Scottish society since 1914 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scottish society since 1914 - Essay Example In these Wars, Scotland actually is a country engaged in a debate to determine if the aforementioned event is necessary. Scotland actively participated in every event that would somehow determine the fate of the eventual European colonizers. Moreover, The pre-war debates and development of policy had left much about the nature and form of welfare to be decided (Levitt, 1988, p.104). However, one cannot deny the fact that Scotland on that time was oppressed by other English nations- the state experienced unfair competitions on trade as they experienced low salary compared to their counterparts and the goods and services that were provided by this country was paid at a lower price. Being engaged in such activities, the economic side of Scotland was set aside while they are focusing much on the tactics rather than the welfare of the people. In this case, people of different classes aiming for social change "indirectly" ruled Scotland. Ofcourse, mixture of different classes would eventually give birth into an ideology and belief of "oneness" that would later be their uniting force in the next few years. Who would have known that such occurrences would turn this nation into one of Europe's largest financial centers. During the time interwar, the Scottish while experien... Let's take a closer look at the depression it suffered during the inter-war era. During that time, the Scottish people have only a few options on their employment. The armed force is perhaps the only thing that provides employment during that time. During these wars, while other European country were busy expanding their territories and scope, Scottish people has other things in mind- to develop a sense of oneness and to meet the challenges of the future Scotland. "In a relatively short space of time, the Scottish working class went from being one of the most highly organised working classes in the history of industrial capitalism, to a fragmented one as yet barely able to defend its economic and political interests" (Knox, 1995). Dealing with the present-day society of Scotland would further draw each one who wishes to have this study in their interwar experience. Their niche, in the business world has led them into a distinction, which other countries in the United Kingdom failed to do such a feat. The 1980s saw an economic boom in the Silicon Glen corridor between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with many large technology firms relocating to Scotland. The discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s also helped to transform the Scottish economy (wikepedia 2006). Perhaps, this is an indicator that the said state is in demand of providing services that are vital to the growth ouf European countries. Scottish were pressumed as "enemies" of most of the English people during the early years of the war and even before the war. However, they made a remarkable move by excelling on intelligence in the armed forces, Industry and economics which paved the way for

Economical and Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis on Hybrid Cars Essay Example for Free

Economical and Environmental Cost-Benefit Analysis on Hybrid Cars Essay A hybrid car is a car propelled by the application of two or more power sources. First attempts to introduce hybrid cars goes back to mid 1660, way before the discovery and introduction of the fuel powered conventional cars but were never commercially manufactured until 21st century when Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota produced the Toyota prius exclusively for its domestic market. In fact, it is estimated that the first attempt to produce a hybrid car was in 1665. The delay in the production of this class of vehicles was because of two main reasons; first, the limited range in the distance the vehicles could cover and secondly the difficulty and costly process of recharging their batteries. Furthermore, it is a basic science concept that the more complex a machine is the more it is prone to failure and thus the idea of commercial production of hybrid vehicles has been a slow process over the centuries. World’s population explosion, demand for fresh air and green cities, dwindling petroleum deposits, over dependency in overseas oil, economic recession and global warming are just some of the environmental and economic factors that have forced world’s leading car manufacturers to provide to the market car models that are not only environmentally friendly but also cost effective. A cost-benefit analysis on this topic will attempt to bring out the cost of getting a hybrid car into the road in comparison to the benefits that the world stands to reap as a result of this venture. This research seeks to bring to the surface three major aspects that are associated with the introduction of hybrid cars into the transportation world. These three issues are: (i) The cost of producing a hybrid car: The successful landing of a hybrid car is in focus under this area. It is not easy to get into the road a car that makes use of a combination of two or more sources of energy. The research involved is estimated to run to millions of dollars thus sky-rocketing the price of a hybrid car. (ii) Environmental factors: Environmental factors simply refer to the concerns that a particular type of car produces substances that injure our surroundings thus making life on earth more dangerous and therefore more complex. These substances include green house gases as well as toxic metal compounds such as the ones that contain lead in their structure. (iii) Economic cost benefit factors: Economic factors have much to do with the living standards of people as far as the generation and investment of money is concerned. The economic make up of the world has gotten pegged heavily on oil and there are concerns from every right thinking citizen of the world that this is a self consuming trend that is likely to create serious economic problems if the oil industry hits a serious problem. This has already been witnessed before whereby a slight rise in oil prices has sent shockwaves in economies in both the developed and the developing world. Literature Review The former Vice President of the United States who later won the Democratic Party nomination and lost the presidency in a controversial manner to George W Bush, Mr. Al Gore, has had the world rethinking its actions as far as the degeneration of the environment is concerned. An inconvenient Truth, a film he worked on captures the problems that are already being experienced in various parts of the world as a result of global warming. This, he says is being fuelled by the use of environmentally unfriendly cars that use oil or gasoline (Gore, 2006, para1-3). It is not surprising that he went a head to win a Nobel Prize for this peace of work. Electric and hybrid cars have always received much appreciation due to the perceived ability to tackle this burning issue of climate change. Their ability to cut the emission of these toxic substances into the atmosphere that lead to negative climatic shift is the major reason for this (Anderson and Anderson, 2004, pp 6-10). In recognition of this serious problem, vital steps have been made in the research that is involved in the development and production of cars that make use of a combination of two or three sources of locomotive energy. Chief among these is the research into electric cars that promise to reduce the overreliance on oil (Westbrook, 2001, pp 34-39). The pioneer nation in the world in the research and possible mass production of hybrid cars is Japan. But the appetite with which the United States of America has picked up the issue points to the significance of this type of car. The driving force is the reduction in pollution, the saving that comes in terms of finances and most importantly national security that is put at risk with too much dependency on foreign oil. The argument is often projected in terms of supplying their dollars to nations that fund terror groups such as al Qaeda (Boschert, 2006 pp 2-7). It is common knowledge that mass production of hybrid cars will not only provide a partial solution to world environmental problems but also be a practical measure to save countries from losses running to millions of dollars due to escalating prices of world crude oil. The cost of producing a hybrid car The production of hybrid cars is not a cheap or a simple venture. Confessions by companies that have dipped their fingers into this hot pot have clearly shown that more than just simple technology is in play in the production of this type of cars. Research that has been on-going for a long time now is very complicated and has consumed millions of dollars. At the end of the day, despite the hyped advantages of shifting from purely oil consuming cars to hybrid cars, the cost that must be borne has to be high (Westbrook,2001,pp 56-61). It is the overall ability of the hybrid car to assist man in solving most of his economic and environmental problems that make the whole exercise worthwhile. Environmental factors While scientists agree that there can never be perfect environmentally friendly hybrid cars and that this depends solely on the design and model of hybrid power system. It is worthy appreciating that the use of this class of vehicles will automatically lead to the reduction of global warming by approximately 0. 3 to 0. 5 percent and that more advanced models and designs in the coming years due to technological advances would reduce this figure even further. The problems of the quality of urban air, reduction of noise due to application of electric motor in fuel power conventional cars, and elimination of smog forming pollutants could be solved in a century if research on mass production of hybrid cars is given a priority. The main source of air pollutants in cities and major towns is transportation. Fuel powered conventional motor vehicles produce much higher levels of carbon dioxide (Co2) carbon monoxide (Co), nitrogen oxides (Nox) and hydrocarbons (Hc) and this from the primary source of these dangerous pollutants. This is mainly because fuel powered conventional cars (FPCC) make short trips that do not give time for electric motor warm ups and cold starts. It is noted that hybrid cars reduced the levels of the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide by 97% in comparison to other sources of these pollutants. Carbon monoxide (C0), when inhaled for long periods interferes with the proper functioning of the brain in that it impairs the flow of oxygen (O2) into the brain. Once the brain stops working in the expected way, the person involved turns into a vegetable. Carbon dioxide and water vapor form the principal components of green house gases that bring about the green house effect. Green house effect is a scenario in which too much heat is trapped within the atmosphere due to the presence of such toxic gases as carbon monoxide and this resultant effect is a highly raised earth temperature. Infact carbon dioxide (C02) is considered one of the major atmospheric pollutants, and is solely responsible for approximately 57% global warming. Negative effects of global warming include the rapidly declining numbers of polar bears and melting of ice in the tropics. It is therefore an open knowledge that releasing carbon dioxide (C02) into the atmosphere is detrimental to the lives of living organisms and the equilibrium of the ecosystem. Sulphur and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are very dangerous air pollutants produced by combustion of sulphur containing fuels. Over the years, scientists have devised means of producing sulphur and lead free fuels but achieving an excellent degree is still a distant mirage. Deposition of these compounds in the air is harmful to plants, man and infrastructure. Exposure to high concentration of sulphur dioxide irritates respiratory tracts making breathing difficult and can easily cause lung problems. Sulfur Oxide contributes to respiratory illness. Patients suffering from heart diseases risk aggravating their conditions if exposed to even mild concentration of sulfur oxides. These components also form secondary pollutants when transported and combined with other elements forming sulphates, nitrate salts, nitrogen dioxides and even nitric acid vapor. This is what is commonly known as acid rain that corrodes buildings, burns vegetations, burns the human skin and destroys infrastructure. Chlorofluorocarbons also form component of green house gases that bring about the effect of global warming. When exposed to gamma rays, these compounds break down to release chlorine atoms. The presence of chlorine atoms in the atmosphere catalyses splitting of Ozone (O3) into oxygen gas (O2), however the negative effects of their presence overweigh their importance. Photochemical air pollution, usually known as smog and is commonly sported in the tropics and subtropics is also caused by incomplete combustion of gasoline emitted by fuel powered conventional vehicles. This process leads to the production of Ozone gas that is responsible for irritation in the eyes, extensive damage to plants and crops and lung complications. The release of carbon dioxide (C02), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides (N0x) and other pollutants into the atmosphere contributes to the destruction of plants on the earth’s surface. Photosynthesis, the process through which trees produce oxygen from carbon dioxide is so vital to human life in fact it is said that life cannot exist without trees. Destruction of trees by releasing these pollutants into the air is equal to destruction of both human life and plant life. While particulate matters are the main contributors to lung problems and most cancer cases, hydrocarbons are also a cause of lung problems and other tissue problems. Long exposure to high concentrations of hydrocarbons eventually leads to total organ failures. Furthermore it is a major contributor to birth defects and other complicated illnesses like cancer. With the commercial manufacture and introduction of hybrid cars, extensive damage to the environment is definitely reduced, quality of life enhanced and urban areas become clean to inhabit, the dream of world environmental rights groups. Economic factors Crude oil is the raw material that propels almost all components of world’s economy in many ways. In fact the world is so dependent on crude oil that if its supply would be cut abruptly, major world economies like United States of America, Russia and China would immediately come to a standstill. United States depends on crude oil alone for 40% of its energy supply, triple than other sources. Overdependence on crude oil is not sound enough. First, crude oil is a non-renewable source of energy and analysts predict it will be largely exhausted within half a century. This rings an alarm bell that if measures are not put in place and countries go green by using hybrid cars, then the future is bleak and the word is in danger. Transportation sector depends entirely on oil for energy supply. Trucks, planes, ships cars and buses are propelled by motor engines that use oil. Introducing hybrid cars would reverse this trend, make the world safer from fluctuating oil prices and reduce dependence on this energy source (Paterson, 2007 para. 3-5). Reliance on crude oil for fuel supply is a major contributor to ethnic and tribal wars in Africa. This demonstrates the levels at which scramble for this commodity has reached. In fact notably China is so hungry for crude oil that it is ready to ignore the sufferings of millions of peoples around the world and specifically Sudan, so as to get its industry moving. It therefore points to the fact that lasting peace and safety will be found and armed conflicts reduced drastically when less fuel consuming cars are produced and thirst for oil curtailed. Hybrid cars are pocket friendly as they consume less gasoline in comparison to fuel powered conventional cars. Even though they are slightly expensive to purchase, the reward is achieved in long term due to lower fuel consumption. Further, governments and notably the United States of America give tax incentives to buyers of hybrid cars in to a move aimed at reducing the average prices of these vehicles and thus encouraging more people to purchase them. Dwindling petroleum deposits in a major concern to the world. It is widely acknowledged that only a total of one trillion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserves is available for exploration worldwide with only two percent (2%) of this value in the United States of America. Most of these oil deposits are found in the eastern hemisphere that is made up of countries that are well known for political instability. It is therefore very wise for countries that fall in the Western hemisphere and more so, the United States to adapt the mass production and commercial use of hybrid vehicles. This will not only cushion them from ever fluctuating oil prices but will also prevent the imminent collapse of most sectors of the economies of these countries. Conclusion From the foregoing, it is evident that the world stands to gain immensely from the introduction into the world of transportation hybrid cars. It is true that the cost of producing a hybrid car is not one that sends one smiling all the way to the bank. In fact it is prohibitively high and the faint hearted who will not pay attention to the long term benefits of this hybrid car model will not dare. But the benefits or gains both in terms of saving a planet in peril and a global economy in a shambles are so enticing and crucial that it is actually the way to go. The environmental problems that come as a result of oil utilization in transport and other areas of life will be dealt with once and for all. For instance, the release of dangerous gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into the atmosphere that is responsible for global warming and numerous respiratory problems as well as problems in farming thorough such phenomena as acid rain will be solved. The economic woes that emanate from over dependence on oil will also be contained. The availing of financial resources to rogue nations such as Iran that fund terrorist groups, the shaking of the global economy due to shifts in oil prices as well as the escalation of conflicts in most third world countries in the east and Africa as a result of scrambling over oil resources will be eliminated. References: Anderson C. D Anderson J (2004); Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History. ISBN-10: 0786418729, ISBN -13: 978-0786418725, McFarland Company. pp 6-10 Boschert, S. , (2006); Plug-Ins: The cars that will recharge America. pp 2-7 ISBN-10: 0865715718, ISBN-13: 978-0865715714, New Society Publishers. Gore, A. (2006): An Inconvenient Truth. Retrieved on 24th March 2009 from: http://www. climatecrisis. net/aboutthefilm/. Para 1-3. Paterson, B. N. , (2007). Economic benefits of hybrid cars. Retrieved on 23rd March 2009 from: http://www. helium. com/items/1026111-economic-benefits-of-hybrid-cars, para 3-5. Westbrook M. H, (2001): The Electric Car: Development and Future of Battery, Hybrid and Fuel-Cell Cars. ISBN-10: 0852960131, ISBN-13: 978-0852960134. The Institution of Engineering and Technology. pp 56-61.

Analysis Of Luxury Hotel Emirate Palace

Analysis Of Luxury Hotel Emirate Palace Introduction The Emirate palace is the most luxurious hotel in Abu Dhabi being the second seven star hotel of the world. Construction of the hotel is done with the maximum possible standards of comfort and luxury. It is built in 1000 hectares of beautiful landscapes. Infrastructure of the hotel is highly commendable with all the facilities. It has 20 different places for culinary delights, vast parking place, 2 helipads, 300 rooms, 90 suits, 48 conference rooms, and a huge conference centre. The level of various services provided by the hotel is of very high quality. (Minghetti., 2003) Some of the major services in the hotel industry are the customer services, room services, layout services, quality services etc. These services hold a great importance in the hospitality industry and even more for a hotel like Emirate Palace. Providing good customer services in the hotel industry is the most critical objective to remain competitive and profitable in the long run of the business. Customer service is a very significant facet of the hospitality industry. Customers of hotels need the employees to fulfill their various requirements and thus keep on interacting with them all the time during their stay in the hotel. (Fitzsimmons., 1999) Tourism is an important sector of the UAE and thus the hospitality and tourism industry is flourishing and competitive there. There are a large number of hotels in Abu Dhabi which fulfils all the requirements of location, accommodation and budget of the customers. To gain a competitive edge in the market it is advisable for a hotel to work rigorously for the improvement of the customer services. Providing exceptional customer service is a very critical issue for the hospitality industry. Customers of hotels expect a good level of service from the hotel employees and if not provided than they may often feel dissatisfied but if they are given better service than the expectations they can be made feel special and important for the hotel and can make sure that during the next visit in the city they will stay in the same hotel. The main objective of good customer service is bringing the customers back. This can be done if the level of service provided to the customer is good enough to sat isfy him so that he should a spread a positive feedback about the hotel that will attract more customers to the hotel. The main focus of customer services is the customer satisfaction to gain retention by making strong and long term relations. (Dominici., 2010) Following figure show the service blueprint of a luxury hotel: Mission and Vision of Emirate Palace The mission of the hotel is to provide clients the most exclusive and unique experiences. The strategic vision of the Emirate Palace is to serve as a worlds most luxurious hotel and leisure destination and to lead the industry. Another vision of the hotel is to contribute in making Abu Dhabi the centre of cultural activities of the Middle East and Emirate Palace a milestone in the country which can host any prestigious sporting event in Abu Dhabi. Customer Services in Emirate Palace Following are the main customer services offered in the Emirate Palace: Hotel Reservations Emirate Palace has a very nice facility to make reservations in the hotel. It has an online reservation portal where customer can make advance bookings for their stay in the hotel. Customer can also check the status of availability of rooms on the future dates when he wants to visit the hotel. Many online payment options are available on the website for the convenience of the customer to choose payment option which suits them the most. Reservation portal also gives many offers on the advance booking of rooms. (Dhabi.) Meetings and Conferences The Emirate Palace has 48 conference rooms, a large conference centre, a ballroom with a capacity of 2400 guests, a huge auditorium able to accommodate 1100 seats. These meeting and conference halls are best suitable for a gathering of 1000 people or a private confidential meeting of 10 people. The conference rooms have projectors, LCD screens, microphones, Wi-Fi data system and audio and video conference system preinstalled. (Dhabi.) Guest Relations Emirate Palace used to provide high level of customer service to the guests of the hotels. It is one of the most superior hotels in the world so the list of the hotel guests is also very exclusive. After getting pampered with the world class customer service the customers are welcomed to provide an honest feedback about their stay in the hotel. This feedback is helpful in maintaining long term relationship with the customers. (Dhabi.) Membership The hotel provides the facility of membership with the group. This membership facility is very useful in case of urgent bookings in the hotel. Members of the hotel are the customers who used to visit the hotel more often. This facility is the benefit of the long term relationship between the hotel and its customers. The members of the hotel are given priority in case of unavailability of enough vacancies in the hotel. Comments/Suggestions Collecting feedback from the customers is a critical issue for providing the best customer services in the industry. Words from the customers are very important for the hotel. These feedbacks are used to improve the quality of service if needed. Transit Visas for UAE UAE is the main place of attraction for the tourists all around the globe. Tourism is an important industry in the UAE and people used to visit UAE both for work and fun. The hotel helps its customers to provide transit visas for the UAE during their stay in the country. Acquiring visas is the most time consuming task for a visit in a foreign country. This herculean task is made easy for the customers by the Emirate Palace by providing them the transit visas for the UAE. The Emirate Palace get transit visas of 14 days issued for the customers within 7 working days. (Transit Visas for the United Arab Emirates) Events Calendar Schedule of the coming events in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Emirate Palace is available on the website of the hotel. This information can be very helpful for the customers of the hotel to make reservation accordingly if they want to attend a certain event in the hotel. The event calendar is used for getting information about the latest events going to be held at the hotel. (Dhabi.) IT Butler Service Till now the Emirate Palace used to provide a personal butler for every room and suite but now the butler service has taken a step ahead and the hotel is providing an IT butler for private consultation. This IT butler service is 247 facilities for IT assistance and support of the customer. Emirate Palace is used to host many conferences and workshops for many IT companies. Online Printing In case a customer needs printed copy of some of his document then he does not have to go to a printer to get his document printed. The Emirate Palace provides the service of online printing. The customer has to upload the electronic copy of the document on the web portal of the hotel and order it for printing. Nominal charges are applicable on printing of documents. This service adds value to the customer services provided by the hotel. (Dhabi.) Leisure Healthcare The hotel has unlimited leisure and recreational facilities available. The hotel has health spa, fitness suites, energy zone, tennis and paddle programs for health and fitness of the customers. Many water sports activities are facilitated by the hotel where the customers can enjoy the thrill of the open sea. Sarab Land is a children playground well equipped with slides and swings and many child activities organized by the beach club. (Dhabi.) Analysis of Customer Service Operations in Emirate Palace Service operation management is all bout the process by which organization produce services which are useful for the customer. Operation management takes care of managing the process of production of services. The process of transformation of input resources in the output of services is called an operation. (JPC Media LLC ) The operation process of transforming inputs into outputs certainly adds some value (apart from the cost of input) to the final product or service which is called the value added to the service. The Emirate Palace provides a very high level of service to its customer. This level of service can be produced only if the organization incorporates a service operation management which keeps a watch on the process of production of services. Various customer services in the Emirate Palace are discussed above and here these services are being analyzed on the framework of service operation management. (JPC Media LLC ) Hotel Reservation In the Emirate Palace the hotel reservation system is a customer service. In the operation of this service the inputs given are the web portal for the reservation system where the queries for the availability of rooms on are asked, and information (like number of rooms, number of guests, adults or children, date of reservation) from the customer is also required. Another input is the payment options for the advance booking. The transformation process of this service includes the changes in the database of the hotel reservation system. The database provides the results of the queries made by customer regarding the vacancy of room on the given date. The process of reservation also includes the transaction of amount for the reservation made in the hotel. Output from the transformation process is the customer service for making advance reservations in the hotel. The process provides information about the availability of rooms or suites on the particular date when customer wants it. The process also provides the information about all the types of rooms and suites in the hotel, their specifications, facilities in the rooms, and charges of the rooms. Using this information customer can choose the type of room and services they need. After making the payments for the reservation customer can get his room booked in the hotel on the desired date. (JPC Media LLC ) Meetings Conferences The Emirate Palace is one of the best venues for government conference and summits. Meetings and conferences of many multinational companies are arranged at the conference rooms and auditorium of the hotel. The input in the operation of this facility are the space of the meeting rooms, gadgets like the LCDs, microphones, projectors, other services like, Wi-Fi internet, audio or video conferencing systems. These additional services act as input of this customer service. Another input is the piece of information provided by the customer about his requirements of the meeting or conference rooms. Transformation process of the above input gadgets and services into the desired output of the service include a few steps. Conference rooms or auditorium are booked for various purposes. So first of all the requirements of the customer are studied and an estimation of the budget is given to the customer. If the customer needs any changes then the budget is revised otherwise next step that is installation of the extra facilities like Wi-Fi, projectors, LCDs are done in conference rooms and the rooms are ready and well furnished for the meetings going to held there. Successful business meetings and government conferences and summits without any disturbance or interrupt due to some missing equipment or service are the output of this service operation. Satisfied customer is the intangible and most important outcome from the operation. (JPC Media LLC ) Guest Relations Emirate Palace is one of the few hotels which provide seven star facilities to its customers. So the list of guests of the hotel becomes very exclusive as many government official, Hollywood stars, and sports star used to visit the hotel. The input in the service operation is the guests and the employees of the hotel. The process of the operation involves the interaction between the customers and the employees of the hotel. Guests used to keep on communicating with the hotel staff during all the hours of the day and the response of the staff plays a crucial role in the process of transforming inputs in the desired output. The hotel staff is well trained in the field of hospitality and fulfills all the needs of the guests of the hotel. The output of this service operation is the long term relationship with the customers. A happy guest with the facilities of the hotel will give a positive feedback of the customer services of the hotel. Apart from the positive feedback another important output will be the next stay of the guest in the hotel. Managing healthy and long term relations with the guests is important in the retention of the customers. (JPC Media LLC ) Transit Visas for UAE Emirate Palace helps its customers in getting the temporary tourist visas of the UAE. Input for the service operation is the customers documents, and charges of the visa. These are the requirements for getting the transit visa for UAE for the customers of Emirate Palace. The process of the service operation involves many steps as it has to go through a government protocol which is a bit time consuming but less than what it takes to get a transit visa directly from UAE embassy. Processing of the visa application takes at least 7 working days. The issuance of visas is under control of the Immigration department of Abu Dhabi. Transit visa valid for 14 days from the day of arrival in UAE is the output of the transformation process. A scanned copy on the mail of the customer is sent as soon as the visa is approved. The customer can receive the original copy of the visa from the Immigration office at the UAE airport. (Transit Visas for the United Arab Emirates) IT Butler Service Personal butler service for each room is being provided by many hotels and is not enough for the Emirate Palace so has decided providing a perfect hospitality service according to day todays requirements of the customers. Input in this service is the employee of the hotel who is well trained in the hospitality business and in IT skills as well. The process of service operation is the training of the staff for the role of IT butler. They are trained to solve IT related problems of the customers. Solution of the IT issues of the customers is the output of the operation. The IT butler helps the customers in setting up their office network, companys VPN, or any handy issue with some technical tool or application. The IT butler is available 247 for the service of the customers. Analysis of Supply Chain Management Precisely speaking Supply Chain Management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced at the right quantity, to the right location and at the right time, minimizing the cost and improving the service quality. This definition of Supply Chain Management depicts that each and every facility plays an important role in making the product according to customers requirement. The supply chain in the hotel industry is used to provide the best service in the industry to the customers. The Supply chain of the Emirate Palace is designed with a certain objective of each link in the chain. Designing the right service for the customer with flexibility should be delivered to the customer in appropriate quantity, at the right time when he customer really needs it should be provided at the minimal cost. (Supply Chain Management) In the Emirate Palace various decisions are made at times at different levels of management for the advancement in the customer services. Long term decisions are made at the strategic level. Issues like ambience of the rooms and suites, type of customer services etc are decided at the strategic level. Decisions regarding the customer services like what services to provide, how to provide, what should be cost of a particular service etc are taken at this level. Medium term decisions like the menu of the week, theme of a particular party, other offer on services, duty of the hotel staff etc are taken at this level of the chain. The operational level is to take day to day decisions like the attire of the staff, celebrity guest of the day etc. There is a very thin line between the functions of tactical and operational level. Inventory management and Customer service hold a trade off with each other. If the hotel staff start being very rigid with their inventory management system then they will not be able to provide the level of customer service they are providing currently. The Emirate Palace provides a very high level of customer services which will not be possible if the hotel management is more concerned about the stocks in the inventory rather than the customer satisfaction. (Supply Chain Management) Electronic Operations at Emirate Palace The Emirate Palace provides many services to the customer. These services are the measure of customer satisfaction with the hotel. The hotel Management use to manage most of their tasks using technologically advanced resources these operations are also called electronic operations. The major electronic operations of the hotel are the following: (Minghetti., 2003) Reservation System The Reservation System of the hotel is completely web based. A web portal is provided for the customers to check the availability of rooms on particular dates and make reservations if available. There the customers can also look at the images of the different types of rooms and suites of the hotel and choose one of them for their stay in the hotel. Payments are also done online via credit card and many other payment options. The payment link is provided extra web security for security reasons of the customers. Overall the reservation system of the Emirate Palace is a value added service operation of the hotel. Online Printing There is another facility of online printing provided for the customers of the hotel. This facility can be availed by a customer if he has a meeting early in the morning and he needs hard copies of some of his documents of which he has electronic copy. Customer can go to the website of the hotel and click on the link of online printing. Now he can upload the soft copy of his document and order it for printing. The print outs cost nominal printing charges. (Transit Visas for the United Arab Emirates) ATMs The electronic operations of the Emirate Palace include all the electronic services provided by the hotel. There are three ATM machines in the hotel from where customers can make transactions in case if they need cash amount. Internet Facility The Emirate Palace also provides internet facilities to the customers. All the rooms and suites have a Wi-Fi internet connection of 20 mbps. This complementary line is spread in all parts of the hotel. On special demand of the customers a broad line of 80 mbps Wi-Fi internet connection is provided which has additional charges. SWOT Analysis of the Emirate Palace Strengths Exclusive service and features and high brand value. Patronage of the high profile clients thus maintained profits. Weaknesses Extremely heavy cost of rooms so 50% rooms vacant every year. Exclusive and the quality service cost very high. Opportunities Reduction in prices may attract more guests. Threats Another 5 star hotel Burj-Al-Arab is a major competitor. Profits might get reduced because of the global economic melt down. Business Process Map of the Emirate Palace Business process mapping is a methodology to improve the performance and efficiency of the organization by improving the process steps in the delivery of product or service. The business process of the delivery of customer services in the Emirate Palace is depicted in the figure below: (Business Process Modeling) Customer Order for Service Apologize for delay and ask for time. Deliver Service to customer Update Service customer Database Database Service booked for the customer Yes Forward order to Inventory Management No Check time to make available Available? Processing order Check Availability The notations of the various figures are different in the above flow chart of the business process of the. Decision point Activities Actions Events Service Quality Management Quality of the service is the ability of satisfying customer needs and meets his expectations consistently. It is the duty of the hotel staff and employees to provide the level of service which is up to the mark or even better than their expectations. The Emirate Palace is a seven star hotel so the quantity of customer service will be obviously large. But the quality of service they provide should be tested on various dimensions. (Dominici., 2010) Dimensions of Quality The dimensions of quality are: Performance: The services provided by the hotel are very exclusive. The innovation tem of the hotel has worked hard to provide the customers with the unique customer services. Aesthetics: Customer services provided by the Emirate Palace are very lucrative and well designed. The reservation system of the hotel is very user friendly i.e. any newbie can use the portal and book a room for him. Special Features: Each and every customer service of the Emirate Palace has certain unique and special feature in it. Like most seven star hotels provide a private butler for every room and suites. But the Emirate Palace is providing a private IT butler for every room and suite. The job of this butler will be to help the customers with the IT related problems. Conformance: All the customer services of the Emirate Palace are up to the mark of the expectations of the customer. Reliability: The consistent performance of certain customer services in the Emirate Palace is doubtful. Like the IT butler service. (Dominici., 2010) Durability: The services offered by the hotel seem to have a long useful life. All the services provided to the customers today will be also are needed by the future customers of the hotel. The following figure shows the Gap Model of the Service Quality Total Cost of Quality Failure Cost: This cost of quality is the cost of defective and faulty parts of service. The failure cost of quality of the customer services will be high for the hotel. This cost is further classified in two types: Internal Failure Cost: This is he cost when the fault in the service is detected before the launch of the service. Some employees of the hotel must have gone under training of IT skills for doing the job of IT butler. External Failure Cost: All the cost incurred to determine and repair the fault of the service which is detected after it is offered to the customer. Appraisal Cost: This is the cost paid to ensure that the quality of service is maintained during the use of it. Like the cost of maintenance of the database of the hotel reservation system because if the database or the system crashes then one of the most important customer service of the hotel will be finished. Prevention Cost: This cost is paid for the training planning of total quality, customer satisfaction, and quality improvement costs so that defect can be prevented. A separate team of innovation and customer service is always working for the improvement in the current services and remove the faults if any. The Emirate Palace has received the Environment Management System ISO 14001: 2004 Certification of Hospitality Services. Recommendations Suggestions The Emirate Palace provides a wide range of customer services to its guests. Most of these services are value added and costs pretty high for the hotel. The reservation system of the hotel is a wonderful customer services but there are some improvements required in the system so that it can be more valuable for the customers. Reservations made on the web portal cannot be withdrawn later if the customer has any case of urgency. Full amount of the payment is forfeited by the hotel. If a customer has booked a room advance in 1 month but on the day of reservation he got stuck with some important work than the instead of forfeiting the whole amount a particular percentage of the payment should be deducted and the rest should be transferred back. The process of providing transit visas of the UAE is a bit time consuming so the hotel management must try to reduce the time taken in the process. Conclusions The Emirate Palace is one of the worlds few seven star hotels providing excellent level of customer services. These customer services are produced by passing through various processes of service development. Operation management, process design, service supply chain strategies, and service quality management. All these frameworks and tools are helpful for the improvement of services. Developing a service involves 3 phase of giving input, process transformation, and obtaining output. Each service is the output if this process. This objective behind these high levels of services is customer satisfaction. In the hospitality industry the guests should be treated to make hem feel special. Every customer has a certain level of expectations from the service provider and if the service provided does not live up to the expectations of the customer then the customer will never come back to buy the service again. But a satisfied customer is always necessary for spreading the word of mouth about the quality of service of the business. So an organization must always vigorously strive to provide customer services to the guests so that they get satisfied and give a positive feedback of the organization.

Gothic and Romanesque Cathedrals Essay -- Architecture History Essays

Gothic and Romanesque Cathedrals The Romanesque style transformed into the Gothic style during the Middle Ages. This happened for many reasons. The Romanesque period was a time of trial and error while the Gothic period was a time of advancements in inventions. Religion was an important factor in the shift between Romanesque and Gothic. The locations of the two types of cathedrals also contributed toward the change between Romanesque and Gothic, as well as the power of the relics and the community to raise funds for the Gothic cathedrals. There are several reasons the architecture of the cathedral changed from Romanesque to Gothic in the Middle Ages. The Romanesque period lasted from 1000 to 1200 AD. Today's France was the center of Romanesque architecture and the birthplace of one of the most beutiful features of medieval architecture, the ambulatory with radiating chapels. "Romanesque is the name we give to christian architecture in Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to about the close of the twelfth century. It is the architecture of a long period of struggle, suffering, and invenion leading to two centuries of glorious achievement." There are many reasons that the Romanesque cathedrals were built. They were built not only as a place of worship, but also to house the shrines of the relics brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusades. The remains of saints and martyrs attracted thousands of pilgrims seeking pardon from sins or miraculous cures or wished simply to pay homage to a favorite saint. The Romanesque period was an age of new and experimental architecture. One advancement in construction was the shift to all-stone structure that replaced the timber ceilings that caused many churches to burn down. One experimental architectural style was the use of stone barrel and groined vaults in the early Romanesque church. The stone vaulting let the architects build on a larger scale than before. The Gothic style emerged out of architectual style of the Romanesque cathedrals. The Gothic style started in northern France and spread throughout medieval Europe. The two styles of architecture were similar in many ways but also "The difference between Gothic and Romanesque architecture is the spiritual approach. In Romanesque,the emphasis was on transcendental and feudalistic systems whereas in the Gothic this approach was humanized and... ...le. They were successful at accomplishing this that not only did the cathedral serve its purpose of providing church services for the people, but also began to symbolize a commanding position in the lives of men and women. In conclusion, the Romanesque period of architecture transformed into the Gothic period of architecture for amny reasons. The shift occurred because of the inventions that the Gothic architects created, the locations of the two different styles of architecture, the raising of money for the cathedrals, and the competitiveness between the communities to havea better, bigger cathedral. Works Cited: Brooks, Chris.The Gothic Revival. London:Phaidon Press Ltd.,1999. Erlande, Alain. The Cathedral:The Social andArchitectual Dynamics of construction.New York:Cambridge University press,1994. Simson von,Otto. The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval Concept of Order. Princeton:Princeton University press,1988. Cathedrals. Kristen Schank. 5 dec. 1995. http://www5.palmnet.net/eschank/cathedral.html Gothic Architecture in England:The cathedrals. Amy Johansen. 9 may 1999. http://members.tripod.com/gothic_architecture/index.html

Marketing Mix of Nesquik Essay

I choose the product Nestle Nesquik because I am constantly buying Nestle Nesquik powdered milk drink. I get the chocolate and the strawberry flavors. My son will not drink milk at all, but if I put the strawberry or chocolate powder in it, he drinks it all day long. Marketing mix is the four ps. The four P’s are product, price, place, and promotion. Product can be described as any kind of service or good created by a company. It also includes the guarantees, branding, creation, packaging, and design of a product (Editorial Board, 2012). Pricing can be defined by how much money people will pay for the product. It is also about the discounts that are for the product. Place is how the product is transported and stored and how it is distributed, so that it can make it to the buyers hands. Promotion has to deal with how the company gets their product exposed to the people. They use media, sales and commercial advertising (Editorial Board, 2012). Nestle Nesquik product is powder flavoring that you add to milk to make it strawberry, or chocolate milk. Its brand logo is a Nestle Nesquik bunny. They created it so that kids will drink milk and it will be healthier than the other syrups out there. It is packaged in an oval shaped yellow container. It has the Nestle Nesquik bunny on it and has Nestle Nesquik written on it. They guarantee that it has 25% less sugar then the leading brand and that it has no artificial sweeteners. Nestle Nesquik isn’t just good tasting and good for my son, it also is cheap in price. It is only $4. 98 for a 21. 8 oz. container. They also have coupons that you can use that if you buy two Nestle Nesquik products you get a dollar off. I know other moms who get this product because it’s the only way they get their child to drink milk and it’s so inexpensive. Nestle Nesquik never changes their price, and it’s because they don’t need to, because so many people buy it. Nestle Nesquik has their products at Wal-Mart because that is where so many people do their grocery shopping at so it is the perfect place to have it at. You can also order it online too and because it is a powder it doesn’t go bad when it’s getting mailed to you. Nestle Nesquik has a commercial where a mom is talking to you telling you how it’s important for kids to drink milk but she just can’t get her kid to drink it. Then another mom comes in and shows her Nestle Nesquik chocolate powder mix, and says I put Nestle Nesquik in my kids drink and she drinks it nonstop! Then the other mom says wow that’s great thanks Nestle Nesquik! Then before it’s over its shows a bunch of kids with chocolate milk saying I love milk now thanks to Nesquik! They also advertise on their container the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. It says â€Å"where’s the bunny? It says the Nesquik bunny is missing and you have to be a hero like Agent P and find the bunny. Doing this gets kids to see it, especially because it is on the bottom shelf, and they beg their parents for the Agent P stuff. Each of the four p’s, price, product, place, and promotion, are very important when marketing Nestle Nesquik because you have to figure out your price that people will pay because if it’s too much no one will buy it and if it’s too low you won’t make any profits. You have to figure out the place that is the best to have it so that people will buy it when they shop. If you put it at, say a gas station, then people probably won’t buy it. If you put it at Wal-Mart though then it will get bought. When it comes to promotion, you have to do something that will grab their attention. Doing commercials get the parents to see the product, and then they get it to try it for their kids. Doing the Phineas and Ferb advertising gets the kids to see it and then they want it so the parents get it for their kids. As for the product part of the four P’s, it is important because you have to have a product in order to sell a product.

The Many Uses of John

The Many Uses of John The Many Uses of John The Many Uses of John By Maeve Maddox Although male names like Aiden, Jayden, and Santiago lead in popularity among various ethnic and social groups in the U.S., the name John comes only after James as the most popular in the total population according to 1990 census figures. The long-standing popularity of John has spawned numerous expressions in English, not all of them likely to please bearers of the name. Because the name is so common, it has served as a generic appellation for any man, rather like Mac, Jack, and Joe, as in Hey, Mac! Got a light?, Every man jack of them (meaning every single man), and G.I. Joe (any man serving in the military). In the days of the great English manors (think, Downton Abbey), â€Å"John† or â€Å"John Thomas† was used to refer to a man of the servant class such as a footman, butler, or waiter. In time, â€Å"John Thomas† became a euphemism for penis. Another word for the same male body part is â€Å"Johnson.† An anglicized version of French gendarme gave â€Å"johndarm† or â€Å"john,† a slang word for a policeman. â€Å"John Doe† originated in English law as a fictitious name to describe one of the people in person a certain type of litigation. The name has come to be used to refer to an ordinary or typical citizen. A 1941 Frank Capra movie starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, Meet John Doe, focuses on the suffering of homeless and unemployed U.S. citizens. Viewers of police dramas know that â€Å"John Doe† is often used to refer to a corpse whose identity is unknown. A female victim is called a â€Å"Jane Doe.† The word john to refer to a W.C. or toilet may derive from the name of its inventor, Sir John Harington/Harrington (1561-1612), a member of Queen Elizabeth I’s court. The use of john to refer to a prostitute’s client may have something to do with one of the meanings of â€Å"John Thomas.† The word john also occurs in a few noun compounds. A demijohn is a large bottle usually encased in wicker, like a bottle of Chianti, only much bigger. The wicker casing has one or two handles to make the bottle easier to carry. A John boat is a small, flat-bottomed boat used on inland waterways in the U.S. It is also spelled jon boat. A johnny cake in the U.S. is a cake made of cornmeal and toasted before a fire. In Australia, a johnny cake is made of wheat meal and baked on the ashes or fried in a pan. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives50 Nautical Terms in General UseHow Do You Fare?