Uniformity In Harrison Bergeron, By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

In the story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. the Constitution of the year 2081 perverts the original meaning and intent of our nation’s founding principle that â€Å"all men are created equal.† The U.S government assumes the role of ensuring not just equality under the law but uniformity of â€Å"intelligence,† and â€Å"thoughts† (Vonnegut, 1961). Talents are only identified so as to be targeted and suppressed. Conflict arises when someone is found that is so uniquely strong that heavy weights are hung on him to slow him down. A highly intelligent individual is forced to wear headphones so as to distract him from his own thoughts. A seven foot athletic man sporting â€Å"good looks† was forced to wear a bizarre mask out of concern his looks†¦show more content†¦Coaches have become fond of saying things like, Its not whether you win or lose, its the team that has the most fun. This thinking may spare feelings and reduce conflict in the short term but this story raises questions about the impact on society in the long run. In the story â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† by Ursula Le Guin the citizens of a town called Omelas are said to be very happy. The people are prosperous, talented, and peaceful. However, this fictional city has a dark secret masked by the prosperity and happiness that the citizens enjoy. This prosperity is at the expense of a single suffering child imprisoned in a basement. The town’s residents are apparently so shocked by the discovery that some leave town but many stay knowing that a child is suffering so that they may remain â€Å"happy† (Le Guin, 1993). The conflict in this story is man vs man. More precisely, this is man struggling with his own conscience. Residents struggle to respond to a town in which the suffering of others is ignored and in some cases promoted. The story notes that no one can claim ignorance of the child’s suffering and its role in the town’s prosperity. â€Å"They all know it is there, all the people of Omel as. Some of them have come to see it, others are content merely to know it is there. They all know that it has to be there† (Le Guin, 1993). At this point in the story, the conflict of conscienceShow MoreRelatedEssay about Uniformity and Deformity in Harrison Bergeron946 Words   |  4 PagesUniformity and Deformity in Harrison Bergeron In this essay, I will attempt to explore what Kurt Vonnegut illustrated in his short story Harrison Bergeron--the fact that uniformity (of any kind) leads to the loss of individuality, and therefore to absolute deformity of humanness. The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal, the story begins. They werent only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way. (Vonnegut 1968:7) In this haunting

Essay The Advancement of Computers - 1453 Words

Imagine if the computer was never invented. The world would not have the advances in technology or the multiple devices that we now take for granted. Also take the time to imagine how hard it would be to live in a world without a computer it would be harder to store and process information. If it were not for many inventors the world might not have had the modern day computer that people all over the world use. The many advances in software that we need for school work such as the Microsoft Programs and the internet. Also we would not have any of the devices that we use almost every day such as a laptop computer, cell phone or an mp3 player. Sherry Turkel Said â€Å"Today’s college students are habituated to a world of online blogging, instant†¦show more content†¦he improved his schemes and prospered more and more with each Z prototype (2). In 1939, Zuse completed the Z2; it was the first fully operational electro-mechanical computer device (2). Zuse completed the Z 3 computer in 1941. The model consisted of recycled materials that were donated by his fellow university staff and some of his students (2). This was the worlds first electronic, fully programmable digital computer (2). Zuse used old movie film to store his programs and data for the Z3, instead of using paper tape or punched cards; but unfortunately paper was in short supply in Germany during the war (2). Also Zuse was unable to convince the Nazi government to support his work for a computer based on electronic valves, the Germans assumed they were close to winning the War and thought that they had no need to support any of Zuse’s further research in computer technology (2). Unfortunately for Zuse his Z1 through Z3 models were destroyed during the war, and later Zuse left for Zà ¼rich to finish his work on the Z4, by smuggling the Z4 from Germany in a military truck (2). He completed and installed the Z4 at the Applied Mathematics Division of Zà ¼richs Federal Polytechnical Institute (2). Zuse later moved back to Germany to form a computer company called Zuse KG for the construction and marketing of his designs. Zuse later rebuilt models of the Z3 in 1960 and rebuilt the Z1 in 1984 (3). There were other inventors other than Konrad Zuse that helpedShow MoreRelatedThe Advancement of Computers1760 Words   |  8 PagesComputers are one of the most important inventions ever. If computers had not been invented, technology would not be developed to its current state. Since the computers invention, society has changed drastically. Computer technology is so helpful, that it is even used to create newer, better computer equipment. Almost everything today is linked in some way, to computers. Before computers were invented, very little was known about outer space. With the technology we have now, we are learningRead MoreComputer Advancement Of Computer Technology1139 Words   |  5 Pagesabout. 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Struggle Essentials of International Relations †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Struggle Essentials of International Relations. Answer: Introduction: The subject matter of the question is based on political opinion of John Mearsheimer about the international institution. In this case, a brief history of the author regarding the political career as well as his remarks on the international relations has been discussed and it has been mentioned that how his theories help to support the political ambiance regarding the international matters (Neumann, Iver 2017). It is important to discuss the various aspects of the theories of John to understand the role of the offensive realism in case of international relation and an attempt has been made to explore the idea of John regarding the international organisation. It is also aimed to determine whether there are any weak points of John regarding the issue (Gilpin, Robert 2016). The subject matter of this thesis is to consider Johns view regarding the international institution and to find out the originality of the fact whether international institution has played any role regarding resolving the dispute between the international states (Deudney, Daniel and Ikenberry 2017). In almost all his researches, he has concentrated on the power politics and power hunger of the political leaders. John had propounded many theories and a follower of the offensive realism. It has been stated by John that the base of the international politics depends on the supreme power. In this case, Alexander Andrew argued that international organisations are playing important role due to globalisation in the international politics. He was supported the view that the efficient homework of the organisations has been grown up and pointed out certain problems that has been faced by international organisations. He opposed the view of the realists and stated that the realism theory is base d on the reflection of the distribution of power. On the other hand, K.Z.T. Amin had tried to point out certain reasons regarding the US invasion over the territory if Iraq. It has been mentioned by him that the main object of US was to defeat the conventional force of Iraq. Huntington states that the mentality of the offensive realists has been clarified in this thesis and their leaning mentality regarding the massive power politics has been generated here. The main reason behind the war as pointed out by John has been described as power imbalance that also give rise confliction among the states. He has structured the international organisation and predicted certain strategies to strengthen the base of offensive realism. Certain weak points of his research have also pointed out here. Whereas, in the view of Waltz, international system provides reserve policie and he had pointed out the tendency of these organisations regarding the hegemony and balance of power. Jeffery Taliaferro h ad attempted towards the anarchy system and its role over the international security. However, the common weakness regarding the entire political scientists is that no one has tried to define the provoking behaviour of the states. It has been observed that the states are attempting to grab the weak countries by making their military power strong and they do not even care for the rules of the institutions. The concept of balancing derives from this dilemma. The balance of power restricts the powerful nature of the strong states as against the weaker states and motivates the states regarding their survival policies. In this case, it can be stated that the theory of John had achieved success as he stated that the power imbalance is the main reason of war. The main aim of the thesis is to point out the role of the international institution regarding the dispute resolving matter and their impacts on the international states. Key objective is to analyse the rsearch methodology of Johns theory. It has been mentioned under the thesis that John has rightly predicted the position of the China and the Middle East countries and the essence of his policies regarding the same. However, in this thesis, it has also been discussed that the theory of John is suffering from certain limitations such as his concept is limited to the international organisations only. He had failed to concentrate on the cultural clash and hegemony of western culture. The first books of John gave him an opportunity to do a deep research on the military intervention and he had successfully contributed all his applications regarding the war politics (Mearsheimer 2014). In this theory, he had working on the mental state of the leaders regarding the war policies and he that the leaders are following certain policies regarding the same and that can be categorised into three parts has mentioned it. The three strategies laid out by him are the war of attrition strategy, limited aims strategy and the blitzkrieg strategy (Mearsheimer 2017). He had narrated that the leaders of the war made certain mental theories to win a war. According to the first theory, there is a huge level uncertainty along with huge cost that are applicable on the attacking troops. As per the second strategy, the level of uncertainty and the cost of the war, both are comparatively low from the first strategy (Mearsheimer 2017). The most applicable and chosen option is the third one that based on the decisive process to defeat the enemies and it has been mentioned that the well strategic policies of the attacker make it possible to lower the cost to achieve the target in a fruitful manner. It has been stated by him that the policies of World War II is a suitable example of conventional deterrence (Nichols 2013). The second strategy of John helps him to make a fair chance regarding the nuclear policies and strategies. He has been argued that the nuclear strategies of Ukraine and the Germany should be increased to strengthen the hands of United States and he had suggested to the militaries of United States to change the Foreign policy to deal with the cold war with the Soviet states. He had also opposed the Ukrainian nuclear policy and their decision over the surrender the weapon to the Soviet states (Mearsheimer 2017). Hans Morgenthau regarding the international relation introduced the word realism. It is an approach on the liberal institutionalism and constructivism. It has been stated by the policy makers that the policies should be based on the approaches regarding the international relations and it should be kept in mind that the policies are the main responsible regarding the war policies. Johnmearsheimer was a supporter of the offensive realism and his ideologies are based on the policies made by the Kenneth Waltz that is known as neorealism. The theories that are being supported by John were circled around the massive international powers and he regarding the great power politics has supported it. According to his theory, dominancy is the only option regarding the war politics and there is no place for the democratic peace theory in war politics. It has also been stated by him that the theories propounded by Waltz are based on defensive realism and it has been stated by many of the researche s that the theory of John will be opposed the theory of Waltz. However, it has been observed that John had accepted the theories made by Waltz and merged up the offensive and defensive realism for the betterment of the base of the theory (Glaser 2014). Certain distinctions have been observed regarding the theories of john and Waltz on the international relations. It has been mentioned in this topic that the international relations are based on supreme power and there is no place for the independent effect. According to the theory of John, the power injected in the war is limitless and force has been created by the anarchic structure. This structure is based on the international politics. Whereas the concept propounded by the Waltz is based on the limited power of the political leaders and as per his view, the war fighters are commencing fight to achieve a limited power (McFaul et al. 2014). According to the views of the offensive realism, the intention of the international system is to create powerful states so that they can gain energy by beating the inferior powers. It has been stated by John that dominancy is the main object of the international war politics. The main thing regarding the theories of the John and Waltz are that both of them tried to excavate the system regarding war policies and the realism, but in both the cases, the power related sphere are differentiated by both the author (Downes et al. 2014). According to famous scholar Downes, the main theme of the theories of John is power politics (Downes et al. 2016). Power denotes certain abilities regarding the human control over the social and environmental issues. There should be an equity regarding the power to establish the peace. However, it has been noticed that the asymmetric conditions of the states are creating power imbalance and that causes risk of war. It has been predicted by John that the superior states are targeting the inferiors and there is a position created regarding the military capability. It has been stated that power imbalance is depending on the various military dimensions. It is important to understand the scope of the international development to restrict the scope of the power imbalance. The structure of the international institution can be divided into three parts. It has been pointed out by Jensen that the categories of international organisations are the inter-governmental organisation, international non-governmental organisation and the multinational organisations(Jensen 2016). Inter-governmental organisations are formed by way of agreement held between the native states. It has been stated by the researchers that both the governmental and the non-governmental members can be the member of the international NGOs. Multinational institution or organisation is the co-ordinated company that are formed by nation states. In this case, there is one Mother Company and certain amount of subsidiary companies. It has been mentioned that the International Labour Organisation or the Economic Co-operation and Development are the instances of the multinational institution. There is a link present between the international organisations and the realism. It has been stated that the international system portrayed the opportunities regarding the advantage taking policies and there is a dominating intention regarding the state policies are present to denote the objective of the state policies. The believer of the realism theory that there are certain chances that can define the policies regarding the international law and system has stated it. The chances are categorised into five parts. The first prediction is based on the anarchic ideology of the international system. The second prediction is based on the military capability of the states and it has been noticed by the researchers that the states are becoming potential harm to each other (Deudney et al. 2017). The third presumption reveals the failure of one state regarding the war policies of the second or other states.The fourth policy is based on the lack of independency in the international institutions. The fifth strategy based on the survival strategy of the states regarding the global system. It has been stated by John that the international policies are based on power politics and there is no limit regarding the same. It has also been stated by him that the intention of the stated regarding the war politics are based on hegemony (Kublkov 2015). The term hegemony has been defined as per his view that the superior states want to grab the power from the inferior states and there is no place for independent efficacy. It has been pointed out that the international policies are based on certain policies and it has been stated by the policy makers that the objective of the international organisation is to promote the message of international peace and security. It intends to develop the friendly relation in between the states and the citizens. Certain promotions are being made regarding financial stability and the progression regarding the societal development. However, John had stated that the international organisations had failed to fulfil all the objectives. The main issues regarding the same are that whether the international institution has independent effect over the great power behaviour or not. John Mearsheimer had pointed out the loopholes regarding the international organisations in his journal: The False promise of international institutions. It has been opined by him that the international organisations are unable to resolve the dispute in between the states. They have limited power. According to the offensive realists, the international relations cannot be resolved by the limited powers. The main reason behind the same is that in limited powers, there are certain restrictions imposed that make them lag behind (Neumann 2016). It is the main differences in between the offensive and the defensive realism. The example that has been made by the realist is the functions of the NATO (Lindley-French 2015). It has been stated by the realists that United Nations have given powers to the organisations to resolve the dispute over the inter national relations, but they cannot impose their decisions on the member states. It has been stated that the international organisations are working through ad hoc alliance. The main ideology of john is based on the massive power of the states regarding the war policies and it can also be stated that most of the politics are based on uncertain intentions. To certain extent, the ideology of John regarding the international relations seems right. It has been showed by him that the base of fear is dominant in nature. He had recognised the fact as the tragic essence of international politics. From many of his theory, it has been observed that the ideas made by him regarding the political features are predicted rightly. His research regarding the Israel Lobby and the U.S. foreign policy has made a huge success (Mearsheimer and Walt 2016). John was opted for the view regarding the policies taken for the Israel as the poor coalition system between the individuals and the organisations also concentrated on the foreign policy of United States over the issue. It has been stated by him that Jewish are fond of Israel and in this case, Christian Zionists are playing an important role. He was critically analyse the policy of the Israel lobby and suggested that the policy taken by the farm lobby will not for the interest of the United States. His assumption regarding the Israel war has proved successes. He predicted that the policies taken by the Israel is based on the wrong policies and they will lose the war against Lebanon and United States. He also stated that the rising power of China can be a great dilemma for the interest of the United States. He had rightly predicted the Israels nuclear policies on the United States and it has been showed to him that America should change its foreign policies to deal with the international matters (Pashakhanlou 2014). He has rightly observed regarding the Chinese evasion and it has been stated by him that the internal policies of China can be an apple of discord to the capitalist countries. He had opposed the political tactics of China and it has been stated by him that China had invested a lot of money for the national security and the policy of China is not at all based on the democracy (Kireshner 2014). It can be observed that the observation made by John Mearsheimer is not jud gment-based, but he had described the interaction between the states regarding the anarchic world. He has structured the international relationship and the facts and reasons of the same. He that dominant nature of the leaders make huge success form has also stated it the pre-history period. As an example, he had made the versions of the Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler and the Qing dynasty in China. These rulers had made the perfect example regarding the hegemony. The work of John is to analyse the political matters from certain views. He had done the exact thing. According to his view, the anarchic system helped the states to act as per their own interest and the classical sense of realism will help to maintain a balance of power (Mearsheimer 2013). It is also observed that John had conveyed his view on Chinas emergence and stated that it will cause great dilemma to the United States. According to the recent policies taken by the United States denotes the same thing over the issue. In recent times, USAs policies over China had become a burning topic and it has been observed that USA provokes Japan and India to enhance their power to beat the nuclear power of China. Therefore, from certain views it can be stated that the policies and the theories propounded by him were right. It was his duty to analyse the matters and predicted things based on the theories as a political scientist. He has made a right observation regarding the political hegemony and the war policies that had been propounded by him gave him a huge success. His decisions over the policies of USA regarding the international relationships were rightly observed and he has concentrated over the European allies and the lacking capacity of the military troops. The Chinas policy regarding the dominancy on the South China sea has been predicted by him and he told that the hegemony of China regarding the same can be made dilemma for the European Capitalist states (Jackson and Krasner 2014). It is no doubt to state that as a political scientist, he had made certain remarkable role in the field of international relations, his theories has certain loopholes or weak points. It has been declared by him that the international institutions have failed to meet the requirements properly and they are suffering from limitation of powers (Layne 2014). He also stated that the policies make by the international institutions cannot be treated as a success and the objectives and the steps taken by the international institutions were in vain. However, the reality is quite different from his theory. It can be stated that the international institutions like the United Nations or NATO has done certain great things regarding the maintenance of peace and security. The role of the United Nations cannot be denied in case of resolving the global political issues. It has been stated by many institutionalist researchers that United Nations policies help to restrict the possibilities of Third Worl d War. It has been observed during the cold war, NATO takes certain principles on the liberal democracy in the area of Central and Eastern Europe. United Nations has also taken certain important policies to maintain the peace. This organisation has tried to resolve the disputesamicably. The United Nation had helped the process to resolve the Korean crisis in the year 1950. The institution has been struggling for the independency of the continents like Algeria and Morocco. The policy with Africa in the year 1960 has also give the organisation a huge success. Furthermore, he had not analyse other related matters like cultural clash between two regional or international states and only concentrated on the organisational matters ( Johnson and Phil 2016). Therefore, it can be stated that the theories of John plays an important role regarding the international relations and he had made a huge research on the political field. His predictions were sharp in nature and his books had achieved many awards. His statement regarding the policies of China, Middle East countries were got huge success and it is a fact that his theories on political hegemony reached certain distinction in the field of war politics. His opinion regarding the international institutions are true as it is a fact that the decisions of the institutions are not binding in nature and the member states will get choice to accept or denied the decisions and hence it can be stated that the observations of John Mearsheimer regarding the political institutions are acceptable. His theory was suffered from certain discrepancies, but the other critiques had failed to prove the outcome of the power imbalance and its impact on the international politics. John had rightly observed the detrimental effect of the provoking nature of the strong states and held the power imbalance as the main reason for war. Reference: Baylis, John, Patricia Owens, and Steve Smith, eds.The globalization of world politics: An introduction to international relations. Oxford University Press, 2017. Deudney, Daniel, and G. John Ikenberry. "Realism, Liberalism and the Iraq War."Survival59, no. 4 (2017): 7-26. Deudney, Daniel, and G. John Ikenberry. "Realism, Liberalism and the Iraq War."Survival59, no. 4 (2017): 7-26. Downes, Alexander, Robert Jackson, Stephen Krasner, Jack Snyder, John Mearsheimer, Carl Schmitt, Kenneth Waltz, Michael Walzer, and Charles Glaser. "THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO."Instructor(2014). Fawcett, Louise.International relations of the Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2016. Gilpin, Robert.The political economy of international relations. Princeton University Press, 2016. Glaser, C.L., 2014. The necessary and natural evolution of structural realism.The Realism Reader, edited by Colin Elman and Michael Jensen, pp.245-52. Jensen, Jan. "The International System. To what extent is anarchy a constant or a variable?." (2016). Kirshner, J., 2014. The tragedy of offensive realism.The Realism Reader, p.468. Kublkov, Vendulka.International relations in a constructed world. Routledge, 2015. Layne, Christopher. "The poster child for offensive realism."The Realism Reader(2014): 197. Lindley-French, J., 2015.The North Atlantic Treaty Organization: The Enduring Alliance. Routledge. McFaul, Michael, Stephen Sestanovich, and John J. Mearsheimer. "Faulty powers: Who started the Ukraine crisis."Foreign Aff.93 (2014): 167. Mearsheimer, John J. "Can China rise peacefully?."The National Interest25 (2014): 23-37. Mearsheimer, John J. "Why the Ukraine crisis is the West's fault: the liberal delusions that provoked Putin."Foreign Aff.93 (2014): 77. Mearsheimer, John J. "Why the Ukraine crisis is the West's fault: the liberal delusions that provoked Putin."Foreign Aff.93 (2014): 77. Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt. "The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior US Grand Stategy."Foreign Aff.95 (2016): 70. Mearsheimer, John. "America unhinged."The National Interest129 (2014): 9-30. Mearsheimer, John. "Anarchy and the Struggle for Power."The Realism Reader179 (2014). Mearsheimer, John. "Anarchy and the Struggle for Power."The Realism Reader179 (2014). Mearsheimer, John.Conventional deterrence. Cornell University Press, 2017. Mingst, Karen A., and Ivan M. Arregun-Toft.Essentials of International Relations: Sixth International Student Edition. WW Norton Company, 2013. Neumann, Iver B.Russia and the idea of Europe: a study in identity and international relations. Taylor Francis, 2016. Nichols, T., 2013. The Case for Conventional Deterrence.The National Interest,12. Pashakhanlou, Arash Heydarian. "Waltz, Mearsheimer and the post-Cold War world: The rise of America and the fall of structural realism."International Politics51, no. 3 (2014): 295-315. Roach, Steven C., Martin Griffiths, and Terry O'Callaghan.International relations: the key concepts. Routledge, 2014.

Management Communication for Prices of Air Tickets- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theManagement Communication for Prices of Air Tickets. Answer: Introduction: In this era of competitive edge, where all the companies are thriving to exist in the market it becomes imperative to have strategies that are innovative and attractive. Social media plays a huge role in the same (Velsamy and Karthikeyan 2016). However, there are some negative sides of the platform as well. Played reluctantly, the ever-dominant social media can lead to some of the major issues like what happened in the context of Qantas airlines. Future plans that can be taken by Qantas to enhance its brand image to its customers with justifications: According to the case study, it has been seen that Qantas has been grossly incapable of holding on to its model and impressing its customers. Time and again it has proved its inability to hold the loyal base of its customers. If appropriately judged, one may find out that the main reasons that the company has lost its customer base are communication issues on the part of the company to its customers and maintenance of its aircraft engines. Thus, it becomes evident that in order to regain its customer base, the company needs to restore its customers trust towards the company (Velsam and Karthikeyan 2016). Apart from that, the company also needs to make proper communication strategies with its customers. Only then the company will be able to prosper once again. In order to make an appropriate communication strategy, the company needs to understand what exactly are the needs and demands of its customers. Qantas also needs to compare its prices of air tickets, the level of comfort that t he other companies are providing the customers with that price and other value-added services if any. Qantas airlines then need to re-plan its airfares in accordance to the current airfares in the market. It is at the same time needless to assert that Qantas airlines need to keep its airfares a little low than the other brands as it has already lost a significant part of its customers. Also, the incidents of repeated engine failure have harmed the trust of the customers. Thus in order to attract the customers, the company needs to provide tickets at considerable low rates than the other companies in the market (Naim and Lenka 2018). Three important factors that need to consider while using social media sites: Since social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can be assessed by layman and learned, while incorporating these into business and its promotion, companies need to be extra careful. There is always a risk of negative comments. Apart from that, it should be also kept as concern that the same page can be trolled down by the public in case there are instigating lines or information that hurt the sentiment of others. Thus a few factors must be kept in concern while dealing with social networking sites Avoiding disclosure of employment information of the employees companies should be held at a distance as far as possible. It must be maintained that nothing personal of the company are shared on social media (Valentini 2015). For instance, the salary range, the satisfaction or the dissatisfaction of the employees at the company and other relevant details must be filtered. These are the details that can be manipulated and misused by other rival companies. Managing privacy settings: This mandatory feature needs to be adhered to by the employees. The company that is using social networking site for its promotion and advertisement or for any other purposes must be sure enough that the employees handling the social networking sites are technically apt and capable. A continuous monitoring is necessary since the sites can be used and accessed by all. The employees must be cautious that the malicious and perverted comments are deleted before it reaches the customers (Naim and Lenka 2018). That is, timely alteration and filtration of comments are necessary. Otherwise, there are high chances that the company and its mission of incorporating its business in social networking sites may be bullied. Another major factor that harms a companys reputation is computerized comments. Computerized comments must not be entered for each comment (Valentini 2015). The admin must also keep manual control over the pages so that negative and malicious comments can be altered or deleted. Training and development programs: no wonder training and development programs are mandatory in this context. With the advent of technology while on one hand business is a lot smoother, on the other hand, there are risks of hacking the system (Dijkmans, Kerkhof and Beukeboom 2015). In order to anticipate hacking the employees that are handling the social media sites must be appropriately trained. Communication plan template Timing It must be maintained that the communication is maintained at the right time. That is, the customers are not forced to hear the advertisements of the airline. The communication must be done through audio, video, and other ways like banners, billboards, hoardings and a lot more. Communication to the customers must be exciting and the customers should feel attached. The communication should be planned in an attractive way. Audience The audience of the Qantas airline, are the customers. In this context, the airline targets three sections of customers. In the first section, some customers want to experience the fine customer service. In the second category, some customers love to try out different offers and discounts. The third category that the airline targets is the kid section. The airline has modified its product for children and targets them. Apart from that the airline also uses dcor and ambience in a way that customers feel attracted towards availing the airline service. Sender The sender is the airline service and its management. They not only send messages but also at the same time innovates new ways of sending messages. Key message The key message that the airline sends is to avail the services once. The airline also offers complimentary food and drinks to its passengers (Valentini 2015). Desired Outcome The management desires that this implementing this communication plan will hugely increase the sakes of the airlines. Apart from that, a lot of customers will come to know about the airline. Medium The airline will be using the medium of television, social media networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to advertise. Apart from that, all the details will also be there on its website. Materials The company will require a proper internet connection, laptop and desktops, software developers to develop its webpage. The company would also need analysts. Frequency It has been decided that the advertisements will be repeated in every 10 minutes in local cable. Conclusion It can thus be asserted in the concluding segment that though in this era use of social media sites are mandatory in order to maintain its notice to customers. However, at the same time, one needs to be cautious. Mismanagement may lead to a gross loss like what happened with Qantas promotion of pyjamas. The employees on the authority of social sites must be trained time and again. Reference List Dijkmans, C., Kerkhof, P. and Beukeboom, C.J., 2015. A stage to engage: Social media use and corporate reputation.Tourism Management,47, pp.58-67. Naim, M.F. and Lenka, U., 2018. Development and retention of Generation Y employees: a conceptual framework.Employee Relations,40(2), pp.433-455. Valentini, C., 2015. Is using social media good for the public relations profession? A critical reflection.Public Relations Review,41(2), pp.170-177. Velsamy, A. and Karthikeyan, P., 2016. Social Media In The Professional Development of B-School Faculty.International Journal of Innovative Research in Management Studies (IJIRMS) Volume,1, pp.62-71.

Title of the Paper Essays (656 words) - Education, Education Reform

Title of the Paper ( Education: Social Issue in the United States ) Submitted By ( Kadeejah Johnson, [emailprotected] ) Number and Name of Course (Oral Communication - COMM 101) Class Meeting Time/Day (M/W/F: 9:00 A.M. - 9:50 A . M. ) Professor (Dr. Ephraim Okoro) Semester (Fall 2016) Today's Date (Friday November 11 , 2016) Bowie State University Department of Communications Bowie, Maryland A subject very true to my heart, has been the most talked about issue in the suburban and inner cities of the United States and that is education. The misconception with education is that it is free for everyone and is equally distributed to every student. The issue that has become the surface of teacher's frustration is Common Core, which is the standard test in both mathematics and English. It has been known that teachers could only teach students what the State or District allows them to teach with such moderations of being creative with the way they go about the lesson. The underling social issue with education is that it is education does not belong to the teachers and the school's anymore, it belongs to the State and District; leaving teachers limiting what the students need to learn and the way they are supposed to learn it. The best way to handle the issue is to give education back to the school and its administration to give the students the proper education. Going into our twenty-first century, we are finding more and more students graduating from high school not prepared to do college-level work or achieve sufficiently in entry-level jobs. The public business community is beginning to doubt whether public schools are capable of producing individuals who can become productive members of society. They ask the school systems how it is so many students can graduate with so few skills. One explanation is "social promotion"--that is, school systems' practice of promoting a student to the next grade level regardless of their academic ability. Although social promotion may seem new to us today, it has a long history. Social promotion has been a function of educational institutions for decades. Promotion of an individual no matter what his academic success has long been a standard procedure. Schools cannot appear they are failing to educate their students so they do whatever it takes to promote the student to the next grade. Will the debates over education reform ever end? Can any system of education ever be formed to satisfy the conflicting desires of the people? The education of America's youth is an important subject to most voters. Education holds a few spots in every election and has always been a crucial part of every candidate's platform. The people of America have many sides to each of the numerous issues that surround education. Some of these issues include the content of the curriculum, discipline policies, safety of the children, over-crowded classrooms, zoning regulations, quality of teachers, and the inclusion or exclusion of religious teachings. Parents are lost in the sea of different reform ideas to vote for when they fill out their ballots. Simply, parents want their children to receive a superb education. Searching for a school that can provide such an education can prove to be a difficult task. The largest supplier of education is the government. While almost half of America consider the public schools to be "only fair" or worse, the overwhelming majority of parents continue to send their children to publics schools (Metropolitan). The best way to handle such situations is to vote for a candidate that supports the issues in the educational system, and to not undermine what the other candidate feels about education. Always consider how a National situation can affect the future of your children or possibly even yourself.

12 Awesome Learning Games for Kids

12 Awesome Learning Games for Kids SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Learning games, or educational games, are all about making learning, well, fun! They’re also about getting kids to see the practical nature of the skills they’re acquiring, whether that’s how to identify shapes in the world or how to spell difficult words. In this article, we explain what kinds of skills children can learn through games and give you 12 examples of learning games for kids in preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school. What Skills Can Children Gain From Learning Games? Learning games are entertaining, highly effective methods for teaching children valuable life skills. Here are some of the most important skills kids can hone through learning games: Fine Motor Skills: Coordinating small muscles in specific movements using the eyes Pattern Recognition: The ability to grasp and predict patterns in images, numbers, etc. Visual Scanning: Using your eyes to look in a systematic, pragmatic manner, such as when learning to read Visual Attention: Being able to focus on specific visual information and filter out irrelevant information Short-Term Memory: The ability to recall images, patterns, or other qualities that have just been shown or said and then hidden or removed from sight Reasoning Skills: The ability to process information, think critically, and solve problems Social/Emotional Skills: Includes cooperation and patience as well as how to maintain eye contact, resolve conflicts with others, and communicate effectively Public-Speaking Skills: Expressing yourself verbally in front of others both confidently and appropriately Foreign Language Acquisition: The ability to learn vocabulary words, grammar, and other characteristics of a language that is not your native tongue Active Listening/Listening Comprehension Skills: Giving your full attention to a speaker and understanding the message the speaker is trying to express Language Skills: Linking together words to form proper sentences/phrases and improving vocabulary knowledge The kinds of skills children gain from educational games can vary a lot depending on the game, the ages of the children playing it, and its purpose as a whole, such as reviewing a basic math concept or improving vocabulary knowledge. For example, a learning game that works to improve kids' fine motor skills would be better suited to preschoolers and younger children than it would be for older elementary school students who have already mastered these skills. Educational Games for Kids: 12 Fun Examples In this section, we give you 12 examples of learning games for children in preschool all the way through upper elementary school. We've divided the games into three age groups: Preschool Learning Games (Ages 3-5) Early Elementary Learning Games (Ages 5-9) Upper Elementary Learning Games (Ages 9-12) Preschool Learning Games This first set of educational games is geared primarily toward preschoolers, or kids aged 3-5. Puzzles Number of Players: 1+ Time: 5-15 mins Skills Learned: Fine motor skills, pattern recognition, visual attention, reasoning skills, social skills Puzzles are great (not to mention fun) tools for preschoolers to practice their fine motor skills and pattern recognition. Some of the best puzzles for toddlers and preschoolers are those that teach simple concepts, such as the names of shapes, numbers, and alphabet letters. Be sure you're using puzzles that are geared specifically toward young children and not adults (so as to prevent possible consumption of small pieces). You can also have preschoolers solve puzzles in pairs or groups, or see whether they can solve the puzzle within a certain time frame. This should naturally be followed by a reward for the winners! Hot Potato Number of Players: 3+ Time: 5-15 mins, depending on size of group Skills Learned: Fine motor skills, social skills, public-speaking skills Hot potato is a classic game you likely played as a kid but perhaps never realized just how many skills you were learning as a result! There are many variations on hot potato, but the most basic form, which is the easiest to do with extremely young players, is to have all the kids sit in a circle and give one of them a beanbag (or other soft "potato" substitute, such as a small pillow or a stuffed animal). Turn on some music and then have the kids quickly pass the "potato" to the person next to them in the circle as fast as they can. Once the music stops (you decide when to pause it- remember, random pauses are key to the surprises in the game), the child holding the potato is out (or must do something as punishment, such as reciting the alphabet or counting aloud 1-10). Continue playing until just one child is left. Here are a few other variations on hot potato you could try: Allow the children to toss the "potato" to anyone in the circle (except for the person who just tossed it to you, unless there are only two players left) Have each kid answer a question when given the potato before they can pass it to someone else (for example, you show them a picture of a shape and ask what its name is) Use multiple "potatoes" to up the ante! A teddy bear works well as a "potato." This one's even the right color! Memory/Concentration Number of Players: 1+ Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Short-term memory, fine motor skills, visual attention Memory, or concentration, is a fun, easygoing game that improves children's short-term memory and fine motor skills. There are several different ways you can set up this game depending on the resources you have: Picture cards with matching pairs: With this method, you’ll take a deck of picture cards and spread them out face down on a desk or the floor. Each child will then take turns flipping over two random cards. If the two cards are different, the child must flip them back over and leave them in their original spot. If the two cards do match, the child places them in front of herself. Continue playing until there are no more cards left; the child with the most matches wins. Puzzle pieces with pictures and matching pairs: Puzzle pieces with different edges and/or shapes work well for young children because they’re easier to grab and provide clearer hints as to which pieces will likely fit together. Flip over puzzle pieces two at a time, and play in the same way as described above. Pre-made memory game with windows: If you don’t want to set up your own concentration game with cards or puzzle pieces, then you might want to buy a pre-made memory game that comes with windows, such as this classic version by Melissa Doug (for ages 5-7). Four Corners Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 10-15 mins per round Skills Learned: Active listening skills, public-speaking skills, social skills This classic game is great for burning off some energy. Start by labeling each corner of the room with a different number (or letters, shapes, cardinal directions, or anything else you’re currently teaching your kids). For example, if you want to focus on shapes, you could label each corner a different shape, such as a rectangle, a circle, a trapezoid, and a triangle. Choose one child to be "it" and blindfold them. The rest of the children will each pick a corner and move to it (without the child who is "it" knowing which corner has how many people in it). Still blindfolded, the "it" kid says the label of one of the four corners. With the example above, this would be one of the four shapes. All children standing in the corner whose label is called must immediately return to their seats, as they are now out. Repeat this process until there are four or fewer children left, at which point each kid must choose a different corner. The last person standing wins and becomes the "it" kid for the next round. Early Elementary Learning Games These kids' learning games can be played with children in early elementary school (kindergarten to around third grade). Fruits Basket Number of Players: Best with 8+ Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Active listening skills, foreign language acquisition, public-speaking skills, language skills Fruits Basket is a wild game often played to get kids moving and learning things such as foreign-language vocabulary, numbers, letters, and so on. The game is similar to musical chairs. Put chairs in a circle so that there’s one less chair than there are children playing (e.g., if you have seven kids playing, you’d have six chairs). Make the chairs facing inward toward the middle of the circle. Each child will wear a picture of something around their neck, such as a particular shape, alphabet letter, or animal. Limit the number of unique cards to three or four, depending on the size of the group. This means that there should always be at least two kids per picture card. So let's say you have a group of 12 children playing. In this case, it would be best to have four unique card types, such as apples, oranges, bananas, and peaches. Four unique card types means three cards for each category(in other words, three kids will be apples, three will be oranges, etc.). One kid stands in the middle of the circle (also with a picture card around their neck) while the rest of the children sit in the chairs. The child in the middle picks one of the card names to say out loud. For example, if every child is a shape, the child in the middle could say, "Circle!" to make all the kids with "Circle" cards around their necks stand up and move. Once a category has been said aloud, all children sitting down who have the card with this category on it must stand up and find an empty chair to sit in. Meanwhile, the kid in the middle will also look for an empty seat to try to steal. Whoever doesn't get a chair is now the new child in the middle. Play continues until you decide to end the game- there are no winners or losers. Here are some additional tips for playing Fruits Basket: If a child is having trouble finding a seat and keeps getting stuck in the middle, they can say, "Fruits basket!" to make everyone get up and move at the same time. For an extra challenge, make it so that you can’t just exchange seats with the people sitting directly next to you (if they're wearing the same card as you). This game works great as a foreign-language activity. Have your children practice saying simple words in the target language. I often used this activity to teach my Japanese students English. Bingo Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 10-15 mins Skills Learned: Visual scanning, fine motor skills, active listening skills, pattern recognition, foreign language acquisition Bingo isn’t just for the elderly- lots of kids love playing Bingo, especially if it means winning a prize or two! To play, you can either buy or make your own Bingo sheets. The traditional Bingo sheet looks like this, with each letter of "Bingo" representing a separate column with numbers in it (there's also a free space in the middle): The caller (usually the teacher or adult) will draw cards with numbers on them or randomly call out numbers. Each child takes a few seconds or so to look for the number and see if it is on their Bingo sheet. If it is, the child places a small token (or uses a pencil to draw an X or O) on the square with the number in it. If the number is not there, the child does nothing. If a kid marks five squares in a row, in a column, or diagonally, they call out, "Bingo!" and receive an award. There are many variations on Bingo. Here are some ideas for changing it up: Use pictures or shapes instead of numbers- this is great for teaching foreign vocabulary Get rid of the "Free Space" to make the game more challenging Change the traditional winning pattern and instead require the children to cover spaces in the shape of a giant X, cover all four corners, or get a blackout (i.e., cover the entire board) This next game makes kids the detectives. Scavenger Hunt Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, foreign language acquisition, social skills Scavenger hunts are great for not just getting kids to exercise and run around but also teaching them problem-solving skills and the value of teamwork. There are tons of ways you can set up a scavenger hunt depending on the age, skill levels, and interests of the children. The basic idea of a scavenger hunt is to have children (usually in pairs or groups) search for specific objects or clues in a room or other closed environment. Some scavenger hunts don’t require any preparation. For example, you could have children search for specific shapes in nature or colors of objects (especially useful if you’re teaching color names in a foreign language). Slightly harder scavenger hunts can entail having the children look for math problems or riddles, which they must solve in order to get the hint to where the next problem is hidden. Other types of hunts include providing children with a list of objects to find and gather, perhaps to put together later in order to complete something, such as a jigsaw puzzle. Simon Says Number of Players: The more, the merrier! Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Active listening skills, language skills, foreign language acquisition Simon Says is a great way to teach kids how to listen and understand a variety of words, thereby improving their language and literacy skills. It's also helpful for teaching vocabulary words and grammar in a foreign language. To play, have everybody stand up. Make one person (usually the adult or teacher) be Simon. This person is the leader and is trying to eliminate as many players as possible. As Simon, you will say action phrases for the children to do, such as "Touch your nose" or "Raise your left hand." If you use the phrase "Simon says" before the action, the children must do it. If you don’t use the phrase "Simon says," however, the children must not do the action. Any child who performs an action that does not have "Simon says" before it or who fails to do an action that has "Simon says" before it is out and must sit down. The game continues until one child is left standing. Upper Elementary Learning Games This last set of educational games is best for children in grades four through six. Hangman Number of Players: 2+ Time: 10-20 mins Skills Learned: Language skills (spelling and reading), reasoning skills, public-speaking skills, visual scanning, foreign language acquisition Hangman is one of those classic, simple games that requires no major prep and is very easy to learn. It’s best played with a larger group of people or in teams. One person (usually the adult or teacher) thinks of a word and writes down a short horizontal line, or blank, for each letter of that word. Make sure to use a word that the kids will know and that is ideally relevant to what they’re learning. For example, if you chose the word "flower," you would write down six blanks, one for each letter. Once you have a word chosen and have written down the blanks for it, draw a hook-like picture; this will be what the "hangman" hangs on. It’s similar to an upside-down L or J. Draw an empty box next to this as well- this will be for recording wrong letters: Now, each student (or group of students) takes turns guessing a letter in the mystery word. If the letter is correct, write that letter in whatever blanks it appears in for the word (so if there are multiples of that letter, write all of them in). If the letter is incorrect, put that letter in the empty box and draw part of the hangman. Most people start with the head and then move on to the body, the limbs, and finally the facial features, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. It's good to decide ahead of time what a full hangman looks like so the children can know at any point how close they are to losing. Anyone may guess the full word at any time. If the word is incorrect though, treat it as a wrong guess and draw part of the hangman. The players win if they guess the correct word or find all the letters in the word before the hangman is complete. You win if nobody guesses your word! To make the game slightly easier for kids, you can give them a category beforehand from which you’ll think of a word. For example, if the category were "School Supplies," then they’d know to be on the lookout for words such as "eraser," "pencil," or "notebook." Catch Phrase Number of Players: 4+ Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, active listening skills, language skills, public-speaking skills, social skills Catch Phrase gets its name from a popular board game, which involves describing a certain word or phrase to people without using any of the words in that phrase or any rhyming words. To play your own game of Catch Phrase, come up with dozens of words kids must describe to one another. If you have a large group of kids, divide them into teams (typically two). Write out the words on individual pieces of paper and then put them in a hat or bowl from which one kid at a time will select a word. Check that every child understands the word they get, and be sure they do not tell anyone else their word! There are several ways you can play this game; here are some of the most common: The traditional method is to have two teams. Each team takes turns describing a word to their teammates. Once a team guesses the correct word, play passes to the other team. The game continues like this until time runs out. The team not in the middle of describing a word when the timer stops wins one point. Time each group one minute and see how many words they can guess correctly. Have one child describe words one at a time (or have each child take turns describing one word). Give one point for each correctly guessed word. Don’t allow children to "pass" difficult words- this will make the game even harder! Teamwork is a vital part of Catch Phrase and other kids' learning games. Pictionary Number of Players: 2+ Time: 15-20 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, visual scanning, visual attention, social skills Pictionary is an exciting board game that encourages kids to practice their drawing and reasoning skills. To play, divide children into pairs (or teams) and give them either a mini-whiteboard with a marker or a sheet of paper with a pencil. Each child will take turns drawing a picture of a word that’s been secretly given to them (written on a piece of paper and given to them or whispered to them by an adult). The other kid has a certain amount of time- usually one minute- to guess the word that is being drawn. There are many options for changing up the rules. For example, you could have all the children who are drawing pictures illustrate the same word at the same time, or have every child take turns drawing a picture at the front of the classroom on the whiteboard so everyone can guess. Here are the official Pictionary rules in case you’re interested. 20 Questions Number of Players: 2+ Time: 5-10 mins Skills Learned: Reasoning skills, active listening skills, language skills, short-term memory, public-speaking skills 20 Questions is an easy game to play that doesn’t take up much time and can be played with as few as two players. The purpose of this game is for the players to correctly guess what one person is thinking of within 20 yes-or-no questions. The thing being thought of is usually an object, person, or place. As the thinker, you'll come up with one word and then have the kids one at a time ask you yes-or-no questions to try to figure out what the word is. Questions typically begin broad: Is it a person? Is it something you can eat? Is it something in this room? If it’s the first time you’re playing this game with children, it'd probably be a good idea to go over some examples of basic questions they can ask you so they have a better idea of how to play. As the yes-or-no questions get more specific, children can begin guessing the word. For example: Is it a balloon? Is it George Washington? Is it the playground? If players can figure out what the secret word is within 20 questions, they win! If not, you win. The one message we hope you take away from this article! Review: The Importance of Kids' Learning Games Learning might not sound like much fun, but the truth is that there are tons of ways children can engage in activities that are both fun and educational. This list of 12 learning games is certainly not exhaustive, but it does manage to show just how many different types of (fun) educational games for kids exist. Most of these games can be bought at a store or created with simple tools, such as paper, markers, and colored pencils. If you’re not sure what kind of learning games to use with your own kids, think first of the types of skills you’d like them to learn. For example, if you want your very young students to practice their fine motor skills, a hands-on game such as a puzzle would be a great choice. Regardless of the games you decide to play with children, you’re sure to end up having lots of fun- perhaps more than you thought possible! What’s Next? Want more ideas for kids' learning games? Then check out our expert guides on spelling games (coming soon), alphabet games (coming soon), and toddler learning games (coming soon). If you want to teach children, then perhaps an early childhood education degree is right for you.Our guide goes over what this degree entails in terms of coursework, and gives you a helpful list of the best online BA in Early Childhood Education degree programs. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Hannah Muniz About the Author Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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Inventory Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Inventory Management - Essay Example that idle stock that is held by an entity for fulfilling future transactions, then considering planes as inventory at London’s Heathrow Airport, then, the head of operations have various ways of improving the inventory flow into the airport. Reducing the time spent by the planes in the run way is such one option. Through the reduction of the time spent by individual plane on the runway, an opportunity is created to increase the number of planes landing and taking off, consequently improving the rate of passenger arrival and departure, which goes a long way in increasing the cash flow into the airport and consequently the revenues earned (Tempelmeier, 24). Scheduling planes for arrival and departure is yet another aspect of inventory management for planes, which serves to ensure that the planes does not compete for available resources such as runways or the passengers, when all of them arrives or wants to depart at the same time. Having a system, which clearly indentifies the w hereabouts of the planes, is another aspect of inventory management, which helps in communicating with the plane, reducing the chances of delays (Tempelmeier, 29). Considering the passengers as a unit of inventory, then, managing them becomes necessary to ensure there is effective arrival and departure from the airport, without having any delays or time wastage. The management of passengers as inventory requires the scheduling of arrival and departure time differently, to ensure that there is no congestion of passengers in the airport, which is likely to cause confusions and delays in clearances (Tempelmeier, 16). Designing different entry and exit routes for the passengers to and from the airport will serve to ensure that the arriving passengers and the boarding ones do not meet at any point within the airport, effectively improving the efficiency of traffic flow. Scheduling the earliest and the latest time that passengers should arrive in the airport is another aspect of inventory

Outsourcing Functions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outsourcing Functions - Essay Example Army takes active support of the capabilities of special operations forces, for the functioning of landlines of communication, and other civil programs. A whole range of missions is assigned by the National Command Authorities for the army to play its crucial role with the support from the core competencies. Thus, the core competencies relate to structuring the country’s security environment, quick action against natural or human created crisis, mobilizing the army to be a part of the action on war front, crossing the enemy physical borders by forcing entry, long term hold of foreign lands to resolve the conflicts, closing with and defeating of enemy forces through precision fires and maneuvers by using information technology to its advantage. These are the critical skills that an army must develop and nurture so that it is looked upon with great respect by the powers that matter . Other core capabilities of army include commanding and control of Joint and Multinational Forces that require inter-organization collaboration on united handling of capabilities to foster competency. Army manages and safeguards people, land and natural resources as well. It organizes sustained operations of essentials to the army that includes supply, engineer, finance, medical, and personnel units. Army supports the civil authorities in domestic and global urgencies as well. These are such functions, which the army should outsource to outside companies that have greater expertise to competently perform the related tasks. It will leave enough room for the army to pay attention to more demanding tasks for which it is formed . The Corps of Engineers is one such organization, which is a part of the army. It is in the same way facing hardships in managing

Clarity System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Clarity System - Essay Example The clarity works in a very interesting way; it generates quotations, verifies, compute all the orders, delivery notes, invoices on the PDF, word and even Excel formats. Quotations are normally worked out at jaw-dropping speed using powerful computation wizards which is compatible to almost all business sectors. Faraday & Howard (2003) The function of the Excel spreadsheet in the systems clarity space is a hotly mooted debate. Undeniably the unfettered use of spreadsheets in a financial setting creates significant risks. The spreadsheet constitutes an infinite flexibility which is strength as good a weakness. Altered changes and calculation errors that are not authentic can easily undermine the integrity of a spreadsheet budget and the entire consolidated process. The harnessing of bigger characteristics of Excel enhances organisations to leverage the high investment that is already made in the spreadsheet bound processes. Gerald A.M (2006) Clarity advances the precepts by deploying the look and feel of excel. The excel/web interface enhances the acceleration and incorporation of clarity system which reduces training costs because the templates and reports can look like any other spreadsheet. It simplifies deployment of the application since users can access the system via a browser which is already on their desktop. The advantage of using web/excel as the basic user interface is that it's a universal language that has been integrated and used in most organisations. Gerald A.M (2006) Single Centralised Data Model The CPM programs are normally defined as closed loop process, where determining functionality from strategic objectives and long term plans are integrated operational budgets that are monitored, evaluated and reported against absolute results. For a dynamic environment like that one for a construction company, it is advisable that information is shared across the board by the most crucial functionalities and procedures so that there is no replication of data and integrity of information is guaranteed. The structural information such as cost centre account or product group should be consistent whenever observed in the CPM functional suite. However, clarity system supports this capability through a single centralized data model. Gregory Wilberforce (2005) This is in marked contrast to other suppliers that frequently have to 'stage' metadata in complex systems architectures in order to establish consistency across the CPM solution. Inefficiencies such as these impose unwelcome complexity and inevitably invite higher costs of maintenance. Unified Solution Clarity system enhances multi-user functions; many users can integrate with the system through a web based interface, whereas all CPM applications can be accessed through easy-to-use menu system. The modules and templates are also controlled and relayed to the central system. The clarity system offers solutions that address all Corporate Performance Management applications. Single instances of clarity is normally used for budgeting, planning, forecasting, reporting, score carding, consolidations, profitability analysis, sales analysis among many more functions. Open Architecture Clarity systems supports online analytical processing (OLAP) and in conjunction with relational databases like Essbase and Oracle clarity leverages the investments that users have already

Analyse The Tourism Industry In Africa Tourism Essay

Analyse The Tourism Industry In Africa Tourism Essay This section will set out the means by which the case study will be conducted. First, the models which will be used to analyse the tourism industry in Africa will be explained Subsequently, this section will look at the methodology for the regression analysis. The models which will be used in the case study fall into two broad catagories. On the one hand, some models help define what the overall strategic framework for the African tourism industry might be, on the other, further models help formulate the best plans in more specific terms. Models to help formulate an overall strategic framework include Smiths problem identification theory, Oldham, Creemers and Rebecks model based on organisational objectives, and Hamel and Prahalads contingency view of matching model to circumstance. In addition, other models such as a simple SWOT analysis or PESTEL overview can help link strategy to circumstance Models which help generate add detail to the framework include Yoons Structural Equation Model and the similar models developed first by Crouch and Ritchie and later by Dwyer and Kim based around destination competitiveness and a hierarchy of priorities. This section of the dissertation will look in more detail at the models which will be used in the case study, briefly outlining their theory and making clear how they work. 3.1 Overall Strategic Framework Models This section outlines models which can help formulate overall strategic frameworks, and which will be used in the case study of Africa, below. The section will look at the notion of Butlers lifecycle planning and destination visioning. Strategic planning needs to incorporate a long term perspective, the development of a holistic, integrated plan to manage change through goal formation and also formalise a decision process around the distribution of destination resources. Such a plan should also allow quick responses to changing situations. Kotler et al have been influential in helping shape this overview of what such planning must incorporate. Strategic planning is particularly important for sustainability, as goal setting allows all stakeholders to have input into the future of the destination and help create a clear shared vision. There are, however, problems, for example the views of different shareholders with different value systems might be difficult to reconcile (Cooper 2002). The Life Cycle approach offers a technique for destination management strategy and a way to incorporate a long-term perspective. By differentiating between different stages in the life of a destination, management approaches can be tailored to these stages. The notion was developed by Butler (1980), who suggested that destinations cycle through six sequential stages: exploration, involvement, consolidation, stagnation and decline / rejuvenation (see figure 1) (Dong et al 2004). Stage Tourist Characteristics Local consequences Exploration Visitors explorers, travel individually, irregular patterns, predominant attraction natural Locals do not understand needs of visitors Involvement Start of variation in tourist numbers, low/high season. Man made facilities appear Residents start to dedicate resources to visitors, some advertising Consolidation Visitor numbers reach plateau. Package tours. Local economy dependent upon tourism. Stagnation Destination well established but loses fashion. Peak capacity reached. Tourists psychocentric Local economy dependent on tourism Decline Some destinations decline decrease in market Impact on local economy as visitors decline Rejvenation others recover by changing attractions, new natural resources Further pressure on local economy Figure 1: Butlers life cycle (adapted) It is possible to adapt the idea of the life cycle to integrate sustainable tourism with appropriate management strategies at each stage of the cycle with holistic planning (Bramwell and Lane 1993). One useful approach is Life Cycle Analysis (Jain 1985) which combines the notion of the life cycle with Porters competitive position (dominant to weak). This is set out in figure 2 (Cooper 2003). Competitive Position Stages of Industry Maturity Embryonic Growth Mature Aging Dominant Fast growing Start up Fast growing, leadership Renewing Defending position Defend position, Renew, cost leadership Defend position Focus Renew Adapt Strong Start up Differentiate Growth Fast growth Catch-up Differentiate Attain cost leadership Renew Focus Change with industry Find and retain niche Grow with industry Harvest Favourable Start up Differentiate Focus Grow Differentiate Focus Grow with industry Find and hold niche Renew Turnaround Differentiate Grow with industry Retrench Turnaround Tenable Start up Grow with Industry Focus Harvest, Catch-up Find niche Hold niche Focus Grow with industry Harvest Turnaround Retrench Divest Retrench Weak Find niche Catch up Grow with industry Turnaround Retrench Withdraw Divest Withdraw Figure 2: Jains Life Cycle Matrix (adapted from Cooper, 2003) Another useful approach is that of Destination Visioning. This was suggested by Ritchie (1994) as a way to address the needs of strategic planning for tourism. This approach places power in the hands of the community, including local government, residents and businesses who have a central role in creating a strategic plan for the destination. There are three key ideas involved in Ritchies destination visioning. First, the vision needs to bring together the views the entire community as well as other stakeholders. Second, all involved parties need to agree about the vision, and third, the vision needs to incorporate long-term development plans. Cooper (2002) elaborates a practical strategy for delivering this vision with firstly a destination audit the commissioning of research to look at the nature of tourism in the region currently, the second stage position stagements for key areas including market, investment, environment, and followed by visioning workshops perhaps the most imp ortant element with workshops held around the area to find out the views of all community members about tourism in the area. This feeds into the next stage Development of the Vision where results are analysed and used to prepare a development plan. Finally, this is followed by the implementation scale. While there are acknowledged difficulties with Destination visioning for example problems in making sure all community views are gathered, and difficulties gaining agreement on some areas, it seems a useful tool for developing a sustainable tourism plan (Cooper, 2002) The case study will also bear in mind Oldham, Creemers and Rebecks (2000) model based in purpose and objective, and the more contingent approach championed by both Pazstor (2001) and Hamel and Prahalad (1994). While there has been much discussion regarding whether strategic frameworks are a useful tool for developing organizations and ventures, perhaps due to the rapid change in the business environment, it is assumed in this study that they can add value and help formulate a better plan to deal with the future. They will be used in the case study to provide an overview for the tourism industry in Africa. 3.2 Models to Add Depth and Detail This section sets out further models which will be used to add detail and depth to the case study by helping flesh out the overall strategic framework for African Tourism as it faces the next 10 years. Models of micro and macro environments can be useful, as are resource based views. A model by Yoon, and one based on ideas from Porter, developed by Crouch and Ritchies (1999) and Dwyer and Kim (2003) are also discussed. Many useful models look at the macro and micro environments. The macro environment equates to the external environment and involves the identification of threats and opportunities to the enterprise. Tools such as PESTEL (which looks at Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Enrivonmental and Legal issues) or STEEP (Socio-demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political influences) are useful here. Other approaches extend these analyses by including international communications and infrastructure for example. The micro environment, on the other hand, looks at the immediate competitive threats to the enterprise. Here Porters five force model to understand competitive position (see figure 4) is useful (The hospitality leisure sport and tourism network 2011 online) Suppliers STRATEGIC POSITION Barriers to Entry Substitutes Buyers Competitive Rivalry Figure 3: Porters Five Force Model Porters model is based upon an economic model called Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP), which assumes that the structure of an organization and the industry in which it operates dictates how that organization behaves, and in turn this determines profit (performance) (Henry 2008). The model helps an organization or enterprise determine the merits of any course of action by looking at the way the five forces Porter identifies are interacting. While Porter developed the model from the point of view of organizations already operating in an area, it is also valuable for organizations or enterprises determining whether to enter a competitive environment (Henry 2008). Another useful approach is to look at organisational resources and competencies. The Resource Based View (RBV) looks in detail at the internal resources of the enterprise to work out how these can be used to gain maximum advantage. Porters value chain EXPLAIN concept can be used to understand these core competencies (The Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Network 2011 [online]) Yoons Structural Equation Model concerns the perspective of stakeholders in the tourism enterprise. It sets out the relationship between five areas: tourism development impacts, environmental attitudes, place attachment, development preferences about tourism attractions, and support for destination competitive strategy. The first three are exogenous, the latter two endogenous. Residents support for any future tourism, in the model, is determined by the way they perceive various aspects of tourism. Each of four elements or dimensions influences the total tourism impact, which in turn impacts upon the support for future tourism development. Yoons model is based in social exchange theory, which suggests that people are more likely to take part in an exchange if they think they will benefit from the exchange and will not occur too many costs. Residents need to perceive the benefits of tourism outweighing the disadvantages in order that they give their support to future developments. The model is set out in fig 4 (Yoon et al 2001) Economic Impact Social Impact Support for Tourism Total Impact Cultural Impact Environmental Impact Figure 4: Yoons Model Crouch and Ritchie develop a model based on idea of competitive and comparative advantages, including human, physical and knowledge resources, capital, infrastructure, historical and cultural resources. In this model, attractions are the basic building blocks of a destinations appeal to the public, and act as key motivators for visits. They can include cultural and natural elements. The model moves beyond merely listing advantages to incorporate a way to understand the relationships between the factors in a Conceptual Model of Destination which looks at the micro environment (the competitive situation), the macro (global) environment, core resources and attractors for primary destination appeal elements, supporting or secondary destination appeal elements and also qualifying determinants. Dwyer and Kim develop a model, strongly influenced by Crouch and Ritchie (Kozak and Andreu 2006), based around destination competitiveness that allows comparisons to be made between countries. They base competitiveness between destinations in terms of the various characteristics of a destination which make it desirable to visit. They also suggest that these factors can be managed in a process of Destination Management, promoting the appeal of core resources, strengthening their quality and adapting to contingent conditions (Dwyer and Kim 2003). Tourist destination attractiveness include natural resources (scenery, parks etc) and artificial resources (museums, hotels, culture). Administrative factors should increase attractiveness of basic resources and amplify their appeal. Administration should be conducted efficiently and with adaptation to contingencies (Navickas and Malakauskaite 2009). Factors form a hierarchy, with natural resources the base of a pyramid, followed by created re sources, then administration. Above these levels is the need for a cohesive policy and development. This pyramid will be used to structure the case study discussion. The similarities between the two models are drawn out in figure 5: Dwyer and Kim (Integrated Model) Crouch-Ritchie Model Natural Resources Cultural / Heritage Resources Core Resources (Climate, Culture, Activities Mix, Special Events, Entertainment etc) Supporting Factors and Resources (General Infrastructure, quality of service, accessibility of destination, hospitality) Supporting Factors and Resources (Infrastructure, Accessibility, Hospitality, Enterprise) Destination Management Destination Management Situational conditions Destination Policy, Planning, Development Competitive (micro) environment Global (macro) environment Demand Conditions Qualifying and Amplifying Determinants Figure 5: Dwyer and Kim, Crouch Ritchie Models (adapted from Dwyer and Kim 2003) 3.3 Regression Analysis In addition to the tools outlined above which will be used to inform the case study, this study will also include data interrogation. Data will be collected from Africa as a whole and East and West Africa as sub regions to determine the change over time for key variables upon tourism. A regression analysis will also be included on the data. Regression analysis is a statistical technique used to predict the value of one variable when we know the values of other variables. It models the relationship between two or more variables (Cohen 2007). Simple linear regression helps identify the most representative straight line connecting two sets of variables, which multiple regression maps the relationships between more than two variables. The latter will be used in this case. (Buglear 2004). 4. Case Study: African Tourism 4.1 Overview of Africa and Tourism using Business Models and Tools The methodology has set out a number of useful tools for analysing the resources of Africa as a tourist destination, which can be used in turn to develop an overall strategy for tourism, both in Africa overall and with references to differences between East and West. The following will discuss Africa in these terms, first using tools identified in the literature review such as PESTEL, STEEP and Porters Five Forces to look at Africas current position, and then taking a wider strategic view, again drawing upon tools and models discussed in the methodology.   Ã‚  While tools such as PESTEL and STEEP distinguish different areas of consideration, to some extent these divisions are artificial, and the areas overlap to some extent. 4.1.1 The Political Situation Most available information relates to the political and economic climate in Africa, and what it means for tourism.   Tourists are, for example, highly sensitive to political instability, and can fear for their personal safety. It has been suggested (Okech 2010) that only democratic countries with a respect for law and human rights can create the stability which is necessary for tourism development. The political history of Africa is complex, with many countries facing severe political problems which have their roots in colonialism and its aftermath. The Cold War and, more recently, Globalisation, have also had an impact. However, international news coverage can lead to a skewed notion that Africa is a state of ongoing political crisis. In fact, most of the countries which make up Africa, despite problems, are not in meltdown. In addition, the 1990s saw a movement dubbed Africas Second Liberation or Second Independence with more than 20 countries moving from authoritarian regimes to more democratic decision making.   To some extent however, countries are still marked by (Exploring Africa 2011 [online]) lack of democracy and plagued by rivalries between ethnic, religious and regional groups. Human rights abuses, corruption and authoritarian regimes still exist.   Ã‚  This can prove a disincentive to more main-stream tourists. Despite these problems, Many African governments are aware of the potential of tourism. Tourism allows governments to profit financially as they gain both through taxes and indirectly through duties upon items tourists buy including drink, petrol and hotel accommodation. To this the income from foreign exchanges and tax on those employed in the tourism sector can be added (Okech 2010).   Countries are consequently   investing heavily in tourism development, attempting both to promote their countries and to redeem the image of the destination. For example, Nigerias Federal Capital Territory have allocated large resources to tourism (Kareen 2008). This new focus on tourism has been further fuelled by international development agencies such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the British Department for International Development and the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. However, investment from outside needs to be matched by government policy in order that investment can contribute to economic and social development in the most joined-up way.   Ã‚  Cross-border initiatives are also increasingly important, as tourists frequently travel across a number of African countries during their stay.   The New Partnership for Africas Development (NPAD [online] 2010), for example, sees a number of African companies join together together with a shared   recognition that tourism has great potential for economic development. Through   Ã‚  the Tourism Action Plan the NPAD set out a strategy for managing this potential. The strategy encompasses including key objectives such as creating a regulatory environm ent, strengthening planning, improving marketing and communications, promoting research and development, formulating education and skills training, and improvements to infrastructure (Rogerson 2007). Many individual countries have a range of strategies to boost tourism. Some offer incentives; for example Tanzania has reduced visa costs. Some governments develop incentives for industry by offering, for example, help with marketing cash subsidies, business finance or skills development.   Lack of funding is always an issue especially in countries like Africa where there are high levels of poverty, and tourism might seem less of an immediate priority. In addition to initiatives by individual countries, there is a move towards establishing links between African countries to help tourism, as visitors often want to see more than one country. An example is a recent links between Angola and Nambia, another the Peace Parks trans-frontier conservation areas, parks which cross boundaries and which need joint management by governments. The Peace Park foundation was created 1997 and there are now 10 established parks. Governments are learning from more established destinations,   for example South Africa (Euromonitor 2010) However, it is also recognised that governments need to take pro-active approach which takes into account input from all stakeholders, and that there is a need to draft policies and through consultation with all residents. There is an equal need for planning control, investment incentives in order to include even the poorest areas in initiatives (Okech 2010). However, while this aim is clearly desirable, it has to be questioned whether African countries will be able to implement this in practice, given some history of less than fair business practices and the existence of bribery and corruption in the past. This is an under-researched area where more primary research would be welcomed. 4.1.2 Economic Aspects In terms of the economy, Africa overall has acknowledged problems including economic stagnation, international debts, deficits, rising inflation and lack of growth (Rogerson 2007).   Ã‚  There are some signs that the economy is slowly improving, especially in terms of international trading relations, and particularly relationships with China and India.   For example, Africa-China trade was 10.6 billion dollars in 2000, 40 billion in 2005 and rose to 107 billion in 2007. Already over 700 Chinese companies operate in sub-Saharan Africa. China has also been involved in the development of Infrastructure including roads and other transport links. Oil producing regions in Africa, for example Sudan, Nigeria and Angloa, are growing in international importance (Euromonitor 2010). International investment has doubled in size between 2004 and 2005 due largely to the trend for China and other Asian countries to increase their presence and second the improvements to African infrastructure gen erally and particularly to the financial infrastructure including expansions of the debt and equity markets (Nelson 2007).   In addition, Africa seems to escaped the worst of the international recession: Africa as a whole has shown higher GDP growth than the global average, with a slight rise in average spend. However, the recession still had an impact due to a decline in visitors from regions hit by downturn more severely.   Despite these favourable signs for the future,   the African economy has declined in most countries over last few years with lower standards of living and higher levels of poverty. Naturally related problems including drought and famine play a part; in addition political factors contribute to this less than favourable outlook: for example Kenya suffered a decline after political violence in 2007/8 (Euromonitor 2010).   There has been some increase in poverty levels overall,   and falls to standards of living (Okech 2010).   There exist wide diversit ies between the different African countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (Kareen 2008) Against this background, there is widespread hope that   tourism offers a way to   boost economy (Rogerson 2007). Where tourism infrastructure does currently exist, it is often foreign-owned.   There is evidence to suggest that this hope is well-founded: some countries in Africa, for example The Gambia and Ethiopia, have experienced 20% growth in tourism over the last 20 years. Rates of increase are different in different regions, but the trend is towards growth. Overall, over the same time period, Africa has been increasing its market share of the tourism industry with 60% of international tourists now visiting for leisure purposes. In 2005 Africa had the best performance for growth of international arrivals of all the world tourism organisation UNWTOs areas.   Tourism offers opportunities to all, as the market is growing, and has tripled between 1970 and 2003 with increases set to continue (Nelson 2007).   Tourism offers particular opportunities to Africa as it is relativ ely poor in exportable commodities.   This is confirmed by existing research. While there is a lack of published studies in the area, those that do exist back up the idea that tourism can work for Africa. For example, Fayissa, Nsiah and Tadasse (2007) found that tourism has contributed to the GDP and economic growth of African countries, and recommended strengthening the tourism industry for economic advantage. Other researchers writing about the benefits of tourism wider afield suggest that tourism is beneficial for economic growth particularly for developing (rather than developed) (Eugenio Martin et al 2004).   Other researchers found tourism played a positive role for the economy by increasing competition amongst providers of tourism services Krueger, 1980). In 2008, Kareen found, through analysis of panel data for 36 African countries, that tourism and economic growth are significantly related. He also suggests that tourism as an export product can be used to predict futur e economic growth in Africa. In addition, he suggests that there is a two-way relationship between tourism expenditure and economic growth with one feeding into the other. Higher tourism expenditure leads to higher growth, and acccalerated economic growth in turn leads to more tourism. He concludes that this relationship needs to be more widely recognised and integrated into strategy (Kareem 2008). Kareems study is a welcome addition to an area which currently lacks research. However, it is primarily concerned with statistical analyses of panel data, and less with discussing the implications for promoting tourism in Africa. More discussion would be welcome to clarify what his findings mean for the industry as a whole. The negative economic impact of tourism also needs to be kept in mind. The bulk of purchases made by tourists are non-exportable. By consuming produce of interest to the local market, tourism can make these more scarce and more expensive for local people   (Kareen 2008). Mass tourism can also have a negative impact on sustainability and the environment, which will be discussed later. One particularly important area of the economy and the impact of tourism is in the area of employment. Tourism is labour intensive, and creates a large amount of jobs including guides, interpreters, positions in travel, hotel vacancies, catering and entertainment, cultural and sports jobs. In addition it boost a number of jobs in the informal economy including prostitution and drugs.   Ã‚  Currently, tourism provides between 2 and 6% of jobs in Africa, with women representing 50% of the workforce.   Ã‚  While tourism offers the potential for increased employment, there are a number of problems to be negotiated. Current employment opportunities tend to be low or unskilled, and the infrastructure is lacking with little job security, little formal training or employee development, and few prospects for career development or personal improvement. Factors such as these cause a demoralised workforce and can impact upon productivity. In addition employment is seasonal with most travel t aking place in the northern hemisphere Winter, and with a quieter period between April to August.. This particularly effects beach destinations including Kenya in East Africa and Gambia in the West.   Many employees lose their job in low season. A further problem is that the concept of tourism is not universal. Many people in Africa, especially those in the more remote villages, do not understand the idea, and therefore fail to see the opportunities for employment and economic enhancement   (Kareem 2008). Economic considerations cannot be seen in isolation however. It should be noted that poverty, which is rife in Africa, is not just about income. It forms a complex two-way relationship with disease, literacy, the environment, education, access to justice, disempowerment and infant death (Okech 2010) 4.1.3. Other Factors While politics and economics are perhaps the most important factors to consider in devising a tourist policy for Africa, other factors play a part. One currently important socio-economic factor is the growth of interest in and demand for eco-travel, sustainability and pro-poor tourism.   Interest in these areas have been worldwide, as people have become increasingly aware of the consequences of mass market tourism. While it can bring economic advantage to tourist destinations, there are also many negative consequences including damage to the region environmentally, displacement of people, cultural upheaval, and (through foreign ownership) funds not benefiting local people. The original focus of sustainable tourism was upon protecting the environment, for example native species and bio-diversity were damaged by construction of hotels, roads and similar, but this focus has widened. The remit now includes social, economic and cultural facets, and encompasses varied areas including the greening of the industry by a new focus upon waste management and energy efficiency, protection of all resources from the environment to local cultures, the awareness of the importance of involving local communities in initiatives, and pro-poor measures (Kandari and Chandra 2004).    Africas environment is one of the key attractions for visitors, as it has many areas of natural beauty and interest (Spenceley 2008). Key natural attractions include Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Okavango Delta in Botswana and the Namib Desert in Namibia (Bennett et al 2001). However, there are other issues which impact upon these natural attractions, and which make incorporating a sustainable perspective into tourism strategy imperative.   Parts of Africa are subject to severe climatic conditions, and the natural attractions are also threatened by human action, for example the destruction of the rain forest and savanna, and changes to the levels of bio-diversity amongst plants and animals. These environmental issues have led to political and cultural changes, for example as early as 1977 Gambia formulated the Banjal Declaration as a response to loss of wildlife. This aimed to protect biodiversity, conserve existing resources and ensure that species do not become extinct (Weaver 2001 ) Despite the relatively small size of the tourism industry in Africa currently, there has been widespread recognition of the need to promote sustainable development in the industry. The World Bank, for example, is committed to sustainable management in Africa in order to Enhance Livelihoods, Protect Peoples Health and Reduce Peoples Vulnerability to environmental risks. The African Region Environmental Strategy (ARES) also makes the support of environmentally oriented tourism a priority (World Bank 2001) Pro-Poor tourism is a fairly recent concept, which aims to ensure that revenue flows back go grass roots levels and entrepreneurs (Kareem 2008).   Pro-poor tourism is an initiative which hopes to increase benefits to poor locals from tourism, and tries to integrate these economic benefits in a way which will reduce poverty long-term. It characterizes an approach rather than a product or sector. It relates to sustainable tourism, and they have areas in common, but pro-poor tourism is different, with a higher focus upon poverty.   Many African countries are characterized by high levels of poverty, and there is a consequent need for strategy to incorporate pro-poor measures into tourism (Ashley et al 2001). Pro-poor tourism also helps the tourist fee