Best and Worst Experiences in the Hospitality Industry

 Best and Worst Experiences in the Hospitality Industry

         The worst and the best experience that I have ever had at a hospitality industry happened at the same place, one year apart. The place that I had both good and bad experiences at was a Family Inn and Suites with free access to a water park across the street. Every year, my family and I will take a vacation to wherever our heart desires and for this year we wanted to really surprise our son. We booked a suite with a view of the lake and two queen size beds with continental breakfast and I prepaid for a lunch and dinner at the local restaurant that had great reviews all threw a website with decent prices. The day before the trip, I called ahead to double check the reservation, and everything was going according to plan. As we arrived at the Inn we ended up having to park across the street for the parking lot was packed full of vehicles. When we tried to check in we were informed that our room was no longer available due to a mix up with the system. So we were put into a smaller room with no view and were only able to get back half of my money because we had used another booking agency and did not go threw them directly. To top it off the restaurant did not honor the prepaid meal vouchers so I had to pay out of pocket. Luckily I was able to get my money back from the site. The owner was notified about the mix up with my room and located me right away to try and settle the problem.

            Now what was a bad experience ended up turning into a great experience a year later. To make up for the smaller room and money vouchers not working which were not the Inns fault at all, the manager gave my family and I a rain check good for a year. On this rain check it gave me a 50% percent off any suite in the hotel with one free night’s stay included on top of it. He also made sure that my room service included lunch and dinner which the place did not even serve. So, one of the workers had to go to the local restaurant and pick up the food and bring it back for delivery. He only did this for us because he felt really bad and we seem like really nice people, since we didn’t blow up on him for the room mix-up. We also had a reserved parking spot just in case it was busy again that weekend.

            A negative experience can impact a business in many ways, very fast, for example, when a customer has a bad experience their more than likely going to write a negative review about it. That negative review is going to be read by lots of people and deter them away from that establishment. With less people means less money.

            One technique that would help out a lot with negative experiences is simply just making a plan and taking the initiative to figure out the problem and solve it. You need to turn a “non-wow” situation into a “wow” situation. There will always be problems; you just need to be prepared ahead of time for it and you have to be committed. Because the manager used this technique I ended up returning for a third time. And I plan on returning again in the future.

           

References

Michael Hyatt (July 7, 2009) TURNING BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES INTO WOW EXPERIENCES Retrieved from http://michaelhyatt.com/turning-bad-customer-experiences-into-wow-experiences.html

Travel Experience Overview

Travel Experience Overview

I traveled to another state in the year of 2011, with my brother to a family reunion that was about 600 miles away from home. We drove about 6 hours to our destination, the both of us tired and exalted, and wanted to just check into the hotel where we made reservations at to get rested up for the reunion. But as we get to the hotel they had informed us that they have given our room to another group. We asked to speak with manager about the mix up the manager was very polite and ask for details of the situation. She empathized with us and asked for us to give her a few minutes to look into the matter. About 10 minutes later the manager returned back with an apologize again, and offered a suite for the same price we paid for the room with double beds. It was a memorable experience because we were able to enjoy the benefits that came with the suite (Jacuzzi, kitchenette, and big screen television) that the regular rooms did not have, brother, and I along with other family members   we had a ball in that room.  But there was another time in this year 2016 I traveled within the state I lived in to a city about 2 hours away to visit a family member. When I ended my visit, I headed back home and my car got a flat tire it was late so I had to find somewhere to stay until the next morning to find a repair shop. I went to a hotel the manager greeted me with a smile and very polite but as I took my keys went to the room it was unbelievable. The heat did not work carpet was dirty, and many other problems. I returned to the front desk to tell the manager about the situation and asked for another room. He yelled at me told me that all the rooms the same that I will be fine would not let me see another room. I stayed because there was not another place close by plus tire flattened.  A technique a business uses is the technique of taking action where for the manager should take steps to make sure the problem being rectified completely. It is essential that managers or employees look for every opportunity to exceed a customer’s expectations to settle the problem. If you can take things a step further, the customer will not only be satisfied but may convert to being a loyal customer because their problem was addressed professionally and promptly. If the manager at the hotel I had the negative experience, had taken action, and showed me another room that was proper. I would have returned again.      

    

References

Retrieved on February 20, 2016 from http://www. billhogg.ca/2011/10/5- steps-to-turn-a – negative-into-a-positive-customer-experience/

Test Taking Tips

Test Taking Tips

• ♦  Pace yourself, don’t rush! Read the entire passage AND the entire question
  and pay attention to the details. Don't worry about when others are
  finishing, focus on your own test.
  
• ♦  Check your work! If you have time when you are finished, look over
  your test. Make sure that you have answered all the questions. Only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question because the first answer that you put is usually the correct one. Watch out for careless mistakes.
  
• ♦  Read carefully! Always read the whole question carefully. Don't make assumptions about what the question might be. Read the questions twice, and consider what kind of question it is. Is it multiple choice or multi- select? The type of question will affect HOW you answer! Read all the answer choices before you make a choice!
  
• ♦  Focus on addressing each question individually! As you take the test, if you don't know an answer, don't obsess over it. Instead, answer the best way you can and come back to it if you have time at the end of the test. Treat each question individually. Don't let one hard question steal your confidence! EXPECT that there will be some hard questions!!! Do your best and move on!
  
• ♦  Stress much? Expect and accept a little bit of stress. Don't worry if you still have some stress while you begin the test. Almost everyone feels this-it's there because you want to do your best and get a good score. The key is to accept it and not let worrying about the stress make you even more stressed. Tell yourself, "I'm a little worried, but that's okay. I'm going to do well on this test because I'm prepared."
  
• ♦  Distractions! Don't get distracted. Keep your eyes on your paper, unless it's to occasionally glance at the clock. Don't look at the students around you. If they are nervous, it could make you nervous, and if they're confident-looking, it could make you wonder why it's so easy for them (like, what do they know that you don't?). If the kid sitting next to you is doing something that is funny, it could take your mind off the test. Another good reason to stay focused on your own test is that if you start looking around the room, a teacher might think you're trying to cheat.
  

Field Trip Permission Form

Field Trip Permission Form

DATE:                       DEPARTURE TIME:                 ARRIVAL BACK TO School: 

COST:  $5.00

TRANSPORTATION: We will be leaving the school at 8:45 am by school bus.  We will return in time for regular dismissal.  Please be at school by 8:25 am.

DETAILS:   

ARRANGEMENTS (what to wear, bring, etc.): Students must wear their uniforms shirts! They must bring a bagged lunch in which everything is disposable. Gift shops / vendors are present and students may be able to purchase gifts.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS: Please return this signed permission slip to your child’s teacher, along with a check or money order payable to “Name of School goes here” by Date Goes Here. Please honor this deadline, as no payments can be accepted after this date!

* We have limited space available for chaperones on the bus. If you are interested in chaperoning, please email your student’s homeroom teacher by Day, Date.  Chaperones riding the bus will be selected by random drawing on Date. Student and chaperone payments will need to be received by Day, Date. Parents driving themselves must let us know you will be there to chaperone, but do not need to include any payment for yourself as admission to the venue is free. Anyone attending should bring a lunch.

(Please complete, sign, and return this portion by Date

My child _______________________________________ has my permission to take part in the field trip to Venue Name Here from 8:30am to 2:30pm.  I understand transportation will be provided by school bus.  I am enclosing $5.00 to cover the cost of my child’s trip.  I understand that reasonable measures will be taken to safeguard the health and safety of my child and that I will be notified as soon as possible in case of an emergency.  However, in the event of sickness or accident, I authorize for my child to receive emergency medical treatment.

____________________________________                        _____________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature                                                                                       Date

                                                            Emergency Contact number(s):

____________________________________________________________________________________

_____ I am interested in chaperoning on the bus ($5.00) Please email HR teacher for drawing      

_____ I will chaperone and drive myself and chaperone at the Venue (no charge)

Bachelors Degree Student Example Resume

Insert Name Here
235 Pine Road, Chicago, IL 44556
Cell: 724-504-2755
Email: youremail@hotmail.com

Objective:
My objectives are to obtain a career with a stable growing organization where my skill set can continue to grow and benefit the company.

Functional Skill Areas:
Fleet Management, Data/Trend Analysis, Financial Report Analysis, Account Management, Site Management, Service Management, Leadership, Diesel Technician

Summary:
I am currently a full time student, completing my BBA at General Public University. Throughout my career I have had many experiences in high stress, multi-task and decision making roles. These experiences have given me the ability to effectively manage many tasks simultaneously while under pressure. I currently serve as the Fleet Service Coordinator (FSC) for Hunter Peterbilt Paclease in Pennsville, NJ, while centrally headquartered out of Butler, PA. The role of a Fleet Service Coordinator is much like that of a Fleet Manager in the trucking/ transportation market.

Computer Skills:
Full Microsoft Suite, KARMAK Business Systems

Work History:

Feb 2014 –Current
Fleet Service Coordinator
Hunter Peterbilt Paclease- Butler, Pa
General Manager- Ralph Fischer
Phone Number: 724-xxx-xxxx
•    Tasked with managing Preventative, Scheduled, Unscheduled and Emergency repairs.
•    Manage and track Cost per Mile (CPM) and Maintenance budgets.
•    Responsible for a fleet of 296 Peterbilt assets of varying model.
•    Maintain Fleet to DOT specifications out of 18 different company owned locations in 4 states as well as many outside vendors across the US.

Oct 2011 –Feb 2014
Site Manager
Hunter Truck Sales & Service – Brookfield, Oh
General Manager- Dale Yommer
Phone Number: 724-355-0552
•    Maintained/ managed daily customer relations with customer Fleet Management personnel in a captive shop environment.
•    Managed a Service Department/ Parts Department and Fleet consisting of 9 Technicians on 24/7 operations and 270+ power units.
•    Collected, maintained and tracked all data for the Preventative Maintenance Program on 250+ power Units.
•    Made financial decisions daily based on data extracted from P/L statements and KARMAK Business System.

Oct 2010 –Oct 2011

Service Manager
Hunter Idealease – Etna (Pittsburgh), Pa
General Manager- Keith Crider
Phone Number: 412-781-2800

•    Managed Service/Parts and Fleet- 9 Technicians- 3 shifts and 250+ power units.
•    Collected, maintained and tracked data for the Maintenance Program on 250+ power Units.
•    Financial decision making on data extracted from P/L statements and KARMAK Business System.
•    Maintained standards for Technician training and Shop safety/compliance

Aug 2006- Oct 2010

    Certified CAT Diesel Engine Technician / Acting Foreman Second Shift
    Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company - Hunker, Pa
    Shop Supervisor- John Anderson
    Phone Number: 724- 861- 6096

•    Diagnose root causes of engine/chassis component failures on full range of CAT truck engines.
•    Perform CAT certified engine overhauls, in and out of chassis, on full range of CAT truck engines.
•    Complete all required warranty and labor paper work at the completion of each job.
•    As acting foreman: Answer customer calls, corporate calls – Create quotes – Receive payments –
•    Organize, prioritize and distribute workload- Maintain flow of shop floor-

    Aug 2001-Aug 2006

Airframes/Power-plants Aircraft Mechanic
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 2, United States Marine Corps - Cherry Point, NC
Supervisor- GySgt Goff
Phone Number: 252-466-5494

•    Reviewed technical publications and directives to determine their applicability to maintenance.
•    Assisted in the preparation of local command procedures.
•    Inspected and audited shop programs to ensure they were up to date and ready for inspection. Balanced available resources and manpower within the department to complete maintenance.
•    Demonstrated skills in an extremely productive, high volume, high stressed environment
•    Personally awarded for expertly handling adverse weather conditions and extensive work hours to support 163 launches and 573.2 flight hours with a 94% mission readiness.

Education

Bachelor Degree- Business Management- Business Administration
General Public University- Current (2016 Projected Graduation)

Dale Carnegie- Skills for Success
Dale Carnegie Course- 2013

Associate Degree- Business Management- Business Administration
General Public University- 2011

CAT Service Training:
Applied Failure Analysis-Graduated Truck Engine Analyst

Naval Air Depot, Marine Corps Air Station:
Graduated HONOR STUDENT, Aviation Structural Mechanic (Hydraulics and Structures) Common core course and “O” level strand..
   
Apprenticeship Program, General Motors, June 2000
General Motors, Dealership Service department, Boardman, Ohio.

Second Grade Decodables

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A Trip to the Farm

Written by Andrea Erwin

Illustrated by Steve Combs

r-controlled ar, or, ore

Darling’s farm        before     far          more       barn        horses    

Darling           porch      hard        chores     part         sore        arm        

dark

Syllables VCCV

Patrick    Darling’s Darling           kitten              rabbits

Patrick went to Jon Darling’s farm.  Patrick had not gone to this farm before.  “Is it far?” Patrick asked.  “Not much more,” Mom said.

Patrick spotted Jon’s farm.  “His farm has a big red barn!” Patrick yelled.  “Are these horses, mules, and pigs?”  His mom grinned

Jon Darling sat on his porch with his kitten.  Patrick jumped out.  Patrick ran up to Jon. 

“Are you set to work hard?” Jon asked.  “We do chores on this farm.”  Patrick will do his part as well as he can.

Patrick swept pens.  Patrick fed chicks and rabbits.  Jon fixed his barn.

Jon Darling stretched his sore back and patted Patrick’s arm.  “You did a nice job,” Jon said.

When it got dark, Patrick went home.  “That was fun!” Patrick said.

A Gift for the Family

Written by Marcie Watson

Illustrated by Kelly Parmont

r-controlled ar, or, ore

hard        for          car          yard        horse       porch      jars 

darling

Syllables VCCV

baskets           ribbon            darling            kitten

It is hard sitting still.  Dad was getting a gift for his family.  “I will listen for Dad’s car,” Brett said.

Brett heard Dad’s car while sitting in his yard.  Brett rushed in at once.  What gift had Dad gotten?

“Can I see it?” Brett begged.  “What can it be?” Dad asked.

Is it a rocking horse?  Is it a porch swing?  Is it jars of jam?  Is it plants in baskets?

Dad pulled that box close.  “Time for this gift!” Dad said with a quick wink.

Brett pulled off the ribbon.  Brett lifted the lid.  It is a darling kitten!

Brett petted his kitten.  Brett is glad that Dad got this gift.

Jem Wasn’t Happy

Written by Stephen Lewis

Illustrated by Ann Mitcham

Contractions:  n’t, ‘s, ‘ll, ‘m

didn’t             I’m         isn’t        let’s                it’ll

Jem liked her food.  Jem liked her yard.  Jen liked her bones and fun things. 

But Jem didn’t look glad.  Jem moped in the yard.  Jem is not well.

Jem is my best pet.  I’m sad for Jem.  “This isn’t like Jem,” I said.

“Let’s get to the vet,” I said.  I led Jem to a nice vet.  “If Jem is sick, this vet can help.”

That vet checked Jem.  “Jem isn’t sick,” she said.  “Jem is just sad.  Does Jem have friends?”

“It’ll help if Jem spends more time with pups,” the vet said.  That vet had me take Jem to the park.

Jem was full of life at the park.  Jem ran with pups and had fun.  Now I’m not sad for Jem.

Stuck

Written by Dan Archer

Illustrated by Jolie Foster

Contractions:  n’t, ‘s, ‘ll, ‘m

it’s          let’s                that’s      can’t              I’ll          hadn’t            wasn’t

Liz and Brad looked up.  “A cat is sitting on that second branch,” Brad said.  “It’s stuck,” Liz added.

“Let’s run and tell Dad,” Brad said.  Those kids ran five blocks.  Dad was sitting on his porch.

“There is a cat that’s stuck,” Liz said.  “It can’t jump off the branch.”  “Will you help?” Brad asked.

“I’ll help,” Dad said.  Dad, Liz, and Brad went back to that sad cat.  It hadn’t left the branch.

“Can you get it?” Brad asked.  “I certainly can,” Dad bragged.  “I’ll either stretch up or stand on that crate.”

Dad did his best.   Dad stretched up.  That cat jumped off!  That cat wasn’t stuck!

Liz and Brad laughed as they went back home.  “You’re still great, Dad,” his kids added.

Herb Helps Out

Written by Shanna Marcus

Illustrated by Ken Furlie

R-controlled er, ir, ur

Herb’s     bird         Herb              her          first         third        stir          shirt

stirred     stirring     turned

Syllables VCCV

butter      batter      better             after        until

Herb’s mom was making a cake shaped like a bird.  Herb was helping.  He liked making this cake.

Herb’s mom needed butter for her cake.  She asked Herb to get it for her.  Herb got his bench first.

Herb had to stand on his bench.  He saw butter in the third box.  Herb got the butter for Mom.

Herb’s mom put milk and eggs in the batter.  Herb helped get those things too.

Herb helped stir the batter.  At first Herb stirred fast, but he got spots on his shirt.  Herb got better at stirring.  He did not stir fast after that.

Herb’s mom put the batter in her bird pan.  She turned her clock.  It would take until five.

When the cake was done, Herb and Mom made it into a bird.  It made Herb’s dad smile.

Curt’s Bike Trouble

Written by Amanda Hopkins

Illustrated by Christopher Calvetti

R-controlled er, ir, ur

Curt        turned     swerve    dirt          curb        Curt’s     hurt         Fern

Nurse      Kirk        hurting    perked     first

Syllable –er

corner     plaster     better

Some time ago, Curt rode his bike fast.  He turned at this corner and rode toward a big hole.

Curt did not swerve.  His bike hit that big hole.  Curt fell hard in the dirt by the curb.

Curt’s leg hurt.  Fern helped him.  She yelled for Curt’s dad.

Dad was sad for Curt.  Dad had asked Curt not to ride fast.  Curt didn’t say a word.

Dad drove Curt to see Nurse Kirk.  She put a plaster cast on his hurt let.  It stopped hurting.  Curt perked up.

Curt went back to Nurse Kirk.  “This let is better,” Nurse Kirk said.  “You must look first and not ride fast.”

“I will ride well,” Curt said.  “I had that big cast on for long enough!”

Fletch and Fran

Written by Tina Johannsen

Illustrated by Dan Vick

Plurals –s, -es

places      things      lots         lunches    berries     notes       crafts

bases       stands     tunes       classes     puppies   races

Fletch and Fran are friends.  They do things together.  Fletch and Fran fo places and see lots of things.

At lunchtime, Fletch and Fran trade sack lunches.  Fran’s dad packs berries.  Fletch likes berries.

Fran and Fletch give nice notes.  Fran hopes Fletch does well on his test.  Fletch tells her about a fun plan he has.

Fletch hit a home run.  Fran is glad.  When Fletch runs bases, Fran likes to sit in the stands and yell for him.

Fran got a prize for singing.  When Fran sings tunes, Fletch won’t miss it.  He thinks her singing is nice.

Fletch’s mom drives them home after classes.  They do work for class.  Then they spend time in the park.

Fletch and Fran run with puppies at the park.  They run races and make crafts.  Fletch and Fran have fun.

Stan

Written by Joshua Blake

Illustrated by Ben Starkman

Plurals –s, -es

lunches    notes       cards       dishes      switches         lamps      things

Stan forgets his lunches.  Stan forgets his bag.  Stan can probably forget his name!

It isn’t pleasant to forget.  “People remember better with notes,” Stan’s mom said.  She bought cards and make notes for Stan.

This note on his cup tells Stan to put dishes away.  Stan takes them to the sink.

This note at the sink tells Stan to grab lunch.  Stan stuffs his lunch in his bag.

This note on the clock tells Stan to grab his big bag.  Stan slips it on his back. 

This note by Stan’s door tells him to flip these switches.  Stan turns off lamps.

This is a big day for Stan!  Stan did not forget things-thanks to Mom’s notes.

Bert Does Not like Bugs

Written by: Julia Walsh

Illustrated by Carmen Billings

Long a: a, ai, ay

main               days        stay         tail          play        away       brain

pail         raises      waits

Syllables VCV

away       visit

Bert is a nice horse. But Bert does not like bugs. Bert’s problem is that bugs like Bert.

On hot days, bugs visit Bert’s barn. Bugs get on Bert’s back. Bert yells, “Scram!” but the bugs stay.

Bert swishes his tail. Those bugs think Bert wants to play with them. That will not make them go away.

Bert is getting upset. He uses his brain to come up with a plan.

Bert fills a big pail. He raises it up. Then Bert waits for the bugs.

Bert raises his tail. He swings it hard at the pail. Splash! Bert got a nice bath, and those bugs got wet.

Now the bugs stay away. That’s how Bert likes it.

Jumping Jack

Written by: Jessica Twining

Illustrated by: Nicolas Florino

Long a: ai, ay

wait                playing           way                say          plays             

play                may               rained             day

Syllables VCV

began             ever

Jack likes to hide and wait. Jack likes to jump up fast. 

Jack thinks it is fun playing this way.   Mom and Dad say that it is not nice. Jack will not make friends if he plays that way.

One day Jack hid behind his door. When Kim came, Jack jumped out at her. Kim got mad and began yelling. Then Kim went back home.

When it rained next, Jack brought his best game and asked Kim to play it with him. Kim would not play. Jack felt bad.

Jack sat for a minute. “It is not the best plan to jump out,” Jack said. “It may make people mad at me.”

“I’m sorry for jumping out, Kim,” Jack said. “I promise not to do it ever again.”

Kim smiled. “That’s fine,” Kim said. “Let’s play that game.”

Planting a Wild Flower Garden

WILD-FLOWER GARDEN.

A wild-flower garden has a most attractive sound. One thinks of long tramps in the woods, collecting material, and then of the fun in fixing up a real for sure wild garden.

Many people say they have no luck at all with such a garden. It is not a question of luck, but a question of understanding, for wild flowers are like people and each has its personality. What a plant has been accustomed to in Nature it desires always. In fact, when removed from its own sort of living conditions, it sickens and dies. That is enough to tell us that we should copy Nature herself. Suppose you are hunting wild flowers. As you choose certain flowers from the woods, notice the soil they are in, the place, conditions, the surroundings, and the neighbours.

Suppose you find dog-tooth violets and wind-flowers growing near together. Then place them so in your own new garden. Suppose you find a certain violet enjoying an open situation; then it should always have the same. You see the point, do you not? If you wish wild flowers to grow in a tame garden make them feel at home. Cheat them into almost believing that they are still in their native haunts.

Wild flowers ought to be transplanted after blossoming time is over. Take a trowel and a basket into the woods with you. As you take up a few, a columbine, or a hepatica, be sure to take with the roots some of the plant's own soil, which must be packed about it when replanted.

The bed into which these plants are to go should be prepared carefully before this trip of yours. Surely you do not wish to bring those plants back to wait over a day or night before planting. They should go into new quarters at once. The bed needs soil from the woods, deep and rich and full of leaf mold. The under drainage system should be excellent. Then plants are not to go into water-logged ground. Some people think that all wood plants should have a soil saturated with water. But the woods themselves are not water-logged. It may be that you will need to dig your garden up very deeply and put some stone in the bottom. Over this the top soil should go. And on top, where the top soil once was, put a new layer of the rich soil you brought from the woods.

Before planting water the soil well. Then as you make places for the plants put into each hole some of the soil which belongs to the plant which is to be put there.

I think it would be a rather nice plan to have a wild-flower garden giving a succession of bloom from early spring to late fall; so let us start off with March, the hepatica, spring beauty and saxifrage. Then comes April bearing in its arms the beautiful columbine, the tiny bluets and wild geranium. For May there are the dog-tooth violet and the wood anemone, false Solomon's seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit, wake robin, bloodroot and violets. June will give the bellflower, mullein, bee balm and foxglove. I would choose the gay butterfly weed for July. Let turtle head, aster, Joe Pye weed, and Queen Anne's lace make the rest of the season brilliant until frost.

Let us have a bit about the likes and dislikes of these plants. After you are once started you'll keep on adding to this wild-flower list.

There is no one who doesn't love the hepatica. Before the spring has really decided to come, this little flower pokes its head up and puts all else to shame. Tucked under a covering of dry leaves the blossoms wait for a ray of warm sunshine to bring them out. These embryo flowers are further protected by a fuzzy covering. This reminds one of a similar protective covering which new fern leaves have. In the spring a hepatica plant wastes no time on getting a new suit of leaves. It makes its old ones do until the blossom has had its day. Then the new leaves, started to be sure before this, have a chance. These delayed, are ready to help out next season. You will find hepaticas growing in clusters, sort of family groups. They are likely to be found in rather open places in the woods. The soil is found to be rich and loose. So these should go only in partly shaded places and under good soil conditions. If planted with other woods specimens give them the benefit of a rather exposed position, that they may catch the early spring sunshine. I should cover hepaticas over with a light litter of leaves in the fall. During the last days of February, unless the weather is extreme take this leaf covering away. You'll find the hepatica blossoms all ready to poke up their heads.

The spring beauty hardly allows the hepatica to get ahead of her. With a white flower which has dainty tracings of pink, a thin, wiry stem, and narrow, grass-like leaves, this spring flower cannot be mistaken. You will find spring beauties growing in great patches in rather open places. Plant a number of the roots and allow the sun good opportunity to get at them. For this plant loves the sun.

The other March flower mentioned is the saxifrage. This belongs in quite a different sort of environment. It is a plant which grows in dry and rocky places. Often one will find it in chinks of rock. There is an old tale to the effect that the saxifrage roots twine about rocks and work their way into them so that the rock itself splits. Anyway, it is a rock garden plant. I have found it in dry, sandy places right on the borders of a big rock. It has white flower clusters borne on hairy stems.

The columbine is another plant that is quite likely to be found in rocky places. Standing below a ledge and looking up, one sees nestled here and there in rocky crevices one plant or more of columbine. The nodding red heads bob on wiry, slender stems. The roots do not strike deeply into the soil; in fact, often the soil hardly covers them. Now, just because the columbine has little soil, it does not signify that it is indifferent to the soil conditions. For it always has lived, and always should live, under good drainage conditions. I wonder if it has struck you, how really hygienic plants are? Plenty of fresh air, proper drainage, and good food are fundamentals with plants.

It is evident from study of these plants how easy it is to find out what plants like. After studying their feelings, then do not make the mistake of huddling them all together under poor drainage conditions.

I always have a feeling of personal affection for the bluets. When they come I always feel that now things are beginning to settle down outdoors. They start with rich, lovely, little delicate blue blossoms. As June gets hotter and hotter their colour fades a bit, until at times they look quite worn and white. Some people call them Quaker ladies, others innocence. Under any name they are charming. They grow in colonies, sometimes in sunny fields, sometimes by the road-side. From this we learn that they are more particular about the open sunlight than about the soil.

If you desire a flower to pick and use for bouquets, then the wild geranium is not your flower. It droops very quickly after picking and almost immediately drops its petals. But the purplish flowers are showy, and the leaves, while rather coarse, are deeply cut. This latter effect gives a certain boldness to the plant that is rather attractive. The plant is found in rather moist, partly shaded portions of the woods. I like this plant in the garden. It adds good colour and permanent colour as long as blooming time lasts, since there is no object in picking it.

There are numbers and numbers of wild flowers I might have suggested. These I have mentioned were not given for the purpose of a flower guide, but with just one end in view your understanding of how to study soil conditions for the work of starting a wild-flower garden.

If you fear results, take but one or two flowers and study just what you select. Having mastered, or better, become acquainted with a few, add more another year to your garden. I think you will love your wild garden best of all before you are through with it. It is a real study, you see.

Personal Development Plan

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Personal Development Plan

Reflection on The Process of Decision-Making

Introduction

Operations Management has been defined in many different ways depending on the business type yet they all fall under the same meaning were OM is the ‘task of designing, establishing, planning, running, controlling, maintaining and improving systems’ (Wild, 1987). All of these elements combined creates the road-map of operations management process in any business which decision-making is guided through the variation in these elements relaying on the market supply & demand and customers behavior.

What Influences The Process of Decision-Making?

Healthcare is a dynamically changing business and the field is constantly being updated through new experiments and studies or have new products and technologies that supports and improves the quality of healthcare delivered to the patients. Focusing on the Health Information Management (HIM) structure within the organization allows for better understanding of the impact of operations on the layout, process technology, job design, planning & control and capacity planning & control.

Working in a hybrid environment where medical records and patients information is managed through both physical files and partial electronic health record, the physical layout design relies heavily on the strategic objective of the organization (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2014) which is to make the patients’ information available for healthcare providers to provide the patients’ with the best care and services possible. The important aspect is how can the layout type impact the turnaround time of making the files available for patient care such layouts tend to be a mix of the cell layout and product layout to ensure the continuity of the massive number of charts maintaing and delivery, and since any interruption can impact the workflow of the entire operation.

‘When machines become more sophisticated, human beings can be transferred to do new kinds of work’ (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2014). The concept of process technology is introduced in healthcare in so many aspects, the HIM is related to the implementation of new electronic medical record system that will make the organization a ‘paper-light’ system to be more efficient through having patients’ information accessible on the spot. Also utilizing technologies and innovations to support physicians in allocating bast practices and utilize the clinical decision support to improve the overall patients’ quality of care and services delivered. Another example would be the use of Telemedicine and how such technology allows for accessibility of patients in remote areas to different specialties and services from reading diagnostic results such as labs and x-rays to monitoring patients’ remotely and having physician-patient’s visit remotely and without being in the same place physically (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2014). My current organization is also contracting radiology services where radiologist through a telemedicine system read and dictate diagnostic reports for patients in our organization remotely due to the shortage in Radiologist and need to deliver the outcome of the studies in a timely fashion.

Different jobs require different needs and responsibilities. Job design is the process of designing the individuals’ and groups’ jobs, define the work schedule and design the working environment. Each job within an organization has technical requirements, core job characteristics and mental and environmental status which all relates to the individual’s performance and personal outcome (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2014). In the HIM department and with the implementation process of the Electronic Health Record the department will shift operations for handling physical files to more monitoring, auditing and maintaining information through the system, this shift is planned as of January 2017 and the mapping process and listing the new job requirements is in process to establish the needed job requirements while also planning the department physical layout to shift to a more office/cubical operation to manage the activities in the new system implemented.

Planning & control is basically the business to reconcile the market demand and the operation’s ability to supply and deliver. Then the decision-making process that takes place on the planning & control will depends on the nature of demand and the nature of supply in the operation (Slack, Brandon-Jones & Johnston, 2014). And capacity management ‘capacity planning & control’ is basically to balance the level of operations with the level of market demand (Wild, 1987). A HIM example on capacity planning & control is related to managing inactive patients’ information and how they get archived. The process starts similar to an assembly line where the file get prepped and indexed for scanning and then go through a quality check to ensure the accuracy of the scanning and archiving process; the decision making falls when a sudden request from a remote clinic to support their backlog of unarchived documents which interrupt the operations within the department working off a schedule. Yet the department is obligated to do a short-term planning to accommodate such requests as this is all considered part of the patient care and having information available will improve the overall outcome for the patient.

Conclusion

Why do we need to strategically think and plan for decision making? In today’s business world, the market’s awareness on the importance of developing and implementing a strategic model for organizations to achieve their goals and allow for their sustainability and value creation to induce their competitive advantage in the marketplace (Ball, 2011). Moreover, due to the complexity of healthcare systems the need to develop a dynamic decision-making model has become difficult due to identifying affected parameters, parameter correlations, projected impacts and the uncertainty in the market future conditions and demand (Ball, 2011).

My learning curve in improving my decision making process is built on a number of aspects that has been developed through my experience in the field, exploring the most recent updates in the field and learning the techniques and methodologies that currently used through this Operations Management MBA course. This will allow me to utilize the tools learned during this module to develop a roadmap and a strategic plan for the changes in operations which will occur during the coming two years in the organization to accommodate the changes in the operations as well as in the human resources aspect and specifically the job requirements and design.

References

Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. & Johnston, R. (2014) Operations management. 7th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education.

Wild, R (1987), 'DecisionMaking in Operations Management', Management Decision, 25, 2, p. 31, Supplemental Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 June 2015.

Ball, DR (2011), 'Integrating Multiple Sustainability Criteria in Technology, Innovation, and Operations Management Strategic Decisions', Proceedings Of The Northeast Business & Economics Association, pp. 27-33, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 June 2015.