Rogat+-+Memo+-+Describing+Organizations

Michelle Rogat

Describing Organizations


 * the hospitality industry in general - should get into the different kinds of businesses, such as country clubs, resorts, hotels, etc. and the amount of energy and materials used and waste generated, how they impact the environment overall
 * environmental consulting organizations -
 * like Audubon, and other firms
 * maybe have a section focused on the different consulting organizations and how they can be useful for the hospitality industry?
 * the structure of a country club as an interesting business model
 * how the members are the customers, then there are the employees like servers, busboys, bartenders, golf caddies, etc. that work directly with the members, then there's middle management like the managers or floor supervisors, then there's the department heads - controller, superintendent, restaurant manager, etc., then there's the general manager (GM), then there's the people that hire the GM - which are the owners of the club - the members
 * is important to note that there is a difference between club manager and general manager, as was explained to me by my managers, is that, if I remembered correctly, the club manager is on the same level as department heads and a GM is above the department heads, this is important when it comes to the power and freedom to which the department heads feel they can pursue certain projects and affects the power relations between the staff.
 * the members also have their own hierarchy of ruling, I guess that's how it could be described, such as the members, then their different committees, their committee heads, the board committee, the house committee, and the vice president and president.
 * Not sure if that covered everything, after a year of working at the country club (CC) I am still finding out more about the members' side of the club
 * this is a very interesting business model because the consumer or customer is the member that has a controlling factor in how it's producer/club is ran. This is almost a stakeholder model because the people invested in the place have a say, although not everyone has an equal say, depending on how the club is ran
 * since the members are both the customers all the way at the bottom of the structure, and the owners all the way at the top of the structure, and also come in close contact and build a standing relationship with the employees at the club - there is a line of communication there that is much more viable between the lower level - grunt work employees and the owners, this is much more viable in a CC with this structure than in any regular business and contributes to working out inefficiencies and work issues much faster. - For example, if a server notices that something isn't getting done on management level and its effecting business, they can point it out to a member if they feel comfortable with that member. Often Board Members will ask the employees before they order dinner with them for the evening how they like work, is everything running smoothly... and that presents an opportunity for communication that just doesn't happen in other places. That is, the owners asking grunt workers for feedback.
 * after the interview with Audubon, J. Lampman told me that she started being asked more frequently from club managers and superintendents to do a presentation to the club members instead of staff of GM's, and she didn't quite understand why the shift in who she presents to. I told her how it made complete sense because if a club is looking at the long term practices, then they have to take into account which stakeholder in the CC is going o be there the longest to see those projects through, and that's going to be the members. Quite often family names have been members at a CC for generations, and that means they have been there for decades. That is quite substantially longer than most if not all of the employees at the club. So if you foster an understanding and importance of protecting the environment and sustainability with the members, then it's likely the projects will continue on to succeed even after the GM or superintendent might have changed multiple times.