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Operation Manuals and System Development Operation Manuals Conifer takes pride in its management software which is written in Chinese, and based upon the social and economic operating conditions in China. They are not translations or imports from abroad. Special attention has been given to make them user-friendly. They include user guides, references and links between job descriptions, and policies and procedures, process-based system description, etc. A team of full time specialist resident in China provides training and implementation support to our member properties. System Development and Implementation All the operation systems of a property have to be developed and running before it opens. For each department, this will mean developing operation manuals, standards, job descriptions, training manuals, handbooks, forms, logs and reports. Conifer's corporate office will provide standardized system packages to the general managers and their management team. They will have to modify this software to meet the specific requirements and objectives of each project. Since some good operators may not necessarily be experienced in system design and implementation, Conifer's specialists will provide them with orientation courses either at the Shenzhen office, or on site, depending on the logistics and timing. After completing the courses, Conifer's corporate office will continue to provide the managers with assistance and support. Special squad teams from either the corporate office or sister properties can be arranged to come and help in designing and setting up the systems at crunch times. Management Control System Plans and Budgets Plans and budgets are emphasized at every member property whether it is in the pre-opening phase or in full swing operation. Managers at a Conifer hotel begin preparing next year plans and budgets in early September, and they are called Annual Business Plans. The reasons for getting an early start because the plans involve many parties in their preparation. They include the departmental managers who prepare the first drafts, the general manager who sets the operation objectives and reviews the results, the controller who checks and combines the figures, the project director and functional directors who develops group programs and directives that have to be incorporated into each property’s own plans and budgets, and finally, owners will need to review, comment and approve the final drafts. From preparation to approval, three months sometimes can pass quite fast. The plans put everyone onto the same perspective. They also serve as a motivation and reward mechanism for the managers and staff. Reporting of Stewardship Management responsibilities can only be discharged after stewardship has been duly reported. This involves approvals at the planning stage, discussions at the implementation stage, and reporting after completion of work. Conifer has developed an owner’s log system, which register the documents for approvals, meetings and reporting. Almost all plans, forecasts and budgets will be discussed with the owners, and approvals obtained before they are executed. The reporting cycles are monthly, and management reports made up by financial results and analyses are submitted. Project directors from Conifer's corporate office will review the results and meet with owner’s representatives on a regular basis. They will also arrange for inspections, and for assistance that the project may require.   Concept Control Conifer has an operation concept control system to bring this subject into focus for management. This involves keeping alert, continuous reflection, and formal control. To be alert management has to be properly informed. Each member property is required to maintain an information base on the market including its competitors. They are also connected to the information bases at Conifer's corporate office. This will set the correct mentality for subsequent actions. Documentation is required whenever there are changes in operation concepts of a revenue center, or simply when a new center is created. Information required includes market analyses like target customers, product description, pricing strategies, hardware requirement, action plans, etc. For expediency-sake, Conifer has prepared specially designed forms with enough prompts, so that managers can fill in these elements of feasibility at ease. Consensus is obtained as the forms require approvals and acknowledgement from the owners, the general manager and his respective managers, the project director and his respective functional executives at the corporate office. This formality promotes more in-depth thinking, and provides a forum where more brain power can be put into use. Quality Control Independent checks are important measures to protect the integrity of the systems. The corporate office performs an annual inspection on each property. It is made by one formal visit of about 3 days, plus one unofficial secret visit. The major aspects that are covered in these inspections are: 1. Safety measures 2. Hardware conditions and maintenance 3. Sanitation 4. Service 5. Group CI compliance 6. Training 7. Departmental operation procedures A formal report that identifies the weaknesses found together with recommendations will be given to the project director and the general manager. Meetings will be held between them and the respective specialists from the corporate office and the property to discuss the rectifications. Some times, the project will form their own quality control committees to follow through with the corrections. All the checklists in the inspections are provided to the property managers well in advance, so that they will know precisely what they will be checked on. In fact, the system manuals are there all the time. The key to maintaining high standards is training and plain diligence.