Hospitality Company Annual Report Analysis Essay

Hospitality Company Annual Report Analysis - Essay Example mple; Wyndham owns and operates over 15 of the biggest hospitality brands and hotel chains in the world such Howard Johnson, Days Inn, Travelodge, Ramada International and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts among others. As a whole the company has divided its business operations in three distinct segments: a) Lodging-by franchising hotels in the economy, mid-scale and upscale as well as extended stay categories of the lodging industry. The company also provides hotel management services for full-service hotels worldwide. Through their franchising agreements the company provides nightly bookings for their franchisee hotel owners through promotion of brand awareness, global sales promotions, ensuring customer service and satisfaction as well as upholding brand image. A large percentage of the revenue from this most profitable segment comes from franchise fees based on a percentage of gross revenues, royalties, as well as service and marketing fees. Another important source of income in the lodging segment is management fees that are collected under management contracts which offer their customers all the benefits of their global branding as well as all management, marketing, financial as well as booking and reservation services. The company also earns revenues from the Wyndham rewards program, when a participating customer stays at one of our hotels. b) Vacation Exchange and Rentals-The company affiliates themselves with developers and owners of vacation properties to allow owners of intervals to exchange their ownership stake for other intervals or leisure services within our network of vacation exchange business participants. This segment derives its revenues mostly from annual membership dues and exchange fees for members trading their intervals. c) Vacation Ownership- develop, market and sale and financing of VOI (vacation ownership interest) for prospective customers. This business segment provided some of the highest revenues for the company in 2010. Wyndham

Research paper on stem cell research legislation and the related legal

On stem cell legislation and the related legal issues - Research Paper Example It helps in studying of degenerative diseases such as leukemia as well the development of drugs that can treat many complicated diseases currently without cure (Liras, 2010). This paper will explore stem cell research legislation in regards to its history, ethics, future and related legal issues. History of Stem Cell Research legislation in the United States The history of ESC research in US is closely associated with the abortion debate that has been around for over three decades. As early as 1973, the US Supreme Court legalized abortion in the case Roe v. Wade in its decision through the argument that abortion is a private matter between a doctor and a woman. However, the legalization of abortion also led to banning of federal funding on research touching on embryos or tissues. This ban did not affect the private sector which continued in the research and saw the rise of infertility research and other related technologies. Conducting research is quite an expensive affair and much o f the fruits of research being enjoyed currently in the world have taken the concerted efforts of both the private and public sectors. Therefore, much of the debate on ESC revolves around federal funding which can be very instrumental in achieving technological breakthroughs that seem untenable (Wertz, 2002). After the Roe v. Wade case ruling by the US Supreme Court that legalized abortion, the Congress imposed temporal moratorium on the funding of ESC research and allied technologies. This action by the Congress was taken so that regulatory bodies could be formed which in turn would come up with guidelines on the way forward. Prior to this ruling in 1974, there were no guidelines on which research to be supported with taxpayers’ money from the federal government. Shortly after this case (1974), a commission was formed (National Commission NC) which would be involved in the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research (PHSBBR). The first order of busines s for the NC was development of ethical guidelines on ESC research which extended the same for fetuses and abortion. In order to make lighten its work, the NC later recommended the formation of Ethics Advisory Board (EAB). The work of EAB in turn was to continually review protocols enacted by the NC with regards to ESC related research. When the guidelines were put in place, a de facto moratorium was arrived at which allowed simple non-therapeutic research on embryos to continue (Hall, 2008; Wertz, 2002). Research continued in non-therapeutic ESC research with federal funding although the private sector was doing its own research in ESC. Outlawing of federal funding for ESC research really hampered its progress while other developed countries were slowly getting ahead of US. The de facto moratorium developed by the Congress ensured that basic research was carried out which could not present a major breakthrough without attracting public outcry. Most of the findings and outcomes of t hese basic researches could not by any chance lead to the treatment of diseases which is one of the promising prospects of ESC research (Skene, 2010). Proceedings of the private ESC research came into limelight around 2001 when it was announced that human embryos had been cloned from adult cells. These embryos would then be used to derive stem cells matching

Death Penalty should be Illegal Essay Example for Free

Death Penalty should be Illegal Essay Each year in America there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment in the United States today. Once the jury has proved a criminal guilty they go to the second part of the trial the punishment phase. Lethal injection is the most common form of death. Capital Punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In this country Capital Punishment is not allowed but in America it is legal and it should not be. I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal in America. The reasons I think that this should be illegal are. Firstly it is possible to execute someone who is innocent. If this does happen it cannot be undone whereas if they had been put in jail they could be released and given compensation. Secondly I think that death penalty is almost not a punishment because you are not around to be punished like if you were in jail with the poor living conditions and no freedom. The opposing side strongest argument would be in 1991; a young mother was rendered helpless and made to watch as her baby was executed. The mother was then mutilated and killed. The killer should not live in some prison with three meals a day, clean sheets, cable TV, family visits and endless appeals. For justice to prevail, some killers just need to die. Another reason I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal is that life imprisonment without parole serves the same purposes as this at less cost. Right now, to execute someone in The U.S it costs approximately three times the amount it would to have them serve a life sentence in prison. The money used to pay for the death row (including court appeals) comes out of the taxpayers wallets. If Capital Punishment was made illegal, this money could go to other projects in need of the funds like building new prisons. A while ago in Britain, a man was released from prison who was wrongly  accused of committing murder. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment, for this murder. While he was in prison he always maintained he was innocent. It took years on campaigning while he was in prison to prove that he actually was innocent. If such a crime like this had been committed in America he could have been put on death row and been executed. If later on they found out he was innocent there would be nothing they could do to bring him back to life. In Britain the man was released and given compensation. There have been cases in America where innocent people have been executed, and this is the main reason I think it should be illegal. I hope most of you will now see the reasons why capital punishment is a waste of time and should not be made legal.

The Effects Of Social Exclusion

The Effects Of Social Exclusion The Concept of Social exclusion tends to focus on those who experience exclusion and diverts attention from the persistent poverty and increasing inequality which characterize contemporary British society. In order to understand the affect of the concept of social exclusion in relations to persistent poverty and equality we need to first answer 1) what does the concept of social exclusion denote? 2) Does the process of overcoming social exclusion take into account dealing with persistence poverty and inequality or does it overlook these aspects in particular persistent poverty and inequality of children in the context of the contemporary British society? Below, section 1 will outline the provenance of the social exclusion concept, its relations to persistent poverty and inequality in the contemporary British Society particularly children, section 2 outlines the status of children in persistent poverty and equality in the British society. The concept of Social Exclusion and in its relations to persistent poverty and inequality Social exclusion can be referred to industrialized countries (notably France in the 1970) and can be taken back to Weber, who identified exclusion as one form of social closure (Parkin 1979) It has been defined as the process through which individuals or groups are wholly or partially excluded from the society in which they live. Similar but in different light (Jordan 1996) highlights the continuous exclusion of one group by another group. The term social exclusion where it is believed France it was used to identify those who fell through the web of the social protection/social insurance system and were excluded by the state (Lenoir 1974, Duffy 1997) known as (Le exclus the excluded) in the 1970 included disabled persons, lone parent and the unemployed especially young adults (Evans 1998). Social exclusion is described as a shorthand label for what can happen when individuals or areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor h ousing, high crime environment, bad health and family breakdowns (SEU 1997) Also Duffy (1995) suggests that it is the inability to participate effectively in economic, Social, political and cultural life, alienation and distance from the mainstream society, this in a way clarifies the link between persistent poverty and inequality in the society and in particularly the unemployed are both poor and not in the same stature as others in the society and thus placing them in the process/institutions put in place to overcome these problems and help these individuals live within a society even though not equal creates a persistent poverty for the children that rely on the adults benefiting from these processes. At the same time the process or institutions put in place to overcome these social exclusions are not specifically designed to overcome persistent poverty or inequality. Child Poverty and Inequality in the contemporary British society Persistent poverty is defined as occurring when children experienced poverty (severe or non severe) in three out of five years for which they were analyzed i Children experiencing poverty were all more likely to: Have been in no worker household for one year Lived in rented accommodation for five years Had adults in the household who were ill for between three and four years Lived in midlands Received benefits for three to four years and lived in household with an average of three or more children (Adelman et al). Impact of poverty in children includes, deprivation of education, lack of proper health and children below the age of five die each day due to causes that can be prevented. Poverty is related to negative outcomes like ill-health and shorter life expectancy and this is true for relative (average income, lack of materials to fully participate in an accepted daily life) and absolute poverty (absence of enough resources to make complete someone). World Health Organization (2008) reports shocking inequalities within the countries and cities also persist. The life expectancy of child born in Carlton in Glasgow, Scotland is 28 years less than that of a child born few miles away in Lenzi. The 2007 UNICEF report on child wellbeing ranked the UK bottom out of 21 OECD countries. Bradshaw J argues that child poverty is the inevitable consequences of economic restructuring, globalization, demographic transitions. But it s then the consequence of policy-successive Conservative government ignoring rising child poverty, committed as they were to trickle down theories and their aspirations to reduce public expenditure and cut taxation? Levitas (1998) identifies three different discourses of Social Exclusion, First approach is a redistributive Discourse (RED) which derives from critical social policy, and which sees social exclusion as a consequences of poverty, thus Peter Townsend argued that poverty should not be understood in terms of subsistence, but in terms of peoples ability to participate in the customary life of society: individuals, families and groups can be said to be in poverty when their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family they are, in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities(Townsend,1979,p32).the indicator for social exclusion in RED is low income. She adds Social integration Discourse (SID) is participation in paid work, therefore young people of working age should participate in labor market. Unemployment or economic inactivity indicates social exclusion. The third approach is a moral underclass discourse (MUD), which so cial exclusion is used as a substitute not for poverty or non employment, but for the underclass .This discourse presents the socially excluded as the morally distinct from the rest of the society and does not address inequality. Since the election, there has been increasing tendency to talk about poverty and social exclusion, a shift which can only be welcomed, since it puts both firmly back at on the political agenda. But opportunity for all (Blair, 29 January 1996) A reduction in the proportion of children living in workless households, for households of a given size, over the economic cycle. A reduction in the proportion of children in household relatively low incomes A reduction in the proportion of children in households with low incomes in an absolute sense. A reduction in the proportion of children in household with persistently low incomes. Makes no separation between poverty and social exclusion nor does the poverty and social exclusion (National Strategy) Bill, introduced in parliament under the 10- minute Rule on 10th February 1999. Mud posits strong connection between poverty and social exclusion, but sees the causes of poverty as lying in cultural and moral/self exclusion rather than the other way round. (Levitas, 1998) Conclusion Referring back to the concept of social exclusion and its relation to persistent poverty and inequality, I would argue that although the concept of social exclusion concentrates on those excluded it does address the issues that lead to poverty and inequality but has not been designed to directly tackle the issues of persistent poverty and inequality in the contemporary British society and in particular the children. Poverty is not only deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity too. The UN provides a broader definition of poverty: a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. (UN, 2001). The UN definition brings together two important and related themes in contemporary understandings of poverty: the capability approach of Nobel-prize winning economist Amartya Sen and the human rights approach. Inequality is sometimes seen as a form of poverty, and the capability approach to poverty shows us why. By definition, any society with inequality means that some people have less money, resources or power than others do. These people will often be described as relatively poor but there are sometimes questions about whether they are absolutely poor (Barber, 2008; p3)

Violence As A Social Problem Essay -- essays research papers

Violence is a social problem that increases over the years. Violence is not so much shown in magazines and books as it is on television and the media. This does not mean that violence on television is the only source for aggressive or violent behavior, but it is a significant contributor. Children can also pick up violence from a parent or guardian at an early age. Peers are important in a child’s life. It has been psychologically proven that males are more aggressive than females. Therefore, if a child’s peers are being aggressive, their actions tend to be imitated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American children watch an average of three to four hours of television daily, which can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Hundreds of studies of the effects of media violence on children have found that children may gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence they observe on television and identify with certain characters, victims or victimizers. Parents can protect their children from excessive television violence by paying attention to the programs their children are watching and restricting them from shows known to be violent, pointing out what is wrong with the program. Another solution to this problem is to explain that the actor has not actually been hurt or killed and such violence in real life results in pain or death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children are not born understanding the difference ... Violence As A Social Problem Essay -- essays research papers Violence is a social problem that increases over the years. Violence is not so much shown in magazines and books as it is on television and the media. This does not mean that violence on television is the only source for aggressive or violent behavior, but it is a significant contributor. Children can also pick up violence from a parent or guardian at an early age. Peers are important in a child’s life. It has been psychologically proven that males are more aggressive than females. Therefore, if a child’s peers are being aggressive, their actions tend to be imitated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American children watch an average of three to four hours of television daily, which can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Hundreds of studies of the effects of media violence on children have found that children may gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence they observe on television and identify with certain characters, victims or victimizers. Parents can protect their children from excessive television violence by paying attention to the programs their children are watching and restricting them from shows known to be violent, pointing out what is wrong with the program. Another solution to this problem is to explain that the actor has not actually been hurt or killed and such violence in real life results in pain or death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children are not born understanding the difference ...

Analysis of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin :: The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin tells the story of a woman, Mrs. Mallard whose husband is thought to be dead. Throughout the story Chopin describes the emotions Mrs. Mallard felt about the news of her husband's death. However, the strong emotions she felt were not despair or sadness, they were something else. In a way she was relieved more than she was upset, and almost rejoiced in the thought of her husband no longer living. In using different literary elements throughout the story, Chopin conveys this to us on more than one occasion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third paragraph of the story, Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard as she goes into her room and sits on an armchair. Chopin describes how Mallard ?sank pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted the body and seemed to reach into her soul?. In this point of the story Chopin uses symbolism connecting Mrs. Mallard and the chair, the chair representing the death of her husband and her feelings about it. How it was ?a comfortable roomy chair?, she is showing us how Mrs. Mallard was ?comfortable? with her husband?s death and now felt she had room to exist freely. This is supported by the lines ?she would live for herself now. There would be no powerful will bending her in the blind?? This demonstrating to the reader that she felt controlled by her husband, and that she would no longer bet tied down to the ways of the time, which were men control women. This also supported by Jennifer Hicks in her overview of the story which states " Later, when we see Mrs. Mall ard "warm and relaxed", we realize that problem with her heart is that her marriage has not allowed her to "live for herself"."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of how Mrs. Mallard was more uplifted than brought down by the news of her husband?s death is the description of the window. As Mrs. Mallard looks out Chopin explains ?she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all a quiver with new life?. This is telling the reader about the new life that Mrs. Mallard can see in the distance that symbolizes the new life she saw that lay ahead of her now that she was free of her husband. This thought being supported by Hicks in saying "The revalation of freedom occurs in the bedroom"

Determining Molar Mass by Ideal Gas Law

I. Abstract: By manipulating the ideal gas law (PV=nRT), we will be determining the molar mass of an unknown volatile liquid. Heating a flask filled with an unknown, easily evaporated liquid will allow for measurements that can be taken to work out the ideal gas equation. This lab will require knowledge of basic equations used in chemistry. Using these equations, such as density and number of moles(n), we can substitute different values into the ideal gas law to manipulate it. II. Materials: 250-mL Erlenmeyer flask Needle or pin Unknown liquid sample Barometer 1000-mL beaker Hot plate Utility clamp Aluminum freezer foil Hot mitt Wire gauze with ceramic center 1000-mL graduated cylinder III. Procedure: 1. Aprons and goggles on. Clean a 1000-mL beaker for use as a heating bath. Set the beaker on a hot plate and begin heating. 2. Clean and completely dry the Erlenmeyer flask. 3. Cut a square of aluminum foil to serve as the cover of the flask. Trim the edges so that it neatly covers the edge of the flask. 4. Weigh the empty flask with cover and record to as many sigfigs as possible. 5. Obtain your unknown liquid and record the ID #. Add 3-4 mL of the liquid to the flask. Re-cover the flask, making sure the edges are tightly crimped. 6. Punch a tiny hole in the foil cover with a needle or pin. 7. Heat the water in the beaker to boiling. Adjust the heat so that the water will remain boiling but will not splash. 8. Immerse the flask containing the unknown liquid in the boiling water so that most of the flask is covered. Clamp the neck of the flask. 9. Watch the liquid carefully. The liquid will begin to evaporate, and its volume will decrease. 10. When it appears that the flask is completely filled with vapor, continue heating for 1-2 minutes. Remove the flask from the bath using the clamp. 11. Set the flask on the wire gauze on the lab table, remove the clamp, and allow the flask to cool to room temperature. Measure and record the exact temperature of the boiling water in the beaker, as well as the barometric pressure in the lab. 12. When the flask has cooled completely, carefully dry the outside of the flask to remove any water. Weigh the flask, foil cover, and vapor with as many sigfigs as possible. 3. Perform a second trial, if the final mass of the flask and vapor is not within 0. 05g of the first trial, perform a 3rd. 14. When two acceptable trials have been performed, remove the foil cover and clean the flask. 15. Fill the flask to the very rim with water and pour it into a 1000-mL graduated cylinder to determine the exact volume of the flask. Record. IV. Data and Observations | |TRIAL 1 |TRIAL 2 | |BAROMETRIC PRESSURE (mm Hg) |763. mm Hg |763. 5 mm Hg | |MASS OF FLASK AND FOIL COVER (g) |106. 095g |106. 095g | |TEMPERATURE OF WATER IN BEAKER ( °C) and |99. 1 °C / 372. 1 K |97. 9 °C / 370. 9 K | |(K) | | | |MASS OF FLASK/COVER AND CONDENSED LIQUID |106. 406g |106. 87g | |(g) | | | | | | | †¢ Volume of Erlenmeyer Flask (determined by filling completely with water): 289mL †¢ Unknown liquid ID #: B – (ethyl alcohol) V. Analysis of Data PV = nRT Trial 1) 763. 5 (. 289 L) = n (62. 4) (372. 1) 220. 6515 = 23219. 04 n 220. 6515/23219. 04 = n 0. 0095 mol = n Mass of vapor in the flask = (mass of flask/cover and condensed liquid) – (mass of empty flask/cover) Mass of vapor in the flask = 106. 406g – 106. 095g = 0. 311g 0. 311g/0. 0095 mol = 32. 73 g/mol = molar mass Trial 2) 763. 5 (. 289 L) = n (62. 4) (370. 1) 220. 6515 = 23094. 24 n 220. 6515/23094. 24 = n 0. 0096 mol = n Mass of vapor in the flask = (mass of flask/cover and condensed liquid) – (mass of empty flask/cover) Mass of vapor in the flask = 106. 487g – 106. 095g = 0. 392g 0. 392g/0. 0096 mol = 41. 02 g/mol = molar mass AVERAGE MOLAR MASS: (32. 3 + 41. 02) / 2 = 36. 875 g/mol Theoretical molar mass of ethyl alcohol: 46. 07 g/mol VI. Conclusion (36. 875 – 46. 07) / 46. 07 (x 100) = 19. 9% = percent error The first trial was very unsuccessful while the second trial was much closer to the theoretical value. The possibilities of error within the first trial include not letting the flask cool completely to room temperature before weighing and also forgetting to utilize acetone to dry the flask before the addition of the liquid. The latter was the major difference in performance of the two trials. This experiment showed that the interference of water vapor can completely wreck the chance for an accurate measurement of volume of a different gas. It is imperative to make sure that the flask is as dry as possible or the results will show a very wrong answer. It is hard to realize the prominence of water vapor in the air until an experiment like this one shows that it takes up a relatively huge space in a given volume of air. A suggestion to improve this lab could be to place more emphasis on drying the flask with a paper towel and acetone before use.