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Basics Common Sense Business Management
Authors  
James J. Clark, professor, Florida Institute of Technology, Fort Lee, VA.
Philip D. Littrell, professor, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Lee, VA. 
Judy L. Fleming, professor, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Lee, VA.

Few hotels can match the amenities and price of the Best Western Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach, CA.  In 1990, the new management of the Golden Sails surveyed thousands of government guests.  They determined what was important to the government traveler and subsequently made those accommodations available.  At the government per diem rate of $96 per day, the Golden Sails is the best value in the competitive Long Beach area.  The price includes: free breakfast, lunch, and dinner; free evening Hors D' Oeuvres; two complimentary drinks per day; a refrigerator in every room; free golf (including clubs); a computer center; pool, spa, and workout room.  For groups, the hotel also provides complimentary meeting spaces.  The enthusiastic staff strives to keep customers first.  Yet, the real secret behind this commendable service is common sense management.

             Unlike other hotels where ownership and management rotate like a revolving door, the Golden Sails remains stable.  As other hotels change management, employee jobs and salaries often change, too.  Because the ownership and management of Golden Sails has remained constant over the last decade, employees trust management.  Familiarity can in fact breed respect.  Those employees who have worked at other hotels in the area, know and report the fundamental difference between Golden Sails management and its rivals.  For example, length of time on the job, a fundamental indicator of job satisfaction, averages over ten years, and in many cases, upwards of twenty years plus.  Employees like the fact that they are multi-tasked, permitting them as workers to thrive in their work environment.  The staff respect one other, consider themselves members of an extended family, and in general, enjoy an excellent and healthy working relationship.  In the opinion of the authors, management stability is the underlying factor to the success enjoyed by Golden Sails.

             Ironically, management stability is seldom considered a tangible asset in corporate America.  In fact, the normal pattern for upper-level progression defies stability, for the norm is to move around and up corporate ladders.  In short, good common sense management goes hand in hand with stable managers, their employees, the client, and the bottom line.  The message here is:  he who seeks a profitable "bottom line" you first seek stability in management.  One additional criterion ought to be considered before closing the book on this chapter.  Good, common sense hiring practices can pose a significant challenge in its own right and can form the foundation for a stable work environment, whether searching for the right management or the right employees.  As an illustration of good hiring practices, consider the following example.

             It is our view that basic management awareness skills should include teaching respect for employees and trusting their judgment.  If provided in a sincere way, the respect and trust offered downward will be reciprocated upwards by the workers.  These simple, but important, changes to the management-employee relationship will pay big dividends: employees will begin to take a vested interest in the ownership of the organization and they will find - and fix - problems with the product or service exercising their own initiative.  In the final analysis, this is a win-win situation for all concerned:  the corporation benefits financially and its employees serve in a viable enterprise that respects the dignity and worth of its most important contributing participant – the worker.  In an increasingly fast paced and ever changing world, human relationships still depend upon the slow pace of time that encourages familiarity, comfort and mutual respect.

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The Best Western Golden Sails Hotel  is located at 
6285 East Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, California 90803.
For reservations call (800) 762-5333; 
and questions about Free group meetings or trainings, 
call (562) 596-1631 or fax (562) 594-0623.