Case Analysis(another one) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis(another one) - Case Study Example The tables and a chart will compare the price of tickets from 1981 to vision 2023 and its resultant cost of inflation. Table 1 shows the SWOT analysis for Walt Disney Company. The SWOT analysis is used in the case analysis in order to predict the current and future outlook of the Walt Disney Company. The Walt Disney Company is supposed to reduce the cost of their services such as tickets. Also, the creative and innovative ideas are needed in the company. The name of the company is supposed to be associated with a wide range of audience not only children, but also adults. The suggested recommendations will help the Walt Disney Company to reach its target of remaining the leading company worldwide. For example, reduction in the price of tickets and other services will help in attracting a large number of customers. Also, creative and innovative ideas are needed in order to retain their disappearing customers due to the increasing price of the products and services. In addition, the name of the company needs to be associated with not only children, but also attracts. The change in name will help in attracting many customers irrespective of the age. As indicated by the type of analysis, the recommendations play a significant role. The recommendations will help the Walt Disney Company restructure its strategic plans and to reduce the cost of their services and products. In conclusion, the restructuring of the strategic plans and reduction of the cost of their services and products will attract many customers to the Walt Disney Company. As shown in table 3, the strategic plans for the company hold true that the expected price of items will continue to increase unless the strategies are

Federal Bureau of Prisons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Federal Bureau of Prisons - Research Paper Example Whatever the intended function of prison is, the reality is that they perform a role in our society. We have the need to feel safe from people who would do us harm. Many commit crimes at the state level, so are sentences to local jails or state prisons. Others, however, wrong the country as a whole, and not just a given segment of society. For this offenders, the federal government has set up an elaborate system of prisons across the country divided into six different regions. The purpose of the Federal Bureau of Prisons is to â€Å"Protect society by confining offenders in the controlled environments of prison and community-based facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure, and that provide work and other self-improvement opportunities to assist offenders in becoming law-abiding citizens† (Roberts, 1997, p. 53). The purpose of this paper is to explain the function of the federal prison and to examine the actually effectiveness of its various pro grams and policies. History and Policies Established in 1930, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has stated its policy to provide more progressive and humane care and treatment for Federal inmates sentenced to serve time (Roberts, 1997, p. 53). ... 53). As one can see, this is quite an elaborate system of institutions, and each is governed by a nationalized set of policies designed to keep everything running smoothly throughout the country. Currently, the federal prisoner system is designed to care for about 219,000 inmates. Policies dictate that each inmate who is incarcerated is done so in order to order to ensure public safety. At the same time, the facilities that the inmates are housed in are designed to be safe, humane, cost efficient, and secure to the level required by each individual offender. Security Levels Just as with state and local prisons and jails, there are various levels of security existent in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The system is made of five distinct security levels. The goal in this division is to confine offending prisoners in a manner appropriate to their individual circumstance and crime committed. Each level has different features related to the number and presence of external patrols, towers, security barriers, or detection devices (Fliesher, 1998, p. 11). Each level of confinement will also typically have different types of housing within the institution, certain security features, and a different staff-to-inmate ration. It is also interesting to note that each institution in the federal system is designed to house a different security level as needed depending on the space available and the needs of the population (Fliesher, 1998, p. 11). The lowest level of security in the Federal Bureau of Prisons is minimum security. Prisons of this type are also known as Federal Prison Camps and typically have dormitory type housing, a low staff-to-inmate ration when compared to other

Personal Sales Letter Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sales Letter - Personal Statement Example The offer will also not incur any training costs and will also minimize the work of your staff. Most of the setup will be done by our company to assure the lower costs of setup. Even if you are not using Jonas or any club system, even then the overall subscription fee will be lower. Fifty percent of your calls will be attended by a technician immediately. The offer will benefit both sides as we want to earn as well as to keep your business going. My experience with your club tells that the management makes the overall work hectic and it also costs a lot to you. The management also frustrates the staff as well. IBS has already replaced other management softwares in about 1400 other clubs among which is the popular medinah country club. IBS is famous for its best support and training. So you also don’t have to worry about training your staff. In addition to that, the software is very easy to understand and it will be running among your staff as they are already familiar with com puterized management before. I am also familiar with the skills that your staff possesses and they will easily cope up with this new environment. To answer any of your queries, I will call you in a few days but please do call me any time if you want to ask anything. Looking forward for your positive response. Regards, Gyda.

Early Intervention In The First Grade Essay Example for Free

Early Intervention In The First Grade Essay Early intervention are programs that are designed for young children who are below grade three or those children falling in the age brackets of three years and eight years. These programs are usually designed to help children who seem to lag behind their peers at school in such areas as reading skills which are likely to persist into adulthood. If such cases of children who appear to lag behind their peers in reading are not assisted early enough then it can affect their future as adults and hinder their career aspirations and expectations. While research findings show that the early ages of between four to six years are ideal to introduce children to reading, early interventions in the first grade which is the approximate age proposed by the scientists has been shown to play significant role in preventing reading problems for most children and as such reduce reading disabilities (Mathes,2001. Pungur,2004). As we all know and as presented by our modern society the future of todays children is closely linked to and depends on how well they learn. Any problem that children experience in learning has its beginning In the earliest weeks in school and children who fail to learn to read have a high probability of remaining poor readers throughout school life. Therefore helping children to learn to read through the early intervention programs is an important task in public education since reading crisis and low literacy skills are linked to poverty that can have a big impact on the nation. The best suited people who can control such incidences from happening are educators if they act early by identifying those children who are at risk and provide high quality intervention before failure occurs. This intervention is most effective when it occurs as early as first grade since it prevents the learner from continuing to higher grade3s and later on fail in life Demographics This refers to the size, structure and distribution of the population the participated in the early intervention program by race and economic status of their families. According to a study done on national early intervention in Georgia State it was found that there were variations in the age that children enrolled in the program. Statistics show that there existed racial variations among the children. The main participants were African American families, Hispanic and White families. The study showed that 48% of the children in the program were black while 14% were Hispanic. Families play a component part in the intervention program and as such, it was important for the study to consider the economic status as well as the structure of the families from which the children who enrolled in the early intervention program came from. This study revealed that majority of the families were poor or were found to be economically disadvantaged. The level of poverty was determined by the annual income of the families of which 27% were found to have less than $15000 per year as the income. One out four families also had to receive government support in terms of welfare payments or food stamps to supplement their needs. About the level of education of the parents it was also considered since the level parental level of education play a significant role in determining the social economic status of the family. It also determined the employment opportunities the parent will have and consequently the type of live the children will have at home. About 76% of the mothers with children in the program did not have educational level beyond high school while only 23% had bachelors level and above. The age of the parents was also considered and the study revealed that about 71% of the mothers were between the age of 20-35 years when the children were born. Instruments Used. The instruments that the research cited to have used were varied however it should be noted that the instruments used should as much as possible be appropriate for the child. This is with regard to the childs culture and abilities. Where the questionnaires are used to get data and to assess childrens progress, if need be there should be interpreters who will help the children in understanding and answering the questions. The professionals conducting the assessment should also be skilled and knowledgeable in all matters to do with culture and assessment of children so that they may do a good job. Questionnaires are good because when used because they give the respondent time to reflect on the questions asked and respond to them appropriately. The other types of instruments that are used in the early intervention program for children are tape recorders and translators. These instruments are very effective for use with the young children since the children will find them to be interesting and thus be willing and co operative in the program. They are most useful in the reading intervention since the tape recorder can store the information the children give especially if they were reading some words. It is the actual training that can be recorded and later used if any references are required. These instruments are both valid and reliable in that they will measure what they are supposed to measure and will always yield the same results without any alterations. The questionnaires are what may compromise the validity and reliability of the research findings especially when used by the children who may need the guidance of an adult. Method used According to the case of early intervention there are different models that can be used in the early intervention of reading problems in the first grade. The three tier model is the most effective in reducing reading problems in children. This is achieved by providing intensive early early intervention for children at risk of reading difficulty. Here the teachers are encouraged to assume more responsibility and initiative to provide effective instruction to students who are found to have a lot of struggles when learning to read(Mathes,2001) When following this model the teacher divides the learners into three tiers and the starts with the first tier. Here in this teir the core is instruction with the teacher using high quality reading program which very much improved and enriched by use of intervention strategies. This usually forms the beginning of the intervention program where the whole class is involved in the quality instruction. If it emerges that there are learners with reading difficulties after the quality classroom instruction, then the teacher design for more intense instructions but this time in small groups. Then the teacher goes through the planned instruction with the carefully constituted groups. If the learners are still found to be having more difficulties in reading they are taken into the third tier which is the special education setting. Under this setting the intervention increases in intensity and duration. Quality classroom instruction stands out as the best strategy to out doing learning failure in children in the primary grade(cited from snow 1998). As such the teir model and its emphasis in quality classroom instruction takes the lead. From the Georgian study on early intervention program we get other methods widely applied in the intervention programs. The main concern of this program was to address achievement gaps in the learners. This study has revealed five delivery models as recommended by the Georgian Department of Education which included ; Augmented, Reduced class size, Self contained,Pull out and Reading recovery models. The Augmented delivery method usually incorporates early intervention program in the regular classroom but is handled by more certified teachers in order to reduce the teacher/student ratio. This ensures that the learners receive quality instruction from the teacher as they get the intervention services. The is only different from the reduced class size delivery model in one significant way ; as the number of pupils requiring early intervention increases the size of the class reduces to ensure that the teacher handles less and less learners. In the self contained model the learners requiring early intervention are placed in their own class with a certified teacher and the main emphasis is on instruction so as to achieve increased academic achievement. When using the pull out delivery model one teacher only handles 14 students while any other is pulled out into another class to receive instruction from another teacher. Finally the reading recovery model handles learners in segments each lasting for 30 minutes and continues for 45 days. However it is important to note that it is good to use a combination of methods so as to achieve the best results. This is to mean that methodology may vary but it should aim at producing the best results. Expected outcomes. Having looked at the various methodology that can be used in the delivery of early intervention programs, it is important to highlight a number of the expected results. To begin with early reading intervention makes a big difference in accelerating the rate of learners at risk of reading failure(cited from Taylor,2000) It is expected that after Implementing quality intervention programs the rate of learners struggling to read will drop in the schools this is expected to reduce the number of children suffering from reading failure by a clear two thirds. This will be as a result of raised phonemic awareness in the learners. They are also expected to show higher reading levels as well as to develop independence in reading after successfully going through the intervention program. The learners are not expected to be too dependent on adults in their school work but to show own initiative and achieve better grades in academic work. The learners at risk are expected to show masterly of grade level content material and never to lag behind their colleagues in class. This is because they will have achieved grade level standard. This early intervention programs are also expected to reduce retention rates in school where learners used to take so much time in the school. In considering the other factors it was revealed that in Georgia children who began intervention early came from families with less income and the mothers had lower levels of education. Poverty was a key factor that exposed many children to risk since the studies revealed that majority of the at risk children came from poor families. Conclusions and recommendations One of the critical truths concluded from the study was that early interventions especially in the first grade goes along way in preventing most problems for young children especially those problems associated with reading disabilities in children. It also cuts so much on wastage in public expenditure on education. This is because early intervention ensures that learners benefit from the educational experiences they go through in school and end up making better use of the skills they acquire. They get employed and lead better lives and as such fight poverty in the society, this makes the government investment in education worth. This benefits the individual as well as the society. The effectiveness of the early intervention program as earlier noted depends on the delivery model used. This therefore means that better and effective delivery methods should be set up so as to achieve the best results from this programs. I would recommend that a combination of the models already discussed in this paper be utilized in our school in order to realize more benefits from these programs. As already presented the essential elements of an effective intervention program should always be considered. These elements include supplemental instruction which is both quality and highly guided by the teacher to be used. Monitoring and assessment to know the progress made should be carried out periodically. Again a paraprofessional approach should be adopted to involve different people in the programs and as such make the program more effective and beneficial to the recipients. References Desee, J. (2003) The Importance of Early Intervention. Washing:Sage Publishers Lakien,A. (2004) Early Intervention Programs and Their Effects to Children. New York:Peter H Wayden Johnson, D . A . Report on Survey Data Collected on Early Intervention Programs: Georgia Department of Education, Policy Division. February 2004. Mathes, P. G. .The Case of Early Intervention In Reading. Retrieved 2nd October 2008, from http://www. sraonline. com/download/research/pdf

The Usage of Landscape in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein :: Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essays Papers

The Usage of Landscape in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein When reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I was struck by how Mary makes use of the landscape to parallel Victor Frankenstein's shifting mental condition. In the story, Victor Frankenstein is an overly ambitious scientist whose curious tinkling with alchemy leads him to create a giant monster and ultimately compromised Frankenstein's own destruction. After Frankenstein created his monster and witnessed the horror that was his own making, he is traumatized in a "painful state of mind," which leads him to isolate himself from the outside world. Frankenstein's power to create life from dead body parts proves to be so extreme and so immoral that nothing in society seems to be able to encompass such an enormous feat, not even Frankenstein himself after he finished his creation. Thus, because of his inability to accept the fact that he has successfully brought something so grotesque to life, Frankenstein takes his dark secret and retreats within himself. Frankenstein's self-discovered powe r is so great that it successfully disassociates him from all the things he has once held dear in his life, such as family and the beautiful familiar landscapes. From here on, Frankenstein can only identify with big, immense, sublime landscapes because these are the only landscapes extreme enough to communicate what Victor is feeling inside. From the time Frankenstein created his monster, he finds little comfort in the beauty of nature. One passage that I find particularly striking was when Victor exclaimed, "Dear mountains! My own beautiful lake! How do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?" (106). It is as if Victor is offended by the beauty and calmness of the landscape simply because it conflicts with the inner turmoil he is feeling inside. He continues through the story to "pass through many beautiful and majestic scenes [with] eyes fixed and unobserving" and "shunn[ing] the face of man; all sounds of joy or complacency [being] torturous to [him]; solitude [being his] only consolation -- deep, dark, death-like solitude" (210). One probable reason why he finds beautiful, peaceful scenes offensive can be found in the passage where Victor laments, "Nothing is more painful to the human mind, than, after the f eelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows, and deprives the soul both of hope and fear" (127). The Usage of Landscape in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein :: Mary Shelley Frankenstein Essays Papers The Usage of Landscape in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein When reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I was struck by how Mary makes use of the landscape to parallel Victor Frankenstein's shifting mental condition. In the story, Victor Frankenstein is an overly ambitious scientist whose curious tinkling with alchemy leads him to create a giant monster and ultimately compromised Frankenstein's own destruction. After Frankenstein created his monster and witnessed the horror that was his own making, he is traumatized in a "painful state of mind," which leads him to isolate himself from the outside world. Frankenstein's power to create life from dead body parts proves to be so extreme and so immoral that nothing in society seems to be able to encompass such an enormous feat, not even Frankenstein himself after he finished his creation. Thus, because of his inability to accept the fact that he has successfully brought something so grotesque to life, Frankenstein takes his dark secret and retreats within himself. Frankenstein's self-discovered powe r is so great that it successfully disassociates him from all the things he has once held dear in his life, such as family and the beautiful familiar landscapes. From here on, Frankenstein can only identify with big, immense, sublime landscapes because these are the only landscapes extreme enough to communicate what Victor is feeling inside. From the time Frankenstein created his monster, he finds little comfort in the beauty of nature. One passage that I find particularly striking was when Victor exclaimed, "Dear mountains! My own beautiful lake! How do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?" (106). It is as if Victor is offended by the beauty and calmness of the landscape simply because it conflicts with the inner turmoil he is feeling inside. He continues through the story to "pass through many beautiful and majestic scenes [with] eyes fixed and unobserving" and "shunn[ing] the face of man; all sounds of joy or complacency [being] torturous to [him]; solitude [being his] only consolation -- deep, dark, death-like solitude" (210). One probable reason why he finds beautiful, peaceful scenes offensive can be found in the passage where Victor laments, "Nothing is more painful to the human mind, than, after the f eelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows, and deprives the soul both of hope and fear" (127).

Eilis character notes

Ellis â€Å"never made mistakes when she did her addition† ; Devout Catholic – she attended mass every Sunday in Insincerity ;Ellis immigrating to America was entirely Rose's initiative -as Rose and her mother collude with Father Flood, Ellis feels â€Å"like a child† whose fate is being decided for her. ; Ellis is, by nature, reserved and emotionally guarded. She is selective in her relationships and shies away from physical intimacy.It is not easy for her to express her true feelings, even those closest to her. This particularly evident in her relationship with Tony†¦.. ;When Ellis does not have the confidences to act on her instincts, she makes mistakes. The foremost is her impulsive marriage to Tony, but her resentment to Jim Farrell is another. ; Throughout the text, her actions are generally informed by the twin values of connection to family and a clearly defined sense of duty. ; Her generosity is constant, and Tony calls her a â€Å"good person†. Yet the internal conflict generated by her return home causes her to lie by omission and to behave with great cruelty towards the unsuspecting Jim. ; Approximately twenty years old Young women from Insincerity Immigrates to America for work Works in Barstool's department store in Brooklyn Studies bookkeeping; ; During the course of the novel she becomes romantically involved with Tony Fiercely and Jim Farrell. ; She matures over the course of the novel, â€Å"you seem more grown up and serious. And in your American clothes you look different.You have an air about you† (Nancy, p. 230) ; Her independence and resilience are revealed gradually. She has to exercise her Judgment and make critical choices with little guidance or support. Her initial naivety is balanced by natural curiously and a determination to learn. ; She takes the opportunities provided to educate herself, and as the word opens up before her, embraces new ideas with less diffidence than before. Living in New York encourages assertiveness, and Ellis becomes more inclined to trust herself.At work, she learns to be â€Å"brave and decisive†. ; Returning to Insincerity, Ellis slips back into the rhythm of the town easily and finds comfort in its familiar faces and rituals. Yet the changes produced by her experiences in America are obvious to all, â€Å"Everything about you is different†, her friend Nancy insist: â€Å"you seem more grown up and serious. And in our American clothes you look different. You have an air about you. † ;Her poise and self-assurance intimidated her mother, however attracted Jim Farrell.

The Mirage Hotel and Casino

The Mirage Hotel and Casino (The Hotel Industry) By Gregory D. Tucker The word â€Å"hotel† didn’t appear until the 18th century. It came from the French hotel, large house, and originated in the Latin roots hospitium or hospes. Hospitality, hostile and hotels are all related words. The difficulty of identifying early travelers as friends or foes probably accounts for the conflict in meaning Friendly travelers found security and accommodations through the hospitality of their hosts. As the numbers of travelers increased, personal courtesy gave way to commercial enterprise. The hotel was born carrying with it a culture of hospitality.The hotel industry grew and flourished through the centuries by adapting to the changing social, business, and economic environment that marked human progress. During the modern times, these stages have been labeled for easy reference. The 18th century was the agricultural age; the 19th century, the industrial age. The 20th century has been the age of service. The sale of services, such as medicine, banking, education and hotelkeeping, has outpaced the manufacture and distribution of goods. The 21st century has opened with that same service culture even as it launces what is likely to be the age of technology.The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and designed by Joel Bergman. It opened in November 1989 and was the first resort that was built with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds. It was built on the site, formerly occupied by the Castaways and previous to that, the Red Rooster Nite Club. The Mirage was the most expensive hotel-casino in history, with a construction cost of US $630 million. The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold dust used in the tinting process. Hotels employ a many people with a variety of skills.Hotels have plumbers, accountants, bartenders, cooks, grounds managers, telecommunications experts, and computer trouble shooters. Depending on the s ize of the hotel will determine how many different specialists are required to work there. Managing all of the different types of people requires a organizational structure. The general manager is the person responsible for everything that happens at the hotel. Because hotels never close and are open 24 hours a day, some hotels use a rotating management schedule to cover the night, weekend and holiday periods.The general manager supervises and controls all of the departments in the hotel. The Food and Beverage Manager works with the Front Office in close coordination. They deal with the production and service of food and beverage. Food production is headed by a Chef, or Executive Chef. Services range from in room service, restaurant, the bar, and banquet and convention services. Every department that services guests falls within the responsibility of the hotel manager. The hotel manager deals with every service except for Food and Beverage. The hotel manager reports to the General M anager.Some of the most important areas of the hotel manager’s responsibility are the uniformed services, the concierge, telephone, and other departments. Hotel manager oversees the Uniformed Services department. This has included traditional jobs such as baggage porters, transportation clerks, elevator operators, bellpersons and door attendants. In recent years however, this area of the hotel industry that is on decline. Several reasons include the fact that guests travel lighter todaythan before, suitcases have wheels, and fewer pieces of luggage means fewer trips from the car to the hotel room, meaning less demand for uniformed services.In addition, because of minimum wage laws, these non-essential services are being cut. The Concierge is another department that the Hotel Manager oversees. The concierge is position that is mandated by an organization called The International Union of Concierges, in Paris, France. In Canada, this organization is called Les Clefs d’or Canada. Members wear the Golden Keys as their symbol of professionalism. Before hotels started using electronic key cards the concierge was the person responsible for guarding the hotel’s keys. Today the role of the concierge includes many duties.The Front Office is an easily identifiable area of the lobby. Functionally it is the heart of the hotel. Through the front desk flows communications with every department of the hotel. The primary purpose of the hotel is to sell rooms. For large hotels room sales account for half of the hotel’s revenue. For smaller hotels, room sales account for almost all of the hotel’s revenue. Hotel guests relate with the front desk. They go to the front desk to have all of their concerns and needs met. It is the primary guest-service centre. Structure of the Front Office and Working Hours: The front office is located in the hotel lobby.Front-desk computers have greatly reduced the amount of space the front office occupies. This has allowed for new lobby designs. A well designed lobby functions like a town centre. Modern lobbies are ideal for networking, they offer small furniture that allows for privacy for cell-phone use, as well as intimacy for cocktail gatherings. Regardless, the lobby design must provide easy access to the front office. Modern front desk design allows for impressing the guest. Factors such lighting, form, materials, and architecture are used to enhance the guest’s experience.Some front desks are nudged into lobby corners while others are lobby’s focal point. Whichever design is used, the front desk needs to provide security to the employees and to the guests. Security is enhanced when the front office employees have an unobstructed view of the lobby, all entry doors, and elevators. Hotels never close, so structure is very important. Work schedules in hotels must provide around the clock staffing, especially at the front desk. There are three main shifts in most hotels, the D ay Shift, the Swing Shift, and the Graveyard Shift.Most employees work an eight hour shift, five days a week, with two days off per week. Most employees prefer the Day Shift, which runs from 7:30am to 3:30pm. It allows for the usual workweek. Bellpersons prefer to work the swing shift, which runs from 3:30pm to 11:30pm. During this shift is when arrivals and tips are the heaviest. The graveyard shift runs from 11:30pm to 7:30am. This shift has the least guest activity, but it is important because it is when the night audit is completed. Building structure is also very important. If a hotel isn’t feasible to the eyes it will be passed up.Hotels in North America have changed considerably in recent years. Typically, these changes have been seen since the 1950’s. Changes in room sizes, amenities, and bed sizes. Another interesting feature about building structure are the cultural differences found in room and floor numbering. The Mirage isn’t like any other hotel, b ut in the same light it is. The attractions, the famous Volcano, the rooms, the restaurants and the staff are all different from other hotels/casinos and resorts, but the structure of this modern hotel is almost identical to any other hotel.Besides its construction, it is also considered noteworthy because it had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and is also considered the father of today’s Las Vegas. The Mirage was the first hotel casino to use security cameras full time. Prior to the Mirage’s arrival the city was experiencing a decline in tourism that began in the 70’s. The Mirage is an organization that visualized dealing with customers in terms of a cycle of service, a repeatable sequence of events in which various people try to meet the customer needs and expectations at each point.When a customer considers the services that they required complete, it begins anew when he or she decides to come back for more. Works Cited James A. Bardi, Ed. D. , CHA, CHE â€Å"Hotel Front Office Management† John Wiley ; Sons Inc. 2007 Gary K. Vallen, Jerome J. Vallen â€Å" Check-In Check-Out: Managing Hotel Operation, March 2008 MGM Resorts International â€Å"The Mirage. com† 2013 Arnold M. Knightly â€Å"Blink and You’ll Miss Him† Las Vegas Review-Journal February 2007 Norm Clarke â€Å"Mystere† June 2003