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About
Dietetics And Nutrition
Dear Sir,
I am a regular subscriber of your newspaper and find it very helpful
as it provides an insight into the hospitality industry. I have
completed my diploma in hotel management in the year 1999 and currently
working as a hotel operations trainee (HOT) - kitchen in a hotel
in Mumbai.
The issue dated July 16, 2001, carried an article on the Avenues
page titled ‘Dietitian: A Essential Requisite In The Hospitality
Industry’.
I found the article very interesting and would like to know whether
I can pursue a course in that field as I feel it will enhance my
career prospects in the industry besides upgrading my knowledge.
But I am not a science graduate, so is there another way of getting
into this field? Also mention the names of the institutes that offer
this particular course.
I would appreciate if you could guide me in the right direction.
Amjad Sheikh
By post
Dear Amjad,
Thank you for writing in with your query. It is always a pleasure
to receive mail form our valued readers.
Careers in Dietetics and Nutrition are gaining a lot of popularity
now. Besides, the food industry and nutrition are obviously related.
In fact, I am sure that you have already studied the basics during
your diploma course as nutrition, hygiene and food science are a
part of the syllabus.
Presently, in Mumbai, both nutrition as well as dietetics is offered
at the undergraduate and post graduate levels, in the form of BSc,
MSc and a post graduate diploma. The colleges offering this courses
are Nirmala Niketan and SVT (SNDT), both are girls’ colleges.
Apart from that, the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology
and Applied Nutrition (IHMCTAN), offers only post graduate diploma
for which there is an entrance test.
You mentioned in the letter about not having a background in biochemistry
or any of the life sciences. A background of these subjects is absolutely
essential for the post graduate course and in that case you would
not be eligible. However, like some of the catering students, if
you have successfully pursued a degree alongside your diploma, you
could sit for the entrance exam and go from there. The test itself
will give you an idea of the course study.
By Purnima D Rao
(The advisor is a dietetics and nutrition consultant based in Mumbai)
About
Wines And Training
Dear
Sir,
Could you provide me with the address of the institute which offers
specialised training in bartending. I wish to get some more information
about the institute and the courses offered. I would appreciate
if you could help me.
Awaiting your reply.
Satyendra Kumar
By e-mail
Dear
Sir,
I am a second year student of IHMCTAN, Pusa, New Delhi. I want to
know about wines and other alcohol beverages especially their methods
of production, storage, usage etc. I would appreciate if you could
provide me with the necessary information or suggest ways by which
I can source the information.
Looking forward to your reply.
Rahul Goila
By e-mail
Dear
Satyendra and Rahul,
We have already published good amount of details about the institute
few months ago. If you have the past copies of the publication,
you can go through the story published in the Avenues section (page
six and seven).
Meanwhile, as far as more or any specific details are concerned
please get in touch with Shatbi Basu of STIR Academy of Bartending.
She heads the academy. Her e-mail address is stir@vsnl.com and stirindia@yahoo.com.
By the way, Rahul, you can also get in touch with Shatbi for the
required information. If you need it very urgently, we suggest,
why not try the search engines viz google, indiatimes, yahoo and
others. Type in the search word in the text box. This will provide
you details about all the websites that would provide you with information
on wine and other beverages including alcohol. There is a site www.wines.com
which will also be useful for the kind of information you are looking
for.
Hope this helps both of you. All the best.
In
Grave Problem
Dear
Sir,
I feel like I am into a big problem and need your able guidance
to solve the same. I chose hospitality as a career option thinking
of making big in the industry. It all started quite early in life
as my father is a general manager of a reputed hotel and has headed
many reputed hotels. I have seen and learnt a lot from him.
I
passed out from IHMCTAN Pusa, New Delhi in the year 2000 and am
presently working with Holiday Inn, Jaipur as sales executive. I
handle all room and food and beverage sales and also head the department.
I
am very happy with my job, but not satisfied as my allowances are
very meagre as a result of this I have started feeling that there
is future in this industry. I am quite insecure of my status in
the industry five years from now.
Please
assist me to arrive at a concrete decision. Should I quit my present
job and pursue further studies viz MBA or so. If possible do suggest
me some courses which would help me upgrade my qualifications and
increase my earning capacity.
Awaiting
you response.
Thanking
you in anticipation
Amit Dube
By e-mail
Dear
Amit,
Your problem doesn’t seem that grave the way you make
it sound. You mentioned that your father is a general manager of
a reputed property and that you have learned a lot from him. I think
you need to be a bit patient in life and concentrate more on honing
your management skills in the industry. And, just don’t even
think about leaving you job, because on-the-job experience holds
more weightage when it comes to learning the tricks of the trade.
Get a few more years of work experience in the industry and after
that you may pursue further studies depending on whether you really
need it at that time or not. For getting into IIMs you will have
to be a graduate so if possible take up a distance learning programme
from a recognised university like IGNOU.
For information on upgrading your academic qualifications, you’ll
have to go through the campus and management pages in the publication
wherein we provide details about specialised courses for hotel management
professionals.
Hope this helps, all the best.
MIS,
GDS And PR
Dear
Sir/Madam,
I have completed my graduation and then went on to do a post graduation
in accommodation operation and management from IHM-Mumbai. After
that I have been working in the front office department of a hotel
since the last two years.
I would
like to know what is MIS (Management Information Systems). How can
it be implemented in the hospitality industry. What are the qualifications
required to study MIS? Which universities offer MIS and what scope
does it offer in relation to the hospitality industry?
I also
have another query about GDS and contracting rates with the consortia.
I came across this through a recruitment advertisement from a leading
hotel chain. What I would like to know is that where can I learn
about the GDS and the contract rates for the consortia.
Recently
the publication also carried a article on public relations as a
career option. Is it possible for me, with the qualifications I
hold to get in to this area.
I look
forward to your advice soon.
Regards
Ms Mehta
By Email
MIS
(Management Information Systems) as the word signifies is a system
of informing the management about the business. It is not a detailed
report of each department running into twenty, two inches thick
binders of reports, or a trolley full of reports. That way it would
not make any sense for the management to take any decision. The
MIS is neither too much information of an unusable kind or too little
information not enough to make decisions. It is only that much information
as much the management needs to take decisions. MIS serves three
purposes: 1. MIS provides information about the property’s
operations through income, financial, statistical and occupancy
reports. This gives the management information about how the business
is operating.
2.
MIS provides sound-processed information which is used by the management
to evaluate alternatives available to make decisions, thereby reducing
any uncertainties about the property.
3.
MIS gives analysed feedback, which brings the management back on
the track if decisions taken earlier are going off the target.
When
MIS is applied in the hospitality industry it is also known by many
as hotel information system or HIS.
Owners,
operators and managers formulate their own one or two page report
which gives information required by them for the day, for the month
and for the year. At times managers take the figures for the day
and to the date from the previous month and to the date from the
previous year. Still other managers take the figures for the date,
compared to the figure on the same date previous month and the figure
on the same date previous year.
A
typical MIS is supposed to report in one line everything that happens
in the hotel, from income to expense to attendance to maintenance
to security to housekeeping to variances. It is implemented in our
industry in each and every operation, big or small in a formalised
system or a made to order system, but an operation cannot run without
adopting to an MIS system.
The
qualifications you have as in graduation and a post graduation in
accommodation operation and management with two years of work experience
in the front office department of a hotel. This qualification is
good enough to start a career in MIS. It helps to have done a diploma
in hotel management with graduation in commerce and a specific course
in database management with computers. The right place to start
is work in the accounts department now and spend a lot of time with
the EDP specially on the hotel application package.
In
India most of the government recognised management institutes provide
MIS as a subject in curriculum, but I suggest you to pursue your
existing career path and spend your free time with accounts and
EDP which would give you more hands-on experience than going to
any university here or abroad. I suggest you to refer ‘Hotel
Information Systems’ by M L Kasavana, CBI publishing, ‘Information
Systems for Operations and Management’ by Voich, Mottice, ‘Information
Systems: Theory and Practice’ by J G Burch, Hamilton Publishing
Co or books from IHM-Mumbai library pertaining to such book titles.
Global
Distribution System (GDS) and Consortia or the smaller groups and
independent co-operatives pertain to the front of house departments
like the sales and marketing and front desk. You are very much working
in that department so hold forte there and refer to hotel magazines
like the Express Hotelier & Caterer, journals from Educational
Institute of American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA) or
Hospitality for Sale, Service Industry Reviews - The role of hotel
consortia in Great Britain from the British Council Library, Franchising
and other Business Relationships in Hotel and Catering Services,
Heinemann, Marketing Channels by Stern and El-Ansary- Prentice Hall,
Caterer and Hotelkeeper Issues at the British Library.
My
personal advice to you is to surf the web for all these issues if
you do not have access to these libraries. Give your search words
like Global Distribution System, Consortia, Management Information
Systems, all in double quotes, under the search engines of Google
and Yahoo, for good searches on Indian conditions check out Indiatimes.com
search.
Try
websites of hotel companies like Bass Hotels, Trusthouse Fort, Grand
Metropolitan, Hilton, Ramada, Marriott and Sheraton, you shall be
amazed to find out the information you will gather. Today the cyber
cafes down the road allow surfing at very reasonable rates, use
up your free time efficiently rather than going to universities.
Coming
to your qualifications and your chances of getting into public relations,
hotels normally prefer people with either a diploma in public relations
or mass communication or a minimum two years of related experience.
So if you want really want to get into this you need to fulfil any
one of the conditions.
All
the best.
Kamlesh Barot
(The advisor is director of Revival Group of Hotels and specialises
in the information technology (IT) applications in the hospitality
industry)
Identifying
The Right Path
Dear
Sir,
I am a regular reader of the magazine Express Hotelier & Caterer
and am currently in the final year of the four-year degree programme
in hotel management. I am 23 and will complete my course in May
2001.
I would
like to know that at this stage, should I opt for further studies
or join the industry directly after completing my degree course?
I am interested in front office and food and beverage service. I
have also kept my options open for airlines, cruise lines and travel
agencies.
Please
inform me about the chances I have in these fields and advise whether
it would be a right decision to branch out into these industries.
Vikas
Wadhwani
By e-mail
Dear
Vikas,
You are at a stage wherein you have acquired the necessary skills
to start working in the industry. So, going for further studies
immediately after completing your course would not be a wise decision.
Join the industry and try understanding it more closely. But, before
that, you need to decide as to which department would be a better
choice.
For
that you need to ask yourself a few questions that would help in
decision making. If you remember, we published an article a few
months back entitled ‘Going Abroad - A Students’ Manual’.
It had some questions that dealt with identifying one’s area
of interest. Take that test and start working on enhancing your
skills in the department that interests you most.
Once
that is done, get a feel of the industry. This will help you gain
valuable work experience and understand the operations hands on.
After that, if you feel the need to upgrade in terms of educational
qualifications, you can always do that later (if necessary).
If you are lucky, your training requirements would be taken care
of by the property you join since most of them lay special emphasis
on human resource training.
Regarding branching out in the industries you mentioned, once you
have taken the above mentioned test, the answers would come automatically
as you are the one who has to decide on aspects related to your
career and life.
Guidance
On Career And Courses
I have completed my higher secondary education and presently
working as a banquet captain with a three-star property for the
last five years. I would like to know that, with my qualification
and work experience, is it possible for me to get a job in the United
States of America (USA) or any other country.
If
my qualifications do not make me eligible, which are the institutes
that can offer courses in hospitality education as I would definitely
like to upgrade my educational qualifications.
Ramesh
Puttagunta
By e-mail
Dear
Ramesh,
With the qualifications and experience you posses, it would prove
a bit difficult getting a job offer from the US or any other country,
if you are talking about really good properties that can offer good
compensation packages.
You can upgrade your educational qualifications and add weight to
your curriculum vitae by taking up courses from the Educational
Institute of American Hotel and Motel Association (EI-AH&MA).
You can get in touch with K V Simon, regional vice-president, EI-AH&MA,
for the courses his email address is eiahmain@bom5.vsnl.net.in.
You can also check their website www.ei-ahma.org which will provide
you with all the necessary information about the institute and the
details about the various courses offered by them.
An
Edge Over Others
Dear
Sir,
I am doing a diploma in hotel management and will complete the course
this year. I am also doing bachelors degree in commerce through
correspondence. After completing my diploma and bachelors degree,
I plan to further studies. I believe this will give me an edge over
others while applying for jobs in the industry. I request you to
kindly guide me in the right direction.
Mayur
Langadia
By e-mail
Dear
Mayur,
We would suggest that you should get employed in the industry after
the completing your course before going for further studies. Another
thing which is not clear is, whether you want to further studies
in hospitality of any other field.
If
it is hospitality, you should gain some valuable work experience,
which would definitely give you an edge on others. It will also
give you a better idea about the industry and will also help in
identifying your area of interest. You can always pursue further
studies later if required.
Shaping
Career In Front Office
Dear
Sir,
I am second year diploma student of Institute of Hotel Management,
Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHMCTAN), Bhubaneswar.
Presently, I am doing my industrial training with the Taj Coromandel,
Chennai.
I
am very much interested to shape my career in the front office department.
Can the Taj Management Training Programme (TMTP) be helpful for
me? Please advice.
Thanking
you
Vamsee Krishna D V
By e-mail
Hi
Vamsee,
It is good to know that you got selected for the industrial training
with the Taj Coromandel property. Besides, it also seems that you
have gained enough confidence and have decided on your area of interest
in the industry.
Coming to your query, the TMTP will certainly help you in gaining
an insight into the intricacies of front office operations besides
also taking you through other core areas of hotel operations. What
you could do is convey your area of interest to the respective personnel
in the property so that you get maximum exposure in the front office
area, eventually making you competent enough to take charge of the
respective operations.
We hope that you make it to the TMTP just like you did for the industrial
training.
All the best.
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