Gayle Kamei
Introduction
Cedar Fair, LP is one of the largest amusement park operators in the world. The partnership “owns eleven amusement parks, three outdoor water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels” (Cedar Fair). In 1997, the company bought Knott’s Berry Farm, located in Buena Park, California. This is the only amusement park owned by Cedar Fair that is open year-round.
In the 1930s, Walter and Cordelia Knott began selling home-made jams and baked goods, then fried chicken dinners on their berry farm. The chicken dinners became very popular and to entertain the waiting restaurant customers, Walter began building Ghost Town in 1940. Ghost Town continued to grow with various buildings and attractions added. Other themed areas …show more content…
For many of these positions, no experience is necessary and training is provided. Seasonal and part-time employees generally do not receive benefits and many are paid minimum wage, however, there is flexible scheduling and employee discounts are provided. Management and ride maintenance and repair workers are generally permanent, full-time employees. Permanent, full-time employees are provided health-care and other competitive benefits.
The pre-refurbished Calico MIne Ride workers would need retraining to learn to use the new technological and mechanical systems installed on the renovated ride. These would include the ride operators and loaders, safety crew and, maintenance and repair workers.
Employee retention is important, as it is costly to train new employees. Cost savings could be spent on additional training and mentoring for current workers to improve their skills. This would also improve employee satisfaction and increase an employee’s opportunities for advancement. If Cedar Fair were to lose key personnel, the company could be “adversely affected” (Cedar Fair). It is to the business’ advantage to keep essential employees, including senior management, who have many years of …show more content…
While Knott’s Berry Farm is a true “theme” park with rides, attractions, live entertainment, stores and restaurants within distinct areas, Magic Mountain seems to be an amusement park that has a large collection of rollercoasters with no particular themes. As Chris pointed out, Cedar Fair is committed to using 9% of net revenues in capital investments. In their 2013 Annual Report, Six Flags also reported they plan on spending 9% of revenues on new rides and attractions. Although Magic Mountain advertises itself as a family amusement park, the perception is that their targeted demographic group is young people from teenagers to twenty-somethings. Knott’s has made an effort to install some new family rides and has taken out a couple of thrill rides. A recent renovation of the Timber Mountain Log Ride also shows the dedication of Cedar Fair to preserving the nostalgic rides of the past.
The revamped Calico Mine Ride would appear to be a success. Critics and reviewers of the attraction all agree that the attraction is better than ever and preserves the history of the ride. And most importantly, Cedar Fair reported record third-quarter profitability for Knott’s Berry Farm in
Introduction
Cedar Fair, LP is one of the largest amusement park operators in the world. The partnership “owns eleven amusement parks, three outdoor water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels” (Cedar Fair). In 1997, the company bought Knott’s Berry Farm, located in Buena Park, California. This is the only amusement park owned by Cedar Fair that is open year-round.
In the 1930s, Walter and Cordelia Knott began selling home-made jams and baked goods, then fried chicken dinners on their berry farm. The chicken dinners became very popular and to entertain the waiting restaurant customers, Walter began building Ghost Town in 1940. Ghost Town continued to grow with various buildings and attractions added. Other themed areas …show more content…
For many of these positions, no experience is necessary and training is provided. Seasonal and part-time employees generally do not receive benefits and many are paid minimum wage, however, there is flexible scheduling and employee discounts are provided. Management and ride maintenance and repair workers are generally permanent, full-time employees. Permanent, full-time employees are provided health-care and other competitive benefits.
The pre-refurbished Calico MIne Ride workers would need retraining to learn to use the new technological and mechanical systems installed on the renovated ride. These would include the ride operators and loaders, safety crew and, maintenance and repair workers.
Employee retention is important, as it is costly to train new employees. Cost savings could be spent on additional training and mentoring for current workers to improve their skills. This would also improve employee satisfaction and increase an employee’s opportunities for advancement. If Cedar Fair were to lose key personnel, the company could be “adversely affected” (Cedar Fair). It is to the business’ advantage to keep essential employees, including senior management, who have many years of …show more content…
While Knott’s Berry Farm is a true “theme” park with rides, attractions, live entertainment, stores and restaurants within distinct areas, Magic Mountain seems to be an amusement park that has a large collection of rollercoasters with no particular themes. As Chris pointed out, Cedar Fair is committed to using 9% of net revenues in capital investments. In their 2013 Annual Report, Six Flags also reported they plan on spending 9% of revenues on new rides and attractions. Although Magic Mountain advertises itself as a family amusement park, the perception is that their targeted demographic group is young people from teenagers to twenty-somethings. Knott’s has made an effort to install some new family rides and has taken out a couple of thrill rides. A recent renovation of the Timber Mountain Log Ride also shows the dedication of Cedar Fair to preserving the nostalgic rides of the past.
The revamped Calico Mine Ride would appear to be a success. Critics and reviewers of the attraction all agree that the attraction is better than ever and preserves the history of the ride. And most importantly, Cedar Fair reported record third-quarter profitability for Knott’s Berry Farm in