Week7 assign 801

Discussant Note – Oberoi Hotel

Main Problems:

• Location of hotel causes light sleeping guests to be unsatisfied with their stay due

to a distant train whistle at odd hours of the night

• Current Oberoi standards of customer service were executed, but still did not

satisfy the guest completely

Solutions to main problems

Oberoi wants to be the standard for excellence within the hotel industry. This mindset of being

the best is prevalent throughout the culture created at Oberoi hotels, but there can always be

room for improvement. In this instance, a train whistle approximately one mile away from an

Oberoi hotel caused a light-sleeping guest the inability to rest and prompted the guest to

terminate his stay early. While the staff and management went to great lengths to accommodate

the guest, the result was unchanged and the customer was ultimately unsatisfied with the stay.

Knowing that A.) The hotel location cannot be moved without significant cost, B.) The train

cannot be avoided or rerouted in any way, and C.) Similar guests who are light sleepers, or want

to ensure they get a peaceful night of rest, may wish to stay at this Oberoi hotel location in the

future, Oberoi should immediately invest in better soundproofing the rooms at this location. The

lower cost option here would be to soundproof a handful of rooms currently available and create

a service check for guests upon arrival; guests can note if they are a known light sleeper and

book those soundproofed rooms straightaway, or the staff can offer these rooms to guests if the

guest finds they cannot remain asleep due to the train. Alternatively, and for greater cost, would

be to soundproof the entirety of the rooms at this Oberoi hotel location. This solution would

prevent future guests from having this sleeping complaint and ensure a more comfortable stay at

this location. This solution would also negate any changes needed to be made to the customer

service from the staff at this hotel, since this prevention will be in place from the start. Guests

will not have to worry about a distant train whistle and Oberoi can worry about the possibility of

this issue arising never again.

Recommended Solution:

Oberoi is a very successful, international hotel chain, meaning their high-end hotels and top-

notch service for guests drive in affluent guests from all over the world. Costs for renovating one

hotel would not be a problem for a company so focused on giving the highest customer

satisfaction possible. I recommend Oberoi soundproof all of the rooms at this location,

preventing further complaints of the distant train whistle from light-sleeping customers. This

prevention will not require any changes to Oberoi’s customer service and will prevent similar

complaints/termination of stay at this location going forward. The best possible stay that a guest

can have at an Oberoi hotel means going to greater expectations and quality, including solving

problems before they arise.

Outcome Expectation:

I expect guests will not complain about the train whistle ever again, if Oberoi follows the

suggested solution. All types of sleeping guests will be able to rest comfortably. This mitigation

of a problem will allow the staff to focus on the guest(s) better and maintain the high standard of

customer service. Oberoi will see an increase in customer satisfaction and fulfillment of stay if

all guests can rest without distraction. If used as a marketing point as well, this hotel location

may even see an increase in bookings going forward. After Oberoi takes these strides, they will

be viewed as a company determined to give the guest the best possible stay, going above and

beyond expectations, and as a company committed to guest satisfaction.

Discussant Note – Amazon in 2019

Main Problems:

• Amazon continues to face scrutiny over employee pay, management, and working

conditions. While minimum wage was raised for some employees in late 2018,

many employees are overworked and underpaid, despite years of record profits

for Amazon.

• Government officials are actively targeting Amazon for not paying enough taxes,

if any at all are being collected. Calls for heavier taxation on the company are

growing.

Solutions to Main Problems:

Amazon has seen substantial growth in its revenues over the past five years, despite criticisms

and set-backs. Now that the spotlight of public opinion is upon them, Amazon can do a few

things. First, securing a livable wage for all of its employees would immediately remediate

public outcry of inhumane labor practices. Payment can differ based on location of employment,

since Amazon plants/warehouses are located in many different places. Offering payment like this

will also drive more available employees willing to work for Amazon, thus improving the

company’s public opinion and workforce in one. Secondly, Amazon could pay its taxes just like

every other company does in America. Since more and more government officials are calling for

a great amount of taxation on the giant, Amazon could avoid being in the spotlight by simply

paying its fair share in this regard, especially since it continues to be a successful company year-

by-year. Finally, in the conversation of taxation, Amazon could setup/fund a charitable

foundation to benefit the community while also being tax exempt, or giving to charities would be

fine as well. All of this would greatly improve public opinion and less government conversation

towards Amazon’s financials.

Recommended Solutions:

I recommend Amazon do two things: pay it working the living wage needed to survive within

normal working hours, and pay the necessary federal income taxes. For employee payment, this

may be a different amount depending on the location of the workplace, but ensuring the

employees are taken care of in a fast-paced environment will reduce public outcry and improve

employee loyalty and moral. For taxation, the biggest complaint is ‘Amazon not paying their fair

share’ by government officials. Paying what is due will negate all of this conversation, decrease

the chance of government regulation of Amazon specifically, and avoid any kind of tax

exemption cost/loophole by creating a charity fund or donation fund. These two things would

allow for Amazon to continue being the successful tech giant outside of heavy public scrutiny.

Solution Expectations:

I expect Amazon to be the continuous tech giant through the years, paying its numerous

employees enough and paying taxes just like any other business in America would. Public outcry

would be stifled, government officials would turn their attention away from this business, and

Amazon can move forward. The cost to do these things may appear high from where Amazon

currently is, but taking these measures will ensure company longevity and Amazon will be held

in higher regard from the public.