A STUDY DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE STAKEHOLDER REACTION TO A PROPOSED INTERNET PORTAL DESIGNED TO MANAGE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION AT A MAJOR LANGUAGE SCHOOL CHAIN IN THE UK (15)

A language school company struggles in the successful provision of UK homestay accommodation for its students. This paper describes a study that investigated stakeholder reaction to a proposed accommodation internet portal solution, with the aim of enabling the company’s management to decide on whether to sponsor the Portal’s development and to understand what is necessary to achieve stakeholder ‘buy in’. Focus groups and interviews were used to gather data. The findings showed that the participants had a good practical understanding of stakeholder theory, and that there were a range of views regarding the introduction of the Portal, including desired features and introduction issues. The conclusion recommends the company introduce a hybrid portal where users can select the level of engagement they have with it, that the company consults its stakeholders on the design of the Portal and that the change process is managed carefully and effectively