Business Management VS International Marriage Management

I’m a seasoned business owner and have managed multiple businesses in my life. Meanwhile, I’m also a faithful husband married to a Russian wife who has been with me for more than one decade. As I see it, managing businesses and managing an international marriage can be quite similar in many ways. To further help you understand this analogy, I’ve prepared a case study for you.

A case study and relevant recommendations:

The Abbey Restaurant is best characterized by a celebrity chef. But its business is going downhill these days, so consultants in the industry are giving their professional advice on this issue.

Based on the thorough analysis of all problems faced by The Abbey Restaurant, a range of suggestions can be made to improve the situation. These recommendations will increase customer satisfaction and the business’s revenue.

In the first place, since the financial statements of the restaurants show significant losses and the whole financial performance of Radicor Hotel is much lower than expectations, it is clear that the Food & Beverage Department should be the focus of this investigation. Because The Promenade Restaurant’s revenue is relatively stable (although beverage revenue and the customer number have both decreased to some degree), the real issue is caused by The Abbey Restaurant. According to the research data, it can be seen that The Abbey Restaurant’s revenue decreased by 30% from 2009 to 2010 and 13% from 2010 to 2011. Therefore, Radicor Hotel would be well-advised to allocate resources to the right place, e.g. The Promenade Restaurant. Furthermore, Radicor Hotel does not directly own The Abbey Restaurant; consequently, the hotel cannot really control the operation of The Abbey Restaurant. Obviously, Radicor Hotel should focus on improving other restaurants & cafes such as The Promenade Restaurant and end its contract with The Abbey Restaurant after consulting with a lawyer.

Why is this relevant to international marriage management? Well, it’s absolutely relevant because:

1. A marriage is only as strong as its biggest weakness. In other words, if an international marriage is challenged by big issues such as financial stress and infidelity, then it’s not a strong marriage at all. Therefore, the couple must address those key issues first.
2. Resources must be allocated to the right areas in an international marriage, too. That means instead of playing video games all the time at home, maybe you can spend some quality time with your Russian wife, right? Time is your most valuable resource in life!

Fix what you can fix, and make peace with the rest.

In the second place, all other restaurants and cafes in Radicor Hotel are experiencing a decrease in revenue. Since The Abbey Restaurant is the worst, Radicor Hotel needs to distance itself from The Abbey Restaurant. Then Radicor Hotel can focus on improving The Deli, The Promenade Restaurant, The Lobby Lounge, and so on. Clearly, the General Manager should hold a meeting with the Food & Beverage Manager to make sure changes can be made as soon as possible. More exactly, staff members must have an intensive training program and ongoing professional development sessions (Hoffman & Bateson 2017). Apart from that, employees need to be evaluated every month in order to make sure their work performance is on the right track. New employees could attend a simulation session to practice their skills at the beginning. Moreover, the communication between the management team and employees has to be accurate and prompt, thereby ensuring positive interactions among staff members (Kinicki & Fugate 2018). In this way, employees can have a better understanding of service procedures and provide high-quality services. In addition, when important customers book their tables in a restaurant, the staff members may even need to find out who they are so that sufficient preparation can be made beforehand. Then any significantly negative reviews could be avoided directly.

Thirdly, as the Food & Beverage Department and the Rooms Department are not performing well in terms of revenue, this hotel could be sold. This is recommended because there are two major departments that are disappointing when it comes to business revenue – investing in further improvement may not be worthwhile in this case. This is especially true when the Simcom Group already has plans to sell one of its hotels. Hence, selling Radicor Hotel in Sydney is the third recommendation. Because the location of the hotel is outstanding, the sale should be beneficial in the long term. Therefore, it can be seen that in an international marriage(or in any relationship), you can only do so much –after trying your best, you have to make peace with the rest, okay?

My ultimate conclusion

In order to increase the revenue of the Simcom Group and improve the reputation of the business, a thorough study has been conducted in Radicor Hotel (Sydney). More specifically, its Food & Beverage Department suffers from significant losses due to restaurants’ performance, particularly The Abbey Restaurant which is supposed to be run by a celebrity chef. Since Marcus Vesty (the celebrity chef) is always busy with his TV shows, he does not have enough time to actually work in The Abbey Restaurant. However, a huge poster of his photo is in The Abbey Restaurant to attract customers. Yet when customers arrive, they can easily figure out that the celebrity chef is not cooking in the kitchen, which instantly leads to disappointment. This becomes a big issue when important customers such as writers and reviewers come to The Abbey Restaurant, for these customers would write negative reviews about this restaurant and cause problems for the hotel.

The major negative review about The Abbey Restaurant is the direct reason why the General Manager wants to start the investigation and consultation. Further research indicates that the customer satisfaction has been a consistent concern. Apparently, without Radicor Hotel, The Abbey Restaurant would not attract customers sooner or later. That means The Abbey Restaurant is a liability rather than an asset, from the hotel’s perspective. Since ending the contract with The Abbey Restaurant is a key recommendation, the hotel can have more time, energy and resources to improve other restaurants and cafes in Radicor Hotel. Last but not least, the Simcom Group would be well-advised to sell Radicor Hotel (Sydney).

Likewise, in an international marriage, the key pillars must be present. Otherwise, this marriage wouldn’t work. Which pillars are the key pillars in an international marriage? Please let me explain.

1. Communication – this is the foundation of a real relationship. Without communication, you two are not even friends!
2. Chemistry – this makes a relationship romantic, right? Without chemistry, it’s just a friendship without romance. Don’t underestimate the power of chemistry. Your relationship is satisfying when Chemistry has a capital C.
3. Clarity – this is essential in an ideal relationship because you need to clearly know the expectations and standards in this relationship.
4. Connection – this is the prerequisite of a successful relationship because sufficient emotional connection makes an international marriage sustainable.
5. Change – this is unavoidable because the only constant in life is change.

“Being married to a Russian wife means you need to know how to manage an international marriage.”