Canyon Ranch Essay

1. What is the value of customer information to Canyon Ranch? Ans. To Canyon Ranch, customer information is must in order to implement their business model successfully. The value that it gives to the business is that it understands customer’s unique wants and give alternatives that will allow each guest to rach their individual goals. This is essential for Canyon Ranch to reach its mission to â€Å"inspire people to make healthy living, turning hopes and live into the highest enjoyment of life†. By gathering and sharing guests’ information, Canyon Ranch can assimilate it to â€Å"know and understand their customers, provides loyalty, and cross-sell its offerings† all of which are highly critical to the success of Canyon Ranch. The VP of Marketing was quoted saying â€Å"everyone experiences a different Canyon Ranch; we’ll meet you where you are†. If the company doesn’t know ‘where that is’, they will never be able to live up to this motto. Their customers are looking for a Luxury-like experience, not a ‘Marriott’ experience. They want unique, custom opportunities and to miss the details related to each customer could cost Canyon Ranch their reasonable edge. Canyon Ranch has been regarded as the â€Å"gold standard in the industry. To uphold this standard, they must know their client better than they see themselves. This is only likely to gather and adapt quality customer information. 2. As CIO, how would you make the case for customer relationship management (CRM) and business intelligence (BI) systems at Canyon Ranch? Canyon Ranch is the gold standard in destination spas and enjoys impressive rates that are much higher than other destination spas, but there are marks of increasing competition. Day spas are aligning themselves with medical expert and offered facilities in nutrition, homeopathy, physical therapy and general medical practice. Also some hospitals were starting to provide spa treatments and wellness centers with nutritionists. Canyon Ranch is now faced with demands as to how to raise the business while keeping the fundamental characteristics of Canyon Ranch. From an IT position, Canyon Ranch has basic systems for the business to function although they are not very effective. The CLS based system is used to record transactional data  while client preferences, support incident, rapid response etc. used Guestware. is not integrated well with CLS. The program coordinator, who persisted as the contact person for the quest through their stay, did not always have all of the data ahead of ti me. There is no POS software in the restaurant or the salon, hold up the Ranch of a chance to compile and track sales data. Canyon Ranch’s each business unit is committed on improving the level of customer service and personalization. As a CIO I would make central IT infrastructure so that all the figures is shared at every Canyon Ranch branch so that where every a customer goes he is not treated as new if he has visited it before. Create a Point of Sale software that leads to traceable value of purchase. If any customer wants to just buy a product then he can buy it rather than taking whole services. Increase direct marketing and communication to self decision making software that recognizes the pattern of customer visit and reminds him about his upcoming event to celebrate or take service at Canyon Ranch. 3. What impact would you anticipate these systems to have on the Canyon Ranch strategy and capabilities? Ans. The evolution of IT application such as CRM and BI systems will change the business interaction with customers. Canyon Ranch can enhance their historic reliance on word-of-mouth promotion to expand its customer base through social networking. Though Canyon Ranch has property management system that captures some customer data but implementing CRM and BI will make robust system to periodically survey customers, capture sales data and track services. Such integration can increase repeat customer visit, enhance customer personalization and attract new customers. The implantation of BI will allow company to attract profitability of its three segments : Health and Healing, Hotels and Spas. With this intelligence Canyon Ranch will employ cost saving measures, track inventory and monitor resources. Such system will improve capability and enhance productivity. 4. What advice do you have for Canyon Ranch executives? Ans. In the IT area Canyon Ranch still has space to improve. The first thing is to reduce the cost. Canyon Ranch has 2.5:1 staff-to-guest ratio, it also was the advantage in competition. But this will cost too much, Canyon Ranch can use the information technology to decrease the amount of staffs. Some services can be done by the computer like registration or remind services,  sometimes, the guest want their privacy space, at this time the Canyon Ranch should offer guests options to enjoy their private time. In another aspect, the information system can help the staffs to manage the profile of the customers. When the customer checking in the resort, the system will tell the preferences of each customer to the service provider automatically. These data of preferences can also help the Canyon Ranch provides much more projects that fit for customers. For the new customers, it should have a survey system to get the basic preferences. There should have some self-service machines to provide reserve service to the customers, to help them reserve the private spa service by their own. It will decrease the cost of Canyon Ranch and increase the efficiency. It also can attract more customers back to Canyon Ranch again. Another problem in Canyon Ranch is the separating system. The CLS system is the core system that runs the whole company, but the Guestware and POS software cannot connect to the core system. So the plan above cannot be implementing until this applicability problem solved. The good news is the Canyon Ranch owned the source code of CLS system, and it could be customized easily. Canyon Ranch should work with the develop company of CLS to customize the system. So a centralized system should be make that interlinks every branch and segments within it.

Equal Pay for Equal Work Essay

In society today, â€Å"full-time working women earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns,† (whitehouse.gov), for putting in same amount of effort. This injustice is unacceptable in this day in age when women are more involved in society, both politically and socially, than ever before. Women should have equal pay to men for the same amount of work they do because it is not only their right but they have the education to support their position in the workforce. Women are as educated or in some cases even more educated than men. Data collected in studies revealed ,†25-34 year old women were 21 percent more likely than men to be a college graduate† (whitehouse.gov) in 2013. If women are graduating college at a greater rate than men, then it is illogical for females to be paid less than men, who are increasingly becoming less qualified themselves when compared to the female population. Not only are women graduating undergraduate college but, â€Å"women account for almost half of students in JD, MBA, and MD programs† (whitehouse.gov) in recent years. Some might argue that, although women are getting educated, if they want to be paid more, then they need to start choosing career paths that suit their goal salary. But the fact of the matter is, â€Å" college educated women ages 30-34 are now as likely to be employed as doctors, dentists, lawyers, professors, managers, and scientist as traditionally female-dominated occupations such as teachers, nurses, librarians, secretaries, or social worker,† (whitehouse.gov), and yet they are still getting paid less than men. So, the problem is not that women are not striving for a high paying career, rather their effort is not being appreciated. Women are not only qualified to be awarded the same salary as men, but it is their right as well. In 1963 the Equal Pay Act which â€Å"prohibits covered employers from discriminating on the basis of sex by paying unequal wages for equal work,† (Sobieski) was signed into law by former President John F. Kennedy. This means that neglecting to pay a female worker the same as a male worker, who has the same occupation, is technically against the law. It is important to  understand that is act does not elevate the female population over men, but fairly brings both genders to an equal playing field in the workforce. Another law that can support this injustice is the â€Å"Public Law 88-352† (arhives.gov) which was passed by Congress in 1964. This civil right also† forbade discrimination on the basis of sex† (arhives.gov) in the workforce. As the data exposes, this prejudice against women is uncalled for and ultimately illegal. This social issue is incredibly unjust and belittling to the female population. It needs to be dealt with immediately. Women are not only as competent and educated as men, but they also have the legal right to get paid equally to men. Yet, every day, women are being ignored and unappreciated for all the work and effort they put into society. It is only possible for women to overcome this unfair treatment, if they take action and fight for what they deserve. Women need to be informed of their rights presented in acts such as the Equal Pay Act, and stand up for themselves when these rights are violated. Work Cited â€Å"Did You Know That Women Are Still Paid Less Than Men?† The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014. Sobieski, John L. â€Å"Equal Pay Act.† American Government. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 7 May 2014. â€Å"Women’s Participation in Education and in the Workforce.† Whithouse.gov. Counsel of Economic Advisors, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 May 2014. â€Å"The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.† National Archives and Research Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 08 May 2014

Overview of Mitalio Software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Overview of Mitalio Software - Essay Example Moreover, Mitalio also endeavors to offer varied types of inventive software packages in order to enhance the perceived dependency and consistency level of its customers among other competing firms in the market. In order to attain the desired leading position in the international technology industry, the higher authority of Mitalio had decided to offer ERP software packages along with BPM software facilities to enhance its corporate image and identity through innovation in the increasingly competitive industry structure. It was expected by the company officials that this particular strategy would facilitate Mitalio to enhance its total sales along with profitability in the long-run by rewarding its competitive benefits in the short-run processes (Zerio & Nair, 2007). Moreover, to position itself as a market leader in the sector of business software services, the management of Mitalio and its sales team decided to offer more attention to an advertisement and promotional activities. This might prove beneficial for Mitalio to increase the awareness of the customers towards its products, ensuing augmentation of prospective leads and reduction of business threats (Zerio & Nair, 2007). Mitalio is a renowned organization of California which fundamentally attempts to offer cost-efficient software packages to enhance the reliability of its business customers. The prime objective of Mitalio is to augment its supremacy and brand visibility among other apparent players operating within the market. In order to accomplish the underlining desire, the management of Mitalio had decided to offer both BPM and ERP software packages in the international markets of United States, Europe, and Asia.  Ã‚  

Online booking system for parking Literature review

Online booking system for parking - Literature review Example Context of the project It is evident that the number of vehicles in the country has increased exponentially over time. However, the number of parking spaces has not been changed to reflect the increase in the number of vehicles. Inevitably, finding an open parking space has been one of the greatest headaches for vehicle owners (Banman, 2009). The situation becomes even worse during peak hours when there is heavy vehicular movement. In some instances, a person has to drive around town in the search of empty parking spaces. This leads to wastage of fuel and time since the search may take long. This project will help to ensure that a person can check and book available parking space from any place. The portal for online booking for parking system will make it possible for a person to check for available parking spaces and drive straight to the place. This will result in significant savings in terms of money and time. Suffice to say, the use of internet has become almost second nature to most people (Stobbs, 2012). In the United States, the internet penetration rate stands at eighty one percent. Almost half of the population possesses either a smart phone or a tablet. Thus, there is a sufficient number of people using the internet who can benefit from this service. Overall objectives The speci?c objectives of this project are as follows: (i) To investigate extend to which online booking system can be implemented for car parking. (ii) To design an online booking system for car parking. (iii) To implement a software prototype for the car parking system. (iv) To validate the software prototype implemented during the course of the project. Techniques for realization In order for this project to be successful, it will be necessary to apply various techniques. One of the critical factors for the successful realization of this project is intensive research. There is need to conduct a comprehensive research on the issue of car parking and the way that online systems can he lp in mitigation of the problem. Also, the project should be implemented using hardware and software that is up to the task. The success of software related projects depends on the system specifications that are selected. This is critical as it determines the performance of the system under the given circumstances. The realization of the project will also depend on the ease of usability of the online booking system for car parking. The user interface should be fast and intuitive such the user can easily navigate through it (Stobbs, 2012). Structure of the contextual report This contextual report will first evaluate the existing technologies in the area of car parking. The existing literature in online booking systems and car parking will be reviewed. This will help to give a solid background of the topic of online booking system for car parking. A comparative analysis of the existing and proposed car parking systems will help to show the existing gaps and the potential benefits of t he project. A section on market research will shed light on the potential clients of the proposed system. The patterns in the car parking industry will be evaluated to investigate the underlying trends. Finally, the requirement specifications for the online booking system for car parking will be outlined. Section 2: Literature review Technological overview At the early stages of commercial car parking, most of the work was done entirely on paper. The parking attendant

The Milgram experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Milgram experiment - Essay Example This particular aspect also contravenes ethical principal A: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence ("Ethical Principles", 2003). However it should be commended that when offering payment of $4.50 an hour, the participants were told that they would receive the payment whether or not they completed the experiment, this was the most ethical thing to do as then payment wouldn't be the motivator of the participants actions. Looking at all the facts given above, it can be argued that the researchers should have been honest with the participants about the nature of the experiment being a study in obedience and not that of memory and learning and that the experimenter should have reminded the participant/teacher that they are free to leave at anytime, instead of using verbal prods to ensure they continue with the experiment. While this is correct we should keep in mind that the experiment results would not have been accurate if the above suggestions were followed even though it may have made the experiment more ethical.

Gary and Gretas Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gary and Gretas Corporation - Research Paper Example Gary and Greta have operated a loss for the previous five years meaning that their total expenses exceed the total income hence having a loss for purposes of tax. Unless my client is a loss attributing qualifying individuals, they will not be able to pass the loss (Hoffman, et, al, pg26). Gary and Greta have adapted to the use of the losses from these rental assets to offset the rental income they have been charging their corporation for operating in their home. My client has been carrying losses forward (Barkas, pg 41). The last three individual tax return, the grumpy have shown income from leasing office space to their corporation of $40,000, $24,000 and $22,000 losses. Losses incurred in the rental properties have been in a surplus of the proceeds from the rent of the offices hence the duo has a loss carryforward of some amount, section 448 (d) (2). They did offset the lease income with the losses from the rental properties (Brownlee, pg 20) section 6013. The corporation is an entity that is legally established under company’s laws. Qualities as a corporation for purposes of tax are based on the form of companies in most taxing jurisdiction (as defined in section 448(b) (2). Since Gary and Greta have a separate corporation, this means that tax may be imposed on the corporation as a separate entity from the two. In this scenario, both Gary and Greta are not subjected to tax on the corporation’s earnings until that point in which they are distributed. According to the Tax Act, these corporations may be taxed on their incomes and properties. We have a specific range of rates on taxable income as defined in the system. The spouse needs to keep records that do relate to the cost, income, and expenses. For instance, a price at which the house, apartment building and the condo were purchased, depreciation accumulated and the security deposits (Brownlee, pg 20). They will also be required to keep records of expenses involved such as maintenance and repair costs, cleaning, advertising, real estate taxes and mortgage interest expenses.

Geographies of war, occupation, resistance, and terrorism Essay - 1

Geographies of war, occupation, resistance, and terrorism - Essay Example It goes without saying that most the Arab World has thrown their weight behind Palestine while the US and its Western allies are behind Israel. In June 7, 1981, Israel had attacked and crippled a nuclear reactor before it became operational in a town near Baghdad. Although it claimed self defense, it came under intense criticism even from US their main allies. Much later, the same strategy was used by US to lead a foreign invasion on Iraq under the guise of different reasons (Kramer & Michalowski, 2005). This paper then will try to answer the question why the US invaded Iraq under Bush administration. Plausible Explanation for the Invasion There are many official justifications that were offered by the Bush administration for its invasion of Iraq. The three main ones were that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, had strong ties with al-Qaeda which all turned to be false after the invasion. The third one was that the sectarian US government was trying to bring democracy in Baghdad. However, unofficially, there are other plausible explanations include control of oil fields and business and for strategic interests. Another explanation that has been overtly explored in the recent past is the assertion that the Israel government and its key supporters in US government caused the Iraq Invasion (Mearsheimer & Walt, 2006). Israel has been over the recent past been dominated by right wing governments and their policies have been supported by their US supporters and have led increased tensions in the Arab world and needless human suffering. However, the idea of invading Iraq is not one of their agendas because it had no value to Israel and if anything it only increased hostility towards Israel in the region (Robert, 2002). It is true that this invasion was supported by many Israel sympathizers and a majority of US Congress members of Jewish origin voted in favor of war resolution together with the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Indeed, AIPAC had long been touted as an ardent lobbying and supporter of US invasion of Iraq. Although AIPAC had enormous influence on the matters pertaining to the Israel-Palestinian conflict when it came to congressional voting, it had no role in lobbying for the invasion of Iraq. This was largely due to the knowledge that there was an enormous bipartisan support within the US government to invade oil rich Iraq. There were more powerful interests by the US government than the interests of AIPAC in this country like the arms industry, oil deals among other special interests. As such, these interests from the US government and other lobbyist far outweighed the interests of the Zionist lobby groups (Stephen, 2013). Many people and political analysts have tried to point to Israel as the prime suspect for the invasion by quoting many American Zionists and Israeli officials. However, those who are quoted in support of the invasion had expressed their sentiments after the decision to invade Iraq had been arr ived at in 2002. The invasion intended back then was a two thronged attack which later would be extended to Iran later. What this means is that the Israel lobby groups and the Israeli government was willing to procure public support for an invasion campaign which the Bush led US government had independently determined to undertake. In addition, the Bush administration was an ardent supporter of Israel course of actions in its