Sport has a greater impact in the life of many people. It makes people healthier and it’s a good way of spending free time.Sport is good for health, but only if you are sport-lover. Professional sportsmen have a lot of injuries.
A lot of people have heard about the young Russian gymnast Masha Zasipkina who fell during coaching and injured her spine. It was a year ago. She was paralyzed, she had surgery and now she feels O.K. But she would never go to the gymnastic stage again. This might lead to think for a once that is sport really worth of risking a life. But one doesn't have to be professional sports person to be healthy in life. Regular sporting activities is good enough to keep yourself fit.
One of the least dangerous kinds of sport is swimming. You can’t break your spine, leg, hand, etc. Of course, someone can say that you can sink in the swimming-pool, but I think it is less probable then breaking your nose in basketball.
In cold countries people can’t afford to spend a lot of time in the fresh air. But if it is not very cold skiing and skating are a good way to stay fit.If you ask anyone about health, practically all the people will say that sport influences health, and all people should do sport. Sport plays a large role, and there are a lot of kinds of sport which are new for people.Fitness is a combination of body composition and muscular performance. . It decreases your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and other life threatening diseases.Aerobic (means with oxygen) exercise which involves steady constant motion of the muscles increases the body's demand for oxygen. In this manner aerobicexercise works your heart muscle making it bigger and stronger. Examples of aerobic exercises are walking, running, swimming, and cycling.There are some rules for persons who want to stay fit and be healthy.Physically exercise should be given the same importance as any important event. Regardless of what exercise you choose, 20-30 minutes 3 times a week should be placed into your timetable.Pedal your way to fitness and enjoy the scenery and the company of family or friends.To increase your physical activity doesn't always mean going to the gym. Try putting it into your daily routine. If you do this, your are more likely to keep doing it. To increase your physical activity doesn't always mean going to the gym. Try putting it into your daily routine. If you do this, your are more likely to keep doing itbecause you don't have to go out of your way to exercise.Take stairs whenever possible - particularly if you are going four floors or less. Even if you work on the 60th floor, try climbing a few flights and then take the lift Don't use the remote control, get up and change the T.V. channel. If you follow this rule you will fell yourself O.K!
Sports not only helps to improve individuals life but also can help bring individuals and communities together, create a sense of community, encourage active citizenship, and foster trust, reciprocity, and a sense of security among community members.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Ireland's Top 5 Richest People.
The Sunday Times newspaper has published its popular annual Rich List, detailing the top Irish earners and how much they are really worth. One most notable things about the 2009 list is the losses being suffered by the Irish super-rich. In this survey all the Irish born people are eligible.
1. Hilary Weston & Family Retailing (£4,500M)
Weston and family owns Hotel Renfrew stores and Brown Thomas In Ireland & Canada. They have a well connection of Irish and Canadian background. They also own real estate. Galen Sr, owns 63.5% of George Weston,One of north America's Largest Food Processors.
2. Sean Quinn (£2,295m)
He lost £1 Billion by buying 25% Anglo Irish Bank Up as recession proved that it was a wrong decision. He owns Quinns Group which generates about £300m In post-tax profit a year. He Owns Quinn Healthcare, building product companies,landfil sites, glassmaking operations,pubs and hotels.
3. Denis O'brien (£1,734m)
He owns Bermuda-based Digicel Group mobile phone companies, operating in 31 countries which worths £1.2billion. He also owns Independant News & Medis. Across europe which worth around £40m.
4.Dermot Desmond (£1,421m)
He made his fortunes through Finance. His Company IIU Nominees, built a stake of £15 million in the Bank of Ireland and the AIB. He also has 37% stake in celtic football Club.
5.John Dorrance (£1,247m) Dorrance, 59, heads the Irish list for the seventh year even though the falling value of the dollar has knocked £68m off his fortune. As American, he inherited shares in Campbell soup company, the food giant built on his grandfather's innovation condensed soup-in 1989.
Source: Irish Times 2009, 26th April
1. Hilary Weston & Family Retailing (£4,500M) Weston and family owns Hotel Renfrew stores and Brown Thomas In Ireland & Canada. They have a well connection of Irish and Canadian background. They also own real estate. Galen Sr, owns 63.5% of George Weston,One of north America's Largest Food Processors.
2. Sean Quinn (£2,295m)He lost £1 Billion by buying 25% Anglo Irish Bank Up as recession proved that it was a wrong decision. He owns Quinns Group which generates about £300m In post-tax profit a year. He Owns Quinn Healthcare, building product companies,landfil sites, glassmaking operations,pubs and hotels.
3. Denis O'brien (£1,734m)He owns Bermuda-based Digicel Group mobile phone companies, operating in 31 countries which worths £1.2billion. He also owns Independant News & Medis. Across europe which worth around £40m.
4.Dermot Desmond (£1,421m)He made his fortunes through Finance. His Company IIU Nominees, built a stake of £15 million in the Bank of Ireland and the AIB. He also has 37% stake in celtic football Club.
5.John Dorrance (£1,247m) Dorrance, 59, heads the Irish list for the seventh year even though the falling value of the dollar has knocked £68m off his fortune. As American, he inherited shares in Campbell soup company, the food giant built on his grandfather's innovation condensed soup-in 1989.Source: Irish Times 2009, 26th April
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Fighting with credit crunch (80/20 Rule)
A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates. In such situations, the relationship between credit availability and interest rates has implicitly changed, such that either credit becomes less available at any given official interest rate, or there ceases to be a clear relationship between interest rates and credit availability (i.e. credit rationing occurs). Many times, a credit crunch is accompanied by a flight to quality by lenders and investors, as they seek less risky investments (often at the expense of small to medium size enterprises).
As a consequence, unemployment is rising and people are limiting their expenditure. It has affected all sorts of business. Restaurant business is no exception to it. People are dining less in restaurant. So it is crucial for the entrepreneur to come up with the strategy to survive in this crucial time.
80/20 Rule
The 80/20 Rule states that a small number of causes are responsible for a great number of effects. In business that often means 80% of our sales come from 20% of our customers, so looking after them should be our primary focus. In addition, it further implies 20% of our customers give us 80% of our profit, so looking after that 20% should be a crucial, and the foundation of business survival and success.
So it is essential to focus on those 20% customers who frequently visit the restaurant. Apart from that we should also apply that 80/20 Rule to other areas of restaurant to bear the fruitful result. Those applications can be:
20% of our menu items will give you 80% of our sales, and 80% of it will give us 20% of our sales. It is prudent to look closely at the best and worst sellers on our list and adjust accordingly.
If 20% of our wine and beverage list gives us 80% of our sales, we should check the need to keep so many different labels, especially as it usually involves carrying expensive stock which is a big cost on such idle thing.
80% of food costs come from a very small number of items eg meat, seafood and luxury ingredients. There might need special attention on these food items.
A large reduction in costs could be achieved by working on a small number of the items purchased or suppliers (even one or two). Having only few suppliers can lead us to reliable & prompt supply along with discount. If we have reliable supplier we can also reduce level of stock which reduces the cost of holding stock.We can also assume that 20% of staff will generate 80% of the tips. So, there can be the issue of further training programs for the rest of staff to improve their performance. A small number of staff may be receiving a large proportion of the wages. So we can do the analysis regarding the value for money we are paying.
We can make a strategy to bring business from these 20% customers. It can be as following.
1. Grade our client list A. B. C. D. E.
2. Identify our top 20% (A & B). It can be done by doing record of our business for any ideal particular month.
3. We can create an array of reward schemes, such as free gifts (movie passes etc), Irish river dance programme, group outings, closed door events, special discounts, newsletters etc.
4. Give these gifts often and with regularity, say every 3 or 6 months.
5. Select Cs and Ds for special attention to upgrade to the level of you're A & B clients.
6. Make our Rewards programme and who is a part of it, known to the rest of your list via your newsletters, photos, in-house 'signage' and Case Studies.
One of the most primal needs we have, as human beings, is to be acknowledged; acknowledged for our achievements, acknowledged for our contribution, acknowledged for a job well done, acknowledge for being a worthwhile person. If we fulfill this need in our clients, not only will they continue to advocate us and our business, they may even strive to reach even higher levels of support for us. The rewards are indisputable.
Source: Sunday Times,19th April 2009
As a consequence, unemployment is rising and people are limiting their expenditure. It has affected all sorts of business. Restaurant business is no exception to it. People are dining less in restaurant. So it is crucial for the entrepreneur to come up with the strategy to survive in this crucial time.
80/20 Rule
The 80/20 Rule states that a small number of causes are responsible for a great number of effects. In business that often means 80% of our sales come from 20% of our customers, so looking after them should be our primary focus. In addition, it further implies 20% of our customers give us 80% of our profit, so looking after that 20% should be a crucial, and the foundation of business survival and success.
So it is essential to focus on those 20% customers who frequently visit the restaurant. Apart from that we should also apply that 80/20 Rule to other areas of restaurant to bear the fruitful result. Those applications can be:
20% of our menu items will give you 80% of our sales, and 80% of it will give us 20% of our sales. It is prudent to look closely at the best and worst sellers on our list and adjust accordingly.
If 20% of our wine and beverage list gives us 80% of our sales, we should check the need to keep so many different labels, especially as it usually involves carrying expensive stock which is a big cost on such idle thing.
80% of food costs come from a very small number of items eg meat, seafood and luxury ingredients. There might need special attention on these food items.
A large reduction in costs could be achieved by working on a small number of the items purchased or suppliers (even one or two). Having only few suppliers can lead us to reliable & prompt supply along with discount. If we have reliable supplier we can also reduce level of stock which reduces the cost of holding stock.We can also assume that 20% of staff will generate 80% of the tips. So, there can be the issue of further training programs for the rest of staff to improve their performance. A small number of staff may be receiving a large proportion of the wages. So we can do the analysis regarding the value for money we are paying.
We can make a strategy to bring business from these 20% customers. It can be as following.
1. Grade our client list A. B. C. D. E.
2. Identify our top 20% (A & B). It can be done by doing record of our business for any ideal particular month.
3. We can create an array of reward schemes, such as free gifts (movie passes etc), Irish river dance programme, group outings, closed door events, special discounts, newsletters etc.
4. Give these gifts often and with regularity, say every 3 or 6 months.
5. Select Cs and Ds for special attention to upgrade to the level of you're A & B clients.
6. Make our Rewards programme and who is a part of it, known to the rest of your list via your newsletters, photos, in-house 'signage' and Case Studies.
One of the most primal needs we have, as human beings, is to be acknowledged; acknowledged for our achievements, acknowledged for our contribution, acknowledged for a job well done, acknowledge for being a worthwhile person. If we fulfill this need in our clients, not only will they continue to advocate us and our business, they may even strive to reach even higher levels of support for us. The rewards are indisputable.
Source: Sunday Times,19th April 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Information Technology in Hospitality Industry
Information systems form a fascinating and rapidly expanding field of study. Hospitality traditionally lags other sectors in adopting information technology (Buick, 2003) but this has changed in recent years and research into its application has followed suit.In the recent years hospitality industry has realised the importance of technology and its impact. Experts have realised that advanced technology provides competitive advantage to the industry. So how has technology become such a phenomenal factor for the industry?
Accounting is complicated, but advanced accounting software gave that needed boost to the hospitality industry. It helps to enable hotel owners to make smart decisions. Services and products that are no longer used can be quickly cut off to save money, while those who show demand can be increased in quantity or modified so as to reduce the heavy usage.
One of the major turnaround that happened regarding technology is the booking and reservation system. No longer have people had to ring the hotels and do the reservation. Online booking and reservation has completely wiped out those issues. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in a way that might not reach to the targeted market. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy.
Internet has proved to be blessing for each and every sector of life regardless of who they are. Be it student or people travelling who wish to be in touch with their offices when abroad. Internet and wireless technology has become a very common and very useful tool for the hotel. Having a wireless internet facilities is seen as one of the major factors for hotels in attracting business people as they could do their official work staying in the hotel. Such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staffs are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.
Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits.
One of the major turnaround that happened regarding technology is the booking and reservation system. No longer have people had to ring the hotels and do the reservation. Online booking and reservation has completely wiped out those issues. Hotels can now work with various online travel companies and booking services to have their rooms booked online, with no need to employ expensive staff. This also allows a hotel to advertise their open rooms and special deals directly to persons who would be most likely to purchase them, instead of wasting lots of money advertising in a way that might not reach to the targeted market. High quality information technology thus allows for better arrangement and management of bookings in order to allow a hotel to better maximize occupancy.
Internet has proved to be blessing for each and every sector of life regardless of who they are. Be it student or people travelling who wish to be in touch with their offices when abroad. Internet and wireless technology has become a very common and very useful tool for the hotel. Having a wireless internet facilities is seen as one of the major factors for hotels in attracting business people as they could do their official work staying in the hotel. Such services are easy to provide, as all that is required is a wireless router and various devices to ensure the entire hotel is filled with the network. Security cameras, door locks, and other devices essential to hotel security and safety can be wired into the network, so that staffs are alerted whenever a door is propped open, a fire alarm goes off or suspicious activity occurs. Though the hotel guests are wholly unaware of it, this sort of added safety and security keeps them safe, and in the event of a problem they will most certainly appreciate the benefits of such a system.
Hotels with room service or other guest services can offer their menus online, allowing for quick updates, high-quality photos, and other ways to allow guests to see and order services before they even arrive. There are also advances in terms of payroll and inventory which make information technology a valuable asset for saving money and maximizing profits.
Another importanct factor regarding technolgy is Customer Relationship Management(CRM).Two articles investigate the implementation of a CRM system. Based on qualitative and quantitative research with Italian hotel operators, Minghetti (2003) proposes a CRM system and complementary matrix for evaluating guest information, which serve as a convenient blueprint for implementing or evaluating the CRM process. Louvieris and Driver (2004) suggest how the developing XML web standard could enable the CRM process. Consumers increasingly use a variety of devices (for example cell phones, Interactive television and kiosks) to access the web, and need different types of interactions, information and procedures depending on the relationship stage. They show how the current one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to be successful. However providing the required personalisation to service each situation is difficult using current technology. They propose how the unique characteristics of XML, which uses content specific rather than stylistic tags, could help hotel companies implement the needed device specific and loyalty level personalisation.
The unique nature of the hospitality industry makes it a great place for new and emerging information technology, and forward-thinking hotel owners and managers are always looking for smart equipment and software to invest in.
Reference
Buick, I. (2003). "Information technology in small Scottish hotels: is it working."
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Reference
Buick, I. (2003). "Information technology in small Scottish hotels: is it working."
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Louvieris, P., J. Driver, et al. (2003). "Managing Customer Behaviour Dynamics in the Multi-channel E-business Environment: Enhancing Customer Relationship Capital in the Global Hotel industry." Journal of Vacation Marketing
Minghetti, V. (2003). "Building Customer Value in the Hospitality industry: Towards the Definition of a Customer-Centric Information System." Information Technology and Tourism
Nick Nikolis, Atlantica Hotels and Resorts (2006)
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