Wildlife Management free essay sample

The student acquired work related learning at Wenhau Services on the 1st of August 2012. On the first day at work the student was a bit nervous because she had never experience the working environment before. However after meeting and interacting with some of the staff who were friendly I soon felt welcome and settled in very well. The student worked for 2 weeks in the Victoria Falls office and then an opportunity arose at the Headquarters of Wenhau Services in Harare. A meeting was conducted to introduce the student to the staff members. My duties and responsibilities were outlined in this meeting. The Managing Director Mr. Wengayi Nhau who is the head of the Touring Department assigned Miss Faith Maponga as my supervisor to whom I would report all my daily activities. This report will serve to outline my activities and encounters at the Travel Company. 1. 2COMPANY HISTORY Wenhau Services Private Limited was established in November 2001 as a Tour and Safari Operator as well as a travel agency in Victoria Falls. We will write a custom essay sample on Wildlife Management or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It started off with one vehicle a Nissan Sunny that it used for transfers to and from the airport and with a staff compliment of two (2) a driver and a consultant with the two directors spearheading the operation. With a lot of hard work from the team`s vast marketing, the company grew and bought a Toyota Estima 7 seater in 2003. The hard work paid back immensely and the office got busy calling for an increase in the staff compliment which then went up to four (4) with two drivers and two consultants with the directors still spearheading the operation. In 2005 a branch was opened in Livingstone Zambia with the offices situated at No. 0 Mosi Oa Tunya Building. Before then all Zambia operations were done by Safari Par Excellence a company that Wenhau services had developed a relationship with. With the companies growing capacity there came a time when it was able to start their own operation in Zambia. The Livingstone branch started off with a staff compliment of two with one drive/guide and one consultant/guide. This operation is still running to date with a staff compliment of 4 and a fleet of three vehicles i. e. 2 x 7 seater Toyota Estima and 1 x 22 seater coaster. Since then the company has grown and earned the reputation of being one of he most reputable tour operating companies in the region. The company is family owned business, hence its attention to detail. All its clients are given the personal touch which gives them a very memorable trip and as it believes in the word of mouth, clients will spread news of the good service to the world and will therefore enjoy repeated visits and referred business. Other related companies, Wenhau Safaris and Premdest Africa have a wealth of experience in property management, ground and aviation logistics services and entertainment products and services in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. The company owns an array of current and well maintained vehicles and office equipment as well as a good pool of experienced personnel with at least fifteen years of experience in the industry and are all directly involved and committed to providing unrivaled service to guests and partners in the tourism industry. Wenhau Services is a member of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe (SOAZ) and Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ). Hard work has enabled Wenhau services to their standing in the tourism industry today. Its vision is to grow and be among the best tour operators in Zimbabwe. With the growing demand of such services only the sky is the limit. It is also its aim to provide such services to the less privileged members of the society by making its products and services as affordable as possible. Wenhau services also intends to extend its services to the area of accommodation and to this effect they have purchased land in Victoria Falls and Hwange for its medium to long term accommodation services. They also have plans in the near future to start a private charter company and long term scheduled air service through its sister company Wenhau Investments. Wenhau Services provides travel packages that meet the needs and wants of today’s local and foreign clientele and to ensure that the diversity of their needs are competitively met and surpassed. It aims at facilitating the delivery of tourism services that is of high quality, sustainability and contributory to the economic development of Zimbabwe and to create enabling policy and legal frameworks to enhance the development of a world class tourism destination. Its vast experience in the hospitality and service industry makes its commitment to customer satisfaction a number one priority, hence Wenhau services treats its clients with great care as it believes this goes a long way to grow its business. Wenhau services believes in certain core values such as integrity, professionalism, respect, excellence, team work and customer focus to enhance its clientele’s service delivery. 1. 3 MISSION STATEMENT, VISION and MOTTO * The Mission Statement Wenhau Services is dedicated to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit. Vision To be the best Travel services provider. We provide unmitigated access to all holiday safaris in the country. We aim to provide seamless and enjoyable tours throughout our network. Our Motto ‘We begin where others end’. 1. 4 COMPANY OBJECTIVES * To know about promotional and sales methods adopted by other tour operators. * To understand the process of designing tour packages and to appreciate the importance of brochures in tour operator’s marketing. * To provide a platform of dialogue with other partners in the tourism sector. 1. 5 CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS Integrity We are honestly, transparent, reliable and ethical in everything we do. * Loyalty Our individual objectives and those of the organization are one. The company and ourselves are therefore one. * Team Work We deliver Excellency through co-operative involvement of all stakeholders. * God Fearing We were made in the likeness of the Lord and we believe everything is possible with Him. 1. 6 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The Organogram Director| Managing director| Human Resource Supervisor Operations (student) Accountant Consultant Sales and Marketing (student) Reservations (student) Drivers Tour guiding (student) Organization structure Wenhau Services organ gram prepared and maintained by Human Resources department depicts the above organization structure. The Director The Director is the owner of the company who is responsible for the day to day operation of the Wenhau services. * Design, develop and implement strategic plans for the organization in a cost-effective and time effective manner. * Motivate and mentor employees * Ensuring the availability of adequate touring resources. * Approving annual budgets. The Managing Director The responsibility of the Managing Director is to act as a communicator, decision maker, leader and manager. The communicator role can involve the press and the rest of the outside world as well as the organization’s management and employees. The Managing Director provides over the organization’s day to day, month to month and year to year operations. The core duty of the Managing Director is to motivate his subordinates and drive change within the organization. Supervisor The Supervisor is a manager in a position of trust in a business. Miss Faith Maponga is the supervisor for Wenhau services. She has the direct link between the management and the workforce and can be most effective in developing job training, safety attitudes, safe working methods and identifying unsafe acts and conditions. She was of great importance during my period at Wenhau Services, she trained me things which are relevant to my line of study. Human Resources Manager The Human Resources Manager is responsible for the attraction, selection, training, and assessment and rewarding of employees while also seeing organizational leadership and culture and ensuring compliance with employment and labor laws. The Human Resources Manager also serves as the company’s primary liaison with the employees’ representatives (usually labor union). 1. 7 PROFILE AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPARTMENTS I WORKED WITH As a tour operating company, Wenhau services basically has five departments namely operations, human resources, sales and marketing, accounts and reservations but being a small organization the departments are few and duties are centralized to the few staff available. I worked with all these departments during my attachment period putting the theoretic knowledge into practice. The efficiency of a department differs on the level of knowledge and skills of people working within it. The respect and reputation gained by an organization comes from the effectiveness of its internal department. Every department has its function which is of paramount importance to the organization’s success. Furthermore, I noticed that like any other business the company have got its own strengths weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The company is now using its strengths to explore opportunities to overcome the weaknesses. SALES AND MARKETING DEPARTMENT Marketing is a very important aspect in business since it contributes greatly to the success of the organization. Production and distribution depend largely on marketing. Many people think that sales and marketing are basically the same. These two concepts are different in many aspects. Marketing covers advertising, promotions, public relations, and sales. It is the process of introducing and promoting the product or service into the market and encourages sales from the buying public. Sales refer to the act of buying or the actual transaction of customers purchasing the product or ervice. The Marketing department of Wenhau Services is very small because of the nature of the organization, I worked there for three months and everyone played a major role in marketing the company both online and on face to face basis with clients. The marketing department also marketed the company to other agents so as to attract business. As part of its marketing strategy Wenhau Services attended Travel shows such as Sanganai Hlanganani and Indaba. Apart from public awareness about a company’s products and services, this department helped boost sales and revenue growth. Whatever the business was selling, it would generate sales once the public learns about the product on TV advertisements, radio commercials, newspaper ads, online ads, and other forms of marketing. The more awareness was created by a company, the more interest in its specific roles and product would be generated, simply because people would not suddenly buy into a product if they’ve never seen or heard of it. The more people hear and see advertisements, the more they will be interested to buy. In order to conquer the general market, marketers aimed to create a brand name recognition or product recall. This is a technique for the consumers to easily associate the brand name with the images, logo, or caption that they hear and see in the advertisements. For example, Wenhau Services is known for its bird design which attracts people and identifies the image as a Safari. For some companies, building a reputation to the public may take time but there are those who easily attract the people. With an established name in the industry, Wenhau Services continued to grow and expand because more and more customers were purchasing the products or taking advantage of the services from a reputable and recognizable company. The sales and marketing department of Wenhau designed brochures of the company which are well detailed with the activities that we offer within the borders of Zimbabwe and in some countries like Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. We also have flyers that we give people to distribute to motorists at junctions with the same activities. Brochures are also a marketing tool that is used by Wenhau and is proving to be very effective in marketing the company. These brochures are given to potential clients when the marketing team attends workshops like the Spotlight Travel Workshop which was held at Rainbow Towers on the 16th of April 2013. Wenhau services brochures are also at the Brochure Stand owned by Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents (AZTA) at the Harare International Airport where AZTA helps us distribute the company brochures to people visiting Zimbabwe. Sales and marketing department played a very essential role in the success of the company. It educated people on the latest market trends, helped boost the company’s sales and profits, and developed company reputation. Marketers in this department were creative and wise enough to promote the products with the proper marketing tactics. RESERVATIONS DEPARTMENT The Reservation Department is the backbone of the company. All the bookings are done in this department such as activities and accommodation. When bookings are made the Reservation Department posts the information to the Accounts Department for accounting purposes and to the Operations Department so that they diarize future bookings and know transfers which need to be done as it runs the day to day operations of the organization. It is also the duty of the reservationist to personally meet and greet clients when they are arriving at the airport. The Reservationist also communicates with flight crew incase of lost luggage, queries and complains. This department also does the duty of touring with clients when they are doing their activities. I enjoyed working with this department because I had a chance to meet people from around the world, appreciating different cultures. I had no problem in executing the tasks and I greatly appreciate everything in this department. OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT The Operations Department attends to logistical and other duties necessary for an organization’s day to day functioning. The Operations Department of a company, often called the corporate department is a collection of business support functions. This department involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. The Operations Department works with the Reservation Department because that is where it gets information of what needs to be done. It is also responsible for drafting schedule sheets for drivers and allocating vehicles in relation o the trip. It is the duty of the Operations Department to ensure that drivers have necessary documents like the drivers’ license, defensive and medical fitness. HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT Levy and Weitz (2001) defines Human Resources as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of the organization’s most valued assets that is people who individually and collectively contribute to the achievements of its objective. T he Human Resources is exactly as it says: resources for human- within the workplace. The objective of this department is to meet the organizational needs of the company it represents and the needs of the people hired by the company. The Human Resources Department is largely focused on employee welfare and is headed by the Human Resources Manager. Some fundamental issues that fall under the jurisdiction of this department are: * Recruiting staff as per labor requirements in the organization. * Selecting suitable personnel for positions in question. * Compensating employees. * Monitoring of working conditions. * Training and socializing of new employees. * Motivating and coordinating employees. Discipline and dismissal of employees. * Demarcation of roles of employees through job description. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Of all the departments I have worked with during the course of the attachment the Accounts Department is the most critical department which handles the cash inflows and outflows of the company money. In this department I learned how to calculate salaries earned by every employee every pay period based on detailed private information in personnel files and earning to date information the correct amounts of income tax, social security and other deductions. Payroll is a complex and critical function that the Accounts Department performs. In this department I also did Cash Collections. All the cash received from sales had to be identified and recorded. This department makes sure that the cash is deposited in appropriate accounts. When I was in this department the department was responsible for writing cheques to pay loans, NSSA payments, telephone and internet bills and other expenses incurred by the company. 2ACTIVITES COVERED DURING THE ATTACHMENT PERIOD As mentioned earlier on in the report, the student worked for two weeks in the Victoria Falls office before coming to Harare. Below is a brief description of the activities covered during the attachment period both in Victoria Falls and in Harare. 2. 1 GUIDED TOUR OF THE FALLS Victoria falls also called Mosi-oa-Tunya meaning â€Å"smoke that thunders† It is the largest waterfall based on width and height. [www. sevennaturalwonders. org] â€Å"The splendor of the Victoria Falls is a constant challenge to both the Photographer and the writer. Only by viewing them and hearing the roar, the feeling is transmitted through the rock on which one stands enjoy an unmatched and genuine African experience at the only place in the world, yes the VICTORIA FALLS situated at specifically designed to blend into the verdant natural environment where wildlife often roams† Victoria Falls is one of the most compelling sites in all Seven Wonders of the World. This cascading column of sheer energy powers its way down a 100m chasm fall, taking your breath away in every blink, as you gaze in awe mesmerized by its strength and incredible beauty. As you captivate this famous wonder you will completely enthralled to see and feel as you walk along the SMOKE THAT THUNDERS that comes from a awesome climax as it plunges down a vertical chasm giving a spray on ones cheek as they absorb fully majesty of this world’s greatest natural wonders. This is a truly legendary site where the beauty of Africa comes to life as symbolized by the statue of one of the world’s greatest explorers Dr David Livingstone, the great Scottish explorer who named the Victoria Falls. In VICTORIA FALLS you can truly re-ignite the spirit of Africa in your soul. . 2 BUNGEE JUMPING Bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The thrill comes as much from the free-falling as from the rebounds. When the person jumps, the cord stretches and the jumper flies upwards again as the cord recoils, and continues to oscillate up and down until all the energy is dissipated. For the first timers we suggest that the dive head first, bound at the ankles. This is the most common jump position and most natural feeling as it feels like diving n a swimming pool. 2. 3 GORGE SWING ‘Without DOUBT one of the most spectacular swings in the world with 54m free fall and 4sec free fall. You reach speeds up to 180km/hr either in a solo or tandem jump with a friend. You can jump forwards, backwards or do the Death drop. Surely this is one of the must do activities in Victoria Falls. It is the only place in the world where they can swing and have great fun in no-man’s land adjacent to the might Victoria Falls and on the mighty Victoria falls Bridge which is over 100 years old. 2. 4 AIRPORT TRANSFERS Wenhau services caters for the business and leisure traveler and offers ground transportation. When we picked a client from the airport we would write the client’s name on a meet and greet board so that we would not have problems with picking up the wrong person because in most cases the travel consultant will be meeting the client for the first time. From Harare International airport to any hotel within Harare, Wenhau services charges USD 15 per person one way. After picking up the client from the airport on the way to the hotel, the travel consultant will give a briefing about our country. . 5 GREAT ZIMBABWE DAY AND OVERNIGHT TRIPS The Great Zimbabwe Ruins (sometimes just called Great Zimbabwe) are sub-Sahara Africa’s most important and largest stone ruins. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1986, the large towers and structures were built out of millions of stones balanced perfectly on top of each other without the aid of mortar. Great Zimbabwe gave a modern Zimbabw e its name as well as its national emblem- an eagle carved stylishly out of soapstone which was found in the ruins. When we have clients going for the Great Zimbabwe day trip we usually depart around 07. 30hrs since the drive is approximately a 4hr drive and it’s about 340km to reach the ruins. Upon arrival guests will rest for a while, waiting for lunch to be served. At 12. 30 hrs lunch is served with refreshments at the Ancient City lodge which is just a few km away from the monument. After lunch around 13. 30hrs the guests will depart for the tour of the monument, visit to the hill complex, valley complex and the great enclosure followed by the tour of the local art and craft centre. Most clients are amused and fascinated by the products from the art and craft centre hence they buy souvenirs to take to their home countries. When guests are done with buying their souvenirs from the market we return to the Ancient City Lodge where they will be having their dinner and that’s where there will be accommodated for the night. At 19. 00hrs the guests will have dinner and rest after dinner preparing for a return trip back to Harare the following day. In the morning on the following day clients will have breakfast at the lodge then we depart for Harare at 07. 30hrs. 2. CITY TOUR The company also does City Tours. Known as â€Å"the Sunshine City, â€Å"Harare is the Capital of Zimbabwe and a gateway to the country’s many attractions. When touring the City we visit the beautiful residential areas around the city Centre places like Borrowdale Brooke, Chishawasha Hills just to mention a few. We also have wonderful galleries and museums in and around Harare show casing local culture and heritage, some of the most popular being the National Gallery, the Dendera Gallery and the Queen Victoria museum. Not far from town, the Ruwa Sculpture is also worth a visit. For nature lovers, visiting the Lion and Cheetah Park is a must when in Harare and the Chiremba Balancing rocks are also good to see. The National Botanic Gardens are another good outdoors attraction in Harare. Horse riding and walking safaris are offered in the nearbyMukuvisi woodlands. We take clients to all these beautiful places in and around Harare so that they can have the feel of the Sunshine City and for them to appreciate Zimbabwe as a destination. We offer half day City tours which are approximately 2-3hrs driving around with clients showing them what Harare has to offer. For our half day city tours we also take our clients for shopping at Joina City in the CBD and they appreciate the architectural design of the complex and enjoy services provided. We also offer full day City tours where the tour starts in the morning and ends around 16. 00hrs. 2. 7 IMIRE, MWANGA AND CHENGETA DAY TRIPS â€Å"What is a man without the beast? If all the beasts were gone man would die from great loneliness of spirit. †[www. imire. com]. Just 105km by road East of Harare lies mire Safari Ranch. One of the major activities offered by Wenhau services in Harare is the Imire Day Trip. At Imire safari activities are filled with perfect game viewing on foot or vehicle, with close up encounters of most of the wildlife including black and white rhino, elephants, hyenas, wildebeests and much more its ideal for the photographer. Elephant safaris, rhino tracking, excellent bird watching, bush walks and fishing are part of Imire’s life, with the legend of castle kopjes always at the heart of your safari. It’s approximately a 2hr drive to Imire and clients have to arrive at the safari by 09. 30hrs so we leave town around 7. 0hrs to have a safe journey. When clients gets to the safari they are offered coffee and biscuits so that they can have a relaxed mind before they start their activities. At 10. 00hrs clients depart for a game drive or go for a bush walk where they will be seeing animals like elephants, giraffes, hyenas and many more. They have a chance to take pictures of the beautiful animals and the drive or the game walk they will also have a chance to interact with elephants. ELEPHANT INTERACTION At 13. 00hrs they will be served a vegetarian dish and with refreshments. After lunch the clients will choose if they want to do the rhino tracking or visiting the castle kopjes. After doing the activities around 15. 30hrs clients will be served tea with sandwiches, then we depart for Harare at 16. 00hrs. Imire has its own magic †¦ in the Shona language Imire means â€Å"The Meeting Place† or â€Å"The Waiting Place,† and that’s what it is†¦ for you to arrive as visitors and leave as friends. MWANGA We also do the Mwanga day trips. Mwanga is situated just 40km from Harare; Mwanga lodge is a home to variety of animals such as zebras, lions and elephants as shown in the picture above. From Harare to Mwanga it takes less than an hour to get there. Arrival time at Mwanga is 10. 00hrs so we leave Harare around 9. 00hrs so that the clients arrive in time. Upon arrival guests are welcomed by the reservationist and are given snacks and drinks. At 10. 30hrs the clients depart for a game walk, they will be escorted by a professional guide showing them some of the animals which are at the lodge like lions, bush bucks, elephants and zebras. After the game walk clients have another option or elephant riding before they have lunch, the clients hoose the meal they want for lunch and they will also have refreshments after their lunch. After lunch clients can go for a game drive seeing some of the beasts they would have missed in the morning and after the drive, clients will go for canoeing. This is one of the most relaxing activities that is usually done by those who want to feel and get closer to the environment in its naturalists. CANOEING At 16. 00hrs after a hectic but exci ting day clients then depart for Harare. CHENGETA LODGE Conveniently situated, the drive is only 82km from the centre of Harare on the Bulawayo road to near the small town of Selous. In less than an hour guests find themselves breathing in the tranquility and succumbing to the opulence in the lodge that captures the spirit of Africa. KuChengeta is Shona for â€Å"to take care of,† and that is every traveler and business executive can expect from this exclusive experience. Chengeta has the largest private game reserves in Mashonaland this is unspoiled Africa at its best. In excess of 45 species of animals and over 180 bird’s species thrive there. The spectrum vegetation types in the park provide a prime backdrop and interesting terrain for walking and horsebacks safaris. Stimulating game drives and canoe safaris are tailor made in distance and content to suite the interests of the clients. Passionate about wildlife and sharing their knowledge of nature the professional guides provide the ultimate all round bush experience. 09. 00-09. 30hrs arrival at Chengeta clients will have hot cup of tea/coffee whilst chatting with the guide where they will be given options of the activities they can take part in for the day. 10. 00hrs they depart for their first activities, activities on offer are as follows: Game Drives, Canoeing, Horseback Safaris, Nature walks and Elephant Interaction. 2. 00-12. 30hrs return from the first activities, relax and feel free to wonder around the lodge facilities until lunch time. From 13. 00-14. 00hrs its time for lunch and 14. 30hrs clients depart for the activity of the day. 16. 00-16. 30hrs they return from the last activity and depart for Harare. 2. 8PRIVATE AIR CHARTERS We also do bookings of private charters on behalf of t he Charter operators. Air Zimbabwe being unreliable and many clients do not wish to use it for domestic flights; we work hand in hand with Executive Air. Executive Air is based in Harare, mainly operates within Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. Our key destinations are safaris and hunting areas so we book our clients with Executive Air. Their large fleet of aircrafts ranging from a Single engine, Cessna206 up to the King Air and Lear Jet assures that they will have the ideal aircraft available to meet the clients individual requirements, enabling us to create a tailor made charter to suite the unique demands of each client to virtually anywhere within Zimbabwe. 2. 9DOMBOSHAVA ROCK PAINTINGS Domboshava is located 30km north-east of Harare in the present Chinomora communal lands. According to Rasmusen and Rubert’s Historical Diction of Zimbabwe the name Domboshava derives from chishona words Dombo (large stone or rock) and Shava (red). When we have clients who wants to visit the Domboshava rock paints we usually depart Harare at 9. 00hrs and it takes about 30-40 minutes to get to Domboshava. Domboshava is noted for its cave paintings, the cave has a number of high rainfall plants species more typical of the Eastern Highlands. The feature that draws most visitors is the cave on one side of the hill, and the rock paintings to be found inside the cave. SWOT ANALYSIS FOR WENHAU SERVICES This is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective. SWOT analysis is used for business planning, strategic planning, competitor evaluation, marketing, business and product development and research reports. Like any other organization, Wenhau Services has its own SWOT analysis which includes the Strengths and Weaknesses inside the company for example, factors relating to products, pricing, costs, profitability, performance, quality, people, skills, adaptability, brands, services, reputation, processes, infrastructure, etc. Opportunities and Threats outside the company for example, factors relating to markets, sectors, season, trends, competition, economics, politics, society, culture, technology, environment, media, law, etc. This SWOT analysis is described by the performance of different departments within the organization. Because Wenhau Safaris is a small organization with very small departments , this makes it difficult to do SWOT analysis based on various departments therefore in this study l am going to concentrate on the SWOT analysis for the whole organization STRENGTHS 1. Location Wenhau services offices are located in the CBD of Harare. Being situated in the city centre we can access the airport and hotels easily without any challenges so it’s easy to transfer clients from one point to another. The company also has offices in Victoria Falls, Botswana, and Zambia so it’s easy to arrange packages for its clients visiting those places and they can see that the clients are well catered for. Because of our central position we get a lot of enquiries everyday as most clients do not incur too much costs to get to our offices. Our offices area five minutes drive from the main post office. 2. Technology Wenhau services have modern computers and we use the latest computer softwares. We have a website where the company uses the modest technology of using the internet to market its products. With the internet the company can research on the culture of their regular visitors so that they can give them what they expect. Because of highly commendable internet services, advertising has been made easier. We advertise the company on social networks like Face book where the company updates its clients through posts updates of its activities. Good communication is very crucial in the tourism business and it is critical for service providers to communicate effectively. Having grasped the use of modern technology we communicate well with our clients and suppliers through emails. We have never missed a booking and have always provided the best service ever. 3. Training Employees Wenhau services educate its employees so that they are always updated with what is happening in the Travel industry. Wenhau send its employees to do short courses like the Reservation and Ticketing which is offered by Speciss College and this in return benefits the company. 4. Customer Back Up Services Wenhau offers back up services in the case that there is a breakdown especially on cars transporting clients. They can send a rescue car just after they are notified about the problem. WEAKNESS 1. Capital The company is facing problems of capital to expand the operations of the company. Since the company is a family owned they have problems in accessing bank loans, this is the major weakness for Wenhau services. 2. Niche Market When Wenhau services started, the company mainly focused on a niche market but as it was broadening it is losing its objectives set for its niche market. 3. Language Barriers In the tourism industry we receive clients from different countries, sometimes communicating is a challenge. In some cases we have to hire a guide who knows the language of client and this will cost a client and in the end affect the business as a whole. 4. Under staff Wenhau services has a weakness of few employees who cannot meet the requirements of clients for example when we have many clients to pick from the airport we end up subletting that task to other agents since the company has one driver. OPPORTUNITIES 1. Travel Expos Annually South Africa hosts the Indaba Expo where they market the South Africa travel and tourism. Wenhau services always send representatives to Indaba to market the products and services that the company offers. In October 2012 the company had a stand at Sanganai/ Hlanganani Expo and the student had a chance to be part of the delegates representing the company. We managed to meet and network with other exhibitors, visiting buyers, investors, suppliers of services to the tourism sector from all over the world. With these expos the company has managed to get clients from all over the world. 2. Knowledge based by Universities Wenhau Services has an opportunity of getting educated students when they graduate and they will come with a lot of new ideas. These students will contribute to the company with what they have learned during their studying period. 3. Multi-Currency With the multi currency that the country. So clients are realizing the real value of money and its now easy for travelers to travel without having problems of looking for money exchange companies and this also help the clients to choose services where they want not worrying about money. 4. The Hosting of the UNWTO in Zimbabwe In August 2013 Zimbabwe and Zambia would be hosting the UNWTO general meeting so this will boost the tourism industry because many tourism facilities would be used and this will mean that our services would also be used cars to transport clients from point A to B and a lot of people would be coming to witness this occasion which means a lot of profit would be made. It will also promote destination awareness therefore removing the negative publicity of Zimbabwe as a destination and also, this will show that Zimbabwe is a peaceful destination THREATS 1. Lack of Confidence Due to negative publicity of the country by Western Countries tourists lack confidence in visiting Zimbabwe. This is a threat because people will not visit because of the perception that they would have got from the publicity. 2. Political Factors The tourism sector is greatly affected by political factors. The political situation of the country greatly affected the destination in spite all effort that can be done. Zimbabwe has been going under a tremendous political instability from the year 2000 and this resulted to a drastic decline of business to tourism. However this is a threat that cannot be controlled by any department thus the efforts that had been placing yield not much. Tourists need assurance that the country they are visiting is safe. 3. Economic factors Due to economic factors in many African countries, people have little money to spend on travelling. Very few people are willing to promote the travel and tourism industry. They consider other things like paying school fees for their children before engaging in travel and tourism activities. CHALLENGES Every business organization has a unique set of challenges and problems. The family business is no different. A family business goes through various stages of growth and development over time. Most of the challenges are found once the second and subsequent generations enter the business. A famous saying about family owned business in Mexico is â€Å"father, founder of the company, son rich and grandson poor† (Padre noble, hijo rico, nieto pobre). The founder works and builds a business, the son takes over and is poorly prepared to manage the business and make it grow but enjoys the wealth and the grandson inherits a dead business and empty bank account. Wenhau Services being a family run business has also some of these challenges as well those which are beyond family involvement such as taxes, marketing strategies, cost of advertising and many others. Taxes such as the 2% tourism levy which is declared to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) in the form of TR1s, NSSA and pay as you earn (PAYE) which is declared to ZIMRA is a bigger challenge which has cost the company to the extent that at the end of the day it is left with very little profit to even afford salaries for the employees and cater for company expenses. After the company has been left with little money after paying taxes the little profit available is sometimes mismanaged by the owners of the company for their own personal use. This is the reason why family owned businesses never grow because the moment they have money in their hands they start thinking of how to spend it for their own good instead of saving it for future investment. High cost of advertising is also one of the major problems the company has been facing. For example in order to place and advert in News day at the corner of the page for one day it cost $150. Recently during the Africa Travel Association Congress Zimbabwe Broadcasting Co-operation announced that to place an advert on TV was $2000 for 5 minutes and $1000 on the radio and this can only be afforded by big companies with high turnover. This amount of money is almost what Wenhau Services produce during the low season and it becomes difficult for the company to be recognized because of these high costs of publicity. CHAPTER THREE 3. EXPERIENCE 3. 1 PERSONAL EVALUATION (COMPARING THEORY AND WHAT I PRACTISED) This section seeks to compare and contrast the activities of departments and what other authorities say about these activities. The main aim is to look for a gap between theory (what authorities say) and practice (what is being done). When I was in the marketing department the company marketed its products on the company website www. wenhausafaris. com . Theoretically the student did E business as a course in my second year. E business is selling of products on the internet. This theory works hand in hand with what is happening in the Travel industry. Wenhau Services has its own website so it’s easy to market the activities to all the people who are interested in coming to Zimbabwe. According to L Cooper 1984 he alluded that tourism products are very perishable and intangible hence they need to be fully marketed in a number of ways such as brochures, magazines, and the internet and on the television. However this concept proved to be true, during my industrial attachment I implemented it when I was in the marketing department. Communication skills as one of the courses at the University, it helped me so much as I managed to posse’s good quality communication skills. I was performing the duty of welcoming guests at the airport and at the border. We hosted special delegates such as welcoming ministers and other V I P members. In such good communication skills had to be executed depending with the venue and the clients. I greatly realized that communication skills as a course is vital especially in the tourism industry as we meet different people every day. Information Technology and Computer Application course is one of the most vital courses in the technological world of today. This proved to go hand in hand to forces on the ground as I managed to operate on the computer designing itinerary, updating the website with new packages that we will be doing, preparing invoices and quotations. Above all I managed to work and execute all the duties with no challenges. Stillman highlighted staffing as an onus of the HR department. He laid down the attributes of staffing which are recruiting, selecting, dismissal etc. In Wenhau services the issue of staffing is not set aside, the HR department recognizes the importance of staffing in the organization since staffing is oriented at improving the company’s productiveness. 3. 2 BELOW ARE THE FACTORS WHICH CONTRADICTS WITHSOME THEORETICAL CONCEPTS DONE AT THE UNIVERSITY ETHICS The tourism industry is one of the complex trading business channels in the sense that there is basically no good ethics and this is contradicting to Cooperate Governance a course studied at the University in the theoretical part of learning. Employees are required provide complete, accurate and informative materials, agreements, documents, information to its customers and also the documents shall not contain false, misleading or incomplete information. What is happening on ground is different from what we learn because Travel agents and tour operators write misleading information so as to lure clients to the company. SEASONALITY IN TOURISM According Butler’s product life cycle, he eluded that tourism follow a pre-defined channel placed in basically four stages which are (1) introductions stage (2) growth stage (3) maturity stage and (4) decline stage. He strengthened that this is the only path that is taken by all tourism players in the tourism industry. However during my attachment I noted that Butler’s product life cycle does not apply to the force on the ground as proven by a case study of Zimbabwe. Results and forces showed that tourism players can be at different levels and are also affected by climatic seasons and other factors such as political instability, economic recession just to mention a few. In most tourism destinations it has been noted that from end of January to end of May tourism would be at average and it shows a slightly increase as from June to mid July. In August up to end of October it experiences a pick season and a slight decrease in November, then maximum volumes in December. CARTHARSIS THEORY The theory of play studied in Recreational Tourism course stipulates that we play because we need to express disorganized or painful emotions in a harmless way. This theory greatly contradicted to what was shown by factors on the ground during the industrial attachment of the student. The industrial attachment showed that tourist comes to play so that they appreciate the beauty of nature and all it has to give. However a close analysis was also done to tourist’s children who are below the age of 6 years and the results showed the same as for the adults clearly showing that this theory does not apply to what in on the ground. Still RJ (1983) came out with a list of personnel duties as follows; staffing, orientation and compensation. However staffing has already been mentioned at the beginning of this chapter since Wenhau services implements staffing in their HR department. I shall compare orientation and compensation as mentioned by Still RJ how it contradicts with the current standards at Wenhau services. I. Orientation Orientation is viewed to be the most vital tool for making employees productive. Stillman concurs with Levy and Weitz B on the importance of orientation but in Wenhau services it is poorly done. Not all employees are oriented. II. Compensation Stillman pointed the importance of a fair compensation scheme and this is the most interesting fact in Wenhau services. The organization recognizes the importance of a fair remuneration program and all the policies are put in place. However Wenhau services do not fairly compensate its employees. . 3A CLEAR OUTLINE ON EXPERIENCES GAINED / PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Time Management Time management is very important in the Travel world. Employees should be at work 10 minutes before starting time and observe 15 minutes tea break and 1 hour lunch break. Time management also applies when picking up tourists from one point to another, when picking a client you also be some minutes early so that the itinerary would not be disturbed and the cli ent must not wait for the for the agent but the agent must wait for the client Effective Communication The business environment is quite different from the academic environment that I was used to. In the business environment formal communication channels are used. The theory I learnt in the course of communication skills was of paramount importance in aiding the execution of my duties. I had the chance to interact with customers/clients, suppliers to make bookings and interact with staff as a whole. Team Work Tourism is a social, recreation and leisure industry thus my teamwork spirit was enhance as I was able to work with people with different characters. I learnt that when working as a team, it is best to understand the behavioural characteristics of team members for the synchronization of the group efforts so as to produce the best act of the team Effective Leadership Skills I had the opportunity to get tasks that required me to lead and delegate. This boosted my ego and my self-confidence thereby increasing my leadership skills as a future manager. Developed Computer Skills I was exposed to the use of computers which resultantly sharpened my computer skills. Effective Meeting Skills All the management meetings and stakeholder meetings that were held during my attachment, I had a chance to attend them. I learnt how meetings are conducted and how minutes are compiled. Good Resource Utilisation This is an important aspect even in our personal lives. Resources are not supposed to be wasted because at some point in time they will become scarce. I learnt that with the few resources we have we still make the clients’ worthwhile. Inter-departmental Knowledge I had the opportunity to know what exactly takes place in each and every department and acquired knowledge even for personal use. When I was in the Accounts Department I had a chance to calculate NSSA returns, ZIMRA PAYE, TR1 and QPDs. 4 CHAPTER FOUR 4. 1Problems Faced During the Attachment Although most section managers were willing to train me, there were some who were not very patient in explaining procedures more than once even though it was necessary for them to do so. This made it difficult if you were under such supervision for the duration of the assignment. To overcome that challenge I remained focused and continued to ask for help when I needed it and this helped change things once they noticed how keen I was to learn. Another challenge was that I could not meet deadlines in time at first especially during the initial learning phase. As the learning curve grew my capabilities to meet deadlines began to improve. Also transport was a greater problem because there were no allowances to cater for my transport it was difficult to raise money to come to work every day but due to good communication skills I managed to get help from my supervisor. 4. 2 Recommendations Wenhau services have been a training ground during my attachment. I was trained and gained vital working experience of how to operate in the travel and recreation tourism industry. This was a great opportunity as I place theory into practice in relation to the theoretical learning at the University. The industrial attachment exposed the writer much closer to skills as they were presented as well as the opportunities, challenges, and a test to the level of the reporter’s ability to synchronize knowledge and experience. Theoretical courses learnt at the University were given a chance to be fully analyzed and to prove their standing ground as to whether they apply or not. Hence the attachment period at Wenhau services was a great working ground. Great appreciation is granted. Recommendations to the company * Students should remain under guidance of a supervisor throughout the attachment. * Team members should be educated as to why students are engaged by the company so that they can effectively train them. * The organization should also encourage inter-departmental communication and above all, implementation of recommendations outlined above for survival in the competitive environment. * The organization should employ competent IT personnel who can catch up with all systems well. Since there are power cuts the organization should procure uninterruptable power suppliers to prevent damage of machines and loss of vital information. * The organization should invest in new computers so that each employee will have his/her on computer this improve productivity. Recommendations to the University * The University should assist students in sourcing for attachment places in relevant industries concerning their programmes so that the students will be equipped with relevant knowledge after the course of the attachment. The University should erect a strategic partnership in which they assist each other in the fulfilling of their respective endeveavors. * It should also improve on assessments in terms of frequency grading and timing of the assessments. * Arrange for students doing Travel and Recreation Management to go out for field trips and put theory into practice. Students when they go for the Industrial Attachment they must have enough information about destinations that are in Zimbabwe so that they will be able to sell and market these destinations. The University should offer courses with information about global tourism so that the students understand the global tourism industry and when marketing they will know how best they lure a certain culture to visit Zimbabwe. * After doing courses like Reservation and Ticketing the University should also send students to do similar courses offered by Air Zimbabwe so that they can do ticket bookings when they are on attachment. When a student has done ticketing it will be an added advantage when looking for attachment. Conclusion Industrial attachment is a life changing experience and a ladder to greater heights. The industrial attachment was a ground to differentiate long standing business theories and real situation on the ground but however, they link in a way. However the industrial attachment benefited the student in a life time value as she gained the experience of working under the guidance’s of a post graduate supervisor who have worked in the industry for a long time and was willing to give knowledge to the student. I strongly believe that the knowledge acquired by the student will make her able to qualify in any organization in global tourism industry. The report also entails the way I view industrial attachment and the areas that I think Chinhoyi University of Technology and Wenhau services should improve. I can go on to say that I found my Attachment period to be very educating as it revealed a clear picture of how the industry is all about and how to operate in it. I got to understand how much tourism play in reviving the economy as a foreign currency earner.  I feel capable of adding value and techniques to improve the Travel and Recreation industry. I greatly appreciate the opportunity granted by the University and Wenhau for the industrial attachment opportunity.