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Tourism

Home > Tourism > Tourism - Sales/Office operations (120 hours) > Core > Work in a socially diverse environment > Work in a socially diverse environment

Key terms and concepts

Term	Definition
aggressiveness	Forcefully imposing our views and ideas without regard for the other person.
anti-discrimination legislation	Laws that seek to eliminate discrimination such as workplace discrimination.
assertiveness	The ability to confidently express thoughts and feelings with regard to another person’s point of view.
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)	The independent Commonwealth statutory authority (government body) responsible for administering consumer protection legislation such as the Trade Practices Act).
avoidance	A conflict resolution technique used by one or both parties in conflict, whereby the issues are ignored in the hope that they will go away.
closed questions	Questions requiring ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers.
Code of Practice	A practical and flexible guide for complying with legislation and standards in the workplace.
collaboration	A conflict resolution technique.  It is the most effective and direct technique for achieving ‘win-win’ results as it uses problem-solving techniques to resolve the issues of each of the conflicting parties.
consumer protection	Laws that protect clients when they purchase products and services such as holidays, to ensure they get what they’ve paid for, or to ensure that the service is delivered to them.
cross-cultural conflict	Conflict that may occur because of cultural differences and ignorance, or misunderstandings arising from those differences.
cross-cultural understanding	Learning about and understanding other people’s cultures and lifestyles.
cross-cultural communication	Communication that takes place between two or more people from different cultures.
culture	The collection of beliefs, rituals, morals, values and attitudes among a group of people.  It can also be a way of life, accepted behavioural pattern, religion, law and habits among a group of people.
demographics	Identifies groups of people according to age, gender, family size, income, occupation, education and marital status for the purpose of market segmentation.
diplomacy	The ability to manage personal relations tactfully and intelligently.
discrimination	The treating of one person differently from or less favourably than another in the same situation, based on race, sexual preference, gender, marital status or other characteristics that have no relevance to the situation.
domestic tourist	A person who travels within his or her own country.
duty of care	Tourism organisations have a responsibility to protect consumers against fraud, misrepresentation or unethical practices, by recommending only reputable tourism  products.
empathy	Understanding another person’s feelings and point of view
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)	Legislation ensuring all workers are provided with fair and equal opportunities in the workplace without discrimination.
Fair Trading Act	Under the Travel Agents Act 1986, all Travel Agents and Tour Operators must hold a licence to trade.  In NSW, the licensing authority is the Department of Fair Trading.
inbound tour operator (ITO)	A company that organises travel for inbound tourists.
inbound tourist	A traveller who has come from another country.
Industrial Agreement	An agreement negotiated collectively between employer and employee representatives, which sets out minimum working conditions, terms and pay rates for a specific industry or sector.
internal customers	Workplace colleagues.
interpersonal skills	Skills for communicating and relating effectively with other persons.
multicultural community	A community composed of people from numerous cultural backgrounds.
non-verbal communication	Body language.  The use of gestures and movements to communicate messages or attitudes.
Occupational Health Safety & Security	Legislation defining the roles and responsibilities for management and staff for the implementation and maintenance of health and safety in the workplace.
open questions	Questions requiring an answer which is more detailed than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
passiveness	Submissive behaviour that demonstrates a willingness to allow others to dominate and impose their viewpoints.
personal space	The distance between two people at which both feel comfortable.
prejudice	A preconceived, unfavourable opinion about an issue or person.
quality assurance	The assurance that clients receive a consistently high level of quality service.
race	The population or group of people sharing a distinct ethnic origin.
racial discrimination	When a person is treated less favourably than another in similar circumstances because of their race, skin colour or nationality.
racism	A belief that one person is inferior to another based on race.
sexual discrimination	When one person is treated less favourably than another because of their gender, marital status, sexual preference or pregnancy in otherwise similar circumstances.
stereotyping	The categorisation of all people who originate from a particular culture or background as being exactly the same.  It does not recognise any individual characteristics.
Trade Practices Act	The Trade Practices Act 1974 is legislation requiring services be given with due care and skill, and prohibiting fraudulent business practices.

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