Reactions of Generation Y to Luxury Hotel Twitter Promotions

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites (Evans, 2008). In today’s society, social media refers mainly to websites including (but not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. The most popular and fastest growing of these social media venues is Twitter. Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. Since 2006, almost 200 million users across the globe have joined the site; over 140 million tweets are “tweeted” daily (Picard, 2011). Twitter took advantage of a niche in the market, allowing 140 characters to express an idea or emotion. Twitter has changed the media world as a news source, tweeting real-time information from stories that arise (Picard, 2011). In the lodging industry, methods of social media to promote hotels are becoming more popular. Twitter, in particular, has emerged as a “moment of truth” for a hotel, demonstrating how instantly and tactfully hotels react to the thoughts and opinions of former, current, and potential guests. Studies have also suggested that “online social life mirrors offline relationships in many ways” (Moore, p. 440). Therefore, Twitter accounts should be viewed as an extension of the hospitality business, in particular lodging, echoing the relationship a customer would feel upon arrival to the hotel. Hotel marketing teams have reached “great success by driving demand to hotels through increased online advertising and web optimization” (Chipkin, 2013). This has increased overall customer views of the hotel without affecting the rate strategy of the property or brand. Twitter presence could, potentially, help a patron decide between two hotels, “If a promotion, experience or package is unique, it definitely works to generate bookings and helps put you first in a consumer’s mind when they are choosing between two or three hotels,” says Rachel Harrison of Hyatt Andaz (Chipkin, 2013). Hotel companies worldwide are investing in their social media networks. Certain hotels (i.e. W Barcelona) are even hiring social media and marketing managers whose responsibilities include instant Twitter feedback (Appendix 1). The purpose behind this investment is to maximize these social media accounts, creating feedback from all potential guests, allowing them to react to both positive and negative word of mouth. Social media managers have recently encountered an opportunity; Generation Y is becoming a target demographic. As Generation Y enters the workforce and begins a career, the exposure to hotel brands and types will increase. Luxury hotel stays are becoming more financially reachable to these Generation Y guests because of their career advancements (Fields, 2013). This study will serve to evaluate the added benefits from the adoption of social media channels, particularly Twitter

Faith Over Fear: A Hurricane Katrina Story: 18 Years Later

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College

Master of Science

thesisIncreasing awareness of chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) among Nordic skiers warrants the need for specific analysis of intracompartmental pressures (ICPs) before and after Nordic skiing. The purpose of this study was to determine if lower leg anterior and lateral ICPs are increased after a 20-minute Nordic rollerskiing time-trial, as well as determine if a difference exists between postexercise ICPs for classic versus skate rollerskiing. Seven participants were randomly assigned into a technique order group designating which technique, classic or skate rollerskiing, they would perform first. Each technique was performed 7 days apart. Before rollerskiing, preexercise ICP measurements were taken from the anterior and lateral lower leg compartments. Identical methods were used to measure ICPs at the 1st and 5th minute following activity using either the classic or the skate Nordic rollerskiing technique. Our results showed an increase in ICPs for all participants for the both anterior and lateral compartments (p = 0.000 and p= 0.002, respectively), regardless of technique. A three-way interaction between time, technique, and gender was found for the anterior and lateral compartments and subjective perception of lower leg pain. The males showed statistical significance for the anterior (t(6) = 8.434, p < 0.05) and lateral (t(6) = 3.076, p <0.05) ICPs between baseline and 1-minute postexercise when using the classic technique versus the skate technique. Although not statistically significant, the females showed higher anterior and lateral ICPs at 1-minute postexercise when using the skate technique versus the classic technique. The males' subjective perception of pain was statistically greater at 1-minute postexercise during classic rollerskiing versus skate rollerskiing, whereas the females' subjective perception of pain was statistically greater at 1-minute postexercise during skate rollerskiing versus classic rollerskiing. The results of this study suggest that Nordic skiing contributes to increases in ICPs which may lead to the development of CECS. Additonally, there may be a potential gender affect between the Nordic skiing techniques. Further research topic is warranted to better understand the incidence and long-term effects of this phenomenon regarding increased ICPs and symptoms of CECS within the Nordic skiing population

Witchcraft plays 1587-1635: a psychoanalytical approach

This thesis comprises detailed readings of nine early-modern plays featuring female witches in an attempt to recover an understanding of how they were represented on the early-modern stage and what they meant to their first audiences. Drawing on twentieth-century theories of subjectivity, it offers an avenue for the explanation of moments of misogyny in the plays and identifies an unconscious communal anxiety which was revealed and perpetuated by the stage representation of the witch. Although we cannot fully recapture the experience of an audience of 400 years ago, this study attempts to do so in order to place the plays in the context of anxieties detectable in the period. By reading the plays in reference to theatrical conditions, this thesis identifies moments when the drama enlisted the subjectivity of the audience and the witch was constructed as uncanny. Such an approach contributes to the debate on the ages of actors performing certain female characters and suggests potential staging approaches for future performances

The Body Ontology of Capitalism

Critical social theory powerfully negates symbolic structures of political economy and imaginary projections of ideological culture but never quite knows what to do with corporeal bodies. “The Body Ontology of Capitalism” reviews Marx’s account of body ontology in his post-1859 writings (especially Capital, Vol. 1), in which value (abstract labor) is extracted from the concrete bodies of laborers caught in capital’s grasp. Body ontology is analyzed in Marx’s work as well as Lacan’s psychoanalytic social theory, exploring the relationship between structurally wounded bodies and imaginary projections. Zižek’s embodied account of wounded subjects of sublime ideological objects is also used to interpret the body fantasies of late capitalism (undead, cyborg, armored subjects). Following Marx and psychoanalytic theorists, Krier and Amidon conclude that body ontology is necessary to adequately comprehend and critique symbolic and imaginary productions of capital

Evaluating the unique effects of the primary components of mindfulness in a clinically anxious sample

Despite the popularity of mindfulness-based treatments for anxiety and related-disorders, there is inconsistency in how mindfulness is defined and applied. This has led to challenges in researching the basic components of mindfulness in therapeutic contexts. This study evaluates the two most consistent components of mindfulness, present-focused and nonjudgmental awareness, to work toward a basic understanding of mindfulness that transcends protocol-specific conceptualizations. These mindfulness components were isolated into two independent 4-week interventions. Utilizing single case experimental design, this study evaluated the effects of these mindfulness components in isolation (during first intervention phase) and in combination on mindfulness outcomes (primary aim) and symptom outcomes (exploratory aim). It was predicted that the combination of interventions would result in greater improvement on global measures of mindfulness than either intervention in isolation. It was also hypothesized that each component of mindfulness would increase the mindfulness subscale specific to that component (i.e., increase on measures of nonjudgment following nonjudgment intervention) and that this change would be greater than change on measures of the other component not targeted in that intervention. Participants were recruited from an adult treatment-seeking waitlist for anxiety disorders (N = 8; all female, majority White, mean age 26.5, range 20-41). Participants reported significant increases in global mindfulness after the first intervention phase. As predicted, participants also reported significantly greater global mindfulness scores after receiving both interventions compared to one in isolation. After both interventions, participants who received the nonjudgment intervention first had significantly greater nonjudgment scores, but there were no significant differences between conditions for global mindfulness or present-moment awareness. In isolation, the present-focused intervention did not significantly increase measures of present-moment awareness for most participants. However, when examining nonjudgment in isolation, most participants demonstrated significant improvement on measures of present-moment awareness and nonjudgment. There was no significant impact on symptoms or proposed mechanisms. In sum, both interventions increased mindfulness, with the greatest increases after the combination of interventions, and introducing nonjudgment prior to present-focused awareness may optimize continued gains in nonjudgment. These findings may inform future improvements to the content and sequence of mindfulness components in mindfulness-based treatments for anxiety

A Collaborative approach: Care staff and families working together to safeguard the quality of life of residents living with advanced dementia

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the quality of life and well-being of care home residents living with advanced dementia, how personalised care can be achieved where the person is completely dependent on others for care and how individuals’ choices and human rights were upheld. Methods: The study design used a qualitative approach, with data collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 8 family members, all of whom visited daily, and 8 care staff. Results: Emerging themes highlighted the importance of family involvement, signs of well-being, communication and the valued role of direct care staff. Discussion: Participants were able to identify factors of residents’ well-being in residents living with advanced dementia. Family members who visited daily saw themselves working collaboratively with care staff to maintain the quality of life of their relatives and engage in proxy decision making. Regarding human rights, the emphasis was on avoiding abuse, rather than promoting well-being