Critical and Simplest Measure of Performance

Question: Discuss about the Critical and Simplest Measure of Performance. Answer: Introduction: Front office can be defined as the reception area or the front desk that manages the core operations of any hotel. The front office involves reservations, housekeeping, concierge, sales and marketing and various other departments. The front office is the first place where the customers arrive at the hotel. The front office attends to the customer queries, complaints and confirmations. Moreover, the cashier, mailing service, concierge also form a part of the front office at hotel as they deal with the customers directly. The key performance indicators used in the front office are discussed. Performance goals can be defined as short-term objectives which help the employees in making aware what is expected of them (Abbott and Lewry 1999). Occupancy is the most critical and simplest measure of performance in hotel which indicates the percentage of rooms available. This indicator is important as it provides proper calculation to confirm booking. If the front office does not provide a correct figure for occupancy, it may lose a customer. Another performance indicator is Average daily rate (ADR) which measures the average price paid for a single room. This performance metric helps in assessing the total guest room revenue for a particular period in comparison with occupied rooms within the same period. The ADR is important for the front office as it helps in measuring the financial performance and compares the hotel performance against the competitors (Baker, Bradley and Huyton 2000). The third performance indicator is customer satisfaction rate. The front office staffs play a supporting factor to determine the customer satisfaction which helps in analyzing the decision to return, demonstrate loyalty and recommend the hotel to others. The key indicator depends upon the responsiveness and service quality provided by the front office managers for addressing the requirements of customers. Greater the responsiveness and problem-solving capabilities of the front office employees, higher shall be the satisfaction rate (Bardi 2010). With a higher rate of customer satisfaction, the visitors of hotel shall visit again. The fourth performance indicator is strong communication standards and relationships. The front office workers in the hospitality industry directly communicate with the customers. Their professionalism and conduct helps in building a good rapport with the colleagues and guests through strong communication. The front office employees must ensure that the issu es listed by the guests are passed on to the relevant department so that the tasks and duties can be accomplished in a timely fashion. Strong customer relationships can be enhanced by going above and beyond every guest. The front office employees escorting guests to their rooms or site such as tours or explaining the facilities help in building strong relationships (Hayes and Miller 2011). Another performance indicator is possessing adequate knowledge. Every employee in the hospitality industry is expected to know the products, services and packages so that they can address customer grievances. If the customers see that the staffs are knowledgeable and are well acquainted with the overall structure of the hotel, it shall leave a positive impact on them. The ability to multi-task is another key performance indicator. When the front office employees greet and interact with the guests who are checking in and out through emails and phone calls, it has a positive impact on the customers (Robinson et al. 2016). The room rate of a hotel holds greater significance than the occupancy. If the room rates are higher than the average, it gives an indication about well-run property. Every hotel has a primary objective of 100 percent occupancy so that no room is empty. Other very important performance goals of a hotel are excellent customer service, high quality product packages. Every hotel aims to provide excellent hospitality services after which the customers shall be surveyed for measuring hotel performance (Walker 2010). The room rate also acts as an element for the customers to compare the performance standards between different hotels for the product package offered at a particular price. Therefore, the customers can measure consistency and satisfaction level. The room rate also gives an idea about the quality of services that shall be offered to the customers for the price paid by them. Occupancy is usually not considered as a performance goal as it may lead to low profits. Greater the occu pancy, higher shall be the staffs engrossed in providing services to the customers. However, the rental units have no effect in loss of average rate thereby acting as performance indicator (Madanoglu and Ozdemir 2016). Conclusively, it is critical for the hotels to find a balance between rate and occupancy. The productivity level may be based on either one or combining both figures. There are hotels that consider occupancy as operational target while there are some hotels which consider rate as the operational target. Housekeeping and Role of Revenue Managers Housekeeping can be defined as the management of cores and duties such as cleaning, re-ordering room and various other tasks. A revenue manager focuses on multiple tasks in a hotel such as review of reservations, competitive review, inventory control, reporting and overall business development. The revenue manager uses certain tools for maximizing revenue and occupancy rates (Bragg 2015). Room types are the different categories of rooms classified on the basis of beds and amenities. The rate differs according to these classifications. The three basic categories of a hotel room are standard room, family room and suite. The standard room has the basic amenities such as telephone, television, coffee maker and others. The offering varies according to different hotel for a two-star to five-star hotel. The family rooms are meant for occupancy of more than one person and a suite is a deluxe room which are best suited for businesspeople. The room type may be used as a revenue manager as a tool for maximizing revenue and occupancy as the categories of room can suit the needs of different people (Sloan, Legrand and Chen 2009). Every individual has different needs, preferences and level of expenditure when it comes to choosing a room. A wide variety of room types can be offered as choices so that the customer can choose a room based on his preference and affordability. The diffe rent room types can be used by the revenue manager for addressing the customized needs of the customer which attracts the customers for booking room in a particular room thereby increasing revenue and occupancy (Raghubalan 2007). Management of inventory is crucial for the hotels as it encourages new and returning visitors to stay in the hotel. Every hotel constantly strives to offer best customer services and experience. There are many fixed assets in the hotel such as laundry machines, carts and vacuum machines that need to be maintained. The revenue managers may use managing inventory as a tool to maximize revenue and occupancy by preventing shrinkage. Stolen, lost or misplaced assets can be recovered if taken by the customers (Lashley 2000). This operation can help the hotel to run efficiently at less cost thereby maximizing revenue. The supplies for bathroom, mini-bars and laundry may be used as tool by revenue manager by ensuring constant supply. The hotel shops such as spa or gift shop adds as additional revenue for the hotels. The inventory level needs to be maintained so that the customers are attracted towards optimum occupancy. Therefore, the revenue manager can maximize occupancy and revenue (Casad o 2000). The room rates directly generate revenue that makes it crucial for the revenue managers to set a price which generates maximum profit in context with the services offered. The revenue managers may use dynamic pricing model in which the prices are adjusted based on the products and services offered. The availability of room and function space increases the presence of value transparency. The room rates help in analyzing the uncertainty and increasing demand thereby enhancing occupancy and revenue (Noone and McGuire 2013). The room rate also acts as an element for the customers to compare the performance standards between different hotels for the product package offered at a particular price (Sloan, Legrand and Chen 2009). The room rate also acts as an element for the customers to compare the performance standards between different hotels for the product package offered at a particular price. Therefore, the customers can measure consistency and satisfaction level (Freedman and Kosova 2 012). The strength of the distribution channels help in competing with the competitors for revenue management. The revenue managers use online distribution as the main tool for enhancing occupancy and revenue. The direct booking through online portal is pushed as the stay of customers is confirmed. The online booking helps the customers to book rooms from portable devices such as mobiles or tabs (Sloan, Legrand and Chen 2009). Also, other channels such as booking via email or phone calls shall add to the convenience of customers that are well perceived by the customers. A variety of distribution channels for confirmation and booking of rooms shall help in maximizing revenue and occupancy. If the hotel booking facilities are available on multiple channels, the chance of occupancy and revenue shall be greater than usual (Noone and McGuire 2013). Conclusively, every hotel must adopt housekeeping strategies through operational perspective. The housekeeping industry must conform to strict cleanliness, scheduling and planning. The hotels may maintain compliance where the employees shall be prevented from purchasing stock from outside vendors. The room type may be used as a revenue manager as a tool for maximizing revenue and occupancy as the categories of room can suit the needs of different people. The inventory level needs to be maintained so that the customers are attracted towards optimum occupancy. References Abbott, P. and Lewry, S. (1999). Front Office, 2nd edition, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Baker, S., Bradley, P. and Huyton, J. (2000). Principles of Front Office Operations. London: Cassell. Bardi,J. (2010). Hotel Front Office Management, 5th edition, Hoboken: Wiley. Hayes, D.K. and Miller, A.A. (2011). Revenue management for the Hospitality Industry, Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Madanoglu, M. and Ozdemir, O. (2016). Is more better? The relationship between meeting space capacity and hotel operating performance. Tourism Management, 52(1), pp.74-81. Robinson, R., Kralj, A., Solnet, D., Goh, E. and Callan, V. (2016). Attitudinal similarities and differences of hotel frontline occupations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(5), pp.1051-1072. Walker, J.R. (2010). Introduction to Hospitality Management. 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Bragg, S.M. (2015). Hospitality accounting: a financial and managerial accounting reference. Centennial: Accounting Tools Inc. Casado, M.A. (2000). Housekeeping Management, New York: John Wiley Sons. Freedman, M. and Kosova, R. (2012). Agency and Compensation: Evidence from the Hotel Industry. Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, 30(1), pp.72-103. Lashley, C. (2000). Hospitality Retail Management, 1st edition, Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. Noone, B. and McGuire, K. (2013). Pricing in a social world: The influence of non-price information on hotel choice. Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 12(5), pp.385-401. Raghubalan, G. (2007). Hotel Housekeeping: Operations and Management, New Delhi : Oxford University Press. Sloan, P., Legrand, W., and Chen, J.S. (2009). Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Parent Essays - Interpersonal Relationships, Attachment Theory

Parent Child Bonding Thesis: Bonding does not refer to mutual affection between a baby and an adult, but to the phenomenon whereby adults become committed by a one-way flow of concern and affection to children for whom they have cared during the first months and years of life. I. The importance of bonding or attachment in an individual's life. A. Friend acquaintances B. A mother-child attachment 1. The power and importance of such a bond 2. How it paves the way for future attachments II. The elements that are important to a mother-child bond. A. Touch B. Eye-to-Eye contact, voice and entertainment C. Odor among other things III. Bonding as it relates to breastfeeding A. The importance of breastfeeding to the bond development IV. Bonding and the hyperactive child A. The impact of bonding on hyperactivity B. Dealing with hyperactivity 1. Its believed origin V. Bonding and Divorce The problem associated with divorce as it relates to Children and the bond between both parents In each person's life much of the joy and sorrow revolves around attachments or affectionate relationships -- making them, breaking them, preparing for them, and adjusting to their loss by death. Among all of these bonds as a special bond -- the type a mother or father forms with his or her newborn infant. Bonding does not refer to mutual affection between a baby and an adult, but to the phenomenon whereby adults become committed by a one-way flow of concern and affection to children for whom they have cared during the first months and years of life. According to J. Robertson in his book A Baby in the Family: Loving and Being loved, individuals may have from three hundred to four hundred acquaintances in there lifetimes, but at any one time there are only a small number of persons to whom they are closely attached. He explains that much of the richness and beauty of life is derived from these close relationships which each person has with a small number of individuals -- mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter, and a small cadre of close friends (Robertson 1). A mothers love is a crude offering, and according to Kennell and Klaus. In heir book Parent-Infant Bonding, there is a possessiveness in it, there's appetite in it. There is also a "Drat the Kid" element in it, there's generosity in it, there's power in it, as well as humility. However sentimentality is outside of it altogether and is repugnant to mothers (Kennell and Klaus 1). Some argue that attachment is one qualitative feature of the emotional tie to the partner. The operationalization of the construct (attachment) to determine the presence or absence has to be done by some measure of the interaction between partners, and Joe Mercer in Mothers' Responses to their infants with defects says: The mothers either respond to her infants cries with affectionate behaviors and evokes the infants interacting to suggest the infant is a central part of her life, or she does. The infant either shows preferential responses to the mother, responds to her verbal and tactile stimulation, or does not. (Mercer 17). He further goes on to explain that it is easier for the infant to say the tie to the mother is absent, but the psychological complexity of adults make it far more difficult to say a mother has no bond to her infant (Mercer 19). Attachment is crucial to the survival and development of the infant. Kenneth and Klaus points out that the parents bond to their child may be the strongest of all human ties (Kennell and Klaus 3). This relationship has two unique characteristics. First, before birth one individual infant gestates within a part of the mother body and second, after birth she ensures his survival while he is utterly dependent on her and until he becomes a separate individual. According to Mercer, the power of this attachment is so great that it enables the mother and father to make the unusual sacrifices necessary for the care of their infant. Day after day, night after night; changing diapers, attending to cries, protecting the child from danger, and giving feed in the middle of the night despite their desperate need to sleep (Mercer 22). It is important to note that this original parent-infant tie is the major source for all of the infants subsequent attachment and is the formative relationship in the course of which the child develops a sense of himself. Throughout his lifetime the strength and character of this attachment will influence the quality

How to Fix the Mistakes in Your SAT Sample Essay Responses

How to Fix the Mistakes in Your SAT Sample Essay ResponsesStudent sat sample essays are an easy way to practice for the SAT. But if you do poorly on your first try, it's not the end of the world. You can fix the mistakes and start again. Here is how to fix the mistakes and then go back and improve your essay.With the SAT sitting, you have to write an essay that shows you can be a highly productive student in college. You need to demonstrate to the College Board that you are capable of learning, leading, and applying your knowledge to real-world situations. You must show that you can make logical sense of the material that you are expected to cover. If you show them that you are unable to do this, you won't get very far.Once you've written your essay, the next step is to do practice essays. This will help you figure out exactly what you did wrong. During practice, you will be using the tool called 'readability' to check the level of your writing. Each word in your essay must be able t o be read, as well as each sentence that follows. By doing this, you will see what's right and what needs to be changed.As the essay is read, keep in mind what the College Board expects from you. For example, they want you to use your name or initials when writing your essay. They also expect you to write about some type of topic. The more specific you can be, the better. For example, if they ask you to write about a business plan, give them the name of the business you want to outline.If your essay responses are littered with spelling and grammar errors, you may want to rewrite it. Give it a second read before you send it out. This way, you can determine whether you really need to change it, or if you just need to polish it up a bit.One thing that you can do to avoid problems with spelling and grammar is to practice your essay out loud. Use a friend to read your work out loud so that you can see the mistakes that you're making. After a few tries, you'll get a better feel for how th e words should sound.Another way to improve your essay responses is to speak to your school counselor. Your counselor may be able to point out to you what you can do to make the essay easier to read. This is especially true if you had a hard time writing your previous essays.It's important to remember that SAT sample essays are a great way to practice for the SAT. Make sure that you work hard on your reading and writing skills and take the extra time to get it right. No one wants to write an essay that takes forever to write.

Rainbows End + the Lost Thing Essay (Belonging) Essays

Rainbows End + the Lost Thing Essay (Belonging) Essays Rainbows End + the Lost Thing Essay (Belonging) Essay Rainbows End + the Lost Thing Essay (Belonging) Essay Describe how the concept of Belonging is shown in your prescribed text and at least one other related text. Belonging is the complex process whereby perceptions of self and social allegiances are forged or not forget. It is a concept and not a theme, meaning it is a general idea, which encompasses the idea of not belonging. According to Abraham Maslow, belonging is essential in human development and not belonging is a barrier in achieving self-actualisation. The concept of Belonging is not static as it may change overtime for a number of different reasons such as an individual’s socio-economic background, geographic location and many other barriers. Although individuals may not belong to self, people, places, communities or the larger world everyone must belong. It is inevitable. For example, a criminal who has been imprisoned and isolated from the rest of society still belongs to himself, the prison and the other prisoners. No man is an island, entire of itself† is a famous quote by John Donne, which represents this idea of belonging, where no body can be totally isolated. From his studies, Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs whereby the physiological needs of food, shelter and water were the fundamentals of human life and self-actualisation was considered to be the pinnacle of the hierarchy. Between these two stages was the need for belonging to self, people, places, communities and the larger world. The barriers to self-actualisation are shown through a variety of texts, whereby composers highlight differences between two subjects and demonstrate forms of segregation through the use of a variety of methods. In Rainbow’s End by Jane Harrison this idea is portrayed through the use of an extended metaphor of the colour white. The reoccurrence of the colour white represents the Aboriginal society conforming to the English settlers. For example, in Act 1 Scene 6 the inspector comments that Nan Dear’s â€Å"whites are so white†. This shows us that the white society expects the Indigenous people to ‘wash away’ their traditions and way of life and so to conform to them. This same technique is shown where Nan Dear finds an advertisement in the newspaper in Act 2 Scene 6 and says â€Å"they’ve got this new powder that guaranteed to turn your skin white. † to Dolly. Due to the differences in skin colour and tradition Aboriginals were seen as lower class citizens and were alienated from the white society. Harrison shows this through the use of a simile in Act 1 Scene 1B where Gladys describes the hessian used to hide the Aboriginal housing from the Queen as â€Å"a band-aid over a sore†, which creates a negative image of the Indigenous people and their housing. This idea of being different from others around you is also excellently shown in Shaun Tan’s picture book The Lost Thing where the majority of the book’s images are made up of dull, unattractive colours such as browns, greys and whites that create a plain and ordinary background. The colour of ‘the thing’ is a bright red that immediately catches the reader’s eyes, drawing their attention to it. This use of contrast of colour shows that ‘the thing’ is lost, as it obviously does not belong to its surroundings. The exceptional use of these techniques to develop an idea of segregation as a barrier to self-actualisation causes the responder to explore the character’s feelings of isolation and rejection. Although people may feel isolated and alienated from everything around them, they are never alone. It is not possible to be completely disconnected from everything. For example, a man who has lost all his family and friends and is the only person alive on an island can still relate to the island itself, any living things such as animals and plants and many other things that he shares similarities with. This theme is explored in Rainbows End through Harrison’s use of a number of effective techniques. In Act 1 Scene 2B Dolly whistles loudly to her cousins and yells â€Å"Oi! You little monkeys, get that ruddy bicycle back ‘ere or I’ll give youse a kick up the moom! † before turning to Errol and sarcastically saying â€Å"And you were worried about losing your map! †. This change of accent and use of word choice between when Dolly is talking to her cousins and when she is talking to Errol shows that Dolly is trying to link with Errol even though they are from different cultures and have different coloured skin. This use of diction emphasises Dolly’s attempt to conform to Errol based on the fact that they are both humans rather than distinguishing between minute factors such as cultural background. This same message is also portrayed through the use of stage directions and dramatic irony in Act 2 Scene 1 where Errol returns to apologise to Dolly about what happened the previous night. As Errol walked in Dolly’s direction, Gladys and Nan Dear (assuming Errol was the one that raped her), step towards Dolly showing the families sense of unity with one another. However, the audience knows from the previous scene that Errol was not guilty of raping Dolly, rather it was her cousin. So despite the emotional carnage that Dolly experienced such as feelings of neglect when she was left in the rain after she was taken advantage of by her cousin, Dolly still is a firm member of the family. This very significant message used by composers is also created in Tan’s award winning picture book The Lost Thing where Tan uses intertextuality of a painting called Collins Street, 5pm by John Brack. In Tan’s version of the painting he includes ‘the thing’ in the background of the image to show how despite it clearly not fitting-in with the people crowding the street it still has a purpose and meaning in the picture and therefore it is an important sector of the final image. The idea that â€Å"no man is an island, entire of itself† demonstrated by composers causes the responder to recognise the larger picture in which they can associate themselves with. Through the vast majority of techniques mentioned, it can be seen that many composers incorporate the concept of Belonging in their texts to help intrigue their target audience. The idea of belonging being a need and alienation being a barrier to self-actualisation incorporated with the fact that we are each like a piece of a giant jigsaw puzzle, whereby our connections are what make us belong, therefore meaning that belonging is inevitable.

A Kings Duty

â€Å"Queen to D-6.† â€Å"Checkmate!† And I had won my first chess competition. Pride burst into me as I let out a guttural â€Å"Yeah!† I’d hardly practiced, and still won it. I hadn’t been expecting too, but I had. It was my lucky day. Immediately when I came home, I urged my parents to sign me up for some more competitions. I figured I should play in as many competitions as I can before my luck runs out. My parents asked if I wanted to take some lessons, but I declined. I’d won my last competition without much practice, and I probably shouldn’t shake that routine. The queen has always been my favorite piece. It’s versatile, and more importantly, it can get to its goal in one swift, effortless move. That’s why I dislike the King. It’s supposed to be the leader, and yet it’s endearingly slow. I don’t know what the inventors were thinking. I flinched as the bell rung. Thus began the first day of high school. I looked at my schedule and found the way to homeroom. They said the usual things about us having to work harder now that we’re in high school. â€Å"I’ll just do whatever it takes to get to an A,† I thought. Turns out I ended the year with grades that all roamed around the 89.5% range, which was the cut-off for an A. Some grades were a bit lower; some were a bit higher. I dismissed them, thinking I’d just work just a bit harder next semester and get all As. Turns out my grades just kept declining. And I hadn’t done too well in my chess tournaments either. I went into English class one school day feeling depressed about everything. I didn’t know why my luck had made such a bad turn. We were reading Macbeth, by Shakespeare, which was a book about a noble, named Macbeth, who stages a coup d’etat to usurp the throne. At first, Macbeth is a hard working, loyal person. He fights hard and dutifully in his wars and is compensated graciously by King Duncan. Then one day, after a meeting with some witches, Macbeth decides to stage a coup d’etat by killing the king. He does succeed in killing the king in one fell swoop, and does become king, but his mind is completely corrupted and he goes nearly insane. He also doesn’t live for long, as one of the king’s allies later succeeds in avenging Duncan by killing Macbeth. Something struck a chord with me. Macbeth had tried to attain glory through one decisive action of assassinating Duncan. Rather than staying loyal and fighting hard to attain glory, he took the ef fortless way to the throne, the easy road. Then, with a deafening noise, I realized that this was me. I was Macbeth. I was just like him. I always tried to take the effortless way into things, and almost always ended up stooped in failure. I couldn’t depend on luck to help me throughout the way. I needed to make a conscious effort to reach my goal, and to achieve more than my goal. I needed to be the king that slowly but surely arrives at his success.

Introduction to marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Introduction to marketing - Assignment Example These include government rules, regulations and policies that impact on the business environment. According to Georgiev’s (2013, p. 4) study, these policies and regulations include tax policies, trade and labour laws, trade restrictions, tariffs, environmental laws and regulations, infrastructure and development policies. On the same note, political stability is also a critical factor that affects both the economy and the business. From these factors, it is clear that the political factors impact on the daily operations of businesses. This requires that businesses prepare to respond to the current, as well as anticipated future legislations, in order to adjust their marketing policies accordingly. These factors relate to the economy and affect how an entity conducts its business and their profitability. These factors include inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, economic growth, and disposable income of consumers and businesses. An entity has no control over these factors, and it only adjusts its business strategies, commercial and financial policies to benefit most from the prevailing economic conditions. These denote the social-cultural factors and include the shared beliefs and attitudes and can affect the business strategies positively or negatively. They include the demographic aspects such as religious beliefs and social stigmas, age distribution, employment and income statistics, education and career trends, overall general attitude, and population growth rate. These factors have a great impact on the operation of an entity since poor strategies, especially those which go against the societal norms face opposition, criticism protests and even negative publicity. A marketer must, therefore, understand individuals based on age as well as the whole society and what drives them to making a purchase. These factors are brought about by the technological landscape changes in the

Data analysis and discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Data analysis and discussion - Essay Example Thus, the responses from the participants greatly varied according to one’s opinion on a particular question. The variance and standard deviation for all the baseline variables is relatively low. For instance, a standard deviation of 0.41 for the first question implies that the data points are very close to the real mean. On the other hand, the seventh question’s standard deviation of 0.50 implies that the data points are far apart from each other; spread out in larger ranges of the variables. Looking at the correlation matrix from excel sheet 3, a number of baseline variable have a correlation of 1 whereas others have -1. For instance, variable 1 and 2, 1 and 7, 1 and 5, 1 and 6, 2 and 5, 2 and 6, 2 and 7, 3 and 8, 4 and 8, 5 and 6, 5 and 7 have a correlation of 1 which implies that they have a strong positive linear relationship. Other combinations have a strong negative linear relationship as shown in excel file. It has six questions or variables that seek to know the level of self-efficacy on students’ performance. Just like locus control, this was done on 35 participants (students) who gave different responses for the baseline variables; as shown by their means: 6.43, 6.66, 6.51, 1.97, 6.40 and 6.29 for question 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively. The standard deviation for the second variable is 0.48 implying that the data points in this baseline variable are close to the mean. The highest standard deviation is 1.25 for the fourth baseline variable. This shows that the data points for this variable are far from the mean. From the excel sheet 3, the correlation coefficient differ greatly. For instance, baseline variable 1 and 2 have a correlation of 1 which shows that they have a strong positive correlation. Variable 2 and 8 have a strong negative relationship, a correlation of