Professional Development

Three Possible Programs from Three Possible Institutions

First School

Degree Program: MA in Counseling

Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

The Program Admission: The lower limit requirements for admission to the program are as follows:

1. A bachelor's degree in counseling psychology from the University of California or equivalent from any University the council recognizes; in terms of grade, it should be an A- or a first-class in the final year of relevant undergraduate studies.
2. Graduate Record Examination's competitive score in each subtest in an admission requirement.
3. Ability to demonstrate proper English fluency through completion of TOEFL test that should be met at the time of application deadline. From the test, the minimum score should be 580 marks for paper-based test and 237 marks for computer-based test.
4. The successive applicants begin a one-year Master of Art program after receiving official notification from admitting graduate school. The acceptance letter is provided with financial arrangements guidelines.
5. The successive applicants have to accept the offer or reject it until April. Applications have to be placed online through the graduate school. The applicant should use a valid e-mail address.
6. Financial support for the program is available through the department. The minimum level of support is $16,500 plus fees and tuition. Thus, the students are asked to apply for scholarships awarded by the University, fellowships awarded to outstanding students, and graduate scholarships awarded by the California government to outstanding applicants. The total cost of the program in the given State is $51,360, excluding living expenses.
7. The program focuses on imparting counseling knowledge to students so that they could enhance their communication skills with clients, be able to make decisions about what issues the clients want to deal with and to assist them in prioritizing issues regarding urgency while dealing with clients.

Second School

Degree program: Master of Arts in Culinary

Department of Recreational Cooking, Institute of Culinary Education in the New York

The program admission:

1. One must be a holder of a second class upper or with two years working experience.
2. Officially certified translation has to accompany the international documentation. One must consult the date for the interview with the admission representative.
3. The applicant must undergo an interview where he/she identifies the career goals to the panelist who will assist one in selecting the right schedule that will be good for him/her.
4. The outstanding applicants are offered financial support and are mobilized to work in the school canteen for part of their fees to be met by the institution. There are also part-time jobs at the institute for the students to raise their fees. The institution provides tuition incentives for the outstanding students regarding creativity. As of August 2015, the total cost of the program was $128,200 for four semesters of residence study.
5. The program focuses on preparing the students who are passionate about the art of cooking with the right preparations of food, knowledge of food science, diet and nutrition and assists them in pursuing career opportunities in a wide range of institutions requiring dining services.
6. The Institute assures the student a place to work after college in its established network with the alumni and instructors, although the program specializes in fostering students to start their food businesses.

Third School

Degree Program: MBA Business

Department of Business School, HarvardUniversity

The program admission:

1. The applicants must have a strong knowledge of English, and the ability to understand and express thoughts quickly is an advantage to the applicants.
2. The applications are strictly sent online, and after they have been received, the applicants are invited for an interview. One needs to submit his/her relevant degree that is equivalent to a four-year American baccalaureate degree.
3. The financial aid policy for the international students is similar to that of the US citizens with aid being need-based. The allocation of funds is discussed with the family to meet each applicant's family needs to the international students. The total approximate cost of MBA program for students in the single category is $158, 800. The tuition fee for two terms is $98,400 (HarvardBusinessSchool, n.d).
4. The University's focus for the program is to ensure that the participants are equipped with knowledge of business networking opportunities. At the end of the program, the student should be able to interact with professionals that are highly experienced. The student is imparted with new skills and knowledge that will enhance the future career options in case one will be in need of changing the field of profession. Such business MBA program will give the student an opportunity to be flexible in various fields, where one will probably work in different organizations as a part-timer. Finally, at the end of the course, the student will be capable of training others in an organization becoming its valuable asset. Moreover, a student will have the option to start a business of his/her own through training marketers for various products and services.

Comparison of the Three Graduate Programs

The decision to participate in graduate programs will be based on financial aid, the kind of research that is required by the program, the internship and career placement opportunities, which will be determined during the interviews. The psychology program requires that one should have attained a first class in the final year of an undergraduate with proper English fluency. The University will not require one to undergo an interview before admission since the administrators do not want to coerce students into doing something that they do not want to do. It will be a benefit to a student who will not want to be forced into going for a course simply because one is am being advised to do so like in the case of Culinary program and MBA business program from the Institute of Culinary Education and Harvard University. The financial aid offered by the California University is better as the figure is given without evidence that it will change upon admission unlike for Harvard University and Institute of Culinary Education in New Yolk. The exact figures are not given at those establishments, and both of them offer student incentives that probably would not be applicable, especially when the studies commence. The offer of Harvard University to support the family of an International student is a considerable idea, but the amount and extent of support are not given. However, the requirement of the three institutes of ensuring that the student is fluent in English makes them similar. Additionally, the three Universities are similar in focusing the reasons to why the student should study in their institutes. They promise jobs after the completion of the courses, which is an advantage to the students.

The psychology program in counseling welcomes anyone as long as the prospective candidate meets all the requirements and the University promises a wide range of scholarships that probably will enhance my study in Ph.D. progress. Additionally, I consider making my decision when choosing my career opportunity as I attained a first class in my undergraduate studies rather than being given a course to choose by the administrators. However, I will also consider benchmarking in choosing the right course because I understand that there is a debate going on between choosing a career because of passion or choosing it because of the economy. Choosing a career is a laborious activity, and I believe that I have enough information to allow me to make a decision. 

Mongolian Barbecue

Introduction

The Mongolian Barbecue (BBQ) refers to a stir fried dish, which is a meal consisting of vegetables and meat cooked on around and big solid iron griddles. The meal was developed in Taiwanese restaurants. The current study will provide the information about a person working at Mongolian Barbeque, which is a restaurant where meals cooked at the huge pan are offered. The discussion is outlined below.

Name of the professional: Chef Danny Wang

Company name: Cerritos Mongolian BBQ in California

Phone (01) 670 4154

Chef Danny Wang is the executive chef of the company. I had booked an appointment earlier with him, and he requested that I arrive at the restaurant early in the morning on 12^th October 2015. I had to accompany him in all his day activities and probably ask him the questions that I was interested in asking him the questions that regard his cooking profession.  . Consequently, the outlined Table 1 below gives an overview of the activities that were addressed, discussed and performed at the restaurant that day. The activities provided in the table were performed within one hour in regard to time management. 

Table 1: The schedule of activities that we addressed, discussed and performed

Time (4 hour)	Activity
9 am	ü  Checked whether the personnel members that were on night shift worked in accordance to the restaurant's demands.
9.15 am	ü  We went through the list of personnel who were arriving in the morning to assign them the day’s duties with the manager who was on night shift.
9.30 am	ü  We ensured that all of them were involved in the cleaning of the restaurant.
9.45 am	ü  Assigning responsibilities to all the personnel members who were on the morning shift.
10.00 am	ü  Ensuring that all the employees perform their activities as outlined for each of them
10.15 am	ü  We went to the store room to select all the ingredients that had to be used by the cooks.
10.30 am	ü  We were involved in the preparation of some ingredients, which require processing before being distributed to the cooks
10.45 am	ü  We adjusted some of the receipts that were forwarded to the cooks to regulate their utilization at the restaurants. ü  We planned the day’s menus that the cooks would follow.
11 am	ü  We ensured that there was right communication between the cooks and the waiters in serving the already prepared foods to the customers.
11.15 am	ü  Checking of the appropriate working of all the kitchen equipment was done.
11.30 am	ü  We asked all the personnel members if there were any problems that might be hindering their work. Everything was running smoothly.
11.45 am	ü  We checked that the quality of food being prepared was not adulterated for consistency.
12 noon	ü  We visited the office where the interviewing of the individuals that had applied for jobs and internships was done.
12.15 pm	ü  We checked the demand of a certain company that wanted to hold its event in the restaurant.
12.30 pm	ü  After that, Chef Eric was ready to have a session of questions to me, since I was now aware of his daily activities.
12.45 pm	ü  Welcoming customers and assisting waiters with directing the customers.
1pm	ü  Takinga call and requesting the next manager on duty to come in.

The interview was performed in his office with the following question:

1. How many employees report to you?
2. Why did you choose to become a Chef?
3. What do you do to ensure the quality of the food served to the customers?
4. How do you test the quality of your ingredients?
5. Tell me about an accomplishment that you are most proud of in your career?
6. Describe a problem you had with an employee and how you handled it.
7. How well is the restaurant prepared for an emergency, for instance on fire breaking out?
8. How does the business perform on a daily basis?
9. How does the assigning of duties among the cooks ensure that they are given off-time?

Responses

1. All the employees who work at the restaurant report to me, and their number is approximately 20 people. The managerial employees at the offices report to the director of the restaurant. I also report to the director of the performance of the employees.
2. First, I was not forced to do it, which is the reason that I loved the art of cooking. I believed in the art of creativity while using the nearest raw materials around us, which is food. I was supported by all of my entire family members.
3. We always order our raw materials when they are fresh from the suppliers, and we preserve their quality using our freezers. The products are handled with great care with the units being properly cleaned. At the kitchen place, thorough cleaning is ensured; the utensils and all the services within the enterprise are continually checked for their performance, and the employees are trained in effective quality processing and handling of the food. Water has been running all throughout the restaurant for efficient cleaning of the utensils. This is because there is the adequate installation of tapped water at all the entrance with the kitchen having a lot of sinks and taps.We also hire cooks that demonstrate capabilities to maintain quality food processing. We hold training to our employees on food preservation and processing after every three months. Moreover, the personnel is continuously checked for foodborne diseases to prevent them infecting the food. Such methods ensure that the quality of food is maintained in meeting the customers’ requirements.
4. We acquire all of our powder ingredients from credited manufacturers and processors. The ingredients that may further require some processing are prepared by the cooks. We do not keep the ingredients in open places where they can absorb moisture. All of them are stored in dry places, and we do not keep them for a long time since we use most of them very fast.
5. My best accomplishment is when I see the customers are happy with our foods and the workers are striving to realize the restaurants objectives. I am also happy to see that the employees are satisfied with the conditions and descriptions of the restaurant.
6. The most common problems we face with the employees are the issue of them claiming to be overworked with less pay. That has been our concern since they have been responding positively to all the other activities. Currently, we have increased their salaries, and they have better payments for their overtime job. There was a time when the workers were engaged in go-slows for their payments. Consequently, there was a significant reduction of income in the restaurant during two days, but the director handled the issue.
7. The restaurant has many fire extinguishers equipment. There are enough doors for the exit, and the employees have been trained on disaster management. They can show the clients how to evacuate the area in case of fire. There are no open electrical wires that might ignite a fire within the restaurant.
8. The restaurants meets the minimum expected sales in most of the weekdays, although higher sales are recorded over the weekends and at night. This is probably due to the flexibility of people as they seem to be free in those days and times. Again, it might be due to family getting time for being together during the weekends.
9. The management ensures that all the employees’ works in shifts to ensure efficient relieve of them from work. In case there are times when an employee needs free time for personal tasks, they are required to inform the manager on duty a day before the arrangement can be made.

Summary

The CerritosMongolian BBQ restaurant has an outstanding managerial pattern as the managers seem to identify their roles clearly in meeting customers' requirements. The meals are prepared by competent personnel who are keen in quality consistency. There is a clear awareness of the job specifications by the employees since they are working harmoniously as the executive manager responds. A large number of employees who work in shifts state that a restaurant is a big place that is handling many customers. The ability of the restaurant to order the ingredients when they are fresh from the suppliers gives an impression that the restaurant is concerned with the quality of products they want their customers to use. The attitude of holding training to the employees confirms that the management is concerned with the welfare of the employees. The restaurant motivates its employees by ensuring that all their responsibilities are by the job descriptions. The acting human resource manager is concerned with the recruitment of more employees and ensures that they are paid regarding their hard work in fair terms.

Final impression

From the conversations with the Chef Danny Wang, I felt that the field of Culinary demands a lot of creativity requiring one to be highly interested in cooking. The art of cooking is rewarding as it is not necessary that one has to be employed after the course; one can start his own business and train the workers in quality food production. When one is interested in running a restaurant, it requires some extra time and effort, which is justified by the fact that there are workers who work overtime. 

An In-Person Interview

Introduction

Name of the professional: Eric Riccardo

Phone No. (954) 618-6300, Hotel address: 13650 N.W, 8^th Street, Suite 103.

I carried an in-person interview with the Sunshine Hotel human resource manager on 12^th October 2015. The human resource manager is responsible for workers, their benefits, safety, recruitment, development, and employees’ relations (Mayhew, 2012). An appointment with the HR manager was made earlier through an e-mail attachment for the request. Later, the manager responded via an email confirmation. The questions from the interview are discussed below.

1. Tell me about the hotel hiring culture and what do you look for in a candidate?
2. What has been your experience in working in a hotel where the owner is consistently there?
3. How would you handle a case in which one of the HR employees is discussing confidential information with other employees outside the department?
4. How do you handle relation conflicts among the employees in an organization?
5. Are all the employees aware of their rights within the industry?

Responses

1. The hotel has currently been employing candidates that have knowledge in the field of food science, diets and nutrition, and catering. We are not biased in hiring the individuals if he or she meets the minimum job requirements. The management staff members are hired by the owner of the hotel who is also involved in the hiring of the general staffs. Normally, we consider the ability of an individual to deliver our services to the consumer without supervision and zeal the individual has in ensuring that the customer is satisfied. We also consider the ability of an individual to work hard to meet the hotel objectives. The candidate should also prove that he or she has an ability to improve in the responsibilities designed for him or her. Also, soft skills are inevitable. We lay emphasis on soft skills because such skills are important for personal development as well as organizational culture.
2. Working at the expense of the boss has not hindered my responsibilities as the HR in the hotel. I ensure that all my responsibilities are met by the job description. The owner may interfere in the working process when some suggestions are made. Still, when the suggestions are made, the decision to implement them or not is based on the management's permissions. In any case, the owner is only concerned with the right performance of all employees who are handled appropriately.
3. First of all, I will identify the individuals whom they were discussing the issue. Then I will ask them which of their problems is not solved in the right descriptive manner and then try to ask them what their suggestion will be regarding the issue they were discussing. After that, I will contact the person they were discussing the issue with and try to determine if both parties are giving similar information. If the information is right, I will ask them about their motives to discuss the confidential information. Consequently, the HR employee will be fired from the work considering that he or she can continue disclosing sensitive information of the hotel to outsiders. It is caused by the fact that such behavior may be dangerous for the effective running of the business. The other people who were involved in the discussion will be given a warning on not to share that information. Anyway, in case they violate it, they will also be terminated.
4. The employees are trained to respect each other's way of performing tasks. In cases of differences, the issue is reported to the in-duty supervisor so that a clear cause of the conflict could be reported to the HR manager. Sometimes, the conflicting parties are separated for some time. Then the adjustment or replacement is made before more conflicts being reported. Otherwise, the hotel has occasionally been holding training sessions for employees on how to avoid relation conflicts and concentrate on the idea of giving the best to the customers whom they are benefiting from. When a single person is involved in many conflicts with others on many occasions, such employee is subjected to regular counseling on ways of appropriate communications in an organization.
5. When an employee is being hired, he or she is given a form that contains the terms and conditions of the job. The rights and obligations of the person are also included in that document. Consequently, I am sure they are aware of their rights. Anyway, in case they are not, the working environment would not be conducive to them.

Summary

The HR manager at Sunshine Hotel in the US is mandated many responsibilities. One of them is to perform the in-person interviews with employees, visitors, and the general public regarding the operation issues of the hotel. He ensures that all the rules and regulations relating to HR management, salary, and benefits inquiries are properly internalized by all the personnel in the hotel. He is also responsible for ensuring that the owner receives all the administrative reports on time. Based on the questions he answered, Mr. Riccardo is responsible for the recruitment of the qualified personnel and the replacement of those people who are interdicted for misconducts within the hotel. He handles the issues connected to the employees that the customers complain about regarding making them improve their relations and services to the consumers. Also, the HR manager controls the work of the employees and takes measures in cases of no- or underperformance. He ensures that good records are kept for each employee dealing with the cases where the workers have been given warnings for their misconducts. The coordination of those who seems to have problems about their workmates also calls for his attention regarding making the working environment conducive for all the workers. Eric Riccardo addresses the issues of employees' benefits, general terms and condition of employment and the department representatives. The requirements of the federal and state institutions and monitoring the time that is required for their implementation is mandated to the HR manager. All the liability claims and information are addressed by the HR manager, as well.

From the encounter, it is clear that the HR manager fulfills many activities requiring time management skills and focusing on the achievement of an organization objective. The person must be open when dealing with organizational issues that are encountered by both the employees and the managers. Moreover, he/she should be knowledgeable and experienced in solving problems such as relational conflicts and flow of work within an organization. He/she should have an assistant or various supervisors to monitor what the staff members are doing in meeting the quality that the consumers expect from the Hotel.

Thus, to become an HR manager in any organization, many skills are required from the person taking the position to be termed as the heart of an organization. There is an impression that if HR manager is not competent in his/her roles, the organization is likely to collapse. Hence, he/she should possess the sound mind and define all the jobs responsibilities to each employee for the efficient and effective running of an organization.

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