1. Final journal entry required for food service management paper(HUNT331) taken in semester
2 2014
Invaluable. This would be my answer if you asked me to use one word to describe my
management experience (ME). Luckily for me, I have just short of 500 words to explain why.
Unlike many other papers I have done at university, the ME section of HUNT331 helped me
gain so much more than just knowledge and theory. The responsibility that we were given was
probably the main driving factor for me that lead to the crucial development of many skills over
the past six weeks. I believe it truly is an experience that, as they say, separates the boys from
the men.
Not only did I gain practical skills, such as using commercial sized machinery, effective
sanitation processes and ensuring food safety, but also personal development skills. I quickly
learnt that team work, both with regards to my partner and our workers, was necessary. I've
always been a little bossy when working in a pair and as Amber (our instructor) pointed out
after our first Management Night, I spoke over Rebecca (my partner) quite a lot. Rebecca and
I made sure for our second Management Night to write a "script" of sorts to share the speaking
and we made sure to split the workload in half too.
Managing different people with different abilities taught me when it was time to step in (if they
needed guidance) and when to take a step back (if they had their tasks under control). Adapting
the style of communication or teaching depending on the person was something that
Susan Stockwell mentioned in her lecture, and I thought this was a helpful way to be a more
efficient manager. By delegating our energy to the workers that really needed help, I believe
Rebecca and I were able to have an efficient team.
My ability to handle stressful situations, my organisational and time management skills, as well
as confidence being a leader all improved significantly. These skills, though perhaps cannot be
graded as such, are a nice example of what Roger Pewtrell mentioned about the importance of
being a well-rounded person once you leave university. Though grades are important, being
good at communicating and working with others is equally important when going into the job
market.
Lastly, seeing the foodservice systems model in a real life situation (as I reflected on in a
previous journal) was definitely helpful towards my understanding of the topic. Although
our involvement started at the production stage, I was able to understand the effects of the
"input" stage, such as management, staffing, and planning recipes, and how this would affect
the final product. I also experienced how external factors, such as the weather, could affect
production, e.g. A snow day usually meant frozen vegetables instead of fresh, and this would
impact the taste of the meal. As our team of workers was becoming more efficient and skilled,
the final products were also improving, highlighting the importance of staff development..

2. My goals for the future are to improve my listening skills, try to be more confident, and trying
to stay calmand positive in times of stress. In summary, this has been an excellent journey of
growth, and it is with a little sadness knowing it is all over... For now.