3 Stoic Strategies For Becoming Happier

Stoicism was one of the most important philosophical schools in ancient Greece and Rome.   It has also been one of the most influential.   The writings of Stoic thinkers like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius have been read and taken to be heart by scholars and statesman for two thousand years. In his short but extremely readable book A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (Oxford University Press, 2009), William Irvine argues that Stoicism is a admirable and coherent philosophy of life.  Ã‚   He also claims that many of us would be happier if we became Stoics.   This is a remarkable claim.   How can the theory and practice of a philosophical school founded fifteen hundred years before the industrial revolution have anything relevant to say to us today, living in our constantly changing, technology dominated world? Irvine has many things to say in response to that question.   But the most interesting part of his answer is his account of specific strategies that the Stoics recommend we all use on a daily basis.   Three of these in particular are especially important: negative visualization; internalization of goals; and regular self-denial. Negative visualization Epictetus recommends that when parents kiss a child goodnight, they consider the possibility that the child might die during the night.   And when you say goodbye to a friend, say the Stoics, remind yourself that you perhaps you will never meet again. Along the same lines, you might imagine the home you live being destroyed by fire or by a tornado, the job you rely on being eliminated, or the beautiful car you have just bought being crushed by a runaway truck. Why entertain these unpleasant thought?   What good can come from this practice of what Irvine calls â€Å"negative visualization†?   Well, here are a few possible benefits of imagining the worst that can happen: Anticipating misfortunes can lead you to take preventative measures.   E.g. Imagining your family dying of carbon monoxide poisoning may prompt to you install a carbon monoxide detector.If you have already imagined how something awful might happen, if it does occur you will less shocked.   We are all familiar with this on a mundane level.   Many people, if they take an exam, imagine or even convince themselves that they have done badly so that if it turns out that this is the truth, they will be less disappointed.   Negative visualization, here and elsewhere, prepares us mentally and emotionally to deal with unpleasant experiences when they arrive–as they inevitably will.Contemplating the loss of something helps us to appreciate it more fully.   We are all familiar with the way we have a tendency to take things for granted.   When we first buy a new house, car, guitar, smart phone, shirt, or whatever, we think it’s wonderful.   But within a fairly short ti me the novelty wears off and we no longer find it exciting, or even interesting.   Psychologists call this â€Å"hedonic adaptation.† But imagining the loss of the thing in question is a way of refreshing our appreciation of it.   It’s a technique that help us to follow Epictetus’ advice and learn to want what we already have. Of these arguments for practicing negative visualization, the third is probably the most important and the most convincing.   And it goes well beyond such things as newly purchased technology. There is so much in life to be grateful for, yet we often find ourselves complaining that things aren’t perfect.   But anyone reading this article is probably living the sort of life that most people through history would have viewed as inconceivably pleasant.   Little need to worry about famine, plague, war, or brutal oppression.   Anesthetics; antibiotics; modern medicine; instant communication with anyone anywhere; the ability to get to just about anywhere   in the world in a few hours; a vast amount of great art, literature, music, and science available through the internet at the touch a of key.   The list of things to be grateful for is almost infinite.   Negative visualization reminds us that we are â€Å"living the dream.† Internalization of goals We live in a culture that puts tremendous value of worldly success.   So people strive to get into elite universities, to make lost of money, to create a successful business, to become famous, to achieve high status in their work, to win prizes, and so on.   The problem with all these goals, though, is that whether or not one succeeds depends in large part on factors outside one’s control. Suppose your goal is to win an Olympic medal.   You can commit yourself to this goal entirely, and if you have enough natural ability you may make yourself one of the best athletes in the world.   But whether or not you win a medal depends on many things, including who you are competing with.   If you happen to be competing against athletes who have certain natural advantages over you–e.g. physiques and physiologies better suited to your sport–then a medal may simply be beyond you.   The same goes for other goals, too.   If you want to become famous as a musician, it isn’t enough just to make great music.   Your music has to reach the ears of millions of people; and they have to like it.   These are not matters you can easily control. For this reason the Stoics advise us to carefully distinguish between things that lie within our control and things that lie beyond our control.   Their view is that we should focus entirely on the former.   Thus, we should concern ourselves with what we choose to strive for, with being the kind of person we want to be, and with living according to sound values.   These are all goals that depend entirely on us, not on how the world is or how it treats us. Thus, if I’m a musician, my goal shouldn’t be to have a number one hit, or to sell a million records, to play at Carnegie Hall or to perform at the Super Bowl.   Instead, my goal should just be to make the best music I can within my chosen genre.   Of course, if I try to do this I will increase my chances of public recognition and worldly success.   But if these don’t come my way, I won’t have failed, and I shouldn’t feel especially disappointed.   For I will still have achieved the goal I set myself. Practicing self-denial The Stoics argue that sometimes we should deliberately deprive ourselves of certain pleasures.   For example, if we usually have dessert after a meal, we might forego this once every few days; we might even once in a while substitute bread, cheese and water for our normal, more interesting dinners.   The Stoics even advocate subjecting oneself to voluntary discomfort.   One might, for instance, not eat for a day, underdress during cold weather, try sleeping on the floor, or take the occasional cold shower. What is the point of this kind of self-denial?   Why do such things?   The reasons are actually similar to the reasons for practicing negative visualization.   Self-denial toughens us up, so that if we have to deal with involuntary hardship or discomfort we will be able to do so.   There is really a very familiar idea.   It is why the army makes boot camp so hard.   The thinking is that if soldiers become accustomed to hardship on a regular basis, they will cope better with it when being able to do so really matters.   And this sort of thinking by military leaders goes back at least to ancient Sparta.   Indeed, the militaristic Spartans were so convinced that depriving men of luxuries made them better soldiers that this sort of denial came to be integral to their whole way of life.   Even today, the word â€Å"Spartan† means lacking luxuries.Self-denial helps us to appreciate the pleasures, comforts and conveniences that we enjoy all the time and are in danger of taking for granted.   Most of will probably agree with this–in theory!   But the problem with putting the theory into practice, of course, is that the experience of voluntary discomfort is––uncomfortable.   Still, perhaps some awareness of the value of self-denial is part of the reason why people choose to go camping, or backpacking. But are the Stoics right? The arguments for practicing these Stoic strategies sound very plausible.   But should they be believed?   Will negative visualization, internalizing goals, and practicing self-denial really help us to be happier?   The most likely answer is that it depends to some extent on the individual.   Negative visualization may help some people to appreciate more fully the things they presently enjoy.   But it could lead to others becoming increasingly anxious over the prospect of losing what they love.   Shakespeare, in Sonnet 64, after describing several examples of Time’s destructiveness, concludes: Time hath taught me thus to ruminateThat Time will come and take my love away.This thought is as a death, which cannot chooseBut weep to have that which it fears to lose. It seems that for the poet negative visualization is not a strategy for happiness; on the contrary, it causes anxiety and leads him to be even more attached to that which he will one day lose. The internalization of goals seems very reasonable on the face of it: do your best, and accept the fact that objective success depends on factors you can’t control.   Yet surely, the prospect of objective success–an Olympic medal; making   money; having a hit record; winning a prestigious prize–can be tremendously motivating.   Perhaps there are some people who care nothing for such external markers of success; but most of us do.   And it’s surely true that many wonderful human achievements have been fueled, at least in part, by the desire for them. Self-denial is not especially appealing to most people.   Yet there is som reason to suppose that it really does do us the sort of good that the Stoics claimed for it.   A well-known experiment done by Stanford psychologists in the 1970s involved having young children see how long they could hold off eating a marshmallow for the sake of getting an additional reward (such as a cookie in addition to the marshmallow).   The surprising upshot of the research was that those individuals who were best able to delay gratification did better in later life on a number of measures such as educational achievement and general health.   This seems to bear out will power is   like a muscle, and that exercising the muscle through self-denial builds self-control, a key ingredient of a happy life.

Essay on The American Drug War  a Conflict Theory...

In the mid to late 20th Century, the United States has experienced several states of Cultural Revolution. The Civil Rights Movement, the Womens Movement, the anti-War Movement during the Vietnam era, and the increasing presence of a widespread, politically active and highly vocalized youth counterculture led the United States government to feel that maybe, they were losing control of their population. The white, upper class men, who for centuries had dominated the political realm, began to feel their grip on power falter. By targeting drug use, the government would be free to deal with minorities especially African Americans, Hispanics, the free-love generation, and left-wing radicals, all while claiming that they were protecting†¦show more content†¦Workers became further detached from their labor as it became apparent that though they had a job, often they did not even make enough money to be able to buy the product that they assisted in producing. Marx predicted a worker revolution, in which workers would indeed unite in their struggle for equality. This revolution never occurred, however. Possible reasons for this include improved safety standards, the movement away from heavy industrial labor towards an information and service based economy, the shortening of the work day to eight hours, the implementation of employee benefit and retirement plans, and the widespread American belief in achievement ideology. The American achievement ideology is especially notable; it has been one of the most successful pieces of propaganda promoted by the bourgeoisie, and has had such a drastic effect on the motivation of the youth in America, especially those minority youths who suffer the most from inequality. Also, the bourgeoisie could have shifted their control by manipulating another aspect of proletariat life, thus alleviating the stress from labor and placing it somewhere else Ââ€" such as vice laws, including the Drug War. 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Theoretical Perspectives in Industrial Sociology †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Theoretical Perspectives in Industrial Sociology. Answer: Introduction There exist ample of differences between two countries in regards to varied factors such as the culture, the human resource management, the political scenarios, the ethicalities and many others like such. The differences do also affect the working practices of employees and the higher management. There are hundreds of countries across the globe where many countries differ to each other in the mentioned regards or many other factors like such. The differences can be accredited to the policies of the local government of the respective countries or the citizens who are living in such countries. Human resource management does also play a very important role in such differences. The differences are expected; however, it appears to be problematic because it makes thing challenging for people living across the different cultures. They find this problematic because they face challenge to communicate with the people from different cultures (Patrick Kumar, 2012). In this paper, it shows a comparison between the two countries India and Saudi Arabia in regards to different factors such as human resource management, infrastructure, local government policies, economic capability etc. The assignment progresses on the interview taken with a site head of a construction company based in India. The HOD has served the company for seven long years. Now, the HOD Mr. Rehab Kazim is working in a construction company Al Fouzan Trading General Construction Co. based in Saudi Arabia. It has been three years ever since the person has joined the company. Mr. Rehab Kazim used to supervise the proceedings at the sites. The HOD used to take care of a team of 100 members. The company where Mr. Kazim is working takes care of the building construction works. The HOD has also handled many popular projects in the country. Their customers were the clients looking for constructing the buildings across the Makkah. Mr. Rehab Kazim is a successful man who has vast experienc e behind him. The 7 years working experience in India and now in Saudi Arabia speak the volume of the experience. The vast experience of the HOD has attracted me towards him for knowing something about the two countries through an interview. Interestingly, I found him very cooperative as the HOD responded to my queries with sufficient information. The interview conducted with the site head at the construction company in Saudi Arabia did provide ample of information regarding the basic differences in the two countries. The main purpose of this assignment is to frame the discussion held with the site head at a construction company in Saudi Arabia into understandable information, so that, it could convey some interesting facts about the two countries. Comparison between India and Saudi Arabia There are significant differences in between India and Saudi Arabia. The countries differed not only in terms of population and the surface area but have also differed significantly in different factors such as HRM as confirmed by the site head who were interviewed at a construction company in Saudi Arabia. The answers to questions that were devised are as followed, the questions are attached in the appendix. In Saudi Arabia, they pay different pay scales to both the local and the international workers. However, in India, both the local and the international employees receive the same salary structure. Mr. Kazim said that there is a variation in salaries based on skill sets only. Apart from salary structure, there are differences in weekly off as well. Friday is a fixed off in the entire Saudi Arabia whereas Sunday is a fixed off in the entire public sector and the most part of the private sectors. Some sectors have a rotational format to offer the weekly offs, which mean that employees can avail their weekly off on any of their choice of day in a particular week. There is racial discrimination at the workplace in Saudi Arabia. The country prefers the Muslim employees in particular. The HOD has supplied the information with a very sad tone. He wondered what has made the difference. However, he proceeded by saying that in nowadays, there are few non-Muslim workers are also working (Fnais et al., 2013). The site head has supplied some useful information about both the countries. The information is helpful in understanding the behavioral differences in the customers of both the countries. India is a far big nation that the KSA. It is after China in terms of population. It has a significant mix up of different groups of customers such as Millennial, Baby Boomers and Boomers. In contrast to this fact, Saudi Arabia is vastly occupied with the youth audience. Furthermore, this means that the customers in the country are more educated than those in India. It does not at all mean that India does not have educated customers but it actually means that the percentage of such customers is more in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, most of the customers in the country have measurable approach towards any product or service. However, they are not expressive as the customers are in India. Mr. Rehab Kazim surprisingly said that they are bound with the Islamic rules and regulations, which compels them to use such thing only those are permissible under Islamic policies (Johnson Vriens, 2013). Corruption is one of the major issues in the ethical front that organizations face these days. These include bribing of the officials, forging of documents some of the companies are also being accused of having malpractices in the salary and remuneration system as well. Interview findings: According to the site head, people living in Saudi Arabia are more ethical than those in India. The head of the department has cited one very interesting reason for the fact, which is the adherence to the Islamic shariah. Muslims living in Saudi Arabia find this bad to go against the Islamic rules and regulations even if they desire something, which shariah does not permit. On the other hand, India is a secular country with no such effects of shariah on the Muslims living in the country. Additionally, India is a country of multiple religions that means every religion has their rights to practice their religion until and unless it does not hamper the sentiments of the common people (Azeem Akhtar, 2014). Politically, India is very unstable and unsupportive in certain instances. The opposition party tends to oppose any of the government projects. It never at all cares to analyze whether the propose project is advantageous. This is for such reasons many big projects are delayed here. Mr. Kazim was really upset with the facts that the political scenarios in India are really concerning. The site head also added that the same opposition once it steps down in the crown of the local government, it supports the same project that it once opposed. On the other hand, the political scenarios in Saudi Arabia are very different. This might be because of the fact that the country has one single king that heads the entire process. Every single thing is under the power of the king, which is why it is comparatively easier to plan and implement a project in the country (Brown, 2013). Both India and Saudi Arabia are economically developing countries; however, there are differences in the economy of both the country. The major contributor in the economy of KSA is the oil reservoir. It is the largest exporter of oil in the world. The GDP per capita of the country is far bigger than India. According to the site head, the power of one king has an influential role in the economy of the country; however, the political regime in India is headed by a complex hierarchy that significantly opposes the projects. This is one such factor that has kept on affecting the economy of the country. The recent demonetization has further affected it significantly. Mr. Kazim was really had deep concerns for the political circumstances in India as it has also affected the economy significantly (Bonne, 2013). Culturally, Saudi Arabia is very conservative in nature. They make friends at the workplace but they rarely take their friends to their home. It does not matter whether they are working together for the last 20 years. Interview findings: Mr. Rehab Kazim has expressed his desire as well by stating the fact that he is not enjoying his job here in this country because of few reasons. A conservative cultural circumstance in the country is tough for anybody who has spent a significant time of his or her career being in some other parts of world. However, the circumstances in India are entirely different. The different workforce at the different workplace such as at the construction sites or at the official premise they have a good bonding between them. They share good relationships with each other. They also visit each others home. In other words, the workplace in India is comparatively much social than in Saudi Arabia. The site head has admitted that the person felt this very comfortable while working in India. However, it is comparatively challenging to work in Saudi Arabia as people there are very reserved (Goldschmidt Jr Boum, 2015). Organizational behavior is an integral part of the daily operation of a business unit. Work culture, work environment heavily depends upon the job satisfaction of a person and his commitment towards the company. The site head when asked about the social atmosphere at the workplace, the person had confirmed that workplace in India is much friendly than it is in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Kazim is actually missing India as it can be observed in his emotions. There can be reasons behind the fact; however, people there in the KSA are very reserved with their matter. They make friendship but they rarely visits to one another home. The circumstances in India are majorly different as employees develop friendship atmosphere at the workplace and do also visit one anothers home (Al-Thani et al., 2014). India has improved its capability to invest in the infrastructure related growth during the five year span of 2008-12. India has really progressed in this five year span and has proved its potentiality in the infrastructure related growth. Mr. Kazim was comparatively more satisfied with the infrastructure in India as it looked from his way of answering to the question. Saudi Arabia needs to follow the footsteps of India in order to enhance its capability and improve the infrastructure. Nevertheless, an improved infrastructure would only support the flourishing growth in other than the oil industry (Alshahrani Alsadiq, 2014). Theoretical perspective would be really helpful to understand the teachings, which the interview has taught me. There are many theories such as theories of performance, which is helpful in understanding the importance of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. These four things are very important as far as a progressive workplace is concerned. This does not only improve the operational performance but it also betters the workplace environment, which is very important for keeping the employees intact with the organization for a significant time span. These four things emphasize on the importance of different factors such as the role of HRM, the infrastructure and the ethical considerations (Brown, 2013). The information that has been supplied during the interview has understandably covered the few important factors, which affect the experience of working in two different countries. The information has encouraged me more to work in India than in Saudi Arabia. The workplace in In dia is friendlier than in the KSA. Like other Millennial I also like such a workplace that is both educative and friendly. The workplace in Saudi Arabia is also educative; however, it is not as friendly as it is in India. Additionally, the opportunity to grow in India is much better than in Saudi Arabia. I personally feel that I would be happier to be in India as an improved infrastructure in the country would help me come across the different opportunities needed to enrich the skills to another level. The exploration is higher in the country, which would provide me ample of time to grow. The interview has also educated me on the different challenges and the opportunities, which would come across while working at the global platform. There are opportunities at the global platform such as it gives real chances to come across wider exploration opportunities. On the other hand, it also has ample of challenges such as the political scenario in the target country. Additionally, the human resource system might also be challenging such as for someone who has worked in Saudi Arabia and now willing to work in India. I find myself very excited for the opportunities that are there in some other parts of world. However, I am also worried for a fact that the workplace nature can be different at the target place. It may not be the same like where I have spent a significant time span. I also worry for other factors such as the nature of people there, the food culture in the target country, the local government policies etc. The interview has taught me many important lessons, which a ll were unknown facts to me before I interviewed the site head. Conclusion It is an interview report that focuses on the different factors in the two different countries India and Saudi Arabia. The paper has supplied some important information on the political, economic and many such factors of the two countries in comparison. The assignment has helped to understand that there are challenges as well as opportunities while working at the global platform. Different workplace at the different locations is different to each other in many respects such as the cultural, social and behavioral factors. Working at the global platform is full of challenges because of very basic reasons such as the HRM policies, workforce of different cultures and the nature of business operation. The interview conducted with the site head of one Construction Company in Saudi Arabia has taught me many important lessons. It taught me that I need to be more realistic while making the selection on the workplace location that interests me. References Alshahrani, M. S. A., Alsadiq, M. A. J. (2014).Economic growth and government spending in Saudi Arabia: An empirical investigation. International Monetary Fund. Al-Thani, H., El-Menyar, A., Abdelrahman, H., Zarour, A., Consunji, R., Peralta, R., ... Latifi, R. (2014). Workplace-related traumatic injuries: insights from a rapidly developing Middle Eastern country.Journal of environmental and public health,2014. Azeem, S. M., Akhtar, N. (2014). PERSONAL ETHICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR AMONG DOCTORS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.International Journal of Academic Research,6(4). Bonne, A. (2013).State and Economics in the Middle East: With Special Refernce to Conditions in Western Asia India. Routledge. Brown, R. (2013).Understanding industrial organizations: Theoretical perspectives in industrial sociology. Routledge. Fnais, N., al-Nasser, M., Zamakhshary, M., Abuznadah, W., Al Dhukair, S., Saadeh, M., ... BinAhmedi, A. (2013). Prevalence of harassment and discrimination among residents in three training hospitals in Saudi Arabia.Annals of Saudi medicine,33(2), 134. Goldschmidt Jr, A., Boum, A. (2015).A concise history of the Middle East. Hachette UK. Johnson, T., Vriens, L. (2013). Islam: governing under Sharia.Council on Foreign Relations,9. Patrick, H. A., Kumar, V. R. (2012). Managing workplace diversity: Issues and challenges.Sage Open,2(2), 2158244012444615.

Skills and qualities Essay Example

Skills and qualities   Essay The Travel and tourism industry takes both interpersonal skills and technical skills into a huge consideration when recruiting a new member of staff. Concerning Technical skills may be one of the most basic types of skills which employers may be looking for when recruiting new members of staff as it is very crucial to their job roles. Technical skills are absorbed and taught as it will benefit them I their jobs, in many cases they may be very basic skills such as maintenance, cookery, organizing and so on. There are many values of technical skills and some are more demand that the others, however these skills are often the most crucial skills required by employers. Technical skills are set out to run, and set up malfunctions, or equipment maintenance such as computers which is involved in a certain individuals job criteria. In this case this skill may be important as the staff that has that skill will be familiar with what kind of preservation is essential to carry out on this equipment if something goes wrong. We will write a custom essay sample on Skills and qualities   specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Skills and qualities   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Skills and qualities   specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However on the other hand interpersonal skills are self-concept development, which makes an individual different from other individuals, however it includes many effects for instance how you behave in different situations or how you get on with people. A personal quality is what builds up persons characteristics; this may result in their attitude towards life and work. However skills are a development of process, it is socially constructed, and its what you learn in the work place. Employees are trained to develop these skills because it is vital in the travel and tourism industry. Personal qualities and skills are essential when employing new members of staff into the industry. The most common skills which are taken into account are usually are literacy and numeric skills, there are also other skills which are highly recommended for potential travel and tourism staff such as communicational skills, organisational skills and most importantly customer service. However there are also o ther types of skills required as well as all the technical skills for instance stamina; staff must have the stamina to work long and flexible hours. One example of interpersonal skill is coordination, this is extremely important for staff to be capable of doing as it regulates performance in relation to others actions. Staff must be able to engage in negotiation as it brings everybody together and settles the differences. On the other hand service orientation and social perceptiveness; this is when they are aware of what everybody else feels like towards a certain situation, their reactions and understanding. At the Marriott Hotel the staff are trained really well for a specific job role in order for them to do really well, so for instance some of the skills may be that they want their staff to take to account is the hotels geography, or be able to be familiar with all the emergency procedures for instance where all the fire exits are located. Reception Interpersonal skills Receptionists are required to have many types of interpersonal skills because they are responsible for assisting the guests so they must have excellent guest service skills. They are the first people the guests see when they visit to the hotel which is why they must have good skills in providing information regarding the hotel. Receptionists must learn how to make a good first impression and also learn to develop good listening skills because this is very important at the Marriot. They must be able to and capable of communicating effectively and have the stamina to work long hours. For receptionist at the Marriott they must be aware that they have many objectives to meet whilst they are at work, as there will be many different types of customers with their own unique problem which will need to be dealt. However handling complaints well is also another huge concern and this skill by a receptionist is most important as the Marriott believes customers are always right. At the Marriott is it is essential that receptionists be taught how to stay motivated and learn how to focus on customer care and provide information professionally, however they also need to feel compassionate towards the customers and also put on a good face even when its most worst day for them, because customers are supposed to feel welcomed all the time. Other interpersonal skills which are important for receptionist are communication skills and how to use them , receptionists must also be aware they need the ability to be able to remain calm and very composed, the slightest bit of anger cannot be shown in anyway for instance through their voice of facial expressions. At the Marriott they require their staff to have the ability to help customers in a friendly and yet a professional way, which may include tactfulness turning negatives into positives. Active learning is a good example of a good interpersonal skill for a receptionist as this will help them recognize the proposition of potential future problems, however active listening is also another skill as they will give customers the full attention and take huge amounts of time to achieve a good understanding to the points which customers are pointing out. Critical thinking is also another interpersonal skill which is very important at the Marriott by their receptionist staff, this helps staff see the logics and the reasons behind things rather that just the reasons, it will also help them figure out their way behind barriers, so for instance they are dealing with a difficult customer they wouldnt be let left speechless as they will understand and try and help rather than just turn their backs and walk away. The use of science is also important as they might come into a situation where they may need to use scientific rules and techniques to solve a case, speaking, a good communication is always appropriate for the needs of customers. Technical skills However other technical skills for a receptionist staff at the Marriott also includes skills such as equipment selection, so for instance something at the reception has gone wrong it the staff will know straight away what to do and how to handle the situation. If that staff has that skill they will also know what tools may be necessary. On the other hand installation, this is a very effective skill. A receptionist staff must me familiar with IT, so for instance isnt familiar with IT and there is a break down in the system they wouldnt know what to do, due to this Marriott could lose a lot of their important data installed on those computers. Whereas if there was no absence of this particular skill the member of staff will quickly run the programmes which may be needed and meet all the specifications as they will have the skill to do so. Another skill is also involved with this type of skill which is the operation and control, however this may sound very basic but it is important for a staff to have the knowledge of how to use the controlling operation systems and be extremely capable of how to monitor them. Troubleshooting is another skill important in this category; receptionists must have the skill to figure out the errors and the cause of them, repairing the machines if needed to be repaired. Thus one major skill which needs to be taken into huge consideration as the quality control analysis, at the Marriott they are very strict about how well their systems work and that they do now fail under any circumstances. However quality control analysis is done by the receptionists if not them its usually people at the front office, what the do is they inspects the computer and all the other technological systems in the building, such as the products and services and take out tests on them. The Marriott is a large hotel, so therefore to keep up their good successful image they must train their staff well with the technical skills required by this job. However staff at the front office in other words at the reception have the duty for the creation of the success in the organisation. So therefore receptionists must have adequate levels of technical skills. The main roles of a receptionist at the hotel is to receive calls, for which they must be able to use many different types of telephone techniques for instance dealing with incoming calls, how to sound confident and understanding the use of check lists and being able to use them if necessary, however it also includes skills such as being able to direct calls correctly. Receptionists must also understand the importance of customer relation; this includes factors such as understanding customer needs and attitudes, and dealing with complaints and awkward customers either on the telephone or on a face to face basis. For instance if there is a customer making a complaint the receptionist must learn to stay calm and develop strategies for dealing with difficult customers and situations. This is extremely important for the Marriott as the receptionists work as the front line position at the Marriot, and the impression the guests will receive from them is what the whole hotel would be judged by. Other skills include things such as cash handling skills to cope with the hotels accounting procedures in order for them to be capable of using the computerised billing and financial accounting system. Being taught plenty of skills is necessary for instance regarding customer care, numeracy, IT skills, using hotel systems and billings because staff must be able to use computers well as these methods are used constantly. The information they put into the computer must be accurate and checked. Computerised systems are vey difficult to handle and if anything goes wrong they could lose a lot of data, such as the hotel summary of each days business. Receptionists workers have many objectives these include things such as providing support to every parts of the organisation, as everybody needs their help and in order to do this they must keep appropriate records for certain things. learning the importance of first impressions which involves trying to project a professional image establishing a source of compliant, discretion and tactfulness, these skills are very important for the hotel which is why the reception staff are involved in doing a lot of work dealing with these skills. Restaurants and bar staff Technical skills Banqueting and bar staff at the Marriott are required to have many types of technical skills for instance how to prepare coffee up to a certain standard, these staff are responsible for maintaining the bar and the restaurant, this involves generating and preparing food in agreement with the customer or food, one basic technical skill is that they must have is that the food they make has to be up to menu specifications and meet the Marriot standards, other skills include taking orders serving food at a fast and effective pace whilst still keeping up the professional appearance and sanitation of the bar and restaurant. There are also other skills included in that position of job at the Marriott such as handling cash well They must also understand and be aware of the companys cash handling policy and procedures and must maintain a certain standard. Other skills include technical skills such as replacing and refilling the wine bar, how to use tills, numeric skills, excellent guest servic e skills and most importantly how to set up and close the bar and restaurant area. Bar and restaurant staff at the hotel are also required to have stamina in order to keep up with the unsociable hours and must be able to work flexible hours. Interpersonal skills Bar and restaurant staff at the Marriott are also required to have plenty of personal qualities, they should feel motivated about the work they do and very compassionate, however a sense of humour is always good as for the other members of staff and for yourself, this is very important as it helps the staff to stay happy and well focused on the job. However these staff must have a high level of stamina as the job involves a lot of work and long hours, they must have positive attitudes towards their colleagues and the customers as it this is a very essential part as it is a way to keep up with the Marriot standards. On the other hand communication skills are very important as it helps them to talk to the customers and understand what they want or need. However bar and receptionists staff at the hotel must also be very co-operative as that is they key to make a person adaptable and determined to succeed. Other general skills are also required such as they must not show their limitation if they get annoyed with a customer. On the other hand it is also important they have the courage to avoid critics of customers and not take it to heart. and also avoid the lack of temper and selfishness. House keeping Interpersonal skills Housekeepers at the Marriot are also expected to have many accomplished communication and interpersonal skills; the house keeping environment at the Marriott is a very hectic and obliging environment. A lot of the housekeeping staff will have to work in a very hospitality surrounding for which they may need to be empathetic. The interpersonal skills required by a housekeeping staff includes being friendly, pleasant and extremely dependable because it is possible they may come into contact with the visitors, housekeepers must also have good listening skills as well as good communication skills. Housekeepers must be extremely familiar with staff management practices and be capable of recognizing the Marriot hotels housekeeping standards and health and safety regulations. Housekeepers are often responsible for a wide range of areas which is why they must be familiar with hotels geography incase of emergency or to get something they need. On the other hand they need to also know where the rooms are located which they need to clean .Housekeeping at the Marriott hotel is all about maintaining the hotel and keeping it spotless for their visitors. A housekeeper is expected to clean, dust and vacuum; house keepers are also expected to be familiar with how to use the products, tools and equipment fully. On the other hand there are also other skills required for the housekeeping staff such as communication skills, feel motivated and also to have a relevant foreign language skill. Housekeeping staff must be having relevant language skills because they may come into contact with the cu stomers and may be asked questions. However other skills include skills such as having the ability to make decisions and most importantly to make the guests feel like they are at home with warm and impeccable service. Technical skill However other technical skills required by house keeping staff at the Marriott is to have the ability to keep the assigned corridors and stairwells extremely clean and maintained, they must also have a basic knowledge of engineering building maintenance skills in case repairmens are need in the bedroom. However they must be aware that they are in charge to keep the linen rooms properly stocked and clean also it must be organised and searchable for other members of staff to find. Housekeepers must able to know how to remove waste and dirty glasses; these staff must have excellent guest service skills and must be available to work a flexible schedule. Excellent cleaning abilities The role requires staff to do heavy duty cleaning, general maintenance and minor repairs of guest rooms to maintain the Marriot standards, other skills include cleaning carpets, being able to organise vents, how to vacume edges , how to clean windows, ,changing filters, minor repairs and furniture. In conclusion I believe that to maintain a good professional image of an organisation many skills and qualities taught by the staff at the organisation is very effective, as it will bring new customer and the staff will be happy workers and very co-operative they will feel motivated and determined to succeed. At the end motivated staff result in good business and more sales, so it is very important for staff to identify the skills for the job role. Conclusion I believe that interpersonal and technical skills are very important as in life in general and also for the world of work as they as they are increasingly commanded by employers, and in other terms these skills are also known as employability skills . The growth of these skills makes available a bigger constructive structure for us to replicate on our own development, this self-awareness is vital to future success.