Valentines Day Party Ideas

Valentine Dance Party Ideas for Teens Ads by Google korean used cars for sale korean bus, truck, new & used cars korean used car exporter   www. roadmatecar. com The DDOS Specialist Identify and block DDOS attacks automatically and in real time. www. riorey. com Looking for Angelica? Find Family & Friends on Facebook. Create a Free Profile – It's Easy! Facebook. com/Angelica Ideas for a great Valentine's Day dance or party for teenagers, including themes, party favors, Valentine decor, food, & activities for your special event.By Janienne Jennrich on Jan 20, 2011 Share Login to post a comment Looking for ideas for a a teen or high school Valentine's Day dance or party? Valentine's Day is February 14. What a terrific time for a special indoor event to celebrate friendship and love! Whether you are interested in planning a large semi-formal or formal dance or a more intimate teen event, there are many ways to create a unique atmosphere with Valentine's Day theme suggestions al ong with decorating, food, and activity ideas. Should the Teen Event Have a Theme?A large event will often have a theme to pull together all the decorating, activities and so on. Having an overall color scheme and style, at least, can help bring plans into focus. For smaller casual parties at home, simply announcing the event date and providing good food and music may be plenty. The most obvious and simple Valentine decor theme is, of course, hearts. A heart-filled party or dance room is easy to create on the cheap, using paper or foam board decorations (and maybe lots of red glitter) and some red, pink and white balloons.Valentine party goods are readily available at party shops, online, and even at dollar stores. Hearts are sweet and simple, but you may be looking for something more unique. A Royalty Themed Valentine Event for Teenagers Prince William and his bride were married in a royal wedding in 2011. For an over the top and epic party, pull out all the stops and make attendee s feel like royalty! Invite princes and princesses to wear their finest to a Royal Valentine Ball. A little corny? Maybe. But if you can't have some fairy tale fun around Valentine's Day, when can you?Invitations rolled up like royal scrolls and tied with ribbon are charming for hand-delivering to friends. For a large school or community event, a scroll design can be included as a border on printed fliers or posters. Add calligraphy or use a fancy computer font to play up the image of a royal event. Consider including: * A long red carpet leading into the ball room (check party rental suppliers) * Ballot boxes for voting for â€Å"Sweetest Princess,† â€Å"Most Dashing Prince,† â€Å"Most Fairytale-Like,† and â€Å"Most Romantic Couple. Award winners with party crowns. * A rose-covered arch or another pretty background for photo opportunities * Lots of sparkle in decorations, party favors, and lighting * Fun and fancy gold-trimmed signs on restroom doors, such as â€Å"Princess's Throne Room† and â€Å"Prince's Throne Room† * A real horse and carriage (preferably white) to take couples on romantic rides around the party area * Make a simple heart-shaped ice sculpture using a ice mold (sold on Amazon or in party supply stores).Display the ice sculpture among flowers as a main centerpiece. Depending on the location, budget and number of teenagers attending the royal event, food and drinks can be simple or extravagant. Ice water and heart-shaped cookies are very nice for a lower-budget event. If money is less of an issue, fill dessert tables with lovely and romantic treats like pretty chocolates and mini Valentine cupcakes. To add a bit of elegance and romance, line food platters with roses and/or add single roses in slim glass vases to the serving table.Offer sparkling cider or an elegant party punch to drink. If you get stuck for idea, watch the ballroom scene of the movie Cinderella (and maybe you'll end up having a Cinderel la themed party! ) Hugs and Kisses Theme – XOXO Valentine Party for Teens XOXO means hugs and kisses and works as an elegant or casual Valentine's dance theme. Hugs and kisses can be those of friendship, so this party theme need not be too mushy (unless mushy is what you want! ). Consider including: A photo spot with props like big huggable teddy bears, giant lips, big hearts and X's and O's * X and O shaped confetti sprinkled on tables * Small tic-tac-toe games printed on red paper (Get it? Tic- tac-toe = X and O? ) * Big X and O shapes, drawn with washable sidewalk chalk, on a concrete walkway, porch, or curb area to welcome guests * Hershey's chocolate Kisses and Hugs candies (with a sign that says â€Å"Get your Hugs and Kisses Here! â€Å") X and O letter shapes are easy to make, so there's no need to be especially artistic to make great decorations.Scrapbook and craft stores may carry large foam, wood, or cardboard shapes to use in party decor. Party colors for this t heme could be pink and white, red and white, black and white, black and silver or a combo of any other of these or other colors. Or who says you can't have a neon green and purple Valentine dance? Not me! Take this theme and run with the ideas for an awesome event all your own! More Fun Valentine Dance or Party Activities These ideas can be used at any Valentines dance, whether or not there is a theme. Flood the dance floor with balloons. With lots of balloons scattered all over the floor, spontaneous bopping and fun balloon fights will happen. * Set up a table where guests fill out kids valentines & â€Å"address† tiny envelopes. Include lots of cheap valentine cards with popular characters like Scooby-Doo, Hello Kitty and Snoopy. Make sure there are some fun stickers (which often come with valentines) and plenty of pens. Teens can write on the cards and give them to each other at the event.Listen for the laughs as stickers get stuck to guests cheeks, noses and clothes. * Fo r other teen Valentines ideas, see Valentine Craft Making Party or  Valentine Tea Party. Find even more Valentine ideas at We Love Valentines. Valentine's Day is Feb. 14, so mark your calendar and get planning! Resources Read more at Suite101:  Valentine Dance Party Ideas for Teens | Suite101  http://suite101. com/article/valentine-dance-party-ideas-for-teens-a335328#ixzz2K6lp3I00   Follow us:  @suite101 on Twitter  |  Suite101 on Facebook

“Please Be Honest With Me Even If It Hurts Me” Poetry Essay

So many nights I sit all alone and and I think about you, wondering if you are ever thinking about me too. It is probably unrealistic to think that you might be thinking of me as much. In the silence of the night with the moonlight shining through my window the tears roll down my face because I care so much and in my heart I’m doubtful that you can feel the same. All I ever asked from you is that you give me honesty, even if hurts me. Oh so long ago our paths ran into each others online, we chatted from time to time and you became my friend. After a while I started to feel things in my heart that I have never felt before. I started to care about you more than I thought it was possible to care about someone . You never said that you cared for me, but sometimes I just do not know. Would you even care if I disappeared into nothing? The entire time that we were getting to know each other I’ve asked you time and time again to Please be honest with me even if it hurts me, I still need that from you. I know that you have your life there just as I have my life here, and our lives keep us busy with our daily responsibilities, but when days pass and I do not hear from you my heart begins to ache and my eyes begin to fill up with tears once again. Sometimes I check my email just to see if I hear from you. I know that there were no promises made to me but if you truly care about me lease remember that I need to be reminded often. Loving someone with some much to over come , between is never easy to begin with, insecurities can become even more intense without knowing or hearing that you care each day. I will never ask you to be anyone but yourself, you are the one I have grown to love, but I do ask you to be honest with me even if it hurts me. Once again I am getting ready to climb into my bed, just wishing and dreaming that you were here with me, even if it can only be a short while. Do you ever wish that also or am I living in a silly fantasy world? For now I will tuck my hopes and dreams in my heart for the night. If I knew for sure how you felt I would know if I should back off or get closer. Should I take my hopes and dreams and put them in a box where I know that they will be safe, or do I take a risk and keep telling you my feelings? Whatever you have to say to me say it honestly, even if it hurts me. For some reason fate has brought us together, I’m not sure of it’s plan, but I know there was a reason. I have put my trust into fate’s hands, where it wants me to be in your life, I will be, what it wants from you and I will be. I can hope and I can wish, but it can only work out the way I dream of, if that is want it wants it to be. There is only one thing I need to ask of you and that is â€Å"Please Be Honest With Me Even If It Hurts Me†

Soft Skills Inventory

MSF Soft Skills Inventory 1. Communication Skills: For a previous class, I presented a project on alternative fuels to the class as well as the professor. For this presentation, I communicated to the professor my expertise in this subject by presenting the facts and research I conducted. At the same time, in order to communicate to the students most effectively, I used interactive techniques through questions posed to the class to keep their attention throughout the presentation. During my internship, I would call clients to update beneficiary information.I was able to effectively communicate by having all necessary documents at hand and being prepared to answer any question that they may have. 2. Interpersonal Skills: At my internship, I had the fortune of working with many high ranking professionals in the company. I would sit in meetings with people thirty to forty years older than me. I quickly learned that interacting with them was very different from interacting with friends an d peers. I participated in a group called International Student Connection. I would interact with international students and help acclimate themselves to the campus and American cultural.I would spend time speaking with them to help develop their English, most coming in with only a very basic understanding of the language. 3. Leadership Skills: I had a group project for a class, where we wrote up a proposal about the injustice in Zimbabwe to our state senator. I took the lead in this group by delegating different research responsibilities to each member, where we could at a later time present the research that we found to one another. I also made sure that each person was actively researching by emailing them updates about when we would meet, as well as stay on track with the timeline that we set.During my internship, I had a task to set up a marketing event. I built a team of a couple interns to help in preparing for this event. I took on the main responsibilities of setting up a l ocation and clientele list. I knew however that I needed the other interns’ help in building a full list of potential clients that would attend. Even though this was a event that I was spearheading, working as a team best utilized the different resources that they offered. 4. Teamwork Skills: My pledge class for my business fraternity needed to create a professional, service, and social event for the whole business fraternity.It was clear that we could do this most efficiently by breaking our class up into smaller teams, who in turn would primarily be responsible for one of the event. We would then come together to schedule these dates together. Participating in athletics best exemplifies teamwork, in my opinion. Teamwork was crucial in winning my business fraternity basketball tournament. It also proved to be essential in winning events in the Business Olympics held across campus. 5. Time Management Skills: My part time job during my undergraduate years required working thro ughout the night.I would work from 12 am to 5 am two or three times a week. I would do this while having class at 9 am every morning. Good time management skills were very important in order to keep pace in class while also working these hours. During my last semester for finals, I had four exams over the course of 3 days. The week leading up to finals, I broke down the possible study time that I had and designated time slots in which I would study for a certain subject. Keeping to this schedule as well as being very disciplined was the only way I was able to survive that week. 6. Analytical and Problem Solving Skills:For my project on alternative fuels, I researched all the different technologies that have currently been developed, and those that were still being developed, and then I cross referenced this information with the university’s initiative on going â€Å"green. † I did this in order to find the best ways for the university to become more environmentally fri endly in a cost-effective way. I used my knowledge of the game of basketball in order to run a basketball tournament for a club more efficiently. I used the resources that I had available to run the tournament at a quicker pace, and also saving money, by being charged less time for the gym.

Investment and Financial Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Investment and Financial Planning - Essay Example Probably the most important data to a growth investor is the company's earnings per share. Earnings are bottom-line profits the company earns, after all expenses and taxes. When earnings are divided by the number of shares, you get earnings per share. Microsoft stocks was first sold to the public in 1985, and in that year it had just a penny of earnings per share. But by 1989, earnings had increased four times, to four cents a share. From then on, Microsoft earnings went on a steady climb, reaching $1.71 per share in 2000. What happened then A recession combined with a technology sector collapse caused the era of straight-up growth to end. Is Microsoft still considered a growth stock Yes, by most it is. The stock market still values Microsoft based on an expectation that growth will resume, although not at the pace of the company's early years. Most growth companies pay little or no dividends. Until recently, Microsoft paid none. So, earnings measure the money the company can reinvest back into its own growth. Earnings per share are reported quarterly, and they are the best measure of success for growth investors. A steady pattern of quarter-to-quarter earnings growth should create strong upward movement in share prices over time. But the opposite is also true. When a growth company slows its earnings growth rate, the share price can take a big tumble because investors lose faith in future growth. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than the market as a whole, because they are in high demand when earnings keep growing and can fall out of favor when earnings falter. The sectors that are most widely followed by growth investors include technology, pharmaceutical and retailing. Value Investing Value investing is the other side of the stock market coin. Value investors believe almost the opposite of growth investors. Instead of looking for growing companies that are the stock market's darlings, they look for out-of-favor companies selling at attractive values. These values are most often defined by below average price/earnings ratio and below average price/book ratio. The slide shows both types of data for Eastman Kodak, a company that is widely known and followed. But for various reasons, Eastman Kodak has fallen out of favor with investors. Why do you think that might be so (VOLUNTEERS) Price/earnings ratio is calculated by dividing the current

Domestic materials compactor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Domestic materials compactor - Research Paper Example The capacity is however designed to meet the requirements it is meant to work. Normally, a kitchen would not have as much as 60 cans unless on special occasions. The capacity is actually sufficient to its intended purpose. However, the provision which allows the pod to slide in and out makes increasing capacity where there is need to do so. It would simply require a larger pod probably protruding externally or downwards to increase its height. The need for a cleaner and environmentally friendly way of waste disposal is a necessity in the modern homes where space is an issue of concern (GliÃ… ¡ović and Ã… ½arko 5). There are several areas of client needs that are sufficiently addresses by the manufacturing system, including, hygiene, space, and aesthetic quality. The system ensures that waste disposal is done is a hygienically friendly way rather than have wastes loitering here and there. By compressing the cans, lesser space is required to dispose a higher volume of wastes and as such disposal space is saved. Additionally, the system allows items to be separated in an environmentally friendly way in readiness for disposal. In terms of aesthetic quality, one needs not ask much. Other than the carefully designed shape, the system is built of stainless steel and plastic which are well brushed ensuring it looks amazing great when placed in the kitchen. The pods as well as made to have a great aesthetic finish and would fit the kitchen just like other good looking appliances would. Another aspect of manufacturing sufficiently addressed by this product is convertibility and quality (Gupta 221). With regard to quality, the product is outstanding. The materials used are relevant; it looks good and completes its functions effectively. Additionally, considering its multiple fit-in parts and compartments, the product can be converted as the user deems appropriate let alone mention that it can be modified to perform other functions such as storage. It is

Consumer Compliance- week 5 Discussion Post Responses Assignment

Consumer Compliance- week 5 Discussion Post Responses - Assignment Example A mortgage and a Deed of Trust helps in making sure that the loan is paid back by the lender. They secure the loan’s repayment by placing a lien on the property (Bevans, 2009). In a mortgage, the lien gives the right to the lender to sell the property and recover money while a Deed of Trust gives a lien to a trustee. In case of default, a mortgage requires that the judicial foreclosure which is often costly while a Deed of Trust allows for non-judicial foreclosure which is often faster and less costly (Haupt & Haupt, 2006). Both the documents help in securing a loan and provide mechanisms for recovery the loan incase the borrower defaults. A mortgage gives foreclosure rights to the lender while a Deed of Trust gives the rights to the trustee. Even though Deed of Trust seems to be the most efficient method because it allows for faster foreclosure time than a mortgage, it complicates the process because it has more parties involved (Haupt & Haupt, 2006). However, incorporating a trustee facilitates the foreclosure process because that is their area of specialization. They have the necessary man power to easily foreclose. Nevertheless, a Deed of Trust requires that proper notices be posted and rules followed, which makes it equally time-consuming (Bevans, 2009).Bottom of

Any bisiness artical that has been new nd happened for the last few Essay

Any bisiness artical that has been new nd happened for the last few months - Essay Example All factors of production in the business, may it be, labor, capital, raw materials or enterprise works towards achieving a common goal that is set for the company, and all activities carried out within the business are supposed to lead the company towards achieving its ultimate goal (Nolan, pp.148-152). Businesses additionally are run in a systematic manner, involve various processes, and have a number of rules and regulations that must be followed by those involved in it. One can observe additionally a number of departments in every business that manages various activities, such as the marketing department, finance department, promotion and advertising department, customer care department, etc (Nolan, pp. 20-39). A number of external and internal factors, which may include inflation rates, interest rates, and the exchange rate of a country’s currency can also influence every business and various skills are required in order to run a business smoothly and successfully along w ith achieving its objectives. Recently, due to the earthquake in Japan, which was followed by a tsunami, many changes have occurred in a number of businesses in the country. In an article by Alex Taylor (2011), found on the CNN website, the author (Taylor, 2011) talks about how Japan’s auto making industry is down but not out. He states that the two natural disasters that recently occurred will surely cause various shortages in the industry, but as noted before, Japanese automakers have the power to find their way out of catastrophes successfully. The author (Taylor, 2011) further states in his article that a Toyota representative had reported that no deaths or injuries have been under notice in the Toyota parts plants and subsidiaries, but the plants have surely suffered damage. According to Alex (Taylor, 2011), Toyota plans to keep its 12 main assembly plants in the country closed until Tuesday and the company’s representative stated that this might cause Toyota to l ose 95,000 units of cars that could have been under production. Due to this, Toyota reduced acceleration of the process of production in North America in order to conserve parts (Gholz, pp. 26-30). Japan’s auto making industry (Shimokawa, pp. 56-64) is currently trying to recover and resist from coming to an end, while people in the country are busy burying the dead, rescuing and curing the living citizens and dealing with the aftermath of the great disaster. Korea’s Tong Yang Securities states that production in the industry will surely not be able to come back to normal very soon, even though security analysts are quite busy doing their job and evaluating the results of the major catastrophe. Statistics (Taylor, 2011) included in the report show that in six months after the earthquake that occurred in January 1995, â€Å"shares of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan dropped by 22%, 35%, and 40% respectively† (Taylor, 2011), and it took the companies around one month abo ve a year to recover from the massive destruction and loss caused by the earthquake. At that time, Honda and Mazda, both halted the production of their vehicles and parts for the rest of the week after the disaster, and there was a loss of production of about 36,700 vehicles a day (Taylor, 2011) globally. The author of the article (Taylor, 2011) fu

What is good education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What is good education - Essay Example Good education is something that inculcates concepts in the students rather than making them cram a certain volume for a certain piece of time and then forget that after the exam. In conventional practice, a lot of countries have such educational systems in place that heavily draw upon the students’ ability to cram. Thus, students who have greater ability to cram are more qualified to excel as compared to others whose short-term memory is not equally fine. In the long run, the fundamental purpose of education is acquainting people with knowledge. People cannot be expected to contribute to the development of knowledge unless they have robust concepts about the existing knowledge. In order to be applicable upon a wider audience, it is imperative that education is cost effective. Education can be made cost effective by adopting cheap means of delivery. Quality education has become unattainable for many people simply because they cannot make it to the colleges. Either the colleges are too far away or else, renting a hostel makes the people go out of budget. Even if some manage to afford the hostel expenses, they may not be able to adjust in the hostel environment and consequentially, their academic performance may decline. Hence, virtual education is a big step ahead in the way of improving the quality of education. Virtual education can also be considered as good education because it obviates the need for the educators to arrange rooms to teach the students in.

Communication and practice within the early years environment Essay

Communication and practice within the early years environment - Essay Example By the exhaustive definition, we can say that it’s a process that can be termed as complex because it’s not a just a one way sending of message but also, receiving it and understanding its exact intent. It also requires the receiver to send a feedback to the sender of the message stating that he has understood the message. Wilbur Schramm (1954) said that the feedback is very important, because it justifies the extent to which the receiver has grasped the message, and if there is any mistake in the understanding of the meaning, it can be corrected there and then itself. It involves information from many sources, therefore the sender has to refine the raw data that he comes across and put it together in a more comprehendible manner so that it becomes easier for him to send the message as well as the receiver to understand it. The content of the message should be relevant to the situation the sender is in and it should also be clear and precise. This was also illustrated b y the model given by Shannon and Weaver (1949) namely The Information Processing Theory. Wherein he said that a full loop of communication has a source, source’s message, a transmitter, a signal and a receiver. The receiver again sends a message which has to be sent to a particular destination. After this model Wilbur Schramm (1954) said that the sender encodes the message and the receiver decodes it to make sense of what has been imparted through the medium of a transmitter (a phone, a letter, face to face interaction, gestures etc.). According to him, the individual’s knowledge and experience play a vital role in the communication. The importance of feedback was also reinforced through his work. Next came the Berlo’s Model of communication in 1960. He argued that the source and receiver should communicate at the same level. With respect to children, Bandura (1977) devised a theory of imitation. According to him, children learn to communicate by observing and i mitating the parents and teachers. They try to make role models out of them. Seeing them behave them in particular manner, they act in the same way. When these associations happen over a period of time, these behaviors get reinforced and get deep seated. Interpersonal communication is a selective, systemic, unique, processual (is an ongoing process) transactions that allow people to reflect and build knowledge of one another and create shared meaning (wood, 2010). Dainton (2011) also argued that interpersonal communication as a process occurring between two individuals, when they are close in proximity, able to provide immediate feedback and utilize multiple senses. If we ponder over the former definition, we come to segregate the definition into its various subparts. Interpersonal communication has a selective nature, which means that we select people with whom we want to communicate. We meet a plethora of people every day, but we don’t quite have any associations with these people. Secondly, we can describe the aforementioned phenomena as systemic, which means that it takes place within and around before stated systems that are valid as well as reliable. Thirdly, the process of interpersonal communication is unique in its own right because like it’s mentioned above, every human is different and therefore the way

Persona Responsibility Essay Essay Example for Free

Persona Responsibility Essay Essay Personal responsibility, in this context, is an important concept composed of these parts: Fist, what the words personal responsibility means to you? Second, what relationship exists between personal responsibility and college success? Last but not least, what preliminary plan do you have to practice personal responsibility in your education? Personal responsibility is a decision that you make to live up to your own ideals and expectations. It also means that you would be accountable for what you say, do, or think. It can also mean self awareness of a person towards the success of one’s life. Personal responsibility starts inside us and move outwards. We should not blame others for our mistakes. We should start blaming our self if something went wrong that way we can find ways to fix it and move on our life. Also, don’t postpone doing what you can do today, because tomorrow has it own problem to solve; if you can, today is the perfect day to develop your talents. Many students believe that it is a responsibility of the instructors or other students to help them succeed in college. I believe it is me and only me who can achieve my own success. Personal responsibility is accepting what ever consequences come from my actions and understanding how to improve and make necessary changes. By setting personal goals, staying focused, and time management skills, I can achieve college success. A good way to improve my college career is to stay organized. Often times in college, the schedule of classes, and making time for things other than school can be extremely challenging. This requires me to have a good time management skills, keep a detailed schedule of all future deadlines, and to have whatever resources and supplies available and ready to use. The Journal  of College Admission says: â€Å"The student would benefit from using organizational tools, such as planners, calendars, to-do-list, folders, blinders, and dividers† (Prevatt, Huijun, Welles, 2011, para.). Also, every society, like every family has their rules. If you want to live a better life with no troubles, you have to follow those rules. Following the rules makes your life easier and happy. When it comes to relationship between personal responsibility and college success, we all need to think twice. There is correlation between personal responsibility of the student and their success in college. This relationship exists because personal responsibility directly affects issues that are pertinent to ones life such as family, relationships, education, as well as physical and spiritual well-being of an individual. Personal responsibility determines the success of the student in college for a number of reasons (Charles, 2008). The first, and I think one of the most important, is self-discipline. Personal responsibility is the ability to be in control of ones life in terms of actions, emotions, etc. Students who do not have personal responsibility concerning their lives are prone to influences of doing what others are doing by just following them without proper reasons. This lack of self-control comes about because any individual without a sense of personal responsibility will always be irresponsible. A student without personal responsibility will blame the lecture for failing in the exam when a responsible student with personal responsibility will rather analyze the reasons behind his/her failure and decide to take action to pass the exam. This explains why students who have a sense of personal responsibility have higher scores than those without personal responsibility (Bourbon, 1994). The other factor that makes students who take personal responsibility to succeed in college more than the others who do not take personal responsibility is that they do not allow circumstances to hinder their progress in life. They do have a high sense of self-esteem, which makes them to confront issues critically rather than emotionally. Students who feel that they are not in control pity themselves when they have issues to deal with in their lives thus affecting their physical health negatively. This may lead to absenteeism from classes and even suicidal cases (Charles,  2008). Students who are aware of the words personal responsibility also manage to delay gratification; it’s the ability to deny oneself pleasure in pursuit of a particular goal. Personal responsibility enables a student to stick out or to persevere in pursuit of academic excellence thereby delaying the enjoyment of pleasures, which may affect the concentration, or peace of mind in pursuit of excellence. Th e delay gratification of pleasures such as drug abuse, sexual relationships, and hooliganism are known to affect student’s academic performance (Bourbon, 1994). Studying at university is not just about learning a lot of things that are fascinating in themselves but, preparing your future in a work place. At the same time as you develop your knowledge of your subject and the skills required to perform well in it, you’re actually developing a whole range of skills and intellectual abilities that can be transferred to other areas of life, including your future employment. To reach that goal, you have to be hard on yourself; you have to set a study time and respect it no mare what, Study individually is good, but, group study is better because you have more than one ideas and a lot of experiences to take advantage of. You also need an appropriate place with no noise around to be concentrate and do your work. Be strict on your school schedule like you are for the one at wor k. Make sure to do all your assignments on time and make sure that you respect the time you set for your studies. College demand extra work to do. You have to manage your time between your work, your family members, your friends and so on †¦ Time managing is very important if you want to succeed in college. Planning thing ahead can help thing get done early so that you can have enough time to do your school work. As work responsibilities, school has his part too. Study, do assignment on time, participle in group activity, find a good place and time to study. Discipline is a key word I Think to succeed in college. A person cannot succeed if there is not a personal responsibility for what he/she is doing. In order for me to practice my personal responsibility in my education, I need to do my own assignment, do my work on time; don’t wait for someone else to do it for me. If I’m having troubles understanding a subject, I can as my instructor or a classmate for help for more explanations instead of letting someone else do it for me. Doing your own assignment helps understanding your courses and be successful at the end. References Charles, Chester (2008). Building Classroom Discipline Boston: Pearson Education Bourbon, Thomas (1994). Discipline at Home and School: New York: Brandt

The Hospitality Industry Tamilnadu Tourism Essay

The Hospitality Industry Tamilnadu Tourism Essay This study has analysed the trends of the hospitality industry with special importance on Tamilnadu where the researcher has aimed at helping and growing the family business. This is done to get a better understanding of the Chennais market place, along with many other important cities in the state making it possible to go on board on selected strategies to effectively reach the local consumers. As Mohanty (2008) says, Hospitality is all about offering and comforting someone by all means to their needs. Good support from customers can be achieved by receiving and entertaining each and every single guest. In commercial context point of view, the word Hospitality refers to hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, catering etc. In todays world Economic Growth of a country depends on Hospitality industry along with Industrial and Agriculture. Tourism and Hotel sector is a widely expanding and booming segment in the market, and this industry offers huge job prospects to Indians. Due to globalisation there has been immense growth in Hospitality segment in India, especially in the metro and cosmopolitan cities. This has resulted in demand for well qualified and experienced candidates from this field in India and Overseas. India has become a ideal place of tourism and is the only country in the world with different cultures, languages and diverse topography along with political stability. India has become the place for Information technology companies and as Purushottaman (2005) says India has propelled to the top of the world in both Information Technology (IT) and Information Technologies enabled Services sector (ITES). Many MNCs from all around the world have opened their operations throughout India especially in South India. Initially Bangalore served as the Indian operations head office for many companies but then later on Chennai, capital of Tamilnadu state is becoming a business hub for major MNCs. This is due to involvement of many foreigners coming to India for business development. As a part of business development, business travels boomed to high and due to this the Hospitality sector developed along with more profitability. Nearly 50% of occupancy in all the hotels in major cities of Tamilnadu like Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli have come from business travellers. In this particular research, the author has evaluated the devel opment of the hotel industry with a focus on above mentioned cities in Tamil nadu, India. The performance of Hotel Industry is back on its development and growth path as it had been in decline for the past two years (i.e.) 2008 2009 due to global economic recession, which affected the hospitality business in India. According to HVS 2009 report, the foreign arrivals have declined by 20% in 2008 2009, resulting in decline of occupancy and performance of hotel industry throughout India. All the major cities in India like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata had an average of 10% marginal decline in occupancy rate. According to FHRAI and HVS 2009 report, though the industry has faced decline in performance, the demand for the industry will immensely grow from 2010 and has reported that an average 5% growth will be recorded from 2010. In Tamilnadu though the industry faced decline in its capital, Coimbatore and Ootacamand has raised its status to become one of the 12 major cities in India after the metro cities. According to HVS 2009 report, the occupancy rate of H otels at Coimbatore, Madurai in Tamilnadu has increased by 5% respectively, though the industry on a whole has faced decline. So this clearly indicates the rise of demand for Hotel industry in Tamilnadu. In Industrial aspect all the cities in Tamilnadu has developed along different businesses. In last year several new projects have been announced in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Ootacamund which is due to higher growth market and more are required to ease the current situation. General occupancy rate and cost of rooms is high in major cities as the demand for rooms have increased but then the number of available rooms is less than the demand (HVS International survey, 2004 ). India economy has boomed in the last 5 to 6 years which is due to flourishment in IT sector, Finance, Banking, Telecom , Biotechnolgy, Real estate, Retailing etc. As Joshi (2005) denotes many major hubs in the country lacks quality hotels and rooms. Though the industry has developed a lot in the previous decade still there is demand for number of rooms required is under lack. He also denoted that India will become one of the worlds fastest growing tourism market and as suggested by him, the number of foreign tourists have increased in the year 2006 and 2007. SWOT ANALYSIS of Hotel Industry in Tamilnadu. STRENGTHS Natural and cultural diversity: India on a whole is very rich in cultural heritage and values. While considering the state of Tamilnadu, its heritage and history dates back to B.C., it has many historic places and monuments. The state pocess three main tourist spots in the country namely Oatacamund, Kodaikanal, Courtrallam and its the place where Rameswaram lies, one of two most spiritually important places in India for Hindus community. The state is along the southern coastal line of the country and has got many beautiful and sunny beaches along is shore. The state has become the region for business as it has got all the transportation means required and the state capital has one of the busiest ports in India. The state has got 8 national sanctuaries, and it has got many hills station including Ootacamund Kodaikanal. Demand Supply gap: There has always been a mismatch between demand and supply of rooms in Indian Hotel Industry. This has been the reason for higher room tariffs and the level of occupancy. The demand is raised a lot as India is hosting the 2010 Commonwealth games, and most importantly the demand for Chennai will increase due to 2011 Cricket World Cup in India. Many star categorized hotels have come in important cities of Tamilnadu in the last decade. Economical Growth: Indias economy is growing to new heights and been predicted to be second after China by 2050. India has now become a part of G20 nations which in turn denotes the growth of the Indian economy. Chennai city being one of the major business hubs of India is Bourne to immense growth in near future due to increase IT firms, growing Industry in numbers, government tourism development, and other business activities. Coimbatore, the other city in Tamilnadu which was initially a hub for textile industry has now turning out to be IT hub with many MNCs started to have their operations there. Due to industrial and automobile growth, the state of Tamilnadu has now become more occupied with the state having 6 different automobile company plants. Overall the International and domestic economic growth has brought in huge opportunity for Hotel Industry in Tamilnadu. Many huge player in the global market with global chain have started to walk in to Chennai market and along the state (tamilnadu). Weakness Slow Implementation- Growth in the tourism sector is considerably slow when compared to other departments. Though the market needs have increased, the adequate infrastructure facility for Hotel Industry is still lacking. Lack of proper manpower has always been an issue in the industry. Regional Imbalance: Regional Imbalance of hotels is prevailing a lot throughout India and that prevails in Tamilnadu also. Still some of the tourist spots in Tamilnadu, there isnt adequate number of rooms for to increase the demand and develop that region to be major tourist spot. Due to this, those tourist spot regions are still under developing schemes and they lack the actual demand which they are capable of producing. Capital Intensive: Initial cost involved in Hotel construction project (i.e.) cost of land is very high and contributes 50% of the total project cost, whereas in other countries it is around 15%. This operates as a major restriction to the Indian hotel Industry, with Tamilnadu being no exemption to this context. Long Gestation Period: Due to lack of proper government development scheme being actuated many rural tourist spots with cultural importance and heritage places lack hotels. This is due to long gestation period for the hotel to get back its breakeven point and also the future growth of the firm is under immense doubt. As mentioned earlier land cost being high in India, time period for Hotel development needs to be very fast in order flourish in the market. As of now this long growth period is making a full stop to Hotel Industry development in those areas. Oppurtunities Rising Income: The tendency of spending has increased among Indians due to rise in income levels. People of different age groups are bound to spend on different purchases and are more bound to spend on leisure tourism on a whole. Economy Rise: As stated in The Financial express (2008), Overall Indian Hotel Industry is going through a healthy growth phase due to rising economy which has made many foreign companies and investors to enter India, which in turn has raised the occupancy in Hotels. Thus due to economy rise government have implied many schemes to develop tourism. It has also stated that in Conde Nast Travaller ranking, India is been ranked 4th among 167 countries in most preferred travel destinations. This denoted that India has making its mark on global tourism sector. Threats Global Recession: In the last couple of years though the market for Hotel Industry has increased, the occupancy level has decreased due to global recession. Due to this situation, the percentage of business travellers dropped heavily as the companys restricted the travel expense for its employees. The dependency level on foreign tourists is always risky, as the economic depression has affected in all the developed companies and developing countries across the world. Hence there has been a huge fluctuation in International tourism. Rising Competition: Major International Hotel chains are entering Indian market as it is becoming the destination for economical growth. The existing market players are also bringing in lot of new facilities and offers to attract customers. Hence striving a place in customer mind will prove to be a hectic job. Thus there will be a rise in competition among the exciting Hotel market. . Aim: The main of this research is to explore the fundamental factors influencing the performance of the Hotel Industry in India, with special emphasis on Tamilnadu. Personal aims include: Preparation for myself in this hospitality line which will guide me to develop my family business to new heights in the market. To encourage Hoteliers make best use of the information resources gathered in this research. The need for the study emerges as more and more Hotel chains have started involving themselves in different type of complex business models and also they emphasize the need for cost-efficiency. Objectives: To assess the past and present performance of Hotels in Tamilnadu. To categorize the core factors of the identified trends. To understand the future growth opportunities for the hospitality sector in Tamilnadu. To provide proposals for the further development on this sector with regards to the state of Tamilnadu. Literature Review The term Hotel in British law is defined as the place where a bonafide traveller can receive food and shelter provided he is in a position to for it and is fit condition to receive (Yashroy.U, 2008). The origin of hotels came to India from British people. Until late 1920s all the hotels in India were maintained by British and Swiss people. The fact of Chennai being a metropolitan city dates back to 1639 when Chennai was used as main port for trading by East India Company which was maintained by British (Chennai Hotels, 2007). In current industrial world, one of the most successful industries is Hotel Industry. Demand has always been more than supply in all the cities. As FDI restrictions been eased off by government many MNCs have opened their operation in India especially in Tamilnadu. Indian economy rise in global market and rise of business activities in India has insisted for a need of quality hotel rooms for corporate and industrial people. This trend of hospitality development is significant all over India. Leisure travelling has increased in India, which also contributes to the factor of growth in Hotel Industry. Almost all the major hotel players in the world have their operations in India, which itself indicates the growth of Hotel Industry in India. While considering the state of Tamilnadu Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tuticorin are the major cities and Ootacamund, Kodaikanal, Courtrallam, Yercaud, Kanyakumari are the main tourist spots in the state. Demand supply mismatch has increased along all the above mentioned places in terms of Hotel rooms. In the last few years the number of inbound tourists (foreign tourist) has increased and has been around 4.9 million in 2007, while outbound tourists (Indian going on foreign tour) have been around 8.3 million in 2006 (ITOPC, 2008). In the outbound tourists segment lot of travel has been business travel while others have been leisure travel segment. Since both the inbound and outbound tourism has increased, the need for quality hotels in India has been rising. India being a country of wide culture and composite of world class heritage is the main reason for its tourist attraction in the global arena. Considering the tourism in Tamilnadu, the domestic leisure travel is based on seasonality for the tourist spots and for cities is based on full swing business travel. Beside the rise in income level of the people has been a main reason for rise of leisure tourism in Tamilnadu. But still the majority of Star class hotels are used for business travels and Budget hotels are used for leisure travel. Inbound Tourism Statistics Foreign Tourists In India (Number) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 January 283750 228150 274215 337345 385977 459489 532088 584765 February 262306 227529 262692 331697 369844 439090 498806 560658 March 248965 225558 218473 293185 352094 391009 444186 509926 April 185338 155378 160941 223884 248416 309208 333945 369677 May 151098 132998 141508 185502 225394 255008 267758 290785 June 176716 143100 176324 223122 246970 278370 310104 344526 July 224432 186432 225359 272456 307870 337332 377474 August 196517 161477 204940 253301 273856 304387 360089 September 162326 151721 191339 226773 257184 297891 325893 October 181605 212191 260569 307447 347757 391399 440715 November 209685 243566 290583 385238 423837 442413 510987 December 319271 417527 479411 541571 575148 Total 2282738 2073025 2726214 3457477 3918610 4447167 4977193 2660337 Source: Ministry of tourism, Govt.of India (ITOPC, 2008). Domestic Travel Statistics Tourists Statistics Tamil Nadu Year Domestic Tourists 2004 42279838 2005 43213228 2006 58340008 Source : Ministry of tourism, Govt. of India (ITOPC, 2008). Outbound Tourism Statistics Statistics of Indian National Going Abroad Year No of Outbound Indians Percentage Change over the previos year 2000 4415513 7.3 2001 4564477 3.4 2002 4940244 8.2 2003 5350896 8.3 2004 6212809 16.1 2005 7184501 15.6 2006 8339614 16.1 Source: Ministry of tourism, Govt. of India (ITOPC, 2008). The categories of hotels in India are of five segments. Those segments are Premium Luxury segments, Mid Market Segment, Heritage Hotels, Resorts, Budget Hotels, and Unclassified Hotels. Premium and Luxury Segment This segment is based on major players in the local and International market. The whole slot in this segment comprises of 5 -star and 5 -star deluxe hotels which mainly serves business travellers and upmarket foreign travellers. These hotels fall into luxury segment and they offer a high quality and higher range of services. They tariffs and other service cost in considered to be expensive and is situated only in metro cities and major tourist spots. This segment alone contributed 30% of total number of rooms back in 2004. When comparing with Tamilnadus context, it contributes 15 % of total number of rooms which is nearly half to the national segment ratio (Bhatia, 2004). Mid-Market Segment This segment is based on local players in the market and small chain of hotels within the domestic market. The 3star and 4star hotels falls under this segment, and they mainly cater to the average domestic and foreign leisure traveller, along with domestic business travellers as they nearly offer all the services as of premium hotels under low cost than the premium as the tax component for this sector is less than that of luxury and premium segments. This segment contributes 30% of the total number of rooms in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai major cities in Tamilnadu (HVS International, 2009). Budget Segment This segment has emerged due to liberalisation in economy and is been mainly catered to middle class people with higher disposable income. This class comprises of 1 star and 2 star hotel. This type of hotels holds the major percentage of existence in the state of Tamilnadu. This segment caters for domestic travellers who prefer reasonably priced accommodation with limited luxury, and offers special seasonal discounts for domestic tourist packages. Low cost and good service is the main forefront of this hotel segment. Heritage Segment This segment is classified in the recent years to denote the hotels in palaces, castles, forts, and other buildings which were constructed before 1950. These traditional structures symbolise the ambience and luxury lifestyle of the past golden era (Ghosh, 2005). They have come to limelight with their lesser initial capital and for mirroring the traditional lifestyle of the past. These values have proved to be a major point of attraction and business for these hotels. While considering the context of Tamilnadu there are more than 10 hotels in existence (HHIMT, 2006). Unclassified or Other Segments This segment of hotels and motels are spread out throughout the country. If taken into account these contribute 50% of rooms occupancy in India. Their main point of sales income is low pricing policy. However some of them came into prominence on account due to increase in tourist congestion in major cities and tourist spots. These hotels officially now contribute 19% of the Industry. Performance measures in hotel management The performance of hotel property and chains can be measured in several ways. The simple method would be evaluating room rates and occupancy ratios. Another important measure with regards to occupancy rates is the Average Daily Room Rate (ARR). This is manipulated by dividing the revenue with the total number of rooms occupied. This occupancy ratio is also relatively important as that of ARR because it is an important indicator of profitability. The rate of occupancy is manipulated with number of rooms occupied by number of rooms available (Sola et.al, 1997, p.85). Market concept of Hotels As mentioned by many authors, Hotel is an commercial hospitality institution which offers services and loads of facilities to its customers on various cost factors aspects (Ghosh, 2005). Facilities Service Location Price Image (Source: Ghosh, 2005, p.131) All the five factors denoted in the factor are the terms related to hotel marketing concept. The term Location refers the geographic location of the hotel whether is the hotel is present in a city, rural area, or a tourist spot etc. It denotes to attractive features of the form, accessibility to the hotel, convenience factor, along with the surroundings. The term facilities refers to classy rooms, restaurants, leisure features, bars, banquet halls and recreation facilities (Weissinger, 2000).  . The term Service refers to the quality of the facilities offered and the extent to which it reaches to the consumers, availability of that service offered (Hoque, 2002).  Price factor implies the value given to its facilities and services offered to customers. The Image is a vital marketing factor as it portrays the hotel in the market and to the customers. This image is obtained from the above mentioned factors. For to maintain this factor all other factor have to be streamlined (Ghosh, 2005). Performance of Hotels in Tamilnadu The main focus the occupancy patterns of hotels two major metropolitan cities and two major tourist spots of Tamilnadu. The two major cities to be discussed are Chennai and Coimbatore and the two major tourist spots are Ootacamund and Kodaikanal. The percentage of occupancy rate in Chennai has risen by 12% in the current 2009 -2010 financial year after a decline in 2008 09 by 13% due to global recession. While in the case of Coimbatore, though the industry was also affected by recession in 2009, it dropped only by 5 % considering its growth ratio for the past decade with an average rise of 6% per year. The industry has also risen in current 2009 10 financial year by 10%. Both the cities are expected to have 16 new hotels, commercial serviced apartments for MNCs over the next 5 years. Both the cities have become an IT hub in the southern part o India. Chennai is amongst the seven major metropolitan cities, while Coimbatore and Ootacamund has become one amongst the twelve other major cities in the Hospitality and Industrial growth list (HVSFHRAI survey, 2009). The performance of Hotel Industry in Chennai city saw a decline in first half of 2009 as there was cost cutting activities taken by IT ITeS sectors and other business sectors along with decline in travel and entertainment. Though there was decline the city had the opening of two new star hotel property Taj Mount road Lemon Tree. The industry by the end of 2009 saw a rise in occupancies as the businesses boomed again and many new projects associated with travel and occupancy was announced. As mentioned earlier Chennai has always had a steady rise in Hotel Industry (HVSFHRAI survey, 2009). The performance of Hotel Industry in Coimbatore has been growing with steady Growth phase and Demand. Coimbatore is popularly known as Manchester of the south. The city itself is based on diversified economy consisting auto ancillary sector, textile sector, textile manufacturing and majorly in the past 6 years service sector has boomed in the city. The lower cost business operations have raised the city to prominence as a business destination in Tamilnadu and now across India. The occupancy rate has risen from 64 % in 2005 to 79% in 2009 though had a drop to 72% in the start of 2009 due to global recession. Coimbatore also has close proximity to Nligiris which implies that the demand for the Leisure segment will rise in the next few years. The current Star rated occupancy of 350 rooms is expected to rise to nearly 875 rooms which add pressure to the need of upgrade with the performance of hotels in a short term (Times, 2009). The existence of Ootacamund or in short term called Ooty, one of the major tourist destinations in India and has clearly marked as one amongst the other twelve major cities in India with its tourism Industrial growth. It is one of the primary hills station in South India. It is easily accessible via road and railways from Coimbatore, Chennai Bangalore. Ooty has retained its name as a Hills station tourist destination and hence many innovative and eco friendly hotels have come up nearby to the wildlife destinations. It is surrounded by natural sceneries, lakes, wildlife sanctuaries and many others. Domestic travel to this destination is being increasing at a higher pace (Kumar, 2010). The hotel occupancy has increased from 44% in 2005 to 59% in 2009 (HVSFHRAI survey, 2009). Kodaikanal is another major hill station in Tamilnadu. Tough Kodaikanal is categorised under developing urban areas, it still remains untouched by urban development and dense population as that of Ooty. It has got access from all the major cities in Tamilnadu and from Kerala as well. Though the number of Hotels in Kodaikanal is less than that of Ooty, they offer iunparelled experience in terms of comfort and services. It is surrounded by hills, huge lake, and number of parks, museums, and heritage places. There are two five star hotels, three four star hotels, more than 10 three star hotels in Kodaikanal. It is an intense developing tourist spot in India (Agarwal, 2007) Principle factors for growth of Hotels in India (Tamilnadu) The factors which influence the occupancy rate of Hotels , and their average room cost across the country are Domestic travel, International Arrivals, Health and Medical tourism, Business travel, MICE Meetings. Incentives. Conferences. Exhibitons. The Domestic travel is the vast growing market in India. Domestic Guests market is considered to be the most important segment for Indian hotel Industry, which accounted to 71.7 % of all guests in 2004- 05 (HVS, 2006). The effective guidance role for domestic travel is played by Budget airline, or low cost carriers. These have played a vital role in short business trips, short visits etc. Due to this a person from Chennai can go to Delhi in the morning, do his work over there and come back in the same day evening. This has made peoples work more convenient and easier than before, initially the cost factor played a vital role in choosing airlines. They were only used by higher business people as the ticket fare was costlier but then after the entry budget airlines in the market the frequency of air travel and the number of domestic travellers has been increasing from the initial entry period. The number of destinations has increased due to rising air trafiic. So connectivity to various destinations from one single destination is now very much possible. Now all the major private carriers, government carriers, and other small players in the market deal with budget airlines. They are Jetlite, Jetkonnec t, Spice Jet, Simplifly deccan, Air India Domestic formerly Indian Airlines, Go air, Paramount, Indigo and other new players which are in the queue for launch (Goyal, 2009). Tourists Statistics Tamil Nadu Year Domestic Tourists 2004 42279838 2005 43213228 2006 58340008 Source: Ministry of tourism, Govt. of India (ITOPC, 2008) International arrivals have been increasing steadily as the Business travels due to MNCs, leisure trips, and other trips have increased. Many Private and Government Indian carriers are now been operated to various destinations in the world which plays a vital role for the rise in International arrivals. Governments tourism scheme Incredible India is the most successful plan implemented by tourism ministry. This campaign has brought in many foreigners. This particular scheme has offered many advantages for tour packages. Hence the tour operators are doing aggressive marketing and attractive package offers to attract foreign tourists to India. The table below suggest that year 2008 has attracted around 5.4 million tourists from around the world, which is 5.6% more than previous year. The estimated foreign exchange earnings generated in the year 2008 was 50730 crores which are 14.4 % more than that of the previous year. The foreign exchange earning in terms of US dollars was 11747 US mi llion$ which is 9.3% rise than the previous year. Hence the rate of tourists arrival and the income has increased which in turn has resulted in growth of Indian hotel industry. In accordance to an official review the impressive inflow is one of the main reason for the rise in airline passengers, which in turn as the result of intensive advertising campaign done by the Ministry of tourism (Travel Tourism, 2005). Year Foreign Tourists Arrivals (in nos.) Percentage Change Over Previous Year Estimated Foreign Exchange Earnings (Rs. In Crore) Percentage of Change Over Previous Year Estimated Foreign Exchange (in Million US$) Percentage Over Previous Year 1999 2481928 12951 - 3009 2000 2649378 6.7 15626 20.6 3460 15.0 2001 2537282 -4.2 15083 -3.5 3198 -7.6 2002 2384364 -6.0 15064 -0.1 3103 -3.0 2003 2726214 14.3 20729 37.6 4463 43.8 2004 3457477 26.8 27944 34.8 6170 38.2 2005 3918610 13.3 33123 18.5 7493 21.4 2006 4447167 13.5 39025 17.8 8634 15.2 2007 5081504 14.3 44360 13.7 10729 24.3 2008 5366966 5.6 50730 14.4 11747 9.3 Source: Ministry Of Tourism India (2009). Medical tourism has now become one of the developing concepts whereby people from foreign countries come to India for medical treatment and relaxation. Major surgery treatments include Heart surgery, Plastic surgery, transplant surgery, Cosmetic surgery and Dental care. Patients from all

Percy Bysshe Shelleys The Cloud and the Romantic Theme of Deity in Nat

Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Cloud and the Romantic Theme of Deity in Nature    Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792, the eldest of seven children. Shelley was very hostile to organized religion, declaring religion must perish. Moroever, Shelley read widely, including the Bible, and thus knew his opponents. "The Cloud," written in 1820 is a short poem written in abcb (as opposed to the heroic couplets of previous generations) rhyme scheme but this feature is the least of its norm breaking properties. In "The Cloud," Shelley expresses the Romantic theme of man finding deity in nature. In the first stanza, Shelley reveals the cloud's deity by expressing the multiple functions of the cloud. In the same way the Christian God has multiple functions like Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, the cloud has many functions. First, Shelley portrays the cloud as a gardener. He brings water to the thirsty flowers. This is a picture of a nurturer. Second, Shelley personifies the leaves as Mother Nature's children. The cloud is a shade bearer for the leaves who take a noonday nap. In addition, Shelley personifies the buds as Mother Nature's children. Each night Mother Nature rocks the buds to rest at her breast, a symbol of nurture. Moreover, Shelley gives Mother Nature human characteristics by saying she dances around the moon. This is simply Shelley's symbolism for the rotation of the Earth. In addition, the wind showers forth hail as a sign of judgement. Then he shows his power over the hail by dissolving it in rain. Finally, Shelley gives the cloud the ability to laugh like a human being. The cloud's laughing is his thunder. This is the laughing of a boastful arrogant deity as he shows his power. Shelley believes nature to be a more be... ...ase after an immortal Spirit. This is a highly figurative expression of science with a double meaning. Furthermore, Shelley continues to describe the cloud in terms of bird imagery. Like a bird, the cloud soars on the wind. In addition the cloud boastfully exclaims his deity. He does this by inferring he is not mortal. In this same stanza Shelley gives an intense reflection on the activity of the cloud during the night. Then Shelley displays a glowing representation of nature by alluding to biblical images. The devout Anglican would easily pick up on this reflection and relate the likeness in his head. Finally, the last stanza displays the life cycle of a cloud. Shelley does this by describing the precipitation cycle in poetic language.    Works Cited: MacEachen, Dougald. Cliffs Notes on Keats and Shelley. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Incorporated, 1996.

White Heat :: essays papers

White Heat White Heat clearly belongs within Shatzs category of genres of order. How far do you agree with this statement? This is an exiting essay to write for a number of reasons. For one it is an honour to follow in the footsteps of Raul Walsh understanding the motivations that brought him to direct White Heat in the way he did it. For another reason is wonderful having the possibility to describe it through the Shatz^s module that can describe perfectly every aspect of a selected movie. Because it is essentially a narrative system, a film genre can be examined in terms of its fundamental structural components: plot, character, setting, thematics and so on. Shatz divided Hollywood film genres in two main categories, these are distinguished by completely different characteristics. As he said: ^Each genre represents a distinct problem-solving strategy that repeatedly addresses basic cultural contradictions^ (Shatz, 1948: 34). He defined certain genres like screwball comedy, family melodrama, musical and so on as rites of integration. Those films are centred upon a doubled or collective her! o set into a ^civilised^ space, the main problems are emotional and the resolution is always by love. Other genres centred on an individual male such as Western, gangster, detective, etc. appertain to the genre of order category. The protagonist (individual male) ^is the focus of dramatic conflicts within a setting of contested, ideologically instable space. Conflicts within these genres are externalised, translated into violence, and usually resolved through the elimination of some threat to the social order^ (Shatz, 1948: 34). At the end of the film the protagonist always leaves the contested space either by his departure or death and he always maintains his individuality and he doesn^t learn about values and lifestyle of the community. The principal thematics within this genre are the mediation-redemption, the male macho code, isolated self-reliance and utopia-as-promise. White Heat is a classic gangster and was directed, as I said, by Raul Walsh in 1949. It stands at the crux between the 1930^s gangster movies and the post^war film noir. The plot is briefly this: James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett, a psychotic who dreams of being on "top of the world". Inadvertently leaving clues behind after a railroad heist, Jarrett becomes the target of federal agents, which send an undercover agent (O^Brien) to infiltrate the Jarrett gang. While Cody sits in prison on a deliberately trumped-up charge (he confesses to one crime to provide him an alibi for the railroad robbery), he befriends Fallon (O^Brien), who poses as a hero-worshipping hood who's always wanted to work with Jarrett. Busting out of prison with Fallon, Jarrett regroups his gang to mastermind a

William Faulkner’s Dry September and That Evening Sun :: Faulkner’s Dry September Essays

William Faulkner’s Dry September and That Evening Sun William Faulkner’s â€Å"Dry September†, and â€Å"That Evening Sun† have to very obvious things in common; they leave many unanswered questions. There is no real ending to either story, and the reader is left to imagine what happens in the end of each story. In â€Å"Dry September†, I was left wondering whether or not Will really did anything to Minnie Cooper. My intuition tells me no, that she was just an old lonely woman who wanted attention, or who construed this offense in her head. I was also left wondering whatever happened to the barber and Will. Did they return to town, only to be chased out again, or were they rebels no, forced to find a new home? The ending part about Mc Lendon when he is mad at his wife for waiting up for him, and she says â€Å"Don’t John. I couldn’t sleep....The heat; something. Please John. You’re hurting me† leaves me wondering still is he mad because he did not find Will once he had jumped out of the car, or is he all riled up because he has gotten Will, and doesn’t want his wife to know where he has been all night? â€Å"That Evening Sun† does not have a conclusive ending either. My first question while reading this was why is everyone so afraid of Jesus? On page 290, the Jason says â€Å"...father told us to not have anything to do with Jesus.† Why would father say this I wondered as I was reading the story. Nancy too seems frightened of Jesus. In section three of the story, Nancy is trying to get the children to ask their mother and father if she can spend the night because, though she doesn’t tell the children, she is afraid of Jason. In the end of the story, on page 307, Nancy says â€Å"I got it. It was on the table when I came in. It was a hog bone with blood meat still on it, laying by the lamp. He’s out there. When yawl walk out that door, I gone.† Faulkner never lets us know what exactly the hog bone represents, or if in deed it was really there, or this is just Nancy trying to lie to let Jason let her stay with him for the night. The story, however, ends before we learn what happens to Nancy, if anything.

An Ecological Theory Applied to Aging Essay

Ecological theories of human development consider the complex interactions between humans and their changing social and physical environments. Every member of society experiences these interactions in a different manner, depending on factors such as the amount of resources available to them or the interconnectedness of their support system at birth. As people age and as the macrosystem itself changes in response to events, people within the system shift to occupy different positions in society. People’s psychological reactions to their evolving statuses reflect the culmination of a lifetime’s worth of experiences. At each juncture within people’s lives, their statuses are subject to norms and rules belonging to society. Understood from the vantage of Bronfenbrenner’s ecolological systems approach, initial transactions in a person’s life are the result of direct interrelationships between the infant and members of the microsystem (church, family, peers, school, neighborhood, play area, and health services). Microsystems, in turn, are shaped by a host of higher-up systems, which are also acting on each other at the same time. When the children in Bronfenbrenner’s model mature into adulthood, they are likely to occupy new roles within the macrosystem. These acquired roles may be transient because familial roles, career placement, financial status and other factors may vary throughout people’s lifetimes. Age, however, is one factor that invariably affects people’s lives, and society – to a large part – determines the extent of that effect. Deep-rooted in the mentality of members of a system are beliefs about which members are suited to which roles. If a society assigns a value to the knowledge gained through a lifetime of experience, then people in late adulthood and beyond will perceive themselves as vital. Alternatively, if a society chooses not to recognize that elders have an important contribution to make in society, then the elders of that society may internalize those beliefs and feel valueless. In the United States, common stereotypes of the elderly are that they are poorly able to meet the physical and mental demands of performing routine tasks. However, as medical science improves, people are living into their  hundreds and remaining active. In addition, various forms of martial arts are practiced to enhance balance, coordination, and flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart, body, and elevates mood levels. Because of a heightened awareness of the positive effects of keeping a healthy diet and exercising regularly, in many cases, people can continue to function physically and mentally at high levels. An ecological theory of human development would recognize recent changes, such as increased longevity and improved functionality, as the catalyst for the development of new late adulthood roles and altered definitions of late adulthood. Cognitive development throughout the lifespan, or fluid intelligence, is valued above accumulated stores of intelligence, or crystallized intelligence, in some ecological systems. In a system that seeks ways of applying the wisdom of age, mentors and apprentices benefit from the transference of knowledge and perspective. In agriculture-based communities, where apprenticeships are integral to the continuity of life, members view hastiness and rapid decision-making as immature qualities; whereas, forethought and the ability to absorb the totality of a situation are the attributes of old age. In certain Black African societies, elders in the community are regarded as founts of knowledge. In traditional Latin societies, it is believed that older members of society possess inner-strength and can pass that quality along to younger generations. Individuals in these societies depend on their elderly and base many of their personal, social, and job-related decisions on the utterances of elder s in the community. In technology-based societies, crystallized intelligence is undervalued because adaptation is seen as more important to the sustenance of economic development. Those who fall behind in terms of technological instrumentality and rapid response rate are perceived as slow instead of as thoughtful. Furthermore, the uniform sentence order and grammar of English restricts the range of expression available to many elderly people. In a macrosystem in which speed and the delivery are prized more than the content of the message, senior citizens and their contributions are marginalized. The effect is that society’s message to seniors – that they are slow and  ineffectual – becomes an internalized belief of everyone in society. In many other cultures, such as Arab ones, the treatment of aged people in society seems to be the reverse of how older people are treated in the U.S. In these countries, the religion and culture serve as the rational basis for assigning seniors authority in deciding on household matters. It is expected in traditional societies that the young provide care for and honor their aging family members. In societies with Confucian based ideologies, such as Korea, the hierarchy of respect is based on age, with the eldest members of society receiving the most esteem. The exosystem in these societies is tipped in the direction of considering the importance of elders and their influence. All microsystems, mesosystems, and individuals tap into this human resource because the macrosystems endorse the idea that the elderly in society are indispensable. Microsystems in many countries are successful at integrating the services that seniors provide into the caregiving structure. In many Asian and African societies, grandparents live in the same house as parents and children. Whereas the commonly held belief in the U.S. is that grandparents’ excessive indulging of their grandchildren may negatively affect children’s personalities and achievement in school, it has been found that in China educated grandparents have a positive effect on their grandchildren’s academic performance. In the U.S., grandparents may play an important role in parenting children in single-parent headed homes. Additionally, parents look forward to becoming grandparents, and a study conducted by Brubaker showed that 80% of grandparents were happy with their grandparenting roles. Just as these eager parents delight in assuming new roles as grandparents in life, so are there many things to look forward to as one approaches late adulthood. Dependi ng on the macrosystem one is part of aging can be perceived as a positive or negative prospect. The extent to which a macrosystem views the importance and necessity of caring for aged ones can dictate the quality of life for seniors, particularly for those who are afflicted by poor physical health or forms dementia brought on and exacerbated by old age. In the US, middle-aged  adults find themselves â€Å"sandwiched† between caring for their children and their parents. The financial and emotional burden put on these middle-aged adults further begs a solution to the need for a better system of caring for the elderly. The issues seem especially pressing in industrialized nations, where traditional ideas about caring for older family members are either nonexistent or eroding. In China, a nation in the midst of industrialization, as rural-to-urban shift increases, parents and grandparents are being left behind. In Latin cultures, filial bonds and intergenerational teaching are perpetuated by a macrosystem that espouses religious belief and traditional norms. In countries trying to balance industrialization and tradition, managing care for aging populations presents a problem, especially in countries such as Italy and Japan, where the declining birthrate presents a challenge for this generation of youths An individual’s microsystem system shapes the pattern of interactions to follow for the rest of that person’s life, Shifts in familial status, shifts in occupational status, issues related specifically to aging, external events, and the set of values and beliefs embodied by the macrosystem all contribute to the quality of people’s perceived well being. Senior citizens’ well-being is often related to the quality of their interactions within their microsystems. Depending on the structure of the macrosystem and sometimes on the individual’s accessibility to resources, social support systems may consist of children and grandchildren of the individual, other elderly members of the community, or community members of all ages who seek the guidance of elders. Ecological systems theories provide a framework for identifying the elements of the system and within the individual that account for reasons why individuals behave and think the way they do. Shortcomings in the systems, such as with the treatment of elders, are apparent when macrosystems are compared side by side. This society’s values and beliefs will have to accommodate more positive associations with old age before the majority of elders can enjoy meaningful, productive, and satisfying lives.

Super Size Me

The movie starred and was directed by independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock[1].   Spurlock undertakes to explain the rampant obesity in America as a function largely of overdependence on convenience food and dining in quick-service restaurant chains. Spurlock strove to make his point by undertaking to consume only McDonald’s products for a whole month.   His stated goal was to investigate the impact of fast food, of which McDonald’s is the archetype, on the epidemic of obesity (and associated diseases such as hypertension and diabetes) plaguing America. Prior to starting the experiment, Spurlock was physically fit but in the end, he had gained considerable weight and was showing early signs of health problems.   The film presented its thesis in stark fashion: eat excessive fast food, get sick. â€Å"Super Size Me† employs the documentary format that â€Å"The Blair Witch Project† and â€Å"March of the Penguins† made famous. Basically, a camera followed Spurlock around wherever he went, chronicling his activities and feelings every so often. The film followed a chronological format that showed Spurlock’s descent from fit and bright-eyed to miserable and overweight. Also included were interviews with nutritionists, doctors and other people who helped shed light on the question; â€Å"Why is America obese?† The device of eating nothing but fast food may seem unrealistic.   Or perhaps not; how many of us would rationally avoid convenience foods if there was no one to cook breakfast or dinner?   Do parents know what children eat all day long when they are away at college? Spoofing the fast food habit this way does serve to compress the timeframe, create shock value and teach by entertaining.   One doubts that the audience would be as attentive if a physician had delivered a lecture on video about the ill effects of eating fast food for 20 or 30 years. Spurlock essentially consumed over 5,000 calories per day of nothing but obviously fattening McDonald’s staples: Big Mac’s, French fries and soda. In his defense, Spurlock[2] said he was mimicking the diet of a â€Å"super-heavy user†, Marketing lingo for an avid patron. At the same time, Spurlock satirized the slothful habits of many Americans who do not care to exercise. Even if they did not consume McDonald’s foods in the amounts he did, it is unlikely that they eat a balanced, nutrition-dense diet anyway. Despite the criticism level against it, â€Å"Super Size Me† remains shocking and relevant. Millions of Americans are undoubtedly ‘addicted’ to a diet of fast food that contains unhealthy levels of sugar and cholesterol. As shown by Spurlock’s own transformation, such relaxed eating compounds the problem by lowering the desire to exercise and be active. Naturally, the most shocking scene in the movie is when a complete physical examination reveals the extent of his physical deterioration. The domino effect does not stop there. Obesity and lack of activity causes numerous health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. Already, a largely overweight generation of â€Å"baby boomers† has begun to overwhelm the health care system. For a nation built on the industry and creativity of its people this truly bodes ill. [1] Super Size me Directed by Morgan Spurlock Spurlock, in audio commentary track [2] Spurlock, in the movie, and again on the DVD commentary track

Majorca – Geography

Majorca – A Holiday DICKS Paradise? Map of Majorca Majorca in the Mediterranean Majorca is the largest of the 4 main Balearic Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the east coast of Spain. It is a highly popular holiday destination in the world, especially to Western European countries. Majorca’s capital city is Palma de Mallorca. Main Attractions for Tourists at Majorca North Majorca – * Serra de Tramuntana – large mountain range * Cap de Formentor – Northernmost cap of Majorca Valldemossa – Famous village related to composer, Chopin * Port de Soller – Village, port North Majorca is more scenic-tourism based compared to South Majorca, and features more natural attractions than artificial ones. Unlike South Majorca’s westernisation, North Majorca contains intact traditional culture. Much tourism in the north resides around beaches and the natural environment. South Majorca – * Cuevas de Drach – subterranea n cave * Es Trenc Beach – a beach.South Majorca is generally more westernised, Americanised, and tourist abundant. Resorts are designed to be extravagant and luxurious. Attractions are mostly man-made venues, such as casinos, night clubs, cruises, brothels, etc. That is not to say South Majorca lacks natural attractions; its beaches and landscape are just less visited. General – * Palma de Mallorca – Majorca’s capital city * Santa Maria Cathedral – Massive Gothic cathedral in Palma * Binissalem – specifically its wine * Prostitution – think what you will.Advantages/Disadvantages of Tourism Advantages – * Improved economy and wealth, which leads to†¦ * Improved infrastructure, which in turn†¦ * Improves local living conditions * Improves tourist conditions, welfare, accommodation, etc. * Rejuvenation/maintenance of historical and cultural interests * Sustainable tourism is emphasised and promoted * Employment created * Jobs and pay for locals Disadvantages – * Gradual disintegration of native ethnic culture to cater for tourists * Locals all generally speak fluent English Destruction of natural landscape * 25 tons of sand are removed from beaches by tourists with sticky bodies annually * Littering and pollution by the typically ignorant millionaire American tourist and his V8 truck(s) or the British drunk and his cardboard box * This kills the native flora/fauna of the island * Property Inflation * Locals are replaced in their houses by overseas aristocrats * Artificial Drought * Increased consumption of water by tourists, i. e. pools, cleaning, drinking, etc. combined with few days of rain equates to a growing lack of water* Majorca becomes over reliant on the tourism industry * Tourism sector makes up 95% of its economy Conclusion Is Majorca a holiday paradise or not? Google and its mechanics define paradise as: ‘†¦a place in which existence is harmonious; where there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. ’ The definition for ‘holiday paradise’ would therefore be along the lines of†¦. ‘†¦a holiday ecosystem where the tourism infrastructure system is harmonious, prosperous, and provides happiness to the tourist. Note that the concept of a ‘holiday paradise’ comes from a tourists view (locals don’t have a holiday on the spot where they live, and the environment doesn’t have holidays). We can deduce from the definition of a ‘holiday paradise’ that Majorca is indeed a holiday paradise. Majorca does offer a tourism infrastructure that is harmonious, and prosperous whilst providing happiness to the tourist. Majorca’s tourist catering is at a sublime level, with a massive amount of services destined to be harmonious with a tourists needs.Majorca’s tourism industry is also extremely prosperous, making up 95% of its economy and providing plenty of healthy economic stimul ation for the locals. Most importantly of all, the tourist is happy in Majorca, which is why so many tourists go there in the first place. Majorca’s abundance of fascinating tourist attractions, such as its culture, beaches, caves, natural landscape, historic villages, night clubs, casinos, marinas, restaurants, brothels, as well as its compliance with the definition of a ‘holiday paradise’, proves that Majorca is without doubt a tourist’s holiday paradise.References http://www. mallorca-info. co. uk/where-to-stay-mallorca. html, Where to stay in Mallorca, (30/7/12– 5/8/12) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Balearic_Islands, Balearic Islands (26/7/12– 5/8/12) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Majorca, Majorca (26/7/12– 5/8/12) http://www. tripadvisor. co. uk/Attractions-g187462-Activities-Majorca_Balearic_Islands. html, Things to do in Majorca (1/8/12– 5/8/12) http://etravel. org/places/europe/spain/top-five-places-to-visit-in-mallorc a/, Top 5 places to Visit in Mallorca (31/7/12– 5/8/12) ttp://www. seemallorca. com/mallorca/guide. html, Introduction to Majorca (27/7/12– 5/8/12) http://www. akademifantasia. org/europe/top-5-natural-attractions-in-majorca/, Top 5 Natural Attractions in Majorca (2/8/12– 5/8/12) http://wikitravel. org/en/Mallorca, Mallorca (26/7/12– 5/8/12) http://www. majorca-mallorca. co. uk/, Welcome to Majorca (27/7/12– 5/8/12) http://www. geographypages. co. uk/major. htm, Majorca tourism Project(26/7/12– 5/8/12)

Tqm in Starwood

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide In partial fulfilment Of the requirements in Total Quality Management 12 October, 2010 I. INTRODUCTION Being one of the of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. already has nearly 1000 properties in some 100 countries and approximately 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels and Resorts is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with different internationally renowned brands of St.Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W, Le Meridien, Aloft and Element. It also owns one of the premier developers and operators of high-quality vacation interval ownership resorts, Starwood Vacation Ownership Resorts, Inc. The company began as a small investment firm and then became a real estate investment trust (REIT). In 1998, Starwood acquired ITT Corporation, a company seven times its size, in which during tha t time, the world's largest lodging and gaming company.Founded by Barry Sternlicht, Starwood Hotels and Resorts has been acquiring many other hotels and companies, at the same time, unloading some of its own properties to make room and money for new ones. Starwood Hotels and Resorts still face challenges in their worldwide operations. This led to a decision of adapting Six Sigma in the year 2000. The roll out of Six Sigma in the company started in the first quarter of 2001and was targeted to end in the year 2002 – also the time they say they will reap the fruits of their efforts. According to the founder, and previous chairman and chief executive officer of Starwood, Barry Sternlicht he launch of Six Sigma is one of the most important strategic initiatives since the formation of the company. It will be a multiyear effort encompassing thousands of associates. It will also sustain and build new momentum, strengthen their global brands, enhance their ability to share best practi ces globally, speed the adoption of new technologies, prepare them for the challenges of constant change, provide critical focus on the customer and overtime help them derive a dramatic improvement in the bottom line. All these will happen only with the successful implementation of the strategy.Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worlwide, Inc. was the first hospitality chain to adapt Six Sigma in its global operations. The company continuously improves with the Mission: â€Å"To our shareholders, our goal is to grow EBITDA at least 8-10% per year and EPS at least 15% per year. To our customers, we want Starwood to be the easiest company with which to do business. And to our employees, our commitment is to make Starwood a great place to work. † â€Å"At Starwood, we don’t just ‘do’ Six Sigma, we ‘use’ Six Sigma,† wrote one Starwood employee in iSixSigma’s Best Places survey. That means that we use it every day in our daily work to solve problems, regardless of their size. We follow the DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma principles and use tools daily (VOC translation tables, Pugh matrices, SIPOC†¦DOE, etc. ), but don’t necessarily have to make every problem into a project. We just get it done here. † This made Starwood the top best place to work in according to isixsigma. com’s Top 10 companies Best Places to Work list. To sum it up, Starwood Hotels and Resorts was able to pull off great opportunities of development and growth in the company through Six Sigma.II. COMPANY PROFILE A. Brief Description about the company: As a top company in the Hotels, Casinos, Resorts industry, Starwood Hotels ; Resorts specialize in the operation and management of hotels, resorts, casinos and spas. Starwood is now one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 925 properties in more than 95 countries. Starwood Hotels ; Resorts Worldwide, Inc. , incorporated in 1980, is a hotel and leisu re company. The Company conducts its hotel and leisure business both directly and through its subsidiaries. Its brand names include St.Regis (luxury full-service hotels, resorts and residences), The Luxury Collection (luxury full-service hotels and resorts), W (luxury and upscale full service hotels, retreats and residences), Westin (luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences), Le Meridien (luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences), Sheraton (luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences), Four Points (select-service hotels), Aloft (select-service hotels), and Element (extended stay hotels). The Company is organized into two business segments: hotels and vacation ownership and residential.In January 2010, the Company announced that it has completed the disposal of Bliss World Holdings, Inc. to Steiner Leisure Limited. History of the company: Starwood Hotels ; Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the top hotel companies in the w orld. The company owns and operates hotels under leading brands such as Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, Four Points, and its recently developed W brand. The majority of Starwood's hotels are owned by franchisees, and the company directly owns or leases about 170 of its approximately 750 hotels worldwide.Close to 500 of the company's hotels are in North America. Starwood also runs hotels in some 80 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America, including a chain of prestigious European palaces called the Ciga Group. The company began as a small investment firm and then became a real estate investment trust (REIT). In 1998 Starwood purchased ITT Corporation, a company seven times its size and at the time the world's largest lodging and gaming company. Starwood beat out the Hilton Hotels Corporation to get ITT, in what was one of the most dramatic takeover battles of the 1990s.Starwood is run by Barry Sternlicht, whose consummate dealsmanship parlayed the small trust into a global lodging company. B. Different Scope of the Company: a. Starwood’s Managed Hotels The Company manages hotels worldwide, usually under a long-term agreement with the hotel owner (including entities in which it has a minority equity interest). Its responsibilities under hotel management contracts typically include hiring, training and supervising the managers and employees that operate these facilities.For additional fees, it provides centralized reservation services and coordinates national advertising and certain marketing and promotional services. It prepares and implements annual budgets for the hotels it manages and is responsible for allocating property-owner funds for periodic maintenance and repair of buildings and furnishings. In addition to its owned and leased hotels, at December 31, 2009, it managed 440 hotels with approximately 153,800 rooms worldwide. b. The Brand Franchising and LicensingThe Company franchises its Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Luxury Collection, Le Meridien, Aloft and Element brand names and generally derive licensing and other fees from franchisees based on a fixed percentage of the franchised hotel’s room revenue, as well as fees for other services, including centralized reservations, sales and marketing, public relations and national and international media advertising. In addition, a franchisee may also purchase hotel supplies, including brand-specific products, from certain Starwood-approved vendors.It approves certain plans for, and the location of, franchised hotels and reviews their design. At December 31, 2009, there were 476 franchised properties with approximately 116,300 rooms. c. Vacation Ownership and Residential Business The Company develops, owns and operates vacation ownership resorts, market and sell the vacation ownership interests (VOIs) in the resorts and, in many cases, provide financing to customers who purchase such ownership interests.Owners of VOIs can trade their interval for in tervals at other Starwood vacation ownership resorts, for intervals at certain vacation ownership resorts not otherwise sponsored by Starwood through an exchange company, or for hotel stays at Starwood properties. From time to time, it securitizes or sells the receivables generated from its sale of VOIs. At December 31, 2009, it had 22 residential and vacation ownership resorts and sites in its portfolio with 16 actively selling VOIs and residences, and two that have sold all existing inventory. C. Business Industry:The general business activity and principal products or commercial enterprise of Starwood Hotels & Resorts are categorized as being part of the Hotels, Casinos, Resorts Industry. D. The Company Values: â€Å"Go the Extra Step by taking actions that build lasting connections and loyalty ; Play as a Team by working globally and across all teams in the company; Do the Right Thing by using good judgment, respecting our communities, associates, owners, partners and the envir onment† E. Principal Subsidiaries: Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. F. Principal Competitors: Marriott International, Inc. Hilton Hotels Corporation; Four Seasons Hotels Inc. G. Key Dates of the company’s operations a. 1991: Starwood Capital Group is founded. b. 1993: Starwood begins buying hotels. c. 1994: Starwood buys Hotel Investors Trust; gains special REIT status. d. 1998: Starwood acquires ITT Corporation. e. 2001: Implementation of Six Sigma Strategy for the company’s overall operations III. BEFORE HAVING SIX-SIGMA IN THE COMPANY Starwood Hotels and Resorts did not follow a particular Total Quality Management program. Although they do have goals, such as: Starwood is entering a new stage in its development,† said Barry Sternlicht, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. â€Å"The world is changing rapidly. While we own superb physical assets around the world, it is our 30 million customers who represent the critical and unrecognized asset of our com pany in this internet age. We are determined to build a customer-centric organization, a company that will take advantage of unprecedented advances in technology to improve nearly every facet of its core operations while increasing brand loyalty in an effort to create significant long-term shareholder value,† Mr.Sternlicht said. Starwood, though were very successful before their implementation of the Six Sigma also encounter several problems. One of which was when the Congress acted to change the law governing Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). This made Starwood lose its tax advantage thus converting itself to the traditional corporate structure. The change made accounting difficult, particularly in comparing financial results from before and after the restructuring. In addition, there seemed to be trouble in the top echelons of management.Starwood's stock price fell, and in December 1998 the company announced that fourth quarter earnings would be less than estimated. Oth er lodging stocks did badly as well, but Starwood was clearly struggling to integrate its vast new holdings. IV. THE COMPANY’S ADAPTATION †¢ The slowing economy hurt Starwood and other hotel companies in 2001. The September 11 terrorist attacks were a huge blow to the industry. Starwood's North American business fell drastically immediately after the attacks, and two weeks later the company announced that it would lay off 23 percent of its North American workforce.Revenue fell in 2001 and 2002 as the global economy remained weak and business travel was less than robust. The company's European operations did better than its North American business, and Asia became the company's next frontier. Less than 10 percent of Starwood's operating profit came from its Asian operations in 2002, but the company aimed to increase that to 25 percent by 2007. †¢ â€Å"We have spent $1 billion in our ongoing effort to bring consistency to our branded hotels around the world,† says Bob Cotter, chief operating officer, Starwood Hotels ; Resorts. It is time and we are ready to complement this effort with a global focus on the delivery of consistent and exemplary service to our guests. From the reservation and check-in process, to room standards and cleanliness, it is our goal for every Westin, Sheraton, W, Four Points by Sheraton, Starwood Vacation Ownership and St. Regis/Luxury Collection guest to have a flawless experience during each and every visit. Six Sigma will help us reach that goal. † V. THE SIX SIGMA IMPLEMENTATION AT STARWOOD In 2001 Starwood Hotels & Resorts became the first hospitality company in the world to embrace Six Sigma, an internationally recognized approach that enables Starwood associates to develop innovative customer focused solutions and to transfer these solutions across the global organization. Six Sigma is a customer-focused, fact-based, analytical system (approach and tools) for improving processes so that customers are more satisfied and Associates’ time is spent more on value-added activities, leading to increased profitably.The Six Sigma tools enable Starwood hotels to transfer solutions and innovations across their properties and offices globally. This gives the company a competitive advantage on speed to market in implementing Best Practices and Brand Standards. †¢ By launching Six Sigma, Starwood made a long-term commitment to radically improving the way it does business. For Starwood Six Sigma is a powerful business system that focuses on consistently delivering superior value to existing and potential customers. Six Sigma will roll out across Starwood Hotels & Resorts starting in the first quarter of 2001, completing implementation through the entire company by the end of 2002. While the company has budgeted a net cost for the program in 2001, as training and process reengineering begins, the company expects the program to begin delivering benefits in 2002 and beyond. Pioneered by Motorola and made famous by GE, Six Sigma has helped some of the world’s leading companies greatly improve customer service and increase financial returns.Starwood expects to save millions of dollars through improved efficiencies and maximized targeting of employed capital. Further, Starwood expects to generate significant incremental revenue and profit due to enhanced  loyalty and additional products and services. Former GE executive James Hyman has been named executive vice president, Six Sigma, for Starwood and will have global responsibility for executing the strategy, designing the tools and overseeing the implementation of Starwood’s Six Sigma initiative. Before joining Starwood, Hyman served as President of Europe for GE Capital Modular Space.Hyman will report directly to Bob Cotter. Starwood has also enlisted the expertise of renowned Six Sigma specialists Peter S. Pande, co-author of â€Å"The Six Sigma Way† and president of Pivotal Consulting, and the George Group to assist with the launch. During the first five quarters of implementation, Starwood will primarily redeploy current Starwood associates to fill approximately 450 Six Sigma specialist roles. Starwood will fill these roles with many of the company’s highest performing associates, in addition to some external candidates from all fields.These Six Sigma specialists will have strong analytical and organizational skills, and most will hold the title of â€Å"black belt† or â€Å"master black belt. †Ã‚   Each â€Å"black belt† is expected to drive EBITDA gains of $200,000 or more per year. †¢ Instead of hiring the usual ethnographers or consultants, Westin owner Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. turned to Six Sigma, a management process known for reducing defects and increasing efficiency. It was a surprising move given Six Sigma's rap as a creativity killer. But under Geoffrey A.Ballotti, president of Starwood's North America Div. , the company is using Six Sigma's strengths to promote innovation–and generate tens of millions in new revenue. Combining creativity and efficiency is a delicate managerial manoeuvre that few service companies can pull off. Starwood succeeded, in large part, because it began with a culture of creativity before introducing the management tool. Design has long played a major role in the company, with noted architect David Rockwell designing its hip W Hotels brand back in the '90s.Starwood gets a boost out of Six Sigma by using its techniques to dream up projects across the company. Massage is just one of hundreds of ventures done this way. This year's food and beverage engineering program, which rejiggers the choices on room-service and catering menus based on their popularity, has generated $20 million in extra revenue. In 2006, programs developed under Six Sigma delivered more than $100 million in profit to its bottom line. As a result, the White Plains (N. Y. company is on e of the world's most profitable hotel operators: Its net margin is nearly 15%, higher than those of rivals Hilton Hotels Corp. (HLT ) and Marriott International Inc. (MAR ) â€Å"We have been driving our margin growth faster than our competitors,† says Ballotti. â€Å"When people ask why, I point to Six Sigma. † The group that runs the effort is headed by Brian Mayer, who claims the quirky title of vice-president for Six Sigma, operation innovation, and room support. â€Å"I grew up in the hospitality industry,† says Mayer, whose grandfather and father ran catering businesses. The joke is that I was born in a chafing dish. † Since the program launched in 2001, Mayer's crew has trained 150 employees as â€Å"black belts† and more than 2,700 as â€Å"green belts† in the arts of Six Sigma. Based mostly at the hotels, black belts oversee the projects while green belts hammer out the details. The key to their success, says Mayer, is that instead of acting like â€Å"suits† imposing their will from â€Å"corporate,† the Six Sigma specialists operate more like partners who help local hotels meet their own objectives. Indeed, almost 100% of the creative concepts come from in-house staff.And every project must be overseen by a hotel employee. â€Å"By focusing on their goals and budgets it enables us to become a partner in the operation,† says Mayer. †¢ The SWAT Team: The innovation process begins when hotel teams pitch Mayer's group on a new idea. â€Å"They fight for our resources,† says Mayer. A Six Sigma Council composed of Ballotti and his 13 direct reports, including his senior vice-president for sales and marketing, then evaluates an idea's merit based on the division's priorities and the project's expected payoff.If the council approves a project, black belts and green belts are deployed like SWAT teams to the hotels to carry it out. †¢ London, 14 July 2004: A sign of the growing im portance of SIX SIGMA at Starwood Hotels & Resorts is that by 1 August this year, the hotel company, with over 740 properties globally, will have trained over 1000 associates from all over the world to become SIX SIGMA Green Belts the first training stage in the SIX SIGMA development program.The latest group of 12 associates from the Europe, Middle East and Africa region are heading to Warsaw on 19 July for a week of intensive Six Sigma tuition. This innovative project has re-designed all the individual reservation channels for hotel, golf, spa, transport, restaurant and outdoor activities into one single point of contact – a multi-purpose, multi skilled Resort Sales team that immediately can confirm and cross sell any request received by the hotel. The benefits for this project to Turnberry were immediate. To date there has been an 11. 5% increase in incremental spend by customers and  increase in rooms revenue of more than 19%. In addition, The Spa revenues have increased from GBP 91 per booking to GBP 141 per booking as a result of the newly centralized  reservation  group, which enables the maximum utilization of treatment rooms and therapists. †¢ Energy Summit for Starwood Hotels and Resorts: Starwood Hotels & Resorts has taken a leaf out of the recent G8 Summit by implementing an awareness program which focuses on Climate Change and Carbon Management across its 400 hotels in Europe, Middle East & Africa.The hotel group, whose brands include Sheraton, Westin, St Regis and Luxury Collection, has over the past few years been committed to becoming a ‘green’ operator at all levels. In the UK Starwood is part of the Hospitality Energy Consortium (HEC)*, a group of hotel companies who partner together in the procurement of energy. Lead by Chairperson, Angela Tomlinson, Director of Purchasing UK and Ireland, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the Consortium has partnered with the Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by Government to help the UK meet its climate change obligations.In partnership with the Carbon Trust, Starwood has recently taken part in a scoping study by Enviros, environmental consultants. The initial results, which will be available in August 2005, will enable Starwood and the other consortium members to review their energy consumption/carbon footprint, and provide better ways of working to achieve reductions in volumes used.In addition to this, as a huge element of energy management is dependent on buy-in from the associates in the hotels, a comprehensive energy toolkit and training program has been distributed to every Head of Department in every Starwood hotel in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. This is part of a wider awareness program with a focus on protecting the environment. As well as associate and corporate activity, Starwood has been active with guest energy conservation initiatives for a number of years already.In 1999 the company was the first in the hotel industry to introduc e a Green Room Program, to reduce water and electricity use for laundering guest towels and linen. Guests place a card on their bed each day if they wish to have their bed linen and towels changed. If guests do not put this card on their bed, their bed will be made without changing the linens and their towels will be hung up but not changed. A green card would be left for the guest as a thank-you for ‘going green'.Since then the Green Room Program has been fully incorporated into the ABCs of House-keeping in the Sheraton, Westin and Four Points by Sheraton EAME Brand Standards. As a result of this ongoing focus on Energy, Starwood has also created a North West Europe Energy Champions team, a group of associates who are responsible for driving support for this project. Starwood’s change management process, Six Sigma, is being used to drive this commitment and the implementation of the Energy Conservation Toolkit is now a required best practice at all hotels owned and man aged throughout EAME.This project is the result of Six Sigma Methodology delivering tools that will in turn deliver energy and carbon reduction, to the benefit of future generations but also the associates and hotel guests of today. †¢ Six Sigma at Starwood has helped improve the financial performance of the group by ushering in the quality and consistency of the customers' experiences. Six Sigma has also provided the guidelines and tools to create a consistently superior guest experience at all properties, and simultaneously improve the bottom line.The Six Sigma organization in the group reports to divisional leadership and is aligned with the division’s goals and priorities. VI. AFTER SIX-SIGMA IMPLEMENTATION A. COMPANY IMPROVEMENTS: o While Starwood incurred $17 million in training costs to launch Six Sigma in 2001, the company reaped tangible EBITDA increases of more than $17 million. Training costs will be significantly reduced in 2002 and Starwood expects a substan tial increase (perhaps double) in the EBIDTA improvement achieved by Six Sigma-related programs. † o Six Sigma at Starwood has helped improve the financial performance of he group by ushering in the quality and consistency of the customers' experiences. Six Sigma has also provided the guidelines and tools to create a consistently superior guest experience at all properties, and simultaneously improve the bottom line. The Six Sigma organization in the group reports to divisional leadership and is aligned with the division’s goals and priorities. o Higher net margin than its key competitors – but also with helping spark and act on innovative ideas. The impact is based on global culture: most ideas and solutions come from hotel staff throughout the world. Last year, according to Starwood management, programs developed under the famed management technique delivered more than $100 million in profit to its bottom line. As a result, the White Plains (N. Y. ) company is one of the world's most profitable hotel operators: Its net margin is nearly 15%, higher than those of rivals Hilton Hotels (HLT) and Marriott International (MAR), as well as the industry average of 9%. â€Å"We have been driving our margin growth faster than our competitors,† says Ballotti. â€Å"When people ask why, I point to Six Sigma. o Growth of their hotels (See Appendix 1) Starwood Hotel and Resorts Ranks Number 1on iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work list. (See Appendix 2) o Starwood Hotels and Resorts top ranked â€Å"The Top Best Places to Work List† because of adopting 6 Sigma in their operations. They use 6 Sigma every day in their daily work to solve problems, regardless of their size. They follow the DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma principles and use tools daily. Starwood requires that its full-time Six Sigma practitioners learn firsthand about the inner workings of all the various departments (housekeeping, food and beverage, sales and marketing, etc. in o rder to develop large-scale initiatives. At the same time, the Belts are also expected to lead process improvement projects at the individual hotel level. o The company measures quality with a three-pronged approach: improving the Guest Satisfaction Index (an independently determined numerical value based on guest surveys), increasing revenue and controlling costs. The last one – cost reduction – is where they had the most success so far, given the economy. They continue to go after revenue, but they try to take a balanced approach.If they’re too heavy on the cost side, they get some snap-back in other areas like customer satisfaction. They can’t take their eyes off the ball in any area. They are committed to all three prongs. One example of this three-pronged approach is â€Å"Make a Green Choice,† which was launched at Starwood’s Sheraton and Westin brands in September 2009. To help save on water, chemicals and detergents, the hotel gives guests the option of not having linens changed or the room cleaned altogether for up to three days. Those who participate can receive gift cards or points to be redeemed for food service. Starwood’s commitment to providing challenging cross-departmental opportunities for continuous improvement personnel, along with its policy of promoting Black Belts from within, truly makes it one of the premier companies for Six Sigma practitioners. Companies on the Top 10 list, announced in December 2009, had to meet the highest standards for providing an outstanding Six Sigma program, culture, training, compensation, and recognition and job satisfaction for employees. B. ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION: From Indonesia to Malta, Six Sigma is a welcome guest at Starwood hotels. Launched early in 2001, Six Sigma is entering its sixth year at the hotel, which still holds the acclaim of being the only hotel with a corporate-wide Six Sigma initiative. o Starwood properties each have a Six Sigma Council that organize and prioritize projects. Successful projects are then leveraged across additional properties. Six Sigma is emphasized in Career Paths at Starwood as reporting to divisional leadership and aligned with that division’s goals and priorities. A Starwood Six Sigma team received recognition at the IQPC 2004 European Six Sigma Excellence Awards with the Best DFSS Project. o Six Sigma at Starwood has helped increase our financial performance by improving the quality and consistency of our guests’ experiences as well as those of our internal customers. It provides the framework and tools we need to create a consistently superior guest experience at all properties while dramatically improving the bottom line.The Six Sigma organization reports to divisional leadership and is aligned with the division’s goals and priorities. o Six Sigma professionals make decisions based on data, not emotions, share responsibility and know how to generate results . They are enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. These are the skills and qualities that make Six Sigma professionals most successful and that Six Sigma helps build in future leaders. o Starwood’s has been resourcing the firm with workers who are mainly divided into three work categories: Green Belts (GBs) have full-time positions with a portion of their time dedicated to being the Six Sigma point person and transfer project champion and manager. o Black Belts (BBs) are full-time resources who typically work on new projects. They are a resource to GBs in their property or area. They are a member of the property’s Executive Committee. o Master Black Belts are a full-time resource dedicated to overseeing/creating a portfolio of Six Sigma projects in a given division, area or region. They are a resource to BBs, GBs and Six Sigma Council members in their area. Starwood hotels and resorts worldwide Inc is the first hospitality company in the world to embrace Six S igma since 2001 and extends this best practice to all properties worldwide, including the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Tower. o Barry S. Sternlicht, chairman and CEO, Starwood Hotels and Resorts had stated, â€Å"The launch of Six Sigma is one of the most important strategic initiatives since the formation of our company,† he continued. â€Å"It is our goal for every Westin, Sheraton, W, Four Points by Sheraton, Starwood Vacation Ownership and St. Regis /Luxury Collection guests to have a flawless experience during each and every visit.Six Sigma will help us reach that goal. † o Starwood Hotels & Resorts is a leader in the Hospitality industry in technology innovation. Smart Rooms, Wireless Internet Access, Self Check-in Kiosk, and state-of-the-art ERP systems are only a few technologies in place to improve our guest and associate experience. C. SERVICE-BASED ACHIEVEMENTS: †¢ For several years now Starwood has had an edge on its competitors because of its strong bra nd awareness amongst its target markets and the way in which it has developed a range of differentiated experiences. The company’s key asset is the associated diversification of the variety of brands, and the different market segments they serve, provide a broad base from which to enhance revenue. It aggressively attracts and cultivates new customers and maintains loyalty among the world’s most active travellers: As one example, Starwood Preferred Guest, its award-winning frequent guest program, first made headlines when it launched with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates and no capacity controls, allowing members to redeem free nights anytime, anywhere.Since then, it has grown to include more than 33m members and is cited for its hassle-free award redemption, outstanding customer service, dedicated member website and innovative promotions and benefits for elite members. †¢ Although smaller than some of its peers, Starwood uses its scale to support its cor e marketing and reservation functions across its brands and reduce costs in areas such as insurance, energy, telecommunications, food and beverage, furniture, fixtures and operating supplies. Its size also limits exposure to any particular type of lodging, brand or geographic region. Strategically Starwood has also moved away from investment in owned real estate and increased its focus on its management and franchise business. In furtherance of this strategy, it has been selling some of the older hotels in its portfolio to, in turn, release capital to fund its ambitious international and branded growth plans. Simultaneously the company has retained one of the world’s most profitable hotel net margins of around 15%, higher than many larger rivals. †¢ Starwood has made a great success of its growing product innovation prowess.Having identified the bed as the key area for innovation opportunity in its mid-range Westin brand, Starwood designed the ‘Heavenly Bed’ providing the best night’s sleep by far of any comparable brand. Not only did this well-targeted development improve the all important occupancy rates in Westin properties, it also created a new business line as customers started to buy the Heavenly Bed for their homes. This has now been extended into the W chain where whotelsthestore. com now enables anyone to buy the key ingredients of the unique W experience.From the W bed, pillows and towels to books and an increasing range of male and female apparel, this is the latest incarnation of high-impact product innovation from this service sector pioneer. D. COMPANY ACTIVITIES DONE: o In January, 2006, the Westin Chicago River North hotel was picked to pilot a project, dubbed Unwind, for the upscale hotel chain. The purpose: to think up a set of nightly activities that would draw guests out of their rooms and into the lobby where they could mingle, develop a greater loyalty to the hotel group, and maybe spend a little more mone y.Westin spied an opportunity after a study found that 34% of frequent travellers feel lonely away from home. The Unwind project led the Westin to develop dozens of activities, including massages, at the Chicago hotel. o Starwood Preferred Guest: it is Starwood’s award-winning frequent guest program which first made headlines when it launched with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates and no capacity controls, allowing members to redeem free nights anytime, anywhere. VII. SOLUTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONSUpon seeing all of their achievements, Starwood Hotels and Resorts should definitely continue using the Six Sigma method in order to maintain meeting their company goals and also to retain all of their company’s success. Aside from increasing profit, using the Six Sigma method really helped Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide improve the service that they are giving to both their customers and their employees. They should conduct more training regarding it so that their employees would know how the Six Sigma method works and not only the top management. Such employees of the companies consist of the Black Belts and the Green belts.The Black Belts should have trainings that will hone their knowledge about different creative ways on how to do a strategy for the whole company which will serve the changing needs and preferences of the company’s target market. Moreover, the green belts must have trainings in which they will be more knowledgeable about Six Sigma approach to different strategies that will be deployed by the company, these people are mainly responsible in delving into the little and detailed concepts of each strategy done by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. These greenbelts should also be trained to know and put into their heart the DMAIC Methodology.This DMAIC Methodology will help the Greenbelts solve a certain problem of the company, reducing the defects done by the company and improving, leveraging the customer’s e xperience to a higher value. The DMAIC Methodology should train the Greenbelts in defining the problem or what is specifically called the Project Scoping, Measure the relationships between the occurring problem and symptoms, analyze the nature of the problem, improving the operations by resolving the problem and control, which is mainly focused on maintaining the improvements through the use of different tools and instruments.As Starwood Company have different branches scattered all over the world, there must be one Six-Sigma team for each branch wherein they will be mainly responsible for their assigned branch so as to increase effectivity of the business operations and to better serve the target markets in those hotel and resorts location.The Six Sigma teams will be doing information-gathering processes wherein they will ask for comments and feedbacks from the existing customers and those who are the potential ones. Doing such, Starwood can think of strategies and tactics that sho uld be done to capture the potential market and by making things more attractive to the existing customers and make them more loyal to avail the services offered by the company.In times when the company faces visible losses from declining service consumption from the market, Starwood Company must achieve solutions through the use of the Six Sigma Problem Solving wherein it involves redefining and analyzing the problem, generating ideas from the team and the management, evaluating each idea and selecting the most appropriate one and implementing the chosen idea. Through the Six Sigma Problem Solving, the company will have a more systematic way of thinking solutions for a certain problem by delving first into the details, symptoms and underlying assumptions of such matter.Using such method, the employees who are in the Six Sigma team will be trained and honed to be more effective in decision-making and examining all the things that causes the problem to exist. Furthermore, through the problem solving method, the company will be more united as each one of them will have a voice in the company’s operations and they are also responsible for the strategy implementation as all of them make the final decision of how to address the certain problem.By having such cooperation and teamwork within the workers in the company, there will be higher satisfaction for the employees which will in turn affect the quality service experience of the customers when they avail the offered service of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Moreover, to improve the service of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, the teams of the company must focus on examining and sustaining four key measures of organization performance which includes Accuracy, Cycle time, Cost and Customer satisfaction.In Accuracy, the team should measure if the company is giving correct financial figures, completeness of information, or freedom from data errors; applying the accuracy concept to Starwood Hotels and Resort s, the company must make sure that each branch located at different locations should be visible and transparent in terms of their prices for each distinct service, and also information about the whole service experience, like the service transactions and process that the customers must go through should be made known to them to give them ease in availing the service of the Hotels and Resorts.Next is Cycle time which is a measure of how long it takes to do something; with such thing, Starwood company working in the hotel industries must maximize well their service time so as to not waste the limited resources of their customers, it can be further applied to the company’s operations in terms of efficient availment of the different services through optimal number of employees assigned to different work divisions that will make the customers not wait for their turn for such service consumption.Thirdly, Cost should be measured in terms of the internal cost of the company’s process activities; to have lower costs, Starwood Hotels must have effective workers who are focused and motivated to work and communicate well to the customers so as to decrease the time needed for the service process that should be done by each one of them. As the employees of each hotel and resort become more productive with their assigned work, the cost of the company in sustaining each service process will decrease and will definitely have a greater impact on the company’s profitability.Lastly, the team must measure the Customer Satisfaction, which is typically the measure of the company’s success and will give a view of how the company will be in the near future years of business operations in the industry. The Customer Satisfaction can be measured by getting the direct feedback from the customers after they experience the service form Starwood Hotels and Resorts.Also, the company can do personalization and customization wherein the existing customers will alread y have their service ready after they booked a reservation, making all the things like foods, drinks, kind of bed sheets, store maintenance customized to their needs which in turn make them more satisfied to the service that will make them also more loyal to the company. Furthermore, as the world goes by, the market have acquired higher buying power and have ore sophisticated and changing needs as before; the company can focus on improving its service adapting form the customers’ needs and preferences so as to give higher value proposition to them in relation to the direct competitors of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Appendix 1: Different Branches of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide [pic] North America United States Arizona Phoenix The Westin Phoenix Downtown  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 10, 2011 Tucson Four Points by Sheraton Tucson Airport  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 14, 2010 [pic] California Modesto Four Points by Sheraton Modesto – Opening October 30, 2010 F loridaBal Harbour The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2012 Jacksonville Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 13, 2011 Jacksonville Beach Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville Beach  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  Nov. 30, 2011 Miami Element Miami International Airport – Opening May 5, 2011 Georgia Atlanta Aloft Atlanta Buckhead  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2012 Element Atlanta Buckhead  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2012 Kennesaw Four Points by Sheraton Atlanta Kennesaw – Opening June 30, 2011 Illinois Chicago Aloft Chicago City Center  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2012 Kentucky Louisville Michigan KalamazooFour Points by Sheraton Kalamazoo – Opening September 2, 2011 Mississippi Biloxi Four Points by Sheraton Biloxi Beach Boulevard  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  Jul 01, 2010 Nebraska Omaha Element Omaha Midtown Crossing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 11, 2010 New Jersey Fort Lee Sheraton Fort Lee Hotel †“ Opened September 1, 2010 New Mexico Albuquerque Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 11, 2010 New York Aloft Harlem  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 21, 2010 Element New York Times Square West  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 09, 2010 Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 14, 2010 W New York – Downtown  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 09, 2010Brooklyn Aloft New York Brooklyn  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 21, 2010 Long Island City Four Points by Sheraton Long Island City/Queensboro Bridge – Opening January 13, 2011 Niagara Falls Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 07, 2011 North Carolina Asheville Aloft Asheville Downtown  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2012 Chapel Hill Aloft Chapel Hill  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  April 29, 2010 Oklahoma Oklahoma City Four Points by Sheraton Oklahoma City Quail Springs  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  April 22, 2010 Tulsa Aloft Tulsa  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  A ugust 19, 2010 Pennsylvania Philadelphia Le Meridien Philadelphia  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  May 06, 2010 Puerto RicoRio Grande The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 04, 2010 Tennessee Memphis Four Points by Sheraton Memphis East – Opening December 9, 2010 Texas Austin W Austin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 09, 2010 Galveston Four Points by Sheraton Galveston  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  September 24, 2010 Houston Four Points by Sheraton Houston Hobby Airport  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2010 Houston The Westin Houston, Memorial City  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 03, 2011 Virginia Winchester Aloft Winchester  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  June 04, 2010 Canada Alberta Calgary Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  May 06, 2010 EdmontonFour Points by Sheraton Edmonton West – Opening December 1, 2011 Red Deer Sheraton Red Deer Hotel – Opening January 27, 2011 Ontario Niagara Falls Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Fal ls Fallsview  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  April 22, 2010 Saskatchewan Saskatoon Four Points by Sheraton Saskatoon  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  July 22, 2010 Mexico Campeche Campeche The Westin Campeche Resort & Spa, Campeche – Opening June 1, 2011 Chihuahua Chihuahua Aloft Chihuahua – Opening January 1, 2011 Federal District Mexico City The Westin Santa Fe, Mexico City  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 05, 2010 Santa Fe W Santa Fe, Mexico – Opening March 31, 2013 Jalisco GuadalajaraThe Westin Hotel Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico – Opening June 1, 2011 Quintana Roo Puerto Juarez The St. Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya – Opening March 31, 2014 Riviera Maya W Kanai Retreat, Riviera Maya, Mexico – Opening March 31, 2014 Africa Algeria Oran Le Meridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 01, 2011 Egypt Cairo Le Meridien Cairo Airport  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 31, 2012 St. Regis Hotel Cairo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2014 W Ca iro – Opening January 1, 2016 Libya Tripoli Four Points by Sheraton Tripoli  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 15, 2010 Sheraton Tripoli Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2012 Mauritius Le MorneThe St. Regis Mauritius Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2011 Morocco Marrakech W Marrakech Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2011 Nigeria Lagos Lagos Four Points by Sheraton Lagos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  September 15, 2010 Le Meridien Ikoyi Towers – Opening January 1, 2013 [pic] Asia Pacific China Anhui Hefei Four Points by Sheraton Hefei, Shushan – Opening January 1, 2014 The Westin Hefei Baohe  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 23, 2010 Beijing Beijing Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2011 W Beijing – Chang'an – Opening January 1, 2014 Chongqing Chongqing The Westin Chongqing Liberation Square  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2011 FujianFuzhou The Westin Fuzhou Minjiang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 22, 20 10 Xiamen The Westin Xiamen  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 30, 2011 Guangdong Foshan Aloft Nanhai-Foshan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2011 Guangzhou Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2011 Sheraton Huadu Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 01, 2011 The Westin Pazhou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  February 28, 2011 W Guangzhou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2011 Aloft Guangzhou University Park  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2012 Heshan Four Points by Sheraton Guangdong, Heshan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2012 Huizhou Sheraton Bailuhu Resort, Huizhou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 QingyuanSheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2012 Zhanjiang Sheraton Zhanjiang Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2011 Zhongshan Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 10, 2010 Zhuhai Sheraton Zhuhai Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2015 Zhuhai The St. Regis Zhuhai – Opening June 30, 2015 Hainan Haikou Th e Westin Haikou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2012 Sanya Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 30, 2012 Sheraton Sanya Tufu Bay Resort  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2013 The Malus Resort, Sanya  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 30, 2012 The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2011 Wanning CityFour Points by Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 31, 2010 Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 31, 2010 Heilongjiang Daqing Sheraton Daqing Hotel  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2013 Henan Kaifeng Four Points by Sheraton Kaifeng  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 Luohe Four Points by Sheraton Luohe  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2012 Zhengzhou Aloft Zhengzhou Shangjie  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 Aloft Zhengzhou Zhengdong New District – Opening January 1, 2014 Le Meridien Zhengzhou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 Sheraton Zhengzhou H otel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 HubeiWuhan The Westin Wuhan Wuchang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2013 Jiangsu Changzhou Sheraton Changzhou Wujin Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2012 Jiangyin Sheraton Jiangyin Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2010 Lianyungang Four Points by Sheraton Lianyungang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  April 28, 2010 Nanjing The Westin Nanjing  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 28, 2011 Suzhou Four Points by Sheraton Taicang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  June 30, 2010 Wuxi Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 27, 2010 Yancheng Aloft Yancheng  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 Yangzhou Four Points by Sheraton Yangzhou Hanjiang – Opening July 1, 2013 ZhenjiangSheraton Zhenjiang Hotel  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2013 Jiangxi Nanchang Sheraton Nanchang Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 Liaoning Dalian Aloft Dalian  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2013 Sheraton Dalian Xinghai Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 31, 2011 The Chengbao Hotel, Dalian  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2014 Macau Cotai Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Strip  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2011 Shaanxi Xian Sheraton Xian Da Ming Gong Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 31, 2011 The Westin Xian  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2011 Shandong Qingdao Four Points by Sheraton Qingdao, Chengyang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012Four Points by Sheraton Qingdao, Jiaonan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 Sheraton Qingdao Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2012 Tai'an Four Points by Sheraton Tai’an  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 10, 2010 Weifang Four Points by Sheraton Weifang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 30, 2013 Yantai Aloft Haiyang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 Sheraton Yantai Golden Beach Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 Shanghai Shanghai Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2010 Twelve at Hengshan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  February 0 1, 2012 W Shanghai – The Bund  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2014 Shanxi Taiyuan The Westin Taiyuan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2012Sichuan Chengdu The St. Regis Chengdu  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2014 Tianjin Tianjin Sheraton Tianjin Binhai Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 15, 2010 The Astor Hotel, Tianjin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 28, 2010 The St. Regis Tianjin  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2011 Tibet (Xizang) Lhasa The St. Regis Lhasa Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 15, 2010 Yunnan Jinghong Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 Zhejiang Hangzhou Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 31, 2011 Huzhou Sheraton Huzhou South Tai Lake Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 Ningbo The Westin Ningbo  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2011Pinghu The Westin Nine Dragon Hill Resort, Zhejiang  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 31, 2012 Taizhou Four Points by Sheraton Yuhuan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Openingà ‚  July 01, 2012 Wenzhou Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 18, 2010 Wenzhou The Westin Wenzhou  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2012 India Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam Four Points by Sheraton Visakhapatnam  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 Sheraton Visakhapatnam Seaview Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2011 Gujarat Ahmedabad Aloft Ahmedabad, SG Road  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2011 Haryana Gurgaon The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  October 01, 2010 Karnataka BangaloreSheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 Bengaluru Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2013 Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 15, 2010 Mysore Sheraton Mysore Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2012 Maharashtra Lonavala Le Meridien Lonavala Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2013 Mahabaleshwar Le Meridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  Januar y 01, 2013 Pune Four Points by Sheraton Pune, Nagar Road  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2010 Punjab Amritsar Sheraton Amritsar Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2013 Chandigarh Aloft Chandigarh Zirakpur  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2011Sheraton Chandigarh Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2012 Rajasthan Jaipur The Westin Jaipur Infotech City  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2012 Udaipur Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 01, 2010 Tamil Nadu Chennai Aloft Chennai, OMR – IT Expressway  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  July 01, 2010 Coimbatore Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 West Bengal Kolkata The Westin Kolkata Rajarhat  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2012 Indonesia Bali Bali Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 01, 2013 Seminyak W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 15, 2010 Japan Miyagi SendaiThe Westin Sendai  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  Au gust 01, 2010 Osaka Osaka The St. Regis Osaka  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  October 01, 2010 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2014 Sandakan Four Points by Sheraton Sandakan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 15, 2011 New Caledonia Bourail Sheraton New Caledonia Bourail Resort & Spa  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 13, 2013 Singapore Singapore W Singapore – Sentosa Cove  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 30, 2012 South Korea Seoul Sheraton Seoul D-Cube City Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  September 01, 2011 Taiwan Taipei Le Meridien Taipei  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2010 W Taipei  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  February 14, 2011 ThailandAmphur Koh Samui Bangkok Aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 01, 2011 Bangkok Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sathorn  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2011 Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 15, 2010 Le Meridien Suvarnabhumi Golf Resort & Sp a  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2011 The St. Regis Bangkok  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  January 15, 2011 W Bangkok  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2012 Koh Samui W Retreat Koh Samui  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  November 01, 2010 Phuket Four Points by Sheraton Phuket, Panwa  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  August 01, 2010 VietnamCam Ranh Bay The Westin Cam Ranh Resort & Spa  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2012 Ho Chi Minh City Le Meridien Saigon  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2012 [pic] Central & South America Argentina Buenos Aires Buenos Aires The St. Regis Buenos Aires – Opening June 30, 2014 Chile Villarrica Villarrica Park Lake Hotel & Spa, Villarrica – Opening December 1, 2010 Colombia Bogota Aloft Bogota Airport – Opening January 1, 2012 Cartagena Sheraton Cartagena – Opening March 31, 2012 Panama, Republic of Panama City The Westin Panama – Opening September 1, 2012 The Westin Pl aya Bonita, Panama  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2011 Peru CuscoPalacio del Inka  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2011 Lima The Westin Libertador Lima  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2011 Urubamba Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  May 04, 2010 [pic] Europe Zaporozhye Four Points by Sheraton Zaporozhye – Opening June 1, 2011 Austria Hof bei Salzburg Schloss Fuschl Resort & Spa, Fuschlsee-Salzburg  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  May 05, 2010 Belgium Brussels Aloft Brussels Schuman  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  September 01, 2010 France Paris W Paris – Opera  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2011 Germany Hamburg The Westin Hamburg  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2012 Greece Athens W Athens Astir Palace Beach  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  April 01, 2012 Costa NavarinoThe Romanos, Costa Navarino  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  May 20, 2010 The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  July 01, 2010 Italy Malpensa Sheraton Milan Malpensa Airport Hotel & Conference Cen tre  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opened  October 01, 2010 Milan W Milan  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2012 Latvia Riga Sheraton Riga Hotel – Opening December 1, 2013 Poland Mikolajki Sheraton Mazury Lakes Resort  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  December 01, 2013 Portugal Algarve The Westin Verdelago Beach, Spa & Golf Resort, Algarve – Opening January 1, 2013 Russia Rostov-on-Don Sheraton Rostov-On-Don Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  June 01, 2012 SochiSheraton Sochi Hotel – Opening June 1, 2013 St. Petersburg W St. Petersburg  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  March 01, 2011 Switzerland Verbier W Verbier Retreat – Opening January 1, 2013 Turkey Ankara The Luxury Collection Hotel, Ankara – Opening January 1, 2011 United Kingdom England London Aloft London ExCeL – Opening January 1, 2012 W London – Leicester Square  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  February 14, 2011 Middle East Jordan Amman W Amman Hotel  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  July 01, 2013 Aqaba Al Manara, Aqaba  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2012 The Westin Saraya Aqaba  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  October 01, 2012 Pakistan Islamabad Sheraton Islamabad – Opening January 1, 2012Sheraton Islamabad Golf City Resort – Opening January 1, 2012 [pic] Qatar Doha Le Meridien Doha – Opening January 1, 2012 The St. Regis Doha  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Opening  May 01, 2011 [pic] United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi The St. Regis Abu Dhabi – Opening January 1, 2013 The St. Regis Saadiyat Island – Opening October 1, 2011 The Westin Hotel & Spa, Abu Dhabi – Opening October 1, 2011 W Abu Dhabi – Opening January 1, 2012 Ajman The Ajman Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel – Opening October 1, 2012 Appendix 2: Article Starwood Hotels and Resorts Ranks No. 1 on iSixSigma's Best Places to Work ListStarwood Hotels and Resorts Ranks No. 1 on iSixSigma's Best Places to Work List FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact: |  Jessica Harper, Editor in Chief | |  206-774-3685 | |  editor ial. com (at) isixsigma. com | Miami, Florida (February 3, 2010) –  Starwood Hotels and Resorts, a global hospitality company with nearly 1,000 upscale properties worldwide, earned the No. 1 spot on the list of iSixSigma's Top 10 Best Places to Work for Six Sigma professionals at the iSixSigma Live!Summit today in Miami. â€Å"Starwood’s commitment to providing challenging cross-departmental opportunities for continuous improvement personnel, along with its policy of promoting Black Belts from within, truly makes it one of the premier companies for Six Sigma practitioners,† said Jessica Harper, editor of iSixSigma. Katie Barry, associate publisher of iSixSigma, presented the award to Brian McGuire, senior director of Hotel Operations and Six Sigma for Starwood’s North America Division. Starwood – which owns some of the most recognizable hotel brands in the world, including Sheraton, Westin, W, St.Regis, The Luxury Collection and Le Meridien †“ was the first hospitality chain to launch a formal Six Sigma program, back in 2001. Today, Starwood is in the process of rolling out a Lean Six Sigma program to all of its properties worldwide. Companies on the Top 10 list, announced in December 2009, had to meet the highest standards for providing an outstanding Six Sigma program, culture, training, compensation, recognition and job satisfaction for employees. Making a repeat showing on iSixSigma’s second-annual Top 10 list was 2008’s overall winner McKesson Corp. , which earned the No. 2 spot for 2009.Other returning companies included Xerox Corp. (No. 3) and Vought Aircraft Industries (No. 5). Reflecting the growth of Six Sigma in healthcare systems, half of the companies on the list are involved in the pharmaceutical or healthcare provider industries (McKesson, Pfizer, Merck, Piramal Healthcare and Cardinal Health). Highlights of Starwood's top-rated Six Sigma program, as well as short profiles of the other nin e finalists, will be published in the March/April 2010 issue of iSixSigma Magazine. Here are the rankings of the Top 10 list of iSixSigma's 2009 Best Places to Work: 1. Starwood Hotels and Resorts (North America Division) . McKesson Corp. 3. Xerox Corp. 4. Ecolab Inc. 5. Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. 6. Pfizer Inc. 7. Merck & Co. Inc. 8. Piramal Healthcare Ltd. 9. Cardinal Health Inc. 10. Computacenter AG & Co. oHG iSixSigma will be accepting nominations later this year for the 2010 Best Places to Work list. Last modified on Sunday, 28 February 2010 04:49 REFERENCES: o http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/history2/82/Starwood-Hotels-Resorts-Worldwide-Inc. html o http://www. isixsigma. com/index. php? option=com_k2&view=item&id=802:starwood-hotels-and-resorts-ranks-no-1-on-isixsigmas-best-places-to-work-list&Itemid=157 o http://www. ospitalitynet. org/news/4007061. html o http://www. corporate-ir. net/ireye/ir_site. zhtml? ticker=hot&script=410&layout=6&item_id=149848 o http://www . starwoodhotels. com/corporate/directory/new-hotels/all/map. html? sortType=region o http://www. businessweek. com/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070830_103596. htm o http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/07_41/b4053096. htm o http://www. sixsigmacompanies. com/archive/six_sigma_at_starwood_hotels_amp_resorts. html o http://www. starwoodhotels. com/sheraton/careers/paths/description. html? category=200000304