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This assessment addresses decision making on a company level. A venture capital firm wishes to acquire a boutique hotel chain in an environment of economic and global disruption such as that caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. You will evaluate and apply decision-making frameworks to determine acquisition criteria. You must determine which sections of a framework are needed to make assessments for the potential acquisition. You will need to answer questions such as What are the most important types of data needed to effectively inform decision alternatives and why? What economic and financial data and measures are needed for risk and return evaluation?
You will prepare acquisition criteria for a San Francisco venture capital firm, Morgan-Eskola Hospitality Partners (ME-HP) LLC. The partnership is interested in acquiring European-style boutique hotels and spas targeted at hosting business meetings, retreats, weekend getaways, and upscale tourism, beginning with one location each in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Boston.
The entire hospitality industry has been radically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The hygiene and cleanliness of hotels has become the focal point in the recovery plan during Covid-19. Investing partners from ME-HP LLC believe that early in the post-Covid recovery is an opportune time to consider a major investment in the industry, as it retools and reinvents itself after the global pandemic. The partners asked you to lead a team to formulate hospitality hotel acquisition criteria. Acquisition criteria can fall into three broad categories: general, operating, and financial. In the general category a sample criterion could be: Is retaining hotel management important?
To assist your team, the investors provided you with these three articles:
Pillai, S. G., Haldorai, K., Seo, W. S., & Kim, W. G. (2021). COVID-19 and hospitality 5.0: Redefining hospitality operations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94(2021), 1–11. (ATTACHED TO ORDER)
This study uses past disasters affecting the hospitality industry such as SARS to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 and how the industry may respond. In their suggested framework (p. 7), the authors evaluate hotel guest touch points and consideration of a Hospitality 5.0 perspective using a combination of people and AI/robotics. The authors argue that adoption of Hospitality 5.0 technologies is mandatory as a key facilitator of hygiene and safety. The proposed recommendation requires large-scale investment and decisions on where to begin and how quickly to take action.
Seyitoğlu, F., & Ivanov, S. (2020). A conceptual framework of the service delivery system design for hospitality firms in the (post-) viral world: The role of service robots. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91(2020), 1–10. (ATTACHED TO ORDER)
This study creates a conceptual framework to evaluate the hospitality industry service delivery system design in a post Covid-19 world. The authors present a comprehensive framework (p. 4) from customer demand and expectations through alternatives to physically distant service delivery system design of the use of AI/robotics.
Wieczorek-Kosmala, M. (2021). COVID-19 impact on the hospitality industry: Exploratory study of financial-slack-driven risk preparedness. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94(2021), 1–14.
(ATTACHED TO ORDER)
The Wieczorek-Kosmala study looks at financial liquidity requirements in the hospitality industry and how they might be used to evaluate the viability of hotels continuity. Look closely at the elements in the financial models and how they can be represented in your acquisition criteria for a strategic investment.
As a starting point for identifying the acquisition criteria, the investors want you to expand on the Figure 1 framework, page 4 of the Seyitoğlu and Ivanov article A Conceptual Framework of the Service Delivery System Design (ATTACHED TO ORDER). The article provides definitions for each element in their framework. You are asked to evaluate and address these questions:
Relevance of the Framework: Which sections of this framework are the most important for identifying acquisition criteria for a strategic investment and why?
Elements of the Framework:
What preliminary information have you discovered to help develop acquisition criteria related to:
Demand: customer expectations.
Situational analysis.
Differentiation: positioning.
Service delivery system and alternatives.
What financial data and measures are required for your acquisition criteria?
How might the financial liquidity requirements suggested by Wieczorek-Kosmala in the article COVID-19 Impact on the Hospitality Industry (ATTACHED TO ORDER) be integrated into your acquisition criteria?
Acquisition Criteria for Strategic Decision Making: Identify and justify 5–10 acquisition criteria you will present to the investors.
Reflection: From a practitioner perspective, how do you see the utility, value, and application of a strategic decision-making framework to establish acquisition criteria? Explain what you learned from this assessment in less than one page.
You will need a minimum of three scholarly and professional references in addition to the supplied readings. Add any new references to your Capstone Literature Matrix (ATTACHED TO ORDER).
