The New Trend on the Rise Is Pop-Up Stores

Pop-up stores: new events buzz on the way Heidi Klum's old adage that, â€Å"in fashion, one day you're in, and the next day you're out,† has seldom been applied to the retail side of shopping – until now. The rise of the â€Å"pop-up shop† has emerged as a trend in shopping that, despite what its premise would suggest, has surprisingly maintained steadfast popularity. After all, fashion is arguably one of the most fickle and volatile industries out there, so it comes as no surprise that the stores that display its wares should come and go in the same manner. WHAT IS A POP STRORE AND WHAT IS IT FOR?Between street marketing and traditional boutique, for a few days, few weeks, few months, or for an indefinite period, Pop-up stores are â€Å"ephemeral store† custom created for the brand or product showcase. More user-friendly and interactive than traditional stores, these stores play mainly with the atmosphere which must symbolize a product or brand identity. As the company says, â€Å"My Pop Up Store†, specializing in the creation of ephemeral stores, Pop-up stores enable companies or brands to â€Å"enjoy a seasonal, celebrate a big event, launch a new product or repositioning.The idea is to highlight the world of a product, brand or business (traditional for the upgrade or new to anchor) through the store's decor and activities that are proposed. Finally, like any fad, and as it is still an innovative practice in France, launching a pop-up store gives the company the status of a pioneering communication company at the forefront of the trend. It is an important asset for companies whose turnover is related to fashion, new technology or who need to prove they are â€Å"connected†.THE FENOMENOUS Pop-up shops, temporary stores that have sprung up in shopping destinations worldwide, have a tendency to draw in huge crowds, buzzing with exclusivity and spontaneity. After all, who can deny the inner hipster in us just itching for items that only a few thousand will have the opportunity to own? Veritably, pop-up stores are glorified â€Å"One-of-a-Kind Shows,† in miniature. A few years ago, when cheap real estate was scarce, pop-up stores were a major investment for marketers.Now temporary stores have emerged as a perfect solution for cash-strapped brands, commission-hungry brokers and landlords faced with a glut of commercial real-estate space. Brands are using these interim spaces as a means to create buzz, test new concepts or even evaluate a new neighborhood or city. While temporary stores first began popping up with some regularity in 2003, sky-high rents and a lack of available space made them a massive undertaking for brands. Now, in the midst of the recession, the shops are being viewed as a logical, and even inexpensive, marketing tool.In the past few months, high-end brands including Hermes, Emilio Pucci and La Perla have embraced the pop-up-shop concept, as have Gap, Seven For All Mankin d, Daffy's and others. But it's not just limited to fashion brands. Furniture designer Kenyan Lewis, wine bar MADCrush, chef Tom Colicchio, and the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism have also jumped on the pop-up wagon. Though pop-up retail has established itself in the industry as â€Å"hip† and â€Å"cool,† it creates a frenzied experience and gives new meaning to the term â€Å"impulse shopping. There is a fine line between exclusive shopping and a hyped-up marketing stunt. Regardless of whether or not the pop-up shop will ever replace shopping at tried and true static outlets, these ad hoc retail installations are a mainstay for shopaholics and trend-hunters alike. â€Å"Opening up a pop-up store can generate a lot of buzz for the brand,† said Mike Kraus, retail adviser for AllBusiness. com. â€Å"In a media marketplace that's fragmented, [brands] are trying to find interesting ways to reach the public. No matter who opens one and where it opens, m edia is covering it. Brushfire Marketing, which worked with the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism on the Jersey Shore Store, said the temporary shop garnered nearly $1 million in earned media. The agency said the store led to 46 broadcast segments and 21 print and online placements. On average, 1,000 visitors passed through the store each week and 500 pieces of collateral were handed out daily. ONE-ON-ONE MARKETING â€Å"It's one-on-one marketing,† Mr. Leonardi said. â€Å"In a recession, when marketers are looking for alternatives, they need to ask how can they do something different, something maybe less expensive, something that's not a long-term investment. People familiar with the real-estate business say that, today, landlords are much more likely to entertain temporary tenants. And in many cases, rents are significantly cheaper than they were just a year ago. Indeed, brands are finding availability in major cities such as New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris and Hong Kong, as well as smaller towns such as East Hampton, New York. â€Å"The rules of the game have changed,† Mr. Kraus said. â€Å"[Brands] are finding that they can jump into a space for a few months, and they're not stuck with having to sign a five-year lease. Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the retail division at Prudential Douglas Elliman, said landlords are embracing the shops in part because it keeps activity on the street alive. If a street starts to become quiet, shoppers will move on to other areas and may not return, even when business picks up, she said. â€Å"Landlords love these shops. It gives them some income while they continue to search for and negotiate with permanent tenants. And in some cases, these temporary stores can become the permanent tenants,† she said. â€Å"[Brands] get to test retail or a new product line or format at a greatly reduced cost.This is a win-win situation during a challenging retail time. † Probably the hardest part of determining what pop-ups mean for regular retailers is the fact that they are so hard to classify – anything goes. For instance, sisters Caillianne, Samantha and Chloe Beckerman, designers of the label Beckerman , hosted a pop-up lounge event at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto earlier this month. The â€Å"Summer Lounge† is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – a chance to sip drinks and enjoy music while perusing a curated selection of H&M's upcoming summer collection.Others prefer a smorgasbord of brands not readily available in the country; like Sauvage , which opened in Queen West's Burroughes Building, offering handbags and accessories from labels that have never made their way to Toronto. We've even seen the emergence of restaurant pop-ups, with celebrity and notable chefs headlining – the designers of the foodie world. It's the ultimate way for chefs to boost their personal brands, as young chef Matthew Sullivan did with his pop-up dinner series, Boxed. Even once-a-year-dinner-parties are gaining traction with celebrity chefs, in particular, the Banana Mafia.If their moniker alone isn't enough to sell you on the concept, these notable Toronto chefs, such as Nick Liu, Robbie Hojilla, Jeff Claudio and more, recently held their inaugural Asian Street Market party, which already has foodies' tummies rumbling for next year's event. BENEFITS While the lack of long term commitment is most appealing, there are also many other advantages to opening a pop up shop. For starters, it’s a great way to explore new neighborhoods, cities or even other states in an effort to test new markets for a permanent storefront.Additionally, pop up shops offer multiple vendors a chance to display their products together, creating powerful merchandising opportunities that translate into sales. The benefits for retailers are unequivocal, especially for independent and lesser known designers. For one, only operating on a temp orary basis means not having to fork out the cash for highly sought-after real estate in prime shopping areas – especially during slow months (because who wants to shop in January and February anyway? ). It's our primal instinct to want the things we can't have.So it goes without saying that spontaneity, coupled with high-end designers and exclusive collections will have us throwing cash at retailers. For shopping and fashion purists, pop-ups represent the hunt. There's nothing more satisfying than landing a piece from a designer who may not sell in your city (an all-too-familiar horror in Canada), and to rub elbows with the fashion industry's noteworthy insiders. It's becoming evident that the pop-up shop has to keep up and deliver on the hype and buzz (as well as chaos and frenzy).The products themselves are only the beginning; celebrities, exclusive collections, lounges and parties certainly deliver on what they promise. The pop-up might represent a marketing agent's wet d ream, but we're okay with that, since we get to reap the benefits too. TARGETED CONSUMER Pop-up store are particularly segmenting. They are intended for particular audiences, clearly defined and targeted. This is also the principle and interest of these ephemeral stores: address a potential target consumer using the codes it work.As shown by several studies in recent months, the overall consumption (especially with the advent of the net) is currently moving towards a greater segmentation. Brands will increasingly specialize and products covering risk losing market share. In this economic and social individualization of consumption, Pop-up store targeted â€Å"communities† seem to be one appropriate response. In this it seems logical to predict yet beautiful days at this new marketing tool. Five Things to Consider Before Popping Up 1. Do your research.Is the space empty because of a lack of foot traffic in the area or because of some issue with the property? Remember the space is vacant for a reason. 2. Don't scrimp. Even though the space is temporary, you should budget for a build out that is in keeping with the brand's image. 3. Get creative. As pop-ups become the norm, you'll need more effort to attract attention. DJs, freebies, special events, celebrity appearances and contests keep the publicity rolling. 4. Don't expect a profit. Pop-up stores are more about buzz than sales.But the longer a store is open the more likely you'll be profitable. 5. Take a chance. Try a new neighborhood, a new design, a new product, a new marketing tack. If it doesn't work, it's only temporary. That's the beauty of a pop-up. EXEMPLES OF POP-UP STORE NICOLA FORMICHETTI The fashion icon Nicola Formichetti has created its own brand of haute couture. To inaugurate the launch of the brand, it was also decided to create a pop-up store named â€Å"Nicola's† where he will present a retrospective of his work with his new creations to highlight its style, anchoring his mark an artistic universe.For the event, Nicola Formichetti took to his blog, tumblr , and twitter account, an announcement of a contest to collaborate with him in the construction of it. The announcement brought architects and construction companies from all over the world, to present their ideas to the unorthodox Formichetti. Designer for Mugler, stylist for Lady GaGa and creative director for Uniqlo, MAC, Vogue Japan and V Magazine, Nicola Formichetti is unstoppable. Coinciding with fashion week, this new installation is only viewable for 2 weeks and is intended to fuse fashion and architecture to create a new creative space.Gage/Clemenceau Architects, the winners from the BOFFO contest, a non profit organization that organized the contest for the temporary installation. The duo of architects has been working closely with Nicola, who decided them as winners, just by looking at the first page of their proposal. HERMES For the first time since its inception in 1837, Hermes have opened in May 14th 2012 its ephemeral boutique rue de Sevres in Paris. It is located in the same street as the main store. The pop up store, designed by Stephane Parmentier, is dedicated to Women shoes.You can discover the exclusive shoes collection Spring-Summer 2012 and the upcoming Fall-Winter 2012/2013, designed by the creative director of the brand Pierre Hardy. This uncluttered space to house code 2012 evokes the theme â€Å"the time ahead. † The shop now host the new Hermes Chinese brand Shang Xia. LOUIS VUITTON For the launch of a capsule collection Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama, Louis Vuitton rolls out seven pop-up shops worldwile. The pop-up outlets opened for one to two months, offering a range of spotted trench coats, handbags, and other accessories created with the artist for Louis Vuitton.The European branches had also exclusively offer tentacle-festooned handbags two months ahead of their scheduled launch date. Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs must have been so taken with Kusama when she presented him with a customized a Louis Vuitton Ellipse bag during his first visit to her studio in 2006 that she should get special treatment. Out of the three other artists — Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami, and Richard Prince — Jacobs selected to partner with the brand, Kusama is the only one to have multiple pop-up shops in her line’s honor.GUERLAIN Prelude to expansion work of the 68 avenue Champs Elysees, Guerlain opened his own pop-up store, avant-garde space and interactive animation for several workshops in connection with home products. Aesthetics and mischievous daring decoration translate the codes and symbols emblematic of Guerlain in an atmosphere of total modernity. The decoration was designed by Patricia GROSDEMANGE, House Architect, in collaboration with artists and designers such as Nathalie Auzepy Catherine Square and Maryse Dugois-Guillope.Each symbol (filter perfumers, honeycomb, flasks) was diverted to illus trate the ability of Guerlain maintain its history and tradition in the heart of the image while updating. A decoration which also democratize the brand prestige giving it a quirky and fun character. And the concept of pop-up store is extended into the workshops. At the entrance, the Art Box makes a point on Guerlain actuality and the newness. The Perfumers Workshop decorated with cones, bottles and raw materials, unveils Thierry Wasser’s creations, the nose of the house. Visitors can even consult an expert to help them choose the fragrance that suits them.

Job Analysis Paper Essay

Job analyses are a way to create detailed job descriptions used by businesses to promote efficiency and best match potential between the employer and employee; but there are many other reasons to complete a job analysis. According to Ash and Levine (1980) there are 11 common uses for job analysis: career development; performance appraisal; legal issues; recruitment and selection of employees; training; setting salaries; efficiency/safety; job classification; job description; job design; and planning (Spector, 2008) There are many ways to complete a job analysis and the method used usually depends on the type of job or business. The four most common job analysis types are the; job component inventory; functional job analysis; position analysis questionnaire; and task inventory (Spector, 2008). For this paper this writer has chosen to use the functional job analysis method, utilizing the O*NET electronic database which was previously found in the Dictionary or Occupational Titles (DOT) and is produced by the United States Department of Labor (Spector, 2008). The occupation chosen is Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor. This paper will also look at the reliability and validity of the Functional Job Analysis as well as some of the pros and cons surrounding the four common methods mentioned above. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples Functional Job Analysis-Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselor The functional job analysis is a comprehensive method that makes use of observation, interviews, and scores on several dimensions; these dimensions are relevant to all jobs making this a uniform method to obtain information no matter what the job may be (Spector, 2008). The functional job analysis of a substance abuse specialist is as follows. (Note: due to the extensive amount of information provided much information will be paraphrased and writer will not include 100% of the data provided by O*NET.gov. – Also, the information provided is to show an understanding of the Functional Job Analysis along with the six domains utilized by the O*NET website.) Job Description The analysis begins with a job description as well as some of the titles associated with this vocation. In this case the job is to provide counseling to those struggling with addictions that include substances but also addictions to gambling, or other process addictions (Onetonline.gov, 2012). Job titles include: Counselor; Substance Abuse Counselor; Chemical Dependency Professional (Onetoneline, 2012). Tools & Technology The next section discusses the tools & technology generally used for this occupation. They include: Alcohol Breathalyzers; Personal Computers; and Spreadsheet Software. While this is an extremely comprehensive source there are items that are missing this writer noted the absence of Urine analysis kits used often in the field. Tasks Tasks according to the O*net website include but are not limited to: Completion and Maintenance of Records and Reports; Conduct Chemical Dependency programs; and Coordination with other Mental Health Professionals or Health Professionals as Needed (Onetonline, 2012). Knowledge Knowledge is next and the competencies include: Therapy and Counseling; Psychology; Customer Service; and Law and Government (Onetonline, 2012). Skills Skills include but are not limited to: Active Listening; Social Perceptiveness; Critical Thinking; and Speaking (Onetonline, 2012). Abilities Some of the abilities are: Oral Comprehension; Oral Expression; Problem Sensitivity; and Speech Clarity (Onetonline, 2012). Work Activities The work activities include: Assisting and Caring for others; Communicating with Peers, subordinates, and others; Documenting/Recording Informations; and Getting Information (Onetonline, 2012). Work Context The work context appears to be questions one would ask a prospective employer about the nature of any particular position. Questions center on particular job duties such as the length of time spent on the telephone, or how often one would be called upon to work with external customers and even if there would be time constraints or deadlines (Onetonline, 2012). Job Zone The job zone is devoted to the educational requirements, related experience, and a general look at the type of job it is. In this category some of the examples include: accountants; sales managers; and chemists (Onetonline, 2012). Education Looks at the levels of education required in the field (Onetonline, 2012) Interests This job is categorized as SAI: Social; Artistic; and Investigative (Onetonline, 2012). Work Styles Work styles are mainly characteristics held by people within the field. Self Control, Stress Tolerance, Concern for Others, and Dependability are just some of them (Onetonline, 2012). Work Values People that work in the field are said to value relationships, achievement, and independence (Onetonline, 2012). Wages & Employment Trends Lastly this job analysis discusses wages and employment trends on a national and local level (Onetonline, 2012). Reliability and Validity In order to understand the reliability and validity of job analyses one must have an understanding of who provides the information and who is responsible for gathering and making sense of the data. According to Spector (2008) Job analysis information is collected in several ways by people trained â€Å"in quantifying job characteristics and the KSAOs necessary to accomplish the different aspects of jobs†. These people either survey the employees who do the jobs in question or experience the job firsthand by doing it themselves or observing it being done†. The information is provided by job analysts, supervisors, job incumbents, and/or trained observers. Because supervisors and job incumbents have experience in the field they can be known as subject matter experts or SMEs (Spector, 2008). According to the research Dierdoff and Wilson (2003) found that when creating job analysis there is a reliability factor of .83 showing consistency. Depending on the type of rater inter-rater reliability was lower. Task inventory ratings varied depending on the scale given, or importance of a task and inter-rater reliabilities also varied quite a bit (Spector, 2008). So it seems that if a task inventory rating is used it should be done with great care. Validity is fairly high but comes with a caution. Once again the issue of people’s judgments and bias comes up (Spector, 2008). Job analysis is useful to I/O’s but must be carefully considered to assess validity (Spector, 2008). The job analysis provided by O*NET.gov was accurate and comprehensive but one could see that it is not possible to pinpoint every aspect of the job. Some parts may not apply or may apply to one place of employment and not another. Of course there are also the possible omissions such as the Urine Analysis under tools and equipment. This writer does feel that this particular analysis was reliable and valid based on first-hand knowledge of the field. Performance Appraisal Methods There are two types of appraisals; one is objective and the other subjective. Objective appraisals are a way to measure things like absences, or productivity. This would be a simple way of rating people in certain vocations where showing up and meeting a quota is important. Take people that work in a factory and need to produce high volume; this is one example of where this type of appraisal method would be beneficial. Certain aspects of performance can be measured very well using an objective approach but several weaknesses stand out. One is that the object being measured is not always clear; the other is that it is prone to human error (Spector, 2008) There are several subjective appraisal methods: the graphic-rating form; and many behavior-focused rating forms. These are more likely to be used and measure both trait performance and general aspects of performance (Spector, 2008). Graphic-Rating Form A graphic rating form is a chart with several areas that can be rated with choices either numbered or with other terms such as frequently to never at all (Spector, 2008). It is a way to make an evaluation on many dimensions relating to a particular job. This is an efficient way to get an overall picture. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) The BARS is a way of evaluating performance on a behavioral level. Relevant job expectations or behaviors are listed and the evaluator will find the choice that best describes an employee’s level of performance along a continuum (Spector, 2008). Mixed Standard Scale (MSS) A MSS has several statements that describe performance or behaviors with three choices that describe a particular level of performance (Spector, 2008). The three choices are randomly placed but they represent good performance, satisfactory performance and poor performance (Spector, 2008). This method like others gives a good overall picture but lacks the details that may surround poor performance. Behavior-Observation-Scale (BOS) The BOS is a way to measure behaviors using a percentage. Instead of describing how well a person responds it describes how often the behavior is seen. One rating could be â€Å"Stays on Task† and the evaluator or observer is to estimate using percentages how well the employee stays on task (Spector, 2008). The BOS is also similar to a mixed-standard scale because it uses critical incidence and either a poor or efficient behavior but; instead of rating behaviors the BOS rates frequency (Spector, 2008). One of the criticisms of the BOS is that to an outsider it may be hard to interpret (Spector, 2008) Conclusion This has been an overview of job analysis, perforamance appraisal, and the concepts of reliability and validity. We have seen that job analysis can be a great source of information. Not only does it provide details pertaining to a particular job but the job analysis can also help in the business world by providing possible legal and ethical issues, training program development and to help establish salaries just to name a few. We also know that there are several methods used to rate an employee’s performance which one is utilized depends on how detailed and what type of information needs to be measured. Lastly as with most other assessments, ratings, and measurements the reliability and validity of any job analysis is open to bias, and other human factors. All of these things must be taken into consideration and critical thinking generally applies.

Eco-tourism Essay

Ecotourism is defined as responsible travel to natural areas that protect the environment and improve the welfare of local people (International Ecotourism Society (TIES), 2005). It also follow certain principles such as minimize impact, build environmental and cultural respect, provide financial benefits to local people. Global ecotourism began in 1990, and has been growing 20-34% per year, especially in 2004, ecotourism was growing globally 3 times faster than the tourism industry as a whole; with continuous growth, and ecotourism will occupy 25% of the world travel market within six years. Ecotourism has advantages and disadvantages. It can contribute to a country’s economic development and also benefit local people. For the poor countries, tourism is the second most important source of foreign exchange, after oil. It also can bring job opportunities and increase local people’s income. However, the disadvantage cannot be neglected. Ecotourism can produce pollution an d damage the environment. According to TIES (2005), there are 109 countries with coral reefs, 90 of them are being damaged by cruise ship and sewage. It also estimated that the cruise ship produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year. The shock to local culture is also a big problem. Recently, the advantages of ecotourism are still being debated. This report is concerned with the advantages and disadvantages of  ecotourism. Though the disadvantages of ecotourism caused big problems but advantages of ecotourism far outweigh its drawbacks. 1.Definition of ecotourism. Ecotourism involves responsible traveling to fragile, pristine and mostly protected areas. This takes place for different purposes, from educating the traveler, fostering respect for different cultures to directly benefiting the economic and political empowerment of local communities. Ideally, ecotourism incorporates the following criteria; promote biological and cultural diversity, touring unspoiled natural habitats, and the main attractions being local culture, flora and fauna. In short, ecotourism operations are defined by their commitment to the environment, education, nature and culture. The main objectives of ecotourism are providing nature-based, environmental education experiences for visitors and managing this in a sustainable manner. Ecotourism offers a great opportunity for educational as well as personal growth as values of appreciation and attitude changes are instilled in participants which would lead to significant involvement in environmental and social issues in the future. Essentially, the dimension of ecotourism as an educational experience creates a new window for viewing the whole world and one’s self. It offers an opportunity to show the growth and development of various learning experiences while at the same time exploring another country or culture and going beyond one’s preconceived limitations. Nature based tourism includes a range of tourism experiences that entail adventure tourism, cultural and rural tourism. In addition, activities such as rafting and scuba diving are forms of nature based ecotourism. On the other hand, sustainable ecotourism aims to address on the needs of visited environments to sustain them. The main focal points include sustaining the natural environment itself and contributing to help local communities understand the importance and value of their adjacent environment. Sustainability is drawn from the concept of sustainable development which is development that focuses on meeting the needs of he present generation without hindering the ability of the future generations from meeting their own needs. The basic criteria for sustainable ecotourism include; the sustainable use of ecological resources, increased  environmental and cultural awareness, conservation ethos, support of local economies through increased revenue from visitors and the use of lo cal supplies and services. It is important to note that for ecotourism to be realized the above components need to be integrated on a wholesome package. Eco tourism entails the incorporation of nature as the main laboratory for informal learning through which attitudes and values on conservation are appreciated and instilled. For these natural resources to be available for the unforeseeable future, sustainability has to come into play. Several differences between ecotourism and other forms of tourism can be outlined. To start with, the key difference existing is that ecotourism involves learning about the environment whereas other forms of tourism such as adventure tourism only focus on personal accomplishments of successfully meeting the challenge of the natural environment. Generally, the tourism industry focuses on market demand by attempting to foster, maintain and expand the market world which mostly draws it away from focusing on maintaining the product or experience. The addition of facilities and infrastructures to cater for the demand result in the destruction of pristine environment and the indigenous experience which ecoto urism attempts to reverse by reducing these impacts of tourism. Ecotourism maintains a supply oriented management perspective with primary considerations being the nature and resilience of the resource, cultural or local community preferences and interpretive conservation programs. Tourism on the other hand, focuses on individual experiences that may overlook the relevance of in-depth learning of the natural environment and indigenous knowledge essential for changing people’s attitudes and perceptions. Nature based tourism is seen as a subcomponent of alternative tourism and ecotourism is highlighted as being part of both alternative and natural based tourism. This is because nature plays a big role in both. In addition, the interaction between natural environment and adventure travel are components of adventure tourism. This points to adventure travel with certain risky elements which when lowered become logical extensions of ecotourism. Time, a very fundamental commodity would also be used to differentiate other forms of tourism from eco tourism. The time taken to interact with nature and local communities in ecotourism is substantial due to the time taken to appreciate what the environment provides. Funds accruing from tourism  activities are not ab solutely used to improve the livelihoods of local populations, they may not trickle down to these communities when allocated on a national scale. Instead they form a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product of most economies. On the other hand, funds collected from ecotourism institutions are diverted to activities aimed at improving the lives of local communities. This is because these populations play a vital role in ensuring the sustainability of the environment through proper management and protection to curb overexploitation. The subsequent impact of human activities on the environment is yet another difference between ecotourism and other forms of tourism. The fact that ecotourism addresses the values and perceptions of individuals which impact to a greater extent the appreciation of the environment thereby reducing the magnitudes of exploitation of these resources is a prime definition of ecotourism different from tourism in general. Behaviors such as the proper disposal of waste in campsites or tourist environs are emphasized in ecotourism as compared to other forms of tourism which overlook the importance of such actions. Ecotourism emphasizes on interaction based on the proximity to the natural habitat, for example, watching dolphins in their natural habitat, the ocean, while mainstream tourism does not emphasize on the natural environment such as watching dolphins in an aquarium. The levels of interactions described by Fridell (2003) are different in the two concepts. Ecotourism based activities involve a close interaction with the environment with actions such as species identity and indigenous knowledge on certain phenomena. The level of interaction related with tourism on the other hand is perceived to be shallow as little is learnt from the environment. In some areas, excursions are conducted using vehicles making it difficult for tourists to interact closely with the environment. Despite the aforementioned differences, similarities also exist between ecotourism and other forms of tourism like sustainable tourism, adventure tourism amongst others. First of all, both recognize the environment as the main functional unit. Activities developed from both are environmentally related as it forms the main feature. Scuba diving, nature viewing, participating in eco-challenge activities are just but a few of the activities environmentally based. Secondly, as expressed by Anderson & Beasley, the human being is the main driver of both concepts. These concepts are  developed and actualized by humans who also contribute to their continuous application. This is due to the fact that the human person recognizes the adjacent environment around him as it is important for his survival. The environment is the producer of goods and services for human consumption, and equally acts as an assimilator of waste produced from human activities that process final products for his use. Without it, humans cannot survive hence the essence to conserve and protect it. The end result of both concepts is to create avenues of exposure to opportunities of the environment and its subsequent conservation. The environment offers more than just resources. It creates an aesthetic feeling as well as favorable atmospheres for relaxation both mentally and physically. Such opportunities are made available through ecotourism and tourism. Both venture in to pristine environments that are either protected by government policies or local populations. Pristine environments are less exploited or not ventured into at all and offer a great variety of species and ecosystems. Both tourism and ecotourism aim towards sustainable development. There is usually a conflict between development and environment al conservation with both extremes bringing about inadequacies in adaptation owing to the current global situations of negative environmental impacts and effects of the global village. Ecotourism therefore attempts to meet the needs of the local people while tourism focuses on a much bigger population putting the country’s citizens in perspective. An eco- tour refers to a sightseeing excursion in physical nature. An ecotourist then refers to a tourist who joins an ecotour. With the above definition, it is worth noting that eco-tourists may fail to understand the difference between ecotourism and mainstream tourism. This occurs in circumstances where they fail to understand the roles expected of them to distinguish them from other tourists. In addition, the sites chosen for excursion purposes may determine them as tourists. An eco-tourist who accesses a tourist site such as an aquarium or mausoleum located away from its original site would fail to understand the difference between him and a tourist. In cases where tourists are given an opportunity to learn from the available environment with the help of tour guides or game rangers, they are awarded the same o pportunity of acquiring knowledge just as those seeking such knowledge from ecotourism areas availed to them by local community members hence the difference between them is narrowed. A case study on the  educational experience in ecotourism in Peru, The Condor Lodge Conservatory is well discussed below. The conservatory is located in Apurimac Canyon and is settled in a natural environment, with close proximity to the Antilla Community and surrounded by an eco-farm. Most families share sleeping space with the Kuyi, a type of guinea pigs. The area is also surrounded by gold mines and has been at the forefront of ecotourism efforts in the region. It has also created string networks with local tourist agencies, international tourists and planning small group visits that are aimed at creating a harmonious relationship with the environment. It is further characterized by undisturbed wilderness, wildlife diversity, hospitable people and a spectacular view of the Andean Condor which create an exceptional educational experience. A case study of the Campi ya Kanzi, an ecotourism site in Kenya. This site is stretched over 400 miles of African wilderness, within the Kuku Group Ranch of Southern Kenya. The area is owned by Maasai herdsmen and extends through to Mt. Kilimanjaro. This environment is well endowed with wildlife diversity of fauna and flora. The ranch also contains pools, a lake and springs. The lodge in the area has minimal impact on the environment as buildings are constructed from local material such as lava rocks, thatch and lumber obtained from a reforestation program. The foundations of the lodge was based on protecting wildlife, the wilderness and Maasai culture as well as obtain financial support for maintaining a place where wildlife can flourish. To sum up, Campi ya Kanzi is an ecotourism lodge, built, owned and run by the local community for the benefit of the environment and local people. In conclusion, Ecotourism is an aspect that incorporates tourism but is specific in nature. There are limitless similarities that exist between ecotourism and tourism such as sustainability, nature being at the forefront in both and an offer to interact with the pristine natural environment. There are also significant differences that exist between them from the educational perspective, the natural environment to the levels of interactions. However, the impact of both tourism and ecotourism on the environment as well the changes in people’s attitudes is worth noting. The functional responsibility of both eco-tourists, soft and hard, and tourist plays a fundamental role in achieving the ultimate goals of both concepts. 3. The Advantages of Eco-tourism Eco tourism is defined as tourism that sends people to relatively untouched parts of the world and that is sensitive to the impact to nature caused by humans. Eco tourism is an attempt to allow tourism that does not damage nature or traditional culture. It is an idea that has massive appeal as those with money can now visit places in good conscience. They can see wonderful things and feel at the same time that their money is helping the local environment and indigenous people. Since the 1980s the eco tourism sector has grown and grown. It is the fastest growing sector in tourism – growing at an annual rate of between 10% – 15%. Tourism is one of the few sectors of the world economy that continues to grow despite the ups and downs in the world economy. It has become so important that the IMF now includes stipulations about tourism as part of its preconditions for lending money to developing countries. If done rightly eco tourism has several advantages. It is more concerned with the environment and does encourage developers to build with more consideration for the natural environment. This means that more natural habitat is preserved and that the resources for building come from sustainable sources. This is the theory anyway. Another advantage is that eco tourism provides an income for local inhabitants in an area. The argument is that if the local people can generate revenue from showing tourists around a jungle, lake, savannah etc. then it is much better than killing elephants for their ivory or capturing gorillas to sell on the black market. Moreover, showing people a rainforest rather than logging the forest is a good compromise if the forest is preserved. People in the developed world through eco tourism get to experience places of great natural significance as well as interact with local and indigenous people. It is hoped that this contact will benefit both parties, fostering better understanding of the issues on the ground, a nd overcoming prejudice. 3. The Disadvantages of Eco-tourism It is felt by some environmentalists that there should be some parts of the world that are ‘off bounds’ for any tourists as any human activity will damage the eco system and disrupt the routine of the animals. Although scuba  divers try to be careful, any tourist scuba business is going to have a negative impact on fragile coral marine environments. Although, people walking carefully through the forest might not do much harm, building their eco lodges does. A good example of this is the safari business in Africa. Tour jeeps going across the savannah scare off the animals that the lions rely on catching. The result is that lions can no longer hunt in parts of Kenya and Tanzania during the morning when the tour jeeps are out. They have to wait until the hottest part of the day to hunt. This is draining for them and affecting lion numbers. The Masai people in Kenya have been moved out of their traditional lands because of the demarcation of National Parks for eco tourism. They are settled on land next to the reserves. Much of the best land next to the reserves has gone to non-local people and eco tourist operators. When animals come on to this communal land any damage caused by the animals is not compensated by the government. The result is that the Masai who once co-existed with the animals of the savannah now come to regard them as pests. Another issue for the Masai and other indigenous people is that they have become ‘tourist attractions’ that are expected to pose for the cameras and perform dances etc. for money. Not only is this extremely patronizing, but it is discouraging the Masai and other indigenous people from pursuing their traditional life styles. Unwittingly the tourists are destroying the culture that they are paying to preserve. Eco-tourism seeks to go to the remotest places. These places a re often not well policed. There is nothing stopping people taking money from tourists as well as pursuing environmentally unfriendly activities. In the case of Brazil, illegal logging will not stop because of eco-tourism because the logging companies make too much money. It seems that the cons often outweigh the pros of eco tourism. It might be better to take pictures of animals rather than shoot animals, but given the choice the animals would sooner not have people around. Policing of eco tourism is another matter. Do eco tourist outfits deliver what they promise? It seems whether eco tourism should be allowed should be judged case-by-case, and that the consultation must include the local people, and not the IMF. Conclusion It sounds like the true nature lover’s dream – to visit a corner of the earth that is untouched by human hands. It’s where you can enjoy pristine nature in its true, original form. Ecotourism is a name given to the tourism industry that desires to visit pristine, fragile and undisturbed areas. This is as far different from mass tourism as you can get. Promoting ecotourism brings several potential benefits to the area being visited: Helps to provide investment funds for the preservation and conservation of the ecological system. It can be a direct benefit to the development of the economy and political systems of the surrounding community. Builds a sense of respect for a variety of cultures and for their human rights movements. Serves to educate the traveler who participates in ecotourism. It can give tourists some insight into the impact that humans have on the environment, and as a result they can develop a greater love and appreciation for the beauty of the ear th and its natural habitats. Ecotourism takes place in environments where the flora and fauna are still intact in their natural, original forms. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry, and for some countries, including developing countries, ecotourism is a viable income source. Countries such as Africa with vast, open territory, huge plains and fierce wandering rivers, are popular ecotourism destinations. Canada, being one of the world’s largest countries is also home to settlements of indigenous peoples and holds a huge potential for ecotourism. There are many untouched beautiful ecotourism destinations in Canada. With its vast landscapes and low population density, abundant natural resources and a variety of eco-activities, Canada is growing in popularity among ecotourists. Benefits for developing countries to participate in ecotourism For developing countries, ecotourism offers empowerment to local communities and a way for them to fight poverty. The combination between biodiversity and indigenous cultures is appealing to many who want to get out of the big cities and go see something in nature that they have never experienced before. During an ecotourism adventure, low impact on nature is emphasized. After all, if the ecotourism had a big impact on the pristine location, it would no longer be untouched and lose its usefulness as a destination. Tourism itself leaves an environmental footprint. A major part of the  education of tourists visiting prime natural habitats is to educate them towards environmental conservation. Therefore, mass tourism to these natural habitats is not permitted. History of responsible tourism and promoting sustainability using tourism The term ecotourism was made popular in 1983 by a man named Hector Ceballos-Lascurain. Other synonyms to the term include jungle tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable development. Hector was a conservationist who was very influential and took part in lobbying for wetland conservation in relation to the flamingo. Currently there is no standard accepted globally for regulating the ecotourism industry. Many see this as a disadvantage, because small groups claiming a big eco adventure have the potential to scam the unwary tourist from some big payments. They sign up thinking they are getting the adventure of a life time but because of the lack of accreditation and regulations; they don’t end up getting what they signed up for. Sources 1. http://wikitravel.org/en/Ecotourism 2. http://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism 3. http://www.ukessays.com/essays/tourism/an-essay-on-ecotourism.php 4. http://essaycamp.com/examples/ecotourism 5. http://www.worldtourismforum.org/global/pros-and-cons-of-eco-tourism/

Comparing Role of Race between Rodriguez in Blaxicans and Other Essay

Comparing Role of Race between Rodriguez in Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans and Baldwin in Stranger in the Village - Essay Example This research will begin with the Rodriguez viewpoint and experiences of race and racism. A race is separate from culture and ethnicity: Rodriguez addresses the issue and dilemma of American immigrants and the changing notion of a race at a period when cultures spread beyond a nation’s borders. He admits that immigration would continue to facilitate racial variety to introduce people of different cultures and origins in the complex American society. As a result, Rodriguez points out the diminishing differentiation of a black and white race in America and demonstrates the transforming America, where residents and immigrants acquire new identities through categorization. Irrespective of the racial variety, he emphasizes that racial mixture should serve as a point of pride and promote diversity through cultural assimilation and reinvention, rather than maintaining the separate thought of ‘selves’. Rodriguez supports American categorization as introduced by late presi dent Nixon, convinced that it’s not about race, but blending people with more of their cultures, ethnicity, and environment. This would ease the tension of racism and assist sway people away from the idealized black-white divided thinking. For example, categorization of Black, Hispanic and Asian among others introduces the ethnic and cultural elements. While Black is a race, Hispanic is more of a culture and related to environmental origins and only fits the definition of the North American world. Hispanics could be black, Indian, and from different countries hence not a specific race. Viewed in this sense, a racial mixture is not a negative thing in a society.

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Response paper - Essay Example I personally agree with Ray Bradbury in virtually all the issues he raised. Bradbury says quantity brings about quality in work. The more one works and gain more experience the more quality his or her work becomes (McKenzie 40). After work, relaxation of the body is vital and I don`t think there is something that results in more relaxation and in turn more creativity like writing. In the circumstance where writers don’t think, they end up copying other writers work and compromising quality of their work. Just as an artist may think of the money he or she will earn after the work instead of focusing on the truth and the internal feeling that his or her work entails and bring out the beauty of the art work, most commercial writers do slanted stories, focusing on the money they will cash from their banks while ignoring the originality and creativity they could possibly have in their work. Most upcoming writers engage their working time only to give out unoriginal story lacking creativity simply because the commercial market has taken over them and dictate what they write. The body should be left alone to think and act for itself and let the writings flow from inside you not from external forces (McKenzie 44). While new writers are at liberty to imitate and emulate other prominent writers in history, it is only allowed up to some extent and should not eliminate the ability of a man to become truly creative in his work. The writer should select a field where he or she thinks his ideas will develop more comfortably. One needs to remember that selecting a field to write on is absolutely different from slanting within that field (McKenzie 46). In conclusion, what you think of the world should characterize what you think. Consider yourself as a prism and measure the light of the world. Give the light back to the world in a totally different perspective. Let your feeling and thinking about the world dictate your writing. Bring out your ideas

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century Research Paper

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century - Research Paper Example This essay will deal with the interpretations of Copernican cosmology among his contemporaries, with special attention being paid to views on Copernican theory exhibited by leading theologians of the epoch, both Catholic and Protestant. In addition, an account of interpretations of Copernicus in non-European historical environment will be presented, with Ottoman Empire serving as a case study. It will be argued that the dominant interpretations of Copernican astronomy in the 16th century were far from overwhelmingly hostile, as might be inferred from the treatment of Giordano Bruno and later Galileo Galilei, and that established ecclesiastical authorities in most cases lacked a coherent policy towards Copernicans until the 17th century. THE EARLY LUTHERAN RESPONSE TO THE COPERNICAN THEORY. MELANCHTHON, RHETICUS AND THE WITTENBERG INTERPRETATION Although the notion of existential hostility of Lutheran thinkers towards Copernican astronomy, presented by White in his famous account of L uther’s alleged derisory remark on Copernicus (White 1:126-7), is widespread, it seems that such a conclusion would be premature. While Kuhn asserts that Luther and Melanchthon viewed Copernican theory as contravening the Scripture and constituting near blasphemy (Kuhn 191), Barker and Westman strongly oppose such a view, instead suggesting that the attitude of Lutherans to Copernicanism was more nuanced (Barker; Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches†). First of all, it is significant that the presentation of Copernican heliocentric theory itself was conducted not by Copernicus himself, but by Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), a young mathematician from the University of Wittenberg, which was the spiritual centre of Lutheran current in the Reformation (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). In fact, Rheticus was entrusted by Copernicus with publishing Narratio Prima, the draft version of the Copernican master work, De Revolutionibus, i n 1540. Together with another Lutheran scholar, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), Rheticus published De Revolutionibus itself in 1543, with a special notice that the latter was an astronomical and mathematical, rather than philosophical, work. It is assumed that this notice was added in order to prevent possible backlash by conservative theologians and scholastics against Copernican theory (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). Such interpretation of Copernicus’s work, i.e. not as a work aimed at uncovering physical truth, but as a mathematical treatise that was merely to provide mathematically consistent observations was to become a basis for the so-called Wittenberg Interpretation of Copernicus. It is interesting to note that Melanchthon seems to have been initially critical of Copernicus’s ideas, but later acknowledged their validity, especially with regard to Copernican planetary parameters and theory of moon movements (Westman, â€Å"The Melanc hthon Circle†). Although Melanchthon never recognized the claims of Copernican heliocentrists with respect to cosmological issues, he obviously regarded Copernicus’s mathematical calculations on celestial body movements as superior to the Ptolemean ones. Melanchthon dismissed Copernican observation on the earth’s motion, finding it to be incompatible with the Scripture and the Aristotelian idea of simple motion, according to which each simple body has only one type of motion inherent in it (Westman, â€Å"

International Supply Chains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Supply Chains - Essay Example More simply, it is the science (and art) of ensuring that the right products reach the right place in the right quantity at the right time to satisfy customer demand. It has also been defined as "the management of inventory in motion and at rest". (Source:http://www.ocs.ca/english/30_logistics.html). A supply chain is a network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials; transformation of this material into intermediate and finished products; and distribution of these finished products to customers. (Source: Ganeshan & Harrison - Introduction to Supply Chain Management) International Supply Chains are those supply chains that transcend national boundaries in their operations. Logistics and supply chain solutions help clients realize the many benefits of an improved supply chain. They include reducing distribution costs, improving customer service, speeding up sales process and improving customer loyalty. The United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods (Geneva, 24 May 1980) states that "International multimodal transport" means the carriage... The United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods (Geneva, 24 May 1980) states that "International multimodal transport" means the carriage of goods by at least two different modes of transport on the basis of a multimodal transport contract from a place in one country at which the goods are taken in charge by the multimodal transport operator to a place designated for delivery situated in a different country. The operations of pick-up and delivery of goods carried out in the performance of a unimodal transport contract, as defined in such contract, shall not be considered as international multimodal transport." In loosely coined terms of day-to-day industry usage, multi-modal simply represents a combination of truck, rail, water, and or air transport to haul everything from small to large items, from raw materials to finished goods, and from perishable to non-perishables. (Source from website ). Major transport growths tries to achieve a balance between providing accessibility to the markets, economic efficiency and reduce threat to the environment. Multimodal transport, that is using two or more transport modes for a trip between which a transfer is necessary, has been touted as a solution for the current transportation issues. This came into full force with the invention of the container in 1960's by Malcolm MacLean. McLean explained that while sitting at a dock waiting for cargo he trucked in to be reloaded onto a ship, he realized that rather than loading and unloading the truck, the truck itself (with some minor modifications) could be the container that is transported. (Source from website ). The improvement in

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Body Dysmorphic Disorder - Research Paper Example Symptoms of BDD: A person suffering from BDD feels negative about his/her skin, nose and hair. He/she pays more than necessary attention to the scarring, acne, marks, wrinkles, excessive or scanty hair, and the shape and size of the nose. The symptoms are evident in the patient’s over-consciousness. Apparently the patient seems quite normal. It is his/her worries regarding the skin, nose and hair that make him/her a patient. The patient feels stress about the assumed flaw and he/she pays a lot of attention towards it. The patient frequently checks his/her appearance in the mirror to pick out imperfections and to compare with others. The patient is very interested in knowing people’s opinion about his/her looks and cosmetic surgery is an obvious choice to fix the imperfections notified or noticed. In a vast majority of cases, patients of BDD feel worse after the surgery. If they seldom are, they tend to look out for new defects in the body. A patient of BDD may treat the surgeon violently for ruining his/her appearance. Treatment of BDD: Medicines commonly prescribed are antidepressants and Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (Medicinenet.com, 2011).

Business Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Communication - Essay Example An in-depth study of women in management settings, conducted by Korac-Kakabadse and Kouzmin revealed several insights into how communication is often a key factor in women not achieving the same level of power as men in the workplace. It explored the differences in their manner of communication and the way that these differences lead them to have less power. He pointed out, for example, that even the terminologies used in a workplace used to be male-oriented. (Korac-Kakabadse and Kouzmin, 1997, pp. 190-193) As researchers have observed, several positions in an organization would have titles such as â€Å"chairman† or â€Å"salesman†, making them seem like jobs that are designed for males only. Furthermore, women occupied some positions so often that these job titles were associated only with women. Some of the most well known examples of this are â€Å"secretary† and â€Å"manager’s assistant. The reason why this point is essential to this critique is tha t these job titles, both the ones associated with males and the ones associated with females, were altered around the same time that the role of women in the workplace started gaining more power. Women, whom these stereotypes had suppressed for a long time, stood up and fought for change, and achieved it. They had the male associated positions changed to â€Å"chairperson† and â€Å"salesperson†.... In addition, the women-associated job titles now stand replaced by more male-oriented titles such as â€Å"office manager† or â€Å"assistant manager† (Pringle, 1992, pp. 127-60). Even generic terms like â€Å"mankind† now stand replaced with less sexist words like â€Å"humankind†. This is an indicator of how women who seek power started by altering the communication strategies in the world around them, in both the workplace and otherwise. Thus, this supports the theory that communication strategies have a large bearing on the power that women possess in the workplace. Another important area in communication that affects the power that women have in the workplace is nonverbal communication. As researchers have found, even the difference in tones that women and men use often affects their power disparity in the workplace, regardless of the content of their speech. Due to the different roles men and women adopt in their lives, they often develop tones of sp eech accordingly. A man will more likely have a strong and confident voice whereas a woman will have a soothing and comforting tone (Willis, 1990, pp. 40-72). This difference makes it appear that the man is more capable of taking charge in the workplace, whereas the woman is more suited for a less power-oriented career. It would also explain why men are more likely to be trusted with managing and leading large workforces, while women are employed to work for them. This again supports the view that women need to alter their communication strategies if they wish to have more power in the workplace, even if it is their non-verbal communication. A few more studies have observed the communication strategies used by men and women, and have found some startling differences when

Organizational Structure of Different Types of Companies Essay

Organizational Structure of Different Types of Companies - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that organizational structure has to be appropriately aligned with organization strategies and also has to be implemented together in strategy formulation as well as implementation by focusing on five core areas. These five core areas are strategy implementation; strategic change; human resources and strategy implementation; strategy and structure; and incentives and controls. Strategy implementation model assists in adapting to change through improving one particular model of objectives, controls, structures, mechanism, integration and also incentives for implementing company’s strategy. On the other hand, strategic change helps to understand the implementation stages. This will help the hierarchy in understanding who in the organization supports the change or who are against it and which way to conquer the change resistance, these all are understandable in strategic change. Human Resources and Strategy Implementation consists of HR g uidelines with strategy completion needs. Strategy and Structure is a vital tool for knowing how strategy concerns structure as well as how the decision of structure includes efficiency as well as effectiveness. Lastly, Incentives and Controls are creating some pathways to motivate and also control the performance of achieving a successful coordination. Global companies structure their activities keeping in mind a need for venturing into a foreign land. Therefore, they have to be flexible in their organizational structure as doing business in the different country has with different requirements so they have to be prepared accordingly. Although working in different countries of the world gives them advantages from the economic point of view as they can go for economies of scale in their production system and also save on actions like R&D, marketing, finance, and operations are accomplished which might not be obtainable to the domestic companies.  

Jewish Diaspora Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jewish Diaspora - Essay Example Despite this assurance, the Jewish still faced the threat of assimilation in Latin America. Anti-Semitism experience of the Jewish in Argentina, United States and Latin America all conform the Jewish way of life was untenable while in diaspora. Religion was the major factor that determined the way the Jewish regarded the different parts of the world and the places they preferred to migrate to. It was after the improved relationship among Chile, Brazil and Argentina that reduces the national armies competiveness and growth presages on the security agreements on religion after the introduction of Democracy in Latin America that gave room for the Jewish to transverse such nations. The political events in the countries in Latin America left a great mark on the communities made up of the Jewish (Elkin and Merkx 157). The democratic regimes led to the Jewish communities to open up thus giving room for reconsideration of the position taken by the Israel and Zionism in the life of the Jewish. The Jewish presence in Latin America left a great mark and following this, the Jewish power has been regarded to be highly organized. The impact was influenced by the social services offered by the Jewish immigrants. Despite their contributions, most of their welfare needs were not met. These situations forced the immigrants to come up with communal organizations similar to those earlier practiced in Africa, Europe and Middle East (Elkin and Merkx 189). The needs and situations faced by the Jewish immigrants changed their priorities from religious congregations. Some of the issues that the Jewish gave priority included; having a legal permit to establish a Jewish Cemetery, charity organization, the desire to be informed and publish their opinions thus the establishment of the vigorous press, the urge to continue practicing religion especially at the time both antireligious and religious factions were facing many turmoil; the Jewish had to remain apathetic towards the

In Tim OBrien Essay Example for Free

In Tim OBrien Essay In Tim O’Brien’s â€Å"How to Tell a True War Story,† the author tries to humanize war by letting the reader know how absolutely difficult telling a war story is. He does this by giving many unsolicited pieces of advice about how to tell a true war story, but many of them directly contradict each other or do not make sense when compared side-by-side. In giving these pieces of advice, he is also telling war stories that either do or do not fit his own criteria. And yet, he humanizes the people involved in fighting this war by giving the reader these lessons. One great example of this is when he tells the story of Rat Kiley and Lemmons. O’Brien begins by telling the reader that â€Å"a true war story is never moral†(O’Brien). He continues with, â€Å"If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie† (O’Brien). Then he tells us first the story of Rat Kiley writing this letter to the sister of his best friend who died. Kiley pours his heart out to this woman and she never writers back, and he has a derogatory comment about the sister. This certainly is not uplifting, but Rat Kiley has been humanized. The reader can somewhat imagine writing this letter and understands what it would take to write a letter like this, and then to have it unacknowledged. While O’Brien tells us almost nothing directly of the character of Rat Kiley, the reader learns mounds of information about his character nonetheless. O’Brien continues on to tell us about the death of Lemmons, and then he explains that even his own telling of the story is subjective. What he thinks he saw versus what might have actually happened are two different things. We didn’t know Lemmons, but again, we feel like we know something of his character from hearing this story. O’Brien is able to provide such beautiful or not so beautiful characterizations of these men without really telling the reader anything. But these men are humanized for us. They are not statistics in a war; they are real men. Another lesson O’Brien teaches is that â€Å"In a true war story, if there’s a moral at all, it’s like the thread that makes the cloth. You can’t tease it out. You can’t extract the meaning without unraveling the deeper meaning. † He tells us that true war stories do not generalize but they make us feel it in our stomachs. We can’t generalize to something simple like â€Å"War is hell. † He then tells us another story of Rat Kiley when he slowly slaughters the water buffalo. The reader is horrified, but also at some level understands why Rat Kiley did this. The water buffalo becomes a symbol of the breakdown during war itself. The incredible need for violence and retribution is strong. It is a horribly sad story of the slaughter of an animal. But based on what we already know about just what Rat Kiley has been through, we understand him on some gut level. War is hell, but it is also mystery and beauty. â€Å"Though it’s odd, you’re never more alive than when you’re almost dead. † The reader can understand this and understand the characters better because of it. These men are not monsters; they are just men. They are fighting a terrible war and are forced to do terrible things, but they are human. â€Å"At the hour of dusk you sit at your foxhole and look out on a wide river turning pinkish red, and at the mountains beyond, and although in the morning you must cross the river and go into the mountains and do terrible things and maybe, die, even so, you find yourself studying the fine colors on the river, you feel wonder and awe at the setting of the sun, and you are filled with a hard, aching love for how the world could be and always should be, but now is not† (O’Brien). This passage describes all men in war, and even though Rat Kiley has done terrible things, we understand a little bit about what he must be thinking. We understand how these men value their lives even more because of war. In O’Brien’s unique way, these men are truly humanized. By providing the reader with various instructions throughout the story about what a true war story isn’t and what a true war story is, these men are deeply humanized. The reader understands from Tim O’Brien that war is never as simple as it seems, and neither are the men who fight the war. He tells us horrible stories about these men, and yet, these stories help us to understand the men better. With the commentary O’Brien provides about how to write a true war story, the reader understands so many things. We understand that these â€Å"true† war stories may not even actually be true in the most common sense of the word. We understand that, no matter what, they are never simple. The lessons are never clear. They are not pretty, and if they are, they are not true. In other words, the characters of war are as complex as the reasons we fight wars. While it would be nice to have a tidy moral, there are none. At the bottom of it all are human lives. These men are not heroes and they are not monsters.

The challenges in managing employee’s performance through effective appraisal system

The challenges in managing employee’s performance through effective appraisal system Introduction Developing an appraisal system that accurately reflects employee performance is a difficult task. Performance appraisal systems are not generic or easily passed from one company to another; their design and administration must be tailor-made to match employee and organizational characteristics and qualities. This assignment highlights the importance of effective performance appraisal system with the rating errors and challenges that the organization faced in a competitive working world. First of all I give a clear understanding of what performance appraisal is and then in discussion part I look forward the problems and challenges that organizations faced while rating their employee performance through rating scale method using company examples. Later on the study discussed detailed on the critical incidents that organizations might faced and the solution. In conclusion part I suggest a modern effective performance appraisal system that can help organizations to overcome the problems and challenges they faced during evaluation of the employees. Performance Appraisal According to Hannah, P., (2009), Performance appraisal is a formal management system by which the job performance of an employee is examined and evaluated, with the intent of identifying their strengths and weaknesses for improvement in future. The procedure is conducted by the subsequent supervisor or manager Aminuddin. M (2008), States that Organizations interested in best practice are constantly and actively looking for ways to improve employees performance and motivate individual employees to achieve the best they can. In order to be effective, performance appraisal must fulfill certain criteria; performance appraisal system should be formalized so as to ensure fairness to the workers involved, a systematic appraisal of employees makes it possible to achieve various benefits like: Encouraging quality performance by rewarding those who do well Improve current performance by giving workers feedback Identify training needs Initiate fair disciplinary proceedings Provide a channel of communication between managers and their subordinates Challenges with effective performance appraisal Several problems may arise during performance appraisals. Some problem arises from the manager, some from the employees and some from other factors (Wells et.al, 1994). Most employees dislike performance appraisal interviews for fear of criticism, fear of uncertainty in handling question and fear that their salaries, promotions and their destinies with the organization hinge upon the outcomes of these interviews as justification for decisions that are already made concerning salaries, promotions and job tenures (Nelda et.al, ND). Sometimes organizations come across various problems and challenges of performance appraisal in order to make a performance appraisal system effective and successful. Determining the evaluation criteria Recent research on Compare InfoBase Limited (2007), has shown, the Identification of the evaluation criteria is one of the biggest problems faced by the top management. The performance data to be considered for evaluation should be carefully selected. For the purpose of evaluation, the criteria selected should be in a measurable term. Create a rating instrument The purpose of appraisal process is to judge the performance of the employees rather than the employee. The focus of the system should be on the development of the employees in the organization, Compare InfoBase Limited (2007). Lack of competence Top management should choose the raters or evaluators carefully. They should have the required expertise and the knowledge to decide the criteria accurately. They should have the experience and the necessary training to carry out the appraisal process objectively, Compare InfoBase Limited (2007), Errors in rating and evaluation Many errors based in personnel bias like stereotyping, halo effect may creep in the appraisal process. Therefore the rater should exercise objectively and fairness in evaluating and rating the performance of the employees, Compare InfoBase Limited (2007). Resistance The appraisal process may face resistance from the employees and the trade unions for the fear of negative ratings. Therefore, the employees should be communicated and clearly explained the purpose as well the process of appraisal. The slandered should be clearly communicated and every employee should be made aware that what exactly is expected from them, Compare InfoBase Limited (2007). One study shows that in UK, most of their Universities and colleges faced problems of performance appraisal. Simmons, J., (2001), states that, a closely related issue was the age -old appraisal dilemma of achieving an appropriate balance between the aims of control and commitment. the study shows that the traditional appraisal schemes emphasis on control by stipulating and assessing the individual employee contribution to the organization lives on within contemporary performance management system by ensuring each employees performance objectives drives from and contribute to those at departmental, divisional, or corporate level. Taylor, S., (2002), research shows that the way in which appraisal carried out in the organization and in particular, to unfair bias in managerial assessments of performance. According to him the problems with the rating systems are: The tendency to give a good overall assessment on the basis that one particular aspects has been accomplished well A tendency to avoid giving tow ratings, even when deserved, for fear of angering or upsetting a weak performer The tendency to give a poor overall assessment on the basis of particular poor performance in one area The tendency to give particular weight to recent occurrences in reaching judgments about individual performance The tendency to give high rating to people who have performed well historically, whatever their performance over the previous years A tendency to refrain, on principle from giving particular high ratings A tendency to rate subordinates at a lower level than the appraiser achieved when in their position Some of the criticism of performance appraisal are the focus will be too much on the individual and does little to develop employees. Employees and supervisors believe that the appraisal process is seriously flawed and appraisals are inconsistent, short term oriented, subjective and useful only at the extremes of performance. Problems with the ratings The drawback of essay evaluation method will be their length and content can vary considerably, depending on rater, the appraisal are difficult to compare and the writing skills of appraiser can also affect appraisal. Critical incidents drawbacks are like rater is required to jot down incidents regularly, which can be burdensome and time consuming. And this method may lead to friction between manager and employees when employees believe manager is keeping a book on them. The drawback for checklists would be raters can see positive or negative connotation of each question which introduces bias. It is time consuming to assemble questions for each job category, separate listing of questions must be developed for each job category and checklist question can have different meanings for different raters. Problems with graphic ratings scale have some weaknesses by evaluating the rates, such as evaluators are unlikely to interpret written descriptions in the same manner due to differences in background, experience and sometimes personality. So it would be better to choose categories that have little relationship to job performance and omit categories that have a significant influence on job performance. Performance appraisal can also have legal consequences in the field of discrimination on ground of sex, race and disability. This occurs when they are used as the basis of or justifications for promoting employees, increasing or decreasing individual pay levels, or selecting employees for new opportunities in the organization. Similar considerations apply where pay rates are determined as a result of performance ratings. Sometimes the law will also affect the evaluation of performance of employees and sometimes these subjective judgments can introduce bias into the system. In Brito v. Zia Company, the companys performance evaluation instrument was invalid because it did not relate to important elements in the jobs for which employees were being evaluated. Other performance evaluation lawsuits have dealt with sex, race, and age discrimination in terminations, promotions, and layoffs. Maclean, J., (2001), States that, when Canadian employment conducts an appraisal these laws prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex and marital status. Problems that organization face while using 360-degree feedback would also include rate errors. Each source of feedback suffers from varying sources of potential rater error. (e.g., halo error, leniency or severity, attribution errors). By using all these differing sources of information means dealing with the all different potential avenues for rater error to seep into the evaluation. The second criticism is cost and confusion. It can often be very costly and tedious to implement a 360-degree program. The multiple sources of feedback are difficult to coordinate, may contradict each other, and are often confusing to sort out and process effectively. This puts the burden on the manager to filter through the material provided and refine in into a coherent evaluation. Critics also fear a negative attitude in 360-degree appraisal. The added sources of information may be used by a manager to bolster negative appraisals with a see I told you so approach. Finally employees alike worry about confidentiality. With so many sources of feedback about single individual floating around, it is feared that both rater and ratee may lose their rights to confidentiality. The problem with MBO is that it will be not applicable to all jobs; allocation of merit pay may result in setting short-term goals rather than important and long-term goals. Psychological appraisal would be slow and costly and may be useful for bright young members who may have considerable potential. However quality of these appraisals largely depends upon the skills of psychologists who perform the evaluation. Disadvantages for assessment centers will be Costs of employees traveling and lodging, psychologists, ratings strongly influenced by assessees inter-personal skills. Solid performers may feel suffocated in simulated situations. Those who are not selected for this also may get affected. Desseler,G., (2011), The number of things that can lead to bias during appraisals is limitless. One study focused on the raters personality. Raters who scored higher on conscientiousness tended to give their peers lower ratings , they were stricter, in other words, those scoring higher on agreeableness gave higher ratings, they were more lenient. Even the appraisals purpose biases the results. Unfortunately the appraisees personal characteristics also affect their ratings. Solutions for rating evaluations Rater training and orientation in 360-degree appraisal programs is becoming increasingly popular. Research shows that most of the American companies used to train their raters in order to minimize the problem occur during the appraisal. This training introduces employees to the concept of multiple source feedback, and it makes them aware of rater error and methods to diminish it. Rating formats that focus on the frequency of specific behaviors can also help to limit sources of errors. Desseler, G., (2011), Computer appraisal software makes dealing with the glut of incoming information easier to handle. This software can also present the wealth of available data in a simple format to give to or discuss with the employee. Desseler, G., (2011), Overall 360-degree appraisal systems provide a wealth of information about an employees behavior that might be unavailable in traditional manager evaluation formats. Customers (both internal and external), peers, subordinates, and others may all have access to unique performance data that can provide a truer picture of the individuals performance. This method of evaluation can also provide information on the state of the companys goals and needs. For example, Digital executives use the feedback from external customers to determine if the strategic plan they laid out is flattering down to employees. Federal express uses a 360 -degree feedback system as the foundation of objective goal setting. By receiving information from internal and external customers, an individual gains feedback as to what areas are seen as superior and what areas are seen as deficient. Desseler, G., (2011), this feedback is then used in a management by objectives system to define the goals for that individual according to the needs of his or her customers. These new goals help to focus employee on what is required to improve performance and achieve customer satisfaction at the same time. According to Taylor, S., (2002), we can conclude that the assessment centers will be more flexible. They are not purchased off-the-shelf like psychometric test, and are not time restricted as interviews. There is therefore a plenty of scope to introduce exercises that are of specific relevance to the job and the organization involved. For this reason, each center is likely to differ from others to a considerable degree. That said a number of exercises and types of exercises associated with assessment centers are frequently included. Desseler, G., (2011), States that well-conducted assessment center can achieve better forecasts of future performance and progress than other methods of appraisals. Also reliability, content validity and predictive ability are said to be high in assessment centers. The tests also make sure that the wrong people are not hired or promoted. Finally it clearly defines the criteria for selection and promotion. Garry Desseler, (2011), Many of American top companies have set up assessment centers where they can first interview potential employees, then evaluate them in real work situation. It provides an excellent way to evaluate an individuals capabilities so perform and entry level management job. Donald et.al, (2008), When the organization uses MBO techniques, it will increases the employees involvement in setting performance objectives and concomitantly increase the motivation required to reach those objectives. On the same time it offers and objective factual basis for measuring accomplishment and also it emphasizes results, not traits or personality characteristics. MBO is entirely job centered; it supports the psychological concept that people will exercise self direction and self control in the accomplishment of organizational objectives that they have participated in settings. Sommerville (2007), argue that performance appraisal must be free from discrimination. The appraisal criteria, the methods and documentation must be designed to ensure that they are all job related. Otherwise there will be a possibility that an employee may challenge decisions made by management based upon a flawed appraisal system in court because managers and supervisors have said or done something that has adversely affect their e employees. The Recommendations for a legally defensible appraisal system would include Procedures must not differ because of race, sex, national origin, religion, or age Use objective, non-rated, uncontaminated data A formal system of review or appeal should be available for disagreement over appraisals Use more than one independent evaluator Use a formal, standardized system for evaluation Avoid ratings on traits, such as dependability, drive, aptitude, and attitude Improvement of performance appraisals Performance appraisals usually can be improved vastly. The manager should be prepared adequately before conducting a performance appraisal interview. Many managers seem too busy to gather the needed information or to plan for an interview, resulting in frustration and confusion for the employee. The performance appraisal interview is too important and has too great an impact upon the organizational climate to be conducted without necessary information and preparation (Nelda et.al, ND). Hannah Paul, (2009) it is a usual practice in most places that, managers conduct appraisals just to justify pay increase or decrease, forgetting that the sole purpose of performance appraisal is not salary increase or decrease, but the development of employee skills and the improvement of work in the office. Besides that, it is also important to give employees feedback (whether it is a matter of money or not), on the work that they are doing. This helps build employee morale and motivates them to work even better, whereas it is also important to give critical feedback to employees, so they can get their act together. The focus of managers on performance appraisals at the end of the year, instead of working towards improving performance during the year is the main problem today. If managers focused their attention to helping employees improve their job performance it would make it easier for them to analyze it at the end of the year, instead of just rating employees based on numbers or personality traits, which is neither accurate nor fair to the employees. If managers and supervisors were to understand how much they themselves would benefit from doing this, it would make their job much easier. Recommendation Debora, F.B., et.al, (1997), one of the first steps in developing an effective performance evaluation system is to determine the organizations objectives. These are then translated into departmental and then individual position objectives working with employees to agree their personal performance targets. This allows the employee to know up front the standards by which his/her performance will be evaluated. This process involves clarifying the job role, job description and responsibilities explaining how the role and responsibilities contribute to wider goals, why individual and team performance is important and just what is expected within the current planning period. Objectives developed in this way should be reflective of the organizational goals and provide linkages between employee and organizational performance. After studying the methods that used to evaluate employee performances the best method that I could find was 360-degree feedback method and MBO method. These two methods helps to evaluate employees performance with all the important factors that an employee needs to improve in order to improve the individual levels as well as organizational level. Managers can use these two methods to evaluate employees performance and give feedback to employees about their strengths and weaknesses which they need to improve and after analyzing this, employees can work hard to achieve organizational goals to compete with others. Conclusion In conclusion it can be said that, performance appraisal is generally a performance measuring tool, It is not only to identify employees job performance but it also helps managers gain information that help them make their employees work more prolific. Also vital information can be gained so that organizations may recognize the difficulties that workers face in everyday work. However it should not be forgotten that this system has a lot of flaws, and may not always be ideal for companies, but it cannot be ignored. It is an inevitable procedure which no matter how much employees or managers try to ignore it, needs to be carried out, because without it employee evaluation is not possible. One can soften it by calling it development discussions or have them on a usual basis to identify areas of improvement, but it cannot be overlooked. Developing an effective performance appraisal system requires strong commitment, from top management: if the system does not provide the linkage between employee performance and organizational goals, it is bound to be less than completely effective.

Monitoring Risk in Project Management

Monitoring Risk in Project Management Risk identification and analysis lies in the hands of the owner who is the first participant in any type of project. When they are identified earlier, then there is a plan on how to manage them. If this task is to be given to any other personnel, then he/she should have the skills to interpret those risks. Although the owner may fail to identify all the risks, then there should be an integrated project team who will assisting this. Any plan that is designed for the project should have the risk identification part. In a certain flower farm, the owner saw it appropriate to test a certain variety of flower and see how it would perform in the ecological zone he was in. Before doing anything else, he contacted each and every employee to tell them about his idea. Most of them were very willing to help in anything they could. One of the ways he started doing is to group we as employees into groups that would work as a team to achieve this. He could also call upon some of us in a face-to-face interaction and this improved on trust of all of us. He could also contact specialists in the sector in question, not because we could not do it by ourselves but because he wanted a variable number if ideas. Team members also needed to play their roles effectively. They needed to actively involve themselves by giving ideas and nobody was permitted to criticize. On the same note, each of the identified risk would be recorded whether relevant or not. All this would help to identify all the risks possible with the help of missions, strategies and goals of the project, cost estimate, procurement, and execution and financing plan, projects Environmental Impact Assessment among others. This process was repeated several times before the outcomes were realized. We as teams then took the challenge to rank these identified risks in the order in which they could be severe. The lowest rank held those risks that were less severe and we categorized them as negligible. Marginal, critical and catastrophic were among the more severe. This ranking was based on value in other words number of dollars and indicated that there will be minimal environment damage. On top of this was the marginal risks where we indicated that there will be imitable environmental damage and that there will be restoration activities that will take place. On and on until we got to the catastrophic ones where we showed that there would be irreversible environmental damage and that the business would be closed. We went ahead and ranked them on the basis of likelihood where we ranked them as certain, likely, possible, unlikely or rare. The rare ones were those that were unlikely to occur although they were possible. The unlikely are those that could reasonably expected to occur. Those that are possible are those that will occur severally while the likely will occur frequently. The certain ones are those that will continually be experienced. Monitoring the risks was also the mandate of the teams. We had identify all new risks and take action in managing them. We also examined and documented the effectiveness of risks responses. We also could measure the technical performance of the risks. Before all this, we could first evaluate the risks whether all our assumptions were still valid, whether the risks have changed from the prior state, whether the proper measures for are being followed or whether they needed to be modified in line with the aim of the project. On top of all this, the owner had an idea of purchasing a new car that he would use to convey the flowers when they will be ready to the market. What motivated him was that he had enough money to purchase it cash. He would get the car of his choice as well as the one that will be suitable to carry out the function. He was sure enough that the value of this expected car will be covered by the expected sales of the flowers. REFERENCES Wardlaw, C. Wardlaw, C. (2017). 8 Important Decisions to Make Before Buying a New Car. NY Daily News. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from http://www.nydailynews.com/autos/street-smarts/8-important-decisions-buying-new-car-article-1.2558671 Reincke, K. (2017). Monitor Control Project Work myPmps. Mypmps.net. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from http://www.mypmps.net/en/mypmps/knowledgeareas/integration/monitor-control-project-work.html Ranking Risks: Rare to Certain, Negligible to Catastrophic. (2017). Project Smart. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/ranking-risks-rare-to-certain-negligible-to-catastrophic.php

Analysis of Langston Hughes Harlem (Dream Deferred) :: Hughes Harlem Dream Deferred Essays

Analysis of Harlem (Dream Deferred) Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is basically about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. Hughes probably intended for the poem to focus on the dreams of African-Americans in particular because he originally entitled the poem "Harlem," which is the capital of African American life in the United States; however, it is just as easy to read the poem as being about dreams in general and what happens when people postpone making them come true. Ultimately, Hughes uses a carefully arranged series of images that also function as figures of speech to suggest that people should not delay their dreams because the more they postpone them, the more the dreams will change and the less likely they will come true. In the opening of the poem the speaker uses a visual image that is also a simile to compare a dream deferred to a raisin. The speaker asks the question, "Does it [the dream] dry up / Like a raisin in the sun?" (2-3). Here we can see the raisin, which used to be a moist, taut, healthy-looking grape, has shriveled up to become a raisin. The speaker does not emphasize the appearance of the raisin, so the description isn't as significant as an image as it is as a simile. Why compare a dream deferred to a raisin? Like a raisin, a dream deferred shrivels up and turns dark because the sun has baked it. The emphasis on the sun is important because it stresses time-we measure time by the sun's movement. Like the raisin, the dream has been on hold for a long time-consequently, it has transformed into something very different than it once was. Because they look so different, few people would believe that raisins were once grapes unless they had been told. Similarly, a dream that contin ues to be postponed will go through an evolution as well-it won't be the same as the original.

Bedstones Gentrification Essay -- Papers

Bedstone's Gentrification Firstly I feel it would be a very sensible idea to write down my definition of gentrification, as at the end of the day that is what this coursework is about. "Conversion and renovation of redundant farm buildings into dwellings or different crafts by changing the structure (faà §ade) of them to get it up to date, essentially modernisation. This is often done by wealthier people moving in from the outside community and results in a raise of the settlements' socio-economic status, i.e. the community goes from a working class one into a middle class one due to people moving in. Also there is a change of a villages' function\ purpose to its community." However, has Bedstone undergone gentrification at all? Yes, I feel it has and by quite a considerable degree. Using my definition above I will investigate the many factors involved to come to an intelligent decision. Bedstone originated as an agricultural functioned village and the local area was covered with working farms. The population was also quite large, much more than it is today (at its highest in 1821 it was 165). This is backed by the variety of industry that was stationed here in the late 19th and early to mid 20th century. The village population was able to support a diary (1876- approx 1940's), a school until the 1940's, an inn until the 1930's, a blacksmith and a carpenter. The village used to be a bustling agricultural village, which through time has slowly diminished. Numbers have fallen steadily to the present day and is only now are they starting to grow. Now the village is solely a residential functioned village with no shops, inn, .. ... relatively new resident of the village has told me of further developments around the village indicating further gentrification and growth of the village. Unfortunately this further development will bring many problems with it, too numerous to mention and it is unclear what the future holds. However what is clear is that gentrification has happened in Bedstone and to a considerable degree, which hopefully has been shown. Bedstone has been through the whole process of gentrification of conversion and renovation of buildings, a rise in its socio-economic class, as well as a massive influx of people from the outside community. The trend is still going strong and I see no reason why the factors just mentioned won't continue far into the future. We should ask ourselves however, what does the future hold for Bedstone?