Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Condition of Twenty-First Century Societies Essay - 3

The Condition of Twenty-First Century Societies - Essay Example There is a certain kind of instability that law would display as a social institution in the twenty-first century. Apart from this, there would also be a certain privileging of diplomatic ties between nations. This would lead to a situation of anarchy within the society that one is a part of.  Ã‚   Many have argued that law is not a viable mode of controlling society in the event of societies being controlled by pragmatic forces rather than the law. Diplomatic ties and the maintenance of economic structures can then be looked upon as the reasons as to why the law is adhered to in the society of the twenty-first century. In cases where the law does not facilitate this, it may be flouted with the consent of the very people and institutions which had created them. This flexibility in the operation of the law is a phenomenon that is expected to continue in the twenty-first century. The possibilities of chaos thus remain even in the twenty-first century that shows no signs of effecting a change in this regard. This has implications for the way one views social institutions and their methods of functioning. This also implies a change in the conventional notions of what constitutes a civilization and civilizational ethos. By the time of the end of the cold war itself, â€Å"it was cl ear that law could not constrain the external behavior of nations in any serious way; only the use of force was respected. If realists were correct that states were rational, unitary actors concerned with their own survival, then they would be loath to enter into agreements that in any way constrained their ability to act.† (Raffo et al. 2007, 5). Here, what is important is the primacy of politics in shaping the way the world is.  Ã‚  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Who Is Jesus Christ Essay Example for Free

Who Is Jesus Christ Essay Jesus is the central figure of Christianity. For some believers, Jesus is the son of God and the Virgin Mary, who lived as a Galilean Jew, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and rose from the dead. Even for many non-believers, Jesus is a source of wisdom. In addition to Christians, some non-Christians believe he worked healing and other miracles. Believers debate issues of the relationship between Jesus as God the Son and God the Father. They also debate aspects of Mary. Some believe they know details about the life of Jesus not recorded in the canonical Gospels. Debates sparked so much controversy in the early years that the emperor had to convene gatherings of Church leaders (ecumenical councils) to decide the course of Church policy. More than two thousand years ago God sent Jesus Christ into this world. He became one of us, but he did nothing wrong. He showed us what God is like merciful and kind. He healed the sick people, the blind were made to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk. Some people followed him, and to them he gave a new way of life God’s way. But others hated Him because He was so good, and he exposed their evil ways. He gave his own life as a sacrifice, a payment for our sins. He died on the cross to save us. Three days after he died, Jesus Christ came back from the dead. Now He lives in the power of an endless life to meet your need, to be your Savior, to forgive your sins. Jesus Christ is the only one who can do this for you. Most evidence for Jesus comes from the four canonical Gospels. Opinions differ on the validity of apocryphal texts like the Infancy Gospel of Thomas and the Proto-Gospel of James. Perhaps the biggest problem with the idea that Jesus is an historically verifiable figure for those who do not accept the validity of the Bible is the lack of corroborating evidence from the same period. The major ancient Jewish historian Josephus is usually cited as mentioning Jesus, yet even he lived after the crucifixion. Another problem with Josephus is the issue of tampering with his writing. Here are the passages attributed to Josephus said to help substantiate the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Relationship between philosophy and science

Relationship between philosophy and science The essence of philosophy lies in know thyself as Greek philosopher Socrates defined his motto of life. Indeed, this search for self identity arose when human race first experienced consciousness in the course of evolution. So, it may be argued that philosophy (which comes from the Greek word, phileÃÆ'Â ®n, which means to love) is as old as the very beginning of human civilization.If we analyze the works of great ancient philosophers, for example, Aristotle and Plato, then it will reveal that their scientific attempt was also significant. In fact, they were the predecessors of modern science. Until the medieval ages, the separation between philosophy and science (which comes from a Latin word for knowledge) was not distinctive. However, due to stubbornness of the church controlled society in Europe the severe conflict between science and theology was set off, especially during 17th century, when the era of historical unfriendliness between philosophy, and science began. During this time, due to fast development of science, the independence of science from philosophy became clear. Unlike theology both philosophy and science follow logical methods to gather knowledge. However, the methods they use are a lot different. Philosophy naturally highlights on a biased mould in gaining knowledge as it states the importance of an individual in the universe as well as in the society. On the other hand, science concentrates on the realistic world and tries to find out relationships among measurements of various facts in the real world. Science and philosophy are very different things. Science tells us the facts of the universe, where philosophy helps us interpret them. I think that there is certainly a mutual effect between the two, philosophy may help determine what science investigates, and science may support or prove false philosophy with factual exposure, but in many ways they do not have common characteristics. A philosophy explanation is based on reasoning and argu ments from values, whereas a scientific explanation is based on reasoning from observed facts. I find that philosophy is the reasonable, and sometimes unreasonable, search of the truth. They question what is true, how does one test that something is true, what are good ways to search for truth and how should the truth be structured? The biggest question tends to be, what is? These are all philosophical questions. Science is the study to find how things work, but must assume a certain philosophical basis. First, it must assume that what we observe is real and not imagined. Second, it must assume that what we are observing is objective and repeatable. Finally, science states that all the knowledge it gathers is testable. If I declare that something is true, then I must be able to observe something that can tell me whether or not it is true. The truly interesting fact about science is that nothing can ever be considered really true, just not falsified. Scientific theories are always ca utious, and they are always either improved upon or abandoned in favour of new ones. So then I find myself thinking, how come we are willing to live with uncertainty and constant revision in science, but demand some sort of definitive truth from philosophy? Now why is it that so many people take sides on a dispute that doesnt make much sense, rather than be pleased about what the mind can achieve through the joint efforts of two of its most familiar intellectual traditions? I think the answer here is that scientists have been made conceited in recent times by their acquired status and improved financial resources, so that they dont think they need to bother with activities that dont bring in large amounts of money in funding every year. Philosophy, on the other hand, ismuch harder to define. Generally speaking, it can be thought of as an activity that uses reason to explore issues that include the nature of reality (metaphysics), (The first philosophy (Metaphysics) is universal and is exclusively concerned with primary substance. And here we will have the science to study that which is just as that which is, both in its essence and in the properties which, just as a thing that is, it has. (Aristotle, 340BC)) the structure of reasonable thinking (logic), the limits of our understanding (epistemology), the meaning implied by our thoughts (philosophy of language), the nature of the moral good (ethics), the nature of beauty (aesthetics), and the internal workings of other disciplines (philosophy of science, philosophy of history, etc.). Philosophy does this by methods of study and questioning that include rational arguments. Now, it seems to me that: a) philosophy and science are two distinct activities, b) they work by different methods (observation-based hypothesis testing vs. reason-based logical analysis), and c) they inform each other in a co-dependent manner. Science depends on philosophical theories that are outside the range of experimental validation, bu t philosophical investigations should be informed by the best science available in a range of situations, from metaphysics to ethics and philosophy of mind. So when some critic for instance defends that science can start an attack on all religious beliefs, they are surrendering too much to science and too little to philosophy. Yes, science can experimentally test specific religious claims, but the best objections against the thought are philosophical in nature. The issue is can philosophy advance by itself, without the support of science? Can science work without philosophy? The answer is even though philosophy and science are now two unique areas, to achieve significant knowledge, mix together the outcomes of both domains is a must. In fact, philosophy and science have always learned from each other. Scientists filter what they observe as best they can. They hypothesize, waiting for someone to make a more sophisticated estimate. Scientists consider doubt as a condition they must li ve with. They can live with mistaken belief. For example, a scientist might see only grey squirrels all his life and conclude that all squirrels are grey. His theory is then destroyed when he sees a red squirrel. There is a difference between science as a method and the philosophy of science. Although the scientific method has origins in philosophy, people are free to use the scientific method which rejects the philosophy of science. The science of biology can be educated in a classroom without teaching the philosophy of science. Science as a method tackles experimental questions, and an individual can work at science without believing in the supernatural. The philosophy of science holds that people should limit their beliefs to that which is experimental, in other words rule out the supernatural. The philosophy of science is sceptical about matters away from the untested. The function of philosophy draws imaginary pictures of whatever we observe or feel. Philosophy should be concer ned as much with generating questions as to the finding of answers. Philosophy is biased by nature, but to be biased does not mean to be inferior. Science certainly has its qualities. It is logical and highly organized and it pays attention to the evidential truth. It has producedtechnological surprises and speeded up the materialistic progress of human civilization. It is also basically whatever can be proved independently. And whatever can be proved without bias, as at first it was known to humans in a prejudiced style. Though science has a major relevance in the world, philosophy is much broader than science. I feel that science is what questions have been objectively answered. Whereas philosophy is what could be the more and more questions and what could be all the possible answers to those more and more questions. Philosophy takes priority over science because it is philosophy which has to raise questions and then to propose answers. Science takes only the answers, out of all t he proposed answers, which can be experimentally proved by using the accessible experimental procedures. It is often said that philosophers create knowledge by simply thinking, whereas scientists create knowledge by observing. Galileos experiments about speed of falling objects having different weights as well as about the projectile motion were actually his purposeful attempts to just check the legitimacy of the previously well-known Greek philosophical views regarding these matters. In my opinion, the formation of knowledge is not the role of the scientist. To create new knowledge is actually the role of the philosopher. The role of the scientist is just to extract the objective truths out of already existing ideas. Through experimentation the scientist would bring alterations in many already existing vague philosophical ideas by setting up the exact quantitative relationships between already existing variables. There is a positive role of a scientist. He has to put into operation his advanced theories by discovering and applying new technologies. Science, without philosophical process, turns into no reasonable findings. But, philosophy, without the logical methods of science, results in nonsense. One compliments the other and both are essential to the systematic growth of knowledge. In conclusion, I believe that if a study does not pass the tests of reason, and experimentation, where practical, we have accomplished nothing. Science and philosophy both posses their own qualities and faults in unique ways. Their relationship is competitive at times but neither one would stand at the level of development they have achieved today, without the other.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

The great potato famine was a period of great starvation, disease and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852 which made the Irish population dropped my 25 percent. The potato famine started in September 1845. It was so bad it killed over millions of men children and women... The leaves on potato plants turned black and curled and then rotted and there was a fog over the fields a crossed Ireland. This fungus named â€Å"phytophthora infestans† caused the potato leaves to turn black and curl up. In this paper I will be talking about the history of the potato, the migration of the potato blight, land consolidation, agriculture laws in Ireland, and food exports in Ireland during the time of the famine, potato dependency, and the Irish/England relationship at the time, Ireland History, and then I will be wrapping it up with my conclusion. First I’m going be talking about the history of the potato. In this paragraph I will be talking about the history of the potato. The potato comes from the Andes, where they can grow in one single field they can grow 40 potato. The potato was introduced to England in 1565. Sir Walter Raleigh planted potatoes the first time in Ireland around the 1580s. Potatoes are the main nutrient source and support of life, and without it, hundreds of people will die. And the cause of the diseases a lot of people died. At first Ireland used the Potato as a back-up grain. Observers reported seeing children crying with pain and looking like they haven’t eaten in forever that made them look like skeletons. A lot of bodies were buried without coffins, and were buried with a few inches below the soil. Over the next ten years a lot of people died about 750,000. More than a million Irish people died about 1 every nine d... ...nd London during 1847. Now I will be talking about Irelands History. I will start beginning talking about Irelands History. Ireland's population growth in the first half of the Nineteenth Century had been great. Until The Great Potato Famine. The Great Potato Famine was most disaster in Ireland History. In the spring of 1847 the British helped out Irish and had soup kitchens for the people that didn’t have any food. Conclusion! During the great potato famine over two million people died. One million died because of starve starvation. And the others died from diseases associated with the famine. After the famine the people hunger suffered for years after. Now that I told you everything in the paper I will talk a little bit about them to finish my essay. The History of the Potato, The potato is the most important thing In Ireland and without it people will die.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Owens & Minor case for aligning supply chain incentives Essay

Executive Summary Statement of issues: Due to the changes of business environment, O&M suffered a continuous loss on business. Instead of acting individually, customers formed buying groups and combined buying power to gain advantages in negotiating gross margin with distributor. With the increased popularity of JIT and stockless idea, customers want to shift cost and risk associated with inventory to distributor, and they also want distributor to provide better services at its own expense. Moreover, competitions from private label distributors and manufacturing distributors further squeezed profit margin of our company. Owens and Minor play a very important role in the entire SC. They are in charge of providing information to manufacturers on product flow. Their services to the hospitals include storing the inventory in their warehouse and making constant shipments based on stockless and JIT strategy, thus taking all the financial risk in inventory handling and storage. They don’t add value to the product itself, but they do add a lot of value to the SC. The nature of distribution has changed over time. The bargaining power of hospital has increased due to mergers and alliances, pressuring the distributors to reduce their margins. Upstream members of the SC have also put some pressure on O&M to take additional cost in their operations. If the ABP strategy could be successfully implemented, both distributor’s and customers’ incentives could be allied. Customers would be willing to order expensive products via distributors’ channel instead of buying directly from manufacture. Generally, customers who could reduce or simplify the activities happened through the supply chain would adopt ABP faster. Also, customers who understood and were willing to develop a sustainable relationship with distributors would adopt the ABP first. ABP was a new concept and its value had not been proven. Aggressive  implementation of new idea such as ABP might drive customers away and fed competitors. There are internal obstacles exist in the ABP implementation. Hospitals have to restructure its organizational structures to fit in ABP system. Rearranging employees and reallocating facilities would increase the distrust to ABP system. Also, a substantial amount of investment is needed for establishing the EDI system. How to overcome these obstacles and make ABP implementation smooth is a big challenge. In order to illustrate the idea of ABP more clearly, we have come up a simple pricing matrix based on ABC method. We have identified two cost drivers and separated fixed and variable costs from general cost information. However, for simplicity we have not considered the cost difference of EDI and non-EDI ordering in this simple matrix. Owens and Minor should carefully deal with its customers’ resistance to the new pricing system by making them truly understand the new system and benefits they would get after the implementation. Owens and Minor also needed to launch a pilot program before full implementation and provide help and support to its customers to insure the success of the implementation. Statement of issues Historically O&M was doing very well in the industry, however, for recent years company suffered continuous loss on business. At the end of 1995 O&M had ended with an $11 million loss due to decrease in gross margin and an increase in expense. There are many reasons that caused this result, and we are going to identify the most important ones. Healthcare industry has changed a lot since 1980. Historically, hospitals purchased healthcare products individually. However, in order to achieve economies of scale and gain more control over supply costs, hospitals joined forces with other hospitals to form large buying groups. With such combined buying powers, hospitals are much more powerful in negotiating gross margins  and service levels with distributors. Distributors are forced to cut gross margins and increase service level. A quote from O&M manager can illustrate this situation very well: â€Å"whoever had the strongest will would win the price†. Apparently, in current supply chain, the relationship between distributors and customers is not harmonious. Moreover, with the increased popularity of Just-In-Time and stockless management ideas, hospitals are reluctant to hold large inventory because they wouldn’t benefit from JIT whose primary principle is to lower inventory carrying cost by ordering when needed. Instead, they want distributors provide Just-In-Time delivery service. Also customers require special handlings such as smaller package and different products batching and these services are at distributors own costs. Distributors also experienced margin pressure from the manufacturing side because manufactures do no compromise on the already low healthcare product price. Competitions in the industry also results profit decline of O&M, especially with distributors who also produce healthcare products entered the market. Those distributors are able to offer extremely low price to customers because they are the manufactures as well. Even though O&M commits to provide better service, it lost many customers because of this. Analysis of Data Services rendered by O&M and changes in Distribution. Owens & Minor play a tremendous role in this industry’s Supply-Chain. They are in charge of providing information to manufacturers on product flow such as: market trends, buying patterns and product penetration, so that their suppliers use this valuable information in order to manage their operations and production schedules. By doing so, manufacturers are able to produce the right quantity of supplies, which in turn reduces stockouts and/or excess stock costs, in other words O&M provide the necessary tools for the upstream members to have adequate inventory production planning. As for their customers, their role is to purchase the products from the manufacturers and ship those medical supplies to their warehouse where they will store them until delivery to the hospitals. So O&M owns and manage the inventory themselves, taking all the financial risk associated with product handling, shipment and storage. â€Å"O&M’s main operational functions included receiving, put-away, order picking and shipping†. O&M don’t add value to the product itself since they just act as an intermediary to pass the products from the manufacturer directly to the hospitals, however they do add value to the Supply-Chain. They enrich the SC with the necessary information needed to avoid phenomena such as the Bullwhip Effect and they bring expertise in stockless and JIT inventory management systems, consequently lowering costs along the chain. However, it is certain that the nature of distribution, that is, the role of O&M has changed through time and not for the greater good. This change has occurred mainly with its downstream partners the hospitals. They have shifted they costs to their distributors and demanded better and faster service without any additional rewards, this is why O&M relies heavily on its logistics department to make process more efficient. This was made possible for hospitals due to their increase in power by merging or joining forces with other hospitals. Voluntary Hospitals of America member hospitals represented $1.2 billion in annual revenue to the company, meaning that O&M’s switching cost is too high. They are able to minimize their own costs by forcing distributors to hold their inventory and transport in smaller units, sending it to the nursing and surgical units instead of leaving it at the loading dock as before. Margin pressures have also been present upstream with manufacturers, which were reducing discounts even as small as 0.5%, thus lowering significantly up to 31% distributors net profits before tax. A main issue taken from this case is that incentives along the Supply-Chain are not aligned. The risks and rewards of doing business are not fairly distributed across the network. Even if the manufacturers and hospitals are better off with the cost-plus strategy, the whole SC still does not have a win-win situation and they might lose against other Supply Chains. The truth  behind this issue lies in that there is no trust in the SC, this assumption is made given that nobody wants to share critical information, which enhances Impact of Cost-Plus Pricing on the members of the Supply-Chain. On the side of the distributors O&M, engaging in a cost-plus pricing strategy means charging a 7% markup, meaning that profits lie on expensive products, which they don’t have the change to deliver cause Hospitals bypass them and deal directly with manufacturers in order to avoid the 7% increase in prices. The most important aspect to consider about this strategy is that it does not take into account the services added. In addition, this method caused the effect of Distributor giving more and better service holding more inventories, which increases carrying costs and risk of damage during storage. Distributors enforce supply-chain speed without any additional profits. On the customer’s side, cost-plus pricing implies less risk on inventory carrying cost, creating more incentive for hospitals to order frequently due to flat rate. Nevertheless, there is some unethical activities in which they can participate. They can avoid paying high costs on expensive products to their distributors by jumping them through the SC and dealing with manufacturers instead, an activity called â€Å"cherry-picking†. Finally, the manufacturer engaging in cost-plus strategy needed to handle some shipment to deliver, mainly expensive products, to hospitals. This resulted in inefficiency for both parties due to the fact that manufacturers required hospitals to buy in bulk and they did not have the space or management systems as distributors did to handle the product. Mishandling, damaging and loosing expensive items often occurred in the â€Å"cherry-picking† process. Alternative Courses of Action for O&M. Based on our five quantitative and qualitative decision criteria: cost, time, ease of implementation, customer satisfaction and future benefit for the  company, we are able to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative and help us make the best decision. 1)Status Quo: The easiest option for O&M is to keep operating as they are, which is not the best alternative for them for financial reasons. They currently have customers who are not profitable for the company, customers who keep asking for higher service at the same price that would keep profit margins low as personnel costs increase. For the year of 1995 they incurred a net loss of $11.3 million, which compared to last year’s profit of $7.92 million represents a dramatic and also unstable change. Based on this data, the assumption is that the upstream and downstream partners will not change their business habits and incentives will keep unaligned and that the company will not be able to reduce costs to an extent where they can offset service costs and generate profits. O&M will keep generating loses for the company and will ultimately yield to bankruptcy. The time to implement is inexistent, since no actions are made. The cost of implementation is also inexistent; nevertheless the company’s cost on the long run will be very high because cost-plus strategy is not profitable for them. There is no ease of implementation. The customer’s benefit is high, since they don’t have to pay additional service and inventory carrying cost. The future benefit for the company is very low, might loose contract with clients because of their lack of ability to fulfill all products and keep taking all the costs. 2) Vertical Integration: Our second proposed alternative is vertical integration, which means to acquire a manufacturing plant. By using this strategy, O&M would be able to create its own healthcare product brand and reduce the purchasing price on that. Thus, O&M could offer a more competitive price to its customers and might get some recovers from the high operating costs. However, there are some problems associated with this alternative. O&M had to spend time on finding suitable acquiring target, understanding manufacturing process and integrate the manufacturing plant into the company system. Therefore, this strategy requires a relatively longer time period to get things work. On the other hand, in order to do vertical integration, O&M had to prepare a huge amount of cash. Based on the fact that O&M’s current cash flow was very tight, acquiring a manufacture  would have a big impact on company’s financial health. Implementation of this strategy would be quite diffi cult as well. Since O&M had no experience on healthcare manufacturing, it has to get familiar with the process from very beginning. Also, how to control manufacturing cost at a competitive level is a new challenge to O&M. Because O&M can create its low-cost private label products under this strategy, it has the incentive to promote private label products to hospitals. However, hospitals do not like private label products since it limits the scope of choice so under this strategy customer satisfaction level is low. In general, vertical integration is effective in reducing company’s cost on healthcare products purchasing but requires a substantial investment and long implementation period. Customer satisfaction is also low in this case. 3)Selected ABP: Another alternative that O&M could use is to use ABP system only on certain type of customers. More specifically, O&M could choose unprofitable customers to implement ABP and keep its profitable customers status quo. The time required for this alternative will not take too long, less than 6 months would be a reasonable estimation. The majority of time would be spent on the analysis of profitability of customers. The challenge of implantation this alternative is to make sure the customer profitability analysis would be done under a proper and correct result would be produced. To estimate customer satisfaction after the implementation, we needed to split our customers into two groups. Those customers determined as â€Å"profitable† to us under current cost-plus system would likely to maintain the current satisfaction level, but customers viewed as â€Å"unprofitable† would feel less satisfied since they would have to pay more after ABP implemented. The downsides of this alternative are the risk to drive some customers away and the increased complexity of our pricing system which might lead increased error rate. The good side is that O&M would benefit in the long run because of the elimination of unprofitable customers. If O&M would have all the information and could develop correct ways to conduct the analysis, this alternative would be a possible choice to lead O&M succeed. 4)ABP for all Customers: this final alternative considers implanting ABP to all customers, both profitable and non profitable. The cost of this option  is higher than â€Å"Selective ABP† previously mentioned, due to the fact that all customer base will be subject to EDI technology and connecting to all of them takes organization within the company and thus training cost by employees for both O&M and hospitals. The time to implement will be longer compared to Selective ABP; however based on our assumption that O&M will be located higher on the learning curve, their time per implementation per customer will be less the more customers they have previously served. The easiness of implementation therefore is not easy due to the large customer base dealt and new systems and training needed. However, the future benefits, not only for O&M, but also for the entire SC will be substantially improved in the sense that incentives would be aligned. Based on previous analysis on alternatives, we conclude that â€Å"ABP for all customers† is the most feasible solution that can maximise company’s profits, as well as aligning the incentives along the SC. This is important not only for the short term, but also for the long term of the entire chain. Impact of ABP on Customer Behavior. Before the implementation of ABP (activity based pricing), the current dominant form of pricing in the medical/ surgical industry was cost-plus pricing. If the ABP strategy could be successfully implemented, both distributor’s and customers’ incentives could be allied. Under ABP, the distribution fee was no longer based on the value of item but the value of service. In that way, Owen & Minor’s customers would begin to think about the real cost of various activities through the supply chain. Instead of wanting to order as less as possible per time and increasing order frequency, customers would begin to seek a way to reduce the order frequency to reduce the distribution fee charged by Owen & Minor. Also, since now the fee was not determined by product value, customers would be willing to order expensive products via distributors’ channel instead of buying in bulk directly from manufacture. So the possibility of mishandling, damaging and lost of expensive items would be reduced. From the distributor’s side, it would be more happy to provide good service because it would be paid based on the service it provided not the value of item. Of course, it’s unlikely to ask all Owen & Minor’s customer to turn to the new pricing system at the same time. Depends on the type of customers, some of them might be adopt the ABP quicker and with less resistance. Generally, customers who could reduce or simplify the activities happened through the supply chain would adopt ABP faster. First, customers willing to simplify or reduce the order frequency would be more likely to adopt the ABP. By doing that, the fee charged by distributor would be decreased. Also, those customers often ordering large amount of expensive items would adopt the ABP first. By doing that, it shits the risk of mishandling, damage and lost to the distributor. Compared with previous fee charged by item value, now they would more likely to pay less but get better service. Furthermore, those customers who understood and were willing to develop a sustainable relationship with distributors would adopt the ABP first. They understood that if distributor was losing money because of the improper pricing system, the entire supply chain would collapse someday and both of them would be hurt finally. There were also risks associated with ABP for Owens and Minor. ABP was a new concept and cost-plus pricing system was still a dominant form in the medical/ surgical industry. It was hard to convince customers adopt the new and even unproven concept. Some customers might turn to other competitors and the relationship that needs built over long time might get hurt. Proposed ABC pricing matrix In order to have a better demonstration, O&M designed a simple pricing scheme using activities-based costing. The pricing scheme is based on two major cost drivers–number of purchase orders per month and number of lines per purchase order. The number of orders was tied up to O&W’s fixed administrative costs and number of lines was tied to variable costs such as the labour handling cost of different products. This is a very primitive matrix because it only listed two cost drives and priced based on them. In reality, there should be a price for every value-adding service provided by distributor and the number of cost drives is huge. However, this simple  pricing matrix could effectively show our clients that their operating cost is associated with level of service they demand, and lower cost is achievable if they can optimize their behaviors. Because we designed this pricing matrix based on two cost drivers, costs included in matrix are directly related to number of ord ers and lines. For example, fixed order costs such as procurement, labeling, account management fees and variable costs like shipping & handling, delivery, interest cost are all included. However, some costs are not comprised in the matrix. O&M believes all costs associate with number of orders are fixed but there are variable costs incur in placing orders. Activities such as taking orders, processing and staging & processing are not free so in the future we need to include these costs in more sophisticated pricing matrix. Moreover, operating cost of an EDI system and a non-EDI system are very different. For simplicity reason we just ignore the difference and assume identical prices for both systems but actually using non-EDI system would incur more cost due to high level of manual works. We have worked out some simple examples on ABP and it shows that company’s profitability increased dramatically under ABP system. Please refer to exhibit #1 fro more details. Risks & Challenges. Although this selected alternative presents many future benefits for the company and the Supply-Chain, certain risks are involved. Risk associated with ABP for Owens and Minor. ABP was a new concept and cost-plus pricing system was still a dominant form in the medical/ surgical industry. It was hard to convince customers adopt the new and even unproven concept. Some customers might turn to other competitors and the relationship that needs built over long time might get hurt. Customer’s entire internal system such as budgeting and incentive programs are formed based on old cost-plus system, and a change in pricing structure is very time consuming. Restructure of pricing system will also affect customer’s buying personnel because their compensation was related to the percentage they negotiate with distributor, and under ABP structure that percentage disappeared Employees on the customer side might have problems understanding the system and change their behaviors to reap maximum savings. Organizational structure will be adjusted to fit ABP which means some employees will be reassigned or resigned, but this decision will have negative impact on morale and productivity. EDI system implementation requires a substantial commitment in resources. Sharing valuable information with customers can be misused at their advantage with O&M’s competitors. The main challenge will be to build mutual trust among the parties involved. Implementation Plan. The successfully have a fully implemented ABP system; we suggest the following action steps: 1.Establish ABP System within the company first and find out cost drivers (services which incur costs). Upgrade IT infrastructure to facilitate further implementation steps. 2.Analyze the benefits of SC based on ABP, benefits such as: improvement on inventory management, aligned incentives to efficiently compete with other Supply Chains, reveal hidden costs on activities, and build long-time relationships, among others. 3.Communicate to selected customers with the previous benefit analysis. 4.Initiate ABP pilot program. 5.Setting up EDI and give continuous support. 6.Adjust and upgrade ABP system based on feedbacks from pilot program 7.communicate to all customers with the success of pilot ABP system 8.Full ABP implementation. (For suggested time-line refer to exhibits.). Conclusion In general, we do see huge potential benefits on the implementation of ABP system. However, risks and challenges will emerge from this alternative and opposition will be strong on the customer side. The implementation steps provide an easy guideline to have a successful ABP system in the SC.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Tanza Oasis

EZEKIEL BRUSAS . PRINCESS PALLASIGUE . REAGIME RUFINO . DAILENE MAE SANCHEZ Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort Table of Contents I. Introduction3 II. Company Profile6 III. Products and Services Offered9 IV. Management and Staff Awareness21 V. Hotel and Resort Analysis31 VI. Recommendations34 VII. References36 VIII. Attachments37 I. INTRODUCTION With technology getting obsolete by the seconds, one wonders if there is any relevance to the future. Especially for the trendy hospitality industry, where the race is to compete in fulfilling guest expectations. These expectations are related to the product, its character and personality.Hotel and resort chains spend a tremendous amount of time and money in researching user-friendly technology to remain competitive. Hotels and resorts are going hi-tech in every area of guest experience. A quick review of the use of technology in hotels and resorts reveals an interesting conclusion. Hotels, which do not keep pace with technology, may lose their gues t base while at the same time, a traveler who does not keep himself updated with technology may feel out of place in hi-tech hotels. Most city hotels are well equipped with latest, state of the art technology.The future hotels might see hotel rooms with much more advanced technology. For example, hotels are now adopting biometrics technology. This technology uses voice, fingerprints or retina scan for personal identification, replacing the room key and combination safe in the rooms. One has to glare at the door to get it opened or, touch the biometric sensor to open the safe. Practically all good hotels have high definition television sets, but with the advent of 3D revolution, hotels will have to switch to new technology sooner than later. The same technology will also be useful for telephonic and video conferencing.Touch screen telephones, compressor free mini bars, in-room environment control, electronic do not disturb signs etc, have now become as part of granted features in the rooms. The introduction of Control4 is going to further revolutionize the hotel systems. Imagine walking to the door of the room, the system detects the person, turns on the lights, TV, sets temperature of the room, and awaits guest’s arrival at the door. The TV starts to play a welcome message or introduces the room features as they enter the room. The system also manages the wakeup call and do not disturb process.Future hotels are going to use room window glass as a TV screen. A switch will make the glass opaque and a projection system from the ceiling will start your favorite program on the screen with surround sound digital speakers. Today, hotels offer high-speed wireless broadband internet connectivity in the rooms with interface to the TV. Some hotels however, offer wireless internet in the entire hotel, in every nook and corner. One can use the laptop anywhere. Hotels also offer color-printing facilities from the laptop at a central printer in the Business Center.Roo m motion sensors detect motion and body temperature, and set the room parameters to suit your body needs. If no motion is detected beyond a specified period, it turns off the air-conditioning, lights and TV. Timer settings are crucial for success of this system. For those who need to relax their muscles, hotels offer an electric massage chair in the rooms. No need to go to the spa for time strapped guests needing a quick fix. For satisfying a demanding hi-tech traveler, the art is to anticipate needs and tailor the product with such elements that satisfies these needs and wants.A few years back an hotelier could not have imagined a guest carrying his virtual office in his laptop, or his music collection in his i-Pod or MP3. Well, today he does. Hotels are therefore providing connectivity of these gadgets to the TV and sound system. Hotels are also providing connectivity cable to connect digital camera to the TV. The guest can view the quality of pictures in the privacy of his room. The bathrooms in hi-tech hotels are a delight to the eye and experience. Most hotels have frost-free mirrors, Multiple Volt shaver sockets, temperature controlled Jacuzzi. Rain shower and aqua massage systems.Heated seats for water closet and bidet are provided for additional comforts. A small color TV at the foot of the Jacuzzi and extension of room telephone. What one would see in the future is that the mirror will double as a computer screen and one could watch mails while soaking in the bath tub, sounds interesting!. The biggest challenge for the hotelier is to keep pace with technology. Implement technology in a cost efficient manner and to know where to draw a line. While being Hi-Tech sounds good, the concept also has a feel good factor, one must understand what and how much should be adopted in a hotel.Going green is another popular trend now, and not just in hospitality. But now, more than ever, resorts are jumping on the green bandwagon in a variety of ways. Be it organic sheets, using solar power or offering climate-neutral rooms, resorts are increasingly moving towards offering earth-friendly amenities. This is just a glimpse of different shades of technology being used or about to debut in hotels and resorts across the globe. The ultimate quality of the experiences and degree of satisfaction of hundreds of guests and visitors depends upon judicious and right use of technology.The smallest glitch in the system is enough to ruin the experience. The art is to anticipate the needs of tomorrow and provide them today, leaving one to wonder what happens the day after. II. COMPANY PROFILE Company Name: Marawi Leisure Park, Inc. Establishment’s Name: Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort Address: Km. 41 Centennial Road. Barangay Capipisa East Tanza, Cavite History In 1994, a group of Filipino and foreign investors launched a hotel in Rosario, Cavite. It was called Mount Sea Fiesta Resort, and became popular vacation spot in the Cavite area.The resort was m anaged by dedicated hoteliers, and soon it expanded its services to include swimming pools, a multi-purpose recreation hall, and other guest facilities. After the success of Mount Sea Fiesta Resort, the investors decided to build a bigger accommodation facility in Tanza, Cavite. The Mount Sea Grand Resort, located on prime property in coastal Capipiza, opened its door on 2001. The resort did not succeed because it is exclusive and expensive. Resort entrance and room rates are not affordable for the locals.In 2011, the Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort opened its door to public. The concept is to provide a premier accommodation facility featuring refreshing seafront views and first-class hotel amenities. It aims to highlight the current globalization of business, and cater to the business people and their families, and the general public. Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort is geared to meet the accommodation requirements of international clientele, as well as the locals. But the investors a nd organizers’ commitment continues to aim for perfection.The company desires to upgrade its system, control and operations. It will become the umbrella of future accommodation properties in Luzon that will reflect the quintessential Filipino hospitality and world-class service. Company Background Vision Tanza’s Oasis Hotel & Resort aims to become the top choice among the business and leisure destinations in Cavite area. Mission Tanza’s Oasis Hotel & Resort strives to delight our guests every time they visit; and to represent the hospitality and warmth of Tanza, Cavite by providing quality service at all times. ValuesTanza’s Oasis Hotel & Resort puts respect honesty, passion, and service from the heart are foremost in its service equation. About Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort is Cavite’s only true resort destination, it offers perfect mix of exceptional resort accommodations, service, comfort and a classic F ilipino hospitality. It is just one hour away from busy life of Metro Manila. Guest will discover a hotel that is modern as well as classically elegant. Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort is owned by a corporation named, Marawi Leisure Park, Inc.The corporation is also the owner of the Mount Sea Resorts. It is located on prime property in coastal Capipisa at Km. 41, Barangay Capipisa Tanza, Cavite. The soft opening started on March 10, 2011, and has its grand opening last March 2012. The Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort caters to all visitors from all walks of life whether it is just a solo traveler or a couple on a honeymoon, or family in a vacation or companies for functions and meetings. These kinds of travelers will find a place to stay in the Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort.Although Cavite already has a few hotels and resort to its name (Island Cove, Mount Sea Fiesta Hotel and Resort, Caylabne Bay, Puerto Azul, Microtel Eagle Ridge and others), there is only one area in Cavite that is considered as the major competitor of Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort: Tagaytay City. Small resorts and restaurant around the area of Tanza and Naic, Cavite are considered as their minor competitors. III. Products and Services Offered Throughout the year guests can enjoy all the products and services offered in Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort.They can enjoy dipping in the pool, walking along the sea shore, sensing the touch of massage, savouring the music and drinks at the pool bar, tasting the mouth watering foods at Sagobe Cafe, relaxing stay at the hotel rooms and attending events in luxurious function rooms. Hotel facilities * Ballroom With the elegant fully carpeted ballroom and chandeliers. Sahara Ballroom lends itself to buffets or sit down dinners, as well as conferences and seminars. The kitchen provides plenty of space for the caterer of guest’s choice. Capacity for sit down dinners is 400. 500 for theatre style seating.For convenience, it has a divider that can split the ballroom in half. This is truly Cavite’s most elegant location for any special events. * Business Center The Center provides businesses of all sizes with the office facilities and services they need to be successful. From printers, Xerox machine, Wi-Fi internet. The Center offers the highest quality business services available. * Meeting Room Whether presenting to the largest client or holding off-site company meetings, the meeting rooms are the ideal professional working environment. Hotel Services * Room serviceProviding â€Å"in-room dining† in a hotel, enabling guests to choose menu items for delivery to their hotel room for consumption there. Room Service is organized as a subdivision within the Food & Beverage Department of high-end hotel and resort properties. * Body massage They offer massage service to guest in their private rooms. * Wi-Fi access The lobby area offers free access of internet. * Standby generator The hotel is equipped with standby gener ator in case of emergency or black out. TYPES OF ROOMS ARE: Superior Room The superior rooms are all designed for guests comfort.With the choice of single or twin sharing beds, we have created a spacious, warm, welcoming, light and airy space for them to sleep, relax and work in. Facilities * Hot Bath * Telephone * Refrigerator * Mobile phone recharging plug * Safety deposit box * TV * Solar powered hot water system. Amenities * Shampoo and conditioner * Body soap * Hand bar soap * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Razor blade * Bath towel, face towel, hand towel * Bath mat * Slippers * Hair comb * Hair dryer * Weekday Rate-3,300. 00Weekend Rate-3,850. 00 Deluxe Room The deluxe room offers a peaceful modern vacation retreat from a busy day.The room is spacious and has a large picture windows allowing abundant natural light. They overlook the beach and sunset. Guests can choose between one queen bed or two twin beds. Connecting door to another room is available. Facilities * Hot Bath * Tel ephone * Refrigerator * Mobile phone recharging plug * Safety deposit box * TV * Solar powered hot water system Amenities * Shampoo and conditioner * Body soap * Hand bar soap * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Razor blade * Bath towel, face towel, hand towel * Bath mat * Slippers * Hair comb * Hair dryer * Cotton swabs * Shower cap * Bath robe * Weekday Rate-3,850. 0Weekend Rate-4,400. 00 Junior Executive Suite The Junior Executive Suite offers a matchless vacation experience for the most discriminating traveller. This suite have a comfortable sofa and a king sized bed. Facilities * Hot Bath * Telephone * Refrigerator * Mobile phone recharging plug * Safety deposit box * TV * Solar powered hot water system Amenities * Shampoo and conditioner * Body soap * Hand bar soap * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Razor blade * Bath towel, face towel, hand towel * Bath mat * Slippers * Hair comb * Hair dryer * Cotton swabs * Shower cap * Bath robe * Weekday Rate-4,400. 0Weekend Rate-4,950. 00 Executive Suite It is ideal for individuals or couples who treasure privacy. The executive suite offers a sense of relaxation with amenities set to comfort guest’s stay, with the separate living room and  guest’s toilet. The elegant and spacious one-bedroom suite provides a living space, couch, a scenic view of the beach and a bathroom with the choice of pampering steam bath or Jacuzzi. Facilities * Bath * Steam shower/jacuzzi * Telephone * Refrigerator * Mobile phone recharging plug * Safety deposit box * TV * Solar powered hot water system Amenities * Shampoo and conditioner Body soap * Hand bar soap * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Razor blade * Bath towel, face towel, hand towel * Bath mat * Slippers * Hair comb * Hair dryer * Cotton swabs * Shower cap * Bath robe * Weekday Rate-4,950. 00Weekend Rate-5,500. 00 Presidential Suite Absolutely, everything is provided in this luxurious hotel suite. Guests will enjoy panoramic views of the oasis beach and the swimming pool as well . The bar is stocked to serve the most delectable drinks. They offer spacious sleeping quarters with an En-suite bathroom. This suite consists of a master bedroom, with 3 guest bedrooms.It has a spacious living room, theatre room, dining room and kitchen which are arranged to offer elegance and luxurious comfort with a touch of a home-like essence. Plus it has a separate guest comfort room and maid’s room. Services and facilities in your hotel suite: * Our Guest Relations Team at your service at all times * Telephone * Refrigerator * Safety Deposit Box * LCD TV in the lounge * Television in Rooms * solar powered hot water system * Kitchen with electric stove * Well-stocked mini-bar * Maids room * Laundry area * Separate guest toilet * Use of our gym for your workout Use of our business center and meeting room * Luxurious toiletries * 24 hour room service * Dry cleaning and laundry service * Wi-Fi broad band internet connection. â€Å"En-suite† usually means that the ba throom is connected to the bedroom (that is, you don't have to go out into the hall to access it). Amenities * Shampoo and conditioner * Body soap * Hand bar soap * Toothbrush and toothpaste * Razor blade * Bath towel, face towel, hand towel * Bath mat * Slippers * Hair comb * Hair dryer * Cotton swabs * Shower cap * Bath robe * Weekday Rate-19,800. 00Weekend Rate-23,100. 00 Dinning Sagobe CafeThe restaurant themed and elegantly design for the guests eating ambience, with proper lighting to give you a feeling of warmth and close to nature. They offer an exquisite menu inspired mainly by Filipino dishes with touch of Asian cuisine to add color and variety. They believed natural is the best, they hire only the best chefs to make sure they use only finest and natural ingredients for their enjoyment and satisfaction. The Pool Bar Relax and enjoy the sense of tranquility with drinks and snacks at the bar or served at the sun lounger by the pool. RESORT FACILITIES * Swimming Pool Resort a nd Recreational Facilities Basketball Court The court is available for guests who wants to play basketball. * Billiards Two billiard tables are available to be used by the guests. * Gym Hotel guest can access the gym to maintain the fitness of their bodies. * Obstacle course Team buildings and company outings will enjoy more with the use of obstacle course for their activities. * Souvenir Shop Souvenirs, snacks, swim wears, personalize items are available in the store. * Swimming pool The safari themed swimming pool is equipped with 3 exciting giant pool slides for those who want some action and play house for the kids.It caters to all, both young and adult. * Water sports Water sports activities add value to the resort. It gives additional fun and excitement to guest. Activities included are kayaking, jet ski and zorb ball. * Beach and the sea shore Experience the cold water from the sea and the fresh breeze while walking at the shore. * Grilling station There are 3 grilling statio n for visitors who likes to grilled their foods. * Public sink There are 3 station of sink in the beach front. It is provided for the excursionist in the beach area. * Public Comfort rooms and Shower roomComfort rooms and shower rooms are provided with clean water and are maintained clean and odour free. * Videoke * Volleyball ENTRANCE FEE FOR: PoolDay SwimmingNight Swimming Weekdays 6:30am-5:00pmWeekday is until 6:00-9:00pm Weekends 6:30am-5:00pmWeekends is until 6:00-10:00pm Adult RatePhp 200. 00Php 250. 00 Kiddie RatePhp 150. 00Php 200. 00 (4 feet below) Beach:Php 80. 00 (both adults and kids) Php 100. 00 (overnight rates) Cottages:Day RateOvernight Rate Mini (good for 3-10) Php 750. 00Php 1,000. 00 Mega (good for 10-12)Php 1,200. 00Php 1,500. 00 MEMBERSHIP FEE (Php 4,000. 00) Freebies: One (1) coupon of complimentary stay at our Superior Room * Two (2) coupons of Fifty percent (50%) off on one night room stay at any type of rooms * Two (2) coupons of twenty percent (20%) off on Sagobe Cafe * Five (5) coupon of Swimming Pool Pass Member’s coupons are entitled to: * 20% discount of all types of rooms (max. of 5 transactions per day) * 10% discount on Sagobe Cafe * Php 50. 00 discount on Swimming Pool Entrance (max. of 10 pax per day) * *Prices are subject to change without prior notice Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort also cater: Weddings Perhaps no day in life is more special than the wedding day.Couples deserve to celebrate it with panache- highly elaborate. The hotel offers exquisite set menus of elegant Filipino cuisine prepared by the Executive Chef. They will make every whim and fancy come true. An enchanting and unforgettable wedding waits the guests. Debut Many great things come with turning 18, so it’s no wonder guests want to have an extraordinary party to celebrate it. The hotel and resort have a wide variety of styles and venue that the celebrator will surely find one that perfectly represents herself or the soon to be adult. Kiddie Par ty Celebrate kid’s birthday with fun and excitement at Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort.Whether it’s a 7th birthday or 70th birthday, it can be celebrated in the hotel and resort. From elegant and classic party in the 2 grand ballrooms to garden parties to swimming pool party. Baptismal Baptisms and christenings are joyous occasions that people want to celebrate with family and friends. Make it more special with hosting the party in Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort. Christmas Party The Christmas season brings many reasons to celebrate and gather. Whether be it a family affair or a Traditional Corporate Christmas party, let Tanza Oasis indulge it with the venue, ambiance with sumptuous foods and beverages and cheerful staffs.All Occasions From birthdays, graduation, despedida party, to whatever reason for the celebration, celebrate it in the 2 grand ballroom, garden venue and beach venue at Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort. IV. MANAGEMENT AND STAFF AWARENESS Tanza Oasis Hotel and R esort is composed of seven major departments. These departments are Sales, Front Office, Food and Beverage, Finance, Housekeeping, Human Resource and Security Department. These departments are manned by managers or supervisors. The amount of the staffs engaged in Hotel and Resort largely depends on the season and status of the business.The core staffs compose of 70 personnel. During Peak season, they add staffs to be able to provide good services to the guests, total staffs became 150. The company also accepts On the- Job- Training(s) from Colleges and Universities, 10- to 20 OJTs per batch. These staffs were chosen based on their qualities and abilities. They were given Orientation Program before being employed in the company. The orientation program aims to introduce the employees to their jobs, co- workers, and the organization as well as the company policies, rules and regulations.Other seminars, trainings and workshop were conducted for the improvement of service of the hotel a nd resort employees. Customer Relation Management is one of the seminar provided for the employees, it aims to give knowledge on how to deal with guests and provide good customer service. Next, the Food Safety and Sanitation Program, this seminar was given to the employees under the Food and Beverage Department, it aims to teach them the proper way of handling the foods, preparation and storage.Then, the there are also workshop about personality development, where in employees were given information on how they are going to groom their selves to be more presentable and appealing in the eye of guests and visitors. The company considered the guests comfort and safety as their highest priority, they also provide seminar for the security personnel to ensure that they are thoroughly trained especially in times of emergency. They provide key environmental indicators in order to raise environmental awareness among their associates, guests and communities.Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort ensure s that all the staffs are fully aware of the sustainability policy. They encourage them to adopt sustainable management practices. These are all made possible by means of conducting regular meeting between employees and management. The Organizational Chart General Manager- Mr. Alexander Ngo * A general manager is responsible for a large number of tasks. He will be required to prepare a yearly budget and submit it to the hotel owner, corporate office or possibly a district manager. All employee terminations and new hires will be his responsibility.Hotel room rates fluctuate consistently, and as the general manger of the hotel, it will be his responsibility to decide the best rate for any given day, night, weekend or special event. He will also have the authority to set hotel service standards as well as choose extra services or amenities to make the hotel more appealing to travelers. Assistant General Manager- Mr. Ernie Belen * An assistant manager helps organize and guide a company' s employees. Assistant manager work in a variety of industries, from marketing to sales to food service to hospitality.His duties range widely as well, an assistant manager may hire, train and schedule employees, as well as handle employee performance reviews. Mostly, he assists the direct supervisor in incorporating a company's guidelines and mission. Hotel Manager- Ms. Aura Francisco * She is responsible for the day-to-day management of a hotel and its staff. She has commercial accountability for budgeting and financial management, planning, organizing and directing all hotel services, including front-of-house (reception, concierge, reservations), food and beverage operations, and housekeeping.The Departments and Sub-Department A. Sales Manager – Ms. Susan Co A hotel sales coordinator, under the direction of the sales manager, comes up with new productivity ideas and hotel incentives to draw guests to the hotel. She works alongside sales associates, and mingles with the mar keting, advertising and public relations teams to tap into new sales pitch ideas such as a complimentary weekend breakfast services or couples massage specials to entice prospective executives looking for event locations or vacationers looking for a place to relax. A. 1. Assistant Sales Manager – Mr.Larry Franco An assistant sales manager helps oversee a sales force. Assistant sales managers work in nearly every industry, from retail sales to wholesale and manufacturing to automotive to electronics. They report to the sales manager and are in charge of the staff when she is not working. Assistant sales managers might handle tasks such as scheduling employees, assigning territories or developing sales pitches. A. 2. Sales Representative Cavite Area- Ms. Leah Dator Manila Area- Ms. Reah Llono Sales representative’s main duty is to interest buyers in their company's products.In addition, they answer any questions that potential clients may have. B. Front Office- Ms. Anna Luisa Magbanua In the  hotel  industry, the front office welcomes guests to the accommodation section: meeting and greeting them, taking and organizing reservations, allocating check in and out of rooms, organizing porter service, issuing keys and other security arrangements, passing on messages to customers and settling the accounts. Responsible for organizing, planning, directing and controlling of the Front Office Reception / Cashiers, Reservations, Concierge and Switchboard B. 1. Guest Services Officer They are responsible for the daily operations of the Front Office which includes attending to guests’ requests and enquiries; liaising with prospects to view the rooms. In addition, they are involved in the issuance of apartment keys and maintaining updated registration of residents. B. 2. Concierge * He is a hotel staff member who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations. B. 3. On-the-job Trainees * Tasks learned on-the-job. On-the-job training may be obtained thro ugh day-to-day experience or through instruction from a senior-level employee. C. Restaurant Manager- Mr. Marcos SeguiranFood and beverage manager oversees the operation and ensure the quality of food is consistent throughout the restaurants. Duties include making the employee schedule or daily operations. An accountant can handle financial affairs, including ordering and paying vendors, payroll and taxes. C. 1. Head Waiter- Mr. Orlando Hadlocon * He supervises activities of workers in a section of dining room. Also sometimes receives guests and conducts them to tables. Describes or suggests food courses and appropriate wines. C. 2. Regular Waiters C. 2. a. On-Calls C. 2. b. On-the-job Trainees C. 3. Chief Cook (Domingo Amantiad) He is the person in charge of cooking the food. He normally has more in-depth duties as a fine restaurant contains many courses requiring additional kitchen help, such as pastry or sous chefs. He also has kitchen staff to cut vegetables and prepare or packa ge the meals in addition to dishwashers and bus boys to pick up dirty dishes and clean them. C. 3. Cooks * The cook will help break down the bar and clean up the work area before the shift for the day is over. C. 4. Kitchen Helpers * A kitchen helper has the primary responsibility of keeping the kitchen at a restaurant or other food service operation clean and orderly.He usually has many other duties as well, depending on the type of establishment in which he works. In addition to his cleaning duties, he might assist in the dining area or help the cook with food preparation. C. 5. Dishwashers * The dishwashing job is physical labor. Dishwashers are the serfs of the restaurant world. But most experienced chefs and managers agree that they're among the most important people in the building. The most amazing food in the world will do you no good if you don't have a clean plate to put it on or a clean fork to eat it with. C. 6. Employees Canteen This section prepares the meal of the hot el and resort employees.D. Finance Department It is the department responsible on how  investors  allocate their  assets  over time under conditions of certainty and uncertainty. A key point in finance, which affects decisions, is the  time value of money, which states that a unit of currency today is worth more than the same unit of currency tomorrow. Finance aims to price assets based on their risk level, and expected rate of return. Purchasing Manager (Mary Ann Cabajes) Is an employee within a  company,  business  or other  organization  who is responsible at some level for buying or approving the acquisition of goods and services needed by the company.The position responsibilities may be the same as that of a  buyer  or purchasing agent, or may include wider supervisory or managerial responsibilities. A Purchasing Manager may oversee the acquisition of materials needed for  production, general supplies for offices and facilities, equipment, or construct ion contracts. D. 1. Finance Officer (Rose San Jose) A finance Officer is the one who help the finance manager. She prepares financial reports, oversee investments and help with cash management. E. Housekeeping Department- Mr. Inigo NebridadThis department is responsible for the cleanliness and order on the hotel and resort. E. 1. Officer-In-Charge (Josephine De Vera) General care, cleanliness, orderliness, and maintenance of business or property. Good housekeeping is an important consideration in underwriting of fire hazard and other forms of insurance, as well as in certification by fire, health, and industrial safety agencies. E. 2. Housekeeping Staff Housekeepers are responsible for the cleanliness of all rooms in such a way that a guest would not realize someone had just checked out of the room earlier that same morning.You will also strip every linen off each bed and make each bed according to the hotel standards. The guest rooms are meticulously cleaned and sanitized before a guest arrives. E. 3. Laundry and Linen- Ms. Maribel Pacis It require the housekeepers do the laundry, which will require you to wash, dry and fold all linens, including sheets, pillowcases, comforters and blankets. As a laundry person, you would be required to also remove stains that may be in any linen, when possible. E. 4. Maintenance Supervisor- Mr. Romeo EnracaA hotel maintenance person will ensure that just about everything in the hotel is in proper working order. Daily tasks may include changing light bulbs, removing waste and painting. Other tasks will be assigned as needed, including fixing or replacing toilets, piping, room appliances and vacuums. Many hotels have an indoor pool, and you must ensure that the water pumps and chemical pumps are working correctly. Also, you will need to be familiar with heating and air conditioning units, electrical wiring and plumbing, and how to troubleshoot, fix or replace these items. E. 4. a.Electrician -is a  tradesman  specializing in  electrical wiring  of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. E. 4. b. Plumber/ Painter – E. 4. c. Pool Attendant Head – A pool attendant could be one who attends to the maintenance needs of the pool – cleaning, checking chemical levels, etc. However, in some areas, these duties are also taken care of by lifeguards. E. 4. d. Pool Attendant A pool attendant could also be an individual who takes care of the needs of he people around the pool, such as at a resort or country club. This person serves more or less as a waiter. E. 4. e. Beach Attendant Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches to provide assistance and protection to participants. E. 4. f. Upholstery E. 4. g. Gardeners – their duties include things like watering plants, cutting plants, and trimming grass. F. Human Resour ces- Ms. Jarikah Hernandez Human resource department is devoted to providing effective policies, procedures, and people-friendly  guidelines and support  within companies.Additionally, the human resource function serves to make sure that the company mission, vision,  values  or  guiding principles, the company metrics, and the factors that keep the company guided toward success are optimized. G. Security It is the department within the hotel that is responsible for the safety and security of the hotel. Thing that this department might do include preventing employee theft, keeping trespassers out of the hotel, preventing thefts in the parking lots, and investigating thefts and other security incidents. V. HOTEL AND RESORT ANALYSIS Area| Strength| Weakness| Opportunity| Threat|Rates| The rates in Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort are very affordable. | They have fee for the use of the beach. | They offer membership in the hotel and resort to avail discounted rates and freebies. | Rates for swimming and beach are seasonal. It can increase depending on the season| Transportation and travel| It can be easily reached by land, it will only takes less than an hour from Metro Manila. | If going there without a family car, it is inconvenient since you will be required to transfer to different vehicles. | They provide shuttle service for easier access. Since it is far from the city guests need to pass different Barrios when going to the destination. Some busy Barrios could be the cause of traffic. | Communica- tion| The hotel and resort offers local and international services necessary for communication that the guests expect and deserve; telephones, cellular phones, Internet, cable, and television. | Rates of calls are more expensive when calling to Manila, other provinces and International destinations. They don’t sell prepaid loads for mobile services. | Since technology is booming, internet connection is faster as well as the signal for mobile connection. Guests may not need telephone services inside the hotel rooms when the hotel is equipped with Control4. | Rooms| The good structure of rooms with complete facilities provides comfort and relaxation to guests. | The rooms are not recommended for people with disability since it is less spacious. | Through the latest trends and innovations management can add modern amenities in guests rooms like room motion sensor or Control4 and touch screen telephone. | Guests have different preferences of appreciating a room. | Staffs| They are very welcoming, approachable and friendly.They are trained by the company to be able to provide high class of service to the guests. | They are considered as weakness because they are young in experiences. | This provides job for the people in the community. | They might look for other job because they want to have better career, salary and job experiences. | Building| It is modernly designed with innovative facilities and system and classically elegant. | T hey fail to add elevator as one of the facilities in the hotel. This also becomes burden for staffs in transferring the guest’s luggage into their room. They are open for renovations to follow what is trendy in the industry. | According to DRRM the building may be affected by natural calamities since the establishment is located in flood prone, storm spurge prone and tsunami prone area. | Location| Situated in a town of Tanza, Cavite where you are brought closer to nature. | The location if far from other commercial establishments and city. | The resort can offer more activities since it has an access to the sea for aqua sports. | It is in a residential area. Guests need to pass a number of residences before entering the hotel and resort premise. Cleanliness| The facilities and surroundings are maintained clean and dirt-free by the hotel and resort’s maintenance staff. | The window pane makes the guestrooms less attractive because of the permanent watermarks. | The res idents must clean the surroundings and develop proper garbage disposal so that the Barrio would be more appealing to the visitors. | Garbage from other end of the sea brought by the waves adds dirt to the shore and makes it less appealing. | Social Networking| Their website provides important information about the rates and facilities of the hotel and resort to the guests. Some are not familiar with the website of Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort. | It is now use for the promotion and publicity of the business. | People are given more choices of hotel and resort to visit because information is widely spread through internet. | Competition| The management assures that the company has competitive facilities and rates. | The business is still young therefore they still need improvements of the service, facilities and staffs to be able to compete with bigger resort and hotels. | Their major competitors give them reasons to enhance more their services to exceed guest’s satisfaction. O ther hotel and resort in Cavite might be offering same services or much better services for cheaper rates. | Natural environment| Their location offers nice view of the sea, far from noisy surroundings, and natural sheds from the trees. | Sometimes the seashore has more garbage, brought by the waves. | Having the sea as part of the resort gives them an opportunity to offer more aqua sports like banana boat ride, boating, parasailing and others. | Other guests may not be interested in the sea since it is not that clean and clear. Security| They employed inside security personnel and Tanod for the outside. | They don’t have any security gadgets. Example: Metal detector and luggage scanner| Local government,Barangay, is helping to maintain the peace and order in the community. | Anyone can enter the hotel without getting the attention of the hotel personnel. Guest may feel that | VI. RECOMMENDATION Absolute thing that cannot be denied is the aesthetic of Tanza Oasis Hotel and Re sort in terms of structure, facilities, and the comfort it gives to the guests during their visit and stay.More than anything else it is one of the best hotel and resort you can find in the vicinity of Cavite. Since the hotel and resort starts for almost a year, Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort is not that establish as others did. Several things we noticed in their establishment and management need much more improvement. Social Networking Social networks will be very helpful for the company as a publicity and promotional media. There, they can publicize their rates and promotions. Well defined key work for the name of the establishment will also be helpful for the guest to easily remember it.Transportation and Travel The hotel and resort must provide a well define map for the guest to know the different routes that they can take when going to the resort. Staffs Inexperienced staffs count on weaknesses of the hotel and resort. Staffs that are inadequate in performing their duties and res ponsibilities might decrease the quality of service of the hotel. The action to be taken for further improvement is to hire knowledgeable, trained, and skilled employees for the quality and good results and to give more training. SuperstructureDespite of the beauty and luxury of modern establishment that can be easily seen, there are still things that must be improved. We noticed that the hotel lacks of an elevator which more needed particularly for disabled person as well as for the convenience of the employees in assisting guest’s luggage. The construction of elevator will be a big help for the business. Furthermore, this will benefit the hotel and resort not just in sustaining their goals but also to exceed the expectations of the guests. Security of Guests and EstablishmentsBasically, the primary goal of the hotel and resort is to sell rooms, to provide fun and enjoyment, and to gain more profit. Excursionists and tourists who visit the hotel and resort must be given 24/7 security and safety while staying in the resort premises. To provide the 24/7 security and safety it is advisable to give more attention to the people who come in and out of the establishment. This way the visitors will be worry free while staying in the place. As a conclusion, we recommend to the hotel and resort the need for further management empowerment and innovative facilities to achieve the goals and objectives of the company.VII. REFERENCES AURA FERMO-FRANCISCO Hotel Manager –  Tanza Oasis Hotel & Resort Cavite Sales Office – (046) 6862548 Manila Sales Office – (02) 7080704 / 5243876 Mobile Number – 0905. 276. 4010 [email  protected] com  /  [email  protected] com www. tanzaoasis. com Burnett, T. (2011, January 10). International Resort Trends Have Relevance for European Developers. Retrieved August 25, 2012, from http://www. dmproperties. com/78-international-resort-trends-have-relevance-european-developers. html Gupta, R. (n. d. ) . WOW Hotels & Resorts – Tomorrow Comes Today.Retrieved September 3, 2012, from http://hotel-management. bestmanagementarticles. com/a-44740-wow-hotels-amp-resorts–tomorrow-comes-today. aspx Hotel and Resort Insider. (2011). The upcoming travel trends of 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012, from http://www. hotelresortinsider. com/news_story. php? news_id=135052&cat_id=8 VIII. ATTACHMENTS These photos were taken after the interview with the Hotel Manager, Ms. Aura Fermo Francisco. The day and night view of Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort Facade. The hotel lobby Our photo at the Front Desk with the front desk agent and bellboysOur photo at Sagobe restaurant with the waiters and the Menu The Bar beside the pool and the cocktail menu Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort’s Safari themed swimming pool The Beach Area: Swimming guidelines, Cottages, Sink, Grilling area The Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s shower room Volleyball Area Basketball Court Hotel and Resort Cl inic The Laundry Area The Sundry/ Souvenir Shop This is the Videoke and Billiard Hall Maintenance Area Function Room Linen Room These photos were taken last August 30, 2012 at Tanza Oasis Hotel and Resort. EZEKIEL BRUSAS. REAGIME RUFINO. DAILENE MAE SANCHEZ. PRINCESS PALLASIGUE 2012