The case study by Quelch and Rodriguez (2016) provides the reader with an overview of the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) aspects of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. policies. In the context of the meeting discussed, the issue of positioning and differentiating is raised. Mainly, the CEO and the senior vice president of HSE were concerned whether – if at all – the company should be positioned in the market to differentiate itself from other companies rendering similar services.
The issue aroused in this case study is of utmost significance, especially in the context of HSE. Taken separately, the question of positioning and differentiating is a crucial move to market any business. Through positioning and differentiation, the image is formed. The feedback from the customers allows for further decisions to be made. These factors, in turn, affect the pricing policies and competitive qualities of the establishment (Fleisher & Bensoussan 2015).
However, the scope and spin alone are not enough for sustainability in business that is valued by Quelch. As the title of the book implies, he advocates for HSE management as a part of business sustainability, which is perfectly understandable. A sustainable business is the one that adequately manages resources, which is hardly possible without providing a healthy and safe environment. The goal of HSE management, at that, is to protect the customers, human resources, and property. A company’s commitment to the principles of HSE consists in compliance with all regulations concerning the standards of the services they render.
Also, an HSE-consistent company of this kind should provide a constant evaluation of safety, health, and environment onboard through estimating the adequacy of their accommodations, facilities, and attendance (Reese 2015). For instance, it is stated that the majority of injuries occur due to wet deck covering; at that, the potential victims of these accidents are most likely to be the crew members (Størkersen, Antonsen & Kongsvik 2016). As a consequence, following the standards of their field, such companies should do their best to reduce all possible risk and be prepared to reconsider their current policies for the sake of further improvement, if necessary.
As can be seen from the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. case, environment, safety, and health are a crucial part of their policies. At the same time, they set differentiation as a matter of consideration for further development. The meeting agenda suggests that the company is ready to undertake steps for further positioning improvement – through enhancing HSE management and sustainability strategies. On their way to excellence on a worldwide scale, the company considers distinguishing itself through several aspects. One of them appears to be increasing the sensitivity to the shifts and trends in the industry.
As a part of this strategy, the company would be able to grasp the whole opportunity pipeline and understand challenges to enhance decision-making. Another step would be to improve the quality of services through constant monitoring of both the industry trends and, more importantly, the customers’ feedback. With the quality enhanced, the company would be able to gain the customers’ loyalty. Also, there is a possibility that the company will take up the pace-setting approach and thus encourage sustainability in other companies. Also, the company considers the improvement in terms of environmental impact as another strategy to increase the company’s visibility (Quelch & Rodriguez 2016).
What the meeting agenda concerns are whether it is possible to create a connection line between HSE management and the company’s positioning in the market. Since HSE management has not been yet regarded as a tool for differentiation and positioning, research concerning this subject appears relevant.
In this analysis, I am going to assess the possible relationships between HSE management strategies and differentiation. Such an assessment could be beneficial for further estimation of the connection between HSE management and competitive qualities of the establishments deploying such strategies. The sub-issues of my analysis will include an estimation of the HSE management and promotion strategies deployed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in retrospective and their efficiency concerning public acceptance. The objectives I will have to accomplish, therefore, will include the following.
Firstly, a detailed review of data sets and literature on the subject is needed. I will explore and analyze the background and growth of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. since the company’s history might predetermine its present and future. I will also gather additional information on the subject of HSE management and positioning. Secondly, I am going to single out and define the environmental aspects and implications of HSE policies and HSE-related risk factors. I may need to access the implications of the industry regulations at this phase, as well as make a list of factors forming the company’s value creation.
This will provide a multisided view of the company’s strong and weak points. Also, it appears sufficient to measure the legitimacy of these practices and possible negative outcomes of HSE policy and management strategies concerning the environment. Furthermore, customers’ feedback needs to be investigated and measured. This will require gathering information about the external environment in which the company is positioned. The threats and opportunities that the company experiences will be identified at this phase. I will provide a review of the customers’ perception of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. policies regarding sustainability, and whether the customers feel safe using the company’s services. The public image that the company produces will then be compared and contrasted to that of other companies working in the field.
After that, the findings can be evaluated and analyzed. I will be able to compare the company’s HSE management strategy outcomes and the statistics regarding the cruise usage and determine in what ways precisely do HSE policies influence the image that the company produces in the eyes of the customers. The company’s strong and weak points will be compared with potential opportunities and dangers that are faces. I will also try to identify which strategy proposed in the case study can prove the most efficient and if there is any improvement needed.
References
Fleisher, CS & Bensoussan, BE 2015, Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Application of New and Classic Methods, 2nd edn, FT Press, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Web.
Reese, CD 2015, Occupational Health and Safety Management: A Practical Approach, 3rd edn, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. Web.
Quelch, JA & Rodriguez, ML 2016, ‘Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.: Safety, Environment, and Health’ in JA Quelch (ed), Consumers, Corporations, and Public Health: A Case-Based Approach to Sustainable Business, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 55-87. Web.
Størkersen, KV, Antonsen, S & Kongsvik, T 2016, ‘One size fits all? Safety management regulation of ship accidents and personal injuries’, Journal of Risk Research, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 1-19. Web.