Tourism Today And Importance Of Front Office Tourism Essay

Tourism Today And Importance Of Front Office Tourism Essay Today tourism is one of the largest and most dynamic sectors, of the economy. It is growing at a fast pace, leading to infrastructure development, considerable, volume of foreign currency inflows, and good job opportunities. So it affects various sectors of the economy, contributing to the social and economic development of the country as a whole. According to recent statistics, tourism provides about 10 per cent of the worlds income and employs almost one tenth of the worlds workforce. All considered, tourisms actual and potential economic impact is astounding. The hospitality industry came into existence in order to accommodate tourists. When guests stay in a hotel and use the various services and facilities provided by the hotel, they seldom think about the complexity of hotel operations. The smallest of their demands, like for a cup of tea, requires coordination among a series of people. The hotel industry is a people-oriented industry. It is the effectiveness, efficiency, and courteous behaviour of the hotel employees that make a lasting impression on the guests total experience. The front office department of a hotel is the hub of guest activities. This department looks after the guests needs-right from the booking of rooms to receiving and registering guests, to assigning rooms, to handling guests mails and messages, to presenting bills and settling guests accounts at the time of check-out. It is important for the front office staff to provide excellent and flawless services to guests, as it goes a long way in creating an indelible image of the hotel. FRONT OFFICE GM AT WORK AND OTHER ACTIVITIES Most general managers depend on the performance of an outstanding front office to help them meet their guest service and profitability goals. The front office and its manager(s) are responsible for, a variety of important hotel functions. Because the rooms sold by a hotel are extremely perishable (an unsold room on a certain day is an eternal and unchangeable circumstance), it is very important that hotels do the best job possible in matching guest room availability with guest room demand. Also, since it is not possible to change the number of rooms available to sell up or down on a daily basis due to the constructed fixed number of rooms, an important responsibility of the front office is the sale of rooms at a rate that management feels will maximize revenue per available room. A well-managed and talented front office will do this well. The making of guest reservations is often the first thing that comes to mind when considering the major functions of a front office, and this is indeed an important and often complex aspect of the front office`s role. In addition to reservations, however, it falls upon the front office to actually assign arriving guests to specific guest rooms and respond to their special needs during their stay. These needs can include anything from transportation and information to medical assistance. In all of these situations and more, the unwavering role of the front office is to make the guests stay as comfortable and as welcoming as possible. An essential aspect of the front office is its responsibility for collecting the revenue charged to guests for their rooms, restaurant meals, telephone calls, and a host of other hotel services. This means that the front office manager, working with the G.M. and controller, must devise and administer revenue management systems that ensure guests are properly charged for the services they use and that the hotel fully collects all monies it has earned. When forecasting room demand, accommodating guests, and collecting monies for services rendered, the front office generates a large quantity of data, much of which are critical for management decision making. It is the role of the front office to collect, sort, and present these data in a way that assists in management decision making. As a G.M. my daily tasks can be made much easier by the support of an effective front office. OVERVIEW OF THE FRONT OFFICE The front office sometimes referred to as the front desk, the front office usually controls much more than the activities occurring at the front desk. In a small, limited service hotel, the front office may consist, physically of only that area reserved for guest registration. In a larger property the front office may include several staff members, each responsible for a portion of the office`s management or operation. Regardless of its size, the front office must be organized to manage its key tasks and areas of responsibility. TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY GROWTH + economicaly Tourism and hospitality, which are inextricably linked to each other, are among the major revenue-earning enterprises in the world. They happen to be among the top employers too. There has been an up market trend in tourism over the last few decades as travel has become quite common. People travel for business, vacation, pleasure, adventure, or even medical treatment. The present-day tourist, who has higher levels of disposable income, international exposure, and refined tastes, wants specialized versions of products and services, such as quieter resorts, family-oriented holidays, or commercial hotels. This has led to a demand for better quality products and services, mainly regarding accommodation and travelling, thus feeding the growth of the hospitality industry as a whole. The developments in technology and transport infrastructure, such as jumbo jets, low-cost airlines, and more accessible airports have made tourism affordable and convenient. There have also been changes in lifestyle-for example, now retiree-age people sustain tourism round the year. The sales of tourism products on the Internet, besides the aggressive marketing of tour operators and travel agencies, have also contributed to the growth of tourism. With several business-related activities associated with tourism, the industry has a tremendous potential of generating employment as well as earning foreign exchange. There are many countries in the world, such as Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, and Caribbean, whose economies are primarily driven by tourism. Tourism can contribute to the economic growth of a country in the following ways: Employment generation: It creates a large number of jobs among direct service providers (such as, hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, tour operators, guide and tour escorts, etc.) and among indirect service providers (such as, suppliers to hotels and restaurants, supplementary accommodation, etc.). Infrastructure development: Tourism spurs infrastructure development. In order to become an important commercial or pleasure destination, any location would require all the necessary infrastructure, like good connectivity via rail, road, and air transport, adequate accommodation, restaurants, a well-developed telecommunication network, and medical facilities, among others. Foreign exchange: The people who travel to other countries spend a large amount of money on accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, etc. Thus, an inbound tourist is an important source of foreign exchange for any country. HOTELS DEFINITION AND CORE AREAS The term hotel was used for the first time by the fifth Duke of Devonshire to name a lodging property in London sometime in AD 1760. The word hotel is derived from the French hÃÆ' ´tel, which refers to a French version of townhouse. Historically in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and several other countries, a townhouse was the residence of a peer or an aristocrat in the capital or major cities. A hotel or an inn is defined by the British Law as a place where a bonafide traveller can receive food and shelter, provided he is in a position to pay for it and is in a fit condition to be received. Hence, a hotel must provide food (and beverage) and lodging to a traveller on payment, but the hotel has the right to refuse if the traveller is not presentable (either drunk, or disorderly, or unkempt) or is not in a position to pay for the services. Alternatively, a hotel may be defined as an establishment whose primary business is to provide lodging facilities to a genuine traveller along with food, beverage, and sometimes recreational facilities too on chargeable basis. Though there are other establishments such as hospitals, college hostels, prisons, and sanatoriums, which offer accommodation, they do not qualify as hotels since they do not cater to the specific needs of a traveller. A hotel is thus an establishment that provides paid accommodation, generally for a short duration of stay. Hotels often provide a number of additional guest services, such as restaurants, bar, swimming pool, healthcare, retail shops; business facilities like conference halls, banquet halls, board rooms; and space for private parties like birthdays, marriages, kitty parties, etc. Most of the modem hotels nowadays provide the basic facilities in a room-a bed, a cupboard, a small table, weather control (air conditioner or heater), and bathroom-along with other features like a telephone with STD/ISD facility, a television set with cable channel, and broadband/Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. There might also be a mini-bar containing snacks and drinks (the consumption of the same is added to the guests bill), and tea and coffee making unit having an electric kettle, cups, spoons, and sachets containing instant coffee, tea bags, sugar, and creamer. Areas of a Hotel: An Overview The organization of a hotel today is very complex and comprises various departments. The number of departments varies from one establishment to another. All departments may have their own managers, reporting to the general manager and the assistant general manager. The front office is where my principal research were held during this task: This department is headed by the front office manager, the front office department is the operational department that is responsible for welcoming and registering guests, allocating rooms, and helping guests check out. Uniformed services like concierge and bell desk, and EPBAX operators are part of the front office department. -Hotels are commercial establishment that provide accommodation, meals and other guest services. In general, to be called a hotel, an establishment must have a minimum of six guestsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ rooms, at least three of which must have attached private bathroom facilities. Although hotels are classified into `star` categories, there is no standard method of assigning these ratings, and compliance with customary requirements is voluntary. An American hotel with certain rating, for example, may look very different from a European or Asian hotel with the same rating, and would provide a different level of amenities, range of facilities, and quality of service. Although hotel chains assure uniform standards throughout, non-chain hotels (even within the same country) may not agree on the same standards. In the travel and tourism industry, the hotel industry plays a very significant role, as all tourists need a place to stay at their destinations, and require many more services and facilities to suit their specific needs and tastes. FUNCTIONS (FRONT OFFICE) Front office is the first department of the hotel with which guests come in contact at the time of their arrival and also the last department they interact with when they depart from the hotel. This department performs various functions like reservation, reception, registration, room assignment, and settlement of bills of a resident guest. This chapter is aimed at providing an understanding of the organization of the front office department. Here, we will study the various sections of the front office and their functions, the organization of the front office staff, and the qualities, attributes, duties and responsibilities of front office personnel. FUNCTION AREAS The front office personnel are mostly in direct contact with guests throughout their stay. Guests contact the front desk to book a room; check-in; inquire about hotel services, facilities, and about the city or surrounding areas; and finally, to settle bills and check out from the hotel. Apart from these services, the front desk also provides services like handling guest mails and messages, maintaining guest accounts, paging guests (locating guests within the hotel), arranging travel services, and various other services as per the guests requirement. The front office is the contact point between the guest, management, and other departments. It handles guests complaints, dispatches housekeeping and engineering requests, prints and files reports, receives and answers phone calls, and sends and receives faxes. Thus, the front office personnel perform the following functions: Sell hotel rooms to guests, which may be standard or deluxe rooms, executive or presidential suites, etc. Accept advance booking of hotel rooms through telephone, fax, e-mail, websites, etc. Receive and register guests when they arrive at the hotel and assign them rooms according to their preferences-smoking/non-smoking, pool view/ garden view/sea view, high floor/low floor, near the elevator/far from the elevator, etc. Maintain accurate room status information. Maintain guest accounts and monitor credit. Handle guests demands and complaints. Prepare account statements of guests. Settle bills at the time of check-out. Coordinate guest services like handling of guest mails and messages, locating guests within the hotel premises, connecting guest telephone calls, keeping guests valuables in safety deposit lockers, handling of room keys, making sundry payments on behalf of guests, and so on. Provide information about the hotels facilities and services, the city, important events, festivals and shows, and places of tourist interest. FRONT OFFICE LAYOUT -For the efficient and smooth functioning of a department, it is important to divide it in sections and delegate tasks accordingly. -The front office department is divided in sections: *Reservation / Reception / Information desk / Cash and bills / travel desk / Communication / Uniformed services (which include bell desk and concierge) -A well designed layout should involve proper space utilization, aimed at improving the efficiency and control of the staff. The front desk should be located at a prominent place in the lobby for example. -the hotel lobby is an area furnished with seating arrangements just inside the hotel, where hotel guests and their visitors can meet and wait. -located just beyond the entrance to the hotel, the lobby is the first and last point of guest contact with the hotel. -A well-appointed lobby creates an impression about the overall standard of the hotel in the eyes of the guests. RESERVATION While planning business or pleasure trips, people like to ensure that they will have a safe and comfortable accommodation at their respective destinations. This can be achieved by booking a room of their choice in advance. . The reservation section of the front office department of a hotel is responsible for receiving and processing reservation queries. Depending upon the level of automation, volume of business, and house customs, the procedure of processing reservation queries may differ from hotel to hotel in terms of reservations handling, maintenance of reservation records, confirmation, amendment, and cancellation of reservations. This section is headed by a reservation manager, who is assisted by a reservation supervisor and a team of reservation clerks or assistants. Layout of the Reservation Section The location of the reservation section depends upon the size of hotel and the volume of business of the hotel. In a very small hotel, the function of reservations can be performed by the front desk. In a large hotel, a separate section is needed, which should preferably be located behind the reception counter and should have a communication door between the reception and reservation sections. Functions of the Reservation Section The following functions are performed by the reservation section: -Receiving reservation requests through various means like telephone, fax, e-mail, websites, sales representatives, or central reservations department. -Processing reservation requests received from all means on the hotel property management system (PMS). -Depending upon the availability of desired room type and projected sales during and around the requested stay dates, the reservation, waitlisted, or denied. -Updating the room availability status after each reservation transaction, i.e., after each confirmation, amendment and cancellation. -Maintaining and updating reservation records to reflect accurate information about room status. -Preparing reservation reports for the management. RECEPTION This section of the front office receives and welcomes guests on their arrival in the hotel. It is headed by a supervisor and comprises a team of receptionists and front desk assistants. The personnel of this section procure all the necessary information about the guest to complete the registration process. After finishing the registration formalities, a room is assigned to the guest, and a bell boy carries the luggage and escorts the guest to her room. The entire process is carried out professionally in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Layout of the Reception Section The reception section is located in close proximity to the entrance of the hotel. The layout of the section depends upon the size of the hotel and the volume of business generated by it. The front desk assistant carries out many tasks like receiving guests, registration, etc.; hence, the reception area should be designed in such a way to assist the staff in performing their tasks efficiently and effectively. The front desk may be circular, L-shaped, curved, or straight depending upon the requirement. Functions of Reception The following functions are performed by the reception section of hotel: -Receiving and welcoming guests. -Completing the registration formalities. -Assigning the room. -Sending arrival notification slips to the concerned departments. INFORMATION DESK As the name suggests, the information desk provides information to guests. It is manned by an information assistant. In a small hotel, the same function may be performed by the receptionist. The need of a separate information desk is felt in large hotels where the traffic of guests is higher. The information desk may be located next to the reception. Functions of Information Desk Some of the functions of the information desk are as under: -Maintaining resident guest rack. -Handling guest room keys. -Coordinating guest mails, telegrams, faxes, couriers, parcels, etc. -Providing information to guests regarding hotel facilities and services, city information, etc. -Handling guests messages. -Paging guests. CASH AND BILLS The cash and bills section records all the monetary transactions of guests. It maintains guest folios and prepares the guest bills to be settled by the guest at the time of departure. This section is headed by a cashier. Functions of the Cash and Bills Section This section performs the following tasks: -Opening and maintaining of guest folios. -Posting room charges in guest folios. -Recording all credit charges in guest folios. -Maintaining a record of the cash received from guests. -Preparing bills at the time of check-out. -Receiving cash/travellers cheques/demand draft for account settlement. -Handling credit! debit! charge cards for the settlement of a guest account. -Organizing foreign currency exchange for the settlement of a guest account. Travel Desk The travel desk takes care of travel arrangements of guests, like air-ticketing, railway reservations, sightseeing tours, airport or railway station pick up or drop, etc. The hotel may operate the travel desk or it may be outsourced to an external travel agency. Functions of Travel desk The travel desk performs the following tasks: -Arranging pick-up and drop services for guests at the time of their arrival and departure. -Providing vehicles on request to guests at pre-determined rates (charged kilometre/hour wise and depend on the kind and size of vehicle used- premium cars, semi-luxury cars, coaches, mini vans, etc.) -Making travel arrangements like railway reservations/ cancellations/ amendments, or purchasing air-tickets for guests. -Organizing half-day or full-day sightseeing tours in and around the city. -Arranging for guides who can communicate in the guests language. COMMUNICATION SECTION The communication section maintains the communication network of the hotel, which is generally quite complex. The hotel may have its own private branch exchange (PBX), along with post and telegraph lines. Earlier all outgoing calls were routed through the telephone operator. This was done to ensure proper accounting of outgoing calls. Switchboard operators were required to place wake- up calls, monitor automated systems, and coordinate emergency communications. Recent technological advancement in telecommunications has revolutionized the way hotels operations are run. Now guests are able to make outgoing calls without routing them through the operator. There is a computerized call accounting system that charges the outgoing calls to the guests account. Wake-up calls may also be registered on the system, which dials the guests extension at the pre-registered time and plays a pre-recorded message when answered. So hotels can now manage with lesser number of telephone operators per shift. The telephone operators, who answer incoming calls, protect the guests privacy and contribute to the hotels security programme by not revealing guest room numbers to any unauthorized person. Many hotels also provide guest paging services over the public address system. These systems generally operate through the communications section. Functions of Communication Desk The duties of the telephone operator include: -Answering incoming calls. -Directing calls to guest rooms through the switchboard/PABX system. -Providing information on guest services. -Processing guest wake-up calls. -Answering inquiries about hotel facilities and events. -Protecting guests privacy. -Coordinating emergency communication. . UNIFORMED SERVICES The uniformed services in the hotel include the bell desk team and the concierge. Bell Desk The bell desk is located very close to the main entrance of the hotel. This section is headed by a bell captain, who leads a team of bell boys (also called bellhops) and page boys. They handle the guest luggage from the guest vehicle to the lobby and to guest rooms at the time of arrival and from their rooms to the guest vehicle at the time of departure. They escort guests to their rooms and familiarize them with hotel facilities, safety features, as well as in-room facilities. The bell desk person is the last front desk employee who comes in contact with guests at the time of their departure. Functions of bell desk The bell desk is responsible for the following tasks: -Handling guest luggage at the time of arrival and departure -Escorting guests to their rooms on arrival. -Familiarizing guests about safety features and in-room facilities. -Providing information to guests about hotel facilities and services when asked. -Locating a guest in a specified area of the hotel. -Posting guest mails. -Making sundry purchases like postage stamps, medicine etc. for the guest. -Keeping guest luggage in the left luggage room if requested by the guest. à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ -Checking if in-room amenities are in their original condition at the time of departure of guests. CONCIERGE A concierge is a hotel employee who provides information and personalized services to guests like dinner reservations, tour and travel arrangements, and obtaining tickets for special events in the city, etc. A concierge is often expected to achieve the impossible, dealing with any request a guest may have, relying on an extensive list of personal contacts with various local merchants and service providers. The concept of concierges came from the days of European royalty; the concierge was the castle doorkeeper in those times. His duty was to ensure that all castle occupants were safe in their rooms at night. When the royal families travelled, they often took their concierges with them for security and for making food and lodging arrangements. As the hotel industry grew, concierges became a part of the hotel staff to provide personalized services to hotel guests. Functions of concierge The concierge provides the following services to guests: -Making reservations for dining in famous restaurants. -Obtaining tickets for theatres, musicals, sporting events, etc. -Arranging for transportation by limousine, car, coaches, buses, airplanes, or trains. -Providing information on cultural and social events like photo exhibitions, art shows, and local places of tourist interest. ++++++++++++++++++++++ GUEST CYCLE The guests of a hotel have four main stages interaction with the hotel à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ at pre-arrival / arrival / stay / departure. All guests go through the same procedure as they proceed from reservation to arrival and allotment of rooms, to their stay in the hotel, to the settlement of their bills and departure from the hotel, these various stages of activities constitute the guest cycle. PRE-ARRIVAL The interaction between a guest and a hotel before the guest arrives at the hotel forms the pre-arrival phase of the guest cycle. Reservation is the most important pre-arrival activity. During this phase, the guest first selects a hotel for stay. The guests choice about a particular hotel is affected by factors. Like advertisements, recommendations from family and friends, previous experience with the hotel, reputation, location, contractual agreement with the hotel, etc. Once a hotel has been chosen, the guest or a person designated by him (who could be his secretary or spouse or a travel agent) contacts the selected hotel through telephone, e- mail, or fax for reserving a room for the period of his proposed stay. The reservation request is received by the reservation staff, whose efficiency and competence in handling the request creates a good first impression of the hotel in the mind of the guest. Before confirming a reservation, the hotel may ask for a credit card guarantee or an advance deposit from the guest. In case of high occupancy periods, guests are requested to pay retention charges. This is to ensure minimum loss to the hotel in case of any last moment cancellations or no shows. Once the retention charges have been paid, the room is reserved or blocked for the guest for the required stay dates. The hotel also makes note of any special arrangements to be made, like a wheelchair and a barrier free room; airport or railway station transfers; an extra bed or crib in the room; etc. Thus the functions of the front office in the pre-arrival phase include: Processing the reservation request of the guest. Creation of guest folio (in case the hotel has received any advance payment). Blocking the room for the guest. Making special arrangements for the guest (if required). The data collected during the process of reservation can be utilized in future front office and sales activities. A well-managed reservation system can maximize the room sales and revenue by constantly monitoring the room status and forecasting the room revenue. ARRIVAL Guests have their first face-to-face interaction with the hotel staff on their arrival at the hotel. This is a very critical stage as guests form an opinion about the standards and services that the hotel can provide to them. During this phase, guests are greeted by the front desk staff and the registration process begins. The guests are asked to verify the details printed in the registration card these details are generated from the information received in the pre-arrival stage. The registration activity is an agreement between the hotel and the guest, whereby the hotel offers the accommodation product and services to the guest, and the guest agrees to pay for the services received. A hotel might pre-register guests (i.e., register guests before their arrival) like VIPs, groups, airline crews, and frequent guests. Once the guests have been registered with the hotel, they are assigned a room at the negotiated room rate. The guest is then shown to their room and their luggage is brought to the room by the bell desk. If any mails or messages have arrived at the hotel before the arrival of the guest, they are given to her. Thus the functions of the front office on the arrival of a guest include: -Reception and welcome of the guest -Registration of the guest -Room rate and room assignment to the guest. -Handing over the room key to the guest. -Luggage handling of the guest by bell desk. -Delivering the mails and messages that the hotel has received on behalf of the guest. The front office staff maintains lists of expected arrivals and departures on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. They keep updating these lists, along with the arrival and departure details, and keep the other departments informed of any changes in the schedule of guests. This is very essential to provide a flawless service to guests and to avoid embarrassing situations like not arranging for the pick-up of a guest, or not having the room ready in time and making the guest wait for it. STAY During this stage the guest gets a first-hand experience of the facilities and services offered by the hotel. These services and facilities are the most important part of a guests overall experience at a hotel. An excellent level of services would lead to the satisfaction of the guest, which would make him, come back to the hotel and give positive feedback to other potential customers. The front office is the interface between the guest and the other departments of the hotel, so it must coordinate well

Fallacies of Internet Censorship Essay -- science

Fallacies of Internet Censorship Laws, enforcements, and censorship have been developed since the beginning of civilization. With freedom, comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes common sense. In a society or nation of few, laws and restriction tend to be smaller, and less complex. This is contributed by the fact that in small groups, their will be less diversity amongst them. In larger society ranging in millions to billions, the need for a more complex, organized government begins to form. No human is in fact alike, each person possess their own form of will, and much their own point-of-view. In a large mass society, it becomes tedious, and complex to try and rule by anarchy. The need for a common law amongst this civilization is usually formed. One of the most critical needs of a civilization is communication. In the past, communication was presented by means of both oral and written forms. Unfortunately, this form of communication is slowly beginning to fade with the invention of the Internet. The internet in its whole is nothing more then a mass networked form of wires that send information throughout the entire world. With this invention, the gaps and boundaries of nations or civilization of our entire planet begin to crumble. Internet, or at least the computers that are connected to it, have a common language known as Binary, a mass complex language read in series of on and off signals. All computers read the same language, and since this is a true form of communication, it allows for cultures, nations and society to communicate with each other, whereas before a simple oral or written communication could not be understood commonly from all nations. What reasons or needs would there be to censor the internet? As with written or oral language, all of its information is created in fact by a human, which can lead towards being corrupted, destructive or mis-interupted by another. Since the internet is a world wide access of information that is available by all nations having the resources for it, rules and laws in one country are not the same in another. Another commonly known use of the internet is for commerce. It allows a person to sell goods from any country to another. This in return could be things such as illegal weapons, plants, and even pictorial art, to that neighboring or distant country or nation that might be prohibited... ... meeting in one location at a given time is an expensive endeavor, not to mention the cost of having to police or enforce the laws decided. Also, the cost of software programming, vast libraries of stored data, and teaching un-educated computer users in all countries around the world, but be an expansive process. Their would have to be a massive form of data collection of what type of IP address, certain types of words, and certain type of ports to block. This would not just make the cost of internet access massive incremental raise; it would also slow the speed of the entire network around the world down but a horrible mass decrease. In short, I believe the internet is the new revolution in communication, but the fact of its mass-connections that span the entire world; it would be like trying to run a government of trillions of people, with thousands of languages, and millions of different cultures to boot. In order to truly censor the internet, the only fool-proof, absolute solution would be to destroy it, which would deny the very tool and breakthrough in technology that has allowed the entire world to for once communicate, if not agree, on a universally accepted level.

The Legitimacy of Electronic Scholarly Publishing Essay -- Argumentati

The Legitimacy of Electronic Scholarly Publishing At most institutions of higher learning in the United States and worldwide the emphasis is placed on the depth and breadth of the institution's research, at least as far as the institution's reputation and renown are concerned. An institution that does not produce much scholarly research in the form of conference activity or publication activity will not carry the same high regard as an institution which is much more involved in conference participation and publication. Sometimes individual state institutions are regarded as having powerful personas if they have established and maintained their university presses, but other universities do not have the funding nor the personnel to attempt such an endeavor and must seek other venues for touting their scholarly accomplishments. While most scholarly publishing is in the traditional print medium, a growing number of scholarly publications are finding new offices in the new technology, either in the form of e-books or online scholarly journals. With the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web, traditional print publications are having to decide if they want to ride the "information superhighway" or simply lag behind in a horse-drawn carriage. Some traditional media—television, radio, newspapers, and magazines—have tested the waters by providing online access to some of their features. Similarly, some scholarly journals, convinced that a foray into electronic publication does not mean lower revenues nor higher costs, have also decided to continue their traditional publication while including access to selectively chosen features. The American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiol... ...text Journal.† Serials Review. 22.1(Spring 1998): 1-19. MasterFILE Premier. Ebscohost. Galileo. http://www.galileo.usg.edu Sweeney, Aldrin E. "E-Scholarship and Electronic Publishing in the Twenty-First Century: Implications for the Academic Community." Education Media International. 38.1 (March 2001): 25-38. Academic Search Premier. Ebscohost. Galileo. http://galileo.usg.edu Tomlins, Christopher L. â€Å"The Wave of the Present: The Printed Scholarly Journal on the Edge of the Internet.† Journal of Scholarly Publishing. 29.3(April 1998): 133-150. Academic Search Premier. Ebscohost. Galileo. http://galileo.usg.edu Wills, Mathew, and Wills, Gordon. "The Ins and the Outs of Electronic Publishing." Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing. 11.1 (1996): 90-104. MasterFILE Premier. Ebscohost. Galileo. <http://galileo.usg.edu>

Our Individual Social Responsibility Essay -- Personal Social Responsi

Individual Social Responsibility is a moral belief where we as individuals, have a responsibility toward society. Being "socially responsible" is about all individuals behaving ethically and sensitively towards social, economic, and environmental issues. It is about being accountable for our actions and being conscious of the impact your actions have on others, our communities, and the environment. By taking an active participation in resolving some of the issues, we as individuals should all strive to set good examples by applying and adhering to socially responsible practices, such as improving the quality of lives for individuals and their families, volunteer energy and time towards improving and benefiting society. Get involved and actively participate in helping to solve some ...

Philosophy of Mozi Essay

Romeo and Juliet, the two young lovers in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, ended up becoming a large part of what could be called â€Å"fate†. Fate seemed to control their lives and force them together, becoming a large part of their love, and the ending of their parents hatred. In ancient China, a philosopher, Mozi, rejected fatalism because it is a belief that gives people excuses to doing nothing. He says: [I]f we were to accept the theories of the fatalists, then those above would not attend to affairs of state and those below would not pursue their tasks. If those above do not attend to affairs of state, then the government will fall into disorder, while if those below do not pursue their tasks, there will not be enough wealth and goods. There will be no way to provide security for the worthy and able men of the world below. There will be no mean to entertain and conduct exchanges with the feudal lords who come as guests from abroad, while within the state there will be no means to feed the hungry, cloths the cold, and care for the aged and weak. One should not believe that one is determined by one’s fate because this belief does not promote universal benefits for the world. For most people, when they think fate is at work on their situation, they stop thinking about their own solutions. They will think less, be less alert, and be more trusting. It is what they do, say and act as a result of believing in fate that can cause major disasters in their lives. When one stops thinking, stops acting, stops working the hardest one could towards something, then one is letting the ball drops. As a result, he is not achieving as much as he could, he may lose money, lose job and lose responsibilities. However, he would not care so much because he blames it on fate, not himself. Everything that happens in human life is a product of what they do to their life and not determined by fate alone. There is a saying goes, â€Å"Life is what you make it. † A man truly creates his life and should not rely too much on fate. There are many factors affect man’s life. These different factors either make him or unmake him. The circumstance depends on whether one has grabbed the correct reign to man the horse or one has missed it. What people do today that is crucial in what happens to him in the future. One of the critics Mozi makes of Confucians is that they encourage the idea that one’s fate was predetermined which lead to resignation and failure on the part of the people. Mozi seems to have believed to the contrary that a man’s fate was to be shape by a man effort; that Heaven might guide. A lot of successful and driven people in variety fields confess that fate seems to be against them at the launch of their career. It was hard, many successful folks say, but nothing could have held them back as they strove to the best. Besides that, sometimes a person whom one thinks cannot succeed will suddenly emerged as the most successful businessman. Without even noticing what had really occurred the man whom everybody had pinpointed as the useless and most unwanted person will turn out as the best person in one day. Sometimes the turn of the wheel is just so confusing that people find themselves confused and not being able to cope with what life provides. Everything depends on our determination, our strength to defeat the obstacles we meet on our life journey. Mozi states, â€Å"Heaven might guide. † The term â€Å"Heaven† here can be people around us, for instance, an elderly person, a teacher, a friend and etc. who lend helping hands in assisting our succeed. Opportunities and time wait for no man. â€Å"Heaven† will only guide people who are well prepared and highly determined and not who believe in Him sincerely but doing nothing. People choose what they do and what could happen to them in the future. If one is going to look what life really is, one should begin to analyze what one has done in the past that made one is today. You are what you did and not really destiny and fate. Man cannot really tell what is going to happen in the future and what should be avoid is a mistake that goes on and on until the person who made the mistake does not come out quagmire he has built around him. Mistakes do happen in everyone’s life but making the same mistake over and over in one’s life is not at all proper for a person who has knowledge unless he wants to ruin his life. A person who commits the same mistake throughout his life is trying to test what life is all about without thinking of the consequences that the mistake could do him in the future and not considering the future. In short, Mozi’s criticism of fatalism does not point to the proponent’s weakness in reasoning; it points specifically to the bad consequences such a theory will bring. Fate sometimes make an abrupt turnaround which will make people either lost balance or being thrown away so far that one cannot grasp anything to hold on it. For those people who have done good things in their life and have planned their future ahead in their younger years, they are the people who have smooth sailing boat. In contrary, those people who have thought fortune angel is always at their site, it would be a sorry state for them. REFERENCES Liu, JeeLoo. (2006). An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: from ancient philosophy to Chinese Buddhism. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. HOL B126 L564 2006. Watson, Burton (1963). Mo Tzu Basic Writings. USA: Columbia University Press. HOL B128 M6 W3.

Pediatric Recommended Core Measures Health And Social Care Essay

After run intoing Stage 1 for the two old ages, Fletcher Allen Partners will necessitate to run into meaningful usage Phase 2 standards get downing in 2014 ( Figure 1 ) . With this following phase, EHRs will farther salvage Fletcher Allen Partners money, save clip for physicians and infirmaries, and salvage lives.The Stage 2 standards includes new aims to better patient attention through better clinical determination support, attention coordination and patient battle ( cms.com ) . The phase 2 ends would spread out the Phase 1 standards and concentrate on the meaningful usage of electronic wellness records ( EHRs ) to back up the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy ( NQS ) . The Phase 2 standards encourages the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted attention and information quality betterment. The proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands include strict outlooks for wellness information exchange and include: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Phase 2 focal points on existent usage instances of electronic information exchange and requires that a supplier direct a sum-up of attention record for more than 50 % of passages of attention and referrals. The regulation besides requires that a supplier electronically transmit a sum-up of attention for more than 10 % of passages of attention and referrals. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient ( Federal Register, 2012 ) . To let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. Figure 1: Phases of Meaningful Use Beginning: NeHC University ( 2012 )REQUIREMENTS FOR STAGE 2 IMPLEMENTATIONCore Aims and Menu Aims Fletcher Allen Partners must run into certain demands for a successful Phase 2 execution. The figure of Stage 1 and Stage 2 entire aims remains the same, EPs are must run into the the step of 20 entire aims and CAHs must run into the step of 19 entire aims. However, the combination of aims has changed. Under Phase 2, eligible professionals ( EPs ) must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 17 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims and eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and CAHs must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 16 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims ( Figure 2 ) . This is a alteration from EP ‘s holding to run into 15 nucleus aims and EHs holding 14 nucleus aims and 5 bill of fare aims severally. About all of the Stage 1 nucleus and bill of fare aims are retained for Stage 2. Figure 2: Changes from Phase 1 to Stage 2 Phase 1 Phase 2 Eligible Professionals 15 nucleus aims 17 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 20 entire aims 20 entire aims Eligible Hospitals & A ; CAHs 14 nucleus aims 16 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 19 entire aims 19 entire aims Clinical Quality Measures needed to be captured by FAP In add-on to run intoing the nucleus and bill of fare aims, eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and CAHs are besides required to describe clinical quality measures.The clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) are tools used to mensurate and track the quality of health care services by eligible professionals ( EPs ) , eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) within the health care system. The CQMs step many facets of patient attention to include wellness results, clinical procedures, patient safety, efficient usage of healthcare resources, attention coordination, patient battles, population and public wellness, and clinical guidelines.The measuring and coverage of the CQMs guarantee that Fletcher Allen Partners deliver efficient, patient-centered, and safe quality care.A Eligible professionals must describe on 6 entire clinical quality steps: 3 required nucleus steps ( or 3 surrogate nucleus steps ) and 3 extra steps ( selected from a set of 38 clinical qu ality steps ) . Eligible infirmaries and CAHs must describe on all 15 of their clinical quality steps ( CQMS, cms.gov ) . Centers for Medicare & A ; Medicaid Services ( CMS ) selected the recommended nucleus set of CQMs for EPs based on analysis of several factors: Conditionss that contribute to the morbidity and mortality of the most Medicare and Medicaid donees Conditionss that represent national public wellness precedences Conditionss that are common to wellness disparities Conditionss that disproportionately drive health care costs and could better with better quality measuring Measures that would enable CMS, States, and the supplier community to mensurate quality of attention in new dimensions, with a stronger focal point on penurious measuring Measures that include patient and/or health professional battle Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers in their 2nd twelvemonth and beyond of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS. Medicaid suppliers will electronically describe their CQM information to their province. As Figure 3 shows, EPs must describe on 9 of the 64 approved CQMs. Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains Eligible Hospitals and CAHs must describe on 16 of 29 approved CQMs Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains. Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers beyond their first twelvemonth of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS informations to CMS. Figure 3: Clinical Quality Measures ( CQMs )SupplierPrior to 20142014 and Beyond*EPs Complete 6 out of 44 Complete 9 out of 64 aˆ?3 nucleus or 3 elevation. nucleus Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheres aˆ?3 bill of fare Recommended nucleus CQMs include:Aaˆ?9 CQMs for the grownup population aˆ?9 CQMs for the paediatric population aˆ?Prioritize NQS spheresAEligible Hospitals and CAHs Complete 15 out of 15 Complete 16 out of 29 aˆ?Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheresAFor 2014, CMS is non necessitating the entry of a nucleus set of CQMs. A Alternatively we identify two recommended nucleus sets of CQMs, one for grownups and one for kids. A We encourage eligible professionals to describe from the recommended nucleus set to the extent those CQMs are applicable to your range of pattern and patient population. Figure 4 shows the recommended nucleus steps: Figure 4: Recommended Core MeasuresAdult Recommended Core MeasuresPediatric Recommended Core MeasuresControling High Blood Pressure Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis Use of High-Risk Medications in the Aged Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents Preventive Care and Screening: A Tobacco Use: A Screening and Cessation Intervention Chlamydia Screening for Women Use of Imaging Studies for Low Back Pain Use of Appropriate Medications for Asthma Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up Plan Childhood Immunization Status Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record Appropriate Treatment for Children with Upper Respiratory Infection ( URI ) Preventive Care and Screening: A Body Mass Index ( BMI ) Screening and Follow-Up Attention deficit disorder: A Follow-Up Care for Children Prescribed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) Medicine Closing the referral cringle: reception of specialist study Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up PlanAAChilds who have dental decay or pits Patient Care Improvements Patient entree to their wellness information is an of import facet of patient attention and battle, and the capablenesss of CEHRT in 2014 and beyond will enable suppliers to do this information available online in a manner that does non enforce a important load on suppliers. Patient engagement – battle is an of import focal point of Stage 2. There are 26 Requirements for Patient Action: More than 5 % of patients must direct secure messages to their EP. More than 5 % of patients must entree their wellness information online. Loss of future gross through authorities inducements Changes to Medicare EHR Incentive Programs The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) as they adopt, implement, upgrade or show meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering. Eligible professionals can have up to $ 44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and up to $ 63,750 through the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide fiscal inducements for the â€Å" meaningful usage † of certified EHR engineering to better patient attention. To have an EHR incentive payment, suppliers have to demo that they are â€Å" meaningfully utilizing † their EHRs by run intoing thresholds for a figure of aims. CMS has established the aims for â€Å" meaningful usage † that eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries, and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) must run into in order to have an incentive payment. A The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Ince ntive Programs are staged in three stairss with increasing demands for engagement. All suppliers begin take parting by run intoing the Phase 1 demands for a 90-day period in their first twelvemonth of meaningful usage and a full twelvemonth in their 2nd twelvemonth of meaningful usage. After run intoing the Phase 1 demands, suppliers will so hold to run into Stage 2 demands for two full old ages. Eligible professionals participate in the plan on the calendar old ages, while eligible infirmaries and CAHs take part harmonizing to the federal financial twelvemonth beginnning on October 1st. ( EHR Incentive Program, cms.gov ) In order to successfully take part in the plan, EPs, EHs, and CAHs are required to subject CQMs to in order to have an incentive payment in the EHR Incentive Program.Beginning in 2014, the coverage of clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) will alter for all suppliers. EHR engineering that has been certified to the 2014 Edition criterions and enfranchisement standards will hold been tested for enhanced CQM-related capabilities.ELECTRONIC Coverage: In order to let participants to successfully describe CQMs electronically for 2014, CMS is supplying a set of electronic specifications for clinical quality steps ( eCQMs ) for eligible professionals and eligible infirmaries for usage in the EHR Incentive plan for electronic coverage. A These electronic specifications contain multiple parts which allow certified EHR engineering systems to be plan to accurately capture, calculate, and describe clinical quality steps electronically for the 2014 CQMs. A Each eCQM can be described in 3 different ways depending on the intended usage: HTML A – A This is a human clear format so that the user can understand both how the elements are defined and the implicit in logic used to cipher the step. XML – This is a computing machine clear format which enables the machine-controlled creative activity of questions against an EHR or other operational informations shop for quality coverage. Value Sets – Value sets are the specific codifications used by developers to plan the system to accurately capture patient informations in the EHR system. A ATo have the maximal EHR inducement payment, Medicare eligible professionals must get down engagement by 2012.Eligible professionals who demonstrate meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering can have up to $ 44,000 over 5 uninterrupted old ages under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program Incentive payments for eligible professionals are higher under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Payments- up to $ 63,750 over 6 old ages under the Medicaid EHR inducement plan Get downing in 2015, Medicare eligible professionals who do non successfully show meaningful usage will be capable to a payment accommodation. The payment decrease starts at 1 % and increases each twelvemonth that a Medicare eligible professional does non show meaningful usage, to a upper limit of 5 % . The eligibility for the EHR inducement plan is determined by the HITECH Act. The lone eligibility alterations under Phase 2 are under the Medicaid EHR incentive plan. The Phase 2 eligibility. Meaningful usage way for Medicare eligible doctors ( EPs ) : Meaningful usage way for Medicare infirmaries: *Payments will diminish for infirmaries that start having payments in 2014 and subsequently. The alterations from Phase 1 to Stage 2 are as follow: Reporting Period Reduced to Three Months – to let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. â€Å" Phase 2 ends, consistent with other commissariats of Medicare and Medicaid jurisprudence, would spread out upon the Phase 1 standards with a focal point on guaranting that the meaningful usage of EHRs supports the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy. Specifically, Stage 2 meaningful usage standards would promote the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted quality betterment at the point of attention and the exchange of information in the most structured format possible. Our proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands included strict outlooks for wellness information exchange including: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient. † Hospitals- FY14 ) Providers-Jan 2014

Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy Essay

Why study consumer behaviour? †¢ By studying consumer behaviour we try to understand & gain insight into: – Consumer decision making processes – What we buy, how we buy, and why we buy †¢ Enables us to become better consumers and marketers Definitions of Consumer Behaviour †¢ The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. †¢ The dynamic interaction of cognition, behaviour and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives (American Marketing Association) †¢ Those behaviours performed by decision-making units in the purchase, usage and disposal of goods and services (Kotler & Levy) †¢ The decision process and physical activity individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services (London & Della Bitta) Application of Consumer Behavior Marketing Strategy/ regulatory Policy/Social Marketing/Informed Individual Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Strategy Cross Cultural Variations in Consumer Behavior Culture is the most pervasive external force on an individual’s consumption behavior. It would be difficult to overlook the importance of culture as a motivator of consumer behavior. The attitude people possess, the values they hold dear, the lifestyles they enjoy and the interpersonal behavior patterns they adopt are the outcomes of the cultural settings. Failure to carefully consider cultural differences is often responsible for monumental marketing failure. The concept of Culture Culture is the complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society. ââ€" ª First, culture is a comprehensive concept. It includes almost everything that influences an individual’s thought processes and behaviors. ââ€" ª Second, culture is acquired. It does not include inherited responses and predispositions. Much of human behavior is learned rather than innate, culture does not affect a wide array of behaviors. ââ€" ª Third, the complexity of modern societies is such that culture seldom provides detailed prescriptions for appropriate behavior. Culture provides boundaries within which most individual think and act. ââ€" ª Finally, the nature of cultural influences is such that we are seldom aware of them. One think behave, feels in a manner consistent with other members of the same culture because it seems â€Å"natural† or â€Å"right† to do. The boundaries that culture sets on behavior are called Norms which are simple rules that specify or prohibit certain behaviors in specific situations Norms are derived from Cultural Value, widely held beliefs that shared standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, good or bad, desirable or undesirable. Violation of cultural norms results in sanctions, or penalties ranging from mild social disapproval to banishment from the group. Variations in cultural values †¢ Cultural values are widely held beliefs that affirm what is desirable. A useful approach to understanding cultural variations in behavior is to understand the values embraced by different cultures. The classifications of cultural values 1. Other oriented[Individual/Collective, Youth/Age, extended/Limited Family, Masculine/feminine, Competitive/Cooperative, Diversity/Uniformity] 2. Environmental oriented [ Cleanliness, Performance/Status, Tradition/Change, Risk Taking/Security, Problem solving/Fatalistic, Nature] 3. Self-oriented [ Active/Passive, Sensual gratification/Abstinence, Material/Nonmaterial, Hard work/Leisure, Postponed gratification/immediate gratification, Religious/Secular] The use people make of space and the meaning they assign to their use of space constitute a second form of nonverbal communication. In America, the office space in corporations generally is allocated according to rank and prestige rather than need. A second major use of space is personal space. It is the nearest that others can come to anyone in various situations without feeling uncomfortable Symbols A symbol may be defined as the sign or representation of something moral or intellectual by the images or properties of natural things as† the Lion the symbol of courage†. Different studies on cultures identified two types of symbols used by people in communicating among them, they are 1. Referential symbol 2. Expressive symbol Relationship The rights and obligations imposed by friendship are another nonverbal communication variable. Americans, more so than most other cultures, make friends quickly and easily and drop them easily also. To most Asian and Latin Americans, good personal relations and feeling are all that really matter in a long term agreement. Americans negotiate a contract, the Japanese negotiate a relationship. In many countries, the written word is used simple to satisfy legalities. In their eyes, emotion and personal relations are more important than cold facts. Agreement Americans rely on an extensive and generally, highly efficient legal system for ensuring that business obligations are honored and for resolving disagreements. Many other cultures have not developed such system and rely instead on friendship and local moral, principles, or informal customs to guide business conduct. In many developed counties, prices are uniform for all buyers, but in some Asian and Middle East countries, the procedure is different Things The cultural meaning of things leadfs to purchase patterns that one would not otherwise predicts. The different meaning that cultures attached to things, including products, make gift giving a particular difficult task. Etiquette Etiquette represents generally accepted ways of behaving in social situations. Behaviors considered rude or obnoxious in one culture may be quite acceptable in another. Normal voice tone, pitch and speed of speech differ between culture and languages as do the use of gestures. For example, a Japanese executive will seldom say â€Å"No† directly during negotiations, as this would be considered impolite. Considerations in approaching a foreign market ââ€" ª Is the geographic area Homogeneous or heterogeneous with respect to culture? ââ€" ª What needs can this product or a version of it fill in this culture? ââ€" ª Can enough of the people needing the product afford it? ââ€" ª What values or patterns of values are relevant to the purchase and use of this product? ââ€" ª What are the distribution, political, and legal structures for the product? ââ€" ª In what way can we communicate about the product? ââ€" ª What are the Ethical implications of marketing this product in this country? http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/alihusainkaisar/29525858 http://www.somewhereinblog.net/blog/abdullah_muslim2010/29411963 ———————– OUTCOMES: Individual/ Firm/ Society CONSUMER DECISION PROCESS: Problem recognition/Information search/Alternative evaluation/Purchase/ Use/ Evaluation MARKETING STRATEGY: Product/Price/Distribution/Promotion/Service MARKET SEGMENTATION: Identify product related need sets/ Group customer with similar need sets/ Describe each group/ Select attractive segment(s) to target MARKET ANALYSIS: Company/Competitors/ Conditions/Consumers