An Innovative premium brand in WestQue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

An Innovative premium brand in WestQue - Essay Example This includes an overview of diverse categories of retail businesses in WestQue, purchasing behaviour of the people of Southampton who are frequent visitors of shopping centre, demand of retail products etc. Analysis of these areas will help to assess the need of a new business in this retail park and also viability of the new business will be discussed on the basis of market analysis of WestQue. Swot analysis of the new business will also be developed to analyse the internal factors of this business like strengths and weaknesses of the business with respect two main external factors like opportunities and threats. The new business also needs effective market campaign to make awareness of their products and services and even the presence of this business in the shopping centre. So, effective market campaign will also be recommended based on the market analysis. Overview of market profile for West Quay Shopping Centre Since the inauguration day, shoppers entered through the doors on 2 8th September, 2008, accessibility and availability of all common needs of visitors has been the main focus at WestQuay in Southampton. In only one decade, it has established itself as one of the largest and leading destination of best shopping experience of the consumers. This retail park has received more than 120 million visitors since the opening day. WestQue has huge retail space of 800000 square feet which consists of two departmental stores and around 100 shops including top most retail brands like Marks & Spencer, Joan Lewis, Schuh, Zara, Holister Co, Waterstones, Apple and many more popular domestic as well as international brands. This shopping centre is situated in centre of Southampton city. It has entrance on the high street named Above Bar Street on Portland terrace. Apart from accessibility of so many popular retail brands, another attractive feature of this retail park is its multi storey car parking. Another attractive feature of this retail hub is its use of geothe rmal energy which is application of high technology. The owners of this leading retail hub is Hammerson Plc, a 100 FTSE company which has been developing and managing retail destination or shopping centres for more than fifty years in Europe. WestQuay commits to welcome visitors cum consumers through divers accessibility and availability of retail goods. The root cause of growing attraction of the potential consumers towards this shopping centre is the capital and physical investment from major retail brands from domestic and international market. Quality of shopping experience has been increasing due to the comprehensive training program for the staffs. This retail hub has rewarded with clutch of awards for better shopping experience of the satisfied customers. WestQue runs through 70 directly employed staffs which include a large team for high security and better customer assistance. The objective of these training programs is to ensure quality advice, support and assistance for t he visitors during trading hours. A comprehensive shop mobility scheme is the main focus of facility and services at WestQue. This shop mobility scheme is operated through a unit located in the centre of this shopping mall. Electronic way findings systems for visually impaired people and induction loops throughout public mall areas and 32 open lifts around the building are the main features

Federal Aviation Regulation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal Aviation Regulation - Research Paper Example er identified with: drafting and authorizing air activity principles, permitting pilots, creating aviation routes, affirmation of airplane and numerous other related variables. For this impressive errand to succeed, another Aeronautics extension of the Department of Commerce was needed. The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are principles recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) overseeing all flight exercises in the United States. The FARs are a piece of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Canavan, 2002). A wide mixed bag of exercises are controlled, for example, airplane outline and support, normal air transport flights, pilot preparing exercises, hot-air ballooning, lighter-than-air flying machine, man-made structure statures, check lighting and stamping, and even model rocket dispatches, model air ship operation, and kite flying. The tenets are intended to advance safe flight, ensuring pilots, flight specialists, travelers and the overall population from unnecessary danger. Since 1958, these standards have normally been alluded to as Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) (Administration, 2013). According to Canavan (2002), the FARs are composed into areas, called parts because of their association inside the CFR. Each one section manages a particular sort of movement. For instance, 14 CFR Part 141 contains guidelines for pilot preparing schools and the most applicable areas to air ship pilots and AMTs (Aviation Maintenance Technicians) are recorded underneath (Canavan, 2002). A large number of the FARs are intended to control certificate of pilots, schools, or flying machine instead of the operation of planes. Once a plane configuration is affirmed utilizing a few parts of these regulations, it is guaranteed paying little heed to whether the regulations change later on. Hence, more current planes are ensured utilizing fresher variants of the FARs and in numerous perspectives may be in this way considered more secure

Richard Florida Critique Essay Example for Free

Richard Florida Critique Essay Brenda Parker’s article emphazises a critique of Richard Florida’s Creative Class discourse. Florida’s theory is centred on the belief that human knowledge is the main requirement in order for cities to be successful in modern society. He argues that diversity and creativity are the drivers of innovation and regional and national growth (Florida, 2003, p.3). Parker’s argues that Florida overlooks several aspects in this theory particularly labor market segmentation as it relates to race and gender. â€Å"I suggest that the Creative Class discourse forwards a seemingly soft, contemporary version of hegemonic masculinity. † (Parker, 2008, p. 202). The main goal of the article argues that the Creative Class traditional characteristics facilitate unequal gender and racial relations. She highlights the women minorities and wage inequalities in many ‘creative careers’ as well as the tensions among care giving and work (Parker, 2008, p.203). She argues that Florida’s theory allow men to thrive in society through the â€Å"creative professional† aspect, while women are undervalued. She highlights the inequality between work and home and ‘creative’ and ‘service’ work. According to Parker, Florida’s creative discourse attracts an elite population which reproduces such gender and racial relations (Parker, 2008, p.222). Critical Analysis Richard Florida developed a theory based on a Creative Class.† His theory relates to many creative cities in the world today. Is this a perfectly constructed theory that defines modern day society? The answer to that is no because it fails to account for many important aspects of inequality that exists in today’s society. Brenda Parker’s article argues that Florida overlooks important issues of race and gender in his theory of the creative class. Parker argues that Florida’s simplified theory reproduces raced and gender inequalities in the city (Parker, 2008, p.204). At first glance, Florida’s theory creates a positive image to the reader. It appears to be a relevant theory to successful global cities in modern day society. There is  a creative core and a super creative core in which diversity is claimed to be important (Parker, 2008, p.203). These creative and knowledge people are perceived as having the potential to change cities into successful ones as they are drivers of economic growth. Parker dissects this theory and illustrates how this simplistic view requires further analysis on issues of race and gender. The article provides a detailed analysis of labour segmentation in creative cities. It mainly highlights the intersection of gender and race as it relates to the distribution of jobs in the ‘creative class’ society. The dominance of a masculine figure is prevalent in Florida’s theory. According to Parker, women face significant barriers to entry, remain marginalized and operate within a society centred on masculine norms (Parker, 2008, p.203). The idea is that a creative worker is required to work long hours in order to be successful while sacrificing family life. Florida ignores the workers who aim to maintain a work life balance and maintain a family. He overlooks the fact that not every individual has the same values and beliefs. The â€Å"second shift† of women is often referred to as care work. It is clear that Florida devalues the importance of this job. â€Å"Households and social reproduction are not presented as sites of creativity or as placed wh ere social relations and identity negotiations take place.† (Parker, 2008, p.210). Florida segregates the workforce and narrows the meaning of a creative professional worker. There seems to be no opportunity for success for women who value family life. A high percentage of the women who do work are in the lower paying service class jobs. The issue of race is also an important factor which explains the labour market segmentation. As Parker (2008, p.216) explains in her statistical research, the poverty rates for black households are higher in creative cities and there is a large gap between the earnings of white and black households. Despite the desire to drive economic growth with creative workers, Florida fails to address the continuous problem of racism in the labour market. The perception that his theory encourages diversity is therefore questionable. The social construction of employment skills as it relates to gender and race are highlighted in Parker’s article. â€Å"A normative, northern, elite, white male is most unambiguously at the heart of Florid a’s idealized Creative Class.† (Parker, 2008, p.208). The creative class promotes job skills that are based on a typical masculine figure. Masculine norms based  on long hours of working as well as the hard, demanding nature of work dominates the best jobs in these cities (Parker, 2008, p.209). Therefore, it is evident that the successful jobs are dominated by men while the care work performed by women receives no recognition. As Parker (2008, p.225) states, the creative class erases reproductive and caring activities, labelling them as uncreative, and spatializing them apart from production and consumption. Many of the employed women in today’s society are in underpaid, service class jobs with little opportunity for advancement. In global cities, resident workers are women of colour, native and immigrant status (Ehrenreich Hochschild, 2002, p.258). This is also evident in Parker’s article as statistics show the unequal earnings between female minorities as compared to male. Even though the gap seems narrower than in previous years, it is still significant enough and needs to be addressed. As resources are shifted from services such as education and health care, women and families suffer negatively (Nagar et al., 2002). This shift results in an increase in poverty for these women among other consequences. Many women have shifted to subsistence food production, informal work, emigration, and prostitution (Ehrenreich Hochschild, 2002, p.266). One of the major problems arising from this is illegal trafficking in cities. â€Å"Prostitution and migrant labour are increasingly popular ways to make a living.† (Ehrenreich Hochschild, 2002, p.265). Women are exploited in such industries by illegal gangs and government institutions that promote these activities as a major source of revenue. Despite several strong arguments presented by Parker, there are a few weaknesses. Parker emphasises inequality in the creative class mainly through women inequality. With the exception of a few minor arguments, she fails to signify how racial inequality is also a major problem. The main argument for racial inequality is the statistical representation of the super creative core. Labour segmentation involves more than simply gender inequality and Parker fails to address this. Conclusion It is clear that Florida’s creative class theory needs to be reassessed. The labour segmentation aspects such as racial and gender inequality is an evident problem that exists within the theory. The significant disadvantage and devaluation women face in the workforce in comparison to men requires further analysis. The attempt to encourage diversity in creative cities is  not enough to solve the inequality problem. An analysis of this paper alerts the reader to be aware of labour segmentation and the social construction of employment as it relates to race and gender bias. It is important to note and understand how these inequalities are still significant in today’s society despite efforts to reduce them. Further research which can encourage and promote creative workers while minimising inequality should be done. The problem will always be evident but if it can be minimised in creative cities, they will be more attractive. Reference Page Ehrenreich, B., Hochschild, A.R., (2002). Global Woman. Parker, B. (2008). Emerald Book Chapter. In J.N. DeSena (Ed.), Research in Urban Sociology, Volume 9 (pp.201-232). Sassen, S. (2007). A Sociology of Globalization.

Hospitality and hospitality management

Hospitality and hospitality management The aim of this paper is to critically review the nature of hospitality and hospitality management that Hilton Worldwide adapted. In view of this it is to be expected that analysis may range from the view at one end of the continuum that this is a lot of unnecessary nonsense which only serves to confuse the issues further, to that which sees this exercise as a stimulating and liberating contribution at the other. The views expressed in the paper clearly raise some significant issues and questions which Hilton management needs to be addressed more fully in the future. The challenge to the conventional wisdom highlights both the identity and parameter issues related to the nature and scope of what should be properly regarded as hospitality and hospitality management. This, in turn, poses some fundamental evaluation concerning the most appropriate orientation and priorities for both hospitality and hospitality management research and practice for Hilton. Counted Words:  ± 4200 Company Overview Hilton Worldwide previously known as Hilton Hotels Corporation is a leading hospitality company located worldwide. The new formation signifies the companys global business reach and strategies; the logo denitrifies the hotels affluent heritage and values and excellence in service (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The companys vision is to fill the earth with light and warmth of hospitality and the mission is to be the global hospitality company; be the first choice for the guests, employee and owners alike (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The values of Hilton worldwide is embosses inside the name itself which are H (hospitality) delivering outstanding hospitality experience I (integrity) always do the right thing L (leadership) prominent leader in key business areas and communalities T (teamwork) success is the combination of teamwork in everything it does O (ownership) owner of business actions and decisions N (now) operate in terms of urgency and discipline Hilton worldwide consists of 10 brands includes more than 3300 hotels in 77 countries as of today and is planning to open 300 in coming days. All of these hotels are either operated by contract or wholly owned by Hilton. Management body is headed by a chairman and CEO, the company is divided into 4 global regions: America, Europe, Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). External Audit Macro Environmental (PESTE) Analysis) A PESTE Analysis is an analysis of external macro-environmental factor that affects firms business. PESTE is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental issues that influences the strategic development of a business. These issues are different in different locations and thus business firms may adopt different strategies in different countries where it operates to identify the business opportunities as well as threats. This assessment task would consider the worldwide strategy of Hilton (King, 1995). Political Political factors include government rules, regulations and legal issues under which the firm must operate and adhere (Nailon, 1982);(Wood, 1994). The issues discussed are environmental regulation and protection, political stability, corporate and consumer taxation, framework for contract enforcement, intellectual property protection, trade regulations, trading partners, anti-trust laws, pricing, mandatory employee benefits, industrial safety regulations, product labeling requirements, competition regulation etc (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). The political movement can have definite effects on hotel business in UK. For example, if government set a rules under 18 years patrons must be accompanied with parents or guardians, it may result the decrease of young visitors. Imposing high goods and service tax (GST) or similar taxes would prevent more people to visit the hotel more often. By loosing these potential customers, Hilton may loose income and may need increase products and services to recover losses. Though Hilton groups are committed to use high scale safety standards, UK government rules may not give permission to operate business due to safety reason (like hill, low lying areas) even though there may have choice if business growth (Middleton, 1983). If the government plans to subsidies some of the service it provides (e.g. for disabled or senior citizens), the hotel may gain profits as well as increase services. Thus political actions may have both negative and positive impact on hotel business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1 988); (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Economic Economic factors positively effects hospitality business. It determines how easy or difficult to sustain in a business along with capital, cost, demand, monetary policy, unemployment rates, exchange rates of foreign currencies, tax on exchanges (Wood, 1994). When economic growth is high, consumers income level raises thus demand for hospitality will increase too. Since the recent economic recession started, hospitality business was hit badly and it is yet to recover from the losses incurred. Increase of rates would prevent hotelier to seek for alternative choices (e.g. budget hotel or even home stay). In UK, hotel accommodation prices are extremely high than any other countries around the world. Consumers income level didnt rise up much and they fell the stringent budget allocation for daily needs. Very few people will consider spending holidays in luxurious hotels if they dont afford to. A higher income or wages will allow domestic traveler to get high class hospitality in high clas s hotels (King, 1995). Social Social factors are income level, demographics, geographies, life style, education, weather, culture and fashions (Wood, 1994). Social factors can be both opportunities and threats for a hospitality business (Lewis, 1988). Different age or sex of people would require different services (Slattery, 1983). Elderly people demand is not similar to young people. Business people will seek to have more work related facilities (e.g. internet, video conference) while holiday makers would seek more natural touch (e.g. garden, fishing) (Burgess, 1982). Cultural differences are a major play in hospitality business. While local people like crowd and gossip, tourist would seek for quiet and silent place as they plan holiday. Season is also an important factor (Middleton, 1983). Year end and holiday season are peak time for hotel business while therere not much crowd during working days or off-peak season. Most travelers are affected by bad weather and usually dont think for leisure during extreme either condition specially in winter season (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Technological This is the century of technology enhancement. So does business. Aggressive development of technological factors brought rapid growth for hotel business (Slattery, 1983). The factors may include spend on technological research; government effort focus industry based technology, new invention and their impacts, communication alternatives, speed of technology transfer, cost of usage, rate of technological diffusion. New technology could prove a useful input in hospitality business but it has to established with purchase and installment cost along with training to employees (King, 1995). Hiltons business will mostly depend on technological factors. Customers from around the world is now able to evaluate the products and services provided by Hilton through the respective websites, compare prices, seek advice and even can reserve a facility as early as one year prior to arrival. Hilton group itself placed much effort to keep the website simple and user friendly so that visitor will not feel difficulty to find any available information. Any latest service or products can reach to millions of customers through the website or communications (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Providing details of every facilities Hilton placed itself to the top choice of any search engines. Traveler from any part of the world can communicate in real time with Hilton representative and made their choices, payments etc (Burgess, 1982). Besides for in-hotel customer, Hilton offers state-of-the art high speed wireless, video communications, and teleconferencing, to keep guests always in touch with outside world. These services received a bug thumbs up since it was introduced and continuously keep enhancing technology to stay ahead in business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Environmental Environmental factors have been considered important factors for large organizations which particularly operated worldwide (Wood, 1994). This factor includes environmental responsibility, improvement of performance towards sustainable future, guest and team commitment to environments, reuse and recycle materials etc (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Hilton hotels recognizes their responsibility by embracing environmental mission includes all members under its group to focus on energy water efficiency, CO2 reduction, waste management, renewable energy. It take environment friendly initiatives which will impact guests positively, influence use of resources in harmony with nature by promoting the use of best environment sociable practices, supports local environment policies (Middleton, 1983). As of present days, Hilton promised to reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and waste output by 20% and water consumption by 10%. These steps ahead will place the firm in lead position and will increase reputation by means. Industry Dynamic (Porters 5 Force) Analysis Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Competitive rivalry analysis is one of the key areas that business must consider to determine business strategy that firm must adopt and implement continuously over time (Wood, 1994); (Porter, 1985). The hotel business now days are very much competitive. With millions of tourist travels every year, luxurious hotel is the first choice for most tourists. Having numerous competitors in market (e.g. inter continental, best western) the competition between players are intense (Burgess, 1982). For example, British consumers are said to having higher buying powers thus will seek for high end luxuries. That works behind the reason why companies constantly compete for better products and attractive prices. In order to be leader is luxurious market, Hilton has to offer unique offers (E.g Park and fly with up to 8 days airport parking, ultimate spa journey with six senses spa in London). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of New Entrants Threat of new entrants may consider the ease of new entry, competitive advantages, place and positions, customers, government support etc (Porter, 1985). To open a new luxurious hotel by another firm in UK would be quite difficult since there are huge regulations and rules imposed by governments. UK government chooses to advise the existing hotels to improve their business rather than consider letting bring new competitors. Besides, consumer now days doesnt seek much luxurious hotel; instead they would prefer budget hotel. Thus new entry to comfy hotel business is not deep (Nailon, 1982). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of Substitute Product and Services This force is said to have much influence in Hilton business strategy in recent years. There force includes factors such as product for product substation, need, facilities, budget etc (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985);(Porter, 1985). Hilton not only requires looking after new entrants as threat but also substituted product and service as a major threat. When there is matter of hospitality, its consumers choice what they chose to take. For example, a water bottle in Hiltons cafà © may cost few more pounds which is cheap just the opposite side grocery shop. A lavishness spa may cost few hundreds of pounds which may be proven cheapest for similar kind in other dedicated spa shops. For one night stopper, back packers and Hilton doesnt have any special prices which usually find their way in budget hotel. These type of consumers seems to be become a huge amount at the end as budget hotel is booming every where around the world. Hilton came up with idea of including a theme park in hote ls without considering that some areas may already have amusement park which provide same services as they plan; often in cheap price. This force is against Hilton (Burgess, 1982). Bargaining Power of Buyers This force consists of high income, large service provider, low switching cost etc (Porter, 1985). Before economic recession, consumers were having high incomes and seek more luxuries. As there are choices available in the market, Hilton has to react very quickly to retain customer intention to be their choice of providing world class hospitality in possible lowest price (Lewis, 1988). Todays buyers are most dynamic and well motivated requires more concentration on their needs . Hilton would have to avoid what they think about customer; instead they should identify what consumers think about Hilton. Consumers will definitely seek most affordable having all facilities they required and so, hospitality firms have to struggle of adopts the new trends, lifestyle as quickly as possible to offer their loyal customers (Slattery, 1983). This force is against Hilton. Bargaining power of suppliers This force may include switching cost, high purchase cost etc (Porter, 1985). Raw material suppliers play an important role in firms business growth (Tideman, 1983). A foodstuff supplier may not offer todays price tomorrow due of supply shortage (Middleton, 1983). Thus to offer catering to guest, Hilton has to purchase the same stuffs in higher prices which will be sum of large amounts of money (Burgess, 1982). If this extra money is to be imposed on guests, this would result Hilton loosing business. Besides, switching to another supplier would be a difficult choice too (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). For example, Hilton has hired a transportation Company to ferry its guest everywhere they go. Considering, high demand of transportation business offers high price, Hilton has to pay high prices than normal to retain transportation facilities in operation. This force is not in favor of Hilton (Khan and Olsen, 1988). From the above analysis of Hiltons 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the firms overall industry analysis. Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis (Porter, 1985). Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Porters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Jones, 1996) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of New Entrants (+) Rivalry among existing competitors (+) External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix External factor evaluation a strategic tool used for analyze the current business strategy. External factors consider the opportunities and threats that a business or firm may face. These factors are closely related to PESTE analysis. Developing EFE matrix is generally easy in mathematical term. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = poor response 2= below average, 3= above average, 4 = fast response). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the EFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Threats Economic recession 20% 4 0.80 Government Tax 10% 2 0.20 Low cost hospitality 15% 4 0.60 Price change of raw materials 8% 2 0.16 Opportunities Strategic location 10% 1 0.10 High hospitality in low price 7% 2 0.14 Awarding loyal customer 15% 2 0.30 Associate with other business 15% 3 0.45 Total weighted score 100% 2.75 The weighted score 2.75 indicates that Hilton has the high ability to response to external factors (value below 2.50 indicates lower response). Internal Audit Value Chain Activities Internal Quality of Service To sustain in this high competitive market Hilton has to maintain strict internal quality of service (Lewis, 1988). Employees are trained in training center to face any kind of difficulty to ensure the harmony in hospitality business. Up to date information are distributed in a moment when new decision are made (Burgess, 1982). Employee Satisfaction Proper attitude of employer towards the employee in Hilton has been recognized as one of the important factors of company growth which is reflected in their high quality of services to customers. All employees are closely monitored to ensure they dont feel trouble in both on and off-duty (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Employee Loyalty Hilton has always come up with the issue to retain their talented hosts to serve guests. Employee has been given extensive facilities and almost 95% employees are proven to be loyal to Hilton groups. Reallocation of task brought diversification to employees and influence them grow their career in first class hospitality business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). External quality of Service Hilton is said to be one of to best strategic partner other companies would love be part of. From airlines to travel agencies, Hilton has maintained a good chin of network to reach to any part of the world virtually (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Customer Satisfaction Consumers in hospitality business seek high quality personnel and dedicated client services (Tideman, 1983). Since adopting high range hospitality strategy, Hiltons focus always has been in its superior client service. From Beijing to Sydney, From New York to Paris, consumer satisfaction has been always taken care of provided with culture and life style mix (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Customer Loyalty The company also manages the world-class guest reward program HHonors. HHonors branding enables their hospitality brands to further build their distinguishing identities and the strong value proposition of the HHonors program through customer loyalty (Pfeifer, 1983). Customer loyalty is yet to get the desired outputs since it is not too long it was introduced (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Higher Income So thus, having values in hand, Hilton has no way to slip from business. It has been growing over time. Despite having hard time during recent economic recession, Hiltons business is said to be growing further up with expansion plan to build up to 300 hotels worldwide (Burgess, 1982). Internal Factor Evaluation (IFI) Internal factors consider the strength and weakness that a business or firm may face. Developing IFE matrix is similar to EFE matrix that has been done is page 7. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = major weakness 2= minor weakness, 3= minor strength, 4 = major strength). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the IFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Strength Good reputation 17% 4 0.68 Large hotel chain 20% 3 0.60 Well-built management team 16% 3 0.48 Wide range of services 14% 2 0.28 Weakness Not for all consumer 10% 1 0.10 Expensive 10 % 1 0.10 Poor customer service 8% 2 0.16 Slow growth in change of demand 5% 2 0.10 Total weighted score 100% 2.50 The weighted score 2.5 indicates that Hilton has the mutual response to internal factors. Strategic Plan for Next 3 Years TOWS Matrix Strength-Opportunities Strategies Hilton hotels have a good reputation in hospitality business and a large amount of customer chain. Introducing low cost packages for travelers will means a true hospitality to the existing customer as well as for new customers (Slattery, 1983). Hiltons wide range of services may be available to people of all income level (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Strength-Threat Strategies Retain the talented and well managed employees for a smoother business in future could be proven vital (Pfeifer, 1983). Hilton should ways perform task variation, and frequent conversation will all employees to prevent dispute. Employee may be shifted to international chains to gain experience so that they would be loyal to the firm (Burgess, 1982). Weakness-Opportunity Strategies High hospitality in low price is definitely a go ahead step Hilton could adopt to overcome its weakness (King, 1995). Now that, market is been volatile, Hilton may consider leaving high scale profit to high range of customer levels to make its facilities open to all customers (Pfeifer, 1983). For example, golf course facility should be opened to all hotel guests not only for guest who additionally buy the facility. Hilton may not loose much amount of money but it would be proven a customer oriented approach (Jones, 1996). Weakness-Threats Strategies Poor customer service has been shouted long as major drawbacks for Hilton hotels. Sometimes customer has been given something that is not asking for and has been charged for that said services (Middleton, 1983). Price structure very often is not described to customer before offering thus it brings confusion. In hotel customer services is very crucial to maintain in very high level at always and customer must get the price focus than anything else (Lewis, 1988); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-framed) SMART objectives refer to an acronym for five measures of well business growth plan. Often these measures are used to define firms objectives and future goals and evaluation of growth plan. Specific (What to do? For who? With whom) Any growth strategy should be specific and certain. Confusion on goals will bring ambiguous results which may prove fatal for a hospitality business like Hiltons. Well specified business goals, responsible resources, affected peoples, impact on the firms business should be well defined in this stage (Burgess, 1982). Measurable (Is measurable? How to measure?) Of course, once the growth plan and objectives are specified, a certain quantity or quality must be assigned to determine the success or failure of the process (Pfeifer, 1983). As an example, for future expansion, Hilton plans to open 300 new hotels in next years. 300 is a measurable amount. So then, if the actual success rate is only 200 hotels, it can be said that, the plan didnt succeed fully (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Achievable (Can it be done within the resource available?) Future growth depends upon many aspects specially political, economical and social aspects. If a sudden increase of raw material price, construction of 300 hotels may not be possible within the said budget. Re- calculation might predict a lower scale of growth size (Jones, 1996). Relevant (Does this step lead to expected outcome?) Once achievable measurement are defined, Hilton must consider whether getting 300 more hotels would be viable; specially consider the recent economic downturn. In some places, consumer may not afford to get Hiltons service; especially poor developed where tourism sectors are not blooming, opening a high scale hotel may not provide desired output (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Time-Framed (How much time need to get the objectives done?) Time is a very important factor for any objectives to be proven very profitable or even failure. Timely decision and timely implementation is the crucial mixture of time-frame (Pfeifer, 1983). For any growth strategy, Hilton must choose the right time to go ahead and put a hold when the time is not right (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). When demand competition is high, Hilton may offer lower price for customers which may includes unique packages for a limited time (Khan and Olsen, 1988). 4.3 Ansoffs Growth and Contingency Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets (Tideman, 1983). Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. These are described below: http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market Penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. Hilton should continuously introduce new products and service to customers to leap ahead (Jones, 1996); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Since the hotels most incomes come from hospitality facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of demands by existing customers (Burgess, 1982). Market penetration for Hilton will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential (King, 1995). Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing facilities, the hotel may introduce private hospitality for the customers who love personal luxury (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). A possible example could be provide terrace houses for high end customers with dedicated services (e.g. personal driver, personal chef etc). (Lewis, 1988) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Customer lifestyle has been changed dramatically in recent years so does demands (Jones, 1996). New generation customers wants champagne instead of coffee. Thus opening of new products with unique style will remind the customers that Hilton cares what customer wants (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Diversification Distribution of new products in new markets is risky. Only in certain aspects large organization does adopt this. However, it can be proven a major milestone in firms business if diversity has been done and succeed. Self service kiosk is a new service recently introduce in Hilton hotels (Burgess, 1982). Most consumers still prefer to use traditional over the counter facilities to get the process done manually or meet special request (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). New expansion business should not introduce directly this self service facility. First customer should have provided training or information about the usage of system in new market. Else, this step would be proven as a disappointment (Jones, 1996). Conclusion Hilton International, the worlds best known hotel brand, has triumphed at the prestigious UK National Business Awards for a second year by winning the coveted Broadsystem Customer Focus Award 2005. The judges awarded Hilton Best Customer Focus for demonstrating it has the customer at the heart of its business and deploys and manages its resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base. Creative marketing agency, campaign works, has supported Hiltons new brand strategy. The next phase saw the development of innovative internal and external marketing tools that communicated and delivered the brand strategy throughout the organization and to the customer. The strategy led to outstanding success for Hilton International with significant commercial returns. However, like any other company, Hilton still has room to improve further (Burgess, 1982).

own ethic :: essays research papers

I'd never really thought of placing my own ethics in this site but as several people have asked to this list, I thought "Well, why not?" I began like most people, with a basic concept of being honest, and over the years added to this 'code of ethics' and refined it to what it is right now. Often I have found myself doing things just because I "have always done it this way", not thinking to mention it as part of my ethics when speaking on the subject. And then their are times when I look this over and have a new thought to add to the list. So this was an interesting topic to work on, when I had to actually write such things down in detail. So if you are like me, a long time practitioner, try it... write down your code of ethics. You may find there is more to them than you ever realized. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before each and every Reading I might do, no matter how quickly they come, I will make sure my space has been cleared and re-dedicated... sacred. I will view each Querent as an individual and owed an individual Reading and response, based on that special individuality of theirs. I will not use canned, routine responses repeated by rote. Before starting a Reading, I will make sure the Querent understands fully what I can offer them in the way of service, the fee, and answer any questions they have. ..... Because of my own special circumstances, I will make sure the Querent knows they have 10 days to be satisfied with their Reading, before they need to pay me, and if not satisfied, no payment is required. However, no further Readings will be done for this Querent, either. I will be clear that a Tarot Reading is not meant to replace the Querent’s own good judgement and common sense! I will be clear that Tarot is not ...fortune telling... that I can interpret probabilities, but that the future is a fluid thing and constantly changing. Even by having a Reading done for themselves, the Querent has changed the future to some extent and can willfully change it even more, if they so desire. I will be totally honest with the Querent, without being brutally honest. I will do my best to be tactful, understanding, compassionate, and kind. I will end all Readings, even not so nice ones, on a positive note.

Juno and the Paycock :: English Literature

Juno and the Paycock â€Å"O’Casey’s women in Juno and the Paycock are strong and admirable characters†. Juno and Mary Boyle’s lives aren’t very pleasant in this 1920’s play which is separated into three acts which contain a mixture of both tragic and humorous elements. Juno, the wife of Captain Boyle, is the mother of two children who are in constant need of attention from her. Furthermore, as the play continues this need of attention grows with the facts of financial difficulties, the pregnancy of Mary (daughter) and also her son’s, Johnny, death in the end. O’Casey clearly shows that Juno certainly has her work cut out for her, as she is not only the one person in the family who has a job, but also she is the house-wife and must render her family by making all the meals, going to buy the groceries, doing any form of house work and looking after the family in general. For example, on page 8 she says, â€Å"I killin’ meself workin’,† and also on page 12 she says, â€Å"Your poor wife slavin’ to keep the bit in your mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  these two references show just how hard Juno works to keep her family happy and alive. This is not made any easier when Mr. Boyle spends any money Juno has saved, in hope for any decent future for the family, on alcohol in the local pub. Therefore Juno cannot afford any type of luxuries for herself as she definitely does deserve it. The poverty is evident on page 12 in Juno’s comment to Mr. Boyle, â€Å"eat your breakfast†¦ it may be the last you’ll get for I don’t know where the next one is goin to come from.† But even this will not cause concern for Juno’s principles when on page six we learn that Juno is against Trade Unions, â€Å"When the employers sacrifice wan victim, the Trade Unions go wan betther be sacrificin’ a hundred.† Then Mary tells her that, â€Å"a principle’s a principle†, but Juno stays realistic and thinks well it’s all good and well having principles – if you can afford them. She is the one who seems to keep the family as a unit and this is evidently shown when Juno says, ‘I don’t know what any o’ yous ud do without your ma’. Juno is a well respected member of the family and might even be superior to Mr. Boyle and Joxer, a family friend, because when the pair is talking on page nine, Mrs. Boyle enters and both are said to be ‘stupefied’. After this, she offers him an egg, and he makes the excuse that he’s in a desperate hurry – this may be

Nature of the Murderers Essay

Compare the Techniques that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ruth Rendell use to present the Nature of the Murderers, the Motives and the Consequences.  The two books I am going to compare are ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ by Ruth Rendell.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Hound Of The Baskervilles’ is an intricate crime detection novel written pre-war in the 18th Century, where Doyle relays facts to the reader incredibly cryptically and at strategic points. These facts, if pieced together correctly, eventually inform the reader of the result of the book and what characters fit in where. It starts with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson solving, really a puzzle rather than a mystery as they find a walking stick left in their office by someone unknown. This however develops into a full-scale mystery that involves murder, betrayal, dishonesty and revenge. This type of novel was popular around the time of being first published because they somehow matched true stories of the time, for example, Jack the Ripper. ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ is a short story written post-war and has a much more modern slant on things. It is told through the eyes of the eventual culprit so as to only relay information that the narrator deems to be important and this resultantly deceives the reader in the overall ending of the story. The beginning of the story is a depiction of a happy stable marriage between the narrator and his wife but starts to go downhill from there. The story uses themes of betrayal and murder.  The nature of the murderers in ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ and ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ are quite different as Stapleton in ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ is in mind to commit the murder so as to have personal gain by inheriting his families’ wealth. In ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ the narrator is committing the murder in an act of self-denial as he is working with the view that if he canâ₠¬â„¢t have his wife, no one can. In both ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ and ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ neither author goes into any detail when describing the murders and it is left for the reader to form their own picture or suspicions as to what might have happened. In ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ the first suspicions are set onto a mythical hound that roams the moors. This was a completely plausible theory at the time as a vast number of people still believed in such happenings. However in ‘People Don’t do Such Things’ the first suspicion is set onto the eventual joint victim. This method of putting someone else in the picture of committing the murder is much more modern as this is what generally tends to happen in modern day society. Mythical creatures roaming moors are somewhat absent from what we seem plausible. In both ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ and ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ the murderers are both killing a member of their family but for very different reasons. The motive of Stapleton in ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ is to get rid of family members blocking the way between him and the his potential inheritance thus deriving a large amount of personal gain. The narrator in ‘People Don’t Do Such Things however kills a member of his family because of depression. He is depressed because he was under the illusion that his marriage was perfect and that a close friend of him and his wife was nothing more but this turned out to be wrong. This eventual false friendship was unknowingly cleverly set up by Reeve – the close friend – and was manipulated to his advantage. He suddenly felt like he had been used when he found out his wife had betrayed him but the person she had had the affair with didn’t want her anymore and neither did the narrator. This left her with nowhere to go and consequently caused problems for both people and son the narrator decided to get rid of the problem once and for all. Both murderers gained self-gratification from the experience but from different motives and from different situations. The two stories also differ from each other when the consequences of the murder are bought into play. In ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ Stapleton’s plot is discovered and unravelled by Sherlock Holmes. In the end Stapleton doesn’t get bought to justice but dies by drowning in a swamp in an attempt to escape Sherlock Holmes, some might say he got what he deserved. In ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ the narrator doesn’t lose that much, except a feeling of guilt will have settled in his mind, as in the end the wrong person is convicted of the murder. This comparison is a clear example of how the same sort of situation can have more than one, completely different outcome. As a general comparison both authors have written about the same situation but have followed on in different directions as to where the story ends up. Also the fact that the stories where written at completely different times in history affects the way in which the story is constructed and consequently written. Different aspects of the story are directly related to the surrounding society at the time when the story was written such as the language used which can be a major pivot point as to whether the reading audience can understand the authors writing or not. I think this is evident in both ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ and ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ as the language used in ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ is clearly different from that used in ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’. This type of differential between the two stories can greatly affect how parts of the story are relayed to the reader. As I live in the modern world I can relate to and understand ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ much better than ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ because of the differences between the way of life in the 18th Century when ‘The Hound Of The Baskervilles’ was written and relatively close to the present when ‘People Don’t Do Such Things’ was written.  Overall I think that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Ruth Rendell both present the nature of the murders, the motives and the consequences in a definitive and individual way but both methods are separate from each other simply because of the difference in the surrounding societies’ believes and understandings.