How to Use the Tiny Word Ne in Italian

How to Use the Tiny Word Ne in Italian â€Å"I have two brothers. How many brothers do you have?† â€Å"I have three brothers.† While the above conversation is perfectly acceptable and constitutes a real interaction, it sounds strange because the two people talking find it necessary to repeat â€Å"brothers† over and over again when they could use a replacement like â€Å"of them†. In Italian, you would do that using the word â€Å"ne† and unlike English, you cant just say I have three or How many do you have?. Like reflexive, indirect and direct object pronouns, tiny  words like â€Å"ne† can drive the Italian language student insane. What’s the real definition? Where do you place it? When do you use it? However, the power in a tiny word like â€Å"ne† is its flexibility and as you have more conversations, it’s easier to recognize how much it helps to smooth out conversations. While you can easily learn the definitions of the pronoun particle â€Å"ne† and where to place it in a sentence, it’s most helpful to start with fixed phrases where you might be more familiar with hearing or using â€Å"ne†. Common Phrases Che ne pensi? - What do you think (about it)?Non ne ho. - I don’t have any (of them).Vattene! - Get away (from me)! Definitions AboutAnySomeOf itFrom itFrom themFrom there It can also replace a prepositional phrase beginning with da or di. For example, â€Å"Ho appena letto quel libro! Che ne pensi? - I just read that book! What did you think (of it)?† Where to Put â€Å"Ne† in a Sentence When it comes to placement, â€Å"ne† typically goes before the conjugated verb. For example: Parliamo di Mario. - We talk about Mario. → Ne parliamo. - We talk about him.Ne avete molti di amici. - You have many friends. → Ne avete molti. - You have many of them.Ho due fratelli. - I have two brothers.  Ã¢â€ â€™ Ne ho due. - I have two of them.Quanti bambini ci sono?! - How many children are there?! → Ce ne sono quattordici! - There are fourteen of them!Hai del caffà ¨? - Do you some coffee? → Sà ¬, ne ho. - Yes, I have it.Hai bisogno di due francobolli. - You need two stamps. → Ce ne vogliono due. - You need two of them. Using â€Å"Ne† in the Past Tense If you use â€Å"ne† in the present perfect  tense (il passato prossimo), you have to make sure that the verb agrees in number and gender with the direct object. Quanti film di Fellini hai visto ? – How many Fellini movies have you seen? → Ne ho visti tre. – I’ve seen four of them.Quante mele avete mangiato? - How many apples did you (all) eat? → Ne abbiamo mangiate sette. - We ate seven (of them). Pronominal Verbs and â€Å"Ne† You may also see â€Å"ne† within other verbs, and these are called pronominal verbs. Here are some examples of those: Andarsene – To leaveVenirsene – To come out of itAverne abbastanza – To have enough of somethingFregarsene di qualcosa – To not care at all about somethingNon poterne pià ¹ – To not be able to do (something) anymore

Proposal and Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Proposal and Bibliography - Assignment Example Examples of these conditions are Stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Heart disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease among others (UK Stem Cell Foundation). The two basic types of stem cells are Adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. They are typically found in the fetus, early embryo, placenta, amniotic fluid, and umbilical cord blood (National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia 1-2). Problem Statement Stem cell research is a major development in the health industry although there are many ethical issues that it faces currently. Aim The aim of this proposal is to analyze the Ethics and Law of Stem Cell Research, especially in the methods how human tissue is donated because some of the methods used undermine human ethical standards (National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia). ... yze these issues" () Situational Analysis There is an increasing demand by researchers seeking eggs from young women to be used for embryonic cloning procedures. This harvesting involves administration of drugs that have not been approved for that purpose (Dianne Beeson 1-3). These drugs could pose serious harm to the women that participate in this exercise both long term and short term effects. The widespread practice exposes women to risks that are ethically unacceptable and have to be addressed. Another interesting issue to note is that the egg harvesting takes place in a research climate marked by conflict of interests. This kind of experiments has prompted the research I intend to carry out on stem cell research. The kinds of practices used in stem cell research have prompted the concern of human rights activists all over the world in pursuit of this research, how it adversely affects the stakeholders in it. The risk at which these researchers put the women through must be weigh ed against potential benefits. Method This will be a qualitative research design that will utilize both primary and ancillary data. The resultant data will be carried out through a desk research and library session. From the desk research, there will be a thorough analysis of online information such as online journals, medical websites, and online eBooks. Further research will be carried out through a library session where peer reviewed journal articles, periodicals, and books will be used to gather data on the issue at hand, ethical issues with stem cell research. All the information found will be noted down and taken to a central place to await analysis. Filing will be necessary to avoid loss of data or damage. The next step will be to collect primary data. In collecting primary data, the

Money Management - Portfolio of funds or ETF Essay

Money Management - Portfolio of funds or ETF - Essay Example Most of these investors turned to government bonds, certificates and private or corporate bonds from reputable firms (Madura, 2008, p.13). This trend led to the emergence of special funds which allowed small investors to pool funds and investment in a number of securities or stocks. These funds are managed by fund managers which became popular with huge companies like insurance firms and banks. However the costs of managing these funds were high and some investors looked for other options to invest. This led to the emergence of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), which allowed investors to put their money on investment funds to be traded on stock exchanges (Abner, 2010). ETF investment funds incorporate an array of assets such as stocks, commodities or bonds and trades at a price close to the net value of these combined investments. For the many years it has been in existence, EFT’s have been successful with current stock markets due to its flexibility and low risk. Table of Content s Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Individual Analysis 3 EFT Analysis 5 Swiss Based ETFs 5 Other Managed Funds (ETFs) 6 Personal Asset Allocation 8 The art of investing requires careful planning in asset allocation since the way you allocate your assets reflects the return on your investment. For instance, if you have $ 100, 000, you should invest in a number of investment options. Time factor is one of the most crucial factors to watch out while investing. Looking at the Swiss market, we witness that the some mutual funds have been performing very well compared to some ETFs. Therefore, it not easy to conclude that mutual funds are better than ETFs or vice-versa, the most important factor is tracking these investments over a suggested period of time (Ferri, 2011). A look at ComStage Stoxx Europe 600 ETF Household goods based product we notice that this ETF tracks household goods stocks in the Swiss market. This ETF has performed well over the past two years ret urning 40.2% compared to the ComStage Stoxx Europe 600 Food & beverages ETF which returned only 24.1% as witnessed by table 4 in the appendix. In comparison to the United States of America where there is a mid cap fund that has returned over 41.87%. This performance is better than the ETF based investment option in Switzerland (Wagner, 2008). This mutual fund is known as the JB holdings fund and it has invested in different segments based on a selected benchmark. A list of investments in the JB holdings fund is shown by table 5 in the appendix. Based on the analysis of the different ETFs and funds listed above, it is difficult to choose the best investment option by solely choosing and ETF or fund based investment (Madura, 2008). The best investment decision to undertake when investing in an ETF or fund is to analyze the industry or benchmark used in implementing the fund or ETF product. Time factor is also very important since most ETFs or funds take a minimum of three years for th e investment to make marginal gains. 8 Current Investing Trends 8 References 12 Appendix 14 Introduction The art of investing is very difficult and challenging and many a times, people find it difficult to invest. Several investment options are available to potential investors interested in making profits. Investing is a risky venture and many people prefer to invest in low risk investments. As a result, many investment banks and

Business plan of a gym in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Business plan of a gym in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Saudi Arabia is a developing nation and provides a huge prospect for new business. Though political unrest and men women segregation is a area of concern but the commitment of the government towards new reforms shows a ray of hope. The country is very eager in welcoming foreign investment, which is good news for the investors. Though the new gym may face competition from the existing businesses but it can overcome that obstacle by providing updated equipments and better customer service. To attract more and more customer it can provide some lucrative introductory offer and some combo offers too. Member should be given higher privileges. Customer’s feedbacks are to be taken regularly and should work on them. In the initial years the company should look more towards attraction and retention of customer and less towards profit. The market of Saudi Arabia was analyzed on the basis of the secondary data. A thorough research was done by consulting various journals, books, newspaper and various governmental and nongovernmental websites to have an in-depth knowledge. These sources have helped to track the possible customer segment and analyze the competitors present in the market. An in-depth study of the political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental framework of the nation was done to get a clear picture of the nation.... Legal requirement for starting a business: The legal formalities to be done for starting the business 6. General requirement: Overall requirement of the business 7. Operational Plan: the day to day operations are highlighted 8. Financial aspect: The financial projection of the gym 9. Conclusion: Some recommendation for the new business and its future prospects. Introduction Saudi Arabia is a huge country, well known for its arid deserts and various high lands covering of an area of about 2.15 million km. The overall climatic condition is dry and hot with scarce rainfall but some of the south- western and western coastal areas experiences heavy rainfall. Saudi Arabia serves as the world largest reserve for petroleum and exporter as well. Most of its wealth comes from the industrial sector. Oil and petroleum mining contributes about 51% of the GDP whereas service sector contributes about 43% and about 5% is contributed by the agriculture1. Obesity is an area of concern for the whole wo rld. It is affecting all the levels of society and is coined with the name as Global Epidemic. In recent years high rate of child obesity is observed in the developed countries as well as in developing countries2. Obesity among children and adolescents has become a public health problem for the Eastern Mediterranean region. With rapid changes in nutrition and urbanization in the recent times, Saudi Arabia has estimated about â€Å"26.6% and 10.6% of the adolescents aged 13-18 years are overweight or obese† respectively3. Furthermore the serial cross- sectional assessment carried out in Saudi children and adolescents on Body Mass Index (BMI) or percentage of fat in the body has confirmed a rising trend in obesity. Overweight along with obesity among adults especially among 30-60 years is

Dominos Pizza Essay Example for Free

Dominos Pizza Essay Domino’s Pizza experienced a decrease in revenue of 16. 3% from year-end 2005 through the year-end 2009. It is true that the economic recession was partly at blame. However, the enterprise suffered from a negative reputation in the marketplace. Domino’s Pizza delivered pizzas that did not quite meet the demands of consumer taste. Their costumers would use social media to protest the ill delivery of pizzas and terrible taste. In addition, consumers were now more educated about their eating habits and had a growing concern with diets that led to obesity. Moreover, these facts combined with competition including companies such as Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, posed a hostile environment for Domino’s Pizza. In order to overcome these pitfalls, Domino’s pizza not only introduced a new recipe but also launched one of the riskiest advertising campaigns to this day. The recipe was a reinvention of their pizza with new ingredients that improved flavor. The advertising campaign oh yes we did guaranteed customer satisfaction otherwise they would return their money and deliver another pizza free. Another aspect of this marvelous campaign was the use of real life costumers who participated in the making of the pizza in televised commercials. Here is a comparison between pre-2009 strategies with its new approach. And, some qualities that were engaged to implement the revised strategies. Pre-2009 ?Dominos was focused on producing pizza for as cheap as possible. ?Cost leader ?8. 35% of pizzas sold in U. S ?Second behind Pizza Hut 13. 7% ?Bad rep for poor quality pizza ?Worst tasting pizza in its industry ?Market share fell 2% from 2005-2009 Post 2009 ?â€Å"Oh Ye We Did Campaign†? Dominos renewed focus on â€Å" Better ingredients, Better Pizza† and a broader menu. ?Focused on improving taste of its pizza ?Added garlic and butter to crust ?Added new side dishes and desserts ?Match competitors taste ?Expanded overall product choices Leadership ?David Brandon – C. E. O ?Innovate products ?Expand brand scope ?Everything on the menu is heavily tested and demanded by our customer ?All menu items are integrated ?â€Å"Get the door, Its Dominos† – Industry leader in efficiency ?Gathered feedback from employees ?â€Å"whats up dominos? † ?â€Å"Lunch with Dave†? Brandon would learned a lot from his employees ?Unique leadership style ?Always looking to improve even when successful Domino’s sales distribution is both domestic and internationally. The company gets 53 percent of its sales domestically and 47 percent internationally. In 2010, domestic sales were $3. 3 billion and internationally it was $2. 95 billion. Not only did fiscal year 2010 revenues show a healthy return, but cost of sales decreased by 3. 25 percent between fiscal year 2008 and 2010. Domino’s showed a very big decrease in its sales because the consumers were concerned about the quality of the pizza that dominos offered compare to the other companies in the industry. 2005 was the peak of the company where it made the most net income, since then revenues have been declining. Revenue declines aside, due to interest, repurchasing of stock, and other financial implications, after a 65 percent fall from 2006 to 2007, net income increased over the last four years. Domino’s current strategy is working well in the sense of income and revenue wise. The Net income increase was $37. 9 million in 2007, $54. 0 million in 2008, $79. 8 million in 2009, and $87. 9 million in 2010, which is annual increases of 42. 5 percent, 47. 7 percent, and 10. 25 percent respectively. The result of the revenue increase also helped eliminate debt from 2007 to 2010 from when they took a big decrease in sales and popularity from 2006 to 2007. By 2010, Domino’s became the leading pizza company in the industry; it had higher revenue and a higher net income than the leading Papa Johns. On the other hand, Dominos is only leading in revenue because it has more locations than the other pizza stores do. Compared to Papa Johns in 2010, Dominos has 9300 stores worldwide, while Papa John’s has only half of that with 3,600 worldwide. Dominos generates $170,000 per store and Papa John’s generates $313,000 per store. Dominos needs to focus on creating more revenue per store so they can provide better value to their shareholders. Taking on a better strategic approach by introducing new items to the menu and increasing the quality of the pizza did help the company get back on track from when it took the fall in 2007. The most recent year 2014, revenues almost doubled than it did in 2013 with a revenue of 589 million in 2014 and 295 million in 2013. Dominos have increased over the last six years in revenues, net income, and Earnings Per Share. Based on these numbers, the company has executed a good strategic plan. We one of most important thing any food establishment should do listen to what their consumers want. They have look into what feedback their consumers are giving them and then have a quick response to consumer’s feedback. A food chain can have all the technology in the world but if they don’t know what their consumers want they will never grow.

Main Features Of The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

Main Features Of The Indian Hotel Industry Tourism Essay The major players in the Indian hotel industry can be broadly classified into private players and public players. The major private players include Indian Hotels Company limited, East India Hotels Limited (The Oberoi group), Asian Hotels and ITC Hotels. ITDC and Hotel Corporation of India are the major public sector players.   Sector Outlook Hotel industry depends largely upon the foreign tourist arrivals further classified into business travelers (around 65% of the total foreign tourists) and leisure travelers. The following figures show that business as well as the leisure travelers (both domestic and international) formed major clientele for hotels in 2004. Over the last two years, the hotel industry has seen higher growth rates due to greater number of tourist arrivals, higher occupancy rate (being around 75% in FY06) and significant increase in average room rate (ARR). The major factors contributing to this growth include stable economic and political conditions, booming service industry, FDI inflow, infrastructure development, emphasis on tourism by the central as well as state governments and tax rationalization initiatives to bring down the tax rates in line with the international levels. Some of the main features of the Indian hotel industry include the following:  · The industry is more dependent on metropolitan cities as they account for 75% to 80% of the revenues, with Delhi and Mumbai being on top.    · The average room rate (ARR) and occupancy rate (OC) are the two most critical factors that determine profitability. ARR depends on location, brand image, star rating, quality of facilities and services offered. The occupancy rate depends on other seasonal factors.    · India is an ideal destination for tourists. Approximately 4.4 million tourists visit India every year. Thus the growth prospects are very high.    · In the hotel sector, a number of multinationals have strengthened their presence. Players like Four Seasons are also likely to enter the Indian market in the near future. Moreover, Indian hotel chains are also expanding internationally. A combination of all these factors could result in a strong emergence of budget hotels, which could potentially lower the cost of travel and related costs. The industry can be classified into four segments:  · 5 Star and 5 Star Deluxe. These are mainly situated in the business districts of metro cities and cater to business travelers and foreign tourists. These are considered to be very expensive. These account for about 30% of the industry.    · Heritage Hotels. These are characterized by less capital expenditure and greater affordability and include running hotels in palaces, castles, forts, hunting lodges, etc.    · Budget Hotels:  Budget hotels cater mainly to domestic travelers who favor reasonably priced accommodations with limited luxury. These are characterized by special seasonal offers and good services.    · Unclassified:  These are low-priced motels spread throughout the country. A low-pricing policy is their only selling point. This segment accounts for about 19 % of the industry. Trends In Hospitality Sector Trends that will shape the future of hospitality sector are: 1. Low Cost Carriers 2. Budget Hotels 3. Service Apartments 4. Technology 5. Loyalty Travel 1. Low cost carriers:  Travelers in general are more price sensitive to airfare than they are to hotel room rates. Often a low airfare will stimulate demand for travel even if hotel prices are increasing. LCCs are a good option for business travelers, as they have advantages like low costs, more options and connectivity. 2. Budget hotels:  More than 50 per cent of occupancy of a majority of hotels comes from the business travel segment. The average room rate (ARR) realized from business travelers is normally higher than from leisure travelers. Heightened demand and the healthy occupancy rates have resulted in an increase in the number of budget hotels. Some of the new players entering into this category of hotels include Hometel, Kamfotel, Courtyard by Marriott, Country Inns Suites, Ibis and Fairfield Inn.   3. Service apartments:  The concept of service apartments, though a recent phenomenon in India, is an established global concept. Villas in Spain, flats in the UK and apartment complexes in the US have all created a viable market for those who want more than just a room in a hotel. Service apartments are the latest trend in accommodation, offering the comfort and convenience of a home without the hassles of having to maintain or look after it. Ideally suited for medium-to-long staying guests, service apartments are a natural choice for corporate employees or expatriates relocating to a particular city, non-resident Indians visiting the country for long spells and foreigners visiting the city for long durations.   4. Technology:  Travel and technology have become inseparable. Technology is making its own advances with high-tech video conferencing facilities, web cameras and virtual reality mode of conferencing. On-line bookings, e-ticketing, Wi-Fi Internet connectivity, easy access to information, etc. are just a few areas where technology has completely changed the the way we travel.   5. Loyalty travel:Today, airline-credit card company tie-ups have brought a whole range of benefits to the travelers. These include insurance cover, upgrades, free tickets, access to executive lounges, and a host of other goodies. ITC Hotels Limited ITC Hotels:  · ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton Towers, New Delhi  · ITC Hotel Grand Maratha Sheraton Towers, Mumbai  · ITC Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton Towers,Kolkata  · WelcomHotel Mughal Sheraton, Agra  · WelcomHeritage ( These hotels are spread over all over india and are currently operating in Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu Kashmir, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Karnataka.) MARKET CAPITALIZATION   Month High Low Average July 2006 69470.81 61622.49 65132.68 August 2006 71935.59 63162.11 66907.27 September 2006 71616.29 68235.51 69865.82 October 2006 73136.79 69172.79 70595.60 November 2006 71870.11 66984.82 69353.40 December 2006 71557.75 63306.15 67001.52 Key Stats Ratios Quarterly Annual   (2006) Annual   (TTM) Net Profit Margin 21.70% Operating Margin 31.32% EBITD Margin 34.70% Return on Average Assets 18.35% Return on Average Equity 26.75% RECRUITMENT POLICY: The potential candidates who are looking forward to build their career in ITC Hotels should possess several qualities like integrity, intellectual rigor, a will do attitude, team skills, ability to think strategically, high energy, creativity and leadership. For  entry level, ITC relies on campus recruitments and visits various management and engineering institutes. Some of the institutes include IITs, IIMs, FMS, XLRI, etc. ITC also provides  summer internships.  The internships are for a total of 8 weeks during April July every year. For middle level opportunities, advertisements are placed on the company website and the interested and eligible candidates are invited to apply on-line. The middle management level provides opportunities in Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Logistics and many more. Indian Hotels Company The Indian Hotels Company (IHC) is the parent company of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. It was founded by Jamsetji N. Tata on December16, 1903. Currently the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces comprises 57 hotels at 40 locations across India. Additional 18 hotels are also being operated around the globe. During fiscal year 2006, the total number of hotels owned or managed by the Company was 75. The Taj hotels are categorized as luxury, leisure and business hotels. The Taj Luxury Hotels offer a wide range of luxurious suites with modern fitness centres, rejuvenating spas, and well-equipped banquet and meeting facilities. The Taj Leisure Hotels offer a complete holiday package that can be enjoyed with the whole family. It provides exciting activities ranging from sports, culture, environment, adventure, music, and entertainment. The Taj Business Hotels provide the finest standards of hospitality, which helps the business trips to be productive. They offer well-appointed rooms, telecommunication facilities, efficient service, specialty restaurants and lively bars, well-equipped business centres, and other conference facilities. Management: Chairman: Mr. Ratan N Tata Managing Director CEO: Mr. Raymond Bickson Chief Operating Officer, Leisure Hotels: Ms. Jyoti Narang Chief Operating Officer, Luxury Hotels: Mr. Abhijit Mukerji Chief Operating Officer, Business Hotels: Mr. Jamshed S. Daboo Vice President-Legal Company secretary: Dev Bajpai Chief Financial Officer: Mr. Anil P Goel   Financial Data   Key Stats Ratios Quarterly   (Mar 04) Annual   (2006) Annual   (TTM) Net Profit Margin 4.86% 11.93% 5.03% Operating Margin 8.24% 16.75% 7.77% EBITD Margin 29.11% 23.33% Return on Average Assets 5.32% Return on Average Equity 15.48% Market Capitalization in last 6 months (Rs.crores) Month High Low Average July 2006 6983.18 5883.71 6640.63 August 2006 7536.56 6745.18 7229.90 September 2006 8093.45 7482.83 7835.64 October 2006 8576.75 7911.81 8146.62 November 2006 9046.91 8080.31 8681.29 December 2006 9444.76 8400.55 9001.56 Four new hotels in Bangalore: Taj Group invests Rs.1,000 crore The Taj Group of Hotels will invest about Rs 1,000 crore for constructing four new hotels in Bangalore. It has submitted an Expression of Interest to Delhi Airport International Limited (DAIL). The company has also submitted an Expression of Interest for building a top-class hotel in the airport vicinity. Besides the company has been allocated a site at Greater Noida for building a hotel, while it is keen on entering into a management contract for a hotel in Gurgaon. The Group was also eyeing to enter hotel business overseas like Maldives, Mauritius, Colombo, Boston and Sydney. The Group is also planning to explore seven more locations in Mumbai and increase its total room capacity to 2,000 in the commercial capital in the next five years. This expansion of its budget hotels will generate numerous jobs in the industry. The group has also taken up the renovation and management of Rail Yatri Niwas, the well-known Delhi budget hotel owned by the railways, on a 15-year lease. As part of the deal with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which currently runs it, the Taj group will renovate the Yatri Niwas and add food courts within the complex. The makeover will be done on a redesign-operate-manage-transfer basis. The hotel will be run under the Taj groups budget hotel brand, Ginger, which has hotels in Mysore, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Haridwar and Bhubaneshwar. Taj group of hotels will upgrade all four Rail Yatri Niwas hotels located in Delhi, Howrah, Ranchi and Puri.   The Oberoi Group (EIH) The Oberoi Group was founded in 1934 by Late Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi. The group owns and/or manages 32 hotels with 3,193 rooms under names of Oberoi Hotels Resorts and Trident Hilton, a luxury backwater cruiser in Kerala and Oberoi Flight Services, a division of EIH that provides commercial in-flight catering and operates airport lounges and restaurants. It has branches in five countries, situated in two continents (Asia and Africa). The chain operates the following hotels and resorts in India: The Oberoi, New Delhi Oberoi, Mumbai, Maharashtra The Oberoi, Banglore, Karnataka The Oberoi Amarvilas, Uttar Pradesh The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, West Bengal The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, Rajasthan The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Rajasthan Wildflower Hall, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh The Oberoi Motor Vessel Vrinda, Kerela. The other businesses of EIH include:  · Mercury Car Rentals  · Corporate Air Charters  · EIH Press  · Mercury Travels  · Flight Catering   MARKET CAPITALIZATION   Key Stats Ratios Annual   (2006) Net Profit Margin 22.32% Operating Margin 30.45% EBITD Margin 48.13% Return on Average Assets 8.81% Return on Average Equity 21.09% The market capitalization of EIH as on march 21, 2007 was Rs. 3,748.74 cr. Oberoi Group ventures into Middle East hospitality industry Oberoi Group will run two hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to tap the growing Middle East tourism market. Oberoi will manage a city hotel as well as one resort property in the UAE capital. The company has also signed an agreement for a hotel in Dubai, which is part of a 800- million-dirham property project being developed by Rani International. The companys development plans are focused on the Middle East and Asia. It has 32 hotels in five countries and is planning to open new properties in several locations, including Marrakesh, Muscat, Maldives, Cambodia and Thailand. It is also planning to launch its luxury cruiser on the Nile, The Oberoi Zahra, in October this year with an idea to redefine the paradigm of luxury on Nile. The Oberoi Zahra, Luxury Nile Cruiser comes with 25 luxury suites and two Grand suites. The Grand suites have their own private decks and outdoor Jacuzzis. With the Indian economy growing fast, Oberoi is also looking at a number of new sites in India cities, including Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. It currently has 11 brand hotels in India. Oberoi was also ranked ninth among the top 10 leading chains, hotels, resorts and spas across the world, according to the 2007/2008 Worlds Top Hotels, Resorts and Spas survey report released by Zagat Surveys.   Radisson Hotels Resorts Radisson Hotels Resorts: Radisson hotels are a worldwide chain of 435 hotels with a total of 102,000 guest rooms, in 61 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in 1909 and was purchased by Curt Carlson in 1962 and is still owned by his Carlson Companies. Radisson Hotels International is a fully owned subsidiary of the Carlson Hospitality Worldwide, which is one of the major operating groups of Carlson Companies Inc.Carlson Hospitality brands include Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels Worldwide, Country Inns and Suites by Carlson, Park Hospitality, Carlson Vacation Ownership, and Carlson Lifestyle Living. Carlson companies also include the Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Carlson Leisure Group, Carlson Marketing Group and a worldwide marketing services company. With more than 1520 hotel, resort, restaurant and cruise ship operations in 79 countries, Carlson Companies provide employment to 190,000 people in more than 140 countries.   Scope Of Hospitality Sector In 2003-04 the hospitality industry contributed only 2% of the GDP. However, it is projected to grow at a rate of 8.8% between 2007-16, which would place India as the second-fastest growing tourism market in the world. This year the number of tourists visiting India is estimated to have touched the figure of 4.4 million. With this huge figure, India is becoming the hottest tourist destination. The arrival of foreign tourists has shown a compounded annual growth of 6 per cent over the past 10 years. Besides, travel and tourism is the second highest foreign exchange earner for India. Moreover, it is also estimated that the tourism sector will account for nearly 5.3 per cent of GDP and 5.4 per cent of total employment. GDP Employment Visitor Export Personal TT Capital Investment Govt. Expenditure Outlook for 2006 7.80% 1.40% 10.90% 6.90 % 8.30% 7.70% Outlook for 2007-2016 6.60% 1.00% 7.80% 6.70% 7.80% 6.60% Future of hospitality sector: To boost up the growth of tourism in India, the government has proposed to invest Rs. 520 crore in 2007-2008. Tourism in expected to grow further over the next few years due to the changes taking place on the demand and supply sides. The factors that will account for the further growth of tourism will include the following:  · Change in standards of living  · More disposable income  · Better education  · Long leisure time  · Aging population   Owing to growth of tourism sector, infrastructure will improve, competition will increase, new products will come into markets and better services will be provided. Due to the rapid growth in tourism, the hotel industry is also booming. Many international players like Le Meridien and Accor are heading towards Indian markets to expand their business. With governments full support in developing infrastructure, increase in demand, open sky policies and increased competition, the hospitality industry is getting consolidated and has many more opportunities to grow further. Challenges For Hospitality Industry 1.Shortage of skilled employees:One of the greatest challenges plaguing the hospitality industry is the unavailability of quality workforce in different skill levels. The hospitality industry has failed to retain good professionals. 2.Retaining quality workforce:Retention of the workforce through training and development in the hotel industry is a problem and attrition levels are too high. One of the reasons for this is unattractive wage packages. Though there is boom in the service sector, most of the hotel management graduates are joining other sectors like retail and aviation. 3. Shortage of rooms:  The hotel industry is facing heavy shortage of rooms. It is estimated that the current requirement is of 1,50,000 rooms. Though the new investment plan would add 53,000 rooms by 2011, the shortage will still persist.   4. Intense competition and image of India:  The industry is witnessing heightened competition with the arrival of new players, new products and new systems. The competition from neighboring countries and negative perceptions about Indian tourism product constrains the growth of tourism. The image of India as a country overrun by poverty, political instability, safety concerns and diseases also harms the tourism industry.   5. Customer expectations:  As India is emerging as a destination on the global travel map, expectations of customers are rising. The companies have to focus on customer loyalty and repeat purchases.   6. Manual back-end:  Though most reputed chains have IT enabled systems for property management, reservations, etc., almost all the data which actually make the company work are filled in manual log books or are simply not tracked.   7. Human resource development:  Some of the services required in the tourism and hotel industries are highly personalized, and no amount of automation can substitute for personal service providers. India is focusing more on white collar jobs than blue collar jobs. The shortage of blue collar employees will pose various threats to the industry.

The Hero and Anti-Hero in Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness Essay

The Hero and Anti-Hero in Joseph Conrad?s Heart of Darkness In studying Joseph Conrad's, The Heart of Darkness, many critics dwell on the issue of heroism. Who is the hero, Marlow or Kurtz? It is clear that both Marlow and Kurtz are the protagonists of the story; however, protagonist and hero are not always synonymous. Marlow is the hero in the traditional sense of the word, while Kurtz is the more modern hero, often referred to as the anti-hero. Marlow starts out as just as everyman, trying to put some bread on the table. His original plans were setting out to make money, but his journey turns into so much more. His expedition turns into a quest to find and save Kurtz, and to understand the people so many were prejudice against. Despite the opinion of certain critics, Conrad did not create Marlow to be a prejudice character. One of his first Marlow?s first Reactions to the villagers is the exact opposite, ?They were not enemies they were not criminals(Conrad, 189) While his initial response may not seem altogether accepting, it is far beyond the understanding of his peers. As the story continues Marlow is slightly sarcastic in his understanding of the villagers, ?Fine fellows-Cannibals-in their place. They were men one could work with, and I am grateful to them. And, after all, they did not eat each other before my face? (189)? Marlow shows his ability to be sarcastic in the face of popular criticism, even making the mold step to refer to these African?s as ?Fine Fellows?(189), ?They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of they humanity-like yours-the thought of your remote kinship with this wild(189) Although the natives... ...s to look at Kurtz as a hero for all that he had accomplished, no matter how evil. Marlow?s obstacles as the hero are not the overcoming of a dragon or evil villain. It is the eternal battle of the story of a Hero versus Antihero. Marlow?s blindness to Kurtz?s impurities are both his strength and weakness. His ignorance to the greatness of his own qualities can best be stated one way: ?The Horror.? Works Cited page Conrad, Joseph ?The Heart Of Darkness? Schwarz, Danie Reference Guide to English Literature, 2nd ed., edited by D. L. Kirkpatrick, St. James Press, 1991 Dean, Leonard Fellows Heart of darkness. Backgrounds and criticisms Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1962,c1960 ?The Gallery of Antiheroes and Villains? Flowerstorm 2004 www.flowerstorm.net/disa/Gallery/anti-explain.html ?The Existential page? Connect 2004 www.connect.net