Hotel Information System Essays

Hotel Information System Essays Hotel Information System Essay Hotel Information System Essay | IST 419 Final Project| Hotel Information System| | This paper is aimed to conduct a thorough analysis on determining the most appropriate system for the company and how to implement the system best. | | Yuyang Zhang| 12/2/2011| | Identify the Problem A profitable hospitality business not only needs an efficient team of seasoned hotel management professionals, but excellent administration tools as well. An effective hotel management system can go a long way in ensuring efficient management of the complete hotel’s business. Apart from taking care of the administration aspect of the hotel, a hotel management system can assist you in management of inventory, reservation, sales and several other functional aspects of a hotel. Having a software custom-made for your hotel’s requirements can be a very costly affair; the better option is to buy a good off the shelf application which can be operated from multiple locations. However, it is important that the pre-built software application meets the following criterias: * Overall functionality – It is important that the hotel management system is chosen keeping in mind the specific purposes it is going to solve. It can be implemented to either automate one or two specific functions or to perform multiple tasks. Most importantly, the software should be web-based, so that it is able to import/export data from/to different websites/locations. * Ease of implementation – The hotel management system should be compatible with the pre-existing system in the hotel. Moreover, it should have the ability to import data from the old system without any difficulty. Ease of adaptability – The hotel management system should be easy to install and operate. Since the hotel staff is normally not technically qualified, the software has to be easy to navigate and supported by a comprehensive manual. Further, it should also have a help option built into it, which can be referred to instantly, in case of any technical problem. The system administrator should also be provided with proper guidelines for effective troubleshooting. * Vendor’s reputation – The reputation and authenticity of the software manufacturer should be checked and verified properly before making a decision to invest in a particular hotel management system. One should ask the vendor to provide testimonials/references of existing clients, which should then be cross-checked on a random basis. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you take into account the after sales support and terms and conditions of service into consideration as well. * Ease of Scalability – The hotel management system should be easily scalable without having to incur excessive expenditure in the event of future expansions. It should have the features to add and manage multiple properties without compromising on the performance of the system. Third party Integrations- It should have the ability to integrate third party utilities such as video-on-demand, CRM, EPABX, Room Key etc. without incurring any additional expenditure (apart from the utility itself) In the specific case, for a newly-acquired, independent hotel, the very first upgrade required should be implemented on the Property Management System. The reasons are following; the Property Management System (PMS) is the most critical tool and core system in intellectual property, manufacturing and hospitality management. An upgrade on the PMS could bring a significant improvement in management efficiency as well as increase in revenue in a short period. In addition, the new system is designed to better control the properties including equipment maintenance, personal property and personnel. With the data based management system, PMS also provides a more efficient way of guest booking, sales, point of sale and security. After carefully analysis and selection, I have made a list of three system providers among various choices: WinPM, Micros and Auto clerk. In the following article, I will deeply analysis the pros and cons for each vendor. Property Management System Description A. WinPM WinPM is a Windows-based property management system and utilizes Microsoft’s SQL server, which is widely recognized as a scalable and affordable database option for integrated data management. Additionally, WinPM is deployed using industry standard hardware that is easily supported and cost-effective. From a single property to multiple properties, WinPM scales to meet your data and operational requirements, and to deliver the robust functionality and performance required to service demanding hotel guests with optimum speed and efficiency. WinPM quickly and seamlessly integrates with other MSI products and interfaces with a wide variety of third party systems to serve the diverse and dynamic needs of your operation. From web bookings to sales and catering to point of sale and business intelligence, MSI does it all. WinPM even makes it easy to add a peripheral device, including automated self-check-in kiosks and wireless remotes. B. Micros The Micros property management software is designed to meet the varied requirements of any size hotel or hotel chain, OPERA PMS provides all the tools a hotel staff needs for doing their day-to-day jobs - handling reservations, checking guests in and out, assigning rooms and managing room inventory, accommodating in-house guest needs, and handling accounting and billing. The property management software is configurable to each property’s specific requirements and operates in either single-property or multi-property mode, with all properties in a complex sharing a single database. OPERA Property Management Systems is fully integrated with OPERA Sales and Catering, OPERA Gaming and Comp Accounting, OPERA Vacation Ownership System, OPERA Quality Management System, and the OPERA central systems - ORS, the OPERA Reservation System; and OCIS, the OPERA Customer Information System. C. Auto Clerk The AutoClerk Property Management System (PMS) is designed to be the most powerful, intuitive PMS on the market. At the core of every hotel operator’s business is the guest experience. Because it is important for your front desk staff to be confident and organized, we strive to make the front desk processes as simple and easy to use as possible. Our unique one-step screens are simple to learn and powerful to use. Comparison Table | WinPM| Micros| Auto Clerk| Pros| 1. Condo-Owner Reporting2. Automated Purge Options3. Rate strategies with minimum andmaximum length of stay4. Room Status Discrepancy Reports| 1. Automatically controlling rates2. Demographic records for guests3. Account Receivable integrated4. Back Office Interface5. interfaces to hundreds of third-party hospitality systems| 1. Yield Management Tools2. Room Allotments3. Easy Audit4. Single step check-in5. Single screen reservations6. Group processing7. Guest history| Key feature| Forecasts and Statistics| Scaled-down edition designed for smaller clients| One-step night audit. | Ease of implementation*| 9| 10| 9| Ease of Scalability*| 8| 10| 8| Vendor’s reputation*| 10| 8| 10| Overall functionality*| 9| 8| 9| * Scale from 1 to 10 Detailed Comparison table Vendor| WinPM| Micros| Auto Clerk| Reservations| GroupsOnline Guest and Folio HistoryUnlimited InventoryMulti-Segment ReservationsYield Management ToolsFlexible Share Functionality Reservation Denial TrackingExtensive PBX Operator Search ToolsGuest MessagingPackage SupportSupport for Extended Stay ModelCondo-Owner Reporting| OPERA Reservation features are integrated with other functionality such as profiles, cashiering, and deposits. This property management software module offers a complete set of features for making and updating individual, group, and business block reservations, including deposit handling, cancellations, confirmations, wait listing, room blocking, and sharing| Groups Check InOnline Guest and Folio HistoryUnlimited InventoryMulti-Segment ReservationsYield Management ToolsReservation Denial TrackingSupport for Extended Stay ModelCondo-Owner ReportingRoom AllotmentsAvailability SnapshotCustom PackagesE-mail Option| Accounting| Credit/Debit AgingCity Ledger Dispute TrackingAutomated Purge OptionsQuick Search by AccountsAccount Drill Down FeaturesCompliance with HFTP’s 10thEdition Accounting Standards Journal File Exports to Third-PartyBack Office Software Forecasts and Statistics| Posting guest and passer-by charges (including taxes and other generates), making posting adjustments, managing advance deposits, settlements, checkout and folio printing are a few of the many activities handled b y OPERA Cashiering. Cashiering accommodates multiple payment methods per reservation including cash, check, credit cards, and direct bill. In multi-property environments, guest charges can be cross-posted from any property in the hotel complex. Credit/Debit AgingCity Ledger Dispute TrackingCompliance with HFTP’s 10thEdition Accounting StandardsChannel Auditing| Front Desk| One Screen Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop CorrectionsTransfer and Charge Routing withGuest SearchMultiple Folios for Each GuestGuest History Log| One-Step Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop Correctionsinter-department advisories, or traces| One Screen Check-in/Check-outDrag and Drop CorrectionsMultiple Folios for Each GuestGuest History Log| Housekeeping| Drag and Drop Room-to-MaidAssignmentsHousekeeping and Maintenance StaffTrackingRoom Status Discrepancy ReportsMulti-Language SupportPatterned Schedules to ComplementGreen Policies| The Queue Rooms feature of the property management software coordinates Front Office and Housekeeping efforts when guests are waiting for rooms which are not immediately available for assignment | Drag and Drop Room-to-MaidAssignmentsHousekeeping and Maintenance StaffTrackingupdate a single room at a time or work with groups of rooms. | Sales and Marketing| Rate Strategies with Minimum andMaximum Length of StayPackage SupportStatisticsReporting and Export CapabilityGuest Profiles and History| OPERA Property Management System supports multi-currency and multi-language features to meet the requirements of global operations. Rates and revenues can be dynamically converted from the local currency to any other currency. The appropriate language for guest correspondence can be automatically determined by the guest’s profile language; country-specific address formats are supported. | Rate Strategies with Minimum andMaximum Length of StayReporting and Export CapabilityGuest Profiles and History| Key feature description| WinPM automatically forecast the future rates based on current availability and other hotels’ situations. | Micros PM offers a scaled-down edition of our property management systems for smaller properties or properties offering limited services. OPERA property management software product. Nightly audit report is saved on disk, and is available in a variety of formats. Options are available to turn off audit printing to save paper and time. Automatically posts room and tax| Analysis of Cost See the attached Excel Sheet Recommendation From the feature analysis, the three vendor all have different competitive advantages. It is very difficult to select the best one. In this specific case, for a newly-acquired, independent hotel, it has to fulfill the scale requirement, which is relatively small scale. Among the three vendors, Micro is an expert at small scale systems. Micro provides a scaled-down edition of our property management systems for smaller properties or properties offering limited services. According to the balance sheet, Micro provides both the highest ROI AND IRR, which indicates the project is the most profitable one. Based on the above analysis I will recommend ROC to implement the property management system from Micro Co,. Plan of Implementation A. Initiation Identify the problems Prepare project charter and scope statement B. Planning Develop Work break down Structure Narrow the field List potential solutions Budgeting C. Executing Formulate Business requirements Develop Property management system Install Property management system Provide Good Training D. Monitoring and controlling Implement additional modifications Request users’ feedback Test Before launch

How to answer What are you most passionate about in an interview

How to answer What are you most passionate about in an interview When we’re on the job hunt in search of our next great career opportunity, many of us spend the bulk of our time in prep mode, where we do everything we can to try and get our foot in the door of a company that we want to work for. This includes research to see which companies are hiring, catching up on the latest industry news and trends, and frantic networking to kick open the doors of opportunity. Meanwhile, we’re also polishing our cover letters and resumes until they’re razor-sharp, and- if we’re lucky enough to score an interview- spending an almost embarrassing amount of time thinking about what we’re going to wear to make a perfect impression. Sure, these are positive steps to take and will help you get closer to making your goal a reality. But the truth is, today’s savvy interviewers are looking for more than just walking bulleted lists of skills and accomplishments. They want to make sure they hire well-rounded candidates who are pa ssionate about work and life who will fit well into their company cultures. According to a recent article by Inc., â€Å"†¦ employees who fit well with their organization, coworkers, and supervisor had greater job satisfaction, were more likely to remain with their organization, and showed superior job performance.†Think about it- hiring personnel are going to be bombarded with a blizzard of successful candidates who have the requisite abilities to handle the job effectively. Do you want to be just one more qualified person, or do you want to stand out from the crowd and make a deeper impression?Hopefully, we’ve convinced you that today’s successful job candidates are able to demonstrate what motivates and drives them, and what they’re truly passionate about in life- a question that is increasingly popping up during interviews. The truth is, many candidates (even ones who have prepared intensely) stumble when asked what they’re passionate abou t during interviews. But you don’t have to! Use the following strategies to help you hit a home run when this question comes flying your way.Be honestThe truth is, seasoned hiring managers are great lie detectors and will likely know when you’re telling the truth and when you’re just floundering in an effort to try and make a good impression. Today’s progressive companies often dedicate time, energy, and resources to a variety of helpful humanitarian causes, and if your passions naturally align with theirs then that’s a sign of a great fit. So, if you’re truly passionate about helping orphans in third-world countries or dedicated to ending ocean pollution that’s fantastic, but if you’re just trying to make yourself sound good, chances are it will backfire- especially if you’re asked follow-up questions that you don’t have answers for. Being honest about what you’re passionate about in life, whatever it is, is your best approach, and the right company will appreciate who you are and what moves you.Be boldChances are if you’re asked about what you’re passionate about in life then so are those other qualified candidates, so do what you can to make sure your response stands out. Use bold and genuine language and imagery when discussing your passions, and if you have a compelling story to back it all up, even better. The goal here is to make a strong impression that you’re the sort of person who dedicates 100% of themselves to the things in life that matter to you- an impression that lasts long after the interview is over.Tie it all togetherAs previously mentioned, today’s companies are bolstering their corporate brands by dedicating themselves to all sorts of worthwhile global causes, and if you can show how your passions complement theirs, it’s really going to help you stand out as a potential hire. Also, try to tie your life’s passions to your w ork life, if possible. Show how you’re the sort of person who is naturally driven and motivated by professional challenges, and how work for you is more than just a paycheck. If you can convince interviewers that your passion for your work is undeniable, you’re going to have a much better shot at demonstrating your potential value as a member of their team.If you’re looking to have a stand-out performance during interviews and make a lasting impression, then make sure that your passions- in work and in life- are made clear. Use the advice and strategies presented here to help make that happen, and to ensure that you’re doing your absolute best while on the job hunt. Good luck!

Analytical Project Southwest Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analytical Project Southwest Airlines - Essay Example The industry facilitates world trade, tourism, international investment, economic growth. It is also a centre of the globalization that is taking place in many of the industries. In the past decades, worldwide, travelling has been taken place for both leisure and business. Therefore, per year air travel has grown by 7%. Approximately, about 1.5 billion people are travelling through airlines worldwide (The Airline Industry, 2000). Type of business: The airline is considered to be the tertiary industry that offers its services to all the people, directly or indirectly. When tourism is promoted in the country, it is the airlines that improves the economy and in turn affect every member of the society (Southwest, 2011). Form the airlines industry, the paper discusses Southwest airlines in detail. Size: The total number of employees in the southwest airline is about 3500. In the year 2010, their net income was $ 459 million. Moreover, excluding the special items, their net income turns ou t as $550 million. Throughout the year on the airline, a total of 88 million people have travelled. The statistics report of 2010 shows that their operating revenue of the year 2010 was $12.1 billion (Southwest, 2011). Service provided: Southwest airline is considered as the United States’ most successful high frequency, low fare, and point to point carrier. Every day they offer more than 34000 flights coast to coast. This makes it one of the largest domestic passenger airlines of the states (Southwest, 2011). Market served: Southwest airline is the domestic airline; it flies to 37 states; 72 cities. They serve these cities by using 548 Boeing and 737 jets (Southwest, 2011). Summary of SWA’s Strategy Mission: The mission of Southwest Airline is â€Å"dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.† The mission of the company is to provide their customer with the best qual ity that will force them to return to them more than once (Southwest Airlines, 2011). Organizational objectives: The objectives of the company are to efficiently deliver the basic services (Southwest Airlines, 2011). To achieve this goal they have divided this objective into a number of fundamental objectives. They want to provide their customers with safe, low price transportation with maximum convenience. Overall HR strategy: The HR strategy of the company is â€Å"recognizing that our people are the competitive advantage, we deliver the resources and services to prepare our people to be winners, to support the growth and profitability of the company, while preserving the values and special culture of Southwest Airlines† (Buller, 2006). Being a great place to work, the airlines is selective in hiring and looks out for the best employees that can satisfy the needs and wants of the company as well as the customers. Key strategies: The key strategy of the company includes bein g cost effective, so that they can capture greater number of customers. They are also specialized in short-haul flights to their customers. They tend to give their customers the best services in return of the price they pay. This strategy is considered to be their core strategy (Southwest

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

See below - Essay Example dequacy in addressing the socio-cultural, political as well as religious concerns in the belief that learning English entailed adopting the western culture and social practices, and the fear that the predominance of English could prove to be detrimental to the mother tongue of the home country. The framework deals with the problems and prejudice by focusing on the English language alone and delinking it from the western culture or customs. In fact, it goes a step further and reiterates in no uncertain terms that English has now firmly entrenched universally as a global language, making way for pronunciation of English words and sentences clearly and distinctly in the local phonetics rather than emphasize on the European or American accent, and also makes a case for the desirability of synthesizing the language with the local phonemes. This serves to give special status to the culture as well as the language by branding it as ‘Korean English,’ ‘Nigerian English,’ and so forth. Language teaching came into its own as a profession in the last century. Central to this process was the emergence of the concept of methods of language teaching. The method concept in language teaching-the notion of a systematic set of teaching practices based on a particular theory of language and language learning-is a powerful one, and the quest for better methods preoccupied teachers and applied linguists throughout the 20th century. That search was not only for better methods but ideally a single method generalized across widely varying audiences, that would successfully teach students a foreign language in the classroom. People have approached language learning in many ways over the years. The self directed language learner or language teacher may well ask What approach should I use? Such a person might ask " What method should I use ? Whats the difference between an approach, a technique and a method ? In 1963, applied linguist Edward Anthony defined the terms

Texas Science Scholars program Essay Example for Free

Texas Science Scholars program Essay Mrs. Page, I would like you to know that I do not consider English as one of my strongest subjects; however, I still am excited to be in this class. From what I can tell, your particular style of instruction will definitely be helpful towards my education in literature. I feel you are someone who can help me to better myself in writing. My name is Michael Cortinas. I will be majoring in Computer Science and I am currently part of the Texas Science Scholars program. I enjoy reading, but struggle when it comes to writing on a designated prompt. In high school, I was part of both the varsity track, and cross-country team. Before college, I would run two or three miles every morning, but, because all my classes take place in the morning, I haven’t had time. I have been working part-time at H-E-B for nearly a year now, where I do anything from cashier to push carts. I currently live with my mother, step-father, and three younger siblings, meaning most of my homework will be done on campus. When it comes to college, I hope to obtain the skills necessary to become an impact in my community and in the lives of those close to me. I feel if I can get enough from college, I can be the type of person that people feel confident in putting their trust and coming to for advice. I guess this desire was inspired my great-grandfather, who passed away last year. He was someone that everyone felt comfortable confiding in and always seemed to know just what to say. Your class, being one that works with word choice, is a great start towards this goal. I feel that I am going to enjoy your class and all it has to offer.

Cosmology and the Bible Essays -- cosmology, universe

As one grows older, he begins to question life and how the universe was made. Therefore, it is vital that he has a solid worldview. This worldview has its foundation in cosmology. Cosmology is defined as the branch of science concerned with origin, structure, changes, and the final destiny of the universe. Therefore, the importance of origins/cosmology in a worldview is that it shapes how one sees the universe. Without studying cosmology, one would not have a firm foundation for his worldview because he would not understand how or why the universe was formed. Through the study of cosmology, one is able to better understand how the universe was formed and how it will one day become. Therefore, cosmology affects a worldview because it sets a foundation for the perspective of the person because it explains how the world and living things came about. Thus, once someone determines the origin of the universe, he is able to build the rest of his worldview around th at one idea. In order for cosmology affect one’s worldview, he must first study it so that he is able to better understand it. This theory can be demonstrated in Spurgeon’s article, â€Å"Astronomy As a Source of Illustration†. Spurgeon opens his article with the statement, â€Å"every student for the Christian ministry ought to know at least something of every science, he should intermeddle with every form of knowledge that may be useful in his life’s work. God has made all things that are in the world to be our teachers† (Spurgeon 404). This statement could not be more true. Through studying cosmology, students are able to understand more about the universe that God has created. Thus, learning more about God and building the foundation for their world... ...on event. However, it is important to keep in mind that the theory must be aligned with the Bible. Works Cited Moffett, Rick. "Reliability of the Bible." Kenosha Christian Life School, Kenosha. 2011. Lecture. Moffett, Rick. "Worldviews-Biology/Geology." Kenosha Christian Life School, Kenosha. 2012. Lecture. The Privileged Planet. Dir. Lad Allen. Perf. John Rhys-Davies. Illustra Media, 2005. Black Board. BlackBoard. Blackboard Inc, 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. Ross, Hugh. Why the Universe Is the Way It Is. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008. Print. Schroeder, Gerald. "Chapter 4: The Six Days of Genesis." The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom. New York: Free, 2009. 60-61. Print. Spurgeon, C. H. "Astronomy As a Source of Illustration." Lectures to My Students. Fearn, Ross-shire: Christian Heritage, 1998. 404-409. Print.

Critical analyzing of the knowledge Essay

The role of a manager can be a complex job and although I have opted for five topics there are many more attributes to this position. Using my previous experiences, various research from books that I have read and the internet I will try to explain the rationale for my conclusions. In this essay I will look at the following five topics, Leadership, Communication, Delegation, Decision Making and Support which will help conclude, in my opinion, the five most important skills required to successfully fulfill the a position of a twenty first century manager. These skills underpin the knowledge and abilities which are of key importance to the pivotal role of the manager. LeadershipLeadership is about focusing on the most important resource available to them, i.e people. This process should include the development, academically and professionally of your people. It is important to encourage communication, engaging their thoughts and ideas to promote a win win situation. A manager should always motivate, encourage and promote excellent work, even in the most trying circumstances. A leader must always be aware of the ultimate goals of the organization, and know how their own objectives fit with them. Once these goals have been established you must ensure that your team understands the direction in which they are heading and why, and the purpose of their own activities within the overall plan. The ultimate objective should be broken down into attainable yet challenging goals that ideally will be inspiring and motivating for the whole team. Aims should also relate directly to the specific skills of the individual within the team. Working together towards a shared goal gives people a sense of ownership and responsibility, and  builds an atmosphere of team spirit, (Effective leadership by Robert Heller 1999). The written text of Robert Heller highlights in my opinion that every form of leadership requires strength, perseverance and dedicated staff to be able to fulfill a successful workplace. By choosing the correct employees to fit to you model enables yourself time to pursue further challenges. In my experience you have to show an open mind even to what might appear as, most off the wall suggestion. This shows the interpersonal skills to absorb the information, have time to think situations through and give effective feedback. This inturn promotes diversity amongst the employees that even the wildest suggestion is given time and thought. This objective way of empowering employees give positive vibes to each and every employee whatever their job role within the company or organization may be. With this in mind you can gain valuable commitment and engagement from the most un-co-operative people. Without being a positive open minded leader of people’s thoughts and ideas it is impossible to deliver results by which every leader is judged. A quote which sums this up is,`In fact, Leaders that go from good to great start not with `where` but with `who`. They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. First the people†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦then the direction` (Jim Collins, Educational Quotes for the 21 Century)This quote confirms to me the important role each person has in a well run, successful organization. Without this and total co-operation from all parts of the company, from senior management to the youngest most inexperienced person, failure would not be long from coming. Communication The art of communication can be a very complex situation unless steps are taken beforehand to ensure any messages relayed from higher management are correctly and concisely passed on in a positive manner. In my experience as a manager previously I have taken steps to prepare exactly what I was going to say in a manner which was clear, understandable, concise but most importantly which had enough open ended opportunity’s for two way discussions enabling myself to listen and give every opportunity for even negative feedback to be viewed as an opportunity for improvement. In my first few months as a manager within my company a position to which I was promoted from the shop floor, I was expected by the other employees to be able to change all forms of workmanship problems, health and safety issues, right down to the microwave being broken. I had up to then been part of a work force that had so bitterly complained of lack of information. My first steps were to gain trust from higher management to show I was as astute as previous managers and capable of moving on in a way which gave me time to bond as a manager with the employees and gain valuable experience in the role from which I was expected to get results from. My winning formula was simple; to put together a feedback questionnaire which involved everyone from the site leader to the cleaner. Each person was given 25 questions, some relevant, some comical and some which I thought were burning issues. All I asked from the employees was for the questionnaires to be filled out  with honesty. I requested any feedback, positive or negative be given in such a way which could be an opportunity for the company to move forward. The questionnaires themselves were voluntary and anonymous in case employees feared there would be reprisals afterwards. My next step was to get the 6 team leaders to put the questionnaires together in bar graphs, to offset a negative thought of management fiddling the results to look good for them. The findings were presented in an open meeting of 75 employees, which just coincidently fell at the same time as the area manager being on site looking at our set up. The outcome even surpassed my widest dreams, Ideas were given time and place, open discussions followed on subjects which some of the other managers were unaware of. But most importantly as a result of my actions a discussion group was formed which consisted of one manager, three employees, two team leaders and most importantly one of the junior employees the cleaner. All this led to a positive communication line from top to bottom. Everyone now felt they had as much responsibility as the next person, views were discussed openly, and problems dealt with by everybody. My ideas had ultimately been successful with some of the ideas being transferred into cost cutting and work improvement measures. One of my most positive actions was to get the microwave fixed. This gave me a foot into the door of management while successfully putting my  knowledge of frustrations of earlier years on the shop floor into good use. I learnt it is far better to listen and communicate then in a real way rather than pay lip service only. Action speaks louder than words. DelegationDelegation is probably one of the most arduous things a manager or leader has to do. Balancing the work load, too little and the person loses interest, too much and the person cannot successfully achieve the desired results for which you are looking for. And the reason for delegation?As a manager it is impossible to achieve everything yourself. You also need the support of subordinates(Team leaders, Supervisors) to process daily routines maybe now not on the top of your list, such as team meetings, daily forecasting, filling out of charts and overall managing of a team environment but yet pivotal to the success of your company. This also empowers employees to show their leadership qualities and the effectiveness of their skills. Choosing the right person to delegate to is vitally important. They have to have the knowledge, skills, motivation and be given sufficient time to be able to fulfill the tasks you are asking them to do. At most times these skills are not most openly visible so you have to choose the person you feel has the necessary intelligence and willingness to move up within your organization. With this you also have to give support, guidance and time to fulfill your expectations. The best way to achieve this would be to give smaller less important tasks to start with to build the person’s confidence, monitor the results, and gradually increase the level of responsibility so that the person`s powers of judgement increase with the more demanding work load you require from them. Delegation not only helps you get your work done; it can be used to improve your subordinates’ performance and therefore your trust in their ability to carry out more responsible work. Instruction training and development are part of the process of delegation. (How to be an even better Manager Sixth Edition, Michael Armstrong 2004)As I mentioned previously my early days of Management were extremely testing trying to find the right balance between concentrating on my new duties and trying to also hit production targets with ever changing goal posts. My attitude at first was to complete my work load given to me by my Manager then spend four more extra hours of the day completing work which I had left behind to make the transition. I was wrong, but this carried on until I was asked to attend a manager’s course in the Lake DistrictIt was basically 6 people from different backgrounds all sent on a course which fundamentally had the same out come whatever we were doing. Each day had a specific task, leading, assessing, team building, support and guidance and funny enough delegation. Each day a different person had to lead the task and by coincidence I had the day which turned out to be delegation. The task was for me to play draughts, I was in the control tower, and I had two people in a shed with whom my only contact was through a two way radio, and three people on the board moving the pieces. Initially my thought was to quickly make up a board with 64 squares and make my moves using this board and by radioing my moves to the two people in the  shed who would then run to the other three people who would make the move. They would then radio to me my competitors move and so on. My problem was I was still thinking of work and how if a problem arose I would try solving it myself, but what a big mistake. The game had a limit of 15 minutes and although I had thought my ingenious way of winning was superb I was ultimately beaten by blind foolishness, stubbornness and of course lack of delegation skills. It wasn’t till afterwards I realized how easy it would have been to let the two people in the shed co-ordinate with the three people on the board to solve a winning formula. It was a valuable lesson learnt and one I didn’t dither on too much when I returned to work, I used it to my advantage and re-assessed my team leaders performances and gave them new responsibilities which increased my time for more demanding business issues of which my new position entailed. Decision MakingDecision making is about thinking out a problem or situation, working out possible causes of concerns and making the correct choice or option. A decision is a judgement. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right or wrong. It is the best choice between almost right and probably wrong- but more often a choice between two courses of action neither of which is probably more nearly right than the other (Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive, 1967)Every good Leader can expect praise by making decisive decisions based on the information gathered at any given time although census shows making excellent decisions is generally based on two or more conflicting disagreements, this enables the Leader to gauge opinion, have time to access the information and proceed with the best course of action. Many rules have been written about the best way to proceed when making the  best decision but from my experience getting the best answers means possibly accumulating five or six different reasoning processes and making the correct one, which I have listed below. Based on this way of thinking decisions become easier as time goes by, but as a leader you must have the confidence to implement and stand by your decisions. SupportAll good managers only become great leaders by entrusting the support of the work force of which they have been chosen to lead and visa versa. Experience tells me that trust can be very difficult to build and very easy to lose, as many employees have a `them and us` attitude towards management, so building trust can also bring loyalty amongst your workforce towards you. Building the initial trust is a very difficult thing to achieve as you have to prove your support towards them; This can be achieved by reassuring them you have no hidden agendas, and continually keeping them up to date on any information that affects them and keeping promises when made. Providing the workforce with the equipment and resources to succeed in their job also enlists support from them as well as recognizing successful targets achieved, this can be a motivator in itself. By appraising individuals and teams in successful target achievements with an  audience present can build a confidence within that teamUsing the team to present the results through interaction reinforces their stature of a job well done. Some mistakes are undoubtedly bound to happen in a high pressure situation where targets are hard to achieve but making sure any reprimand serious or not is made on a one to one basis is criticalThis does not undermine the individual or their performance but can be used as a learning curve on the way to build positives from a negative situation. Being a supportive leader means addressing all kinds of situations. I once had an employee who had just gone through a separation from his wife, was only seeing and visiting his children once a fortnight and was hitting the drink in such a manner that I had to warn him of his behaviour towards other employees around him. We both decided that visiting the dedicated counsellor was imperative and I took immediate action and drove him there the same day and waited for the session to end. I didn’t have to stay but I felt responsible for his welfare as a valued member of my team. It took many more sessions for him to finally turn his life around and get on the straight and narrow once again and finally earn some respect from his co-workers, but he managed to stand up in front of them and apologise for the sometimes meaningless disruptions he may have caused. Although I dealt with it in a sympathetic manner and got him the help he required, he was fully aware of the consequences of me assisting him instead of neglecting the situation and throwing the book at him. Sometime later he moved on to be one of my trusted team leaders. I truly learnt the difference between being a manager and a leader in those few weeks. As a manager you are asked to look after the business side of  things, targets goals etc and as a leader you have to look after people and the daily roles of different personalities. Combining both makes you a stronger more competent person able to adapt to any given situation. Conclusion To be successful as a Manager and leader in my opinion you have to have a work range that compares to a Politician and a Football Manager. As a politician you have to be diplomatic when required often in difficult situations, be able to judge and compare when best to communicate sensitive information and of course when to lead. Where as a football manager chooses his squad, puts his players in the best position for him and the team and is judged by results. Both these professions need dedicated people to run them and committed people to assist and participate wholeheartedly. In each case knowing the objectives, goals, targets, providing direction and facilitating change, enables the Manager a platform in which he can be competent to achieve the desired outcome which the position requires. Essentially Management is about setting out what work to do and getting it done through the co-operation of people to achieve this!Realise that the greatest asset is the co-operation and dedication of your staff. I hope my essay sheds some insight into the way I feel a manager of the 21st century should conduct themselves to become a successful part of their organization. Bibliography Teach yourself Leadership, Catherine Doherty and John Thompson, Hodder Education, 338 Euston Road, London 2007. On Leadership, Allan Leighton with Teena Lyons, Random House business books, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London 2007. The Rules of Work, Richard Templar, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow 2003. How to be an even better Manager, Michael Armstrong, Kogan Page, 120 Pentonville Road, London 2004. Effective Leadership, Robert Heller, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London 1999. Modern Management, Siobhan Tiernan, Michael j. Morley, Edel Foley, Gill and Macmillan Ltd, Hume Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12, 2006. The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker, Heinemann, London 1967. www.leading-learning.co.nz/famous-quotes