yamak & Şerife (2018) the other socio-cultural trend which has impacted
Mandarin Oriental Singapore is the increase of women business travellers and women leisure
travellers as a result of increase in employment and income in women, which has resulted in the
rise of revenue of the hotels as a result of increase in products and services.
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Technological- According to Grant (2016) the government of Singapore focuses on increasing
technological efforts through the Tourism Technology Fund, which is a program developed by
the Singapore Tourism board in order to accelerate rate of technological innovation and adoption
in the hotel industry by providing the necessary technological support which will help in
enhancing the experience of the visitors in order to improve business efficiency. Mandarin
Oriental Singapore takes notes of technological changes in order to avoid technological
obsolescence through technological investing and forecasting. Mandarin Oriental Singapore
receives adequate support from Hotel Technology Next Generation organization, by being a
corporate hospitality member of the organization.
Environmental- Mandarin Oriental Singapore participates in Waste Disposal Campaigns in order
to conserve the environment, to save its operating costs and increase the profit margin and
revenues of the hotel. The main environmental challenge for Mandarin Oriental Singapore is to
reduce the energy cost of the hotel while meeting the diverse needs of the customers.
Legal- Mandarin Oriental Singapore focuses on implementing health and safety standards in
order to protect their employees and guests from various types of dangers as it affects the
reputation and image of the hotel. As stated by Luo, Marnburg & Law (2017) the Hotel
Employment Law of Singapore covers various aspects such as Salary, Annual Leave, Public
Holidays and Rest Days, Medical leaves, Medical Attention, Working Hours, Overtime,
Transport, Duty Meals, bonus and uniform and laundry. The health and safety policy of the hotel
covers bathroom safety, bedroom safety, Fire Centre and Health and Fitness Centre.
Unit 2
1. The types of skills and knowledge which are required for the workforce of Mandarin Oriental
Singapore in order to stay competitive are tactical knowledge, explicit knowledge and cultural
knowledge, effectiveness, productivity, decision making, strategic planning and collaboration.
2. A. According to Quintana, Park & Cabrera (2015) the suitable Training Needs Analysis
assessment method which can be used in context of Mandarin Oriental Singapore is by
conducting surveys on the workforces of the hotel. The training manager of the hotel can design
questionnaire in context of the various operations of the hotel and accordingly survey in person
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with each employee or a group of employees of the hotel at their work location which will help
in collecting data on the performance gaps and training needs of the employees.
B. The Training Need Analysis of the employees of Mandarin Oriental Singapore Hotel reflect
that staffs of the hotel faces problems issues while communicating to people belonging to
Western cultures as the Eastern and Western Culture differ a lot. Another problem which was
identified during the Training Need Analysis was that the staffs of the hotel lack confidence
while adapting to various types of changes which are implemented in the hotel and therefore they
fail to adapt to the changes in an effective manner.
C. The advantages which are associated with the survey method of Training Need Analysis are
as follows:
 This method of Training Need Analysis is easy to summarize and report.
 The survey method of TNA is in-expensive in nature.
 In case of anonymity, the responses are given by the respondents without fear and
hesitation.
The dis-advantages which are associated with the survey method of Training Need Analysis are
as follows:
 As opined by Salem (2015) it requires a considerable amount of time to develop an
effective and detailed questionnaire which can help in bringing out the actual responses
of the respondents.
 This method may not go deep in analysing the reasons behind the various identified
issues.
3A. The resources which are required to fulfil the training recommendation are training manuals
which can be designed accordingly in order to address the training needs of the staffs of the hotel
and e-learning materials such as tutorial videos and blog discussions.
B. The learning goal which is ideal for the staffs of Mandarin Oriental Singapore in order to
address their training needs is that all the staffs of the hotel should be able to work effectively in
all types of challenging situation. The learning objectives for the staffs of Mandarin Oriental
Singapore are as follows:
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 Should be able to interact effectively with individuals belonging to diverse
culture.
 Should be able to communicate the offerings of the hotel and the USP of the hotel
through engaging in communication with the visitors.
 Should be able to adapt to any type of organizational change.
C. The training strategies and methods which can be applied in order to acquire the required
skills and knowledge are as follows:
Technology Based Training- The technology based training strategy is interactive in nature and it
helps in involving the participants which helps in effective transfer of intended knowledge.
Coaching and Mentoring-As stated by Thompson (2016) the coaching and mentoring style of
training provides mental support and assistance to the participants as they receive tips and
information from experienced professionals.
Role Playing- The role playing strategy of training help the employees act out on the situation
issues which could occur in workplace and helps in connecting theories with practices and helps
in effective negotiation of an issue.
Unit 3
1. The learning theory which is considered as most suitable to apply in the current context is
Experiential Learning Theory. As stated by Alqusayer (2016) according to the experiential
learning theory, learning is perceived as the process where knowledge is created through the
transformation of experiences. This learning theory is considered the most suitable in context of
the current scenario as the staffs and employees of Mandarin Oriental Singapore can learn and
develop knowledge through their experiences.
2. The motivational factors which will draw the employees of Mandarin Oriental Singapore to
learning are as follows:
Incentives- The employees and staffs of Mandarin Oriental Singapore is likely to get motivated if
they receive rewards or incentives for learning such as providing promotion to the employees on
receiving additional training certificates.
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Work Culture- The staffs and employees of Mandarin Oriental Singapore can be motivated
towards learning through the work culture of the hotel as it inspires the employees to give their
best effort while performing every task when they are surrounded by motivated people present in
the work environment of the hotel.
The strategies to enhance employee’s receptiveness to training in Mandarin Oriental Singapore
are as follows:
 By recognizing employees’ expertise as it helps in encouraging knowledge sharing
culture as there are mostly latent among individuals for various subject matters and
encouraging them to be shared with others within Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
 By identifying the strengths of the employees as creation of personalized learning
pathway for every staff and employee of the hotel will help in keeping the motivation
level up for every employee’ of the hotel.
3A. The results of the survey indicate that the most appropriate learning style of the employees
surveyed is visual learning style.
B. The facilitation methods which will be used to appeal to the learning style of the potential
learners of Mandarin Oriental Singapore are as follows:
 Using colours to highlight important information.
 Including meaningful visual aids in order to support verbal instructions.
 According to Kužnin & Walker (2017) encouraging note taking.
 Seating the learners close to the front in order to get a proper view of the
presentation.
4. A. The steps to establish TMS and facilitate transfer of learning in Mandarin Oriental
Singapore are as follows:
Identifying the problems to be solved- The first step to effectively establish and facilitate transfer
of learning through TMS is identifying the problems which are to be solved in Mandarin Oriental
Singapore.
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Taking a Free Trial- The next step in this process involves taking a free trial of the selected TMS
software and checking its efficiencies on the stakeholders.
Arranging for a demo- The next step in this process involves arranging a demo from the TMS
software provider in order to take an informed decision regarding implementing the software.
Getting it implemented- The further step in this process involves implementing the TMS
software in the day to day operations of the hotel.
Getting the team up to speed- The final step in this process involves getting the team ready
regarding the use of TMS software by providing training and tutorial for the usage of the
software in the hotel.
B. The evaluation system which can be adopted to assess training effectiveness in Mandarin
Oriental Singapore is Kirkpatrick’s Training effectiveness model. Kirkpatrick’s Training
effectiveness model has 4 domains of evaluation from Level 1 to Level 4. The four levels of
Kirkpatrick’s Training effectiveness model in context of Mandarin Oriental Singapore is as
follows:
Level 1- Reaction: The satisfaction of the trainees of the hotel regarding the training or Happy
Score.
Level 2- Learning: The trainees’ acquisition of the Knowledge, Skills and abilities or about the
relevance and benefits of the training.
Level 3- Behaviour: The improvement of the behaviour of the trainee on the job and regarding
the learning transfer amongst the trainees in terms of newly acquired Knowledge, Skills and
Abilities in the work environment.
Level 4- Results: The business results which are achieved by the trainees of the hotel.
Unit 4
1. As stated by Tso-Jen & Chi-Min (2017) the type of change through which Mandarin Oriental
Singapore is presumably going through is Transformational change as Mandarin Oriental
Singapore must be in tune with the environment in which it operates in terms of knowledge
about socio-cultural trends, understanding of the socio-cultural climate and technological
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advances and the changes which are undertaken by the hotel in order to implement the changes
which is termed as transformational changes.
2.As stated by Oyner & Korelina (2016) the type of change management model which is most
suitable for Mandarin Oriental Singapore in order to manage change is Lewin’s Change
Management Model as it is one of the most effective and popular model in order to understand
and implement organizational and structured changes. There are three steps in the Lewin’s
Change Management Model namely unfreeze, change and refreeze.
The steps to help Mandarin Oriental Singapore to manage the change are as follows:
Defining the change and aligning it with the goals of the hotel- It is very necessary to define the
change by describing the reason behind the change and why the change is required and
accordingly aligning the change with the goals of the business.
Determining the impacts of the changes and the ones affected- It is very necessary for Mandarin
Oriental Singapore to identify and determine the impacts of the changes and also those areas and
individuals who will be mostly affected by the change in the hotel.
Developing a communication strategy- It is of utmost importance for Mandarin Oriental
Singapore to develop a communication strategy in order to communicate the change to all levels
of the hotel and to manage the feedback received regarding the change.
Providing effective training- Mandarin Oriental Singapore should also focus on providing
effective communication to their staffs so that they can effectively adapt to the change in the
organization.
Implementing a support Structure- It is also important for Mandarin Oriental Singapore to
provide a support structure which will be important to assist the staffs of the hotel emotionally
and practically regarding adjusting to the change to help them build proficiency of behaviours
and technical skills which are required to achieve the business results.
Measurement of the change process- Mandarin Oriental Singapore should also measure the
change process of the hotel by implementing a structure in place which will help in measuring
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the business impact of the changes and will help in ensuring that continued reinforcements
opportunities exist in order to help building the proficiency.
Unit 5
1. The key strategies regarding embracing of diversity in Mandarin Oriental Singapore are as
follows:
Engaging Management commitment-Mandarin Oriental Singapore should focus on engaging
management commitment by communicating the importance of inclusive and harmonious
workplace at the hotel to set the tone of the hotel and by being a role model for the behaviour
expected of the managers and employees of the organization.
Reinforcing employee competencies through recruitment, learning, development and
performance management-Mandarin Oriental Singapore should focus on reinforcing employee
competencies by equipping the employees with the relevant knowledge and skills and
encouraging them to display attributes and behaviour which fosters inclusiveness. Mandarin
Oriental Singapore should also focus on adopting recruitment policies which are consistent with
the Tripartite Recruitment on Fair Employment Practices and recruiting staffs who are able to
work with diverse teams. As stated by Bharwani & Talib (2017) the hotel should also focus on
including a good orientation programme in order to help the new employees of the hotel get up
to speed and vision for diversity management in addition to including values and behaviours
expected from the new employees to be incorporated in the orientation programme. The hotel
should also put in place an effective performance management system with a variety of
measures.
Facilitating Inclusiveness- It is very important from the point of view of Mandarin Oriental
Singapore to create an inclusive work environment in order to facilitate healthy interactions and
understanding among the staffs of the hotel belonging to diverse profile and level.
Communication- It is very important for the management of Mandarin Oriental Singapore to
communicate effectively with the staffs of the hotel as it is important that the management is
involved in delivering the key messages of their hotel to the staffs through the hotel intranet, e-
newsletter of the hotel, annual meeting or dinner at the hotel and through the brochure of the
hotel.
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