Reference no: EM133178522

In this case study, you are a consultant invited to advise for Brunt Hotels. Please read the text carefully before you answer the questions. 

Brunt Hotels, PLC, owns more than 60 hotels throughout the United Kingdom. They recently acquired a small hotel chain headquartered in France. Brunt's chief executive decided that half of the new hotels in France would be retained and rebranded as part of the Brunt Hotels Group; the other half will be sold. This will support Brunt's strategic objective of growing the organization slowly to make sure that new ventures are well supported and opened on time and on budget.

Brunt's hotels are considered budget accommodations; they are functional, clean and reasonably priced. Most guests stay for one to three nights and are a combination of business and leisure travellers. The hotels are typically situated in downtown locations that are easily accessible by mass transit. Tourists are attracted to these hotels in popular visitor destinations where the many local attractions mean that they will not be spending much time in their hotel rooms.

The organization has decided to send some of their existing UK-based managers to France to lead the changeover of the new hotels and then manage them after they re-open. If this new overseas venture is successful, Brunt may decide to acquire other small hotel groups in other European countries. The organization would like to own 150 hotels in the next five years. Their 10-year plan is to own 300 hotels across Europe. This is an ambitious target, so it is important that the organization finds an effective formula to operate successfully in other countries.

The company has selected Jamie to undertake an international assignment in France. Here is his information:

1. Now age 28, joined the organization at 18 years of age.
2. Has worked for Brunt Hotels for 10 years.
3. Five of these years were in a management position.
4. Has never travelled abroad for business or holidays/vacations.
5. Has taken some entry-level French class.
6. Is concerned about not knowing very much about French culture and the way hotels are managed in France.
7. Has a young family: his spouse is a stay-at-home mother. They have a 3-year-old boy and are expecting another child in six months.

What can and should Brunt do to prepare Jamie for his assignment (8')?

In restructuring the newly acquired French branches, Brunt will have to lay off about 30 of the existing 65 employees. What are some of the issues you expect the arise among those who are NOT laid off (3')? How can the management mitigate these issues (6')?

To reduce the headcount in the HR department, the top management has decided to outsource some HR functions. Please advise the top management a) which functions are suitable to be outsourced and why (3'), b) how they should select a suitable supplier to provide these services (3'), and c) what are some of the caveats after signing contracts with a selected supplier (3').

Section your answers into paragraphs starting with a), b) and c).