Ritz-Carlton: Employee Training, Customer Service, and Success

This research project examines the impact of employee training and development on fostering an exceptional customer service culture, using Ritz-Carlton as a case study. The project explores the relationship between employee training and customer satisfaction within the hospitality industry. The study investigates the implementation of global talent management principles, recruitment, communication strategies, and the sharing of ideas to enhance service quality. It reviews relevant literature on employee training, customer service culture, and the benefits of development programs. The research employs frameworks such as SWOT, PESTLE, Goleman’s model of emotional intelligence, and the VRIO framework to analyze the success factors of Ritz-Carlton, its approach to global talent, and to provide recommendations for improving customer service. The project aims to identify the impact of training on customer service and offers insights into creating a customer-centric environment.

Running head: RESEARCH PROJECT
Research project
Name of student
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Executive summary
The report was prepared to discuss about the impact created by training and
development of employees on the management of a customer service culture to ensure
gaining competitive advantage and success in the future too. Ritz Carlton has been considered
as the case study here which managed to implement the various principles of global talent
management to ensure recruitment and selection of the right talents and ensured managing
good communication along with sharing of individual ideas and opinions to make a collective
decision required to deliver the best quality services to the customers.

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Table of Contents
Project outline............................................................................................................................4
Introduction............................................................................................................................4
Rationale of research for the project......................................................................................6
Research aim..........................................................................................................................7
Research objectives................................................................................................................7
Research questions.................................................................................................................8
Literature review........................................................................................................................8
Employee training and development......................................................................................8
Customer service culture within the organisation................................................................10
Impact of the employee training and development on the fostering of a customer service
culture...................................................................................................................................11
Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................13
Discussion of questions............................................................................................................13
Determining the main reasons of success for Ritz-Carlton success.....................................13
Evaluation of sources of success and resources based on the VRIO framework.................15
Ritz-Carlton’s approach to manage global talents from different continents.......................18
Application of six principles of global talent management to Ritz-Carlton.........................20
Recommendations....................................................................................................................22
Conclusion................................................................................................................................23
References................................................................................................................................23

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Research title: Impact of employee training and development on the fostering of an
exceptional customer service culture at Ritz Carlton
Project outline
The research is conducted for the purpose of assessing the various aspects of
employee training and development managed at Ritz Carlton to foster the development of an
exceptional customer service culture and facilitate and enhance the level of satisfaction
among the customers too. Considering the case study of a major hotel chain named Ritz
Carlton in UK, the hotel chains have focused on delivering extensive hospitality services for
satisfying the guests and to ensure influence their purchasing behaviours for repeated
purchases. The formation of a good and healthy customer service culture is based on the
attributes and feedbacks of customers regarding the services delivered to them by the hotel
and on the basis of their experiences too (Jehanzeb and Bashir 2013). Thus, the training and
development of employees can assist them to learn and form a collaborative working where
learning and development are promoted and the goals and objectives are achieved easily.
There are multiple theories and management concepts that will be used as well for conducting
the research project effectively and at the same time, ensure contributing to the successful
accomplishment of research too.
Introduction
From the case study, it is understood that the guests are satisfied with the hotel
services delivered and it is an important part of the hospitality management at Ritz Carlton.
The fulfilment of the needs and preferences of the customers is the top most priority of the
hotel chain and it has been found that the staffs of the hotel are skilled and knowledgeable
enough to meet the needs of guests effectively (Elnaga and Imran 2013). For enhancing the
level of customer satisfaction, the business organisations need to leverage the best potential
of the human resources and achieve excellence in terms of higher sales and revenue

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generation too. The research project highlights the importance of managing employee
training and development required to foster the development of exceptional customer services
culture considering the hotel chain named Ritz Carlton, furthermore, raise the level of
satisfaction among clients and influence their buying behaviours too (Ford 2014). The
organisations seems to have invested a good amount of resources on the training and
development programs, which has not only facilitated the attrition rate, but has also improved
the learning, development and knowledge acqusitions. With the help of these training and
development programs, the organisation will be able to design a better learning experience
and also prioritise on the growth and development of employees within the hotel, required to
meet the needs and preferences of the customers efficiently (Kulkarni 2013).
Considering the SWOT analysis for the hotel chain named Ritz Carlton, the strengths
of the organisation include skilled, knowledgeable and empowered employees and also a
wider global outreach due to the presence of large numbers of hotels all over the world. The
parent company had added value to the brand while the brand trust and loyalty have ben
established with the effective communication process managed with the various stakeholders
involved in business (Asfaw, Argaw and Bayissa 2015). There are more than 33000
employees who have been working across 25 countries while the rewards and incentives
programs have also strengthened the skills and enhanced motivation among the staffs. The
weaknesses of the organisation include expensive hospitality services along with the poor
economic condition and declined bottom line. The opportunities of the hotel chain could be
the management of corporate tie ups and providing special packages for increasing the
customer base while aiming to expand the tourism and hospitality market globally as well
(Kum, Cowden and Karodia 2014). The threats are experienced with the presence of multiple
business competitors, high operational costs and also the emergence of natural disasters, bad
weather conditions and terrorism activities that could also affect the tourism business.

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The Goleman’s model of emotional intelligence focused on the various aspects of
skills, knowledge and competencies that could drive the leadership performance and also
allow the employees of the organisation to develop their self-awareness skills, self-regulation,
social skills, empathy and motivation skills too for the purpose of achieving success. To
foster the development of a healthy corporate culture, motivation is necessary and it can be
possible with the help of fulfilling the needs of employees at different levels based on the
application of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory (Falola et al. 2014). It can allow the
manager and higher management level of the organisation to fulfil the needs of employees at
different hierarchical levels, furthermore, ensure keeping them motivated and encouraged to
develop a good culture within the workplace. The use of PESTLE framework could also
ensure identification of various factors such as the political factors, economic factors, social
factors, technological, legal and environmental factors that should contribute to the
management of business functioning in an effective way too (Anitha 2014).
PESTLE analysis
The political factors are the influences created by the political bodies and the
Government for the purpose of managing the costs of operations along with identifying the
various ways to make up the costs associated with it. The structure of workforce has been
affected as well due to the political influences, which has resulted in increase of wages
structure to make sure that there is high level of motivation among staffs along with
enhancement of skills and knowledge too.
The economic factors include the currency fluctuations that have affected the business
functioning within the hotel industry whereas the foreign exchange also helped in creating
significant impact on the economy of the nation. The value of currency has also increased the

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rates of exchange and this has led to the rise in costs of services for the international clients
visiting the hotel.
The increase in consumer spending and lifestyle behaviours has also influenced the
demands for accommodation services, which most of the guests also associated with the
exploring of city during the management of business trip, which has been a major trend
nowadays.
The technological factors have contributed to a pleasant experience achieved by the
travellers while at the same time, fostered generation of online feedbacks and keeping
customers engaged by making their buying behaviours influenced as a whole too. The
management of online marketing techniques and social media involvement have further
created better scopes and opportunities to contribute to a better customer experience as well.
The legal factors include various laws, rules and regulations needed to manage the
organisational values and ethics, furthermore, ensure that the hotel staffs abide by the
organisational policies and principles and respect the values and ethic too to ensure stable
business functioning.
The environmental factors include Ritz Carlton’s approach to sustainability
management with the focus on preventing pollution and to ensure creating a positive impact
on the environment as well. The hotel chain has also focused on the corporate social
responsibilities to ensure better health and wellbeing within the community.
Rationale of research for the project
The rationale of the research represents the research problems experienced, related to
the research topic. The major issues could emerge when the employees working at the hotel
do not possess enough skills, knowledge and expertise, because of which, their performances
deteriorated and it directly affects the overall business performance and ability to generate the

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desired level of profit in business. The lack of skills and knowledge among the hotel staffs
could also be one of the major reason behind the poor quality hotel services delivered along
with loss faced in business too. The impact of employee training and development is
immense as it can allow the company to overcome these major issues and ensure delivery of
smooth and exceptional customer services for enhancing the level of satisfaction among
theirs too (Sung and Choi 2014). The development of employee training and development
should also boost their morale and allow for making them capable of communicating with
each other frequently and work as an unit, in coordination, for fostering the formation of a
healthy customer service culture at Ritz Carlton. The customer service culture should
transform the entire business functioning and ensure adopting the changing behaviours of
customers, furthermore present the services according to their varied or changing needs and
preferences to keep them happy and satisfied largely too (Hill and Alexander 2017). With the
desired customer satisfaction level achieved, the employees would be aware of delivering the
best services so that they could make repeated purchases and thus their feedbacks are
acquired to making any necessary changes to improve the quality of services furthermore.
With the employee training and development, a better learning environment would be created
as well, which could ensure forming a healthy workforce that promotes better
communication, collaborative or team working and also work in coordination to achieve the
desired outcomes with ease and efficiency (Orel and Kara 2014).
Research aim
The main aim of the research is to determine the impact of training and development
programs arranged for the staffs to foster the development of an exceptional customer service
culture considering the hotel chain named Ritz Carlton in United Kingdom.

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Research objectives
 To identify the impact of employee training and development programs arranged, on
the fostering of a good and healthy customer service culture at Ritz Carlton, a major
hotel chain in UK
 To evaluate the various approaches undertaken to understand the needs for
development of the employee working at Ritz Carlton in United Kingdom
 To assess the probable effects that could be created on the basis of training and
development sessions and programs provided to the employees working at the hotel
 To recommend necessary measures for the purpose of developing a healthy work
culture where employees work together as an unit to deliver the best quality
customers’ services for ensuring satisfaction among them as a whole
Research questions
 What is the probable impact of the Training and development activities for the
employees on the building of a great customer service culture and enhance the level of
satisfaction among the clients?
 How could be the various employee training and development approaches lead to
overcoming the areas of weaknesses for the employees and by adopting a good
culture within the working environment too?
 Is it true to believe that the formation of a great customer service culture is dependent
upon the experiences of employees, forming a learning environment and for obtaining
the feedbacks and views of the clients regarding the hotel services delivered by the
hotel?
 What are the most suitable approaches and measures that could be recommended for
improving the level of satisfaction among the clients and respond to their queries
within quick time?

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Literature review
Employee training and development
According to Jehanzeb and Bashir (2013), the employee training and development
sessions have often been considered as effective as it not only strengthened the skills,
knowledge and competencies among the staffs, but also has resulted in making them
empowered and motivated to perform to their potential as well. The employee training and
development sessions and programs have also been considered as effective because of its
effectiveness in responding to the queries and complaints of the customers, furthermore,
fostered the development of a good culture and ability to deliver better customers’ services
for improved business efficiency (Jehanzeb and Bashir 2013). As stated by Hanaysha (2016),
the accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives along with the achievement of
higher productivity and revenue generation are dependent upon the management of human
resources, i.e., the employees of the organisation. The organisations need to make sure that
the employees are in line with the financially dominant and competitive in the market. This
has made the employees understand the market conditions and allowed the organisation to
sustain the valuable human resources by knowing about how higher level of morale could be
developed among them as well as keep them satisfied as a whole with their job roles and
responsibilities. At times, many of the organisations believe that the main aim of employees
while working at the company I to make enough profit and earn huge amount of money as
well (Rahman and Nas 2013). This major statement considered by the organisation has
resulted in neglecting the importance that have been placed by the employees considering the
benefits of their profession within the concerned organisation. The organizations also need to
make sure that the employees are capable to adjusting to changes and cope up with the
fluctuating market conditions, which could ensure better performances and higher
organisational productivity too (Hanaysha and Tahir 2016). Considering the statement of

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Cascio (2014), the companies have managed to invest a lot of money for the purpose of
training and development programs, which also has the potential to strengthen the skills and
knowledge of employees and make them capable of performing their tasks to their potential
to achieve the desired goals and objectives perfectly. The training and development sessions
hold special importance for allowing the company to grow rapidly and at the same time,
compete with the rivalries that have been present in the market with much ease and
effectiveness (Noe et al. 2014).
Many of the scholars also suggested that the training and development scopes and
opportunities arranged for the employees increase the turnover of employees though others
argued the fact that it could be beneficial for the retention of employees in large numbers,
who previously used to be a part of the organisation (Ahmad et al. 2014). The business
organisations have also believed the fact that to gain success in the worldwide economy and
also raise the level of interest and enthusiasm of employees at work, the employee training
and development sessions and programs are considered as effective for making them gain
better skills, abilities and behaviours required for their personal as well as professional
growth and development too. Considering the focus of the research topic, the literature
review has presented an idea about how the employee training and development has led to the
development of an exceptional and highly effective customer service culture at the
organizations to meeting the needs of clients and ensured higher level of satisfaction among
them too (Shuck et al. 2014).
Customer service culture within the organisation
As stated by Jayakumar and Sulthan (2014), the customer service culture does not
necessarily means providing great customers’ services to meet their specific needs and
requirements, but rather the companies have focused on going farther , beyond the actual
needs and preferences of the customers. The customer service culture has been formed when

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the efforts put by the company have been centred on the satisfaction of the clients, which
enabled not only the customer service department, rather the entire company to focus on the
needs and preferences of the customers. Due to this, the company has managed to create
value on each of the departments, which further helped in delivering the best quality services
by responding to the queries and complaints made by the customers all the time. For example
the Southwest Airlines has maintained a customer service culture by putting the customers at
first, from every aspects of the business (Kiruja and Mukuru 2018). To facilitate the level of
customer satisfaction, the company has also managed to deliver the services at lower prices
and without any cancellation fees along with no baggage fees and delivering solutions to any
kinds of queries on time too. The organisations, truly valuing the needs and requirements of
the customers and recruiting the best people to form the talent pool have helped in the
formation of a customer service culture (Aruna and Anitha 2015). This has helped in valuing
the efforts of employees and also by meeting the demands and expectations of customers
through management of business functions and processes effectively, furthermore, foster the
development of a healthy work culture too.
Impact of the employee training and development on the fostering of a customer service
culture
The employee training and development has created a great positive impact on the
management of good customers’ services delivery and at the same time, ensured fostering the
development of a good culture where good communication has been promoted along with
improved ability to respond to the customers’ queries, complaints and feedbacks. According
to Cloutier et al. (2015), the decisions have to be made with the customers’ satisfaction kept
in mind and also by understanding how the organisation has impacted the customers; services
strategy to deliver a better customer experience overall. The organisations have strengthened
the corporate culture and ensured development of various policies, principles and procedures