Blog #3

The tourism-dependent private enterprise I chose to review was Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA. Six Flags is a successful theme park brand that has properties in 10 different states, and four different countries. They are most famous for their larger-than-life roller coasters. Each park is similar in content but have each one has unique differences. Magic Mountain is highly recognized as having some of the most intense roller coasters you can find, and is ranked in the top five in the world (www.coastergrotto.com). Being in the Los Angeles area, Magic Mountain attracts tons of tourists each year and keeps them coming back with their innovation and consistency.

I personally have been to Magic Mountain three times. The park is very well spaced out and the rides are grouped into sections a lot like Disneyland. One important thing that Magic Mountain incorporates into their theme park is the use of fast passes. We talked a lot about how this method was implemented at Disneyland, and it has been very successful at Magic Mountain as well. The fast pass allows the consumers much more time to take in more activities in the park with out using their time waiting in line. This ensures that there is smooth visitor flow within the park, and the response is more revenue from all sections ranging from food and beverage to merchandise. The way the park is set up also creates fluid visitor flow. The rides are grouped with different themes and food that create mini regions of the park and make the park very easily navigated. The lines are also strategically placed so there is not a clutter of people in the middle of the park.

My favorite part about the management of Six Flags is that they are never satisfied. They are always looking for the best and latest technology in rides, which means they are constantly improving and building new better roller coasters. This is key to repeat visitor motivation because people always want to ride newer, bigger, and faster roller coasters every time they come to the park. Also the use of Super heros and Super villains make the park more marketable to kids. It was a very smart venture for Six Flags to team up with DC comics to be able to incorporate figures such as Superman, Batman, and the Riddler into their rides. Another aspect that has been implemented by management is a very affordable season pass. This pass can be purchased for the price of one regular season admission, and is good for entry into the park for the whole year. This is a great idea because in these tough economic times, there needs to be incentives to draw people into the park. This way people are being attracted into the park and will spend the money they saved on admission on food and souvenirs that will in turn increase profits.

Magic Mountain has continued to be one of the premier theme parks in the nation and world, and will continue to be so if the management is always adapting and changing to fit consumers needs.

Source:

"Top 10 Roller Coasters." Coaster Grotto. Web. 29 Oct 2009. .

First, Break All The Rules

First, Break All the Rules

‘What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently’

-Written by: Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman

-Review by: Maxx McDonald

This book is a great alternative view to the very traditional practice of management. The authors came up with one main question that became the basis for the entire book: "What kind of environment will attract, develop and retain great people?”

I thought that this was a very interesting question. I figured the more normal question when concerning management and business would be more along the lines of: “How do we get our employees to be the most productive and make the company the most money?”

The question they asked was linked to the viewpoint that the quality of employees came ultimately from the ability to seek and find good people, train them well, and keep them on the team by providing the best working environment possible.

To do this, they conducted a study that asked that golden question: “What kind of environment will attract, develop and retain great people?” The results of that study were compiled and led to the creation of a list that had 12 extremely important employee needs. It was found that when these needs were met, the company’s productivity and profits were much better than companies whose employees needs were not met.

These 12 employee needs were converted into questions for the employees to ask themselves. These questions are:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had the opportunity at work to learn and grow?

The more of these questions that the employees answered afirmatively, there was a higher probability that the business was a successful one. However the businesses that were the most successful also had high levels of profits, productivity, employee retention, and customer satisfaction.

Another interesting point was that when two different workplaces were asked the same question there was two very different responses when they should have been the same. The question was: “Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?” Workplace A answered around 50% “yes” while workplace B was only at 10%, however both were stocked with the same exact materials and equipment. This instance shows how different managers can affect the outcome of a situation differently. The aspects of environment and training come to mind, and obviously workplace A was more educated on the materials and equipment that were available and that could be correlated to the type of environment they work in.

Another main point that was brought up was that managers are not leaders. At first I did not agree with that statement, but it then went on to say that managers are leaders in training. The main difference is that managers need to look inward and make connections with all the individuals in a workplace. Leaders are people that look outward. They see the entire picture and try and look into the future to decide what is best for the company as a whole. Even though managers need to have some of the same qualities as a leader to motivate their employees, it is more important for them to understand the differences in how to handle each employee on a personal level to make sure that they are happy and productive.

There is one more important philosophy to go along with this approach to managing. The other half of the picture is how to choose the right employees that will become the longest lasting and most productive. There are four keys that indicate whether a potential employee will be the right choice for the long run:

1. Select for talent
2. Define the right outcomes
3. Focus on strengths
4. Find the right fit

The traditional way of hiring would be to choose the person with the most experience, not the most talent. This way of thinking is false because just because someone is experienced at something, does not necessarily mean they excel at it. If a potential employee shows signs of being promising, it will be that much easier to train them and for them to be successful. By defining the right outcomes, focusing on strengths, and finding the right fit the employer is practicing positive reinforcement while finding what the employee is best at and concentrating their skill in that area.

Internet Review: http://www.bizsum.com/articles/art_first-break-all-the-rules.php

Blog assignment 1

For this assignment I decided to choose state tourism websites in the United States. The five that I decided on were Arizona, California, Oregon, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

*Arizona

Strengths:
-Easy to navigate
-Clearly labeled sections
-Breaks down the state into different regions and what there is to do in each
-Gives information on state-wide events

Weaknesses:
-Overall visual appeal of website is dull
-Does not highlight certain areas over others

Opportunities:
-Could offer some state history on website to further draw people in
-Include pictures of major man-made attractions, not just Grand Canyon

Threats:
-Focuses too much on nature and not enough on other attractions, which could deter tourists seeking a more metro vacation.

*California

Strengths:
-Great visual appeal to the homepage
-Breaks down CA into the most popular regions
-Great pictures
-Information on history, diversity, and ecological awareness in CA
-Great interactive map of the different regions

Weaknesses:
-None, this website was very easy to navigate and did not lack anything i could think of

Opportunities:
-Could have a section telling why CA is a better destination than others by talking about the variety of things to do

Threats:
-There might be too much variety for someone to choose which city to visit

*Oregon

Strengths:
-Interactive map of Oregon with pictures and attractions in each region
-Nice section on seasonal values and events

Weaknesses:
-Overall dull visual appeal
-Homepage is not as interactive
-Only four tabs/very simplistic layout (could be good and bad)
-More ad's on homepage then information

Opportunities:
-Could maximize more on the forest and outdoor recreation
-Needs to highlight more special attractions

Threats:
-Homepage gives the feel of a rugged outdoor place, could deter tourists who are seeking otherwise

*Virginia

Strengths:
-Nice appeal of website
-Easy to navigate
-Good homepage and tabs
-Very good historic attractions section

Weaknesses:
-Weird tag line/theme "Virginia is for lovers"
-Homepage does not give the viewer a good feel of the state

Opportunities:
-Capitalize on historic tourists

Threats:
-"Virginia is for lovers" theme can deter younger, single tourists looking for fun

*Massachusetts

Strengths:
-Good transportation section
-Good labeling
-Lots of Language options

Weaknesses:
-Very weak homepage visual appeal
-Website does not set the tone for the feel of the state at all
-Colors used are very generic
-Overall unappealing

Opportunities:
-None

Threats:
-Unprofessional website can lead for tourists not to visit

Overall California had the best website hands down. The homepage was inviting and interesting, with numerous pictures and tabs. All the websites were similar, but California displayed all the information without any difficulty of navigation. It's website also had information on subjects that the others did not: diversity and ecology. I thought these were two very important and interesting categories of information. It also had the best visual appeal and really gave you a sense of what California is all about.



Sources used:
http://www.arizonaguide.com/
http://www.visitcalifornia.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&ContentID=21166
http://www.traveloregon.com/
http://www.virginia.org/
http://www.massvacation.com/

Other sites visited:
http://www.experiencewa.com/
http://www.travel-vermont.com/
http://www.visitflorida.com/

Intro Blog

Hey class...

This is Maxx McDonald and I am in my fourth and final year as a TDM major at ASU. I am looking forward to graduating and heading into the real world!

I like to party

-Maxx