Explain how you have prepared for the academic challenges of the MMH program - Essay Example

1. Explain how you have prepared for the academic challenges of the MMH program? With all due humility, I have an impressive and prolonged background in tourism and hospitality industry. Over the years, I spent working in the hospitality sector, I came across ample opportunities to enhance my existing skills, as well as to develop and imbibe new skills. While working for Okinawa’s public destination marketing organization, I learnt a lot about the relevance of knowing about the local history, culture and economy, so as to have a holistic perspective of the available opportunities and markets. I am also actively involved with Okinawa Society of Tourism Education, a professional organization that comprises of teachers, researchers and tourism associated executives. The organization holds regular meetings to discuss the issues facing the hospitality sector. My struggle to crack GMAT was a real humbling and insightful experience. The overall preparation for GMAT turned out to be a positive reinforcement in more than one way. It made me realize the value of language skills in everyday business. Therefore, I have taken ample pains to improve on my language skills and have gained much in the area of correct grammatical construction and composition. With sincere practice, my proficiency in all the language skills, that are reading, writing, listening and speaking has become much better than before. Strategic and analytical reading has become a habit with me. I am an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist and the contemporary English fiction. Not to mention, I have access to supportive, understanding and well qualified friends, family and colleagues, who are always willing to lend a helping hand. I have teamed up with my sister, who is a certified public accountant, to prepare for the academic challenges of the MMH Program. Right now, she assisting me in understanding and grasping the essentials of finance, accounting and statistics, which will go a long way in helping me fruitfully complete the online prerequisite courses, which I will be required to pursue, once admitted. We are methodically and painstakingly revising the material I went through in the previous courses I attended and are taking the aid of online learning software tool to refresh the fundamentals. Above all, I have an inquisitive and open mind, an unpretentious and flexible temperament and an immense zeal to excel in whatever I do. I truly cherish the beauty and culture of Okinawa and aspire to share it with the whole world. 2. Describe your hospitality or other service related work experience in detail. What aspect of this experience are you most proud of? What makes me unique and distinguished from the other applicants is that my entire career till today has been solely dedicated to the tourism and hospitality industry, as my resume indicates. I have been associated with both the private aspects of tourism business like airlines, entertainment and hotel/casino and with public bodies like the government tourism board of Okinawa. During my tenure as casino VIP Services coordinator, my job was to streamline the liaison between the casino guests and the salient departments dedicated to their service. My experience at casino helped me understand the value of retaining a professional demeanor, extending first-class quality, creatively coping with stress and honing one’s people skills. Currently, I work for Okinawa’s public destination marketing organization. Our objective is to promote Okinawa as a preferred tourist destination, so as to boost the local economy. To be precise, I am responsible for attracting tourists from all over the world. My major accomplishment in this organization was to make a foray into the hitherto untapped Korean market. It was my personal conviction and initiative that led to the expansion of the new flight route from Busan, the second largest city in South Korea. My ‘Invite Korea’ strategy paid immense dividends, considering the fact that the number of South Koreans visiting Okinawa surged by 150 percent this fiscal year. The one single aspect of my career that I am specifically proud of is my enthusiasm for promoting tourism in Okinawa. It allows me to use the experience I accumulated as hospitality professional, to highlight the specialties of a destination, where I feel totally at home. I am proud to say that my efforts have already contributed USD 12 million to the local economy. 3. Apart from the intellectual and specific technical skills, what traits do you believe best characterize an effective leader? How have you demonstrated your leadership abilities? It goes without saying that intellectual and technical skills are a must for being a success in the tourism and hospitality business. Yet, this is not the be all and end all of hospitality business. The three essential factors that eventually go a long way in making a good leader are one’s ability to motivate, one’s competency to navigate across cultures and a person’s ability to listen effectively. Tourism, by its very nature is a cyclical business and is vulnerable to international economic and political trends. Besides, in the hospitality business, there is always an immense pressure to perform. So, an effective leader is one who leads by example and who can motivate the employees under all circumstances. Again, the tourism industry, more than any other sector is open to a culturally diverse clientele and work force. Diverse cultural backgrounds do often pose barriers to understanding. So, effective leaders ought to have the cultural skills and strategies for interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. Listening skills are a must for a viable leader. Listening is as much about understanding and analyzing, as about acknowledging and respecting the other person’s nonverbal and spoken messages. I remember, though my job at the casino was fun and exciting with ample glitz and glamour, yet, often it used to get real exhausting at times with demanding guests and the accompanying pressures. At such times, it was my patience; listening skills and my ability to handle cultural diversity that helped me go on. Actually, my poise and equanimity not only helped me, but motivated my colleagues and subordinates also. 4. Describe your involvement in a group or team that demonstrates your ability to organize people towards a shared objective or goal? The establishment where I worked as a housekeeping supervisor in 2008 was severely hit by Lehman crisis. The ownership of the building eventually passed to a hedge fund company, which positively pressurized us to cut the operating costs drastically. The knee jerk reaction of the management was to opt for staff reduction. However, I well understood that the people working under me were skilled and experienced individuals, who will be really difficult to replace, once the things get better. So I decided to protect the employees to the best of my abilities. I started to economize on the expenditures and came out with creative ideas to affect savings. I decided to opt for dramatic cost saving measures, without compromising the customer service. The steps initiated by me included charging for laundry bags, extra amenities and condiments served in the lounge. We decided to dim the lights after work hours to save energy and introduce efficiency. Luckily, the dim lights made the ambience more soothing for the customers. The other steps included lowering the thread counts for the bath mats, limiting the use of hot water and so on. Besides, once the employees got convinced that accomplishing economy and thrift was in their interest, they took no time in wholeheartedly collaborating with the new move. In fact, many of them started coming out with new cost saving ideas and innovations of their own. This strategy inculcated a sense of camaraderie in the complete housekeeping team, which was aimed at benefitting both the organization and the staff. Surprisingly, in one month, we were able to save 15 percent of the overhead costs. The initiative did not save all the jobs, but still it managed to retain many on board. 5. Describe something about yourself that will help the selection committee know you better. My father had a significant influence on my life. As a founding member of the “Tour de Okinawa”, a professional cycling competition that is held annually at Okinawa, he had to travel extensively around the globe, for inspection and research purposes. I spent much of my childhood, accompanying him in his overseas excursions. At a very early age, I got exposed to diverse people and cultures. I in a way extended my multicultural experience, when I moved to Las Vegas to attend college. On campus, I made many lifelong friends and continued to discover my talent and aptitude in the field of hospitality. Off campus, I actively participated in non-profit organizations, as a counselor for the other foreign exchange students in the city. When I was 17, I had a firm idea that I desired a career in hospitality. My life in the US further consolidated my conviction. My consistency in the hospitality industry amply exhibits my commitment. For 14 years I resided in the United States and I feel that I matured significantly as a professional and an individual, during my stay there. When I returned to Okinawa, I eventually recognized the importance of my culture and the massive contribution I can make to the local economy, as a qualified hospitality professional. In a way, I am utterly fortunate to be able to live the best of both worlds. Read More