Analysis for the 7Cs Framework - Assignment Example

Analysis for the 7Cs Framework Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur a) Web Address: http www.lemeridienkualalumpur.com/ b) Map of 7 Cs for Le Meridien KualaLumpur c) Analysis for the 7Cs Framework Context The Le Meridien proves to be functionally dominant because of the assumption that users of the website have more concern for information than visual elements. Therefore, the website presents the user with adequate information that may be required by potential customers. Although there are pictures on the website, they only serve to enhance the functionality of the website, making it evident that the designers of the website did not give much attention to the visual aspects. However, visitors to the website can access a whole lot of information concerning their products and services (Rayport, Jeffrey, and Jaworski 158). Content The Le Meridien website is information dominant. Visitors to the website have access to all the relevant information concerning their offers, restaurants, events, as well as locations. The designers of the website were well aware that visitors to the website would be seeking access to relevant information concerning the hotel. For this reason, the website answers all the potential questions that visitors to the website may ask. With the information provided on the website, it is easy for a potential customer to book a room because the site is enough to keep the visitors updated. All the content available on the website has been developed by the company in an effort to ensure that users of the website are well-informed (164). Community The Le Meridien website presents a strong community because it promotes interactions between different customers. The website has a page that allows guests or visitors to share their experiences with other visitors. The page is highly interactive because new visitors can post questions to the authors of the current reviews concerning their experience at the hotel. The page serves to create a highly connected community that allows all the users to interact. The page is under the close monitoring by the site owner. Notably, this aspect is a remarkable feature of the Le Meridien website (169). Customization A close analysis of the Le Meridien reveals that it is generic because all visitors to the website see the same phase of the website. The fact that the site is information dominant, it does not present an opportunity for personalization or tailoring by the site owner. All the functions and windows in the website are permanent and are the same for each viewer. Therefore, there is a salient need for the company to introduce a measure of customization so that visitors may experience a measure of freedom and exercise their self-expression (173). Communication The communication between the users and the site owner of the Le Meridien website is a one-to-many with the possibility of the user to respond. Notably, the site has a specific page visible to every visitor that features the main events or happenings in the hotel. In addition, the interactive page for users allows the site owner to respond to questions posed by viewers and make relevant announcements. For this reason, the website allows communication to many individuals giving them an opportunity to give their feedback (175). Connection The Le Meridien website serves as a hub for different partners whom they work closely. There are different links available on the website that visitors may use to navigate to the websites of the hotel partners. Some of the links may lead visitors to other restaurants, utility websites, as well as other hotels in the region. Notably, the Le Meridien promotes the businesses of its partners by allowing visitors to easily navigate to other websites using the links provided on the website. Worth noting is the fact that the links available on the website help visitors have a gateway to a diverse range of information on the hotel industry (179). Commerce The Le Meridien website is a highly commercial site because it gives visitors an opportunity to book a room and take advantage of the available offers. All the Le Meridien website pages give the visitor a booking option. It is possible for the visitor to calculate the rates of the Le Meridien hotel on each page prior to booking. Therefore, the site succeeds in promoting business for the company. The site allows visitors from any part of the globe to book a room at the time of their convenience and with much ease on the website (182). JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur a) Web Address: http://www.kl-hotels.com/jwmarriott/ b) Map of 7 Cs for JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur Context Aesthetically dominant Functionally dominant Integrated Content Product-dominant Information dominant Service dominant Community Nonexistent Limited Strong Customization Generic Moderately customized Highly customized Communication One-to-many, Nonresponding user One-to-many, Responding user One-to-one, Nonresponding user One-to-one, Responding user Connection Destination Hub Portal Commerce Low Medium High c) Analysis for the 7Cs Framework Context The JW Marriott’s website is functionally dominant because of its simple nature that focuses on presenting visitors with the relevant information. The website does not include powerful visual features because the available pictures only serve as additional information to potential customers. Evidently, the site owner did not give much attention to developing powerful visual designs, as the focus of the site was to offer information to visitors. The site owner did not include aesthetic aspects in the development of the site since many pages of the site only focus on information and links (158). Content The JW Marriott website is information dominant. Visitors to the site have an opportunity to gain relevant information concerning the hotel offers, types of rooms, events, the hotel club, different features of the hotel as well as the terms and conditions. The site developer sought to present information that can serve as answers to potential questions posed by visitors. In addition, the site focuses on offering information in an effort to promote its products and services and attract potential customers (164). Community The JW Marriott hotel website offers limited opportunities for the development of a community. The website does not allow visitors to interact in any way. The only available links lead visitors to the Facebook and Twitter pages that only provide more information on the company’s profile. Therefore, the website does not present users with an opportunity to share the experiences or ideas. Evidently, the site lacks the opportunities for users to chat or write reviews about their experiences at the hotel. There is a salient need for the site owner to consider establishing a strong community on the website (168). Customization The JW Marriott website is highly generic because it does not present visitors with an opportunity to personalize their view of the pages. All the pages have a similar face to every viewer. In addition, the site owner cannot tailor any pages to suit the needs of specific visitors. The entire website focuses on providing visitors with a diverse range of information that they may need before making bookings at the hotel. Therefore, as an information dominant site, all viewers have access to similar information. However, the move to introduce a measure of customization would produce benefits because some customers need personalized services and information before they can make their bookings (173). Communication The JW Marriott hotel offers a one-to-one responding user communication. It is possible for users to receive emails and respond, a form of communication that ensures that users can communicate with the site owners. In addition, it is possible for users to communicate with the company through phone calls as provided in the website. Such forms of communication only allow a one-to-one communication without other users getting to know the issues addressed in the communication chain (176). Connection The JW Marriott website serves as a hub because it offers users with an opportunity to access different links from its main site. The links lead the viewers to potential partners. Notably, the selection of the sites depends on the relevance and the relationship between the hotel and its partners. For example, the JW Marriott website has numerous links that allow visitors to view the available tours in Malaysia. Such links explain why the site serves as a hub that offers visitors with specific information concerning the industry (179). Commerce A close analysis of the JW Marriott hotel website reveals that it offers high commerce activities. Visitors to the page can access relevant information, identify room types, calculate the rates, and make their bookings online. There are easy steps involved in the bookings a factor that increases the preference for customers to make their bookings online. For example on the last minute bookings, individuals can make their reservations easily by providing basic information on the kind of accommodation they need (182). Palace of the Golden Horses a) Web Address: http://www.palaceofthegoldenhorses.com.my/default0068.html?pg=home b) Map of 7 Cs for Palace of the Golden Horses Context Aesthetically dominant Functionally dominant Integrated Content Product-dominant Information dominant Service dominant Community Nonexistent Limited Strong Customization Generic Moderately customized Highly customized Communication One-to-many, Nonresponding user One-to-many, Responding user One-to-one, Nonresponding user One-to-one, Responding user Connection Destination Hub Portal Commerce Low Medium High c) Analysis for the 7Cs Framework Context The Palace of the Golden Horses website has an integrated context because it is both functional and has a high aesthetic value. Therefore, the site is visually attractive with a dominant gold theme that conforms to the name of the hotel. All the words on the pages are written in gold. It is evident that the website provides relevant information to all visitors, but integrates such information with powerful visual elements. Therefore, visitors to the site find it extremely attractive as it conforms to a certain theme (158). Content The Palace of the Golden Horses website is information dominant because it focuses on providing visitors with a diverse range of information concerning its products and services. Notably, the site helps visitors to identify the types of rooms and suites, the food, and beverages served, meetings and events, as well as information on the location of the hotel. By navigating to different pages on the website, a visitor has access to all the relevant information needed to make a booking. The site also provides information on the rates as well as special offers at the hotel (164). Community The Palace of the Golden Horses website has a limited community because it does not present opportunities for visitors to engage in an exchange of ideas. Notably, it has become increasingly possible for websites to develop a page that can allow all the visitors to interact and review the product and services of different companies. However, the Palace of the Golden Horses is yet to implement this new functionality. For this reason, visitors to the website can only rely on the Facebook and Twitter pages for the company if they need to give any feedback (168). Customization The Palace of the Golden Horses website is very generic because all the visitors have access to the same face of the site irrespective of their individual preferences. The focus of the site is to give general and specific information concerning the hotel products and services. However, it does not leave any room for the visitors to personalize their views, as all the pages are permanent. On the other hand, there are no opportunities for the site owner to tailor information in accordance with the needs of different visitors. Evidently, the site owner can introduce a measure of customization (173). Communication The Palace of the Golden Horses website only allows for a one-to-communication with the user having the opportunity to respond. Visitors can sign up to receive emails from the company and they have the ability to respond to such emails. On the other hand, users may choose to rely on phone calls by providing their contacts or using the contacts available on the site to reach the site owners. However, other users remain oblivious of the existing communication between the company and different users (176). Connection The Palace of the Golden Horses website is a hub that allows users to access other websites by providing carefully selected links to partners. The links provided on the website allow visitors to access related information concerning the hotel industry as well as desirable destinations in Malaysia (179). Commerce The Palace of the Golden Horses website allows visitors to make online bookings with an easy calculator of the rates. Therefore, after viewing the different types of rooms, visitors can easily make their bookings online without unnecessarily long procedures. For this reason, the site supports high commerce as visitors can access and make transactions online (182). Work Cited Rayport, Jeffrey F, and Bernard J. Jaworski. Introduction to E-Commerce. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin marketspaceU, 2002. Print. Read More