Analysis Of Expedia Organization

RUNNING HEAD: ANALYSIS OF EXPEDIA ORGANIZATION 1

Analysis of Expedia Organization

Name

Institution

ANALYSIS OF EXPEDIA ORGANIZATION 2

Analysis of Expedia Organization

1. Describe the mission statement of the chosen organization.

Expedia Group is a travel company in the business of providing efficient,

effective, safe and quality means of travel to various destinations. The core mission of the

organization is to ensure tourists and travelers get to experience comfort and access

quality services for the duration of their travel. The mission statement of Expedia group

is to bring the world within reach by providing the best client experience in transparent

and diverse platforms.

a. Goals for the organization over the next three years

Over the next three years, the organization wishes to boost their travel packages to

increase client experience and increase its revenue by spreading across different regions

and nations. The organization further seeks to establish meaningful and viable

connections with the World of travel suppliers in order to improve the service delivery

capacity and clients’ experience.

2. Key Stakeholders

Stakeholders play a key role in organizations as they influence the decisions made

to enhance the business operations or take part in advising the strategic committee on the

values to consider. Stakeholders share the same interest with the organization making it

possible for them to share in the vision, mission, and objectives of the organization. This

further means that the stakeholders influence organizations through participation and

decision making enabling them to share in the progress of the organization directly. The

stakeholders either affect the operations of the organizations or become affected by the

operations and outcomes in business.

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According to Franch, Martini and Buffa (2010) stakeholders are divided into two

core groups of internal and external stakeholders. Each set of stakeholders have different

power characteristics enabling them to influence the choices and operations within an

organization. The internal stakeholders are affected by the financial decisions,

productivity and the revenue made by the organization while the external stakeholders are

affected by the decisions made to increase profits or actions to manage the organization.

Internal stakeholders include the employees, the investors, the board of directors and the

managers in an organization. On the other hand, the external stakeholders include the

community, customers, the government and other entities acting towards the growth of

the organization.

The availability of engagement policy often drives Stakeholders' involvement in

any organization. An engagement policy provides the stakeholders with the roles,

responsibilities, and duties that give them action points. For instance, the internal

stakeholders are mandated by the roles and responsibility of ensuring that all departments

within the organization are running effectively and efficiently. The managers ought to

ensure that the employees in different areas of interests are working towards the

organization's goals by helping them understand the key objectives in line with the short-

term and long-term goals. The Expedia group internal stakeholders include all the

employees in various divisions, the board of directors and the executive leaders in charge

of the divisions while the external stakeholders include the government, the clients, the

communities within their area of operations and the non-government organizations

contributing and benefiting from the company’s operation.

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Similarly, the external stakeholders like the community have the responsibility of

supporting the organization through creating positive and sustainable relationships.

Oates, Dodds, and Link (2017) explain that the role of stakeholders is further fueled by

the interest of the stakeholders in the company. The government, for instance, is likely to

offer support to a tourism-boosting organization because it benefits from the revenues

brought about by tourists. Similarly, employees in an organization are likely to add their

creativity to boost the productivity of the organization especially when they are assured

of performance appraisal packages or bonuses.

The stakeholders’ theory as explained by Ni, Qian, and Crilly (2013) clarifies the

importance of the organization in trying to develop positive links and connections

through initiating corporate signs that promote the social confidence of both the internal

and external stakeholders. These signs include taking part in community projects to

promote community social responsibilities, offering training opportunities to the

employees, offering mentorship opportunities to school going students within the

community and conducting performance reviews with the intention of providing viable

feedback.

3. Current leadership for Expedia Group

According to Garza-Reyes, Rocha-Lona and Kumar (2014) the best performing

organizations have one thing in common which is a structure that outlines the practices

within the organization, the policies guiding operations and the various systems necessary

for the functioning of the organization. Conducting regular reviews on the leadership

practices and organizations management enables the organization to identify the elements

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affecting or promoting operations within the various departments. These reviews are

often conducted in the form of surveys, face to face interviews or evaluation reports.

The current leadership comprises of executive leadership that consists of the President

and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the executive vice president the Chairman and

the senior executive officer, the vice chairman, and the Chief Legal Officer who also acts

as the secretary to the Expedia Group. The company also has a travel leadership team in

charge of all the logistics taking place in the organization and the board of directors who

are in charge of ensuring the implementation of established policies.

By having the three important top divisions, the organization is able to share roles and

responsibilities without overlapping some or feeling overwhelmed by handling too many

activities. The organization has further established the policies and procedures of

operations given as different statements. For instance, there is a tax strategy statement,

Modern Slavery Statement, code of business conduct and ethics as well as a policy for

travel shoppers and third-party vendors to ensure that the organization is equipped with

legal and ethical measures of practice. Some further policies and procedures guide the

employees’ engagement with the company and while acting on behalf of other individuals

in the organization.

4. Fundamental problems in Expedia Group

Every organization, whether in the line of products or services experiences

challenges from time to time. Sometimes, the challenges can be translated as a blessing in

disguise as they enable the organization to think of sustainable solutions that influence

other areas of the organization. Challenges further influence the production of knowledge

and increase the capability capacity of the organization. For instance, when an

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organization like Expedia is faced with a problem in one of the partnerships, then the

company is in a better position to identify alternative means of saving the partnership or

terminating the partnership depending on the contribution of the said partnership.

The two fundamental challenges experienced by Expedia Group include the difficulty of

acquiring an active travel booking partners and reducing corporate debts. Over the years,

the group has faced numerous challenges when it comes to relying on a single channel of

booking, and this had created a significant setback to the organization's ability to meet its

customers' needs and expectations. Expedia Group seeks to have an instant booking

product allowing clients to confirm their travel bookings made within a short time. The

booking platform shot further be enhanced to reflect the ownership of the Expedia Group

to enhance the customers' experience further and assure them of the access to same

quality of operations. Corporate debt is a major drawback in many organizations as it has

a way of limiting the organizations capacity to engage in new markets.

5. Importance of Fundamental change

Fundamental change is necessary for the Expedia Group as it presents an

opportunity to grow, expand and thrive in different economic times as well as it increases

its customer likeability. Change is a necessary response in the midst of internal or

external forces that directly or indirectly affect the organization's performance; change

can also be chaotic, linear dynamic, non-linear dynamic and linear non-dynamic

(Amagoh, 2008). It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that the structure used to implement

change is well revised and tested to maximize returns according to the type of change.

Customer preference changes with seasons and expectations about what is available in the

market and individual desire. Therefore, by enhancing the process of making a booking,

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the Expedia Group is likely to attract more customers than a case where the booking

process in long, delayed or complicated.

B. SWOT analysis for the Expedia Group

SWOT Analysis Matrix

Strengths

 Strong distribution network

 Great performance in new markets

 Great reputation

Weaknesses

 Intense competition

 High dependency on travel agents,

hotels and airlines

 Reputation depends on other entities

Opportunities

 Increasing digital opportunities

 Great market advancement

 Increase globalization

Threats

 High dependency on the internet

 Intense competition

Strengths

1. Strong distribution network – Expedia being an online platform has developed a

wide range of connection with other hospitality services across the world. This has

enabled the group to expand to different regions.

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2. Great performance in new markets- the expansions to different has been embraced

by many clients, and this has made the organization achieve success and develop

better connections.

3. Excellent reputation- Expedia has a proven track record that facilitates its

credibility to new, current and referred clients.

Weaknesses

1. Intense competition- The need to travel and make bookings through online

platform has increased due to increasing demand on clients' preference. This has

created a niche for touring and booking companies. Most of the companies adapt

to high technology assets demanding that Expedia upgrade to current technological

infrastructure that is expensive to upgrade and maintain.

2. High dependency on travel agents, hotels and airlines- The organization has to

travel on travel agents, booking agents and hotels to facilitate the comfort of its

clients. This dependency is sometimes costly to the organization's reputation, and

it increases the process of action.

3. Reputation depends on other entities- Due to the high dependency on the

mentioned parties, the organization's reputation lies precariously on the parties,

and one bad experience with a single party can lead to a negative review which

affects the rating of the organization.

Opportunities

1. Increasing digital opportunities- The current wave of digital transition has

presented the demand for customers to use digital means and internet to search for

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products and services and this presents great market opportunities for the

organization. There is an opportunity to develop mobile apps and mobile

technologies that attract more clients.

2. Great market advancement- The increasing travel and tours desire to explore the

world has made it possible for the organization to advance to new regions and the

exploration of new areas has demanded sub-branches.

3. Increase globalization trends- Due to the presence of internet connections, the

world has developed connections that translate people connecting and establishing

international markets.

Threats

1. High dependency on the internet- The dependence on internet conflicts with

clients who are not in stable internet regions and the internet is also susceptible to

instability resulting from natural calamities, like intense rains, making

communication strenuous.

2. Intense competition- The competition from upcoming and existing travel

organization is increasing by day thus demanding that Expedia Group advances its

operations.

C. A strategic plan that is addressing the organization’s fundamental problems

1. Proposed strategy on SWOT analysis to address the organization’s fundamental

problems.

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A strategic communications plan is the most effective measure to deal with the

problem of dependency on other parties. According to Anderson and Zbirenko (2014)

communicating the applied strategy in a bid to address the pressing challenges ensures

that each member is involved in the plan and is fully aware of the proceedings. The

communication strategy, in this case, should consider the strength, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats experienced in the organization. Expedia group being a global

brand and having diverse stakeholders requires that the strategy incorporates the diversity

regarding the environment and consumer expectation.

Benefits of the Communication Strategy

Therefore, to deal with the fundamental problems in the relationship with the

travel booking partners and to boost credit reviews, the organization ought to ensure that

there is a general understanding of the goals and objectives. Secondly, the organization

ought to ensure that the internal stakeholders are well in line with the organization's

activities and the expectations of the external stakeholders. Similarly, the external

stakeholders need to align their operations with the operations of the organization to

identify the areas that need support and review. By doing so, the organization is then able

to connect with the external parties to ensure effective and efficient communication.

Once the communication strategy is active, then the credit of the organization improves

to the higher side.

2. Implementation Plan for the Strategic Plan

a. Key Stakeholders Responsibilities

In order to effectively implement the identified strategy, the key stakeholders ought to

provide training to the employees, collaborate with the legal structures in tourism and rebrand

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the marketing department. Training the employees contributes to harnessing their experience

with the organization's objectives and action plans. This also plays a crucial role in motivating

the employees to work towards productivity and organization profits. Ensuring positive

collaboration with the legal structures ensures that organization avoids unnecessary lawsuits and

boosts the organization's reputation. Finally, rebranding the marketing department within the

identified strategy provides that the department is capable of accommodating the competition,

boosting customer relations and regulating partners conflict.

b. Identify resources needed for each step in your implementation plan

The critical elements in an implementation plan include goals, milestones, and

responsibilities. Each of the elements requires adequate attention and consideration.

Secondly, the task deadline and timelines ought to be set tentatively or conclusively to

develop an execution plan that is time effective and efficient to the needs of the

organization. Finally, resources, including time, money and human workforce play a vital

role in the implementation plan. The adequacy of each resource contributes to the success

of the implementation plan for the communication strategy.

c. Implementation Plan Timeline

Activity

Time Line

Progress

Remarks

Define Goals

1 Month

Schedule

Milestones

3months

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Allocate Resources

1 Month

Designate Team

Responsibilities

1 Month

3. Strategic Plan Evaluation

A. Key Success Metrics for The Analysis of the Identified Strategy

A success metric integrates the decisions to the implications to achieve the

relevant organizational goals and objectives. It is therefore important to identify a

success metric that incorporates the stakeholders' expectations of the on-going activities.

A metric gives a comprehensive overview of the organizations performance goals. SWOT

analysis and SMART analysis analyze the success of the communication strategy by

identifying the capacity of the strategy to meet the expected outcome.

The SMART metric identifies the nature of the communication strategy goals are

specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. This helps in further analyzing

the viability of the strategy of developing the solution to the two fundamental problems.

The SMART metrics is keen to identify short-term and long-term outcomes achieved

after putting the practices into action. The SWOT metric recognizes the internal and

external environment, and this helps the organization balances the activities to maximize

the operations to the outcomes.

b. Way Forward and Challenges likely to affect the Identified Strategy

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The best way to integrate the suggested changes needs complete organization cohesion

where all key stakeholders in the organization align with the goals and the objectives of

the objectives.

a) Time constraints- Implementing the communication strategy is a matter that is

time sensitive, and this requires the organization to ensure fast, effective and

efficient time allocation for all the activities and processes within the organization.

b) Technology infrastructure – The communication strategy requires an upgrade of

the current technological infrastructure to meet the increasing customer demands

and to ensure swift communication with the stakeholders and the partners. The

lack of adequate finances might negatively affect the organization when it comes

to doing an upgrade.

c) Stakeholders’ perception- implementing new structures and processes requires a

change of mindset from all the parties involved. The change may face resistance

from both the internal and external stakeholders where they feel pressed to act or

change from their normal functions.

c. Contingency plan for Identified Challenges

The contingency plan for managing time constraints can be handled by

implementing the SMART metric which emphasizes on setting time schedules for each

activity. This ensures that the strategy is not delayed and the outcomes are measurable

depending on the implemented actions. The cost of technology upgrade is often high

depending on the required assets; however, by outsourcing from known technology

suppliers, the company can afford the maintenance cost. Finally, creating a sensitization

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platform among the stakeholders contributes to building ownership and familiarity that

encourages the stakeholders to apply the strategy to meet the organizational goals.

4. Communicating the Strategy to the Stakeholders

The strategic plan identified in the paper in regards to the internal and external

stakeholders can be communicated effectively through developing a communication

strategy. A communication strategy identifies the medium to use, the process to use and

how to package the information. In the ear of digital social connections, communication

has been made easier and faster since people can use platforms like internal blogs,

messages, and chat platforms. To effectively communicate about the strategic plan, the

organization ought to have an active communications officer responsible for

disseminating information to the entire relevant individual.

Holding both internal and external meetings is another way of ensuring that both

the internal and external stakeholders have access to all the relevant information

regarding the strategic plan (Lahoz- Monfort, Guirella- Arroita and Hauser, 2014). Some

organizations prefer first having a face to face meeting to communicate about the need of

the changes and the suggested measures of implementation then following up with social

media platforms and direct messaging or emailing. Other organizations may opt first to

share the information digitally to allow the stakeholders to grasp the concept then

conduct a face to face meeting to allow room for clarifications.

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References

Amagoh, F. (2008). Perspectives on Organizational Change: Systems and Complexity

Theories. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 13 (3)

Anderson, J. & Zbirenko, A. (2014). Effect of organizational structure, leadership, and

communication on efficiency and productivity. Umeå School of Business and

Economics

Franch, M., Martini, U. & Buffa, F. (2010) Roles and opinions of primary and secondary

stakeholders within community‐type destinations. Tourism Review, 65 (4), 74-85.

Garza-Reyes, J. A., Rocha-Lona, L., and Kumar, V. (2014). A conceptual framework for

the implementation of quality management systems. Total Quality Management &

Business Excellence, 26 (11-12), 1298-1310

Ni, N., Qian, C. & Crilly, D. (2014). The stakeholder enterprise: Caring for the

community by attending to employees. Strategic Organization, 12 (1).

Lahoz- Monfort, J, J., Guirella- Arroita, G.& Hauser, C. E. (2014). From planning to

implementation: explaining connections between adaptive management and

population models. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

Oates, J., Dodds, L. A. & Link, J. (2017). An approach for active stakeholder engagement

as an essential component of the ecosystem approach. ICES Journal of Marine

Science, 74, (1), 391-397

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