دانلود کتاب راه‌اندازی یک کسب و کار هتل‌داری موفق

As a new dawn of artificial intelligence looms, there are those who keenly antici‑pate its potential benefits and those who fear what it will do to the jobs of trained, skilled creatives and technicians. With justification, some fear the Terminator‑esque moment military hardware becomes self‑aware, causing even pillars of the tech community to call for the brakes to be applied, at least until we can better under‑stand the potential impacts and build in the necessary safeguards. Yet the troll farms and intelligence services of nefarious nations press on regardless, seeing only the opportunity to leapfrog their adversaries and disrupt what is left of the liberal, democratic and civilised world. Whatever happens tomorrow, the truth is, AI is already here today, and it has the power to advance and/or decimate whole industries in equal measure. At the same time, and by most accounts there is a pandemic of isolation, which is only likely to increase as more is done remotely or by machines working autonomously. A lack of interpersonal human contact creates loneliness that has recently been identified as the single greatest factor influencing longevity of life, worse than smoking or obesity. For the sake of say‑ing it and in case you were wondering if this book was part of some elaborate AI smokescreen, I can assure you I am a human, who is entirely less intelligent than a machine, but who has over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry.
Despite what might appear to be a gloomy outlook, I am very positive about the future and believe it is bright for humankind. My trust is founded, at least in part on the ingenuity and hard work of budding hospitality entrepreneurs, like you. What gives me these grounds for optimism are twofold. Firstly, I firmly believe in Joseph Schumpeter’s Gales of Creative Destruction – the principle that good can come from the seemingly bad, indeed the destruction and replacement of old practices is a necessary and vital consequence of innovation. Oft‑quoted exam‑ples include the introduction of the production line to manufacturing by Henry Ford, or the rise and fall of the US rail industry. Having largely replaced stage coaches for long‑distance travel, rail became the preferred mode of transport for transcontinental journeys. The industry saw no challenge to its dominant posi‑tion, until the introduction of commercial airflights, which pretty much wiped it out overnight (aside from the transportation of bulky materials). A more contem‑porary tale might be the near total destruction of celluloid film by the arrival of digital cameras and smartphones. Whichever example resonates for you, what’s worth remembering is that at its core, Creative Destruction is dependent on four factors: innovation, competition, entrepreneurial spirit and capital or investment. Firms and individuals need to be ready to invest in change, and sometimes it can take considerable financial risk when you’re radically changing an entire system or practice. The second reason for my optimism, is the nature of humanity and our need for authentic interpersonal relations. When people visit their local bar, they’re rarely doing so because they’re in a life or death struggle to find food, water and shelter. No, they’re there to interact with other humans. These hu‑mans gather together and are united by common purpose, and however subtly, loosely or ephemerally, a group establishes. This group forming behaviour is part of our very being. Membership of a group provides safety, support and comfort to individuals, as well as affording the opportunity for information collection and personal comparison. In turn, we gain understanding of ourselves and our place in the world, determining our social identity, our sense of self and importantly, satisfying our need to belong. Most of us instinctively know how important group acceptance is, and feel uncomfortable just at the thought of rejection. Studies have shown that deliberate exclusion (ostracism) is highly stressful, potentially resulting in confusion, depression and aggression. Magnetic resonance imaging of ostracised subjects’ brains, suggests increased activity in the areas of the cortex associated with the experience of physical pain.