Acta turistica nova, Vol. 3 No. 2, 2009.
Original scientific paper
OPERATIONAL CONTROLLING IN THE HOTEL AND CATERING INDUSTRY
Mirko Bošnjak
Abstract
The topic to which I seek to draw the attention of the professional public is quite delicate, perhaps even controversial, since it points to occurrences in operations which have not been sufficiently investigated. This paper is an attempt to investigate some phenomena that occur in the operations of hotel and catering facilities, which are caused by unscrupulous staff.
The employer or owner of the facility may suffer great losses in terms of turnover and quality of service. If we also consider today’s business circumstances in a period of recession, and the Act on Restricting the Use of Tobacco Products (OG 125/08), this is probably the most frequent way towards business failure. The unlawful conduct of staff in this profession is fairly frequent, and these occurrences deplete significant funds without the owner’s or employer’s knowledge. They are usually the result of the employer’s ignorance of operational controlling methods. The individual is at the centre of any business process, and the staff are the mirror of the hotel and catering facility.
It is also necessary to investigate the causes of this phenomenon that appears to significantly deplete funds and which bypasses the cash register.
How far can this be “justified” by the social picture of society, and to what extent does this represent illegal and immoral conduct towards the employer who regularly pays the salaries? To what extent is it known and accepted that individuals conduct “their own business” during working hours, and still, on top of this, regularly receive their salaries?
What exactly are the costs of wrong investment in a business that is a complete novelty for the investor, and what too are the costs of a lack of knowledge of the business processes in the particular profession, or a lack of any experience whatsoever?
In today’s market economy, competition within a profession is fierce. Gone are the days when there was no serious competition; now, only the fittest can survive. A lack of business knowledge by the employer gives some individuals the opportunity to illegally double their earnings by receiving a regular salary, and illicitly “supplementing it” at the workplace. Answers to these and similar questions are certainly interesting for the profession today, and also for potential future investors and entrepreneurs. It should be particularly highlighted here that my intention is not to generalise and to smear the majority of honest and professional staff who diligently do their job. On the contrary, raising this topic should help remove distortions for the benefit of operators, and for staff who do their job well and honestly.
Keywords
TQM (total quality management); knowledge of business processes; professionalism; experience; using IT; business results; controlling; planning; accountability
Hrčak ID:
61456
URI
Publication date:
25.11.2009.
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