Reflective Analysis of Hospitality Management Learning Modules

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INTERNATIONAL HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
and INTRODUCTION TO PEOPLE AT WORk
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Table of contents
Introductory evaluation..............................................................................................................3
Analysis of thoughts and reflection of learning module............................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References................................................................................................................................10
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Introductory evaluation
Modern growth in the hospitality sector is directly linked with the professional development
of the individual responsible for providing the hospitality. The aim of this study lies in the
reflective analysis of me relative to the existing and potential career prospects. The scope of
this study however lies in the reflective analysis of the learning modules over five
individual’s topics. For the execution of this study, the Kolb reflective cycle would be taken
into consideration. Based on the Kolb’s reflective model, I have acquired concrete experience
during my working tenure in the Holiday INN Telford in the designation of a Guest Service
Manager. The reflective observation would be based on the potential growth that I would be
having post working as a Director of a hotel in Romania. The abstract conceptualization
would be based on the reflection of the learning modules in class that influence my thoughts
and the learning processes. However, the active experimentation would include the analysis
of the rewards and understanding of the acceptance of hospitality efforts by the guests that
would come to the mentioned hotel (Arnold et al., 2005).
I think that three major factors that I would require in the mentioned future job. This would
be in the order of the following:
 Remuneration- Since the working location would be Romania; I would prefer an
industry standard basic remuneration from the management. Additionally, since I
would be the director of the hotel, I would expect share of the sales revenue being
generated by the hotel in a fiscal year. This share however would be limited to the
certain pre-defined percentage between me and the management of the hotel.
 Job security and employee benefits- I would prefer to associate me in a long term with
an employer in the event that additional employment benefits are provided to me by
the higher management. Some of the preferred benefits would include multiple
allowances in the form of communication, transport and authority to train and include
develop certain staff that would be required due to expansion policies (CIPD, 2009). I
think that adherence to most of the mentioned preference of the benefits would
provide job security as this would motivate me to perform better which would result
in more quantum of customers for the hotel. For example, in the event that I become
the director of the Radisson Blue Hotel in Bucharest, this would provide a great job
security for me, as I would then be working with a brand and not for a brand.
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 Flexibility and fair treatment- Modern hospitality industry is becoming more
concentrated on the statistical treatment of individuals and impact of policies in the
dynamic consumer market (Chell, 1993). I would expect from my employer to adhere
to international labour laws. Some of the characteristics that I would prefer in the new
Romania hotel would be the defining of the maximum working hours including
overtimes. In the segment of flexibility, I would expect the organization to provide me
gradually a free hand in the training and the modulation junior management to project
the hotel in as a preferred hospitality destination in Romania.
Analysis of thoughts and reflection of learning module
Reflection based on behaviourist learning theory
Figure 1: Behaviourist learning theory
(Source: Courses.psu.edu, 2019)
During the initial days of the module, I learned about the major attributes that affected
modern hospitality and influence the people at work. Today we discussed the identification of
behaviours as a potential flat form to assess and modulate customer satisfaction. The
behaviour theory of learning focuses on the understanding and interpretation of the stimulus
and the external conditions that influence the behaviour of an individual (Montano and
Kasprzyk, 2015). I think that discussions on this theory have helped me to understand the
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efforts that I would be required to put in the current job role of guest service manager.
Additionally, I think that this theory would be able to develop my efficiency towards my
current job profile with increase in the effectiveness of the service provided by my team in
the name of Holiday INN in Telford. Additionally in the long end this theory would impact
my personal though in the following two domains:
 Spending power of a potential guest would be positively impacted post which I would
be able to cross sell during my current job and train the staff in my preferred job
 Active voice of me would be impacted, as understanding of the potential behaviour of
an individual would help me to modulate my voice with exercising my authority and
director of a hotel.
Reflections based on Vygotsky's Social Constructivist Theory
Figure 2: Vygotsky's Social Constructivist Theory
(Source: InstructionalDesign.org, 2019)
Post the completion of discussion on the behavioural theory, we, the students was exposed to
the social constructive theory. This theory states that in such situations or events where
requirements could not be made by personal efforts, peer help would be used for the
attainment of the requirements (Amineh and Asl, 2015). This theory is an important aspect in
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hospitality management as execution of streamlined and defined tasks leads to the completion
of any requirement (Mullins, 2007). This theory, my though process would be impacted
across two domains that would be in the following order:
Domain Impact
Effective
management
In this domain, the mentioned theory would enable to modulate the standard
protocols to meet the required deadlines. This would include optimum use of
the working hours of the staffs under including efficient distribution of the
workload in terms of overtime (UK National Workplace Advice Line, n.d).
Employer
relationship
In this domain, I would like my immediate and potential employer to
understand the futuristic capability of me and place myself according in the
hierarchy. Over the past few weeks, this theory has additionally helped me
to understand the reality of the intricate relationship that I would have to
deal with in my existing workplace as well as in the Romanian hotel.
Table 1: Impact in my thought process based on Vygotsky's Social Constructivist
Theory
(Source: Created by author)
Workplace rewards and professional development
Post discussions regarding the social constructivist theory, we were exposed to the idea of
workplace rewards and professional development. These discussions included the idea of
incentives and the multiple ways of acquiring incentives by an individual. Additionally, this
topic included the integration of the incentive, motivation and professional development of an
individual in the end. However, personally as I am more concerned with the increasing the
efficiency of the allotted task, the segment of incentive would not affect my personal thought
significantly. However, over the past few weeks post discussion in this topic, I understood
that incentive could be in cash or in kind. Hence, I would essentially work for acquiring the
executive MBA program that would be sponsored by my potential employer in Romania.
This would complement the professional development of me in terms of education.
Additionally, in the segment of finance, I understood that incentive could be earned while
doing the same job with increased efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy for the hospitality
industry as well as the hotel.
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Extent of acceptance of hospitality by the guest
The next topic of discussion in the class was the acceptability of the hospitality provide to the
guest. Some of the attributes associated with the same includes the understanding of the
difference between hospitality and invasion of privacy. It additionally included the
identification of the effective use of the analytical tools that are used for customer
segmentation and profiling in the hospitality industry (Unite the Union, 2007). Post the
conduction of the discussions, I think that the lesson would affect my personal thoughts in
two fronts.
First in the aspect of understanding of the need of hospitality for a guest, variation in the
requirement would result in increase in the efficiency of the work provided. Second in the
aspect of the respecting the privacy of the individual or the couple, I think that personal
thoughts using the standard operating protocol would be mostly modulated post
understanding of the requirement of the guests. However, in the past few days post the
conduction of the lesson, I think that I would want my employer to understand the
individuality of a customer even if the same comes in a group or with a family. Some of the
additionally hospitality that I would prefer to have within my employed organization includes
surprise celebration of special events for the guests like birthdays, anniversaries and so on
which would be complimentary from the hotel and the staff.
Need for staff welfare in the hospitality management
This lesson has been the most recent ones that explain the need of the welfare of the staff for
the effective running of a hotel business. The additional attributes associated with the module
includes the development of the employees through inclusion of multiple processes like
employee benefits, promotions, recognitions, awards and profit sharing of the hotel (Bello et
al., 2017). Relative to my current workplace in UK, I think that this lesson would majorly
impact my personal thoughts regarding staff welfare. This would be because in my current
workplace, there are too little staff welfare schemes. Additionally, I think in aspect of
personal thoughts regarding customer service and hospitality management, I think that I
would be able to understand the different aspect of staff improvement and welfare schemes
apart from the government schemes for all the citizens.
Post the initial discussion against the topic, I would prefer that my employer in Romania
provide me with extensive staff welfare schemes that the management think would be
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beneficial to the senior staff. Additionally, I would expect the owners and the higher manager
to provide me a free hand to design and implement an American and UK based working
culture for the staff. This would include the developing an effort based remuneration system
that would include to promote staff welfare and increase motivation among the subordinates.
Conclusion
Post the analysis of the different aspects of the hospitality management; I have learnt about
those factors the influence the behaviour of an individual. Additionally, two conclusions
would be deduced in a mutually related form.
In the segment of aspirations, it could be concluded relative to the learning and the
experiences in the module, personal thoughts about my future aspirations has indeed be
modulated. Prior to the beginning of the module, I preferred to work in Romania than
working in a UK based hotel as the Guest Service Manager. My reason for changes was only
based on the designation and the career advancement that would be available in Romania.
However, post the lessons, my personal thoughts regarding personal aspirations have been
significantly altered. While being a Director of a hotel in Romania has been constant,
personal attributes from self centred development has been altered to groups development.
This additionally includes the aspect of the developing the personal efficiency and the
effectiveness of the organization which would in turn lead to professional development of
myself in terms of service records and hospitality management.
In the segment of ambitions, it could be concluded that my ambitions has been alleviated post
the learning experience in the modules. Prior to the same, I was only concentrated on the
changing my occupational area and hotel in the near tenure. However, during the past few
weeks, I have been concentrating more on the staff welfare of the team that has been
provided to me in the Holiday INN at Telford. However, some of the preferred attributes and
incentives that I had personally thought prior to the learning and experience has remained the
same. This would be due to no change in the aspirations and the ambitions that I have in
terms of Romanian hotels.
Overall, it could be concluded that thoughts about the future work has essentially changed
relative to the experience gained from the lesson modules. I think that this would be because
of the two theories that was part of the lesson module. The behaviour theory enabled me to
concise my personal requirements from the industry coupled with from the potential
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customers that I would be servicing. Additionally, the Vygotsky's Social Constructivist
Theory enabled me to redefine my personal expected job role of a Director of a hotel and
include all the staff that would support me to run the hotel and the hospitality trainings with
optimum efficiency.
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References
Amineh, R.J. and Asl, H.D., 2015. Review of constructivism and social
constructivism. Journal of Social Sciences, Literature and Languages, 1(1), pp.9-16.
Arnold, J. et al (2005) Work human behaviour in the workplace, 4th ed., Harlow: Financial
Times Prentice Hall.
Bello, F.G., Banda, W.J. and Kamanga, G., 2017. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
practices in the hospitality industry in Malawi. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and
Leisure, 6(3), pp.1-21.
Chell, E.(1993) The psychology of behaviour in organizations, 2nd ed. , Basingstoke :
Macmillan Press
CIPD. (2009) CIPD HR and Development website. [online].[Retrieved January 23,
2009]accessed via <http://www.cipd.co.uk/default.cipd>
Courses.psu.edu. (2019). Behaviorist Learning Theory. [online] Available at:
https://www.courses.psu.edu/trdev/trdev518_bow100/Gagne1present/sld011.htm [Accessed
29 Apr. 2019].
InstructionalDesign.org. (2019). Social Development Theory (Lev Vygotsky) -
InstructionalDesign.org. [online] Available at:
https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-development/ [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019].
Montano, D.E. and Kasprzyk, D., 2015. Theory of reasoned action, theory of planned
behavior, and the integrated behavioral model. Health behavior: Theory, research and
practice, pp.95-124.
Mullins, L. J. (2007) Management and Organisational behaviour, 8th Edition ed., Harlow:
Financial times Prentice Hall.
UK National Workplace Advice Line. (no date) Dignity at Work Bill . [online].[Retrieved
March 29, 2009] from Bully Online http://www.bullyoffline.org/action/dignity.htm.
[Accessed 29 Apr. 2019].
Unite the Union. (2007) Introducing the dignity at work partnership [online ].[Retrieved
March 28, 2009] from Dignity at
Work:<http://www.dignityatwork.org/the-project/default.htm>. [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019].
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