Internship Report: Rationale for Work Produced at Saudi Embassy

This report details the rationale behind the work produced during an internship at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Canberra, Australia, focusing on the organization of the Eid Al Fitr ceremony in 2019. The student, working in the customer relations department under the Account Manager, was involved in various aspects of the event, including budget management and ensuring cultural sensitivity. The report discusses the application of customer relationship management theory and intercultural communication theory, highlighting the importance of customer satisfaction and cross-cultural understanding. The student reflects on the practical skills gained and the overall success of the event, with supervisor feedback included. The report emphasizes the event's significance in fostering relationships between Australia and Saudi Arabia and promoting religious tolerance. References to relevant academic sources are also included.

Running head: RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
Rationale
The work that was produced as part of the internship was in the customer relations
department of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Canberra, Australia. The work that I
participated as a part of my internship was the organization of the Eid Al Fitr ceremony for the
Saudi citizens in 2019. This was an important part of my work as the event was very prestigious
considering the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Australia. I participated in organizing this
event with many of my workmates. The work became more important as I was a part of the
department for the customer relations. Hence, it was necessary that certain effectiveness of the
works standards were maintained.
The work was chosen as it was an important part of the year for all Muslims across the
world. The Eid Al Fitr festival takes place after a month long period of fasting the in holy month
of Ramadan. Hence, apart from being one of the most observed religious events in the world it is
also a festival of peace and charity. The relationship between Australia and Saudi Arabia has
been growing steadily over the years and the event became very important as an initiative to
improve further the friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The event was further
important to spread religious tolerance, peace and inclusive society. The event was being
organized to create a good environment for the celebration of Eid for all the Saudi delegates and
nationals. Many of the Muslim guests were also invited from the other countries.
I was working under the mentorship of the Account Manager. One of my responsibilities
was also to manage some of the specific areas of the budget for the ceremony. The accounts
manager provided the briefing in regards to the arrangement of the ceremony. The briefing was
in regards to the various items that were required for decoration. Additionally, the resources that

2RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
were required to cater to the guests from the Saudi Arabia. The briefing included the list of the
food and drinks to be supplied. A primary list of the various parts of the events were provided.
The primary list included the things that were needed to be done as per the progress of the event.
A special briefing on the culture of the Saudis were provided. This was to ensure that proper
respect and service were given to the Saudi citizens in the important religious events. The
supervisor approved the final schedule for the event that was to be required. It was important that
proper knowledge of the religious rituals prior and post the ceremonies were gathered. This was
to assist the Saudi citizens during their important festivities.
The clients in this case were the important delegates from the Saudi embassy. Hence, it
was important that the needs of the clients were met. One of the important theories that can be
applied in this context is customer relationship management theory. According to this theory
essential relationships need to be developed with the customer to improve the chances for
customer satisfaction in any service (Harmeling et al., 2017). The practical skills that were learnt
through the course related to gaining essential customer interactions to maintain the effectiveness
of the entire event were applied. The theory of relationship marketing was utilized in
consideration of events through the cause and effect relationship was much applied. Thus, the
main aspect was to deliver essential value to the customers. In this case the customers were the
people that were coming for the event. The focus was greatly towards interacting well with the
customers to develop a strong sense of belonging for them.
Cross cultural learning and understanding was also very much a part of the event that
were being organized by us. A special briefing on the culture of the Saudis were provided. This
was to ensure that proper respect and service were given to the Saudi citizens in the important
religious events. Cultural aspects are important in these types of events. This is because these

3RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
events are designed to develop a feeling of respect and brotherhood among two different
cultures. Hence, the theory of intercultural or cross-cultural communication also comes to play in
these situations. According to the theory of intercultural communication, concerning the
intercultural adaption learned competence of communication is important (Warren, 2017). In
case of the event communicative competence the dominant cultural traits of a given culture are
utilized to form better communicational platforms. In case of the event it became important that
the culture of Saudi Arabia is well respected and well represented through the event. Moreover,
there was a need to better understand the Islamic cultural inclinations. Hence, cultural
communication became very important in view of the fact that the event was one of the most
prestigious annual events for Muslims across the world. Thus, it became important to know the
cultural traditions to serve better the people that were the most important (Kim, 2017).
The event organization went very good and much experience was gained from the same.
In essence, the event was a significant aspect in understanding management. Moreover, I was
highly enlightened by the entire processes that culminated in the overall success of the event.
Thus, I was able to learn essentially about all the significant aspects connected with effective
management of various events.
Supervisor’s feedback
The rationale has been effective in actually determining the value of the learning that was
developed through the organizing of the event. The brief was met in most of the required
criterion. Hence, the report can be said to be a fair evaluation of the various activities that took
place as integral part of the management process. The design process development was
effectively explained. Moving forward an important insight into the entire work has been
provided. The theoretical perspectives that have been provided align well with the actual aspects

4RATIONALE FOR THE WORK PRODUCED
that were described. Thus, the effort can be said to be good and meets all the necessary criteria
that can be considered to be important in any management learning and development scenario.

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References
Harmeling, C. M., Moffett, J. W., Arnold, M. J., & Carlson, B. D. (2017). Toward a theory of
customer engagement marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 312-335.
Hsiao, C. H., Shen, G. C., & Chao, P. J. (2015). How does brand misconduct affect the brand–
customer relationship?. Journal of Business Research, 68(4), 862-866.
Kim, Y. Y. (2017). Cross-cultural adaptation. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of
Communication.
Warren, T. L. (2017). Cross-cultural Communication: Perspectives in theory and practice.
Routledge.