Sales motivation & morale during extreme times of change

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States entered a recession in December 2007. (Woodworth, 2010). The hospitality industry has been hit extremely hard by this economic downturn. With clients cutting costs, there is less business to be had by the same, and in many cases, a growing number of hotels. At the same time, hotels are forced to cut costs in any number of ways to remain viable. This may mean scaling back services, staffing reductions and cuts in employee benefits. However, there is a point where a company simply cannot cut anymore without doing more harm than good. Once cuts start to affect the service provided to the guest they can actually cause a decrease in revenues rather than help the business be profitable. Ultimately, at some point, cost cuts and operational streamlining is just not enough and a hospitality organization must find a way to drive additional revenue. The sales department is the natural place to start since this department is a profit center with a direct impact on revenues. So how does a company drive the sales team to produce in an environment, which in its very nature, is one where there is less business to be had? Motivation is the key. Much has been written about motivation in the workplace and sales motivation in particular, but little about the hospitality industry, specifically hotels. And even less about motivating in extreme environments or times of economic stress. The current state of our economy and the effect it has had on the hospitality industry exemplifies how important it is to take the study of sales motivation to the next level. Through several case studies of hotel companies weathering the current economic environment, this paper will seek to discover the best practices of motivating a hotel sales team in difficult circumstances. The study examines what strategies property owners, management companies and brands are taking to motivate their sales teams and ultimately drive revenues. Specific areas of concentration are sales organization structure, target markets, compensation, benefits, sales process and new tactics implemented as a result of the economic environment

TRADE AGREEMENTS, COMPETITION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT: GRIDLOCK AT THE CROSSROADS

Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,

The One I Loved On South Carolina Shore : Tenor And Baritone

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/4487/thumbnail.jp

Leaders Need Spiritual Intelligence

The complexity of our world calls for leaders to have spiritual intelligence and the transformational capacity to lead organizations and communities (Al Eid et al., 2021; Crichton, 2008; Hacker et al., 2017; Sisk, 2016). Spiritual intelligence can be affiliated with a religion but grounded in the belief that all humans align with a greater calling (Emmons, 2000; King & DeCicco, 2009; Lee-Fong et al., 2022; Shea, 2000; Vaughan, 2002). Through qualitative methods using surveys and interviews with thirty leaders, this study found that contemplative spiritual practices enable spiritual intelligence and build transformational leadership capacity. Transformational leadership is the favored approach to implement sustainable change and address complex issues (Bell et al., 2022; Morton, 2020; Wigglesworth, 2004). This study contributes to existing literature supplying research on contemplative spiritual practices’ effect on spiritual intelligence and transformational leadership capacity. Conclusions include the necessity of contemplative spiritual practices and a trusted community for leaders to deepen and broaden perspectives, develop capacity, and support others while addressing complex issues. Recommendations include further research and enhancing the graduate curriculum at St. Catherine University and like institutions. This research is critical because neglecting our spiritual intelligence further complicates our world. The Enabling Spiritual Intelligence study expands the transformational leadership theory and extends the understanding of the importance and accessibility of spiritual intelligence. Spiritual intelligence is relevant now as more complex issues exist in our organizations and communities. Our world needs leaders with spiritual intelligence (SQ) and greater leadership capacity to lead organizations and communities through such issues (Al Eid et al., 2021; Burrows & Gnad, 2018; Crichton, 2008; Hacker et al., 2017; Sisk, 2016). This research explores how to achieve SQ and transformational leadership capacity and why it is crucial now. It determines the relevancy of SQ and how to achieve it, the presence of complex issues, and the importance of SQ for leaders. The introduction of this study provides the significance, scope, limitations, and an overview of the research structure. The challenges with this research include a narrow sample of participants and the personal nature of spirituality. This study includes participants with undergraduate degrees who studied contemplative spiritual practices at St. Catherine University or similar institutions. This is a biased group to research as they sought to learn about their spirituality and practices, creating an opportunity for a control group. Due to time constraints, this study lacks a control group; however, it sets the foundation for further study. In addition, it lacks follower participant input, a balancing component of the transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985). Another limitation includes the personal nature of discussing spiritual intelligence and practices. This personal topic can make participating in surveys and interviews challenging. As a result of this sensitivity, I use pseudonyms, signed consent forms, and clear communication of the opportunity to stop participation at any time. The background, reflexivity, problem, and purpose statements follow, along with the research objectives and question following. This study argues the value of this research along with known limitations. The next portion of the research includes the Literature Review, organized by key terms and thematic analysis to represent the related identified literature. Next, the Theoretical Framework uses two spiritual intelligence models and the transformational leadership theory to organize the research. The Method portion of this research conveys a qualitative approach and analysis explaining the tools and data collected. It also reviews the reflective thematic approach to coding and identifying themes. The Findings section of this study includes the definition and support of five themes through participant input. The findings align with the transformational leadership theory dimensions in the Discussion section and include the limitations of this study. Finally, the Summary and Recommendations address the limitations, ending the research with the Conclusion. SQ and leadership capacity fuel transformational leadership, the favored approach to enable sustainable change by addressing complex issues (Bell et al., 2022; Morton, 2020; Wigglesworth, 2004). Spiritual intelligence can sometimes seem out of reach or even mysterious, but we all have the potential or opportunity to develop it through contemplative spiritual practices. This study aims to extend the existing literature, education, and beliefs by understanding how contemplative spiritual practices affect spiritual intelligence and how vital SQ is today for transformational leadership capacity. Finally, this study extends research into how contemplative spiritual practices and SQ education can integrate into leadership programming. The opportunity to provide awareness of contemplative spiritual practices and education to develop spiritual intelligence could give St. Catherine University students greater transformational leadership capacity to address complex issues

Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting, held at Ottawa, Canada, December 28, 29 and 30, 1892

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Proceedings of the Fifth Summer Meeting, held at Madison, August 15 and 16, 1893

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Changing the paradigm for HIV testing : the end of exceptionalism

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is poised to issue new recommendations for testing for HIV in adults, adolescents, and pregnant women. Frustrated that more than 25 percent of Americans with HIV infection are unaware of their status and that almost 40 percent of those with newly diagnosed AIDS discover that they are infected less than a year before diagnosis, officials have proposed that HIV screening be routinely offered in all health care settings. The CDC already recommends routine testing among high-risk groups and in high-prevalence settings. The radical departure is the extension of routine testing to the entire population and the reconceptualization of the requirements for consent. Patients would be told that HIV testing was a routine part of care and given the opportunity to opt out. According to the CDC, specific signed consent would no longer be required, because “general consent for medical care is sufficient to encompass consent for HIV testing.

Back to the future? diabetes, HIV, and the boundaries of public health

The control of infectious diseases has traditionally fallen to public health and the clinical care of chronic diseases to private medicine. In New York City, however, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has recently sought to expand its responsibilities in the oversight and management of chronic-disease care. In December 2005, in an effort to control epidemic rates of diabetes, the DOHMH began implementing a bold new plan for increased disease surveillance through electronic, laboratory-based reporting of A1C test results (a robust measure of blood-sugar levels). The controversy A1C reporting produced was relatively contained, but when Dr. Thomas Frieden, New York City health commissioner, called for the state to begin tracking viral loads and drug resistance among patients with HIV, both the medical community and a wider public took notice and have started to grapple with the meaning of expanded surveillance. In the context of the past century of medical surveillance in America, we analyze the current debates, focusing first on diabetes and then HIV. We identify the points of contention that arise from the city's proposed blend of public health surveillance, disease management, and quality improvement and suggest an approach to balancing the measures' perils and promises