Environment Of Kamat Hotels

Environment Of Kamat Hotels Kamat hotels are a new chain of luxury business hotel in India promoted by KHIL (kamat hotel India ltd). Kamat hotel began as a single landmark namely VITS Mumbai, located near Mumbai international airport, but is now recognized all over the India as the symbol of true Indian hospitality. KHIL is a pan-India network of hotels that offers business and leisure travelers a hotel designed for the modern nomad. The hotel promises a whole new experience of tranquility and total wellness proposal. Called the jiva spa, it is a unique concept, based on a mixture of heritage, wisdom and the Indian philosophy of wellness and well being. All hotels built with similar infrastructure are four star hotels which consist of 200 rooms and aims to give prospective customers, a total experience of hospitality. Each hotel has a six banquet halls, a conference hall and fitness clubs complete with sauna and steam bath are open in the lobby area. KHIL is well known for being environmental friendly. It has won many awards like environmental champion, global ecotel, regional direct tourism award and pata (pacific Asia travel association awards), hotel and catering international management associations (HCIMA) best environmental policy 2000, India chapter environmental award for 2001 on the hotel excellence category. In 2009, VITS achieved excellent profitability based on the trend of rising demand for suitable accommodation in the city of Mumbai. Based on its early success, KHIL has expanded heavily in India, opening new branches in more states like Ahmadabad, Aurangabad, Baroda, Gujarat, Hubli, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nasik, Pune, Sholapur, Surat and it is expected to add twenty more branches in the next five years. With the rapid expansion of Indian economy, budget and mid market hotel segments are fast expanding as more business people travel and look for short pleasant stays. The group also introduced tours and travels in 2010 and was engaged in marketing of destination and package tours. KHIL along with its flagship hotel, VITS are well positioned to meet the increase in travel activities and is set to benefit fully of this market expansion. The restaurants, known for their top quality food, attract high number of middle class families for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However limited capacity of its butchery and bakery cause delays in periods of high customer turnout and often leads to customer complaints KHIL group employees are gentle, skillful, and knowledgeable and are given certificates of honesty which keeps them motivated and loyal. But Management at VITS has been very poor at embracing Technology to help them in their daily task or for the benefit of their customers. There is no Wi-Fi installed on the premises, and internet connections are slow. Management have not upgraded their software but have stuck to their PMS i.e. (property management system) while their competitors are already using Opera or Fidelo, softwares which are faster in performance and standards. Using the stakeholder model, this paper will assess the strengths and weaknesses of VITS and then analyses its external environments using Porters 5 forces model and PESTEL. This will give us a proper indication of the hotels position and will conclude by coming up with workable proposals for VITS. 2.0 Analysis of the internal environment 2.1 Stakeholder model 2.1 Stakeholder An individual, group or business with a keen interest may be positive or negative in an organization success are known as stakeholder. They are concerned with an organization to deliver an intend result and also to meet its financial objectives generally stakeholders are of two types they are internal within the organization and external outside the organization. Stakeholders are shareholders, employee, suppliers, customer, financial institution, government and society. A stakeholder is usually stands to gain or lose depending on the decision taken or policies implemented. 2.1.1 Importance of stakeholder Stakeholders are very important persons who in fact control the organization and the success of the organization lies in their hands. The participation of stakeholders in an organization is from the beginning of the organization. Stakeholder analysis is a technique which is generally used by an organization to identify the importance of key people, groups of people or stakeholders which influence the success of an organization. It is an important process because if we find the needs and interest of stakeholder than it become easier for an organization to achieve its goals. This can be done by an individual or by a team. The analysis helps us to determine the influence and power that each stakeholder has. If we know the most powerful stakeholder than it is easy for an organization to gain support in order to gain success. We can implement stakeholder to an organization in three steps they are {1} identifying the stakeholders, {2} prioritizing the stakeholder and {3} understanding impo rtant stakeholder opinion and interest. 2.1.2 Shareholders KHIL hotels formally reports to their shareholders twice a year when it releases its results. This comes amidst great media and specialized press speculation as KHIL is known to be a star performer. Shareholders have over the past 5 years, constantly been rewarded with dividends to the tune of 21% per annum after tax every single year. They generally hold meetings with their shareholders and stakeholders to keep them informed about the progress of business and future plans for the group. 2.1.3 Employees KHIL hotels places great importance on communication about its business and performance to their employees. They follow a program of effective staff training to understand the purpose and goals of hotel management strategies and deliver on the organizations sustainability objectives. 2.1.4 Suppliers KHIL supports local suppliers and promotes responsible business practice. Given the strength of their bargaining power they can source produce at a very competitive price which helps them on profitability. Supporting local suppliers wherever they are also helps them to build good relations with the community whom they support. Suppliers are very supportive of KHIL and have been working with them ever since they started business. KHIL welcomes feedback from their suppliers which helps them to better understand how they are performing against their peers and they get a clearer picture of risk. 2.1.5 Customers KHIL has mastered guest relationship through constant interaction and feedback from them. They offer top quality service which is known and appreciated by customers. This is what has built the KHIL brand as they are known for the unique experience they offer customers. KHIL charges them a slightly premium price but which customers do not complain about as they feel pampered. Customer feedback lies at the center of their strategy. Customers recommend the hotel to their friends and word of mouth spreads. Feedback and adaptation to customer requirements have kept them ahead of competition and rising up to end increasing guest demands. They have mastered the art of proactively engaging with their guests to understand and anticipate their requirements. 2.1.6 Financial institution KHIL works and is supported by the biggest and the best financial institutions like the State Bank of India, Baroda Bank, ICICI, and private investment funds. Gathering funds for expansion and development is not a problem because of the support as KHIL has always lived up to expectations of financial institutions and has never defaulted. 2.1.7 Government KHIL relies on both central and local government provisions. Statutory and regulatory sanctions of authorities are required for approval of restaurant and bar licenses. As such it is in its best interest to stay within the legal provisions. Both central and local governments are very supportive of KHILs investments as it creates wealth, jobs and supports to local communities. KHIL is a major benefactor of governments incentive schemes and low interest investment funds and this helps to expansion. KHIL does not fail on taxes, levies, duties, company or municipal taxes. KHIL has provided for Rs 1, 63,17,4381/ for the current financial year for different taxes and no dues are pending. 2.1.8 Society KHIL, since the very beginning is a major supporter of social development. This is a reason why communities welcome its developments. The group supports sustainable livelihood as an underlying principle of their social initiatives. In order to improve the quality of life of villagers who live around the hotel KHIL helps them by providing solar lighting, health, hygiene and nutritional support for children and women, drinking water facilities and educational support. They provide hotel related artisan jobs for them like making candles, dusters, staff snacks and stationery. 3.0 Analysis of the specific external environment I will use Porters five forces to analyze KHILs specific external environment. 3.1 Barriers of entry Barriers of entry in the hotel industry are very high as lots of investment goes into initial infrastructure and getting initial customer support. Credit facilities to tour operators and other agents supplying customers result in cash flow issues which very often cannot be supported by new entrants as they rely heavily on loans. 3.2 Availability and substitutes The substitutes exist when the alternative product with lower price and better performance for the same product. Likewise the Kohinoor provides the spa at the low cost compared to KHIL which reduces the potential sales volumes of KHIL. There are a lot of price variation between KHIL and the Kohinoor hotel service, which leads customers to feel that KHIL is at times over priced. The Kohinoor have various rates and tariffs, a good brand image and the hotel chain currently operating different services like spa, boatels, resorts, city center and heritage hotels. 3.3 Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers consist of all the sources of input that are needed to provide a goods and services. KHIL has good supplier support but is at a disadvantage against competition as it has a tendency of buying because of the long standing friendship they have with suppliers who supported them initially. Very often this plays against price and quality. Furthermore large quantity items are tendered and bought on price which often plays against quality. 3.4 Bargaining power of customers The hotel industry is a very competitive one and having invested in its fixed assets, hotels want to recoup their investment as quickly as possible. They are ready to offer discounts the whole year to attract and keep customers therefore reducing margins. Availability of substitutes such as the Kohinoor improves the bargaining power of customers and they can put even more pressure on margins and volumes. 3.5 Competitive rivalry KHIL has several good challengers like the Kohinoor, Continental and the Mirador who are competing in similar market with similar offerings. The Kohinoor has 200 rooms, excellent conference facilities, multi cuisine restaurants, bars, health clubs, and 24 hours coffee shop, doctor on call, is situated in the main business area of Mumbai and is close to the international airport. These facilities are similar to KHILs and reason why they are strong challengers. This has the overall effect of reducing both revenue and profitability. 4.0 Pestle analysis Pestle analysis is the useful tool to understand the clear picture of the environment in which the organization lies and to find the opportunities and threats that lies in the environment they can be express as the Political, economic, socio cultural, technological, environmental, and legal factors affect an organizations external environment which in turn affects an organization by offering it either opportunities to progress or threats to regress. it is also used as a generic orientation tool to find out about the organization or the product is in the context of what happening inside as well as outside of the organization. 4.1 Political environment One of the political environments for the organization was the times of India (it is a well known newspaper) by Rachna sigh, Jaipur in a bid to attract the international tourists is gearing up with a host of new properties across the different segments. Some of the industries like hotel and tourisms are the backbone of any competitive world. But government charges a huge tax from the hotels which are stars or are in the luxury category these organizations has an impact with the government or the political changes that occurs. If the government takes even a small steps if affect the hotel industries. Its getting huge incentives and the state governments are supporting them in their development. But now Indian hotels are planning to expand in the economic crunch time. The terror attack on the city (Mumbai) renowed hotels like the taj hotel and the oberios had brought into concerns and facing the hoteliers with a drop in foreign travelers to India i.e. the terror attack is one of the threat for hotel industries. 4.2 Legal factor In recent years, government has brought significant changes to the legal framework to facilitate investment and doing business. Several incentive schemes have been introduced to increase investments. Laws that directly impact on the hotel industry are the Hotel development incentive bill, tax holidays of up to 2 years to new investors in the hotel sector, fairer health and safety laws and less stringent employment laws that were acting as limitations to investment. This has led to a lot of development as investors have easy access to funds and are supported by incentives. These new business friendly frameworks have largely helped groups like KHIL to invest further and adopt expansion strategies. 4.3 Economical environment The India economy hardly suffered from the international financial crisis. This is because the Indian system rests on a controlled and sound financial system in the country. The economic environment includes GDP, interest rates, inflation and exchange rates, economic growth, taxation amongst others and it determines disposable income. While larger number of tourists will flock to India for its beauty, history and heritage, Mumbai the financial capital will keep bringing in business people from around the world therefore offering an incessant flow of customers to hotels like the KHIL group to prosper. 4.4 Social environment Changes in social trends also have an impact on the demand for a firms products and offer. Organizations have to respond by constantly adopting their products to new customer trends and demand. This is what KHIL has constantly been doing especially with its unique feedback system. Feedback from customers has also explains why KHIL has more single room than double rooms. 4.5 Technological environment Indian is one of the most advanced technological nations of the world and businesses are well aware of progress in the field of technology and its enduring impact on processes and the reduction of costs. KHIL has not taken technology on board though most major customized products are valuable. 4.6 Environmental factors The growing desire to protect the environment is having a great impact on many industries such as travel industries. Environment protection creates business opportunities and KHIL is well ahead of competitors in this field. To respect local legislation, all hotels of the group are built after an environmental impact assessment and this creates harmony with the community. 5.0 Swot analysis Swot analysis is the most important tool for audit and analysis of the overall strategic position of business and its environment. Basically it is the foundation for evaluating the strength, weakness, probable/likely opportunity and threats from the external environment. It also views the positive as well as negative factors inside and outside of the organization which affect its success. So these are the four factors applying to the property to know about the property in details the strength, weakness, opportunities as well as the threats of the KHIL hotels. 5.1 Strengths Strength is the qualities which helps an organization to achieve its goals. Generally strength are beneficial aspects of the organization which includes human competence, process capabilities, financial resources, product and service, customer goodwill and brand loyalty. Strength of KHIL Competitively priced for value they offer Situated near the international airport and few kilometers away from the domestic airport Is a very convenient alternative for layover guests are those whose flights have been cancelled or delayed Has preferred partner status with airlines Affordable luxury venue for SMEs for their Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions Highly perceived as a environmental friendly hotel Recognized name for fine cuisine and value for money accommodation Loyal, honest and per formant employees Appeals to local middle class families looking for a night out 5.2 Weakness Weakness is a limitation, or the defect in an organization that will keep it away from achieving its goals. The weakness are of different kind like huge debt, high employee turnover, complex decision making process, narrow product range and large wastage of raw materials. Weakness oh KHIL Situated off the road it may see significant impact on FIT guests (free individual traveler) Fails to handle larger crowds and sister hotel Orchid is no substitute Business centre is to small and no WI-FI zone yet Trailing on technology on its processes and still using Whitney rack system Swimming pool located next to the restaurant plays against privacy 5.3 Opportunities An opportunity is a kind of favorable situation in a firm environment. It is usually a trend or an overlooked need that increase demand for a product or service and allows the organization to enhance its position. Opportunities for KHIL Upcoming cricket world cup jointly organized in India, Bangla Desh, Sri lanka will attract guests Event can be used to showcase of value offered to enhance reputation Bus service or the special cabs for the fans to the stadium in and around the world cup venues Targeting opening in new or developing business hubs like Bangalore 5.4 Threats It is an unfavorable situation which may occur in an organization environment and which may harm the business or its strategy. They are uncontrollable when the threat comes, the stability and survival can be stake. Threats for KHIL Security especially in the wake of terrorist attacks Competitor response from Kohinoor, Continental and Mirador 6.0 Conclusion As each and every organization has strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats the kamat hotel also have these factors but they can find out by doing the swot analysis to the organization to its internal and external factor so that one can obtain it and can control the system in a practical way. It can work according to its objectives by allowing an easy way to attain its profit growth. 7.0 Proposal The KHIL hotels should plan and perform their work to achieve their goals and the information and explanation that are considered are necessary to work on them that they need to improve a lot like increasing the rooms in the hotel because of its they are facing the problems when there is an event in India most of the foreigners visit to India because of lack of rooms its losing its business so if it works on it then it will achieve a great success. These are needed to upgrade to an improved integrated management system as it would help reduce the amount of paper work. It would also reduce the work of night auditor and reception staff as they would not have to verify every bill every time guests checkout.

Good vs. Evil

Judgments: Good vs. Evil There are many concepts that are determined in the eye of the beholder. People have different morals; someone’s morals could be seen as corruption to someone else. What someone considers beautiful, another might consider appalling. A person’s definition of justice could be someone else’s definition of illegal. There are many factors as to why we all have different paradigms, such as the way we were raised, our past experiences, our culture, or our faith. Consequently, we all judge accordingly to our own perspectives. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck states that one can be assumed good or evil once the person has died.With our different paradigms, we would have different perspectives on good and evil. Therefore, we do not know the correct definition of good or evil, so it would not be right for us to judge someone at all before or after their death. Everything we see is perspective, but how are we so sure it is the truth? Take for example, a flower. To a human, it is small enough to hold in his hand; to an insect, it is big enough to be a home. The human and the insect are looking at the same flower, but view it differently. Is the ant simply miniature, or is the human just too big?It cannot be deemed because there are different paradigms that manipulate our judgment. There are also more serious cases that this applies to. On July 5, 2011, Casey Anthony was found not guilty for murdering her young daughter Caylee. Observers were stunned and outraged by the jury’s verdict. Jurors claimed that it could not be proven that Casey Anthony was guilty because there was not enough evidence. There were only facts that led up to the conclusion that Casey could be the murderer, but there were no raw and actual facts that clearly showed that Casey was responsible for the death of her daughter.The death penalty weighed a lot on the deliberation of the jurors. They had a life in their hands; conclusions and inferences were no t enough to find her guilty. The jury could be deemed good for following the law and abiding by their oath, or they could be deemed evil for letting a potential murderer get away with a crime. There are many positions on this verdict based on our viewpoints, but we do not actually know the truth. There are so many perspectives in the universe, we can never be so sure which is the correct one. Without knowing the truth, our judgments aren’t justified.They say there is a story behind everything. Stories usually have two sides to them, maybe even more. Often times, we want to believe that we know the full story. As human beings, we like closure and we do not like unanswered questions. But should it often occur to someone that there may be multiple unknown sides to a story? Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bedroom from an overdose on August 5, 1962. Monroe’s death remains a mystery and has become one of the most debated conspiracy theories of all time. Some people beli eve that her death was a homicide, and some people believed it was a suicide.There could be many unknown explanations to Monroe’s death, and we may never find out. Without knowledge of how she died, our judgments are not rationalized. There are always going to be unanswered questions and ambiguous endings. As humans, what we believe is virtuous usually leads back to our viewpoints and understanding of life. Everyone has their life structured a certain way according to their beliefs. Our beliefs have a huge impact on our mentality and actions whether we believe in God, Buddha, Atheism, Karma, or anything at all. With differentiating religion and beliefs, there is no validity to our judgments.Without the knowledge of the truth, we are not able to judge righteously; we would be assuming blindly. It is a human instinct to judge. We judge to make laws so society can function in an orderly manner, we judge to protect ourselves from harm by distinguishing what seems to be dangerous or harmful, and we also judge to make decisions to benefit ourselves, such as choosing the college to our desire. Although these are rational reasons as to why we should judge, they also lead to war, terrorist attacks, stereotypes, and prejudice. Our assumptions and judgments revolve around our perspective.Our paradigms frame our judgments, and this often results to different positions and viewpoints. The concept of good and evil are in the eyes of the beholder. The true definition of good and evil may never be revealed in our lifetime. Consequently, we are not able to deem someone good or evil before or after their death since we do not have the understanding of these ideas in the first place. Works Cited â€Å"Death of Caylee Anthony. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. .

Critical Reasoning

Critical Reasoning Assignment I (Exercise 2) 1. Sappho- The type or style of writing that Sappho used in â€Å"To Absent Lovers’† was poetry. This literary work was very familiar to me and was fairly easy to comprehend. The basic subject matter of this story was about two people that seemed to be in love with one another that eventually had to separate in the end. Ban Zhao- In the passage â€Å"Admonitions For Women,† it basically tells us about the way of the woman in ancient medieval China. This was a very informative outlook on the way the women were viewed and treated in China. It is a very recognizable literary work, but it is different from anything I have read. The way the modern woman is viewed today in the U. S. is very different than the way they were viewed in China. They were pretty much expected to do their part and do whatever the men needed done. If a woman was to mess up, they were expected to confess and admit it. If they did something good, they were expected not to mention it. Lady Murasaki- The type or style of â€Å"The Tale of Genji† was mainly romance. I have never seen a literary work that was quite like this. To me, it was hard to understand and comprehend. It did, however, give a good deal of information about the outlook on romance in Japanese cultures. Anna Comnena- The style of writing in the passage â€Å"The Alexiad† was basically just describing different people. It went in to great detail of describing every little thing about each person. Marie de France- I honestly did not understand this passage very well. For some reason it was harder to understand than the others. It obviously was a romantic story but I didn’t get it. 2. After reading the five passages, I found some similarities and some differences in the writers and their work. I found that three of the five passages were about romance. This tells me that these passages were obviously written in a romantic time in history. I think Ban Zhao tended to be more different from any of the other writers. In the passage she wrote, â€Å"Admonitions For Women,† she basically described the role of the woman in the ancient medieval China rather than romance. 3. In my opinion, I think there certainly is a uniquely feminine perspective. The reason for this is most of the time women have a different point of view or mind-set than men. Women tend to view things differently than men and that is just a natural trait. For example, something that means nothing to a man could mean the world to a woman. After reading â€Å"A Night’s Tale,† I think the tone is slightly different. I don’t think anyone could draw a conclusion to this simply because there are so many opinions and you couldn’t base your opinions on one passage. . The passage I enjoyed the most was â€Å"Admonitions For Women† by Ban Zhao. Something that really appealed to me in this passage was the way she elaborated on how the women of China used to be treated. It gave me a great sense of visualization and allowed me to really see what women had to go through. It also showed me how much different the role of the woman in China was rather than in the U. S. The reason I preferred reading this passage rather than the others was it was easier for me to read and it was very interesting in every aspect.

Geography and History of Costa Rica

Costa Rica, officially called the Republic of Costa Rica, is located on the Central American isthmus between Nicaragua and Panama. Because it is on an isthmus, Costa Rica also has coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The country features numerous rainforests and a plethora of flora and fauna, which make it a popular destination for tourism and ecotourism. Fast Facts: Costa Rica Official Name: Republic of Costa RicaCapital:  San JosePopulation: 4,987,142 (2018)Official Language: SpanishCurrency: Costa Rican colà ³n (CRC)Form of Government: Presidential republicClimate: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlandsTotal Area: 19,730 square miles (51,100 square kilometers)Highest Point: Cerro Chirripo at 12,259 feet (3,819 meters)  Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean at 0 feet (0 meters) History Costa Rica was first explored by Europeans beginning in 1502 with Christopher Columbus. He named the region Costa Rica, meaning rich coast, as he and other explorers hoped to find gold and silver in the area. European settlement began in Costa Rica in 1522 and from the 1570s until the 1800s it was a Spanish colony. In 1821, Costa Rica then joined other Spanish colonies in the region and made a declaration of independence from Spain. Shortly thereafter, the newly independent Costa Rica and other former colonies formed a Central American Federation. However, cooperation between the countries was short-lived and border disputes frequently occurred in the mid-1800s. As a result of these conflicts, the Central American Federation eventually collapsed and in 1838, Costa Rica declared itself a fully independent state. After declaring its independence, Costa Rica underwent a period of stable democracy beginning in 1899. In that year, the country experienced its first free elections, which have continued until today despite two problems in the early 1900s and in 1948. From 1917–1918, Costa Rica was under the dictatorial rule of Federico Tinoco and in 1948, the presidential election was disputed and Jose Figueres led a civilian uprising, which led to a 44-day civil war. Costa Ricas civil war caused the deaths of more than 2,000 people and was one of the most violent times in the countrys history. Following the end of the civil war though, a constitution was written which declared that the country would have free elections and universal suffrage. Costa Ricas first election following the civil war was in 1953 and was won by Figueres. Today, Costa Rica is known as one of the most stable and economically successful Latin American countries. Government Costa Rica is a republic with a single legislative body made up of its Legislative Assembly, whose members are elected by popular vote. The judicial branch of government in Costa Rica is comprised only of a Supreme Court. Costa Ricas executive branch has a chief of state and head of government—both of which are filled by the president, who is elected by popular vote. Costa Rica underwent its most recent election in February 2010. Laura Chinchilla won the election and became the countrys first female president. Economics and Land Use Costa Rica is considered one of the most economically prosperous countries in Central America and a major part of its economy comes from its agricultural exports. Costa Rica is a well-known coffee producing region, while pineapples, bananas, sugar, beef, and ornamental plants also contribute to its economy. The country is also growing industrially and produces goods such as medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products, and high-value goods such as microprocessors. Ecotourism and the related service sector is also a significant part of Costa Ricas economy because the country is highly biodiverse. Geography, Climate, and Biodiversity Costa Rica has a varied topography with coastal plains that are separated by volcanic mountain ranges. There are three mountain ranges running throughout the country. The first of these is the Cordillera de Guanacaste and runs to the Cordillera Central from the northern border with Nicaragua. The Cordillera Central runs between the central part of the country and the southern Cordillera de Talamanca which bounds the Meseta Central (Central Valley) near San Josà ©. Most of Costa Ricas coffee is produced in this region. The climate of Costa Rica is tropical and has a wet season that lasts from May to November. San Jose, which is located in Costa Ricas Central Valley, has an average July high temperature of 82 degrees (28 °C) and an average January low of 59 degrees (15 °C). The coastal lowlands of Costa Rica are incredibly biodiverse and feature many different types of plants and wildlife. Both coasts feature mangrove swamps and the Gulf of Mexico side is heavily forested with tropical rainforests. Costa Rica also has several large national parks to protect its plethora of flora and fauna. Some of these parks include the Corcovado National Park (home to large cats such as jaguars and smaller animals like Costa Rican monkeys), Tortuguero National Park and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. More Facts †¢ Costa Ricas official languages are English and Creole.†¢ Life expectancy in Costa Rica is 76.8 years.†¢ Costa Ricas ethnic breakdown is 94% European and mixed native-European, 3% African, 1% native and 1% Chinese. Sources Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, April 22). CIA - The World Factbook - Costa Rica.Infoplease.com. Costa Rica: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.United States Department of State. Costa Rica.