IF I WERE THE BOSS

#SMED 11

In the fundamentals of Managemnt by Stephen P. Robbins and David A. Decenzo, it is suggested that, ‘Managers make sure plans are laid out, activities are kept on track, and the environment is conducive to productive work.  Workers on the other hand work directly on a job or task and have no responsibilities for overseeing the work of others.’

Against the background of this statement allow me to introduce Themba Edutrain :  The colourful train was launched in 1997 as a fully-furnished classroom-on-wheels.

One of its objective was to complement the classroom curriculum, particular life-orientation whereby learners were provided the knowledge and skills to make responsible decisions when traveling within the rail environment. In 2008 the Edutrain was taken out of service for its major maintenance programme, referred to as General Overhaul (GO), and since then it has not returned to ‘active rail school duty’ as per its educational goals and objectives.

 Metrorail Western Cape, has recently clocked up numerous pages of negative publicity and complaints relating to the withdrawal of 14 train sets and the severe consequences it had on commuter capacity. These trains have subsequently all been returned to service.

For the purpose of this exercise, I have elected to focus  my ‘If I were the boss’ responsibilities on the Edutrain which, following its withdrawal from service in 2008,  resulted in more than 13 000 learners annually being denied the opportunity of a unique classroom-on-wheels experience :

  If I were the boss I would take cognizance of the numerous appeals of staff, educators and learners to bring the Edutrain back into service;

If I were the boss, I would grant the general overhaul of the Edutrain the same priority as other normal train sets;

If I were the boss I would actively seek and secure capital expenditure funding for the GO of the Edutrain;

If I were the boss I would be committed in making the Edutrain my number one priority.  I would take the issue of lack of funding to the highest authority (Department of Transport, Department of Education) to lobby financial support;

If I were the boss I would realise that money found for the GO, would be one of the best investment Metrorail could make – given the current escalation amongst learners and community members within the rail environment;

If I were the boss I would make it my duty to positively contribute towards the enhancement of the classroom learning experience of learners in the Western Cape;

If I were the boss I would fiercely resist any attempt to allow the Edutrain to degenerate to such an extent that it will have to be decommissioned;

If I were the boss I will ensure rail education is sustainable and kept on track;

If I were the boss, I would make every effort to ensure learners travel to places of interest in their own safe, secure school-on-wheels train.

In conclusion,  as a boss/manager I would make sure that plans are laid out to refurbish the Edutrain, work activities and/or schedules  are kept on track, resulting in a rail classroom environment which is conducive to safely transport and productively educate learners in rail safety education.

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED

#SMED 11

This week’s blog draws on the personal connectivity experience between Cape Town, South Africa  and Auckland, New Zealand.  This is where close family members have been staying for more than ten years.  Some of my #smed11 followers have possibly picked up on my  @snipnz tweets.

Chapter 1 of the Cluetrain Manifesto mentions that “The Internet became a place where people could talk to each other without constraint,  filters or censorship or official sanction.” Attending a birthday celebration of an 80 year family member in Cape Town this weekend, I was  reminded of the afore-mentioned Cluetrain quotation.

One has become accustomed to laptops being part of functions, mostly  for power point presentations (photo galleries) , music and entertainment, ect.   Having a guest attend via Skype, gives a whole new meaning to the list of and wording modifications for invitees. 

In the case of my sister, she duly attended the function and in keeping with the invitation, arrived on time and dressed to the nines for the occasion -cocktail outfit,  pearls, make-up, seated at a table with refreshments, including champagne.  Despite not being physically present, her presence was made possible via Skype.

Occupying the best ‘seat’ close to guest of honour, when we toasted, she did so too.  At emotional moments she shed tears when we all did same - emotional impact was mentioned in follow-up tweets.  Whilst she was watching and listening in on speeches, I answered her queries via SMS, i.e who is that person standing next to so and so?  Whilst we visited respective tables after formal speeches, to greet en engage with family and friends, she did so too – literally being carried from table to table as a guest with special cyber needs.

Although there is a physical distance of  11 766.62 kilometers between Cape Town and Auckland, with modern technology distance is no longer a barrier to effective communication.

This was my introductory experience of Skype being deployed at a birthday celebration.  

One cannot but marvel at the advancement of technology in keeping us all connected online.  Since the mid- nineties a significant number of South Africans have emigrated to various countries across the globe.  I  believe that cyber space communication is a cost effective manner of keeping children and grandchildren connected with parents and grandparents.

Against this background, I would like to pose a few questions as to what form future functions/party celebrations will take, i.e

-   will  invitations be designed, printed and be delivered?

-   will there be venue hire, catering, décor, entertainment?

-   what will the future dress code be?

-   will there still be a role for an event/party planner?

I believe parties/functions for birthdays and other celebrations are flexible and able to respond positively to changes due to the influence of modern technology.  On the other hand, whilst the application of the internet has its rightful place in organising functions and events,  I firmly believe people love and will continue to dress up, attend and socialise at afore-mentioned  parties and functions.  And just as a reminder - we love watching them as they strut their stuff, especially on the red carpet!

I must admit, I am no fundi when it comes to the application of social networking.  I remember the days when we had penpals and wrote letters.  I however hold a huge admiration and respect for the current technological advancement, and to this end I’d like to toast to modern technology that made it possible for family and friends to be connected, irrespective of massive distances.  In conclusion, I also raise my glass to a bright future with endless cyber space possibilities.

INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY

#SMED 11

An initiative of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA),   International Tourist Guide Day is annually commemorated on the 21st February.

As a contribution towards International Tourist Guide Day, I had the honour of hosting 17 young travel and tourism students from Prestige Academy on a Guided Tour of Cape Town Station this morning. 

In addition to engaging with them on the rich and untold history of Cape Town Station, the other focal point of discussion centered on the importance of being an accredited tourist guide - .  ‘I am a legal tourist guide ‘ 

One of the many challenges the tourism industry faces, is the significant number of tour guides operating illegally without a Tourist Guide badge and Tourist Guide ID cards. These ‘fly by night’ tour operators are out there, ready to make a quick buck or two from unsuspecting tourists.  The knock-on effect of a bad tourist experience is that the image of the tourism industry gets tarnished resulting in a possible drop of tourists visiting Cape Town  (one of the most beautiful places in the world ).

To eliminate illegal guiding, domestic and international tourists are continually encouraged to only utilise registered tour guides as they are suitably qualified and from a professional point of view, are trained to act in the best interest of their client/s. 

Following complaints from members of the public, tourists and registered Tourist Guides,  the Western Cape Tourism Minister, Alan Winde, last week  joined inspectors from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to conduct an illegal Tourist Guide inspection.     

Looking forward, I am excited about conducting future tours with students and will continue to support the Department of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism by continually creating awareness  around the issue of illegal guiding.  

Follow MEC Winde at: www.twitter.com/alanwinde

 

                                         Travel and Tourism Students, Prestige Academy

TWO PEOPLE CAME OUT OF A BUILDING AND INTO A STORY

#SMED 11

Two housewives walked out of a building, smiling, on top of the world. 

They had just made a killing at the slot machines. Earlier during the day they decided to treat themselves and entered the casino with R200 respectively. Barely three hours later they left with a handsome profit of R10 000. 

Sadly, this harmless visit to the casino brought about ‘beginner’s  luck’  and  set into motion a rush of adrenalin and a burning  desire to return for more.  Both housewives dreamed of  hitting the jackpot again and making a quick buck or two – the easy road to riches.

What initially started out as  innocent, ’just  for fun’ weekly visits to the casino which yielded  regular winnings and kept the dream of instant riches alive, soon made way for daily visits to the casino.  Thus the road to financial ruin and the destruction of the family life was set into motion.

Over a period of four years they wasted away thousands of hard-earned money at the slot machines.  Lies, dishonesty and deceit became the order of the day as unpaid bills started piling up.   They juggled the payment of account with credit cards, and to make ends meet, they lent money  from family, friends and even loan sharks,

Important school dates, graduation functions and important family gathering became irrelevant as they continued with their all-encompassing quest to hit the next jackpot.  Faced with financial ruin, the possibility of divorce and losing their family homes, they both signed up for the progamme for gambling addicts - in an effort to make amends to those family and friends they hurt whilst in the clutches of gambling.

Today both ex-gamblers use their story and experience to educate others on the dangers and becoming addicted to gambling and how to assist compulsive gamblers in changing their lives around.

WE ARE WHAT WE DO

#smed11

We are what we do is a new kind of movement inspiring people to change the world one small action at a time. 

The quotation by Deepak Chopra, “Everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you’ve made in the past,” certainly runs true today.  Global warming, pollution, unemployment, obesity, HIV AIDS, Tik, child trafficking, school bullies, to name but a few,  are the many challenges the youth of today is faced with.

Given the extensive challenges the youth of today is faced with, the collective efforts of educators, parents, community members and organizations in addressing these issues cannot be underestimated.

As an organization, Metrorail remains committed to contribute towards this movement.  To this end their educational programme for learners traveling by rail to places of interest is geared at providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills in order to become responsible, sensitive and productive citizens.  As  Martin Luther King Jr said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ 

Some of the programmes aimed at reminding learners that they can make a difference:

-  Reduce carbon footprint  : by using public transport

-  Encourage a healthy body and mind  : by playing soccer at Cape Town Station Forecourt

-  Caring for the environment  : by saving energy and water

-  Caring for the environment  : by recycling items at home and at school

 - Reduce bullying at schools : by saying  no to violence

-  Reduce the increase of obesity: by thinking about what you eat and drink and having a healthy body and mind

In conclusion, the Michael Jackson song, ‘We are The World,’ serves as reminder that we all have a responsibility to contribute towards a better life :  

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let’s start giving

There’s a choice we’re making

We’re saving our own lives

It’s true we’ll make a better day

Just you and me

DESIGN PUBLIC RELATIONS

Design means ‘to form or make (plans, schemes, etc) in the mind; to conceive; to invent, whilst Public Relations  is defined as "an activity aimed at increasing communication and understanding between an organization or individual and the public."  It is a means to help an organisation and the public adapt mutually to each other.

To  achieve the latter, it implies companies and organisations have to conceptualise, design and plan a deliberate and sustained public relations programme. ranging from conceptualisation (the idea is born ), followed by design and development  (the planning phase)  concluding with the implementation of the public relations programme.  Implementing a public relations programme after a  comprehensive planning process, is a tool to ensure the client receives maximum return on investment.

Design Public Relations can also refer to the significant and deliberate use of celebrities, actors, models, professional athletes etc  to promote a product or service. A company that comes to mind is Command PR Company (the Spin Crowd),  where clients play an enormous amount of money to have celebrities endorse their products. The return on investment is enormous when the perfect ‘money shot’ goes global  -  reaching the people those companies want to reach through a broad, influential, and far-reaching news media community.

MAGNIFICENT FRIDAYS

On Friday 11 February 2011 the Magnificent Fridays event was introduced to Capetonians at Cape Town Station Forecourt.  A star-studded event indeed  - with a number of celebrities in attendance ranging from the current Miss South Africa, Generations Queenie, Phil Masinga, Bryan Habana and Juan de Jongh, to name but a few.  Sopranos Biking Club strutting their stuff on Harley Davidson motorbikes added in keeping the 2 000+ commuters/members of the public enthralled.

So what is Magnificent Fridays?

During January 2011 the Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA), Mr Fikile Mbalula, launched the Magnificent Fridays Campaign with the aim of sustaining the 2010 FIFA World Cup momentum generated through Football Fridays.

One of the objectives of this SRSA initiative is to galvanise the nation to support the national cricket, netball and rugby teams as they participate in their respective international competitions, i.e

Cricket (India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) : 17/02/2011 – 02/04/2011

Netball (Singapore): 03/07/2011 – 10/07/2011

Rugby (New Zealand): 09/09/2011 – 23/10/2011

The Magnificent Fridays Campaign is still in its early stages, but judging by the active participation of the Cape Town crowd, from singing the National Anthem to enthusiastically participating in various sporting codes on the Station Forecourt, one can confidently conclude that the South African pride in supporting their national sporting teams has not lost momentum since the 2010 Soccer World Cup. 

With the cricket team off to the World Cup, fans are rallying behind them.  I  am looking forward to the forthcoming cricket live broadcasts and remain committed to positively contribute towards instilling national pride by  encouraging family, friends and colleagues to wear their Proudly South African attire every Friday. Echoing the words of President Jacob Zuma to the national cricket team,  "You should know that the nation is behind you. We will be with you, we will be watching, and we will be sharing."

I am

As a way to introduce myself, I am currently employed at Metrorail as Marketing an Promotions Manager. The reason behind my further studies, can be ascribed to the positive influence of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

In preparing for the thousands of soccer fans who travelled by train to and from Cape Town Stadium, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to study to become an accredited Tourist Guide.  Area of expertise : Rail Tourism and Guided Tours of Cape Town Station.  Following my own training, I played a leading role in developing and training Metrorail staff in customer service -  in particular customer service towards the soccer tourist.

Instead of opting for a quiet year, I selected to utilise the vast amount of knowledge and skills acquired during 2010, as a springboard to further studies. I am looking forward to sharing with fellow students, colleagues and friends, the interesting history relating to Cape Town Station  - how the 2010 refurbishment changed the station from a dark, cluttered station into a clean, neat and open station.  The rich, untold  history of Cape Town Station and the opportunity to do station tours is something that I am enormously interested in.