The Grand Budapest Hotel

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< br/> < br/> The movie entitled The Grand Budapest is emphasizing the importance of service,
loyalty and respect by citing the possible incidents that may happen in a hotel. 
Each hotel employee should be aware of the duties and responsibilities attached to the job. In the movie, the lobby boy had to put on a fake mustache, which maybe the trend during that time and did not observe proper hygiene. 

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This gesture maybe considered untidy in the present. Remember that being a lobby boy, who usually the one greeting guests, one has to be clean, prim and proper and presentable. People nowadays are very kind especially to services and accommodation that hotels offer. Guests seem to have insatiable needs and wants. 

People in the service sector give their very best but still sometimes fall short of being excellent. Guests demand convenience and friendly service. And in order to reach that level of satisfaction, hotel services evolved through time and by treating guests as VIPs. If the level of satisfaction is attained, guests will remember and usually go back. 

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Loyalty and respect were also emphasized in the movie. The lobby boy and the owner were loyal to each other and are good friends. In one of the scenes, the owner protected the lobby boy during their trip to the estate of a dead guest. 

On the other hand, the lobby boy stayed with and for the owner when the owner went to jail. Just as it is today, treating guests with respect is a must in hotel services, tending to their needs and giving them the best service and accommodation possible, with friendly and sincere gestures.

Review of related literatures and studies 1/2

Related Literature

Over the years, cakes have always been popular and delightful all over the world. They are served as desserts after meals at parties and other occasions or as a simple snack. Cakes can be prepared or baked in different sizes and shapes, ranging from the simple rectangular single-layered cakes to lavishly, decorated layered ones.

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However, due to the tedious preparation in the household, bakeries and cake shops sprung out everywhere to cater to the needs and demands of consumers who crave for these sweet and delicious baked products. To a budget-conscious household, purchasing many different ingredients to make a cake, not to mention the utensils and equipment to be used, can be onerous. To make attractive cakes in smaller, individual servings, making cupcakes is the better alternative.

Cupcakes are iconic in the United States (U.S. for brevity), as mentioned by Steve Adams (Adleman, 2012). America alone sold 669.4 million cupcakes from October 2010 to October 2011. It was termed "enduring love affair" considering the trend and the consumers' attachment to the product. Cupcakes also became very popular in Europe. In an interview conducted by Matthews (2012), anyone with a sweet tooth, would not have a problem in Prague, Czech Republic because a cupcake baker, Marena Canese, an American Immigrant, offers an array of cupcakes to choose.

The recession in the United States which started in 2007 caused the establishment of cupcake stores and cupcakeries in different locations. The U.S. where people know how to make cupcakes which is simple products with cheap basic ingredients and does not require a large capital investment, made casual baking an urban industry (Gross, 2009). The cupcakeries and cupcake stores succeeded because the product peddled is simple, obvious and affordable. 
Not only are cupcakes delightful, it also became a center of a growing nutritional debate in school snacks. In Iowa, USA, all homemade treats, specifically cupcakes was prohibited in school celebrations due to the sugar-laden nature of the treats. However in Texas, USA, a "cupcake amnesty" was declared, abolishing all rules and guidelines preventing parents from bringing cupcakes to school (Neporent, 2015). In the Philippines where people love to eat, cupcakes are also very popular. All over the country, one can find a store or a bakery selling cupcakes which are affordable. Filipinos cannot seem to resist and to have a bite of these tasty and delightful "cakes in a cup". Cupcakes are good for those who want to trim down fat and carbohydrate intake since cupcakes are small in size.

In a review by Arboleda (2014) for a Singaporean brand of cupcakes (Twelve Cupcakes), the product had different flavors like chocolate vanilla, cookies and cream, rainbow vanilla, chocolate, jelly and chocolate banana. It may be noted however that in the review, those flavors were mentioned but the brand had 37 flavors at that time. Due to the rising demand for these delightful treats, some entrepreneurs are shifting or perhaps adding cupcakeries to their existing line of businesses. The proprietors Kamiseta, an apparel brand, also ventured into the cupcake business by collaborating with an internationally-trained chef and were able to deliver flavor and cuteness to consumers (De Asis, 2012).

Review of related literatures and studies 2/2

Related Studies Most of the cupcakes which are popular in the market are chocolate, cheese and other sweet flavors. It was then revolutionized by mixing fruits and/or nuts into the dough. Different fruits, usually pulped or cut into small pieces are mixed with other key ingredients to come up with a different flavor. For example, bananas and chocolates can be combined in a basic cupcake mix to give the flavor of bananas and a certain degree of sweetness.

In an interview conducted by the researchers, a culinary chef said that one can mix fruits, together with the basic ingredients to make a cupcake more tasty (Interviewed by Heytahchizz group, 2015). The chef also said that making cupcakes is a kind of experiment wherein ingredients are mixed or combined with other "stuff" to create new and exciting flavors.

In feasibility study conducted by Tejada, et al. (2007), students of the University of Northern Philippines (UNP), Vigan City, they [the students] made a twist to the simple cupcake by mixing malunggay (horse radish) leaves, instead of the usual fruits into the cupcake mixture and produced a light green-colored cupcake after baking. The study was a success and the cupcakes became a hit when two (2) well-known government-assisted livelihood projects in Ilocos Sur adapted the recipe (Two Sisters Royal Bibingka and Marsha's Delicacies). 

The two establishments added the product to the existing line of bake products being sold to the public. And since it was a vegetable cupcake, they were the first to be sold out, especially bought by health- conscious consumers with consumers getting more and more conscious with the nutritional values in food, other vegetables were used as a key ingredient in making cakes or cupcakes.

The Food Technology students of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac City, on the other hand used squash meat in one of the cakes made (Gacula, 2007). The pulped meat was mixed with other key ingredients and the finished product was a light yellow cake. The same idea was then applied to smaller serving, e.g. a squash cupcake. Numerous experiments are in fact conducted every day to further enhance a very simple cupcake. Unfortunately, these are rarely documented since these are usually conducted in kitchens by housewives and bakeries. In feasibility study conducted by Allen, (2015), from Livestrong team, she said that healthy food choices can lead to a healthy lifestyle by using Applesauce than vegetable oil when you are baking. Applesauce is healthier than vegetable oil. She recommended that the option of vegetable oil for applesauce is 1 ½ cup of oil, substitute of 1 cup of applesauce and used 1 cup of oil. In an interview conducted by (Co.Design, 2013), a cupcake baker Emma Thomas mentioned that pretty-looking cakes cheer people up so she created a depressed, grey, and sad-looking cakes for people under depression. The sad-looking cakes however had an interesting twist, vivid filling - vibrant and colorful, tasty filling usually fruits or nuts or chocolates which is incorporated in the cupcake - gives the surprising familiar sweetness characteristics.