Participle I I Tense Voice Active Passive
4. More Than Just a Leisure Park
The Dome Leisure Park is Europe’s largest multi-facility leisure development under one roof, with a total floor area of 15 100 square metres.
Since its opening in October 1989, it has regularly welcomed more than one million visitors through its doors per year, making it one of the UK’s top five leisure attractions, ranking it alongside Alton Towers and the Chessington World of Adventures.
The Dome is located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Its site gives quick and easy access to the Ml, M18, and A1(M) motorways, thus giving good communication links to surrounding towns and cities such as Sheffield, Leeds, and Nottingham. Alternatively, the nearby mainline railway station offers rail links to London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh.
The land on which The Dome is built and surrounding areas comprise 350 acres of council owned waste land on the Southern edge of the town, opposite the prestigious race course. The Dome can therefore be expanded without complication, or nearby land sold to other private sector investors attracted to the area.
The Aims of the Dome
The Dome was a Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) initiative, first conceived in 1985. It was designed, built, and opened at a cost of £25 million, which was wholly funded by the council through the receipts of sales of land.
The main objectives of The Dome are:
1. To offer the residents of Doncaster a dramatically different leisure option.
2. To position Doncaster as the focal point for leisure and tourism following the decline of the town’s more traditional industries of heavy engineering and mining.
3. To act as a catalyst for the economic and qualitative regeneration of the surrounding area and to act as an expression of confidence in the future of the community.
4. To attract investment to the town.
The Mission Statement of The Dome is:
‘To enhance the quality of life of residents and visitors to Doncaster and South Yorkshire by means of a wide range of well publicised, affordable and enjoyable leisure opportunities in an attractive, healthy and safe environment”.
The Management of The Dome
The council knew that much depended on the success of The Dome, and as such, good management was imperative if they were to justify the initial cost the development demanded. They wanted the Dome to not only be a successful leisure centre, but to provide the catalyst in attracting other developers and investors to the town. In short, successful management could turn the initial £25 million into investment, rather than expenditure. With this in mind, a private limited company, Dome Leisure Management, was formed to oversee the commercial viability and day-to-day running of the project.
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) recognised that it required the highest levels of commercial management and decided that a
’stand alone’ operation, whereby a Private Limited Company runs the concern for the Council, provided the best opportunities for success. A similar strategy is illustrated by the success of the council-owned, privately-run, race course in the town.
The Marketing Strategy
When the Dome first opened the marketing of the Centre as a whole, and of specific events, was of prime importance. Without a high company profile and influx of customers, the Dome would fail to satisfy its aims and objectives. Due to this, the management enlisted the specialist skills of Colbear Dickson, an external marketing agency, to work with a group of managers including the General Manager and the Marketing Department.
They would identify promotions and initiatives for the coming months for the Marketing Plan.
Each year the Marketing Department has had a different goal to reach in promoting The Dome. In its first year it aimed at creating a corporate identity, in a bid to get the name of The Dome known throughout the region, if not the country. In the second year, its task was to promote day-trip business and the third year concentrated on promoting corporate business.
Market research is carried out periodically to ascertain the needs of the market. Access and Visa customers are sent mail shots with information regarding future events, but no system is set up as yet to monitor the success of this initiative.
The role of the Marketing Department focuses very much on the promotion of The Dome and public relations activities. In addition, several sales methods have been constructed as a result of market research, such as offering joint tickets to both the water and ice facilities, as well as a Kids Club aimed at the younger, energy-packed visitor.
Now that the Leisure Park has an established track record. The Dome Management rely to a certain extent on the name and The Dome’s reputation to do much of the marketing and selling for them. A large amount of the Dome’s publicity comes in the form of press releases focusing on specific events and new initiatives being launched, in the hope and expectation that local newspapers will use the story, thus providing the public with information about the centre. This tactic enables the Dome to reach a large audience at little or no cost.
Local press and radio advertising tends to focus on specific high profile events, such as forthcoming concerts and basketball matches. Leaflets advertising the general facilities offered by the Dome are displayed in tourist office’s throughout Yorkshire and Humberside.
The Business Operations of the Dome
Apart from being successful in attracting customers, the Dome also needed to be seen as having a strong corporate identity, in order to give the confidence of potential investors in the area. After all, it is to a large extent the Dome’s customers that feed all the other commercial developments on the site. To this end, the Dome needed a resourceful management and competent staff.
Senior management posts were filled largely with personnel from outside the local community with experience of the leisure industry, whereas positions lower down the hierarchy were filled from the large pool of labour available locally. This enabled the Dome to find an acceptable balance
between experienced, specialist staff brought into the area, and personnel from the local community.
Any senior positions becoming available now are advertised internally in the first instance. This offers several advantages to the company, in that it motivates staff as they believe that they have a chance to succeed in the organisation. Also, the induction period (the first few weeks in the new job) is made smoother as the employee is already familiar with the working environment, its people and its policies. Disadvantages of promotion from within are that no new blood is brought into the company which could lead to a lack of innovative new ideas.
If internal advertising for management level positions fails to provide suitable candidates, the Dome management prefer to ‘headhunt’ in order to save time and expenditure involved with advertising externally. The headhunting process involves contacting people known to the staff who are working in, or have worked in, a similar position within the leisure industry.
They can be attracted to the Dome by offering larger salaries, additional benefits, or better future prospects. Headhunting is particularly suited to senior positions or ones where the post holder requires specialist skills or knowledge.
The Dome management place great importance on the induction, training and development of all staff. Every employee within the organisation receives an induction period upon taking up employment. The amount of time taken in induction will depend on the position within the organisation. An annual appraisal system is used thereafter to assess an individual’s overall performance. This gives employees л formal opportunity to discuss with their managers their role within the company, where they think their job is going, and how it could be improved to the benefit of themselves and the organisation as a whole.
A common training theme runs throughout all levels of the hierarchy.
In 1992, for example, training concentrated on improving quality; whereas in 1993 training aimed at improving sates techniques. In addition to this themed training, job holders also receive a training programme tailored to their needs.
Most training is carried out in-house, giving the advantages of minimal time spent away from the workplace and avoiding the expense of hiring an external training agency. The Dome is currently carrying out a Training Needs Analysis, which is partly funded by the Doncaster and Barnsley Training and Enterprise Council ‘TEC’.
Due to the dynamic nature of the leisure industry, the Dome management need to effectively manage change in order to maintain their
competitive edge. most changes implemented tend to be customer led. The ethos is that if customer demand is sufficient/the management will try and ensure that the facility or activity is included.
It is not just current customers’ wishes that need to be met, however, in order to sustain the growth needed to meet the council's expectations. If the Dome is to live up to all of its original aims, it must evolve to become a Leisure Park large enough to pull visitors from further afield. With a proposed Channel Tunnel Terminal being sited at Doncaster, it is now feasible to expect visitors from France and the rest of the EU. Because of this the council is continually updating its proposed expansions of the site. Current initiatives involve the development of an artificial lake for water sports, a business and office complex, a holiday village, and an all-seater sports stadium. If it is to continue to attract private sector development, it must continue to invest in, and expand on, the current provisions offered.
Such a large scale development is obviously likely to upset some people in the local community, due to problems such as increased traffic, noise, litter etc. Dealing with such groups is seen largely as a public relations exercise. If the Dome management and the council give them a fair hearing and lay down the basis of, and advantages of their proposals, or even bow to the wishes of local groups where this seems to be the best strategy, the council will maintain the much needed respect and support of the local residential and business community.
Private Sector Investment
For the Dome to provide maximum benefit for the local community, and Doncaster as a whole, it needed to attract private sector investors to the area. This was the best way for the DMBC to recoup their initial investment, as they sold off land to companies attracted to the area. The revenue from land sales far outweighs profits obtained from the operations of the Dome. This has already paid off in the form of a 50 bedroom Campanile Hotel situated in two acres of land. The French hotel chain has the scope to add another 50 bedroom annexe to their existing £1.2 million development. Just prior to the official opening of The Dome, Keith Brown Properties Ltd opened a £1.5 million Ten Pin Bowling Alley covering one acre and providing 60 jobs. In 1990 an Asda Superstore opened covering 12 acres. Warner Brothers soon followed with a multi-screen cinema development situated on a six acre site at a cost of £6.5 million and providing 100 jobs.
The 500 full time jobs and 100 part time positions created by the £55 million worth of private sector investment in the first phase of the Park’s development has given a boost to other commercial concerns in the local
economy. Unemployment has fallen, spending power has increased, and this spending has led to further employment in other businesses.
The council are hoping that further development of the park will transform this area of Doncaster into a role model of private and public sector co-operation in economic revival.
Conclusion
The Doncaster Dome was never intended to be a means to an end. It was never intended to be merely a leisure park. It was intended to trigger new hope and investment for the town. So far it seems to have worked.
The General Manager of the Dome was right when he said “The Dome is a household name on nil regional lips, is well known in the Leisure industry, is admired by its rivals and is the envy of other Borough Councils”.
It is certainly that, and to the people of Doncaster, much more besides. It has provided hope in what was otherwise a seemingly bleak future for a town where traditional industries (e.g. mining and engineering) are in sharp decline.
Questions for discussion
1. Why do you think that the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council decided that a stand alone operation, whereby a Private Limited Company runs the concern, provided the best opportunities for success? What alternatives were open to the Council?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Dome’s marketing strategy? What improvements could be made in marketing both the Dome, and the Leisure Park as a whole?
3. Explain the links between the Public and Private sector that have emerged as a result of the Leisure Park’s development. What benefits has each received as a result of this co-operation?
4. What benefits has the Leisure Park’s development brought to the town of Doncaster? Are there any groups in the community that may feel threatened by the development?
5. What were the “opportunity costs” of the Dome? How would you justify the expense to opponents of the Dome’s development?
6. Conduct a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis for the Dome Leisure Park. From your findings, do you feel that the Council were justified in investing £25 million in the project?
Supplementary Reading (Дополнительное чтение)
What is management?
Unit 2 explained that managers are an important group involved in business activity. It is difficult to define exactly what is meant by
‘management’. However, many agree that managers are responsible for
‘getting things done’ – usually through other people. The term manager may refer to a number of different people within a business. Some job titles include the word manager, such as personnel manager or managing director.
Other job holders may also be managers, even though their titles do not say it.
It could be argued that managers:
• act on behalf of the owners – in a company, senior management are accountable to the shareholders;
• set objectives for the organisation, for example, they may decide that a long term objective is to have a greater market share than all of the company’s competitors;
• make sure that a business achieves its objectives, by managing others;
• ensure that corporate values (the values of the organisation) are maintained in dealings with other businesses, customers, employees and general public.
The functions of management
Henri Fayol, the French management theorist working in the early part of this century, listed a number of functions or ‘elements’ of management.
Planning This involves setting objectives and also the strategies, policies, programmes and procedures for achieving them. Planning might be done by line manners (unit 63) who will be responsible for performance.
However, advice on planning may also come from staff management who might have expertise in that area, even if they have no line authority. For example, a production manager may carry out human resource planning (unit 51) in the production department, but use the skills of the personnel manager in planning recruitment for vacancies that may arise.
Organising Managers set tasks which need to be performed if the business is to achieve its objectives. Jobs need to be organised within sections or departments and ; authority needs to be delegated so that jobs are carried out. For example, the goal of a manufacturing company may be to produce quality goods that will be delivered to customers on time. The tasks, such as
manufacturing, packaging, administration, etc. that are part of producing and distributing the goods, need to be organised to achieve this goal.
Commanding This involves giving instructions to subordinates to carry out tasks. The manager has the authority to make decisions and responsibility to see tasks are carried out.
Co-ordinating This is the bringing together of the activities of people within the business. Individuals and groups will have their own goals, which may be different to those of the business and each other. Management must make sure that there is a common approach, so that the company’s goals are achieved.
Controlling Managers measure and correct the activities of individuals and groups, to make sure that their performance fits in with plans.
The management process
Peter Drucker worked in the 1440s and 1950а as a business adviser to a number of US firms. He is credited with the idea of MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES (unit 50), used by some businesses today. Drucker grouped the operations of management into five categories.
• Setting objectives for the organisation. Managers decide what the objectives of the business should be. These objectives are then organised into targets.
• Organising the work. The work to be done in the organisation must be divided into manageable activities and jobs. The jobs must be integrated into the formal organisational structure (unit 63) and people must be selected to do the jobs (unit 53).
• Motivating employees (unit 48) and communicating information (unit 62) to enable employees to carry out their tasks.
• Job measurement. It is the task of management to establish objectives or yardsticks of performance for every person in the organisation. They must also analyse actual performance and compare it with the yardstick that has been set. Finally, they should communicate the findings and explain their significance to others in the business.
• Developing people. The manager should bring out the talent in people.
Every manager performs all five functions listed above, no matter how good or bad a manager, Drucker suggests. A bad manager performs these functions badly, whereas a good manager performs them well. He also argued that the manager of a business has a basic function – economic performance.
In this respect the business manager is different from the manager of other
types of organisation. Business managers can only justify their existence and authority by the economic results they produce.
Being a manager
In contrast with Fayol or Drucker, Charles Handy argued that any definition of a manager is likely to be so broad it will have little or no meaning. Instead he outlined what is likely to be involved in ‘being a manager’.
The manager as a general practitioner Handy made an analogy between managing and staving ‘healthy’. If there are ‘health problems’ in business, the manager needs to identify the symptoms. These could include low productivity, high labour turnover or industrial relations problems. Once the symptoms have been identified, the manager needs to find the cause of trouble and develop a strategy for ‘better health’. Strategies for health might include changing people, through hiring and firing, reassignments, training, pay increases or counselling. A manager might also restructure work through job redesign, job enrichment (unit 50) and a redefinition of roles. Systems can also be improved. These can include communication systems, reward systems, information and reporting systems budgets and other decision making systems, eg stock control.
Managerial dilemmas Handy argued that managers face dilemmas. One of the reasons why managers are paid more than workers is because of the dilemmas they face.
• The dilemma of cultures. When managers are promoted or move to other parts o! the business, they have to behave in ways which are suitable for the new position. For example, at the senior management level, managers may deal more with long term strategy and delegate lower level tasks to middle management more often. If a promoted manager maintains a ‘culture’ that she is used to, which may mean taking responsibility for all tasks, she may not be effective in her new position.
• The trust-control dilemma. Managers may want to control the work for which they are responsible. However, they may have to delegate work to subordinates, trusting them to do the work properly. The greater the trust a manager has in subordinates, the less control she retains for herself. Retaining control could mean a lack of trust.
• The leader’s dilemma. In many firms, junior managers often want to work in project teams, with a clear task or objective. This can mean working
‘outside’ the normal bureaucratic structure of a larger organisation.
Unfortunately, there can be too many project groups (or ‘commando groups’) for the good of the business- The manager must decide how many project groups she should create to satisfy the needs of her subordinates and how