GM588 Course Project Proposal Outline

Title/Area of Focus for project paper 

Improving quality in the service provided by employees

Team members & team name (if applicable)

Francisco Hernandez

LorenzoKevin

Dana

 Name of company and organization/department

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment

Background/overview of organization

SeaWorld’s long-standing history dates back to the early 1960’s, when four graduates

of UCLA originally had the idea to construct an underwater restaurant. When those plans

were eventually deemed unfeasible for construction purposes, they decided to go

another route and open up a marine zoological park. Thus, SeaWorld was born.

The first SeaWorld was not built in Orlando, but actually in San Diego, Calif. With an

initial investment of only .5 million dollars, SeaWorld San Diego opened on March 21,

1964 with only 45 employees, several dolphins, sea lions and two seawater aquariums.

The park was an instant success, drawing in over 400,000 visitors its first year alone.

Four years later, in 1968, SeaWorld offered its stock publicly, enabling the company to

further its growth opportunities. Soon after, in 1970, a second SeaWorld park opened in

Aurora, Ohio, near Cleveland. Then, when Walt Disney World opened in Central Florida

during SeaWorld Ohio’s second season of operation, Orlando immediately became the

top choice for a third SeaWorld theme park. While SeaWorld Ohio was only a

seasonally-operated park because of its climate, a new year-round park, SeaWorld

Orlando, opened in 1973 to instant success, much like its predecessors.

Size of company: 26,000 Employees (All through USA)Type of industry: Hospitality and Entertainment

Major Products or services: Education, Customer Service, Product Quality (Food &

Merchandise), Entertainment

Introduction to the Problem

Identify the Quality Issues that need to be addressed

Improvement in training● Create a standardized training program. Create a process that all

new hires must go through to make sure they are all receiving the

same consistent training. Also identify permanent trainers.

Leadership Classes

 

● Develop ongoing training classes to keep leaders up to date on

any changes and to also keep them updated with the latest

business standards.

Facility Trainers

Leader and Employee Relationship● Conduct Monthly one on ones and have Quarterly feedback and

action planning sessions.

Service procedures and rules● Create established rules and guidelines and enforce them

Hiring the right fit employees● Carefully screen applicants and make sure they meet the

qualifications of the posted job positions

Performance issuesDue to lack of improvement in training, employees are not able to provide the

service required by the company standards. Factors such as training and leadership

 play a big role in this type of issue where there is not enough training in thedepartment that employees are not able to provide the service required by the

company. Leadership needs to be able to have a constructive relationship with

employees to be able to motivate the type of service that upper management wants

through all of the departments.Customer service issues

Due to the service provided by employees to customers it makes the department

suffer in sales and to lose the customers loyalty. Customers do not feel thatappreciated and that they are not getting the services that they are paying for by the

employees.

Other 

Possible Total Quality Initiative

Malcolm Baldrige

ISO9000Process Management & Improvement

• This is an important part in our paper as process management focuses on the process in

 providing good customer satisfaction which begins with the employees.

• Process management is identifying opportunities in improving quality and operational

 performance as well which we can tie in to performance issues of the employees.

Sig Sigma

Balanced Scorecard (quality focused)○ Create a Scorecard that measures monthly customer satisfaction

○ Create a Scorecard that is measured by an internal representative of the

company that set standards for the employees and see how they live up to those

standards on a daily basis.

Other?