An Analysis of the Changing Competitive Landscape in the Hotel Industry Regarding Airbnb

This thesis analyzes the competition between hotels and Airbnb in San Francisco. Airbnb is an internet platform that allows hosts to rent shared space, private rooms or homes to tourists. This study identifies the affect Airbnb has on hotels, workers, renters, neighborhoods, and tax revenue. Interviews and research was engaged with travel industry professionals. Hoteliers were found to be apathetic about the competition between hotels and Airbnb. Airbnb can be a meaningful experience between hosts and tourists. Budget travelers might not travel if not for low Airbnb rates. Airbnb rooms supplement hotel inventory during extraordinary events. This utopian view of Airbnb seems to overcome the dark sides; evidenced by rising apartment rental rates and declining inventory. Pressures are placed on working class neighborhoods driving out the local workforce for high rate tourists. To date, Airbnb has defeated efforts to be effectively regulated. Unregulated conversions of residential to hotel use is a safety concern. San Francisco Ordinance 218-14 was passed to legalize and regulate Airbnb; however 218-14 is unenforceable. California Senator McGuire authored SB 593: The Thriving Communities and Sharing Economy Act to empower regulation of Airbnb. SB 593 has not been passed yet by the California Senate. Until tax payments, legal, regulatory, safety codes, and compliance issues are addressed the majority of Airbnb will be operating illegally with an unfair competitive advantage over hotels

“Lying Flat” and Rejecting the Rat Race: The Survival Anxiety of Chinese Youth

“Lying Flat” is the literal translation of the Chinese slang term “Tang Ping,” which alludes to the current youth culture of giving up and living a life without ambition. The term was coined against the backdrop of a worldwide economic downturn and reflects the mental confusion and disillusionment of young people. Multiple variables, including excessive social competition, unsuitable school education, and permissive parents, contribute to adolescents’ inactive life attitudes. This article presented some typical lying-flat cohorts, explored the underlying causes, and provided solutions for this problem in an effort to provide suggestions for encouraging the younger generation to regain hope in life and attain self-actualization

Building blocks of marketing strategy for targeting local biltong hunters: an evaluation

Game ranch owners are spoilt by the high prices overseas hunters are prepared to pay, and tend to forget that in the long term it is the local market that may ensure the survival of the game industry. More effort should therefore be put into marketing hunting opportunities for the local hunter. This research focused on analysing the typical building blocks of marketing strategy applicable to service organizations. This was done to determine and evaluate the building blocks of marketing strategy applicable to game ranches in the Eastern Cape Province who are targeting local biltong hunters. A literature review was conducted to determine the ideal building blocks of marketing strategy for service organizations such as game ranches. Thereafter, a survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire to determine the ranchers' perceptions of marketing and evaluate their marketing strategies. Most of the respondents: had a fair idea of what marketing entails; were unaware of the thread that links customer expectations, satisfaction and loyalty; realized the importance of relationship marketing with external markets, but not with internal markets; perceived direct competition as their biggest threat, while other travel opportunities were seen as the most important substitute for hunting; mainly positioned themselves based on the features the ranch offered, and believed that the standard of service delivery and physical features of the ranch (the nature of the offering) were their important competitive advantages. The study proposes that the framework of building blocks of marketing strategy, designed by the researcher be used as a tool with which marketing strategies for game ranches in the Eastern Cape Province targeting local biltong hunters could be developed. Additional research on topics such as advertising and the various market opportunity strategies of diversification and product development, could lead to improvement and modification of this framework, making it an even more powerful tool in developing marketing strategies

The State, Market and Citizens’ Sector in Post-Transition Societies: Towards an Inclusive Framework of Governance in Nigeria

The crisis of governance being experienced by states in the continent of Africa since the fourth quarter of the last century has provoked widespread debates on good governance and its requirements. These debates revolve around the premises of welfarism aimed at evaluating the capacity of the state to deliver existential requirements of citizens. The point at issues is that the most significant ends of good governance are citizens and their quality of life. Thus, in connecting government with the society as a whole (to secure this mandate), scholarly preoccupation has been on the changing tripartite relationship among the state, market and the citizens’ sector. This paper seeks to interrogate this relationship in Nigeria in terms of what has been achieved and the prospects for improved quality of governance, bearing in mind the constraints imposed by certain tendencies in the democratization process. It argues that the post-transition impact of civil society (broadly referred to as citizens’ sector), which constitutes a significant part of the environment in which the state operates has not received sufficient scholarly attention in states of Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper observes that the triumph of market economy and the concomitant shrinking of the state have significantly altered the institutional landscape of governance for the citizens’ sector to deepen its engagement with a trimmed government. In other words, outside the formal institutions of the state and market, the citizens’ sector has a crucial role to play in the good governance project. In states like Nigeria, liberal political conditions have provided the needed impetus for this inclusive framework of governance to flourish. It acknowledges that though, civil society (operating under a variety of organizations) has established its visibility in the political space, none-the-less, proactive and sustainable engagement with the state on policy issues is required to effectively drive the good governance project. Be that as it may, this paper recommends among others that the legal framework in respect of this tripartite relationship should be strengthened for optimal results, and that in (specific terms), in order to deepen the collaboration between the state and the citizens’ sector, the National Assembly should make law to provide a legal framework aimed at institutionalizing the Office of the Senior Special Assistance to the Presidents on Civil Society. This institutionalization will cascade into the role of civil society in the citizen engagement process

Analysis of the Selected Firm

Předmětem diplomové práce je komplexní analýza firmy AKP spol. s r. o. Analýzou externího a interního okolí spolu se základní analýzou finančních ukazatelů je zjištěna současná situace společnosti. Na základě provedených analýz jsou navržena doporučení, která vedou ke zlepšení současné pozice firmy na trhu.Subject of this diploma thesis is complex analysis of the chosen company AKP Ltd. External and internal analysis of company´s environment together with basic financial analysis is evaluated and the actual company situation is determined. On the basis of previous analyses the recommendations are suggested which lead to the improvement of the current situation of the company on the market.

Consequences of Using Fear as a Motivator and Its Effects on the Employer / Employee Relationship

The following work is an in-depth analysis of the consequences of using fear as a motivator, specifically, in the workplace, and the effects fear has on employees. The empirical research identifies the successful, and often, unsuccessful components of the employer/employee relationship. For many, using fear would seem to be a powerful way of getting employees to produce more, work harder, increasing motivation. This is not always the answer. The study provides reasons why fear can be a negative motivator and detrimental to an organization

Generativity and Aspirational Dignity in Old Age - The Engagement of Older People for Younger People among Elite Professionals in Delhi and other Indian Cities

The dissertation titled, “Generativity and Aspirational Dignity in Old Age – Engagement of Older People for Younger People among Elite Professionals in Delhi and other Indian Cities” is an empirical study that seeks to study occupational and personal potential of older people who chose to work after retirement. The study explores the questions on the extent to which the elderly can use their expertise and personal strengths in intergenerational relations, the extent to which elderly are actively involved in work post-retirement, the interest of the elderly in such an engagement and the importance of this commitment for the individual's emotional condition. The study also examines how far older people in the commitment described here see an opportunity to realize their personal criteria of a good life. The theoretical framework of the study takes into consideration the fundamental and pertinent concepts of ageism, generativity, ageing with dignity, respect and social inclusion, cultural values and attitudes, health and wellbeing, meaningful involvement and productive ageing. In this study ‘Generativity’ theory of human development stages by Erikson (1950/1963), by McAdams and de. St. Aubin (1992) and dignity of older people by Nordenfelt (2003) have been adopted to explain the meaningful engagement of older people in work environment in the changing intergenerational relations in urban Indian societies. The research design chosen for the study is “descriptive” as it involves quantitative data and qualitative data. The composites of independent variables in the form of scales are used to learn Generativity using Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS) and Well-being using Ryff’s Scale. Indepth interviews are conducted to understand respondents’ and employers’ perspectives and views. The study is based on the responses of 83 retired professionals who took up second inning and 14 select employers. The respondents were selected based on identified criteria and the supposition that they possess the required knowledge and experience and they will be able to provide information that is both detailed (depth) and generalizable (breadth) on motives for engagement in job post retirement. Also, who would make first cautious statements about possible influences of individual personality characteristics on this engagement. The samples were selected from services, public and industry sectors including startups from different zones in India. The sample was also designed keeping in mind socio-demographic factors (extrinsic factors) and to represent the industrial, service and the public sectors. The purposive sampling method is deployed to help reach the target group. The interviews were conducted in person or on phone. The data is collected from the field and the analysis is based on the field data. The quantitative data relates to the study of generativity and well-being of the sampling units, both individually and on an average basis. Data is analysed from the responses of the Ryff’s Scale and The Loyola Generativity Scale. The overall score from the Ryff’s Scale is a measure of well being and that from the Loyola Generativity Scale is a measure of generativity. In order to create composite index scores different questions are added together and the scores compared across respondents in order to assess their overall performance. The scores can be interpreted as High Scores and Low Scores. The qualitative data is collected through in-depth interviews, which were conducted to explore respondents’ perspective and views vis a vis the research questions. The questions revolved on the themes of Generativity and wellbeing. The participants were observed during the interview and field notes taken. In the research study selective employers were interviewed in depth in order to understand their perspective and to provide information on possible support of the elderly in new workplace. In addition, information about the assessment of this support by the employers was also collected qualitatively. The employers were categorized into two categories, those who hired the retired elderly and those elderly who were the business owners. The result based on responses of the employers elicited that the employers perceived certain qualities of elderly positively, while some qualities negatively vis-à-vis productivity and relations with co-workers. Across sectors there doesn’t exist any policy for hiring the retired. Individuals retiring from influential posts with strong networks are headhunted and mid-performers are hired through references. For the analysis of generativity, the respondents, based on the mean scores were divided into two groups, namely high performers (those who scored equal to or above the Mean score on LGS) and low performers (those who scored below the Mean score on LGS). The scores were substantiated with the qualitative findings from in-depth interviews and the scaled statements described. The interview responses and LGS scores threw light on commonalities among various groups of respondents, their distinct characteristics and at the same time highlighted issues and challenges. The results indicated that elderly feel responsible for the young generation and that generativity at work has several relationships while the low scoring respondents faced issues with relationships at work. Statistically, the results showed that average scores of low and high scoring respondents significantly differ in overall LGS score and its subcategories. Each subcategory is significantly associated with each other which shows that improvement in one category can lead to improvement in other category. But Job type doesn’t have a significant effect on average LGS score. The qualitative data on wellbeing was collected with the help of in-depth interviews based on the objectives and quantitative data was collected from the responses using Ryff’s Scale. Based on the Mean scores, the respondents under each subcategory were divided into two groups, namely high performers (those who scored equal to or above the Mean score on Ryff’s Scale) and low performers (those who scored below the Mean score on Ryff’s Scale). In-depth interviews were taken and the Ryff’s Scale scores and interview responses threw light on commonalities among various groups of respondents, their distinct characteristics and at the same time highlighted issues and challenges. The results also showed that wellbeing at workplace meant more than working and performing. Dignity was found to be important to the retired rehired and it was seen as a multidimensional notion while the low scoring respondents faced unfavourable work conditions. Statistically, the results showed that average scores of low and high scoring respondents significantly differ in overall Ryff’s Scale score and its subcategories. Each subcategory is significantly associated with each other which shows that improvement in one category can lead to improvement in other category. But Job type doesn’t have a significant effect on average Ryff’s Scale score. Further, it was found the respondents with high performance or scores in Personal Growth and Autonomy have a better chance to perform well in Generativity, whereas the high scoring respondents in Self-Acceptance and Positive Relations too have a chance to perform well with two subcategories of LGS. Same holds for high scorers in Purpose in Life who stand a chance to perform well on one subcategory of LGS. For qualitative data analysis, the Ideal typical grouping technique conceptualised and methodology developed by Uta Gerhardt (1994) is used. The study deals with the three objectives; to understand the extent to which elderly people in India have an opportunity to use their expertise and personal strengths in intergenerational relations; to examine the extent to which elderly people are actively involved in the reemployment/second innings, the interest of the elderly in such an engagement and the importance of this commitment, above all, for the individual’s emotional condition and; to what extent older people in the commitment described here see as opportunity to realize their personal criteria of good life. It emerged that five ideal typical groups may be identified based on similarity in psychological wellbeing, generativity, psychological characteristics and sociodemographic factors. And factors such as past professional life, age, organizational support, personal resources, circumstantial second innings and past unfulfilled professional lives are important determinants. The analysis, however does not represent the whole population of elderly in India. Rather, this study represents the experiences of relatively privileged elderly. Overall, the result confirms that our Hypothesis is met. The result confirms that the high scoring elderly in India avail opportunity to use their expertise and personal strengths in intergenerational relations. The high scoring elderly are actively involved in the reemployment, they have interest in such an engagement and this commitment is important for their emotional condition. The high scoring elderly in the commitment see this opportunity to realize their personal criteria of good life. The low scoring elderly don’t avail opportunity fully to use their expertise and personal strengths in intergenerational relations and they are not performing well in terms of active involvement in reemployment/second innings, they have low interest in such an engagement and it is not favoring their emotional condition, thereby failing them to realize their personal criteria of good life. It is recommended that it is a joint responsibility of the government, private sector and the individuals to make structured plans and open up for meaningful engagement in work-life post retirement. Physical, social and cultural opportunities be provided for the elderly. Efforts to promote generativity and wellbeing of the elderly at workplace will help improve their work efficiency and organizational productivity, bring the young and old generations together for better work environment and positively affect health of the elderly, thereby reducing economic burden on the government machinery. The government and the corporate would have to work in tandem to create Age-friendly environment. At the same time the elderly should practice self-actualization and be ready to take up work post retirement. Those in active service should perform and maintain the mindset that basis their past performance they could apply for extension or continue to work post retirement in some other organization or in form of being self-employed. Lastly, the potential of elderly should be utilized by the society through voluntary service or unpaid work

Feasibility of Earthships as Sustainable Homes in Brookings County, South Dakota

Addressing the issue of housing deficit while providing affordable and sustainable homes is a significant problem in the United States today. This has prompted architects to design homes with less adverse environmental impacts despite their affordability, hence the birth of sustainable housing. Earthships are sustainable homes built from recycled materials, utilize solar or wind energy, and function as self-sufficient units. The study\u27s main aim is to assess residents\u27 perceptions of earthships and their willingness to adopt earthships in Brookings County, South Dakota. The research employs online surveys to garner data from residents, and data are analyzed using mixed methods. Results indicate that the most significant benefit perceived was the use of renewable energy resources, while the most significant barrier was the county\u27s extreme cold temperatures. Factors affecting willingness to adopt earthships include age, homeownership, view of sustainability, annual gross income, and years of residency. The adoption of earthships in Brookings County will go a long way to contribute to the sustainable lifestyle of the community and release pressure on the County’s natural resources