Gender Equality and a Male’s Perspective in Leila Aboulela’s Short Stories
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jida Al-Mazrouei
G00046466
Gender Equality: A Male’s Perspective
ENG 215, SEC 01 – American University of Sharjah
[Due Date
[Try to adhere to APA formatting of the coversheet; I have also edited your header.]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abstract
Leila Abdulla’s [Aboulela’s] The Ostrich “The Ostrich” [titles of short stories and articles should be between quotation marks and not italicized] (2001,2005) [spacing; correct all below] is a short story about a Sudanese man living in the UK who struggles with his identity. All he wants is to be accepted by society as well as behave like them. His personal issues cause him to be harsh towards his wife at times because she is a constant reminder of his nationality and traditions as she also comes from Sudan. Abdulla’s The Boy from The Kebab Shop (2001,2005) [Aboulela’s “The Boy from the Kebaba Shop” (2001, 2005)], also a short story, is about two mixed race young adults, Dina and Kadeem [Kassim], and the difference in their behavior towards their traditions and religion. The story also shows the struggles Kadeem [correct the spelling of Kassim in the essay] faces because of his parent’s very different nationalities. The final short story that I will be discussing, also by Abdulla is The Museum (2001,2005). This story is about a Nigerian [Sudanese] upper class university student and her classmate Bryan. This story also describes Sharia’s [Shadia’s] [try to get the names of the characters right] struggles with her appearance and her views about people who come from a lower social class than she does. This paper will describe the problems both the male and female characters in these short stories face, the main point of discussing both sexes is to make readers aware that males face the same self insecurities and issues that women face. [You need some theory articles on masculinity to use as a lens – white masculinity such as Bryan’s and Arab/African such as Majdy’s. You might also consider articles on patriarchy, especially in relation to Majdy.]
Keywords: The Ostrich, The Boy from The Kebab Shop, The Museum, males, insecurities.
[Moderate effort with abstract; watch out for high and low-order concerns.]
[Title required here again – see sample APA paper.]
Introduction
Leila Abdulla, is a Sudanese writer is [and] the author of these short stories [discussed in this essay] from her collection Colored Lights (2001, 2005). She was born in 1964 in Cairo, [;] her mother was Egyptian and her father was Sudanese. When she was still in [an] infant her parents moved her to Khartoum, Sudan, and she lived there until 1987. She studied at the Khartoum American School and at the Sisters’ School, a private Catholic High school where she learned English. She then continued her education at the University of Khartoum with a degree in Statistics. She then Travelled to the UK where she was awarded a M.Sc. and an MPhil in Statistics from the London School of Economics. She began her journey of writing in 1992 when she started working as a lecturer in Aberdeen College and later as a Research Assistant in Aberdeen University (provide an in-text citation for the source of this information; in addition, list this source in your references page). The three short stories I will be discussing from her collection The Colored Lights discuss characters that come from different cultural backgrounds and how they manage to make themselves comfortable and feel at home. [Provide a hint of your thesis – male insecurity.] [Moderate effort with introduction; edit for high and low-order concerns.]
 
Summary
The Ostrich Describes a Sudanese man, Majdy’s, self identity problems. He is ashamed of his race, nationality, [and] culture, while on the other hand his wife does not have a problem with her appearance or her cultural background. His inner conflicts cause him to act unfairly towards his wife at times. Further along in the story his wife constantly had flashbacks of “The Ostrich,” who represented her classmate. The Ostrich on the other hand, had once complimented her appearance and never gave her reason for self doubt. He [Her husband, Majdy, on the other hand,] is very desperate to show that although he is Arab and dark-skinned, he can still be “modern.”. [period inside – American versus Commonwealth punctuation] He has a love-hate relationship with his wife because she is a reflection of him. Right in the beginning of the story he says, “You look like something from the third world.” (Abdulla, 2001, p. 35). [Commendable effort with summary points; watch out for a significant level of low-order concerns and be sure to take advantage of the services offered by the Writing Center before submitting your work. Going forward, I will mainly focus on high-order concerns.] This proves that he gets angry when he sees his wife because she reminds him of his roots which is something he is not proud of. Sumra thinks about the Ostrich every now and then when she feels distant from her husband. Towards the end of the story when she hears that the ostrich is married she feels slightly envious of his new bride (Aboulela, 2001, pp. #-#). [Provide in-text citations at the end of each summary paragraph with a page span of each short story in the collection.]
The Boy from The Kebab Shop tells a story about Kaseem and Dina, two mixed race young adults and the confusions they face about their culture, mostly Kaseem. Dina lived more freely although she was a female, was more outgoing. Kaseem lived a stricter life, was more shy, quiet although they had similar nationalities. Dina’s mom was Egyptian and her dad was Scottish, Kaseem’s mom was Scottish and his dad was Moroccan. His nationality seemed to hold him back, he was mostly comfortable with making Arab friends at school. In this story Aboulela portrayed the male character as the more vulnerable sensitive one and the female main character as more outgoing and open to new ideas and change. It was also interesting to see how Dina was intrigued to learn more about her religion after seeing how closely Kaseem followed his religion, and bumping into him while he was praying. This story expresses one of the difficulties or confusions males can have in their lives (cite).
            The museum tells a story about a high class Sudanese student Shadia studying abroad and her strange friendship with a Scottish student Bryan. Shadia is the one approaches Bryan for his statistics notes. Later on in the story Bryan invites her to a museum to have a look at a display about Africa, although she was hesitant at first because she is engaged she agreed to go. Shadia was surprised to discover that “Nothing was of her, nothing belonged to her life at home, what she missed. Here was Europe’s vision, the clichés about Africa: cold and old” (2001, p.115). The same way Shadia was quick to judge Bryan just because he did not come from a wealthy background, the museum was very stereotypical how they portrayed Africa. However, Bryan that the way Africa was portrayed in the museum is not the real Africa, and gave Shadia a chance to explain but she stayed quiet (cite). [Rephrase for better clarity and flow.] This story showed me how at times males can be victims of misrepresentation. [Avoid response in summary section.] [Commendable effort with summary points; watch out for a significant level of low-order concerns.]
Thesis
Most of us are aware of issues females deal with such as sexism, [;] however, in this paper I will be looking at the other side, and will explain some of the struggles male[s] deal with. Some of these struggles [They] include conflicts with self identity, judgement because of their wealth status [/class] and even because of their culture or religion. At times males are judged more harshly because society has a lot of expectations from them. For example, most societies expect men to be confident, without realizing that they are humans who may have personal issues of their own and may be going through struggles. Society usually expects men to behave in a masculine manner, where crying is frowned upon or revealing their true feelings is seen as feminine, [;] that on its own is a struggle. [Interesting thesis; you, however, need to beef it up with a theoretical source/lens on masculinity or a related matter. Please do some research on Summons/JSTOR/MLA databases or visit the research help desk in the library. In addition, please read sample essays on iLearn and see how the theoretical source/angle is linked to the various theses statements.]
Literature Review and Theoretical Overview
[A literature review and theoretical overview – about 1-2 pages – is missing. Who else has written about masculinity in regard to Aboulela’s works and what did they say? What new insight does your work/essay provide? What theoretical lens could you use to beef up your thesis and critical analysis? Consider Fanon’s Black Skin, White Mask and provide a brief overview of relevant material.]
Response
In The Ostrich Majdy acts unfairly towards his wife at times but that is only because he deals with self identity problems on a daily basis, he is constantly in a battle with himself because he does not feel worthy enough to be living among white people. [You might consider Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Mask as a theoretical lens in regard to Majdy’s racial identity problems. I have attached it to this e-mail.] His Sudanese wife is a mirror image of his culture background so it seems that there is a love hate relationship, especially because she seems to be proud of her origins and who she is. Sumra, Majdy’s wife does not understand her husband’s bitterness and takes it personally, but if she had looked deeper she might be able to help him open his eyes and realize that he should be proud of who he is. Sumra reflects back to her former classmate” The Ostrich” from time to time especially on the days where she does not feel appreciated enough by Majdy. “I was wrong to return. All the laughter and confidence has been left behind.” ( 2001, p. 41). [Interesting discussion in support of thesis; it would be stronger with theory from Fanon. In addition, edit for low-order concerns.] [Shift of discussion point – new paragraph.] Although forcing her to remove her headscarf is frowned upon in general, there is pain behind his decision, Majdy is desperate for acceptance by the “white British” that he does not want them to automatically assume that Sumra is scarfed because he forced her to, it is a daily battle for Mjady to have all these thoughts going on in his mind. In Kaseem’s mind he is trapped between following the religion he was taught as a child and being frowned upon by the british society he is currenty living in. [Interesting discussion here; consider getting a research article on the politics of the hijab/veil in the UK/Europe, the husband/male factor, and issues of perceptions in regard to oppression of women and men’s role in this. This could strengthen your response point.]
In the short story The Boy from The Kebab Shop, the main characters are Kaseem and Dina. They are both children of mixed cultural parents and have different struggles of discovering their identity. Kaseem in specific has difficulties staying close to his religion yet still being curious when he finds himself attracted to Dina, a frequent visitor of the kebab shop that he works in. Kaseem feels more comfortable with Arab students because of his shy personality. “But he made friends with some of the other boys in class, Arab boys who recognized his name straight away.” (2001, p. 58) However, his struggles had a good turn when they influenced Dina and intrigued her to try to become more in touch with her religion. She was curious about her religion when she bumped into Kaseem performing prayers at the staff room of the kebab shop. Although they both came from similar backgrounds they had very different mentalities and it was interesting to read how Aboulela showed both the male and female’s side to the story. Usually people who are interested in feminism and are very strict followers tend to look past the struggles males might endure and struggle with, weather they are young adults or grown men. [Flesh out Karim’s struggles some more, especially in regard to finding/making friends, finding a mentor/father figure, and finding a woman to love with similar cultural/religious/moral sentiments.]
In The Museum was very intriguing to (Aboulela, 2001) read because of how Aboulela portrayed the male character as the victim of judgement and stereotype. When Shadia found out about Bryan’s parents work and financial status she immediately judged him and viewed herself too good for him, although she is the one who pursued a friendship in order to have notes for statistics after hearing that Bryan is intelligent. The same way some women are judged by society and are expected to behave a certain way, men deal with struggles of their own as well. On the other hand, when Bryan invite Shadia to a trip to the museum she was speechless of how wrong they portrayed Africa, and although Bryan knew it was wrongly viewed and Africa has so much more to offer he gave her a chance to explain more about her roots. It is true that we hear a lot about how unfairly women are treated and that they do not have the same rights as men, this increases the pressure on men to always maintain a perfect image. [Try to develop Bryan’s struggles some more; find an article on class in Scotland as well as research on the challenges of interracial love/relationships, especially on a white man such as Bryan and the resistance he might face in his own or the girl’s community. Consider the aftereffects of colonialism as well, which make the relationship between Shadia and Bryan more complicated. Theory article on these issues would beef up your analysis of Bryan and his relationship with Shadia.]
Conclusion
Before judging anyone, weather it is a man or woman we must think outside the box and think about the reason someone may behave in a certain manner. Everyone deals with their own struggles behind closed doors and unfortunately we live in a world that is very quick to judge without giving people the benefit of the doubt. Men deal with struggles just as women do, perhaps not the same, however that does not make them less painful or difficult to deal with. Some of the struggles males face include conflicts with self identity, judgement because of their wealth status and even because of their culture or religion or maybe even race. [Moderate effort with conclusion; it will resonate better after the aforementioned revision suggestions as well as attention to low-order concerns.]
 
Sources: [References]
(Aboulela, Coloured lights , 2001) [List the Aboulela sources using APA documentation style.]
[You need a few more sources to list, mainly research articles in support of your response points; research articles from your literature review, which is missing; and at least one theory/critical article, which you use as a lens to read Aboulela’s work.]
 
Dear Jida,
 
Thank you for sharing your essay. I looked forward to receiving a more refined version after
 
revision.
 
Essay Grade = 70% + 4% Extra Credit = 74% = 59.2/80
 
Quiz Grade = 41% = 8.2/20
 
Overall Grade = 59.2 + 8.2 = 67.4% D
 
Best wishes,
 
Lily
Grading color codes:
 
 
 
 
Additional Comments:
 
 
 
 
Please see an explanation of essay grades [A to F] below.
Core Components & Multiple Trait Rubric for the Literary Critical Paper
 
Revision Policy:
Revision is required. The act of going to the Writing Center alone does not merit a grade by itself. It is merely a stage in the revision process. A student has to implement the recommendations of the Writing Center/peer reviewer as well as my own original detailed comments or issues discussed during conferences. Revisions have to be comprehensive to merit a grade increase.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gender Equality and a Male’s Perspective in Leila Aboulela’s Short Stories
Jida Al-Mazrouei
G00046466
Gender Equality: A Male’s Perspective
ENG 215, SEC 01 – American University of Sharjah
[Due Date
[Try to adhere to APA formatting of the coversheet; I have also edited your header.]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abstract
Leila Abdulla’s [Aboulela’s] The Ostrich “The Ostrich” [titles of short stories and articles should be between quotation marks and not italicized] (2001,2005) [spacing; correct all below] is a short story about a Sudanese man living in the UK who struggles with his identity. All he wants is to be accepted by society as well as behave like them. His personal issues cause him to be harsh towards his wife at times because she is a constant reminder of his nationality and traditions as she also comes from Sudan. Abdulla’s The Boy from The Kebab Shop (2001,2005) [Aboulela’s “The Boy from the Kebaba Shop” (2001, 2005)], also a short story, is about two mixed race young adults, Dina and Kadeem [Kassim], and the difference in their behavior towards their traditions and religion. The story also shows the struggles Kadeem [correct the spelling of Kassim in the essay] faces because of his parent’s very different nationalities. The final short story that I will be discussing, also by Abdulla is The Museum (2001,2005). This story is about a Nigerian [Sudanese] upper class university student and her classmate Bryan. This story also describes Sharia’s [Shadia’s] [try to get the names of the characters right] struggles with her appearance and her views about people who come from a lower social class than she does. This paper will describe the problems both the male and female characters in these short stories face, the main point of discussing both sexes is to make readers aware that males face the same self insecurities and issues that women face. [You need some theory articles on masculinity to use as a lens – white masculinity such as Bryan’s and Arab/African such as Majdy’s. You might also consider articles on patriarchy, especially in relation to Majdy.]
Keywords: The Ostrich, The Boy from The Kebab Shop, The Museum, males, insecurities.
[Moderate effort with abstract; watch out for high and low-order concerns.]
[Title required here again – see sample APA paper.]
Introduction
Leila Abdulla, is a Sudanese writer is [and] the author of these short stories [discussed in this essay] from her collection Colored Lights (2001, 2005). She was born in 1964 in Cairo, [;] her mother was Egyptian and her father was Sudanese. When she was still in [an] infant her parents moved her to Khartoum, Sudan, and she lived there until 1987. She studied at the Khartoum American School and at the Sisters’ School, a private Catholic High school where she learned English. She then continued her education at the University of Khartoum with a degree in Statistics. She then Travelled to the UK where she was awarded a M.Sc. and an MPhil in Statistics from the London School of Economics. She began her journey of writing in 1992 when she started working as a lecturer in Aberdeen College and later as a Research Assistant in Aberdeen University (provide an in-text citation for the source of this information; in addition, list this source in your references page). The three short stories I will be discussing from her collection The Colored Lights discuss characters that come from different cultural backgrounds and how they manage to make themselves comfortable and feel at home. [Provide a hint of your thesis – male insecurity.] [Moderate effort with introduction; edit for high and low-order concerns.]
 
Summary
The Ostrich Describes a Sudanese man, Majdy’s, self identity problems. He is ashamed of his race, nationality, [and] culture, while on the other hand his wife does not have a problem with her appearance or her cultural background. His inner conflicts cause him to act unfairly towards his wife at times. Further along in the story his wife constantly had flashbacks of “The Ostrich,” who represented her classmate. The Ostrich on the other hand, had once complimented her appearance and never gave her reason for self doubt. He [Her husband, Majdy, on the other hand,] is very desperate to show that although he is Arab and dark-skinned, he can still be “modern.”. [period inside – American versus Commonwealth punctuation] He has a love-hate relationship with his wife because she is a reflection of him. Right in the beginning of the story he says, “You look like something from the third world.” (Abdulla, 2001, p. 35). [Commendable effort with summary points; watch out for a significant level of low-order concerns and be sure to take advantage of the services offered by the Writing Center before submitting your work. Going forward, I will mainly focus on high-order concerns.] This proves that he gets angry when he sees his wife because she reminds him of his roots which is something he is not proud of. Sumra thinks about the Ostrich every now and then when she feels distant from her husband. Towards the end of the story when she hears that the ostrich is married she feels slightly envious of his new bride (Aboulela, 2001, pp. #-#). [Provide in-text citations at the end of each summary paragraph with a page span of each short story in the collection.]
The Boy from The Kebab Shop tells a story about Kaseem and Dina, two mixed race young adults and the confusions they face about their culture, mostly Kaseem. Dina lived more freely although she was a female, was more outgoing. Kaseem lived a stricter life, was more shy, quiet although they had similar nationalities. Dina’s mom was Egyptian and her dad was Scottish, Kaseem’s mom was Scottish and his dad was Moroccan. His nationality seemed to hold him back, he was mostly comfortable with making Arab friends at school. In this story Aboulela portrayed the male character as the more vulnerable sensitive one and the female main character as more outgoing and open to new ideas and change. It was also interesting to see how Dina was intrigued to learn more about her religion after seeing how closely Kaseem followed his religion, and bumping into him while he was praying. This story expresses one of the difficulties or confusions males can have in their lives (cite).
            The museum tells a story about a high class Sudanese student Shadia studying abroad and her strange friendship with a Scottish student Bryan. Shadia is the one approaches Bryan for his statistics notes. Later on in the story Bryan invites her to a museum to have a look at a display about Africa, although she was hesitant at first because she is engaged she agreed to go. Shadia was surprised to discover that “Nothing was of her, nothing belonged to her life at home, what she missed. Here was Europe’s vision, the clichés about Africa: cold and old” (2001, p.115). The same way Shadia was quick to judge Bryan just because he did not come from a wealthy background, the museum was very stereotypical how they portrayed Africa. However, Bryan that the way Africa was portrayed in the museum is not the real Africa, and gave Shadia a chance to explain but she stayed quiet (cite). [Rephrase for better clarity and flow.] This story showed me how at times males can be victims of misrepresentation. [Avoid response in summary section.] [Commendable effort with summary points; watch out for a significant level of low-order concerns.]
Thesis
Most of us are aware of issues females deal with such as sexism, [;] however, in this paper I will be looking at the other side, and will explain some of the struggles male[s] deal with. Some of these struggles [They] include conflicts with self identity, judgement because of their wealth status [/class] and even because of their culture or religion. At times males are judged more harshly because society has a lot of expectations from them. For example, most societies expect men to be confident, without realizing that they are humans who may have personal issues of their own and may be going through struggles. Society usually expects men to behave in a masculine manner, where crying is frowned upon or revealing their true feelings is seen as feminine, [;] that on its own is a struggle. [Interesting thesis; you, however, need to beef it up with a theoretical source/lens on masculinity or a related matter. Please do some research on Summons/JSTOR/MLA databases or visit the research help desk in the library. In addition, please read sample essays on iLearn and see how the theoretical source/angle is linked to the various theses statements.]
Literature Review and Theoretical Overview
[A literature review and theoretical overview – about 1-2 pages – is missing. Who else has written about masculinity in regard to Aboulela’s works and what did they say? What new insight does your work/essay provide? What theoretical lens could you use to beef up your thesis and critical analysis? Consider Fanon’s Black Skin, White Mask and provide a brief overview of relevant material.]
Response
In The Ostrich Majdy acts unfairly towards his wife at times but that is only because he deals with self identity problems on a daily basis, he is constantly in a battle with himself because he does not feel worthy enough to be living among white people. [You might consider Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Mask as a theoretical lens in regard to Majdy’s racial identity problems. I have attached it to this e-mail.] His Sudanese wife is a mirror image of his culture background so it seems that there is a love hate relationship, especially because she seems to be proud of her origins and who she is. Sumra, Majdy’s wife does not understand her husband’s bitterness and takes it personally, but if she had looked deeper she might be able to help him open his eyes and realize that he should be proud of who he is. Sumra reflects back to her former classmate” The Ostrich” from time to time especially on the days where she does not feel appreciated enough by Majdy. “I was wrong to return. All the laughter and confidence has been left behind.” ( 2001, p. 41). [Interesting discussion in support of thesis; it would be stronger with theory from Fanon. In addition, edit for low-order concerns.] [Shift of discussion point – new paragraph.] Although forcing her to remove her headscarf is frowned upon in general, there is pain behind his decision, Majdy is desperate for acceptance by the “white British” that he does not want them to automatically assume that Sumra is scarfed because he forced her to, it is a daily battle for Mjady to have all these thoughts going on in his mind. In Kaseem’s mind he is trapped between following the religion he was taught as a child and being frowned upon by the british society he is currenty living in. [Interesting discussion here; consider getting a research article on the politics of the hijab/veil in the UK/Europe, the husband/male factor, and issues of perceptions in regard to oppression of women and men’s role in this. This could strengthen your response point.]
In the short story The Boy from The Kebab Shop, the main characters are Kaseem and Dina. They are both children of mixed cultural parents and have different struggles of discovering their identity. Kaseem in specific has difficulties staying close to his religion yet still being curious when he finds himself attracted to Dina, a frequent visitor of the kebab shop that he works in. Kaseem feels more comfortable with Arab students because of his shy personality. “But he made friends with some of the other boys in class, Arab boys who recognized his name straight away.” (2001, p. 58) However, his struggles had a good turn when they influenced Dina and intrigued her to try to become more in touch with her religion. She was curious about her religion when she bumped into Kaseem performing prayers at the staff room of the kebab shop. Although they both came from similar backgrounds they had very different mentalities and it was interesting to read how Aboulela showed both the male and female’s side to the story. Usually people who are interested in feminism and are very strict followers tend to look past the struggles males might endure and struggle with, weather they are young adults or grown men. [Flesh out Karim’s struggles some more, especially in regard to finding/making friends, finding a mentor/father figure, and finding a woman to love with similar cultural/religious/moral sentiments.]
In The Museum was very intriguing to (Aboulela, 2001) read because of how Aboulela portrayed the male character as the victim of judgement and stereotype. When Shadia found out about Bryan’s parents work and financial status she immediately judged him and viewed herself too good for him, although she is the one who pursued a friendship in order to have notes for statistics after hearing that Bryan is intelligent. The same way some women are judged by society and are expected to behave a certain way, men deal with struggles of their own as well. On the other hand, when Bryan invite Shadia to a trip to the museum she was speechless of how wrong they portrayed Africa, and although Bryan knew it was wrongly viewed and Africa has so much more to offer he gave her a chance to explain more about her roots. It is true that we hear a lot about how unfairly women are treated and that they do not have the same rights as men, this increases the pressure on men to always maintain a perfect image. [Try to develop Bryan’s struggles some more; find an article on class in Scotland as well as research on the challenges of interracial love/relationships, especially on a white man such as Bryan and the resistance he might face in his own or the girl’s community. Consider the aftereffects of colonialism as well, which make the relationship between Shadia and Bryan more complicated. Theory article on these issues would beef up your analysis of Bryan and his relationship with Shadia.]
Conclusion
Before judging anyone, weather it is a man or woman we must think outside the box and think about the reason someone may behave in a certain manner. Everyone deals with their own struggles behind closed doors and unfortunately we live in a world that is very quick to judge without giving people the benefit of the doubt. Men deal with struggles just as women do, perhaps not the same, however that does not make them less painful or difficult to deal with. Some of the struggles males face include conflicts with self identity, judgement because of their wealth status and even because of their culture or religion or maybe even race. [Moderate effort with conclusion; it will resonate better after the aforementioned revision suggestions as well as attention to low-order concerns.]
 
Sources: [References]
(Aboulela, Coloured lights , 2001) [List the Aboulela sources using APA documentation style.]
[You need a few more sources to list, mainly research articles in support of your response points; research articles from your literature review, which is missing; and at least one theory/critical article, which you use as a lens to read Aboulela’s work.]
 
Dear Jida,
 
Thank you for sharing your essay. I looked forward to receiving a more refined version after
 
revision.
 
Essay Grade = 70% + 4% Extra Credit = 74% = 59.2/80
 
Quiz Grade = 41% = 8.2/20
 
Overall Grade = 59.2 + 8.2 = 67.4% D
 
Best wishes,
 
Lily
Grading color codes:
 
 
 
 
Additional Comments:
 
 
 
 
Please see an explanation of essay grades [A to F] below.
Core Components & Multiple Trait Rubric for the Literary Critical Paper
 
Revision Policy:
Revision is required. The act of going to the Writing Center alone does not merit a grade by itself. It is merely a stage in the revision process. A student has to implement the recommendations of the Writing Center/peer reviewer as well as my own original detailed comments or issues discussed during conferences. Revisions have to be comprehensive to merit a grade increase.
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Define supply in the context of tourism
A. Access the “Hotel Industry Foundations” STR MS Power Point presentation in the NRRT 602 folder under the “Classes” directory on the HDNR N: Drive. The entire presentation is there for your reference, but for this exercise, begin with Part 4 “Benchmarking,” (beginning on Slide #161). After reviewing the power point slides, briefly answer the Discussion questions for Part 4 listed on slide # 200.
B. Next, access the STR “Hotel Foundation Application Exercises” spreadsheet under the NRRT 602 folder on the N: Drive. This spreadsheet contains tabbed workbooks that include the entire Nashville hotel market (where STR is headquartered), a series of example or “subject” hotels, and the Nashville Hotel “Census.” Follow the steps in the “Application Exercise,” beginning on Slide #201 in the Power Point, to identify a “Subject” hotel and establish a competitive set for that property. For your assignment, identify and describe the key attributes of your subject hotel, as well as the key attributes of at least five competitive hotels in the Nashville market. Describe according to the process outlined how you selected these specific hotels.
Part II Subject Hotel Performance Metrics and Competitive Set Comparisons (20 Points). The second part of the assignment works through “subject” and “competitive set” (comp set) data to calculate and compare basic performance analytic metrics or Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), such as average daily rate (ADR), occupancy rate (OCC), and revenue per available room (REVPAR). This application of competitive analytics is the process of comparing your subject property performance, period over period (monthly in this case), against the aggregated performance data of your competitive set. To begin, access the “Hotel Math Fundamentals” MS Power Point slides in the NRRT 602 Class Folder on the N: Drive and save a copy of the spreadsheet to your computer, saving as yourname_NRRT602_IWA1.
A. After reviewing the Hotel Math Fundamentals MS Power Point for Part 1: Property Data, briefly answer the Discussion Questions listed on Slide #45.
B. Next, access the “Prop Raw Data” (Monthly data) tab in the “Math Fundamentals Application Exercises” spreadsheet, on the NRRT 602 Folder on the N: Drive. Using the operations outlined in the Power Point regarding an individual “subject” hotel property calculations, complete Application Exercise #1 (Slide #46) to calculate the Average Daily Rate (ADR), Occupancy (OCC), and Revenue per Available Room (REVPAR) for a sample “subject” property. The data provided is an example set and not necessarily from the hotel that you selected in Part I.
C. Next, after reviewing the Hotel Math Fundamentals MS Power Point for Part 2: “Competitive Set Data,” briefly answer the Discussion Questions (Slide #94).
D. Finally, access the “Subject & Comp set Raw Data” tab in the “Math Fundamentals Application Exercises” spreadsheet as above. Using the operations outlined in the Power Point regarding Comp Set calculations, complete Application Exercise #1 (Slides 95-97) to calculate the KPI’s for your competitive set and then estimating your subject property’s position in comparison to the comp set by calculating the competitive index for each key performance indicator (KPI).
Part III Demand Forecasting. (50 Points). The third part of the assignment asks you to perform a series of forecast exercises using STR performance data for a subject hotel that illustrates different approaches to forecasting. During your NRRT 650 course, Dr. Bright went through these various techniques for forecasting performance. I have provided a PDF of the Entrepreneurial Finance, Adelman (2009), Chapter 6 “Forecasting and Proforma Financial Statements,” from Dr. Bright’s course, available in the NRRT 602 Folder under the Classes directory on the HDNR N: Drive. In this exercise, you will use STR data from a particular property to determine the best method for your forecast.
After reviewing Adelman, Chapter 6, begin by once again accessing your saved copy of “Math Fundamentals Exercises” spreadsheet in the NRRT 602 folder under the “Classes” directory on the HDNR N: Drive. Then open the “Prop Raw Data” tabbed workbook. This workbook provides you with four years of monthly “Supply,” “Demand,” and “Revenue” performance data for an individual subject hotel property ranging from January 2008 through December 2012. You will use this monthly performance data to perform three different types of forecasting calculations in order to determine which forecast model results in the best fit, or yields the lowest “Mean Absolute Value Deviation” (MAD) from the actual performance over these four years. Each model will project a forecast and you will examine each in terms of the Mean Absolute Value Deviation (MAD) for the forecast from actual to determine which forecast model provides the best fit, or most accurate approximation of performance in future years.
Perform the following analyses. Reference the Adelman chapter and the Regression power point provided for help.
A. Perform a three month moving average forecast calculation. Using the monthly data provided for an individual subject property, month by month from January 2008 to December 2012, follow these steps:
1. Insert a column next to the Revenue column and name the new column Dem_3MMA (Demand_three month moving average). Calculate this by accessing the third row of data (row four with labels) and adding the first, second and third rows of demand data and dividing by 3 (200801+200802+200803/3). Copy the Excel formula for this equation into the cells in this column through 201212 and then one row beyond. In the YYYYMM column, add additional dates for 2013: 201301 through and 201312. Once you have determined which method of forecast is the best, you can calculate a forecast for 2013 by extending the selected forecast of demand through 2013, month by month.
2. Next, insert a column next to Dem_3MMA and label it Dem_Deviation; and a column next to that labeled ABS_DemDev. In Dem_Deviation column, row #3, next to the first figure for Dem_3MMA, calculate the difference (deviation) of your forecasted amount and the actual demand (Dem_3MMA (-) Demand). Copy and paste this formula in the Dem_Deviation column through the row for 201212. Then calculate the absolute value deviation by using the ABS function in Excel placed before the formula from the Dem_Deviation column. Copy and paste this formula into the ABS_DemDev column in rows through the row for the 201212 period. Now calculate the mean for the entire ABS_Dem column in the cell just below the last row of data. This gives you the mean of the absolute value of the deviation of the 3 month moving average forecast, and the actual demand numbers in the original dataset.
This is the indicator used in the Adelman chapter to compare forecast methods. I like to use a percentage difference. You can calculate this on a monthly basis just like the percentage change in the earlier exercises by subtracting the Demand column (last year) numbers from the Regression estimate (this year) numbers each month and dividing by the Demand number.
Calculating Percentage Deviation This year – Last year
Last year
Calculate the percentage deviation for the MAD for easier comparison. Apply the formula above to the calculated mean of the Demand column (last year) and the calculated mean of the Forecast estimate numbers Dem_3MMA (this year). This gives you the MAD % Deviation. An easier number to compare the percentage difference between the deviation between actual demand and forecast demand for each model.
B. Perform a “weighted” three month moving average forecast calculation. Follow the steps below to calculate the weighted three month moving average forecast for demand and revenue. The only difference in calculating this forecast method over the 3 month moving average is to include the weighting coefficient for each month used in the calculation and then dividing by the sum of those coefficients (see the equation below).
1. Insert a new column next to your current work and label it Dem_W3MMA. In the third row of data (row 4), calculate the weighted moving average of the first three months using the Excel formula for the equation shown below. Effectively multiplying the actual demand number in January 2008 by the first weighted coefficient 3906(.1); then adding that to the February of 2008 demand figure times the second weighted coefficient 5242(.3); then adding that to the March 2008 demand number times the third weighted coefficient 8168(.6); and then dividing this sum by the sum of the weights .1+.3+.6.
Calculating a weighted 3 month moving average 390.60+ 1572.60+4900.8 = 6864
.1+.3+.6
Copy and paste this formula into the remaining cells in the column through the row for January 2013.
2. Calculate the deviation from actual, the absolute value deviation from actual, and the Mean Absolute Deviation for this forecast. Then, also calculate, as in subpart A, the MAD % Deviation.
3. Compare the Mean Absolute Deviation and MAD % Deviation for the three month moving (Dem_3MMA) and the weighted three month moving average (Dem_W3MMA). Which is less? What does this mean?
Note: You could continue to calculate other the weighted forecasts using alternative weighting coefficients, as described in the Adelman Chapter, to see which weighting yields the least deviation from actual and therefore is the best forecast. I haven’t asked you to do that here.
C. Perform an example regression forecast. Review the Power Point slides for Regression Forecasting available under the NRRT 602 Folder in the Classes directory on the HDNR N: Drive. As this brief presentation points out, there are many approaches to creating a predictive model through regression. The first step in the process would be to determine which “explanatory” variables would be the most useful in generating a predictive module using regression. The other thought, as pointed out in the Goeldner chapter on Demand Measurement, is that there may be multiple factors that influence demand and the predictive models can become quite complex, as in the case of the Hong Kong airport model described in the Week Two video.
After reviewing this brief Power Point, follow the steps below to create a forecast using regression analysis. Remember that the dependent variable (y) for this exercise is the demand variable in the STR “Prop Raw Data” spreadsheet tab. For the purposes of this exercise, I have selected the Revenue figure provided by STR as the independent, or “explanatory” variable (x) for this example, assuming that there exists a highly elastic relationship between price and demand, when supply is held relatively constant. This is the role of experience, or the employment of best practices, by the forecaster. What Goeldner calls the “Delphi Method.” This expertise may be industry or sector specific, or even applicable only for the individual business environment where the forecast is being performed.
For this model, you will be regressing the STR Revenue monthly actual figures on the STR monthly actual Demand figures to determine a regression line, Beta Coefficients that will complete the regression formula and allow you to calculate the forecast demand figures for each period. When running the regression analysis in SPSS, you will generate an output that provides you with these coefficients, as well as an unstandardized R2 value that estimates the amount of variation in the dependent variable (demand) attributable to the influence of the independent variable (revenue).
1. To begin this exercise, access an original copy of the “Hotel Math Fundamentals” data file in Excel and access the first tab, once again, “prop raw data.” Copy all of the data in this spreadsheet into the second tab of your saved Excel data file from Part II.
2. Since regression is easier to perform in SPSS, start by copying the original data provided by STR in the “prop raw data” tabbed spreadsheet (4 columns, including the YYYYMM, supply, demand and revenue variables). Once you have highlighted and copied these data, you can simply paste them into a blank data window in SPSS by clicking in the top left cell, right clicking and selecting paste. You will need to label each variable in the variable view.
3. Once the data are pasted into SPSS, run a regression analysis by selecting the Analyze function tab->Regression->Linear Regression. In the operation window, you want to select the “Demand” variable as the dependent variable and the “Revenue” variable as the independent variable. Also make sure to click on the statistics that you want displayed—I just pick them all.
4. Paste the operation into Syntax, then run the regression. Reviewing the Output, look first for the unstandardized R2 value. Why do we use unstandardized? (I’m channeling Jerry here). What does the R2 value tell you about the fit of this model? Next, look for the unstandardized Beta Coefficients described in the power point and in Jerry’s 601 lectures. These coefficients (bo), the constant for revenue, and the slope intercept (b1), are then used in the regression formula to calculate a forecast demand value (ŷ). See the regression formula below.
Regression formula: Ŷ=bo + b1 (xi)
5. Next, you will calculate a new variable for the forecast demand (ŷ). Compute a new variable in SPSS by selecting the Transform tab and the COMPUTE function. In the dialogue window, name this new output variable Dem_regfrcst. Then, use the equation above to create a formula using the Coefficients from your regression analysis, and the Demand variable as the independent variable value (x). Now you have a computed variable for estimated demand in each monthly period based on your regression analysis.
6. Next, you will paste this variable back into your saved Excel spreadsheet tab for the forecast analysis (Part III) by coping the column of data in SPSS and pasting the data into the next open column in your Excel spreadsheet. You will again need to name the column Dem_regfrcst. Working in Excel now, replicate your calculations from the earlier forecasts to generate the Deviation, Absolute Value Deviation, Mean Absolute Value Deviation (MAD), and the percentage MAD for this regression-based forecast. Once again, examine the percentage deviation from the actual demand and compare with the other two models. Which model seems to produce the best forecast?
7. Creating a forecast. Once you have determined which method is the best to use for your forecast, you can extend the forecast beyond current time periods (2012 in this case) through the next year or beyond. Without actual data available for 2013, what information would you need to use to predict demand in 2013?
The Adelman text used a different method for creating a regression using the time period 1-36, regressed on the dependent variable “Sales.” Because the time period is predictable (adding 1 to the previous time period), Adelman was able to use the original regression formula to predict values for sales in year three. Because of the equal interval of increase and the lack of variability in sales, the predictive model was pretty simple, basically adding one to each succeeding month’s forecasted sales.
In contrast, the exercise that we undertook used a theorized relationship between revenue and demand that turned-out to be highly predictive. However, the model was dependent on actual revenue numbers 2008-2012. In order to use the regression formula to predict future revenue, we would need to have predicted revenue numbers. The information needed to extend the forecast through 2013 and beyond is either a rolling forecast as each new month’s revenue figures are realized, or an extrapolation of revenue numbers for the future periods. One way to accomplish this is to create a new monthly revenue forecast for the future based on an average of the same month in the previous five years.
To do this, use your completed regression forecast in Excel, use a formula to add the actual revenue numbers for January 2008 + Jan 2009 + Jan 2010 + Jan 2011 + Jan 2012 and then divide by 5.
Jan 2008 + Jan 2009 + Jan 2010 + Jan 2011 + Jan 2012
5
Paste this formula in the revenue column in January 2013 cell and copy forward through December 2013, Excel will calculate each cell with the average of revenue for that month over the last five years. You could also using the same weighting technique used in the weighted three month moving average since the more recent years are likely to have more bearing on the forecast.
Copy these new revenue numbers into the SPSS data file below the last revenue figure provided and then COMPUTE a new variable using the same regression Beta coefficients and the revenue variable.
This new variable will show a forecast demand through 2013. This provides a good base line forecast, but in practice, many other variables can be introduced to create a more realistic picture of your monthly numbers, and updating the forecast is critical as new information becomes available. One such factor would be a significant change in supply—if you built a new wing on your hotel, or took a floor out of service for a period. The predictive model that we used assumed a relatively static supply. Another factor might be a large group in the hotel in 2013, which was not there in 2012, or a city-wide event that is taking place. In addition, as we say in Goeldner, many exogenous factors can affect demand, and some of these, including seasonality and cyclicality can be incorporated into a more complex multiple regression model. This is where forecasting crosses over from science to art and the skill and experience, or well established best practices become crucial in providing a truly actionable forecast.
Part IV Analysis and Conclusions. (20 Points)
Briefly answer the following questions:
1. How might the Demand propensity and resistance factors outlined in the Goeldner Chapter 13 reading relate to creating a forecast model for a destination? How might you use these factors to establish some measures that could be incorporated into a predictive model?
2. In looking at the three techniques for forecasting, which of these methods might be the most beneficial in predicting the demand for a destination, rather than a hotel? What sources of data can you think of that would provide a basis for predicting demand a destination?
3. Briefly define supply in the context of tourism. Be specific and make sure to include attributes of tourism supply and some examples, as well as a general definition.
4. Using Goeldner’s formula on page 353, this report summary from Visit Nashville, this report from the Nashville airport. Complete the following:
a. Define the variables R, T, P, L, S and give what you believe to be the figures provided these two sources. Is there enough information to calculate the estimated room demand per night in Nashville on a given day?
b. If so, calculate the estimated demand for rooms per night for a given year.
c. Now, open the STR “Hotel Foundations” spreadsheet and access the tab at the far right (Nashville Census). By looking at the total rooms inventory for the Nashville market, does your calculation demonstrate that Nashville is oversupplied, or undersupplied with sleeping room?
What affect would you expect an oversupply of rooms have on room rates in Nashville? Does the performance data provided year over year for your subject hotels and the compset hotels you reviewed seem in line with your conclusions?
Below are some screenshots from the Smith Travel Research CHIA training MS Power Points that highlight specific KPI, percent change and competitive index calculations. The full slides are available on the N: drive. For help with the forecasting exercises, refer to the Adelman Chapter, the short Regression MS Power Point, or Jerry’s lectures and text regarding regression analysis.
1. Calculate Average Daily Occupancy (OCC). In both the subject dataset and in the competitive data set, Insert a column next to the “Revenue” column and label that column OCC. Then calculate the occupancy rate using the following formula: OCC=Demand/Supply. Multiply this fractional number by 100 to create a percentage rate.
2. Calculate Average Daily Rate (ADR). In both the subject dataset and the competitive set dataset, Label the column next to the Occupancy (OCC) column as ADR ($). Then Calculate ADR for the first row of data using this formula: ADR=Revenue/Demand. Then copy the formula, highlight all of the remaining cells in the ADR column and paste the formula in those cells. This provides you with an average revenue per roomnight for each month based on rooms sold (Demand) and Revenue generated.
3. Calculate Revenue per Available Room (REVPAR). In both the subject dataset and the competitive dataset, Label the column next to the ADR column as REVPAR ($). Then calculate REVPAR ($) for each month using this formula:
REVPAR=Revenue/Supply. Then copy the formula into each succeeding month as above.
4. Calculate Competitive Index. Next you will calculate the index comparison between subject property performance and the performance of the competitive set in aggregate for each KPI. Following the RevPAR column for the competitive set, insert three columns a column labeled as shown below.
To calculate the index comparison of each metric, use the formulas described below:
a. Index Occupancy=SubjectOcc/CompsetOcc (multiplied by 100 to create a percentage).
b. Index ADR=SubjectADR/CompsetADR (multiplied by 100 to create a percentage).
c. Index RevPAR=SubjectRevPAR/CompsetRevPAR (multiplied by 100 to create a percentage).
5. Create subtotal and grand totals using the Excel subtotal function for each data column (supply, demand, and revenue). Then apply the same calculations for each metric and the indexes to create year by year totals or “year to date” (YTD) metrics for comparison’.
6. Calculate the percentage change from period to period, creating points of comparison for subject property level and competitive set longitudinal performance. Begin calculations by creating another column and calculating the change from year one to year two, etc.
7. Regression Analysis. Regressing the Revenue variable over time on the Demand variable over time for the subject property.
a. Open the dataset in SPSS and select Regression on the Analysis tab. Then select the Demand Variable as the dependent variable (y) and the Revenue Variable as the independent or “explanatory” variable (X). Select the appropriate statistics and paste into Syntax. Run the syntax for this analysis.
b. Test the goodness of fit by examining the R2 squared value to determine the amount of change in the dependent variable that is explained by the independent variable (Revenue). What percentage of change is explained by your model?
Note: Remember that there is a theoretical relationship between a demand variable and price. We are assuming that there does exist price elasticity in relation to demand. The regression model also takes into account the variation in occupancy and revenue over a several year period in order to create Beta coefficients that will enable the calculation of daily predicted demand and revenue numbers.
Identify the intercept or “constant” Beta coefficients and the Beta coefficient for the independent “explanatory” variable, Demand to satisfy the following regression equation:
Where ŷ represents the estimated value for y (Passengers in the example below, Demand in our example) for any given value of x (Fare in the example below, Revenue in our example).
2. Use the estimated value for y (dependent variable Pass) for each daily x (Fare) value.
 
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