Diversity And Discrimination In The Workplace - 1518 Words

Diversity and Discrimination in the Workplace Diversity and discrimination are taken to have the same meaning to most people but this is not the case. Diversity is more in differ of certain things such as ideas and beliefs while discrimination is more in differ of things such as race, age, and gender. Yes, both are in differ of something but what is important to understand is that they are in differ of a variety of things. Yet it is sad but these qualities happen each and every day in the workplace. It does not matter what kind of work or business it is, there is always going to be some sort of diversity and discrimination. Diversity in the workplace can come from examples such as not following the same ideas as your boss or not being a†¦show more content†¦He/she studied 133 teams across 5 industries in South Korea to see the effect that team diversity have. â€Å"As expected, the results showed that team diversity exerted negative effects on team-learning behavior, Moonjo o said (Moonjoo, 2017).† But, it also shows that groups that had that traditionally good leadership saw the negative affects towards deep-level diversity disappear due to the qualities that the leader had which was bringing the team together to work as one. Also, the teams that had the good perception of support saw that the negative affects of differential attitude towards diversity started to decrease because the leadership actually showed they cared about the people and company. This shows why good and positive leadership can really change an organization for the best because it will motivate the employees to work when they are happy. While most think that any kind of diversity can hurt businesses in the workplace that is not always the case. Actually, cultural diversity has just as much or maybe more benefits then it does challenges. According to the Hult News, one benefit from cultural diversity is it allows an organization to offer a broader and more adaptable range of p roducts and services (hult.edu). â€Å"A broader skills base and a more potentially diverse offering of products and services can help your business to have theShow MoreRelatedDiscrimination And Diversity : The Challenges And Rewards Of The Workplace Essay1942 Words   |  8 Pages Discrimination and Diversity: The Challenges and Rewards of the Workplace David Kiedis Palm Beach State College â€Æ' Abstract This paper will be one that explores some of the challenges that have made up the workplace. Namely the fact that discrimination of people who are considered different than others in the workplace has been commonplace since the dawn of our great nation. By contrasting discrimination with how diversity can be extremely rewarding for businesses and the employees,Read MoreDiversity in the Workplace1452 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction As a general statement diversity refers to the prevention of discrimination in conjunction with the improvement of equality. It’s about valuing differences and inclusion; this is the act of spanning such areas as ethnicity, age, race, culture, sexual orientation, physical disability and religious beliefs. In a global marketplace diversity is theorised as a corporation that employs a diverse workforce in that includes both genders, people of many generations and those from ethnicallyRead MoreDiversity in the Workplace Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pages Diversity in a Workplace Discrimination are more common in workplaces, because some people only think of discrimination as making a distinction and judgment of a person based on color of skin. Discrimination goes far beyond color of skin. A person can be disseminated agonist for their age, disability, gender, religion, or even for being pregnant. In a workplace there are standards and policies in place to decrease the chances of a person being discriminated against. When the staff is diverseRead MoreWorkplace Diversity Within The Workplace865 Words   |  4 Pagesmarket today is workplace diversity. Workplace diversity is defined as all characteristics and experiences that defined each employee as individuals, but it can also be misunderstood as discrimination against employees. Diversity can include race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability and sexual orientation discrimination. One reason why workplace diversity is important is because when you respect your employees productivity rate rises and many companies do not know that. A diverse workplace targets toRead MoreEqual Employment, Diversity And Discrimination1499 Words   |  6 PagesEqual Employment, diversity and discrimination because I feel that these topics are strongly needed in any organization. Employees in the workplace can be discriminated against of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, and so on. Companies need to strive to eliminate any of the various barriers above to ensure equal access to employment, services, and benefits, to both the current and future employees. The author, of a discrimination article I read, statesRead MoreDiversity Analysis : Diversity Management Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesDiversity Journal Diversity Management is the Key to Growth: Make it Authentic (Glenn Llopis, June 13, 2010) Article Summary: In the current fierce competitive global market, diversity management remains critically advantageous if any firm should make progress. Organizations must integrate diversity in their thoughts, actions and innovations. Diversity in organizations goes beyond making numbers to how people are treated in relation to its business model. It’s a time-sensitive necessity inRead MoreThe Australian Workplace Is A Evolving Environment1483 Words   |  6 Pages The Australian workplace is a constantly evolving environment. When we look at the structure of the Australian workplace environment, we can infer that Australia’s multicultural society has broken down the barriers of uniformity. This both contextual and individual concept is refereed to as diversity. Contrary to popular belief, diversity does not jus relate to gender, race cultural identity. Diversity is categorized into four main categories: organisational, internal, external and personalityRead MoreAnalyzing Diversity Within The Workplace1061 Words   |  5 Pagesas a â€Å"melting pot† because of the diversity of its people. People from hundreds of countries with different cultures, languages, religious beliefs, and different ethnicities have come to the United States seeking a better opportunities and a better way of life. Melting pot is defined as â€Å"a place where a variety of races, cultures, or individuals assimilate into a cohesive whole† (Merria m-Webster, n.d.). For the purpose of analyzing diversity in the workplace, it is necessary to also define â€Å"cohesionRead MoreDiversity Is A Practice Of Acknowledging, Understanding, Accepting, And Valuing People s Differences1313 Words   |  6 PagesDiversity is a practice of acknowledging, understanding, accepting, and valuing people’s differences. There is respect for people’s age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental abilities, race, sexual orientation, and spiritual practices. This definition goes alongside with Saint Leo’s core value of respect where the animated spirit of Jesus Christ should be valued by all individuals’ unique talents, while respecting the dignity and striving to commit to excellence in one’s work (Okoro Read MoreGender Based Pay And Promotion Discrimination1104 Words   |  5 Pagesand Moser explore the claims of gender-based pay and promotion discrimination that is fast emerging as the latest challenge for employers seeking to reduce litigation risks. These claims are from recent jury verdicts, pending legislation in Congress, and headline-grabbing court decisions. These court decisions and legislative initiatives raise the specter of a flood of class claims against employers for pay and promotion discrimination. I will use this source for ground for my argument. It shows 500

Harper Lee and to Kill a Mockingbird - 931 Words

Harper Lee and her Works Harper Lee knew first hand about the life in the south in the 1930s. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926 (Castleman 2). Harper Lee was described by one of her friends as Queen of the Tomboys (Castleman 3). Scout Finch, the main character of Lees Novel, To Kill a Mockinbird, was also a tomboy. Many aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird are autobiographical (Castleman 3). Harper Lees parents were Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Finch Lee. She was the youngest of four children. Ms. Lees novel has many characters that have similar characteristics to Lees own family. Atticus Finch was an attorney, while Lees own father was also an attorney, as well as Harper Lees sister, Alice Finch Lee (Kansas).†¦show more content†¦The black population increased, but their representation in government did not (Simon 150). During Harper Lees life, she was likely to have witnessed this same type of injustice and prejudice. With the characters Scout and Jem, Ms. Lee portrays the innocenc e of childhood. She shows how Scout and Jem learn about these flaws in society and how they react to them. 4. In 1929 the stock market crash started the downfall of the economy that let to the Great Depression (Nash 836). Aticus Finch, from Lees novel was an attorney, but even an attorney felt the hard times of the depression. There was an incidence in which Atticus Finch took an entailment of turnip greens from the Cunninghams as payment for legal services (Lee 21). Farmers possibly were hit the greatest by the crash (Freeman 19.) Harper Lee experienced childhood during the depression, just as her young characters did in her novel. Although people were poor, Ms. Lees writings indicate the happiness the children had in their lives in spite of the poverty. Overalls Lee portrayal of southern life in the 1930s was accurate. Having grown up during that time period, she was able to describe the difficulties of living during the depression. She gives the reader a chance to experience life in that time and setting through the eyes of a child. Lessons of life can be felt and experienced, just as her characters learned theirShow MoreRelatedKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1049 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: How a Story could be based on True Events in Everyday LifeDaisy GaskinsCoastal Pines Technical Collegeâ€Æ'Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama. Her father was a former newspaper editor and proprietor, who had served as a state senator and practiced as a lawyer in Monroeville. Also Finch was known as the maiden name of Lee’s mother. With that being said Harper Lee became a writer like her father, but she became a American writer, famous for her race relations novel â€Å"ToRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by H arper Lee1000 Words   |  4 Pagesworld-wide recognition to the many faces of prejudice is an accomplishment of its own. Author Harper Lee has had the honor to accomplish just that through her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a moving and inspirational story about a young girl learning the difference between the good and the bad of the world. In the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Growing up, Harper Lee had three siblings: two sisters and an older brother. She and her siblings grew up modestlyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee873 Words   |  4 PagesIn the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates that â€Å"it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird† throughout the novel by writing innocent characters that have been harmed by evil. Tom Robinson’s persecution is a symbol for the death of a mockingbird. The hunters shooting the bird would in this case be the Maycomb County folk. Lee sets the time in the sto ry in the early 1950s, when the Great Depression was going on and there was poverty everywhere. The mindset of people back then was that blackRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1290 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird during a rough period in American history, also known as the Civil Rights Movement. This plot dives into the social issues faced by African-Americans in the south, like Tom Robinson. Lee felt that the unfair treatment towards blacks were persistent, not coming to an end any time in the foreseeable future. This dark movement drove her to publish this novel hopeful that it would encourage the society to realize that the harsh racism must stop. Lee effectivelyRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee963 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing up, when older characters give advice to children or siblings.Growing up is used frequently in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee uses the theme growing up in To Kill a Mockingbird to change characters opinion, develop characters through their world, and utilizes prejudice to reveal growing up. One major cause growing up is used in To Kill a Mockingbird is to represent a change of opinion. One part growing up was shown in is through the trial in part two of the novelRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1052 Words   |  5 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama in the late 30s early 40s , after the great depression when poverty and unemployment were widespread throughout the United States. Why is the preconception of racism, discrimination, and antagonism so highly related to some of the characters in this book? People often have a preconceived idea or are biased about one’s decision to live, dress, or talk. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the preconceptionRead MoreKill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee1197 Words   |  5 Pagessuch as crops, houses, and land, and money was awfully limited. These conflicts construct Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. In To Kill a Mocking Bird, Lee establ ishes the concurrence of good and evil, meaning whether people are naturally good or naturally evil. Lee uses symbolism, characterization, and plot to portray the instinctive of good and evil. To Kill a Mocking Bird, a novel by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930s in the Southern United States. The protagonist, Scout Finch,Read MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1695 Words   |  7 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee presents as a ‘tired old town’ where the inhabitants have ‘nowhere to go’ it is set in the 1930s when prejudices and racism were at a peak. Lee uses Maycomb town to highlight prejudices, racism, poverty and social inequality. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of Walter Cunningham. When it is discovered he has no lunch on the first day of school, Scout tries to explain the situation to MissRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1876 Words   |  8 PagesThough Harper Lee only published two novels, her accomplishments are abundant. Throughout her career Lee claimed: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction, and Quill Award for Audio Book. Lee was also inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. This honor society is a huge accomplishment and is considered the highest recognition for artistic talent and accomplishment in the United States. Along with these accomplishments, herRead MoreKill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1547 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† is a classic piece of American literature written by Harper Lee. She illustrates a t heme of the intolerance of prejudice and the quick judgments of others. The book takes the reader back to the 1930’s in a small town known as Maycomb. Harper Lee chose to give the reader an innocent, pure view of the different situations in the book through the eyes of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch who is also known as Scout. To Kill a Mockingbird is a pleasurable read for people of

Hotel Industry Analysis

Question: Discuss about the Hotel Industry Analysis. Answer: Introduction Service industry is different from manufacturing industry due to intense direct customer participation in whole process, there is direct service encounters and experiences that creates customer satisfaction(Kandampully, 2002). Therefore organizations need to develop robust system that ensure low amount of service failure and high customer satisfaction. This is a service management paper that focuses exclusively on hotel industry service organization blueprint. It aims to evaluate detail service process that take place within hotel, areas that can cause service failure, different functions of front and back office department. It will help in creating a clear picture of the whole service delivering process. Later part also evaluates different strategies for service recovery within organization. Service blueprint can be regarded as tool used for service improvement; it is a visual tool that helps in evaluating systematic process for developing services. It is an integral part of service engineering process that starts with idea evaluation for a service to service implementation in real terms. There are five primary phase of this process, it include new ideas, evaluating firm requirements for services, third phase is service design to plan the performance, fourth is testing the service before launching it to market and final is feedback to evaluate after launch effect through customer satisfaction. Blueprint is the process used for designing the service. Service Blueprint Service blueprinting can be defined as planning instrument that is used to plan innovative services, finding problem in the present services, evaluating quality of services and improving the same. It includes a graphical visual presentation of different services process and activities to foresee future service development requirements. This tool also helps in finding various service failure points that can cause customer dissatisfaction and plan strategy accordingly. Primary objective of this tool is to line up all activities of the whole service execution process, it is planned using strong customer focus therefore covering all areas that might cause service failure, analysing different type of possible service gap and recovery strategies for the same. It is a powerful cost effective tool for service evaluation and planning (Seyring, 2009). Service blue print involve complete service production process, therefore it is crucial to collect information regarding customer requirement from the service provider, required resources for different process and time requirement for the same (Seyring, 2009). There are five key components of service blueprint, it include customer actions which include all actions taken by customers for availing the services; second is onstage action that include visible acts of employees; third is backstage that is invisible employees contact actions; fourth is support process that is divided using internal line process which include actions taken by departments and employees who are not visible but without their action service execution is also not possible and fifth is physical evidence that include all tangible elements that customers come across(Lovelock, 2007). Hotel Industry Blueprint Physical evidence Advertisements/ website Hotel exterior parking Desk registration Papers Elevators Hallway Room Cart for bags Room Amenities Bath Menu Delivery tray Food Appearance Food taste and temperature Bill desk Lobby Hotel Customer action Arrive at hotel Give bell persons bag Check in Go to rooms Receive bags Sleep, shower Call room service Receive food Eat Check out and leave Line of interaction Onstage action greet Take bags Process registration Deliver bags Deliver food Process check out Line of visibility Backstage action IT department Take bags to room Take food order Line of internal interaction Support process and IT Registration system Room maintenance, facilities Prepare food Registration system First step of service process is customer seek information regarding the hotel, availability of room, facilities, pricing etc. This information is collected through various sources such as internet, company website, various online hotel booking sites such as Trivago, booking.com etc. Therefore from the hotel end it is crucial that someone maintains strong IT system, integrate various websites and booking system. Customer can plan wither to pay online or direct cash at counter, therefore proper IT integration must be done between company, banks and booking sites. Usually there is time gap between booking the hotel and actual stay at the hotel. After few days of booking customer make a visit to hotel either using his own car, booked car or hotel car as per service availed. This leads to first physical interaction with parking space of the company. Further, customer goes to reception, which is a major customer interaction point to check in. Proper information system helps in smooth and quick check-in process, after several processes of paper check and registration, customer leave their luggage and go to their room. Luggage is picked and delivered to the room by hotel staff. After this customer have direct experience in the room which is impacted through various amenities available in the room such as lights, Wi-Fi, infrastructure, dcor, bathrobe, size of the room, tea, coffee, other wide range of amenities. Now customer can do several act such as eat, sleep, call for room service etc. every service impact customer perception about the service provider. In in-house experience have strong impact on customer perception and the way they represent the brand in their word of mouth. After completing their stay customer goes to lobby for checkout, complete the payment, staffs leaves the customer to their vehicle and bid goodbye. Each stage of the service process has strong impact on customer perception regarding the brand. Front Stage Functions Front stage can be defined as interaction between customer and services. It includes range of activities and steps perform by contact employees that are visible to customer. Action taken by front stage employees has direct impact on customer perception and satisfaction. Various instances when front stage interaction takes place between employees and customers are as follow; When a customer calls up hotel staff for some booking or other information When customer arrives at the hotel and greeted by the staff When customer give their bags to bellboy At the lobby for registration or check in At restaurant visit, food order or room services During bags delivery system at their room During checkout Front stage staff act as the face of the hotel they need to have strong interpersonal skills, they need to behave in friendly and confident manner. While greeting customers staff needs to ensure to welcome them with a smile, eye contact and willingness to listen. Front stage employee need to have the ability to control stress and behave politely during unusual situation also. While handshake with customers it should convey a sense of responsibility to customers. Departments that have active role in front stage services are discussed below; Front desk have prime role to play in a hotel as it create first impression on customers mind, it is also a deciding factor to avail or not to avail services. In hotel industry front desk jobs are generally designated to young and smart people, who are energetic, presentable, available 24*7, strong interpersonal skills and relationship management. Front desk staffs have highest number of customer interaction; they are responsible for various activities such as booking, providing safety lockers to customers, making reservation, interacting over phone, providing various services to customers. Housekeeping is another front stage department that comes into customer contact after hotel check in till their check out. It involve wide range of services such as 24 hour availability of staff, taking food orders, making their rooms, cleaning, laundry services etc. Food and beverage department: This department is in interaction with customers by taking their food and beverage related orders over phone or at restaurants, conference rooms etc. waiters, bartenders and restaurant managers are primary front stage staff in this department, they need to behave in friendly, courteous and polite manner. Backstage Functions It include the part of service chain that customers cannot see but they provide key services in the value chain process and help front stage staff to complete their tasks (Talwar, 2006). There are several back stage services that supports smooth service delivery in hotels. The job of back end starts prior to room booking also. Hotel use various promotional tools such as websites, booking sites, travel agents and direct booking options. A strong IT department, software and its proper management is crucial to ensure hassle free customer experience, integrating bookings made through various sources, ensuring real time display of online booking status at different platform. Hotels now days also use live chat options on their website to answer customer queries and bookings. These employees need to interact with customer, provide information etc. After taking various orders such as laundry or food the back stage work starts. In case of food, kitchen staff and chef need to follow hygiene standards, high quality of food and safety norms. Different other back stage staff category in hotel include security system managers who checks room, security of customers, staff who take baggage to the room, hotel engineering staff who are responsible for managing lights, electricity, elevator etc. Moment of Truth It can be defined as the period or moment when customer encounters the services that involve a direct interaction. According to Lovelock it is the time when customers have direct interaction with service employee or any self-service platform, whose experience will have direct impact on customer perception regarding the service provider. There are three types of service encounters, over the phone, remote and face to face encounter. Poor staff behaviour can lead to customer dissatisfaction. It is the most critical moment for service provider as experience at this stage can lead to service dissatisfaction or high satisfaction. Each moment of truth is an opportunity to hotel staff to enhance customer experience, deliver high quality and increase chances to get customer loyalty and future business (Widjaja, 2005). Different scenarios when moment of truth takes place in hotel industry are discussed below; First is during hotel information search, sometime customers calls at reservation department for collecting information regarding various facilities, location and tariff from the hotel staff. At this stage staff behaviour, ability to listen to customer with patience and answer their queries has strong impact on customer decision to avail the service. Second is during booking a room in the hotel, this might involve customer interaction with front office staff, who will be responsible for explaining room, its amenities, completing paper work, registration etc. Staff politeness and behaviour needs to provide confidence and faith to customer on the brand selected by them Third is during check in the hotel, here different parameters such as availability of proper signage, behaviour of the valet parking staff, the parking area, the self-check in machine needs to work properly, if customer encounter problem in check in, it might cause dissatisfaction and bitter customer experience (Bebko, 2001). Fourth moment of truth is during availing any of in-house services by customers, whenever customer ask for any service, it involve direct interaction with hotel staff, their responsiveness, service quality that impact their experience. Determinants of Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction To plan a proper service encounter to ensure customer satisfaction it is crucial to define determinants that might lead to positive or negative experience. According to Zeithaml and Bitner, (2003) there are four common themes impacting customer satisfaction from services, which are as follow; Recovery: it deals with the process and actions taken by organization employees during service failure, the way they deal with unforseen situations etc. At this stage hotel staff needs to acknowledge customer problem, explain them a cause, apologise, compensate or take responsibility leads to customer satisfaction. On contrary ignoring the customer, laming and passing the buck leads to customer dissatisfaction. Adaptability: the degree to which employee response to customer request also influence customer perception regarding a hotel. For example, if a customer request food over phone, how much time taken to deliver the food etc. influences customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction level. It requires employees to recognise the seriousness of customer request, adjust the system and accommodate customer requirement, explain rules and policies to customers. Whereas if employee ignore customer request, show unwillingness, promise but did not perform the task, will lead to high level of customer dissatisfaction (Cronin, 2000). Spontaneity: service delivery needs to be fast, it defines the degree to which hotel staff took an unprompted action on customer request. To ensure customer satisfaction hotel staff needs to give time, listen to customers properly, provide information and show empathy. On contrary, impatience from hotel staff, ignorance, rude behaviour and customer discrimination leads to poor customer relationship. Coping: the way hotel staff deals with problem customers, unforseen situations and unpleasant customer behaviour. In such conditions, hotel staff needs to be polite, explain and let go the customer. However taking customer behaviour personally and impacting services to other customer might lead to customer dissatisfaction (Zeithaml Bitner, 2000). Apart from this, intangible factors have strong impact on customer perception on the service provider. According to Bebko (2001) customers have higher standard set for intangible factors in comparison to tangible elements. Third factor that impact customer service satisfaction level is nonverbal communication and cues. The degree to which employee display effective characteristics such as friendliness, responsive, positive, polite etc. impact customer perception regarding service provider (Kueh Bagul, 2013 ). Further different nonverbal cues impacting customer perception include Kinesics elements such as eye and body movement including smiling, handshaking etc. paralanguage elements such as tone of voice, loudness, pitch etc. proximity that include the distance and posture of service provider with customer and physical appearance of the staff (Bebko, 2001). Apart from this, culture also have strong impact on service encounter experience and perception; customer requirements also var y with their culture, for example western culture customers would give highest importance to timely services and efficiency whereas Asian customer give highest score to interpersonal relationship of the hotel staff (Christensen-Hughes, 1992). Motive of purchase is also key element that impact customer perception of service level, for instance if a customer is visiting for a leisure purpose, he would expect different category for services in comparison to one visiting for business purpose. Service Quality Measurement and Gaps Failure to meet customer expectations of the service leads to service gap. According to theoretical model of service gap there are five different type of service gap that can occur during service delivery in hotel industry (Blesic, 2011), which are as follow; Positioning gap: it can occur due to difference in perception of hotel management regarding customer expectation of service with actual customer expectations. It occurs due to lack in marketing research, poor upward communication, lack of coordination and poor information regarding external environment. Specification gap: it occur when hotel management clearly understand customer expectation of the service level but fail to translate or execute them into real service specifications. Lack of formal specification also leads to service variability, low quality. Factors that impact specification gap include designing specification, task standardization, perception of feasibility, levels of management, coordination and HRM (Uran, 2005). Service execution gap: It occurs due to service delivery failure as a variance between actually delivered service and what is said by the customer. Communication gap: difference between actual service delivery and message communicated to customer using various external tools such as website, advertisements, social media etc. Evaluation gap: evaluation gap is to failure to evaluate customer service quality expectations, it can be done using SERVQUAL model; this gap is outcome of two dimensions that are measuring feedback and performance (Daniel Berinyuy, 2010). Service-Recovery Strategy Plan Justice to Customer According to few researches unfairness is the primary cause behind service failure; therefore fairness is the key to re-establish customer faith on the brand. Customer service recovery evaluation is based on three types of justice, it include distributive, procedural and interactional. First is distributive recovery strategy that aims to ensure that customer receive benefit for the amount of cost paid by them, therefore failure to deliver customer expected value for the price paid leads to service failure? To deal with such situation, first employee should true to address customers negative emotions and then they will be willing to accept the solution (Kumar, Lemon, Parasuraman, 2006). Second element is procedural justice that include process used to evaluate customer outcome, it include speed of service recovery, information collection process; it is crucial to accept responsibility of service failure, acknowledge it and address it. Such approach helps in regaining customer faith i n the brand. Third factor is interaction justice that includes the way manager or other hotel staffs behaves with the customer. It is crucial to face emotional experience during service failure (Michel, Bowen, Johnston, 2008). Process Recovery Customers remain dissatisfied if even after service failure the system remains unchanged. Therefore company needs to collect problem data through surveys, direct interaction from customers as well as hotel staff. Different strategies that can be used to collect detail data on process failure include mystery hopper, critical incident, TQM. Organizations need to collect problem, evaluate root causes and take corrective actions. Employee Recovery In hotel industry customers are in direct interaction with front office staff, their service encounters impact service quality. Therefore it is crucial that management implement staff satisfaction strategies to enhance their motivation and ability to encounter service failure situations (Chianga, Back, Canter, 2005). It requires providing adequate training to employees on customer relationship management, rewarding employees for customer acquisition and retention etc. Service recovery require joint effort from marketing, human resource and operational department of the company. Customer feedback is a primary tool to understand service experiences. Conclusion Above analysis helped in understanding service blueprint for hotel industry. All organizations in this industry aim to manage high service quality to achieve high customer satisfaction level. There is direct relationship between control over service quality and customer satisfaction from the service, which leads to customer loyalty, repurchase and profitability for the company (Bei Chiao, 2006). Moment of truth is the prime element that help in understanding the degree of service quality and gaps in the planning done by organization, it help in understanding various failure points that can cause customer dissatisfaction. Further these paper present different strategies that can help hotel industry in reducing the risk of service failure and enhance customer experience with the organization. Further, service recovery only works once but if the company fails twice to the same customer, it might not help. Bibliography Bebko, C. (2001). Service encounter problems: Which service providers are more likely to be blamed? Journal of Services Marketing, 15. Bei, L., Chiao, Y. (2006). The determinants of customer loyalty: an analysis of intangible factors in three service industries. International Journal of Commerce and Management,, 267-287. Blesic, I. (2011). Application of gap model in the researches of hotel service quality. Toruizam, 40-52. Chianga, C.-F., Back, K.-J., Canter, D. D. (2005). The Impact of Employee Training on Job Satisfaction and Intention to Stay in the Hotel Industry. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality Tourism, 99-118. Christensen-Hughes, J. (1992). Cultural diversity: The lesson of Toronto's hotels. The Cornell hotel and resturant administration quaterly, 77-87. Cronin, J. (2000). Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. Journal of Retailing, 76(2), 193-218. Daniel, C. N., Berinyuy, L. P. (2010). Using the SERVQUAL Model to assess Service Quality and CustomerSatisfaction. Umea: Umea School of Business. Grove, S. J. (1998). Assessing the Theatrical Components of Service Encounter. Services Industries Journal, 18(3), 116-134. Kandampully, J. (2002). Innovation as the core competency of a service organisation: the role of technology, knowledge and networks. European Journal of Innovation Management, 18 - 26. Kang, G., James, J., Alexandris, K. (2002). Measurement of internal service quality: Application of the SERVQUAL battery to internal service quality. Managing Service Quality, 278-291. Kueh, S., Bagul, D. A. ( 2013 ). The Effects of Nonverbal Communication of Hotel Employees upon Emotional Responses of Hotel Guests. International Journal of Research in Management Technology , 126-132. Kumar, V., Lemon, K. N., Parasuraman, A. (2006). Managing Customers for Value. Journal of Service Research, 87-94. Lovelock, C. (2007). Services Marketing People, Technology, Strategy. New Delhi: Pearson Education India. McLean-Conner, P. (2006). Customer Service: Utility Style : Proven Strategies for Improving Customer Service and Reducing Customer Care Costs. Oklahoma: PennWell Books. Michel, S., Bowen, D., Johnston, R. (2008). Service recovery management: closing the gap between best practices. Retrieved September 21, 2016, from www.dienstleistungsmarketing.ch: https://www.dienstleistungsmarketing.ch/documents/MichelBowenJohnston_ServRecMgt_Reformated.pdf Parasuman, A., Berry, L., Zeithmal, V. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implication of service quality. Cambridge : Marketing sceince institute . Robledo, M. A. (2001). Measuring and managing service quality: integrating customer expectations. Managing Service Quality, 11(1), 22-31. Seyring, M. (2009). Service Blueprinting. SEPT Program. Talwar, P. (2006). Hotel And Hospitality Management: Housekeeping. New delhi: Gyan Books. Uran, M. (2005). The organizational gap model for Hotel management. Managing global transistion , 405-422. Widjaja, D. C. (2005). Managing service quality in hospitality industrythrough managing the moment of truth: a theoretical approach. Journal manajemen perhotelan, 6-15. Zeithaml, V., Bitner, J. (2000). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. Boston: McGraw-Hill, .

Strategy to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization

Introduction In his definition of service industry, Punia (2005) explains that â€Å"the service sector produces â€Å"intangible† goods, some well known-government, health, education, and business services-and some quite new-modern communications, information, and business services†. This industry is among those with the highest levels of growth and expansion. Like Othman (2011) notes, â€Å"everything that grows also changes its structure†.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategy to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A growing economy and competition in the service sector means that management, trends, human resource needs and other areas in the industry are constantly adjusting to accommodate the changes. Diverse needs in the service sector means that most organizations are not able to sat isfy their human resource needs from one market. As a result, recruitments are done from different markets and regions. Human resource management is therefore no longer an easy task for the organizations in the service industry (World Bank, n.d). It requires a precise skill to accommodate people with diverse cultural backgrounds, and convert the differences to a valuable asset. Even as this happens in the industry, â€Å"each individual, irrespective of background and context, wants to be valued for what they can bring to an organization† (Smircich, 1983). The need to be valued is instilled in every human being. Perhaps that is why Barnard and Ronald (2000) argue that â€Å"it is this human-hunger to be valued that drives the positive power that cultural diversity can bring to the workplace†. In an attempt to do this, it is notable that managing workforce diversity can be a complex task for many organizations in the service industry. In the face of growing diversity in the sector, organizations need to overcome traditional habits and assumptions to ensure the best practices are implemented. Cultural diversity in an organization can manifest itself in the following ways: Problem-solving style National culture Ethics Attitude towards problems and opportunities Embracing change Embracing technology The role of human resource management As Bratton and Gold (2003) explain, â€Å"human resources management is the function in an organization charged with the responsibility of implementing policies and strategies related to management of individuals who comprise the work force of an organization†. Without a stable, well supported and well equipped human resource management team, expensive investments and innovative ideas in the service industry may not yield any results.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, for a company’ s HRM efforts to pay returns, â€Å"the human resource department must align the supply of skilled and qualified individuals and capabilities of the workforce with the organization’s plans to maximize output and secure future success† (McNamara, 2009). Its functions and strategies have to be performed and implemented effectively and pragmatically for it to bear any meaningful results. The same author explains that â€Å"successful organizations are those which are adaptable, resilient, quick to change directions, and customer-centered† (Frame, 2003). The working environment in the service sector today is constantly changing and demands strategic planning and organization. People in a business are a key determinant of how successful it is going to be and how long it will last. As the labor markets get more and more competitive, and the need for talent becomes more obvious for optimum performance, human resource managers are facing major challenges as they try to get the best in the market, retain them and ensure they have consistent performance. Strategies that create a competitive advantage Managing the differences Several challenges arise when people from different backgrounds with different ways of doing things and relating to people come together. Albrecht (2001) helps the reader understand by explaining that â€Å"challenges arising include rightness in conflict where judgments are made from our upbringing, our history, circumstances and our religion, race, beliefs and cultural alignment†. There are also stresses caused by traditional practices, diversity in values, varying interpretations of various happenings, as well as the normal conflicts arising from backbiting and other bad habits at the workplace. In the service industry, a competitive advantage is paramount for a business to survive in the highly competitive industry. To develop one, a business must find relevant solutions to these challenges. One way through which thes e differences can be managed is by developing and adopting acceptance and an understanding of diversity (Baumuller, 2007). This allows everyone in the organization to experience and work in a harmonious environment. They can also solved by helping employees understand why they have come together and what they need to accomplish. Developing a common team-based mission is one way of doing this.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategy to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Regular meetings to clear past group or individual differences is also a significant way of encouraging harmony and letting go of any animosity that may be building up. An organization can even go further and have employees sign agreements and commitments to respect everyone regardless of their cultural backgrounds. Information and background mana gement Information management is a challenge when dealing with a team of people from all over the globe. Technological innovations such as Human Resource Management Systems have made it easy for organizations to handle HR information. Such systems also feature personnel administration, organizational management, industrial management and manpower management. They are tools towards understanding employees’ background in what the organization is involved in. For multinational corporations, their team could be from all over the globe. It is important that their backgrounds are investigated and past experience understood. Information management is therefore paramount to ensure that employees don’t suffer damaging culture shock by exposed to extremely new kinds of treatment. For example, employees from Muslim countries might expect that a company provides a private space for prayer hours as it is the case in most companies in the Middle East. An employee from the west may f ind it hard to cope with a more conservative dress code if they are working for an organization in the more religious nation. When making decisions of what should be available for employees, how they should dress and how they should behave at work, it is important for a business to understand their backgrounds and come up with standards that suit everyone. For this reason, having access and managing information about employees’ background is paramount. Communication Gaining competitive advantage has become a major challenge for organizations in the service industry today. As markets get larger and more competitive, strategic human resource management is a key recipe when formulating effective strategies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employers must be able to establish what works in their human resource management efforts and what doesn’t, to eliminate those strategies that waste time and cost the business. This can be much easier when an organization has more open communication channels available for their employees. It is critical that an organization makes it completely easy for employees to communicate any discomfort. Managing cultural diversity will make more sense to an organization that allows employees to express their feelings freely (Marchington and Adrian, 2005). The avenue should be open for all topics and issues that affect them. This should include sensitive issues such as disagreements with the executive and company policies. While some people may be conservative where risks are concerned, some are bold and will take bigger risks. It is therefore paramount that an organization understands this before building teams and putting people together for tasks. Allowing them to communicate is the o nly way to understand their cultural weaknesses and strengths. Language barriers should also be addressed to ensure everyone can communicate with each other effectively. Motivation and discipline Motivation and discipline can be achieved by making sure that everyone’s differences are treated as an asset to an organization. Criticizing employees because they are not like everyone else encourages pretence and discourages openness. It may create resentment among employees who feel looked down upon. Like Syed and Mustafa (2010) explain, there can never be success in a team when people don’t have each other’s best interests at heart. It is also not possible when people are attempting to bring each other down. Such negative happenings occur when an organization is selective when giving praise or compliments. Motivation and discipline will be achieved when an organization adopts a culture of appreciation and accommodation among its employees. Every member of the organi zation should be trained to appreciate differences, as well as identify the differences among their colleagues and find ways of putting them into use in different tasks. Policies should be clear enough for anyone who tries to intimidate or disrespect colleagues for being different from them. Reward mechanisms should only be based on performance at work and not on outlook or cultural backgrounds or practices. A major challenge facing organizations in the service industry is ensuring talented employees stay motivated and disciplined. A good employer must be courageous enough to let go of employees who affect results negatively. If such qualities lack, holding on to employees simply because they come from a certain cultural background may be costly for an organization. Relating with customers The service sector is one of the industries that deal with people directly. Cultural diversity can affect the way employees deal with clients. A business must ensure that no differences occur betw een employees and customers due to cultural differences. There should be consistency in the way services are provided regardless of who is doing it (Ramsay, Dora and Bill, 2000). For example, one marketing person may have an extremely different way of interacting with customers and discrepancies could occur when the customers are served by another member of an organization. It is therefore paramount that an organization ensures consistency in employees’ line of duty through training and setting rules and guidelines on how services are delivered. Effective policies HR policies serve several purposes in the service sector. They allow organizations to be clear with their employees on issues that affect the way they work and achieve set objectives. Such issues include what employees should expect from the organization, how policies and procedures work in an organization, acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, the organization’s expectations on employees, and how to handle cultural diversity, among other important issues. As Baptiste (2007) argues, â€Å"the establishment of policies can help an organization demonstrate, both internally and externally, that it meets requirements for diversity, ethics and training as well as its commitments in relation to regulation and corporate governance†. When managing cultural diversity, they help an organization define everyone’s obligations towards achieving harmony, standards of behavior and document disciplinary procedures, as well as supportive strategies among employees towards helping each other meet goals towards the good of an organization. Conclusion Cultural diversity in the service industry can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending with how it is managed. Differences among an organization’s team can be used to enable it manage diverse circumstances. They can also divide the organization when employees are allowed to focus on what is not common between them. Finding a balance between embracing differences and using them as strength is a major challenge in the service industry. It is also presents a challenge as far as dealing with a diverse clientele is concerned. â€Å"In our fast transforming world, company and organizational leadership often lag the reality of their employee and client-base† (Ely and David, 2001). From the discussion, it is obvious that these challenges can be managed. To achieve competitive advantage, an organization needs to address the differences, put in place tough discipline measures, identify areas of conflict and solve them, as well as establish communication channels that allow employees to express themselves and get feedback. As the need for a more diverse workforce grows, cultural diversity is here to stay for businesses in the service sector. It is only wise that organizations start investing in finding long-lasting solutions. These include aggressive training on how to manage differences when performing team work, how to manage conflicts arising from cultural differences, establishing standard values and professional ethics, as well as enhancing communication channels to allow employees speak out before animosity builds up to unbearable levels. Reference List Albrecht, M.H., 2001. International HRM: Managing diversity in the workplace. Oxford: Blackwell. Baptiste, N.R., 2007. Tightening the link between employees’ well-being at work and performance. A New Dimension for HRM, 46(2), PP. 284-305. Barnard, M.E. and Ronald, A.R., 2000. How are internally oriented HRM policies related to high-performance work practices? Evidence from Singapore. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(6), pp. 1017-1046. Baumuller, M., 2007. Managing cultural diversity an empirical examination of cultural networks and organizational structures as governance mechanisms in multinational corporations. Oxford Books: New York. Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2003. Human resource management theory and pract ice 3rd ed. London: Bath Press. Ely, R.J. and David, A.T., 2001. Cultural diversity at work: The effects of diversity perspective on work group processes and outcomes. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(2), pp. 229-273. Frame, J.D., 2003. Managing projects in organizations: How to make the best use of time, techniques, and people. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. Marchington, M., and Adrian, W., 2005. Human resource management at work. United Kingdom: CIPD. McNamara, C., 2009. Human resource management. Available at: https://managementhelp.org/humanresources/index.htm . Punia, B.K., 2005. Organizational cultures in service sector an exploration. Delhi Business Review, 6(1), pp. 45-52. Smircich, L., 1983. Concept of culture and organizational analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28, pp. 339-358. Syed, J. and Mustafa, O., 2010. Managing cultural diversity in Asia: A research companion. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Othman, R., 2011. Human resource management practice of servic e organizations: Evidence from selected Malaysian firms. Journal of Asia-Pacific Business, 2(3):pp. 65-80. Ramsay, H., Dora, S. and Bill, H., 2000. Employee and high performance work systems: Testing inside the black box. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38(4), pp. 501-531. World Bank, n.d. Growth of the service sector. Available at:  http://www.worldbank.org/ . This report on Strategy to gain a competitive advantage through managing cultural diversity within a service sector organization was written and submitted by user Abby Hines to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.