Peter

Peter Entry 1 Peter Entry 2 Peter Entry 3 Peter Entry 4 Peter Entry 5


 * __Part B__**


 * 1.** **__Potential difficult situations:__**

A Chinese businessman, who had previously booked a room, had just arrived at the front desk to pick up the key to his room. The clerk handed the guest the key to room No. 4, but the guest looked disappointed and shook his head, refusing to take the key. He requested a different room, but all rooms had already been allocated to other guests yet to arrive. The Chinese man was adamant that he didn’t want room no.4 & the situation was beginning to become quite tense. Not knowing what to do next, the clerk called for assistance from the manager, muttering, “I don’t know what difference it makes what room he gets!”
 * Scenario A – International Visitor:**

An Indian Sirkh employee who works in the kitchen of the hotel insists on wearing the traditional turban worn by those of the Sirkh religion. Some of the other kitchen hands have become resentful of this practice and can’t understand why he should be allowed to do this, when, in the interests of hygiene, everyone else must wear hair nets. There was also an underlying general feeling of mistrust towards this man because of pre-conceived prejudices against people of the same appearance & attire. The man had become distressed by rude remarks directed at him in the work area. In my role of departmental manager, I needed to quickly resolve this situation before resentment between the Sirkh & the other employees built up to an explosive level.
 * Scenario B – Staff member of different background:**


 * 2. __5 aspects of complaint handling__**:

· Apologise sincerely · Take responsibility · Resolve situation quickly · Involve the customer in resolving · Do something extra to wow the customer . Follow up to check customer is happy

I remembered from my travels that the Chinese place a lot of importance on numbers of significance. I calmly questioned the man and found that the number 4 signifies death in Chinese, so a room no. of 4 would mean bad luck. I apologised for our ignorance and instructed the desk clerk to swap rooms with someone who had not yet arrived.
 * Resolution to Scenario A:**

Firstly, I referred to our hygiene policy with regard to protecting food from contamination from falling hairs and I found that as long as the hair is covered securely with a hairnet or hat, there was no regulation which excluded any other form of headwear from being worn while preparing food. I then sat down and had an informal chat with the man in question, and asked him about his faith. I found out that turban has been an integral part of the Sikh tradition, and followers of the faith have been wearing them since its formation. The turban has an immense spiritual significance and commits the wearer to being a more disciplined, virtuous person who stands firm against all forms of tyranny. I apologised to the man for any offence that he may have felt from comments made by other staff members. I then called a staff meeting to pass on this information. I also stressed that there was no connection between Sirkhs and followers of terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden, and that as long as the man was following the guidelines of hygiene then there was no need for staff to be concerned.
 * Resolution to Scenario B:**


 * 3. __Dealing with customers/colleagues from__**
 * __different culture & backgrounds__**

During my experiences while travelling, I have become aware that:

· In many cultures, particularly Asian and German, it is considered impolite to address people by their first name. · You need to be aware that different cultures expect different levels of formality eg. Australians typically prefer to stand about 2-3 feet a part when conversing. However, people from different cultural backgrounds may have different “comfort zones”. For example, Germans and Japanese like more distance, and Arab and Latinos generally like to get closer.For another example, prolonged eye contact with Asian guests creates a tense situation. They see this as rude and inquisitive. Another example is how to greet people – rather than shake hands as we do, Asians will bow their head as a mark of respect · People have different approaches to problem solving, decision-making,different ways of organising their work practices and there may be contrasting ways in which people give simple instructions or directions to other colleagues.Eg. Where one culture regards quick decision-making as admirable, another culture would see this as being reckless. · Hygiene, grooming and attire can vary from culture to culture. For example, some people may wear attire such as a headdress as part of their custom and beliefs. To remain true to their beliefs, some workers may want to continue to wear this dress in a western workplace. Employers may view this as inappropriate or unsafe. In another example, immigrants from India, Turkey or other countries may use spices in their diets that are emitted through the body, which can be offensive to other workers · Different cultures can place varying importance on the amount of time they spend with their family. · In many cultures, religion dominates life in a way that is often difficult for Westerners to understand Eg. workers from some Muslim cultures may want to pray three times a day in accordance with their values and beliefs. There may also be religious holidays on which people of certain religions are forbidden to work or need to follow certain customs. These differences need to be respected, where possible, and not ignored. · Certain colours or numbers can be offensive to certain cultures. A room number could mean bad luck, and your guest may refuse to be accomodated in a room with that number. Also, hotels that have minibars in their rooms might need to remove the alcoholic drinks prior to the arrival of Muslim or Buddhist guests whose religion forbids them to drink alcohol