Branded domain name as an online marketing tool : a case study in hospitality industry

While they could plead ignorance last century, hospitality enterprises cannot ignore the Internet this century; effective Internet use is a competitive advantage. Choosing the right domain name or names is a critical key to effective Internet use. In addition to the branding opportunities and protection from fraudulent websites, customers often guess the website address. Current and potential guests seeking Hyatt hotels’ Swiss and global operations would type hyatt.ch or hyatt.com, respectively. For as little as 10USD annually, hotels can protect their brand, strengthen their brand and increase website visitors via a branded domain name. Choosing the right name necessitates answering two key questions – what name and how many names

AN INVESTIGATION ON WEBSITE ADOPTION AND PERFORMANCE ON IRANIAN HOTELS

This study investigates website adoption and performance among Iranian hotels. Using content analysis technique, this study identifies the presence of 28 website features on 57 Iranian hotels. The results found Iranian hotels are at very early stage of Internet adoption. E-commerce activities are very minimal among the Iranian hotels as none of the hotels provide online reservation. This study adds to the limited study of e-commerce and hospitality in Iran.E-tourism, Website, Evaluation, Hotel, Iran

Does analyst ranking affect how informative target prices are to institutional investors?

Evidence shows that market participants value analysts’ target prices. There is limited evidence, however, on how target price revisions influence investors’ decisions. I examine whether analyst ranking status affects institutional investors’ decisions to incorporate target price information into their investment strategies. This examination is relevant to the economic question: Does analyst reputation mitigate or exacerbate the conflicts of interest that analysts face? Consistent with institutional investor trades being based on superior information, I observe differences in the information content of target price revisions by star and non-star analysts. Additionally, a duration analysis shows that low target price quality significantly increases the hazard of institutional investors not voting analysts as ‘stars’

The Influence of Management and Silvicultural Practices on The Incidence of Heart Rot in Acacia Mangium Plantations

Acacia mangium Willd., a major exotic timber species used in the Compensatory Forest Plantation Program for the product ion of saw logs, was found to be infected by heart rot. To evaluate the incidence and severity of heart rot in A. mangium plantations, a study consisted of laboratory investigations and field surveys was conducted. The laboratory studies include isolation of fungi from infected tree, determination of wood density, microscopic observations, and chemical wood analyses. Field surveys were conducted at five plantations, namely Rantau Panjang Forest Reserve (RPFR), Bukit Tarek Forest Reserve (BTFR), Kemasul Forest Reserve (KFR), Setul Forest Reserve (SFR), and Ulu Sedili Forest Reserve (USFR)

E-commerce adoption issues in Malaysian SMES

E-commerce is said to convey undisputed benefits to companies everywhere, reshaping customer and supplier relationships, streamlining business processes and even restructuring whole industries. Managers are told that e-commerce will give a tremendous boost to their companies, that businesses not involved in e-commerce will be left behind in the global marketplace.Yet, e-commerce is not being adopted readily by SMEs. In fact, some studies claim that trading online by SMEs in some countries is stalling.Not many SMEs are keen to go online and only a few have websites.Drawing on existing research on ICT diffusion by SMEs, this paper explores e-commerce adoption by SMEs in Malaysia.It highlights preliminary findings from explorative telephone interviews with the SME managers.The main findings are that SMEs embrace e-commerce mainly because of pressure from customers.They also seek to improve company image, communications, information flow and contact with government.But many have no better reason for adopting e-commerce than that it is ‘nice to have’.Barriers to adoption include lack of technical knowledge and the failure rate of peers. Many think of e-commerce as ‘fancy stuff’, irrelevant to their sort of business.Implications are discussed

Watershed, Hydrodynamic, and Water Quality Models for Total Maximum Daily Load St. Louis Bay Watershed Mississippi

In the development of the watershed, hydrodynamic, and water quality models for St. Louis Bay in Mississippi, the Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS 2.0) - Nonpoint Source Model (NPSM) was selected as the watershed model and the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) which includes hydrodynamic and water quality models was selected as the Bay model. Watershed model calibration was initially accomplished utilizing historical data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). The watershed model simulated nonpoint source flow and pollutant loadings for all sub-watersheds, routed flow and water quality, and accounted for all major point source discharges in the St Louis Bay watershed. The model was executed for the period of time spanning from 1965 through 1999 in order to quantify flow and pollutant loadings under a variety of hydrologic conditions. Time varying output from the watershed model was applied directly to the St. Louis Bay model. The Bay model, in turn, simulated hydrodynamics and water quality, including water depth, velocities, salinity, temperature, and fecal coliforms. Final Bay model calibration was performed utilizing a set of site specific data acquired on St. Louis Bay during the period July 14-18, 1998. Model verification was conducted against another set of field data taken in the Bay, during April 18-27, 1999. Fecal coliform was modeled in each of the 750 segments of a three-dimensional system. Comparisons of the predicted and observed data are made qualitatively by using spatial and temporal comparisons. The response of model prediction calculations is consistent with trends of the observed data ranges. The applicability of the mathematical models is also demonstrated for the development of Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for fecal coliform in the St. Louis Bay. The calibrated/verified model will be used as a planning tool to assess the water quality in the Watershed and the Bay as well as for calculating TMDL and Waste Load Allocation (WLA)

Purchase Intention Of Distance Learning Student Towards Proton Brand's Car : Product Cues, Attitude And Ethnocentrism.

Peranan niat kelakuan membeli adalah mustahak kepada pemasar untuk memastikan kejayaan sesebuah organisasi. Oleh itu, tujuan penyelidikan ini adalah untuk menentukan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi niat kelakuan membeli dari perspektif pelanggan. Knowing the role of purchase intention is undeniably important to marketers as a determinant of success. To ensure success, an understanding of purchase intention is vital. The purpose of this research is to determine the factors that influence purchase intention from the perspective of consumers

An Optimization Of Drag Reduction Of An Automotive Roof Box

Today many drivers in metropolitan choose compact cars because it is attractive and easy to drive in town which has narrow streets. Although compact car has a major disadvantage as it is built with small luggage storage capacity which is around 200 litres. To overcome this disadvantage consumers have chosen to add extra storage device, roof box. This extra device significantly add to the increment the total drag and resulted more fuel consumption. The objective of this study is to construct 3D model and analyse drag coefficient of commercial roof box and optimised shaped roof box by using CFD simulation software. Common roof box and optimised shaped roof box designed using CAD software and the aerodynamic drag analysis were done using computational fluid analysis CFD simulation software. As a result, the optimised roof box was designed streamlined as it generated small vortex core and with less aerodynamic drag. Studies were also conducted on the use of fuel consumption on both design where the optimized design were expected to save up to 29% fuel consumption reduction compared to the common roof box