Hospitality Industry Essay Example for Free

Hospitality Industry Essay 1.1 Introduction to Hospitality Industry 1.1.1 The Nature of the Hospitality Industry What is the meaning of HOSPITALITY? There have been different definitions of Hospitality. Broadly speaking, Hospitality is the act of kindness in welcoming and looking after the basic needs of guests or strangers, mainly in relation to food, drink and accommodation. A contemporary explanation of Hospitality refers to the relationship process between a guest and a host. When we talk about the â€Å"Hospitality Industry†, we are referring to the companies or organisations which provide food and/or drink and/or accommodation to people who are away from home. However, this definition of the â€Å"Hospitality Industry† only satisfies most situations. Can you think of any circumstances where the phrase â€Å"away from home† would not be accurate? Resort hotel Introduction to Hospitality 2 ACTIVITY 1 In groups, consider the hospitality industry in Hong Kong. Discuss the different sectors in the hospitality industry. (Hint: A sector of hospitality industry can be profit-making or non-profit-making.) You may also give the names of some companies in the hospitality industry. One example has been given in the table below. Work on the table to see which group in your class comes up with the most appropriate examples. Hospitality industry in Hong Kong Sector Products/services provided Example Name of company/ organisation Food and Beverage Food and drink Fast food McDonald’s ACTIVITY 2 Look at the table that your group has just completed and compare the answers with other groups. Have you been to any of the above companies or organisations? What services did you receive from them? Were you satisfied with the way you were treated by the company or its staff? Did they understand what services you wanted? Did they provide what you wanted quickly and accurately? Was the staff member friendly or rude? Based on the discussion above, suggest five qualities or traits that a successful staff member in the hospitality industry should possess. Do you or your group members possess any of these qualities or traits? Introduction to Hospitality 3 1.1.2 The Tangible and Intangible Nature of the Hospitality Industry In Activity 1, we learned about different types of products and services provided by the hospitality industry. The physical products of hospitality, e.g. food and drink in a restaurant or the actual hotel room, are products that are sold at a price to the guests or customers (e.g. the price a guest paid for renting a hotel room, or the price a customer paid for buying a meal in a restaurant). These are often regarded as the TANGIBLE aspects of hospitality. However, our experience of the hospitality industry does not only rely on the tangibles. Think about your experience of being a customer in a restaurant or a guest in a hotel. What else, apart from the food in restaurants and the facilities in hotel rooms, do you think can make your hospitality experience more enjoyable and satisfied? A successful hospitality business does not only count on its products and services, but also how they are delivered. The qualities of staff and the way they deliver the service are often more important than the tangible products in making a hospitality experience satisfactory or unsatisfactory. We call these the INTANGIBLE aspects of hospitality. Can you think of any INTANGIBLE aspects of the hospitality industry? 1.1.3 Relationship between the Hospitality Industry and Tourism As we have seen, the hospitality industry includes hotels and restaurants, as well as many other types of organisations or institutions that offer food, drink, shelter and other related services. These products and services are offered not only to people away from home, but also to local guests. A manager in the hospitality industry, therefore, must keep in mind the following three objectives: 1. Making the guests feel welcome personally 2. Making things work for the guests 3. Making sure that the operation will continue to provide service and meet its budget Apart from local guests, can you think of any other guests who may need services and products provided by the hospitality industry? Introduction to Hospitality 4 ACTIVITY 3 Now work in pairs and follow the instructions below: Tourist A – You are an 18-year-old student from Beijing. You visit Hong Kong for the first time with your cousin who is also from Beijing this summer. As you are a student, you travel on a budget and are planning to come to Hong Kong round trip by train. You plan to stay in Hong Kong for 5 days/4 nights. Tourist B – You are a businessman from Sweden. Your company is a car manufacturer. You come to Hong Kong for an international automobile exhibition. You will fly to Hong Kong and stay for two nights before you fly to Singapore for another business meeting. You will stay in Singapore for two nights before going home. In two minutes, write down as many as possible of the products and services you would require from the different sectors of the tourism industry for your trip. Compare your answers with those of your partner. Do you have different or similar answers? How many of the points you jotted down are similar to those of your partner? Fill in the following table: A young student (Tourist A) A business traveller (Tourist B) In Activity 3 we learned there are different kinds of tourists. Regardless of what type of tourist they are, they all need shelter and food and drink – the basic hospitality services – at ALL points of the tourism cycle, not just at the destination. This is why hospitality can be referred to as one of the principal dimensions in tourism, along with transportation, specialist shops and leisure activities. Unlike tourism, hospitality, however, serves both tourist and non-tourist needs. To enhance your understanding of the relationship between the hospitality and tourism industry, complete Activity 4. Introduction to Hospitality 5 ACTIVITY 4 The following diagram shows the relationship between the hospitality and tourism industry. Can you think of more services with examples to add to the diagram? Hospitality Industry Hospitality Industry Tourism Industry Tourism Industry Institutional/ Institutional/ Welfare Catering Welfare Catering e.g. Hospital e.g. Hospital e.g. Hotels, e.g. Hotels, Transportation services Transportation services e.g. Car Rental, e.g. Car Rental, In Activity 4 we learned the hospitality industry is a part of a wider group of economic activities called tourism. In addition, not all hospitality businesses are profit-making business.

Microsoft IT Certification Tracks :: essays research papers

Introduction: The Microsoft IT1 certification tracks, is a complete program that provides students with the Internet technology skills essential in a universal economy. Microsoft Certifications delivers class-based learning, online examinations, student follow ups, labs, instructor training and support. Launched in 1995 in the USA, the Microsoft Certifications spread to more than 200 countries and all over the United States and Canada. Over 1.000.000 students have enrolled at more than 16000 training centers. Microsoft trains the training Centers on how to train teachers how to train student the Microsoft tracks. Microsoft’s partners from business, government and education form community which delivers the range of services and support needed to grow tomorrow's Microsoft generation. Initially created to prepare students for the MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Administrator), MSCE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer), MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator), and MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) certifications, it now expanded to include lower level courses. Some of the courses include: Web design; Web mastering and Windows Essentials; The Internet enables anytime, anywhere learning for all students, regardless of location, religion, gender, or race. The Microsoft Certifications track is continually updated. It includes the latest Microsoft software and OS. For example in MCSE it all started with Windows NT then was updated with windows 2000 and recently the released the windows XP version. The Internet has the power to change the way people learn, work, and play, and the Microsoft Certifications Tracks is the leading in providing, facilitating and transforming to this new way of education. Redefining IT: Network efficiencies, interactivity, multimedia, personalization, and network widening, made Microsoft come up with a multiple choice of courses to let workers and students have more efficiency, knowledge and specialization in the different IT tasks. The Microsoft courses integrate e-learning applications for authoring, management, and assessment with rich media content, delivery, and a network infrastructure. Implemented as the e-learning environment of the Microsoft IT certification Tracks in 1998. It brought many important new capabilities. These include global scalability, lack of extensive integration needed for implementation, a distributed architecture with sophisticated caching to avoid latency, the ability to deliver rich media and interactive components seamlessly, a clearly defined pedagogical hierarchy for authoring, personalized feedback, and the use of Web-based open standards. The Microsoft IT Certification tracks, is a worldwide effort designed to teach Internet technology skills to youth and adults. The Microsoft Certification track is also helping to transform education as the world's largest e-learning laboratory.

Reliable Sources Worksheet Essay

Source 1 †¢Author: Wilson, Wendy Bedwell †¢Date: March 2012 †¢Title: From Trash to Treasure †¢Publication: Dog World. 97 Issue 3, p20-21, 2p Write a 100- to 150-word response to each of the following questions: †¢Is the source reliable? How do you know? This source is very reliable; this magazine has been around for almost 100 yrs. Dog World is a monthly magazine aimed at the community of serious dog enthusiasts and participants, including breeders; conformation exhibitors; obedience, agility, herding and field trial competitors; veterinarians; groomers; and trainers. †¢Is the information relevant to the topic? Yes this story is about a dog rescuer from NJ who picks up dogs from high kill shelters down in West Virginia and brings them back up to be placed in foster homes. On her trip back up she witnessed someone tossing a dog out on the side of the road and leaving it there. Out of curiosity she pulled over where the dog was dropped off to investigate and found a malnourished and injured dog. After 20 minutes they were able to capture the dog and bring it to NJ where its was seen by veterinarians who were able to nurse the dog back to health. †¢Does the information reflect a bias on the author’s part? If so, what is the bias? I did not read any bias material within the article, there was no mention of any retribution toward the original owners. This article basically told a story about how a dog’s life was turned around after a person who carries about dogs rescued this dog and now uses it to help rehabilitate other dogs that have been abused. Source 2 †¢Author: Redwine, Arlo †¢Date: April 2012 †¢Title: Going the Distance †¢Publication: Dealernews, Vol. 48 Issue 4, p18-28, 7p Write a 100- to 150-word response to each of the following questions: †¢Is the source reliable? How do you know? Dealer News is a trade publication that has been around for 17 years. This publication provides news and information for dealers, manufacturers and distributors in the motorcycle and accessory industries. I do not know how reliable this source is due to this is a trade publication and can post bias reviews. †¢Is the information relevant to the topic? â€Å"Going the distance† is relevant to the topic because the author talks about how a young â€Å"go getter† started a motorcycle dealership in the late 70’s. The story tells how this young man grew his business from the ground up to one of the largest Harley Davidson dealerships in the Junction City, Kansas area. †¢Does the information reflect a bias on the author’s part? If so, what is the bias? Yes the information is bias on the author’s part due to the fact that he is telling a story from the eyes of the owner of this dealership. The author does not tell the readers the challenges that took place from competitors or the manufactures that he represented in his store.

African Development And Income Inequalities - 3098 Words

Africa is a continent rich in culture, resources, and potential. But when compared to the rest of the world, Africa stands as the poorest continent despite having some of the world’s richest natural resources. Africa has some of the poorest life expectancy, highest HIV/AIDS rates, malnutrition and infant mortality rates in the world (African Development Bank Group, Income Inequality in Africa, 2012, p. 2). It leaves one to question the reason for such disparity within the continent. The following will provide an in-depth analysis into one of the many reasons for such inequalities and poverty. I will argue that tribalism imbedded in African culture has had a significant role in the lack of economic development and income inequalities.†¦show more content†¦Without taking to account the loyalty people have for their various tribes and ethnic groups, attempts to combine tribes failed and further heightening tribal tensions and conflicts (Ethnicity and Tribalism in Africa : The Truth, 2014). Instead of working towards transitioning from the unfavorable hierarchy it so long endured, the African â€Å"bourgeoisie† inherited the practices of exploitation from its European colonizers (Tribalism, Colonialism and Capitalism, 2014). Like the Europeans, Africans wanted to make economic gains in the expense of the working people. Therefore, today we see African politics made up of unequal advantages stemming from tribalism and ethnic discrimination (Tribalism, Colonialism and Capitalism, 2014). Tribalism, which is the â€Å"behavior and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one s own tribe or social group†, is believed to be the reason for inequality and tension between people within a country and between countries (Clay, Nation, Tribe and Ethnic Group in Africa, 1985). It is argued that if African states are to make any substantial economic and social development, tribalism must first be destroyed (Clay, Nation, Tribe and Ethnic Group in Africa, 1985). The reasoning for this notion being that it, tribalism is threatening to the authority and distribution of resources. As mentioned in the previous sections, Africa has some of the richest natural resources in the world,