The American Oligarchy and the Pretense of Democracy Essay...

The American Oligarchy and the Pretense of Democracy The Aristotelian view of democracy showed democracy as a supreme state of being, promoting equality more than anything. It allowed every person to have as much say in a government as any other person, and yet still allowed individuality to reign. To follow this path of true democracy is to follow the path to a perfect country. Yet America, which prides itself on being a truly democratic nation, is filled with corruption and extortion, nothing like the Utopia Aristotle portrayed. America is in the hands of a select few. A tiny fraction of the population holds any real political power, while the rest simply sit idly by. This goes against the very principle†¦show more content†¦Equality is one of the largest foundations of democracy, and yet those who are not fabulously wealthy or who have not spent all their life attempting to establish themselves as a politician have no chance of becoming a success ful one. According to Aristotle, Justice as understood in democracy is equality, but this considers only part of what is just; the same is true of the notion of justice in oligarchy. The American system of democracy is anything but equal. The original Bill of Rights was very clear about having one person represent many. The very first article stated After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred#8230; #8230;there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred#8230; #8230;there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand persons. To have one person speak for numbers exceeding thirty thousand is certainly not democratic in its original sense. It is not possible for one man to properly ensure that the differing rights of thirty thousand people are upheld. This article was not ratified,Show MoreRelatedPolitical Warfare During World War I2009 Words   |  9 Pagesdemocrats against republicans, liberal rivaling conservatives. It is a war of earnings and disbursements that is set to shred the last string of the American democracy. A war amplified to its summit by crafty men of means and influences with their silent and anonymous donations and sponsorship. It is a war that has brought the rising insurgence of oligarchy in America. Going back the road, to the distressing aftermath of World War One, there arose many questions about progressive political coordinationRead MoreEssay1181 Words   |  5 Pagesits libertarian roots and has moved closer to an oligarchy ran by the few. In this way it is a government for the people, rather than by the people. One specific event has changed American politics forever, this was the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. On this day, the United States came under direct attack by terrorists. In the months and years after, the government pounced on the opportunity to grow government under the false pretense of â€Å"security† through the Patriot Act and invasionsRead MoreCommercial Liens - a Potent Weapon Essay32374 Words   |  130 PagesCommercial Lien Strategy is a lien by Mr. Phil Marsh of the Pilot Connection against the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress, the Federal Reserve, and the Commissioner of IRS on behalf of all 250 million Amer icans (see Appendix B.6). For each of the 250 million Americans, the lien demands $10,000. If the lien were enforced, it would mean the government would owe the people $2.5 trillion, over half the annual Gross National Product. This class action lien will almost certainly never

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn - 4280 Words

Nadeem Sbaiti Mrs. Greenlee HN ENG III 1, June 2015 Independent Novel Project The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Knowledge Significance Of Title The title The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn seems to be very self-explanatory of the significance hence the name. Furthermore after further review and thought I have realized there is a deeper meaning than just that of Huckleberry Finn. When the book first begins it is showing the start of the young boys band of robbers and it leads you to believe the book will be about these kids and their hooligans and getting into trouble. In reality the title is significant because Huckleberry Finn’s adventures involve him and Jim traveling down the Mississippi and how they encounter racism and other various forms of racial inequality and segregation. Genre and Setting The genre of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is overall an adventurous novel referring to the title, with Huckleberry and his band of robbers and furthermore when he begins to travel down the Mississippi river. Following the adventurous genre the story begins to unfold more as a story about growing up and how Huckleberry stops being a child and learns more about real life occurrences. The setting of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is in the south and more specifically along the Mississippi river such as in Missouri and other states riding up north. The setting is based in the south because the adventure is for Huckleberry to bring the slave Jim to freedom, whichShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn800 Words   |  4 Pages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an action-packed adventure about Huckleberry Finn, an extraordinary young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The author, Mark Twain, established rigid conflict and left his readers in disbelief over some of the occurrences in the book. All adventure long, Huck and his comrades must adapt to keep their dreams alive. Huck becomes a better person from experiencing all the hardships that he endured, whether it is being thankful for his friends or becomingRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn1787 Words   |  8 Pages2015 Independent Novel Project The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Knowledge Section Significance of Title When considering the background behind the novel’s title, not much is immediately apparent; for the title is literally just the main character’s name, and the affirmation that there will be some adventuring going down somewhere within the story. Further analysis is not really possible unless the name of the said protagonist is considered. The name Huckleberry does not refer to any actual hucklesRead MoreThe Adventure Of Huckleberry Finn1464 Words   |  6 PagesShe died of a sudden heart attack following a seizure on Christmas Eve, 1909. Jean was 29 years old. Many of Twain s works were tied into his childhood in Hannibal. like Life in Mississippi, Tom Sawyer, and, his most famous tale, The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. Life on the Mississippi was one of Twain s most upbeat books. He wrote it at the beginning of his writing career before all of the tragedies struck his life. He filled his writing with the celebration of his time as a young boy, an apprenticeRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn600 Words   |  3 Pages The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain’s continuation of Tom Sawyer follows the misadventures of Tom’s friend Huckleberry Finn and a runaway slave, Jim. The story opens with Huck who is living with Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson. The sisters are trying to civilize and educate the unwilling Huck who is not happy with his new life of church, school, and manners. Right as Huck is coming to terms with this new lifestyle his drunken, abusive father returns and demandsRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn787 Words   |  4 PagesIn this journal, both Nicole Amare and Alan Manning criticize the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through Mormonism. To Amare and Manning, Twain’s fascination of Mormonism and the character’s literary meanings. Furthermore, they claim of Twain’s use of his use of politician names in the stories, which are seen as juxtaposed by Twain in the novel, impact the character Boggs and Governor Liburn Boggs of Independence, Missouri. However, these uses of political names can be portrayed as simplyRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn700 Words   |  3 PagesJocelyn Cha dwick-Joshua accurately asserts that in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses chapters one through sixteen to establish Huck and Jim as characters and to develop their relationship. To begin, Twain portrays youthful Huck as a remarkably developed, multifaceted character. Huck Finn is very independent, and likes to have control of his own life. Taking matters into his own hands, â€Å"I judged I’d hide her good, and then, ‘stead of taking to the woods when I run off, I’d go downRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn3078 Words   |  13 PagesEnglish III 01, June 2015 Independent Novel Project The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Knowledge Significance of Title The title of this novel can be very literal and sarcastic. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does contain the plot of Huckleberry Finn going on several adventures, which tells the literal and obvious meaning of the title. The title is also used as sarcasm. Although The adventures of Huckleberry Finn does contain adventure throughout the story, it is more about race and slaveryRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn612 Words   |  3 Pages In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck thinks that being civilized means being a hypocrite because he says all of the adults are civilized and they are hypocrites. Huck thinks that civilized people are all about manners and how you should dress. Huck is used to doing things his own way. Huck has a lot of freedom which represents natural life. He was raised without rules and limits which can sometimes lead him to trouble. Huck is used to living on his own. Huck is a free spirit and doesRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn2192 Words   |  9 Pagesmind about Jim at this point? Jim is very much like a father to Huck. He looks out for Huck and he is respected and looked upon by Huck. This is also more significant because Huckleberry Finn never had a father and he never really had a role model. Jim serves this purpose perfectly. Throughout all of his adventures Jim shows compassion as his most prominent trait. He makes the reader aware of his many superstitions and Jim exhibits gullibility in the sense that he Jim always assumes the otherRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn3310 Words   |  14 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn opens by acquainting us with the occasions of the novel that went before it, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Both books are situated in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, which sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. Toward the end of Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, who is the protagonist, narrator is a poor kid with a drunken father, and his companion Tom Sawyer, a working class kid, discovered a robberâ⠂¬â„¢s stash of gold. As a result, Huck picked up a considerable

The Great Gatsby †the Unachievable Dream Free Essays

â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness† is one of the most influential and famous phrases in the United State’s Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence encapsulates the original conception of the American Dream – the notion that every individual, regardless of their social upbringing, could have the opportunity to reach their full potential and live a comfortable lifestyle. F. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsby – the Unachievable Dream or any similar topic only for you Order Now Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby takes place during the early 1920s–a time period that demonstrates the pursuit of happiness, opportunity, freedom, equality and finally the American Dream. Myrtle Wilson, a significant character in The Great Gatsby, tries to pursue happiness and her American Dream by satisfying materialistic pleasures on a quest for wealth and status. The protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby’s quest for hopeless love, signifies the fallen American Dream. Ultimately Fitzgerald uses symbols such as cars, to represent the American Dream itself, and he uses failed relationships to exemplify the corruption and descent of the American Dream. Through his portrayal of the main characters and symbols, Fitzgerald illustrates the decay of morals and values, exemplifying the underside of the American Dream. Fitzgerald portrays twisted relationships to represent the corrupt American Dream in The Great Gatsby. Emotional intimacy, trust, respect, and mutual goodwill constitute a positive and healthy relationship. To the contrary, the majority of the relationships displayed between the characters are dysfunctional, and diminish the hope of living out a meaningful American Dream with emphasis on a strong family. For example, Tom and Daisy are married, yet Tom has an affair shortly after Tom marries Daisy. Indeed, Daisy is suspicious of Tom’s conduct on a trip they took together to Santa Barbara. If he left the room for a minute she’d look around uneasily and say ‘where’s Tom gone and wore the most abstracted expression until she saw him coming to the door †¦. This was in August. A week after I left Santa Barbara Tom ran into a wagon on the Ventura road one night, and ripped a front wheel off his car. The girl who was with him got into the papers, too, because her arm was broken- she was one of the chamber maids in the Santa Barbara. (Fitzgerald 51) In addition to the unfaithful relationship shared by Tom and Daisy, Daisy has a twisted conception of her daughter. Daisy’s early cynicisms towards her daughter’s life are shown just about an hour after the baby is born, as Daisy says, â€Å"I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl could be in this world, a beautiful little fool† (Fitzgerald 12). Likewise, as Daisy’s daughter grows older, the girl is treated like a trophy that Daisy uses for show, and the nurse is left with the responsibilities of the child’s care. (Fitzgerald 77). Like Daisy’s relationship with her daughter, another dysfunctional relationship is between Myrtle and her husband George. When George suspects Myrtle of cheating, he locks her away. This becomes evident when Tom exclaims, â€Å"I’ve got my wife locked away up there† (Fitzgerald 91). Another example of the decline of morals and values in the novel is Nick’s romantic ideation of Jordan Baker, in spite of his established relationship at home (Fitzgerald 40). Most importantly, though, Gatsby has a tragically hopeless dream of obtaining Daisy’s love. He pursues illegal activities in order to gain wealth and to attract Daisy’s affection. Clearly, the multitude of dysfunctional relationships in Fitzgerald’s novel represents the misconstrual of the American Dream. Much like the portrayal of relationships, Fitzgerald uses cars to represent the disintegration of the American Dream. In the 1920’s, cars were extremely popular, coveted by all, and symbolize the vast opportunities available in the United States. Ironically, Myrtle, who seeks American materialism to an extreme degree, ends up getting killed by American materialism itself. Throughout her life, Myrtle possesses a burning desire for money. She ends up giving her life to Tom and getting killed by her own desires (Fitzgerald 93). Through Myrtle’s death, Fitzgerald conveys that dwelling too much on material objects cannot bring about a positive resolution; materialism can only bring about destruction. Destruction and corruption are shown through cars as well. Drinking impairs judgement and decreases inhibitions. Many of the characters drink as a pastime and drive under the influence. Since cars represent the American Dream, and drinking becomes a way of life, one can conclude that the characters go about achieving the American Dream in a misguided and dangerous manner. Myrtle tries to satisfy her desires by seeking wealth and tatus in attempts of achieving her American Dream. Myrtle’s husband, George, owns a car dealership and repair shop in the industrial wasteland of the Valley of Ashes, which depict his lower class. In describing George’s shop, Fitzgerald notes â€Å"The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust-covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a di m corner† (Fitzgerald 27). Although George is loyal and hardworking, Myrtle is unsatisfied with her relationship; she envies the East Eggers for living her version of the American Dream while she is stuck in the Valley of Ashes, married to a low class man. Myrtle directly disrespects her husband as she goes after Tom, a high class, wealthy, and married man, living in the East Egg. This is captured by Nick’s description of Myrtle, as he notes, â€Å"She smiled slowly and, walking through her husband as if he were a ghost, shook hands with Tom, looking him flush in the eye†(Fitzgerald 28). In fact, Myrtle demands that George supply chairs so that she and Tom could contrive against George. During Tom’s visit, Myrtle demands: ‘Get some chairs why don’t you so someone can sit down. ‘Oh, sure,’ agreed Wilson hurriedly †¦. A white ashen dust veiled everything in the vicinity- except his wife, Who moved close to Tom. (Fitzgerald 28) Myrtle looks past social values and chooses a life of adultery in spite of the repercussions that her actions have on her husband. Furthermore, not a single character in this novel feels remorse for George when Myrtle blatantly plans to cheat. Indeed Nick and Tom have the following conversation after Myrtle plans her getaway with Tom: ‘It does her good to get away. ’ Doesn’t her husband object? ’ ‘Wilson? He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive. ’(Fitzgerald 32) Nick and Tom take George for a fool, and they feel he is vacuous because he is in the lower class. In addition to the treatment of George, Myrtle’s tragic death symbolize America’s obsession with material wealth. Upon hearing a car approaching, Myrtle runs out into the dusk road waving her hands in the air, at which point she is struck and killed by Gastby’s vehicle (Fitzgerald 130). Ironically, Myrtle’s chase for American materialism ended up costing her, her life as she is killed by her own desires in her quest for the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, another victim of his own desires, represents the fallen American Dream in his failed quest to win Daisy, but ends up empty handed in the end and does not receive what he had worked so hard for. Fitzgerald illustrates Gatsby’s strong desires for Daisy very early on, for at the end of chapter one lays our first clue, the green light. Gatsby stretches out his arms toward the dark water and looks at a green light. This green light is just across the water at East Egg, specifically at Daisy’s backyard dock. This may be the first intimation we witness of Gatsby’s passionate dream, but is extremely powerful nonetheless. Gatsby’s tragic flaw is that he believes one can recapture the past and keep a moment crystallized forever. From the moment Gatsby fell in love with Daisy, everything he did was for the sole purpose of winning her. This becomes evident as Jordan explains to Nick, ‘Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay. (Fitzgerald 76). Jordan further explains to Nick that Gatsby also hopes Daisy would come by one of his parties and be impressed. ‘He wants her to see his house, ‘she explained. ‘And your house is just next door. ’ ‘Oh! ’ ‘I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,’ went on Jordan, ‘but she never did. Then he began asking people casually if they knew her, and I was the first one he found. It was that night he sent for me at his dance, and you should have heard the elaborate way he worked up to it. Fitzgerald 77) Gatsby has a blind purist of Daisy and every purchase he makes and party he throws is backing the hopes of attracting her attention. Obviously, Gatsby highly values Daisy and he goes above and beyond to impress her. This statement is further illustrated as Gatsby hires someone to cut Nick’s grass to impress her, on the day that Daisy is going to visit (Fitzgerald 81). As well, upon Daisy’s arrival, Gatsby shows off his big house to her, brags that it only took him three years to earn the money in the drug and oil business, and takes Daisy on a tour (Fitzgerald 87-89). Gatsby deliberately excludes the fact that much of Gatsby’s money to win Daisy over comes from organized crime and bootlegging. Breaking the law and lies become daily activities for Gatsby on his quest to win Daisy over. Gatsby also shows off his wealth by throwing expensive and beautiful shirts left right and centre as if they were a dime a dozen (Fitzgerald 89). This is to suggest that Gatsby is extremely affluent to the point that his money can be thrown around without a care. Later in the novel, Daisy accidently kills Myrtle while driving Gatsby’s car. Nick tries to convince Gatsby that he should flee so that George would not be able to track his car; however Gatsby refuses as Fitzgerald notes, â€Å"He wouldn’t consider it. He couldn’t leave Daisy until he knew her next course of action. He was clutching at some last hope and I couldn’t bear to shake him free† (Fitzgerald 141). Gatsby is simply unable to realize that his dream is not a reality, and by being so focussed on his dream he leads himself further and further into a fantasy world. When Gatsby takes Daisy’s hand he describes her voice as a deathless song (Fitzgerald 93). Evidently, Gatsby’s idealism is replaced by his inability to understand the changing world around him. Gatsby cannot comprehend that time passes and that one cannot keep the past crystallized forever. Fitzgerald uses the clock at Nick’s house to symbolize Gatsby’s delusion. The clock that falls at Nick’s house that was caught by Gatsby before it could hit the ground, suggests that Gatsby feels he could stop the time from passing. Gatsby’s inability to see things for what they really are, are further illustrated by in his remark. â€Å"Cannot repeat the past? he cried incredulously, ‘why of course you can! † (Fitzgerald 106). Ironically, Gatsby becomes a parody of himself in the sense that throughout The Great Gatsby, he cannot wait to distance himself from his true past, but yet he lives his adult life trying to recapture the past he had with Daisy. Gatsby needs to learn that in order to see forward into the future, one must let go of t heir past. Both Daisy and Gatsby go about achieving their dream in a misguided manner, and have been corrupted by their strong desire to achieve their own American Dream. At last, Myrtle, Gatsby, twisted relationships, and cars, serve as symbols illustrating the corruption of the American Dream shown throughout The Great Gatsby. Morals and values decay as the characters seek American materialism driven by self-indulgence. The established and newly rich aim to get even richer and they associate themselves with the high class while looking down on the poor. The working class strive to rise up in wealth and status yet never do as revealed by a song; â€Å"the rich get richer and the poor get- children† (Fitzgerald 92). Ultimately, Fitzgerald himself sets up the American Dream to be unattainable by his characters. A crucial element of the classic American Dream is for individuals to rise up in class based on hard work and merit. In order for this element to be possible, no specific class system may be present. On the contrary, Fitzgerald creates his novel using definite class division systems such as East Egg for the established rich, West Egg for the newly rich, and the Valley of Ashes for the low working class. The dreams of the characters in this novel are to rise in status and class, thus turning their lifelong strive for the American Dream to be paradoxical and consequently unachievable. How to cite The Great Gatsby – the Unachievable Dream, Papers

Raffles Hotel free essay sample

The macro-environment analysis with PESTE method2 3. 2The industry dynamics analysis with Porter’s five forces3 3. 3 The evaluation of key successful factors of external factor4 4. Internal audit5 4. 1Raffles’ strategic segmentation5 4. 2Raffles’ market positioning6 4. 3Strengths-weaknesses analysis of current resources and competences7 4. 4Value chain and value networks8 5. A strategic plan for the next 3 years9 . 1An evaluation of strategic options9 5. 2The development of a sales target10 5. 3A mix of suitable strategies and a monitoring, control and contingency plan10 Reference11 A marketing plan on Raffles Hotel 1. Introduction Recent days witness a rapid growth of scale of the starred hotels in Singapore. Singapore hotel industry gives service to about 1. 44 million visitors in 2012, which is 9% higher than the data in 2011. Although the growth rate is lower than the last two years’ 20 per cent and 13 per cent. Singapore can achieve the goal of 1. 7 million visitors in 2015. This means from 2013 to 2015, the annual growth rate of visitors is 5 per cent to 6 per cent. We will write a custom essay sample on Raffles Hotel or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The expansion of hotel industry also leads to a more fierce competition in the hotel industry. Singapore was ranked among the top three cities whose hotels have the highest Average Daily Rates (ADR), along with Hong Kong and Seoul, according to CBREs Asia Hotels MarketView report for H1 2012. The boom of hotel industry also accelerates the competition of hotels in Singapore. On the one hand, the construction of domestic hotels is accelerated; on the other hand, the entries of other top International hotel brands will have a huge influence on the market share of the hotel industry. In Singapore, there are more than 313 hotels, ranging from express hotel and 5 star hotels. Orchard Hotel Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa Equarius Hotel, Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel, the Regent Singapore and Four Seasons Hotel Singapore are all substantial hotel In Singapore. The fierce competition forces hotels to focus more on the marketing strategy in order to attract more customers. Raffles, one of the famous luxury hotels in Singapore, is considered as elite in Singapore’s hotel industry. In the new time, faced with the violently fierce competition, how to absorb successful marketing strategies, reform marketing strategies and draft a suitable marketing strategy for Raffles is of great significant. 2. Brief company overview Raffles Hotel is one of the best hotels in Singapore (McClatchy Tribune Business News ,2012). It was established in the colonial period when Singapore was occupied by the UK. So it has a colonial culture. Two American brothers, Martin and Tigran Sarkies, set it up in 1887. Later, three other brothers joined them. With their hard work, they construct the hotel in Singapore’s most bustling area. The hotel was named after Stamford Raffles, who was the father of Modern Singapore. In recent years, Raffles was controlled by Fairmont Raffles Hotel International (Simon, 2010). The motto in Raffles is: true luxury is not just about what you do, it’s about how you feel. In the following 125 years, Raffles pursuits to provide the best service, the lavish experiences and the warmest memories to their customers (Bernstein, 1999). And till now, the tradition is handed down from one generation to another all around the world. Not only in Singapore, but also in Dubai, Seychelles, Paris and Beijing, the name of Raffles equals with words such as honorable and extraordinary (Arabianbusiness, 2010). On October 1, 2005, Raffles hotels amp; Resorts embraced a new spring of its management life. With the acquisition by Colonial Capital, LLC, Raffles create a high profile-transaction. This transaction obtains the identification from top hospitality leaders, investors and financiers. With the development of our corporate, we can ensure that no matter where our guests travel, they can find the Raffles inherited with the royal tradition from the origin. The spirit of adventure, luxury and sublime service will never decay. Exciting charm, refresh and revive, the raffles is loved by people who have the spirit of adventure and tastes the best. 3. External audit 4. 1 The macro-environment analysis with PESTE method The political analysis is mainly focused on the government policy. As the world is more and more united (Thoumrungroje, 2001)Singapores government has a vision, and actively introduces leading strategy (Business Monitor International, 2012). It provides powerful policy to support the tourism industry, offers capital support, and pushes a series of flexible and practical marketing strategy, according to market demand. It sets up exhibition brand and strives to develop award tourism market. The powerful policy support accelerates the development of tourism industry definitely. On the aspect of economy, today, Singapore has become tone of the most important financial center and International trade transfer station of Southeast Asia (Hai, 2013). In the face of economic globalization in 21st century, investors seek for new development opportunities in Singapore and a series of economic development thought have been put forward. To sum up, the economic environment is potential. Singapore has a favorable social environment (Toh, 2001). Singapore enjoys a reputation of international convention. It holds exhibition in the Asia-pacific region and is the first choice for business and leisure travel. Singapores superior geographical environment, convenient transportation, clean and efficient government management, the free and open social environment, the perfect conference and exhibition facilities and favorable tourism image creates the advantageous condition for Singapore’s tourism. As to the technology analysis, Raffles believes that high-tech is the most efficient productivity in modern industry. In the past 100 years, along with the innovation in science and technology, people’s life is changed in every aspect. Technology is significant both in the version of a nation and in the version of a firm. In the field of hotel management, GDS and CRS changes the traditional way of promotion and the efficiency of promotion, high-tech accelerates the innovation of promotion and service. If the hotel cannot use the GRS or GDS properly, it will be dropped by the fierce competition. 4. 3. 1 The bargaining ability of hotel suppliers Like other corporates, hotel needs to acquire lot of material from the external environment. Economic entities which provide material are called the suppliers. They construct the corporate from two aspects: affecting the profitability by adjusting price and affecting the hotels’ competition ability by providing low quality material. Raffles hotel has got through its preparation period and now is a mature entity. The suppliers are companies who offer daily consumables, and those consumables are not need to be tailored. Now, the numbers of hotels and suppliers are relative huge, monopoly cannot be organized. The advantage of Raffles is it has branches over the world, so it can benefit from group buying. 4. 3. 2 The bargaining ability of guests The guests of the hotel are various. The resources of the guests, the quantity of rooms, and the time of booking are all different, so the bargaining abilities are not the same. In the next chapter, we can conclude the bargaining ability of different customers by discuss market segmentation. 4. 3. 3 The threats of potential competitors New hotels enter Singapore last year, and there were as many as 1200 new Hotel rooms. 70% of the hotel is located in Sentosa and the bay area, such asEquarius Hoteland W Singapore Sentosa Cove. 4. 3. 4 The threats of substitutes The substitutes of luxury hotels is limited, mainly refers to advanced apartment. Now some advanced apartments provide short-term rent. As the apartment can offer more private space and is equipped with kitchen applications which the hotel does not have. For some clients, especially guests stay for more than a week, may prefer the apartments. The newly arising advanced apartment is a great competition point which needs to be watched out. 4. 3. 5 The competition among competitors Raffles confirms hotel according to the geographical location, the market position and the overlap of customers. The competitors of Raffles are luxury hotels such as Orchard Hotel Singapore, Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel. In recent years, more hotels are opened in Singapore, such as Resorts World Sentosa Equarius Hotel. 3. 3 The evaluation of key successful factors of external factor There are mainly two opportunities for Raffles. To begin with, the tourism in Singapore is promising. As the world is recovered from the financial crisis, the global economy has a promising growth in the future, which drives the International trade. This trend is more obvious in recent days. The occupy rate is 86. % in last year, which is little higher than last year. Among them, the demand of advanced hotels increases most, the occupy rate increases by 2. 6%. Secondly, the economy in Singapore witnesses a sustainable development; the GDP in Singapore was $ 222,699 million in 2012, which is top ten in Asia. The development of economy will attract more investment and expand the tourism industry. The threats also e xist. As more hotels enter the Singapore market, the competition is more violent. The low price strategy may be applied more widely among new hotels. In this way, Raffles hotel may be challenged. 4. The EEF matrix analysis According to the steps of constructing EFE method, this paper chooses two main opportunities and one threats as the most important external environment factors and weight each item according to its significance (Cappsamp;Glissmeyer, 2012). The score of each item ranges from 1 to 4. ‘1’ stands for very bad, ‘2’ stands for the average level, ‘3’ stands for above the average level, and 4 stands for very good. Key Internal Factors| Mark| Weight | Weighted score| Opportunities| | | | 1. The booming tourism industry in Singapore 2. The prosperous economy in Singapore| 43| 0. 50. 35| 1. 81. 05| Threats| | | | 3. Many hotels enter Singapore| 2| 0. 2| 0. 4| Summation| | | 3. 25| Figure 3-1: EEF matrix of Raffles 4. Internal audit 5. 4 Raffles’ strategic segmentation Market segmentation is to divide the whole market into several parts based on the customer’s need, consumption habits or behavior (Huntamp;Arnett, 2004). Through market segmentation, the manager can adjust the sales target, the advertising strategy and promotion strategy properly. With the market segmentation, the firm can concentrate its labor resources and capital on the most profitable sales channel. The following paragraphs specify Raffles’ market segmentation and its features. 4. 1. 1 The individual traveler For a five star hotel, the individual traveler mainly refers to tourist who comes to Singapore for business. They come to Singapore for visiting customers, joining the conventions, and training (Kim,2011). As a result, if the budget can cover the commendation fee, they won’t care too much about money. What they care most is the convenient and efficient service, comfortable and warm environment, and perfect facilities. Business guest is the control valve in the hotel price system. The number of business guest is huge, and they are scatted. Due to this, they are not sensitive to the price, and the hotel can benefit more from them. If the proportion of business guests increases, the bargaining ability of the hotel will goes up as well. The main income of the third-party website is from business guests. They purchase a relative high price compared with other guests. Although the hotel has to pay the commission to the third-party websites, it still is a very important market for the hotel. The third-party website is of great significant in opening up the market in the foreign countries. Without them, the guests know little about the hotel. There are also guests who order via the hotel’s own website or telephone. If the hotel can enlarge this part of the guests, reduce the intermediate links, the management efficiency can be improved. 4. 1. 2 The signed guest The Signed guest is the main source of the hotel’s income. Those clients are important corporations and organizations. Some big companies such as Pamp;G have an impressive contribution every year. In the hotel industry, the rule that twenty percent of the clients provide eighty percent of the whole income holds. These big companies may contract with many hotels in the same city. Faced with these clients, the sales department should hire experienced customer managers to maintain the relationship. They should visit the clients periodically, give feedbacks to the hotel instantly and at the same time, ensure the new promotion to clients on time. As the growth rate of large signed guests is limited, how to maintain the market share is the most important. 4. 1. 3 Team meeting The team meeting market is very important for a well-equipped luxury hotel. A large business conference or convention can increase the occupancy rate to 100% easily, and the price is relative high. Most importantly, the team meeting can accelerate the income of banquet hall and catering. Although the meeting team is regarded as separated market segmentation, most of the contracts are from the signed guests. Due to the above analysis, we can find to get the information about the plans of event, the product promotion release conference, dealers assembly, big training session and annual meeting of the signed company is the main sales channel. . 1. 4 The travel agency Reviewing the hotel industry, the relationship between hotel and travel agency is tight. The orders from travel agency are large and consistent, so it has great influence in pulling the occupancy rate. It is, however, not all the clients from the travel agency are quality clients. If the hotel doesn’t have a nice geographical location or it is in bad management condition, the competition in seizing the guests will be fierce. As guests from travel agency are not sensitive to high quality service, the competition may be severe. In this market, hotel with high quality has limited advantages and can charge a high price. The travel team can be divided into ordinary team and â€Å"series team†. The series team signs a contract with the hotel at the beginning of the year and has a fixed amount of travelers in a fixed period. This part of the business usually is the minimum guarantee of the hotel. It offers the lowest price in the whole price system. Raffles should keep a strategic relationship with these agencies to make the hotel make a proper income in the off season and benefit from the busy season by accepting quality teams. . 5 Raffles’ market positioning Market positioning determines what position the firm will be in the market(Xie, 2006). Raffles pursuits a long term development and maintain its brand fame. In order to maximize their profit, Raffles should distribute its shares according to its own features. Some unreasonable proportions should be canceled, and the product design should be i ntensified to meet the demand of the main guests. It is obvious that different types of guests have various demands and if they consume at the hotel together, they will influence each other (Morgan, 2003). For example, guests in a travel team will come in and go out together, and they have meals together as well. If the hotel receipts too many travel teams, there will be many people appearing at the hall, carrying luggage in the lift and having meals in the restaurant. This condition will decrease the efficiency of the service as well as quality of the hotel, and the business guests will avoid checking in such places. On account of Raffles’ own condition, it should take advantages of its extraordinary geographical location, strengthen its brand fame, makes full use of its facilities. An ideal distribution of the guest resources is meeting and signed guests take 55% percent of the whole income, individual travelers take 30% percent of the income and travel agency take the rest proportion. In this way, Raffles can guarantee a minimum occupy rate and ensure the average price maintains at a high level. 5. 6 Strengths-weaknesses analysis of current resources and competences Raffles has several strengths in its internal environment. First of all, Raffles has an advantage in geography location. Raffles locates in Singapore’s busy area, and the transportation is very convenient. Raffles is a landmark building in Singapore. It takes 5 minute-walk to the subway station and Raffles city shopping center and it takes a 10-minute-train to the orchard road shopping district. The Singapore Flyer is 7 minute-drive from the hotel. Secondly,Raffles is equipped with the best facilities. Raffles has 103 rooms with various room types, and they are Raffles Inc state, suites with back yards, advanced suites with back yards, suites and advanced suites. The supporting swimming pool, the restaurant and the hall can fulfill the diversified demand of customers. Thirdly,it has the brand advantages. Raffles is a luxury hotel with a long history. It has a sophisticated visual identification system and consistent management system. It is famous over the world, which have advantages in attracting foreign guests. Fourthly, Raffles has the advantages in marketing channel. Raffles has its own ECF official which can welcome the orders of guests from the world. The convenient booking system makes Raffles takes the advantages in marketing channel. Fifthly, Raffles has loyal guest foundation. Guests who consume here identify the company culture and prefer to consume in Raffles in the next time. Last but not least, Raffles has a perfect training system. Raffles keeps the tradition of training customers consistently. The training standard follows the International regulations. The staff can learn through various channels: trainings from training department, internal trainings, cross-department trainings and trainings online. The employees not only have many opportunities to learn, but also opportunities of promotion. The weakness also exists in Raffles. The facility has been used for more than years and some becomes old as time goes by. The refurbishment of the coffee halls, elevators and some rooms has been done, but compared with new opened hotels, Raffles looks a little out of fashion, especially on the design of buildings. 5. 7 Value chain and value networks The value chain theory is proposed by Michael Porter in 1985 (Gibbs, 2013). He believes that each corporate is the collection of designing, production, sales, delivery and other assist process, which can be present by the value chain. Like other corporations, hotel creates value through a series of activities, which can be divided into basic activities and assist activities (Garetto, 2013). Those different but closely related activities form the dynamic process of value creation, that is, the value chain. The value chain can be seen in figure 4-1 Raffles hotel value chain analysis. Basic facility management Human resource management Ramp;D Purchasing Production Maximize the profit Basic Value Activities Marketingggg Supportive Value Activities Logistics After service Basic facility management Human resource management Ramp;D Purchasing Production Maximize the profit Basic Value Activities Marketingggg Supportive Value Activities Logistics After service Figure 4-1 Raffles hotel value chain analysis Different from other ordinary factories, hotel sells service and rooms, the beginning and end are all markets, in other words, the customers. Modern hotel marketing requires selling the management style, operation and branding as a whole. Raffles hotel has a mature sales team consisted of marketing elites. They first make the consumers to know the hotel by marketing activities, and then they make decisions on consumption. If the process of consumption is affected by the value chain, the consumer will enjoy a better and systematic service. In this way, the degree of consumer’s satisfaction improved, then the value of consumer is created. The achievement of consumer’s satisfaction can be expressed as purchasing will and repeating will. The achievement of consumer’s value is at the same time the achievement of Raffles’ value. When the value chain turns to the next circulation, Raffles can transfer the value to consumer again. Service is the key factor of hotel management, so improving the service quality is the important method to win in the competition. In the service industry, corporate’s basic activities is closely related with the assist activities. Product purchasing guarantees the service in the value chain. The application of technology is an important part in the value chain (Qu, 2013), and is the key factor of hotel’s competitiveness. In the 1990s, the Center Registration System (CRS) has been adopted by the International hotel management group. Recent years, due to the development of satellite communication and the integrated service digital network, GDS has been a significant channel for advanced hotels. Raffles has adopted the CRS and GDS system. The guest flow GDS brings to hotel is huge. GDS and CRS changes the traditional way of promotion and the efficiency of promotion, high-tech accelerates the innovation of promotion and service. If the hotel cannot use the GRS or GDS properly, it will be dropped by the fierce competition. The management of human resources is important in the value chain as well. All the service of the hotel is delivered by individuals, so the recruitment, training and salary welfare design is very important. Raffles hotel own a thorough training system, it takes the lead role of language training, skills training and management training. . 8 IEF matrix analysis According to the steps of constructing EFE method, this paper chooses six main strengths and one weakness as the most important external environment factors and weights each item according to its significance. The score of each item ranges from 1 to 4. ‘1’ stands for very bad, ‘2’ stands for the average level, ‘3’ stands for above the average level a nd‘4’ stands for very good. Key Internal Factors| Mark| Weight | Weighted score| Strength| | | | 1. Geography location 2. Well-equipped facilities 3. Brand fameamp; good will 4. Unique marketing channel 5. Loyal guests 6. Advanced training system| 443234| 0. 30. 250. 10. 050. 10. 15| 1. 210. 30. 10. 30. 6| Weakness| | | | Old fashioned furnish| 2| 0. 05| 0. 1| Summation| | | 3. 6| Figure 4-2: IEF matrix of Raffles 5. A strategic plan for the next 3 years 6. 9 An evaluation of strategic options TOWS analysis is called inverted SWOT analysis, it was proposed by Weihrich in the 1980s (Helms, 2012). TOWS stands for the four words: strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. The analysis sequence is opposite to the SWOT analysis. It firstly analyzes the market opportunity and risk, and then analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of enterprises (Banerjee, 2005). In fact, People tend to see the market rather than themselves firstly when making competition strategy. If the hotel makes sure of the market opportunity, and then considers whether enterprise can grasp the opportunity according to the advantage of the enterprise can avoid threats on the market, it tend to be more practical. Figure 5-1shows the TOWS Matrix analysis table and strategic development of Raffles hotel. | Strength-S1. Geography location 2. Well-equipped facilities3. Brand fameamp; good will4. Unique marketing channel 5. Loyal guests6. Advanced training system| Weakness-WOld fashioned furnish| Opportunity-O 1. The booming tourism industry 2. The prosperous economy| SO StrategyThe hotel can seize the excellent external opportunities, make use of the good service as the market segmentation, and rebuild the facilities based on Raffles’ solid capital. | WO StrategyAdd the supporting facilities, make over the rooms and other hardware to fulfill the need of customers. Threat-T1Many hotels enter Singapore| ST Strategy| WT StrategyMake the brand strategy, provide the best service to guests. | Figure 5-1: TOWS Matrix analysis table and strategic development of Raffles hotel Based on the TOWS matrix and the IEF and EEF matrix, Raffles determines to take the SO strategy, that is the seize the external opportunities, make use of good service and the brand fame, position on the advanced markets, and rebu ild the facilities to fulfill the guests’ demand. 6. 10 The development of a sales target As we have mentioned in part four, Raffles aims to select the advanced market. It should take advantages of its extraordinary geographical location, strengthen its brand fame, makes full use of its facilities. An ideal distribution of the guest resources is meeting and signed guests take 55% percent of the whole income, individual travelers take 30% percent of the income and travel agency take the rest proportion. 6. 11 A mix of suitable strategies and a monitoring, control and contingency plan According to the above analysis, Raffles takes the diversified strategy and aims to provide best service to the guest who pursues a delicate service experience. There are always some things that cant control, and risk always presents (Akhter, 2010). Managers should take various measures to reduce the possibility of a risk to occur, or control it in a certain range. Risk control includes four basic methods: risk aversion, loss control, risk transfer, and risk retention. Raffles should hire employees who are specialized in the risk control.