JHTC, Teaching and Case Notes, Volume 6, Issue 4

Table of Contents, Abstracts    

More Participation, Efficiency and Consistency: The case of the Sands Eco 360° Global Sustainability Strategy
(Jung, Yoon)

This case study limits its focus on Sands ECO 360° Global Sustainability strategy by Las Vegas Sands Corporation (LVS) investigating how its sustainability strategies have affected to the positive changes to the company overall and the convention industry. Topics for discussion will include increasing participation of the program, improving efficiency of the project implementation, and maintaining consistency of the sustainability operations across the global locations.

Case Study
Teaching Note
 

Improving a Destination Image through a Countywide Training for Employees: The Welcome to Memphis project
(Soifer, Choi)

A destination image plays an important role for visitors in their travel-related decision making. This case study demonstrates workforce challenges (e.g., lack of customer service skills, lack of destination knowledge, and lack of training resources) that negatively affect a destination image in the hospitality and tourism industry and explains countywide initiatives that the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau has implemented in order to overcome these issues. This case study sheds light on a destination image formation by exploring the impacts of hospitality and tourism employees on visitors’ satisfaction with a destination and on the number of visitations to the destination.

Case Study
Teaching Note

Adding another Tool to the Belt at Planet Bean
(von Massow, McAdams)

This case study introduces Planet Bean as a coffee roasting company with three coffee houses in Guelph, Ontario.  The company’s successful past can be attributed to its strong commitment to producing environmentally sustainable and socially conscious coffee. With increased competition from Starbucks and other operators, Byron Cunningham the company’s CEO is concerned that relying on this current brand proposition will not be enough to maintain their position in the market.   Cunningham is worried that Starbucks reputation and ability to deliver quality service could become a competitive advantage if Planet Bean does not adapt to compete in this realm. Students are asked to analyze the context that Planet Bean operates in and produce a service strategy that will ensure the company’s continued success in the marketplace.

Case Study
Teaching Note
 

A New Age of Acquisitions in Hospitality & Tourism: The bidding war to acquire Starwood
(Hua, Mejia, Wei)

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have mesmerized and fascinated both professional experts and academia alike over time, resulting in a series of classic but abstract theories trying to explain why M&As take place.  Based on a recent monumental bidding war to acquire Starwood, this case study provides students with an opportunity to have a deep but intuitive understanding of four classic M&A theories: Efficiency Theory, Monopoly Theory, Valuation Theory, and Empire-building Theory.  Additionally, this case will train students in both qualitative and quantitative analyses of information from news reports, corporate analytics, and pertinent financial data to contextualize the nature of M&As.

Case Study
Teaching Note

Lessons from Chiopotle Mexican Grill's Foodborne Illness Outbreaks
(Cha, Cichy)

Chipotle has suffered an unprecedented series of foodborne illness outbreaks in its units across the USA from summer 2015 to early spring 2016. This case study is an overview of Chipotle’s foodborne illness events occurrences and the impact of those on Chipotle in terms of financial outcomes and brand reputation. The case provides a real-world example of a situation in which risk and crisis management is required. Students are expected to learn Chipotle’s responses and its dilemmas in this troubled-time, as well as what new food safety practices and procedures have been put in place.  More important, this case study focuses on what recovery strategies and crisis management tactics have been devised and put into practice to deal with Chipotle’s overwhelmingly negative publicity.

Case Study
Teaching Note
 

Chipotle Mexican Grill: A sustainability champion going global with China
(DeMicco, Parsa, Gao, Narapareddy)

Several U.S. restaurant chains that expanded their business into China include KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway.  This case focuses on Chipotle Mexican Grill’s potential to develop its business in China and the opportunities and challenges it may face in the Chinese market. Students are expected to learn pros and cons of international expansion of U.S. restaurant firms. Additionally, students will learn the impact of unexpected operational challenges, such as foodborne illness outbreaks, on potential growth strategies and how to address the short term and urgent need to do damage control from foodborne illnesses or to modify and pursue the international expansion strategies.

Case Study
Teaching Note

Motorway Services Extraordinate: Welcome Break case study
(DiPietro)

The current case study looks at the unique hospitality and tourism business of motorway services and how, despite many competitors, Welcome Break has done an exceptional job of working within the constraints of the industry. The challenge of finding and keeping employees has never been greater, but Welcome Break has turned much of their attention towards providing a great work environment that develops people and helps them to find their inner greatness. The financial performance of Welcome Break is a reflection of positive people practices, and their ability to manage multiple brands in multiple locations.

Case Study
Teaching Note
   
 

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