Thursday, October 31, 2019

St.Regis Doha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

St.Regis Doha - Essay Example This in turn has augmented the significance of strategic management in organization to quite a great extent. A sound and viable strategy that results from a proper planning process is therefore dubbed as the pivotal instrument for striving and maintaining a high performance in the market place. However, due to the increasing rapid changes in the global business environment, strategies formulated by organizations have to be resilient or adaptive in nature. This will aid in the process of continually creating an endogenous innovation or coping up with the exogenous changes (Bloodgood, 2007). Therefore from an overall point of view, the resilient and adaptive tactics of the company help in maintaining an adequate strategic fit between the strategy adopted by a firm and its surrounding external and internal environment (Aarika-Stenroos and Sandberg, 2012). This report aims at analyzing the business as well as the overall marketing strategy of St. Regis Hotel based in Qatar. After the ana lysis of the strategies pursued by the company, the study will attempt to identify the problems associated with the strategy. On the basis of the findings, the study will then recommend the most appropriate and relevant solution to the company. Lastly, a conclusion to the study will be drawn by highlighting the key findings and an overall gist of the report. The report will begin by providing a brief overview of the chosen organization and will then slowly move towards the analysis and recommendation segments. St. Regis: A Brief Overview St Regis was first opened in New York in the year 1904 and since then they had expanded in different parts of the world (Starwoodhotels, 2013a). St. Regis Doha is one of the premier hotels in Doha and is one of the largest in Qatar. It is five star luxury hotel situated at the heart of the city. The hotel is located in Doha West Bay. The hotel was constructed in the year 2012 and has a chain affiliation with the Starwood Hotels. Presently, the hotel accommodates 336 guest rooms and fifty-eight of them are dubbed as seductive suites. The ancient architecture and the surrounding sand dunes are the inspiration of this landmark in Doha. The biggest competitive advantageous factor of the hotel is its prime location. All the rooms in the hotel offer a mesmerizing view of the Arabian Gulf with the tranquil blue sea. Furthermore, it also has discreet oceanfront cabanas and a private beach. The extensive range of leisure facilities along with the magnificent interiors makes it a favorite destination for both business and leisure travelers. Some of the facilities offered by the hotel are internet and laundry services, concierge services, business center, parking facilities, and several recreational services. These additional attributes along with the superior quality of services marks the hotel as one of the best in the country. The hospitality of St. Regis also demands special mention. The guests of the hotel are welcomed with unmatche d geniality. St. Regis is continuously setting new standards of luxury service and excellence and service delivery within the hotel industry of Doha. The hotel since its commencement has been continuously setting new standards for the industry and has succeeded to add several feathers to its cap. Some of the evident ones are Best New Hotels 2013 by Travel+Leisure, achieving a position in the 2013 Hot List by Conde

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Delivering Business Value with It at Hefty Hardware Essay Example for Free

Delivering Business Value with It at Hefty Hardware Essay IT Value is defined as the worth or desirability of a thing. It is a subjective assessment. The value of IT depends very much on how a business and its individual managers choose to view it. Strategic positioning, increased productivity, improved decision making, cost savings, or improved service are all ways value could be defined. It is tied to the organization’s business model because adding value with IT should enable a firm to do it business better. One company sees value resulting from all parts of the organization having the same processes; another defines value by return on investment (ROI); still another measures t by a composite of key performance indicators. IT value proposition is that everyone involved in an IT initiative agree on what value they are trying to deliver and how they will recognized it. IT Value is a function of people, process, and technology. The Three Components of the IT Value Proposition: Identification- Recognize and evaluate opportunities. Conversion- Transformation of ideas and opportunities into IT value propositions and creating IT value. Realization- Deliver value and ensure that technology is widely accepted Best Practices in Identifying Potential Value: Joint business-IT structure. Compare value across projects. Utilize a portfolio approach to project selection/prioritization. Establish a funding mechanism for infrastructure. Conversion: Managerial issues with Conversion More projects than resources: Insufficient time to complete all projects; inadequate technical/business resources; significant business process redesign may be required for implementation of IT. IT value creation can be successfully made by: Excellent project management; Effective execution (e.g. change management); Reliable IT operations Best Practices in Realizing Value: Measure outcomes against expected results.[Does Expected Value = Actual Value?]; Plan a value-realization phase for all IT projects; Look for and eliminate root causes of problems; Assess value realization at all levels in the organization; Have provision for acting on new opportunities.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Puritan View: God And Human Nature

Puritan View: God And Human Nature History is cyclical. That is the simple nature of it. There are always old ideas, traditional views of the way the world works that have been in place for a long time that are supplanted by new, radical ideas. These new ideas stay in place and become tradition until they are replaced by newer ideas and so on and so forth. That is the way of history and it is no different in the history of America. New England was born with the Puritan view of God and human nature and it stuck with that view for over a hundred years. Into this Puritan society, into a Puritan family, Benjamin Franklin was born. Benjamin Franklin did not agree with Puritans views and challenged them, with his Deist views. Deist ideas on God and human nature were vastly different than those of the Puritans, in that they disagreed on the nature of God and the afterlife which caused them to view human nature through different scopes. Deists, and for that matter Franklin, did not believe in the God of the Christians (or of Jesus being the Messiah). They believed in God as a creator, or as Franklin refers to him a First Mover and Maker of the Universe (Franklin, 6). The belief was that God created the universe with its many laws and then simply let it run by itself, a belief which Franklin shared. The Deist God was all-wise, all-good, [and] all powerful (Franklin, 6). Franklin believed that because God was all-powerful that there can be nothing either existing or acting in the Universe against or without his consent (Franklin, 6). Franklin furthered this thought with the belief that if it was true, and what he consents to must be good, because He is good; therefore Evil doth not exist (Franklin, 6). Franklin addressed a possible counterargument against this belief, one that might say things like murder of theft are inherently evil. Franklin counters this by saying to suppose any Thing to exist or be done, contrary to the Will of the Almighty, is to suppose him not almighty (Franklin, 6). Furthermore, if these acts are of God and God is all-good, then these things are inherently good. Puritans believed God to be intimately involved in their lives, punishing them and rewarding them as they sinned and did good respectively. The Puritan view of God was of a very judgmental God who used both wrath and mercy as He saw fit. Wigglesworth refers God being a judge several times in his poem. When Mary Rowlandson was taken captive by the Native Americans, she believed God was punishing her for not going to church and other sins and that it was righteousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [for] God to cut off the thread of [her] life, and cast [her] out of his presence for ever (Rowlandson, 3). Upon reading a Bible given to her by one of her captors, Rowlandson found There was mercy promised again, if we would return to him by repentance (Rowlandson, 5). This is the way most Puritans viewed their lives: in terms of what they did to please and anger God. John Dane attributed each trouble he encountered, such as an allergic reaction to a wasp sting and palsy, to Gods retribution for sins he had co mmitted. He then says that when he did reform It pleased God in a short time to ease [him]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and [he] stood in awe of Gods judgments (Dane, 4). Puritans did what they could to please God, and accepted His punishment when they sinned. Yet, Puritans believed that deep down they were all evil and only a few of them would be truly redeemed. The Deist Franklin did not believe that God created an afterlife for human beings, which is to say he did not believe in Heaven or Hell. Franklin instead believed in pleasure and pain; pain being the misfortunes and sorrows in life and pleasure being the satisfaction of the desire to be free from pain. Franklin believed that pleasure and pain are in balance in life and that one could not exist without the other. He believed that pleasure was wholly caused by Pain and, by his definition of pleasure, therefore pleasure must be equal, or in exact proportion to pain (Franklin, 7). Franklin really stresses this balance of pleasure and pain. He perceives a possible counterargument against this belief as well. Such an argument might object that there is no such balance in life because it is easy to see people who live their whole lives in misery and pain and die without ever being relieved of this pain. Franklin counters this by saying that no one can be proper Judges of the good or bad For tune of Others (Franklin, 8), which is to say that the balance of pleasure and pain is individualistic, and no one can say that was causes him or her pain causes anyone else pain. Franklin furthers this by saying that even if a person lives their whole life in pain, the receive release, and therefore pleasure, from this pain when they die. He says, Pain, though exquisite, is not so to the last moments of lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and tis quite an exquisite Pleasure to behold the immediate Approaches of Rest (Franklin, 8). In the end, there will be a balance of pleasure and pain. Franklin sees that as there is this balance, there is no need for an afterlife. One would not need heaven to make up for earthly pains, as they would have been balanced out in life. Puritans believed fiercely in Heaven and Hell, and that God had created both places of afterlife. God predestined everyones fate, and chose only a select few to be saved and spend eternity in Heaven. Most people were damned to spend eternity in Hell because of Original Sin. Thomas Shepard said, Your best duties are tainted, poisoned, and mingled with sin (Wigglesworth, 4). Thus, because of Original Sin no human action could be inherently good; and he went on to say your good duties can not save you, yet your bad works will damn you (Wigglesworth, 4). It was only by Gods grace that a person could be saved. The pain one experienced on earth was punishment for sin, and only received relief if they were chosen by God to go to Heaven. According to Wigglesworth, the greatest relief of Heaven is that saints are made sinless and finally do not have to fear forfeiting Gods love (Wigglesworth, 4). Puritans believed that the people who went to Hell deserved it, even so much as Wigglesworth desc ribes a father learning of his son being sent to Hell and says he doth rejoyce to hear Christs voice/ adjudging him to pain (Wigglesworth, 4). Puritans accepted the fact that most of them would be condemned to Hell. Because Franklins God was all-good, everything created was all-good, and there was no afterlife, he viewed life (specifically human nature) differently than most people. It allowed Franklin to believe that human beings were naturally good-natured and to place importance on the mortal life. Thus, Franklin believed in the importance of self-improvement and virtue without God demanding a need for it. Franklin believed that anyone could improve their station, both economically and morally. Franklin even said hed formd most of [his] ingenious acquaintance into a club of mututal improvement which [they] called the JUNTO (Franklin, 10). In Franklins words, this club was designed to discuss Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy (science)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [with the] sincere spirit of inquiry after truth (Franklin, 10). Franklin truly believed that people could grasp their purpose in life by pondering these things and thereby better themselves. Yet, perhaps the most important concept Franklin came up with in regards to human nature were his thirteen virtues. Franklins thirteen virtues were temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility (Franklin, 12-13). In this, one can see how Franklin placed value on virtue outside of a religious need for it. Franklin said that in these virtues there is no mark of any of the distinguishing tenets of any particular sect. [He] had purposely avoided themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [so] that it might be serviceable to people in all religions (Franklin, 15). Franklin said his virtues were in every ones interestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ who wished to be happy even in this world (Franklin, 15).For Franklin, the mortal life was all one had and it was ones duty as a human being to become morally perfect and achieve ones fullest potential. Puritans had a completely different take on human nature, formed from their belief about God and the afterlife. To Puritans, human beings were naturally evil and they placed heavy importance on the afterlife. Dane was so convinced of his evil nature, he thought that it was a greater evil to live and sin against God than to kill [himself] (Dane, 6). The mortal life was about living in ways to please God or else risk his wrath and punishment. The Puritan life was centered solely on God because of his intimate involvement in their life. Dane puts it as Beating my thoughts on Gods infinite love took such an impression of my heart as that I thought I could do anything for God or suffer anything for God (Dane, 7). Dane warns that if one does not live their life like this they will bring sorrow and affliction on [their] heads and heartsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to their great grief and sorrow (Dane, 7). It was not by their own hands that they could make themselves better, only by Gods providence. Bec ause Puritans accepted that most of them would go to Hell, it was their responsibility in the mortal life to do all they could to please God. At the same time, those predestined to be saved had the same responsibility or else risk eternal damnation. Yet most Puritans did not know what fate awaited them, so all had to live as if they were among the saved. The Deist Franklins God was all-good and did not create an afterlife, therefore it was human nature to be good and live their mortal life to its fullest potential. The Puritan God was intimately involved in their lives, judged them harshly for misdeeds, and eternally damned most of them. Therefore, it was human nature to be evil and sin and they had to live their lives by what God wanted in the hope that they were the ones God had chosen to save. It was because of their differing views on God that cause Franklin and Puritans to have such a different view on human nature.

Friday, October 25, 2019

A Unified Theory of Names Essays -- Philosophy Philosophical Papers

A Unified Theory of Names ABSTRACT: Theoreticians of names are currently split into two camps: Fregean and Millian. Fregean theorists hold that names have referent-determining senses that account for such facts as the change of content with the substitution of co-referential names and the meaningfulness of names without bearers. Their enduring problem has been to state these senses. Millian theorists deny that names have senses and take courage from Kripke's arguments that names are rigid designators. If names had senses, it seems that their referents should vary among possible worlds. However, the Millians have the enduring problem of explaining the apparent cognitive content of names. I argue that Mill's original theory, when purged of confusion, provides word-reflexive senses for names. Frege failed to notice senses of this particular sort. Moreover, it is these senses that account for names' rigid designation. When the views of Mill and Frege are understood as complementary, the problems that have faced t he divided theorists of names vanish. The division of terms into connotative and nonconnotative is, according to Mill, one of the distinctions that "go deepest into the nature of language." (1) The importance of this distinction was reaffirmed by Saul Kripke in Naming and Necessity. Kripke followed Mill in holding that proper names must be understood as nonconnotative. To insist on this classification was, on Kripke's view, to reject the powerfully supported view of names that originated with Frege. (2) Since the publication of Kripke's lectures theories of names have come to be thought of as divided into two opposing types-Fregean and Millian. This opposition of theories has impeded the development of a satisfacto... ... (2) Saul A. Kripke, Naming and Necessity (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1980), 26-27. (3) Gottlob Frege, "On Sense and Meaning," in Translations from the Philosophical Writings of Gottlob Frege, 3d ed., ed. Peter Geach and Max Black (Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Littlefield, 1980), 57. (4) Mill, 34. (5) Ibid., 35. (6) Ibid., 36. (7) Ibid., 37. (8) Ibid., 38. (9) Frege, "On Sense and Meaning," 56. (10) Ibid., 57-58. (11) Ibid., 58n. (12) Ibid., 58. (13) Frege, "On Concept and Object," 46n. (14) Kripke, 68-70. (15) Note that 'the bearer of "Socrates"' is a rigid description, a connotative term, synonymous with the nonconnotative term 'Socrates'. (16) Pauline Jacobson, "The Syntax/Semantics Interface in Categorial Grammar," in The Handbook of Contemporary Semantic Theory, ed. Shalom Lappin (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1996), 90.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Charter Wedding bells Essay

Mary –Jo and her fiancà ©, Bobby Doe have decided to get married on November 30th 2014, which is in 3-month time. This Project will define, plan, execute and implement the wedding. It is important to be an event on which everybody can look back on with fond memories. The aim of the Project is to plan a wonderful wedding experience for both families and also for the wedding guests. The budget will be of $20,000 and the maximum number of quests will be 150. Project Objectives The entire wedding budget is set at $20,000. The reception will take place in a hall and the maximum number of guests is 150. It will be a legal and proper wedding ceremony. The wedding will take place in 3 months, in a reception hall. Major Deliverables Invitations and thank you notes Print Menus and Programs Order Favors Hire a photographer and videographer Transportation Ceremony-book Officiant Location Rental for ceremony and reception Decorations-flowers Book caterers, choose menu Order cake Arrange for a band/DJ/entertainment The following items are not covered by this Project and are the responsibility of the bride and broom: Bachelorette and bachelor party Wedding Dress Groom’s attire Bridesmaids’ dresses Honeymoon arrangements Writing the Wedding Wows Hair and make-up arrangements Wedding rings Proposed Process The Project Team will ensure accomplishment of the above by: *providing different choices of wedding/ceremony venues, catering arrangements, cake arrangements, wedding decorations, wedding music, transportation choices; *providing a breakdown budget; *researching different costs in relation to the budget; *analyzing the proposed choices in terms of costs and customer satisfaction. Related Products and Proposed Resource List Project Dependencies refer to the 3rd parties involved in planning and executing the Project, such as the caterers, the florists, the company providing the invitations/menus/programs/thank you notes, the band or DJ, the transportation company, the Ceremony Officiant. Proposed resources: www.torontoweddingbands.com www.royalcakesbyannette.com www.paulshannoncaterers.com/ www.matthewkozovskiphotography.com www.ashleamacaulay.com www.durhamweddingsource.com/ Project Customers The end customers will be the bride and groom and the families of the bride and the broom. Their expectations must be met and their feedback will be taken into consideration when booking/reserving or otherwise making any decision related to the present Project. Customer Requirements It has been determined that Mary-Jo and Bobby do not want a high-end wedding. It is desirable to have a wedding within the budget, with quality services that fit the allocated budget. All Major Deliverables must be organized and booked/reserved by the wedding day. No Major Deliverable should be postponed and/or delayed. Once a decision has been made, it should not be changed and/or altered. This will ensure a smooth and clear progression of the Project. Customer Needs/Key Attributes It is a known fact that planning a wedding is very stressful for the bride and groom. As such, this Project will help diminish the stress and ensure a linear course of events. The bride and groom will enjoy their Wedding day without worrying over different aspects of the event. Project Stakeholders The Project Sponsors are the bride’s parents, who are funding the wedding. They have set the budget, the maximum number of guests and the legality of the wedding. The Customers are Mary-Jo and Bobby Doe, who will make the decisions and approve the schedule. The wedding guests are not responsible for any decision and/or part of the wedding, however they should be taken into consideration when planning the wedding. They should have a lasting memory of the event. The Project Team will work closely with the Project Manager to ensure coordination and implementation of the decision made. They will also help with the research. Project manager The Project Manager is the mother of the bride, who will have full authority on the Project and over the budget, and terms of the present project. She will hire the Team Members, allocate the tasks to the Team Members, build a budget breakdown and a schedule. The Project Management will ensure the Project is on time and within the budget. Preliminary Schedule The below proposed Preliminary Schedule is to be submitted to the Project Customers for approval as soon as possible. September 1st to September 30th: Set wedding date; select and reserve the ceremony site; Select and reserve the reception location; Work on the guest list; Select and reserve a photographer, videographer, florist, DJ or musicians, and a caterer; Begin to plan the menu; Select and order wedding  invitations, announcements, thank-you notes. October 1st to October 31st: Finalize guest lists; mail the invitations; Choose a bakery and order wedding cake; Order any party favors; Decide on reception decorations and order or begin making them; Arrange for transportation on the wedding day. November 1st to November 29th: Keep a record of RSVPs and gifts received; Finalize menu for the reception; Obtain the marriage license; Finalize the wedding flowers with florist; Confirm reservations and details with photographer, caterer, DJ, videographer, baker and any other professionals, including any special photos wanted, specific music during a first dance. Preliminary Budget Reception: Spend 40% of the Wedding Budget on Reception. Total Budget: $20,000 x 0.4 = $8,000 available for the reception Example costs: site fees, catering costs, bar and beverages, wedding cake, etc. Music: Spend 10% of the Wedding Budget on Music Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $2,000 available for music Example costs: ceremony music, cocktail hour music, DJ fees, etc Flowers: Spend 15% of the Wedding Budget on Flowers Total budget: $20,000 x 0.15 = $3,000 available for flowers Example costs: bridal bouquet, wedding party flowers, table centerpieces, etc. Wedding Attire: Spend 15% of the Wedding Budget on Wedding Attire Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $3,000 available for wedding attire Example costs: wedding gown, dress alterations, wedding veil, lingerie, jewelry, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. Photography: Spend 10% of the Wedding Budget on Wedding Photography Total budget: $20,000 x 0.1 = $2,000 available for wedding photography Example costs: Engagement portrait, photography, videographer, wedding album, etc. Stationary: Spend 5% of the Wedding Budget on Stationary Total budget: $20,000 x 0.05 = $1,000 available for wedding stationary Example costs: wedding announcements, wedding invitations, postage stamps, wedding programs, table place cards, etc. Additional Expenses: Spend 5% of the Wedding Budget on Additional Expenses Total budget: $20,000 x 0.05 = $1,000 available for Additional Expenses Example costs: attendants’ gifts, marriage license fee, wedding day transportation, etc. Approval Requirements The Project Sponsor approved this Project Charter. The Bride approved this Project Charter. The Groom approved this Project Charter. Bibliography Gray, Clifford F., Larson, Erik W. – Project Management, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011. A guide to the project management body of knowledge, PMBOK guide, 5th Edition, PMI Inc. 2013. http://www.magnetstreet.com/wedding-planning-checklist http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/20000-wedding-budget-worksheet.html

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Gay Marraige

Please, Just imagine this. You're young, it's the start of summer and you're out with your favorite group of friends, soaking up the sunshine and relaxing. You all decide to leave the park, and go for a stroll down to town. You pass by a brightly lit up bar, it's got music pumping through the doormen and it looks alive. Heart racing, you tell everyone you all should go in and check it out. You slowly walk through the door frame and can see happy people everywhere, men and women dancing to their hearts content.Your eyes scan the room and suddenly your eyes are fixed on a person. Their face is lit up with excitement of the moment, and then their eyes are fixed on you, they smile and call you over to dance. You follow them onto the dance floor and the best night of your life unfolds. It's now been 3 years; you're madly in love with that one person you met at the bar. You're living together, loving every minute you spend with each other.You want to take a step forward, take it to the nex t level and spend the rest of your lives together, officially, legally. But you're denied this opportunity by the government; same sex marriage is illegal in Australia. The bill that my party would like to put forward is to legalize same sex marriage. In my opinion, same sex marriage would be a great opportunity for social progress. Two people who love each other should be able to publicly celebrate their commitment.It does not and should not hurt anybody else if it was allowed, and denying them is a violation of freedom. Denying them this opportunity can cause serious psychological damage and can make them feel little and not a part of the community. By allowing same sex marriage, it helps adoption because there are any problems with gay couples choosing to conceive a child, since 2000 the adoption by same sex couples has doubled.Allowing same sex marriage will almost guarantee that the adoption rate will rise even higher. Gay marriage is recognized, supported and legal in twelve d ifferent countries already. Now it's Australia's turn to Jump onto the band wagon. Introduction of same- sex marriage laws has varied by Jurisdiction, being variously accomplished through a legislative change to marriage laws, a court ruling based on constitutional guarantees f equality, or by direct popular vote.By providing the opportunity of same sex marriage it gives both people in the relationship hospital access during an injury or illness. It will allow them to have family health benefits, taxation and inheritance rights. In all fairness it would benefit us all, as a community in many different ways and should be legalized. It will bring people together, give us all the equal rights we should be entitled to and will end happily in the long run. Help us all close the gap within same sex marriage, bring forward social progress and