The Imperial Case Study Timeline

  • Craig Chapman travels from Liverpool to Kenya to open and operate an orphanage near Nairobi

  • The Imperial was founded by Roger Williams, a citizen of the United Kingdom who had made a large fortune in the primary sector of British East Africa.

    Williams is a citizen of the United Kingdom who had made a large fortune in the primary sector of British East Africa.
  • The Imperial was the most famous seaside hotel in Mombasa: it had a very positive corporate image and a well-deserved reputation for its grandiose architecture, its high-quality service and its elegant décor.

  • Period: to

    The 1950s were a turbulent time in Kenya. Following the Second World War, independence movements emerged throughout the British Empire.

  • Roger’s son and heir Jeff Williams, decided to sell all the family properties in Kenya,including The Imperial.

  • Period: to

    The Imperial was bought and sold several times and had five different owners.

  • Global Properties (GP), an international investment group, set up a subsidiary privatelimited company that purchased the hotel.

  • Jomo Kimathi retired and returned home to Kenya. His son Martin wanted to connect with his Kenyan heritage and went with his parents. At the time, TheImperial was recruiting receptionists. Martin applied and got one of the positions.

  • Susan comes back.

    In 2002, Susan came back and began working at The Imperial. The problem between
    Susan and Martin began when he was appointed as manager. Susan, too, had applied for the
    position. When she was not selected, Susan was very angry. Even three years later, she could not
    get over her feeling that she had been discriminated against. However he believed that, professionally, she needed leadership training.
  • Susan comes back from the UK after studying Hotel Management to work for The Imperial

  • Susan was still frustrated that Martin was picked as hotel manager over her, and felt discriminated against.

  • Post-election violence in Kenya.

  • Martin Kimathi was appointed manager of The Imperial.

  • Housekeeping Depart. Situation

    Susan dismissed one employee in the Housekeeping Department, Guthoni, for repeated absenteeism. What Susan did not know is that Guthoni had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and required frequent medical treatment. Outraged, the other employees decided to go on strike in December.