Croft Court Hotel London - Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Croft Court Hotel London - Analysis - Assignment Example The rooms are fully air conditioned, with modern en-suite bathrooms, televisions, safe, refrigerator, and direct-dial telephones. The rooms are also equipped with hair-dryer, Wi-fi access, and voice mail. Within a short walk from the hotel are a fully equipped gym and swimming pool, to which the hotel provides complimentary discount vouchers for its guests. Croft Court also provides reduced rates for taxi fares from all airports. The hotel itself boasts of a spacious lobby that has a 24-hour tea/coffee making facility. Its room rates begin at ?85.00 (GBP) upwards, and is already inclusive of a Kedassia continental breakfast, served between 8 am and 10 am. It also has a spacious function hall and garden which are ideal settings for weddings and anniversaries, as well as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Sheva Brachot and Britt, and similar occasions for a large number of guests. Goals and key objectives of the organization The hotel has two principal objectives: to provide quality lodgings and servic e to its target customers, and to realize profits for its shareholders. Other objectives include the provision of gainful employment for its staff, profitable business for its suppliers, and to contribute to the development of the immediate community. Environmental factors which affect the company The industry is one that is affected by both internal and external environmental factors. Factors pertaining to the internal environment are discussed under Porter’s five forces model. Factors external to the industry include those under the PEST model – political, economic, social and technological. In the hospitality industry as a whole, probably the factor with the strongest influence is the political factor, due to spate of terrorist attacks that have dampened public interest for tourism. Second would be economic, because during an economic recession such as that pervading in Europe and the United States, people who fear the loss of their jobs or erosion of their wealth w ill tend to forego the less urgent or luxurious activities, such as travel for pleasure. Porter’s 5 Forces Model Internal rivalry – Internal rivalry is high. In the immediate vicinity where Croft Court is located in Golders Green, there are several other lodgings and inns where a traveller may stay over. These include the Eagle Lodge, the Regal Guest House, Zanzibar House, Chesterfield Court and Gloucester Court, among others. Croft Court Hotel is ranked by Trip Advisor as 83rd from the top out of London’s B&B Inns. Bargaining power of suppliers – The bargaining power of suppliers is neither high nor low. There are a number of providers of kosher supplies to the many Jewish establishments in the vicinity; they are specialty suppliers and therefore may not easily be replaced, however, there are nevertheless other suppliers which may be sourced since the strong demand in the area has prompted several kosher suppliers to enter the market to meet the demand. Bargaining power of buyers – The bargaining power of buyers is also neither high nor low, discounting the seasonality of Jewish festivities that may create peaks and troughs in the hotel’s take up rate. If buyers feel the price of the Croft Court is a little high, they may find

Schooling and Educational Opportunities for Females in the UK - Essay

Schooling and Educational Opportunities for Females in the UK - Changes - Essay Example This comparison paper looks at the present state of post-16 educational opportunities for females (Archer et al, 2007) in contrast with those available to them in the 1950 and 1960s in the Post World War II era (Evans, 1991). It is evident that much has flowed under the bridge and the past has contributed to the present in a very effective manner. While the Archer article adopts a more clinical research based stance, the merit of the Evans piece is that it is personal and engaging as well. Only at certain points, she guides us as to the points she wants to make. In their paper entitled ‘Class, gender, heterosexuality and schooling: paradoxes within working-class girls' engagement with education and post-16 aspirations’ as published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education of March 2007, the authors discuss ways in which inner-city and ethnically diverse working-class girls' constructions of hetero-femininities mediate and shape their engagement or disengagement w ith education and schooling. This study was based on data collected from 89 urban working-class youth in London. The authors mainly touched upon three main ways through which these young women used heterosexual femininities to construct capital and generate identity value and worth- these were (1) through investment in appearance using glamorous hetero-femininities, (2) through heterosexual relationships with boyfriends, and (3) through the ‘ladette’ phenomena. They maintain that young women's investments in particular forms of heterosexual working-class femininity can affect very deeply their engagement or disengagement from schooling and education. They focus on the paradoxes that arise when these constructions interact with other oppressive power structures. Class, Gender, Heterosexuality and Schooling Paradoxes- A Detailed Analysis Archer et al. (2007) start off by commenting on the lower academic scores that boys typically achieve compared to girls in the GCSE and other competitive examinations and seek to determine the reasons for this. This underachievement is a cause of concern for many countries- from the UK to New Zealand. However, as Epstein and others have noted, it is not as simple as this because a more detailed look indicates that not all boys are doing badly and indeed, not all girls are doing well. There are complexities of social class, gender and ethnicity that underlie these results which must be addressed. Amazingly, Kenway (2003, page ix) found that girls leaving school early had more problems than boys in securing employment.

Re-circulating Aquaculture Biofloc Systems in Deserts Research Paper

Re-circulating Aquaculture Biofloc Systems in Deserts - Research Paper Example The waste discharge as well as the use of chemicals or antibiotics to fight diseases is minimal. It is known that for at least 30 years, it has been under development. Unlike other methods which clean water from fish tank, there has been incorporation of aquaponics to some RAS fish farms (Lee and Richard, 18). Since biofloc systems are designed to improve environmental control over production in areas where there is water scarcity, such as desert in this case, or where land is expensive, more intensive aquaculture forms are required to be practiced for production that is cost effective. Economic incentive is considered to be strong for aquaculture business to be efficient in terms of production inputs, particularly limiting water or land. Biofloc systems were as well designed to prevent disease from being introduced into the system from the incoming water. Basing on the above, it can be affirmed that this system well fits the project that is to be staged in a desert where there is scarcity of water among other limiting factors. Shrimp farming, marine shrimp production in ponds, tanks and impoundments origin can be traced to South Asia. In this case, farmers were seen to raise wild shrimp incidental crops in tidal fishponds (Mungkung, 4). The birth of shrimp farming was in 1930s the time Motosaku Fujinaga ,a Tokyo University graduate became successful in Kuruma shrimp spawning(Penaeus japonicas) (Mungkung, 8).The larvae were cultured by him in the laboratory whereby in so doing this, he was successful in mass-production of these shrimp on a commercial scale. He then shared his research findings for at least 40 years and his work was published in 1942, 1941, 9167 and 1935.Emperor Hirohito had to honor him in 1954 with the title Inland â€Å"Japonicus Farming Father† (Mungkung, 4). Hatcherymen and fishermen started to supply large quantities of seed stock in the mid 1970s,

Gamification Primer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gamification Primer - Essay Example amification is applied in business is to improve the competitiveness of a given business over other competitors and increase the market share, hence profitability. It is a shift from the games modeling the real world to the real world emulating games. Understanding game mechanics is significant as it enables the understanding of the real forces that affect business behavior and trends across the globe (Burke 35). Common players in games include both corporate and individuals that do it for different reasons, although the aim is to gain in different ways. Despite the benefits that are associated with the different games, challenges and risks emerge as well. For instance, an organization could apply a different game that could result in great losses and its exit from the industry if other competitors play similar games at the same time. To this end, gamification utilizes technological innovation and research and development to increase the benefits. Barclays Bank is a multinational banking group that began its operations in the United Kingdom and expanded to other countries across the globe. The organization deals with provision of investment and personal banking among other services. The bank has positioned itself as a dominant financial institution in the industry given its good financial performance. However, maintenance of the dominance is not an easy task for the bank it had to undertake different strategies (Burke 67). Gamification is one of the strategies that Barclays bank undertook. Under this strategy, the bank has the objective of generating value for all the customers it serves in its services and products. Barclays Bank is involved in intense marketing strategies some of which include integrated marketing. This is manifested in several ways such as the promotions and adverts in the broadcast media. Corporate social responsibility activities such as the support of the English Premier league is another example of mar keting strategies. The competencies

Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Contract Law - Essay Example Moreover, section 29(5) of the SGA states that delivery should be made within a reasonable period of time, and that such reasonableness depends on the circumstances of each case. As such, a clear illustration of the principles on which damages are awarded for breach of contract was provided in Hadley v Baxendale. The court held that damages for breach of contract should be such that they had naturally followed from the breach, or which could reasonably be assumed to have been envisaged by the parties to the contract. If the contract had been formed under special circumstances that had been intimated by one party to the other, then the damages for contractual breach would be what these parties could have realistically expected from such breach3. As such, the rule in Hadley v Baxendale provides a rationale for restricting damages relating to infringement of contractual terms. In addition to being a tenet of remoteness, it also provides the dividing line of recovery4. Consequently, the NGC’s expression of inability to supply the ornamental plant pots to Gerda, within the time specified by her in the normal course of events. . Thus, the NGC is justified in demanding additional payment for speedy delivery. However, if the NGC fails to deliver the ornamental pots, within the stipulated time; Gerda can repudiate the contract or claim damages, under the provisions of the SGA 1979. The greenhouse delivered to Hari was too small, broken and not delivered on time. Under the provisions of the sale of goods act, a retailer cannot exclude statutory implied terms. Any such act would make him liable for criminal prosecution. In addition, a retailer cannot attempt to restrict liability for breach of statutory implied terms. In goods sold to a buyer, an implied term exists, which requires that these goods should be appropriate for any purpose that has been made known to the seller.5 Applicability extends to

WestJet Airlines Ltd. WestJet and Air Canada Term Paper

WestJet Airlines Ltd. WestJet and Air Canada - Term Paper Example It also has a loyalty card and rewards program (WestJet, n.d.). Key Features and Benefits The company renders flight security services with also helping the people book flights, hotels and car rentals from airports online. In terms of special benefits the company renders special privileges for persons relating to special categories and also pertaining to the maternity category (WestJet, n.d.). WestJet in competition to Air Canada has introduced ‘premium economy’ seats to help the consumers enjoy an extra leg space that would be made available in the first four rows of the airlines. Though the booking of the ‘premium economy’ seats would tend to charge more from the consumers yet a comparison drawn reflects that the charge is half than charged by other premium airlines in the course of rendering boarding and on-flight amenities to its passengers. This premium seating model of the company helps WestJet to continue with its low cost position (Hasselt, 2012). We stJet’s Product Life Cycle The Product Life Cycle curve for a company has four stages like Introductory, Growth, Maturity and Decline. WestJet reflects a growth in terms of market revenues and passenger traffic along the periods ranging from 2007 to 2011 from $2127 to $3072 million and from 14,545 to 21,186 million respectively. Thus WestJet falls in the Growth stage (WestJet, 2011, p.6). Products Rendered by WestJet and Consumer Needs WestJet renders online booking of flight, hotel and other hospitality services for both business and corporate passengers along with vacationers. Along with insurance and security benefits the company also renders an extensive reward program catered to meet the needs of loyal consumers (WestJet, 2011, p.10-14). Passengers through the above services can book their flights and hotels associated with the airline company in an online fashion that helps in making their tour more comfortable. Insurance and security benefits help the passengers retrie ve their expenses related to their vacation and tours in cases of any emergency. Further the loyalty scheme of the airlines company helps the consumers avail special discounts and promotions rendered by WestJet during special occasions. WestJet’s Offerings vs. Its Competitors West Jet’s service offerings in comparison to other flight servicing companies operating in the Canadian landscape like Air Canada and American Airlines gain dominance in being able to provide the best quality of service at highly affordable or economic rates. Moreover the company operating on the basis of hub and spoke model reflects higher interconnectivity than its competitors (Grant, et al., n.d.). When, How and by Whom are the services of WestJet Procured Flight touring services and amenities rendered by WestJet are procured by people in times of deciding on vacations and also while planning to take short business tours. Services and amenities rendered by WestJet relating to booking of flight s, hotels, car rental services along with travel insurance benefits can be availed by the consumers through the help of online portals. The consumer or passenger traffic in WestJet consists thus of passengers that are frequent vacationers or are tending to visit places relating to their business and professional needs (WestJet, 2010, p.9; Lamb, 2011, p.571). Market Segments of WestJet WestJet mainly focuses on being a low-cost carrier rendering services to economy class passengers. Moreover the airlines company also caters to the needs of consumer segments through the transportation of cargo commodities on board (Aylen, 2012, p.250). Consumer or market segmentation of WestJet can be made in terms of Leisure Class Passengers that tend to avail flights for tour or vacation

Pregnancy and Birth Control Essay Example for Free

Pregnancy and Birth Control Essay Birth Control is the Best Way to Fight with Teenage Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is frequently discussed all over the country and the efforts have not reduced the numbers, as teens continue to have unsafe sex which eventually leads to pregnancy. These developments led different experts to consider the issue of abstinence, abortion, and general sex education in order to reduce the rates of pregnancy among teens. The average teen will be curious about sex when he or she starts puberty and begins to be aware of his or her body. There are different strategies for dealing with teenage pregnancy such as sex education, abstinence, or abortion but the most effective strategy involves the careful use of birth controls. There are lots of factors that lead to teenage pregnancy. The first factor arises from a lack of parental guidance. Most parents evade their children when it comes time to talk about sex. In some cases, they provide false information regarding sex and discourage their children to participate in any informative discussion about sex. However, in other cases, teenagers are not well educated about sex before they get pregnant. This then leads to lack of communication between parents and their children. A second cause of teenage pregnancy is due to the adolescent’s sex behavior. In this case, peer pressure is a major factor that encourages teenagers to engage in sexual activities. Early dating is also another behavior that can cause unwanted pregnancy in teenagers. â€Å"According to research, 29% of teens were pressurized to have sex, 33% of teens were sexually active and that they felt things moving fast sexually (What are the Causes of teenage Pregnancy? 2009).† A third cause of teenage pregnancy is not having enough knowledge about safe sex. Most adolescents are unaware about safe sex. They have little or no information about how to prevent pregnancy. The main reason behind that is that they are too embarrassed or shy to seek information about it. â€Å"Research found that there are more than 80% of teenage pregnancies are unplanned (What are the Causes of teenage Pregnancy? 2009).† A fourth cause of teenage pregnancy is due to social economic factors. In this case, teenagers who belong to poor families are more likely to become pregnant because they do not usually get enough education about sex and birth control. Another cause of teenage pregnancy is contraceptive failure. This is a very common cause of teenage pregnancies today. There are many brands and types of contraceptives and birth control pills that are available in the market, but they are not guaranteed for  complete safety. Sometimes, not knowing how to use a contraceptive properly can lead to unwanted teenage pregnancy. There are also many side effects from contraception including physical changes in the body which can sometimes result in miscarriage or newborn defects; â€Å"emotional trauma of handling a child at such an early age, changes in life styles, and also termination of pregnancy affects the general health (Admin).† So, one should think about all this before he or she gets involved in sex. In addition, there are many ways to help prevent teenage pregnancy. The advice for parents and other groups that directly work with teens is to educate them on the dangers of sex before marriage and that abstinence is the best way to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Abstinence is now a trend in the states and different studies have been conducted to evaluate the usefulness and results of abstaining from sex before marriage. A University of Pennsylvania sociologist, John Jemmott, explained the result of the different abstinence sessions conducted on the teen pregnancy issues. â€Å"In a sample this size, the difference between the comprehensive class and the abstinence class – Thirty-three percent vs. Forty-one percent – was not statistically significant†, said Jemmott, so it is accurate to say they perform comparably. The issue of abstinence is being challenged by some groups who say that abstinence only makes teenagers less aware of safe sex if they find themselves in such situations, and that the rate of teenage pregnancy is not high enough to make abstinence the major direction discussed in sex education (Flam, 2010). Bill Albert, the chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy says even adults who know better about pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases still have sex before marriage, Studies shows that only eight percent of adults wait until marriage (Flam, 2010). Abortion is another major factor in the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy. Abortion can be described as the elimination of a zygote before it develops to its full stage. Teens have changed their attitude towards sex because of the availability of abortion and this has led to an increase of more teens becoming pregnant. According to Collison, the teenagers, who were abstaining from premarital sex before the introduction of abortion, are now engaging in it because they know that if they happen to get pregnant, there is a way to get out of such a situation. Some other experts argue that abortion is a positive factor that  has to be put in place if teenage pregnancies are to be reduced, because most of these teens do not have the financial or moral standard to take care of their babies in the normal way (Collison, 2001). â€Å"From 1995 to 1997, the abortion rate decreased 3.9 percent among females younger than 15 years of age (from 2.8 to 2.7 per 1,000), 10.1 percent among females 15 to 17 years of age (from 18.2 to 16.3 per 1,000), and 5.4 percent among females 18 to 19 years of age (from 39.6 to 37.5 per 1,000) (Teenage pregnancy, birth, and abortion. (2002) (Fact 52)† Furthermore, the bad name given to abortion has made it almost impossible for teens to get rid of unwanted pregnancies which could ruin their lives. Research has shown that some teens who cannot abort unwanted pregnancies decide to kill the baby after birth, which is infanticide. An example of this kind of situation is the story of two college students, Amy and Brian who drove from New Jersey to Delaware and rented a motel room. There, Amy gave birth to a baby boy. Brian, it was reported, beat the baby to death, stuffed him in a plastic bag, and threw him in a trash container. (Collison, 2001). Birth control has its negative and positive effects, but one thing is for sure, it is a very effective way of preventing pregnancy. For the first time in fourteen years teen pregnancy rose in the year 2007 (Stacey, 2009). Researchers are discovering that there are certain patterns in teen’s behaviors that are connected to a higher and more consistent birth control use. A study in 2007 published in the journal â€Å"Demography†, Contraceptive Use Patterns across Teen’s Sexual relationships: The Role of Relationships, Pa rtners, and sexual histories provides information on teen birth control usage. According to the study many teens use birth control inconsistently (Manlove, Ryan, Franzetta, 2007). In fact, four out of ten teens do not use contraceptives properly. Teens that have used birth control in the past are shown to be more likely to use it in the future. This proves that teens may learn from their past relationship experiences. However, teens in romantic relationships are more likely to use birth control for the first time, but fail to use it anytime after that. Approximately 67 percent of teens 12 to 19 years of age feel that if they were to offer advice to leaders in Washington regarding teen pregnancy, they would suggest greater emphasis on both encouraging teens not to have sexual relations and on birth control or protection (Teenage pregnancy, birth, and abortion, 2002 (Fact 71). Forty percent of women who  use birth control experience side effects for the first three months. After the first three months, side effects seem to diminish (Theresa, 2001). Mild negative side effects of the pill include: irregular menstrual bleeding, missed periods, spotting between periods, nausea, weight gain or weight loss, headaches, dizziness, breast tenderness, mood changes, and an increase in vaginal infections. The more serious negative effects of the pill include: blood clots, stroke, heart attack, worsening of migraine headaches, gall bladder disease, increase in blood pressure, and a rare liver tumor. Any person who smokes, is older than thirty-five, has diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or vascular disease, high cholesterol and triglyceride abnormalities is at a much higher risk for the birth control side effects. Even though there may seem to be negative side effects, not all are harmful. Many women in fact are put on the pill to help with cycle problems rather than to prevent pregnancy (Theresa, 2001). Positive side effects of the pill include: lighter menstruation, reduction of cramps, improvement of acne, protection against non-cancerous breast growth, reduction in anemia and ovarian cysts, decreased risk of uterine cancer, decreased risk of infection of the fallopian tubes, decreased risk of ectopic pregnancy and less incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. The bad side effects of the pill are very rare. Using birth control pills is a reliable way to prevent teen pregnancy, and has a success rate of 99.9%. When a young teen weighs the pros and cons of birth control, most see the pros out weighing the cons. Abstinence is the only way to be completely sure to not get pregnant and to be 100% safe, however birth control is the next best method. Teen pregnancy is a very hot topic that concerns many people and organizations, who are trying to slow the epidemic. There are many reasons why teen pregnancy needs to be reduced in America. Many pregnancies are not planned which lead to a number of problems for the mother and family members. 88% of teens 12 to 19 years of age think the number of teenage pregnancies in the United States is a serious problem (Teenage pregnancy, birth, and abortion (2002) (Fact 67). The United States has almost double the amount of teen pregnancies that Canada has. This is reflected by the many programs and ways that U.S. organizations are trying to lower teen pregnancy rates. One of the most popular programs that are used to reduce teen pregnancy is sex education in schools. According to Finger, sex  education is the best way to reduce teen pregnancy. Sex education needs to be taught to every child starting at a young age by trained professionals in school (Finger, 2002). In a study done in a low income rural neighborhood, children from five to eighteen years of age were put through sex education classes over a three year period. After three years, pregnancies in teens fell from sixty out of every 1,000 kids to twenty-five out of every 1,000 kids (Finger, 2002). This is a good sign that sex education can help lower teen pregnancy by more than half. Most students are taught at an average age of sixteen and a half. This is too late; at that point many kids have already experimented sexually and have formed their own opinions about sex. From kindergarten to twelfth grade kids only spend forty-six hours in health classes which is where sex education is taught (Roleff). One of the largest issues is training professionals to teach sex education. â€Å"Training teachers is a key element of successful sex education programs, and the lack of good training has been a big problem† says Dr. Waszak (Finger, 2002). Sex education is the best way to prevent teen pregnancy and with these few adjustments it can be very effective. On the other side are people that say teens will have sex no matter what they are told and do not want to waste the time and money. This point is validated in a study which is done every twelve years. In 1980, federal and state governments spent $350 million in sex education. In 1992, that number has risen to 645 million dollars (Kasun, 2000). No numbers were available from 2004, but were estimated to have grown in cost. That is a lot of tax money being spent on such a controversial topic. A large problem is there is no time in school for sex education. With Math and English classes taking importance over most subjects in a college and career based school system there is no room for sex education. The last problem is where to get professionals to teach sex education classes. This will cost tax payers even more money to hire a professional or to train a current teacher. The most important thing is to just educate kids about sex and teen pregnancy. Sex education, abstinence, and abortion are the ways to lower teen pregnancy rates. There are different strategies for dealing with teenage pregnancy such as sex education, abstinence, and abortion, but the most effective strategy involves the careful use of birth controls. Some of these are very expensive ventures, but teenage pregnancies have cost our society billions of dollars in the  last thirty years. Divorce, single parent families, teen suicide, sexually transmitted diseases, juvenile crime, child abuse, and abortion, have all at least doubled from thirty years ago (Collison, 2001). Knowledge is power and the awareness that different options are available gives power to teens to make the right decisions. Bibliography: Collison, Joseph. (2001). The Legalization of abortion had influenced teen attitudes toward sex. Flam, Faye. (2010, February 22). Study offers nuanced view of abstinence education. Finger, James. (2002). Teenage pregnancy is a serious problem [Vol I]. (Adobe Digital Edition Version). Kasun, Jacqueline. (2000). Sex education promotes teen pregnancy. Manlove, Jennifer; Suzanne, Ryan; Kerry, Franzetta. (2007). Contraceptive use patterns across teens’ sexual relationships: the role of relationship, partners, and sexual histories. [pp. 603-621]. (Adobe Digital Edition Version), Doi: Demography 44. Roleff, Mark. (n.d.). Sex education can prevent teenage pregnancy. Stacey, Dawn. (2009). â€Å"Teen birth control- Teen pregnancy prevention and contraception decision –making†. 2 â€Å"Teenage pregnancy, birth control and abortion.†(Fact Sheet). (2002), SIECUS Report 30.0. 39+ Academic One File. 22. Theresa, H. (2001). Love to know pregnancy [pp 34-36]. (Adobe Digit al Edication Version). â€Å"What are the causes of teenage pregnancy?† (2009, March 12).