My Practicum - Assignment 3 - Individual Reflection

This document is an individual reflection on the practicum experience in Stamford Plaza Auckland. It discusses the importance of internships, the author's experience in the food and beverages department, and the feedback received from the supervisor. It also explores the link between the experience and relevant theories, concepts, and models in the hospitality industry.

Running head: MY PRACTICUM 1
My Practicum
Institution
Student
Course
Date

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Assignment 3 - Individual Reflection
My Practicum
Introduction
A practicum alias work placement program or internship is often designed to offer a learner a
practical work experience. It lays more emphasize on the importance of learning something by
doing it practically. Internships are very important because they provide students with many
opportunities to network and initite vital contacts within their career path (Bukaliya, 2012). I
went for my work placement program in Stamford Plaza Auckland, one of the prominent 5 star
hotels in located Albert Street Auckland, New Zealand. This hotel strives to stand out completely
by offering the best customer services in the region. However, I noted that the organization is
faced with various customer-satisfaction issues which the management is undertaking to resolve.
During my placement, I worked in the food and beverages department under the supervision of
Mr. Hanish Gupta. Now I am writing this paper to critically analyze and reflect upon the
practicum in relation to relevant theories, concepts, models and current industry practice. I will
also evaluate the practicum experience in terms of personal development within the role in the
foods and beverages department. The report will as well provide an evaluation of the placement
experience in terms of industry practices observed plus a reflection upon the supervisor’s
feedback from the internship.
A Summary of My Experience in the Practicum
During my placement program at Stamford Plaza Auckland, I enjoyed my time working with Mr.
Hanish and other staff members in every organizational unit. I learnt a lot about setting goals,
professionalism, and ways of solving problems in various work-related situations. I believe this

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internship has helped me enhance my confidence in the work I do and this will help me a lot in
my future work environment. The placement program was the first time I felt like I had a chance
to explore the hospitality industry. What is more, I established strong relationships with other
interns and permanent staff members in Stamford Plaza Hotel which enabled me to develop my
soft skills such as interpersonal, communication, and teamwork aptitudes. In the course of the
practicum, I also managed to successfully complete a research project whose main idea was to
explore different problems hampering the Company’s ability to achieve optimal customer
satisfaction. I learnt that hospitality industry as Umasuthan, & Park, (2018) states, is faced with
various management related challenges which every professional strives to solve in order to
satisfy various organizational goals and objectives. Using my soft skills and the knowledge I had
gained in class, I was able to comprehensively investigate various situations and propose
interventions or solutions that encompass many aspects of hospitality management. In a nutshell,
the experience I acquired from my practicum in Stamford Plaza has prepared me for a better
future in my professional career path.
Reflection upon the Feedback from the Practicum
Ali, & Al-Adawi, (2013) state that feedback from a practicum is of utmost significance for
students to develop their abilities and professional skills. Internship feedback is deemed as a
highly vital, influential and key component in assisting scholars learn to work, associate with
other people, and enhance their problem solving capabilities. After my placement in Stamford
Plaza, I had an opportunity to get both written and oral feedback from my mentors. This
feedback revolved around my overall code of conduct and ways of doing things during the
practicum period. I am glad to report that I received an effective feedback that I will certainly use
to improve my professionalism and performance in the future.

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According to Mr. Hanish, I have never been late and I always kept to the agreed working hours.
During my practicum, he repeatedly reminded me the importance of punctuality at workplace. “It
does not matter how competent, smart, and capable you are. If you are routinely late, be it on
deadlines or to work, you run the risk of undermining your overall professional reputation.”
Certainly, I paid homage to Hanish’s piece of advice and always kept time. My overall attitude
towards the placement program was good indeed and I pledge to improve even further in my
future work environments. I always chose to be optimistic, positive, and happy always and this
attitude helped me to cope better under any situation at work. Sometimes I could experience
personal mood swings but I always avoided revealing them to my colleagues. In so doing, I was
able to perform all tasks above expectations, develop interpersonal relations, improve my
problem-solving skills and also enhance customer relations.
In regards to my supervisor’s overall comment concerning my performance in the practicum, I
am convinced beyond doubt that I can become a successful professional if I push myself further
and remain committed. I will use this feedback to improve and adjust current and future
workplace actions and behavior. It has motivated me to perform even better since it has made me
feel valued and appreciated.
A Link of My Experience with Relevant Theories, Concepts and Models
During my internship in Stamford Plaza, I was able to learn a lot about my problem solving
skills, professionalism, and setting goals. According to International Hotel School (2013), the
capability to solve problems efficiently is among the most vital skills one can learn. Irrespective
of where an individual is or where he/she works in the hospitality industry, he must face various
obstacles that require them to put on their problem-solving pants (Jung, & Yoon, 2016). The way

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a professional deals with challenges in the hospitality sector determines how successful they are
in their working life. Furthermore, the internship offered an opportunity to develop my
confidence and in regards to various concepts I learnt in class, self-confidence is the key to
success particularly when it comes to higher levels of productivity in the workplace. Liang,
Chang, Ko, & Lin, 2017) emphasize that the way employees see themselves is imperative and
affects how the rest of the team in a department views them. Every person, including Mr Hanish,
in the foods and beverage department saw me as a confident worker who was sure of their work
and as a result, they always acknowledged my accomplishments. Moreover, I learnt that
customer satisfaction is always the goal number one of every business operating in the
hospitality sector. Every company endeavors to keep customers happy but in the hospitality
sector, it is very essential to keep guests engaged for the business to flourish and prosper (Ahmad
& Muhammad Arif, 2016). Three marketing gurus, Leonard Berry, Valarie Zeithaml, and A.
Parasuraman developed a SERVQUAL Model or a Service Quality Model that hotels or any
other business in the hospitality industry can implement to capture and measure the service
quality experienced by clients 7 (Mulder, 2018).

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Figure 1: Sourced from: Minh, N. H., Ha, N. T., Anh, P. C., & Matsui, Y. (2015). Service quality
and customer satisfaction: A case study of hotel industry in Vietnam. Asian Social
Science, 11(10), 73.
According to this model, reliability, empathy, responsiveness, assurance, and tangibles
significantly impact on the customer satisfaction. All managers in Stamford Plaza focused on
these specific areas to achieve high degree of customer satisfaction in order to foster customer
loyalty and business profit. Davis, & Horney, (2015) proposes that for the corporate team to
solve specific issues concerning customer satisfaction there is need to be true to your brand,
managing the online presence, managing guest expectations, and ask for and track guest
feedback
Learning Experiences and Skills Developed For Future Workplace
Internship exposure in Stamford Plaza Hotel enabled me to learn a lot and also acquire pertinent
skills vital in my future workplace. This placement provided me with experiences, lessons, and
tools that I need to succeed in the future. It gave me a chance to grow and learn prior to fully

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entering the working world. I learnt how to take constructive criticism well. Occasionally, I
would make few mistakes and receive constructive criticism about my work from both Mr.
Hanish Gupta and my colleagues. I always reminded self it is not personal rather it is for my own
good and growth. In future, I pledge to use all constructive criticisms to improve the quality of
my work. I also learnt that it is vital to work hard no matter what I am doing or even if my task is
small and seems diminutive. In future, this will help me build a good work ethic, and my boss
will acknowledge the efforts I am putting in. I also developed a number of professional skills
such as punctuality, ability to solve problems, communication capabilities, interpersonal
relations, and teamwork spirit that I believe will be very helpful in my future places of work.
Conclusion
The primary objective any practicum is to provide a learner with authentic hands-on experience
in their specific fields of learning. It is a prerequisite that help students develop their skills and
start gathering experiences to enhance their professional knowhow. It is not enough to read about
a certain profession or to observe others do the job, something learners have done for many
years. Theoretically, we should be able to perform better in workplaces upon graduation and this
is best achieved through a work placement program. While at my internship in Stamford Plaza
Hotel, I managed to learn a lot in terms of professionalism and in general, performance at
workplace. This opportunity prepared me to become a successful employee in future. I believe
the knowledge I have acquired during my practicum will help me emerge among the most
outstanding professionals in the hospitality industry in future.

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References
Ahmad, S. Z., & Muhammad Arif, A. M. (2016). Entrepreneurial Characteristics, Motives, and
Business Challenges: Exploratory Study of Small-and Medium-Sized Hotel
Businesses. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 17(3), 286-
315.
Bukaliya, R. (2012). The potential benefits and challenges of internship programmes in an ODL
institution: A case for the Zimbabwe Open University. International journal on new
trends in education and their implications, 3(1), 118-133.
Davis, T. R., & Horney, N. (2015). Guest feedback and complaint handling in the hospitality
industry. In Proceedings of the 1988 International Conference of Services Marketing(pp.
246-260). Springer, Cham.
International Hotel School. (2013, September 30). Are You A Problem Solving People Person?
Retrieved from International Hotel School : https://www.hotelschool.co.za/problem-
solving-people-person/
Jung, H. S., & Yoon, H. H. (2016). Why is employees’ emotional intelligence important? The
effects of EI on stress-coping styles and job satisfaction in the hospitality
industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(8), 1649-
1675.
Liang, T. L., Chang, H. F., Ko, M. H., & Lin, C. W. (2017). Transformational leadership and
employee voices in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management, 29(1), 374-392.

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Minh, N. H., Ha, N. T., Anh, P. C., & Matsui, Y. (2015). Service quality and customer
satisfaction: A case study of hotel industry in Vietnam. Asian Social Science, 11(10), 73.
Mulder, P. (2018). SERVQUAL Model. Retrieved [insert date] from ToolsHero:
https://www.toolshero.com/quality-management/servqual-model/
Umasuthan, H., & Park, O. J. (2018). The challenges faced by hotel service industry in Sri
Lanka. International Journal of Tourism Sciences, 18(2), 77-88.