Saturday, August 31, 2019

Info Systems

Part I: True/False evaluation and Multiple-choice questions (0. 5 points/each question) 1. The overarching goal of information security is to ensure data integrity, availability, and confidentiality. 2. Managing security refers to a comprehensive set of activities that develop, implement, direct, and monitor the organization’s security strategy and activities. 3. The most expensive cybercrime are computer viruses. 4. Authentication is a means of providing proof of data transmission or receipt so that the occurrence of a transaction cannot later be refused. . The trend in computer security is toward policy-based management. 6. The core challenge of security management is ___________. a)Finding the right balance between shielding the organization’s main assets from potential harm b)Enabling staff to do their jobs c)Both a) and b) 7. Which of the following hacker tricks involves launching software that monitors all traffic looking for passwords or other valuable informatio n? a)Main-in-the middle b)Denial of service c)Trojan horse d)Network sniffing 8.Defining security policies and then managing and enforcing those policies via security management products and services is known as _______. a)Intrusion-based management b)Policy-based management c)Incident-based management 9. To protect against spoofing, firms need a way to ____________. a)Authenticate the identity of an individual b)Repudiate the identify of an individual c)Dispute the identity of an individual 10. To protect against hacking, companies install ___________ which controls access between networks. a)Virtual private systems b)Encryption c)Firewalls

Friday, August 30, 2019

4 Davids

Jennifer Keefe Professor Mark Moak Art History 1 December 2011 The Life and Times of the Four David Artists Through out the years there were many great artists who created many great works of art, but only four Italian artists really stick out for creating the same piece all with different points of views. These artists were Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Bernini, all of who created a David sculpture. Each one very unique and different. These four artists all stand out in there own individual ways. David who was supposed to be the second king of Israel, killed Goliath with just a sling and a single stone.The story of David and Goliath goes something like this, according to the bible in 1 Samuel 17. â€Å"The Philistine army gathered for war against the Israelites. The two armies faced each other on opposite sides of a valley. A Philistine giant named Goliath, would come out in armor and challenge the Israelites to war. The King of Israel who at that time was Saul, and his whole army were scared of Goliath. David who was the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to battle for one simple task, to bring his father back news of his brothers. While there, David heard Goliath shouting and saw the fear that had began to show in the men of Israel.David volunteered himself to fight Goliath, it took sometime for Saul to agree, but finally he gave in. Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying only his staff, slingshot and a pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him, making horrible threats and insults. David said to Goliath, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied †¦ today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air †¦ and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel †¦ t is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands. ’ As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his bag and took out a single stone and aimed for Goliath's head. Finding a hole in the armor, the stone sank into Goliath’s forehead and caused Goliath to fall face down on the ground. David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned around and ran. At this moment the Israelites began to pursue, chase and kill their enemy (1 Samuel 17). †As time went on four very different artists became inspired to create their own very different and very unique David’s. These four artists were Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Bernini. First was Donatello. Donatello was an early Italian artist and sculptor from Florence. Donatello is well known for doing most of his work in bas-relief, which is a shallow relief, which is well incorporated in his 14th century works. Donatello created many major works such as the statue of St. Mark in 1411 through 1413. In 1417 Donatello completed St. George, which is shown in bas relief and shows one of the first xamples of central point perspective. Central point perspective is when all the perspective lines come from one point in the painting or drawing. One of the things that I read about that I found funny was that Donatello sculpted a tabernacle for his work but was sold in 1460 to hold Verrocchio’s Incredulity of St. Thomas. Between 1415 and 1426, Donatello created five more statues for Giotto’s campanile of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, which to some of us we like to call the Duomo. The five works that are in the campanile are the Beardless Prophet, the Bearded Prophet, which were both made in he year 1415, the Sacrifice of Isaac in 1421, Habbakuk in the years 1423 through 1425, and Jeremiah in the years 1423 through 1426. These sculptures follow classical models for viewers and show strong details. In 1425 Donatello c reated a piece titled Crucifix, which shows Christ in a moment of agony, with his eyes and mouth slightly opened. Between the years of 1425 through 1427, Donatello worked with another artist by the name of Michelozzo on the monument for the Antipope John XXII for the monument that would be in Florence. Donatello completed a marble panel monument for Cardinal Rainaldo Brancacci in a church inNaples, int the year 1427. Around the same time he did two statues called Faith and Hope for a baptistery in Siena. â€Å"Donatello created a perfect balance between Classicism and realism in my mind. This was created from an image of an Italian boy who looked like a Classical nude figure (Fichner-Rathus 331). † I didn’t know this, I just thought it was something that he created from his mind. Although Donatello was inspired by Classical figures, he chose a young boy whose arms appear weak because of the lack of muscles. After defeating Goliath, whose head lies at David's feet, he r ests his sword by his side, hich looks like it was almost to heavy for David to handle. â€Å"It seems almost impossible that a young boy like David could have succeeded in such a task. David himself look shocked even by his own deed as he glances down on the body of Goliath. Apparently, David's intellect, faith and courage made up for his lack of build (Fichner- Rathus 331-332). † Donatello’s David now sits in the Medici. Second was Verrocchio, who also designed a sculpture of David. Verrocchio in my opinion was one of the best known sculptors of his time in the fifteenth century. Verrocchio was born in Florence around the year 1435.Some people say that he studied under Donatello, but no one knows for sure, some people also say that he might have studied under a painter named Lippi. It is a mystery that has yet to be solved and may never be solved. Verrocchio’s main works are dated back to his late twenties. His studio or workshop was in Florence where he was a member of the Guild of St. Luke. Some more great artists passed through his studio such as Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo di Credi. Some of the works that were created by his students are often times hard to distinguish between his own works and theirs. Towards the end of his life he opened a ew workshop in Venice where he was working on a sculpture of Bartolomeo Colleoni. Eventually he left his workshop in the hands of one of his apprentices Lorenzo di Credi. Verrocchio died in Venice around the year 1488. Verrocchio’s figure of David is one the most famous works of his time and still is today. In Verrocchio’s David, I see a strong contrast between the way that Verrocchio treated the same subject that Donatello did. Verrocchio’s brave man â€Å"appears somewhat older and excludes pride and self- confidence rather than a dreamy gaze of disbelief (Fichner-Rathus 334). † I personally hought that Verrocchio’s David looked surprised but also quite prou d of himself. Verrocchio had little detail that showed in his David, where as Donatello did a very good job with his realism and making the torso of David seem different. Verrocchio’s sculpture also looks like a different technique was used. Donatello’s David has closed objects and Davids limbs are in created in what they call an S- curve stance, which helped with his human form. An S- curve is where the calf and the thigh are bent so that the leg creates the shape of an S, which is very different from Verrocchio's sculpture because his is more open.For example, the sword and elbow are sticking out, away from the center of the body. â€Å"Donatello's graceful pose had been replaced in the Verrocchio, by a jaunty contrapposto that enhances David's image of self-confidence (Fichner-Rathus 334). † The third artist that created a David sculpture was Michelangelo. Michelangelo was probably one of the greatest artists that ever lived during his time. Michelangelo was born during the biggest period of Western art also known as Renaissance Italy, which at that time was the most artistically developed country. Not only was Michelangelo a sculptor, but was also a fresco painter.Michelangelo created The Creation and The Last Judgement, both of which are in the Sistine Chapel. The start of Michelangelo’s career started in Florence, which at the time was under Lorenzo the Magnificent. Things were changing after the death of the anti-Renaissance Priest and the leader of Florence. Michelangelo was asked to complete an unfinished project that was already started 40 years earlier by an artist named Agostino di Duccio. This project was a huge statue of David, which symbolized the freedom of the Florentine republic. This statue of David was to be placed in the Piazza della Signoria which is front of thePalazzo Vecchio. This masterpiece was created out of a solid marble block. This was a huge advantage for Michelangelo because he was able to use this t o establish himself as a sculptor of incredible talent and strength for his imagination. Michelangelo had a very strong character from what I have read about him. He preferred to work by himself, rather then working with others, which is probably where he gets such a sense of independence and strong character. I’ve also read that Michelangelo would lose his temper and would end up in sticky situations because of it. Julius II who was the pope t the time, made Michelangelo bend over backwards at his feet to try and get him to get him to finally paint the wall and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His reputation as a sculptor was established when he carved his David at the edge of twenty-seven from a single piece of what seemed like to everyone else as an unworkable piece of marble. Unlike the David's that were created by Donatello and Verrocchio, Michelangelo's David is not shown after defeating Goliath instead, David is portrayed as a â€Å"most beautiful animal preparing to ki ll-not by savagery and brute force, but by intellect and skill (Fichner-Rathus 345). Over his shoulder is David's sling, and the stone is sitting in the palm of his right hand. Michelangelo's David shows the young face of David who has just reached adulthood and shows great physical and intellectual attributes. Michelangelo's sculpture is close in form, like Donatello's David. â€Å"All the elements move firmly around a central axis (Fichner-Rathus 345). † Finally, there is Bernini. Bernini had many early works before he created his David sculpture in 1623. Bernini studied under Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was a member of the reigning papal family at that time. Under Cardinal Scipione, Bernini arved his first group of life size sculptures. Bernini’s first life size sculpture was called Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius Fleeing Troy which was created in 1619. Bernini’s second sculpture was created in 1622 called Pluto and Proserpina. In 1624 Bernini created Apoll o and Daphne which was supposed to be viewed as a relief. â€Å"Apollo and Daphne standing near each other looking as though they could be in motion. Apollo’s left arm is resting on Daphne’s left hip. This statue is in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. ( Italian Master). † The Ecstasy of Theresa is another sculpture that was done between 1644 and 1647.This sculpture was made the church of the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome. This sculpture was created for Saint Theresa because she would write religious narratives. In one of here narratives she talks about her relationship with god as a â€Å"burning arrow piercing through her heart (Meyer 10),† I thought a description of a relationship between a human and God would be a little more beautiful and not so morbid. The sculpture of Emperor Constantine, which was sculpted between 1654-1670 out of marble, is another one of Bernini’s works of art. It is located in the Vatican in Rome. The statue has drapes in it that are not marble but stucco.In 1623 Bernini created his David, which is very different from those of Donatello, Verrocchio and Michelangelo. Bernini had neither Donatello's triumphant boy or Michelangelo's posturing adolescent. Bernini’s hero is full-grown and fully engaged-both physically and psychologically. David’s aim shows his muscular body as it twists just a split second before slinging the stone that he has grasped in his left hand. David stands alone, but Goliath is simply just envisioned in the viewers mind as standing directly behind David. As a viewer looking at the sculpture of David, I am almost tempted to play the fight in my mind and pretend hat I am ducking in order to avoid being hit with a stone. â€Å"It is the anticipation of violent action that heightens this confrontation as David's latent power is momentarily arrested (Scribner 66). † Present in this sculpture are three of the five characteristics of Baroque art: motion which is a different way of looking at space and the concept of time. Donatello and Verrocchio depicted David at rest after he killed Goliath, Michelangelo, presented David before the battle, with the tension and emotion evident in every vein and muscle. Bernini does not depict David before or after the fight. Instead, he shows him in the rocess of the fight. This represents the element of time in his work. The views are forced to complete the action that David has begun for us. With David's positioning, a new concept of space comes into play. â€Å"No longer does the figure remain still in a Classical contrapposto stance, but rather extends into the surrounding space away from a vertical axis. This movement outward from a central core forces the viewer to take into account both the form and the space between and surrounding the forms-in order to appreciate the complete composition† (Fichner- Rathus 360). † In order to understand the sculpture fully, we must move around the wor k.As we move, the views of the work change drastically. As you can see, the works sculpted by Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and Bernini are drastically very different in there own ways. Donatello presented David as a young boy who seemed incapable and amazed at his feat. Verrocchio's David, although an adolescent, appears somewhat older and has more self-confidence than Donatello's David. Michelangelo's David has just reached manhood and is capable of great physical feats, like defeating Goliath. Finally, Bernini's David is a full grown man. He, like Michelangelo's David, also appears to be strong, brave and gifted enough to slaughterGoliath. These four artists were both amazing and spectacular. They each brought something different into the world and even still to this very day we are still in awe over what they created. Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo, and Bernini, four great artists with four very different views on the world. Works Cited Fichner-Rathus, Lois. Understan ding Art. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc, 1995 Italian Master. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1940. Meyer, Alfred Gotthold. Donatello. Liepzig: Fischer & Wittig, 1904 Scribner, Charles. Gianlorenzo Bernini. New York: H. N. Abrams, Publishers, 1991.

Approval Sheet

THIRD SEX IN THE CITY: GAYS SPEAKS ON SWARDSPEAK Mrs. Estrella Fajardo A thesis Presented to the Faculty of College of Arts and Letters Bulacan State University City of Malolos, Bulacan In partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for ENG 123 Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics 1-C By Divine Catyrine D. J. Magsakay Joana Marie Hernandez Regino Intal Mae Ann Lilio Maryanne Lasquite Allen Jade Magana March, 2013 APPROVAL SHEETIn partial fulfillment of the requirements for ENG 123 of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics 1-C, this thesis entitled THIRD SEX IN THE CITY: GAYS SPEAKS ON SWARDSPEAK, has been prepared and submitted by Divine Catyrine D. J. Magsakay, Joana Marie Hernandez, Regino Intal, Mae Ann Lilio, Maryanne Lasquite and Allen Jade Magana who is hereby recommended for oral examination. ______________________ Mrs Estrella Fajardo Subject Professor In partial fulfillment of the requirements for ENG 123 of Bachelor of Secondary Education major in M athematics 1-C. __________________________Luzviminda F. Tantoco, Ed. D. Dean, College of Education March, 2013 DEDICATION This humble work is lovingly dedicated to the sources of my inspiration. First and Foremost to the Almighty God for His guidance and countless blessings and to our families, relatives, teachers, friends, and colleagues for their prayer, moral support and who have helped us in carrying out this task. Researchers~ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The researchers wish to express their sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to the following people for their invaluable support which made the preparation of this study possible.First and foremost, to the Almighty God, for leading her Wisdom and will to continue this; Mrs Estrella Fajardo, our professor, for her unending patience, continuous guidance and for granting her the opportunity to finish this paper and for letting us do the study. To Ms Rachelle Almuete for helping me to finish this thesis with the help of her family. To ou r very unique classmates, Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics 1-C, for their incisive critics and comments. To all our colleagues and friends in Bulacan State University especially in College of Education for taking time in answering the questionnaire.To our beloved families, for their sacrifices, love and support and for giving us the will to finish this. And to all of who, in one way or another helped, the researchers’ sincerest thanks and gratitude! ABSTRACT The study attempted to answer the general questions: (1) The number of Gaylingo speakers; (2)The number of people who understand Gaylingo ; (3) How to prevent the usage of Gaylingo nowadays? The following are the significant findings of the study: (1) Not all people love to speak Gaylingo,: (2) It was not just gays or the third sex used it; (3) It creates friens who have the same interest.Based from the problems, this hypothesis were formulated: (1) the rate of understanding of Gaylingo was depending o n the environment of the person being question ; (2) The usage of Gaylingo I our literature is somewhat not so famous, but nowadays, Gaylingo is one of the most used Jargon language which led to the readers to learn how to speak Gaylingo; (3) Gaylingo, for those who don’t want to learn it, will be prevented with the helped of ou literature. The reaserchers applied this methods; (1) surveying; (2) questionnaire; and (3) interview. Keywords: Gayspeak, Swardspeak, Sex TABLES OF CONTENTSTITLE PAGE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. i THESIS ABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ii APPROVAL SHEET†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. AUTHOR’ DEDICATION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ TABLE OF CONTENTS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. CHAPTER ITHE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Statement of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Si gnificance of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Scope and Delimination†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Notes in Chapter I†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. IITHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Relevant Theories†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Review of Realated Literature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Review of Related Studies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Conceptual Framework†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Hypothesis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Definition of Terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Notes in Chapter II†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ IIIRESEARCH METHODOLOGY Methods and Techniques Used†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Population of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Research Instruments†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Data Gathering Procedure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Data Processing and Statistical Treatment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Notes in Chapter III†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. IVSUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATION Summary of Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Conclusions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Recommendation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Social media as a mode of market communication in the U.K Essay

Social media as a mode of market communication in the U.K - Essay Example According to many experts, the primary difference between social media and the mainstream mass media is that in social media, anyone has the opportunity to comment on, create as well as add something to the content in form of text, images, video and communities (Skiera, 2010, p.87). With the current enormous number of users internationally, social media can be a planned marketing communication tool to service providers, including the hotel industry. Businesses take advantage of the omnipresent platform where cost is efficient to set their advertisement (Hackley, 2010, p. 318). In the current years, there has been rise of social media channels such as Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and Google which lets users to take a more dynamic role as market players and get in touch with almost every person at anyplace and anytime. This research proposal will seek to determine the role of social media in market communication in the United Kingdom. Research Objectives The primary aim of the proposed research is to establish the role of social media in market communication in the U.K. ... As a result social media has played an important role in helping marketers and corporate organizations to better understand the buying behavior of consumers, indentify their needs and consequently provide them with the right information during marketing. Another important objective is to determine how various social media platforms are currently used in market communication. In many parts of the world, users of social media platforms such as Facebook, tweeter among others have been able to create and develop networks among families, friends, celebrities and people who share different common goals and characteristics. Integrated marketing communications has provided marketers with important tools for direct marketing, public relations, personal setting as well as to enable them to communicate with their potential customer through various ways such as focused integrated messaging. Lastly, the research will also attempt to establish the challenges of using social media as a tool for mar keting. Research Questions 1. What are the key advantages of social media over the traditional media? 2. How are social media platforms such as Facebook and twitter used in marketing? 3. What are some of the contemporary challenges facing the use of social media in market communication? 4. What is the future of social media in the marketing communication? Literature review Social media play a very vital role in while enhancing an effective market communication. It has in the recent years come up with an idea of a fully integrated marketing communication system which is an approach based on branding and upgrading marketing communications where the different

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Research critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Research critique - Essay Example The implications to the practice of nursing includes further understanding about the impact of pressure ulcers on the lives of older people, revelation about the pain suffered by older people with pressure ulcers and how the use of pressure relieving devices may increase their pain and awareness of the coping mechanisms developed by older patients with pressure ulcers. The authors of the research came up with the title â€Å"Patient stories of living with a pressure ulcer†. The title is informative and it indicates the focus of the study. It allows the reader to easily interpret the content of the study. 1. The title is the subject matter of the study. The locale of the study, the population involved, and the period when the data were gathered were all omitted on the title but were indicated on the description of participants on page 347 of the research. 4. The authors avoided using the terms â€Å"An Analysis of,† â€Å"A Study of,† â€Å"An Investigation of,† and the like. This is important since all these things are understood to have been done or to be done when a research is conducted. The abstract is found on the first page of the research. It has the findings which provide the summary of the key components of the research. The abstract provides a short summary of the study. It includes the aim of the study, outline of the methodology and the main findings. The purpose of the abstract is to allow the readers to decide if the study is of interest to them The researchers hold appropriate academic qualifications and are linked to a professional field (nursing) which is relevant to the research. The authors or researchers are Alison Hopkins MSc RN DNCert is a Clinical Nurse Specialist, East London Wound Healing Centre, Tower Hamlets PCT, London, UK. Carol Dealey BSc MA PhD RGN RCNT is Senior Research Fellow, Research Development Team, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Sue Bale BA PhD RN RHV

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

HBC Atlantic Computer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HBC Atlantic Computer - Case Study Example Jowers must empower the Cardena’s hardware oriented sales force with relevant information regarding the importance of PESA software so that they can use this differentiating element as their major sales principles to convince their customers. For example, DayTraderJournal.com would need at least 4 Ontario server costing overall $11656 [(basic price of $1700 + $1214 cost per server)*4]. Thus, by buying Atlantic package, company would be saving around 50% of the initial expenses on servers and $3642 of annual recurring cost on 3 servers every year. The target market would react favorably because they would be hugely saving on not only the servers but also the annual expenditures incurred on running the servers. The Atlantic bundle is cost saving because it does the work of 4 Ontario servers, thereby saving extra cost on 3 servers. Moreover, the customers would also be enjoying the exemplary after sales services of Atlantic for which it has already established market

Monday, August 26, 2019

Why do we distinguish between network administration and systems Essay

Why do we distinguish between network administration and systems administration - Essay Example However, many companies have more than one roles being performed by a single person. This is mainly due to the lack of resources, limited operations and economic reasons. However, despite all this, the roles of the different people involved in any typical IT department can easily be defined separately. The IT director being the head of the department represents the IT in the top management team. Other three categories and/or designations are the people directly involved with workings and infrastructure of the IT of the company. The database administrator is simply the person managing the central database server of the organization. However there are significant confusions regarding the roles of the system and network administrator(s). The field of system administration is a broad term used to define the roles and responsibilities of the person who maintains and operate the IT infrastructure of the company as a whole. A system administrator, also known as the 'sysadmin' (Microsoft, 1999), can have a work schedule ranging from a few hours per week to a full time job depending on the size of the organization. A system administrator might not even know the CEO, but he actually acts as the liaison between the technical and the non-technical staff of the organization. Some of the basic duties performed by the system administrator(s) are (Limoncelli & Hogan, 2007); Install and maintain the user... Determine hardware and software pre-requisites, which patches and/or plug-ins to install, which services to provide, and which services to disable. Plan and manage the machine room environment Design machine room; specify cooling temperatures, cabling configurations, power connections and alternate support, and environmental controls (fire alarm, security, etc.) Schedule downtime to perform upgrades/patches, and test devices and schedule downtime to manage devices. Install and maintain the user accounts; develop acceptable use policy and login-name policy, rights and privileges of different users; determine password change policies; install/configure/manage name services; and manage licenses. Determine disk quota allocation, manage disk space, and monitor log files. Configure network services (Burgess, 2002): Printing, file sharing, name service. Determine file sharing needs and printing policies. Manage security for shared resources. Other duties of a system administrator may also include scripting, programming, project management for systems-related project of automation and/or system analysis and designing, supervising and/or training computer operators, and serving as a consultant for computer related problems beyond the ordinary knowledge of the technical support staff. A System Administrator is supposed to demonstrate a versatile blend of fine tuned technical skills and responsibility. Larger organizations have clearly defined models while smaller organizations will be likely to consolidate functions in order to maintain the health and operational capabilities of the systems. In both cases a system administrator would be there either as part of the larger IT group or as the only IT manager responsible for every system

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Tourism in the Republic of Cyprus Research Paper

Tourism in the Republic of Cyprus - Research Paper Example This leads to one thing; sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is defined to as the move towards making less impact on the environment and culture in a given country while at the same time benefiting economically from it. The main objective is to develop tourism to the point where can continually have a great experience from the sector (Trejos & Chiang, 2009). Different countries have varied policies towards sustainability in tourism. The height of the problems coming from tourism guides policy making in every country. In this paper, we take the case study of Cyprus and the policies that they have adopted towards sustainability in tourism. Cyprus continues to experience growth in the number of tourists visiting the region every year (Gunn & Var, 2002). Its impeccable sites and beauty has made it experience an exponential growth to the number of tourists visiting the region every year. For example in the year 1975, they had close to 47000 thousands of tourists visiting the region. This number is nothing comparable to the 2.25 million tourists visiting the region in the year 2000 (Gunn & Var, 2002). The number has continued to grow in the recent decade, raising environmental concerns. While one can not dispute the economic benefits of such a growth, mass tourism has taken a toll on the environment in Cyprus. For example, in the year 1988, the income from the tourism sector estimated at 880 dollars. Today, the sector accounts for 20% of the overall income in the country (Gunn & Var, 2002). Features such as resorts for various groups, water parks with dolphins gracing them and archeological sites attract millions of people all over the world. The enormous numbers of people have had an impact on both on the culture of the people and the environment as a whole. For one, the noise from the tourists has been unbearable

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Germany class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Germany class - Essay Example For example, Hitler argued that he would not accept the Christian lie, further; he asserted that the societal epoch would witness the end of Christianity. I think Hitler made the statement with a specific reference to some Christianity trends that were against his political ideologies. Clerics usually use biblical quotes to convince their followers; however, the interpretation that some clerics give to the bible version sometimes may differ. This means that when an individual accept Christian virtues, he has the right to reject version or interpretations, which are not in line with the real version in the Bible. Hitler stated that the battering ram of science would eventually collapse at some point. This statement reveals that science did not mean all to Hitler. A power greater than scientific explanation must be in existence. Although many critics argue that Hitler rejected Christianity, the above statement seems to settle on Christianity as a means, which can answer all the dogmas that science could not explain. Specifically, science cannot explain spiritual activities or perspective that an individual might harbor. This means that science had a limit to which it could explain the occurrences in the society. From the statement, it would be ill to argue that Hitler rejected Christianity. During the routine round table meeting, Hitler argued that the major issue was to handle the matter at hand wisely instead of struggling yet they could avoid the same. The statement was critical to the conditions, which Hitler administration was facing at that time because it tried to avoid the conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants. Christians profess the same faith but have various denominations, which fall in the two categories Catholics and the Protestants. Sometimes it is difficult to explain the divisions that led to the two groups. In my opinion, Hitler was trying to avoid being sack into the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Securities Markets 2 (Assignment) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Securities Markets 2 ( ) - Assignment Example The parent company of CAO is China National Aviation Fuel Group Corporation (CNAF), which is the largest state owned enterprise in PRC region (Prima Professional, n.d). The parent company is a well-known aviation transportation and logistics service provider in PRC. CNAF owns 51% of total shares that are issued by CAO. The year, 2005, was not at all good for CAO, since it had to face a loss of $550 million (China Daily Information Company, 2007). The situation led to the collapse of the institution, until it was revived by its parent company. The facts that are learnt from performance of CAO, regarding valuation of derivative, are elaborated in this section (Ernst & Young Global Limited, 2014). The CAO, in the initial period of their business, â€Å"traded in over-the-counter (OTC) swaps and exchange-traded futures† for protecting their business from risks associated with procurement of oils. The company purchased and sold risk free options on behalf of airline companies, who are their clients. So, there is a good source of income for CAO from the bid-ask spread, without exposing the company to vitality of the oil markets. During the third quarter of 2003, the company started to conduct options trades as speculators for earning profit from constructive market movements, which was observed in the oil-related commodities market. The company had started trade on the belief that oil prices will move upward. The trading strategy indicated purchase of call option and sale of put option simultaneously (Amato and Gyntelberg, 2005). Thus, it created a synthetic long position in the oil market, without purchasing the commodity outright. When price of the oil increased, the ca lls, which were purchased earlier, exercised at a profitable rate. The puts were not exercised and the company profited from premiums, which were collected from the options at the time of sale (IBS Case Development Centre, 2010). The put that were sold in the security market were not

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Business - Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business - Assignment - Essay Example In Hatten (2012) Knowledge Management System (KMS) can assist the managers to collect, organize, record, retrieve, and disseminate information. The Knowledge Management System manages accounts records, the company’s or business practices, documents, operational skills and the unrecorded procedures. The management system can be used in acquisition and the creation of knowledge, executed from the internal management processes as well as from the external environment. The collected information can then be integrated in the company’s policies and procedures so as to facilitate the dispersion of information to the various stakeholders. Supply Chain Management abbreviated as (CRM) is a management system which can help the managers to govern business interactions with its existing customers and the organizational operations namely service, marketing and sales (Hatten, 2012). Another management system application that can be employed by the managers is the Supply Chain Management (SCM). Based on Hatten (2012) the system facilitates effective management of a supply chain through the integration of its components. The core players or components of the supply chain include the final customers, the manufacturers, retailers and the wholesalers. The system provides a cost effective means of managing the supply chain. According Hatten (2012) Interpersonal skills refer to the life-skills managers’ use in the communication and interaction with their employees. Managers use decision making in the planning and execution of key business functions to achieve business objectives. Successful managers usually employ decision-structuring so as to minimize business complications and deadline failures. Successful managers usually use negotiation in settling of the organizational challenges. Negotiation prevents work disputes and stoppages reached through the formation of an agreement. Successful managers strive to strike the best option in settling a disagreement (Hatten,

Management and Work Culture Essay Example for Free

Management and Work Culture Essay Instrumental to conduct SWOT analysis, and 3. Plan and build strategy based on the work culture How to develop strategic and operational plans by knowing work culture It is integral part of any individual, and organization. It describes shared value of an organization. It helps anyone to understand how things are done. Here is my cultural preferences: well resourced, ethical, and teamwork centered. Knowing my ideal work culture, I can do better planning and formulate the strategies for an organization. My cultural preferences Necessary resources to do high standard work. Using advantages of available resources, one can do better job of delivering projects with high quality standards. Active promotion of equal rights and justice for all. It will create a culture to grow with the company attitude. Fairness among the employees and employer makes everyone trust each other and the employer. Emphasis on social and environmental responsibility. In this culture, work and life balance here. Social and environmental responsibility culture will help employees more committed to the employer. Because organization is not just focusing on profit itself but also understand human values and help communities around them. Interdependence. Culture of interdependence makes everyone connected, and emphasis the important of collaboration between them. It results toward high level of performance, innovation, and productivity. Friendly and supportive colleagues. Friendliness and supports among colleagues is highly important for employees to challenge themselves, confront each other, and share the knowledge between them. Essential Competencies to Conducting (SWOT) analysis Strategizing competency is one of the most essential to do SWOT analysis. Steps to conduct SWOT analysis: 1. Identify mission statement and goals, 2. Review of internal strength and weaknesses, and 3. To find external opportunities and threats that affect the business or an organization. How my competencies relate to the essential competencies for conducting a SWOT analysis Based on competencies and career interests profiler, my strength are 1.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Impacts of Ecotourism: Singapore Case Study

Impacts of Ecotourism: Singapore Case Study A Case study of: Pulau Ubin Island, Singapore Introduction Background Many developing countries frequently use ecotourism as an excellent tool for promoting sustainable development. In many instance, ecotourism is suitable way to protect natural environment and create socio and economic benefit for the local community. What David Weaver says that interest in ecotourism is rationalized among tourism planners and marketers by number of potential assumption regarding sectors environmental, economic and socio cultural benefits (Weaver 1999). There are some ecotourism projects that support to the local community. On the other hand, many ecotourism projects have failed to address some fundamental issues and dont generate the very benefits that are expected to provide by ecotourism. Economic gain of ecotourism may turn into social and environmental damages when inadequately planned and implemented it. Anyhow, ecotourism has continued to gain popularity over the two decades and has developed into worldwide phenomena that show no signs of slowing down. The fact is that ecotourism is one of the rapid growing sectors in the tourism industry (Sharpley 2003). The demand for ecotourism is increasing at an annual rate of 10 to 30 percent (TIES 2000). In this circumstance, it is important to recognize possible physical environment, socio-cultural and economic impacts and its effectiveness as a strategy for sustainable development. Problem statement There are lot of negative impact on the environment and local community due to unsustainable planning and management of ecotourism (Honey 1999). In rural areas, managing and controlling the development of ecotourism may be somewhat complex because of lack of experiences on the subject of the carrying capacity of the host destination. Therefore, it is necessary to have an assessment of potential physical environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impact of ecotourism for the planning of sustainable ecotourism development in an area. Further Analyzing the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for sustainable development of a particular area is important to carry on development activities in future. In that way, Pulau Ubin doesnt experience rapid urbanization like other parts of Singapore. Still it has its own nature and unspoiled environment. But, Singapore government implements several ecotourism development projects on this small island right now. Those projects are so much problema tic and controversial. There are strong voices regarding environmental protection of the Island. Thus, indentifying potential impacts of ecotourism and its compatibility for sustainable development must be studied in Pulau Ubin Island Singapore. Justification of the study According to available literature, ecotourism is growing rapidly in Singapore (Herbig). At the same time, one of the problems regarding ecotourism is that it is developed without satisfying knowledge of the impacts on local environments. It is a rather new type of tourism and yet there are few clear papers written in this field particularly about Pulau Ubin. Therefore, it is better studying about potential physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impact of ecotourism and its compatibility for sustainable development in Pulau Ubin Island Singapore. Therefore this research attempts to fulfill these objectives as much as possible. Objectives of the research and research question Objectives of this research are To assess possible physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism To investigate the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. The following research question will be used to address the purposes of the research What kind of impacts are on the physical environment, economic and socio-cultural due to development of ecotourism? What sort of factors should be taken into account before introducing ecotourism in the Pulau Ubin Island? How ecotourism can be utilized as a tool for local sustainable development Study Area Pulau ubin is the second the largest, first one is Pulau Tekong, offshore island of Singapore. It is located in the strait of johor just opposite to Changi. Pulau Ubin has been described as being boomerang shaped. Pulau Ubin is about 8 Km length and 1.3 to 1.7 Km breadth with the area of 10.3 Km2. It is almost flat land. The highest point is Puaka hill. It is around 74m height from sea level. Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island (opposite Chek Jawa), and Pulau Ketam (opposite Ubin Lagoon Resort) are the two major offshore islets which are very near to the Pulau Ubin. There are several rivers which are meandering through Pulau Ubin in which Sungei Besar and Sungei Mamam are the main rivers. Pulau Ubin is made up mostly of granite. This controls the much of the activities of the island. Especially the name Pulau Ubin arises from this crucial geological structure. Pulau Ubin doesnt experience rapid urbanization and industrialization like main land of Singapore. Still it has its own traditional w ay of living. Most of the people inhabit with the scattered settlement model. Major portion of the population around two third is Chinese and rest is Indians and malays. Major activities of income are subsistence farming, commercial fishing and net-cage fisheries, prawn farming, coconut plantations and so on. This small island is very popular for leisure and recreation activities among local and international tourist. (http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/places/geography.htm). Figure 01 Map of the Study Area Methodology Research design Research design helps researcher to decide research approach. That is to say, either qualitative or quantitative or the combination of both. Further, research design put a basic for analyzing the collected data. This will lead the researcher to think of time availability, practical problems and so on (Kitchin and Tate 2000). There are no specific rules and regulations as to how to develop research design. When Kitchin and Tate (2000) point out regarding research design, it is very difficult to give a guideline as to how to design a research. Most of the time, research design is the outcome of the knowledge and imagination of the researcher (Kitchin and Tate 2000). This means, research design comes from researchers own view and judgment. Selection of the research methods will vary according to the nature of the research. Besides, a research method depends on the research problem, research question and experiences of researcher. Accordingly, I adopt qualitative methods in this research to perform well. A literature review will be done to get more information regarding this study. In fact, Secondary data will be used as a supportive data to the primary data. In this research, qualitative methods will be used as key method to get information since this is going to deal with environmental, Economic and socio cultural impact of the ecotourism. Most part of the research may deal with community based activities. Justification of the methodology The qualitative method that I choose in my research is based on the nature of the study. This research partially deals with social aspect. Therefore, qualitative method is considered more suitable to assess possible physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism. Crang (2002) points out that â€Å"Qualitative approaches have enabled the study of, and emphasized the importance of, seeing economic activity as a set of lived practices, assumptions and codes of behavior†. Further, Qualitative method is used to understand the lived experience and to reflect on it and sharing the meaning of everyday social world and realities (Limb and Dwyer 2001). In addition, qualitative method is used to collect about the activities, behavior and problems that the people face in their daily context. Further, qualitative methodology is considered as good to study about the diverse view of the stakeholders in the ecotourism since it involves with many different stakeholde rs interest. When we are more stick on the multiple meaning, representation then qualitative methodology is useful one (Limb and Dwyer 2001). Further, qualitative methods will help me to make sure the date that I am going to obtain from different interview in the field. In fact, qualitative methods have its unique features as I mentioned above. But there are certain limitations in the qualitative methods. For instance, sometimes it may be bias. That is to say, there is possibility to have researchers influence in the finding of the research. When many researchers use qualitative methods in their research, theme may be same, but interpretation of the same theme will be in different point of view according to researchers background. When Kvale (1996) points out regarding researchers bias, he says that, there is lack of objectivity in the qualitative research. Objectivity means here is freedom from being bias. There is another critique about qualitative methods that, information for the research use to collect from very small amount of respondents. Therefore it will not represent whole population or the society. Data Types, Sources and Collection This research will be contained both primary and secondary data. Most of the researches and other articles which are related to the study will be reviewed as secondary data. For instance, previous research about the Pulau Ubin Island. Basically, both primary and secondary data will be used to prove the objective of the research. Secondary data will be functioned as more supportive data to the primary data. Methodology of research Methodologically, this study will be carried out in three phases. Phase I concerns the literature reviews. This will be accomplished through searching literature on tourism and ecotourism to discover the possible impacts of ecotourism on visited destinations. The literature review covers books, articles, and website data which will be systematically assessed to identify the three major areas of economic, socio-cultural, and physical environmental impacts on eco-tourist destinations and ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. Primary factors of above mentioned areas will be identified that influence of ecotourism developments and their impacts on the local levels. Phase II applies the factors elaborated upon in Phase I to assess the Pulau Ubin Island. This will be done by using the data that I am going to collect in Pulau Ubin Island during the summer of 2008. The data collection will include observations, interviews with elected officials and some governmental and private business entities, tourists (if possible both international and national tourist) and some secondary data sources. Phase III these data will be assessed according to the identified factors for two purposes: first, to assess possible physical environment, Economic and Socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism in Pulau Ubin Island; second, to look into the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. Sample selection Respondents will be selected by using snowball sampling methods to address the research question and objective of the study. Snowball sampling methods will help the researcher understanding of the problem and research question. For example, key informants will be selected based on their professional status to get more and more relevant information. Tourists will be selected randomly including local tourist. This will diminish some kind of inconveniences to the researcher. Primary data will be collected through around 30 semi-structured interviews that will conduct with 30 people from June 15th to August 15th 2008. These interviews include: 14 villagers, 3 owners of restaurant, 2 employees of the restaurant, 4 employees from companies that are working in the study area, a person from central environmental authority of Singapore, a person from Ministry of Environment of Singapore and 5 tourists (both international and local). Therefore a total of 30 interviews will be conducted and analyzed as part of this research. Semi-structured Key informant and individual interviews In this research, primary and data will be gathered by using semi structure interview and direct observation. Semi structured interviews will be used to collect data from both individual and key informants. Semi structured interviews acts as an effective tool for collecting basic information stakeholders regarding ecotourism. â€Å"Qualitative methods are methodologically appealing because they allow a wide range of experiences to be documented, voices to be heard, representations to be made and interpretations to be extracted. Open ended qualitative interviews are, after all, the obvious way of allowing people to speak for themselves about their own view and experiences of the world† (Limb and Dwyer 2001). When we have interviews it generates lots of information very quickly. So it helps researchers to handle lot of topics of the research at a time. Sometimes, qualitative interview helps us to clarify the problems raised by the interviewer. Always interviews are really good f or studying peoples understanding of meaning, describing their experiences, clarifying their own perspective on their day to day live (Kvale 1996). There are certain critiques on the in-depth and semi structured interviews. That is to say, in-depth and semi structured interviews are very much dependent on the skill of the interviewer. This means, amount of the expected data is based on the expression of the interviewer and how interviewer interacts with informant. In many instance, interview may divert into another direction due to the skill of argument or interest of the informant and sometime there is chance to mislead the interviewer by the key informant (Mikkelsen 2005). This is also one of the disadvantages of having interviews. In the in-depth interviews, it is very difficult to keep important question from omitting that can address our research objectives. Always researcher has to be very careful on the topic and related question when he conducts interviews. Good interviews require expertise in both subject matter and interaction (Kvale 1996). In addition, flexibility of researcher in sequences and words of the interview may affect the result of the informant namely there may be different answers from the different perspective (Mikkelsen 2005). All interviews in this research will be carried out with take into account all of these strength and weakness of the interview. Interview guides are formulated to conduct these interviews (see appendix 01). Participant Observation Other than interviews, participant observation will also be engaged. Participant observation activities contain living with a family in the community, working with them and spending time to understand their activities, behaviors and so on (Laurier 2003). In that way there are possibilities to attain in tourism activities, and meetings of local residents in Puau Ubin Singapore. Participant observation will be used to harmonize and support the interview process in three ways; first, it yields insights that assist in the formulation of questions for interviews. Second, it makes easy relationships with local residents. Finally, participant observation offers the opportunity to confirm or question the information gained through interviews. When Smith (2001) points out â€Å"there are lots of thing that can only be obtained through participant observation†. Participant observation and interviews are not separate activities, but mutually informative methods. When Kitchin and Tate (20 00) point out that direct observation is an inductive method to obtain fruitful information. It is important to note, however, that in this research the interviews are the primary source of data, while participant observation plays a supporting role. Data analysis Data of this research will be analyzed according to the theoretical frame work and objective and research questions of this research. The collected data in this study will also be analyzed according to the theoretical framework of the research. The collected date from interviews will be transcribed and coded into theme in relation to the concept, theory and interviewees response and researchers observations. In addition, secondary data will be analyzed by using text analysis. Use of the secondary date will help us to get more understanding of ground situation of the field. Validity and reliability In qualitative research, validity and reliability are two most important factors that should be taken into account when designing, analyzing and evaluating quality of the research. Conclusion of the qualitative research should be very strong and natural to accept it without further doubt or confusion (Kitchin and Tate 2000). There should not be bias in order to get validity and reliability in qualitative research. Validity in qualitative research is a tool to make sure the logical order, foundation, and soundness of the research (Kitchin and Tate 2000). Validity depends on the nature of the theme that we investigated in the field (Kvale 1996). Normally, validity in qualitative research means that true and certain of findings. It can be motioned in anther way that validity measures the truthful of how far reached its intended objectives. Researcher uses series of question to maximize the validity of the research. Each question should be justified in relation to the objectives and rese arch questions of the research to establish validity. Most of the time, validity interlink with empirical knowledge of the subject and area of the research. Reliability is some sort of trustworthiness of the research and findings. Validity and reliability are the two side of a coin because there is no reliability without validity. Presentation of validity will be good enough to reliability later. Patton (2002) says that ability and skill of the researcher in a qualitative research will have major influence on the validity and reliability. In addition reliability will depend on the respondents answer. Form instance, some informant will be reluctant to answer for some sort of question and sometimes they give sort of wrong or biased information. Therefore this will reduce the level of reliability of the study. I have planned to use a combination of qualitative methods to minimize the risk of bias. I will use both semi structured and direct observation to collect primary data. It helps me to crosscheck the data that I am going to collect in the field. I will keep my position as research student and try my best to convince my respondents. And also I will follow the ethical concept of conducting research. Further, snowball sampling method that I am going to use in this research will help me to get more correct or useful informant. This will increase validity and reliability of this research. Besides, there may be some kind of short comes in the date collection and interpretation. It is extremely not easy to avoid some unexpected incidents in the field. I as a researcher will try my best to keep validity and reliability of this research. Limitations Since Ecotourism and sustainable development is a broad topic, it is difficult to include all aspects. Therefore this research has been limited to identifying potential environmental, social and economical impacts of ecotourism and also, analyzing the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. The study area has been limited to an Island to have in-depth study. Field work period is limited to two months. Researcher (me) may face some kind of language barrier in the field. Most of them speak Chinese. But there are people who speak either Tamil or English. Therefore, I hope that I would be able to manage it. Since the study area is very new for the researcher, it may consume few days to get familiar with the area and people. References Crang, M. (2002) Qualitative methods: the new orthodoxy? Progress in Human Geography 26, 5 pp. 647-655. Honey, M. (1999). Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Kitchin, R. and Tate, N. J. (2000). Conducting Research in Human Geography: Theory, Methodology and Practice, Pearson Education Limited, Essex. Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing, Sage Publications, Lund. Legends of Ubin [Online]  // Wildsingapore web site.   2003.   03 15, 2008.   http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/places/geography.htm. Limb, M. and Dwyer, C. (2001). Qualitative Methodologies for Geographers: Issues and Debates. Oxford University Press, New York. Mikkelsen, B, (2005). Methods for Development Work and Research: A new guide for practitioners, SAGA Publications, New Delhi. Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods (3rd ed.), Sage Publication, London. Paul Herbig, P( ?) CULTURE Influlences ON ECOTOURISM PARTICIPATION Marketing and the Environment Lecture Series Lecture 4: available at www.herbigandsons.com/lecture/Ecotourism.doc reviewed on 2008/04/21. Sharpley, R. (2003). Tourism: Tourists Society, ELM publication,Cambridgeshire. Smith, V. L., and Eadington, W. R. (ed) (1992). Tourism Alternatives: Potentials and Problems in the Development of Tourism, New York, John Wiley. The International Ecotourism Society, (2000) Ecotourism Statistical Fact Sheet, Journal of Travel Research. Available at http://www.ecotourism.org/WebModules/WebMember/MemberApplication/onlineLib/MemberApplication/onlineLib/Uploaded/Ecotourism%20Factsheet%202000.pdf reviewed on 2008/04/21. Weaver, D. B. (1999). Magnitude of Ecotourism in Costa Rica and Kenya, Annals of Tourism Research, 26(4), 792-816. Appendixes Appendix I Interview guide Individual Interview guide 01 Individual questions Your occupation? Your age? How long you are living in this area? What kind of economic benefits you gain from ecotourism in this island? What is your experience with ecotourism? Are you working in the tourism industry in this island? What economic activities are undertaken by your family members? What is your average income per month? How does ecotourism support you to improve standard of living? What is your perception on ecotourism in this island? General questions Is there any impact in this island due to ecotourism? Is there unemployment problem in this island? Could you observe any impacts on local employment in this island after set up ecotourism? How do the economic benefits from ecotourism support the services to the island? Most villagers are involved in which aspects of ecotourism? How do the villagers utilize their natural resources to support tourism? What are the local attitudes about sustainable ecotourism? What does the island still need to support sustainable ecotourism? How has the villagers quality of life been influenced by the advent of tourism? What are the negative impacts caused by tourism on the island? Key informant Interview guide 02 Individual questions When was these hotels established here? Why did you decide to establish ecotourism here? What is your experience with ecotourism? Have you observed any conflict related to community conservation? Do you think local people benefit from Ecotourism? How? General questions Who is the management authority? What is the source of funding for management of these hotels? What are the potential tourist attractions here? Where do visitors come from? International or local? What are the good and bad things about Ecotourism on the Pulau Ubin Island? Who is in charge of Ecotourism activities on the Pulau Ubin Island? What are the benefits and challenges about running ecotourism in this area? Does ecotourism contribute to the economic development on the Pulau Ubin Island? Does ecotourism contribute to conservation in the area? And How? What are the opportunities and constrains on livelihood or job in this area? What kind of challenges and opportunities are there in offering good services to the tourists? What types of outside influences are there in the ecotourism development? For instance political influence or public opinion on environment? Interview guide 03 For administrative officers What are the general objectives towards tourism? What are the specific objectives towards ecotourism development? What strategy (or policy) exists for ecotourism development in the Island? What legal documents exist to regulate tourism/ecotourism activities in the Island? What are the specific rules and regulations in these documents for tourism and ecotourism activities? What monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to monitor ecotourism development? What benefits have been realized in terms of ecotourism revenue (e.g. employment, conservation, services, other) for community development? What measures have been put in place to ensure that the local heritage is not threatened by the development of ecotourism in the area? Who are the major stakeholders involved in the management of the ecotourism in Pulau Ubin Island? What challenges have been faced with regard to ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What are the major constraints that inhibit ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What opportunities exist for ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What future plans exist for ecotourism development in this area? Interview guide for Tourist What are your motivations for visiting to this island? What did you like most during your stay on this island? What did you dislike about the stay here? What kind of gifts, souvenirs and services would you like to have available? What are you expectations from the trips to the island? Which elements of sustainable ecotourism do you believe the Island best meets? How did you travel to the area? What is your length of stay in this island? Number of people in your travel party to the island? How did you learn about the island ecotourism? Where are you from? What is your occupation? Who much money you are going to spend during your stay here? Age? Do you think you will travel to this island again? Do you have any other suggestion and comments of your visit? What do you think about ecotourism on the island? What are good things and bad things about ecotourism on the Pulau Ubin Island? Appendix II Work plan of report writing NO Program May 2008 June July August September October November December January February March April May June 2009 1. Proposal preparation X 2. Field work X X X <

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Tuesdays with Morrie Analysis

Tuesdays with Morrie Analysis In the Book Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom asks the reader a continual question that reverberates throughout the book: a question that he wrestles back and forth with. His question is simple but deep and compelling; have you had someone close to you leave your life, not completely, but physically? Everything just seemed right when they were in your presence. The moments spent could only be described as what seemed so lovely and pure, the memories often pondered fondly. You keep yourself busy with many a task to dull the senses of what the mind plaques on your inner most being. The feelings of apathy and complacency are feelings that have not brushed across your mind until now, like an artist with a single stroke, a shiny gloss that hazed over your thoughts, now dry and crackling, chipping away and falling far from your mind as if they were never there. Realizing what you had is coming to terms with where you came from and where you are now. Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Albooms sociology professor at Brandeis University whom he has not spoken with in years, and when he discovers that his dear old professor has taken ill with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gherigs disease) while watching a Nightline interview that Morrie did with Ted Koppel he wastes no time in getting back in touch with him. From the onset Mitchs cognitions of what Morrie use to look like are dwarfed by the reality of just how deeply aging and terminal illness have affected his once jovial and lively professor. When he arrives at Morries home in Boston he sees a frail and aged man waiting outside in a wheel chair, a far cry from the dancing fool he remembers him to be. As his first visit is underway he realizes just how confined his old professors life has become, from not being able to leave his home to having a nurse at the house to aid him in tasks that a healthy individual does with ease, becomes a daily routine. After his first visit to Boston Mitch vows to keep coming back every Tuesday in keeping with the same schedule that they had while Mitch was a student of Morrries at Brandeis, because as Morrie says were Tuesday people Mitch. Tuesday after Tuesday Mitch returns to Morries house in West Newton to take in every bit of Morrie he can and extrapolate every ounce of knowledge and wisdom his aging professor can muster, and for sixteen Tuesdays they explored many of lifes central concerns family, marriage, aging, and happiness, to name a few. It becomes increasingly evident just how cruel and unrelenting a disease such as ALS can be, it takes from Morrie the one thing that allows him to exercise his right to free and reckless abandon, his dancing. The slow degenerative effects of this inexorable malady are played out in every stage of the book from the first time we see Mitch baring handfuls of Morries favorite foods to the following where he has trouble lifting his hands to his chin and his in house nurse has to spoon feed him. Morrie had expressed to Mr. Koppel in their first meeting that what he dreaded most about the disease was the likelihood that one day soon, somebody else would have to clean him after using the lavatory. It happened; his worst fear had come to fruition. Morries nurse now has to do it for him, and he realizes this to be the utter surrender to the disease. He is now more than ever entirely reliant on others for virtually all of his necessities. He articulates to Mitch that in spite of the troubles of his reliance on others, he is trying to revel in being an adolescent for a second time. Morrie reiterates that we ought to discard culture if it is not beneficial to our needs, and conveys to Mitch that we must to be loved such as we were when we were children, continuously being held and rocked by our mothers. Mitch sees that at 78 years age, Morrie is generous and giving as an adult while taking and receiving just as a child would. As Morries ailment worsens, so does his hibiscus in the window of his study. It acts as a representation of his life as a natural process of lifes cyclical process. He conveys a story Mitch and also to Mr. Koppel of a wave rolling into shore, signifying death. Morrie articulates his fear of it, but reassures Mitch with that he accepts it and will come back as something far greater. Morrie echoes an aphorism to Mitch When youre in bed, youre dead to signify his ultimate surrender and on Mitchs last visit to see him that is where he laid, like a child, small and frail. This notion of dependence (birth through childhood)-independence (teenage years through adulthood) dependence (late adulthood to death) seems to be the resounding tone throughout our textbook as well, where life is a set stage of transitions from birth-maturing-aging-and death. We care for people when they are young, nurture to foster mature and productive adults, and then again care for them when they cannot do so for themselves. I have and would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, not only for the way it touches me when I recollect upon it and makes me cry with tears of hope and gladness that such a person lived but also for the numerous and invaluable lessons it imparts upon its readers. Alblom has made me change the way I see the world, I see aging as a wonderful and beautiful part of life, not a process to detest but to relish in its loveliness and splendor. There is a beauty in aging that I had not recognized before this book, Morrie Schwartz breathes new life into the coming generations

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Problems of Southern California Essay -- essays research papers

From reading the author’s book â€Å"Ecology of Fear,† Mike Davis’ main thesis for writing this book was to make readers become aware of the underlying problems and threats which have existed or currently exist in Southern California and how these problems shape the way we live today and in the imminent future as well. Although Davis did not really provide us with any remedies for the problems facing Southern California, this book made it very clear to the readers that problems do still exist, although at times they may sound subtle in nature. Of the numerous problems which do exist in Southern California, I will discuss only a handful of the problems that Davis provided us insight to. In the following paragraphs, the main problems of Southern California that I will discuss about are suburbanization and how it made Southern California lose its natural beauty and the effects of overdevelopment, the wild fires which occur and similarities and differences the rich and poor communities faced in terms of adversity, how suburbanization brought people closer to the wildlife, and how numerous books and movies portrayed Los Angeles as the center for calamities. The culmination of all these problems clearly shows that there are many glaring weaknesses of Southern California that need to be closely examined. One of the main issues that the book, â€Å"Ecology of Fear,† discussed about were the inherent dangers and problems that suburbanization imposed upon the landscape of Southern California. Although suburbanization in theory and in reality did create abundant benefits to a great mass of people, especially to those who wanted to avoid the daily nuisances of urban city life, its negative consequences were quite grave indeed. Suburbanization led to a complete eradication to the natural landscape of many areas in California. The book’s vivid accounts of how the lush, green landscape was bulldozed just to build tracts of homes were a painful reminder of the beauty that was lost due to suburbanization. â€Å"In 1958 sociologist William Whyte – author of The Organization Man – had a disturbing vision as he was leaving Southern California. ‘Flying from Los Angeles to San Bernardino – an unnerving lesson in man’s infinite capacity to mess up his environment – the traveler can see a legion of bulldozers gnawing into the last remaining tract of green between the two cities’.† (Davis, p. 77)... ...larly to Los Angelenos, that disaster could become a reality of Los Angeles if people start ignoring the warning signs that permeate throughout Southern California. From reading Mike Davis’ book â€Å"Ecology of Fear,† my personal impression of his argument of making Southern Californians to become aware of the underlying threats and problems which exist today or have existed in the past is a commendable act on his part, but I really feel Davis overanalyzed the problems Southern Californians face. Throughout the book, Davis painted a very gloomy picture of Southern California and he never really brought a positive spin on the problems that exist in Southern California and how we can take steps to remedy these problems. Also, Davis should have recognized the fact that problems exist in other parts of the United States as well and they are not just confined to Southern California. The problems of Southern California is not all that different from the rest of the nation, which faces similar disasters that are comparable to earthquakes and wild fires, such as tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, etc. So, in essence, problems exist in all societies and cultures and that is the reality of life.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

NAFTA Destroyed Employment Essay examples -- Free Trade, Globalization

NAFTA and the North American Worker The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law on December 8, 1993 by former President Bill Clinton. The goal was to facilitate trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada by eliminating tariffs on goods traded between them, but it was also about creating jobs. William Orme (1996) affirmed, â€Å"From the beginning, the Bush Administration said NAFTA was about three things: ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’† (p. 112). The trade agreement was sold to the workers of North America with the promise of better jobs, higher pay, and faster growth, but it did not turn out this way for workers in the U.S., for workers in Mexico, or for workers in Canada. According to the Economic Policy Institute, instead of an increase in better paying jobs in the U.S., over a million jobs were lost in ten years with a decrease in wages for many workers with less than a college education (Scott, Salas, & Campbell, 2006). The Mexican economy that NAFTA was expected to prop up has become one of cheap labor used to assemble imported goods into final products for export. James Cypher (2011) confirmed: â€Å"NAFTA has permanently tied Mexico to a low-wage export strategy† (p. 62). In Canada, the once generous social welfare programs granted to workers and citizens alike have been reduced since NAFTA was ratified. The U.S. Worker Although the impact has been less due to the size of the U.S. economy, the U.S. worker has still been adversely affected since NAFTA was implemented. This has been mainly due to the growing trade deficits with Mexico and Canada that have arisen after the agreement became law. The high-paying jobs of U.S. workers in industries that manufacture and export goods have been displaced as a result of more g... ...ited?. The International Economy, 22(3), 24-35. Retrieved from Research Library. (Document ID: 1554987891). Bacon, D. (2004). The children of NAFTA: Labor wars on the U.S./Mexico border. Berkeley: University of California Press. Cypher, J. M. (2011). MEXICO SINCE NAFTA: Elite Delusions and the Reality of Decline. New Labor Forum (Murphy Institute), 20(3), 60-69. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. MacArthur, J. R. (2000). The selling of "free trade": NAFTA, Washington, and the subversion of American democracy. New York: Hill and Wang. Orme, W. A. (1996). Understanding NAFTA: Mexico, free trade, and the new North America. Austin: University of Texas Press. Scott, R. E., Salas, C., & Campbell, B. (2006). Revisiting NAFTA: Still not working for North America’s workers. Economic Policy Institute. EPI Briefing Paper #173. Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publication/bp173/.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Comment on the Positive Function and Dysfunction of Social Policy in Hong Kong.

2. Definition of Social Policy Social policy primarily refers to guidelines and interventions for the changing, maintenance or creation of living conditions that are conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is a part of public policy that has to do with social issues. More specifically, it also considers detailed issues in policy and administration of social services, including policies for health, housing, education and social work, and needs and issues affecting the users of services, including poverty, old age, disability, and family policy. To have more clearly speaking, terms of social needs, social integration and alienation will be elaborated. Social needs are people’s needs which are socially defined according to social conditions. Yet we can still have a look at Hierarchy of ‘Need† as a reference since social needs are part of the basic needs. According to A. H. Maslow (1943), there are a hierarchy of five sets of goals including physiological, safety, love, esteem and respect, and self-actualization. These goals are related to one another, being arranged in hierarchy of prepotency. Social integration is referred to the process of building up a sense of community and social network amongst different community groups and individuals, hence people all live together in a peaceful and harmonious manner. It is the key element to social stability and can be achieved by promoting social mobility. Alienation is opposite to social integration, which means the feeling of being neglected or isolated and excluded from the rest. Such feeling of seclusion may destroy any sense of community or belonging and hence lead to social instability. Various types of social policy are being implemented in a society, such as family policy, education policy, and healthcare policy and so forth. We will particularly focus on social policies which aim to improve human welfare and to meet human needs for health, education and housing. 3. Overview and Comment On Social Policy in Heath Aspect The health system of Hong Kong is considered as one of the best world-wide. It is divided into two parts, which are public health services and private health services. Our government heavily subsided for the former services but citizens need to pay for the fee for the latter services. The Department of Health executes health care policies and statutory functions so as to safeguard the health of the community through preventive and rehabilitative services. In order to achieve the goal, subvention for the Hospital Authority has been increased in recent years. Besides, it is expected that ageing population will increase, expectations of health care will rise, and medical costs will soar. Therefore, it is not difficult to foresee that health expenditure will become a heavy burden for our government. Based on this problem, our government proposed to have a reform and some policies were implemented. I will look at two schemes in the following part. 3. 1 Early Health Care Voucher Pilot Scheme Early Health Care Voucher Pilot Scheme (HCVS) was addressed in the Policy Address 2007 -2008. The Scheme is to give elders who aged 70 or above five health care voucher of $50 annually. It aims to allow elderly to gain access to health care services in the private sector with subsidy and hence minimize the number of patients on the waiting list in the public sector. Through the Scheme, the elderly can have additional choices on top of the existing public healthcare services which would continue to be provided, hence equity is encouraged as a universal access to medical services regardless of wealth or status is promoted. It will contribute as a positive function since social integration is encouraged. Besides, complaints are always arouse due to the long waiting list of the public sector, patients can now save their time by visiting private doctors with partially subsidization. However, in order to further fulfill the social needs, eligibility for joining the Scheme should be relaxed from 70 to, for example, 65 years old and the subsidized amount of $250 should be increased. It is because only small amount of people can benefit from the scheme and financial support given to them is not enough due to the high consultation fee of private doctors. 3. 2Health Care Reform A lot of people support there is an urgent need for the reform especially after consultation documents in health services and financing reforms during the past ten years. One part of the proposed reform is tax deduction should be provided for private medical insurance premium or expenses. Our government is working out a supplementary healthcare financing option operating on a voluntary participation basis, containing insurance and savings components. For using this kind of method, it is believed that indemnification can be provided for citizens, which meets the second level of basic need in Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs. Moreover, it can release the pressure on the public sector and hence ensure a high quality of services in public sector. On the other hand, the reform should be taken into deep consideration, if health insurance plan is mandatory to all citizens, it may lead to dissatisfaction of some citizens and which will at last violate the aim of social policy. In short, providing both public health services and private health services can maintain competition in the private sectors which can ensure its quality. Giving welfare to our citizens can foster a sense of belonging and unity in the community. Subsidization in health care services given to the poor by various scheme can encourage redistribution of wealth and hence promote social mobility. Though Hong Kong’s health care standards are comparable to many major European cities and always being praised at, it will be a shame if our citizens cannot receive appropriate treatment due to the long waiting list problem. Therefore, it has been urged to think of new schemes and more partnerships between the city's public and private hospitals in a bid to ease the burden on the public sector. 4. Overview and Comment on Social Policy in Education Aspect Education has long been regarded as a long term method to stabilize the society and promote economic development in the city. In Hong Kong, Education Bureau’s Vision is to provide quality school education for our students to develop their potential to the full and to prepare them for the challenges in life. Hence, it promises to deliver professional services and ensure effective use of resources, and forge partnerships to promote excellence in school education. The Bureau is responsible for formulating, developing and reviewing policies, programmes and legislation in respect of education from pre-primary to tertiary level. Those policies formulated by the Bureau will be divided into the four categories in the following part. . 1Kindergarten Our Government plays as a supporting role in pre-primary education, which provides in-service teacher training facilities, lower rent to non-profit-making kindergartens, permission of allocating kindergartens in public housing estates, and supplies financial assistance in the form of reimbursement rates to parents and kindergartens. 4. 1. 1Kindergarten Scheme In 1996 Policy Add ress, our government brought up the idea of allocating more financial assistance and providing additional training for existing kindergarten teachers through implementing Kindergarten Scheme. One of its commitments is to ensure more than 40% of kindergarten teachers would complete the Qualified Kindergarten Teacher Education Course by September, 1997. Although such policies legislated by the government were reacted because of pressure from the public, it still can ensure the quality of preschool education to all. Besides, equity is advocated as good quality preschool education made available universally. Yet, the policies can only partially fulfill social needs because our government is always taking a supporting role only, a higher degree of support for preschool education is needed. . 1. 2 Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) provides fee subsidy for parents or legal guardians or registered custodians to meet towards school fees for pre-primary education of their children in the form of pre-primary education vouchers. Eligible children who attend nursery, lower or upper classes in eligible local non-profit-making kindergar tens or Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres may benefit from PEVS. The Scheme was launched in 2007 to promote the â€Å"3A's† of early childhood education (ECE): affordability, accessibility, and accountability. The PEVS has three unique features. The first one is discriminating against profit kindergartens and hence to discourage social alienation. The second feature is promoting teacher professional development to ensure quality of preschool education so that the gap of quality between profit kindergartens and non-profit kindergartens can be minimized. Children from poor families can still have a qualified and good education. The last feature is limiting parents’ choice to only non-profit schools. On one hand, it can promote freedom of choices; on the other hand, it can encourage social integration as children may get into the school they want regardless of wealth of the families. To conclude, the majority of the parents perceive positive impacts towards schemes launched by the government. Nevertheless, principals and teachers of kindergartens reported some implementation difficulties and more sufficient support are needed for parents. 4. 2Primary and Secondary Education The Government's policy objectives are to provide a balanced and diverse school education that meet the different need of our students and help them build up knowledge, values and skills for further studies and personal growth. 4. 2. 1Universal Basic Education Compulsory primary education was introduced in 1971; afterwards, 9-year free education was implemented in 1978 to fully subsidize both primary and junior secondary education. Starting from the 2008/09 school year, senior secondary education is provided free through public sector schools. In addition, with effect from the 2008/09 school year, the Government provides full subvention for full-time courses run by the Vocational Training Council for Secondary 3 leavers to offer an alternative free avenue for senior secondary students outside mainstream education. Advocating universal basic education can promote social integration as the poor can be able to receive education. Besides, it can equip students with ample knowledge and prepare them for entrance into the knowledge-based economy. Hence, it will be easier for the poor to climb up the social ladder, without basic knowledge they may need to work as low-skilled workers for the whole life. 4. 2. 2 School Entrance System In 1978, two systems were used to determine whether the students can get into the secondary school. Secondary School Entrance Examination is a selected mechanism by which students who scored higher would be selected for places given higher priority in their school choices. Feeder and Nominated System is a mechanism allowed feeder and nominated secondary schools to directly admit a certain proportion of their students from designated primary schools. Through the Secondary School Entrance Examination, social mobility can be promoted as children from poor families can still have a chance to get into the best school. Oppositely, the other scheme would minimize the effect of promoting social mobility. It is because wealthy families can send their children to prestigious primary schools and hence let them to go into the linked prestigious secondary school. Hence, it may bias towards wealthy people. 4. 2. 3 Secondary School Places Allocation System Secondary School Entrance Examination was later changed to Secondary School Places Allocation System. It is a mechanism to allocate secondary school places to primary school-leavers. The allocation mechanism is designed in such a way so that it would help reduce public examination pressure on Primary six students and restore a more balanced education in primary schools. In addition, due regard is given to parental choices and, through regionalization, the need for students to travel long distances to schools is minimized. Moreover, it helps to achieve a degree of mixed ability intake at Secondary one level. Therefore, social integration can be promoted in this way, nevertheless, it can never be promoted into full extent since well-off families can afford to move within the proximity of prestigious schools, for instance mid levels of Hong Kong Island, to get into those famous traditional schools. 4. 2. 4School Management Initiative Programme School Management Initiative Programme (SMI), introduced in 1991, provides participating schools with school planning/staff development days, approved collection of charges for specific purposes, and computer system for school administration. It aims to attain an effective school system. In the spirit of the SMI, it was proposed that the school funding system should be able to meet the basic needs of students to ensure fairness across the school sector, provide schools with greater flexibility in the effective use of resources in order to achieve individuality. However, the teachers complained about the heavy increase of work load and reported that the accountability framework failed to make any impact on the quality of teaching. The focus of our government should be the attitudinal and behavioral change in those directly involved in delivery of services instead of structural and administrative change. 4. 3Tertiary Education The government increased the number of degree places in late 1970s and 1980s. Today, 14,500 first-year first-degree places are provided to cater for about 18% of the 17 to 20 age group through the eight institutions funded by the University Grants Committee to further develop Hong Kong as a regional education hub. Moreover, our government has financial support to students who are in financial needs. By increasing the number of degree places, equity is promoted as students can have a higher chance to admit into tertiary education. Providing subsidization to students can ensure that no qualified students are denied access to higher and post-secondary education due to a lack of financial means. Besides, it can improve the standard of living as the rate of illiteracy is lowered and hence stimulate economy of the city due to the increase in competitiveness. However, demand of post-secondary education is progressively increasing, policies, which are being implemented, still cannot meet the social needs. 5. Conclusion Based on the review above on the social policies in Hong Kong, we can see that each social policy has its positive functions and dysfunctions. With regard to the three aspects in social policy, there is much room for improvement. But at least, our government is working hard to improve the conditions of our society and paying effort to meet social needs, promote social integration and discourage alienation.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Gender of Power: Latin American Dictatorship

Throughout history men, women and children have been subject to harsh ruler-ship, generally under a patriarchal system. With the emergence of a female role in one of the most coveted dictator positions, one would ask the question: Is feminized power less ruthless? In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's â€Å"Big Mama's Funeral† we learn that although a female has stepped in to the office of a leader, her power is still abused and misused like any other. Latin American history has proven to be one of the most affluent in terms of poor utilization of wealth and power. We have also learned that man or woman can strive in the role of a leader, and that followers will pay mercilessly for the simple fact of living and being. Big Mama is the living proof that power is genderless. The lifestyle lead by a dictator as powerful as Big Mama herself is quite consuming regardless of her gender. The protection of her kingdom and her fortunes were her prime concerns, along with the assurance of her matriarchal rigidity. Her absolute power reigned over the kingdom, slaughtering any who opposed her and every person living within her kingdom had to pay their dues. Residents even believed Big Mama â€Å"was the owner of the waters, running and still†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , even the â€Å"air they breathed†. She was the richest and most powerful matron in the world, although no one knew the the exact value of her estate. She was considered by most of the inhabitants as immortal, to them, she was bigger than life itself. Her stern sovereignty was questioned by none. Her family consisted of brute and loyal soldiers who followed her every command without question. She had built a fence to further protect her and her possessions. The land which she occupied had been passed down from generation to generation. Big Mama had been â€Å"Macondo's center of gravity†, as had her brothers, her parents and the parents of her parents in the past, in a dominance â€Å"which covered two centuries.† She believed she would live well over a hundred years as did her maternal grandmother. The thought of provoking death in Big Mama was laid to rest as most of her tribe members were true believers in her. Although she was mean-spirited and relentless, she tried to uphold a very high-class and honourable image of herself, unlike many other crude rulers of her time. She was two-faced and and everyone knew it, though no one would ever approach her in fear of what she might do to them if she found out they knew. In troubled times, Big Mama contributed secretly for â€Å"weapons for her partisans†, but came to the aid of her victims in public. That patriotic zeal â€Å"guaranteed the highest honours for her.† Big Mama was a master of concealing her hostility and she was proud of the fact that she could. The power invested in a woman such as Big Mama could lead anyone to believe that authority, by man or woman could be ruthless. There is no way of determining whether one or the other could produce more or less wrath. This type of power could put anyone in their place and would terrify even the harshest of critics. Big Mama reigned over the city of Macondo with a cold heart and a tight grip. Her family members supported her every decision in belief it was in all of their best interests, they were true believers. Her self-image was was so god-like, she would never come to realization that every one who knew her in fact despised her.