1 What is HID’s mission at present? How may this mission change? Dave Collins, CEO of HID, sat down at the conference table with his management team members, Karen Setz, Tony Briggs, Dave King and Andy Johnson. HID owns 10 Holiday Inns, eight hotels of different types and one property in Fiji. It also owns two Quality Inns. Dave Collins and his managers got together to define their mission and goals, and to set strategic plans. As they began their strategic planning session, the consultant they had hired suggested that each describe what he or she wanted for the company’s Australian operations in the next 10 years –

how many hotels it should own, where to locate them and who the target market was. Another question he asked them to consider was what the driving force of the company should be; that is, the single characteristic that would separate HID from other companies.

The team members wrote their answers on flip-charts, and the consultant summarised the results. Dave Collins’ goal included 50 hotels in 10 years, with the number increasing to 26 or 27 in five years. All the other members saw no more than 20 hotels in 10 years and a maximum of 15 or 16 within five years. Clearly there was disagreement among the top managers about long-term goals and the desirable growth rate.