Multimedia and the Internet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multimedia and the Internet - Research Paper Example The user has the ability to make member accounts on the website that is free currently. The website enables the user to gather the accessories of his or her interest by making an account also enabling the website to inform them of promotional activities and sales through emails. Advantage that the website provides is the function of displaying new items on the shelf at the home page. Apart from that, products that are in fashion are displayed at the home page with a brief insight on them to enable the user to get familiar with the product. A search section is also provided in case a user wants to search for a specific product on the website or look for several related products. The website also provides a function of comparing products on the basis of several factors and ranking them accordingly to provide the user the best brand according to his demands. The website design is perfect and up to the standards of any good website, there are no error links meaning every link does take you to a new page that displays information related to the caption of the link. The website contains all the information that a customer will need regarding the product with the added advantage of a simple window to window moving procedure. The website is quite user friendly and covers all the concepts that any good website does. Overview The second website that's going to be discussed on the same given standards is Computer Shops that is basically a search portal that provides the user list of websites that are selling computer accessories online. The difference between the two websites is a major one but we are not comparing here. Design and Layout This website is quite attractive and interactive but the problem is that the websites outlook is not as attractive as the one we discussed earlier. The options and functionality are obviously limited as this website is a search portal. Functions and Navigation The research portal gives the user access to articles and products related to computer accessories from all over the World Wide Web. The website also enables a user to search for different online shops. The website is easy to read with a simple two colored background and a decent font. The website also contains pictures to help give a clear and broader meaning to the material present on the website plus the user gets a clearer picture of the product and the search results. The website's additional advantage is that it also provides results from local databases as well as international. Error Links The error links that the website provide go up to twenty-five and are displayed on the home page of the website. Source coding = attached to the appendix Overall Feedback The website belongs to second-class category and the error links are the major draw back for the website. Tons of information is provided but moving through it is not as easy as it could have been, a certain amendment in the search method would give the website a better ranking. Overview The third website we will discuss is about Personal Computers and the name of the website is Southern Computers. Design and Layout The website's first impression is of a local low budget website with a very dull colored backgroun

Cross Culture Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cross Culture Management - Case Study Example There is much emphasis on the flexible approaches especially to changing circumstances and the integration of the overall importance of the people in the attainment of any set objective. As such, the culture focusses on flexible systems of control and information sharing (Chen 2004, p. 200). The Indonesian working culture is also a being culture because of the values attached to career development and the styles of management. For instance, there is much concern for the vision or idea that a firm hopes to attain and that the attainment is not a result of planning, but because of shared vision among the concerned parties. The culture believes the best managers are those that share ideologies with the people and one that tunes the people to adapt to the changing working environment. The culture is a public one because of the focus it gives to group-oriented and authoritative forms of planning that center on relationships between the people in its context. The work culture in the Indonesian context is collectivism because of the focus it gives to the community approaches to work (Chen 2004, p. 178). There is much emphasis on the achievement of the goals and management of the collective attitudes to the all the people in the company framework. Therefore, collectivism is an approach that believes in the power of collective responsibilities in management. The culture is also a low-context culture because the planning is one that bases on more explicit and less detailed on instructions. The descriptions of the jobs are precise and simple to understand within the company context. The managers get their work done through establishing strong relationships with their juniors and consider that they cannot achieve much except by combined effort from the workers. The same culture is a future culture because a majority of the plans that the managers make focus on long-term ambitions

Rites of passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Rites of passage - Essay Example felt that the United States of America has the best higher education institutions in the world and also offer numerous opportunities for career growth once I complete my studies. This made the decision to come pursue my higher education in the United States of America much easier. This paper will discuss my transition from high school to college and the challenges encountered. After making this crucial decision, I started making the necessary arrangements. I had to look for the best higher education institution in the United States that would suit my needs. The institution had to be well known, have excellent facilities and staff that would assist me in achieving my goals. I also had to secure admission in the institution. I was also forced to look for the necessary travel documents before I could leave my country. This was crucial as without the travel documents I wouldn’t be allowed to leave for the United States. This was an important stage in my life as I had reached the majority age. This meant that could be a citizen in my own right. This allowed me to be able to convince my parents that I was mature enough to take care of myself in a foreign country miles away from them. As a foreign student, I had to first of all, learn English which is the native language used in America. This proved to be harder than I thought. However, everyone, especially the tutors were very understanding and encouraged me a lot. I also had to leave behind my family and friends. Whom, I had gotten used to seeing and being around. I also had to leave behind the Chinese food and culture. On the positive side, I had gotten my chance to pursue my higher education studies in one of the best universities in the world. It also gave me an opportunity to meet new people and learn about their culture. It also gave me an opportunity to travel the world. Deciding to come to pursue my higher education in the United States has helped become a better person. I have learned how to manage my

Wall Street Women Essay Example for Free

Wall Street Women Essay The book Wall Street Women is book talking about the first generation women who have been able to establish themselves as professional in Wall Street. It goes back to the 1960’s when women began their careers and were faced by blatant discrimination and challenges in their advancement, they created and formed formal and informal associations with an aim of bolstering each other’s careers. This historical ethnography by Melissa S. Fisher borrows from fieldwork, archival research and extensive interviews with successful women of the first generation in Wall Street. She goes on to describe their professional and political associations most common being the Women’s Campaign Fund and the Financial Women’s Association of New York which were groups formed to promote the election of pro-choice women. Melissa S. Fisher charts the evolution of women’s careers and how they have grown both politically and economically. She looks at the changes in their perspectives and the cultural climate in Wall Street as well as the 2008 financial collapse. In Wall Street most of the pioneering subjects never participated in the women’s movement that had been happening in the 1960’s and 1970’s. She argues that these women did produce a â€Å"market feminism† which was in line with the liberal feminist ideas on meritocracy and gender equity with the logic of the market. This is a book that has been well researched and thoroughly documented and it’s a portrait of pioneer women by providing context for understanding the emergent discourse of feminizing markets. Fisher saw an opportunity to carve out a niche within the academic literature to examine career movements and the underlying motivation for women in Wall Street. She began by interviewing a group of 20 women who were in senior level management in 1993. She went on to keep in touch with them to throughout the financial crisis and kept track of their careers and identified their frustrations and challenges as well as ultimately locating their trajectories within a cultural framework. The results of this research ended up in a book Wall Street Women. Discussion Wall Street Women looks into what it’s really like to make a career in the boardrooms of the incorrigible boys club of high finance. Fisher is a scholar at New York University in the department of Social and Cultural Analysis and traces fifty years of the personal and professional lives of the first generation women who make it as executives on Wall Street. The females in this book served in the top most units of major investment banks and brokerage firms as well as ran their own boutique management firms. She did a decade worth of research with interviews conducted in offices in London and New York. All this female professionals were picked from fundraisers and networks during events at the Upper East Side manses and they were followed up even after the financial crisis. She displays how women who made it on Wall Street deftly deployed their supposedly innate risk-averse qualities to be able to stay at the top of their game. This means that women had to deploy their female innate qualities to be able to stay afloat for a long term. Since the 1990’s female executives have cast and portrayed themselves as prudent â€Å"mothers making family purchases† this is directly opposite to the hot-blooded male investors on Wall Street. These same traits that made these women would be â€Å"saviors of the economy†. According to Fisher this is a function strategy and not part of a biological function. Some people believe that women are more conservative and risk-averse than their male counterparts. Some also believe that if women had filled more top leadership roles the financial crisis and recession would not have come out that way. They believe that things would have unfolded differently. According to Wall Street Women it shows like women have different intrinsic qualities and are capable of handling issues different. According to Fisher this is not purely biological rather its psychological asp ect. Its more on the socialization nature of women rather, women are brought up to inhabit and possess some of this characters and qualities. There could be a connection between being a woman and being risk-averse. The bottom line however is that it never about the women; it’s always about the powers that are in play. Systems of power play a big role in influencing socialization and how people run things. People need to realize that some of these ideas are culturally constructed and can be changed if people became more culturally conscious on issues being raised. Wall Street Women does not reveal the names of the women or the names of their firms. However, the book does give us the pleasure of hearing conversations that take place behind closed doors in corporate boardrooms and offices. These women in Wall Street dish and talk about the guys in their offices and companies they really dish. The women in book share their fears on what men think of them and they are unnervingly nervous. One of the female executives is worried about the lay-off post crash due to the recession and is worried that she is becoming a â€Å"a bag lady†. This is a really odd concern by a multimillionaire. In the same scenario we get a younger employee who wants to take a maternity leave being told by her female boss â€Å"As far as I’m concerned, you have screwed up your job†. There is an aspect of homo sociality in the book, where employers in most sectors tend to hire other who act and look like them. This only means one thing that even at that time fewer women got hired in Wall Street. This scenario has led to fewer women being promoted and moving up the ladder. One wonders if recognizing this as a phenomenon in the business world is going to help change things and if it’s an innate practice how can society help change it. Fisher shows us that is really hard to completely take over power over culture. Some of these practices are ingrained in peoples mind and they believe in them. These are broader economic systems and it will require a large number of women in the sector to be able to pressure them to a point of rupture. To change some ideologies and stereotypes against women there is need for more women to rise and become professionals so that they can become part of the change mechanism. By rising and proving to the world that its possible for some belief systems to be brought down women will be able to influence some of the issues that are facing them. The groups of female executives in Wall Street Women are an example of what women can become when they believe in themselves and when they raise to the occasion and work towards empowering themselves. Women need to be their own champions when it comes to matters changing how society views them. Having a few women at the top and running things does not change things. As seen in Wall Street Women things in the business world on matters involving women did not change much even when this few women worked their way to the top and ran successful businesses. Today the world hasn’t accepted the fact that women can take control of things and handle bu siness well even when a few have risen to the occasion and done so. Some of the policies in the workplace do not accommodate women. However, there some policies being implemented for the good of women but when it comes to real practice the story is not the same. One example is with flexible time, men are not the ones who are supposed to take flex time. Even with some of these policies in place culture and cultural beliefs still come into play. Sometimes and actual shift may not take place because there is a stronger cultural hold that is informal and is prevailing over formal rule. Most of the women in the book Wall Street Women started their business careers back in the early 1970’s and were beneficiaries of the post war affluence that democratized and reigned college enrollment. They were also boosted by the civil rights-era laws that banned hiring discrimination laws that mostly locked women out of the corporate and business world. Wall Street was becoming more diverse. Wall Street had become more meritocratic as well as relatively diverse with a great number of middle-class strivers without the luster of a distinguished family pedigree and joined investment banks and brokerage firms. These women did not have MBA’s and insider connections, a common path that cut through the banking industry research divisions as well as back office support when they joined Wall Street. The brokers had all the unrepentant brashness and frat boy chumminess but they still went on and depended on number crunchers. When the deal making became more complex and harder the need for more research grew and became more important. Fisher says, â€Å"Joined investment bankers and traders in the ‘front office’†. These women had to go down on the ground to do the research on investment and study markets for themselves. They never allowed whatever they lacked disrupt them or make them miss in their goal to success. For this women change came slowly, with time they learnt the ropes and got to know how to overcome challenges. Wall Street was not smooth sailing they had to stand and learn the trick behind all those deals and business transactions. Back in the 1970’s there were less than 100 professional women working on Wall Street. They had to negotiate work attire when there were no models that they could draw from and they had constant headaches for those who didn’t want to look like secretaries. Some of the female investors even donned suits and ties just like their men colleagues in the business. â€Å"I feel like I am Jane Goodall†, was marveled by one woman recalling the dynamics of a male-run board meeting. The first professional group of women in Wall Street was the Financial Women’s Association was formed in 1956. By all accounts the women group was very conservative and in 1978 they voted against advocating the Equal Rights Amendment. They worked to advance themselves on Wall Street as they felt they couldn’t be overtly political. They became more relaxed in their fight for equality in the work place as well as the business world. The Financial Women Association and an offshoot the Women’s Campaign Fund played a central and important role in another movement that funded an early generation of women politicians. By the 1990’s the group of female investors that Fisher was studying presented the first organized group of rich women who weren’t heiresses and widows. They had made their way to the top and on the way had made a lot of money to help the stay there. These women would go on to bankroll a new wave of pro-choice female candidates. They started influencing other sectors apart from the business world in Wall Street. In this part Fisher goes on to explain a little known bit of history. These women furthered the careers of women like the former Texas Governor Ann Richards as well as Senators Olympia Snowe a Republican from Maine and Barbara Boxer a Democrat from California. Back then there was an advocacy for corporate diversity and affirmative action ideas that did not seem to sit well with the women in Wall Street in Fishers book. Congress had mandated a twelve week of unpaid maternity leave in the year 1993. One wonders now that they were the bosses in these companies, how generous should they be to younger women? â€Å"We expected so little in the way of a combination of work and family,† one of the women said. â€Å" I was shocked at the entitlement of the younger women†. By the time the bottom went down out of the market most of the female investors in Fishers book were coming into retirement. The financial recession did not only raise discomforting questions and it saw women both old and young get purged into Wall Street ranks. Currently the financial sector has the biggest gender gap wage compared to other profession. The statistics stand at 55 ¢ to 62 ¢ for every $1 made by men, compared to 77 ¢ on average. On their own many of the women regretted their laser like focus when it came to individual advancement and they sought to stay clear of what had happened. One of the female investors laments â€Å"Wall Street as a casino is not the Wall Street we all entered†. Conclusion The book shows the extent to which women think they are feminist. While there is a group of women out there who are marching in the streets championing for the rights of women, there others who have entered the Wall Street and been there for some decades and are working on enacting the feminism. Most of the women who were interviewed by Melissa Fisher for her book Wall Street Women show us a group of women who take the advocacy into a higher level and moved in to change things. Women not only need to advocate for their rights and what they belief but they also need to empower themselves, believe in themselves and work towards setting the pace. Wall Street Women is a representation of what women can do when they believe in themselves. The women in this book came from different background and possessed diverse capabilities but their belief in success allowed them to enter what was believed to be a â€Å"male world† and take over by storm. Although they never got the chance to run and change things as they wished and believed, they got a chance to stand and represent women and show that it can be done. The women never had the pedigree qualities that some heiresses and widows of wealthy men in the business world but they have been able to take over and forge the way to their success as well as encourage others. If women can be able to support and empower each other as seen in the way this female executives supported the pro-life politicians there is a possibility that women will be able to bring the change they believe in. these women faced blatant discrimination and barriers to advancement, they created formal and informal associations to push and support each other’s careers. Work Cited Fisher, S. M. Wall Street Women. Duke University Press. 2012. Print. Wall Street Women. Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Street-Women-Melissa-Fisher/dp/0822353458. Fisher, M. Wall Street Women. Retrieved from: http://www.dukeupress.edu/Assets/PubMaterials/978-0-8223-5345-4_601.pdf. Analysis of Wall Street Women. Retrieved from: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-26/book-review-wall-street-women-by-melissa-s-dot-fisher. Melissa Fisher: Wall Street Woman. Retrieved from: http://www.nyu.edu/global/global-academic-centers/washington-dc/nyu-washingtondc-events/melissa-s-fisher-wall-street-women.html

Analysis Of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel Tourism Essay

Analysis Of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel Tourism Essay Executive Summary With the increase in concerns about the quality and effectiveness of service strategy using its marketing activities, this business report will try to analyze the Rockhampton Plaza Hotels marketing strategies using 7Ps Model. We have first discussed the background of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and the personal experience in the service encounter in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. After that, we have done 7Ps analysis for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel by outlining the service product, promotion, place, pricing, people, processes and physical evidence critically. We also have done discussions which are based on relevant personal experience, applicable theoretical frameworks, and academicresearchers from academicians. Based on these discussions coming from the 7 Ps analysis for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, we have tried to derive recommendations in four areas namely, price, people, promotion and physical evidence. The recommendations which have derived are:- 1) Pricing strategies of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should be more logical as well as flexible and a generic strategy should be formulated and a pricing strategy based on time of the day should be set up 2) Promotional strategy of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should be more contemporary so they should develop them more futuristic and develop B2b sales channel so that corporate bookings can be increased. 3) People strategy of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel needs to be more efficient and effective and recommendations are being done so that a broad range of trainings should be done. Employee focus should be increased within Rockhampton Plaza Hotel by both monetary as well as in reward and recognitions 4) Physical Evidence strategy should be done so as to make the interiors as well as exteriors more contemporary as well as appealing. Contents Introduction Service as a product is very much different from any tangible product. This uniqueness also makes marketing of services very much different for service product when compared to tangible products. When we compare 7Ps marketing mix of service product with 4Ps for tangible products which contains product, price, place, people, Promotions processes and physical evidence (Beaver Harris 2010, pp.109-19). In this business report, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, which is a famous hotel in Queensland, Australia is chosen for being analyzed using 7Ps marketing mix model. The selection of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is important because of multiple reasons namely, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel as a service provider which gives all kinds of hospitality services like accommodation, entertainment etc. ; secondly, since, it is a famous hotel sufficient information can be found for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel using both secondary and primary sources about its business, services, operations as well as management practices; lastly, personal experiences have also taken place in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel of availing multiple services which will make the analysis more easy and convenient based on those personal experience. Using the above information, this business report will try and use this 7 P marketing mix analysis as a tool to analyses Rockhampton Plaza Hotel practices and offer possible features of advice for Rock hampton Plaza Hotel. This business report has been built upon brief history and background of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and personal experiences availed in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. Then, we have conducted 7 P marketing analysis using different resources. Finally, recommendations are being made on multiple parameters of this 7 P marketing mix which is applied on Rockhampton Plaza Hotel (Blankson Stokes 2007, pp.49-61). Background ofRockhampton Plaza Hotel The background of Rockhampton plaza hotel will be discussed on this section as well as personal experiences of known people in this hotel. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is a 6 story hotel which has restaurant, bar, party facilities which are near Central Park and St  Josephs Cathedral. It has earned local fame and respect due to its service and hospitality on offer. This Hotel is big in size and offers multiple hospitality services for customers in a bouquet. It is a six stored hotel and average occupancy is approximate 75% (Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2012). Personal Experiences Our experience of staying in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel has been amazing. The first image of this hotel has been comfortable to live as well as giving quality of services which was very convenient as well as quick. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel offers diversified services and also consults tourists about the city and where to visit. Our personal experience is very good and the experience and attitude will help in making this business report based on 7Ps Marketing Mix model. 7Ps analysis for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel The 7 P analysis for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel includes the analysis of 7Ps of marketing mix, namely, Product, price, promotion, place, people, processes and physical evidence which are explained in the following sections- Analysis of Service Product Parameter It has been analyzed that service products of hospitality industry is very similar in nature, in which products and services which can be offered to customers so that Rockhampton Plaza Hotel can satisfy their wants like those of eating, entertainment, hosting, and other needs in their busy routines. For service product of hotels, which is an important part of hospitality industry contains diversified service portfolio for customers whichthey might not find with any other service providers when they get one quality service provider. This is an easily recognizable trend for hospitality industry in which global standards are being set for service delivery. For assessing the overall quality of hotels, diversification of services is highly needed (Brooksbank, Kirby Taylor 2009, pp.292-306). Based on these points and attaching the service product part of the hotel, the service which are being given by hotels fall in 3 different types:- 1) Accommodation services- Accommodation is the main business source of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel serves its customers with a range of services like reservation, valet parking, luggage movement, room service, laundry as well as other value added services. 2) Entertainment Services-The Customer needs multiple services in Entertainment range which can be found in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. Here, customers can do other exercises like gym, swimming, playing indoor sports like Table tennis, Snooker and Squash. Customers can also enjoy Karaoke Nights as well as drinking in the bar or pub. They can also enjoy the coffee cup in cafeteria adjoining the restaurant. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel also gives various in room options to its customers like TV viewing, internet access using own smart devices or rent them for personal usage on Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. 3) Fine Dining as well as shopping services There are multiple fine dining restaurants present in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel where customers can enjoy multiple cuisine foods like Chinese, spicy, Traditional, continental, Korean as well as sea foods. Customers can also buy necessary items like packaged foods, edible drinks as well as other needed items from small market present in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel (Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2012). Service Pricing Parameter Analysis In Hospitality Industry, Price is always not the decisive reason for customers to make their choice. They play definitely an important part which is taken in consideration by customers before taking any final decision. For hotels, pricing strategy is very complicated issue in itself and needs lots of deliberations before being finalized (Chain 2010, pp.8-51). This is because, it is difficult to take in consideration all the input received by customers in terms of feedback for all the diversified services Rockhampton Plaza Hotel offers. Also, since, most of the customers Rockhampton Plaza Hotel gets are either from touring agencies or booking websites, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel doesnt has the necessary bargaining power with its customer base which are essentially very big in size. We always need categorization for pricing strategies in service industry (Consuegra, MolinaEsteban 2007). When we take this analysis in consideration, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel needs categorization of their pric ing strategies. In terms of prices they should categories them for individual customers as well as for booking agents / Websites as well as group travellers. 1) For individual customers, the standard room costs individual 350 AUD per day and reservation 20 days ahead would mean 10% discount on this price. Also, the standard room will be priced for 100 AUD for six hours in day when it isoffered to those who need forrelaxation. Other detailed prices for service are- 2) Entertainment services Services rate for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is on higher side when compared with other peers by approximate 10-20%. When we take swimming pool and gym services for example.Usually the average price for 1 hour swimming pool charges is 100 AUD in this hotel and gym is of 50 AUD. 3) Food services Food Prices are same with those of restaurants which are self-operated in this hotel. However, if we use the room service, then extra charges will be applicable as per the timing of the call. For travel agents, Hotels give discounts to them which is dependent on the volume of customers in the long term contract or for one off destination. Normally, In Queensland, for a travel group which is lower than 15 people a 15% rebate is offered by hotel. If it is more than 15, then 25% discount is offered along with other bouquet of free services. Some hotels offer entertainment rebates, some do not (Deng and Dart, 2009, pp.725-42). Analysis of Promotion Parameter Promotional strategy for service industry is focused on achievement of two objectives- to get new customer to visit and use services, and to retain customers which are old by giving them loyalty programs. In terms of hospitality industry, they use a mix of promotional strategies which include advertising, word of mouth, referral programs as well as loyalty programs for their present customers. There are also discounts for referrals as well as special offers on off seasons where occupancy rate is very low (Booms Bitner 1981). When we see above activities and attach them with Rockhampton Plaza Hotel workings, the promotional activities can be classified in following way- 1) Advertising- Rockhampton Plaza Hotel uses different mediums for advertising, namely, printed advertisements in newspapers, magazines as well as in travelling journals along with circulating catalogues at leading travel agents offices. 2) Word of Mouth Strategy Rockhampton Plaza Hotel focuses more on word of mouth strategy for acquiring customers which is thetraditional practice in hospitality industry. You can find pamphlets and slogans everywhere in the hotel, enticing customers to tell to their peers, friends and relatives about Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and share them the experiences they had. They have a two pronged strategy for referrals. First they give coupons to people while checking out which can be used by anyone except those who have been given those coupons. These coupons can range from discount to free services. When these coupons are being used, then the referrer gets same coupon credited in his account which can be used by him in his next visit to the hotel. Hence, referrals can be useful to them also as well as their friends. 3) Sales Promotions Sales promotion of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel can be seen as offering discounts for early bookings as well as for large travel agents/ online booking websites depending on the volume of customers. Also, discounts are offered to senior citizens who are more than 60 years of age in order to fulfill corporate social responsibility. 4) Customer Loyalty programs- The customer loyalty program run by Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is the major means to attract and retain loyal customer. His is achieved by multiple ways like 1) making class of customers depending on the amount spend by them in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and giving special benefits to those classes in form of discounts or complementary services. 2) Giving referral bonus to them as well as those which are being referred so as to retain old customers and attract new ones (Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2012). Service Place Parameter Analysis Place Parameter of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel can be described as the place where hotels are placed, this is an important parameter but a static one as the decision is taken at the inception of hotel which cant be changed (Booms Bitner 1981). As we talk about Rockhampton Plaza Hotel which is located near Central Park in Queensland which is a prominent location. The most important commercial as well as tourist attractions are near way. Queensland attracts huge number of tourists visiting which also results in high occupancy ratings. People Service Parameter Analysis People management is the most important facet of services in hospitality industry since all services are important and directly delivered by people only. The quality of service providers can affect the customer satisfaction as well as discretionary spend of consumers with the service provider (Booms Bitner 1981). Employee Job satisfaction decides what is the level of customer satisfaction in hotel which stresses the importance of rational as well as effective human resource management for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and other similar service provider in hospitality industry. When we see the human resource management at Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, according to personal experiences, we can state following points:- 1) Recruitments, selection as well as new induction of joiners as employees. 2) Practical on the Job training for new as well as current employee 3) Fostering Rockhampton Plaza Hotel culture and teamwork into new employees. 4) Job Appraisal as well as reward and recognition scheme which include both fines as well as compensation depending on good behaviour as well as mistakes towards customers. 5) Relationship building between the Rockhampton Plaza Hotel and its employees. The Human resource responsibility in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel in terms of service contracts towards consumers includes following features:- 1) To help the consumers in an appropriate manner. This includes all of the possible help they can give to old as well as new customers of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2) The communication which is ongoing between customers and staff of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel can help in collection of information about what are the changing needs and wants of hotel services and how can Rockhampton Plaza Hotel working towards providing complete customer satisfaction patterns (Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2012). Service Parameter Processes Analysis Processes are very important for any service giver in hospitality industry as they give ways in which these services are being given to consumers. When we talk about specific hotel industry, the processes of this industry include multiple interactions between the hotel entity as well as its consumers along with its staff. These facts help in service products as well as consumption patterns(Lovelock Wright 2002). The processes of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel can be seen in multiple aspects like:- 1) Hotels and consumers This involves offering facilities by Rockhampton Plaza Hotel like information, consulting, food, accommodation, bar, in house entertainment, which can help customers as well as Rockhampton Plaza Hotel to assist their consumers. When we talk about customers, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is very keen on finding data about what is the attitude of customers and their satisfaction towards Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, hence Rockhampton Plaza Hotel works on getting feedback in terms of check out book to be filled at the checkout from Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2) Staffs and consumers Human resources always make direct contact with consumers and their involvement is the most important spoke in service quality. This includes the effort to make customers stay as comfortable as possible. Staff of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel works to delight customers by offering extra services which prove value of their money and help them effectively use the services of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel of which they are unaware. 3) Human Resources Rockhampton Plaza Hotel staff interaction includes involving them in design and adjustment of new services and related processes using periodic meetings with the management. This helps in finding star employees who are ready to take responsibilities as well as give effective and practical advice to them. Staff are also promoted to organize socializing among themselves so that their interpersonal relationships are strengthened resulting in higher work satisfaction (Rockhampton Plaza Hotel 2012). Service Parameter Physical Evidence Analysis Physical evidence for intangible products like services is quite similar to tangible products. This includes environment, prices, communication as well as view the customer has as of locality (CengizYayla 2007). Physical evidence can be worked for the services offered by Rockhampton Plaza Hotel in following areas. 1) Physical Environment Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is a comfortable place to stay. The inside area, corridors, lobby all are fresh and novel in decoration. All furniture are polished and new. Since, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is quite near to central park, the view is quite fascinating and helps to leave a strong brand recall of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. 2) Tactics for communication with customers Customers have multiple options present in hotel or on phone about the services offered in Rockhampton Plaza Hotel as well as places to visit in Queensland. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel also has staff which is very experienced in handling customers. They give consultation to people depending on their needs and make friendly guides available for them for working(Copley 2004) Recommendations for Rockhampton plaza hotel We have done suitable analysis for 7Ps service Marketing Mix of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. In the next section, we have tried to come up with suitable recommendations. The recommendations are being offered in areas of price parameter, promotion parameter, people parameter as well as physical evidence parameter for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel Recommendation for Service Parameter Pricing Strategy When we talk about pricing parameter, the pricing strategy of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel needs to be tweaked in order to be more flexible in accordance with the market pricing. We have given below recommendations for them so that they can shift the focus of their pricing strategy Generic Pricing formula needs to be arrived for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel which can be cost based or competition based or consumer physique based. As we define the generic pricing for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, all of these should be strategically aligned and should make customer attract towards Rockhampton Plaza Hotel because of justified value for money ratio. Since current market conditions are more dynamic as the competition is heightened and Rockhampton Plaza Hotel is feeling the heat. They should shift prices according to the occupancy. In times where it is less occupancy, prices should shift down and when the tourist season is on full swing, they should increase the password so that they can gain the price advantage. This will not only simulate the customers to come to Rockhampton Plaza Hotel again and again but will also increase the average occupancy rate as empty rooms are worse than discounted prices (Jones 2008). Recommendation for Promotion Service Parameter Strategy On the same lines as of pricing strategy, the promotional strategy for Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should also be updated as per the current needs of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel. Based on the analysis in previous sections, the recommendations for promotional parameter are:- They should increase collaboration with travel websites such as Groupon and offer lower prices to them; this will increase the occupancy rate as well as exposure of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel to overseas customers and can build brand loyalty globally. They should also increase promotional activities there and give special incentives to promote the internet channel for selling and booking. 2) Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should also work with travel agencies to promote their brands. This will increase the cooperation level with them bringing in huge inflows of customers who opt for travel packages rather than booking themselves. This might include helping these travel agencies by telephonic advice to their customers seeking travel to Queensland and sending invitation letters to travel agencies to come and have a look at Rockhampton Plaza Hotel to promote it for their customers (James 2009). Recommendation for Service Parameter People Strategy Rockhampton Plaza Hotel has focused from its inception on its staff, but the focus is not equal on various parameters as well as comprehensive in totality. They should focus more on cross stream training as well as employee satisfaction about his work. Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should make the employee training more wide range of content like behavioral training, communication as well as management skills for human resources under which they can understand the customers better and tread on different yet more satisfying paths for their future. 2) Also, Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should focus on increasing employee satisfaction in their work lines. Since, customer satisfaction is dependent on satisfied employee working fully towards their cause. Hence employee satisfaction is very important for any hotel. They should increase both monetary as well as non-monetary rewards for its employees. Management of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel should also show respect for the efforts of its employees towards their work and frequently survey their employees to identify potential problems their employees are facing and correct them if required (Grant 1998). Recommendation for Service Parameter Physical Evidence Strategy Regarding the Physical evidence strategy, they are located near central park which is an excellent location. The following recommendations are being given for better presentation inside the Rockhampton Plaza Hotel in terms of Physical evidence. They should keep changing their internal decoration so that customers whenever they come find a new Rockhampton Plaza Hotel waiting to serve them. It can be seasonal or based on occasions. Also, they should work towards better decoration in lobbies. The internal decoration is good but needs to be more contemporary in nature, hence requires a revamp (Borden 1984). Conclusion This report talks about the p analysis of marketing strategies of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel, a hotel in Queensland, Australia, based on experiences and secondary research. Other than 7P Marketing Mix application for Rockhampton Hotel Strategy, 4 different areas of recommendations have been given in terms of price, promotion, people and physical evidence which are needed to be taken in consideration by management of Rockhampton Plaza Hotel to tweak their strategy according to the needs of present and to prepare for the future. We have given recommendation in pricing, to be more flexible and seasonal in approach so that overall occupancy rates can be increased, in promotion, to target internet as a channel and tie up with group selling websites as well as travel agents to have higher exposure and awareness for its target markets, in people , to work towards creating a better environment for its employees and increase their satisfaction so that in turn they work towards better satisfaction of Rockhampton Plaza Hotels Customers, in physical evidence, to work towards making the interiors more contemporary as well as make it more flexible with changing festivities as per the local tradition

X2: X-Men United Essay -- Movie Movies Film Essays

X2: X-Men United The ultimate test of a good sequel is its ability to stand alone. X2: X-Men United passes this test with flying colors. Though the story line follows the classic good versus evil paradigm, it is not dependent on the original X-Men movie to tell its story. X2’s plotline twists keep the viewer wondering about the loyalties of characters that appear at one moment to switch to the good side, and then just as easily revert to their roles as bad guys. Requiring the viewer to ask, â€Å"How do we know who we can trust?† Equally, the film’s visual effects are stunning without being overwhelming or redundant. We do not see action sequences repeated from the first movie but fresh new twists that appear as visual candy. Many sequels simply mirror their predecessor in hopes of striking gold twice, only to fall short. Not so with X2. The filmmakers have taken what was essentially a good movie and built on its foundation to create a second movie, which is not just a flat reflection of the first, but a movie which can stand on its own. In addition to plotline twist, X2 is chock full of action and adventure. In the first minute of X2 there is more action, suspense, and mystery then several other films of this superhero genre combined. Immediately we are thrust into a world so seemingly real it is almost palpable. An evil looking teleporter named Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) keeps the White House staff and the FBI on their toes as he appears and disappears through White House walls in an attempt to get to the president. Yet, all is not as it seems and the audience is drawn into a storyline where fear and prejudice play major roles. Though the storyline often takes back seat to the special effects and fight sequences, it... ... and tension again pulling the audience member into the world of the movie. There is plenty of action which propels the story forward at breakneck speed. Fight sequences such as the one between Wolverine (Jackman) and Lady Death Strike (Kelly Hu) pit strength against strength, steel against steel (or in this case adamantium against adamantium), and though it struggles to get there, good usually triumphs over evil. Other stunning visual effects include the scene where Storm (Halle Berry) whips up several tornadoes to keep the â€Å"bad guys† at bay, and the scene in which Jean Grey (Janssen) holds back the raging waters of the broken dam with her powers of telekinesis. Though not a film to be taken too seriously, this movie has the power to whisk audience members away for 2 hours, into a world in which the bad guys finish last and the power of good conquers evil.

Fire: Nutrition and Destructive Forces Essay

Fire is one of our greatest tools and also one of our most destructive forces. So is it an enemy or a friend? Fire has been around since creation. In fact, it appears that fire had a hand in creation itself. Therefore, man did not discover fire. It is believed that he discovered its use. Before he discovered its use, man was probably at its mercy. Fires started in nature, by lightning or by the sun, it must have terrified the early man. He did not use it to cook meat as early man ate raw meat. Then one day he discovered that fire, which burnt and hurt, could be useful. From that time, fire ceased to be an enemy and became man’s best friend. Today, we can hardly conceive a life without fire. It cooks our food, provides warmth and burns away rubbish. Fire plays a major part in our lives from birth till we are cremated. Since it has been discovered that food tastes much better and is healthier when cookked, cooking has evolved over the years. Now, there are countless dishes to prepare using fire. Yet, this great friend can be a very dangerous enemy. In its natural state, fire can break out at any moment – usually through careless handling – causing devastating harm. Destruction of lives and property by fire is one of the, almost, daily disasters in the world. Not even the most developed countries are exempt from this. All anyone can do is take as many precautions as possible to fight it when it occurs. Frequently when fires break out, humans are helpless and great losses occur before the fires are brought under control. Even in the wild, fire does not have to be a villain. Fire is actually vital to the survival of several species. It remove slow growing underbush, cleanses the forest floor of debris, opens it up to sunlight and nourishes the soil. Established trees have to compete with undergrowth for nutrients and space. Fire clears the weaker trees and returns health to the forest. Clearing bush from the forest floor with low intensity flames helps prevent large damaging wildfires that spread out of control and completely destroy forests. Wildlands provide habitat to forest animals and birds. Fire clears wildlands of heavy bush, leaving room for new grasses, herbs and regenerated shrubs that provide food and habitat for many wildlife species. So fire is both a bosom friend and a deadly enemy. When it is kept under control, it is one of the greatest boons known to humanity. However, when it gets out of control or when used for destruction, it is a devastating force which leaves man completely helpless and even dead. Fore also kills diseases and insects that prey on trees and provides valuable nutrients that enrich the soil More trees die each year from insect infestation and disease than from fire. Fire kills pests and keeps the forest healthy. Vegetation that is burnt by fire provides a rich source of nutrients that nourish remaining trees. One another note, man too uses fire for destructive purposes. Most weapons are based on the principle of fire. This applies to simple devices like handguns, artillery pices of fire and nuclear bombs. The main destructive element in weapons or at least the trigger is fire based. In this case, it is not fire, which is a danger in itself but rather because it is used for destructive purposes. Uncontrolled fire which spreads and becomes big is a deadly enemy. It destroys properties, belongings and takes away lives.