Hospitality Management: Professional Development and Skills Report

This report delves into the realm of professional development within the context of hospitality management, specifically focusing on the international travel and tourism sector. It begins by defining professional identity and its significance, followed by an exploration of the benefits of ongoing professional development for stakeholders, using Audley Travel as a case study. The report then assesses the skills, abilities, and competencies required for various roles within the industry, including flexibility and a positive attitude. It also examines learning theories like behaviorism and social learning, and their application in enhancing personal and professional skills. The report concludes with a proposed development plan designed to improve skills and competencies within an organization, along with an analysis of the interview process.

Hospitality
Management
International Travel
and
Tourism Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Task1................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Essential benefits of on going professional development for stakeholders .........................1
P2 Expectation of skills and competencies which is required within industry ..........................3
Task2 ...............................................................................................................................................4
P3 Assessment of skills, abilities and competencies for particular roles.....................................4
P4 Learning theory and its approaches uses in professional and personal skills.........................5
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................6
P5 Development plan to increase skills and competencies in an organisation ...........................6
Task 4 .............................................................................................................................................7
P6 Job interview for suitable enterprise's role.............................................................................7
P7 Strength and weakness of interview process .........................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCE ..................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Professional identity is the wider term to get understand and make different from other
people. It involves specific qualities and skills that do not have other and can solve problems by
using knowledge and skills. Moreover, professional identity helps to get recognise and introduce
in front of others. Such as an individual person create personal attributes , skills and qualities to
influence others. It is flexible and rebuilt identity that can be change accordingly different events
and circumstances (Adongo, Anuga and Dayour, 2015). This report will state definition of
ongoing professional development and self motivated learnings that helps to enhance knowledge
and skills. This report will talk about Audley Travel that is based on United Kingdom and
operates travel and tour for tourists. More said, report will covered following topics like on
going professional development, review of skills, development plan, abilities and competencies
to influence customers and improve business activities. Development plan will helps to show
staff learning capacity and ability to adopt new challenges.
Task1
P1 Essential benefits of on going professional development for stakeholders
Overview of organisation
Audley Travel is an United Kingdom based company founded in 1996 by Craig
Burkinshaw and John Brewer who graduates from London School of Economics. It provides
travel tour services to customer and make feel them good by providing services. It operates tour
packages and also provides food facility to passenger who want to stay night for travelling.
Moreover, it make arranges holidays for customers in 83 countries with Africa, South East Asia,
US and its destination. Audley Travel concentarte on client's demand and expectation and
provide them a satisfaction level by giving good services. The manager of Audley Travel recruit
best candidates who have enough knowledge and experience to solve problems and face the
challenges. Manager has expecation to hire capable and accountable person who can perform
well in Audley Travel enterprise and rewarded employees for well performance (Berezina and
et.al., 2016).
Professional development's importance
Professional development is most important because it gives a valuable experience and
new skills that is needed at work place. It makes expertise by enhancing knowledge of learners
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who want to get innovative skills. It is also valuable at every place where employees are working
or willing to work, because it make confident to give proper answers of asked questions and
make independent to chose best alternative out of various options by using professional
knowledge. For instance, Audley Travel want to increase its sales by providing number of
travelling services that will help to enhance business as well as profit margin. So manager need
to give training to its employees who will state what need to do and how can do to increase
number of customer (Bilgihan and et.al., 2016). Moreover, it is essential because it assures that
an individual is getting new skills and attributes which make competent and confident to learn
and solve organisation's issues. Audley Travel conduct training and development events to make
expertise its staff which leads in personal as well as professional development to attain
enterprise's objectives. Benefits of ongoing professional development are considered below-
Boost Potential Earning: As education raise offer the chances for working
professionally that can encourage earning capacity of employees who are working in an
enterprise by changing learning new one that may be relevant for organisation. Such as
employees of Audley Travel can boost their earning and promotion opportunities by updating
new learning and right skills (Benefits of ongoing professional development. 2019).
Creates Opportunities: On going professional learning gives more opportunities to be
sustain and create healthy environment at work place that helps to motivates employees. As
having wide level of skills and knowledge a person can engage in social activity and business's
crucial activity that helps to crate more opportunities for further growth. Employees of Audley
Travel can create new job opportunities and promotional chances by up skills on a continuous
basis.
Raise efficiency and effectiveness: Long life skills and development give another
benefits such as it improve efficiency of individual person by updating learning skills. In other
words, it helps to increase effectiveness and efficiency of employees that can perform well at a
workplace. Manager of Audley Travel finds the problems of organisation and provide tarining to
its employees that helps to raise work efficiency (Bowie and et.al., 2016).
Successful planning: Continuous development helps to make perfect planning that can
lead for future experience by solving problems. Such as manager of Audley Travel give right to
professional employees to make effective planning that can be used to solve future contingency
and meet with customer's needs.
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P2 Expectation of skills and competencies which is required within industry
Owner is a person who decides what need to do in order to run a business effectively.
Employer who arrange funds, collects resources and information about market and people's need
and wants. Employer hires qualified and well educated employees who efforts to increase
productivity and profitability in an enterprise. The manager of Audley Travel find the vacancy
and job responsibility that need to handle by employees. After finding needs and wants employer
finds competent person who can handle vacant post and work properly. The main object of
Audley Travel is offer suitable and reasonable services to its tourist who comes from different
places and countries (Denizci Guillet and Mohammed, 2015).
The role of employees and hope of employer in Audley Travel organisation are differ
from design and size of organisation. Such as manager needs to select waiters, receptionist,
travel manager, assistant manager, room services and marketing manager who can provides best
services and able to influence clients that helps to increase number of customer. In other words,
manager has expectation that its employees should have capacity to convert visitors in to
customer by providing information and enhancing business at different country.
Employer of this organisation hire best employees who has professional skills and
knowledge that helps to increase business activities. Therefore, staff of Audley Travel plays a
vital role in order to deliver services like as provide information about tour packages, amenities,
food services, room cleaning and solve passenger's problems. Having skills and competencies in
employees can increase continuous development by taking effective decision to providing
services. Employer of Audley Travel states some expectation to recruit professional and
experienced staff that increase number of services such as-
Flexibility: This is required in all enterprises that reduces stress of staff and increases
willingness to work by increasing potential outputs. Employer of Audley Travel are flexible and
wants its employees also should have flexibility skills who can work perfectly by eliminating
stress and focus on output (Hong, 2015).
Positive attitude: The employer and employee both should have positive attitude that
influence customers and thought about further business operating activities. Manager of Audley
Travel hires such staff who has positive attitude and can change according to situation with
happiness.
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Competent to handle problems: Owner of Audley Travel wants that its employees
should be highly competent who can handle the complex situation and maintain balance by
upgrading knowledge.
Able to learn quickly: Employees of any organisation should be able to learn fast and
can update itself knowledge by using professional skills. Therefore, manager of Audley Travel
has same needs and recruit best candidates who can adopt new changes and get new things
quickly (Hsu and Huang, 2016).
Task2
P3 Assessment of skills, abilities and competencies for particular roles
Every person has different skills and competencies that helps to accomplish
organisation's goals. An individual can complete task or targets on given time by using own
skills and abilities. This is compulsory for employees that assess own qualities, competencies
and abilities that helps to handle the situation. Skills involves characteristics and qualities of
employees that needs to perform a job role effectively and what skills are required to fill the
enterprise's requirement. For example, Audley Travel has vacancy for receptionist profile and it
published what skills and abilities are required to handle this job role. The candidates who are
interested to apply for this job role need to assess self skills and competency to handle job role.
In Audley Travel company, ability and skill assessment there is need to have experience
at least 2 years in tour and travel industry and able to accept new technology in order to convince
visitors and convert in customers (Huang and Cai, 2015).
Skill audit is a tools that states skills and capabilities of a person and shows a right path to
achieve enterprise's goals that improves profit margin situation. Such as manager of Audley and
Travel used skill tool to assess the skills and competencies of employees and improve skills by
providing training to its staff and maximise productivity. It can be assess through a table like-
No. I am competent, able
and have skills
Score Score from other side
1 Able to communicate
properly
10 9
2 Interpersonal skills 8 8
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3 Time management by
allocating the work
9 8
4 Competent to solve
problems
8 9
5 Having presentation
skills
7 7
P4 Learning theory and its approaches uses in professional and personal skills
Learning theory means a theory which is used in any organisation to enhance skills and
knowledge in order to increase productivity. Learning theory also helps to develop professional
as well as personal skills that give a chance to handle the critical situation which is arises in
enterprises. Audley Travel follows different learning theory and approaches such as-
Behaviourism: This approach is used to know the behaviour of a person that how an
individual respond quickly by using thoughts for solving enterprise's issues. Manager of Audley
Travel find out the employee's behaviour through behaviourism approach that helps to influence
tourists by bringing new strategy (Jiang, Scott and Ding, 2015).
Cognitive: This means a deep study of people's mind that what an individual is thinking
and what are the perception. Such as employer of Audley Travel reads staff mind and knows
what are the employee's requirement to work effectively. After getting needs and wants of staff
employer offers resources and facilities in order to work efficiently.
Social learning theory: This means people can upgrade professional and personal skills
by observing knowledgable and experienced person. For instance, staff of Audley Travel observe
and concentrate of manager skills and learns how manager makes planning to overcome the
business problems and increase professional as well as personal skills (Losada and et.al., 2016).
From above mentioned approaches and theories it has been evaluated that Audley Travel
should accept behaviourism and social learning approach that will helps to enhance personal and
professional skills by quickly response and observing others. Additionally, it will give suggestion
to face the problems and get solution (Peng and et.al., 2015).
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Task 3
P5 Development plan to increase skills and competencies in an organisation
A development plan is the structure and tool which is prepared by the manager of the
organisation for improving performance and learning of employees. It makes with the help of
budgeted information that assist staff in career achievement and personal development. Its main
purpose is to help staff and attain short and long term objectives by improving performance. It
contains planning and strategy that should be executed stair by stair for maintaining profits.
Manager of Audley Travel prepares development plan by analysing previous information and
data that suggest what needs to make changes in planning for attaining company's objectives.
Manager gives training to its employees who are working in an organisation that helps to
overcome conflicts among members ( Mohammed, Guillet and Law, 2015). As organisation can
face problems that are time consuming, conflicts between employer and employee, adoption of
new technology that need to solve for expanding travel and tourism business. The manager of
Audley Travel company design a development plan such as-
Skills Activities should
be undertake
Resources Time period Expected results
Managing time
skills
Manager should
classify the work
among staff
according to their
specialisation that
manage time.
Training and
development
event, make a
schedule and give
a priority to a
work.
Weekly review By giving proper
training and
making a
schedule
employees will be
able to manage
time and will give
preference to
important work.
Conflicts solution
skills
Owner need to
maintain all
records of
candidate's
Keep a system
who can record
performance and
make a monthly
Monthly basis By recording
work activities
employees will
share their
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performance that
reduces battle
issues which is
arises in
industries and
should be give
appraisals and
motivation to well
performer.
report that defines
employee's work,
proper
communication
with staff that
sought out
problems.
problems that will
helps to maintain
a relation between
employer and
employees.
Decision making Employees
should have
enough qualities
and skills that can
make correct
decision in order
to increase
productivity.
Power and
authority to take
decision
instantly .
According to task By making
effective decision
organisation will
lead to growth
and expanding
business activities
that helps to
influence visitors.
Task 4
P6 Job interview for suitable enterprise's role
Interview of Assistant manager
After the ending evaluation process that was the interview round in was selected as an
assistant manager in Audley Travel company. To crack this round, I made additional efforts as
comparative to others. All interviewers impressed by my upgrading knowledge and professional
skills. I answered all questions which was asked by interviewers that helped me to get this
opportunity. A part from updating knowledge, internship part was also helped me to clear
interview round that gave a experience of work and handling the assistant role (Ryan, 2015). In
interview process manager has asked me following questions-
 Which tour guide need to know?
 What are the advantages to hire tour guide?
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 How will you manage your team and members?
 How Audley Travel can increase its turnover and profitability?
 Should we hire Cruise ship guide?
I answered all question by using professional skills and selected as assistant manager in
Audley Travel company that gave me a great opportunity to work at there and learn new things.
P7 Strength and weakness of interview process
Strength: Interview process helps to increase my self confidence and communication
skills that influenced my work performance. It gave a valuable experience in my life that will
help to face challenges. Moreover, interview process help to know the work environment of
industry and behaviour of employer. It helps to make effective decision by enhancing knowledge
and experience (TViglia, Minazzi and Buhalis, 2016).
Weakness: During interview process, I assessed my weakness in reasoning and general
knowledge. Moreover, sometimes candidates get panic while answering the question that is a
barrier.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report it has been concluded that professional and personal
skills are very important in any industry that helps to enhance knowledge and skills. Learning
theories show how a person get new things and makes successful planning for future growth.
Moreover, this report covered long life development that gives suggestion to work in healthy
environment by using upgrading skills.
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REFERENCE
Books and Journal
Adongo, C. A., Anuga, S. W. and Dayour, F., 2015. Will they tell others to taste? International
tourists' experience of Ghanaian cuisines. Tourism Management Perspectives. 15.
pp.57-64.
Berezina, and et.al., 2016. Understanding satisfied and dissatisfied hotel customers: text mining
of online hotel reviews. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management. 25(1). pp.1-
24.
Bilgihan, A., and et.al., 2016. Consumer perception of knowledge-sharing in travel-related
online social networks. Tourism Management. 52. pp.287-296.
Bowie, D., and et.al., 2016. Hospitality marketing. Routledge.
Denizci Guillet, B. and Mohammed, I., 2015. Revenue management research in hospitality and
tourism: A critical review of current literature and suggestions for future research.
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 27(4). pp.526-560.
Hong, E., 2015. See the Third World while it lasts: The social and environmental impact of
tourism with special reference to Malaysia.
Hsu, C. H. and Huang, S. S., 2016. Reconfiguring Chinese cultural values and their tourism
implications. Tourism Management. 54. pp.230-242.
Huang, Z. J. and Cai, L. A., 2015. Modeling consumer-based brand equity for multinational
hotel brands–When hosts become guests. Tourism Management. 46. pp.431-443.
Jiang, S., Scott, N. and Ding, P., 2015. Using means-end chain theory to explore travel
motivation: An examination of Chinese outbound tourists. Journal of vacation
marketing. 21(1). pp.87-100.
Losada, N., and et.al., 2016. Travel frequency of seniors tourists. Tourism Management. 53.
pp.88-95.
Mohammed, I., Guillet, B. D. and Law, R., 2015. The contributions of economics to hospitality
literature: A content analysis of hospitality and tourism journals. International Journal
of Hospitality Management. 44. pp.99-110.
Peng, B., and et.al., 2015. A meta-analysis of international tourism demand elasticities. Journal
of Travel Research. 54(5). pp.611-633.
Ryan, C., 2015. Trends in hospitality management research: a personal reflection. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 27(3). pp.340-361.
Viglia, G., Minazzi, R. and Buhalis, D., 2016. The influence of e-word-of-mouth on hotel
occupancy rate. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 28(9).
pp.2035-2051.
Online
Benefits of ongoing professional development. 2019. [Online]. Available Through :
<https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/07-02-18-6-real-life-benefits-of-continuing-
professional-development>
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