VONNA(HBP)

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a new learning package, VONNA(HBP), which provides an interactive and online environment for novices to study and practice hotel budget planning, is introduced. Its design philosophy will be discussed thoughtfully with special focus on how to make use of the multimedia and Internet. According to literatures, learning packages are faced to be more effective in delivering teaching material. Researchers indicate that students using a self-paced learning package score higher than in a traditional classroom setting. Moreover, the learning package provides different scenarios for students to explore themselves in a practical environment and is more cost effective and systematic than lectures. Currently, most learning packages in hotel education are not implemented using multimedia with Internet access. Our paper describes a new learning package that fills the gaps.

VONNA(HBP) requires participants to investigate operational budgets on various areas such as sales levels, payroll, inventory level, promotion strategies, and facilities planning, etc. Eventually, the students/novices are required to practice their skills in a comprehensive case about a hypothetical hotel. They need to solve managerial problems by a combination of budgetary planning on human resources, staff training programmes, facilities' maintenance and replacement, or promotion schemes. Analytical tools are available for students/novices to judge an appropriate decision in handling constrained resources.     

Improving hotel budgetary practice—A positive theory model

Budgeting is the most widely used management accounting technique. This research considered contemporary hotel sector practice and theory concerning budgeting. The rationale for existing practice was further explored through qualitative research. This led to the development of recommendations concerning budgetary processes within the hotel sector.The results identified some aspects of practice that can be improved, particularly participation in the budgeting process at lower management levels in organizations and the financial training needs of non-financial managers. These findings have implications for management in the industry and recommendations for how current budgeting practice in hotels can be enhanced are given.     

Value of a hotel stay: a case study in Hong Kong

This study examines the value of a hotel stay from the perspective of hotel customers and hotel service professionals. Respondents, including hotel customers and hotel service professionals, were asked the extent of their agreement or disagreement with statements related to four different value dimensions: functional value, emotional value, social value, and customer-perceived sacrifices. Results showed that there are significant differences between the hotel service professionals’ perceived value of the hotel stay and customers’ perceived value of the hotel stay. The differences are found in social value and customer-perceived sacrifices.     

Management Accounting in the Hotel Business

Abstract

This article reports on a study investigating Management Accounting (MA) applications and practices in Greek hotels. Relevant bibliography indicates the way in which MA supports management decision-making: Costing systems aim to analyze revenue centers, and are structured according to marginal costing principals. MA makes extensive use of budget and performance measurement techniques to support operational and strategic decisions. In the present study, a sample survey was carried out by means of a structured questionnaire. The findings indicate that Greek hotels make use of MA techniques in all of the above ways, but also reveal a number of differences, such as the application of full costing methods. This in turn has implications for the criteria used to evaluate managers' performance, as well as for the information used in making pricing decisions. Moreover, budget design is more flexible than that used in other fields, while benchmarking is not so popular. The study's findings reveal that hotel size and sales mix structure affect some MA practices, while the use of specific MA methods and techniques determines the emphasis placed on the application of others.     

论中国饭店产业结构优化的宏观目标与路径选择

本文论述了在新的形势下中国饭店产业机构优化的宏观目标与路径的选择,根据目前饭店业的发展态势提议组建“中国旅游饭店(集团)总公司”,阐述了该集团公司的基本组建思路与运行方案,分析了在组建过程中可能遇到的主要障碍,并在此基础上提出了相应的对策建议。     

Forecasting hotel-industry performance

This paper provides a method which may be used by hospitality managers to forecast the annual hotel-industry occupancy rate for their respective localities. An empirical application of the method demonstrates that it can generate reasonably accurate forecasts of annual industry performance and can be useful to managers in their evaluation of the future competitive environment. An assessment of the influence of key variables upon forecast accuracy suggests that market research on trends in visitor characteristics would be useful for longer-term forecasting.     

论我国经济型饭店发展的产业示范意义

本文讨论了我国经济型饭店发展的产业示范意义。对于民族饭店业而言,经济型饭店的示范意义在于以品牌为中心建立了产品形象、通过跨地域经营获得规模经济以及采用多模式扩张提高增长速度。对于整个中国饭店业而言,经济型饭店的示范意义在于通过产品差异化创新获得了很好的绩效。认识到这些意义,我们可以从更具有战略性的高度去看待今天中国经济型饭店的发展。     

Innovative Product Development in Hotel Operations

SUMMARY

The hotel industry has a hard time resisting the continued globalization pressure. In order to survive the fierce international competition, even hotel chains need to offer their potential customers an added value that they do not receive from their competitors. The product development offers promising integrated solution approaches. Numerous unique characteristics can be established through entrepreneurial implementation of innovative product concepts in hotel operations. Indicating that this can occur in the fullest sense, this theoretical article concludes with an actual product development. Its objective is to demonstrate that the integration of the resource-based view in the product development processes in hospitality and tourism is necessary to generate competitive differentiation opportunities. Environment-based and resource-based views are no longer interpreted as monistic and mutually exclusive, but as complementary management approaches. A practical example underlines the fact that such considerations are already being implemented in hotel chains although they still tend to be neglected in tourism-scientific research.     

关于中国城市饭店产业评价的思考

中国饭店业的发展加深着人们对饭店业的认识。单体饭店在走向成熟的同时,也需要整个饭店行业的成熟。文章提出衡量一个区域或城市饭店业是否成熟,有这样几个标准：拥有一批好的饭店群体,城市(地区)饭店的结构合理,有自身特色,有标志性的饭店,与城市特点相协调,有健全的行业法规,成熟的投资动机,成熟的职业经理人队伍,有成熟的市场和成熟的消费者,有成熟的饭店衍生业以及成熟的行业自律组织。     

Some problems faced by managers in the hotel and catering industry

This second survey on the problems perceived by managers in the U.K. hospitality industry uses depth interviews to explore managers' perceptions of their problems. Price appears to be the main marketing tool used and there is a lack of emphasis on marketing as a tool to increase sales volume.     

Roles of the Hotel Training Professionals—Perspectives of Industry Practitioners

Becoming a learning organization, better educated and more career-minded employees and the adoption of technologies such as social media are current trends in the training and development world, especially in the hospitality industry. It is important to understand how the roles of training professionals are changing and how this change affects the recruitment process from the perspective of human resources professionals. In-depth interviews and survey were adopted in this study to explore the perspectives of industry practitioners. Seven roles of training professionals are identified and the retention of training professionals in the hotel industry is advocated.     

Hotel executive microcomputer use in the United States

With the advent of the microcomputer revolution in the United States, the lodging industry is taking advantage of the new technology. Computerized property management systems for small properties are available at reasonable cost using microcomputers. Both large hotel corporation applications of microcomputers and individual property uses are given. Models for management use of electronic spreadsheet programs for budgeting as well as financial and operational control are shown. The examples use VisiCalc and Lotus 1–2–3. Management training for microcomputer use by the large hotel corporations is also examined. The new technology will hasten the computerization of the lodging industry.     

The migrant contribution to the British hotel industry

The contribution of migrants to the British hotel industry is elucidated and discussed. Different cultural backgrounds amongst migrants encourage new approaches to the solution of hotel operating problems. The determination and innovative drive of migrants has had a number of beneficial effects.