LV Thạc sỹ_Training need assessment for sales staff at Daimatsu

A training needs assessment need to carry out toclarify the required standard for sales staff at the company, to identify the currentsituation and to propose a training program to fulfil

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1 RATIONALE

The training need assessment at Daimatsu is important to the company In the case

of sales activities is not efficient enough to bring good business to the company, theleader of the company should know what the root of the problem is In many case,training is not the tool to solve the problem Thus, in order to make sure about thecase to avoid the waste (in time, expense…), the assessment is necessary

Daimatsu Travel is a tourism firm acting in both inbound and outbound tour.Tourism market in Vietnam is now increasing Tour is the main products ofDaimatsu Travel To get in to the market, Daimatsu Travel needs to design theircompetitive strength to create income A company that pay attention to trainingmatter, they will have good workforce The good workforce, especially the salesforce who is always the representative of the company, is the competitive strength

in the market Sales person is recognized a very important workforce in a firm.They help attain organisational income For a tourism company, sales person is therepresentative of the company and the service they are selling For an intangibleproduct as tours, the tourists buy the tour mostly by the belief in the company andthe sales person

The practical status at Daimatsu shows that the staff knowledge in tourism at thecompany is good but they lack of skill and attitude for the job This causes theineffectiveness in work result A training needs assessment need to carry out toclarify the required standard for sales staff at the company, to identify the currentsituation and to propose a training program to fulfil the lack of skill, attitude andknowledge of the staff

Finally, the author of this research is working at Daimatsu company limited, Humanresource department This research directly support to author’s job at the company.The data for the study also can be reached easily Author also can be convenient tointerview leaders or running the survey to sales staff and can have the support fromsales staff themselves to conduct the survey to the customers

With all above reason, “training need assessment for sales staff at Daimatsu Co.,Ltd.” is chosen for the thesis of Master of business administraion

1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the thesis are:

- To clarify the required skill, knowledge and attitude for sales staff atDaimatsu Travel

- To determine the current situation of skill, knowledge and attitude of salesstaff in order to indicate the training needs for this work force

- To propose suitable training programme for sales staff at the company

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION

This research has to answer the following questions:

1 What are the required skill, knowledge and attitude for sales staff at DaimatsuTravel?

2 How is current situation of skill, knowledge and attitude of sales staff atDaimatsu Travel?

3 What is the gap between requirement and current situation of staff skill,knowledge and attitude at the company?

4 What is suitable training program for sales staff at Daimatsu?

The secondary data was collected from the company database such as the jobdescription of sales staff from the human resource department I take analysis the jobdescription of sales staff to clarify the requirement on skill, knowledge and attitude

of sales staff This will show the competency that the sales staffs need to reach toadapt the job demand

The primary data was collected through conducting in-depth interview, survey tosome groups: company leaders, target customers, sales staff at Daimatsu, andprofessional trainers at Travel Trainer Club

Proposed training program

Requirement

on skill, knowledge and attitude of sales staff at Daimatsu.

Primary data:

I conducted in-depth interview with three (03) managers in the company whoclosely work with the sales staff They are one (01) director of the company, one(01) sales manager and one (01) human resource manager working in Daimatsu

I also conducted survey to fifty (50) target customers of the company I determinedthat, this group opinion is very important to the company They are the one whocontribute for sales volume Hence, I conducted survey to them both to identifytheir needs on the sales performance to contribute to clarifying the required skill,knowledge and attitude of sales staff and to collect their comment on currentsituation of staff competence

The survey was also implemented to the sales staff in the company The survey isdesigned to ask the sales staff to assess their current status in skill, knowledge andattitude at work

1.4.3 Data analysis

After collecting the data from the above sources, I used Microsoft Office tools(Excel, Word‘s diagram) to analyze the number and information collected

The secondary data of job description is analysed to clarify the required skill,

knowledge and attitude of the sales staff at Daimatsu (This result called: J1).

The primary data collected from in-depth interview with three (03) managers in thecompany: director, sales manager, human resource manager of company is analysed

to clarify not only the required skill, knowledge and attitude of the sales staff at

Daimatsu to adapt the manager expectation (This result called: M1) but also the assessment on the current situation of the staff competence (This result called: M2) and the opinion of the necessary training program (This result called: M3).

The data collected from the customer survey is used to collect their comment on

current situation of staff skill, knowledge and attitude of sales staff (This result called: C2)

The survey to sales staff helps to assess their current status in skill, knowledge and

attitude at work (This result called: S2).

From J1and M1: I could clarify the required skill, knowledge and attitude for salesstaff at Daimatsu Travel The first question was answered.

From M2, C2 and S2: I could identify the current situation of skill, knowledge andattitude of sales staff at Daimatsu Travel The second question was answered

When the first and second question was answered, I could indicate the gap betweenrequirement and current situation of staff skill, knowledge and attitude at thecompany The third question was answered

From M3 and author’s analysis: I could propose a suitable and reliable trainingprogram for sales staff to the company The last question is answered

From above results, all the research questions are answered and it means that theobjective of the research is reached

1.5 RESEARCH SCOPE

Content

The research took place at Daimatsu Company Limited which situates in HanoiCity The research worked on assessing the training needs for sales staff thecompany The research will be carried out with the sales staff However, theresearch also worked on some groups that involve or influence the training needsassessment of Daimatsu They are leaders in the company who work closely withsales They are customers with whom sales staff works directly in their job

Location

The research will be carry out in Daimatsu Company with the case of sales staffskill, knowledge and attitude However, the research will work on some groups thatinvolve or influence the training activities of Daimatsu They are: International andVietnamese tourists who are potential customer for tour, sales person at Daimatsu

Time

Secondary data is collect form the company set of job description which is firstlymade in 2008 The time limit for this research is from 2008 till present

Primary data of this study was collected in 2010, the year of this research takeplace

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Nature of training needs and training needs assessment.

* Definition of training

Training refers to organized activity aimed at imparting information and/or instructions to improve the recipient's performance or to help him or her attain a required level of knowledge or skill

( http://www.businessdictionary.com )

Training including 2 types: on-the-job training and off-the-job training

On-the-job training refers to the training method that the trainee works in the

actual work setting, usually under the guidance of an experienced worker,supervisor or trainer

On-the–job training contains three forms:

Job rotation allows employee to gain experience in different kinds of narrow define

jobs in the organization It is often used to give future manager a broad background

Apprenticeships typically associated with the skilled trader, derive from the

medieval practice of having the young learn a trade from an experienced worker

Internships are a route to white-collar or managerial job in variety of fields.

Internships are opportunities for student to gain real world job experience, oftenduring summer vacation from school Although, most internship offer a very low or

no pay, student interns can gain college credit and possibly, the offer of a full-timejob after graduation

Off-the-job training is an effective alternative to on-the-job training Common

examples of off-the-job training are formal course, stimulations and role playingexercises in a classroom setting

* Definition of training needs

Training needs is a shortage of skills or abilities which could be reduced or eliminated by means of training and development Training needs hinder employees

in the fulfillment of their job responsibilities and prevent an organization from achieving its objectives They may be caused by a lack of skills, knowledge, or understanding, or arise from changes in the workplace Training needs are identified through training needs analysis.

(Source: http://www.bnet.com)

* Definition of training needs assessment.

Training needs assessment is the process to analyze the training requirements of a target group in terms of number of trainees, their educational and professional background, their present level of competence , and the desired behaviour or skill level acquired at the completion of training.

(Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com )

The overall purpose of the needs assessment is to determine if training is neededand if so, to provide the information required to design the training program

* Roles of training need assessment.

Performance problem can come from numerous sources, many of which would not

be affected by training The only performance problem that training can address isdeficiency that is under the trainee’s control For example, sales training willimprove sales only if poor sales techniques are the source of the problem Ifdeclining sales are due to a poor product, high prices or a faltering economy, salestraining is not going to help

Training is not the only option available for responding to a worker deficiency Forexample, if decision makers determine that the training needed would be too costly,transferring or terminating the deficient workers may be the more cost-effectivecourse Strict competence requirements can then be used to select new employeesand eliminate the performance gap The obvious drawbacks of terminating or

replacing employ deemed deficient is that these options are likely to harmcommitment and morale in the workforce.

Trained effectively will be a success key for every travel companies Studies showthat the majority of the sales staffs who work effectively and finish tasks perfectlyhave been trained appropriately They always contribute significantly to the success

of the companies In an ideal world, travel companies can recruit salesman who arefull ownership of skills most needed But it is in theory, it is easy to get sales staffswith such fully skills in actual

That's why training has become one of the most important tasks today Training notonly equip the companies’ staffs with the needed professional skills and careers but

it also shows that the companies is investing for their sales staffs and concern forthe general successes of both parties in the future Therefore, training is also an artmotivation which increases the sales staffs engaging with companies

In many companies, training programs have become important in businessmanagement because according to them the qualities of the staff will directly affectthe labor productivity of the entire organization

For those businesses that employee is a direct collision with customers such ashospitality, tourism retail the expertise and attitude of the staff will directly affectbusiness reputation

Not only Daimatsu any business that needs a dynamic, persistent and enthusiasticsale team and how to build and maintain a team like that is always a top concern

* The levels of training needs assessment.

Training needs assessment consists of three levels of analysis: organizational, task,and personal based

Organizational analysis

Organizational analysis examine broad factors such as the organization’s culture,mission, business climate, long and short term goals and structure Its purpose is toidentify both overall organizational needs and the level of supporting for training

Some of the key issues to be addressed at the organizational level of analysis areexternal environment and the organizational goals and value An analysis of theexternal environment may indicate a shortage of skilled workers and changes intechnology Training can help the organization to meet the challenges The goals of

an organization are targets it is trying to achieve - perhaps increased market share orexpansion into a new market Training may be needed to give employees the skills

to achieve the organizational goals Similarly, values can be core of how anorganization operates Employees should understand these values and have skills towork within them In sum, the organizational level of needs assessment looks atexternal influences and the directions and principles of the organization todetermine whether training is needed

Task analysis

Task analysis is an examination of the job to be performed A recent and carefullyconducted job analysis should provide all the information needed to understand jobrequirements The duties and tasks are used to identify the knowledge, skills,attitude required to perform the job adequately Then, the knowledge, skill andattitude are used to determine the kinds of training needed for the job

Personal analysis.

Person analysis determines which employees need training by examining how wellemployees are carrying out the tasks that make up their jobs Training is oftennecessary when there is a discrepancy between a worker’s performance and theorganization’s expectations of standards Often a person analysis entails examiningworker performance ratings and then identifying individual worker or group ofworkers who are weak in certain skills The source of most performance ratings isthe supervisor, but a more complete picture of worker’s strengths and weaknessesmay be obtained by including other sources of appraisal

2.2 Competency base - model for training needs assessment

2.2.1 Definitions

* Competency definition

Nowadays, competency is so important for everyone to succeed in their job

It is the same to sales in tourism Globalization and modernization are creatingincreasingly diverse and interconnected world To make sense of and function well

in the world, individual need for example to master changing technologies andmake sense of large amounts of available information They also face collectivechallenges as societies-such as balancing the economy growth with environmentalsustainability and prosperity of social equity In these contexts, the competenciesthat individual needs to meet their goals have become more complex, requiringmore than the mastery of certain narrowly defined skills Because of the importance

of competency, it is really necessary to define competency clearly and correctly tomake the organizations and travel companies understand and use it the best

In human resources, defining competence is very important becausecompetences become the basic for decisions about hiring, training, promotions andother human resources issues to help companies describe the key characteristics weshould look for or develop in a candidate for the job in question So, thousands oforganization throughout the world have joined in the quest for competencies, theyspent many years on conducting competency studies – identifying “ cluster” ofknowledge, attitudes, and skills need to perform various job, in the past decades.Through these studies, we have a general definition “competence is defined as astandardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job It encompasses a combination of knowledge, skills and behaviors utilized to improveperformance”, or more general “competence is the state or quality of beingadequately or well qualified, having the ability to perform a specific role

Competence is also used to work with more general descriptions ofrequirements of human beings in organizations and communities Examples areeducations who want to have a general language to tell what a graduate or what a

member of an organization is required to be able to do in order to be consideredcompetent An important detail of this approach is that all competences have to beaction competences, which means you show in the action, that your are competent.

After many issues: the importance of defining competence, history ofdefining competence…, we have a definition in UNIDO most suitable applied withresearch:

“A competency is a set of skills, related knowledge and attitudes that allow

an individual to successfully perform a task or an activity within a specific function

of job”.

The definition of competence can be seen in the model bellow:

Figure 2.1 The definition of competency

(Source: UNIDO competency model 2002)

- Knowledge: information accumulated in particular area of expertise

- Skills: the demonstration of expertise

- Attitude: relates to qualitative aspects or personal characteristics or traits

COMPETENCY

KNOWLEDGE

PERFORMANCE

* Competency assessment definition.

Assessment is a process of collecting evidence and making judgments on whethercompetence has been achieve The purpose of assessment is to confirm that anindividual can perform the standard expected in the workplace, as expresses in therelevant endorsed competence standard

Competence based performance assessment

Competency based performance assessment is essentially about how organizationuse competencies to improve the way they asses and provide feedback in respect of

an individual’s performance Competencies allow the whole process of measuringperformance to be more open and inclusive of all of the interest parties

Competence based assessment is a form of assessment that is derived from aspecification of a set of outcomes; that so clearly states both the outcomes – generaland specific – that assessors, staffs and interested third parties can all makereasonably objective judgments with respect to staff achievement or non- achieve ofthese outcomes; and that certifies staff progress on the basis of demonstratedachievement of these outcomes

The three components of competence – based assessment which are especiallyimportant, and that the definition above encapsulates are:

+ The emphasis on outcomes; specific, multiple outcomes, each distinctive andseparately considered

+ The belief that these outcomes and should be specified to the point where they areclear and “transparent” Assessors, assesses, and “third parties” should be able tounderstand what is being assessed and what should be achieved

+ The decoupling of assessment from particular institution or learning program

2.2.2 Competency assessment tools.

Competency assessment can be implemented by 3 following steps:

Step 1: Job analyzing to identify required competency

Step 2: Staff competency analysis

Step 3: Competency gap analysis to find out training needs

2.2.2.1 Job analyzing to identify required competency

In this step, job description is used to analyze the required competency of sales staff in the company Job description is a list of the general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position It can be useful source of information, assuming that they are up to date and supplement with some data from interviews or questionnaire.

2.2.2.2 Staff competency analysis

In this step, the in-depth interview and survey is conducted to identify thecurrent situation of competency among sales staff

Competency analysis is a useful tool for human resources in assessing andplanning At minimum, there are means to identify capabilities, attitudes andattributes needed to meet current and future staffing needs as organizationalpriorities and strategies shift It also focus on employees development efforts toeliminate the gap between capabilities needed and those available

In organizations, companies, to choose the best person they have to base onsuitable competencies with systems and technology And to make your competencebetter and better and your available competencies meet organization’s needs, can bedirectly linked to results, and make more efficient use of scare training resources

In building competency models, we need to identify competencies that will improveresults, making it worth investing in their development and use

Competencies are also being used to support the new role of human resource

As a strategy to strengthen the link with organizational culture results andindividual performance by emphasizing competencies that are needed occupationalspecialty As a toll to help describe work and what is required from employees injobs in a broader, more comprehensive way It is as a method to align individual andteam performance with organization, vision, strategies and the externalenvironment It require both behavioral and technical competencies

Competencies are individual abilities or characteristics that they are keys toeffectiveness in work Competencies are not a way of providing a completeinventory of a person’s skills and abilities Instead, the starring point in usingcompetencies is always what the job requires.

2.2.2.3 Competency gap analyzing to find out training needs.

After having job analysis to identify required competency and having the staffcompetency analysis, they are compared to each other If there is no gap betweenthese two results, that is the ideal case and nothing need to be done and there is notraining need But in practice, there is usually a difference between the required andcurrent situation in competency This difference is the gap that need to be fulfilled

by training activities Thus, the training need is indicated

2.3 Factors that influence the training need assessment.

2.3.1 From oorganizational side

Organizational climate or culture is really a barrier for competence basedassessment There are seven primary determinants of organizational climate:

1 Mission and strategy

2 Leadership and management

3 Values and beliefs

4 Rewards and recognition

5 Systems and structure

6 Knowledge and skills

7 The external environment

There are advantages or disadvantages:

Advantage: competency studies and approaches should ultimately improveperformance in these areas

Disadvantages:

+ Seven remaining determinants which each hold inhibiting factors, working againstthe success of the competency project.

+ Difficult to identify the potential high flyers

Conflict styles are considered as a factor affecting competency assessment In someorganizations, there is a relaxed, liberated and liberating executive at the top,greeted by smiles wherever he or she goes in the organization That leader might beblissfully unaware that, at the next level down, there is real power-base effectivelyrunning at dictatorship In these circumstances, the desired competencies agreed to

by the highest decision maker stand no chance of implementation if the dictatordoes not agree It then becomes vital to involve the second level in all discussionsand decision – making, facilitating agreement on areas where is common ground.This scenario demand more emphasis on the business benefits to be gained from acompetency approach, including cost benefit analysis

Hidden norm may be a part of the organizational culture that certain behavior orattributes are necessary, unspoken norms which never appear in a published list orcorporate values

2.3.2 Factors from the researcher.

There are some pisfalls that affect competence assessment involving in the analysisstage

The first factor to be considered is that the survey target group is too small toprovide a truly representative

The second issue frequently faced when asking managers to identify highperformers is that of personal prejudice or favor

There are some further challenges and issue that might be faced during analysisphase

- Ignoring basic knowledge, skills and attributes for the purpose of definingcompetence

- Time consuming

- Interviewer expertise Internal interviewer may well need to be trained, tomaintain quality and consistency vital to success of research phase.

- Missed job task because they focus on the more important things and missedsome less aspect in the analysis

- Survey results are only as good as the surveyor because the survey resultdepends on the question asked which may result in key areas andcompetencies being missed

* Factors from the result user.

Once the concepts have been understood and accepted, senior managementusually remain committed to the competence approach, unless line managerconvince them that the usage will be too unwieldy or if the length and oust ofresearch phase gets out of hand

Firstly, the manager won’t use it Some will use their power their bias toevaluate employees or some They will become converts to competencebasement if they involved in the project while few will not convert because oftheir discrimination

Secondly, managers may overuse it so managers become tyrannical in their use

of competencies, especially to evaluate employees But still keep in mind thateven the best competency models are generalization of complex phenomena.Thirdly, people make it up They create a list of competencies That may appear

to be a way to expedite development, but it’s more often than an effort to ensureone’s own input to the model

CHAPTER 3: OVERVIEW OF DAIMATSU COMPANY AND

REQUIREMENT FOR SALES STAFF

3.1 Overview of Daimatsu Company

Daimatsu was established in 2008 The office is based in Hanoi, the capital, thecenter of culture, politic and economy of Vietnam Daimatsu offers excellentservices and good value for money involved to a tours arrangement, hotels andapartment, offices for lease, restaurant, air ticketing, car rental, investment, etc.Green and cultural travel is their aim while paying full attention to consumer’stravel needs

The Daimatsu’s market is traveler who has a chance to join daily typical tours withothers, to traveler who wants a customized tour, personalized service and a highquality product, who want to go where they want to go, do what they want to do andhave the travel experience they desire Daimatsu commit to provide consumers withthe best products and services Daimatsu cares about service more than anything.The company put its position to the customers for providing the best servicepossible to value for the customer's hard earned money Daimatsu is the team whocare about long term business The company expects consumers’ recommendations

to other travelers; Daimatsu serves the customers today and trust them will be backwith the company in the future Below are some listed services consumers will getfrom Daimatsu:

 Free travel advice from our tour experts

 Free tour customized itinerary

 Prompt response from professional tour experts

 Flexibility and really listening to consumers’ requests

 Get consumers the best accommodation, transport, meals, guide service… ontours

 Get customers the best quality for money they spend

Daimatsu’s business area:

Inbound tours: Individual Travel, Group Travel, Beach Holidays, Cultural Tours,

Business Travel, Incentive Trips, Sport Event Packages, Motorcycle Holidays,Nature - Eco Tours, Scuba Diving, Golf Holidays, Health - Beauty Packages,Special Events Packages, Special Interest Tours

Outbound tours: Tours to South East Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia), North

East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan), Europe (France, Belgium,Netherlands, German, Italy), North American (United State and Canada)

Group tour or seat-in-coach tours: To join with other people on available daily

tours These tours are fixed itinerary and departure time It is possible to join ineven consumers’ own group of only 1 or 2 people Customer does not to find otherpeople to form the group It is the company duty to gather the tourists for each tour.For these tours, customers have to share the coach, boat and tour guide with othertourists who come from different nationalities

Private tour: To do the tour privately The tour is not fixed, it is possible to be

customized for customers’ group All service is reserved for customers’ group only

Car rental: many type and brand of car for rent

Air tickets: International Airlines & Domestic Airlines

Hotel reservation: Daimatsu offers a wide variety of Vietnam hotels, resorts and

accommodations with comprehensive and helpful information to assist consumers

in making up their mind as where to stay, travel or visit while they are in vacation

Interpreters - Tour guides: Daimatsu offers Japanese, English, French, Chinese,

German languages, etc At each tour, depend on guest's requirement, the companywill send the English/ French/Japanese/….speaking guide to serve them

Other services: Visa arrangement, travel insurance, restaurant, airport transfer, and

other special types of services

3.1.1 Organizational structure of Daimatsu

Figure 3.1 Organizational structure of Daimatsu

(Sourse: Company structure)

Director

Director is a person giving crucial decisions in the company such as strategies,plans and assistance to tourists

The duties of the director in Daimatsu are:

 Manage a tourism information centre - including business management, staffsupervision and development, office systems and the provision of services

 Act as the executive officer for the local tourism committee

 Make sure services are in place to respond to day-to-day tourism enquiries

 Check and regularly report to management on the status of the tourismmarketing budget

 Give presentations on tourism awareness or new initiatives, on behalf of theemployers, to industry, community or interest groups

Director

Sales

department

Operation Department Accounting

department

Human resource and Admin

Inbound

Section

Outbound Section

tation

Transpor-I.T Department

Other Services

 Contribute to the planning, development and implementation of tourismmarketing strategies

 Liaise and build close relationships with the media to promote tourismissues, and encourage community involvement and awareness

Operation Department

Tour Operators in Daimatsu are involved in planning, development, promotion,administration and implementation of tourism products They may travel toproposed tour sites, check them out and experience the services first hand beforeassessing their tourism potential Their responsibility is:

 Develop products

 Have good knowledge of relevant destinations, attractions and travel

 Have ability of leadership skills and team-building skills

 Devise and price all-inclusive tours and holidays

 Plan which countries, resorts and hotels to use

 Check on facilities and amenities in different resorts and countries

 Visit hotels, inspect rooms and negotiate rates

 Set prices, taking competitors’ prices into account

 Organize special-interest tours and holidays

 Buy or sell seats with different carriers

 Market and promote their organization’s services

 Arrange promotional visits for travel agents and tourist-board staff

 Develop products for the tourists in terms of activities and services thatwould make their trip more fun and memorable

 Use financial management skills to prepare tentative budgets for the tourcompany

 Use operations and management skills to best run the company’s affairs bothadministratively and on the field

 Apply sales and marketing skills in order to acquire clients/tourists for thecompany to generate more income

 Effectively market the destinations of choice in order to earn the companymore clients visiting the various destinations on offer

 Prepare brochures and fliers for distribution as a marketing tool or mediumfor the company

 Plan itineraries for specific groups that plan to take a trip

 Aggressively and proactively seek new partnerships to increase the number

of clients for the company

Human Resources and Admin department

 Administer compensation, benefits and performance management systems,and safety and recreation programs

 Identify staff vacancies and recruit, interview and select applicants

 Allocate human resources, ensuring appropriate matches between personnel

 They oversee all the day-to-day tasks and also supervise, motivate and trainstaffs

 Provide current and prospective employees with information about policies,job duties, working conditions, wages, opportunities to promote andemployee benefits

 Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing,refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinaryprocedures

 Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employmentopportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes

 Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establishcompetitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

 Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude towardorganizational objectives

 Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions,interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-relatedproblems

 Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates andstaff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employeerelations

 Analyze training needs to design employee development, language trainingand health and safety programs

 Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-relateddata such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals, and absenteeism rates

 Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes ofpersonnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement oforganization's personnel policies and practices

 Plan, organize, direct, control or coordinate the personnel, training, or laborrelations activities of an organization

 Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination

 Investigate and report on industrial accidents for insurance carriers

 Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations

 Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts

 Prepare personnel forecast to project employment needs

 Prepare and follow budgets for personnel operations

 Develop, administer and evaluate applicant tests

 Oversee the evaluation, classification and rating of occupations and jobpositions.

 Study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining contracts toassess industry trends

 Develop and/or administer special projects in areas such as pay equity,savings bond programs, day-care, and employee awards

 Provide terminated employees with outplacement or relocation assistance

I.T department

Information technology plan, administer and review the acquisition, development,maintenance and use of computer and telecommunication systems within theorganization The department respond:

 Analyze the information needs of the organization, and developtechnology solutions to meet those needs

 Manage the information technology to ensure it supports the goals of theorganization

 Provide advice to other senior managers and boards on IT issues andplanning

 Determine opportunities for improvement of current IT systems, andassess future IT needs by consulting with people at all levels of thecompany

 Develop and implement the IT policy and strategic plan

 Integrate IT operations with business, control security aspects of the ITsystem and integrate or implement new technologies

 Have in-depth knowledge of administrative procedures such as budget,quality assurance and human resources

 Have business or management qualification or experience

Accounting Department

The duties of the department:

 Complete and submit tax forms and returns, workers' compensation forms,pension contribution forms, and other government documents

 Maintain inventory records

 Perform personal bookkeeping services

 Compute deductions for income and social security taxes

 Prepare purchase orders and expense reports

 Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematicalaccuracy, and proper codes

 Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store,and analyze information

 Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, andregulations

 Debit, credit, and total accounts on computer spreadsheets and databases,using specialized accounting software

 Classify, record, and summarize numerical and financial data in order tocompile and keep financial records, using journals and ledgers or computers

 Calculate, prepare, and issue bills, invoices, account statements, and otherfinancial statements according to established procedures

 Compile statistical, financial, accounting or auditing reports and tablespertaining to such matters as cash receipts, expenditures, accounts payableand receivable, and profits and losses

 Code documents according to company procedures

 Access computerized financial information to answer general questions aswell as those related to specific accounts

 Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to performcalculations and produce documents.

 Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records

 Perform financial calculations such as amounts due, interest charges,balances, discounts, equity, and principal

 Perform general office duties such as filing, answering telephones, andhandling routine correspondence

 Prepare bank deposits by compiling data from cashiers, verifying andbalancing receipts, and sending cash, checks, or other forms of payment tobanks

 Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers

 Calculate and prepare checks for utilities, taxes, and other payments

 Compare computer printouts to manually maintained journals in order todetermine if they match

 Reconcile records of bank transactions

 Prepare trial balances of books

 Monitor status of loans and accounts to ensure that payments are up to date

 Transfer details from separate journals to general ledgers and/or dataprocessing sheets

 Compile budget data and documents, based on estimated revenues andexpenses and previous budgets

 Calculate costs of materials, overhead and other expenses, based onestimates, quotations and price lists

 Match order forms with invoices, and record the necessary information

Sales department

Sales staff sells the company’s tourism products and services to new and existingcustomers Customers may be retails travel agents, businesses, individuals They arealso involved with identifying new markets and business opportunities Their rolehelps to ensure the commercial success of a diverse range of company and overseasmarkets

The duties of sales department are:

 Have thorough knowledge of destination, travel products, their potential andposition in the marketplace

 Develop and promote tourism in order to attract visitors and producesignificant economic benefits for the travel company Sometimes, they maytravel frequently, exploring new destinations and discovering travelattractions

 Listening to customer requirements and presenting appropriately to make asale

 Satisfy the clients with customer service skill and enthusiasm

 Research, analytical, planning skills and sales abilities

 Maintaining and developing relationships with existing customers in person,and via telephone calls and emails

 Arranging meetings with potential customers to prospect for new business;

 Acting as a contact between a company and its existing and potentialmarkets

 Negotiating the terms of an agreement and closing sales;

 Gathering market and customer information

 Representing the company at trade exhibitions, events and demonstrations

 Negotiating on price and costs, delivery and specifications with buyers andmanagers

 Challenging any objections with a view to getting the customer to buy.

 Advising on forthcoming product developments and discussing specialpromotions

 Liaising with suppliers to check the progress of existing orders

 Recording sales and order information and keep track for data

 Reviewing sales performance, aiming to meet or exceed targets;

 Gaining a clear understanding of customers' businesses and requirements;

 Making accurate, rapid cost calculations, and providing customers withquotations;

 Attending team meeting and sharing best practice with colleagues

3.2 Job analysis of sales staff

3.2.1 Duty of sales staff.

Definition of sales staff in tourism:

Competitive pressures in the market place have been increasing, as there are moreand more business travel companies with the types of diversity and attractivetourism products and services And the thing that the number of competitor is raisedrapidly causes business become more difficult, especially in tourism In this context,improving sales and profits almost entirely depend on intellectual capacity as well

as the professionalism of sales staff in tourism

The sales staff in tourism as well as sales staff in other industries is defined to be aperson who has good communication skills, selling skills, patience…a sales staff intourism is responsible for searching clients for the company, counselling the tourschedule for them Sales staffs have to assess and report customer market situationperiodically and propose appropriate business plans They search and survey marketaimed at developing and monitoring tourism services of the company Salesmenplan to exploit market and promote all tourism products (outbound/inbound,domestic/conference/fair/…) Besides, they are in charge of counselling,negotiating, contracting, caring customers before and after selling services They

meet clients to introduce information about the tourism schedule; orient businessplan and market development.

* There are some necessary requirements to become a sales staff in tourism as:

Communication skills:

Communication skills are essential and necessary factor for the sales staffs intourism because having good communication skill enables them to create friendlyrelationship with clients Tourism has been becoming an integral demand And thisdemand not only appears in an individual in a specific occasion Thus, develop andmaintain sustainable relationships with customers and the sales in tourism willbecome more favorable

Listening skills:

Listening skills are seemingly simple but are important component to create goodrelations between sellers and customers Because so as to know customers’ desire,the salesman needs listen well and quickly identify Then the sales staff can getattention from clients

Listening to the opinions of customers will help the sales staff have plans toimprove tourism service quality of the company in the future

Customers often have no good impression with those who only know to justify,explain the complaint about the tours without really listening to what they say.The sales staff in tourism ought to know that listening to consumers makes themfeel being respected, appreciated and cared attentively

Customer’s demand:

If a seller guesses the demand and psychology of the customer, he will introducetourism product satisfying them In addition to listening skills, a salesman needsanalyze clients’ information

Ability to turn the situation

If the salesman proposes an unreasonable tour to clients, he should not stop and talkabout the features and information of the tour but do not mention to purchase Afterpresenting, the sales staff should wait for the opinion form clients Sometimes, thosetours are attractive to them

Patience

A seller should be patient and has to learn how not to be afraid of rejection Themeeting customers are not always accepted The seller should access to thecustomers in many ways and identify target markets Depending on customers’demand, the seller supports the kinds of tourism services For example, they offerthe tourism convalescence services, adventure tourism, ecotourism, sport tourism…

to the customers The sales staff must know to catch the visitor's desire to makeappropriate travel programs

Remember consumers’ name:

Remembering consumers’ name is very important in hospitality The other staffs intourism must make the consumer feel like being in their own home Therefore, there

is no reason for the salesman to forget the name of their clients

Calling individual name of the customers is one of the sweetest sounds that theywant to hear from the salesman

The vocative by name in conversations with customers shows that the salesmanregards them as a particular individual rather than general customers, whichexpresses the salesman’s respect to customers indirectly

Use customer’s name when saying hello, thank and goodbye to make the ambiancebecome more friendly

Nevertheless, the salesman should not use their private name too frequently becausethe customer may feel uncomfortable Use it at the beginnings and the end of theconversation

Respect for customer:

The sales staff must be careful in conversations with the customers: “May I helpyou?” not “what do you want?” He should smile and speak warmly and notwelcome clients indifferently A smile is one of important factors in tourism And ithas great impact at the right time True smile will make the customers feelwelcome, more secure and left a warm feeling The seller must answer to theirqueries enthusiastically, do not ignore them and always have to save face forcustomers Do not distinguish guests

Consumers know they are not unique to the travel company but they will love it ifthe sellers make them feel like being important by appreciating customers’comments, never say that they mistake, understand the customer's message andsympathize with customer

Really care for customer

The sales man should think that he wants to bring joy to the customer withinteresting tourism products, not give them a favor

Seller in hospitality should be gentle when talking to the clients and respond for theproblems

There is 81% customers no longer cooperate with the travel company if thesalesman is not willing to help or care for their demand

The salesman can introduce the other services involved to the tour

In conclusion, the definition of sales staff in tourism seems most suitable to be

applied to this research is: sales staff in tourism is a representative of travel company contacts with customers directly They not only present, introduce the product to customers, listen and resolve customer’s questions, but also reflect the situation of the tourism product, the brand, the business of the travel company.

Sales progress of Daimatsu:

Figure 3.2 Sales progress of Daimatsu

Collection of Customer’s information

Agreement

Signing contract

Implementating the contract

Customer care

Possible

No No

Arisen issues

No

Yes

Re-counsel customers

End

End

Yes

3.2.2 Role of sales staff in tourism:

The manager knows that only by selling products, can the travel company exist So,sales jobs always have recruitment needs most Because this is the job whichdirectly brings revenue to the travel company and the rate of dismissal is high.Tourism is a service business industry Indeed, sales people always keep a veryimportant position in the business process They are not only making sales directlybut also are the face of the company and responsible for transmission of thecompany's image to consumers But now, the development of informationtechnology, tool vending, selling through Internet, telephone and other electronictransactions are posing the question: "Will the travel agents need sales staff else?"The answer is "Yes." Before understanding the proper role of the sales staff, themanagers have to know: “what role do the sales staffs play in their company? Why

do some travel companies always focus on the recruitment and training of salesstaff, while many other companies do not do so? ” Satisfactory answers to thesequestions, we will realize sale is an art This work is not done by the rules orpredetermined formula as typed text or accounting, but it often requires an agility,flexibility and dynamic If the sales job is just to say the price - given product -receive money, company will not need sales people do, because a machine can dothat job Tourism is not like others products It is a secondary product and requested

to be supported customers cares services hospitably

Thus, sales staff is the representative of the company to the market They are theworkforce who brings the income to the company They are also the bridgeconnecting company (internal factor) and customer (external factor)

3.3 Required competence of sales staff in tourism.

The in-depth interview with 3 leaders in Daimatsu company They are: Director,Human resource manager and Sales manager The combination of the in-depthinterview and the job description help to identify the required competence of thesales staff at the company

3.3.1 Required knowledge

Table 3.1 Required knowledge and require level for each item of knowledge

Advanced Intermediate Pre-intermediate

Figure 3.3 Propotion of require level among required knowledge

56%

33%

11%

AdvancedIntermediatePre-intermediate

20%

10%

AdvancedIntermediatePre-intermediate

3.3.3 Required Attitude

Table 3.3 Required knowledge and require level for each item of attitude

Required levelAdvanced Inter-

mediate

intermediate

4 Aiming to meet or exceed target √

Figure 3.5 Propotion of require level among required attitude

83%

AdvancedIntermediatePre-intermediate

To succeed with this business, the sales person in tourism must have the qualities of

a psychologist to understand tourists The sales person should have a physical force

of athletes to withstand high pressures from work and have composedness of amonk to control individual emotions and love travelers Negotiation skills are veryimportant for the seller can achieve the sales Sales staff in tourism must payattention to appearance, dress to create credibility for customers Creativity iscrucial to the salesman in setting up tourism product and convincing customers.Become a seller is not too difficult, but to become a master sales person in tourism

is not easy To get this position, staffs need to learn, practice until become to beproficient and professional Master salesperson has to be good at every issue which

is involved to tourism as geography, climate, geology, biodiversity, animal… andgive useful advices to the tourists In companies where the sales staffs work directlywith customers, sales staff master establish set up the transaction They bring highrevenues and huge profits They bring back new contracts and customers to thetravel company Master salesperson sells new applications, new products and so on