Inspirational Travel 1

THE CON TRÂU TIMESIssue 2 - Feb 2011

2 Inspirational Travel

THE CON TRÂU TIMES

1 Joining the Buffalo Family

2 Staff of the Month – January

3 First Staff Birthday Celebration in the office

4 How to improve work place listening skill

5 3 steps to asking for a favor

6 BTA Sai Gon Tet 2011 – Promotion Lucky

“Li Xi” Draw

7 Q&A for the new insurance plan-Buffalo Tours Care

8 Feedback on what members of staff have been doing

9 Birthdays and Anniversaries

Ms. Pham Thi Thuy – Group Reservation Executive- FITMr. Vu Hoang An – VET InternMs. Nguyen Thu Huong – HR Executive

Ms. Pham Thi Khanh Ly – Moved from GR department to Online Sales department

Ms. Tran Dung Hanh – Moved from Purchasing team to our new joint venture company (VIVU Co. Ltd)

Ms. Pham Thi Hong Anh – Ticketing Staff

Welcome to the Buffalo Tours team!

Please join us in congratulating our new staff members on their positions at Buffalo Tours. We look forward to working with them in the future!

Thank you for your contributions to Buffalo Tours and we wish you success in the future!

Joining Buffalo tours Leaving Buffalo Tours

Changing position

Inside This Issue

Tip of the monthSuccess is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

Herman Cain

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

STAFF OF THE MONTH – JAN 2011 STAFF OF THE MONTH – JAN 2011 1. Ms. NguyeN THu TrANg – HANoi oPerATioNs

Hanoi Operations for her hard work, diligence and her attention to detail.

2. Ms. PHAM THi LoAN – HuMAN resourcesHR Assistant for her dedication and enthusiasm. During the end-

year, HR had a huge work load and limited number of staff, and she worked extremely hard in supporting all the tasks. Although she suf-

fered some illness she still works until late and always achieves

urgent tasks on time (preparing a contract with the Health insurance provider, PI/PL certificates for BT Vietnam and other offices, prepa-

ration for the Staff party, gift for authorities officers, salary review records, payroll, etc)

3. Ms. NguyeN THi MAi XuAN – BTA sAi goNBTA for doing an outstanding job in January and being highly com-

mended by clients on the quality of her service and work.

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

STAFF BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONWHAT OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE DOING

We started a new tradition last month,

organizing a staff birthday party on the first Monday of each month. It was simply a brief gathering in the meeting room with everyone and we enjoyed cakes to celebrate the months birthday staff. It was a real treat for everyone and we all joined in singing Happy Birthday!

Our CEO, Mr. Tran Trong Kien personally presents flowers and a gift to birthday staff and wished them all a happy day/happy Year of Cat (since it was on the first day after Tet New Year). We all had a really good time and are looking forward to next months party!

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THE CON TRÂU TIMESBTA Sai Gon Tet 2011 Promotion: BTA Sai Gon Tet 2011 Promotion: Lucky “Li Xi” draw Lucky “Li Xi” draw

Apricot trees & kumquat trees in the South, peach trees in the North are the symbols of Tet holiday spirit. They are usually associ-ated with the 5 traditional fruit and with “li

xi”. To keep up with this tradition and to participate in the festive spirit, BTA launched its first Tet promotion combining all above elements.

The objective was to create brand awareness for BTA and to generate sales at BTA agency in Mac Thi Buoi around Tet holiday while conveying wishes for suc-cess and prosperity for coming year.

The promotion is valid from 27/01/2011 to 20/02/2011 and the rules are simple:

- Any customer who comes and makes a purchase at BTA Mac Thi Buoi during promotion is invited to randomly pick a “li xi” envelope from the apricot tree displayed in the window. Each envelope contains a voucher for a gift with a value that can vary from very little to very high: guidebooks, vouchers for 50USD to be spent at BTA, nights at 5* resorts, discounts vouch-ers on outbound trips…

Our clients really enjoy the treat and have a great time picking up their li xi. Lots of ‘oohs’ and “aahs” when they discover their win…

This is the first we have done this and next time we will be sure to implement all our actions in Hanoi as well and make sure BTA team shares its love for travel and great sense of fun with all our visitors.

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

How to improve work place listening skills

Whether they are holding a door open or introducing you to a potential client, ev-eryone offers favors at different times in life. But, asking someone for a big favor

can be daunting. Next time you need someone’s help, follow these three steps.

1. set the stage. Be explicit about the nature of your request. The phrase, “I have a favor to ask,” implies a contract in which you will someday try to return the favor.

2. explain the reason. People like to know why they are being asked to do something. Saying “Can you cover that meeting for me?” is far less effective than “Can you cover that meeting for me because I have another meeting I can’t miss?”

3. give an out. No one feels good about being forced to do something. Offer an escape route by saying. “If you can’t, I understand,” or “I know you’re busy.”

Listening in the workplace can improve your chances of getting a promotion, landing a client and having a positive relationship with your co-workers. According to the Spring In-

stitute for International Studies, listening is an ability that gets used four to five times as much as reading and writing in the workplace and three times as much as speaking. Listening becomes crucial in the process of communicating with others at work. Improving your listening skills can help you excel in the work-place.

instructions

1. Pay attention. Show the speaker your engage-ment in what they say by nodding and using eye con-tact, according to Mind Tools. Lean forward to show your interest in what the speaker says. Avoid distrac-tion from other things in the environment and make an effort to concentrate on the conversation.

2. restate the words. It is suggested that restating the words that your employer, client or colleague says will help show you have been listening. This will help the other person see that you have been making an effort to hear the discussion. Restating the words in the form of a question will help clarify anything you were unsure of.

3. Take notes. Show your employer or colleague that you want to remember what they say by taking notes. Writing down information shows the importance of the speaker’s statement, according to the Spring In-stitute for International Studies.

4. Practice at home. If you struggle with remember-ing what people say and with focusing on conversa-tion, practicing the process will help improve your at-tention span. Ask your spouse or friend to tell you a story, then try to repeat the story back. Clarify wheth-er you listened well and repeated the story correctly. Write down errors you made and work on correcting them.

5. Defer judgment. Interrupting with your own opin-ion can cause conflict in the workplace, according to Mind Tools. This can cause the speaker to experi-ence frustration. Listen to the whole message that the speaker conveys and then ask questions at the end if you struggled with understanding.

3 Steps to Asking for a Favor

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

1 Who is eligible for the Buffalo Tours care insur-ance package?For all full –time staff members, who already have fin-ished their probation period of Buffalo Tours Vietnam, Thien Minh Group, Cho Lon Tours.

2 Do we need to register for the hospital we will use?You could have medical treatment at any registered clinics or hospitals.

3 Will monthly fee be deducted from my pay when i apply for this package?The insurance premium will be covered all by the company. It’s one of the benefits that Buffalo Tours of-fer to our staff members.

4 can we register this package for family mem-bers?Due to the limited number of HR staff, this insurance package will be eligible for our full-time staff only.

5 What document should be prepared for claim-ing insurance compensation ?All the related papers including (but not limited to) invoice for the treatment, invoice for medicine, etc. If the amount higher than 200.000VND, VAT invoice is required.

6. To whom should i send the insurance claim?If you are in HCM branch, when you have all the re-lated documents ready please send to Ms. Loan- HR Department. If you are in Hanoi, you will submit all the claim papers to the insurance representative person at the Meeting room – 94 Ma May on every Tuesday and Friday from 14.00 to 15.00, starting from 1 March 2011.Bao Viet’s representative will directly working with you should you have any question reclaim papers.HR Department will work with Insurance Company and within a weeks time, reimburse you if the related papers are valid.

7 in what circumstances i can use health insur-ance card?Insurance card only uses for hospitalization in the di-rect billing hospitals of Bao Viet.

8. What if my card is lost? In this case, the hospital fees should be paid in cash in advance. You will then send all related invoices/pa-pers to HR department for the claim process.

Some things you don’t know about the new

insurance package that Buffalo Tours

offers to our staff members…

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

Dear Ms. Dien,

Thank you very much for your support and coordinating our trip to Viet Nam. I had a wonderful experience, gained a new perspective and appreciation for life, and came back a humbled person. I did have difficulties with some of the food, but I am not complaining, I survived and everything worked out great!

Hanh, was such a valuable person to have on our trip and taught us about the culture, politics, business, and history. I really appreciate all the work he did with us and how accommodating her was to our group. We would not have had a successful trip if it was not for him being there with us.

I am not sure if you are able to get onto Facebook, but if you are, we created a page titled “Social Work Students Giving Back to Vietnam” and have posted many pictures on this page. Please try and see if you are able to view this page and you can see our journey throughout Viet Nam.

I wish you and your family a very Happy New Year! Take care and please keep in touch, I know when I return to Viet Nam, I will be in touch.

Warm regards,Kintaro yonekura

FeeD

BAcK

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WH

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STAF

F M

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AVE

BEEN

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THE CON TRÂU TIMES

Birthdays & AnniversariesVo Dong HaiTruong Thi Toansuy Vet Ho Viet Hachonmanee Jinta-arjaree Boualavong Vongmisaysi KeopaseuthKouy BounthoeurnNguyen Manh cuongLuon PheanyNguyen Thi Thanh HaiPhung Thu HuongNguyen Nguyet MaiNguyen Thu HuongTran Dinh HuongThongkeo somphavanhNguyen Hoang HaiNguyen Thi Thu TrangTran Lan Anh Pankaj Pradhan

24 Feb25 Feb 28 Feb 4 Mar 5 Mar 6 Mar 7 Mar 7 Mar11 Mar12 Mar13 Mar13 Mar15 Mar16 Mar19 Mar19 Mar21 Mar22 Mar 26 Mar28 Mar

Outbound Operation ExecutiveChinese Inbound Sales ExecutiveReservation Executive – BT CambodiaCFOTour Guide – BT LaosReservation Executive – BT LaosDriver – BT CambodiaSenior Sales Executive – BT ThailandHa Noi Tour GuideOperations ExecutiveAgent Sales ExecutiveBT LaosChinese Outbound Sales ExecutiveOnline Sales ExecutiveOffice DriverTour Guide – BT LaosGroup Reservation ExecutiveHa Noi Operation ExecutiveSales Executive- BT UKCenter of Excellent

Birthdays:

Anniversaries:Pham Minh Huong – Ha Noi Accountant – Completing 3 years of servicePhan Thi My Hanh –Group Reservation Executive - Completing 8 years of serviceNguyen Hoang Hai – Group Reservation Executive - Completing 5 years of serviceTran Thi Thuy Lien – Group Reservation Executive – Completing 3 years of serviceTran Thi Bich Thuy – VET Team Leader – Completing 3 years of serviceTran Thi Thanh Loan – Agent Sales Executive - Completing 3 years of serviceNguyen song Tung – Online Sales Executive - Completing 3 years of serviceLe Quang Hung – Spanish Sales Executive - Completing 2 year of serviceHa Thi Hong Nhung – BT Chief Accountant - Completing 4 year of service