The following paper analyzes Universal Orlando as a potential place of employment for the graduates of Florida Atlantic University. The paper proposes that the Universal Orlando is an ideal organization for the graduates to launch their careers. The purpose of this analysis is to demonstrate to the placement office at Florida Atlantic University that Universal Orlando provides a good place for the students to launch their careers. The paper seeks to show that the University should propose this organization to the students as one of the places where they should seek employment.
Universal Orlando is the second largest theme park in Orlando after Disneyland (Kaiser, and Thorsten, 2013, 9). Universal Orlando provides a variety of fun activities for the whole family (Holcomb, Fevzi and Anil, 2010, p.326). The main attractions at Universal Orlando are the rides. The organization has over one thousand employees involved in different departments at the park. Since the rides are the main attractions at the park, many of the employees are employed in activities related to the rides (Sehlinger, and Seth, 2015, p.23). Public relations is a very important aspect of the organization. Since the organization faces steep competition from other parks in Orlando, it strives to find a means to get a competitive advantage over its other competitors in the region (Braun, and Mark, 1999, p 440). One of the primary methods that the company uses is through introducing new services to the customers on a regular basis. Furthermore, the company also provides services at a lower price than its competitors so as to attract more customers from the competing organization. For example, Universal Orlando sells tickets at lower prices than Disneyworld. Employing highly qualified individuals also provide a competitive advantage for the organization.
Since the quality of services provided to customers is of primary concern at Universal/Island of Adventures in Orlando, hiring of highly qualified personnel with good customer relation skills is important (Kim, Stephen and Hye‐Sook, 2013, p.322). Therefore, the organization endeavors to provide training for the new employees that will help them cope with the large volume of customers with whom they interact. Most of the services that the organization offers are on-site. The customers have to travel to the site of the organization to enjoy services from the company. On the other hand, there are increased interactions between the employees of the organization and the customers. For new employees, training begins with a tour of the company’s facilities to ensure that the employees are well familiar with the organization. During the tour, the employees are informed of the different services that the company offers at different locations and the role that such employees will play at each of the locations. The human resource department performs the duty of hiring new employees.
One of the major advantages of working at Universal Orlando is that one stands a chance to be promoted without a time limit for the promotion. The company promotes its employees based on their hard work and their level of skill. During the orientation process, the organization informs the employees on the importance of hard work at the organization. One of the key values that the organization encourages in new employees is keeping a clean record. At the organization, this means that the management expects employees to show up to shifts on time, work diligently and always to be ready for additional responsibilities. Evaluation of employee performance for promotion purposes is difficult especially given the large size of the organization and a large number of employees. However, the organization relies on feedback from its managers to decide which employees deserve promotions. Employees seeking employment should, therefore, maintain a good relationship with their managers.
Working at the organization is dependent on the amount of work available. Holidays and weekends are some of the busiest periods for the companies. During weekends and holidays, families and individuals visit the park for recreational purposes. These periods, therefore, form some of the busiest periods for the workers at the organization. The employees rarely get weekends off, and it is even harder for the employees to be free during holidays. On the other hand, weekdays are less busy at the company and employees can often take personal holidays during these days. While working at the organization, the employees do not have much work traveling in job performance. The employees mainly work at the site of the organization. Furthermore, the organization also offers its services on-site, and it does not have any other branches around the country.
Employees at Universal Orlando enjoy a wide range of fringe benefits while working at the organization. Firstly, the organization provides health insurance cover to its employees. The health insurance cover that the organization provides also covers the closest relations to the employee. For example, the insurance cover also extends to the spouse and children of an employee. Secondly, the company also provides retirement benefits for its employees. Thirdly, company employees who do not own personal vehicles can enjoy free transportation services to work and from work. The company provides these services through its buses. The company uses these buses to improve employee punctuality to work. Furthermore, the organization also allows its workers to take paid sick leaves. If an employee becomes sick, he/she enjoys full payment during the duration of the sickness. Furthermore, the organization also allows female employees to take maternity leaves. During these maternity leaves, the employees also enjoy full salaries amongst other benefits offered by the company.
The organization strives to become the number one entertainment destination in the world. Therefore, the organization provides entertainment services for local visitors but also for international tourists. To promote international tourism, the organization strives to become a non-racist and nonsexist entertainment provider. The organization also provides equal opportunities for individuals seeking employment from all races and both genders. The organization offers no preferential treatment for employees from either gender, and it treats its employees from all races equally. Discrimination is a highly discouraged trait at the organization. Any employees found showing discrimination based on race or gender towards any visitors or other employees faces serious sanctions from the organization. For example, such an employee could potentially lose his/her job.
Economically, the organization is a strong economic perform bringing in an excess of $200 million ever quarter. The main source of revenue for the organization is the sale of tickets to the theme park (Oh, and Sae-Hoon, 2013, p.38). However, the organization also depends on the sale of items such as toys to boost its revenues. In 2015, Forbes magazine valued the organization at a net worth of $3.3 billion. While the organization’s revenues vary seasonally, with the holiday seasons recording the highest level of revenue due to increased number of visitors, the organization records a relatively constant level of revenue generation throughout the year. However, the organization’s revenue generation capacity is highly dependent on the current state of the economy. The services that the company provides are giffen goods. Individuals consume more of the services if they have more money to spare. For example, when the economy is performing well, the company records increased sales of tickets. The increased ticket sales are because the families have more income to spend on entertainment. Furthermore, the families also have a higher purchasing power. The political environment also affects the economic performance of the company as the theme park records lower numbers of visitors during election years.
The above evaluation demonstrates that Universal Orlando is an ideal location for graduates from Florida Atlantic University to launch their careers once they have graduated. I highly recommend that the university proposes to the students that they should seek employment at the organization after they have graduated. Not only does the organization actively seek to hire highly qualified individuals in the job market, but it also provides a perfect opportunity for hardworking graduate students to grow their careers in a short period. Furthermore, the organization also offers competitive salaries for the employees and numerous fringe benefits for the new employees.
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- Sehlinger, Bob, and Seth Kubersky. Beyond Disney: The Unofficial Guide to SeaWorld, Universal Orlando, & the Best of Central Florida. Unofficial Guides, 2015.
