Monday, November 4, 2019

Advantages Of The Atomic Bomb History Essay

Advantages Of The Atomic Bomb History Essay First, the war was brought to a quick end by using the atomic bomb on Japan. â€Å"A feeling of vindication and a desire to end the war strengthened the resolve of the United States to quickly and decisively conclude it.† (Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945) The bombing of Pearl Harbor was still fresh in many American minds. Many Americans wanted to end the war. The Japanese resolve to fight was not very high during these following months. Their losses at Iwo Jima and Okinawa were extraordinary. Their navy and air force had been destroyed by America’s B-29s. This was part of the America’s air campaign to make bombing runs on military targets in Japan. Therefore, United States Pacific theater military leaders authorized the bombing of major cities. Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe were all bombed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died from these air strikes. The Japanese did keep their resolve even though many innocent people were dying. â€Å"Yet, Japanese resolve stayed strong and the idea of a bloody â€Å"house to house† invasion of the Japanese mainland would produce thousands more American and Allied casualties.† (Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945) They thought their casualties would be much less than Americas and the ally’s casualties if they were to invade. Japan was relying more on numbers than the actual battle performance of a regular soldier. Japan believed they can use large amounts of civilians against well trained American and allied soldiers. In Potsdam of July 1945, the allies declared that Japanese must unconditionally surrender. Japan leaders rejected the declaration because they did not want to surrender by these terms. The President authorized the use of the atomic bomb after August 3, 1945. The President Truman rather have a country shell shock than have it being defiant. He wanted to end the war by destroying Japan’s cities and causing fear. Normal bombs canâ€⠄¢t achieve a quicker victory than atomic bombs because atomic bombs have a wider blast radius and power. He considered the atomic bomb as a weapon and he had no doubts that it should be used. Therefore, Hiroshima was bombed because it was the headquarters of the Fifth Division and the 2nd General Army. Hiroshima was a communication center, an assembly area for troops, a storage point, and had several military factories. 90 percent of the city’s buildings were damaged by the atomic bomb. Later, Nagasaki was bombed because the city was known to produce ordnance, ships, military equipment, and other war material. A faction called, â€Å"one condition† was lead by Togo who seized the bombing as a justification to surrender. Hisatsune Sakomizo, the chief cabinet secretary in 1945, called the bombing â€Å"a golden opportunity given by heaven to end the war.† (Debate: Bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki) No amount of courage, skill, and fearless combat could help Japan ov erpower the atomic bomb. The emperor was looking for peace and need a good reason do so because some of his generals wanted to continue this war. The threat of the Soviet Union joining the war was not enough to convince the generals, but the atomic bomb was. On August 14, the Japanese government accepted the American terms for surrender. The atomic bombs quickly persuaded Japan to surrender because of the overwhelming power and fear.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Crucible by Arthur Miller - Essay Example the crimes he did not commit the author started thinking about the concepts of â€Å"victims† and â€Å"villains† and of the controversy of the absolute truth. It turns out that it is rather easy to pass from one category into another because determining truth and lie still requires enormous efforts even in court. Social moral and religion create enormous pressure on each and every human and fragile psyche sometimes cannot withstand that. In reality most of people are accusatory and would rather point to someone else`s vice than admit one`s guilt. For some people their reputation turns out to be much more important than ultimate truth. Under pressure of the society and in fear of punishment people are prone to change their beliefs and opinions and reveal their faint-heartedness. But it is well-known that people are prone to show their real nature only in critical situation. So extreme circumstances in which the characters of Miller`s play find themselves reveal their tr ue nature: some turn out to be villains and some victims of social moral, some are prone to bend under the pressure of probable punishment and some only find inner power in difficult situation, some act out of altruism and some care about their own life and happiness. Three characters of the play, Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor, find themselves in extreme situation and each of them transforms his views throughout the play to show eventually his true self. Despite the fact that in 17th century people live under close observation of church, they still act as ordinary people-make mistakes, lie, make sins. In his play â€Å"The Crucible† there is a number of characters who switch the roles of â€Å"victims† to â€Å"villains† depending on their words and actions. It is sometimes very difficult to blame people strictly taking into account fragile In his play Miller suggests that it is impossible to remain in one role of either â€Å"a victim† or â€Å"a villain† for long because

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Movie Reflection Paper - Contact Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection Paper - Contact - Movie Review Example The paper "Movie Reflection Paper - Contact" provides a review of the film "Contact". The movie is about a young scientist who is obsessed with finding some kind of extra terrestrial being. She, Judie Foster, eventually become aware of signals that seems to be coming from the some non human living entities residing far in space on a planet called Vega. This discovery shocks the world and everyone is panicked to a certain extent. The message sent by the space being is decoded with the help of a rich billionaire, but eccentric, inventor. The message is about building a machine that can take a single person to the planet. After a long process one person is selected to take seat in the machine but after a blast the main character gets an opportunity to take the most important journey ever taken by a human being. The journey is quite eventful for the scientist but NASA could not verify anything she says to have experienced. Finally the whole world realizes that this was a hoax by the ecce ntric inventor who helped decipher the message of the space beings. But top government officials of USA found, in the end, that there was little proof for the experience of the scientist who travelled in the machine. In Contact we find many themes that are explained in our text book. When the world becomes aware of the existence of an extra terrestrial entity, a mass religious hysteria breaks out and many people come out with their own interpretation. Scientists attempt to explain the phenomenon by objective facts. while others think that this journey should not be taken as it will be a step against God. The reason behind the suicide bomb attack in the movie was also to stop the ‘ungodly’ actions of human beings. Other educated theologians believed that discovery of an intelligent species would straighten the idea of God. The Second Chapter of our text books talks about the non religious explanations of religion or religious beliefs. In the film too we can identify some of the explanations that are given in the text book. There seems to be an intellectual motivation for the theologian to believe in God because he thought that the discovery of a new intelligent being further ensures that a God exists. He was actually trying to explain and indentify the cause of the new being and in turn satisfying his intellectual thirst of inquisition. Many people do the same when encountering with complex phenomena that cannot have a rational justification. In the case of the movie Contact there was no rational explanation of how the intelligent specie came into existence and how did it acquire intelligence superior to human beings. When there seems no explanation then people associate it with supernatural beings, and this is what the theologian in the movie is doing. He is rationalizing the cause of existence of the nonhuman living species. There is another religious side in the movie. A religious extremist group’s leader argues that building of the machi ne is not moral because we are not sure whether the aliens believe in God or not. This may sound nonsensical to educated people but it is an extremely important dimension of the film. In the text book author explain that primitive people believed in rituals that had important social functions like sustaining peaceful family life, and preventing fights (37). Now the same idea is

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operation management - Essay Example rations (chemical, mechanical, assembly, electrical, transportation, assembly, inspection, etc), number, and sequence are usually specified for each and every input. In this case, the output will be chemicals, complete parts/products etc. the production function illustrates the relationship between an organization’s inputs and outputs. The maximum output which can be realized with specific inputs or resources can be determined by studying the production function; this is dependent on factors like the available technology among others. Relationship between Production Function and Operations Management Both operations management and production are essential in achieving an organization’s desired goals and objectives (Heizer and Render 2001, pg. 26). The core essence of any organization/business is to satisfy the needs of its customers through the provision of goods and services, and consequently solve their problems and create value for them. Production function and opera tions management are about applying management and business organization concepts in the creation of goods and services. When applied together, the production function and operations are very essential and influential in realizing an organization’s goals and meeting objectives. In order to create and supply value for customers in services and products, it is imperative that a company identifies customers’ preferences and then convert them into specific products or services (quantity of products needed for a known period of time). An organization must also conduct backdating (backward working) so as to know the raw material needs; this is based on the requirements of a particular product. Finally, using operations management, it is necessary to involve internal and external retailers with the...The Nature of the Relationship between Operations Management and other. Operations management facilitates collaboration among operation management professionals and other executives and managers in order to establish how operational planning can improve and sustain an organization’s long-term marketing strategy. This planning may include identifying policies and goals for marketing management, support services planning and budget management. Operations management (with the assistance of the operations manager) ensures that the marketing department is fulfilling its expected responsibilities within the company by meeting budgetary guidelines and productivity goals. In service operations like Heathrow’s, customers frequently participate in the conversion process. Manufacturing operations like Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s employ very sophisticated and complex techniques for gauging resource consumption and production activities during the conversion process. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operations, for example, take into consideration the manufacturing layout. In Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s manufacturing environment, operations managers are in charge of the processes required to convert raw materials into finished products. In Heathrow’s service operations, operations managers delegate duties to workers in order to make the handling of customer demand easier. Manufacturing and service organizations usually face many similar challenges that affect the eventual result of their operations.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Rupert Murdoch Media Mogul Case Study

Rupert Murdoch Media Mogul Case Study Since 1952 when Rupert Murdoch inherited two Australian news paper from his father, he started a non-stop career generating growth within the media sector up to the point where the variety of his communication mediums have reached two-thirds of the worlds population. Murdoch has even been accused of monopolistic practices. Criticised by many people but admired by others, his leadership style is matter of analysis as it seems to contradict any Human Resource theory, i.e. the opposite of what is recognised as a good practice. However, his empire is alive and real, News Corporation (News Corp) is the second largest media conglomerate globally just behind The Walt Disney Company. This document will look at insights into Rupert Murdochs behaviour, his learning style as well as his personality characteristics as influencer in his professional development and managerial style. The analysis of competitive advantage for News Corp will be also discussed. From a Human Resource Management (HRM) perspective, News Corps practices need to be analysed in terms of performance appraisal, selection, relationship management, culture and ethics. A further mention with respect to leadership will be made since this is a core aspect that needs to be understood and appreciated. In order to successfully implement changes and improvements in News Corps HRM policy and approaches, improvements and alterations in Murdochs leadership style and approach need to be implemented. Murdochs People Management Style Learning Style and personality characteristics Theoretically, a successful company should have good practices in HRM. Ingham (2007) refers to best practice as an assumption that by doing things in a set best way, any organisation can improve their performance. He also points out that other concepts acknowledge that there is more than one combination of appropriate practices which varies according to context. Through this document, analysis will be made for each aspect as mentioned; linking the personal characteristics of Murdoch with News Corps practices. For years there has been interest in the importance of developing HRM: from hard approaches that looked at employees as a cost to be managed and possibly minimised, to softer approaches looking at employees as investments, valuables and with the capacity to make important contributions to the companys success. For News Corp however, this development has not happened as they are still operating based, clearly, on hard approaches, focusing on the rational management of people as if they were any other factor of production (Ingman, 2007). Murdoch has shaped News Corp and to accurately understand his performance, it is worthwhile to look at him as a CEO but as a person as well. Beyond his managerial and interpersonal skills, or the lack of them, it is undeniable that he has strong business acumen and ability to find new opportunities. For instance, the creation of the first national newspaper in Australia which gave him political clout, and acquisitions of different successful mediums such as Fox tv in the USA or Star Network in Hong Kong .He has been a natural entrepreneur since his youth and some analysts attribute his success to his ability to learn from mistakes, basic rule for a successful management as Templar (2005) highlights. A focused background in the newspaper market, added to his learning style have likely contributed to Murdochs edge. There are many approaches to learning styles by which this could be analysed and understood. One of the most recognised is Kolbs (1984, cited in businessballs) approach, which sets out learning as a cycle and suggests that everybody has a preferred style of learning. HOW TO REFERENCE THIS FRAMEWORK?, I GOT IT FROM: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm In this framework Murdoch could be described as having an Accommodating Style (combination of feeling and doing). Accommodating people are generalised as those who are hands-on, relying in intuition rather than logic and mainly prefer practical and experiential approaches. According to Kolb, they are persons attracted to new challenges, new experiences and to carrying out plans and setting targets. Murdoch seems to have much of this description. Comparing this description to Felder and Silverman Theory, (1980, cited in mindtools) (Appendix 1) Murdoch seems to be an Active Learner, a person who prefers manipulating, doing and learn by trying. This is a description also confirmed by Honey and Mumford (1982 cited in literature available). Another approach by which Murdoch could be analysed is VAK (Appendix 2), framework in which he can be described as a kinaesthetic person as he has show he enjoy actively doing and experimenting in reality. A combination of his knowledge, learning style and personality, could provide a broad picture to understand his behaviour and motivations. His need for achievement, no matter at what cost, has been clear through this career as a well known risk taker. Murdoch is as well an innovative person who easily incorporated new technologies in his business, as he referred to himself: a catalyst for change. Murdoch has some remarkable characteristics that have led him to achieve his success. He is known for his ever-changing tactics, for exercising control, for his smart mind and acting unlike his competitors. The complexity he has have to cope with in business has led him to think creatively, for instance as it is cited in the case study, when his competitor offered to buy his newspaper he published the opponents offer letter with the headlines Bid for Press Monopoly. As a global figure the press, not just competitors, desire to know his plans and strategies. This has not always been possible since he is considered a very secretive person. His understanding about environmental factors, usually referred at as PESTEL (Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental) has given him distinct advantages. For instance, he identifies financially profitable markets, technologies than can help his business, despite union protests and legal ways to reduce his costs, for example, setting operations of his companies in fiscal paradises henceforth paying less taxes than most of its biggest competitors. Despite the fact that Murdoch is not known as a good relationship manager, he does know the importance of maintaining specific good relationships, such as political ones. Actually, it is said that he switched his political preferences to favour his business. (Between the Republicans and the Democrats in the USA, and between the Tories and th e Laboritie in the UK). Competitive Advantage From the point of view of business performance, his job as News Corp CEO has been successful. But the issue is how sustainable could the performance be?. Barney (1991, p.99) points out that firms obtain sustained competitive advantages by implementing strategies that exploit their internal strengths, through responding to environmental opportunities, while neutralizing external threats and avoiding internal weaknesses. By delivering the desired content that members (subscription based customers) want, often referred to as populist Murdoch truly has exploited his organisational strengths. As discussed, he often takes external opportunities. It is arguable that beyond neutralizing threats he is his competitors threat and in external issues his political manipulation has helped him significantly. Theoretically speaking, News Corp should have a sustainable competitive advantage. However, the resource-based model (Barney, 1991) suggests that a resource to generate sustainable competitive advantage must be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and without strategically equivalent substitutes. Murdochs strategies have been rare to say the least, unexpected in many ways since he has never let anyone else to know about them and imperfectly imitable due to his power and the size of his company which makes for the competitors it difficult to follow him. However, he is wasting the most important resource by ignoring it as an asset: human resource. The size of his company is greater than most in the sector, having 47,300 employees (CNN); but taking into account his leadership style it is hardly a surprise that for him, employees are not a resource nor an asset. Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence is an aspect that have been gaining importance as it has been recognised as a key factor in relationships and leadership. Goleman et al, (2002 p.3) highlight that No matter what leaders set out to do whether its creating strategy or mobilizing teams to action their success depends on how they do it. Even if they get everything else just right, if leaders fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should. There are four aspects enclosed in Emotional Intelligence, also referred at as Leadership Competences: Self-Awarness, Self-Management, Social-Awarness and Relationship-Management. Self-management clearly is not part of his strengths as he uses to terrorize his employees without stopping and thinking. Social awareness is also missing in his managerial skills as he does not care about what people feel nor try to listening to them. As CEO he is feared rather than respected. His mood and behaviour influenced his treatment toward people. His management of himself and his relationship with people is a clear sign of his poor in emotional intelligence both, in personal and social competence. Relationship management is the result of understanding people and treating them appropriately, according to Bradberry and Greaves (2009); this is clearly a characteristic that Murdoch lacks. In research published in 2005 by Harvard Business Review entitled Heartless Bosses focusing on emotional intelligence, they took a sample from different industries, levels in the organisations and continents. The results showed the lowest average emotional intelligence at CEO level which points out a generalised weakness in this field as a managerial skill. However Murdoch is still an exceptional case. Management Style Murdoch is a recognised manager, who gives results to the shareholders. But analysing in detail, he is managing only the numbers, financial capital ignoring human capital. In this style, some of his approaches are successful while some others are not. For instance, Templar (2005) cites Follow your instinct/ gut instinct and learn from your mistakes as two of the rules of management, but also create a good atmosphere which Murdoch is absolutely not doing. Handy (1995), defines four types of Managers depending on the culture of the organisation: Zeus: The club culture Apollo: The role culture Athena: The task culture Dionysius: The existential culture Murdoch, seems to be a Zeus Manager, a strong leader who likes power and exercises it. However, different to Handys relationship between managerial style and organisational culture, News Corp is better described as a Role Culture or Role Tribe as will be discussed later. To understand why Murdoch share most of his managerial characteristics with Handys Zeus, is worthwhile to look at the following comparison: HOW TO REFERENCE IT:? IT IS FROM THE BOOK GODS OF MANAGEMENT, PAGE 90. DIAGRAM BASED ON KNOW YOUR OWN PERSONALITY EYSENK HR Management in News Corp Performance Appraisal Murdoch is an authoritative person, a control freak, who principally emphasises his employees performance based around his own yield as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). But if someone did not perform as he liked, then they were fired for not meeting his personal standards. Theory highlights that KPI should help to measure performance reflect on organisational goals and evaluate success or progress. These should be quantifiable and periodically assessed. None of these characteristics can be attributed to Murdochs performance analysis. The case study points out that News Corp HR Systems were poor. With very poor performance appraisal systems and with no annual reviews of staff and no process by which talented people could be promoted this reflects a significant and inappropriate lack of development plans. Early in News Corp launch, Murdochs approach to HR could have been acceptable but in todays fast changing environment, employees are more demanding and relevant theory about good HR practices is being championed by companies, making the leadership style that has been used in News Corp potentially not longer sustainable. Recruitment and Selection Academic literature suggests that a core theme in HRM practice is that people are central to the organisation and it should focus on values and the individual. Human resourcing is often described as a strategic activity, where people are an organisations most valuable asset, and represent the long-term future of the company. Murdochs style is not HR focused. However, some of his practices could be in fact matched with successful HR practices, for instance part of his success could be due to the News Corp selection process. He might not have an HR development plan, but what is clear is he has placed the right people in all his companies, perhaps people with the right skills, knowledge and competences that contribute to the strategy of the organisation. For a global company like News Corp, hiring the right people is crucial. From the potential employees point of view it could be desirable to develop a career there, as they can be involved in the glamour of media in a well-recognised company, thus it is likely that qualified professionals are available for the selection process. However, as News Corp has no performance measurements defined, it is difficult to expect that they have a recruitment criteria established based on measurements that they can apply further. Also it could led to think in Golemans (2002) suggestion Just because a particular executive is the most visible, is he the person who actually leads the company? A CEO who heads conglomerate may have no followers to speak of; rather its the division heads who actively lead people and affect profitability most. Relationship management It is also crucial to remember that the establishment of mutually agreed expectations during selection forms part of a psychological contract, which will strongly influence an employees attitudes and feelings about the organisation (Bratton and Gold 2001, p201). Handy (1999) had referred to this as the secret contract. Every time Murdoch disrespects his employees he is breaching this contract, affecting the labour environment and probably the desire of their employees to stay in the company. In the long term this directly affects costs as recruitment is an expensive process which apart from valuable time, includes use of instruments and training costs. Culture and Ethics A remarkable aspect in Murdochs managerial life has been his ability to integrate different cultures of the acquired companies easily into News Corps as the case states. This is not an easy issue but he has managed it successfully. Culture is a very complex matter of study, especially in non-written aspects, such as assumptions, beliefs and values. But News Corps culture is even harder to understand because of its size and unique characteristics. Some aspects of News Corps culture are noticeable, for instance, behaviour in terms of the relationship between management and employee, this includes a clear lack of development and training. According to the literature available, there are 4 types of culture, one of which is control culture, the framework for News Corp, constantly seeking operational excellence. These organisations have a planning discipline, leadership is a function of authority and decision making is directly related to job role. Handy (1995, 1999) lists this culture types as tribes: The club tribe: centralised, surrounded by circles of intimate and influence. The role tribe: organisations are set of roles or job-boxes, joined together in a logical and orderly fashion. Communications are formalised, as are systems and procedures. It is all managed rather than led. (Handy, 1999, p148-149) The task tribe: individuals cab be allocated in different tasks and projects The person tribe: put the person first than the organisations purpose. News Corp, then, is a Role Tribe. Part of culture analysis refers to communication and behaviours. From ethics, a clear dissonance is reflected between what News Corp as a company promotes and the way Murdoch behaves. Ethics is defined as the study of what is right and good in human conduct and the justification of such claims (Lucas et al, 2006) and business ethics as the study of the conduct of people in the business context. The dissonance can be seen through their communication as they have policies about ethics published for all their employees and for the CEO, yet Murdoch has been accused as having downplayed market news and created a monopoly in media all contradicting many of the policies. They also have competition policies, as referred to in their website, but interestingly he changed the prices of his news papers to destroy competition. Some analysts have also questioned behaviours such as supporting George Bush in his war determination arguing a benefit for the economy as oil were down in prices. Literature available, suggests four considerations in describing ethics in an organisational context: Beyond self-interest, universalised, defendable and action-guiding. The actions taken by Murdoch hardly seem to be beyond self-interest and his treatment among employees in not universalised as is influenced by his mood and demeanour, as discussed earlier. Leadership Analysis Leadership Vs management Murdochs leadership style plays an important role in News Corps overall analysis. He has taken the company where it is now but at the same time he has lost the opportunity to create commitment among his employees sharing his vision and engaging them in the process. For the leader who wishes to increase legitimate power, a long term commitment is required. Trust in relationships, which is the foundation of legitimate power, cannot be fabricated ad hoc. (Covey, 1999 p105) Distinctions between management and leadership need to be assessed. Kotter (1996, cited in Bratton and Gold 2001) explained that the main function of managers is to create plans while the main purpose of a leader is to create a shared vision and a strategy to achieve it. Managers control and probelm-solve, leaders, on the other hand, motivate and inspire. A balance is therefore suggested in order to provide effectiveness in a company. The literature available cites that a manager executes a plan and delivers the goals of the business. Is strong in process and systems, producing key results expected by stakeholders. On the other hand a leader is visionary, envisions where the company should be heading and inspires those in the company to make the vision their own. A good leader has excellent people skills, communicating, convincing, persuading, inspiring and motivating. From this perspective, News Corp is suffering from the first of seven chronic problems in organisations cited by Covey (Appendix 3): Problem 1: No shared vision and values: either the organisation has no mission statement or there is no deep understanding of and commitment to the mission at all levels of the organisation (Covey 1999. p 165) Leadership choice Murdoch has been a highly successful manager, but lacks good leadership practice. A simple way to understand Murdochs leadership choice is also given by Covey in his diagram about the Leadership Choice. Power Process YOU Leadership Choice Principle-Centered Power Utility Power Coercive Power Honor Fairness Fear Sustained Proactive Influence Functional Reactive Influence Temporary Reactive Control REFERENCING: PAGE 106. Leadership Style Murdochs leadership choice has been through coercive power. He has created a fear atmosphere where the commitment is superficial. This definition matches with the Commanding Type described by Goleman et al, (2002) who suggest that there are six types of leadership: Visionary Coaching Affiliative. Democrat Pacetting Commanding The Commanding type is considered the least effective, which defines Murdochs style. such leaders demand immediate compliance with orders, but dont bother explaining reasons behind them. If subordinates fail to follow orders, unquestioningly, these leaders resort to threats. Accordingly, performance feedback if given at all- invariably focuses on what people did wrong rather than what they did well. In short, its a classic recipe for dissonance (Goleman et al, 2002, p76). Dissonant leadership is said by Goleman to generate frustration and resentment, all the contrary to the desirable resonant leadership. Those leaders usually focus only in financial goals regardless for the long-term human cost. In the twentieth-century business, companies were mostly hierarchical and control based, just in the era when News Corp started, but now tends are different and the company has not evolved as it should. Media is a highly competitive sector and the challenges are large and significant. Murdoch has had to successfully navigate through technological changes, for example, the threat that the internet provides to printed news, economic changes globally and different business-related crises. From this point of view his style could have been successful although not appropriate. News Corps initial focus was on printed media, but in the present its main companies are television based. His assertive decisions in its core business has given News Corp a penetration of two-thirds of the population, mainly thanks to Star Network (the Hong Kong based satellite network), Fox Channel in the USA, BSkyB in the UK. It is clear that Murdoch is an excellent business men in terms of results, but, how greater could News Corp be is his leadership style were better? Goleman points out how different leaderships affect different factors in companies, such as climate, financial results, return on sales, growth, efficiency and profitability. Results show that, all the thing being equal, leaders who use styles with a positive emotional impact saw decidedly better financial returns than those who did not (p 54) A CEOs behaviour impacts strongly upon employees, as it is said by Goleman et al, (2002, p 76) Given that emotional contagion spreads most readily from the top to down, an intimidating, cold leader contaminates everyones mood, and the quality of the overall climate spirals down. Thus, News Corps employees are not likely to be committed. This could mean they do just the work they are paid for, not doing their best, nor adding value. As part of a role culture (role tribe) people just do their job, neither more, nor less (Handy, 1995) This is a failure in the psychological contract and as they are not receiving what they expect, they do not do their part. On the other hand, News Corp could experience a brain drain, strengthening competitors and making it harder for News Corp to be sustainable. News Corps organisational climate is another HR aspect that is poorly managed, being the representation of the internal environment among members of the organisation, linked to motivational level (Chiavenatto 2001). It seems to be deficient, taking into account the lack of opportunities of self-actualization, the higher step in Maslows (1943) hierarchy of needs and the relationship of Murdoch with his employees. Murdochs style seems to tend towards Taylorism rather than on relevant, contemporary, focused HR practice, as he is interested on the outcome, efficiency of the work and his employees are just a necessary medium. However, even the scientific management method proposed by Taylor (1911, cited in 12manage) gives its place to training and development in its second step which suggests that the company should select, train and develop the most suitable person for each job, again scientifically, rather than passively leaving them to train themselves Recommendations Based on the analysis outlined here for Murdochs leadership style and his management of his people the following key recommendations are suitable: Move to a more collaborative leadership style: it have been established all the implications that the current leadership style has for News Corp. By improving this core point, the company would gain employees commitment and committed employees will not just work flexibly but rather endeavour to succeed but going the extra mile in pursuit of customer service (Lucas et al, 2006) Redefine Key Performance Metrics to include development and relationship with employees. Clear measurements by which employees could be later appraised. Development plans to ensure the permanence of talent in the company and encourage them to feel ownership; The best people in any field -the talented few who contributes greatest business value- simply dont have to put up with the misery perpetuated by a bad boss. And increasingly, they leave for their jobs. People join companies and leave jobs. (Goleman et al, 2002, p 83). Also performance standards that meet organisational and personal goals, which is often know as good development Succession plan: Through development, ensure the continuity of the business once Murdoch retire, improving in HR Management but keeping the financial and business good results. The following leader should have emotional intelligence strengths as well as control capacity to handle a corporation of News Corps size. Goleman (2002, p27) cites intellect alone will not make a leader; leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading -and most crucially, through creating resonance. Organisation Development: becoming a learning organisation which means going beyond training individuals. Training all levels in a continuous process and adopting new approaches which take into account more people rather than physical assets. Systematic processes for selection and development. Reach a balance between all the stake holders needs. Good HR practices: Establishment and empowerment of an HRM department to ensure the implementation of good practices and moreover, good fit according to the conglomerate and each organisation that composes it. It might be useful an external consultation to evaluate the situation and suggest ways. However, internal participation is crucial as they know more the company and its environment. Creating sustainable change: Leadership need to be shared in different levels. Decentralising power and looking for collaborative leaders among the company, is easier to make a sustainable change. Any change implies consequences, thus it is necessary take into account the following implications that could result of moving forward: Resources: financial and non financial Resistance: to change, from those who are affiliates to Murdochs style Processes: need to be implemented and/or improved in terms of metrics, recruitment, policies. Conclusion No one doubts Murdochs success and it is clear to see that he is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. However, sustainability could be a key issue for News Corp, as he centralise decisions and the organisation is closely tied to him as a person. He is a strong figure and when he has to retire shareholders might experience uncertainty just like is now happening with Apple, which is increasing the risk of lose shares value and company good-will due to the imminent retire of Steve Jobs. When a company is a reflect of its CEO personality and leadership, succession becomes a problem. If systems, practices and policies are not implemented now, the maintenance and future development of the organisation cannot be ensured. Next CEO will not have Murdochs leadership style and will have to seek for more collaborative approaches Contemporary thinking and new HRM approaches strongly point out that people are key; therefore a win-win approach is convenient to News Corp future development. By treating people as a resource is likely to reach their commitment and build a step to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Murdoch have built a successful empire, the issue now is make it sustainable in the long term. If changes in core aspect such a HRM are not made now, it is not probable to happen. REFERENCES Barney, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17, 99-120. Chiavenatto, I., 2001. Administracion de recursos humanos. 5th ed. Santa fe de Bogota: Mc Graw Hill Handy, Ch. 1999. Inside Organisations. Twenty-one ideas for managers. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Handy, Ch. 1995. Gods of Management. The changing work of organisations. London: Arrow Books Limited. Bratton, J., Gold, J. 2001. Human Resource Management. Theory and practice. 2nd ed. New York, N. Y.: Palgrave Bradberry, T. and Greaves, G., 2009. Emotional Intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA: TalentSmart Ingham, J. 2007. Strategic Human Capital Management. Creating value through people. Oxford UK: Butterworth-Heineman. Covey, S. 1999. Principle-Centered Leadership. London: Simon and Schuster Lucas, R., Lupton, B., Mathieson, H. 2006. Human Resource Management in an international context. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Develepment. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., McKee, A. 2002. The New Leaders. Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results. Great Britain: Little, Brown. Templar, R. 2005. The Rules of Management. Great Britain: Pearson. Prentice Hall. Kolb, D. 1984. (Online) Experiential learning. Available from: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Felder, R. and Silverman, L. 1980. (Online) Learning styles. Available from: http://www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Fleming, and Mills. 1992. (Online) VARK learning styles. Available from: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=categories (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Taylor, F. 1911. The principles of scientific management. Available from: http://www.12manage.com/methods_taylor_scientific_management.html (Acceded 5th April 2011). CNN (online) http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2007/snapshots/6213.html (Acceded 15th April 2011). Bradberry, T. 2005. (online) Hearless bosses?. Harvard Business Review. Avaliable from: http://hbr.org/2005/12/heartless-bosses/ar/1 (Acceded 5th April 2011). BIBLIOGRAPHY Barney, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17, 99-120. Chiavenatto, I., 2001. Administracion de recursos humanos. 5th ed. Santa fe de Bogota: Mc Graw Hill Handy, Ch. 1999. Inside Organisations. Twenty-one ideas for managers. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Handy, Ch. 1995. Gods of Management. The canging work of organisation

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Sun Will Rise Over Moldova :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Sun Will Rise Over Moldova It is 5:30 in the morning, and I still fill like I am dreaming. The officer asks for my Passport, I give it to him and look back. My mother with her face wet with tears says something, but the words do not reach me. I have to move on, but I know this is a moment of extreme importance in my life. Somebody by my side tells an anecdote; everybody is laughing, but I felt deep in my thoughts. My flight to New York is in less than 30 minutes. Moldova is a small developing country in South-central Europe. Its economy is in transition from a command to a market economy, and the life of the society is directly associated with the fluctuations in financial need. People have a hard time. Sometimes there is no heat in winter, or the salary is not paid on time. There are limited energy resources, so it is common not to have electricity certain hours or gas for cooking. It is strange for people to think it is better somewhere, and the movies and TV shows about the United States seem like a far, impossible reality. I dreamed about it. In this environment some years ago a few foundations established in Moldova, and they provide a free cultural exchange for high school students. They have their goals to teach the youth about a better system of life arrangements, which can be brought to life in Moldova, too. The country of freedom, democracy, and economical wealth was not so far now. I was one of those willing to see the new continent, and I knew that all the efforts are worth it. I forced myself to be better, involved myself in many activities, and began studying English intensively, because I knew it would not be easy to achieve the goal. Every year thousands of students enter the contest, but only 20 or 30 receive the funding. In 1996 I entered the contest supervised by FSA ( Freedom Support Act ) and founded by the Congress of the United States of America. After 6 month of tests, essays, and intense emotions I did not win the contest. I was disappointed and ready to quit, but I did not. It was not finished yet. T he next year my name was on the contestants' list again. I applied for two scholarships, the FSA and the Soros Foundation. The Sun Will Rise Over Moldova :: Personal Narrative Writing The Sun Will Rise Over Moldova It is 5:30 in the morning, and I still fill like I am dreaming. The officer asks for my Passport, I give it to him and look back. My mother with her face wet with tears says something, but the words do not reach me. I have to move on, but I know this is a moment of extreme importance in my life. Somebody by my side tells an anecdote; everybody is laughing, but I felt deep in my thoughts. My flight to New York is in less than 30 minutes. Moldova is a small developing country in South-central Europe. Its economy is in transition from a command to a market economy, and the life of the society is directly associated with the fluctuations in financial need. People have a hard time. Sometimes there is no heat in winter, or the salary is not paid on time. There are limited energy resources, so it is common not to have electricity certain hours or gas for cooking. It is strange for people to think it is better somewhere, and the movies and TV shows about the United States seem like a far, impossible reality. I dreamed about it. In this environment some years ago a few foundations established in Moldova, and they provide a free cultural exchange for high school students. They have their goals to teach the youth about a better system of life arrangements, which can be brought to life in Moldova, too. The country of freedom, democracy, and economical wealth was not so far now. I was one of those willing to see the new continent, and I knew that all the efforts are worth it. I forced myself to be better, involved myself in many activities, and began studying English intensively, because I knew it would not be easy to achieve the goal. Every year thousands of students enter the contest, but only 20 or 30 receive the funding. In 1996 I entered the contest supervised by FSA ( Freedom Support Act ) and founded by the Congress of the United States of America. After 6 month of tests, essays, and intense emotions I did not win the contest. I was disappointed and ready to quit, but I did not. It was not finished yet. T he next year my name was on the contestants' list again. I applied for two scholarships, the FSA and the Soros Foundation.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

RV CV

I have good communication and ‘people' skills. I am flexible and enjoy learning new skills and have enjoyed working in different environments. This has given me so much experience. I would welcome the opportunity to further my education/ training to ensure can do any job to the best of my ability. The Heathens Animal Rescue Group, Cat Sanctuary -July 2014 to date Volunteer helping in the sanctuary. BOW (Business Working with Watershed) – May 2014 Volunteer Organizes. Organizing networking events for a charitable organization that brings together businesses to do work in the community.Setting up event, meeting delegates, compiling information on attendees, making sure delegates are looked after at the event. Babysitter – January 2012 to date babysat for neighbors and friends, giving them the opportunity to socialism and attend events. This has taught me how to organize a diary, network and learn a little about running a business. Prep Dam School India – Febr uary 2014 Volunteer was given an amazing opportunity from college to fly to India to take part in volunteer project helping in Catholic schools and orphanages in Iambi.This was a life changing opportunity. We attended different schools. The first was a girls orphanage with ages ranging from 6 – 16 years. We played a few simple games with them, sang songs and then worked with them to produce a presentation on Nelson Mandela and freedom. They made posters inspired by the presentation. This gave me a chance to hear some of the girls life stories, and how coming to the boarding school was a way out of the slums for them for a while, like a long holiday.The second school was similar, but girls and boys aged 5 years old. On our final day with the charity, we reached our hardest challenge, looking after 200, 5 year olds. We decided to do lots of arts and crafts, bracelet making painting and mask making along with sports such as cricket and football. We hope we made a difference to t hem, they certainly made a difference to me. Zoom Play Centre Stockpot – June 2012 to June 2014 Party Host/Waitress Whilst working at Zoom, have had many roles. My main role is a Party Host for young children.This involves serving hem food and drink, as well as organizing different games for them. My other roles include working on the till, serving drinks and confectionery. Taking food orders, waiting on tables, and cleaning the equipment, cafe and party area. SST Michaels Primary School – Work Experience – July 2012 Teaching Assistant While I was in year 1 1, I was offered the opportunity do my work experience in a primary school. I learned to control different situations, planned lessons, interact with teachers and pupils, and was involved in organizing trips out.Miss Selfridges – The Tradeoff Centre – October 2014 – Present Whilst working at Miss Selfridges, I was responsible for working as part of a team to reach the stores sales and cus tomer service targets. Some of the roles I contributed to included making sure that each and every customer was satisfied and has found everything they needed, offering expert knowledge and fashion advice, handling all customer responses and being able to deal with them in a calm and professional manner and ensuring that all standards are up to scratch ND maintained throughout the day.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ne?tled Case Study

Nestled Case study Nestled in the high country of New Zealand’s South Island is a getaway adventure playground aimed unashamedly at the world’s very wealthy. Celebrity sportspeople, Rock stars, World Leaders and Corporate Chief Executives and other world globe-trotters are the prime targets of this new tourism business developed by Lilybank Lodge. The lodge offers these exclusive niche segments the opportunity of a secluded holiday in a little known paradise. Guests, commonly under public scrutiny in their everyday lives, can escape such pressures at an idyllic retreat designed exclusively and specifically with their needs in mind. A chance meeting between a New Zealand Department of Conservation investigator and the son of the former Indonesian president marked the beginning of this speciality tourist operation. Recognising that ‘filthy rich’ people and public figures or celebrities are constantly surrounded by security and seldom have the luxury of going anywhere ‘incognito’, the New Zealander Kerry Mortimer suggested he and a friend purchase a high country station and lodge that was for sale. Mortimer believed that the facilities and their secluded and peaceful environment would make an ideal holiday haven for this elite group. Kerry Mortimer, who was by now the company’s Managing Director, developed a carefully tailored package of goods and services for the property. Architecturally designed accommodations, including a fully equipped Gymnasium and Spa Treatment & Beauty Salon, together with luxurious guest rooms were constructed and deigned by the country’s leading designers’. Although New Zealand had an international reputation for being sparsely populated and green, Mortimer knew that rich travellers frequently complained that local accommodations were below overseas standards. Since the price of these rooms was not felt to be a major barrier to this type of targeted customer, the rooms were designed as twice as big as normal hotel rooms and to a very sumptuous specification, all with breathtaking panoramic views. Ten full-time dedicated staff were taken together with four special tour guides in keeping with the anticipated class and wealth of the potential clientele(Pickton, 2005). The 2800 acres of the retreat also backed onto the South Island’s Mount Cook National Park which also offered big game reserve hunting as well as many other outdoor pursuits. Lilybank lodge therefore developed other product-line extensions. Horse trekking and riding, golfing on a nearby rural course, world class photographic lessons and sessions, helicopter rides nature walks and other activities formed part of this exclusive package. Whilst still in the early stages of operation, this retreat has already attracted a steady stream of visitors. To date the manager has relied solely on positive word of mouth, publicity and some initial PR activity. Given the social and business circles in which the target market resides he decides to employ a marketing consultant to design and implement a more planned marketing communications strategy. The report should also consider the implication already voiced by one critical observer that this project is again evidence of yet another example of local land passing into the hands of foreigners!! The MD and manager are convinced that the major markets and attention should be on International markets but is there a case for marketing some of the attraction to a more local and national market? Introduction Marketing communications can be defined as communications by means of promotion within a target audience or market. To communicate with consumers in order to persuade them to buy the company's products is by no means the only objective. To view it as being only sales-orientated is to underestimate the complexity of modern marketing communications. It is necessary to target customers in an integrated fashion to inform, persuade and remind prospective and existing consumers and customers of the firm, its products and services and how these are differentiated to appeal to and satisfy targeted needs, wants and desires of target markets. † (Kotler, 2002) Marketing communications does not entail the continuous application of tried and tested techniques, rather it is constantl y moving and dynamic, not just in terms of messages, but also medias, monies expended and changing consumer mindsets. An example of this, product placement, which involves the deliberate featuring of a product or brand in a film or television programme, was in its infancy even five years ago. Today, however, it represents a useful – if still marginal – element of the communications programme for many consumer goods organisations. Promotion is the communication arm of the marketing mix. Our hotel use various promotional approaches to communicate with target markets (the guests) and the following text will look at the general dimensions of promotion, defining promotion in the context of marketing. Next, to understand how promotion works, the text analyses the meaning and process of communication, as well as the product (our services) adoption process. The remaining of the text discusses the major types of promotional methods and the factors that influence promotion across cultures. The Promotional Mix The promotion mix, one of the four major components of the marketing mix, involves a careful blending of several elements to accomplish the organisation's specific promotion objectives. The four traditional elements are advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and public relations. Advertising The first element I will discuss is advertising, which can be defined as â€Å"any paid form of non-personal promotion transmitted through a mass-medium. † (Brassington & Petit, 2000, P. 593) â€Å"The purpose of an advertising plan is to provide the means by which appropriate messages are devised and delivered to target audiences who then act in appropriate ways. † (Fill, 2002, P. 486) Any paid form of no personal communication through the mass media about a product or service by an identified sponsor is advertising. The mass media used include magazines, direct mail, radio, television, billboards, and newspapers. This is used when the sponsor wants to communicate with a number of people who cannot be reached economically and effectively through personal means. Personal Selling Personal, face-to-face contact between a staff's representative and those people with whom the staff wants to communicate is personal selling. Non-profit organisations, political candidates, companies, and individuals use personal selling to communicate with the publics. Public Relations A further element of the promotional mix is public relations, which is defined by the Institute of Public Relations (1986) as â€Å"the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public. † Communication to correct erroneous impressions, maintain the goodwill of the hotel's many publics, and explain the hotel's goals and purposes is called public relations (PR). Unlike the other promotional mix elements, public relations are concerned primarily with people outside the target market, although it may include them. Publicity is news carried in the mass media about a hotel – its products, policies, services, personnel, or actions – at no charge to the organisation for media time and space. Unlike the other tools in the promotional mix, public relations does not require the purchase of airtime and space in media vehicles, such as T. V or magazines. And compared to the other promotional tools, public relations have higher credibility because the decision whether or not a hotel's public relations messages are delivered is not down to the hotel, but those charged with managing the media resource. Another big advantage PR has over other tools is that it has such low absolute costs(Kitchen, 2000). Within the communications programme of a hotel, public relations have two major roles to play. â€Å"These are the development and maintenance of corporate goodwill and the continuity necessary for good product support. † The first task of PR is to provide a series of cues by which the stakeholders can recognise, understand and position the hotel in such a way that it builds a strong reputation. Sales Promotion Sales promotion communicates with targeted receivers in a way that is not feasible by using other elements of the promotion mix. It involves any activity that offers an incentive to induce a desired response by staffs, intermediaries, and/or final customers/guests. Sales promotion activities add value to the service because the incentives ordinarily do not accompany the service. According to the Institute of Sales Promotion, sales promotion is â€Å"†¦ range of tactical techniques designed within a strategic marketing frameworks to add value to a product or service in order to achieve specific sales and marketing objectives. † This added value could be in the form of an inducement, (for example, price-offs, coupons, premiums, seasonal-offs) and is intended to encourage guests to act now rather than later. PR and Publicity Public Relations is perceived the most important in terms of marketing Lilybank Lodge. Journalist, media representatives and travel writ ers have a key role to play in establishing a positive profile. Also, popular sporting events, festivals, or visits by high profile celebrities or prominent politicians are excellent opportunities for eliminating the chronic negative image. Process by mass media such as TV, newspapers and films, and accounts given by friends, relatives or associates are powerful in the consumer's decision. Lilybank Lodge’s image as a tourist destination greatly depends on the PR activities of its marketers and the extent to which they can influence or manipulate tourist's perceptions of the region(Kitchen, 2003). Tourism representatives had agreed not to underestimate the negative perceptions the prospective tourist had in his/her mind and was created by mass media, newspapers and films covering the ‘trouble'. What was needed was a strategic promotion of it's tourism attractions on the part of tour operators and promotional bodies seeking to influence potential tourists. However many had their doubts. In McGuckin and Demick (2000) many doubts were rissen: One respondent suggested: â€Å"Positive advertising could never fully overcome negative editorial or media coverage(Ilchul, 2004)†. Another that: â€Å"It is difficult for us to control the negative publicity particularly that created by the media†. Lilybank Lodge ‘s objective regarding Publicity for 2003 is to create awareness of New Zealand and portray the desired images of the island. E-Marketing and the Internet The objective is the offer the consumer information about New Zealand through Internet sites, mail and email to past enquiries in order to convert interest to booking and developing banner advertising to direct consumers to micro-sites, which have special offers and a call to action. Trade Support Activity The objective is to educate and support the market trade so they can promoted New Zealand effectively. Promotions The objective is to offer information and create the intention among consumers to come and visit New Zealand. External Analysis: Threats Economic The industry faces major challenges in regaining its competitiveness in the light of reducing customer satisfaction ratings, in particular as regards delivering good value for money. There are a number of key factors influencing this problem: Social, cultural, demographic and environmental With growing concerns for environmental issues, New Zealand needs to become more aware of the problems with litter and pollution. These are the issues with lowest satisfaction levels of visitors as outlined by Failte New Zealand Visitor Attitude Surveys. The increase in competition from Eastern European countries has posed a threat by taking part of the market segment New Zealand once catered for. People are changing the way that they holiday. People are taking shorter holidays, but more often. For example, Vienna, once expensive, has reinvented itself as a reasonable conference and city break destination. In 2002, against the expectations of the industry, the number of domestic trips recorded – at 5. 8 million – represented a decrease on 2001 performance and a 10% decrease on 2000. While business trips are at a steady rate, home holidays and visiting friends and relatives is down, as the graph below illustrates. (Cornelissen, 2006) Political, Legal and Government A major decrease in NZ investment in Irish tourism poses a major threat to the industry. NZ grants, tax incentives and infrastructure supports are not as readily available as in the mid to late 1990s. Technological With the advancements in modern communication the need to travel has become less important. Telephone conferencing and the Internet are now alternatives to one on one business meetings. More affordable and efficient means of transport now allows for shorter stays, thus decreasing potential revenue for hotels. Internal Analysis: Strengths Experience With over 20 years in the business the Hotel has an established name and reputation. Recent and Proposed Investment The recent refurbishment and proposed expansion of 20 new bedrooms indicates that the hotel has capital to invest in its growth. Staff and customer loyalty A longstanding relationship with both employees and the cities business population creates a sense of security within the hotel Good relations with competition The hotel proposed to investigate running a training scheme in conjunction with other hotels in the area. This indicates that they have a good relationship with their competitors. Customer Focused The hotel has identified the need to become more customer focused and flexible in their approach to the needs of their clients. Location Having a central location within the city is a major advantage. It provides easy access for customers and suppliers. There is a larger market for the restaurant and bar facilities. Other amenities are close by. E. g. : Pharmacy, Newsagents etc. Expansion The hotel is planning to expand which shows that they are forward thinking and are not complacent when it comes to competition. Identified Weaknesses (Utilizing resources) They have identified the fact that their employees could be better utilized with some organization and planning Diverse Workforce The ages of the employees are wide ranging which enriches the company's culture and combines the experience and know how of the older generation with the enthusiasm and new ideas of the younger one. Internal Analysis: Weaknesses Lack of Skilled Workforce The Hotel has had problems with attracting receptionists and chefs with the required level of skill. High Staff turnover There is a constant problem in certain areas for retaining staff. Technology The hotel does not seem to have any computer systems in place which is to its detriment. Older staff resistant to change The fact that there are a number of older staff who have worked in the hotel for a great many years may be a problem with regards to implementing new systems. Training and Development There is currently no training for staff and a lack of foresight for future career paths within the organization. Reactionary The hotel clearly reacts to its problems as opposed to planning for unforeseen circumstances. Although they are planning for the future, they do not take into account the problems they may face. Bad planning and Utilization Employees clearly need to be better organized within the hotel. A problem like shift change times overlapping busy checkout times is something that just should not be happening in a hotel that's in operation for more than 20 years. Lack of facilities The hotel has only the basic facilities any hotel of its size would have. A huge competitive advantage is being missed out on due to the lack of innovative extras within the hotel. Transport The lack of transport at awkward hours has a significant impact on staff retention in the hotel. Situation Analysis and Preliminary Assessment This section includes a SWOT analysis of the Lilybank Lodge case study and preliminary assessments based on currently available data regarding market conditions, market segmentation, and market size. S. W. O. T. Analysis of the Lilybank Lodge case study This section reviews the strengths, weaknesses, external opportunities, and external threats (SWOT) for Lilybank Lodge in its current situation. Internal Strengths There is no ordinary rooms in the hotel †¢Quality evaluations are very good compared to competitors †¢Located a within blocks of the financial district and Inner Harbor tourist sites External Opportunities †¢Increase sales figures †¢Increase net profit Internal Weaknesses †¢Not too many amenities †¢Received little promotion both locally and nationally †¢No kitchenettes External threats â⠂¬ ¢Other hotels or units that offer similar service with the competitive price or even at the lower level †¢ Down falling economy Preliminary Assessment of Market Conditions This section records preliminary observations on the market advantages and disadvantages of an all-suite hotel. Advantages: †¢ Rooms are 500 to 800 square feet compared to traditional hotel rooms which are 300 to 400 square feet †¢Privacy †¢Business people can conduct small meetings in there hotel rooms †¢Convenient because it’s located near the business district and near tourist attractions Disadvantages: †¢ More staff needed †¢More expensive for upkeep †¢Some people don’t want such a big room †¢No big function rooms for weddings etc†¦ Market Segmentation All-suite hotels entered the hospitality market with the business traveler in mind, providing home-away-from-home comforts for long business trips and separate living and sleeping rooms to better accommodate in-room business meetings. It wasn't long, however, before the benefits to traveling families became equally apparent. Private sleeping areas for parents or for children's naptime and kitchen facilities to save money on meals as well as to accommodate children's eating patterns are among the benefits of all-suite travel for families with children. The market for Lilybank Lodge can be reasonably segmented into two categories: business travelers and leisure travelers. (Holm, 2006) †¢ Business Travelers – need hotel rooms year round, but usually emphasize weekdays (M-T). They are likely to evaluate the hotel on the following criteria: price (although not very price sensitive, they can’t afford to be too free and easy with their expenses), level of personal service provided, degree of physical luxury (rooms, restaurants, lobby, decor, extra amenities) location relative to next days usiness meetings, ambiance / atmosphere of hotel and quality of upkeep (clean and fresh). †¢ Leisure Travelers – tend to visit on weekends. They may be slightly more price sensitive than business travelers and be looking for packaged deals (special weekend rates including some meals), they will also want a location close to shops, restaurants, entertainment and attractions. If they were touring by car then on-site parking would be an issue. Preliminary Market Size Analysis In this section, a preliminary market size estimate for business travelers and leisure travelers is produced. Business travelers †¢31% of hotel occupancy, 51% with groups †¢What is happening to business travel †¢Stagnation ==> high fares and technology alternatives †¢Still need for face-to-face meetings †¢Globalization is a positive factor †¢What do business travelers want †¢ Location, service, reputation, appropriate product, price †¢ Significance of women as growth business travel market Leisure travelers †¢68% of trips, 43% of hotel stays †¢Leisure trips have been growing at twice the pace of business trips Recommendations based on assessment Lilybank Lodge has already made a good start towards a successful marketing strategy for their Baltimore Hotel. It’s going to be tough to get the hotel started due to the falling economy. The hotel needs to get a good staff. Staff is very important because they leave a lasting impression on the customers. Lilybank Lodge needs to really concentrate on customer satisfaction. If they can get customer satisfaction then they have got through half the battle. Lilybank Lodge should also concentrate on online sales. Everyone uses the Internet and that’s where he or she will find most of there traveling accommodations. Lilybank Lodge should also go to different businesses and explain to them all the amenities that they offer. They should also reevaluate their amenities because it seems by the survey that they are low in that factor. I believe the Lilybank Lodge. Suites will do just fine. Business people are traveling all the time and they definitely like idea of all suite hotels. It’s roomier, very convenient for business meeting and they have privacy which in ordinary hotels they lack that greatly. Lilybank Lodge's tourism industry needs to select the correct image for the region and communicate it to the appropriate target markets. Public relations and media management(Picktan, 2005) Conclusion In this paper communication was discussed as a vital strategic element of Lilybank Lodge's especially a new opened hotel and importance was given to integrating the various promotional tools to achieve an effective focus. The main influence for communications and other management functions must be directed by long term aims and objectives developed as part of a comprehensive strategy. References Picktan, D. and Braderick, A. (2005), Integrated Marketing Cammunicatians, Pearsan Educatian Limited, Harlaw. Katler, P. (2002), Marketing Management, 11th ed. , Prentice-Hall/Pearsan Educatian, Englewaad Cliff, NJ. Belch, G. E. and Belch, M. A. (2003), Advertising and Pramatian, 6th ed. , McGraw Hill. Fill, C. (2006) Marketing Cammunicatians, 4th ed. , Financial Times/ Prentice Hall. Kitchen, P. J. and Schultz, D. E. (2000), â€Å"A respanse ta ‘Thearetical cancept ar management fashian†, â€Å"Jaurnal af Advertising Research†, Val. 40 Na. 5, pp. 17-21. Kitchen, P. J. and Schultz, D. E. , et al. (2003), â€Å"Will agencies ever â€Å"get† IMC? †, â€Å"Eurapean Jaurnal af Marketing† Val. 38 Na 11/12. Ilchul, K. , Dangsub, H. and Schultz, D. E. , (2004), â€Å"Diffusian af IMC†, â€Å"Jaurnal af Advertising Research†. Carnelissen, P. J. , Thoger, C. , Vijn, C. , (2006) â€Å"Understanding the develapment and diffusian af integrated marketing cammunicatians†, â€Å"NRG warking paper†. Halm, A. , (2006) â€Å"Integrated marketing cammunicatian: fram tactics ta strategy†, â€Å"Carparate Cammunicatians: An Internatianal Jaurnal†, Val. 11 Na. 1, pp. 23-33.