Operations Management Theory: Reconciling Capacity and Demand Essay

Question 3: Draw on appropriate Operations Management theory, concepts and frameworks to examine how your organization, or an organization with which you are familiar, reconciles capacity and demand. Information technology services industry is a highly competitive cost based operation sector where availability of resources, tangible and intangible is key to successful projects. This makes a significant challenge to accurately reconcile capacity and demand. OpenText is a leader in providing enterprise content management solutions and we will analyse consulting services provided in the European market along with effect on demand with today’s changing economic environment. Slack et al (2009, p.248) defines relationship between capacity and demand as: "Capacity is the output that an operation (or single process) can deliver in a defined unit of time. Demand is the quantity of products and services that customers request from an operation or process at any point in time". Managing capacity is an on-going effort in the industry by reducing cost through repeat business from existing customer and by engaging new potential customers; This while managing customer expectations and ensuring quality of service. Customer engagement and service delivery are key to OpenText’s economic competiveness in the market. Employee development and attracting highly skilled individuals to the organisation are essential in delivering quality service. When considering potential projects, OpenText need to know the resource availability to perform the tasks. This demand for resources is weighted against who is available (capacity) to determine if additional resources are required to meet the demand and if required what types of resources are needed... ...ly uncertainty. IIE Transactions 34 717-728. Slack, N., Chambers, S., Johnston, R., Betts, A.,(2009). Operations and process management: Second edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited Roth, A.V. and Velde ,M V D.(1991), â€Å"Operations As Marketing : A Competitive Service Strategy†, Journal of Operations Management ,Vol. 10 ,No. 3,pp 303-328 Chiang, W. K. and Feng, Y. (2007). The value of information sharing in the presence of supply uncertainty and demand volatility. International Journal of Production Research, 45 (6), 1429-1447. Hum,Sin Hoon (2000), â€Å"A Hayes-Wheelwright framework approach for strategic management of thrid party logistics services†,Integrated Manufacturing Systems,Vol .11/2,pp 132-137 Buxey,G.(1993). Production planning and scheduling for seasonal demand. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 13(7),4-21.

Babysitting for Sociology

Over the past seven years I have come to learn many different things about myself and about children due to babysitting. I first started babysitting when I was a about eleven years of age. I started off by watching my younger brothers when my parents went out at night. That affected my biological rhythm (274). My body was used to going to sleep around nine o’clock since I was still young, but I had to force myself to stay up so I could watch over my brothers while they slept. I sometimes found myself staying up till about midnight! Since I was so tired from staying up it seemed to have an affect on my sleeping also.It seemed like I would have more dreams that I could vividly remember the next morning (280). The next couple of nights after I babysat, it seemed like by body was on REM rebound due to the stages of REM sleep I would miss (276). Now that I am older I have trained my body to be able to stay awake and not feel like I had sleep derivation the next day (280). During th e duration of training my body to stay awake late, I learned a few things the hard way. I first thought that if I drank a lot of caffeine I would be able to stay awake longer and easier.Well that thought nearly ruined me! It wasn’t soon after I started relying on caffeine that my body became tolerant to it, and it seemed like I couldn’t go sleep without it or wake up without it (297)! At first it seemed like I was going through a withdrawal period (297). My body was craving the caffeine so badly that I felt sick without it. From that experience I have learned that doing homework or talking on the phone helps me stay awake while I am waiting on the children’s parents to get home. I am lucky that I have only suffered from addiction to caffeine and not drugs.A friend of mine became addicted to cocaine due to having to stay awake late for school. When she took that drug she said it made her feel like she could stay awake forever. To stay awake that is what a person wants to feel. Cocaine addiction is a fast track from euphoria to crash (301). Through my many years of experience in babysitting I have learned that most children fall under the category of associative learning. Associative learning is learning that certain events occur together (315). For example with most children after everything they do there is some sort of consequence.Younger kids have a tendency to get into things that they shouldn’t. Therefore, after they get into something that is off limits, they get in trouble. After watching kids fall under that category I also realized that many adults fall under it also. It seems like after every action there is a consequence. Here are some examples of kids actions and the responses they get. When a kid eats or drinks, automatically they have to use pee or poop afterwards. That is an example of unconditioned response (317). The substance the kid puts in their mouth is the unconditioned stimulus (317).A kid has to use the restro om soon after they eat because they haven’t quite learned how to control their urges. That is why they sometimes also go the bathroom in their pants. I learned a lot about babysitting through observational learning. Observational learning is observing and intimating others (341). When I was younger and I was unable to baby sit, a close family friend used to come over and watch my brothers and I. I learned a lot of from her. I learned many games from her that I now play with the kids I baby-sit. That comes in handy when I try to keep all of the kids occupied.Another thing that I learned from her that comes in handy when babysitting is patience. Patience plays a very big role. Kids repeat things over and over again, in other words they don’t know when to quit. That turns into getting on my nerves a lot. I have learned not to let it bother me as much. I have taught myself to take a deep breath when that happens and try to get the kids minds on something else. There are tw o different kinds of reinforcement I use with the kids while I baby-sit. They are positive and negative reinforcement (329).I use positive reinforcement when the kids do something that is good. For example, if they clean off their plates after they eat and get everything ready for bed, I will give them a good night treat. If the kids do something bad or if they go against what I tell them to do, I use negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement may be they do not get a good night treat, they have to go to bed a half an hour early, or I may even give a bad report to their parents. I only give a bad report to the parents if they didn’t listen to me at all, or if they continued to back talk me.I find a lot that latent learning occurs a lot with the kids also (334). While I am baby-sitting I try to teach the kids something new every time. Sometimes they pick it right up other times it takes a while. For example, I try to teach the kids to always wash their hands before and aft er they eat. I teach them by making a point to let them know what I am doing when I wash my hands. Soon after, I will catch one of the kids trying to reach the facet to turn it on so they can wash their hands. When it comes to the kids memory, its not very long.It seems like to me that kids only remember things if they really want it. Other than that, they have short term memory. Short term memory is when you learn something but shortly afterwards you forget what it is (362). For example, when I am helping the kids clean up their room I try to tell them where stuff goes so that they can do it on their own. Well every time it comes to clean up time, they don’t remember where anything goes. When ever the kids do remember what I have said or taught them, they are retrieving memories from storage. Storage is the heart of memory (361).Through all of my years of baby-sitting and experiences, I have learned many things about myself and about the kids I watch. I am now able to predic t what certain kids are going to do or say at a certain time. I have gotten to know each of their personalities and became familiar with they things they like and the things they don’t like. I am also familiar with the things they know and what things they do not know. Through everything the kids put me through and taught me, I have learned a very important thing about myself. I love working with kids and that is what I hope to do in life regardless of what field it is in.

Essay on Deforestation - 2202 Words

Deforestation is a major global problem with serious consequences to the planet. These consequences have a negative effect on the climate, biodiversity, the atmosphere and threatens the cultural and physical survival of life. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. It has resulted in the reduction of indigenous forests to four-fifths of their pre-agricultural area, so that now indigenous forests cover only 21% of the earths land surface. The world Resources Institute regards deforestation as one of the worlds most pressing land use problem. It is now so bad that every minute an area of forest equal to 20 football fields is lost. Rainforests cover less than†¦show more content†¦Logging tropical hardwoods like teak, mahogany, rosewood and other timber for furniture, building materials, charcoal and other wood products is big business and creates big profits. Several species of tropical hardwoods are imported by developed counties, including America, just to build coffins which are then buried or burned. The demand, extraction and consumption of tropical hardwoods has been so massive that some countries which have been traditional exporters of tropical hardwoods are now importing the wood because they have already exhausted their supply by destroying their native rainforests in slash and burn operations. It is anticipated that The Philippines, Malaysia, The Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Thailand will all run out of rainforest hardwood for export within the next five years. In addition to logging for exportation, rainforest wood stays in developing countries for fuel wood and charcoal. One single steel plant in Brazil making steel for Japanese cars needs millions of tons of wood each year to produce charcoal that can be used in the manufacture of steel. Then there is the paper industry. A pulpwood project in the Brazilian Amazon consists of a Japanese power plant and pulp mill. To set up this single plant operation, 5,600 square miles of Amazon Rainforest was burned to the ground and replantedShow MoreRelatedDeforestation : Deforestation And Deforestation2094 Words   |  9 Pagesto deforestation. The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest and it is the world’s source of oxygen. Deforestation has slowed down years ago, but now, it is starting to increase and does not show that it will slow down. Earth without tree’s, the human race and animals would not be able to survive. Today’s society is not taking deforest ation as a serious matter. If deforestation were to be left alone, the planet and animals would not be the only ones suffering from it. Deforestation isRead MoreDeforestation Is The Real Consequences Of Deforestation1231 Words   |  5 Pageslike without these forests? If the rate of deforestation continues to increase then we may have to find out the answer to that question. Deforestation is a recurring global problem which is the act of tearing down a forest to use the land for a different purpose. Today’s society is so steadfast on advancement that they aren t stepping back to look at the solutions to the problem, alternatives, nor the very real consequences of deforestation. Deforestation could be destroyed in multiple ways. One ofRead MoreDeforestation And Its Effects On Deforestation1505 Words   |  7 Pagesdisappear.† It’s time for the government to take action on deforestation. Rainforests are an important location for indigenous people and animals because that’s where their home belongs. Yet the government and organizations ignore those facts and just demolish their homes in order to gain a new location for productions. It’s a topic that’s constantly debated in politics and society should take a recognition on what’s happening in deforestation. More than half of the world’s rainforests are destroyedRead MoreArticle Review On Deforestation And Deforestation999 Words   |  4 Pagesstate.gov/habitat-loss. The article focuses on the habitat loss due to deforestation. The author talks about the different purpose of deforestation such as agriculture, forestry, or water projects that endangers the species that live in the area. The article is based on information taken from World Wildlife Fund, IUCN, and Red List. The information that the author provides is important and useful to the topic of deforestation. Overall, the article is well written and well researched. MainstreamRead MoreDeforestation And The Global Issue Of Deforestation934 Words   |  4 Pagessocial causes of deforestation are predominantly created by human needs. In turn these causes hinder sustainability. This report states that although it is important to meet the needs of humans, the needs must be satisfied in a sustainably conscious manner. For this to be achieved, direct effects of each human need must be critically analysed and understood. This paper aims to deliver this by identifying particular human actions that contribute to the global issue of deforestation. Furthermore, theRead MoreDeforestation Is Justified By Deforestation1964 Words   |  8 Pagesdioxide, a toxic gas. As deforestation occurs, many forests are being wiped out and replaced with farmland. This leads to the question â€Å"Can Deforestation Be Justified?† For the purpose of this essay, deforestation can be defined as Deforestation is the clearing of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest us. Deforestation can be justified because it provides land for farming and natural resources. On the other hand, deforestation cannot be justified becauseRead MoreThe Deforestation Of The Amazons Deforestation1809 Words   |  8 PagesThe Amazons Deforestation Have your eyes ever set on a barren land where even technology can’t reverse the damage we have caused? We care mostly for the present, but we must never forget to see to the future and in this case the deforestation of the Amazons. â€Å"Deforestation is considered the second largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere† (Song et al. 2). Each day we are wiping out miles of trees from one of our most diverse ecosystems in the planet, and one of our largestRead MoreDeforestation Analysis994 Words   |  4 Pagesprices, conservation policies and deforestation in Colombia, a multiple regression model will be constructed to relate the changes in forest cover (variable pending) by established period of time, tipping points in the policies (independent variable ) and variation in the agricultural prices (control variable) (Assuncao et al., 2015, Reyes-Hernà ¡ndez et al., 2003). The following describes each of the variables to be analyzed in the study: Deforestation Deforestation data will be collected from theRead MoreDeforestation2514 Words   |  11 Pagesproblem which in this case is deforestation explored though the areas interconnectedness with Biodiversity and Conservation Biology as well as the area of Soil and Agriculture. Furthermore the first part contains a relevant environmental awareness and responsibility plan. The second part contains my own â€Å"Statement of Environmental Awareness and Responsibility† DEFORESTATION – a challenge to sustainable environment on Earth By Eric Notulu Mubuka INTRODUCTION Deforestation is commonly defined as:Read MoreDanger of Deforestation2627 Words   |  11 PagesThe Danger of Deforestation(rough draft) By Chenghao Chen ENGL 289 Mrs. Michelle Graf 7/1/2012 It is obvious the importance of the forest vegetation to everyone in the society. However, people in the past ages did a kind of thing that they thought was very meaningful—cutting down the trees. When they recall this history, most of them cannot be restrained from their remorse and guilty to it. Trees or forest are things that not only protect the environment but also help people to live better

Rabbit Proof Fence By Sally Morgan Essay - 1911 Words

My Place by Sally Morgan and Rabbit-Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce successfully portray the isolation, identity and discrimination of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. Although being set in different time periods, both texts explore the effects of the stolen generation on Indigenous Australians and how they fit within society. Sally Morgan characterises herself as an outcast within school symbolising the isolation of Indigenous Australians within society. In contrast with Morgan, Noyce conveys the isolation of Indigenous Australians in a more literal sense by his selection of camera shots. Both texts also cleverly encapsulate aboriginal Identity of the main characters through various methods. Morgan throughout her biography†¦show more content†¦Sally throughout her schooling felt out of place and different from her classmates. Her feelings of exclusion and isolation within her school is symbolic of the exclusion and segregation of Aboriginals in society. Alth ough being set between the 1950s and 1960s the effects of the stolen generation is still apparent as seen in Sally’s primary school experience. Different from My Place, Noyce conveys the isolation of Indigenous Australians during the time of the stolen generation. Within his camera shots there are multiple occasions in which Noyce uses bars as a symbol of the segregation and isolation of Aboriginals. From the beginning of Sally’s education she felt â€Å"terribly out of place† (pg. 217). Although only being young from her first day she â€Å"felt different from the other children in my [her] class† (pg.28). Sally’s feelings of being isolated and an outcast within her class symbolises the feelings of the Indigenous race within society during this period. While everybody else in her class was â€Å"spick-and-span† Sally was â€Å"the grubby offender† which is a representation of how Aboriginals were viewed from the white perspectives (p g.28). Like Morgan, Noyce uses bars to represent not only the literal isolation of Molly, Daisy and Gracie but also the divide that lies between the white race and Indigenous race. When theShow MoreRelatedAustralia and Indigenous People954 Words   |  4 Pagesclimate change and environmental damage, and recognition within local, federal, and international governments and laws (Indigenous People Issues and Resources, 2014). Indigenous Australian Doris Pilkington (Nugi Garimara), author of Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence challenges the myth of Australia being the ‘Lucky Country’. Her book is a powerful example of the mistreatments endured by the Stolen Generations, it acknowledges the experiences of a social group that has been disempowered by systemic culturalRead MoreEducation and Australian Marginalized Groups1101 Words   |  4 Pageslocal, federal, and international governments and laws have pushed the indigenous people away from their loving land (Indigenous People Issues and Resources, 2014). Indigenous Australian Doris Pilkington (Nugi Garimara), author of Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence challenges the myth of Australia being the ‘Lucky Country’. Her book is a powerful example of the mistreatments endured by the Stolen Generations. The book acknowledges the experiences of an Indigenous social group whom has been disempoweredRead MoreBelonging Essay4112 Words   |  17 PagesDickinson, Emily, Selected Poems of Emily Dicksinson Herrick, Steven, The Simple Gift Baillie, Alan, The China Coin Russell, Willy, Educating Rita Cleven,Vivienne et al (eds), Contemporary Indigenous Plays Pung, Alice, Unpolished Gem Noyce, Phillip, Rabbit-Proof Fence Daldry, Stephen, Billy Elliot Making Multicultural Australia, www.multiculturalaustralia.edu.au It is also suggested you choose 3-4 related texts as you will have more to discuss. You do not have to read a full book; a story from an anthology

Advertising Old Spice Opens With Isaiah Mustafa - 944 Words

The commercial â€Å"Questions† advertising Old Spice opens with Isaiah Mustafa also known as the man your man can smell like in nothing but a towel. He starts by addressing the women of the world with a suggestive â€Å"hello ladies† and continuing to further question women on what they want in a man. It then uses the power of rhetorical strategies such as ethos and pathos, with humor and gender stereotypes to connect with the target audience and convince them Old Spice is the product for them. The narrator initially addresses women appealing to their desire to make their man more attractive, while targeting men who want to be more attractive to women. Old Spice commercials offer little logic or statistics to back their product, however their use of sex appeal and humor play into peoples emotions perhaps making them feel insecure which has proven to be highly effective in selling this brand. As the commercial asks, â€Å"so ladies should your man smell like an Old Spice man?† Well who wouldn’t want an adventurous guy that seems to be the perfect man? The use of ethos to establish a strong character in this commercial is overwhelming; Isaiah himself is a former NFL player (Mustafa). Mustafa has defining attributes like chiseled abs and broad shoulders; he has a deep voice and a bearded face helping him to truly embody the image of a real masculine man. He is both physically fit and attractive embodying the image every man strives to be by establishing himself as a perfect man he has madeShow MoreRelatedMarketing Analysis : Old Spice Commercial Essay1150 Words   |  5 Pagesmade by Old Spice in a commercial selling their line of body washes for men. It will break down each claim and the support behind those claims as well as the warrants and assumptions tied to both. It will consider each of Aristotle’s three appeals individually and consider Old Spi ces intentions and use of each in the advertisement in question. Lastly, it will observe for potential logical fallacies with consideration to the implications this ad has towards consumerism. Old Spice CommercialRead MorePropaganda, Propaganda And Propaganda1045 Words   |  5 Pagesadvertisement. In this assignment I compared two advertisements and the propaganda techniques they use. The advertisements that I compared was Old Spice and Axe Anarchy. The first ad I chose is The Axe Anarchy, Unleash The Chaos, campaign. The campaign was developed at Bartle Bogle Hegarty by executive creative director Nick Gill. Bartle Bogle Hegarty is a British advertising agency, founded in 1982 by John Bartle, Nigel Bogle, and Sir John Hegarty. In this ad, the background appears to be a city scape duringRead MoreBusiness: Axe Commercial Research Essays1132 Words   |  5 Pagesthe best photos are being broadcast on electronic billboards in Times Square (time.com). The Commercial and it overviews The Axe 2014 commercial advertisement which named â€Å"Make Love, not War† was shot in Bangkok was developed by British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (time.com). It is believed that a huge number of people watched this advertisement during the commercial time of Super Bowl 2014 which is a big event for Americans. Besides that, the official one minute and one secondRead MoreHow Social Networking Has Turned Into A Lifestyle For The Individuals Essay2044 Words   |  9 Pagessocial networking locales, Bharat understudy and My Space have barely any inclination with just 1.7% of the respondents consenting to utilize it regularly. In this manner the acceptable champ is Facebook, which has pulled in young person not just to open their records on Facebook, additionally invest a decent measure of time on Facebook habitually. A couple of years back the locales like Orkut and Twitter, which were extremely well known, appear to have missed out over the long haul to FacebookRead MoreA Debate on Brand Viability3055 Words   |  12 Pages 2012). Some products or services that people use become a tradition something that they always buy when celebrating or the one person they rely on to make things right. There is the tailor who fits all the suits of the men in the family young and old who is so special to the family (almost, it seems, like a family member) that they wouldnt consider taking their alterations or new attire to anyone else. Interestingly, Channel No. 5 is that kind of legendary product. Hingston wrote that Channel No

Revenue Management Hospitality Industry

Question: Discuss about the case study Revenue Management for Hospitality Industry. Answer: Introduction Revenue management for the Hospitality Industry should be inimitable part of the study and is an area best studied by those with a concrete understanding of how services and products are sold in the thrilling hospitality industry (Kimes Wirtz, 2016). As it indeed to develop, the management of revenue will certainly develop more of its own principles, theories and practices. Therefore, the revenue managers need to know information and a basic understanding about why and how consumers use scarce financial resources to make purchasing decisions. There are several fundamental approach such as supply, pricing, demand, consumer rationality are conventional topics for revenue managers and for this reason, this report will discuss several economic concepts, giving more prominence on the sensitive relationship between premeditated pricing, and an efficient management of the revenue. Based on the above concepts of revenue management, the revenue manager of Novotel Sydney on Darling harbor will present a report to the hotel general manager that recommends a revenue managements strategy for the financial year 2016-2017. The critical considerations would be the analysis of market segmentation, the competitive aspects, forecasting of demand and lastly, the global distribution channel analysis. The purpose of this report is to understand how hospitality industry determines prices and how their consumers recognize prices. Thus, the fundamental understanding of principles and concepts of revenue management will be discussed and analyzed throughout this assignment to develop the appropriate strategies for the Novotel Sydney. The report will address changes in the companys business practices and attempts to demystify the management of revenue as an uncommon business practice. Analysis of market segmentation: Business details: Being the part of almost four hundred hotels around the world, Novotel is perfect for family vacations and weekends away. Novotel Sydney is engaged in high profile hotel business operations with background of the beautiful views of Darling Harbour and the Sydney city skyline. This is the perfect destination for delivering the spacious accommodation ad newly transformed concept bar and restaurant (Ovchinnikov et al. 2013). This hotel itself is situated in the heart of Darling Harbour which is within walking distance to many of best attractions of Sydney. On the other hand, the location of the hotel has great transportation facilities. This premium hotel destination is known for its luxurious 4.5 star accommodation facilities. In addition to stunning views, the hotel provides a gym, pool and floodlit tennis court. Incorporating all this services, Novotel Sydney offers the most feature-rich Smartphone application in the Australias hospitality industry. With providing all this exposures, Novotel Sydney has recognized as one of the best restaurants in Sydney. Large portion of the success is superior human resource management services as they ensured that their customers felt welcome. Environmental analysis: Political factors: Novotel is one of the hotels in the Accor group (Novoteldarlingharbour.com.au, 2016). In globalized environment, Novotel Sydney hospitality service provider is widely affected by the legislative and political conditions of Australia. The major political factors that could affect Novotel Sydney are the danger of terrorism, the political climate and the danger of the terrorism. On the other hand, legislations have the important effect on the structure of the Novotel as the regulation is imposed at the state level; the business effects due to the structure of the industry can vary considerably across jurisdiction. Economic factors: Presently, hotels of Australia collectively employ around 300000 people in over 6000 hotels and successfully generate between $11 billion and $14 billion per year in domestic financial activity (Butler et al. 2013). Thus, the hospitality industry has the capacity to grow and contribute more to the national economy. Novotel Sydney has followed the right policy framework and considered to be a large contributor of the market. Tourism Australias long term strategy has identified a need for new investment in infrastructure, including hotel accommodation, in order to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the rising economies of Asia. Social factors: Novotel Sydney has followed the collaborative framework of Australia Hotel Association and the government of Australia. This has ensured that the hotel has maintained a fair and equitable workplace relations that helps to make a better accommodations at the 24/7 culture of this industry (Novoteldarlingharbour.com.au, 2016). The simple and fair social dealing or accessibility makes easy to employ overseas workers by Novotel Sydney. Current situation indicates that Novotel provide good service for customer by using seven language through the online, maps also adding value to booking experience due to the reason of the varies of the social changes (Vulcano Weil, 2014). Due to demographic demands and changes of the ageing population, the company believes an equal exposure at the heart of the strategy of Novotel. Technological factors: To hold the maximum customer satisfaction of this hospitality industry of Australia, Novotel Sydney has used several technologies including the development of the hotel booking and design of websites, updating system and electronic media card and many other cases. Trend Analyses: The premium hotel industry has grown over the last five years. This industry has recovered from subdued demand conditions in the wake of the financial crisis globally. Industry of the hospitality has faced heavy competitions from other forms of accommodation over the last five years. The growing desire to adopt more westernized standards of living and holidaying potential for the domestic and inter-religious tourism markets across the Asian field. Emerging domestic business travel which is the major revenue streams for larger hotels has further supported the industry over the period and as a result, revenue of the industry is expected to grow at an annualized 4.8 over through 2016 to 2017 (Butler et al. 2013). According to the survey, hotels of Australia are provided a ranges of services, both for racing and other entertainment, pool and billion tables, entertainment values and conference and meeting facilities. (Source: Butler et al. 2013) Majority of the hotel and resorts of Australia are locally owned. Thus those hotels are often contributed in the local communities financial and other activities. The most common area for financial support and sponsorship provided by the hotel manufacturers is for sporting teams/clubs. This supporting figure has been reached $8792 per hotel in 2015. In relation to the group of communities, the average level of support was $4733. On the contrary, few of the hotel companies have provided their supports towards health, religious, health, education and other groups. (Source: Butler et al. 2013) Over the year-to-date Dec 2014, the trend ensured that major Australian city hotels saw revenue per available room accommodation increase by an average of 2.8 per cent with a huge divergence in the performance of individual market (Lorna Wang, 2012). Furthermore, there are general trend has been improving revenue and a tightening in capitalization rates especially at the top end of the market. Analysis of the competitor set: The Australian hotel industry has grown at an extraordinary rate becoming more competitive as international hotel groups make inroads in the growing number of destinations. Thus there is a huge competitive pressure Novotel Sydney is surviving with and this has led to a pressing need for establishment to provide a high quality service to patrons. According to the STR Global research data, there has been shown a steady growth in the sales activities in the hospitality industry. However, Sydney hotels have been ensured the highest occupancy rate which included 80 percent occupancy in 2014 similar to 2013. Thus Novotel Sydney is always trying to trade close to capacity. The average tariff of their room accommodations were the highest in the country, but relative growth was modest at 3.5 percent approximately. It is estimated that there are nearly 21500 hotel rooms available within Sydney. The biggest competitors of Novotel are Meriton Haymarket, The Darling Hotel, QT State Theatre. (Source: Novoteldarlingharbour.com.au, 2016) In the service industry, it is indeed requires to modify the service structure and constantly evaluate the process of delivering services. Thus it is significant to maintain a competitive advantage over its existing competitors. Being providing the strong performance, Novotel Sydneys greatest competitive advantage is its passion for hospitality. Complementing the Accors Network in Australia, Novotel Sydney provides range of tourist services including: Blue line cruises: Sydney Awarded Showboats and the Mejestic Cruises The Summit Restaurant and Orbit Lunge Bar in the Centre business district of Sydney Novotel premier Vocational club Sydney Convention and Darling Harbours Exhibition centre To increase the competitive advantages and generating more customer acceptance, Novotel has the extensive involvement in Travel distribution, catering and the service provision client and public authorities. Competitive market of Novotel Sydney: New Entrant Barriers Low Operating license of the hotel Requirement of capital Building distribution network Requirement of human resource Rivalry- High Availability of the premium hotel services at Sydney High exit barrier Power of Suppliers- Low Multiple suppliers availability Low switching costs Advance technology Substitutes Low Readily available and price attractiveness Low comparability Competitors Analysis: Novotel Sydney Meriton Haymarket The Darling Hotel Star Rating 4 4 5 No of Rooms 96 247 171 Last renovation N/A 2011 2004 Meeting rooms 3 6 5 Restaurants 1 1 2 Room service 24/7 24/7 24/7 Bars 1 2 2 Free WIFI YES YES Only in public area Fitness/Pool Fitness only Fitness+ Pool No Facilities of leisure Yes-play ground, SPA, bar (changeable for all) Yes SPA treatment, Casino, free bar for members No Car parking YES AUD 12 a day Free Free (Source: Escudero et al., 2013) SWOT Analysis: Strengths High brand reputation and top market presence Luxurious service provider ensuring high quality Well trained and skilled human resource Management control and discipline High occupancy rate among others Weaknesses High competitive price challenges and revenue management space High labor turnover Low affordability Associated with high repair and maintenance costs Opportunities Industrial growth of Sydney Hotel business Primary market from Asia Pacific region Emerging tourism market in China and India Usage of high technological exposure Threats Consumer demand fluctuations Volatile customer needs for cheap hotels (Vulcano Weil, 2014). High market competitiveness (Source: Masiero et al., 2016). Strengths: Internal resources of Novotel Sydney are the biggest strength of the hotel which is operating in the Sydney hotel market (Masiero et al. 2016). This market is the largest in the country so it wont be hard for the company to maintain high occupancy rates. Currently, Novotel Sydney represents 80 percent occupancy rates. Weaknesses: The higher fixed costs other than businesses may create problems when the demand in hotel decline (Wang, 2012). Improving technological exposures into their services, Novotel Sydney is likely to be requirement to remain competitive but the competitive price challenges and revenue management space can become the biggest problem for this luxurious hotel (Kimes, 2016). Furthermore, the luxurious services of the hotel are not affordable for everyone. Thus, the company has been served for the limited consumer base. On the other hand, the nature of the work in hotel tends a regular job which creates little challenges to staffs and results in the growing number in employees turnover rate. Opportunities: Novotel Sydney has the opportunity to exploit their international business more effectively. The company has developed the sponsorship actions; it ensures more primary market opportunities in the Asian market (Novoteldarlingharbour.com.au, 2016). On the other hand, the advancement of the technological services increases integrated communication system which will help to develop add-on services of the hotel. Threats: Due to Novotel operated in high turbulence environment maintaining the standards, this company may require flexible and flattens structure of the organization to follow the flexible consumers demand. However, the availability of several competitors such as The Darling Hotel, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour South, makes the entire hospitality industry more competitive. Strategy development to make competitive SWOT analysis: Before discussing the development process, it is need to be understood that revenue management is of particular value in situations where the proportion of fixed costs is high compared to proposition of variable costs. Thus the strategy will be to maintained less variable cost to add more revenue which will contribute to overall profit. To maximize the revenue and stay competitive in the market, Novotel Sydney needs to increase occupancy percentage. For this reason, the company needs to expand their infrastructure to increase the number of rooms for their customers. Secondly, Novotel System needs to provide their car facilities and leisure facilities at free of costs for their members to establish long term customer base. This would be counted as the competitive advantages for Novotel Sydney Forecasting Demand: This is the core element of revenue management approach and application. According to Bayoumi et al. (2013), pricing and yield tactics cannot be effectively applied if the company does not consider an accurate forecasting into their management policies. Novotel Sydney will propose their demand forecast to calculate by taking the actual number of reservations on hand (actual number of rooms books at a date) and adding the predicted number of rooms that will be booked (Pereira, 2016). By considering the rate of average occupancy percentage, and the volume of loyal customer, the company needs to identify the demand and estimated service requirements of Novotel Sydney. Using the Percentage Growth method, Novotel Sydney will forecast their demand: For calculation, the assumption underlying this method is that data in hand follows the volatility of trend. Now the value of the Room Night of the last five years is as follows: Year Room Nights 2011 900 2012 1100 2013 1250 2014 1200 2015 1340 The total percentage change in Room Nights is (1340- 900)/900 = 48.88% The yearly percentage change = 48.88% / 5 = AUD 9.776 Therefore, the forecasted Room Nights for year 2016 is for Novotel Sydney, AUD 1340 *(1+.09776) = AUD 1470 Room Nights The above figure indicates that Novotel Sydney needs to fix up their Room nights rate at AUD 1470 for the financial year 2016-2017. On the other hand, the hotel needs to forecast their number of clients availability by assessing the demand for product or service that the hotel provided for sale. Here it is important to consider each segment willing to pay. This willingness is all about price sensitivity which driven by the value hat each consumer places upon the service or product (Ivanov, 2014). To evaluate an effective yield tactic, the hotel needs to apply some fundamental changes in their ongoing service facilities provided to their customers. Firstly, the room reservation will be restricted to a minimum duration. However, the room limit availability will be discounted for special occasions such as Christmas. This will increase the revenue and ensure highest occupancy rate. Secondly, the reservations shall not be permitted with arrival on a particular day. In this way, the hotel can reduce the risk percentage which is associated with long stay false bookings. Channel Analysis: The term distribution identifies to how sell their inventory and the different channels that a client can use to book (Koupriouchina et al. 2014). The proper distribution channel is all about electronic channels. Novotel should maintain the direct voice channels and the global distribution system. According to Lorna Wang (2012), there are variety of distribution channel and increase their competitive reach. The strategy should be provided for communication to each client of Novotel Sydney through the suitable channels and with the right message. The strategy will be taken for accurate message segmentation that the hotel message does not become confused or distorted. Reservation evaluation: To make an effective revenue strategy, Novotel Sydney shall permit advance reservation for their local as well as international clients. Such reservation shall be taken at one day in advance. However, the reservation process will not consider valid till the payment process completed by the client. GDS: In this competitive hospitality industry, Novotel Sydney needs to maintain a centralized and computerized network which is all about single point access. This will be used for booking rooms and the services for their clients. By using this, the company will provide their services more efficiently. System of property management: In this next fiscal year, Novotel Sydney will use Optima PMS for enhancing the quality of customer service. This is a Window based Property Management System that includes the latest in advanced technologies. This would be perfect for Novotel to manage their large customer base because Optima PMS consists with sophisticated Front office system which is linked with hotel computerized hotel application (Abrate Viglia, 2016). Cost of the distribution: The cost of the distribution will be managed by reducing the variable cost and increasing the occupancy percentage in the next fiscal year (Mauri, 2016). Channel selection: Connected through internet distribution sites will be maintained by mentioning room rates, clauses, and availabilities. This must offer a wide network which will be handled by tour operators, specialist, and online travel agent and so on. Thus the real time data will be maintained for keeping track of demand. Conclusion with recommendation: Based on the above discussion this can be concluded that the revenue management for the hospitality industry is a challenging task for revenue manager. However, this is an emerging field of study and certain tools and practices must be maintained to manage it properly. In this assignment, the certain revenue strategies are considered for Novotel Sydney for the fiscal year 2016-2017. The report has recommended several new strategies for critically considering four aspects including market segmentation, competitor set, forecasting of demand, and channel management system. As per the recommendation, the hotel must improve their occupancy rate for reducing the variable costs. Delivering advanced customer services, the hotel needs to forecast their room rates considering the on0going trends of the market. Furthermore, the advanced technologies shall also be incorporated to maximize the revenue of hotel. References: Abrate, G., Viglia, G. (2016). Strategic and tactical price decisions in hotel revenue management.Tourism Management,55, 123-132. Bayoumi, A. E. M., Saleh, M., Atiya, A. F., Aziz, H. A. (2013). Dynamic pricing for hotel revenue management using price multipliers.Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management,12(3), 271-285. Butler, J. R., Wong, G. Y., Metcalfe, D. J., Honzk, M., Pert, P. L., Rao, N., ... Brodie, J. E. (2013). An analysis of trade-offs between multiple ecosystem services and stakeholders linked to land use and water quality management in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Agriculture, ecosystems environment,180, 176-191. Escudero, L. F., Monge, J. F., Morales, D. R., Wang, J. (2013). Expected future value decomposition based bid price generation for large-scale network revenue management.Transportation Science,47(2), 181-197. Ivanov, S. (2014).Hotel revenue management: from theory to practice. Zangador. Kimes, S. E. (2016). The evolution of hotel revenue management.Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management,15(3-4), 247-251. Kimes, S. E., Wirtz, J. (2016). Revenue Management in Restaurants: Unbundling Pricing for Reservations from the Core Service. Koupriouchina, L., van der Rest, J. P., Schwartz, Z. (2014). On revenue management and the use of occupancy forecasting error measures.International Journal of Hospitality Management,41, 104-114. Lorna Wang, X. (2012). The impact of revenue management on hotel key account relationship development.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,24(3), 358-380. Masiero, L., Pan, B., Heo, C. Y. (2016). Asymmetric preference in hotel room choice and implications on revenue management.International Journal of Hospitality Management,56, 18-27. Mauri, A. G. (2016). Pricing and revenue management in hotel chains.The Routledge Handbook of Hotel Chain Management, 262. Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour | Darling Harbour Hotels. (2016).Novoteldarlingharbour.com.au. Retrieved 9 August 2016, from https://www.novoteldarlingharbour.com.au/ Ovchinnikov, A., Boulu-Reshef, B., Pfeifer, P. E. (2013). Revenue management with lifetime value considerations: balancing customer acquisition and retention spending for firms with limited capacity.Forthcoming in Management Science. Pereira, L. N. (2016). An introduction to helpful forecasting methods for hotel revenue management.International Journal of Hospitality Management,58, 13-23. Vulcano, G., Weil, A. (2014). Joint Optimization of Virtual Capacities and Bid-Prices for Revenue Management. Wang, X. L. (2012). Relationship or revenue: Potential management conflicts between customer relationship management and hotel revenue management.International Journal of Hospitality Management,31(3), 864-874.

Salvation Serpent and Snake-handling Services Essay Example

Salvation: Serpent and Snake-handling Services Paper The trial of Glenn Summerford intrigued Dennis Covington and caused him to think about snake handling churches. Covington began to embark on a journey to his self-discovery after his coverage of Glenns trial. During the trial Dennis noticed that he was becoming extremely interested in snake-handling services. He also realized that he was confused about who he really was. The trial made Covington understand that he needs to explore the world of snake-handling and decide if it was meant for him. Glenns trial intrigued Dennis, so he began going to some of the snake-handling services in Scottsboro. Covington did not know anything about snake-handling before he started covering the Summerford trial. The first service that Dennis had attended was in March of 1992, at The Church of Jesus with Signs Following. Dennis had been invited to the church by Sister Bobbie Sue Thompson. The church was on Woods Cove Road in an old converted gas station and country store with a miniature steeple. At the first service that Covington had attended, a snake was never even brought out. The Church of Jesus with Signs Following was filled with many nice people and while Dennis was attending, he became friends with several of its members. Eventually The Church of Jesus with Signs Following came to a close and Dennis, along with the rest of its members, had to find a new place to hold their services. Brother Carl Porter, J. L. Dyal, and the End-Time Evangelist, Brother Charles McGlocklin, began holding brush-arbor meetings. Brush-arbor meetings were services that were held under muscadine vines, honeysuckle, and starlight, and this is where Dennis continued his journey. During the trial of Glenn Summerford, Dennis began to realize that he was confused about who he really was. Covington started looking for ways to learn about himself and his ancestors. When Covingtons father died, he left Dennis a binder full of research that he had been doing on their family. Dennis finally started looking through this binder and learned that his family is from the Appalachian Mountain area. This is significant because snake-handling is from this area as well. After learning this, Covington wondered if snake-handling was in his blood. We will write a custom essay sample on Salvation: Serpent and Snake-handling Services specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Salvation: Serpent and Snake-handling Services specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Salvation: Serpent and Snake-handling Services specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Dennis continued to attend snake-handling services to learn more about it. Dennis began exploring the world of snake-handling after his recent coverage of the Summerford trial and the discovery of where his family is from. Dennis continued to go to the brush-arbor meetings until they came to an end. The weather during the fall in Sand Mountain would not permit them to hold any meetings. The nights would turn cool. It also rains in the fall and brings in fog. On one of the last days of summer, Dennis was invited to go to Jolo on Labor Day weekend. Dennis was not sure why he had been invited to Jolo at first, until he remembered that there was a famous snake-handling church there. Dennis and a couple of his friends, Jim and Melissa, left Birmingham in route to West Virginia, to find the famous snake-handling church. They get to the church and it is drizzling outside. The gravel crunched under their feet as they walked up to the open door of the church. The church had paneled walls and ceiling fans. Inside the church, smelled of camphor and damp wool. Things got a little crazy at this church. Four serpent boxes were a the front of the church. Brother Charles got up and began talking to the congregation and strumming his guitar. A few other members began playing their instruments to go along with Brother Charles. The light in the church seemed to have changed. It was softer, more liquid. Then Brother Carl got up and began preaching after Brother Charles was done. Suddenly everyone began dancing to the music. They danced around the room and up towards the front of the church where the serpent boxes were located. At one point six snakes were being handled. Eventually Dennis handled snakes and he realized that snake-handling was in his blood. The trial of Glenn Summerford intrigued Dennis. During the trial, Covington began to wonder about many things. Dennis became oddly interested in the snake-handling services. Covington also realized that he was confused about who he really is and that it is time for a journey of self-discovery. During his journey, Dennis realized that he needed to explore the world of snake-handling. Covington found out during his journey that snake-handling is in his blood. The trial of Glenn Summerford caused Dennis to think about many things and the effects of that made him realize who he really is.