Travel and fine dining: These activities trigger dopamine

I’ve been to many countries, and so far, my favorite experience is travel and fine dining in South Australia.

After working for the Hibiscus Tree for a while, I feel more confident in the hospitality industry now.

  • My work experience informs my future plans.

In the future, I plan to develop my Search Engine Optimization (SEO) skill which is the most important Internet marketing skill so that I can contribute to any organization in the hospitality industry in today’s day and age (every company has a website that needs to rank high on Google search results).

I can learn SEO through LinkedIn Learning where a wide variety of online courses are available.

Furthermore, I will join Charisma University, an online program which teaches people how to fully master communication skills in the workplace (this online program is taught by author and YouTube personality Charlie Houpert)

In this way, I will be able to master these two skills (internet marketing and effective communication) and become a specialized generalist in record time.

Clearly, my experience influences my plans for the future.

I need more experiences!

travel and fine dining

 

  • Five components of an organization:

At the top of the Hibiscus Tree is the Strategic Apex which makes sure that the restaurant follows its mission, i.e., becoming the most successful and influential Chinese restaurant (Sichuan restaurant) in Adelaide, South Australia. Meanwhile, the Strategic Apex manages the relationship with its environment, including its internal environment and its external environment. To be more specific, the Strategic Apex has to manage relationships with employees and relationships with external stakeholders. In this case, Iris Huang (the director of the Hibiscus Tree) is the Strategic Apex because she is responsible for ensuring the restaurant follows its mission and manages various relationships. At the same time, she is the person who contacts organizations such as the accounting firm, Australian Taxation Office, etc. to make sure that compliance is done correctly.

Below the Strategic Apex is the Middle Line, i.e., managers who convert the goals and the blueprint of the apex into practical plans which could be implemented by employees. In the Hibiscus Tree, there is only one Operations Manager in the Middle Line because it is a small organization.

If an organization is more complex, they oftentimes develop a group of individuals who identify the optimal way of doing a job, clarifying quality standards and making sure that staff members have the right skills through providing training programs (The Open University 2019). These analysts are known as the Technostructure of an organization. However, because the Hibiscus Tree is a relatively small restaurant, the Operations Manager is also responsible for this area of work.

Apart from that, an organization has other administrative tasks, too, e.g., public relations, online marketing projects, new menus, and so on. Employees who are responsible for these tasks are also known as the Support Staff. Since the Hibiscus Tree is a small organization, I have become the Support Staff already, although I am a kitchen hand and waitress.

At the bottom of an organization is the Operating Core. These are the employees who do the basic jobs such as delivering the services and producing the products (Mintzberg 1983). In the Hibiscus Tree, chefs, waiters and waitress are the Operating Core. Clearly, I am one of them in this restaurant.

Overall, the above-mentioned structure of the Hibiscus Tree is highly effective because although this restaurant does not have a large number of managers and employees, its daily operation is very efficient. The benefit of working for a small organization is I can participate in a variety of aspects of the business, thereby gaining more valuable experience, as evidenced by the fact that I not only work as a waitress and kitchen hand, but also provide new marketing strategies and work very closely with the manager & the director on a daily basis.

While I was consulting with the restaurant’s director Iris Huang, she clearly explained the organization framework strategy to me. Basically, she ensures that her strategy is carried out appropriately by communicating with the Operations Manager and employees weekly – there is a weekly meeting in the restaurant. During the weekly meeting, the director, the Operations Manager and all employees discuss the implementation of the organization framework strategy, issues that need to be addressed, and so forth. Apparently, regularly communication is the cornerstone of carrying out the organization framework strategy and ensuring sustainable success of an organization.

In terms of travel and fining dining, the more experience I have, the better I understand myself.

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