FAQ-IHM Front Office

Q20. Expand E.D.P.

Ans.. Electronic Data Processing.

Q21. Expand P.M.S.

Ans. Property Management System

Q22. Expand H.W.C.

Ans. Handle with Care.

Q23. Expand P.I.A.

Ans. Paid in advance.

Q24. Expand D.P.

Ans. Direct Payment.

Q25. Expand D.N.A.

Ans. Did not arrive.

Q26. Expand R.N.A.

Ans. Registered but not assigned.

Q27. Expand D.N.S.

Ans. Did not stay.

Q28. Expand M.F.C.

Ans. Mail Forwarding Card.

Q29. Expand M.C.O.

Ans. Miscellaneous Charge Order.

Q30. Expand G.R.C.

Ans. Guest Registration Card.

Q31. Expand U.N.D.P.

Ans. United Nations Development Programme.

Q32. Expand W.H.O.

Ans. World Health Orgqnisation.

Q33. Expand F.A.O.

Ans. Food & Agricultural Organisation.

Q34. Expand W.T.O.

Ans. World Tourism Organisation or World Trade Organisation.

Q35. Expand V.I.P.

Ans. Very Important Person.

Q36. Expand V.V.I.P.

Ans. Very Very Important Person.

Q37. Expand C.I.P.

         Ans. Commercially Important Person.

Q38. Expand F.I.T.

         Ans. Free Independent Traveller.

Q39. Expand G.I.T.

         Ans. Group Inclusive Tours.

Q40. Expand H.R.A.C.C.

         Ans. Hotel and Restaurant Approval Classification Committee.

Q41. Expand. F.H.R.A.I.

         Ans. Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India.

Q42. Expand I.L.O.

         Ans. International Labour Organisation.

Q43. Expand F.R.R.O.

         Ans. Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office.

Q44. Expand P.O.S.

         Ans. Point of Sale.

Q45. Expand A.R.R.

         Ans. Average Room Rate.

Q46. Expand A.D.R.

         Ans. Average Daily Rate.

Q47. Expand O-O-O.

         Ans. Out of Order.

Q48. Expand V.P.O.

         Ans. Visitor’s Paid Out.

Q49. Expand V.T.L.

         Ans. Visitor’s Tabular Ledger.

Q50. Expand U.S.P.

         Ans. Unique Selling Proposition.

Q2 Define Duplex.

Q3 Define Penthouse

.

Q5. Define Lanai

Q6. Define Efficiency Room

Q7. Define Hospitality Room

Q8. Define Hospitality Suite.

Q10. Define Interconnecting Room.

Q12. Define Kabana.

         Ans: Bharat Natyam (Tamil Nadu); Kathakali (Kerala)

          Manipuri (Manipur)        Kathak (North India)

             Odissi (Orissa)                                   Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)

             Mohini Attam (Kerala)

Q52. In which month does Sankranth occur?

         Ans. January

Q53. In which month does Republic Day occur?

Q54. In which month does Holi occur?

         Ans. March/April

Q55. In which month does Easter occur?

         Ans. March/April

Q56. In which month does Maharashtra Day occur?

Q57. In which month does Raksha Bandhan occur?

         Ans. July/August.

Q58. In which month does Onam occur?

         Ans. August/September

Q59. In which month does Ganesh Chaturthi occur?

         Ans. August/ September

        

Q60. In which month does Dassera occur?

         Ans. September/ October

FAQ-IHM-Front Office

QUESTION BANK FOR FRONT OFFICE

A. Twin: A room with two twin beds. May be occupied by one or more people.

A.     Double: A room assigned to two people. May have one or more beds.

  Ans.     Triple: A room assigned to three people. May have two or more beds.

 Ans. Quad: A room assigned to four people. May have two or more beds.

  Ans. Queen: A room with a queen-size bed. May be occupied by one or more people.

Q6.   Define king Room.

  King: A room with a king-size bed. May be occupied by one or more people.

Q7.    Define Twin room.

 Twin: A room with two twin beds. May be occupied by one or more people.

Q8.     Define Double-Double

Ans. Double-double: A room with two double (or perhaps queen) beds. May be occupied by one or more persons.

Q9.    Define Studio room.

 Ans.Studio: A room with a studio bed-a couch, which can be converted into a bed. May also have an additional bed.

Q10. Define junior suiteor mini-suite.

Ans. Mini-suite or junior suite: A single room with a bed and a sitting area. Sometimes the sleeping area is in a bedroom separate from the parlour or living room.

Q11.  Define suite.

Ans.Suite: A parlour or living room connected to one or more beds.

Q12.  Define Connecting roon.

Ans.Connecting rooms: Rooms with individual entrance doors from the outside and a connecting door between. Guests can move between rooms without going through the hallway.

Q13. Define Adjoining room.

Ans. Adjoining rooms: Rooms with a common wall but no connecting door.

Q14.  Adjacent rooms: Rooms close to each other, perhaps across the hall.

Q15. Define Single Room.

A.   Single: A room assigned to one person. May have one or more beds.

Ans.  A guest is currently registered to the room.

Ans. The room is occupied, but the guest is assessed no charge for its use.

Q18.      Define Stay Over.

Ans.  The guest is not expected to check out today and will remain at least one more night.

Q19.      Define On-change.

Ans.  The guest has departed, but the room has not yet been cleaned and readied for re-sale.

Q20.      Define Do Not Disturb.

Ans. The guest has requested not to be disturbed.

Q21.      Define Sleep-out.

Ans.  A guest is registered to the room, but the bed has not been used.

Q22.      Define Skipper.

Ans. The guest has left the hotel without making arrangements to settle his or her account.

Q23.      Define Sleeper.

Ans. The guest has settled his or her account and left the hotel, but the front office staff has failed to properly update the room’s status.

Q24.      Define Vacant and ready.

Ans.  The room has been cleaned and inspected and is ready for an arriving guest.

Q25.   Define Out-of-order

Ans.  The room cannot be assigned to a guest. A room may be out-of-order for a variety of reasons including the need for maintenance, refurbishing, and extensive cleaning.

Q26.   Define Double Lock.

Ans.  The guest room door is locked from inside and outside two times so that no one can enter.

Q27.   Define Lockout.

Ans.  The room has been locked so that the guest cannot re-enter until a hotel official clears him or her.

Q28.   define DNCO (Did Not Check Out).

Ans. The guest made arrangements to settle his or her account (and thus is not a skipper), but has left without informing the front office.

Q29.  Define  Due out.

Ans. The room is expected to become vacant after the following day’s checkout time.

Q30.   define Do Not Paid.

Ans. The guest is going to check out from  the hotel today.

Q31   Define Checkout.

Ans.  The guest has settled his or her account, returned the room keys, and left the hotel.

Q32.   Define Late Check-out.

Ans.  The guest has requested and is being allowed to check out later than the hotel’s standard check-out time.

Q33. What is A.P.

Ans. American Plan

Q34. What is MAP.

Ans. Modified American Plan

Q35. What is B.P.

Ans. Bermuda Plan.

Q17. What is C.P.

Ans Continental Plan.

Q18. What is E. P.

Ans. European Plan.

HRM continued

Functions of HRM

Managerial Functions

Managerial functions of personnel management involve planning, organising, directing, and controlling.  All these functions influence the performance of operative functions.

Planning:  It is a predetermined course of action.  Planning is determining of personnel programmes and changes in advance.  In other words it involves planning of manpower requirements, recruitment, selection, transfers, promotions, training, etc.  It also includes forecasting of personnel needs, changing values, attitudes and behaviour of employees and their impact on organisation.

Organising:  An organisation is a means to an end.  it is essential to carryout the determined course of action.  In the words of J.C. Massie, an organisation is a " structure and  a process by which co-operative group of human beings allocates its tasks among its members, identifies relationships and integrates its activities towards common objective.  Complex relationships exist between the specialised departments and the general departments as many top managers are seeking the advice of personnel manager.  thus organisation establishes relationships among the employees so that they can collectively contribute to the attainment of company goals.

Directing:  The next logical function after completing planning and organising is the execution of the plan.  the basic function of personnel management at any level is motivating, commanding, leading and activating people.  the willing and effective co-operation of employees for the attainment of organisational goals is possible through proper direction.  Tapping the maximum potentialities of the people is possible through motivation and command.  Thus direction is an important managerial function in building sound industrial and human relations besides securing employee contributions.  Coordination deals with the task of blending efforts in order to ensure successful attainment of an objective.  the personnel manager has to coordinate various managers at different levels as far as personnel functions are concerned.  Personnel management function should also be co-ordinated with other functions of managements like management of material, machine and money.

Controlling:  After planning, organising, directing and various activities of the personnel management.  At this point the performance is to be verified in order to know that the personnel functions are performed in conformity with the plans and directions.  Controlling involves checking, verifying and comparing of the actuals with the palns, identification of deviations if any and correcting the identified deviations.  Thus action and operation are adjusted to pre-detrmined plans and standards through control.  Auditing, training, programmes, analysing labour turnover records, directing morale surveys, conducting separation interviews are some of the means for controlling the personnel management functions.

A tribute to Mom and Dida

A day of food and fun at a Bengali House(Dadur badi)

Food is an integral part of any Bengali house hold.  My mom was the first person who made me love the food.  She was a housewife but was having extensive taste in cooking including south Indian, north Indian and very few Maharastrian food.

There are two parts of being a bengali, East bengal(bangal) and west bengal(ghoti).  My mom had learnt ghoti style of cooking from her mom and as my father is from the bangal style, so she learnt the this way of cooking also.

There is something special about the cooking and process of cooking of bengali food.  A typical household in Kolkatta, who are not conscious of oil/sugar, will start the day with a cup of cha, which is mostly liquor tea(prefered Darjeeling, Orange pekoe, lopchu) with very less or no milk.  This is accompanied with moori or shingara.  In Kolkatta unlike Delhi you get jilapi(jalebi) in the morning.  This is just the jol khabar or starter before the actual breakfast. As the day starts early in Kolkatta around Now the breakfast preparation starts with an arid choice of dishes.

The summer times are the best for food with Aam and Kathal with moori, kosha narkel, sugar and milk with moori(wow), radha bollobi, cholar dal are loochi, porotha are ghugni or porotha with special alloo bhaja with kalonji(kalojeera) and pyej, with loads of green chillies.  Simple yet amazing breakfast.  Other than this you can also have egg paratha, egg roll, omlette, desi version of Fritata (egg on top of potato and onion sauted.)  All this is happening at around 10-11 AM.

Then if it is the Sankrant then pitha of various kinds are being made puli, chushi,patishpta.  Remember the Unaan(anghithi) at my nani,s place.  She used to put to light at 4.30 or 5 in the morning started cooking by 6 AM.

Before the breakfast, dadu used to go to the vegetable and fish market for the fresh supplies. this was a daily affair, nothing used to go waste, which we do now, left overs of the vegetables used to be given to the cows.  Fish  trimmings used to be given to the pet cats, it was such sustainable environment.

Then didu  and mami's with mom would plan for the lunch menu and sit and cut the vegetables and gossip around.  The life was so not complicated.

The lunch would have a variety of dishes, starting from bhaja-which could be neem pata bhaja, beguni, aloo, potol, bata maach, morola,kakrol, korola,kumdo, kumdo phul, bok phul, sojna phool, etc. the list is endless.
Then the shukto or the tito(Karela).  Then dal, again an ample to choices- motor daal, bhaja moog dal matha diye: lau diye, kolair daal, musoor dal, aam daal, cholar dal, chola daler dalna, papder dalna.

Bengali special saag: pui saag with kundo, laal saag, data saag, kolmi saag, palak saag, sojna saag, kochu saag, loti, etc.

The variety of sobji that the list will be too short, kochu bata, kachakola bata, posto bata, aloo posto, jhinga posta, lau chngri, dal chorano lau/chalkumdo. kumdor chokka, khonto, ghet, bodir jhol, chichiga bhaja, borboti, bandha kofi, phool kofir dalna, macher matha diye ghonto etc.

After this the non-veg dishes-macher jhol, macher jhal, tok mach, sorse bata maach, malai curry, rui maach bhaja, telapia, pabda, tengra, chingri, and my favourite Illish, just zeera jhol or bhapa, yummy.

Mangsho khashi or patha the dish used to taste just wow.  Manshor jhol, kosha mansho with lots of aloo, tastes yummy with porotha or bhat.

Chutni variety- Amra, chalta, aam, tomato, aam sotto, khejur, annanas, tetul, etc. with variety of phoron, panch phoron the common one or the sorsa, shukno lonka and adda(ginger).

Then is the turn for the sweets includes misti doi, rosogulla, kheer kodom, kacha golla, payesh, sandesh, kalakand, chanar jelapi, kalo jam, lengcha, chenna toast, chondropolli, gojja, gujia, lobongo lotika, etccc.

Misti paan ba saja paan to end the special lunch or the dinner.   Maybe only supari or Mouri ba bhaja ajwain, and then the sleeping time to get up again at 4.00 PM for the tea and the snacks, which will include the jhal muri, roll, mughlai, phuchka, churmur, etc.

Eating was so much fun when we were young, now restricted food intake mars the appetite.

Just enjoyed my childhood so much that I had to write it out.

Objectives of HRM

The primary objective of HRM is to ensure the availability of competent and willing workforce to an organisation.  The specific objectives include the following:

1)  Human Capital:  assisting the organisation in obtaining the right number and types of employees to fulfill its strategic and operational goals.

2)  Developing organisational climate: helping to create a climate in which employees are encouraged to develop and utilise their skills to the fullest and to employ the skills and abilities of the workforce efficiently.

3)  Helping to maintain performance standards and increase productivity through effective job design; providing adequate orientation, training and development; providing performance-related feedback; and ensuring effective two-way communication.

4)  Helping to establish and maintain a harmonious employer/employee relationship.

5) Helping to create and maintain a safe and healthy work environment.

6)  Developing programs to meet the economic, psychological, and social needs of the employees and helping the organisation to retain the productive employees.

7)  Ensuring that the organisation is in compliance with provincial/territorial and federal laws affecting the workplace(such as human rights, employment equity, occupational health and safety, employment standards, and labour relations legislation).  To help the organisation to reach its goals.

8)  To provide organisation with well trained and well motivated employees.

9)  To increase the employees satisfaction and self actualisation.

10)  To develop and maintain the quality of work life.

11)  To communicate HR policies to all employees.

12)  To help maintain ethical policies and behaviour.

The above stated HRM objectives can be summarised under four specific objectives: 

• Societal Objectives:  Seek to ensure that the organisation becomes socially responsible to the needs ansd challenges of the society while minimising the negative impact of such demands upon the organisation.  The failure of the organisations to use their resources for the society's benefit in ethical ways may leed to restriction.
• Organisational Objectives:  It recognises the role of HRM in bringing about organisational effectiveness.  It makes sure that HRM is not a standalone department, but rather a means to assist the organisation with its primary objectives.  The HR department exists to serve the rest of the organisation.
• functional Objectives:  is to maintian the department's contribution at a level appropriate to the organisation's needs.  Human resources are to be adjusted to suit the organisation's demands.  The department's value should not become too expensive at the cost of the organisation it serves.
• Personal Objectives:  it is to assist employees in achieving their personal goals, at least as fas as these goals enhance the individual's contribution to the organisation.  Personal objectives of employees must be met if they are to be maintained, retained and motivated.  Otherwise employee performance and satisfaction may decline giving rise to employee turn over.

SCOPE OF HRM

The scope of HRM is indeed vast.  All major activiites in the networking life of a worker-fromthe time of his or her entry into a n organisation until he or she leaves the organisations comes under the purview of HRM.  The major HRM activities include HR planning, job analysis, job design, employee hiring, employee and executive remuneration, employee motivation, employee maintenance, industrial relations and prospects of HRM.

The scope of HRM also extends to : 

• All the decisions, strategies, factors, principles, operations, functions, activities and methods related to the management of people as employees in any type of organisation.

All the dimensions related to people in their employment relationships, and all the dynamics that flow from it. 

a)  Human Resource Planning: the objective of HR planning is to ensure that the organisation has the right types of persons at the right time  at the right place.  It prepares human resources inventory with a view to assess present and future needs, availability and possible shortages in human resource.  Thereupon, HR Planning forecast demand and supplies and identify sources of selection.  Hr Planning develops strategies both long term and short term, to meet the man -power requirement.

b)  Design of Organisation and job:  this is the task of laying down organisation structure, authority, relationship and responsibilities.  this will also mean definition of work contents for each position in the organisation.  this is done by "job description".  another important step is "Job specification".  Job specification identifies the attributes of persons who will be most suitable for each job which is defined by job description.

c)  Selection and staffing: This is the process of recruitment and selection of staff.  This involves matching people and their expectations with which the job specifications and career path available within the organisation.

d)Training and development:  This involves an organised attempt to find out training needs of the individuals to meet the knowledge and skill which is needed not only to perform current job but also to fulfill the future needs of the organisation.

e)  Organisation Development:  This is an important aspect whereby "synergetic effect" is enerated in an organisation i.e. healthy interpersonal and inter-group relationship within the organisation.

f)  Compensation and benefits:  This is the area of wages and salaries administration where wages and compensations are fixed scientifically to meet fairness and equity criteria.  In addition labour welfare measures are involved which include benefits and services.

g)Employee Assistance:  Each employee is unique in character, personality, expectation and temperament.  By and large each one of them faces problems everyday.  Some are personal some are official.  In their case he or she remains worried.  Such worries must be removed to make him or her more productive and happy.

h)Union-Labour Relations:  Healthy Industrial and labour relations are very important for enhancing peace and productivity in an organisation.  This is one of the areas of HRM.

i)  Personnel Research and Information system:  Knowledge on behavioural sciene and industrial psychology throws better insight into the workers expectations, aspirations and behaviour.  Advancement of technology of product and production methods have created working environment which are much different from the past.  Globalisation of economy has increased competition many fold.  Science of ergonomics gives better ideas of doing a work more conveniently by an employee.  Thus, continuous research in HR areas is an unavoidable requirement.  It must also take special care for improving exchange of information through effective communication systems ona continuous basis especially on moral and motivation.

HRM is a broader concept of Personnel Management(PM) and Human Resource development(HRD) are a part of HRM.

HRM notes for the hotel Management graduate

Notes for the Human Resource Management students of IHM

Introduction to HRM

Human beings are a social beings and hardly ever live and work in isolation.  We always plan, develop and manage our relations both consciously and unconsciously.  the relations are the outcome of our actions and depend to a great extent upon our ability to manage our actions.  The whole context of human resource management revolves around the individual acquiring knowledge and experience on understanding others and how to behave in each and every situations in life and thus managing relations at work place.  Since the middle of the 20th century Human Resource Management(HRM) has gained acceptance in both academic and commercial circle.  HRM is a multidisciplinary organisational function that draws theories and ideas from various fields such as management, psychology, sociology and economics.

There is no best way to mange people and no manager has formulated how people can be managed effectively, because people are complex beings with complex needs. Effective HRM depends very much on the causes and conditions that an organisational setting would provide.  any organisation has three basic components, People, Purpose and structure.

In 1994, a noted leader in the human resources(HR) field made the following observation: Yesterday,the company with the access most to the capital or the latest technology had the best competitive advantage.  Today, companies that offer products with the highest quality are the ones with a leg up on the competition; but the only thing that will uphold a company's advantage tomorrow is the calibre of the people in the organisation.

This predicted future is today's reality.  Most mangers in public and private sector firms of all sizes would agree that people truly are the organisations most important asset.  Having competent staff on the payroll does not guarantee that a firm's human resources will be a source of competitive advantage.  However in order to remain competitive, to grow, and diversify an organisation must ensure that its employees are qualified, placed in appropriate positions, properly trained, managed effectively, and committed to the firm's success.  the goal of HRM is to maximise employees' contributions in order to achieve optimal productivity and effectiveness, while simultaneously attaining individual objectives(personal) and societal objectives(for the society).

What is Human Resource Management?

HRM is the study of activities regarding people working in an organisation.  It is a managerial function that tries to match an organisation's needs to the skills and the abilities of its employees.

Definition:  Human Resources Management(HRM) is a management function concerned with hiring, motivating and maintaining people in an organisation.  It focuses on people in the organisations.  Human Resource Management is designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organisational goals.

HRM is the personnel function which is concerned with procurement, development, compensation, integration and maintenance of the personnel of an organisation for the purpose of contributing towards the accomplishments of the organisation's objectives. Therefore, personnel management is the planning, organising, directing and controlling of the performance of those operative functions(Edward B.Philippo).

According to the Invancevich and Glueck, " HRM is concerned with the most effective use of the people to achieve organisational and individual goals.  It is the way of manageing people at work, so that they give their best to the organisation".

According to Dessler(2008)the policies and practices involved in carrying out the "people" or human resource aspects of a management position, including recruiting, screening,training,rewarding and appraising comprises of HRM.

In short Human Resource Management can be defined as the art of procuring, developing and maintaining competent workforce to achieve the goals of an organisation in an effective and efficient manner.

Core nature of HRM

HRM is  a mangement function that helps manager's to recruit, select, train and develop members for an organisation.  HRM is concerned with people's dimension in organisations.

The following constitute the core of HRM

1. HRM involves the application of Management functions and principles.  the functions and principles are applied to acquiring, developing, maintaining and providing renumeration to employees in organisation.
2. Decison relating to employees must be integrateed.  Decisions on diferent aspects of employees must be consistent with other human resource decisions.
3. Decisions made influence the effectiveness of an organisation.  effectiveness of an organisation will result in betterment of services to customers in the form of high quality products supplied at reasonable costs.
4. HRM functions are not confined to business establishments only but applicable to non-business organisations such as education, health care, recreation and like.

HRM refers to a set of programmes, functions and activities designed and carried out in order to maximise both employee as well as organisational effectiveness.