Crowne Plaza Hotels In Its Repositioning Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

The following sections provide an understanding of the methodological framework used by the researcher especially connected to primary data collection and the analysis, to answer the research questions. Any research should have a properly structured method which can be verified and validated. Further the description of the methodology provides the reader with the ability to analyse the research proper; especially relating to reliability and validity. The initial sections of the methodology revolve around the larger frameworks relating to the philosophy adopted by the researcher and the research approach. Further sections move on to the practical considerations and factors adopted by the researcher to collect data, interpreting and analysing to develop the conclusions. Each section provides the description of various feasible and possible opportunities available with the researcher under each heading and the reason why the specific opportunities or framework was selected. The methodology section follows on the basis of the research onion framework developed by Saunders et. al. (2003) where the structure of the methodological framework is provided. This structure is provided in the below figure. Source Saunders et. al., (2003, p138) Aim The initial aim of the researcher was to analyse the strategies and methods being adopted by Crowne Plaza hotels in its repositioning to target the upper-upscale market. Based on this the following objectives were also formulated. Objectives To critically evaluate the literature on repositioning of an organisation and hospitality sector in particular To analyse the repositioning strategy adopted by Crowne Plaza hotels To recommend improvements to the repositioning strategy of Crowne Plaza hotel brand The above aims and objectives have largely remained the same; however the initial objective is completed with the completion of the literature review in the previous section. The focus of the methodology is to develop a framework for completing the second and the third research objectives which are enlarged below. Research aims for objectives To analyse the strategies adopted by Crowne Plaza hotels in repositioning to target upper-upscale market To analyse the characteristics of the upper-upscale business segment To analyse the general objectives of repositioning of Crowne Plaza hotel To analyse the competition for Crowne Plaza Hotel after repositioning To recommend improvements to the repositioning strategy of Crowne Plaza hotel brand To recommend tangible changes to be implemented by the hotel To recommend positioning messages for the hotel It is to complete the above-mentioned research aim and objectives that the present methodology is constructed and hence all the propositions of the researcher is enabling the completion of each of the research objective. Research philosophy The philosophy adopted by the researcher in the context of the study is described as the way in which knowledge is developed in a structured manner Saunders et. al., (2003) which as per Chapman (2005) is highly dependent on the viewpoint adopted by the researcher about the study and also about the larger context within the study is conducted. Taking a particular research philosophy would highly depend upon the research question and also the mentality of the researcher. Various research philosophies are positivism, realism and interpretivism (Walliman 2010). Positivism considers social reality as the observable, abstract and hence to be studied based on specific concepts and rules and hence adopting a very strict scientific method (Jackson 2010). According to Saunders et. al., (2003) involves the generation of hypothesis, tested using the data collected often in a quantitative manner (Kothari 2009) however qualitative data is also utilised. On the other hand interpretivism approach focuses on context specific evaluation and interpretation of the subject reality and hence stresses on the importance of the context in which the study is conducted rather than the specific concepts and rules (Saunders et. al., 2003). Hence the researcher deviates from the strict scientific considerations and evaluates the research questions, the roles of the individuals or the subjects under the study and hence developing a deeper understanding of the research subject, further contributing to context based conclusions (Bryman and Bell 2007). Realism on the ot her hand considers social reality to be studied based on scientific principles, however specifies that it is also dependent upon the thoughts and processes of the research subject or the individuals connected with the research (Cooper and Schindler 2006). Rationale for adopting interpretivism The researcher has adopted an interpretivist research philosophy as the aim of the research is to analyse the repositioning strategies, tactics and practices adopted by Crowne Plaza hotel brand. The repositioning strategy is an on-going one, in other words it is being operationalised as the research is conducted, the researcher do not have sufficient data which can provide conclusions about the suitability of the adopted strategies and practices by Crowne Plaza brand which can be concluded as successful or unsuccessful. The success or failure of the repositioning strategy would be evident only after it is implemented and analysed by the customers. However at this stage the researcher intends to evaluate the present functions, working and development in Crowne Plaza hotel and hence utilising the specific situation and the context. Moreover an in-depth study of the strategy, tactics and practice is required to be conducted, furthered by a qualitative mode of research. Hence the researcher has adopted interpretivism rather than positivism and realism which if taken could only result in generalisations. Further positivism and realism, to be used, would necessarily require quantitative data to make generalisations about the strategies adopted by Crowne Plaza brand. Research approach Two types of research approaches considered by Sekaran and Bougie (2010) and several other authors are deduction and induction. Deduction is the utilisation of pre-existing concepts, theories which are used for development of hypothesis or a conceptual framework which is then analysed with the help of data (Burns and Burns 2008). Induction is the reverse process or utilises the data to analyse the existing theories, concepts and models and either to validate the same for to develop new ones (Chapman 2005). Rationale for adopting deductive approach The researcher has used a deductive principle or approach considering that several frameworks and conceptual models of repositioning is available and most of them are having very much practical implications especially in the hospitality industry. The literature review provided deeper insights about the strategy of repositioning, in general terms as well as for hospitality context. It was analysed that the resource-based consideration of repositioning is important for hospitality companies and especially for hotels were location cannot be changed and the other resources especially the intangible factors can be modified. Further repositioning was evaluated as a modification of the customer mentality mainly to capitalise on a better positioning of the organisation. These are the frameworks which are used by the researcher; or in other words those concepts and theories are being used throughout the research study, especially in the data collection, the development of the questionnaire for the interview and even the analysis of the data. The researcher does not intend to develop new strategies, concepts or frameworks for the repositioning. Rather the researcher focuses on the present mode of repositioning especially the strategy adopted by Crowne Plaza brand and relevance and close match to the theoretical framework evaluated in the literature review. On this basis it can be considered that the deductive framework is utilised by the researcher. Research strategy Strategy of research can be considered from different perspectives and undeniably an analysis of various books provide different aspects and details about a research strategy. Indeed the research strategy is about the applied aspects of research especially data collection, analysis and when going deeper about the accessibility of data, reliability, validity, limitations and so on. Several types of research strategies are gained by different types of groups. According to Sekaran and Bougie (2010) the research strategy can be qualitative or quantitative. On the other hand Cooper and Schindler (2006) direct research strategies to be experiment, survey, case study, grounded theory and ethnography. Quantitative and qualitative strategy When considering the quantitative and qualitative strategies, the prime factor to be understood is the way in which the data is collected and analysed. Quantitative research strategy according to Saunders et. al., (2003) focuses on large data, often numerical, condensed and hence can be evaluated using statistical or mathematical methods. Quantitative data is often structured, easy for analysis; however have the limitations that they are for developing generalisations and not to focus on the specific aspect. Qualitative studies on the other hand goes in depth into a particular research subject and hence provide a shorter range of valuable and in-depth data particularly about the core of the research subject (Bryman and Bell 2007). Qualitative data is subjective whereas quantitative data is subjective (Jackson 2010). Rationale for adopting qualitative strategy Considering the variations in the research strategies mentioned above, the necessity being an in-depth evaluation, the researcher has utilised qualitative forms of data collection and analysis. This involved a subjective consideration of the entire data collection and analysis process wherein an interview was utilised, using a semi structured questionnaire to collect valuable and context specific data about the restructuring of Crowne Plaza hotel brand. A quantitative study need large amount of data from different sources which was not available due to the limitations of accessibility. The researcher had only access to certain individuals in one of the Crowne Plaza hotels in London, who were willing to participate in the study and hence the need for adopting a qualitative study. Moreover the research philosophy adopted is interpretivism, necessitating and further validating the use of qualitative research strategy. Case study based strategy On the basis of the consideration that research strategies can be experiment, survey, case study, grounded theory and so on, the researcher evaluated the possibilities of utilising most of the above and the drawbacks of the same. After a brief study about all the research strategies, it was finalised that a case study model would be best suitable for answering the research question. A case study model is chosen mainly because an organisation is the target or the subject of the study; although the focus is on the strategy adopted by the particular organisation through the individuals (managers). In other words the research is about the repositioning strategy of Crowne Plaza hotel brand, but it is not limited to one particular hotel but to a larger brand. Due to the problems and limitations of accessibility, only certain managers in one particular hotel within the brand family was accessible to the researcher for conducting the data collection. From the data collected, researcher found that a case study type of strategy is the best possible to develop the answers to the research questions. Population of the research Population according to Walliman (2010) is the subjects or the participants of the study. The present study is focusing on the strategies used by Crowne Plaza hotel brand and its implementation through the various managers in the brand family. The population or the research subject would be individuals involved with the implementation of the repositioning strategy for Crowne Plaza hotel brand: however in the different properties spread across the world. These are the persons who can provide in-depth data about the repositioning strategy. On the other hand population can also be considered as those hotels which are undergoing repositioning currently. Sample A sample according to Jackson (2010) is developed due to the impracticality of conducting a research on the entire population. A sample according to Kothari (2009) is a subset of the population; however should be representative of the population. Different types of sampling methods are divided as probability and nonprobability sampling method (Cooper and Schindler 2006). Probability has the statistical precision which contributes to the reliability and validity of the conclusions (Burns and Burns 2008). However in many cases nonprobability sampling methods are adopted due to limitations, accessibility and so on. Sample of research In the present case also, researcher was unable to develop a sample framework for a probability sampling method wherein a subset of the larger population could be used for the collection of data. As indicated the population would be the managers of Crowne Plaza hotel who are involved in the development and the operationalisation of the repositioning strategy. Due to the problems of accessibility, a nonprobability sampling method was chosen. A convenience sampling method was chosen as the best possible alternative of all the nonprobability sampling approaches. A convenience sample as per Saunders et. al., (2003) would be based initially on the convenience of researcher in accessing the respondents and further by the convenience of the respondents in providing the data. Further the researcher also evaluated the ability of various persons involved with the repositioning strategy of Crowne Plaza hotel in providing reliable and valid data. In other words researcher evaluated the knowledge, experience and the involvement of several managers of one particular hotel within the brand family Crowne Plaza London The City hotel. The researcher has worked in this hotel for a period of time and hence has accessibility to some of the managers. Upon evaluating the experience and involvement with the current repositioning strategy, the researcher concluded the availability, accessibility and the knowledge of three managers in the hotel as to provide in-depth details about the repositioning strategy of the hotel. These three managers were involved in the operationalisation of the repositioning strategy although there were also involved in the creation of the strategy at the higher levels. The managers directly reported to the project teams involved in developing the repositioning strategy at the higher levels of Intercontinental hotels group. Hence they have better and deeper knowledge about the various elements of the repositioning strategy and its operationalisation in not only the particular hotel but also in several other hotels in the same brand family. On this basis it can be considered that the sample is the three managers who are involved with the repositioning of Crowne Plaza hotel. Due to several ethical considerati ons especially about the need for maintaining the confidentiality of the respondents, the researcher is unable to provide full details of the respondents, either the names or even their designations. Data collection As indicated in various phases of the same section (methodology) a qualitative strategy was adopted which necessitated the utilisation of a particular data collection technique. Although there are several tools used for primary data collection, such as interviews, survey, observation and so on, faced with the need of developing qualitative data, the researcher finalised on interviews as the data collection instrument. Even in interviews there are different types such as a face-to-face interview, telephonic interviews and so on and since the researcher did not have direct accessibility to the sample (three managers), a telephone interview was conducted. A telephone interview also has the limitations of a lack of personal touch, was the only feasible option available to the researcher mainly because of the limitation of location and distance. However the researcher has fully prepared for the interview and had conducted a mock interview or a pilot testing of the research instrument (int erview questionnaire). The interview questionnaire was semi structured enabling the researcher to move around the research questions to develop more data considering the knowledge and experience of the three different managers. The interview questions were mostly based on the theoretical framework about the repositioning strategy in general terms as well as in specific terms. The interview questions also revolved around the framework analysed in the literature review, especially about the resource-based consideration. The researcher also utilised several other secondary data sources especially from websites and other articles and journals, mentioning the repositioning of Crowne Plaza hotel brand. The researcher initially conducted a mock interview with one of the managers of the hotel in India to analyse the reliability and validity of the research instrument (semi structured questionnaire). Further for the telephone interview, the researcher fixed the time for the interviews with the three managers and completed the interview over a period of three days. During the interview, the researcher noted down the answers to the different questions which was further used for analysis. Data analysis A type of data analysis technique-contextual, content analysis technique where the qualitative data was initially coded and the specific conceptual factors were analysed in an interpretative method was used by the researcher. In other words researcher evaluated the data noted down during the telephonic interviews and used the same for comparison and triangulation. The three respondents provided different perspectives about the strategy and its operationalisation with respect to Crowne Plaza repositioning which was used by the researcher to develop the context specific aspects related to the specific interview questions and develop the common themes from the three interviews. The interview data was used in conjunction with other secondary sources and the classical framework from the literature review to develop the conclusions. Limitations The main limitation faced by the researcher was the accessibility to the respondents. The researcher faced with the barrier of geography and distance did not have direct contact and hence was unable to conduct a face-to-face interview with the respondents. Although in the initial stages it was thought that the sample respondents (the three managers) would not be able to provide sufficient data; in the end and after the data analysis was completed, found that the data provided is highly reliable and valid based on the triangulation method. Even if the researcher was faced with the limitation in terms of the barrier of geography and distance, it has not affected the reliability and validity of the analysis and the conclusions. Ethical factors Ethical considerations especially relating to a specific subject would be the level of confidentiality to be maintained about the respondents and about the research study itself. Since the study is focusing on the present strategy adopted by Crowne Plaza hotel which is under operationalisation and hence not completed, can only be analysed on a larger framework. Although the researcher has developed in depth details about the strategy adopted Crowne Plaza hotel, some of the details were omitted in the following analysis section due to the confidential nature of the data collected. Even though the respondents provided the same, the researcher due to the necessity of being completely ethical and hence protecting the respondents and the organisation understudy, deemed it suitable not to include some of the data collected. However this has not limited the researcher in developing considered conclusions and hence to complete the research satisfactorily. Moreover the researcher has taken th e consent of the three managers involved in the interview to publish the data based on analysis. The researcher has also undertaken to keep the confidentiality of the respondents to the full extent and hence unable to name them or provide any details.