Ralph Waldo Emerson and Pantheism Essay

During the 17th century the people were preoccupied with the belief that the world has a grand design and behind it is a designer who knows and sees all things. This belief was the mechanistic world view in which the designer being pertained to is God. God is the omniscient being, supreme in intellect as well as other aspects. Thus, everything that takes place has a reason and will ultimately lead to something of great lengths. While this theme was popular in the said era, it has been found that even earlier philosophers have already considered seeing a supreme being as the biggest decision maker for all the occurrences and existence. This supreme being is the unmoved mover as stated by Aristotle and the uncaused cause as according to St. Thomas Aquinas’ theory. One of the most popular analogies for this world view is the Watchmaker God analogy. The watchmaker God analogy is used for explaining the existence of God. In this analogy, the watchmaker is God and the watch being created is the world and all who inhabit it. The analogy states that as it is with making clocks, everything in the world was systematic. People exist in places because just like a missing piece, the clock will not function without it. Furthermore, just like a watch, thee world works by combined effort of the parts. Everything is mechanical and based on an intelligent design (Paley). Many people immediately accepted the said analogy especially during the 17th century because this was the era of scientific understanding, and rationality among all faculties of man is the most exercised. By the entry of new philosophers, however, a different world view was introduced. Ralph Waldo Emerson and his theory One of the famous theorist who emerged after the era of the mechanistic world view is Ralph Waldo Emerson. An essayist, poet, and a philosopher, Emerson’s argument became popular in the mid 1900s. Among his theories, transcendentalism earned him the most recognition. Transcendentalism is both a political and philosophical movement. Unlike the mechanistic world view in which man serves as a part of a clock with a very important role to play in order for the entire universe to function, transcendentalism promotes the individuality of a person. It states that the universe functions on its own and each aspect of the universe has a mind of its own, which it uses in order for continued existence. Transcendentalism also contradicts the theory proposed that God is the designer behind the intelligent design of the universe. Rather it states that God is one with the universe and as nature continue to evolve, so does god. Furthermore, Emerson implied that the higher reality is found not only by the usage of human reason but through sense experience (Emerson). From this, it may be gathered that Emerson’s theory directly contradicts the points of the mechanistic world view. The man upholds the power of individual intuition and the sense of self. Instead of accepting that God is the unmoved mover as expressed by Aristotle, he insists that God moves with the world. While the universe is indeed a grand design, Emerson argues that God is not just a designer who fixed people in a certain position. Rather god is present in all that exists. Thus, in being one with nature and all individuals, people are communing and being one with God, not just acting according to the design but purely based on innate confidence on the self (Emerson). Emerson as a pantheist From the given arguments of Emerson as oppose to the mechanistic world view, many conclude that somehow, the poet-essayist-philosopher is a pantheist. This hypothesis may be enforced by looking through the description of a pantheist. According to Owen, pantheism is the philosophy wherein God is believed to be one with the universe. The supreme being is identical with nature and all that exists. In addition, the philosophy insists that everything exists is only one being, which is God. Thus, communing with nature is communing with the supreme being. Putting this in parallel with the transcendentalism theory, Emerson claims that indeed there is God within all existing being. In addition, each being is not placed in a certain position by a designer, instead that person exists as through a person accord. God is not a designer behind everything but a part of the system, part of nature. This points that Emerson is a pantheist. Conclusion From the given facts, it may be drawn that the 17th century saw the emergence of powerful rational minds, which led to the acceptance of the mechanistic world view. This view insists that god is the designer of the complexity of the universe. This world view is put in an analogy called the watchmaker god, wherein God is the watchmaker and the watch is the entire universe. By the entry of the 19th century, however, the theory was contradicted by transcendentalism pioneered by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Emerson’s theory, he argued that God is not but a designer but part of the entire design. This makes him a pantheist, given that pantheism proposes that God is part of nature, moves and evolves with it. This, completely agrees with Emerson’s theory and disagrees with that of the theories of the 17th century, which were founded on rationality. Works Cited Baym, Nina. â€Å"The Norton Anthology of American Literature†. 1998. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. â€Å"Transcendentalism: And Other Addresses†. 1923. Oxford. New York. Paley, William. â€Å"Natural Theology -Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity Collected from the Appearance of Nature†. 1802. Wilks and Taylor, London Owen, H. P. â€Å"Concepts of Deity†. 1971. Macmillan. London

The Compititive Of Data Base Management

Information Management continued to be among one of the fastest growing aspects in Medicare and other facets in the business world. The article delves into the new found necessities that are incumbent in information management. There are integrated systems that have different modules for financial aspects, marketing, clinical, etc. , however that all share the same common data elements. The article goes further to advice what makes this system effective. This method makes it where no one has to take the time to enter data repeatedly, the data is collected up front and are distributed to other modules simultaneously. This in essence will save staff time and remove instances of possible errors. However even with positives there are negatives, Szatala (2000) does a wonderful job in this article describing the positive in the database. (Schultz, 1999) reports that there should be concern regarding financial aspects of the database. The government's chief watchdog for the year-2000 computer crisis yesterday disputed administration claims that Medicare computers would be fixed in time to prevent disruption of payments to hospitals and doctors after Jan. 1. Joel Willemssen, director of the General Accounting Office's accounting and information management division, said, â€Å"There is a high probability of system failures† in Medicare's computers that pay approximately $288 billion worth of medical bills for 70 million elderly people. His assessment contradicted Nancy-Ann DeParle, administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), who told the House Government Reform and Oversight subcommittee on government management, information, and technology that Medicare users should not expect any disruptions in their payment or services. Managed care organizations want understandable, reliable information to help them decide which long-term care facility is best able to provide cost-effective care, and the facility wants to be able to profit from the contract. Meanwhile, with PPS, Medicare wants to know especially what it is paying for, and why Errors can result in a facility losing money or, worse, being prosecuted for fraud (Szatala, 2000). This important aspect shows what is viewed as necessary and warranted by Medicare. Through the years that have been issues of what is covered and what is not covered, as well as for how long, not to mention if these processes were truly necessary. The data set incorporates so many aspects that at one time were singularly controlled. This allows the opportunity for a system to be more efficient, reduce timed errors, as well as reduce the amount of questions that are often created through all of the processes that were done individually at one time. An important aspect in the article explains how having a system that incorporates all of these aspects, can be nothing but an asset to any business. Facilities that are able to create patient profiles can effectively communicate with managed care organizations concerning the outcomes data i. e. length of stay, re-hospitalization, resident satisfaction, and clinical outcomes (Szatala, 2000). There are aspects in the article that create a strong impact , as well as drive even further the necessary aspects of having such a compiled system. Szatala (2000) does a great job of expressing what the database can do, as well as how much easier it makes the lives of staff and other personnel. Information systems can also support informed decision-making, as well as increase the operational efficiency of a long-term care facility. A marketing information system is most helpful in supporting decision making by tracking inquiries, actual admissions and discharges, and donors who support the facility. A facility can also use those data for trending, attempting to pinpoint the appropriate market area and customer profile. Judson has a marketing information system that tracks inquiries, prospective residents, admissions, and discharges. It also helps correlate data from marketing activities to create customer profiles, allowing us to capitalize on our marketing dollar. (Szatala, 2000) This only supports and gives further reason as to why this data system is necessary and proficient. A system that can incorporate daily activities as well as projected timelines and proficiencies is both a necessity and requirement for proficient data collection, and retrieval. Another program currently in use is a scheduling/staffing system that is linked to the payroll system. Employee schedules are computerized. Employees swipe the time clock with their badges, enabling the system to allocate benefits and generate payroll. (Szatala, 2000) here the writer expresses how this system is effective in another aspect of everyday business. A task that once had to handle individually can now be utilized as part of a bigger system. This also shows how this database is more efficient than current systems in use. Another innovative clinical system combines fall prevention with monitoring incontinence. The system is an ultra thin sensor that is placed in a brief worn by the resident, so that when the resident becomes incontinent, it detects the wetness. The sensor sends a signal to a beeper that the resident assistant carries. We tie this into a fall prevention program, since data show that residents often fall because they either have to go to the bathroom or they are already wet and trying to escape the wetness. The system also tracks the incontinence data and creates a graph tracking when the resident is incontinent, so that we can determine a pattern and develop toileting programs. (Szatala, 2000) Here is an example of how this database not only can be effective in paper processing and data compilation and retrieval. This system can give a more efficient way of helping patients, a way to make their lives a little easier as well as give caregivers an opportunity to know when certain things that are going on with their patient(s). There is also a bar code system. All resident equipment and supplies are swiped by a hand-held scanner. The equipment used for a resident goes directly to that resident's bill. We will use this system for inventory. Collecting and analyzing outcomes for managed care can be efficient and effective with or without a complex information system. We have learned over the years, for instance, that the resident's MDS is an absolute wealth of information; we have used these data for quality improvement initiatives, as well as for discussions with managed care. Most facilities, however, have not used these data fully. Now with the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) requiring the use of quality indicators and the fact that these data are used in surveys, everyone is getting smarter about the MDS. (Szatala, 2000) Again, this shows the versatility of the database. All of the positives depicted in the writing far outweigh the negatives. Computer malfunctions are possible in any situation; therefore, they should not be viewed as a hindrance in this situation or any others. This article truly gives insight into the ways that the lives of caregivers and patients can be improved and better maintained. Medicare is something that has become a growing concern; it has also become necessary to create effective ways of dealing with data i. e. financial, personal, or patients. This article truly expresses how a database of this nature can do nothing else but improve all aspects of Medicare and the individual. It is time for working more efficiently instead of harder. It is time to learn how to make technology work for us instead of against us, this article shows how that is possible.

Dream Deferred Essay

What happens to a dream deferred This quote from the famous poem by Langston Hughes, ? A Montage of a Dream Deferred,? represents the core of the play A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry. When writing this Chicago set drama, Hansberry chose to use a line from Hughes? famous poem to create her title: A Raisin in the Sun. The entirety of the play is about an African American family living in the ghettos of Chicago. Mama, Walter, and Beneatha, three of the play? s main characters, all make their individual dreams known to the readers by stating them various times throughout the play (Kohorn 1). Hughes? poem ponders upon numerous questions that are surely on the readers mind as they venture through this particular play. Although Hughes offered many alternate answers to the question, ? What happens to a dream deferred,? as seen below, Hansberry supports the last view in this poem (Mauro 1): . . . The play depicts many different instances of dreams being ? deferred. In referring to Hughes poem, Walter? s dreams are not only deferred but they also ? sag like a heavy load (Hansberry 1). In addition to this, she also dreams of pursuing a medical education so she can become a doctor (Pink Monkey). These dreams are further destroyed when Mr. Once again, yet another dream has been ? deferred (Hansberry 1). ? The play answers Hughes? first question in his poem, ? What happens to a dream deferred,? by showing the characters reactions to their failing dreams. By now, the family has learned that the ? dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family (Kohorn 1). Ultimately, their dreams finally come into realization when they move into their new house. Dreams do not dry up as a raisin in the sun would. For him this would be ? he life? (Mauro 1). As Hughes? poem says, ? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load (Hansberry 1). At the beginning of the play, a determined Beneatha is studying at the local college and presents herself as an intellectual. In one particular case, he explodes on his sister, Beneatha by saying, ? Who the hell told you you had to become a doctor (Mauro 1) As Hughes states in his poem, a dream deferred may ? stink like rotten meat (Hansberry 1,? and to Walter it really does. She also wants the kids to receive a good, solid education.

Procedures in the Physical Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Procedures in the Physical Sciences - Essay Example Measurement is a very important parameter in the field of physical sciences. Different methods of measurements have used to determine various aspects of the physical environment. Units precede every kind of measurement. They help in giving a description of the physical quantity in question hence enhancing comparison. The three major quantities in physics include length measured in meters, time measured in seconds and mass that is measured in kilograms. The Metric system of measurement has been adopted in most of the countries of the world while the British System of measurement, famous for use inches, miles, and pounds among others has a minimal use in the world despite its ubiquitous use the United States of America. Despite the technological progress experienced in the world today, several challenges are encountered in the measurement of the physical environment. Every measurement made has an associated error that should be recognized whenever a quantity is measured. This error has a numerical value that tries to correct the quality of the estimation done through measurement. Furthermore, it can be in form of a standard uncertainty, whereby the error has a standard figure or a coverage interval whose figure will have a given range of values. However, efforts have been made in trying to minimize these uncertainties. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has developed â€Å"The Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement† to help in enacting a common approach to the errors encountered in measurement. In astronomical sciences, it is difficult to use direct measurement calling for indirect measurement strategies. A unique method utilised by the astronomers is the parallax method. This method involves observation of the position of heavenly bodies at different times. They consider factors such as the precise location of the body, the time, the diameter of the earth’s orbit, the angle of viewing to elucidate the distance f rom the earth the heavenly body is located. Geometry is a key science in the calculations since the process involves analysing angles and distances to obtain an unknown distance (Finkelstein 2009). Such distances are unverifiable hence the exact distance especially for heavenly bodies to the sun cannot be determined in precision. Another major setback in measurement is lack of coherence in the communication of measurements. In quantum mechanics, disparities occur because of non-compliance with the recent regulations but instead trusting the predefined and pretested strategies. Space and time are aspects that have depicted some major measurement differences because of their reconstruction from observable quantities. This has created massive measurement challenges in quantum mechanics (Gambini and Pullin, 2012). According to the duo, there occur instances when the quantum state of the machine cannot be differentiated from the statistical components throughout the measurements made. Th is dimension of thought predicts the possibility of other errors in the measurement of a physical system. Technology has influenced the way measurements are done in a great way. The advancement in the computing methods has revolutionised the way measurement of physical elements is made. It has become apparent that most of the measuring instruments have been digitised or they have a

Improving organisational performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Improving organisational performance - Essay Example 451) Although there is no universal definition of performance management, but still conceptually performance management can be defined as the process which is used by the supervisors or organizational managers to gain a fair understanding of the goals, work expectations and feedbacks. This also helps the mangers to recognize the training and development opportunities and evaluate performance results. In simple terms performance management is all about improving the individual and organizational performance. It is a process that links people and jobs; provides fair understanding of what is to achieved by one and how and performance management is also a process to ensure that people are doing the required things in the most effective way possible as per the individual ability. Performance management process is a medium through which the managers and the employees join forces to improve the level of work satisfaction and results. However, the performance management system is likely to b e most effective when the managers and the employees work a cohesive unit and both play an active role. Today in the middle of a highly competitive business environment one of the most critical success factors for some of the major global firms happen to be the high performance management system. Today most of the organizations are looking to make a shift from the traditional to effective high performance business models. High performance work systems or HPWS happen to be companies that tend to opt for a different approach in case of organizational management rather than going for the traditional hierarchical approach. Some prominent industrial psychologists and organizational behaviour experts suggest that the High performance work systems have the ability to provide long term sustained competitive advantages. Later in the paper through a multiple case study approach, it would discuss how two of the major multinational companies implemented the High performance work system to great effect. The organizations in focus would be GE and Toyota Motors (Armstrong and Baron, 2005, p. 301) Conceptual Frameworks Performance management is actually a process as well as a framework that companies use to communicate some important messages to the employees. The performance management process framework includes four different stages (Beardwell and Holden, 2010, p. 291) The performance planning includes the plan for the upcoming years in areas such as the standards and expectations for the job; performance and development goals. During the next step i.e. the day to day coaching and feedback the managers and employees discuss about performance on regular basis. Here it needs to say that the regular discussions go beyond the formal reviews and meetings. They share feedbacks about the success of the employees as well as the areas where the employees may need certain improvement. During the process the mangers also seek the inputs of the employees regarding results and the work process. The reviewing and the review and appraisal phase usually happen on a quarterly basis. (Holbeche, 2005, p. 299). This should ideally occur at least once in every quarter. The main focus of

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 37

Personal Statement - Essay Example hieve the needed personal and professional in the absence of education, especially Higher Education that is known for setting the paradigm for organizations to be run. Personally, I have chosen marketing as a course and this is the area I want to penetrate with my academic studies at UCAS. My reason for choosing marketing is influenced by a number of factors, major among which is the need for me to take total advantage of booming oil and gas riches that is currently in place in Qatar. For me to take advantage of the oil and gas riches do not mean enriching myself through marketing but equipping my knowledge, skill and competence with the ever growing media and advertising popularity in Qatar. Because of the oil and gas riches, a lot of companies continue to spring up by the day. Because the companies are many, there is so much competition among them that they can hardly survive in the absence of media publicity and advertisement. This is where my professional knowledge in marketing will become useful. My ambitions as a marketer in Qatar are well laid out. In the first place, I am hoping to start from the relatively lower rank where I shall work for a number of up and coming multinational companies. As my experience grows, I would move on to higher grounds by taking state-oriented positions, especially towards the World Cup 2022. The World Cup is certainly a very big event that the government attaches so much importance to. The World Cup 2022 will bring Qatar closer to the whole world and thus the need to glorify the image of the country through a successful hosting. This is where the need for the tournament and country in general to be well marketed comes in. I therefore a person who can be described as very hungry for success since my ambition run very high into the long term. I currently have so many experiences, interests and background that make me very suitable for my ambition to go as far as marketing the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. For example I am a very

For the English Major Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

For the English Major - Essay Example Writer has shown a clear picture of slavery before 150 years by demonstrating the crazy process through which he has to go for learning to read & write. In this paragraph, he shows how his intense negative feeling about the slavery became his motivation for learning to read & write. Initially, the writer shows how reading has brought discomfort in his life because he started understanding his own situation and pointed his situation with negative words like wretched condition, beast, reptile, etc. The writer has successfully expressed his intensive hatred about the issue by using words of increasing power like abhor, detest, loathe, torment which have higher impact on the reader’s thinking about the issue. Reader completely enjoys the essay because of the live demonstration of intensive situation through rhythmic sentences like â€Å"I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm.† High quality essay is offered by showing firm transformation phase with the use of non-traditional English language like â€Å"Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever.† At the end of the essay, the writer has suggested the â€Å"Possibilities For Writing† which is also done very innovatively considering the significance of writer’s opinion about the core issue of slavery & education along with development of independent opinion of the reader in changed social & economic

Efforts at containing cost in health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Efforts at containing cost in health care - Essay Example cally due to heavy expenses that are being spent on the treatment that they don’t visit hospitals or physicians who charge them a hefty amount (Robinson & Timothy, 2013). Personal health care services in the U.S are provided by State of the provider, they provide healthcare facility to the citizens of 50 states in the D.C (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). There are profitable as well as non-profitable hospitals, both of them have different ways of charging the patients, However, there are some approaches, one of the approach is that the insurance policies should encourage the insurance consumers to get treated from a less expensive hospital, that will make the expensive hospitals less in demand and more approachable by the general public, other than this the unnecessary costs of the pharmaceuticals should be tapered off(Weinstein & Stason, 1977). With this approach, the hospitals policy will start to be altered in the long term, it will take time and the benefits will be less expensive medicines, and more feasibility of the treatment in the hospitals for the general public. The undesirable effects of this approach will also be there, for instance, the hospital policy makers might not find it a right approach, a more professional team of health care managers will have to look into the matter, which might ultimately increase the cost of the whole process. Along with the cost reduction effect, there should also be a cost-containable effect, in which the overall cost should be consistent. The cost containment effect might lose the market value of a specific product, there is also a chance that the medical staff’s income faces a downfall, which will lead to another problem, that is, the medical professionals will be discouraged to work under low wages. The approach is feasible enough, the Govt. should look into the matter and think about the patient’s and a U.S citizen’s benefits. Reduction of overall costs can be extremely difficult as well but it should be

Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Combining Nurse Leader With Advocacy - Essay Example Moreover, the nursing environment holds me accountable for all nursing actions and outcomes thus motivating me to set high expectations and seek positive patient results. I have high expectations for my performance and practice. I possess great leadership and communication skills that allow me to help others in resolving disputes and dilemmas in this field. I also follow the ethical guidelines adopted in the practice. However, I have a weakness since I am not a member of a professional nursing organization thus missing a chance for professional development. I am a poor time manager and always talk frankly without considering other people’s views. With respect to career planning, I manifest competent experience in understanding the job description and requirements of nurse managers. I have been providing nursing care to patients and became a role model to other nurses. As such, I have taught some nurse practitioners, offered career advised, and addressed various nursing issues. My pursuit of further education in this field prepares me for a success professional career in the future. I have fundamental technical knowledge in nursing and possess teamwork and communication skills that prepare me for a bright career. My personal characteristics like robustness, ethical behavior, and ability to perform under immense pressure guides my career. However, I have a weakness in low work experience and poor job-hunting skills that may jeopardize my quest to practice nursing in the future. On personal journey disciplines, I manifest expert practice that helps me to develop my capacity as a leader. I have immense knowledge and leadership skills to manage nursing teams that enhance shared leadership in nursing practice. In addition, I manifest strength in solving problems and reflecting on personal decisions that relate to my practice. As such, I use techniques of â€Å"action learning† to influence my nurse teams in making decisions and solving disputes thus

MME Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

MME - Assignment Example The private and public sector all have a managing system designed to run the organization’s operations from day to day. As was created at privatization, the British railway industry structure still remains much the same according to the Department of transport (1992: 33). Giving of incentives efficiently to both train operators and privately owned infrastructure providers was a fundamental principle that to some degree still remains and by being made to suffer the financial setbacks of their inefficiencies, this reduced the call on the taxpayer. That is a discipline is meant to be created in any other shareholder company, through take the taxpayers to the companies the risk in which the value of the owners' assets are at stake. The Nation railway in the United Kingdom was run by an executive committee of rail company managers and controlled by the government in the First World War. A decision then had to be made in 1919 on how the railways would be returned to the private sect or. In 1947 in order to provide an economical, efficient, adequate and properly integrated system of inland transport, a British Transport Commission was set up (Department of transport, 1992: 33). ... 63). In the early 90’s the problem the government was trying to solve was a familiar one with that of the national railways, that is how to without unacceptable reductions in the scale of the railway service, reduce the demands on the national taxpayer. The main principle running the British railway was not changed after the 1990’s policy of privation. The main aim of this policy was to maximize the railway sector competition and come up with a low-cost efficient railway sector. The implementation in the beginning did yield results where the customer service, ticketing, time table and traffic improved greatly. However the strategy set soon fell foul as a result of management strategies and styles applied and interference from politics as a result of a change of government right after privatization. The new labour government was not comfortable with privatization of the railway industry. Later Railtrack ran into financial trouble and the government took its opportunity t o acquire the control of the railway industry again. Unfortunately the British railways provision of service declined greatly with no competition and the lack of proper management. For any organization to survive today’s market, it is utmost that they establish an ongoing process of coping with current market demands, with the management level going back to the drawing board to review the company’s vision, lest they become obsolete. Any public sector thinking about carrying out strategic management change, should first understand the type of organization they have in the sector. To understand organization means to look into the level of competencies, look at the

Obesity Trends in the United States Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Obesity Trends in the United States - Case Study Example At the same time, there was no reduction of the obese American’s percentage in any State of the country. According to the statistics given in the mentioned above report, there are more than 30 % of children in the United States that are overweight. The same report warned that the countrywide obesity leads to an increase in various chronic diseases among the population. The latter, in turn, stimulates the growth of budget expenditures on health care. For the fifth year in succession the statistics shows that the highest percentage of obese adults is in Mississippi. It is almost 35% of the total population. In addition, in Mississippi is the highest number of obese children between 10 and 17 years (44.4%). Since 1980’s, the percentage of obese children in the United States has tripled. According to the recent analysis by the Trust for America’s Health, Obesity could contribute to millions of cases diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, and cancer in the next two decades (TFAH & RWJF, 2012).   What is the reason for the rise of the American gluttony in the last 30 years? Many theories have been put forward. Some researchers see economic reason for the obesity: fatty food is cheaper that the other. Some blame the manufacturers who modified products so that consumers turn into food addicts, eating more high-calorie sweet specialties. The researches at Princeton University found that fast food products can be as addictive as heroin (BBC, 2003). Sweet desserts and beverages account 25% of all calories consumed by Americans, 5% make salty snacks, and 10% percent make vegetables and fruits. Among favorite dishes traditionally are burgers, pizza, and potato chips. The increase in the number of obese people in the United States is, inherently, due to the expanding number of fast foods and increase of the portions produced. The size of the first McDonald’s burgers has significantly increased up till now, as well as the volume

The Fault in Our Stars Essay Example for Free

The Fault in Our Stars Essay The fault in our Stars, the fifth successful novel by the author John Green, is a story about two fictional characters by the names of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters. It is a romance about the two teens that just happen to meet at a cancer support group. Hazel, the leading woman protagonist, has cancer and Augustus had cancer. Augustus having cancer explains why he came to the support group with Isaac; a one eyed mutual friend of theirs that eventually has surgery to have his eye removed which will free him from cancer. Augustus falls in love with Hazel despite her having cancer, and Hazel falls in love with him, even after a devastating reveal that Augustus’ cancer has returned. So despite them both having cancer, they still love each other unconditionally, and they would’ve been together at an old age until death did them part if it weren’t for Augustus’s death literally â€Å"doing them part† â€Å"You have to understand that Hazel is still sick, Augustus, and will be for the rest of her life.† (pg._p_) This is what Hazel’s dad says to Augustus when they first meet, so it is pretty clear to Augustus that Hazel won’t be able to do a lot of the things he is able to, because she is sick and he is not (at the moment). Later proof of them being in love is when Hazel goes to the hospital due to poor oxygenation. â€Å"Well, there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,† (pg._p_) This is what Hazel’s nurse tells her when Hazel wakes up. It turns out that Augustus stays in the hospital waiting room all day and night until he can finally see her. He could’ve easily got scared and run away, but he stayed and was there for her through it all. The last reason why I know that Augustus was in love with hazel is because of The Genies. The Genies are a book version of the Make-A-Wish foundation created to give cancer patients one wish. After being disappointed that she couldn’t afford to go to Amsterdam to meet her favorite author, Peter Van Houten, Augustus suggests that she used her wish. Unfortunately, she had already used her wish on Disney world (â€Å"I can’t believe I have a crush on a girl with such clichà © wishes† said Augustus on (p.g. _p_) they both saw this as a joke since it’s so clichà ©) when she was 13, so Augustus offered that  they both used his. Augustus basically used HIS wish for her! Even after she had complications with seeing if she could go or not since one of her doctors decided it wasn’t safe, Augustus held through. He discovered firsthand something that would affect their relationship because of her cancer, and he didn’t give up on them. Besides Augustus, Hazel had her love moments as well. After she found out that Augustus’ Cancer was back, she did not leave him. One of my favorite quotes in the book is this: â€Å"What am I at war with? My cancer. And what is my cancer? My cancer is me. The tumors are made of me. They’re made of me as surely as my brain and my heart are made of me. It is a civil war, Hazel Grace, with a predetermined winner.† (p.g. _p_) There’s one part that gets to me in this book. It takes place when Augustus gets super sick and it is predictable that he will die very soon. Augustus like keeping a pack of cigarettes in his pocket all the time and he occasionally puts one in his mouth, never lighting it. â€Å"Its a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you dont give it the power to do its killing. (p.g. _p_) One night, Hazel receives a panicked call from him, telling her to come help him. When she arrives at the location he tells her, she finds him covered in his own vomit, hands pressed to his belly where his g-tube was supposed to go. He was trying to buy another pack of cigarettes because he had lost his, but it was clear he couldn’t do anything for himself anymore. At that moment, they both knew that the end was near. Hazel knew it was coming and she stuck with him until the moment she got the phone call telling her it was over. If neither of them had cancer, there is absolutely no doubt that they would be together until the very end. They were in love with each other despite all of their obstacles. I recommend this book to anyone who’s up for laughter, tears, and for whoever likes sappy romances. John Green did well once more.

Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel Business Strategy

Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel Business Strategy 5.0 Key Factors for Success Key factors for success (KFS) are the critical factors or activities required for ensuring the success of a business. They need to be identified so that an organization can ensure that they can delivers value that meets and exceeds the expectations of its targeted customers better than competitors (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). Two key factors for success have been identified for PPKLIA hotel. The hotel physicals condition and hotel website. PPKLIA established 11 years ago, the exterior of the hotel building now seems aged and the exterior image of the hotel is in old condition with an unattractive design. At first sight, it does not bring an impression of the hotel being a 5-star luxury hotel. This can be considered as one of their weaknesses since there is often an intuitive feeling that effective design can attract customers from the desired target market segment and enable the hotel to price accordingly while operating the unit in an efficient way with the result of this greater market awareness and customer volume is increased profits (Ransley and Ingram, 2001). Hence, PPKLIA should have a refurbishment plan to upgrade the hotels design in order to achieve what had stated by Ransley and Ingram. The hotel web site is another factor which is considered critical to the hotel. To hospitality practitioners, the internet offers a means for them to sell their products to global customers without any geographical or time constraints (Huizingh, 2000). The driving force for hospitality suppliers to establish their web sites includes lower distribution costs and thus higher profits, and a larger potential market. Similarly, consumers can search for their needed information and directly communicate with suppliers at any time and in any place (Waller, 2003). Thus, the web site is an important medium for the hotel to communicate with their markets. 6.0 Mission Statement Organizations develop corporate mission statement in order to share them with their managers, employees and in many cases, customers and other publics (Kotler et al., 2006). According to Pearce and Robinson (1991), mission statement can be defined as broad statement of characteristics (product and market), goals (profit and growth) and philosophies of a business or simply its purpose and philosophies (Byars, 1984). Mission statement below is based on current situation and potential development of PPKLIA. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel will be regarded as the paramount leader of airport hotel in Asia exemplifying service of unmatched sincerity and professionalism. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel will be the best choice in serving the honorable business and leisure travelers according their different needs and wants. At here, we will treat all of our guests as our priority through the delivering of caring and efficient hospitality to create a truly unique signature service where every signature service comprises of our commitment and responsibility on the service provided. Our dedicated employees will go through a series of developing and training in an effort to mould them to become an extraordinary individual in providing a unique sense of professionalism to the guests. We will ensure that every employee is treated fairly with dignity where constantly support and caring from leaders to continuously improve productivity and customer satisfaction. As our hotel surrounded by an oasis of greenery in fusion with luxury, we committed to environmental protection and stewardship by mitigate the impacts on the environment with all the stakeholders to promote and implement responsible environmental practices and continuous improvements. We will ensure our products and services will remain in the high quality to provide satisfaction to the current and future potential customers and at the same time to breakthrough the limitation in creating competitive advantage vis-Ã  -vis competitors by actively expanding our presence globally, with potential developments in a number of domestic and international markets. 7.0 Strategy Formulation The task of analyzing the organizations external and internal environments and then selecting appropriate strategies constitutes strategy formulation. It is a process of taking actions consistent with the selected strategies of the organization (Hill and Jones, 2006). 7.1 Prioritize Existing and New Target Market PPKLIAs current target market composed of business travelers, airline crews, tourists and transit passenger, while 80 per cent of the hotel guests are foreigners with the largest group coming from the United Kingdom and Australia. According to Bowie and Buttle (2007), business travelers tend to be less price-sensitive, since employer generally meets hospitality and travel expenses. This has made them have more budgets to spend in the hotel. Also, they are less concern on seasonal aspects because business travelers contain business trips that are unavoidable due to their job nature. Moreover, with the recent economic downturn, many companies revised their travel spending, with companies arranging meeting near the airport in order for delegates to fly in and out on the same day (Boston Business School, 2009). This causes business travelers as frequent, or regular, users of airport hotel accommodation. Therefore, a 50 percent of target market allocation for business travelers should firstly being prioritized. Besides, a 35 percent of target market will be allocate for transit air travelers as the second group to be prioritized since PPKLIA is the preferred choice for transit air travelers with a few long hour in-between flights. Due to the nature of location of the hotel, it provides convenience to this target market to check-out the hotel and able to catch their flight by just going through a 5-minute walking distance of sky bridge that connecting the hotel and airport. Moreover, these transit passengers are mostly come from the Europe countries where they have high spending power. Thus, it should not be overlooked. Airline crew is the third priority target market group with a 15 percent of target market allocation for it since PPKLIA is an airport hotel, the high volume of intercontinental, regional and international flights, coupled with the need for airline crew to have proper rest periods between flights, has created a demand for group accommodation for hotels within approximately 15 45 minutes travel time of major airports (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). While the distance between KLIA and PPKLIA is only a 5-minute walk make it as the preferred choice of hotel for airline crew to stay in. A prediction from World Tourism Organization (WTO) on China, it expected to send 100 million visitors to other countries (Zhang et al., 2000). Thus, a 60 percent of market allocation should falls under it as first future potential target market to be prioritized. On the other hand, with the popularize by the Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, the Japan market would permeate into Malaysia gradually by selling product-service that suit the different target market such as sophisticated office ladies and men, students and pensioners. Therefore, this market would have a 40 percent of market allocation being ranked as the second market to be prioritized. Hence, PPKLIA should grab this opportunity to adjust its products and services to prioritize these markets by cater the needs and wants for the Chinese and Japanese in an effort to enlarge its target market for the business. 7.2 Positioning Statement The concept of positioning statement in a marketing strategy calls for the creation of an image the consumers perception of the subjective attributes of the property vis-Ã  -vis those of the competition. This perception may be radically different from the propertys physical characteristics and the distinction between the perception and the reality is especially important for hotel marketers (Lewis, 1981). Based on the previous internal and external analysis, a repositioning should be carried out in order to revise the marketing strategy for PPKLIA as to increase sales. As a result, a new positioning map (Please refer to Appendix I) has been developed that emphasized on offering the same quality product-service to the guests but with lower price. From the previous positioning map, PPKLIA being plotted at the highest position for the two variables since it has the most expensive room rate compared to its competitors and is the nearest to the subject location, KLIA. As in the new positioning map, PPKLIA is being proposed to lower its ranking from five to four for the price variable. In other words, PPKLIA is encouraged to lower its room rate to the range of RM 375.00 RM 450.00 in order not to have a big difference with its primary competitors while at the same time maintain its quality. Below is an overall positioning statement follow along with statements for various targeted segment of PPKLIA. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel is a five-star airport hotel recognized by prestige awards and accolades based on the high quality product-service offered. At here, we have world-class luxury rooms and suites which are designed to exceptional standards with an intrinsic eye to detail with sumptuous food and beverage outlets serving an extensive variety of exotic cuisine. Meanwhile, a complete facilities and services are offered as well. We also provide a broad array of meeting and banquet services for business travelers and corporate group. Our hotel is surrounded by an oasis of greenery in fusion with luxury themed hotel to boast a relaxation during guests accommodation. All employees are treated as the hotels associates where associate implies partnership and working together and thus they would bring out the best in serving the external customers our guests. Business Travelers: As one of the finest and most conveniently located hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel is the preferred hotel for business travelers and corporate groups to conduct meetings and functions in our conference venues that offer enormous flexibility from a magnificent ballroom to our state-of-the-art auditoriums. Also, we provide a home away from home and an office away from the office with a complete set of secretarial services at the Business Centre to serve the needs of productive business travelers. Airline Crew: In Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel, the hotels lush tropical landscape, water features and soothing environment make for a rejuvenating break in combating jet lagged and weary airline crew that becoming a limiting factor in aircraft operations. Transit Passengers: We are a full-service airport hotel conveniently located adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with immediate access to the hotel via a sky bridge. It is the preferred hotel choice for transit air travelers with a few long hours in-between flights. Air travelers with early morning departures or late night arrivals will find the hotel perfectly suited to their unique needs. 7.3 Gap Analysis Ansoff Matrix Gap analysis is the art and science of computing the size of the gap between the sales objectives, and where a forecast based on the SWOT analysis of sales in the future on the identified threats and opportunities that impact on the business (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). It is an analytical tool to be used in conjunction with the Ansoff matrix which is the four alternative strategies to help determine how far each type of action will bridge the gap between initial forecasts for growth and the corporate objective for growth. PPKLIA can be considered as a business with growth-oriented that are more likely to set ambitious stretch targets that want to see the value of their investment increase. If achieved, there will be an improvement on the market value or capitalization of the business. As a result, a gap analysis and ansoff matrix (Please refer to appendix J and K) has been developed for PPKLIA to forecast the future sales that can be achieved in three years time. PPKLIA may starts improving its sales by adopting the lowest-risk growth strategy, market penetration. It is a strategy to improve sales by using the existing products in existing markets and this could increase the current customers rate of use or attracting competitors customers (Hsu and Powers, 2002). In order to do that, a plan in increasing the rooms sales of 5 percent has been suggested through the increase of frequency. Besides that, it is advisable to encourage spend from existing customers by creating more different loyalty program for different target market since PPKLIA only offers loyalty program to secretary and left out the others. Meanwhile, a frequent stay program will be offered after the creating of loyalty program where points will be awarded to guests based on their frequent of stay in the hotel. On the other hand, the hotel staffs especially from front office (front desk, operator, and concierge) should be trained on their up selling skills in order to sell the m ost profitable product to the guest to achieve maximum revenue for the hotel while ensuring total customer satisfactions. Besides, advertising and direct mail campaigns will be carried out to target at the ex-customers too. All these activities can help to boost a 5 percent of sales increase to rooms department and may bring the current hotel revenue of RM 61,709,000 to RM 78,843,093 in the future of three years time. The next strategy to be implemented is the market extension. It features the roll out of existing product-service offers in new markets (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). According to Hsu and Powers (2002), it has greater risk than market penetration because the hotel may lose its market development expenditures if the effort fails. The most common market development activity is to identify new geographic markets. From the previously conducted SWOT analysis, Chinese and Japanese target markets have been identified as the potential target markets for PPKLIA in the future and a succession of marketing communication will be carried out to capture this market. By targeting 3 percent of China and 2 percent of Japan market can help in increasing 5 percent of room sales and contribute an overall sale of RM 82,726,908. Another Ansoff strategy where it emphasized on developing new products in a hotel to increase customer satisfaction by improving the product offered. They are usually improvements and product modifications, rather than radical new product-service concepts (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). However, it is somewhat riskier than market penetration because of the costs involved (Hsu and Powers, 2002). According to Mr. Alex Chin, the director of sales of PPKLIA hotel year 2009, there is a rules of thumb where refurbishment will be carried out on the food and beverage outlets every five years and ten years for rooms because what hospitality operations offer is an experience and the physical setting is a representation of the experience offered (Hsu and Powers, 2002). The refurbishment can enhance the quality of products and hence create novelty to the existing markets. Besides, infusion of new technology into the hotel also consider as one of the tactics in enhancing the products and services offer ed. Technology features to be introduced such as the energy management on controlling rooms air-conditioner and lighting operation where the central computer determines occupancy status and adjusts energy consumption accordingly. Based on the previous internal analysis, the spa service provided in PPKLIA has the high potential to become one of the income generators to the hotel. However, it is not well managed and fully developed. Hence, enlarge its services and products by offering more variety of packages to choose from would attract more guests who emphasize on healthy living. The product development would help in increasing 3 percent of the rooms and spa sales that worth RM 3,205,787 and lead to a future total sales of RM 85,932,695 in the year 2011. When new products are introduced in new markets, diversification occurs. The diversification strategy focuses on creating new product-service offers for new target markets. This is the riskiest growth strategy, since the company has no existing customer or product knowledge to exploit (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). The tactic suggested to PPKLIA is to open a new themed restaurant to cater the Chinese and Japanese target market. The themed restaurant may offer Chinese and or Japanese cuisine since PPKLIA does not have these cuisines served on the current food and beverage outlets. If the plan succeeds, it would increase 7 percent of room sales and food beverage sales that contributes to an overall total sale of RM 90,252,325. According to the gap analysis graph, there is still gap between the diversification strategies and corporate sales objectives with an amount of RM 3,329,351. This is due to the corporate sales objectives being set in an ambitious manner and may need further revise. 7.4 Marketing Mix Objectives Marketing mix decisions is made from the marketing strategies and marketing tactics in order to achieve agreed marketing objectives. Marketing mixes for both the strategies and tactics to ensure that the organization wins sales from the targeted customers against the identified competitors (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). According to Bowie and Buttle (2007), objectives should be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and carried out within a set Timetable (SMART). SMART objectives provide an operational target that measure the performance of the business and act as a control mechanism in determining whether management is effective. Below are the SMART objectives set for PPKLIA to be achieved in the next three years. Annual / monthly sales Objectives: To increase sales from RM 61,709,000 in the current year (2008) to RM 93,581,676 in three years time. Customer Mix: To target Chinese and Japanese leisure market, and achieve 10% of the overall customer mix of the hotel in three years. Location: To purchase five busses in three years time to enhance the accessibility between the hotel and Kuala Lumpur city centre. Product Development To reduce 20 percent of the energy consumption from guestrooms annually. To increase 10 percent food and beverage sales in three years time by establishing new themed food and beverage outlet To increase 30 different variety spa product-service within three years Pricing To set the current room rate 25 percent lower to have similar price with its competitors within a year To offer 30 different variety of packages within three years To setup discriminatory pricing for transit air travelers can fences based on the two types of length of time staying in the hotel with two types of prices within a year. Distribution To increase bookings generated through mobile device by 10 percent in a year. To increase bookings generated through the website by 25 percent in the next 12 months Marketing Communication Objectives To increase five percent room sales through e-mail marketing within three years. To increase awareness amongst Chinese and Japanese market by allocates RM 1 million of advertising fees for three years time People To conduct stimulation training for new entrants once being employed and interpersonal customer service training for existing employee every six months. To form empowerment culture within three years time. 8.0 Marketing Mix Strategies All marketing decisions to accomplish the firms grand strategies and annual objectives can be expressed in terms of the marketing mix variables of location, product-service offer, price, distribution, marketing communications, and people. Marketing mix strategies are plans of action to show how the marketing mix variables will be used to achieve the marketing mix objectives and grand strategies (Reich, 1997). 8.1 Location Strategy According Powers (1990), there are three most important factors to consider when opening a hotel, location, location, and location. Without a good or excellent location the businesss chances of success are greatly reduced. PPKLIA sited on 2.25 hectares of land at Sepang which is a town and district located in the southern part of the state of Selangor in Malaysia. Formerly a sleepy town, Sepang has grown by leaps and bounds due to several recent developments such as the Sepang International Circuit and Sepang Goldcoast. However, it still lack of tourist spots that would offer sightseeing or entertainments. Transit passengers, who prefer not to rest in the room during the few long hours in-between flights, would suggest to pay a visit to Kuala Lumpur (KL). As the capital of Malaysia, it is the most modern and developed city in the country, with contemporary high-rises and world-class hotels, glitzy shopping malls, and international cuisine. It would definitely provide an ultimate guests satisfaction in the aspects of entertainments. Also, places such as Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and so on are where most of the business travelers would have their meetings, conference, or tr ade show conducted. However, guests who want to access to KL from PPKLIA may feel inconvenience since the hotel located 58 kilometers away from KL and it needs 50 minutes of car driving time to reach there. Even though there is a rail service by Express Rail Link (ERL) which is a standard gauge and electrified airport rail link in Malaysia that connects the KLIA with the Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral) transportation hub. Nevertheless, the service is costly for guests who need often access to KL from PPKLIA with a one way ticket that cost RM 35.00 for an adult and RM 15.00 for a child. In order to enhance the accessibility to KL, a strategy on setting up a free shuttle bus service for in-house guests will be proposed. Firstly, for the first year of this proposing, two busses will purchase and performance measurement will be implemented in order to know whether the outcome of this strategy brings an increase on sales to the hotel, then only to proceed to the original proposed plan to purchase three more busses. This is because the purchasing of a bus is costly, thus, if it does not bring a good outcome, a new strategy may need to develop. There are two routes to be offer in this service where the first route will have a linkage between the hotel and the Nilai commuter station. Although there are buses at the airports bus station are offering the same service, however, the buses will stop at every bus station to pick up passengers and it would spend about 45 minutes to reach Nilai commuter station whereas the free shuttle bus service will offer direct route for the in-house guests to the commuter station with just 15 minutes with the frequency of every 15 minutes. Another route will link from the hotel to the KL city centre with the frequency of every hour. The service will only operate from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. for both routes. 8.2 New Product Development Strategy Kotler et al (2004) define new product as a good, service or idea that is perceived by some potential customers as new. Most new product developments in hospitality operations are evolutionary rather than revolutionary (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). 8.1.1 Guests Rooms Since PPKLIA is an airport hotel that linked with KLIA, we would propose that the concept of the hotel should match with the KLIA. According to Sharp (1999), KLIA represents a fusion between nature and high technology with the concept of symbiosis, which Kisho Kurokawa, the designer of KLIA has described as an airport in the forest which is the worlds first environmentally friendly airport. As a result, PPKLIA should blend a unique amalgamation of green (environmental concern) into the hotel since its greenery surrounding provides a vantage point to become a green hotel. PPKLIA utilizes this transformation as a repositioning tool to differentiate itself from its competitors in order to maintain its leading position in the market. One of the key features in creating green hotel is to reduce the energy consumption in the hotel. Based on a study by Page and Siminovitch (2000), an estimate roughly of 60 percent of lighting energy usage occurs during 9 am to 4 pm period when rooms are generally not occupied. Hence, by introducing of key cards systems which include an energy management features that control the lighting operation where the central computer determines occupancy status and adjusts energy consumption accordingly. It keeps the room constant at a minimal comfort level until a guest requests a more comfortable temperature. It will also switch off the lightning operation in the room automatically when guests are not present. According to Mr. Alex Chin, the director of sales of PPKLIA hotel year 2009, the installation of solar film coating at Degree 24-hour Restaurant and Travellers Bar and Grill help to reduce heat from the sun light that penetrate through the large clear windows and glasses. When heat reduced, the energy cost of air-conditioning would be reduced as well. Thus, this same concept would apply in the guest rooms as well to reduce heat and at the same time the furniture and fixtures in the rooms are also protected from ultra violet damage and should last longer and look much better. To assist in the spectacular metamorphosis of PPKLIA, the transformation program will be conducted in stages so as to minimize disturbance to guests and the properties will remain open throughout the transformation. The new key card system will be installing on the first year of the implementation of the objective for the third to sixth floor; while the remaining floors will proceed in the second year. At the same time of installing the new key card system, the solar coating firm will be installing as well. 8.1.2 Food and beverage outlets One critical attribute of successful hotel food and beverage outlets is their ability to appropriately respond to the changing needs of the market while maintaining a profitable operation (Siguaw and Enz, 2007). Thus, the key concerns on product development for PPKLIAs food and beverage outlets will focus on establishing a new themed restaurant. The purpose of having this new restaurant is to serve the needs of the future potential market from China and Japan. Although both of the targeted markets are from different culture and having distinct dietary habit, however, this strategy proposed on the concept similar to the Four Seasons Hotel in Canada that using only one food and beverage outlet with two dining rooms to provide the fusion of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. By having a single food and beverage outlet, the hotel can offer two dining rooms that differ in design, but it shares the same menu, chefs, line cooks, and kitchens. Compared to having multiple outlets, this approach allows the service staff members to provide greater attention to food quality and presentation, to focus on small details, and to deliver higher service levels via a small, highly qualified staff. The new themed food and beverage outlet will build at the second floor of the hotel building by using the closed down North Indian restaurant, Ashoka. The renovation for this new restaurant will implement on the third quarter of the year 2010. When the restaurant is ready for operation with an estimation of six months time from the renovation process to the ability of fully operate, the Chinese and Japanese market already been permeating into Malaysia and would helps in increasing the food and beverage sales to the business. The reengineering of menus and recipe will implement by stages where the first stage will starts on the year end of 2009. Performance measurement will carry out monthly for duration of six months; second stage will proceed if the outcomes fulfill the objectives. On the contrary, a new strategy may need to develop. 8.1.3 Spa In the late 1990s, hotel spas started to follow the path of other operating departments and transformed from support facilities to profit centers where it functions as the complements the lodging experience, drives occupancy levels, enhances average daily rate and provides a distinctive marketing advantage (Anderson, 2007). PPKLIA as a full service airport hotel shouldnt left out the development of its spa service since the demand of spa is increasing where it can create prolonged wellness that integrates and renews body, mind, and spirit. To fully develop the spa operation in PPKLIA, one should know that spas are no longer solely about frivolous self-indulgence and luxurious pampering. PPKLIA should enhance its product-service by adding in a wide range of choices of spa packages with different characteristics for different guests needs such as day spas, medical spas, mineral spring spas or club spas. PPKLIA may need to reevaluate and repackage it with a broader emphasis on self-care, stress relief, emotional balancing, and preventative wellness modalities. Since there is a lots of types of spa, PPKLIA may introduce a few spa type for market testing starting on the year 2009 and the testing may go for a year in order to capture the market preferences and then do repositioning on the following year to offer only one or two types of spa that is the best seller on the year 2009. 8.3 Pricing Strategy Price is a component of the marketing mix and the vehicle used in free enterprise to allocate limited resources. Therefore, organizations should put a great deal of effort into formulating their pricing strategies that integrates marketing and finance in an attempt to create an atmosphere of mutual satisfaction. The product-service attributes are combined with price to provide enough value to satisfy customers, while enabling the organization to cover costs and make adequate profit (Reid and Bonjanic, 2009). 8.3.1 Competitor-Based Pricing From the above competitor set analysis, it can clearly be seen that PPKLIA has the highest pricing when compared to its three other direct competitors. Therefore, PPKLIA should adopt competition-based pricing approach, which is the establishment of price based largely on those of competitors, with less attention paid to costs or demand. The firm might charge the same, more, or less than its major competitors (Kotler et al., 2006). According to Kotler et al. (2006), firms feel that the going price represents the collective wisdom of the industry concerning the price that will yield a fair return; meanwhile holding to the going price will avoid harmful price wars. PPKLIA may need to lower its room rate 20 to 25 percent with which mean the lowest available room rate should be in the range of RM 375.00 RM 400.00 considering the pricing of its main competitors is also close to this price range. A 5 percent of the current room rate will slashed for the first year and it can be adjust grad ually to a certain level that profitable to the business as well. There is another major reason to cut prices, as Kotler et al. (2006) stated, companies cut prices in a drive to dominate the market in the hope of gaining market share through larger volume. The price cutting of PPKLIA would lead its customer to perceive there is better value being offered in the hotel, thus increasing demand. 8.3.2 Product-Bundling Pricing The hotel should also implement product-bundle pricing where it combines several of hotels products and offer the bundle at a reduced price. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel Business Strategy Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel Business Strategy 5.0 Key Factors for Success Key factors for success (KFS) are the critical factors or activities required for ensuring the success of a business. They need to be identified so that an organization can ensure that they can delivers value that meets and exceeds the expectations of its targeted customers better than competitors (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). Two key factors for success have been identified for PPKLIA hotel. The hotel physicals condition and hotel website. PPKLIA established 11 years ago, the exterior of the hotel building now seems aged and the exterior image of the hotel is in old condition with an unattractive design. At first sight, it does not bring an impression of the hotel being a 5-star luxury hotel. This can be considered as one of their weaknesses since there is often an intuitive feeling that effective design can attract customers from the desired target market segment and enable the hotel to price accordingly while operating the unit in an efficient way with the result of this greater market awareness and customer volume is increased profits (Ransley and Ingram, 2001). Hence, PPKLIA should have a refurbishment plan to upgrade the hotels design in order to achieve what had stated by Ransley and Ingram. The hotel web site is another factor which is considered critical to the hotel. To hospitality practitioners, the internet offers a means for them to sell their products to global customers without any geographical or time constraints (Huizingh, 2000). The driving force for hospitality suppliers to establish their web sites includes lower distribution costs and thus higher profits, and a larger potential market. Similarly, consumers can search for their needed information and directly communicate with suppliers at any time and in any place (Waller, 2003). Thus, the web site is an important medium for the hotel to communicate with their markets. 6.0 Mission Statement Organizations develop corporate mission statement in order to share them with their managers, employees and in many cases, customers and other publics (Kotler et al., 2006). According to Pearce and Robinson (1991), mission statement can be defined as broad statement of characteristics (product and market), goals (profit and growth) and philosophies of a business or simply its purpose and philosophies (Byars, 1984). Mission statement below is based on current situation and potential development of PPKLIA. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel will be regarded as the paramount leader of airport hotel in Asia exemplifying service of unmatched sincerity and professionalism. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel will be the best choice in serving the honorable business and leisure travelers according their different needs and wants. At here, we will treat all of our guests as our priority through the delivering of caring and efficient hospitality to create a truly unique signature service where every signature service comprises of our commitment and responsibility on the service provided. Our dedicated employees will go through a series of developing and training in an effort to mould them to become an extraordinary individual in providing a unique sense of professionalism to the guests. We will ensure that every employee is treated fairly with dignity where constantly support and caring from leaders to continuously improve productivity and customer satisfaction. As our hotel surrounded by an oasis of greenery in fusion with luxury, we committed to environmental protection and stewardship by mitigate the impacts on the environment with all the stakeholders to promote and implement responsible environmental practices and continuous improvements. We will ensure our products and services will remain in the high quality to provide satisfaction to the current and future potential customers and at the same time to breakthrough the limitation in creating competitive advantage vis-Ã  -vis competitors by actively expanding our presence globally, with potential developments in a number of domestic and international markets. 7.0 Strategy Formulation The task of analyzing the organizations external and internal environments and then selecting appropriate strategies constitutes strategy formulation. It is a process of taking actions consistent with the selected strategies of the organization (Hill and Jones, 2006). 7.1 Prioritize Existing and New Target Market PPKLIAs current target market composed of business travelers, airline crews, tourists and transit passenger, while 80 per cent of the hotel guests are foreigners with the largest group coming from the United Kingdom and Australia. According to Bowie and Buttle (2007), business travelers tend to be less price-sensitive, since employer generally meets hospitality and travel expenses. This has made them have more budgets to spend in the hotel. Also, they are less concern on seasonal aspects because business travelers contain business trips that are unavoidable due to their job nature. Moreover, with the recent economic downturn, many companies revised their travel spending, with companies arranging meeting near the airport in order for delegates to fly in and out on the same day (Boston Business School, 2009). This causes business travelers as frequent, or regular, users of airport hotel accommodation. Therefore, a 50 percent of target market allocation for business travelers should firstly being prioritized. Besides, a 35 percent of target market will be allocate for transit air travelers as the second group to be prioritized since PPKLIA is the preferred choice for transit air travelers with a few long hour in-between flights. Due to the nature of location of the hotel, it provides convenience to this target market to check-out the hotel and able to catch their flight by just going through a 5-minute walking distance of sky bridge that connecting the hotel and airport. Moreover, these transit passengers are mostly come from the Europe countries where they have high spending power. Thus, it should not be overlooked. Airline crew is the third priority target market group with a 15 percent of target market allocation for it since PPKLIA is an airport hotel, the high volume of intercontinental, regional and international flights, coupled with the need for airline crew to have proper rest periods between flights, has created a demand for group accommodation for hotels within approximately 15 45 minutes travel time of major airports (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). While the distance between KLIA and PPKLIA is only a 5-minute walk make it as the preferred choice of hotel for airline crew to stay in. A prediction from World Tourism Organization (WTO) on China, it expected to send 100 million visitors to other countries (Zhang et al., 2000). Thus, a 60 percent of market allocation should falls under it as first future potential target market to be prioritized. On the other hand, with the popularize by the Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, the Japan market would permeate into Malaysia gradually by selling product-service that suit the different target market such as sophisticated office ladies and men, students and pensioners. Therefore, this market would have a 40 percent of market allocation being ranked as the second market to be prioritized. Hence, PPKLIA should grab this opportunity to adjust its products and services to prioritize these markets by cater the needs and wants for the Chinese and Japanese in an effort to enlarge its target market for the business. 7.2 Positioning Statement The concept of positioning statement in a marketing strategy calls for the creation of an image the consumers perception of the subjective attributes of the property vis-Ã  -vis those of the competition. This perception may be radically different from the propertys physical characteristics and the distinction between the perception and the reality is especially important for hotel marketers (Lewis, 1981). Based on the previous internal and external analysis, a repositioning should be carried out in order to revise the marketing strategy for PPKLIA as to increase sales. As a result, a new positioning map (Please refer to Appendix I) has been developed that emphasized on offering the same quality product-service to the guests but with lower price. From the previous positioning map, PPKLIA being plotted at the highest position for the two variables since it has the most expensive room rate compared to its competitors and is the nearest to the subject location, KLIA. As in the new positioning map, PPKLIA is being proposed to lower its ranking from five to four for the price variable. In other words, PPKLIA is encouraged to lower its room rate to the range of RM 375.00 RM 450.00 in order not to have a big difference with its primary competitors while at the same time maintain its quality. Below is an overall positioning statement follow along with statements for various targeted segment of PPKLIA. Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel is a five-star airport hotel recognized by prestige awards and accolades based on the high quality product-service offered. At here, we have world-class luxury rooms and suites which are designed to exceptional standards with an intrinsic eye to detail with sumptuous food and beverage outlets serving an extensive variety of exotic cuisine. Meanwhile, a complete facilities and services are offered as well. We also provide a broad array of meeting and banquet services for business travelers and corporate group. Our hotel is surrounded by an oasis of greenery in fusion with luxury themed hotel to boast a relaxation during guests accommodation. All employees are treated as the hotels associates where associate implies partnership and working together and thus they would bring out the best in serving the external customers our guests. Business Travelers: As one of the finest and most conveniently located hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel is the preferred hotel for business travelers and corporate groups to conduct meetings and functions in our conference venues that offer enormous flexibility from a magnificent ballroom to our state-of-the-art auditoriums. Also, we provide a home away from home and an office away from the office with a complete set of secretarial services at the Business Centre to serve the needs of productive business travelers. Airline Crew: In Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel, the hotels lush tropical landscape, water features and soothing environment make for a rejuvenating break in combating jet lagged and weary airline crew that becoming a limiting factor in aircraft operations. Transit Passengers: We are a full-service airport hotel conveniently located adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport with immediate access to the hotel via a sky bridge. It is the preferred hotel choice for transit air travelers with a few long hours in-between flights. Air travelers with early morning departures or late night arrivals will find the hotel perfectly suited to their unique needs. 7.3 Gap Analysis Ansoff Matrix Gap analysis is the art and science of computing the size of the gap between the sales objectives, and where a forecast based on the SWOT analysis of sales in the future on the identified threats and opportunities that impact on the business (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). It is an analytical tool to be used in conjunction with the Ansoff matrix which is the four alternative strategies to help determine how far each type of action will bridge the gap between initial forecasts for growth and the corporate objective for growth. PPKLIA can be considered as a business with growth-oriented that are more likely to set ambitious stretch targets that want to see the value of their investment increase. If achieved, there will be an improvement on the market value or capitalization of the business. As a result, a gap analysis and ansoff matrix (Please refer to appendix J and K) has been developed for PPKLIA to forecast the future sales that can be achieved in three years time. PPKLIA may starts improving its sales by adopting the lowest-risk growth strategy, market penetration. It is a strategy to improve sales by using the existing products in existing markets and this could increase the current customers rate of use or attracting competitors customers (Hsu and Powers, 2002). In order to do that, a plan in increasing the rooms sales of 5 percent has been suggested through the increase of frequency. Besides that, it is advisable to encourage spend from existing customers by creating more different loyalty program for different target market since PPKLIA only offers loyalty program to secretary and left out the others. Meanwhile, a frequent stay program will be offered after the creating of loyalty program where points will be awarded to guests based on their frequent of stay in the hotel. On the other hand, the hotel staffs especially from front office (front desk, operator, and concierge) should be trained on their up selling skills in order to sell the m ost profitable product to the guest to achieve maximum revenue for the hotel while ensuring total customer satisfactions. Besides, advertising and direct mail campaigns will be carried out to target at the ex-customers too. All these activities can help to boost a 5 percent of sales increase to rooms department and may bring the current hotel revenue of RM 61,709,000 to RM 78,843,093 in the future of three years time. The next strategy to be implemented is the market extension. It features the roll out of existing product-service offers in new markets (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). According to Hsu and Powers (2002), it has greater risk than market penetration because the hotel may lose its market development expenditures if the effort fails. The most common market development activity is to identify new geographic markets. From the previously conducted SWOT analysis, Chinese and Japanese target markets have been identified as the potential target markets for PPKLIA in the future and a succession of marketing communication will be carried out to capture this market. By targeting 3 percent of China and 2 percent of Japan market can help in increasing 5 percent of room sales and contribute an overall sale of RM 82,726,908. Another Ansoff strategy where it emphasized on developing new products in a hotel to increase customer satisfaction by improving the product offered. They are usually improvements and product modifications, rather than radical new product-service concepts (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). However, it is somewhat riskier than market penetration because of the costs involved (Hsu and Powers, 2002). According to Mr. Alex Chin, the director of sales of PPKLIA hotel year 2009, there is a rules of thumb where refurbishment will be carried out on the food and beverage outlets every five years and ten years for rooms because what hospitality operations offer is an experience and the physical setting is a representation of the experience offered (Hsu and Powers, 2002). The refurbishment can enhance the quality of products and hence create novelty to the existing markets. Besides, infusion of new technology into the hotel also consider as one of the tactics in enhancing the products and services offer ed. Technology features to be introduced such as the energy management on controlling rooms air-conditioner and lighting operation where the central computer determines occupancy status and adjusts energy consumption accordingly. Based on the previous internal analysis, the spa service provided in PPKLIA has the high potential to become one of the income generators to the hotel. However, it is not well managed and fully developed. Hence, enlarge its services and products by offering more variety of packages to choose from would attract more guests who emphasize on healthy living. The product development would help in increasing 3 percent of the rooms and spa sales that worth RM 3,205,787 and lead to a future total sales of RM 85,932,695 in the year 2011. When new products are introduced in new markets, diversification occurs. The diversification strategy focuses on creating new product-service offers for new target markets. This is the riskiest growth strategy, since the company has no existing customer or product knowledge to exploit (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). The tactic suggested to PPKLIA is to open a new themed restaurant to cater the Chinese and Japanese target market. The themed restaurant may offer Chinese and or Japanese cuisine since PPKLIA does not have these cuisines served on the current food and beverage outlets. If the plan succeeds, it would increase 7 percent of room sales and food beverage sales that contributes to an overall total sale of RM 90,252,325. According to the gap analysis graph, there is still gap between the diversification strategies and corporate sales objectives with an amount of RM 3,329,351. This is due to the corporate sales objectives being set in an ambitious manner and may need further revise. 7.4 Marketing Mix Objectives Marketing mix decisions is made from the marketing strategies and marketing tactics in order to achieve agreed marketing objectives. Marketing mixes for both the strategies and tactics to ensure that the organization wins sales from the targeted customers against the identified competitors (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). According to Bowie and Buttle (2007), objectives should be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and carried out within a set Timetable (SMART). SMART objectives provide an operational target that measure the performance of the business and act as a control mechanism in determining whether management is effective. Below are the SMART objectives set for PPKLIA to be achieved in the next three years. Annual / monthly sales Objectives: To increase sales from RM 61,709,000 in the current year (2008) to RM 93,581,676 in three years time. Customer Mix: To target Chinese and Japanese leisure market, and achieve 10% of the overall customer mix of the hotel in three years. Location: To purchase five busses in three years time to enhance the accessibility between the hotel and Kuala Lumpur city centre. Product Development To reduce 20 percent of the energy consumption from guestrooms annually. To increase 10 percent food and beverage sales in three years time by establishing new themed food and beverage outlet To increase 30 different variety spa product-service within three years Pricing To set the current room rate 25 percent lower to have similar price with its competitors within a year To offer 30 different variety of packages within three years To setup discriminatory pricing for transit air travelers can fences based on the two types of length of time staying in the hotel with two types of prices within a year. Distribution To increase bookings generated through mobile device by 10 percent in a year. To increase bookings generated through the website by 25 percent in the next 12 months Marketing Communication Objectives To increase five percent room sales through e-mail marketing within three years. To increase awareness amongst Chinese and Japanese market by allocates RM 1 million of advertising fees for three years time People To conduct stimulation training for new entrants once being employed and interpersonal customer service training for existing employee every six months. To form empowerment culture within three years time. 8.0 Marketing Mix Strategies All marketing decisions to accomplish the firms grand strategies and annual objectives can be expressed in terms of the marketing mix variables of location, product-service offer, price, distribution, marketing communications, and people. Marketing mix strategies are plans of action to show how the marketing mix variables will be used to achieve the marketing mix objectives and grand strategies (Reich, 1997). 8.1 Location Strategy According Powers (1990), there are three most important factors to consider when opening a hotel, location, location, and location. Without a good or excellent location the businesss chances of success are greatly reduced. PPKLIA sited on 2.25 hectares of land at Sepang which is a town and district located in the southern part of the state of Selangor in Malaysia. Formerly a sleepy town, Sepang has grown by leaps and bounds due to several recent developments such as the Sepang International Circuit and Sepang Goldcoast. However, it still lack of tourist spots that would offer sightseeing or entertainments. Transit passengers, who prefer not to rest in the room during the few long hours in-between flights, would suggest to pay a visit to Kuala Lumpur (KL). As the capital of Malaysia, it is the most modern and developed city in the country, with contemporary high-rises and world-class hotels, glitzy shopping malls, and international cuisine. It would definitely provide an ultimate guests satisfaction in the aspects of entertainments. Also, places such as Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and so on are where most of the business travelers would have their meetings, conference, or tr ade show conducted. However, guests who want to access to KL from PPKLIA may feel inconvenience since the hotel located 58 kilometers away from KL and it needs 50 minutes of car driving time to reach there. Even though there is a rail service by Express Rail Link (ERL) which is a standard gauge and electrified airport rail link in Malaysia that connects the KLIA with the Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral) transportation hub. Nevertheless, the service is costly for guests who need often access to KL from PPKLIA with a one way ticket that cost RM 35.00 for an adult and RM 15.00 for a child. In order to enhance the accessibility to KL, a strategy on setting up a free shuttle bus service for in-house guests will be proposed. Firstly, for the first year of this proposing, two busses will purchase and performance measurement will be implemented in order to know whether the outcome of this strategy brings an increase on sales to the hotel, then only to proceed to the original proposed plan to purchase three more busses. This is because the purchasing of a bus is costly, thus, if it does not bring a good outcome, a new strategy may need to develop. There are two routes to be offer in this service where the first route will have a linkage between the hotel and the Nilai commuter station. Although there are buses at the airports bus station are offering the same service, however, the buses will stop at every bus station to pick up passengers and it would spend about 45 minutes to reach Nilai commuter station whereas the free shuttle bus service will offer direct route for the in-house guests to the commuter station with just 15 minutes with the frequency of every 15 minutes. Another route will link from the hotel to the KL city centre with the frequency of every hour. The service will only operate from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. for both routes. 8.2 New Product Development Strategy Kotler et al (2004) define new product as a good, service or idea that is perceived by some potential customers as new. Most new product developments in hospitality operations are evolutionary rather than revolutionary (Bowie and Buttle, 2007). 8.1.1 Guests Rooms Since PPKLIA is an airport hotel that linked with KLIA, we would propose that the concept of the hotel should match with the KLIA. According to Sharp (1999), KLIA represents a fusion between nature and high technology with the concept of symbiosis, which Kisho Kurokawa, the designer of KLIA has described as an airport in the forest which is the worlds first environmentally friendly airport. As a result, PPKLIA should blend a unique amalgamation of green (environmental concern) into the hotel since its greenery surrounding provides a vantage point to become a green hotel. PPKLIA utilizes this transformation as a repositioning tool to differentiate itself from its competitors in order to maintain its leading position in the market. One of the key features in creating green hotel is to reduce the energy consumption in the hotel. Based on a study by Page and Siminovitch (2000), an estimate roughly of 60 percent of lighting energy usage occurs during 9 am to 4 pm period when rooms are generally not occupied. Hence, by introducing of key cards systems which include an energy management features that control the lighting operation where the central computer determines occupancy status and adjusts energy consumption accordingly. It keeps the room constant at a minimal comfort level until a guest requests a more comfortable temperature. It will also switch off the lightning operation in the room automatically when guests are not present. According to Mr. Alex Chin, the director of sales of PPKLIA hotel year 2009, the installation of solar film coating at Degree 24-hour Restaurant and Travellers Bar and Grill help to reduce heat from the sun light that penetrate through the large clear windows and glasses. When heat reduced, the energy cost of air-conditioning would be reduced as well. Thus, this same concept would apply in the guest rooms as well to reduce heat and at the same time the furniture and fixtures in the rooms are also protected from ultra violet damage and should last longer and look much better. To assist in the spectacular metamorphosis of PPKLIA, the transformation program will be conducted in stages so as to minimize disturbance to guests and the properties will remain open throughout the transformation. The new key card system will be installing on the first year of the implementation of the objective for the third to sixth floor; while the remaining floors will proceed in the second year. At the same time of installing the new key card system, the solar coating firm will be installing as well. 8.1.2 Food and beverage outlets One critical attribute of successful hotel food and beverage outlets is their ability to appropriately respond to the changing needs of the market while maintaining a profitable operation (Siguaw and Enz, 2007). Thus, the key concerns on product development for PPKLIAs food and beverage outlets will focus on establishing a new themed restaurant. The purpose of having this new restaurant is to serve the needs of the future potential market from China and Japan. Although both of the targeted markets are from different culture and having distinct dietary habit, however, this strategy proposed on the concept similar to the Four Seasons Hotel in Canada that using only one food and beverage outlet with two dining rooms to provide the fusion of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. By having a single food and beverage outlet, the hotel can offer two dining rooms that differ in design, but it shares the same menu, chefs, line cooks, and kitchens. Compared to having multiple outlets, this approach allows the service staff members to provide greater attention to food quality and presentation, to focus on small details, and to deliver higher service levels via a small, highly qualified staff. The new themed food and beverage outlet will build at the second floor of the hotel building by using the closed down North Indian restaurant, Ashoka. The renovation for this new restaurant will implement on the third quarter of the year 2010. When the restaurant is ready for operation with an estimation of six months time from the renovation process to the ability of fully operate, the Chinese and Japanese market already been permeating into Malaysia and would helps in increasing the food and beverage sales to the business. The reengineering of menus and recipe will implement by stages where the first stage will starts on the year end of 2009. Performance measurement will carry out monthly for duration of six months; second stage will proceed if the outcomes fulfill the objectives. On the contrary, a new strategy may need to develop. 8.1.3 Spa In the late 1990s, hotel spas started to follow the path of other operating departments and transformed from support facilities to profit centers where it functions as the complements the lodging experience, drives occupancy levels, enhances average daily rate and provides a distinctive marketing advantage (Anderson, 2007). PPKLIA as a full service airport hotel shouldnt left out the development of its spa service since the demand of spa is increasing where it can create prolonged wellness that integrates and renews body, mind, and spirit. To fully develop the spa operation in PPKLIA, one should know that spas are no longer solely about frivolous self-indulgence and luxurious pampering. PPKLIA should enhance its product-service by adding in a wide range of choices of spa packages with different characteristics for different guests needs such as day spas, medical spas, mineral spring spas or club spas. PPKLIA may need to reevaluate and repackage it with a broader emphasis on self-care, stress relief, emotional balancing, and preventative wellness modalities. Since there is a lots of types of spa, PPKLIA may introduce a few spa type for market testing starting on the year 2009 and the testing may go for a year in order to capture the market preferences and then do repositioning on the following year to offer only one or two types of spa that is the best seller on the year 2009. 8.3 Pricing Strategy Price is a component of the marketing mix and the vehicle used in free enterprise to allocate limited resources. Therefore, organizations should put a great deal of effort into formulating their pricing strategies that integrates marketing and finance in an attempt to create an atmosphere of mutual satisfaction. The product-service attributes are combined with price to provide enough value to satisfy customers, while enabling the organization to cover costs and make adequate profit (Reid and Bonjanic, 2009). 8.3.1 Competitor-Based Pricing From the above competitor set analysis, it can clearly be seen that PPKLIA has the highest pricing when compared to its three other direct competitors. Therefore, PPKLIA should adopt competition-based pricing approach, which is the establishment of price based largely on those of competitors, with less attention paid to costs or demand. The firm might charge the same, more, or less than its major competitors (Kotler et al., 2006). According to Kotler et al. (2006), firms feel that the going price represents the collective wisdom of the industry concerning the price that will yield a fair return; meanwhile holding to the going price will avoid harmful price wars. PPKLIA may need to lower its room rate 20 to 25 percent with which mean the lowest available room rate should be in the range of RM 375.00 RM 400.00 considering the pricing of its main competitors is also close to this price range. A 5 percent of the current room rate will slashed for the first year and it can be adjust grad ually to a certain level that profitable to the business as well. There is another major reason to cut prices, as Kotler et al. (2006) stated, companies cut prices in a drive to dominate the market in the hope of gaining market share through larger volume. The price cutting of PPKLIA would lead its customer to perceive there is better value being offered in the hotel, thus increasing demand. 8.3.2 Product-Bundling Pricing The hotel should also implement product-bundle pricing where it combines several of hotels products and offer the bundle at a reduced price.