EOC Week 10: Up in the Air

George Clooney's role in the movie Up in the Air is phenomenal. He plays a character with a job that most people have probably never even imagined having. He goes around to different companies and fires employees in place of the managers. Clooney uses his skills and makes the employee see the brighter side of losing their job. The girl in the movie seems very intelligent, however just a little inexperienced. I could totally understand why Clooney wanted to do the job alone, because knows what he is doing, he's good at it and he doesn't want any type of slack, which is what he felt the girl was going to cause. The girl felt like she knew what she was doing and is obviously very interested in the career because she is constantly focused and always trying. However, Clooney tends to top everything she says and she probably makes her feel like she knows nothing, but she is learning things that will benefit her in this job position. Clooney is good at his job because he has seen it all. He knows exactly how to deal with pretty much any type of response.

If I were in this job position I would probably always try to make the best of it, just like Clooney did. Rather than delivering bad news, he made it as if he were delivering good news. Most people think that getting fired is a bad thing and it always seems that way. However, I do believe there is a bright side to absolutely everything. It's important to stay focus on the positive rather than dwell on the negative, especially when it's something that you deal with on a day to day basis.

EOC Week 9: Personal Freedom vs. Union Membership

What would you do if you wanted to work for a company and you had to join the union to get the job?
Basically if I wanted to work for a company but had to join the union to get the job, I would join the union. It all comes down to how badly you want the job. If I didn't feel the job was worth both the benefits and advantages of joining the union, then obviously I would not take the job.

What if they called a strike over an issues you did not agree with?
If there was a strike called over an issue that I did not agree with then I would do my best to express my feelings and to have the other party see in my point of view. However, if no action can be taken to strengthen my side of the issue, I would just change my attitude towards the problem to where it wasn't bothering me. I always say, if you don't like something, change it; if you can't change it, then change the way you think about it.

What other issues might concern you if you had to belong to get a paycheck?
I am a pretty adventurous person and I like to do things on my own. I have a hard time doing anything that someone requires me to do that I don't want to do. I just don't feel like anyone should do anything they didn't want to do. Therefore, that would be my main concern-- if I wanted to relocate somewhere or take time off to travel or visit family, I think that I have every right to, and if someone told me that I was not allowed, that would become an issue.

EOC Week 8: Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a huge issue, always has been and always will be. Within any type of work environment, there is some type of sexual harassment going on. However, most of the time people do not take action on these matters. In my opinion, sexual harassment should be taken more seriously than it is today. Most people, rather than solving the problem, they create drama within the work environment, talking to other employees about something that bothered them. This then puts the innocent employee in an awkward position, knowing the problem and not sure whether or not to do anything about the problem. I think that sexual harassment is so common that no one even notices it. As common as this issue is, it's most common with women being harassed by men, although it does happen the other way around. Everyone should be aware of this issue because this isn't something that someone should have to worry about in their everyday life.  Hopefully people will always be able to look forward to work and enjoy being around their co-workers, even though in some cases it doesn't always end up this way.


"Harm caused by sexual harassment is often extreme, including humiliation, loss of dignity, psychological (and sometimes physical) injury, and damage to professional reputation and career.26 Inevitably, the victims face a choice between their work and their self-esteem. Sometimes, they face a choice between their jobs and their own safety." (quote linked)

EOC Week 7: How to Evaluate Employee Performance in 15 Easy Steps

What did you learn?

I learned a lot about Breann, for the fact that I've never even met her before. She is a culinary student and she is originally from Canada. I also learned that you have to live in the U.S. for 3 years before you can apply to be a citizen
. 

What caught you by surprise?

It caught me  by surprise that Breann is from Canada and works in Academic Affairs here at the school.  She is a Canadian citizen working on her citizenship in the U.S.

How prepared were you?

I was prepared with good questions to ask about her current employment situation and began to come up with even better questions during the process for the fact that I was basically getting to  know her in a sense.

Evaluate the individual members of your group.

Breann is very intelligent and presents herself professionally. She speaks well and clearly. She has a lot of goals and is okay with stepping outside of her comfort zone. She likes to learn about the world and other cultures, for her plans after school are to travel.

By name, how did they participate?

Breann participated with enthusiasm and was comfortable with answering all the questions I had to ask her. She was very open and seemed confident with her answers. 


Do you think they (by name) could be viable candidates for a real job? Explain.

Of course, I think Breann would make a great employee anywhere, for she does put up with a lot in Academic Affairs, where I think she does not work preferably, but does it anyway because she needs a job.

Would you want them to represent your school in a job interview situation as a graduate of The Art Institute?

Yes, she is a great person to represent our school. She has a lot of goals and is reaching them one step at a time.

How could this experience be improved for you? For the class?

I think that if I had another person in our group to kind of "compare" or maybe get the other person to open up more would give me more to work with.

EOC Week 6: Steps in Job Instruction Training

 

In this movie, I feel like the boss did not take the right steps in training his new employees. First off, I believe he was unprofessional and incompetent to his work place. He was never fully aware of what was going on within the company and this is a HUGE responsibility for all the leaders within a company.  Also, there is a clear example of having the wrong person train an employee. When having an employee that is not exactly happy with their job environment, they probably aren't the best person to have training your employees. New employees may get rubbed the wrong way and think twice about showing up the next day.  This doesn't necessarily mean that a company is not a great workplace (if the trainer is unhappy with their current position), but negative energy tends to spread faster than positive energy and people are more responsive to negative energy.  However, when people feel great about a decision they've made, they don't realize they feel great. They usually come in contact with their feelings more quickly when they feel upset. It's important to stay professional and not give first impressions as not being a friend. After awhile, the employee will find their comfort zone within the workplace, therefore first impressions should be kept very professional and not taken to a personal level.

"Unfortunately, we are more likely to note negative rather than positive information when interviewing new employees." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 145

"Even though women fill a majority of he positions in many service industries, most old what have commonly been referred to as "pink-collar jobs," working as servers typists, secretaries and room attendants." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 33

"Even though Title VII and subsequent legislation made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace, it is wrong to assume that equality has been attained. This is especially true regarding two groups in the work force: women and senior citizens." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 33

EOC Week 5: Stolen Valor

 

This topic discusses the legal issues between companies and their hiring procedures. This deals with people who are applying for a job position and lie about their work experience in the military field. Applicants are claiming to have some sort of experience within this workforce, but turns out their information was completely false. This is not accepted and can be found degrading to other applicants. It is possible that there were other applicants who are more suit for the job but possibly did not get the job due to the fact that someone else looked better because they had experience in the military. Another negative affect is that they have now hired someone who lied to the company before even being within the company. These applicants will most likely never be trusted. However, I do not think that these applicants should be prosecuted, but they should be fired. It is important for a company to trust its employees because trusting internal sources should not be a company's number one priority. If I were in the human resources department within a company that came across this problem, I would definitely take act on firing the employee. Although the employee has the right to put whatever he/she wants on the application, they are given the option to tell the truth. 

EOC Week 4: Mini-Case Study

1. Advice would you give Bob Borich?

I would advise Bob to make more time for training employees himself. It's important to take the time to spend getting to know your employees. There should be a level of respect developed to where the employees can express loyalty to the business.  I feel like when there is a good relationship between the business and the employee, the employee will not just leave and let down the business. Also, the "top guy" is usually in their position for a reason-- they usually have the most experience or best knowledge about anything going on in the business. Therefore, they would probably be the best judge of how to work with a new employee.

"Often, the performance of marginal employees improves at the same time new employees are socialized." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg.183

2. How unique do you believe Bob Borich's current situation is?

Honestly, I believe that more than just a few companies experience this same situation, if not ALL. It's very common for a business to take a fall when it comes to hiring new employees because that helps them to shape and narrow down to great employees. Once these falls have been taken, usually a business is able to learn from their mistakes and build from there. In order to prevent future mistakes is to make them now.

"There is no single best way to socialize employees. Managers must choose from a variety of socialization approaches and decide which are best for the company and its employees." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg.181

3. What parts of orientation should be turned over to employees to conduct?

Parts of orientation such as learning the menu, cleaning standards, closing duties and food interpretation are all okay to turn over to employs to conduct. Employees must always be introduced to all aspects of the business and by the right guidance.

"New employees also must be introduced to the values, norms, and behaviors consistent with success in the organization." -Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg.177

EOC Week 3: Culinary Survivors

Demonstrating a positive business philosophy has brought great results to business owners in Las Vegas today. For example, Ricardo's has made decisions based upon what he feels is the best thing for him to do. This had lead him from 6 successful locations to one, today, very successful location. "Having multiple stores when I was younger seemed like the right thing to do, and having one right now when I'm 57 feels like the right thing to do." -Bob Ansara
Another successful company, called Metro Pizza, operates several locations and has been open since 1980. This company chooses to create a great work environment that guests love to experience. "We choose not to participate in that negative environment. We stay focused on what is important to us and what we know is important to our guests."-John Arena
As far as not having the greatest philosophy, but still seems to be making it happen, companies such as Ferraro's & Bob Taylor's Ranch House. Ferraro's gives the impression of a fine dining restaurant that serves Italian food & wine. However, during the weekdays, they offer major deals and discounts, such as 2 for 1 dining, where this makes the customer feel like their products and service is over priced on the weekends. As for Bob Taylor's Ranch House, he does not seem like the type to adapt to change. He likes to keep things simple and traditional. I think that if he were to try something new, he may be open to more opportunities that lead to better profit. "We've always been a local place. You still get a choice of soup or salad with your dinner and a choice of potato. We're not a la carte, like a lot of the restaurants that have come and gone", says Jeff Special. This quote expresses his comfort with where his business lies today.

EOC Week 2: This Charming Man

Today we face many illegal immigration issues against immigrants under many different circumstances. Countries that tend to be growing or what we consider “developed” are destination homes for many who are experiencing life where they don’t have enough food, water, opportunity or freedom. We tend to look past these things because our country operates on money. Everything you want or have usually cost a price. Some people within the country facing illegal immigration issues sometimes are bothered by them and wish for them to just stay away. However, in my opinion, we have one world and I believe anyone should be able to live where they please as long as they meet all of the requirements. I don’t believe that our laws are too strict and I do agree with them. It does cost some money but it costs everyone money to go anywhere in the country. Money requires hard work and a positive attitude. If it were easy, everyone would do it. There are some immigrants who are hired to work under the table and given fake identification cards. There are women who marry men and men who marry women just to make them a citizen of that country for they can stay. It is amazing what people do to stay without one country and within another.  I do think it is wrong to accuse someone before there is proof of the matter of illegal immigration.  Each situation should be taken into consideration before any false accusations or actions are taken.

“Violating the rights of lawful Arizona citizens of Hispanic ancestry to ferret out undocumented immigrants is wrong.”

(http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/29)

“Illegal immigration may cause some problems in America but unleashing police to maraud against non-whites is not the solution.”

(http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/29)

EOC WEEK 2: Zippy Airline Catering

1. Are the changes made by the hospitality company significant redesigns of the work done? Why or why not?
I don’t think that the changes in redesign were too major. It seems that they changed the process, making the process actually easier than what it already was. Although the changes were not significant, they still benefit the employees and made the outcome more thorough.
"Performance standards establish the required levels of quality in the work performed." (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 72)
2. What do you think will happen as a result of this redesign?
As a result of this redesign, I think that the employees will work harder and be more productive. They are actually working toward a goal and knowing that they are going to be rewarded. When employees know that they will be rewarded, teamwork and good work ethic come into play.
"...the person responsible for analyzing the job can better understand the skills, knowledge, physical requirements, personality type and so on..." (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 59)
3. What steps would you have taken before initiating substantial changes in the way work is done at Zippy Airline Catering?
In this process I would have taken in more consideration from the employees to see what their views were on the situation. Maybe even testing out the new process before making it official would make the company more beneficial and possibly open to more ideas.
"Once a productivity standards assessment has been completed, a manager can use the data to establish productivity standards for each position in the operation..." (Managing Hospitality Human Resources, pg. 73)

EOC Week 1: Old Timer Makes Waves

Sally is a long-term employee of a company that seems to be inclining on the business curve. However, to consider a company successful, it must be adapting to the changes in its environment to continue making profit. It's obvious that Sally shows some type of dedication-- to an extent, that is. Sally seems to feel that the company owes her something in return for her years of hard work input. I do believe that great employees shall be rewarded or recognized for standing out. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to want to grow WITH the company. It may be that she is a little burnt out, or possibly doesn't feel that the company's changes are going to benefit the company. Either way, whether Sally showed commitment in the previous years at work, her consistency is slowly but surely lagging. It seems like Sally's traditional way of work is making her part ways with the company, abstractly, and I feel like if Sally doesn't want to acknowledge the change in environment, then her time is probably up, physically, with this company. Management should definitely take into consideration Sally's feelings toward the situation, after all, she does deserve to be heard. From there, the company can provide Sally with information about the only possibilities to make her happy and what they expect in return, and if Sally cannot relate then Sally shall understand that this company was at one time where she belonged and will probably fit in better somewhere else, somewhere more traditional.

"According to the ruling by the Supreme Court, it is discriminatory to lay off employees with seniority simply 

to protect the jobs of recent hires who belong to protected groups." (Managing Hospitality Resources, pg. 31)

"Hospitality will face an additional need: increased reliance on aging baby boomers to fill part-time positions." (Managing Hospitality Resources, pg. 35)

"...the best way to avoid potential lawsuits is simply to listen to employees, find out what they want, need, expect and would like." (Managing Hospitality Resources, pg. 36)

"Do not promise more than you are willing to deliver. Some courts have even viewed lengthy duration of employment as an "implied contract" of permanent employment." (Managing Hospitality Resources, pg. 32)

EOC Week 1: My Voice

As a professional in the fashion industry here in Los Angeles, CA, I find myself extremely active as a wholesale representative, fashion events coordinator, model, stylist, photographer and a full-time blogger. Projects are my hobby. I love to be the one putting things together, making things happen, and given the recognition when it's all wrapped up. Fashion, beauty and health is my life. I'm a sucker when it comes to dropping thousands of dollars on one article of clothing, for I have great respect for my favorite high-end designers. You can find me advertising my own photography, styling, my favorite beauty products and much more on my blog that I've operated and progressed over the last few years. While all this is going on, I tend to keep very mobile-- traveling around the U.S. to other metropolitan cities as well as making appearances nationwide. Fashion Week is a must-go, where I'm caught mingling and networking with some of my favorite people who share common interests. Free time is dedicated to long hours at the gym or reading a book to learn something I didn't know yesterday.