Current Nutritional and Nutraceutical Approches for the Treatment of Essay

Current Nutritional and Nutraceutical Approches for the Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome - Essay Example Various diets and nutraceutical supplements which inhibit or significantly arrest the various symptoms will be discussed in this thesis. Metabolic syndrome, clinically termed as â€Å"Syndrome X,† is in fact a constellation of symptoms leading to hypertension, obesity, and lipid abnormalities. The main factor underlying all these symptoms are traced to a resistance to insulin on the one hand and excessive release of insulin on the other. Syndrome X has a history which is of recent origin. The obesity dimension to the syndrome was added on subsequently in order to reveal the interconnectedness of the symptoms. The main causative factors leading to Syndrome X relate to poor dietary habits and lifestyle related factors. These include diets with high fat content, abnormally rich consumption of refined sugar, sedentary lifestyles with low or no physical exercise and a genetic make up that makes an individual susceptible to Syndrome X. The incidence of Syndrome X in the Western world has assumed alarming proportions. For instance, in USA, data from the National Health Nutritional Survey for the years 1988 to 1994 re ports that nearly 50 million Americans exhibited symptoms of Syndrome X (1). In the year 2006 Syndrome X figures may be well past 75 million. Such a wide prevalence automatically qualifies this syndrome as a topic of research. The emphasis of the research is to develop several approaches towards treating Syndrome X. In fact Syndrome X has been defined with limited symptoms in its theoretical construct however its physical manifestations are far and wide. Though, invariably, it is associated as a major cause of cardiovascular disease, it is also acknowledged that the syndrome may be a big contributory factor and accessory in morbidity and mortality in other conditions like non-alcoholic fatty-liver, female reproductive disorders, polycystic ovary

Literature Survey for - What are the benefits and costs of worker Essay

Literature Survey for - What are the benefits and costs of worker training, and who should pay for training - Essay Example Moreover, Acemoglu and Pischke argue that worker training is important especially with the ever changing technology in organizations (1999, p.2). In a bid to increase productivity and retain relevance in competitive industries, organizations have to constantly change and adopt to new technology. As a result, workers need to attend trainings on how to effectively use new technology. Studies show that highly skilled workers easily and effectively adapt to new tasks and technology compared to low skilled workers. Furthermore, highly skilled workers were found to be more innovative hence yielding better performance (Blundell, Dearden, Meghir, and Sianesi, 1999, p. 14). This implies that worker trainings ensure that the entire workforce is always in conversance with organization equipment and technology thereby maintaining high productivity. In addition, the basic education attained in institutions of higher learning and other basic education providers is arguably not enough to produce optimum results. As a result, there is need for continued worker training to impact the essential knowledge required for maximum productivity. According to Preffer and Fong a consultancy firm can produce a two-year learning experience in colleges in three weeks (qtd. in Xie and Steiner 2013, p.3). This implies that worker training can be considered more effective than the basic education learnt in schools since people already have first-hand experiences in the course of work. However, this is not to say that basic education is irrelevant but it is to lay emphasis on the need to promote and incorporate worker training in organizations. This is further emphasized by Acemoglu and Pischke who argue that ‘most lines of business require a set of skills that cannot be impacted by the basic education (1999, p. 2). This implies that for maxi mum efficiency, worker education should be incorporated

Career Opportunities in Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Career Opportunities in Health Care - Essay Example This seemed to my source of inspiration to take Optometry and other factors like passion in the medical field and interest in helping other people. Moreover, I love the program involved in Optometry since one can balance between work and family. This paper will seek to describe the reasons behind my interest in Optometry as a career. An optometrist is one of those fields that give people hope through professional practices to improve and treat patients who suffer from the vision ailments and diseases. This acts as one of the main factors that inspired me to Optometry. When I was a kid, I suffered from amblyopia which is a common eye problem that affects the children and especially the infants and it threatened my vision for life. When I was taken to an Optometrist, my condition was corrected and I regained my vision due to the professionalism of my doctor. This experience changed my life and inspired me to a level that I only considered Optometry as the only career option. It has inspired me to study and research more about vision health since I was a child and I have been passionately interested in attending or helping people suffering from vision challenges. It is also a fulfilling professional sense, there is a decent salary and one gets time to work and rest thus can balance on family time and work (Gordon, 2 011). Optometry is one of the most interesting and desirable jobs in the world today. It has flexible working schedules, a rewarding career, personal gratification, and is in high demand in the job market. It is ranked among the top jobs in America. One is allowed to work for only 37 hours a week and this gives the doctor time to balance his time. It is rewarding because a professional Optometrist earns up to $130,000 monthly salary (Field, 2007).

Literature Survey for - What are the benefits and costs of worker Essay

Literature Survey for - What are the benefits and costs of worker training, and who should pay for training - Essay Example Moreover, Acemoglu and Pischke argue that worker training is important especially with the ever changing technology in organizations (1999, p.2). In a bid to increase productivity and retain relevance in competitive industries, organizations have to constantly change and adopt to new technology. As a result, workers need to attend trainings on how to effectively use new technology. Studies show that highly skilled workers easily and effectively adapt to new tasks and technology compared to low skilled workers. Furthermore, highly skilled workers were found to be more innovative hence yielding better performance (Blundell, Dearden, Meghir, and Sianesi, 1999, p. 14). This implies that worker trainings ensure that the entire workforce is always in conversance with organization equipment and technology thereby maintaining high productivity. In addition, the basic education attained in institutions of higher learning and other basic education providers is arguably not enough to produce optimum results. As a result, there is need for continued worker training to impact the essential knowledge required for maximum productivity. According to Preffer and Fong a consultancy firm can produce a two-year learning experience in colleges in three weeks (qtd. in Xie and Steiner 2013, p.3). This implies that worker training can be considered more effective than the basic education learnt in schools since people already have first-hand experiences in the course of work. However, this is not to say that basic education is irrelevant but it is to lay emphasis on the need to promote and incorporate worker training in organizations. This is further emphasized by Acemoglu and Pischke who argue that ‘most lines of business require a set of skills that cannot be impacted by the basic education (1999, p. 2). This implies that for maxi mum efficiency, worker education should be incorporated

Non profit organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Non profit organizations - Research Paper Example Non-Profit Organizations Every firm is driven by a motive. The early stages of business school usually teach students only about one such motive, which is profit. They learn the marketing strategies, management techniques, and accounting methods as required by profit-driven organizations, because such firms make up majority of the firms in existence today. There is, however, a whole other side of business, which involves in running a business for reasons other than profit. The reason may be to collect charity, provide a social service or to bring together a certain community of people (Anheier, 2005). These organizations are non-profit organizations, and carry out their operations and procedure very differently than those carried out by profit-driven firms. Non-profit organizations operate for the good of community usually, instead of any personal interests, which are why they are not required to pay taxes on their incomes to the government (Holland & Rivto, 2008). The money they ear n is not called profit, but income, and they are not allowed to distribute this income amongst owners or other stakeholders; instead, they have to invest that income back into the organization, in order to accomplish the mission that the organization revolves around. For example, a cancer research organization will work on raising funds through donations and fund-raisers, which it will then invest in research to find the cure for cancer. Any money it raises that is left over after their expenses have been covered, will all be invested in research once again, and will not be claimed by any party as ‘profits’. Non-profit organizations typically take up causes, which they feel are important but not given the required attention by the government or those responsible. These motives can include a variety of causes (Holland & Rivto, 2008). One common example is organizations aiming to conduct research on highly dangerous diseases with no known cure, such as AIDS or cancer, in order to find a cure and decrease the number of sufferers per year. This includes organizations such as AKDN, founded with the aim to continue research to find the cure for social, cultural, and economic poverty. Other examples include those organizations who are dedicated to preserving some form of nature before the constant industrialization and reckless treatment of animals and their habitats leads to their extinction. Examples of such organizations and societies are those who aim to prevent the extinction of animals, which are dying off, such as rare birds or insects such as WWF, the World Wide Fund for Nature. Other types of non-profit organizations are those firms, which work to provide a service to the community, which they feel that it needs but is incapable of providing for it, or a service, which they feel the government should be providing to the community but is not. This includes organizations that provide scholarship funds to deserving students who cannot afford educat ion. They also include organizations, which form schools and similar organizations for special children belonging to poor families who cannot afford to enroll them in proper institutions, which will cater to their needs and educate them in the manner that they require, such as different societies for rehabilitation of special children. These are all a few examples of the many

Sparknotes Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Essay Example for Free

Sparknotes Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Essay This chapter introduces one of the primary motifs of Into the Wild, that of documents. Because the books subject, Christopher McCandless, has died before author Jon Krakauer can meet him, Krakauer must rely on the testimony of the people McCandless encountered in order to stitch together the story of the young mans journey — and especially on the documents McCandless left behind. The first of these documents is McCandlesss S.O.S. note. Others will include his journals, the notes he made in the books he read, graffiti he scratched into various surfaces, and photos he took of himself. To these Krakauer will add maps of the places McCandless visited, relevant quotations from a wide variety of authors, and even a brief memoir of the authors own young manhood, inserted near the end of Into the Wild. All of these enrich our understanding of McCandless and help us to believe that the amazing story we read in Into the Wild really happened. The fact that someone as articulate and effective at communicating as McCandless died alone, having written a kind of letter (the S.O.S. note) that went unread until it was too late, is an example of irony. Also ironic: McCandless, who encountered no one during the four months between his entrance into the bush and his death there of starvation, is discovered not by one fellow trekker but by five — all within days of McCandlesss death. Chapter 3 This chapter begins to explore the character of Christopher McCandless in depth. Far from being a stereotypical slacker, he was hard-working, according to Wayne Westerberg. The fact that he had read the long and difficult War and Peace indicates that McCandless was intelligent and studious. (Indeed, we learn as well in this chapter that he was a success at selective Emory University.) Most indicative of all with respect to McCandlesss character are the things he renounced: $24,000 and his very name. In doing so, he seems to have been rejecting his family and what he saw as their materialistic values. This information doesnt fully explain why Christopher McCandless would forge alone into the Alaskan wilderness, but it begins to address the motivation for this bizarre act. The fact that McCandless never told his parents what he planned to do could indicate a lack of resolve on his part, or even cowardice. It also shows that the young man thoughtful enough to present Wayne Westerberg with an inscribed copy of one of his favorite books was callous enough regarding his parents feelings to leave them in the dark regarding their sons whereabouts. Considering that he eventually would die of starvation, McCandlesss gift of $24,000 to OXFAM, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger, is an example of irony. Chapter 4 This chapter unearths additional motivation for McCandlesss irrational Alaska trek to come. During his time in Mexico, he lived on nothing more than five pounds of rice and what marine life he could pull from the sea, and Krakauer points out that this may have accounted for the young mans belief that he could live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness. (Undeniably, McCandless proves himself remarkably capable in this chapter, canoeing through hundreds of miles of hostile landscape and even crossing an international border undetected.) And yet other questions remain unanswered. His mother says that Chris was very much of the school that you should own nothing except what you can carry on your back at a dead run. She doesnt say why this is so, however. The motif of friendship emerges further in these pages, as McCandless, who earlier struck up a friendship with Wayne Westerberg, befriends Jan Burres and her boyfriend Bob. One of Into the Wilds many ironies: a young man compelled toward a solitary life, who eventually will die alone, was quite gregarious and made friends easily. Another irony: McCandless abandons a car, the only problem with which is a wet battery, and burns his cash — but quits a job when it becomes clear that he wont be paid for his hard work. He has a complicated relationship with money and possessions, to say the least. Chapter 5 In this chapter, a theme introduced when McCandless presented a copy of War and Peace to Wayne Westerberg reappears: the young mans abiding love of literature. Since childhood, he was obsessed with the novels and stories of Jack London, who condemned capitalism and glorified nature. According to Krakauer, however, McCandless forgot he was reading fiction and conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that hed died by his own hand on his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk, obese and pathetic. Krakauer characterizes his protagonist more deeply by means of contrast with those who surround him: Note that even at the Slabs, where snowbirds, rubber tramps, and other antiestablishment types congregated, McCandless was an anomaly: an individual who wanted life to be not easier (as most of the habituà ©s of the Slabs presumably do) but more difficult. Thus he prepares at the Slabs for a life in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Notice as well the extent to which author Krakauer relies on documents left behind by McCandless to tell the young mans story. During this part of his journey, he ceases regularly keeping a journal, and Into the Wild becomes sketchier, more reliant on authorial inference. Chapter 6 The theme of this chapter is the astonishing ability of Christopher McCandless to win friends and influence people. Not only did he befriend the octogenarian Ronald Franz, but he convinced the old man to change his ways fundamentally at a time in life when most people have settled down for good. It is important to understand that McCandless fled society not because he couldnt get along with others, but because he chose to be alone. The fact that McCandless achieved this effect by means of a letter speaks to the power of the written word. Remember that he was inspired to head into the wild by books he read (Tolstoys, Jack Londons, and others) — and that it is a magazine article which informs the hitchhiker Franz picks up at chapters end that McCandless has died, thus inspiring the old man to give up on life. Chapter 7 Regarding McCandlesss character, it is interesting — and of course believable — that he can be intelligent, hardworking, and resilient, yet lack mechanical dexterity and perhaps even common sense. While the former characteristic, his awkwardness with machines, is consequential in ways that he manages to recover from (as in the abandonment of his car), the latter, his difficulty being just plain sensible, will have a greater impact. McCandlesss rage toward his parents, and particularly his father, is something that many of those who meet him pick up on. It seems to be their lifestyle more than anything else that McCandless is rejecting when he flees the conventional middle-class American way of life, though why it so repels him is never made completely clear by Into the Wild. It is not uncommon for men and women of Christopher McCandlesss age to flee their parents particular ways of doing things (psychology even has a term for this dynamic: reaction formation), but rarely is the response so extreme, so complete. The degree of McCandlesss renunciation of his familys values is a large part of what makes Krakauers book so fascinating. Finally, there is something admirable about McCandlesss utter devotion to what he believes in. It is easy to be inspired by books and the ideas they espouse, but not so easy to live the kind of life envisioned by thinkers like Tolstoy and London. McCandless talks the talk in a way that alienates fewer listeners than one would predict, but he walks the walk, too — which may account for the fact that so many of those he encountered continued to listen. Chapter 8 This chapter offers context for, and thus perspective on, McCandlesss situation. By quoting from some of the many outraged responses to his article, Krakauer shares with the reader the typical reaction to McCandlesss story: smug superiority laced with disbelief that anyone could be so foolhardy. And yet, as the examples of Rosselini, Waterman, and McCunn demonstrate, McCandless is hardly the only individual impelled to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness. At the same time, these others provide Krakauer with an opportunity to highlight McCandlesss uniqueness; the author characterizes him by contrast with his predecessors. Similar to Rosselini and Waterman, Christopher McCandless was a seeker and had an impractical fascination with the harsh side of nature, the author writes. Like Waterman and McCunn, he lacked common sense. McCandless was unlike Waterman in that he was mentally stable. And in contrast to McCunn, McCandless didnt expect to be saved. Although he was rash, Krakauer summarizes, McCandless wasnt incompetent — he wouldnt have lasted 113 days if he were. And he wasnt a nutcase, he wasnt a sociopath, he wasnt an outcast. McCandless was something else. . . . A pilgrim perhaps. Chapter 9 This is a second consecutive chapter in which the author attempts to illuminate McCandlesss character by comparing and contrasting it to those of his predecessors. In doing so, Krakauer further convinces the reader that although McCandless was unique, the impulses that drove him were not unprecedented. Nor are these impulses an exclusively American phenomenon. In fact, although rare, the drive toward solitude crosses continents and millennia, as the example of the Irish monks demonstrates. Chapter 10 By flashing forward to McCandlesss death, Krakauer intensifies the drama of his story. He reminds us that McCandlesss adventure ends tragically. In addition, the author emphasizes the young mans connections to those whose lives he touched: friends Gallien and Westerberg, as well as MCandlesss relatives. The prior two chapters have emphasized McCandlesss commonalities with others who have sought adventure and solitude in the wild. This short chapter reminds us that, although it was not unique, McCandlesss story was noteworthy, newsworthy — it was covered not only in Alaska but in the national press. Chapter 11 This chapter asks more questions than it answers — and understandably, since the riddles it poses cannot be solved definitively. Are Christopher McCandlesss parents responsible for their sons death? Was his personality shaped by, or even inherited from, them? Could his parents have interceded and altered his behavior, thereby changing his fate? For that matter, what exactly was McCandless rebelling against, aside from middle class ennui? Also, wouldnt it have been more productive for him to have resumed his work on behalf of the homeless, hungry, or disenfranchised after college, instead of indulging his whimsical notions of (his own) survival? Chapter 12 Two factors emerge in this chapter that clearly contributed to McCandlesss flight into the wilderness — and his eventual death. First, Walt McCandless comments that Chris was good at almost everything he ever tried . . . which made him supremely overconfident. This bit of characterization goes a long way toward explaining McCandlesss bewildering lack of preparation for his Alaskan adventure. There is no evidence that he failed at much, if anything, during his childhood and adolescence, which may have exacerbated the hubris naturally felt by many young adults. As to why McCandlesss overconfidence found its outlet in a radical rejection of his parents bourgeois values — and his family altogether — the information that emerges in this chapter about his fathers double life could well have offered the motivation. Krakauer doesnt linger on this episode, but if nothing else, it seems to have provided the match that lit McCandlesss short fuse. Chapter 13 During the plane ride home with Chriss remains, his sister Carine eats every scrap of food the cabin attendants set in front of her. Soon afterward, however, she discovers she has no appetite and loses so much weight that friends think she has become anorectic. Chriss mother also stops eating, losing eight pounds. His father, Walt, responds the opposite way, putting on eight pounds. Though both compulsive eating and loss of appetite are not uncommon responses to stress and grief, it is hard not to see the McCandless familys food-related behaviors as connected to Chriss demise. It is as if Billie and Carine are identifying with him, feeling Chriss pain, while Walt is compensating for what killed his son — though none of them are doing what they do intentionally, or even consciously. Chapter 14 Up to this point in Into the Wild, author Jon Krakauer has maintained journalistic objectivity, or at least the appearance of objectivity. In this chapter he abandons that perspective. Note, however, that Krakauers integrity as a journalist is not compromised, since he is entirely up-front about the experiences he shares in common with his subject, McCandless. In fact, it would be more ethically suspect if Krakauer did not divulge that he had his own into the wild experience as a young man. Because of his candor, readers are able to take this into account when the author views McCandlesss activities with some sympathy. And as a result of reading this chapter and the one that follows, the reader moves closer to McCandless and his perspective. Not only Rosselini, Waterman, McCunn, and Reuss (as well as the Irish monks described) have shared McCandlesss impulses, but the author himself. Behavior that seemed utterly bizarre, at the start of Into the Wild, is becoming easier to conceive of with every successive chapter. Chapter 15 his chapter further develops the motif of fathers and sons, suggesting explicitly that sons often rebel against their fathers at the same time that they are powerless to resist paternal traits they have inherited. Clearly Krakauer believes that McCandless was driven to do what he did in large measure by his relationship with father Walt. And this is only part of what Krakauer believes he shared with McCandless. They also shared hubris. It is easy, when you are young, he writes, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it. When I decided to go to Alaska that April, like Chris McCandless, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic. Which is not to say that Jon Krakauer believes his younger self to have been identical to Christopher McCandless in every respect. Krakauer says he wasnt as intelligent as McCandless and didnt possess his lofty ideals — but young Krakauer was also, crucially, a superior outdoorsman. Chapter 16 This chapter, the heart of Into the Wild, reconstructs McCandlesss climactic Alaska adventure, following him into the bush and observing his admirable survival skills. Although Krakauers book is an adventure story, Into the Wild is also a study in character, and Chapter Sixteen is no exception. McCandless is revealed in the moose episode to be highly ethical and deeply sympathetic; the reader cannot help being moved by the enormity of the young mans despair over wasting his kill. By the same token, McCandlesss lack of foresight and his hubris, apparent in a low-level way prior to this time, now yield consequences that will be fatal. He did not anticipate that melting snow would swell the bodies of water he crossed on his way into the bush. And his arrogant refusal to bring a map prevents McCandless from learning that, despite its increased size, the river is fordable upstream — another in a series of ironies that punctuate this book Chapter 17 The ironies multiply in this, the books penultimate chapter. The basket that Krakauer and his companions discover at the U.S.G.S. station has been secured by hunters to the side of the river on which McCandless camped so as to make crossing the Teklanika harder for outsiders. If hed known about it, the author writes, crossing the Teklanika to safety would have been a trivial matter. Because he had no topographic map, however, he had no way of conceiving that salvation was so close at hand. In another irony, McCandless was close to not only the abandoned gauging station but three empty hunting cabins, as well. Did he really go into the wild after all? Undoubtedly he was living in a hostile environment during the months he spent in Alaska, but some wouldnt call the area he inhabited the wilderness at all. Chapter 18 Did McCandless finally come to forgive his family, as evinced by the HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED inscription he wrote toward the end of his life? Perhaps — but note that in all of his writings, there is nothing that explicitly reaches out to his parents or his sister, Carine. McCandless never acknowledges them, even to say goodbye. Note, too, that Krakauers theory on McCandlesss death, that it was caused by mold on wild potato seeds, is just that: a theory. It is not definitive. To some degree it is beside the point anyway, since one could argue that it wasnt so much starvation that killed McCandless as arrogance and shortsightedness.

Examining Property Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Examining Property Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay To investigation how a Hotel or Property Management Information System will help the Palma Rima hotel on their day to day running of the hotel. To identify the impacts of a Hotel/Property Management Information System. To identify how convenient it would be for the customers of the Palma Rima hotel if a Hotel/Property Management Information System is introduced. 1.3 Rational As we are in the 21st century, the researcher has been inspired to carry a research on the effectiveness of a Hotel/Property Management Information System, if introduced at the Palma Rima hotel The Gambia which does not have one, but still using the traditional way of taking reservation, checking in and out of guest, taking payment, marketing of the hotel etc. 1.4 Structure of Report The report will first introduce the Palm Rima hotels, methodology used to carry out the research, a literature review on Hotel/Property Management Information System (MIS) and will then analyse the data using relevant methods and interpret the findings presenting the report using methods and style appropriate to the audience. 2.1 Research Approach In designing a research case study, there is the need to determine the research approach to be adopted. Theories are part of a research process and the ability to develop such theories and their testing will only be possible after a research approach is determined. In an inductive research approach, theory will follow data. In this case study, the research will use an inductive approach so as to gain an understanding of Introducing a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS) at the Palma Rima Hotel in The Gambia. Inductive research approach as noted by Saunders et al (2007) is more than just making a cause-effect link between particular variables but also enables the understanding of the way in which humans interpret their social world. Since the research using inductive approach is likely to be particularly concerned with the context in which events occur (Saunders et al, 2007), this research will therefore look at the effectiveness of a hotel or property management info rmation system for the Palma Rima Hotel. The five points below summaries inductive research emphasis as noted in Saunders et al (2007): a close understanding of the research context collection of qualitative and quantitative data a more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as the research progress a realization that the researcher was part of the research process Concern with the need to generalize This research case study will use the above mentioned stages to arrive at a conclusion of how effective it will be to introducing a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS) at the Palma Rima Hotel in The Gambia. The fact that concepts in this research case study are operationalised made it easier to use an inductive approach 2.2 Data Collection Methods Data collection is a time consuming process and also require enormous amount of tolerance. However, in this research case study, one method is employed to collect data and that was telephone interviews and was the only methods to be used to gather primary data. The researcher bought two international cards costing Five Pounds each to interview the front office manager at the Palma Rima hotel. 2.3 Research Methodologies Each methodology represents a different approach to evaluation. The fact that there are so many approaches in common no single methodology is the best. Which one will be most appropriate depends on the type of questions framed. Seale, J. K. (2003) 2.4 Primary Research Primary research is any type of research that you go out and collect first hand data. The researcher collected primary data through participant, observation, interviews and surveys. Driscoll, L.D. (2006) 2.5 Secondary Research Secondary research occurs when a project requires a summary or collection of existing data. As opposed to data collected directly from respondents or research subjects for the express purposes of a project, (often called primary research), secondary sources already exists i.e. The researchers will used previous research reports from tourism academic books and journals. 2.6 Qualitative Method   It is a research that consists of interviews, observations and questionnaires. The researcher found this method flexible to perform data collection subsequent analysis and interpretation of collected information. 2.7 Method of analysis The researcher will use interviews to have knowledge of how useful it will be to PalmaRima hotel to introduce a Hotel/property Management System (MIS) 2.8 Reliability and Validity The physical telephone interview has significantly increased the response to this research. The front office manager was asked to give his candid opinion about a Hotel or Property Management Information System (MIS). However, the questions asked were guided as such to avoid falsification and exaggeration of the fact that the Palma Rima hotel does not have a Hotel or Property Management Information System hence the methodology has clearly achieved a degree of reliability and validity. 3 Introductions The use of information technology in the hospitality industry has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. This journey has not always been smooth, but it has become clear that information technology is now a critical competitive weapon in the industry. Brotherton B (2003:110). Information technology was first used in the hospitality industry in the 1950s, when multinational hotel chains began experimenting with the developing field of computer science. As in most other industries, the majority of initials applications focused on accounting and automating repetitive and time consuming tasks. Software was borrowed from other industries on the assumption that it could be easily adapted for use of hospitality companies. However, such conversions were usually only partially successful and a large number of changes to business processes and procedures were often needed to accommodate the requirements of the computerized system. Moreover, the expense and technicality involved in both dev eloping and running systems made the use of computerization economical only for the largest companies. (OConnor, 1999). Tourism is a very information intensive activity. In few other areas of activity are the generation, gathering, processing, application and communication of information as important for day-today operations as they are for travel and tourism industry (Poon, 1993). Unlike durable goods, intangible and variable tourism services cannot be physically displayed or inspected at the point of sale before purchasing, as tourism services are normally bought before the time of their use and away from the place of consumption. Tourism products are therefore almost exclusive dependent upon representations and descriptions, i.e. information in print or audio-visual formats. Often these representations are made by friends and relatives, as well as the travel trade, rather than tourism principals or destinations authorities. Communications and information transmission tools are th erefore indispensable to the global marketing of the tourism industry. (Sheldon, 1997). 3.1 Brief Background of PalmaRima Hotel in The Gambia Palma Rima hotel is a 3 star hotel in The Gambia and was opened to guest in 1989 on an undeveloped part of the coastline, between the Senegambia and kotu resorts, and 340 metres to kololi beach. The initial accommodation of larger than average sized bungalows of 23 which were dotted among the palms and trees, each of 4 double/triple rooms with shower and bath, colonnaded veranda and fan or a/c unit (supplemented). These units are now accompanied by a bathing area tenement block comprises of 3 floors. Of its 60 rooms half overlook the sandy through road used cattle and locals alike and the other half overlook the lopsided cloverleaf shaped swimming pool. The pool itself is among the largest in the country and is surely among the most beautiful and equipped there are spacious sundecks with parasols, giant chess, a banana shaped childrens swimming pool area; a blue and mustard Andalucà ­a Bar; a late rite fountain; a raised bar; an entertainment section and wooden African statues. From the moon light night club, stone sided watercourses crossed 3 min-bridges enter the bird garden. 4 Literature Review 4.1 Management Information System (MIS) The principle aim of this system was to increase management effectiveness and efficiency by satisfying organisational information requirements. It commence in the 1970s and it used local data processing linked to information resources to support decision making, information system were used primarily to address the needs of internal management and co-ordination. Emphasis was also given to administration and clerical functions, as purely accounting or inventory management, while delivering added value to customers was a lower priority (Strassman, 1995; Gamble, 1994a). The strategic information system (SIS) used by hotels was to improve competitiveness by changing the nature or conduct of business; integrated ICT networks were used to achieve organisational strategic objectives, to enhance performance, and to co-ordinate activities across functional and business units line as well as to support interaction with external entities, in pursuit of competitive advantage. Personal computers enable managers to manipulate data and create their own managerial reports, statistics and follow up mechanisms by using standard and fairly user friendly spreadsheets and statistical packages. It also helps them to forecast, budget and plan, using past data and simulate models, enhancing their ability to undertake strategic decisions. (Robson, 1997; Peppard, 1993; Mc Gee and Thomas, 1988; Earl, 1988, Jackson, 1989; Wiseman; 1985) The introductions of the internet, intranet and the extranet have revolutionarized communication in the global hotel industry and enable multilevel integration and effective collaboration. It also supported both centralized and distributed computing to maximize the performances of available resources. However, this system is gradually altering the competitiveness of the hotels in the global market place and reducing the significance of location and size in the product delivery process. ICTs are used as indispensable tools for almost all business functions from production to market as it facilitate: Quick communication, Reliable and timely information transfer and retrieval, Integration of the different divisions within the organisation, Flexibility of product specifications, Sharing of information; and Achieving of common objectives. ICT offers the opportunity to target the market segment of one, i.e. each individual customer. This is only possible because ICTs support flexible and responsive value-added chains and allow consumers to repackage products through endless combinations. On the hand, ICT becomes instrumental for cost management in the industry and particularly for distribution and promotion costs. Organizations around the world have reduced their costs by reducing commission to intermediaries, by trading directly from their web page, or by paying lower distribution fees to electronic intermediaries, or by cutting commission levels and fees. In addition, redesigning processes and eliminating repetitive tasks reduced costs and increase efficiency. (Buhalis, 1998). Perhaps more importantly for tourism, ICTs support the newly important element in generating competitive advantage, i.e. time. The later not only assists organizations to share information internally and with partners, and thus maximizes their efficiency, but also allows consumers to interact constantly with tourism suppliers. Consumers can undertake entire transactions from their office or home suing the internet, on a 24- hour, 365-days a year basis. Instant confirmation and purchasing means that consumers can also maximize their own efficiency and as a result appreciate the competitive advantage of organizations based on time. Increasingly, consumers will be able to interact through mobile devices and interactive digital television, developing their capabilities further as they will be able to be connected instantly through simpler equipment and interface without having to log on to their computer. (Puhretmair et al, 2001; Zipf and Malaka, 2001) 4.2 Fidelios OPERA Hotel Property Management System Fidelio was found in 1987 in Munich and emerged as one of the leading and most innovative international system integrator for the hospitality industries. Changing the way hotels computerize and operate its software is adaptable to changing business requirements and integrates both the ongoing technological developments of industry standard computer and software systems and the organizational change experienced. Fidelio allows hotels and chains of any size and type, restaurants, cruise ships and catering and conference operators to computerize their operations and to integrate major industry software products through analysing individual requirements and appreciating their uniqueness. The latest Fidelio product is the OPERA Enterprise solution. The OPERA Enterprise solution is fully integrated suite of products consisting of modules that can be easily added or expanded allowing effective and easy deployment from smaller operators to global, multi-brand hotel chain environments. OPERA can be deployed in any size environment from a single property with just Front Office to a large, full service hotel with Sales Marketing, Catering, Revenue Management, Quality Management, BackOffice, and Material Management. In addition, OPERA Enterprise Solution offers products for a hotel chains corporate office that includes a central reservations system (CRM) for both centralized guestroom and function space sales, and an enterprise information system, the customer relationship management (CRM) specially designed for the hotel industry. The system is also design for the use of hotel bedroom key cards replacing the traditional keys for the guest bed rooms. The system is programmed to instantly cut a key for a guest on arrival and can be cancelled if lost as soon as possible. The key cards are designed in way that some hotels are using the same card to insert on the lift to operate, which an additional security for the hotels, because without a key card one cannot go up in the r ooms. The additional security is who ever last open the room can be traced if there is any problem. However it has its own problems, because it is so light in weight that guests always lost it. The OPERA Property Management System (PMU) is designed to scale according to the requirement of any size hotel or hotel chain. The OPERA Back Office is a powerful financial software suit that provides hotels with a fully integrated, flexible financial and eBusiness solution. The OPERA Reservation System (ORS) manages the hotel inventory efficiently as it is integrated with the OPERA Property Management System and OPERA Sales and Catering system. The system emulates traditional CRS functionality. While at the same time integrating the bold new technologies shared in the OPERA Enterprise Solution. Including system access via web client or any Java enabled browser. With the power of the internet, ORS is easily deployable and globally accessible. The OPERA Revenue Management provides both property based and centralized yield management and is interfaced with the OPERA Sales and catering System to analyse the value of particular group business and maximize revenue. This system registers a ny consumptions made by guest from the mini bars in the rooms and will automatically add to the guest bill. The same goes for the restaurant as well, the restaurant staff will make put all bills through the system and a charge will be made to the guest main bill. The Customer information system collects and manages guest, travel agents, source group and company profile information from designated hotel properties in a centralized database. Guest stays with detailed revenue information are also collected. The system includes a whole range of interrelated modules, including, Opera Property Management System Opera Sales Catering Opera Back Office Opera Revenue Management System Opera Central Reservations System Central Reservation System (plus web engine) Opera Quality Management System Opera Materials Management System Opera Palm Customer Information system Enterprise Information System All of these are interrelated and interconnected, enabling hotels to use the system internally, (Intranet), externally with partners (extranet) and as a window on the world (internet). Buhalis D, (2002: 19). However, these few points are to be remembered when a hotel is operating using the OPERA system as system can fail at any time. Local backups need to be made by local staff and stored offsite. Web based and local based inventory need to synchronize regularly Local hardware to be maintained including UPS and air conditioning 4.3 Distribution of Information The industrys use of technology has moved beyond one of merely controlling operations towards a more strategic role. However, a variety of challenges still remain if the industry is to maximize the benefits it can potentially gain. The greatest lies in the effective use of the data collected during the day to day operations. Customer relations management (CRM), is a strategic orientation of offering individual services to guests based on their relationship with the hotel, is widely regarded as the managerial tool to achieve this kind of differentiation. Almost since the beginnings of the industry, luxury hotels have maintained comprehensive records of the preference and spending habits of their of their most frequent guests, known as history systems, such information systems were originally maintained on manually updated paper index cards and use to provide the exceptional personalized service for which such hotels were famous. (OConnor, 1999). The growth in the use of hotel computerized systems means that most of the guests transactions are now being recorded in electronic format. Developments in communications means that such data can be collected and consolidated, allowing a central database to be updated automatically as guest transaction occur. As a result, instead of just storing the guests name, c ontact details and basic information on their aggregate spending to date, there is an increasing trend towards full-folio storage, where details of each individual transaction are added to the central data warehouse for subsequent analysis. This potentially allows an accurate, in-depth picture to be built up of each guests likes and dislikes, which could subsequently be used to provide a more personalized service. This could be done across multiple units, increasing the consistency of service and the value of the brand. The database can also be analysed for patterns, both at the individual guest and aggregate levels- a process often referred to as data mining (IBM, 2001). For the individual guests. This should result in more closely customized offers than perhaps actually interest them instead of the usual mass market junk mail. Taking such a one to one marketing approach is acknowledge bringing benefits in term of lower costs and increasing customer loyalty. Hotel companies such as Starwood, Bass and Hilton are leading examples of the successful use of such database marketing techniques. Each uses analysis of their corporate database to improve the targeting of marketing and sales efforts, resulting in increased response rates and reduction in the costs of direct marketing (OConnor, 2001b). 4.4 Supply Chain Management A review of various trade journals suggests that electronic commerce (e-commerce) required a new business model that allows lodging companies to proactively gather the necessary intelligence for understanding customers expectations in real time. By combining these two objectives, a hotel company can gain a powerful position and differentiate its lodging service from those offered by market competitors. Such an approach can be accomplished by implementing technologies to the supply chain by integrating front end applications such as customer relationship management with back office activities such as e-procurement (Turban et al, 2002, p.656). A complete e-commerce model for SCM combines both the front end and the back end systems as shown in Fig. 1. E-commerce offer enormous business opportunities to increase revenue while reducing operating costs. The complimentary between e-commerce and SCM also has been supported by many scholars (Corsi and Boyson, 2003; Frohlich and Westbrooke, 20 01; Gurau et al., 2001; Lancioni et al., 2003; Skjott-larsen et al, 2003). However, studies in the tourism and hospitality industry have primarily focus on customer perspective (Heung, 2003). Front-end applications of e-commerce have been widely used in the lodging industry but not much has been explored on the back-end system or the operation side. SCM has been defined by (Cooper, 2000 Lambert et al., 1998) as the integration of key business processes from the end user through original suppliers that provides products, services and information that add value for customers and stakeholders. (Lambert and Cooper, 2000, p.66). For the lodging industry, the SCM concept or philosophy has been practiced to certain extend. The Aberdeen group (2000) characterized the US hotel sector as a highly fragmented industry, representing more than 50,000 hotel properties that purchased from more than 10,000 suppliers. With such fragmentized network vulnerable to the inefficient control of purchasing procedures, the lodging industry is facing significant challenges for managing procurement practices. To take on these challenges, the first step is to understand the core of SCM in the context of the lodging business. 4.5 The Procurement Process Another that has attracted much attention, due to its potential for creating efficiency gains, is that of procurement. Here focus on IT that enables external integration with partners in the value chain, rather than narrowly focusing on automated internal operations. Traditionally the hospitality sector has had an inefficient purchasing process. Multiple units, fragmented supply chains and inefficient business processes all adversely affected the purchasing process by creating inefficiencies and increasing costs. In general, unit level staff managed procurement, and there was a high frequency of low value orders to multiple suppliers, which resulted in high administrative costs. Even where contracts existed for specific products, the unpredictability of hospitality operations meant that Maverick purchases from unapproved vendors were, and still are, common, further increasing costs. Using technology to facilitate the purchasing process over-comes many of this problems while potential ly creating some others. By digitalizing the processes involved in purchasing, great efficiencies can be achieved when sourcing, specifying, ordering, tracking deliveries of and paying for, purchases. In effect e-procurement involves electronically managing the entire purchasing process from product identification through requisition to payment. The process requires extensive and accurate performance data. Not only will an e-procurement solution help to capture aggregate purchases by purchased product codes, but will also help to chronicle the derails in a suppliers performance record including delivery and quality level performance. 4.6 Communicating Information All telecommunications (telephone, telex and fax) have been used extensively throughout the tourism industry worldwide. Although telephone conversation is a personal and direct way of communication, linguistic problems, time zone differences and its prohibitive cost limit its international usage. Telex for years the most prominent communication method and has contributed greatly to communications in the tourism industry. As transmits text reliable and inexpensively without requiring the simultaneous availability of sender and receiver, it has been extensively used especially in regions with inadequate telephone networks. However as computer communications and faxes prevail, the telex is limited to communication with developing world countries with unreliable telecommunications infrastructures and it is gradually being transformed into a computer based system using a different communication network. The commercial introduction of the telefax in the 1980s allowed the transmission of im ages over phone lines and enhances the efficiency of tourism operations significantly. Although its operational is the same as transmission of readily available documents and graphics. Fax technology does not require technical skills or the simultaneous presents of sender and receiver, and therefore has penetrated the tourism market place very efficiently (Beckman, 2001). In the pre-internet era, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) used computer net-work to enable computer file interchange of standard transaction documents such as invoices bills or purchase orders between organizations. EDI transmits structured transactions with distinct fields, such as transaction data, amount, sender and recipients name. These assist organizations in exchanging information, order and invoices without human involvement. In tourism, for example, this can be used for travel agencies to transfer bookings to a tour operators suppliers. Invoices can be directed backwards and payment receipts can be generated automatically by the system. EDI therefore enhances communication efficiently and reduces labour transaction costs and encourages firms to continue doing business with their partners. Although EDI is still used for large amount of transactions mainly between large organizations, transactions and interchanges on the internet have replaced EDI with extranets and have also enable smaller players to take advantage of the efficiency that networking provides. (Laudon and Laudon, 2002; Reynolds, 1992) 5 Findings and Analyses This chapter will give the synopsis of the data collected from the interviews and later give discussions in relation to the research questions 5.1 Management Information System (MIS) Because the PalmaRima hotel does not have the Property Management System the hotel lacks a local data processing linked to information resources to support decision making, information systems are used primarily to address the needs of internal management and co-ordination. As there is no computer at the reception it makes it difficult for the front office manager to manipulate data and create his own managerial reports, statistics and follow up mechanisms by using standard and fairly user friendly spreadsheets and statistical packages. 5.2 Fidelios OPERA Hotel Property Management System In response to this point, it is noted from the data collected that all reservations, checking in and out guest, Marketing, Catering, Revenue Management, Quality Management, BackOffice, Material Management are all done manually. 5.3 Distribution of Information The growth in the use of hotel computerized systems means that most of the guests transactions are now being recorded in electronic format. Developments in communications means that such data can be collected and consolidated, allowing a central database to be updated automatically as guest transaction occur. This is not happening in the case of the PalmaRima hotel, which makes it very difficult for the front office to get their repeat guest profiles. 5.4 Supply Chain Management Based on the research the PalmaRima hotel cannot implement technologies to the supply chain by integrating front end applications such as customer relationship management with back office activities such as e-procurement. The Aberdeen group (2000) characterized the US hotel sector as a highly fragmented industry, representing more than 50,000 hotel properties that purchased from more than 10,000 suppliers. With such fragmentized network vulnerable to the inefficient control of purchasing procedures, the PalmaRima hotel is facing significant challenges for managing procurement practices. To take on these challenges, the hotel first step is to understand the core of SCM in the context of the lodging business. 5.6 The Procurement Process Using technology to facilitate the purchasing process over-comes many of this problems while potentially creating some others. By digitalizing the processes involved in purchasing, great efficiencies can be achieved when sourcing, specifying, ordering, tracking deliveries of and paying for, purchases. Not only will an e-procurement solution help to capture aggregate purchases by purchased product codes, but will also help to chronicle the derails in a suppliers performance record including delivery and quality level performance for the Palma Rima hotel 5.7 Communicating Information Computer communications and faxes prevail, the telex is limited to communication with developing world countries with unreliable telecommunications infrastructures and it is gradually being transformed into a computer based system using a different communication network. (Beckman, 2001). Based on research the PalmaRima hotel communicates internally by forms only but by introducing the MIS they will benefit by using the intranet to communicate internally and would be a great help to communicate externally by extranet especially to suppliers. 6 Conclusions In other for the hotels to strengthen the organisations business initiatives and maximise profit, they need to overcome the obstacles presented its legacy technology system. In the case of PalmaRima hotel they realised that their manual reservation system becoming more and more ineffective, primarily resulting in loss of financial controls and staff productivity. As a result, the way we live and work in most societies around the globe has been significantly altered. Automated industrial production has enabled a greater total output as well as better planning and quality control. Over the last few decades, the progress in information technology has revolutionalized both the global economy and enterprises. The development and application of computerised systems has accelerated rapidly and enabled their use in a wider range of functions and activities. Technological developments have also introduced a wide range of new tools for the strategic and operational management of organisations. Increasingly technological convergence integrates software, hardware and net ware and supports inter-operability and interconnectivity. In addition, the integration of the internet, extranet and intranets enables organisations to interact dynamically with different actors and stakeholder. The PalmaRima hotel can enhance their performance by empowering their strategic marketing and management efforts through supporting their functions with advanced ICTs. This will enable them to improve their networking and ultimately to improve their virtuality. Technological change alters jobs, creates new skills, makes occupations obsolete, and revises what employees need to learn and be trained to do. Sometimes, new technologies require new job designs. Technology can also be used for recruiting, training and maintaining database for employees. E-recruitment is b eing used by a lot more companies now, sinc