Supervision in the Hospitality Industry- AHLEI Practice Test

Elizabeth, the director of sales at the Benchmark Hotel, delegated a task to Bill, the reservations manager, who failed to complete it. Who should ultimately be responsible?

1. Elizabeth, the director of sales

2. Bill, the reservations manager

3. In-house reservations staff

4. The central reservations office

The correct answer is: Elizabeth, the director of sales

The ultimate responsibility for the task lies with Elizabeth, the director of sales, because she is the one who delegated the task to Bill, the reservations manager. In a supervisory context, when a manager delegates a task, they are assigning the authority and responsibility to that individual while still maintaining overall accountability for the outcome. Effective delegation involves trusting employees to complete tasks but also requires the manager to oversee the process and ensure that objectives are met. While Bill, as the reservations manager, is responsible for executing the task that was assigned to him, the director of sales retains the final responsibility for the performance of her team. This concept underscores the importance of leadership and accountability within an organization; a manager must be prepared to answer for both successes and failures, regardless of who was tasked with specific duties. Thus, in this scenario, even though Bill failed to complete the task, the responsibility circles back to Elizabeth, as it is her role to ensure that tasks are managed effectively and completed in accordance with the hotel's standards and objectives.