Government and the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government and the Economy - Essay Example This is the foremost time of experiencing such an occurrence in more than four decades. The expenditure of the federal administration has been rising at a decidedly sluggish pace in the three years of the prevailing administration. Falling expenditures of regional and area administrations, which have equally shrunk in spending at an alarming rate, plummets the slow rise. The slow growth of federal spending along with the free-falling expenditure of regional administrations is a strong pointer at the economic and political situation in the country. These signs cannot pass unnoticed because failure to experience rise on government expenditure, more so during the initial period of a new administration, is not only rare but profoundly significant in the political and economic essence. The real GDP of government (both federal and regional) for the primary three months of 2012 is estimated to be 2 per cent less than 2009, when the new administration took the reigns of power. This means tha t the spending of the administration has experienced a fall ever since the forming of government in 2009 implying that certain factors have inhibited the outlay of funds by administrations, both central and local. Such a situation transpired in the US in the course of Richard Nixon’s reign and was attributed to the waning expenditure on the Vietnam conflict. Currently, it is unclear which factors are responsible for the slow growth as well as the falling spending by regimes at the central and local level in the sense that a number of dynamics govern economic growth. Government policies play a prominent role. However, sometimes growth rate can also be attributed to luck of the incumbent regarding the state of the economy when he inherited reigns of power. The current administration took power at the time when the recession was ending. However, the recovery and growth has been remarkably sluggish. The reasons for slow economic growth, which has led to low spending by government under the prevailing regime that ranks lowest in history, have been myriad. The failure to step up government spending emanated from the feeble private sector, which made it difficult for the economy to expand at a high speed (Norris B2). The growth of the private sector is a noteworthy gauge of the circumstances of the economy because it denotes the growth rate of the economy. Changes in spending by the government are because of the expenditure on military disbursement, which has grown dismally in the past few years irrespective of the fall in expenses of Afghanistan as well as Iraq conflicts. On the other hand, nonmilitary outlay has witnessed an upward trend under the prevailing administration. In situations when economy is weak, outlay on investment by central and area governments often fall (through cutbacks) to reflect the state of the economy. Such expenditures include highways and educational institutions like schools and colleges. In essence, falling operating outlays are not new to the US economy and have been part of the country particularly in times of economic difficulty. Therefore, money saving schemes like retrenchment of tutors has not prevailed in the recent past although the number of workers in education has been low. In conclusion, the federal, state, and local governments have been shrinking in the last three years, and this means that the US

Marketing Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing Models - Essay Example These are responding to customer needs which will drive company success. Electronic marketing and technology will enable us to relate to the classics. Riley (2012) notes that cheaper and faster will allow businesses to execute strategies that would be impossible before. Consumer wants are constantly changing faster in the 21st century compared to past years. This is due to easy access to products through internet, electronic and print media. Industries are flooded with same products hence customers should to be aware of your business and what it offers. Consumer awareness can be fully achieved through marketing. So as a business person, one must always be focusing into the future. Most Small Micro Enterprises always sideline marketing citing expenses. Small businesses operate mostly on no-frills thus view marketing as expensive. Question that arises is how in absence of marketing one suggests to acquire the much wanted client base that affect sales. Many businesses are in operation and competition cut throat in the 21st century due to improved innovation. Without effective marketing of products, brand Image Company’s are deemed to fail in the start up stages, Riley (2012) Marketing campaign decisions must be drawn to sway sales and consumers. Generally a business could swap sales team size, price and advertisement budget. Marketing process invloves situational analysis, marketing strategy, market mix decision and implementation and control. Because the product already exists in the market and at its maturity stage, the market mix process would be applicable. Several tools are used by marketers to create the desired feedback from target consumers. These set of tools are called marketing mix. At the market mix level, planned decisions are drawn for controllable indicators. The most applicable indicator for the product is product promotional assessment. The main marketing

Analysis of organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis of organization - Essay Example He calls this the 20 mile walk and gives an analogy of two people walking from one city to another separated by a three thousand mile distance. Jim Collins says that the first person goes through a journey of 20 miles per day and makes sure that despite the bad weather or any other challenge, he manages this. This first person also makes sure that even when the weather is good, the person will still only walk the twenty percent and not more. The second person on the other hand walks longer distances during good weather but slips back to rest during the bad weather. Jim Collins shows hwy the first person is likely to reach the second city faster than the second person and also easy that the second person ay never be able to reach the destination. What the author is talking about here is that the first controlled progress is very important and involves setting achievable but significant goals that must be achieved no matter what. This, as the author puts it, means that the firm has to have the ambition to achieve and the discipline to restraint itself. Controlled progress then becomes the best way to steer the firm to the right destination and therefore means t that the firs will be able to grow during the bad weather as well as the good weather. Good versus bad leadership Jim Collins also identifies leadership as a very important factor to determine how the company will grow. According to this book, leadership is very important in determining how the organization will be able to fight through the fog of economic hardship. Good leaders, he argues, will be able to help their followers to achieve better and to achieve growth regardless of the situation the economic condition. Good leaders will help those under them to have the willpower and the motivation to press on even through the bad times. They will also inspire those under them to be able to act in the professional and ethical way. This book identifies that the leaders are most able to go on and make a bi dif ference in the way the organization will be able to survive in a very harsh marketplace. Jim Collins’ revolves around the role of leadership in determining whether the organization will manage to growth during the bad times and even during the good times. He gives an illustration of how bad leadership can lead the failure of an organization. To do this, the author uses the real life example of two team that set to visit the south pole and gives and account of how the first team, led by Scott was able to arrive at the south pole over a month earlier than the second team and managed to come back safely while the other team perished. Good leadership combined with controlled growth makes organizations to be able to grow evenly regardless of the economic conditions or even regardless of the bad situation they may be going through. Jim Collins lists a number of organizations which can be seen to be able to achieve this kind of growth and those which have failed to achieve this kind of growth. One example of an organization that Jim Collins says has been able to achieve this is the Stryker Corporation which is a medium scale firm that manufactures medical equipment. Stryker Corporation was able to achieve continued growth even during the time when many other

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY - Essay Example There are several reasons for the crisis. But they can collectively be classified as those about the taking of systematic risks in the financial system. An effective approach to explain the causes of the 2007-2009 financial crisis is to outline the three main solutions developed in Britain to address the problem. FRC Update The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is one of the primary agencies mandated with overseeing and development of the standards in corporate governance in the United Kingdom. Every other year, it reviews the UK Corporate Governance Code, which is a combination of principles set in reports and codes of good corporate governance required for the organizations that are listed in the London Stock Exchange. In 2009, after the financial crisis, FRC reviewed and updated the Code so that it better addressed the variables that have led to the financial crisis. Stricter regulations has been proposed and seriously considered as corporate managements were found to have taken e xtreme risks by making bad operating, investing and financing decisions. (Saunders and Allen 2010, p. 21) Particularly, the on-going development initiated by FRC since 2009 has focused on the need for disclosure, the increase in overall level of prescription and the emphasis on independent and authoritative for the chief risk officers and group risk management departments. (Picket and Pickett 2010, p. 148) The on-going update and developments within- and those initiative by the FRC underscored the fact that British policymakers saw the need to examine and update its corporate governance codes and requirements because it was identified as a major precursor of credit crunch. For instance, before 2007, the financial system has been undertaking systematic risks because of the so-called shift in the banking model from "originate and hold" to "originate and distribute". (Saunders and Allen, p. 21) This change supposedly exposed the financial system to risks because it led to the deteriora tion of the credit quality and the rapid increase in consumer and corporate leverage. (p. 21) FRC’s focus on corporate responsibility, accountability, transparency, regulation and prescription were all reflective of the need to address systematic risks. Introduction of ICB The establishment of the UK Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) also served to highlight the systematic risks responsible for the financial crisis that are sought to be avoided in the future. It was created in June 2010 and was mandated with the following purposes: reduce the systematic risk in the banking sector and explore the risk posed by banks of different size, scale and function; mitigate moral hazard in the banking system; reduce the likelihood and impact of firm failure; and, promote competition in both retail and investment banking with a view to ensure the needs of banks’ customers and clients are efficiently served. (UK Parliament 2011, p. 95) The objectives clearly reinforce the upda tes undertaken by the FRC by emphasizing the need to reduce risk-taking in both the financial and corporate sectors. By September 2011, ICB is expected to come up with a report containing the recommendations in regard to how to ensure financial stability and competition in the British industry. The ICB also underscored the role of regulation by states because prior to 2007, the policy that have permeated allowed for the ratio of banks assets to their capital base to grow far too high and that

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film - Essay Example On an armed exploration around the colony, John Smith was captured by the natives and brought to the leader where he was sentenced to die. The chief’s daughter spared John Smith’s life on chief’s command that he would live with them. This is the way to observe him to know the plan of the colony. The chief also asked him to command the colony to leave in the spring. When they did not leave, the natives attacked the colony. The story presented a view of the events that occurred during the time when the United States is in the early stage of colonization by the English people. This is significant in determining the different issues that occurred during that time. One is the differences in culture. The English people have the main objective of colonizing the land due to their need to find a place where they can have a new beginning, a simpler and less complicated life. Thus, even in the beginning then, they have the motive of staying in the land. On the other hand, t he natives who are innocent in nature and without sense of ownership and envy welcomed the English people on the premise that they would leave after some period of time. But when it did not happen, the conflict occurred. The story is historically significant on the basis that it presented it showed the scenario in a land that is colonized.

Policies and Procedures to Manage the Release of PHI Research Paper

Policies and Procedures to Manage the Release of PHI - Research Paper Example Mobile phone and other related technology, retrieve personal health information for patients. Rapid exchange of vital medical information helps to quality delivery of medical aid to individuals (Kelly, Vottero & Christie-McAuliffe, 2014). On the contrary, there is a risk of unwanted access to privacy of medical information. It is important that health institutions have policies procedure to guide the process of revealing the medical information of individuals. Agency should implement an information management system to assist in managing health records. There would be effective quality control of health information. Proper health information management harmonizes the differences in law governing the release of medical information. Management of health information is one of the ways to regulate the release of medical information for patients (Kelly, Vottero & Christie-McAuliffe, 2014). The release of health information is an important topic because it dictates the quality of medical delivery. The state laws conflict and there are some states that have different rules governing the release of medical information. There is no uniformity in the state laws governing the protection of a patients medical information. There is varying degree of seriousness in handling the release of medical information for patients. Some states require patient permission to publish his or her personal information. On the contrary, some states do not have significant restrictions in releasing medical information to individuals. It is important to have install management systems that will ensure that there is protection of health information of patients. Installation of better management systems provides tracking of patients information. It is an important component in the implementation of a health care policy. The management should manage patients information in the hospital, and teams

Tourism Management Essay Example for Free

Tourism Management Essay An importance-performance analysis of hotel selection factors in the Hong Kong hotel industry: a comparison of business and leisure travellers Raymond K.S. Chu, Tat Choi*  Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Peoples Republic of China Received 16 December 1998; accepted 3 February 1999 Abstract Using an Importance}Performance Analysis (IPA), this paper examined business and leisure travellers perceived importance and performance of six hotel selection factors in the Hong Kong hotel industry. The six hotel selection factors identied were: Service Quality, Business Facilities, Value, Room and Front Desk, Food and Recreation, and Security. Both business and leisure travellers held the same perceptions towards all the six hotel selection factors. The IPA grids illustrated that the Value factor fell into the Concentrate Here quadrant; Service Quality, Room and Front Desk and Security in the Keep Up the Good Work quadrant; and Business Facilities and Food and Recreation in the Low Priority quadrant. Room and Front Desk and Security were found to be the determining factors for business and leisure travellers, respectively, in their hotel choice selection. Implications for Hong Kong hoteliers and researchers were discussed. 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Importance}Performance Analysis; Hotel selection factors; Business and leisure travellers 1. Introduction 1.1. The Hong Kong hotel and tourism industry Hong Kong has long been Asias most popular tourist destination. The total visitor arrivals for 1996 reached a record of 11.7 million, representing a remarkable 14.7 per cent growth over 1995, with HK$84.5 billion (US$10.8 billion) #owing into the Special Administrative Regions economy in foreign exchange earnings. The 14.7 per cent growth rate in 1996 out-performed the world average of 4.5 per cent, as well as the average growth rates for East Asia/Pacic and South Asia, with 7.9 per cent and 4.0 per cent respectively (WTO, 1997). In addition, approximately 8 per cent of Hong Kongs Gross  Domestic Product (GDP) is attributable to tourism (HKTA, 1998). However, since the beginning of 1997, Hong Kongs inbound tourism industry has experienced  an unprecedented decline. As illustrated in Table 1, the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) revealed that the numbers of visitors declined from 11.7 million in 1996 to 10.4 million in 1997, representing a 12 per cent fall (HKTA, 1998). The fall in visitor arrivals has been aggravated by the regional currency turmoil, which has made Hong Kong an expensive destination to travel in comparison with other Southeast Asian regions (Poole, 1997). The depreciation of the Thai baht, the Indonesian rupiah, the Malaysian ringgit, and the Philippine peso has inevitably attracted international travellers who prefer to seek bargain visits to these cheaper destinations. Hong Kong is now considered less vacation-friendly than previously as high in#ation has driven up prices. In 1989, 60 per cent of travellers rated shopping in Hong Kong as above average in value for money, but in 1993 the number fell below 45 per cent (HKTA, 1998). In the early 1990s, Hong Kong su!ered from a relatively high in#ation rate of about 10 per cent per annum as a result of an increase in labour and land costs. This paper attempts to identify both the importance and performance of hotel selection factors in the Hong Kong hotel industry using the Importance}Performance Analysis (IPA) model. More specically, the paper intends to compare perceptions of business and leisure travellers, in terms of importance and performance of hotel selection factors. By identifying the needs, desires and expectations of di!erent segments, hoteliers will be in a better position to develop tailor-made marketing strategies to cater for their target customers and to achieve competitive advantages. Source: Adapted from A Statistical Review of Tourism, Hong Kong Tourist Association (1998). 2. Literature review cent per annum in recent years (Hueng, 1997). The rising cost of accommodation in Hong Kong and the dwindling number of shopping bargains are continuously a!ecting the Hong Kong tourism industry (Brevetti, 1995). Such price in#ation threatens Hong Kongs reputation as a Shopping Paradise. Looking at the visitor prole, in particular at a comparison of business and leisure travellers, there appears to have not much signicant change between the two groups. The leisure segment has constituted almost 60 per cent of total visitor arrivals to Hong Kong over the past ten years, while the business segment contributed up to 30 per cent of total visitor arrivals over the same period (see Table 1). Regarding the hotel industry in Hong Kong, room rates have long been considered as the prime factor that adds to the cost of a trip, contributing to tourism downturn (Beck, 1997; Schloss, 1997). Schloss (1997) reported that Hong Kong hotels are more expensive to stay in than in Tok yo hotels, even when they o!er discounts. Beck (1997) mentioned that Hong Kong hotels are too expensive and that the  high cost is the single factor that continues to a!ect tourism in Hong Kong seriously. Research studies have shown that satisfaction with hotel properties, including services, facilities and price, appears to be one of the major factors leading to the success and repeat patronage of the destination (Shih, 1986; Stevens, 1992). To be successful in business, one must understand how customers perceive the product or service attributes, their importance and performance when compared with other competitors. The importance of being competitive and o!ering competitive advantage has been recognised for some years. In the hotel environment, where competition dominates, hoteliers must study the strengths and weaknesses of the product or service they provide and accurately dene their importance and performance. To maintain Hong Kongs present status as one of the worlds most attractive tourist destinations, hoteliers 2.1. Importance}Performance Analysis Importance}Performance Analysis (IPA) conceptually underlies the multi-attribute models that date back to the late 1970s. Martilla and James (1977) applied the IPA technique to analyse the performance of the automobile industry. Hawes, Kiser and Rao (1982) and Hawes and Rao (1985) used the IPA concept in retirement communities and health care applications. Sethna (1982) found the IPA technique to be a valid and powerful technique for identifying service quality areas that require remedial strategic actions. The underlying assumption of the IPA technique is that customers level of satisfaction with the attributes is mainly derived from their expectations and judgment of the products or services performance. IPA has become a popular managerial tool that has been broadly used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of brands, products, services and retail establishments in various industries in recent years (Chapman, 1993; Cheron, McTavish Perrien, 1989). Hemmasi, Strong and Taylor (1994) measured the service quality of hospital services using IPA as an alternative to the traditional SERVQUAL instrument devised by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988). While Evans and Chon (1989) used the IPA to formulate and evaluate tourism policy, Keyt, Yavas and Riecken (1994) and Hsu, Byun and Yang (1997) adopted the IPA technique in restaurant positioning. Lewis (1985) used the IPA as a competitive analysis technique to identify tourists perceptions of the hotel industry. Lewis and Chambers (1989) reported the e!ective use of IPA by the Sheraton Hotel in monitoring customer satisfaction. Almanza, Ja!e  and Lin (1994) used the IPA matrix to determine means for improving customer satisfaction. Martin (1995) examined service providers perceptions of customers expectations of quality service in the hotel industry using the IPA technique. In an increasingly competitive environment, a determination of the strengths and weaknesses of a  have high levels of performance in relation to these activities. In the Low Priority quadrant, attributes have low importance and low performance. Although performance levels may be low in this cell, managers should not be overly concerned since the attributes in this cell are not perceived to be very important. Limited resources should be expended on this low priority cell. Lastly, the Possible Overkill q uadrant contains attributes of low importance, but of relatively high performance. Respondents are satised with the performance of the organisations, but managers should consider present e!orts on the attributes of this cell as being overutilised (Evans and Chon, 1989; Hemmasi, Strong Taylor, 1994; Keyt et al., 1994; Martilla James, 1977; Martin, 1995). Fig. 1. Importance}Performance Analysis grid. Quadrant I Attributes are perceived to be very important to respondents, but performance levels are fairly low. This sends a direct message that improvement e!orts should concentrate here. Quadrant II Attributes are perceived to be very important to respondents, and at the same time, the organisation seems to have high levels of performance on these activities. The message here is To Keep up the Good Work. Quadrant III Attributes are with low importance and low performance. Although performance levels may be low in this cell, managers should not be overly concerned since the attribute in this cell is not perceived to be very important. Limited resources should be expended on this low priority cell. Quadrant IV This cell contains attributes of low importance, but relatively high performance. Respondents are satised with the performance of the organisations, but managers should consider present e!orts on the attributes of this cell as being overutilised. 2.2. Perceived importance and performance of attributes Attribute importance is generally regarded as a persons general assessment of the signicance of an attribute for a product. Many studies have attempted to analyse customer satisfaction in terms of both expectations that relate to certain important attributes and judgments of the attribute performance (Myers Alpers, 1968; Swan Coombs, 1976). However, there appears to have been diverse conclusions made about how one should relate attribute importance and performance. The concept of importance is viewed by customers the same as satisfaction (Barsky, 1992; Rosenberg, 1956). When a customer perceives an attribute as important, the customer will believe that the attribute will play a signicant role in in#uencing his or her product choice (MacKenzie, 1986). More recently, the term importance has been used to refer to the perceived importance of an attribute and its e!ect on product or service quality (Carman, 1990). Lilien, Kotler and Moorthy (1993) dened the term important attributes as those considered important by consumers, and that the various brands or products are perceived to di!er. Hemmasi et al. (1994), however, stated that performance lies in customer perceptions of performance of the attribute. Thus, the more favourable the perception of performance, the greater the likelihood of the choice from among similar alternatives. Therefore, it is strategically important for hoteliers to understand and to identify the product (or service) attributes perceived by customers as important, and to examine how customers perceive these product (or service) attributes. It is also very likely that a customers favourable post-purchase experience may lead him or her to repurchase if the customer is satised with the hotel performance. 2.3. Hotel attributes in hotel choice selection Those attributes directly in#uencing choice are determinant attributes: they may arouse consumers purchase intentions and di!erentiate from competitors o!erings  products or services importance and performance seems an undeniable constituent of success. The interpretation of the IPA is graphically presented on a grid divided into four quadrants. Fig. 1 illustrates the IPA  grid. The -axis reports the customers perceived importance of selected attributes, and the X-axis shows the products (or services) performance in relation to these attributes. The four identiable quadrants are: Concentrate Here, Keep Up the Good Work, Low Priority and Possible Overkill. In the Concentrate Here quadrant, attributes are perceived to be very important to respondents, but performance levels are seen as fairly low. This sends a direct message that improvement e!orts should concentrate here. In the Keep Up the Good Work quadrant, attributes are perceived to be very important to respondents, and at the same time, the organisation seems to  (Alpert, 1971). The services and facilities o!ered by a hotel, or hotel attributes, are those features of products or services that lead consumers to choose one product over others (Lewis, 1983). Wuest, Tas and Emenheiser (1996) dened perceptions of hotel attributes as the degree to which travellers nd various services and facilities important to customers satisfaction. Atkinson (1988) found that cleanliness of the accommodation, followed by safety and security, accommodation value for money, courtesy and helpfulness of sta! were identied as top attributes for travellers in hotel choice selection. Wilensky and Buttle (1988) mentioned that personal service, physical attractiveness, opportunities for relaxation, standard of services, appealing image, and value for money were signicantly evaluated by travellers. Rivers, Toh and Alaoui (1991) examined the hotel selection decisions of members and non-members of frequent guest programs. Their results showed that convenience of location and overall service received the highest ratings. Ananth, DeMicco, Moreo and Howey (1992) surveyed 510 travellers, asking them to rate the importance of 57 hotel attributes in hotel choice decision. The results showed that price and quality was rated as the most important attribute across all age categories, followed by attributes related to security and convenience of location. LeBlanc and Nguyen (1996), in particular, examined the ve hotel factors that may signal a hotels image to travellers. These ve factors were: physical environment,  corporate identity, service personnel, quality of services and accessibility. They suggested that marketing e!orts should be directed to highlight the environmental cues in order to attract new customers. An extensive review of the literature for the hospitality industry suggests that attributes such as cleanliness, location, room rate, security, service quality, and the reputation of the hotel have been considered by most tourists in hotel choice decision (Ananth, DeMicco, Moreo Howey, 1992; Atkinson, 1988; Barsky Labagh, 1992; Cadotte Turgeon, 1988; Knutson, 1988; LeBlanc Nguyen, 1996; Lewis, 1984,1985; Marshall, 1993; McCleary, Weaver Hutchinson, 1993; Rivers, Toh Alaoui, 1991; Wilensky Buttle, 1988). 2.4. Hotel attributes as perceived by business and leisure travellers Many studies have looked into a comparison between business and leisure travellers in their hotel selection criteria. These studies indicated that the important attributes a!ecting business travellers hotel choices were cleanliness and location (Lewis Chambers, 1989; McCleary et al., 1993; Taninecz, 1990), whereas security, personal interactions, and room rates were considered as important by their leisure counterparts (Clow, Garretson Kurtz, 1994; Lewis, 1985; Marshall, 1993; Parasuraman et al., 1988). Taninecz (1990) found that cleanliness,  comfort of mattresses and pillows, and quality of towels received the highest ratings from business travellers. Lewis and Chambers (1989) and McCleary et al. (1993) also found that location was the most important factor in#uencing hotel selection by all business travellers. However, they argued that a hotels catering facilities were not important in hotel selection, as th ere are often many alternative dining choices nearby. Leisure travellers seem to be more concerned with room rates and value in their initial hotel selection (Lewis, 1985). Parasuraman et al. (1988) found that the quality of personal interactions with employees was a critical component of the service quality evaluation. Employees service quality has been cited as important to leisure travellers when selecting overnight accommodation (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Knutson (1988) mentioned that leisure travellers were mainly concerned with a hotels safety and security. This concern might stem from the idea that leisure trips often involve families, and these travellers have a high sensitivity to what may occur around them when their families  are involved. Marshall (1993) and Clow et al. (1994) revealed that security was cited as one of the most important criteria in selecting a hotel. Tourists want to be safe and secure in their accommodation, and are willing to pay for this. The safety and security system may di!erentiate one property from its competition, hence becoming a competitive strategy that helps a hotel to gain tourists condence and trust. Ananth et al. (1992) found that leisure travellers were likely to express concern with regard to a hotels reputation and name familiarity. Other studies have suggested that some hotel attributes are seen as important by both business and leisure travellers. Knutson (1988) examined the di!erences between business and leisure travellers in an attempt to determine the attributes that initially attract these two types of travellers to a hotel, and that bring them back. Her ndings suggested that the following factors were considered by both business and leisure travellers when selecting a hotel for the rst time or for repeat patronage: (1) clean, comfortable, well-maintained rooms, (2) convenient location, (3) prompt and courteous service, (4) safe and secure environment, and (5) friendly and courteous employees. Lewis (1984,1985) tested 66 hotel attributes to determine the basis of hotel selection by 1314 business and leisure travellers in six hotels. The ndings showed that location and price were the determinant attributes for hotel selection for both business and leisure travellers. Cadotte and Turgeon (1988) examined data from members of the AH MA (American Hotel Motel Association) on the relative frequency of 26 categories of compliments. Survey results found that the ve most frequent compliments were: (1) helpful attitude of employees, (2) cleanliness of establishment, (3) neatness of establishment, (4) quality of service, and (5) employee knowledge of service.