Jane Eyre the Main 5 Gothic Elements Essay - 826 Words

Charlotte Brontes ,Jane Eyre, is considered by many to be a Gothic novel. There are many elements to Gothic literature. However after much research, I have come up with the five main characteristics that define every Gothic novel. First, there is always a helpless victim who is usually a female. Second, there is a cruel and evil victimizer/ villain/ torturer. Third, the victim is imprisoned or trapped within impenetrable walls such as a castle or a mansion. Fourth, there is a sense of mystery, darkness, suspense, loneliness, horror, and other similar and related feeling in the atmosphere. Fifth, the occurrence of supernatural events. All five of these characteristics are portrayed in Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, Jane Eyre herself is the†¦show more content†¦After that, Janes life wasnt as bad. At Thornfield, Mr. Rochester, the house owner, liked to tease her. Also, it was dangerous living in the same house as his insane wife, Bertha Mason, but it was OK. Through out the book, J ane moves from place to place. The atmosphere also changes. However, for the most part, the atmosphere is mysterious, dark, and depressing. As a young girl, she is trapped in Gateshead. Her life as a child is sharply defined by the walls of the house. She is not made to feel wanted within them. The walls of the Red Room, where she is locked up for days for bad behavior, become her world, not just those of the house. The atmosphere during that part is lonely, cruel, and unloving. Then she is sent away to the all girls orphanage Lowood School, a serious place of misery and poverty. Lowood is bound by high walls that defines Janes world. Except for Sunday services, the girls of Lowood never leave the inside of those walls. The atmosphere is full of sadness, misery, loneliness, gloom, and all kinds of depressing feelings. Being trapped / imprisoned and those dark, gloomy feeling are an important element of every Gothic novel. Another important element to every Gothic novel is the occurr ence of supernatural events. The first supernatural occurrence was when Jane was imprisoned in the Red Room, where she watched her uncle take his last breathes. After she was in the room for a while, she thought she saw the ghost of her dead UncleShow MoreRelatedHow Narrative Techniques Are Employed Within Jane Eyre1720 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel Jane Eyre Throughout Jane Eyre, Bronte incorporates narrative techniques to emphasise certain points and to keep the reader’s attention. In the first few chapters of the novel we are introduced into the world she is surrounded by, with the use of very descriptive imagery, with a gothic element also incorporated for the audience to obtain a grasp of Jane’s situation. 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Gothic Literature embodies the elements of the grotesque, the unknown, death/decay, liminal spaces, and romance, â€Å"The Sandman† has many common elements throughout in likeness with other great works of Gothic fiction, including Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and MaryRead MoreCause and Impact Analysis on the Main Character’s Suffering in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Novel Eat, Pray, Love7348 Words   |  30 Pagescontents of novel. Like the main character of a novel would be representation of human’s expression from the events of human life such their problem, struggle of life and conflict. They could not be separated from love, sacrifice, humanity and sorrow. We were able to appreciate human life and do out our problem concern with psychological, social, and others. The contribution of appreciation novel was the readers have to analyze for gaining the messages. Analyzed of main character would give us

Favorable Shocks For Bram And Brazil Case Study - 712 Words

Favorable shocks for LatAm and Brazil The high correlation between commodity price change and asset prices in Latin America is a well-documented fact. Against this backdrop, the recent upturn in the terms of trade for primary products following four years of sharp decline speaks of an increasingly constructive stance of international investors towards the region (Chart I). Getting the causation right, however, is a more daunting task. Conventional wisdom would posit that primary products are a material factor in the value-added creation process in Latin America, hence better terms of trade signify increased corporate earnings, higher ROICs, increased income, stronger GDP performance and a cascade of benign outcomes that increase asset†¦show more content†¦Commodity price shocks account for 77% of the real income variance in Chile.2 Domestic productivity shifts seem to be the most relevant factor causing real income shifts in Peru and Colombia (52% on average), although commodity price changes come at a respectable second place (42% on average). Brazil is an outlier, for the key drivers are local interest rates, domestic productivity and changes in global interest rates (U.S. Treasury bills), which explain 30%, 22% and 20% of real income variance, respectively. Intriguingly, world demand shocks that are not captured by the aforementioned variab les appears to be irrelevant in Latin America and that hints at the region showing asynchrony with global business cycles. Against this backdrop, the recent upturn in global commodity prices is good news for Latin American countries and should lead to an upward revision of expected economic growth. Presently, market consensus foresees a somewhat lackluster 2.5% average real GDP growth for the region from 2018 to 2022. Brazil warrants a more comprehensive review, though. Commodity price changes account for 27% of reported real income variance and improved terms of trade are surely a tail-wind. However, a much larger favorable shock has occurred. The Central Bank’s policy rate (Selic) fell 675 bps over the past 12 months and the impact of the monetary easing is still propagating through the

Graphs Representing Security Relationship -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: What Do You Mean By Cyber Security? What Are The Major Effects Of Cyber Crimes? What Are The Challenges Faced During Security Breaches? What Security Measures Are To Be Undertaken For Securing Systems? Answers: Introduction In the modern world, there is always a problem regarding viruses and malwares which is the leading cause for all types of computational problems. For a long period of time, these types of problems were not noticed and unethical users continued their works. Until the recent discovery of the internet and the virtual world, various awareness methods have been undertaken to help secure the processes. Along with storing data from the internet, devices now-a-days could perform specific options with ease. This resulted in an increasing population of hackers who wanted to access this information along with get resources from these devices. This is the very definition of cyber crime. Research aims and objectives The main aim for this research is to explore the impacts of cyber security on the lives of common people. In addition, the aim of this research paper also includes the identification of the processes by which cyber crimes exist and the necessary steps that can be undertaken for mitigating them. The main objectives of the research paper are: To determine the impact of cyber security To determine the types of attacks which make up for cyber crime To influence awareness for addressing cyber security Research scope Awareness against cyber crimes are increasing in a rapid rate across the world. However, there are various devices being made generally which have security flaws and is the leading contributor for cyber crimes. This is the main scope of this research paper which utilizes the information available and then mitigates the problem associated with cyber security. It can be said that the scope of cyber security is a large portion and the mitigation strategies are a few which is mainly dependent on the hardware and the software of the systems. The attacks are usually targeted towards the underlying structures that provide facilities for communications, electricity and transport so that it can be possible to bring down the entire network and bring the place to a halt. Literature review Fraudulent tools and techniques are becoming easily accessible in the internet which is leading to an increase in the cyber crimes. Ransom wares are one such program which affects the integrity and the security of a system. These types of malicious software encrypt any files in a system. When the user of the system tries to open the file, a message is shown asking for payments. This is the most common type of attack considered in case of any ransom wares. These payments are doubled for each 6hours delay in payment (Gordon et al., 2015). As a result, the files and the system become un-recoverable. These programs mainly destroy the faith of a user for recovering the files so that a payment will be made. In addition the payment address is always in bitcoin such that it cannot be tracked. Cyber threats also arise due to multi-vectored attacks. This type of attack provides the attacker access to the various levels of an organization in order to provide information access. The scam of Leoni AG was a big example of multi-vector attacks which led to a loss of 40 million (Liu et al., 2015). Similarly, identity theft is another type of cyber crimes which involves cyber crime. This type of attack is usually followed by stealing identities from users. This not only helps them to get access to their financial accounts but also lets the attacker get access to various channels and does unethical treatments in place of the victim. According to a research that was conducted by Javelin Strategy and Research, it was seen that during the year 2014, 12.7 million customers lost around $16 billion due to the theft of identity. Cyber crime is constantly being committed by using internet and the computers by addressing the advancements in technology. These crimes are mainly due to denial of service attacks (Buczak Guven, 2016). In addition, botnets are also other types of malicious tools which help in hacking procedures. These tools and other malicious programs are mainly sourced from the underground black market which is the root cause for such actions. Threats and vulnerabilities The major threats in using these types of activities can range from large-scale impacts to small-case ones. Hackers get unethical access to systems which in turn lead to information theft. These hackers also try to act as spies where they sell all these information available in return for money or other resources (Cunningham Zissman, 2016). In addition, governments try to get information from these hackers regarding other countries. This results in an endless cycle of hacking related activities. Moreover, the attackers also do these activities for helping increase the level of warfare among nations. The attack that occurs mainly utilizes the vulnerabilities present in the operating system of the devices. As a result, the security breaches are mainly due to this reason. The main use of information systems result in the formation of a constant need for protecting the systems from attackers (Noel et al., 2015). In addition, inside jobs like employees having access to the systems can disclose the information related which will lead to potential threats. Impacts Attacks due to unethical access are mainly used to compromise the confidentiality and integrity of the system. These attacks are used to steal the personal information from various aspects including financial and physical resources resulting in gaining of various parameters which the victim is usually unaware of (Gil, Kott Barabsi, 2014). In a similar manner, the denial-of-service attacks are also will also be used by attackers to prevent access to the systems unless their demands are met. The impacts of cyber attacks can range from small-range attacks to large-scale attacks. The small-scale attacks can include disruptions in the general activities like hacking of phone or social media accounts (Holm et al., 2015). In a similar manner, large-scale attacks may range from disrupting the services in a large organization or causing massive data breach from a government agency. Figure 1: Cyber security awareness (Source: Ben-Asher Gonzalez, 2015, pp 55) Research design and methodology This section of the research paper includes an analysis of the research design methodologies that will be used in this paper. The method of collecting data in a sequential manner is known as research methodologies (Mackey Gass, 2015). The research methods are used to integrate various hypothetical issues and trial techniques which help in the selection of the accurate records to be used in the research. For conducting this research, the researcher has utilized various researching methods. In this research paper, the researcher has undertaken the positivism ideologies such that the research can be successfully carried out. In addition, the research approach is selected to be deductive in nature. Research philosophy The concept of gathering data and analyzing it is termed as research philosophy. The research philosophy consists of two different types of beliefs, the concepts of doxology and the concepts of epistemology (Taylor, Bogdan DeVault, 2015). Out of the three different types of research philosophy, interpretivism, realism and positivism, the researcher has applied the positivism philosophy for this research paper. This is mainly because in the positivism aspects, the research is conducted by using present information in the internet. As a result, a successful research is carried out by considering all the analyzed data. Figure 2: Research philosophy (Source: Silverman, 2016, pp 39) Research approach The research approach is defined by a set of methods which is utilized in case of detailed analysis of the information available from various sources. In addition, the detailed methods of analysis and collection are utilized in this section. As mentioned by Smith, (2015), the adopted research approach is the utilized for considering the nature of the problem. This approach is divided into two different categories. These are the data collection and the data analysis methods. The research approach is divided into two different types. These are the deductive and the inductive approach. However, in case of this research paper, the deductive approach is considered for analysis. Figure 3: Research approach (Source: Knobe Nichols, 2013, pp 42) Data collection methods The process of data collection involves collecting the information which will help in data analysis for the research paper. There are mainly two types of data collection processes. These are the primary and the secondary methods of collecting data (Mackey Gass, 2015). The primary method of data collection is utilized by conducting researches, surveys or other respondent related programs. Similarly, the secondary source of data collection is utilized in collecting information from journals, e-books or other web related sources. For the analysis conducted in this research paper, the secondary sources will be considered. Data collection methods For collecting the information from various sources, the researcher included various online informative sources. These are online journals which can be accessible from the internet. In addition, websites are also other sources of information which clearly depicts the need for addressing cyber security. Sampling and sample size In this paper, the researched have selected the simple random probability sampling processes. This process is defined by setting up equal probability such that all the files are chosen in a random manner. This helps in assigning the process of randomness to the sample sizes (Clemence et al,. 2014). The sample size includes the number of online sources that will be used for the analysis made in this research. Data analysis techniques This paper has included the qualitative data analysis methods. This type of research method is more focused on the quality of the information rather than the quantity of it. The interviews and observatory cases are considered to be a part of the qualitative data analysis. This information is considered to be descriptive and is usually comprised of images and objects. According to Clemence et al,. (2014), the qualitative data analysis is usually comprised of interpretive philosophies of the researchers. The qualitative data analysis helps in examining the complex questions that helps in answering the research based analytical perceptions. Variable specification For the conduction of research related to cyber security, there can be two different types of variables to be considered. One is the dependent variable and the other is the independent variable. The independent variable does not depend on any parameter while the dependent variable depends on the independent variable. In case of the impacts of cyber security, impacts are the dependent variable which depends on the issues in cyber security. Research limitations There are various research limitations which imposed problems while analysis. As the collection of the data is involved from other sources, there will be no ethical demands of these sources claiming for objections. This is the first limitation which is followed in case of the research. Another research limitation is the conduction of the data analysis process. The collection of information needed much time as data regarding cyber security is not easily to be found. Moreover, the various effects of the selective hacking programs can only be theoretically determined as the practical use cannot be done. Research plan Figure 4: Research plan (Source: Created by the author) Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded from the analysis conducted in this research paper is that cyber security is an important aspect. It is an important aspect which helps to utilize the various threats and vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed. This paper lists all the various types of risks associated to cyber security. In addition, the various types of attacks that can be possible are also covered in this paper. Moreover, this paper lists the research methodologies that are to be used for making a successful data analysis of the topic mentioned. Lastly, this paper also includes a discussion of the secondary data collection methods and the qualitative method of analysis. References Ben-Asher, N., Gonzalez, C. (2015). Effects of cyber security knowledge on attack detection.Computers in Human Behavior,48, 51-61. Buczak, A. L., Guven, E. (2016). A survey of data mining and machine learning methods for cyber security intrusion detection.IEEE Communications Surveys Tutorials,18(2), 1153-1176. Carr, M. (2016). Publicprivate partnerships in national cyber?security strategies.International Affairs,92(1), 43-62. Cavelty, M. D. (2014). Breaking the cyber-security dilemma: Aligning security needs and removing vulnerabilities.Science and Engineering Ethics,20(3), 701-715. Clemence, A., Doise, W. Lorenzi-Cioldi, F., (2014).The quantitative analysis of social representations. Routledge: Routledge. Cunningham, R. K., Zissman, M. A. (2016).Cyber Security Research at Lincoln Laboratory. MIT Lincoln Laboratory Lexington United States. Gil, S., Kott, A., Barabsi, A. L. (2014). A genetic epidemiology approach to cyber-security.Scientific reports,4. Gordon, L. A., Loeb, M. P., Lucyshyn, W., Zhou, L. (2015). Externalities and the magnitude of cyber security underinvestment by private sector firms: a modification of the Gordon-Loeb model.Journal of Information Security,6(1), 24. Gupta, B., Agrawal, D. P., Yamaguchi, S. (Eds.). (2016).Handbook of research on modern cryptographic solutions for computer and cyber security. IGI Global. Holm, H., Shahzad, K., Buschle, M., Ekstedt, M. (2015). P $^{2} $ CySeMoL: Predictive, Probabilistic Cyber Security Modeling Language.IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing,12(6), 626-639. Hong, J., Liu, C. C., Govindarasu, M. (2014). Integrated anomaly detection for cyber security of the substations.IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid,5(4), 1643-1653. Kent, A. D. (2016). Cyber security data sources for dynamic network research. InDynamic Networks and Cyber-Security(pp. 37-65). Knobe, J. Nichols, S. eds., (2013).Experimental philosophy (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press. Knowles, W., Prince, D., Hutchison, D., Disso, J. F. P., Jones, K. (2015). A survey of cyber security management in industrial control systems.International journal of critical infrastructure protection,9, 52-80. Liu, Y., Sarabi, A., Zhang, J., Naghizadeh, P., Karir, M., Bailey, M., Liu, M. (2015, August). Cloudy with a Chance of Breach: Forecasting Cyber Security Incidents. InUSENIX Security Symposium(pp. 1009-1024). Mackey, A. Gass, S.M., (2015).Second language research: Methodology and design. Abingdon: Routledge. Noel, S., Harley, E., Tam, K. H., Gyor, G. (2015). Big-Data Architecture for Cyber Attack Graphs Representing Security Relationships in NoSQL Graph Databases. Silverman, D. ed., (2016).Qualitative research. London: Sage. Smith, J.A. ed., (2015).Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. London: Sage. Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. DeVault, M., (2015).Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons

Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essays

Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essays Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essay Amber Suites Inn Case Analysis Essay Mene Kude Dr. Dixie Marketing 601 November 17, 2010 Amber Inn Suites, Inc. Strategic issues and Problem Identification The Amber Inns Suites, Inc. is a 250 property hotel chain, struggling with net operating lost since 2002, with fiscal year 2005 projected to be its fifth consecutive unprofitable year. The company has projected lodging revenue of $422. 6 million and a net loss of $15. 7 million for fiscal 2005. Joseph James, the company’s new president and chief executive officer, wants an hour presentation that describes initiatives, expenditures, and outcomes for the past two fiscal years, and a planned initiatives and budgetary needs for fiscal 2006. Mr. James goal for the company is to achieve profitability within two years. To this end, the V. P. of Sales and Marketing and the V. P. of Advertising has to corroborate on resource allocation in their respective budgets. The company would use growth in Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) as a corporate performance measure and a basis for determining senior management executive incentive compensation. It should be noted that EBITDA often disguises the financing effects of operations and allows allot of leeway in what is reported. This analysis looks at marketing strategies that best justify potential budgetary objectives that could lead to profitability. Industry Analysis The U. S. hotel industry recorded revenue of $113. 7 billion and grossed $16. billion in pretax profit in 2004. As of December 31, 2004, there were 4. 4 million hotel rooms in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of all U. S. hotel rooms were affiliated with a brand; the remaining one-third was independently owned and not brand-affiliated. Although companies such as Cendant Corporation, Marriott International, Inc. , Hilton Hotels Corporation, Inter-Continental Hotel Group, and Choice Hotels International, Inc leads the industry in having the most hotel rooms in the United States, the hotel industry is highly fragmented, with no one company dominating the arket. Though difficult to compare, hotel industry do have wide range of offerings and recognizable areas of distinctive competencies that allow for differentiated offerings. Generally, the industry can be divided into two main markets, full service hotels, and economic hotels. The full service hotels offer rooms and services that include restaurants for meals, bars and sometimes gymnasiums or spas. They range from luxury to low cost hotels differentiated not only by the facilities but in service levels that are offered. Economy hotels only offer a limited service, providing a room and few additional services such as a dinks machine and ice machine. They are generally lower in price compared to the full service hotels. The market is also divided into leisure travelers who are less price-sensitive and business travelers. The leisure market shows enormous rooms for growth as leisure travelers are only loyal to hotels that meet their respective needs. The September 11th event caused declined in profitability across the industry; while other organization within the industry eventually bounced back and reported profitable operations following improved economic conditions, Amber Inns Suites remain unprofitable. Organization Analysis and Positioning The corporate service mission of Amber Inn Suites, Inc. is to provide principally business travelers with clean and comfortable guest accommodations in convenient locations at reasonable prices. The company is positioned as a limited service hotel between economy hotels and full-service hotels. This positioning in the middle allows it to place its offerings in indirect competition with both full service hotels such as Holiday inn and Ramada inn, and economy hotels such as Red Roof and Motel 6. This positioning gives Amber Inn Suites a strong competitive advantage through differentiation of offering that can be seen as premium by some consumers and cost effective by others. Taking advantage of this competitive advantage will require a greater degree of investment in positioning and education of potential customers of the benefits for the offerings. Amber Inn Suites, Inc positioning has always been highly targeted at the business travelers with 80% of the travelers staying at the chains being business travelers. The business travelers market is more stable, less price sensitive and has less room for growth as full service hotels compete aggressively for their business. Amber Inns Suites locates its properties on premium sites, on major highways close to industrial, office complexes, and shopping centers for the most part in order to carter to its business traveler’s market. This excessive catering to business travelers leaves room for growth with leisure travelers. Overview of Past Performance In 2002 and 2004 guest profile, Average number of nights stayed on most recent visits improved from 2. 4 average nights to 2. 6. There are improvements in the likelihood of customer retention in the extremely likely and very likely category. 2002 sees an average of 81. 6% favorability rate and favorability rate of 84. 5% was recorded for 2004. There is an increase in the average number of occasions a guest stays at Amber Inn, from 9. in 2002 to 10. 8 in 2004. In spite of these increases, 2005 still sees a projected net operating lost. As such Amber Inns Suites have to rethink its strategic and make cost saving decisions like investments in technology so as to reduce direct labor cost. Improvement of energy efficient equipment could also help reduce utility cost. Another area of cut should be corporate employee compensation. Amber Inns Suites have to develop a ba lance that will streamline corporate compensation while retaining good talented employee. Alternatives The three areas that require immediate attention are as follows: First, allocation of media advertising dollars between the pleasure-vacation travelers and the business traveler market. Second, the frontier initiated of fiscal 2005, which have three objectives: (1) to increase overall occupancy in both guest rooms and suites, (2) to attract first-time guests, and (3) to increase the length of stay per visit. Third, use of weekend special as a replacement of the â€Å"free-night stay† promotion used in fiscal 2005. This promotion would be used to increase weekend occupancy that is currently at 60 percent. Marketing Initiatives and Outcomes Access to markets is an important element of the marketing mix. Although there are gradual movement to increase the commitment towards the leisure market, majority of the effort is still aimed at the business traveler. For example, hotels are in areas that are easily accessible by business travelers. The company recognized this and made marketing efforts to attract leisure visitors that are merely looking for a bed on their way to a place of interest. This was the underlying approach used in the â€Å"a place to stay while on the way† campaign that was launched in the Northwest Rockies area, which focused on the leisure market showing couples and families enjoying the amenities offered by Amber Inns as they travels in that area. This was a successful strategy, which lead to increased level of occupancy paving the way to the frontier initiated in fiscal 2005 ‘frontier areas’ of Texas. The 2005 inclusion of the internet marketing facilitated bookings with an estimated 20% increased in travelers making bookings on the internet will lower direct labor cost. Notably, an aggressive marketing strategy will help educate customers to identify their needs while paving ways for increase profitability. It is noted in the case that some business customers are not happy with the families using the hotels. This is regrettable and needs to be addressed. Future plans has to reflect the need of adapting to a new environment of technological innovation and core customer sensitivity, many of whom are loyal with average of about 10 visits a year with 66. 7% booking rate. 2005 Lodging Expenses |Direct Cost/rental room |28. 5 | |Room units |26500 | | Occupancy Rate |65% | | Room used |17225 | |Suite Units |3500 | | Occupancy Rate |75% | | Room used |2625 | |Total Room Used |19850 | |Total Unused Rooms |10150 rooms | 2006 Budget Plan The internet is cost effective and of increasing importance and has to be employed in developing the marketing plan for 2006. Placements of advertisements on web sites that travelers may frequent, effective listing of Amber Inn Suites link with search engines (like Google and Yahoo) and the use of viral and social networking sites should be leveraged. The company should use banner advertisements differentiate Amber Inn Suites focusing on quality and value of their offerings like accommodation for a reasonable price. Such efforts may lead to high retention of the core business market and an increase in the target leisure market. Many leisure travelers tend to travel on the weekend a time when business travelers tend to be at home. As a result, the promotions used to attract the leisure market will be focused in the weekend night, Friday – Sunday, with leisure rates prices that are competitive. Such offer will attract families on the weekends when there are fewer business travelers and will help to increase the occupancy rates of the hotels. The use of television advertising should be changed with the message that is more aligned to the branding and positioning of the hotel chain – a message that may appeal to both the business and the leisure market. The message should reflect quality rooms with a high level of reliability and value as well as good service. The use of increased levels of billboard advertising near the locations of the Inns, with similar message of value and comfort should be employed. Once there is a noticeable increase in occupancy rate, an increase in room prices of $1 or $2 per night during the week, should be considered. The level spent on research should be lower, but needs to be ongoing. My propose budget for 2006 are as followings. |Figure 1b Marketing and Sale Budget | |Sales Budget |2006 |2005 | |Sales reps |4,033,470 |3,841,400 | |Sales and marketing admin 525,210 |500,200 | |Sales Materials |15,965 |15,205 | |Travel |331,013 |315,250 | |Sales and marketing research |20,000 |60,000 | |Total |4,925,658 |4,732,055 | Figure 1a Advertising Budget Advertising Media Budget | | |Media |2006 |2005 | |Magazine |3,300,000 |3,236,240 | |Newspaper |3,800,000 |4,096,965 | |Outdoor |540,000 |519,700 | |Spot television |2,300,000 |2,340,266 | |Cable networks |1,000,000 |1,048,589 | |Radio |260,000 |257,740 | | Internet |1,700,000 |1,000,500 | |Total |12,900,000 |12,500,000 | Financial Performance of Amber Inns and Suites The increases in occupancy rate are counteracted by special offers culminating in a drop of in revenue between 2002 and 2005 projection. The rates for the room are well below the industrial average of $96 a night for business travelers and $89 for leisure traveler. For Amber Inns, the average daily rate has been only $57. 2, which leads to a revenue per available room of only $38. 60. With only a 79% occupancy rate there are a lot of empty rooms and revenue that can be realized with marginal costs; besides, the majority of the overheads are incurred whether the rooms are occupied or not. Increasing in revenues may help lower the overhead burden per room thus decrease contribution margin and increase net operating income. A projection for 2006 is included in the analysis below. Also, investment in technological upgrades will help lower both utility cost and labor cost culmi nating in my proposed 2006 projected income statement below. What is stated below indicates that cost cutting strategy most be employed. This means cutting cost from corporate conpensation expense, direct labor cost via the use of technology, and efficient use of utility as well as energing saving utility equipments upgrade. Amid streamlining cost will be the use of the various low cost promotional tools discussed earlier. Doing all of this wil increase occupancy rate, lower fixed cost over time, lower contribution margin, and bring net operating income above breakeven point. Figure-2 Amber Inn Suites, Inc. Consolidated Statement of Operations | | | | |2006 (proj) |2005 (proj. |2004 |2003 | |Lodging Revenue |$443,798 |$422,625 |$397,980 |$386,429 | |Variable Expense | | | | | |Direct Lodging Expense |$212209 |$211,239 |$194,887 |$192,069 | |Other Lodging Expense |$62462 |62,482 |54,672 |52,271 | |Sales, General Administrative Expense |$45635 |44,941 |39,029 |36,201 | |Total Variable Expenses |$320,306 |318,662 |288,588 |280,541 | |Contribution Margin |$123,492 |$103,963 |$109,392 |$105,888 | |Fixed Expense | | | | | |Depreciation Amortization |68,235 |70,135 |78,044 |69,190 | |Interest Expense |49,020 |49,520 49,786 |50,535 | |Total Fixed Expenses |$117,255 |$119,655 |$127,830 |$119,725 | |Net Operating Income |$6,237 |($15,692) |($18,439) |($13,837) | |Contribution Ration |0. 278261732 |0. 245993493 |0. 274868084 |0. 274016702 | |Dollar sale needed to attain a profit |$421,383. 85 |$486,415. 31 |$465,059. 45 |$436,925. 92 | Net Operating Income = Contribution Margin Total Fixed Expenses ontribution Ratio = Total Contribution Margin / Total Revenue Dollar Sales to break even = Fixed expenses/CM Ration Recommendations As discussed earlier, media advertising dollars should be increased for pleasure travelers. Although their core business is around business travelers, the opportunity for the most growth is with vacation travelers. Based on early projections, Amber Inns Suites will be 7. 9 percent than fiscal 2004 on occupancy rates. During the summer months, when there is increased family travel, the hotels should make an effort to segregate business travelers from families. This should lower the complaints from the business travelers. The frontier strategy should be kept in place. Based on industry reports, less than 30 percent of families stay more than two nights. This is an opportunity to increase a family stay and produce additional revenue when families do the most traveling. Finally, the weekend special should be initiated in fiscal 2006 as discussed in the earlier section. This special would require very little advertising cost and would potentially increase weekend occupancy. Beside, increased promotion for weekend special will have a spill over effect on the business market in that name recognition will be promoted. Also, some of the business travelers who stay may take there family there for a weekend together. Increase occupancy will also decrease contribution margin and sprread the overhead cost leading to net profit.

Free Essays on Are Grades Really That Important

Are Grades Really That Important? I remember taking a class in high school called â€Å"post war America†. I loved this class so much because it dealt with all the neat stuff that people went through after a certain war. I also remember the teacher giving me back mostly all C’s or D’s on all of the tests. This really ticked me off because some kids just can’t perform well at taking tests. I mean, I was a total geek in this class. I read every assignment, looked forward to doing the homework, and even studied because I enjoyed this class so much. Still, every time I got back a test, the grade was always â€Å"just passing†. I started thinking after seeing how no progress was getting done, and I began to wonder about the system of grades. Why are the majority of grades focused on test taking? Why aren’t grades on what a kid learned because of taking a class? It ended up that I made a â€Å"C-† in the class, and the class is still one of the best classes I have ever take n. I know the teacher probably thought I was a bull shitter trying to get my grade boosted, but I honestly learned something in that class. I learned that a grade is on a piece of paper because of a test, but the knowledge is stuck in your head because of what you made of the class. What is a grade? A grade is a letter or number that is sent to your parents to evaluate one’s overall level of ability in a class. What does that mean? Does that mean if Bobby runs out of time on a test because he is slow, he is going to get a poor grade for not finishing half the test? Or does that mean if Johny participates all the time and he completes all of his homework but he â€Å"freaks out† on tests failing them, that Johny should deserve a â€Å"D†? Or should Billy get a â€Å"B† because he has never done any of his homework, but he makes a 100% on every test or quiz that is laid in front of his face? I feel that all the grades given to the imaginary kids are hogwash. A student... Free Essays on Are Grades Really That Important Free Essays on Are Grades Really That Important Are Grades Really That Important? I remember taking a class in high school called â€Å"post war America†. I loved this class so much because it dealt with all the neat stuff that people went through after a certain war. I also remember the teacher giving me back mostly all C’s or D’s on all of the tests. This really ticked me off because some kids just can’t perform well at taking tests. I mean, I was a total geek in this class. I read every assignment, looked forward to doing the homework, and even studied because I enjoyed this class so much. Still, every time I got back a test, the grade was always â€Å"just passing†. I started thinking after seeing how no progress was getting done, and I began to wonder about the system of grades. Why are the majority of grades focused on test taking? Why aren’t grades on what a kid learned because of taking a class? It ended up that I made a â€Å"C-† in the class, and the class is still one of the best classes I have ever take n. I know the teacher probably thought I was a bull shitter trying to get my grade boosted, but I honestly learned something in that class. I learned that a grade is on a piece of paper because of a test, but the knowledge is stuck in your head because of what you made of the class. What is a grade? A grade is a letter or number that is sent to your parents to evaluate one’s overall level of ability in a class. What does that mean? Does that mean if Bobby runs out of time on a test because he is slow, he is going to get a poor grade for not finishing half the test? Or does that mean if Johny participates all the time and he completes all of his homework but he â€Å"freaks out† on tests failing them, that Johny should deserve a â€Å"D†? Or should Billy get a â€Å"B† because he has never done any of his homework, but he makes a 100% on every test or quiz that is laid in front of his face? I feel that all the grades given to the imaginary kids are hogwash. A student...

The aim of this assignment is to critically review and compare two Essay

The aim of this assignment is to critically review and compare two academic papers that present different perspectives on cultural geographies of nature - Essay Example For instance, it comprises of the earth’s geology and weather, energy and matter and other natural concepts in the world. In most cases, nature is taken to mean, the wilderness or natural environment. In this case, it comprises of beaches, forests animals, rocks and generally, the many things that have remained unchanged though human activities. These things also do not change despite the increased dynamism in human activities from one part of the world to another. It is important to note that human interactions and various manufactured objects are not usually considered as part of nature. These activities can only be grouped as part of nature if only they are qualified, for instance, human nature. This paper makes a comparison of how cultural geographies of nature have been explored by two research articles that have been made by people concerned about cultural management of geographical aspects. The paper examines the concepts of Spatialization of nature, according to how these two journals have explored its application. Additionally, it also makes a comparison of how relationships between nature and culture have been done in the two journals, as well as how time has also been explored. Spatialization of nature comprises of the effective combinations of various scientific and visual techniques having spatial metaphors in representing data, which cannot be described as being spatial according to nature. Some of the most familiar spatial ideas like direction and distance, arrangement and scale among others make up some of the experiences that people have in their daily lives. Bhatti & Church (2004), in their research article, explain that these ideas are used in many instances to develop two and three-dimensional representations of various complex digital information (38). Castree is also of the view that so far, no subject testing has been conducted in the process of determining the effectiveness of these methods for the

Maryland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Maryland - Research Paper Example ack Obama, in proclaiming the $4.35 billion Race to the Top activity a year ago, said the project is dependent upon a basic standard: "whether a state is primed to do what meets expectations." Maryland is prepared, as well as ready and equipped to proceed with the advancement that has been made. MSDE worked with our nearby school frameworks and a mixture of accomplices to assemble Marylands winning arrangement. We are resolved to proceed with our States energy since Race to the Top is an element of the federal governments American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Program. Marylands vision for change is to revise the Prek-12 Maryland State Curriculum, appraisals, and responsibility framework dependent upon the Common Core Standards to guarantee that all graduates are school and vocation prepared. It also has a vision to build a statewide innovation foundation that connections all information components with investigative and instructional instruments to screen and push understudy accomplishment. Another vision is to redesign the model for arrangement, advancement, maintenance, and assessment of instructors and principals. Finally, Maryland has a vision of fully actualizing the inventive Breakthrough Center methodology for changing low-performing schools and