Quality Control Department Essay Example for Free

Quality Control Department Essay In an attempt to cut costs in the Quality Control Department of XYZ Deli, it is important to first identify the costs to determine which aspects of the company’s quality control process can be eliminated, if any at all. Quality control costs can be divided into three different classifications. These classifications are prevention costs, appraisal costs and failure costs (Stevenson, 2008). Prevention costs are costs generated in the process of impeding product mistakes or flaws in order to supply customers with XYZ Deli brand quality products or to improve current products. Prevention costs are the most indispensable of the quality control costs. It is less expensive and much less difficult to repair a flaw or defect before the product reaches the customer. Prevention costs include not only planning and administrative procedure costs, but also education/training and increased equipment maintenance costs. It is important that all employees are trained accurately throughout the quality control process in order to produce XYZ Deli quality products and to ensure a decline in the possibility of erroneous design and productivity (Stevenson, 2008). Possible tradeoffs for this cost would be if employees are not trained properly, ensuring the job is being done correctly; may result in the production of unsatisfactory product. This could potentially create loss of sales or opportunity costs because the products are being poorly produced. However, increasing the time spent training employees could delay the production process. This would also create opportunity costs because the product would take longer to get  to the customer. While prevention costs are most vital, appraisal costs are necessary to ensure customers are being provided with the high quality products expected from the XYZ Deli brand. This would include costs of inspection of products to determine if product standards and parameters are being met, as well as to detect any product flaws. An example of appraisal costs is inspection costs. Inspection costs are incurred during the quality testing process. This includes the cost of the inspection facility and inspector auditor salaries, as well as any materials, appliances or tools used to test XYZ Deli brand products (Stevenson, 2008). A potential tradeoff to not inspecting product could also allow defective product to reach the customer, creating opportunity costs. Poorly produced products will not be well received. At any rate, the tradeoff for properly inspecting all the product being produced could set back the time it takes for the product to reach the market; also creating opportunity costs. Finally, failure costs are generated when components of the product or the product itself is faulty. Failure costs can be either internal or external. Internal failures are those detected in one of the production phases; before the product reaches the customer. There are numerous issues that contribute to an internal failure; such issues include: faulty materials received, improper handling of material, defective equipment, and improper use of equipment. Examples of internal failure costs are loss of production time, worthless material and the cost of regenerating previous work and/or the rebuilding of the product, as well as the cost of inspecting the reworked product. Other examples of internal failures include possible damage to equipment; possible safety issues causing employee injuries. External failures are failures that are identified after the customer has received the product. Such issues are not discovered during production or inspection process. These costs are much more expensive and much more difficult to correct because the product has already reached the consumer. Examples of a failure costs include managing customer complaints, accountability and possible litigation. Overseeing warranty issues, providing replacements and payments are also examples of failure costs. An  important failure costs to avoid is the loss of customer loyalty (Stevenson, 2008). Not only does XYZ Deli want to recruit new customers, it is important to retain current valued customers. Not finding a way to take care of the consumer may give the company a poor reputation, creating more opportunity costs. While each of these costs is expensive, they are necessary in maintaining the reputation of a growing company, such as XYZ Deli. Prevention appraisal costs are the preferable way to disperse funds because they prevent failure costs. Failure costs are much more expensive for the company, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of the company’s reputation, good will and the ability to retain current valued customers. If XYZ Deli spends the time and money on the appropriate such as ensuring proper training in production and inspection, the company will save money in the future. References Stevenson, W. (2008). Operations management (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill ISBN-13: 978-0-07-337784-1.

The History About Sexism Sociology Essay

The History About Sexism Sociology Essay Sexism is a belief or attitude that one gender or sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to hatred or distrust towards either gender as a whole, or creating stereotypes (Britannica Para 1). Instead of considering individual merits, many people base their opinions toward a certain gender, which often lead to biased stereotypes (Blau 57). Women are usually viewed as feeble, weak being in need of support. Throughout the history, the feminist movement fought against such deep-rooted views. As a result, it is apparent that women now have much more political representation and get higher education. The passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a small victory; however, the fight to end sexism continues until this day (Blau 64). Even though many people argue that women are now equal to men in the United State, it is not true because explicit sexism is still prevalent in the workplace, media stereotyping can be seen in most places, and gender role reinforceme nts are taught to children. The most obvious form of discrimination is the difference in financial compensation for the same, exact job specification. The Equal Pay Act came into effect in 1975 (Overall 83). It seemed like a huge transformation in the workplace where women were always paid less than their male counterparts. After the Equal Pay Act, it was considered illegal to differentiate the wages for the same work based on gender alone. Starting from the 1980s, the gap between the wages of men and women narrowed significantly. The New Earning Survey in 1980 indicates that on average, men got paid 40% more than women. In 1992, the gap had narrowed even more to 25%; however, there still is a significant wage difference in highflying jobs. (Kowaleski 184). The same survey showed that the hourly wage of women were on an average 70.9% of men in 2009 (Kowaleski 189). One very important problem is that women are usually placed on the lower ladder of work force, meaning it may be very difficult to compare the skill s and the respective salary at the same time. Simple analysis of numeral figures does not take many other factors involved in apparent sexism in modern society. Another area of prolonged sexism in the workplace is the womens chance of getting promoted to executive levels. In terms of sheer number, more women are getting jobs than ever, reaching 46% of the work force; nevertheless, only 3% of women hold chief executive position. The rate of increase in the number of women executives in the last two decades is less than 2% making women still linger on the very bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. With more women getting jobs, it encourages other women who were reluctant to move into the labor market to do the same and become more career minded. Although woman now make up 46% of the work force, only 3% of woman hold chief executive positions. This has only increased by 2% in the last 20 years (Kowaleski 202). Two US reporters writing in The Wall Street Journal coined the term glass ceiling (Blau 157). This type of discrimination varies between countries but in the United States it has legal ramifications. The United Nations has stated, in 2006, that women struggle to break through a glass ceiling and that their leadership positions remain too slow (Christopher 224). The term glass ceiling describes a perceived barrier to advancement in our society. In the United States the government funds a group called the Glass Ceiling Commission, which works to help fight the glass ceiling and they also collect statistics to look in to the rampant discrimination in American society based on gender or ethnic background. The GCC stated: Over half of all Masters degrees go to women, yet 95% of the Fortune 500 companies are men. It is a clear indication that certain stereotypes and gender biases are still hindering the equality in our society. The last form of explicit sexism in the workplace is the lack of support for child-birth and child-rearing women. The Employment Act 1978 gives women, going through pregnancy and child birth, the right to have time off with no loss of position (Overall 286). This is only given, however, to women who have a career involving full time and continuous employment and stops just 29 weeks after childbirth (Overall 287). Parental leave, flexible hours, and care of the child are left for the employer and employee to discuss. This is a very complex problem because women are most often considered the primary caregiver, making it very difficult for them to give up their maternal duties. Nursery provisions for women who want to go back to work after fulfilling their domestic duties are appalling. Only 2% of work places have nursery facilities and the male dominated government seems to think that the problem doesnt exist (Burg 43). Taking into account that most women would like to have at least on e child, there is going to be a lot of women in low paid jobs because women must carry on with many roles to perform. Women will most certainly turn to part-time employment, which means they will most likely suffer from lower job security and compensation. Many people believe women are now treated fairly equal in workplaces because they see more women working in administrative positions and in the field of politics. Although it is true that there are many laws enacted to secure better working environment, statistics and reality still demonstrate wide gap between the male and the female workers (Burg 89). As of year 2009, the number of women entering college exceeded that of men; however, proportion of men and women in the labor market, especially in the management positions, is still far from being balanced (Berg 116). Sexism in workplaces is prevalent in the modern society. Mass media is the main force to be blamed for gender stereotyping causing sexism. Women are most often portrayed as sexual objects. With the growing influence of media, young men are using women in pejorative ways to gain their masculinity. The explicit lyrics and visual stimulations used in the media are usually focused in the glorification of sexist, misogynist and patriarchal ways of thinking to attract mainstream culture. Teens blindly follow and mimic many of the ideas portrayed with sexist viewpoints (Burg 172). Sadly, the women are vastly degraded in the music industry and the music videos by being represented in a disrespectful manner with an emphasis placed only on their body. This denotes them as a sex symbol, and womens reputation will continue to deteriorate because that is what the media and culture demands (Berg 174). Not only are many well-liked songs demeaning in manner, but so are the popular videos that people watch. The television industry is a major influence of young mens minds. They learn through media that the path to masculinity remains in using women as their primary tool (Burg 189). The extent of such influence is so vast that young children mimic the vulgar actions and often consider these figures as their role models (Sexism Para. 5). The brainwashed children continue watching explicit scenes of apparent sexism believing that such sexist behavior is acceptable in society. Women, on the other hand, are also brainwashed to believe that the best way to attract men is to use the sex appeal (Sexism Para 7). Both men and women are constantly absorbed in the skewed messages sent by the mass media; this is causing unconscious gender stereotyping, leading to unceasing sexism in the modern society. Male dominance is the final factor to blame for gender stereotyping done by the mass media. People deeply involved in making music, videos, or commercials are predominately males (Burg 173). Just like workplaces, males dominate the mass media. They see everything through their perspectives and interpret them with their point of views. In films, men are usually portrayed as super-heroes and protagonists saving the world from doom or feeble counter parts from danger. Women are usually portrayed as a subordinate to men. Without central male figure at the center of the plot, woman alone cannot function properly. Girls get the latent message here believing that the Prince Charming has to rescue them from dire situations. Brainwashing and gender stereotyping can be done most effectively through the mass media and it is responsible for unceasing sexism in our society (Sexism para 4). Some argue that gender stereotyping in the media is comparable to violence. Just because the audience sees the violence, it doesnt mean that it automatically gets translated into crime. It is true in that exposure to gender stereotyping will not always lead to sexism; however, in order to reduce and prevent further acts of sexism and discrimination, the frequency and the context must be controlled very strictly. The mass media must accept more female perspectives and interpretations to portray the reality. Without active involvement from all corners of our society, sexism will not cease to exist. In order to uproot such sexism from our society, younger children must be taught properly; however, as of now, gender role reinforcements are taught in various directions to young children. Little boys and girls learn from the very early stages of their lives that certain gender roles and characteristics are expected of them. The young children get their initial ideas from what they see most often, such as parents, teachers, toys, or TV programs. Subconscious imprinting occurs throughout their childhood, and such deeply rooted stereotypes go all the way to the end of their lives (Burg 231). Certain colors represent certain gender even before birth. Pinks and pastels are most often associated with girls, while blue and green are representative of male characteristics. Toys are also predestined according to gender stereotyping. Boys are taught to play around with robots and cars. Girls are usually attracted to dolls and princesses. The packaged boxes of the plastic tool set usually por tray boys as models. Dolls and kitchen sets always have girls as models, indicating that boys are in charge of doing the outdoor activities, while girls stay home and do household chores. These seemingly unrelated gender roles are deeply ingrained in the childrens minds from the earliest stages of their lives. Stronger support of traditional child rearing methods comes from parents who insist that the old way is the best. Parents or the caregivers in the earliest stages of life influence the perspectives of their children. Many mothers, for instance, explicitly tell their children how to act in front of an opposite gender. Girls are constantly pressured to act polite, shy, or naÃÆ'Â ¯ve. Boys are pressured with certain standards, such as academic achievement, manners, or bravery. Parents and caregivers incessantly pressure their children with set standards to perform (Akrami 68). Later, when they reach certain age, women are told not to be bossy or out-spoken. At the same time, men are told take care of the weak and to take control. These stereotypical gender biases are constantly rooted to children until they become adults. (Barnette 72). Proponents of gender role reinforcements taught to children argue that it is the most basic job of the parents to teach their children the most natural state of being (Davis 34) Theres nothing wrong with teaching children how to live their life; however, forceful brainwashing or constant reinforcements regardless of the childrens unique character will definitely become a problem. The parents were educated like that from their parents. Thats probably the reason why many people blindly insist certain characters or traits to their children. Parents must realize that the world is changing. Gender stereotypes must be fixed or eradicated altogether according to the pace of change in the modern society. Thats the key to more understanding and wider scope of perspective. To sum up, sexism is alive and well in our society. It is prevalent in our society, especially in the workplace, granting only partial benefits and opportunities to women. Gender stereotypes are strongly reinforced and taught in the media and in our own homes. To accomplish an absolute equality in our society, both men and women must work together for a very long time with respect. Drastic change is very unlikely, but small changes in thoughts will definitely improve the problem of sexism and discrimination in our society.

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

A Waste Of Talent :: essays research papers

On his tenth birthday Jim Walker was introduced to the game of basketball by receiving a basketball from his uncle Mark Walker. Jim acted as if he loved the gift to please his uncle but really expected more from him. Jim never really played basketball at this age because he would rather spend his time doing things most other ten year olds did like riding bicycles and playing with G.I. Joes. On the same birthday Jim’s mother, Althea gave him ankle weights. She gave him this because she realized her son had a talent, which was jumping high, hoping this talent would payoff for both of them in the future. Jim and his family were not very wealthy living in the Harlem projects were drugs and constant violence plagued the neighborhood so he didn’t really receive many other gifts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With these two gifts in hand he started playing basketball at the local parks developing his game. He would play and practice with the ankle weights on, realizing he like playing and was pretty good at the game. At the age of thirteen he was playing a full court pick up game at a local park with a group of older guys. While coming down the basketball court at the height of five feet four inches Jim dunked on one of the older kids he was playing with. Word got around neighborhood that there was a thirteen year old who could dunk on the standard ten foot basketball rim in the park. People started to respect Jim because of his basketball skills. He also started getting girls because of his skills and off the court began hanging out with a bad crowd doing drugs and not doing his schools work. Sometimes as a bet and to show off exactly how high he could jump he would snatch money that was placed on the top of backboard rims.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jim was then recruited by a very good New York City preparatory school. Jim and the other members of the basketball team were giving preferential treatment because of their good record. They were allowed to get away with murder. The coach of the basketball team made sure Jim’s work was done and showed him ways to cheat on tests. One day the track coach approached Jim and asked him to join the track team to high and long jump for him.

Katharina and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakesp

Katharina and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare My two favourite characters from the play, The Taming of the Shrew, which was written by William Shakespeare, are Katharina and Petruchio. I find them extremely interesting, not just because they are the main characters, but because of their contrast, chemistry and similarity between them. They go from hating each other at the beginning of the book and by the end, Katharina is obedient, the taming is complete and they are married living happily together. Petruchio has one of the main parts to play in the book as 'the tamer' while Katahrina is alongside him as 'the shrew', which in turn makes up the title of the story. Katharina is very argumentative, disagreeable and violent with all her suitors and indeed Bianca, for example the stage directions say that, "Katharina with a whip stands over Bianca, who crouches by the wall, her hands tied behind her." (Act 2, Scene 1, Stage Directions) This shows that she is extremely violent and willing to beat a confession out of anyone. Because Katharina is this way, no man wishes to marry her, although many of tried. But Petruchio comes along and he finds a challenge and, of course, a fair amount of money to profit from the venture. He is interested in the money from the dowry in particular because he enquires, "Then tell me - if I got your daughter's love, what dowry shall I have with her to wife?" (Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 119 - 120) This shows he is probably more interested in the dowry than in Katharina. Now we know that Petruchio is greedy as well as rich! A good scene to show as an example of both Petruchio and Katharina in conversation is Act 2, Scene 1. While Petruchio is in... ... none shall eat; Last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not." (Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 182 - 183) This shows us that Petruchio is starving Katharina of her food and also depriving her of sleep. Hopefully this will turn her into a good person! Petruchio mentions one last thing near to the end of his second soliloquy, which tells us exactly why he is doing this: "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness." (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 193) In conclusion I think the two make an entertaining pair, which make the story thoroughly enjoyable for many people. The 'tamer' and 'the shrew' are amazingly similar in different ways and in the end Petruchio and Katharina bonded. Katharina becomes extremely well behaved and obedient even more so than Bianca, the total opposite to what she used to be. The taming of the shrew is complete and thus, the story ends. Katharina and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakesp Katharina and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare My two favourite characters from the play, The Taming of the Shrew, which was written by William Shakespeare, are Katharina and Petruchio. I find them extremely interesting, not just because they are the main characters, but because of their contrast, chemistry and similarity between them. They go from hating each other at the beginning of the book and by the end, Katharina is obedient, the taming is complete and they are married living happily together. Petruchio has one of the main parts to play in the book as 'the tamer' while Katahrina is alongside him as 'the shrew', which in turn makes up the title of the story. Katharina is very argumentative, disagreeable and violent with all her suitors and indeed Bianca, for example the stage directions say that, "Katharina with a whip stands over Bianca, who crouches by the wall, her hands tied behind her." (Act 2, Scene 1, Stage Directions) This shows that she is extremely violent and willing to beat a confession out of anyone. Because Katharina is this way, no man wishes to marry her, although many of tried. But Petruchio comes along and he finds a challenge and, of course, a fair amount of money to profit from the venture. He is interested in the money from the dowry in particular because he enquires, "Then tell me - if I got your daughter's love, what dowry shall I have with her to wife?" (Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 119 - 120) This shows he is probably more interested in the dowry than in Katharina. Now we know that Petruchio is greedy as well as rich! A good scene to show as an example of both Petruchio and Katharina in conversation is Act 2, Scene 1. While Petruchio is in... ... none shall eat; Last night she slept not, nor tonight she shall not." (Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 182 - 183) This shows us that Petruchio is starving Katharina of her food and also depriving her of sleep. Hopefully this will turn her into a good person! Petruchio mentions one last thing near to the end of his second soliloquy, which tells us exactly why he is doing this: "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness." (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 193) In conclusion I think the two make an entertaining pair, which make the story thoroughly enjoyable for many people. The 'tamer' and 'the shrew' are amazingly similar in different ways and in the end Petruchio and Katharina bonded. Katharina becomes extremely well behaved and obedient even more so than Bianca, the total opposite to what she used to be. The taming of the shrew is complete and thus, the story ends.

Leonardo da vinci :: essays research papers

Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452.Leonardo da Vinci was educated in his father's house receiving the usual elementary education of reading, writing and arithmetic. In 1467 he became an apprentice learning painting, sculpture and acquiring technical and mechanical skills. He was accepted into the painters' guild in Florence in 1472 but he continued to work as an apprentice until 1477. From that time he worked for himself in Florence as a painter. Already during this time he sketched pumps, military weapons and other machines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Between 1482 and 1499 Leonardo worked for the of the Duke of Milan. He was described in a list of the Duke's staff as a painter and engineer of the duke. As well as completing six paintings during his time in the Duke's service he also advised on architecture, fortifications and military matters. He was also considered as a hydraulic and mechanical engineer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During his long stay time in Milan, Leonardo became interested in geometry. He read Leon Battista Alberti's books on architecture and Piero della Francesca's On Perspective in Painting. Leonardo da Vinci illustrated Pacioli's Divina proportione and he continued to work with Pacioli and is reported to have neglected his painting because he became so engrossed in geometry.Leonardo studied Euclid and Pacioli's Suma and began his own geometry research. He sometimes gave mechanical solutions. He gave several methods of squaring the circle, again using mechanical methods. He wrote a book, around this time, on the elementary theory of mechanics which appeared in Milan around 1498. Leonardo certainly realised the possibility of constructing a telescope and in Codex Atlanticus written in 1490 he talks of making glasses to see the Moon enlarged. In 1499 the French armies entered Milan and the Duke was defeated. Some months later Leonardo left Milan together with Pacioli. He travelled to Mantua, Venice and finally reached Florence. Although he was under constant pressure to paint, mathematical studies kept him away from his painting activity much of the time. He was for a time employed by Cesare Borgia as a senior military architect and general engineer. By 1503 he was in Florence advising on the project to divert the River Arno behind Pisa to help with the siege of the city which the Florentines were engaged in. He then produced plans for a canal to allow Florence access to the sea. The canal was never built nor was the River Arno diverted.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Confessions: A Review Essay

In Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Rousseau seeks to explain who he is by trying to paint layer by layer, a portrait of himself, without missing any details and having his end product being interpreted by his readers. Rousseau was born into a lower class family, part of the commons, in a childhood mixed with medieval and modern values and lifestyles. Rousseau was a product of a mother and father who married out of love, being born into a nuclear family rather than the traditional big family of the medieval times. His mother passed away at Rousseau’s birth and even though his father abandoned him at a young age, he still had a close relationship to Rousseau for he thought him how to read. As Rousseau grew older, he became independent and begun an apprenticeship as an engraver. In his confessions, he reveals an experience of being beaten at the age of 11 by a much-loved female nanny twice his age—and desiring to be beaten again, which he evaluates as being his admission into the world of adult sexuality. Rousseau does not agree with the medieval traditions of corporal punishment. He believes beating children will lead them to become mischievous, sneaky, and sexual deviances. Rousseau’s intended audience was made for the general public of Europe to read. He wanted to express his individualism and try to get his audience to know his true self. Rousseau also wanted the public to know all his secrets and love him regardless so he can establish the personal bonds which he describes were stripped by money, â€Å"the money you have gives you freedom. The money you pursue enslaves you†. Given that man contributes his mutual consent to money as a store of value in a society, Rousseau believes money has both positive and negative traits. He states that money is virtuous since it gives an individual independence but goes on to also state that money brings the disadvantage of breaking personal bonds. Moreover, the significance and effects of The Confessions reaches toward the emphasis of discipline and upbringing of children. Rousseau tells his audience how childhood experiences can carry psychologically into adulthood, especially in relation to the development of sexuality and deviance. The Confessions influenced society to change. Even though some members where not comfortable with this change Rousseau had regardless already brought upon the ideas which reformed the way of many individuals’ outlook and thinking towards their families, children, money, personal bonds, private properties, etc.