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Fleur Antoine
Age: 22
Education: Beaconsfield High School
Course: Hospitality Management
It’s funny really, I’m doing this course in hospitality management but
have no intention of going into that sector at all. Having said that, it
has given me tremendous grounding in general business
management. Now I want to take a Masters in project
management then join the company my father started when he
was 48. He had been made redundant and couldn’t get another
job because of his age. He had always been in the furniture and
hardware business so he started a business sourcing hardware,
mostly unusual glass and steel for the furniture and hardware
industry and stone-based products for the bathroom industry. They
come to us because they can’t find on the open market the exotic
things they want for their projects, so he will go out and find them,
wherever they may be, getting the best value for the client in the
process. He also offers management services for foreign
companies wanting to set up in the UK. He is now close to
retirement and it would be such a shame not to keep the business
going. It is a real family affair; even the name PASAFAMA is derived
from our names and my brother is already working in it so that is
Sarah Cook
what I shall do too.
Age: 22
As for my values, I think I’m a bit of a hippy: make love not war, that
Educated: Brighton School
kind of thing. Money isn’t everything. We should strive to be happy
for ourselves and our families and friends. It is not about where you
Course: Hospitality Management
live or how much money you have. But part of achieving that ideal
is taking responsibility. I have always done things for myself, taken
Basically, this course teaches you every aspect of hospitality, from
care of myself and my own money.
managing events to running a hotel, including everything like
accounting and customer service. My belief is that service should
I am not afraid of anything as long as I have my family around me.
be as good whether you’re working in McDonalds or a 5 star hotel.
I suspect, deep down, I am afraid of illness and losing control.
My dissertation was on migrant workers in the hospitality industry
and on the need for HR to integrate them properly into the
workforce. This is really important. British workers in our industry tend
to be older and look down on the younger migrant workers. We
really must change the way we do business, to educate the young
ones effectively so they can advance and make more of
themselves, and therefore be more productive for themselves and
for the industry, and the older ones need to learn to be more
flexible and accommodating.
I started organising events when I was 17, working as a waitress in a
pub. There were a lot of weddings and no one was taking charge
and coordinating things, so I stepped in and just did it. I discovered
I had a real flair for it and all that followed was a result of that, really.
Since then I’ve done a year’s placement at Olympia and Earl’s
Court coordinating events.
My philosophy is that business can achieve its goals while at the
same time benefiting others, outside and inside the company. Staff
should be given training to help them advance and should be
shown how much they are appreciated. Business is not about
screwing people over but striving for harmony and cooperation to
make it a success for everyone, win-win. I’m not so naïve as to think
business is all fluffy, but by the same token cooperation has got to
be better than war.
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