Corporate Image in Hotel Franchise Operations INTRODUCTION This study examined iss

This study examined issues associated with corporate image in hotel franchise organizations. The problem investigated is defined in this chapter, and ancillary information related to the problem is provided.

Continued consolidation in the hotel industry is causing both independent hotel operators and major hotel chains to look to franchising as a means of surviving in an era of heightened competition. For the major hotel chain that either desires to become a franchisor or that desires to expand a franchise network, however, issues related to either or both the development of corporate image and maintenance of corporate image must be addressed. The issues of greatest importance are the development of a corporate image, and the maintenance of the standards required to support the image developed. This study examined these issues. The specific research questions investigated through the conduct of this study were as follows:

1. How is corporate image developed in hotel industry franchise organizations?

2. How is corporate image maintained in hotel industry franchise organizations?

The purpose of this study was to develop information relative to corporate image in hotel franchising organizations that would be of benefit to both franchisors and franchisees, and to both potential franchisors and potential franchisees. Franchisors may benefit from the findings of this study in relation to the de

aracter wherein the organization functions largely as a somewhat informal social system. According to Scott, goal complexity and an informal structure characterized the natural organization. The informal organization within a firm reflects the patterns of activity through which the work of a firm is actually accomplished. Such informal organizations reflect a phenomenon in which natural hierarchies assert themselves whenever human beings organize to work. The creation or development of work teams within an organization structure is, in essence, a reflection of the informal organization of the firm. When such work teams are voluntarily formed, they represent little departure from the traditional functioning of a firm's informal organization. When work teams are formally created by the firm, however, the organizational structure is changed as the informal organization becomes a part of the formal structure. Open Systems Open systems function at high levels of complexity, and open systems are capable of selfmaintenance. Open systems transform the energy made available to them. The organization "creates a new product, or processes materials, or trains people, or provides a service. These activities entail some reorganizati

Category: Business - C