The Nile River, Sahara Desert and Islam Free Essays

The Nile River has always been the backbone of Egypt. The mighty river flows for some 4,000 miles from the mountains of Equatorial Africa and Lake Victoria before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Without the Nile River and its annual inundation Ancient Egypt would never have come into being. We will write a custom essay sample on The Nile River, Sahara Desert and Islam or any similar topic only for you Order Now Its fertile valley was renewed every year with rich silt deposits laid down during the flooding. As the agriculture of Egypt revolved around the Nile, so did the social life of the ancient Egyptians. During inundation when there was less to do, people had more time for recreational activities, they played games, held sporting tournaments and regularly feasted. When the River Nile receded the appearance of the land had radically changed and there was a great rush to restore boundaries. There were many disputes as markers had moved, banks had collapsed, and distinguishable features had disappeared. The river was also the chief means of transport. It was their highway, making unnecessary roads, except between close villages. Virtually everything moved by boat. The Nile, for the most part, is a gently flowing river and in the time of the ancients, was crammed with fish. It’s easy flow made fishing very popular. Everyone enjoyed fishing, from the young to old, peasant to noble. The Egyptians believed that the Nile was the centre of the world. And the place from which it originated was, ‘the beginning of the world’. In Lower Egypt, in the area of the Nile Delta, the river splits into two great arms. The area between the two was densely populated from the earliest times. Many of the major religious group centers developed in this region. Even the soul of a deceased had to cross the Nile before he could enter the kingdom of the dead. The Sahara desert covers around 9,000,000 square kilometers and the overall area is as large as the continental United States. The Sahara desert also has the reputation of being the world’s largest hot desert. The landforms in this desert often undergo constant change. These landforms are shaped as per the direction of the wind and the occasional rainfalls. Although being a desert area, one can notice annual rainfall in many regions of this vast land area. There are different climates witnessed in different regions such as the subtropical climate in the northern land where as a tropical climate in the southern area. Over the years, the climate of the Sahara desert has undergone humungous changes. This desert therefore, is known for its harsh climates so typical of all deserts. This hot desert has annual temperatures that can exceed 30 degrees C. Some of the hottest months have temperatures exceeding 50 degrees C. In the winters, the temperatures drop below freezing points. This it explains the diverse climates of this hot desert. Studies have revealed the changing size of the Sahara desert! Observations made with the help of satellite photographs have proven this desert can shrink or even grow in size. The Sahara desert is home to quite a few species of animals. Camels and goats are the only ones amongst the domesticated animals one may see out here. Apart from these, the Saharan cheetah, the sand vipers, scorpions and monitor lizards can be found out here. This desert has some of the tallest sand dunes and these can reach 189 meters in height. The land area also has stone plateaus, large gravel plains, dry valleys and even sand flats. The Sahara desert has around 500 species of flora. These consist of mainly ephemeral plants known locally as Acheb. At some oases, close to the Nile Valley, one can find olive trees growing out here. Vegetation is found in areas where the ground water reaches the surface of the land. This place has mainly nomadic groups of people that move from place to place. Nomads wear a particular headdress known as Howli. These people are mainly engaged in trading and hunting. The low population is due to the rather difficult conditions seen in the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert stretches over areas of Northern Africa, from the Red Sea to the areas close to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. This desert shares it boundaries with the Atlas Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan and valley of the Niger River. Islam is a religion that has existed for millions of years. The followers believed that there is one God and Muhammad is his messenger. Muhammad was deeply troubled by the idols worship of Arabs and the moral ills of society. When he was about 40, he was meditating and heard a voice. According to Muslim the belief the voice was that of the angel Gabriel it said, â€Å"Proclaim. † When Muhammad asked what should I proclaim the voice responded with proclaim in the name of God. Muhammad was a young man born in Mecca about the year 570. Orphaned at an early age, Muhammad was cared for by his uncle. In his youth he worked as a shepherd among the Bedouins. Later he led caravans across the desert for merchants. When he was 25, Muhammad married Khadija. It was at age 40 when he had his first vision. Islam has a book similar to that of the Holy Bible. It is called the Quran. To Muslims, the Quran contains the sacred text as spoken to Muhammad from god. The Quran not only teaches about God, but about how to lead a good, faithful, life. It sets harsh penalties for stealing or murdering. How to cite The Nile River, Sahara Desert and Islam, Essay examples

Family pressure in great depression Essay Example For Students

Family pressure in great depression Essay 1. Family pressure during the great depression was unlike any the U.S. has ever seen. Everything about families changed in the 1930s. Couples during the depression delayed marriage, and at the same time the divorce rates dropped because people could not afford to pay for two households. Birthrates also dropped and for the first time in American history below the replacement level. Income was closed to none in all families; regular income had dropped by 35% just in the years Hoover was in office. Families had a lot of stress; some pulled together and made do with what they had others pushed away. People turned to who ever they had, family, friends, and after all else the government. Although there were rich people in the depression as well that the depression did not effect at all who were oblivious to the people suffering around them. By Franklin Roosevelts inauguration the unemployment rate was up to 25% only increasing till the 1940s. Within families the role played changed as well. W omen and children were now working to put bread on the table. Fathers would despise sons for becoming the main source of income for a family. Unemployed men had a deep lack of self respect. That often led them to running away from there families forever. Because many men ran out or stopped caring the womens role was enhanced and became working women. Black women found it easier to find work a servants, clerks, textiles, workers, ect. Work made all womens status go up in their homes. Most minorities were affected very little by Franklins Roosevelts New Deal. They were last hired, first fired in the depression most black males were completely rejected and either had no work or the worst jobs there were. During the years of the depression all families had hard times. 2. By 1933 millions of Americans were out of work. Hundreds of thousand of men, women, and children roamed the country in search of food and shelter. Bead lines were not an uncommon sight. One of the earliest steps to aid the unemployed was the CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corps. This program designed to bring relief to the young men of America ages 18 to 25. In this program the CCC would enroll these men in camps across the country for around $30 a month. This was a semi-military style job almost two million men took place in the CCC. They took part in conservation projects such as planting trees to maintain national forest, eliminating steam pollution, creating fish, animal sanctuaries, and conserving coal, petroleum, shale, gas, sodium and helium deposits. Jobs also came from the Civil Works Administration with jobs such as teaching to highway repairs. The National Recovery Administration established with the national industrial recovery act practiced generating more jobs so more b uying would come. The NRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935 because of over regulation as recovery began to come into play. Also through the NIRA workers were given the right to Bargain with their employers through unions their own choice. 3. President Roosevelt had set up a series of New Deal decisions that had to pass through the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declared them unconstitutional even in light of the countries economy and state of depression. The series of anti-New Deal decisions by the Supreme Court angered President Roosevelt and prompted him to attempt to reform the federal court system itself. This made a court packing that would have let Franklin Roosevelt appoint six justices to the Supreme Court. It became a huge political debate with the Federal Government. When the Supreme Court Ruling against the New Deal; Pro New Dealers called it Black Monday. The Justices were strickly endearing to the constitution. Franklin Roosevelt was worried they would reject all of his New Deal proposals. The Supreme Court was now divided into groups, one saying, the meaning of the Constitution does not change with the ebb and flow of economic events. The antiNew Dealers In the court continued to reject many proposals. Ro osevelt still had yet to name one member of his own on the supreme court. In 1936 Franklin won in re election. In 1937 a justice switched sides. When

Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice free essay sample

Character analysis of Mr. Bennet in Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice. This essay presents a character analysis of the Jane Austen character, Mr. Bennet. The author analyzes his role in the story by looking at the events of his life that occurred both during the story, and prior to the outset, his methods of dealing with problems, and his personality and sense of humor.

HealthCare Fraud

HealthCare Fraud For many years the United States government has taken keen interest on the welfare of the healthcare consumers, especially in regard to healthcare fraud. Notably there have been numerous fraudulent transactions within the American healthcare system, which have had severe medical and financial implications. Specifically, the United States government has lost billion of dollars due to healthcare fraud. This is coupled with many patients who have been conned off their benefits as a result of transfer of policy to a different. As a result the United States government came up with laws to regulate the healthcare sector and minimize, as well as prosecute cases of fraud. These laws are famously referred to as The Anti-Kickback Statutes. The case of Sundown Community Hospital and Central Park Medical Group joint venture, which offered financial benefits to facilitate the agreement on the transfer to patients, a majority of whom are under Medicare plan, violates the requirement of the Anti-Ki ckback law. However, this plan can still be safeguarded if it is modeled along a different approach which fulfills the requirement of ‘safe harbor’ exemptions.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on HealthCare Fraud specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There have been a number of healthcare landmark cases, such as Feldstein v. Nash Community Health Services, Inc., which have brought forth a number of urgent concerns. Suffice to state that healthcare issues are intricate and complicated to the extent that the United States government developed a set of detailed statues referred to as the Anti-Kickback Statutes to address emergent issues in healthcare provision (Office of Inspector General, 1999; Altshuler, Creekpaum and Fang 2008). The main purpose for this law is to protect the welfare of healthcare consumers from exploitation by fraudulent healthcare providers. One of the major concerns that arise is the determination of whether any (healthcare) transaction is either a minor misdemeanor or fraud. In this regard, it is the primary objective of the prosecutor to determine whether there was intent and objective of obtaining kickbacks. Furthermore, debate still ranges on, on the definition of the terms kickback and bribe. Out of Subsequent cases, there have emerged several interpretations of the terms kickback. The United States V Hancock case assumed the broader interpretation of the term kickback as the intentional receiving of payments fraudulently. This definition does not however, address other issues of concern such as nonfinancial benefits. As a result, the congressional amendments of 1977 stipulated that Medicare fraud did not have to result in a kickback. Currently, the Social Security Act stipulates that any party in a Medicare agreement cannot offer or receive payments or any other benefits to engineer a business deal (Schwartz, 2003). Just like the Feldstein v. Nash Communi ty Health Services, Inc., the Sundown Community Hospital and Central Park Medical Group joint venture involves financial and social security privileges to employees. Sundown Community Hospital is intending to make the deal a success and as such has to put together an attractive offer to Central Park Medical Group in terms of permanent staff privileges to Central Park owners.Advertising Looking for research paper on health law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This also includes monthly bonuses. Since the deal is proposed by Sundown Community Hospital, the privileges to Central Park Medical Group staff are intended to make an appeal and as such avoid any objection to the deal. Furthermore, 60% of the healthcare consumers at Central Park Medical Group are under Medicare plan. This implies that Sundown Community Hospital stands to benefit directly from the joint ownership of these consumers who are on Medicare. Such impl ications made Sundown Community Hospital to offer kickbacks in terms of indirect payments to permanent staff, to successfully engineer the deal. It can thus be concluded that such kickbacks were made willfully and knowingly to induce business. The anti-kickback statute prohibits and criminalizes any willful payments made knowingly to engineer the referral or transfer of any individual who is a beneficiary of any medicare scheme. As such the statute proposes criminal penalties for any payments made, such as in the United States v Jain to induce the said referrals and transfers, which includes prison terms and fines. Furthermore, any party found to have willfully offer or received such payments attracts criminal liability for such offenses (Romano and Fox, 2009). This case is therefore in contravention of the Anti-kickback Statutes as well as the 1996 regulation on the movement of healthcare consumers between providers, referred to as The Health Insurance Portability and Accountabilit y Act (Price and Norris, 2009). Therefore, the joint venture between Sundown Community Hospital and Central Park Medical Group cannot proceed since the two parties faces criminal charges for giving and receiving indirect payment to induce referrals of Medicare consumers. This deal can however go ahead, but under the 1972 congressional amendments which provided for certain safe harbors regulations. Within these regulations, there are certain business transactions which are can be exempted from the Anti-Kickback Statutes (Schwartz, 2003). While there are numerous safe harbor regulations, two specific one can protect this deal from criminal liability. Specialty Referral Arrangements between Providers is a regulation within the Anti-kickback Statutes that safeguards the referrals and transfer of Medicare beneficiaries between providers. Under this provision, it is possible to refer a patient from the primary physician to a secondary physician on grounds of specialized treatment.Advertis ing We will write a custom research paper sample on HealthCare Fraud specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The regulation also stipulates that the party to whom the patient is being referred to has the obligation of referring the patient back to the primary healthcare provider at some point during the course of the treatment (Office of Inspector General, 1999). Suffice to say that this kind of an arrangement is closely monitored to ensure that such transfers are motivated by the need for further medical treatment from specialized physician and not timed to benefit the second party financially. As such, Sundown Community Hospital and Central Park Medical Group patient transfers are only applicable on the grounds of specialized medical treatment. Furthermore, Anti-Kickback Statutes do not exempt such kind of a transaction to the extent of financial benefits if the patient is on a Federal Healthcare plan. In this case, the parties involved i n this plan have to ensure that the 60% of patients are under a state controlled medical plan before filing for exemption from the Anti-Kickback Statutes. Transfer of patients who are on any form of Medicare plan is not necessarily a fraud. As such, the parties involved may not be criminally liable for engineering patient transfer and co ownership deals on certain grounds. The Sundown Community Hospital / Central Park Medical Group joint venture is however suspect. Borrowing from rulings such as Feldstein v. Nash Community Health Services, United States V Hancock and others, the two parties involved are criminally liable since they knowingly exchanged payments as part of the business agreement. As such the deal is not motivated by medical reasons and as such need to be redesigned to avoid prosecution.Advertising Looking for research paper on health law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Altshuler, M., Creekpaum, J., Fang, J.. (2008). Health care fraud. The American Criminal Law Review, 45(2), 607-664. Office of Inspector General (1999). Federal Anti-Kickback Law and regulatory safe harbor. Web. Price, M., and Norris, D. (2009). Health care fraud: Physicians as white collar criminals? Journal of American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Web. Romano, D. and Fox, A. (2009). What to do when you’re recruitment agreement leaves town. AHLA Connections. Web. Schwartz, J. (2003). Elaborating on sham transactions as evidence of violations of the anti-kickback statute. Journal of Law Policy. Web.

Computer Forensics Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Forensics Assignment 2 - Essay Example That demands setting up evidence storage container or lockers. Such lockers ensure security of evidence stored and restricted access by authorized staff. Locks installed should be of high quality and have limited possibilities of distribution of duplicate-keys. Evidence storages should be subject to regular inspections to ensure only current evidence are kept therein and closed cases’ evidence are relocated to secure locations in an off-site facility. The evidence container should be in a position restricted to authorized staff members and the number of people granted access should be minimum. Furthermore, only authorized staff members should inspect lock combinations. In case the investigations use intel-based PCs, computers are necessary. There is need to acquire the right Operating Systems (OS) and other applications. Computer forensics software package should form part of the software acquired (Nelson, Phillips & Steuart, 2009). Specialized software are similarly important. They include software such as Peachtree. Disk-editing software are also necessary for evidence analysis (Nelson, Phillips & Steuart, 2009). Computers may contain incriminating evidence including DNA but professional curiosity has a potential to destroy evidence. It is, therefore, imperative to properly document, collect and package the evidence from a crime scene. The U.S DOJ standards for seizing digital evidence are applicable (The Office of Legal Education, 2011). In the case of a drug dealer’s computer, the following process should be applicable. The investigator should seize the computer together with other peripherals found at the scene. Peripherals include cell phones, scanners and cameras. Printers CDs, DVDs and USB devices should also be seized. After that, the investigators should recognize information that can serve as evidence from the scene of crime. The next stage is to document the evidence

Response to Sundiata Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response to Sundiata Questions - Essay Example The griot underestimates the ability of humans to realize their good qualities without the guidance of a strong leader. All these generic perceptions affect the audiences’ perceptions along the way. Because of him being the narrator, the audiences look at the story from the griot’s eyes rather than their own eyes, and thus start to believe that whatever presumptions griot has about humans are indeed not quite false. The griot adopts such a language in the epic, that sends the message to the audiences that his sentences are eternal truths. For instance, the griot says, â€Å"God has his mysteries which none can fathom. You, perhaps, will be a king. You can do nothing about it. You, on the other hand, will be unlucky, but you can do nothing about that either. Each man finds his way already marked out for him and he can change nothing of it† (Niane). In these words, the griot tends shapes the minds of the audiences that they can not change their destiny, which many would otherwise not believe. Sundiata has a lot of personal characteristics that make him a great person. The epic provides the audience with an insight into the heroic qualities of Sundiata, of which, his strength is the most prominent. The immense strength of Sundiata can be estimated from the fact that he has very strong arms even when he is a little child who cannot walk on his own because he is crippled. It is not expectable of a crippled child to stand up and not only bend a huge rod into a bow, but also pull a tree out of the earth along with its roots. Sundiata displays immense boldness as he participates in battles. An individual who has spent his childhood with a disability and has been exiled gets his morale lowered, but Sundiata is different. His bravery and strength traditionally make him resemble a rebellious person, but he proves to be the other way round with his nobility and

Hotel Profile and Marketing Plan

Hotel Profile and Marketing Plan Executive summary In this essay we concentrate on Starwood hotels, this is a world famous chain of hotels. We talk about the marketing strategies, hotel staff training of Starwood. The hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector continues to play an important role in the UK economy. A report published by People 1st in association with British Hospitality Industry in 2009 states that the hotel industry has enjoyed a sustained period of growth over the last 30 years and now accounts for nearly five percent of the UKs total economic output. They suggest that along with the rest of the economy, trading will be tough in the short term due to credit crunch but in the long term the sector is still predicted to grow and remain an important contributor to the UK economy. The sector employs in the region of two million people accounting for 1 in 14 UK jobs. The recession is forcing more employers to think about cutting costs. It is therefore more important than ever that employers have credible retention strategies to retain skilled staff and reduce unnecessary recruitment costs. The report explains how Starwood which is global hotels and resorts group, with a highly distinct brand, functions in the United States and Canada, in Europe, in Asia Pacific and in Africa by managing and franchising more than 395 hotels with a focus on nowadays demanding business explorer. This report briefly discusses the how marketing is done in Starwood hotel and the marketing strategies which they are using. It is entrusted to modify and innovation in all main areas together with its growth strategy, operations, franchising, sales and marketing, and technology, to function with utmost effectiveness in a extremely competitive industry Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Business Profile of Starwood Hotel Starwood Hotels Resorts is a worldwide chain of 400 hotels, with a total of 102,000 guest rooms, in many countries. Starwood Hotels Resorts, one of the worlds leading, full-service hotel brands, offers vibrant, modern and attractive hospitality service that is defined by its characteristic . The first Starwood Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Starwood. The hotel was purchased by Curt Carlson (1914-1999) in 1962, and is still owned by his Carlson Companies. Starwood competes with Hilton, Doubletree, and Marriott. The majority of Starwood Branded Hotels are located in the United States. The companys headquarters are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where the first Starwood Hotel was built. This building is also headquarters to the parent company, Carlson Companies. There are 200 Starwood Hotels in the United States. Starwood Blu, formerly Starwood SAS, is the brand name for hotels outside the United States, including those in Europe, Africa, and Asia. They are operated by Belgian hotel firm Rezidor Hotel Group under a master franchise contract with Carlson. Carlson and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), the Scandinavian Airline, were equity holders of the Rezidor Hotel Group, giving the company its name. Since SAS withdrawal from the collaboration, the name Starwood SAS remained until February 5, 2009, when it was replaced by Starwood Blu, which will be introduced gradually. Starwood Blu operates 158 hotels with 42 projects in development. Definition of Marketing The Chartered Institute of Marketing (1986) defines marketing as The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.American Marketing Association(1980) as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. [1] The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to market, as in shopping, or going to a market to buy or sell goods or services. According to Gronroos (1989) says long term customer relationships are considered as the cornerstone of marketing. 1.2 Starwood Marketing Orientation Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others. (Kotler and Armstrong, 2005) The Chartered Institute of Marketing define marketing as The management process responsible for identifying , anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably A business that has a marketing orientation sees the needs of customers and consumers as vital. As it develops and markets products to meet those demands, certain structural characteristics become apparent in the business. Business Function Activities Identifying customer/consumer needs and wants Marketing research Developing products to meet customer/consumer needs and wants Research and development Production Deciding on the value of the product to customers Pricing (sales and marketing department) Making the product available to customers at the right time and place Distribution Informing customers/consumers of the existence of the product and persuading them to buy it Promotion We should expect to see all the above activities well-established in a business that is marketing-orientated. Starwood first finds out what customers wants are by conducting a market research and by providing what the customers really need and satisfying them makes them customer oriented. Starwood always focuses on their service level to be 100% and they have developed a YES WE CAN program among their employees. This would directly attract customers and also make Starwood create a competitive advantage over its competitors. Moreover, the greater Starwood is customer orientated, the more it will be able to develop a competitive advantage based on innovation and market differentiation. Market orientation focuses on a business culture and activities that enhance business performance, producing superior value to customers, outstanding performance for the firm and aggregately for the economy (Oudan., 2007). Market Orientation Market Testing Market Research Market Intelligence 1.3 Marketing Intelligence Market intelligence, according to Cornish (1997), the process of acquiring and analyzing information in order to understand the market (both existing and potential customers); to determine the current and future needs and preferences, attitudes and behaviour of the market; and to assess changes in the business environment that may affect the size and nature of the market in the future. Starwood business always updates themselves on the economy, labour market conditions, legislative and regulatory development, social changes and technological advancement by doing an environmental scanning. They consider all these external environmental factors when it comes to taking decisions about packages, prices, and other management and marketing issues Starwood also searches for information from readily available public sources and customers while sometimes through the perfectly legal observation of competitors activities. 1.4 Market Testing A test market, in the field of business and marketing, is a geographic region or demographic group used to gauge the viability of a product or service in the mass market prior to a wide scale roll-out. Market testing is done to test multiple marketing scenarios and select the most promising for expansion. When Introducing a new product or service without first testing the market is risky. After the market research the new products /services must be tested before entering the market. Starwood one of the most recent market testing was Express yourself service which allows Guests to check-in online. Many new ideas and products are successful in Starwood because their creators recognized an unmet need in the market and confirmed the capability of that concept. When launching a new product or service, the company should first conduct a small scale launch or other customer research in a test market Chapter 2 Segmentation, Targeting Positioning The strategic marketing planning process flows from a mission and vision statement to the selection of target markets, and the formulation of specific marketing mix and positioning objective for each product or service the organization will offer. In its first phase, choosing the value, the strategist proceeds to segment the market, select the appropriate market target, and develop the offers value positioning. The formula segmentation, targeting, positioning (STP) is the essence of strategic marketing. (Kotler, 1997) (Figure3) 2.1 Market Segmentation Segmentation is essentially about identifying groups of buyers within a market who have needs which are distinctive in the way that they deviate from the average consumer. Some consumer may treat satisfaction of one particular need as a high priority, whereas to others this need may be regarded as being quite trivial. Consider the case of the new hotel market. Buyers no longer select a hotel solely on the basis of hotels market. Market Segmentation is the subdividing of a market into distinct and increasingly homogeneous subgroups of customers, where any subgroup can conceivably be selected as a target market to be met with a distinct marketing mix (Kotler 1994). It should precisely segment its markets on various factors and provide the customers what they want. Starwood had segmented its market by corporate (business travellers) and leisure seekers. In the near future by 2010 Starwood had announced to open a hotel in the city of Makkah. In an interview with Jean-Marc Busato, Area Vi ce President said This is an important milestone for us to be present in what is considered the holiest city in Islam. This is our sixth Kingdom project which we consider one of our major growth markets. He also added We have acquired a good understanding of the Saudi Arabian market and besides developing our first class Starwood brand, we also see a demand for efficient, value for money accommodation for the frequent traveller in the mid market segment, 2.2 Targeting Targeting is a process of prioritizing target segments based on the firms core competencies or capabilities, and other researched factors including segmented market size, growth potential of the segmented market, competitive dynamics, etc. This method is used to Find out the target customers in focus marketing and set up target products and services for them,. In this aspect Starwood should completely symbolize the features and specialties in the hotel. In Starwood they have targeted the customers in. Starwood provides food item s and more facilities to their respectable rooms and they give special discounts for regular customers. In addition to that all the customers can enjoy almost every other facility which is in five star standards. 2.3 Positioning Positioning means arranging a product to occupy clear, distinctive and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers. Through using positioning successfully, brands will be able to position their product in the consumers mind. Four key elements for a successful positioning are Clarity, Consistency, Credibility and Competitiveness. In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the relative competitive comparison their product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. Chart 4: STP strategy, Hard capital (2003) 2.4 Satisfying customer needs and wants Customers are everything to a Hotel or any business for that matter. It can be out as a companys bread and butter. In the past, all was not well for Starwood hotels. As other businesses they also faced declining revenues and reputation. So to come out of this matter they implemented a market research to find out what they are doing wrong in the field. The research showed that customer wants and needs have changed over time but Starwood has stayed in the same place. A focus on franchisees and franchisee growth vs. customers and the hotel guest experience resulted in an undifferentiated, lacklustre brand and inconsistent service. Meeting the objective needs and wants of customers to drive sales is at the heart of most businesses. It is how they build business relationships, remain profitable, and how they expand into new territories. To improve customer experience and freedom of choice they implemented such schemes as Express Yourself, Gold Points Plussm and Sleep Number Bed program. The Express yourself program is the hotel industrys first pre-arrival, online check-in system. Guests book their reservation and can check-in online. Radisson Hotels Resorts is part of the gold points plus program from Carlson Hotels Worldwide that offers guests the freedom and flexibility to earn rewards more quickly than any other hotel program. Chapter 3 3.1 Marketing Mix The concept of the marketing mix was first given prominence by Borden in 1965. He described the marketing manager as a mixer of ingredients, one who is constantly engaged in fashioning creatively a mix of marketing procedures and policies in his efforts to produce a profitable enterprise Marketing mix is a Planned mix of the controllable elements of a products marketing plan commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. These elements are adjusted until a right combination is found that serves the needs of the products customers while generating optimum income. (Jain,S.C,1990). Traditionally the marketing mix consisted of just 4 Ps, but now it has been extended and is called extended marketing mix and consists of 7Ps. The new marketing mix is more customers oriented and enables the organization to meet its marketing objectives and to satisfy the requirements of customers. (Figure 4) Extended marketing mix, Array marketing development 3.1.1 Product Starwood is a world renowned chain of hotels providing excellent product under the image of hotel services. Starwood has an exceptional recognition in providing high quality service they constantly look at new ways of improving the service they provide. To improve the standards of service they provide, Starwood has introduced several new programs as mentioned in the start of the essay, such as Yes I Can! Training program and Express Yourself which allows guests to check-in online .By introducing these new strategies Starwood has already achieved favourable results. 3.1.2 Price In any organization the price must be high enough to cover costs and make a profit but low enough to attract customers .Since most of the Starwood hotels are five star rated hotels the price factor plays a major role. Due to the price customers can change their mind to go to another hotel. In this issue what Starwood has done is they have kept their prices at a normal rate which is comparatively high, at the same time Starwood came up with their new marketing strategy. Starwood promoted new holiday packages such as Friday is free day and family bed breakfast package with attractive prices. When annualizing Starwoods figures it is clear that this strategy has been successful. 3.1.3 Place Starwoods hotels always do research before picking a place for their new hotel; because of this they have become very successful. When we take Starwood as a whole it seems like they have selected the most ideal locations for their hotels. This is thanks to the research they do and it has paid off. 3.2 Extended marketing mix Traditionally the marketing mix consisted of just 4 Ps, with the extended marketing mix it enables the organization to meet its marketing objectives and to satisfy the requirements of customers. In addition to the traditional four Ps it is now customary to add some more Ps to the mix to give us Seven Ps. The additional Ps have been added because today marketing is far more customer oriented than ever before, and because the service sector of the economy has come to dominate economic activity in this country. These 3 extra Ps are particularly relevant to this new extended service mix. 3.2.1People People mean the staff working for Starwood. Employees of Starwood are like a backbone of the company, they have been highly trained and Starwood offers one the industrys best program phrased as YES I CAN 3.2.2 Process This Refers to the systems used to assist the organization in delivering the service. When the service becomes faster automatically the efficiency of the organization gets better. Starwood is world renowned for its excellent and fast process of service. Associated with customer service are a number of processes involved in making marketing effective in an organisation Process is the way how customers are handled from first to last point of contact. So this involves Starwood policies, program, payments, bookings, quality processes for handling customer complaints, processes for identifying customer needs and requirements, processes for handling order etc. Chapter 4 4.1 Marketing Environment Marketing as we know it today began in the 1970s with the birth of the marketing orientation. During the first stage of capitalism business had a production orientation Business was concerned with production, manufacturing, and efficiency issues. By the mid 1950s a second stage emerged, the sales orientation stage. A companys marketing environment consists of factors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target customers (Kotler., 2005). The marketing environment surrounds and impacts upon the organization. There are three key perspectives on the marketing environment, namely the macro-environment, the micro-environment and the internal environment. Elements of Macro-environment, Organizational environment (1995) 4.2 Micro environment This environment influences the organization directly. It includes suppliers that deal directly or indirectly, consumers and customers, and other local stakeholders. Micro tends to suggest small, but this can be misleading. In this context, micro describes the relationship between firms and the driving forces that control this relationship. It is a more local relationship, and the firm may exercise a degree of influence. This environment influences the organization directly. As in the (figure1) It includes suppliers that deal directly or indirectly, consumers and customers, and other local stakeholders. Micro tends to suggest small, but this can be misleading. 4.3 Macro environment This includes all factors that can influence and organization, but that are out of their direct control. A company does not generally influence any laws. It is continuously changing, and the company needs to be flexible to adapt. There may be aggressive competition and rivalry in a market. Globalization means that there is always the threat of substitute products and new entrants. The wider environment is also ever changing, and the marketer needs to pay off for changes in culture, politics, economics and technology. 4.4 Internal environment An organizationsÂÂ  internal environment is composed of the elements within the organization, including current employees, management, and especially corporate culture, which defines employee behaviour. Although some elements affect the organization as a whole, others affect only the manager. A managers philosophical or leadership style directly impacts employees. Traditional managers give explicit instructions to employees, whileÂÂ  progressiveÂÂ  managers empower employees to make many of their own decisions. Changes in philosophy and/or leadership style are under the control of the manager. Conclusion As seen in the above report it is clearly shown how marketing is done in Starwood chain of hotels. As mentioned above in the report Starwood is a worldwide hotels network, in this report the author briefly discusses about the factors which affects the marketing process directly and indirectly. Then we talk about how marketing has changed over the years and the new marketing strategies in place in the new world. And we also talk about the segmentation process, marketing environment and its elements. Marketing is an important element which contributes very much for the growth of Starwood. Marketing creates a benchmark to Starwood among the other hotels in the industry. The hotel industry has fierce competition at present therefore continuous developments of good packages, attractive advertisements, good and efficient customer service will help Starwood to be ahead of others. In the meantime, continuous research and development should help Starwood to satisfy its customers and retain lo yalty as well.