The Role of Recreational Literacy in the Knowledge Acquisition of a Hotel Manager - Essay Example

 The Role of Recreational Literacy in the Knowledge Acquisition of a Hotel Manager The concept of recreational literacy has strongly affected and influenced the various components of our society. In the past, it was normal for all knowledge and information to come from a single, credible source most often, an academic one. This was because universities and other parastatal institutions were set up to control the flow of information and the development of knowledge throughout nations around the world. However, in our own time, knowledge and information are being proliferated at an incredibly high speed. Today, there are many outlets for information that far exceeds the sources of information that existed 30 years ago. The average person has so many options to choose for in terms of upgrading his knowledge about specific events that are relevant to his or her life. Due to this, literacy is not restricted only to the traditional classroom learning or the supervisory systems where institutions controlled the flow of information to different parts of the society. This the existence of recreational literacy as an alternative source of enlightenment has affected different units of the society including the hotel industry. Recreational literacy is defined by Mackey as “engagements with texts of all kinds that are undertaken entirely for their own sake, for the pleasure of the engagement and not for any utilitarian outcome” (2007 6). Thus it refers to reading and update of information by individuals without a view of getting a qualification or some recognition from it. The whole idea of idea of recreational literacy refers to acquisition of knowledge by a self-motivated individuals mainly through unconscious efforts. This influences the way an individual thinks, although it might not be in a very structured system. Due to the unconsciousness and the gradualist system, recreational literacy affects the way people think and perceive organizations. Due to this, recreational literacy affects the way a hotel manager goes about his/her work. Since I desire to become a hotel manager, I will examine the literacy practices of the hotel management industry and attempt to find out the rate at which recreational literacy has had an influence on the sector. In effect the paper will examine how recreational literacies are currently transforming learning and communication in hotel management. The paper will proceed by first examining the concept of recreational literacy into greater depth. It will go on to examine the main literacy structures in the hotel management industry. From there, it will explain how the hotel industry is being changed by recreational literacies by interviewing a resource person who has first hand knowledge about these trends in the industry. Communication & Hotel Management The work of a hotel manager entails the co-ordination and control of affairs in six major aspects of a hospitality facility (Jones 1111). This mainly stems from the fact that management concentrates more on the ability of a given manager to combine the various components of his/her business entity and ensure that all the units are working as they are supposed to on the lower level and also, collectively as an organization. The main areas of concern for a manager include finance, legal/compliance, food/beverage, marketing, human resource management, operations and leadership (Jones 1112). Each of these components have clear need for communication. Communication at each of these levels is strongly influenced by the ability of players to decode important messages that will determine the way they perceive and follow up with information they encounter in the process. Finance involves the raising of funds to run the hotel and how these funds are accounted for. This therefore means that the hotel manager will need to find ways and means through which he can understand how funds can be raised, how costs build up and how financial information must be recorded. Thus, most hotel managers are educated in these areas to get a basic understanding of this from their studies in college and through trainings. Legal and compliance is very important in the hotel management set-up. This is because there are federal and state laws that regulate the way hospitality facilities are operated. Due to this, hotel managers must ensure that every staff member as an appreciable level of understanding of what is required of him or her in relation to the law. Most staff members are trained and given enough training to work responsibly. Also, customers need to understand the law to ensure that hotels are working effectively and safeguard their rights. This leads to the need for customers to know the law to comply be able to ensure that hotels do what is expected of them. Food and beverage needs to be of the best quality in every hotel. It is therefore important that the management of a company ensures that there is a way of supervising the purchase and processing of foods and beverages. Information on the requirements of each hotel will be updated on a regular basis and as such, hotel managers will have to get a good understanding of what is going on, as well as staff members responsible for this. Perhaps the area that information and communication is most important in hotel management is the area of marketing. Since there are little or no courses that help hotel clients to choose the best hotels for their needs, most of them rely on what they hear from informal sources. This therefore means that marketing in the hotel industry is strongly correlated with information flow and as such, there is a strong connection between it and the recreational literacies. Human resource management is also an important area where information flow is important in the hotel industry. This is because the average employee is shaped by the training and interaction that s/he makes with other employees and the media (Page & Connell 208). And since people's perceptions change regularly, the management of human resources also has a strong connection with the flow of information from both traditional and non-traditional sources (Page & Connell 208). Operations involves the management of the premises and ensuring that everything is in order. This can be done through appropriate feedbacks from customers and people who matter. This is the best way that a hotel can maintain the best aesthetic factors. Leadership requires a hotel manager to represent a hotel in the external environment and also amongst the board of directors (Page & Connell 208). For the best results to be attained as a leader, a hotel manager will have to remain informed and ensure that his knowledge and understanding is upgraded at different points in time to meet the most dominant requirements. This will mean that managers of hotels will have to be well educated and always remain current by reading and understanding important contemporary materials that are relevant. Due to this, there are several things that a hotel manager will need to accomplish in order to ensure that s/he meets information requirements in the position (O'Fallon & Rutherford 73). First of all, a hotel manager will need to study in an appropriate course in a credible college to gain important knowledge and understanding of systems in the industry. This will end up with a reliable qualification that will form a good foundation for management in the hospitality industry. In attaining these qualifications, there is the need for a prospective manager to study academically credible materials and pass examinations. Secondly, a hotel manager will need to go through training and on-the-job studies to become certified with an appropriate professional body. This training requirement is almost always a necessity for most professional hotel management groups. Thirdly, after joining a professional body, a hotel manager will have to gain appropriate relevant experience preferably as a junior manager. From there, a manager can proceed to become a hotel manager who will be productive. Finally, in practice as a hotel manager, one needs to continue to update his/her knowledge on a regular basis. These hotel managers will often be encouraged by their professional bodies to read industrial journals and other research articles that are sent to them regularly. Most of the information in these four stages in the development of a career as a hotel manager requires the study of formal and academically approved materials. This creates a very formal setting within which hotel managers are groomed. Recreational Literacies Contemporary practices have caused several changes in the way information flows within industries (Knobel & Lankshear 25). Contemporary practices are influenced by new social practices, technology and multimodal texts (Knobel & Lankshear 25). This therefore means that the new trends in our society ensures that new and more sophisticated systems and methods are employed by individuals to acquire more knowledge and re-inforce existing knowledge (Coiro 570). Recreational literacies in Ancient Greece involved the use of written plays and other forms of drama sustain an oral perforamance (Holme 75). Aristotle famously stated that people want to be deceived and art ensures that this fantasy of people is attained (Holme 77). Thus, the development of an informal channel through which information can be exchanged is the main basis for recreational literacies. In our modern times, recreational literacy is connected with our daily lives and it builds on our recreational tastes and desires (Mackey 2011 20). In other words, recreational literacies come about due to unconscious reading habits that are built as a result of people's desire to read every-day and self-help books without any clearly defined ends. “Recreational literacies have a strong influence and works side-by-side with academic and formal literacy to shape the development of knowledge” (Coiro 570). This therefore means that the desire of people to do reading updates the knowledge and perception base of these people and this determines the way people do things. In applying this to the hospitality industry, a hotel manager is likely to be influenced in his preferences after reading materials for recreational purposes. This therefore means that the reading of these modern entertainment and self-help books can enable a hotel manager to modify his way of doing things. Also, the reading of these materials by the people hotel managers interact with is likely to have an influence on such persons. This will ensure that the stock of knowledge available to hotel managers and key players in the industry is strongly influenced by recreational literacies. Holme (66) identifies that recreational literacies affect the way people do things in their work through three main outlets. 1. Peer-to-peer networks: This is where people interact with each other through different forms of communication and this influences the parties involved and they update their knowledge. 2. General media: through novels, books and the media. People get to learn about new things by indulging in these forms of communications and ensures that they update their stock of knowledge. 3. Technological outlets: This is where information is spread through modern technological systems and structures. Some of these outlets include internet (blogs), e-books, mobile technology and many other modern outlets and these outlets continue to evolve and improve each and every day. Ways Recreational Literacies are Affecting the Work of a Hotel Manager In order to find out the actual system through which a hotel manager is influenced by recreational literacies, an interview was conducted with Mr XXXXX YYYYY who is a hotel manager by profession. Dynamism in the Hotel Industry It was discovered that the hotel industry is a highly dynamic industry. It is therefore automatic that a hotel manager will have to read more and improve his knowledge. This is because there is always a new idea or concept out there that was not covered in previous studies. It is therefore necessary that a hotel manager develops a culture of wide reading in non-traditional media and traditional media to remain ahead of the competition. Customers Needs Variety Customers always keep on reading more and try to find out more things through recreational literacy sources. This is because the strong desire can only be satisfied by reading and connecting one's need with realities in the industry. Customers Shape the Hospitality Industry Customers are the main players who determine how things need to be done in the industry. And one of the best ways to gauge customer interest is to read through traditional and non-traditional sources to ensure that appropriate information is acquired for proper planning to be made. Optimum Use of Resources It is important to identify the best ways that resources can be used. This therefore means that the hotel manager will have to continue hunting for information through all the sources available. This inevitably leads a hotel manager to find more leads through non-traditional literature. Staff Upgrades Staff members also influence hotel managers through the recreational literature they read. This is because these staff members often implement what they read. This causes managers to also get influenced indirectly by these recreational sources. Conclusion The world has changed tremendously and traditional knowledge from academic sources are balanced by non-traditional sources from recreational literacies. The growth of technology and the unconscious nature of recreational literacies makes it flourish and presents it as influence on traditional knowledge. The hotel manager will need to be study, join a professional body and gain experience by becoming familiar with credible academic sources. However, in practice, the role of a hotel manager is strongly influenced by recreational literacies. These literacies are necessary due to the dynamic nature of the hotel industry and the need for a hotel manager to make optimum business decisions and be at par with major stakeholders like customers and staff members. Works Cited Coiro Julie. Handbook of Research in New Literacies. London: Taylor & Francis Group. 2008. Print. Griswold Wendy, McDonnell Terry & Wright Nathan. “Reading & The Reading Class in the Twenty First Century” Annual Review of Sociology Vol 31 (2005). pp127 – 132. Journal. Holme Randal. Literacy: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 2004. Print. Jones Peter. “Yield Management in UK Hotels: A System Analysis” in Journal of the Operational Research Society Vol 50 No. 11. Nov. 1999. pp1111 – 1119 . Journal. Knobel Michele & Lankshear Colin. New Literacies: Everyday Practices & Social Learning. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. 2005. Print. Mackey Margaret. Literacies Across Media: Managing the Text. London: Taylor & Francis. 2011. Print. Mackey Margaret. Mapping Recreational Literacies: Conetmporary Adults at Play New York: Peter Lang Publishing. 2007. Print. O'Fallon Michael & Rutherford Denney. Hotel Management & Operations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 2010. Print. Page Stephen & Connell Joanne. Tourism: A Modern Synthesis Mason, OH: Cengage. 2006. Print. Read More