Drama & horror Essay

Dickens gives more drama/horror to what the convict is saying by telling Pip he can ‘attempt to hide’ from the young man. He tells Pip he can ‘lock the door’, ‘be warm in bed’, ‘think himself comfortable and safe’, but the young man will find him and ‘tear him open’. Dickens uses words such as ‘safe’ and ‘warm’ to create a comforting mood to the reader and to Pip, which accentuates the drama and violence of the end ‘tear him open. ‘ This terrifies Pip as the convict makes it seem that the small boy cannot even be safe in his own home/familiar surroundings. The phrase â€Å"I am keeping that man from harming you at the present moment, with great difficulty,† makes the atmosphere even more erie as it sounds as if the man is so vicious it is hard to hold him back. In the next part of the story Dickens describes Pip watching the convict leaving the churchyard. Again we see a description of this horrible bleak place (i. e. ‘Among the nettles’ – ugly, harmful plants and ‘among the brambles’ – thorns, sharp, portraying the landscape). However this time we see how the surrounding’s depression have had an effect on the convict. For the first time we see a more hurt and vulnerable side of the convict. Pip describes him as hugging his ‘shuddering body’, ‘as if to hold himself together’, making the convict seem dishevelled and is if he is falling apart. He is also obviously feeling pain and loneliness, along with Pip and their environment. Next, dickens creates an extreme atmosphere of Pip being in a terrifying and hostile place with the description of ‘he looked in my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in†. This graphic and scary description coming from a young boy suggests Pip also has been affected by his hostile surroundings. It also gives a sense that the convict is close to death (being dragged into graves). In the last section of the chapter, dickens creates a very dramatic visual image of Pip looking out at his surroundings. Dickens creates a striking vision of hell by describing Pip seeing the marshes as ‘a long black horizontal line’, then the rivers as another, ‘yet not nearly so broad, yet not so black’ and then the sky as ‘just a row of long angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed. ‘ The descriptions of the colours red and black portray the vision of hell as the black represents death and the red blood/danger, these are colours often associated with pain, death and hell. Dickens describes the lines as ‘angry’, also suggesting the atmosphere is uneasy and volatile (like hell). Dickens adds to the drama of the description by adding the image of the gibbet (associated with death). We can see how Pip must be frightened as we can relate to the horror of this well-decorated/descripted image. We also see Pip having a childlike imagination, when he pictures the convict being a dead pirate to which the chains on the gibbet ‘had once held’. The chapter ends on an uneasy note, with Pip announcing his fear (‘Now I was frightened again’), bringing a sense of reality to the chapter, then him ‘running home without stopping’. This leaves the chapter full of mystery and encourages readers to find out what happens to Pip.

Life in a Centrally Planned Economy Essay

Assignment: Thinking back on the information you have learned in this unit about different types of economic systems, imagine that you are moving from the United States (which has a mixed economy) to a country that has a largely centrally planned (or command) economy. Then in a short essay of at least two paragraphs, explain how your life will change (economically and otherwise) as you begin to live in your new home and country. Answer: United states is free market economy, which is likewise called private enterprise (capitalism). In this sort of economy, there is next to no administration control. In a free market economy, the shopper chooses what they need to purchase. A purchaser is a client. The law of supply and interest is the thing that drives the free market economy. Charge economies have solid government control. So in the event that you needed to begin your own business, you would need to get authorization from the legislature. In a charge economy, the administration claims the vast majority of the commercial ventures and organizations. One kind of summon economy is socialism. Genuine socialism is a sort of monetary framework that doesn’t permit responsibility for property. The greater part of the order economies that existed on the planet had solid focal governments. These legislatures directed what amounts were made and what was made by industry. In the summon economy, the administration settles on the choices in the matter of what products to supply to the individuals.

Create a multi-task workforce to satisfy customer demands at Etisalat Essay

Create a multi-task workforce to satisfy customer demands at Etisalat Abood - Essay Example d this project is the need to find out how Etisalat can make sure that the customer gets all the help needed and services required from the staff without bothering himself to get up from his seat. Whereas, the staff also will not need to waste their time in waiting for the customer and allow the company to get the maximum output and utilize their staff. This project goal is to have more focus on the way Etisalat needs to adopt to have better reach to customer with the best personnel customer care. This deployment and reach of customer satisfaction will guarantee customer loyalty and sustain the number of subscribers in the company with services that enhanced customers’ experience and success in increasing the number of customers will lead to growth in the revenue. Training will play an imperative role within the achievement of Etisalat’s success as a business. Every now and then business owners such as Etisalat will regularly find the accessible training is too ambiguous and not apposite to the individual requirements of the business. The preeminent return on Etisalat’s training venture will be accomplished by identifying the company’s training requirements, taking a methodical approach to finding the source of appropriate training, and enrolling its workers on the correct courses for skills needed for the job. Once Etisalat will have identified its employee skills or even knowledge gaps, the subsequent thing is to get the best training form to accomplish the results the company will want. Etisalat will try to steer clear of finding training primarily, and afterward fitting this to Etisalat workers. For best possible results, Etisalat will try to go with its preferred training alternative with the requirements of the business, along with the way its staff will learn best. Etisalat will utilize a number of training concurrently namely ‘off-the-shelf’ training courses, in-house training, job shadowing, mentoring, conferences, seminars, workshops, and

Women in American culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women in American culture - Essay Example The various generations of women that persisted at the time began to see a gap because younger women were full of fresh energy and good vibes and wanted independence from the clutches of the patriarchal society that they lived within. In short, women yearned for a personal identity of their own and were finally able to get it. They began to have successful careers as well as flourishing families, in tune with the capitalistic spirit of the era. The First World War had allowed women to enter the industrial field and begin working in different factories and producing wartime goods. This change also saw a change in fashion because women took to wearing shorter, more comfortable and manly clothes. They adorned scarves, trousers and blouses and gave away their tight fitting corsets and long flowing gowns because they hampered work and productivity. At this time, designers like Coco Chanel began to pave the way for a new look for women; this soon became a part of a new movement as women we re interested in looking pretty, but not becoming slaves to their male counterparts at the same time. They took to fashion like a moth to a flame as they began to dress themselves in a very casual yet independent manner in order to make themselves feel good.Young women began to take claim of their own bodies and became part of the sexual liberation movement. They began to read secretly and understand the works of authors like Freud and Ellen Key. This helped to spark their sexual thoughts and provided them with a new meaning to life. They began to fight for their right to education and began taking on activities like dance, drama and music. Women began attending dance clubs and taking music as a career and they taught the world that these were not merely frivolities but beautiful talents that could be harnessed and shown to the world. (Woloch, Nancy.) Thus, in the ways mentioned above, most women changed as time changed and gained their own identity; it was not easy for them to break away from their husbands, fathers and brothers however they knew they had to, and they did it. They became a part of the changing pop culture that persisted in America at the time and gave something to their future generations to look forward to. The role of women went from simply nurturing children at home to being a part of music, movies, dance and fashion. As time passed women began to perfect other sources of life and took to arts which included things ranging from

Horizontal Occupational Gender Segregation Term Paper

Horizontal Occupational Gender Segregation - Term Paper Example There is huge inequality between men and women in job distribution in the labour force. Men are considered to be stronger and powerful as compared to women who are considered to be too weak to engage in heavy labour. Women having similar qualification as men are offered inferior jobs because of which they have to face the brutality of inequality (Tackling Occupational Segregation Fact Sheet). According to Robert M. Blackburn and Jennifer Jarman, â€Å"Horizontal occupational segregation has been the heart of debates about gender inequality†. It shows that social injustice is been done to women in the workplace thus leading to improper utilization of the human resources. It also reveals the wider perspective of the society as a whole. A research was conducted to investigate the pattern of gender difference and inequality in employment using a new concept of segregation. This new system measured to which extent differences exist between men and women employed in different occupa tion. It studied the changes in gender segregation in Canada between 1981 and 1996. It was found that this trend still continued with just a slight decline in the overall segregation. This new system measured to which extent differences exist between men and women employed in different occupation. It studied the changes in gender segregation in Canada between 1981 and 1996. It was found that this trend still continued with just a slight decline in the overall segregation. Vertical segregation (inequality associated with occupational earnings) declined up to 41% but an increase in horizontal segregation, that is, difference without such inequality. The result said that women are slowly increasing their participation in areas mainly dominated by men.

Human Rights and Catholic Church Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Rights and Catholic Church - Essay Example The present age has been marked by the attempts of different types that ultimately aim at human rights. Catholic community has been safeguarding the human right endeavors universally. As opposed to the general conception, Catholic Church has always been advocating for the Human Rights and other privileges that make the life of the human beings better and easier. The Church has always given priority to the necessities of all the men and has stood for the well-being of the humanity. This humanity-based approach of the Church has been made clear through the various types of teachings and preaching of the Church. It is, by nature, driven by the better living standard of its followers as well as the entire human race. This is the same reason why the Catholic Church has always raised chorus of disapproval whenever there is a violation of human freedom and threat to the peaceful existence of human. Such uproars for the cause of the humankind have been powerful voice that has touched the uni versal conscience. Among the many examples of this human concern of the Catholic Church stands the contribution made by Pope John XXIII who made a major appeal for the universal Human Rights through the encyclical Pacem in Terris or, to use the English full title, On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty which was issued on 11 April 1963. The encyclical that addressed the faithful of the Catholic Church as well as "All Men of Good Will" obviously aimed at the human race as a whole. (John XXIII, 1963). Apart from the reaction to the political situation of the time, the encyclical also intended to emphasize the significance of respect of Human Rights as an indispensable corollary of the Christian understanding of men. In the encyclical the Pope emphatically states, "By the natural law every human being has the right to respect for his person, to his good reputation; the right to freedom in searching for truth and in expressing and communicating his opinions, and in pursuit of art, within the limits laid down by the moral order and the common good; and he has the right to be informed truthfully about public events." (John XXIII, 1963, para 12). The first section of the encyclical that aims to establish a vital relationship covers the issues of human rights and moral duties. It is the relationship between man and man as individuals. The encyclical, in the next section, goes on to address the relationship between state and man residing on the shared authority of the former. In the third section, the encyclical makes clear the necessity for equality among the different nations and the need for the state to be subject to rights and duties that the individual has to oblige by. The fourth and the final section of the encyclical clarifies the inevitability for greater relationship between world nations thereby mutually assisting for the cause of the humanity. The universally acclaimed encyclical ends with a plea to the entire Catholic community to assist the non-Catholics as well as the non-Christians in political and social aspect.

America Prior to the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America Prior to the Civil War - Essay Example The most important changes at the time of industrialization were the development of machines that replaced hand tools, the use of steam and power that substituted for the use of muscles of man animals, and the adoption of factory system. The Industrial revolution started in Great Britain in the mid-18th century. America was behind because its population was more occupied in farming and trading. It was too slow to adopt machineries because, as a new nation, America had little capital for investment. Labor was scarce since men were pushing westward and were engaged in clearing forests, and establishing themselves on the land (â€Å"Economic growth and early industrial revolution†). Industrialization in the United States started in 1790 and is credited to Samuel Slatter who copied the mill technology from the British model. Slatter came to the United States in 1789 and was hired to build a mill. English laws do not allow export of machineries or plans on making it. So Slatter des igned the mill from his memory and built it in 1790. When British products became difficult to obtain because of war, American investors thought of building more factories and machineries; thus, historians aptly called these changes as the first industrial revolution (â€Å"Economic growth and early industrial revolution†). Soon enough, New England developed the important textile industry. The inventions of the spinning and weaving machines operated on water made production more feasible. Other inventions were introduced. In Pennsylvania, smelting in stone furnaces produced iron for machines, tools, and guns. Charcoal was discovered in forested land. Steam driven spinning machines operated in New York by 1810. And by 1814, the first practical power loom was installed in Massachusetts. A factory system of production was also introduced in the shoe production in Massachusetts in the early 19th century (â€Å"Economic growth and early industrial revolution†). The use of m achines paved the way for an organizational strategy that implemented a factory system to increase productivity. The factory structure replaced the output work system wherein small parts of a larger production process were carried out in individual homes. In the factory system, work was done in a centralized location. The new system promoted efficiency in production. All these developments caused New England to be the first area in the United States to be industrialized. Invention in cotton production altered the shape of agricultural production. Prior to industrialization, historians cited farmers playing the pivotal role in the economy. Up to 1850, farmers accounted for 85% of the population (Scott). Tobacco cultivation, once profitable, gave way to cotton production. Cotton has diminished production of cattle, indigo and pine trees in the south. The price of labor increased because of the demand for slaves to work for cotton production. The cheap and easy way of cotton production made it easier for the masses to wear cotton dresses. Facts submitted by Dr. Carolle Scott (1997), a history professor, showed that British demand for cotton and the Midwestern settlement started the regional specialization and trade that now account for the economic term of comparative advantage. The development of machines is an era

Does Thatcherism mark a radical break in British Politics Essay

Does Thatcherism mark a radical break in British Politics - Essay Example The political system implemented a number of social and economic reforms that stabilized the British society on the pillars of constant economic growth and peaceful coexistence of the citizens. The political ideologies fostered by Thatcherism fostered a classical liberalism comparable to the Rogernomics in the United States of America, in New Zealand and the economic rationalism in Australia. The system promoted reduction in the inflation rates and a free market implemented via a tight control of the supply of money into the market. These economic policies resulted in extensive privatization of some of the previous government institutions to give the citizens more control of the economy; it also led to extensive labor reforms (Johnson, 1988). The labor reforms made working conditions better for most of the civil service, and the expansion of the private sector increased the sector’s ability to offer more employment to the population. All these efforts contributed to the develo pment of a strong economy that was the dream of Margret Thatcher and, as research shows, other leaders that had come before her. Butler, Adonis & Travers, (1994) explain that Thatcherism as a system of politics introduced a unique system of governance that the previous regimes had not thought of before. After assuming office in 1979, Thatcher understood why numerous critics had previously referred the country to as ungovernable. Thatcher, on the contrary, sought to stamp her authority as the leader of the most famous political party and as the leader of the government. In most occasions, she bypassed a number of preexisting structures of governance such as parliamentary and cabinet commissions and portrayed a more personal leader of the government especially during crises. This form of administration proved fundamental in times of crises, Thatcher stamped her authority during the Falkland wars and the IRA bombs both in which she took over the management of the military and brought s anity and order once again (Adeney & Lloyd, 1988). With the wide success of the more personal form of administration, Thatcher managed to build a more prosperous society free from terror attacks despite the strong economic growth. The military expanded and developed more loyalty to the leader of the government. The country had previously yearned for this type of governance, and she developed a stable economy, the one in which law, order reigned, and the populace portrayed more spirit of patriotism towards their nation. Thatcher thus tried and tested the new form of governance and passed the mantle to other preceding regimes. To this day and through the elaborative form of David Cameron’s regime, it is evident that the prime minister is more involved with the populace and stamps his authority in the formulation and implementation of policies. Margret Thatcher made official the political system, but prior to her, a number of other political leaders had tried to introduce the ra dical economic reforms and give more economic power to the common person. The decades before Thatcherism, the country had a less favored system of politics referred to as the Buttskellite consensus. This was a purely capitalist system of leadership that made a few influential persons extremely wealthy while the rest of the population was left in abject poverty. Capitalist system of

History Channel - Engineering an Empire - Greece in the Age of Essay

History Channel - Engineering an Empire - Greece in the Age of Alexander - Essay Example He employed the latest technology in making new weaponry and reforming the old in such a way that it carries more power and can have strong ain at the enemies from miles of distances. He has a core of engines who are dedicated to build new machineries and weapons. The special weapons that were made by the king Phillip II were the spear and the catapults. The spears are a long wooden stick with a pointed leaf like head made of iron which can definitely stop the opponent in the war field from a distance and the catapults are a type belly shooter stationary bow mounted on a tripod which was capable of targeting the enemies with enormous force compared to traditional bow and arrow system. Along with advanced weapons, King Phillip II had a well-disciplined army that were used organized in small rectangular format and moving slowly with the spears (BBC, 2014). Alexander, son of Phillip, was well aware of the fact that he lived in the age of innovation in Greek warfare and conquered Egypt to India transforming the vain of Civilization into a New Greek world. He conquered Persia, the Greek lifelong enemy but what was most challenging for him was to conquer the country of Tyre which was a small island city. The engineers of the Alexander made a bridge from the mainland to the island and unleashed the most spectacular innovation in the field of weapons at that time named as Siege Tower. It was a kind of multi storied armour car that moved on wheels. It was fire proof from outside and from it inside it has a central staircase which leads to different platforms levels having wide range of machinery projected toward the enemy. Alexander concentrated technological development not only in innovation but also in every ways of life in all cities while establishing the best way to live. The engineers created the great coliseum for theatres where about 14000 people can be entertained. In addition to that the structures of the cities were reformed creating wide lanes

Chinese Corporation Essay Example for Free

Chinese Corporation Essay 1. What kinds of advantages can Chinese companies obtain if they move production into the United States? There are several advantages Chinese companies obtain by moving their production to the United States. For starters, they would be able to sell to companies that only purchase American made products. Also, the money earn from the U.S. base production generates profit for China; which allows the companies to help its country economy by expanding its business in both countries and providing jobs for the unemployed. Lastly, the companies would receive a huge tax-credit and save significantly on shipping. 2. What are some possible disadvantages and threats of moving production to the United States? Some American is not open to the fact that international companies are moving their production on United States’ soil. In fact, U.S. citizens are willing to boycott and financially hurt the companies if such a move was to happen; especially in an economy where American own businesses are failing. 3. Will more Chinese companies make investments in the United States as opposed to China and the future? Fully explain and justify your choice. I believe that there will be an increase in Chinese companies making investments in the United States. For starters, it will help the companies’ international business relationship. To add, there are several stimulus packages the companies would qualify for (such as the economic tax credit) by doing business in America. Also, their profit would increase. The U.S. dollar is more than Yens. So, they would be making twice as much money in the U.S. on the same product sold in China at a cheaper rate. And, the cost to ship would decrease, because the companies would not have to pay duties on products being shipped within the United States. Therefore, it is beneficial for Chinese companies’ to invest in the U.S.

The Casino Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

The Casino Hotel Industry Tourism Essay The Casino hotel Industry refers to establishments primarily engaged in providing short- term lodging in hotel facilities with a casino on the premises (IBISWorld, 2012). Casino hotels provide lodging in hotel conveniences with a casino on the premises and it is seem to have phenomenal growth in the past decade. This boom in casino hotel industry provided the investor to establish a luxury and casino hotels in many region. The casino industry generates revenue from full range of services and amenities such as gaming, food and beverage, rooms, dining, retail space, entertainment, meeting facilities etc. Within the past 25 years, the commercial casino industry has experienced significant growth by operating only in Neveda and Atlantic City, New Jersey to operating 566 casinos in 22 states in 2010 (Bazelon, Neels, Seth, 2012). The prospective revenue from gaming has moved gambling from doing unlawful activity to a legitimate business and at this instant hotels are also offering casino s ervice. Due to financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, the revenue had declined as people were intending to spend less money on gambling and not taking vacation. The increasing unemployment made consumer to spend less and be more selective while spending their money. After the crisis, in 2010 and 2011 there is a huge change and the revenue in casino hotel industry went high however, it is estimate that revenue will further grow 3.9% to $47.8 billion in 2012 (IBISWorld, 2012). The introduction of Casino hotel creates employment opportunity to the local communities and generates tax revenue for the government. Casino hotel industry mainly depends on the economic condition of the country and willingness to travel which energies industry revenue growth. After the economic growth, the consumer spending has been increased where their disposable income has also been raised and so as their spending. People tend to spend their income in different variety of ways such as recreational, travelling, entertainment, gambling etc. This has become very challenging for casino industry as consumers are visiting casino more often than past. The rising rate of travelling people and consumer spending drives industry revenue growth that tends to compete with increasing global competition of casino hotel industry. Due to declining demand of Casino Hotel industry in 2007, Macau and China took the worlds largest casino gambling region over the Las Vegas. There are more openings of international casino hotel that have significantly increased the competition for the US casino hotel business. Since, consumers are more selective about their spending they would rather choose better recreational activities that can either be internationally or domestically. There are 300 land-based casinos with accompanying lodging facilities and currently it shows that Casino and gaming is overlapping the hotels and lodging industry. The trend of Casino hotel industry in luxury market is to provide the entertainment convergence i.e. is to attract more people and to provide variety of facilities as such the customers will lengthen their stay and enjoy the modern casino hotel property (Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc, 2005). Industry Growth Analysis Current Industry Trends The casino and hotel can be either standalone or comprises of both hotels facility as well as casino facility. The industry strongly depends on the current economic situation, as such people desire to travel when they have huge amount of disposable income. Due to downturn of economy in 2007 and 2008 there was a declining demand of this sectors and sales dropped way down and the reason behind is they are more concern about their financing. Therefore, Casino Industry was cutting the services like gambling and other entertainment. There is decline of domestic and international travel in United States and the performance of this industry decline as casino hotels rely more on tourists visiting. Slowly recovering economy shows that there is gradual increment of visitors as consumer spending in 2012 has been increase by 1.9% in result the consumers are visiting the casino more often. However, the competition from others such as American Indian casinos, similar casino gaming places, online gaming, and international casinos make the industry to remain sensitive. In 2012, industry profit is estimated to account for 8.2% of revenue (IBISWorld, 2012). Economy recovery support growth Over the next five years period it is estimated that the spending from each people projected to be increased. It is forecasted that the consumer spending will increase at an annualized rate of 2.8% (IBISWorld, 2012). This will lead to the improvement of the casino hotel industry that will in return create job opportunity and therefore the unemployment rate will decrease. The result of getting employment tends to make consumer to spend more money in travelling and gambling. As a result there will be a huge demand of hotel casino industry in future. Market forecast of Casino hotels shows the long-term position and future growth trend. market forecast Retrieved from: http://www.anythingresearch.com/industry/Casino-Hotels.htm The growth of industry can also see mostly in spring and summer rather than winter or fall. Tourists would like to travel during the better weather condition while spending their money. The industry will see high performance and increase revenue in better weather condition such as in spring and summer of each year. The performance of industry can be measured based upon the valuation and compare with other similar industry. In domestic market, the industry seems mature in industry life cycle therefore the major other companies are expanding the business internationally. The scope however in Macau and China is in increasing trends, as a consequence the investor would want to achieve higher growth in the revenue. Analysis of competing companies There are various industries that compete with each other. The current rivalry competitiveness in casino hotel is relatively high in nature. These competing firms are Caesars Entertainment Corporation, MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, and Wynn Resorts Limited. Retrieved from: http://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/us/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?entid=1662 Casears Entertainment Corporation The worlds largest casino operator whose market share is 18.2%, Caesars Entertainment Corporation has grown by providing various services such as new resorts, expansion and acquisitions and currently it owns and manages the casino resorts. Caesars is able to maintain on loyalty to its customers by providing sound service and to their employee, business partners also. It shows that in 2007 it was 8.9% and due to economy recession it has dropped down to -0.2% however, it has predicted that in 2012 the revenue will be increased up to 3.9% (IBISWorld, 2012). MGM Resorts International MGM Resorts is another largest casino hotel operator whose market share is 12.7%. The company has significant holdings in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, and holds a growing number of development and management agreements for casino and non- casino resort projects (MGM Resorts, 2012). MGMs in USA have improved over the past years and consumers are trying to spend their income in recreational places. Therefore, In 2011 the percentage change shows 4.6% increment in domestic market however, it has also predict that in 2012 the percentage change will be decline but still it will be in positive (IBISWorld, 2012). Other Companies Las Vegas Sands Corporation is one of the new kinds of travel destination with the market share of 4.3%. Las Vegas Sands offers high-ends amenities, integrating them under one roof resort. Over the five years to 2012, global company revenue is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 30.5% per year to $11.2 billion, including forecast growth of 13.1% in 2012. US-specific revenue is also forecast to grow significantly at an annualized 16.0% to $2.1 billion over that same period (IBISWorld, 2012). Wynn Resorts Limited Likely, other major competitor in the industry is Wynn Resorts Limited whose market share is 2.8% and it is based on Las Vegas Corporation. It has forecast to grow 0.6% per year on average over that same period to $1.3 billion (IBISWorld, 2012). The company grew very fast in previous years beside the recession period. Industry Establishments, Sales Employment Trends Year Percent Chg. Year-to-Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 Establishments 367 380 388 397 406 3.6% 1.9% 2.5% 2.2% Sales ($Millions) 43,200 47,139 49,910 53,614 57,211 9.1% 5.9% 7.4% 6.7% Employment 228,451 236,755 241,274 247,310 252,835 3.6% 1.9% 2.5% 2.2% Retrieved from http://0-web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9c59b541-088a-45d0-8846-d6fbd6acad29%40sessionmgr12vid=7hid=17 5 Forces Competitive Analysis Competition from Rival Sellers The competition from rival companies is extremely high and it is in increasing trend. After the merger of Harrahs and Caesars and MGM and Mandalay in 2005, they have taken great proportion of market share in casino hotel industry (IBISWorld, 2012). MGM have direct competition with Harrahs Entertainment however, the other two competitors like las Vegas Sands Corp and Wynn Resorts are small companies and do not have direct threat in the competition. The strength of this competitive force is strong because these two casino hotel have significant revenue with high quality of hospitality and access marketing and promotional to attract the consumer. Competition from Potential Entrants There is a high and steady barrier to entry in this industry. The significance of these entry barriers is that governments have minimized the legal issue related with government regulation for the entry of new competitors. And recently, half of United States have legally operating casino including Kansas and Massachusetts. Competition from Substitute products The threat to casino hotel industry is international online casino gambling sites, casino without hotel premises, hotels and motels, resorts and lodges etc. Due to economy recession the operator have moved to expand their business in international market where potential growth is high. There is high threat of competition from substitute products; if hotel casino fails to provide better facility then the consumer would rather choose those hotel industries that provide better hospitality. Therefore by maintaining consumer loyalty and providing sound hospitality will create less threat from substitute products. Suppliers Bargaining Power The threat of supplier bargaining power is very weak. For hotel casino industry their main suppliers or raw materials used are the food and beverages where these suppliers face competition within those industries by producing their own quality product. The commodity price changes may not affect the industry as such the industry would choose to get same supply from different suppliers. Customer Bargaining Power The customers have relatively higher bargaining power. Most of the hotel casino industries are located in west side of USA. Therefore, the customers from there have no choice of choosing other than going to these places. In addition, customers have more bargaining power because it allows customer to go in standalone casino or hotel. Poor hospitality for customer coming in can lead to sift their choice in other kind of industry. Factors driving industry changes There are various factors that are driving industry change. Economic Change The prosperous health of casino hotel industry depends upon the economic condition of the country. If the disposable income of the consumer were relatively high they would prefer spending their money in recreational areas such as vacation and gambling. Due to economic downturn, people will reduce their disposable spending which was in 2008 and 2009, there was decline of such industry by 8.7% and 8.4% respectively (IBISWorld, 2012). Better economy will create less unemployment rate with proportionate of increased income that in return consumer will be travelling more often. Airline Travel and Tourism Based on US, 51.7% of these industries are located in west like most in Nevada and Las Vegas. If there is poor infrastructure it can impacts the total industry, as consumer are not being able to reach to their destinations. Since casinos are still banned in many states, those provisions have historically allowed the industry to develop and expand across these areas (IBISWorld, 2012). Due to global crisis, we can see huge downturn in tourism sector and it has negatively affected the tourism industry. This is the main reason that has reduced the amount of the tourist from different country. Legal Issues and Technology Innovation As all state do not have permit to open the casino however, it can be seen there is a huge scope in some other region. There should be a casino legislation and regulatory change that will allow new establishment in other states. Technology Innovation is another factor that drives industry to change. The gambling should be user friendly to the entire consumer using. Usually consumers comes for vacation with their family members, therefore those entertainment should be used so each of the family members can delight efficiently. A Strategic Group Map Comparative Market Positions of Selected Casino Hotel Industry Caesars Entrainment Corporation MGM Resorts International Las Vegas wynn Market Share of Casino Hotel Industry in USA Market position of Casino Hotel Industry Caesars Entertainment Corporation seems the major casino operator in USA as well as globally and primarily this company was owned under The Harrahs Caesars. The company uses its total rewards system to market promotions and to generate play across network of properties (Caesars Entertainment, 2012). Currently the data shows that the company holds 18.2% of total market share. In 2011, the total revenue earned by Caesars was $8372.5 and it has been predicted that it will go up to $8700.00 that is 3.9% higher than the last year. Therefore, it shows there is a huge potential increment of the revenue. Likewise, the second most company is MGM Resorts International, which is another company that operates globally and has covered 12.7% of its market share. In 2011, the total revenue earned by MGM is $5892.9 and it has expected to grow more up to $6040.8 in 2012. However, the percentage change in revenue has decreased from 4.6% to 2.5% respectively. In 2007, MGM had expanded their business in Macau therefore huge amount of revenue had been earned from there also. Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Wynn Resorts Limited have estimated industry market share of 4.3% and 2.8% respectively. Las Vegas Sands Corporation have earned 52.4% of total revenue from the company in Asia and in 2012, it has expected to earn revenue of $11,150. Likewise, Wynn Resorts Limited made an expansion of the company in Macau and huge revenue had been generated Strategic moves It is seen that foreign casino companies have made huge investment in Macau since 2002. In 2006 the returns from the casino boom surpassed the revenue of the US gambling mecca, Las Vegas however there is risk for Macau that they are too much relying in one industry (BBC News, 2012). In 2011, Macau gaming revenues reach to $33.5 billion, which means there is 42% increase over the period of 2010 (Stutz, 2012). The increment of revenue have been seen by various American regional gaming markets, therefore Caesars Entertainment Corp paid $578 million and expected to get the land for casino to operate casino hotel business in the biggest market however Caesars still not got the permission to build casino (WSJ, 2012). Due to healthy economy and improving business, the casino hotel companies should expand there business internationally as such MGM, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Wynn Resorts Limited have already introduce their business in Macau where it is seen huge boom and have generated five times more revenue than Las Vegas Strip. In prospective of USA, it is seen that most of the casino hotel industry are concentrated in west part as only 38 states have legal licensed to operate the casino business. However, there is huge potential of casino business all over the US. As people disposable income has increased with the healthy economy, consumers tend to spend huge money in travelling and gambling and it is time consuming to travel in those regions where the states are permitted to run casino business. Therefore, the biggest companies such as MGM, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Wynn Resorts Limited should look for potential market and expand their business all over the US. The huge revenue that is available from international casino hotel business can be invested in US and more focusing on the research and development of the market potentiality. The invention of new technology, new gaming, sound hospitality and facilities will help to create more potential consumer in future. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16599919 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204789304578088320711432556.html

The Tragedy of Date Rape Essay -- Expemplification Essays

Exemplary Essay - The Tragedy of Date Rape In the fall of 1995, Kristin Cooper was a sophomore at Baker University in Kansas. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, an expert skier from the mountains of Colorado, a swimmer, and was active in band, choir and drama. On the night of New Year's Eve of that same year, her mother Andrea Cooper came home to find Kristina dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on the family room floor. Cooper shared the story of her daughter's last months through an essay titled "Kristin's Story". The essay includes poetry, letters and descriptions from the personal journal found next to Kristin's body on the night of her death. It was not until Cooper read the journal for the first time that she realized her daughter had been date raped prior to her suicide. Since then, Cooper has traveled around the country to speak to campuses and conferences about the aftermath of rape and to try to convince victims to come forward. She visited 45 colleges, four conferences and more than 24,000 people in 2004 alone. Twenty of those visits, including this one to Clemson, were made possible with grants through Alpha Chi Omega and Cooper's own sorority, Delta Delta Delta. Members of the two sororities were present at the discussion to distribute fliers, cozies decorated with emergency phone numbers and ribbons to promote awareness of sexual assault and violence against women. "It's healing for me," Cooper said. "It keeps Kristin's memory alive, and maybe by talking about it, I can help someone." According to the Rape Crisis Council of Pickens County, one out of every four females will be sexually assaulted in their college years. However, rape counts for only seven percent of the college... ...psychological help. However, in 2003, only one sexual assault was reported to the police, a fact that Sparks believes is due to a fear of coming forward about the attack. "We're trying to get the word out that it's okay to tell," she said. Psychologists are on hand at Redfern to listen to rape victims without judging or blaming, to give comfort, and to look for signs of post-rape trauma. Without proper training, Cooper wasn't able to spot these signs in her daughter. "I was not able to help Kristin, but I hope that by being here, I have helped a man or a woman in the audience," she said. Cooper added that female date rape is not the only type of sexual assault threatens the population. Male rape, marital rape and stranger rape are other traumatizing experiences that frequently go unreported, and carry with them the same post-traumatic stress symptoms.

The Chasm between France and the United States Essays -- Foriegn Polic

The Chasm between France and the United States France and the United States have a long history of alliance. In the recent past cooperation has been limited, if not reluctant on both parts, and the relationship is evolving. On some levels, the two are not called to deal directly with each other, instead, there is an American identity versus a European identity, as well as an American identity versus a French identity. However, the special relationship between France and the United States is far from being over, and good relations between the two are vital to both countries in order to pursue the national interests of each. This research will consider the differences in foreign policy perspective between the US and France during the Bosnian crisis, the war in Afghanistan, and the International Criminal Court issue, attempting to illustrate the awkwardness of the synchronization of policy between France and the United States. The important changes that have taken place in each nation’s government over the last 200 years have been the driving cause of the evolution of the relationship between the Americans and the French in their passage from two infant democracies conceived in the idealism of the late 18th century to the current world powers that each currently has become. From the beginning of its independence from Great Britain, the United States has had a sort of marriage with France, if for the wrong reasons, which lasted until perhaps WW2, before France’s post WW2 humiliation and De Gaulle’s attempts to restore national power. The separation came during the cold war, during what could be called a mid-century crisis, in which France sought to prove their independence from the increasing... ... Alliance Since World War II. Maxwell MacMillan Canada Inc., 1992. 4. Dempsey, Judy. â€Å"Europe’s Divided Self.† Financial Times 09 July 2002. 5. Hagund, David G.â€Å"The France-US Leadership Race,Closely Watched Allies,†Queens Quarterly Press (Kingston,Ontario: 2000). 6. Holmes, Stephen. â€Å"Liberalism in the Mirror of Transnational Terror† The Tocqueville Review Vol. XXII No: 2-2001Philippe Roger, quoted in John Vincour, â€Å"Why France Disdains America,† The International Herald Tribune 9 Oct. 2002 7. Kagan, Robert. â€Å"Power and Weakness.† Policy Review, No. 113. 8. Rà ©my, Daniel. Qui Veut Tuer la France? (Paris: Jaques Grancher Editeur, 1999) 9.Shapiro, Jeremy, et al. â€Å"The Role of France in the War on Terrorism.† (The Brookings Institution, 2002). 10. Vincour, John. â€Å"Why France Disdains America.† The International Herald Tribune 9 October 2002.

Effects of study habits in relation to the academic performance Essay

Introduction Education plays a vital role into every student, especially in our current situation where those who finish with degree are the only ones who has a chance of getting hired. Before even getting hired, people must first finish their studies. Students must survive through college but it is not as easy as it seems to be. They must accomplish all the tasks given in a limited amount of time that is why a study habit is needed. Study habits are the ways a student study. These are the habits that students develop while studying. They can be good ones or bad ones. Study habits are considered as one of the major factor affecting the student’s academic performance. It means that if a student possesses an ineffective study habit, he will not have a clear understanding in his subject which will most likely lead him to failure. If a student develops an effective study habits then he has a higher chance of passing. The researcher came up with this study since she herself does not have an effective study habit and always cram whenever the time to study is almost over. The researcher decided to find the effective study habits that most students prefer so that it will not be hard for them to survive through college works. Significance of the Study Through this research, students will become aware of the effects of study habits on their grades. The researcher believes this will be beneficial to the school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and to the future researchers. Moreover, the researcher believes that the student, especially the students in Section IJ will be benefiting from this study since it will provide a better understanding on how their study habits will be effective. To the School Administrators, this will help them to know and to inform the teachers on how they can effectively teach their students. To the Teachers, this will serve as a guide for them to teach more effectively in a way that all students will understand. To the Parents, this will serve as a guide for them on how they are going to help their children when studying or preparing for examinations.  To the Students, this will help them a lot not only in studying but also for their future.  To the future researchers, they may be able to use the result of the study in further research similar to what the study is. General Objective This study aims to determine the significant relationship between the different study habits and the academic performance of Section IJ students. Specific Objectives  1. To know the different study habits commonly practiced by the Section IJ students. 2. To identify the effects of the common study habits practiced by the Section IJ students. 3. To determine the significant relationship between Section IJ Student’s academic performance and study habits. Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the effects of study habits in relation to the academic performance of Section IJ students. Sub-problems  1. What are the different study habits commonly practiced by the Section IJ students? 2. What are the effects of the common study habits practiced by the Section IJ students? 3. Is there a significant relationship between the study habits and the academic performance of Section IJ students? Scope and Limitations The study focuses on students of Section IJ so that they will be prepared more in the incoming tests. IJ students are college students that is why they are given more works than before. Having a study habit that suits them well will help finish their works faster. The researcher limits the study to the common study habits practiced by IJ students only. It does not matter whether the study habits they developed is good or bad as long as it has a good effect in their academic performance. Hypothesis There is a significant relationship between the study habits and academic performance of Section IJ students.

King Lear: Critical Study of Text Essay

In this production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, a feminist reading of the play has been chosen to be presented to the audience. Certain important factors must be taken into consideration as to how this reading will be reflected on stage. Thus, we will examine, in detail, two important scenes: Act I, scene i, and Act IV, scene iv, their impact on the action and main issues of the play (ambition/ greed, power, corruption, appearance versus reality and growth through suffering) and how the characters, specifically the women roles, are to be portrayed to reflect this particular critical reading. Act I, scene i, is worthy of our attention as a valid representation of the major issues within the play, an impetus for the play’s ensuing conflict and a display of the nature of the characters. The scene opens with Gloucester and Kent discussing Lear’s plan to retire and partition his kingdom amongst his daughters. The king’s public drama of the love test denotes the insecurity and fear of an old man who requires reassurance of his importance, blindly accepting his elder daughters’ seditious falsehoods. As opposed to a genuine assessment of his daughters’ love for him, the test seems to invite, rather demand, flattery. Goneril and Regan’s professions of love are banal and insecure, ‘I love you more than word can wield the matter,’ however Lear unreservedly welcomes these trite remarks. Regan echoes her sister by saying, ‘I find she names my very deed of love; only she comes too short.’ In contrast to her sisters, Cordelia, the youngest and favourite daughter responds to Lear’s emotional demands by answering ‘Nothing, my lord.’ Markedly, she has a much greater degree of forthrightness and assurance: ‘Unhappy as I am I cannot heave my heart into my mouth,’ a metaphorical statement that enrages Lear, who thus disinherits Cordelia, triggering the tragic events that are to follow. A feminist reading of this play could focus on a number of aspects from this opening scene. Consideration could be given to the early dialogue between Kent and Gloucester. Gloucester’s blatant indiscretion to Edmond’s bastardy compels the audience to see reasoning in the character’s subsequent actions, ‘I have so often blushed to acknowledge him.’ Edmond is seen as flawed owing to the flaws of his mother, ‘A son for her cradle ‘ere she had a husband for her bed. Do you smell a fault?’ The metaphorical devices that can be seen in  this statement, ‘husband for her bed’, works to both debase the maternal figure and offend the son. Gloucester seemingly disengages himself from any form of culpability and particular emphasis on this aspect of the scene could direct more focus on the ensuing misogynistic aspects of the play. Traditionally, from a feminist perspective, the characters of Goneril and Regan are branded villains ; stock characters, conventional representations of ‘evil’. This ‘evil’ is defined by acts of will, power, desire, and sexuality – acts which disrupt both conventional morality and the patrilineal order’s definition of ‘appropriate’ femininity and consequently must be met with punitive penalties. Feminist perspectives examine the explicit attack on Goneril and Regan as evil, lustful creatures and the savagery of Lear’s curses and harsh judgments, †Down from the waist they’re centaurs, /though women all above†. Once their fraudulent appraisals of their father secure their powers and demotes his, their villainous agendas come to surface as reverence to Lear is ultimately decimated. Family relations in King Lear are fixed and determined by the patriarchy and any movement is destructive of this rightful order. The actions of Lear’s treacherous daughters are thus seen as not simply cruel and selfish, but as a fundamental violation of human nature. A feminist reading of the pl ay focuses on the propriety of male power – fathers are owed particular duties by their daughters and we must be appalled by the chaos which ensues when those primal links are obliterated. Furthermore, the abruptness of Cordelia’s refusal to play her role in Lear’s test of love dramatizes the outrage of her denial of conformity, and the fury of Lear’s ensuing appeal to archetypal forces shows that a rupture of ‘propinquity and property of blood’ is tantamount to the destruction of nature itself. Cordelia’s words, ‘I cannot heave my heart into my mouth,’ introduce a conflict into the question of obligations within the family. A feminist reading of the play could consequentially give particular consideration to the prospect of women being regarded a key to property. Burgundy states, ‘Royal king/ Give but that portion which yourself proposed/ and here I take Cordelia by the hand;’ feminist critical reading implies that the motivations are imbedded with misogynous ideas, that females are merely in place to fuel the institution of male power. This is further underscored by the notion that Regan and Goneril c ontrol their land through their husbands, Cornwall and Albany  respectively. Following from this, the characterisation of the roles, to reflect a feminist reading of the play in the production, is of particular importance. The characters of Goneril and Regan would need to be portrayed as ambitious, cold and calculating, ruthless in their disloyalty to the patriarchy, as this links both to the major issues within the play of ambition/ greed and the concept of appearance versus reality, and to a feminist reading of the play. The hollow flattery of Goneril and Regan represents the type of service traditionally expected of women. Their actions in the opening scene seemingly facilitate a feminist reading as their contrived accolades and dismemberment of familial links provides for a source of conflict and witnesses the destruction of the patriarchal system. Cordelia, here, is the first to revolt against Lear’s organizing authority and at the end of the play her saving love is less a redemption for womankind as an example of patriarchy restored. Cordelia is sanctified as angel/Madonna, as Goneril and Regan are demonized as devil/whore. Lear’s description of Cordelia’s voice as †ever soft and low† establishes images of the conventional patterns of behaviour that are required of women. For a feminist production of the play, an actor portraying Cordelia in this scene would need to place particular emphasis on this aspect of her character, the acknowledged ‘joy’. The imbalance in power between the sexes is clear; women are consistently shown as disempowered by men and the actors playing the role of these three women would be required to make this evident on stage. In terms of this production, the second significant section of the play worthy of feminist consideration is Act IV, scene iv, where Lear and Cordelia are reconciled. Her part in establishing the terms of the conflict is over by Act I and when she reappears it is as an emblem of dutiful pity. Lear’s metamorphoses takes full form in this scene as the old king, formerly prone to foolish rashness, demonstrates the humility and humanity that was severely lacking in his life, which evokes our pathos and Cordelia’s forgiveness. From the angry autocrat of Act i to the appealing figure of pathetic insanity to a man with new perceptive clarity, Lear’s character evidently comes full circle. The psychological realism of Lear’s decline  into madness, specifically in Act II, scene iv, forges the bonds between Lear as a complex character and the sympathies of the audience. The ideological power of Lear’s speech lies in his invocation of nature to support his dem ands on his daughters; its dramatic power lies in its movement from argument to desperate assertion of his crumbling humanity as the abyss of madness approaches. However, once again, that humanity is seen in gendered terms as Lear appeals to the gods: ‘let not women’s weapons, water drops/ stain my man’s cheeks.’ In terms of a feminist reading of the play, when Lear condemns Goneril for her treachery, ‘But yet thou art my flesh, my blood, my daughter, or rather, a disease that’s in my flesh,’ the emphatic repetition of ‘my’ indicates ownership and although he effectively destroys the filial link to his daughter in this scene, the idea of female subordination remains. In the scene of reconciliation, Act IV, scene iv, Lear discovers that he is to drink not the poison of Cordelia’s revenge as he had expected, but rather her unconditional mercy. In this scene Cordelia represents the stereotypical feminine quality of healing. The imagery in this scene gives Cordelia’s forgiveness divine sanction and the realism of Lear’s struggle for sanity closes off any responses other than complete engagement with the character’s emotions. When Lear fears that she cannot love him ‘your sisters†¦done me wrong/ you have some cause, they have not,’ Cordelia demurs ‘No cause, no cause.’ Here, the spectacle of suffering eradicates past action so that the audience, along with Cordelia, will murmur ‘No cause, no cause.’ Rather than a resolution of the action, their reunion becomes an emblem of possible harmony, briefly glimpsed before the tragic debacle. The portrayal of Cordelia in IV vi is of particular significance in facilitating a feminist reading of the play. Here she acts as a feminine catalyst for the purgation of her father’s evil doings. An actor portraying the role of Cordelia in this particular scene would need to make evident Cordelia’s compassion and exhibit the virtues of patience, forgiveness and familial loyalty.

Technology Education and National Development

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE PLACE OF INFRASTRUCTURE BY SUBAIR, S. TAYO AND ASHIRU, AL-MAHROOF. OLASEEWO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION FACULTY OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS AKOKA – LAGOS BEING A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE NIGERIAN ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING (NAEAP) INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE VENUE:JULIUS BERGER AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS DATE:24TH – 27TH SEPTEMBER 2007 AbstractTechnology education has been defined as a continuous process of special education and training imparted in individuals for them to achieve socio-economic independence. One major essence of technology education is self-sustenance and social development. This paper takes a cursory look at the factors germane to functional technology education and its implications for national development, by examining the concepts of technology education, national development, infrastructure and goals of technology education.The paper goes further to as ses the development status of Nigeria, the relevant of infrastructure in the provision of viable technology education and some areas along policies, practices, attitudes, and sensitization of the public towards imbibing technology education that can foster national development. Introduction The basis of Nigeria’s philosophy of education is the integration of the individual into a sound and effective citizen, such a philosophy as articulated in the National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004).The goal of national development is hardly realizable without technology, which serves as a vehicle for the acquisition of appropriate knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies of both mental and physical nature. This is equipment for the individual to live in his society, and to acquire a relevant and balanced knowledge of facts about local and world phenomena. The etymology of technology is from Greek word ‘tekhne’, which refers to an art or craft, a nd ‘logia’ which means area of study. Simply defined, technology is a science of crafting.Collins English Dictionary (2005, pg. 1675) defines technology as the application of practical or mechanical sciences to industry or commerce, the methods, theory and practices governing such application and the total knowledge and skills available to any human society. Education, as defined by Adesina, Fagbamiye and Talabi (1985) is a tool for the integration of the individuals effectively into a society to enable them achieve self social, economic, political, scientific, cultural and technological progress.Now, in the era of globalization, the growing importance of trans-border education provisions particularly, in the area of technology is quite understandable. Generally, stakeholders are anxious to see that educational institutions deliver what they should deliver and that what they deliver produces desirable outcomes. These desirable outcomes include, among others, changes in structures, attitudes and institutions as well as the acceleration of economic growth, the reduction of inequality and eradication of absolute poverty.Consequently, in addressing the issue of national development vis-a-vis technology education, it is of immense necessity to show the understanding of the phenomenon development and also to harness the indices of development before we can decide what we look out for in a developed, under-developed, developing nation and so on. The Concept of Technology Education According to Adeogun (2004), Ogunranti (1988) and Ukeje (1991), technology is the application of science and scientific knowledge to make the world more efficient using industrial methods.Technology can also be viewed as the sum of the ways in which a social group provides for themselves with the materials of civilization, thus science and technology go hand-in-hand. It could be considered permissible then to say that technology is a systematic approach in an integrated process to achieve practical purpose or achieve an end product. Hence, technology involves a practical engagement, that is, the act of doing, which is meant to solve human problems scientifically and systematically. Translated from its Latin root, ‘educo’ or ‘educare’, the word education means ‘to lead’. In other words, education implies showing the way.In principle, education is the process by which a person or group of persons lead in the act of acquiring new knowledge or experience. Ajelabi (2000) views education as implying the experience that a person gets in contact with or which one undergoes with or without the school. According to Collins Dictionary (2005, pg. 433), education is the act or process of imparting knowledge, especially at school, college or university, the art or process of acquiring knowledge, the knowledge or training acquired by this process, the theory of teaching and learning; or a particular kind of special directives (inst ructions) or training.From the foregoing, an operational definition of technology education required for this paper projects technology education as a continuous process of special education, training and directives imparted in individuals for the development of innovative ideas to ensure socio-economic independence. It could be argued that the type of education which Nigeria pupils and students are exposed to at different levels of education in the school system today cannot favour the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals.This can be substantiated with the concern about quality which is uppermost in any educational discourse all over the world, and Nigeria in particular. The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (1999) observes that quality in education is a multi-dimensional concept which should embrace â€Å"all functions and activities: teaching, academic programmes, research and scholarship, staffing, students, buildings, facilities, equip ment, services to the community and academic environment†.To show that one is educated means that all aspects of his/her life is transformed to influence and be influenced by self, physical, social, political, economical and spiritual environments. For this reason, technology education should focus on productive skills that are saleable to the world, thus making such a country a power to associate with. The Concept of National Development National development is rooted in a force of change than can raise expectations, through sustainable and broad-based economic growth.It could also be perceived as the totality of all activities within a nation whose main goal is to raise the living standards and general well being of the people. Collins English Dictionary (2005, pg. 443) defines development as the act or process of growing or developing or the product of developing. The Cambridge International Dictionary of English (1996, pg 377) defines development as growing or becoming mor e advanced or a recent important event which is the latest in a series of related events.For the purpose of this paper, national development means the satisfaction and sustenance of the social, political and economic needs of the people of a state (nation). It could also be thought of as planned activities which focus on increasing and enlarging the capacities so that they can successfully handle greater positions in a nation. National development usually focuses on improving the conceptual skills – the intellectual and abilities needed to handle complex situations and do a better job.With economic needs, a change in the economic and social super-structure of the society is guaranteed. It is an improvement in the techniques of production in the consumption choices open to the average citizen, in the health of the citizen, in the behaviour of citizen and so on. It involves both quantitative and non-quantitative aspects. Also, it involves reduction in income inequality, unemplo yment and poverty (Adeogun, 2003).Bannock (1977) opines that economic development is related to the process of growth in total and per capita income of developing nations accompanied by fundamental changes in the structures of their economies. Accordingly, these changes generally consist of the increasing importance of industrial, as opposed to agricultural, activity, reduction of dependence on imports from the more advanced producer and consumer goods, and dependence on agricultural or mineral products as main exports, and a diminishing reliance on aids from other countries.Accompanying this economic process are attendant political and socio-cultural reforms aimed at resolving such problems as cultural deprivation, ignorance, political instability and poverty. Thus, national development can be perceived as the totality of all the activities within a nation whose main goal is to raise the living standards and general well-being of the people. The Concept of Infrastructure According to Coombs (1991), the educational system is a function of the quality and quantity of inputs. Of significance are the buildings, equipment and space.This view gains the endorsement of Ejiogu (1984) and Nwagwu (1983) who note that of the four important factors in an attempt to balance the qualitative and quantitative growth of any educational system is the quality and number of infrastructure in the form of buildings, machinery and equipment; their maximal usage and proper maintenance culture of the students, staff and community members that use such facilities. Infrastructure, as stated by Ehiametalor (2001) are the operational inputs of every instructional programme and they constitute elements that are necessary for teaching and learning.Such include buildings, laboratories, machinery, furniture and electrical fixtures. In specific terms, Bosah (1997) opines that infrastructure represent the empirical relevance of the totality of the school environment for the realization of the s chool business. He identifies the following as components of infrastructure: landscape, playgrounds, buildings – classrooms, library, laboratory blocks, health blocks, toilets, hostels, administrative blocks and so on; utilities such as electricity, pipe-borne water and security facilities – walls (fences), gates, telephone and alarm system.From the above, infrastructure can be considered the basic systems and services that are necessary for an organization, for example, buildings, transport, water and power supplies and administrative systems. These are things that represent the aesthetic picture of the school conveyed by the position of structures in relation to one another. Goals of Technology Education The goals of technology education include: -understanding the principles and dynamics of technology; understanding the principles of tool construction, processes of technology and modes of dissemination; -developing intellectual processes of technology and their rela tion with other systems such as communication, economics, science, industry and society; -acquiring skills such as instrumentation production, maintenance, creativity, designing and communication; -mastering of technology-oriented forms of general and specific problem-solving; -producing technologically literate people; and -producing products that are employable and equally those who would proceed to higher education (Busari, 2004).It is important to appreciate the interpretation of these goals in the policies and practices of technology education in Nigeria. The policy guidelines set by the government for achieving the objectives are provision of basic tools for educational advancement including preparation for crafts of the locality, provision of curricular activities like teaching of science, local crafts, domestic science and agriculture, and provision of qualified teachers to handle technology education subjects. An Assessment of the Development Status of Nigeria In assessing the indices, criteria or factors responsible for the lassification of any country as being either developing or developed, it becomes imperative to understand the underlying key concepts: development, developing, under-developed, least developed, third world or fourth world and developed countries. Development can be regarded as the process of improving human welfare. Hence, the goals of development include: -balanced healthful diet; -adequate medical care; -labour opportunities commensurate with individual talents; -environmental sanitation and disease control; -sufficient educational opportunities; -reduced infant mortality; -decent housing; social and political participation promoting equality (United Nations, 2003). Developing countries are characterized by high rate debts, low level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), low standard of living, low level of productivity and low level of health, low level of investment; high dependency on the agriculture production and high vulnerabil ity for external shocks. Least Developed Countries (LDC) generally suffer conditions of extreme poverty, ongoing and widespread conflict (including civil war or ethnic clashes), extensive political corruption and lack of political and social stability.The form of government in such countries is often authoritarian in nature, and may comprise dictatorship, warlordism or a kleptocrazy (United Nations, 2003). The Relevance of Infrastructure in the Provision of Viable Technology Education With the present scope of technology in Nigerian classrooms, there are few technical schools and few universities where technology education is made available. It is lamentably sad to observe that the available infrastructure in the available technical colleges and universities of technology is inadequate when compared with the expected functions of such institutions of learning.No doubt that infrastructure comprises things that are used directly or indirectly for the purposes of supporting, facilitati ng, influencing or encouraging transmission or acquisition of knowledge, competencies, skills and know-how. When we think of the poor state of this infrastructure, a question tends to come to mind – is the government actually interested in building this nation? This is just that there appears to be a gap between the policy statements and policy implementation.Lending credence to this is Busari (2004) who observes that institutions (technical colleges, universities, etc) where technology education is run are given little or lip support because they are viewed as any other education programme providers. The lackadaisical attitude of related agencies responsible for the functionalism of technology education is evidenced by the fact that the required infrastructure that would make technology education operational are either inadequate or non-existing. If technology education would facilitate national development, the quality of the manpower available for the performance of such t asks will dictate.As reported by Subair (2004), even the universities of technology experienced a face-lift just because of the accreditation exercise embarked upon by the National Universities Commission (NUC), a body established by the Federal Government in 1962 for the purpose of quality university education. He opines that experiences of the students are better expressed when adequate provision of required infrastructure is made with due consideration for some factors such as students’ population, student-teacher ratio, minimum studio stage per student, drawing boards per student, etc and student work experience practice in particular.The country is now faced with the stark realities of her poor technological base, which manifests in all fronts, ranging from poor economy, inability to properly maintain facilities inherited from colonial masters, to bad educational planning (Odeyemi, 1996). The incessant scarcity of petroleum products, epileptic supply of electricity, bad roads, flooding, and so on points to the fact that this country seriously needs to embrace and appreciate technology education. The resultant effects of Nigeria’s state of technological development are being felt in other sectors of our economy uch as the agricultural sector, industrial sector, building and construction, health and infrastructural sector – water, road, telecommunication and electricity. The bite is much felt due to lack of the necessary technical know-how to maintain the existing infrastructure and fabricate spare parts to maintain the heavy duty and medium size plants. Moreover, the frequent stealing and vandalization of Power Holding Company of Nigeria’s (PHCN) equipment for example is traceable to the inability to produce them locally. Obviously, there will be no market for the stolen ones if the country is able to produce in large quantities.As Oguntoye (2004) comments: There is no doubt that Nigeria has made tremendous leaps forward in educ ational development, especially with regard to quantitative expansion, are probably more than those we faced before the Ashby Commission of 1960. The physical structures may be available (they are in short supply). The problem is not that people are unwilling to send their kids to school, may not be the curriculum, may not even be quantity of trained personnel, but the critical problem is attitudinal, wrong value-orientation, wanting to cut corners, acquiring the certificates without acquiring knowledge, skills and competencies (pg. – 8). It becomes important to say here that if Nigeria as a nation is to be a developed and modern nation, it needs to be rational. A rational society is one which regards people as having the knowledge and ability to control their own destinies. Controlling one’s destiny without depending on other countries for one’s basic needs is self-reliance, a supposed target or goal of technology education.Consequently, the focus now should be acquisition of thorough knowledge, skills, competencies and know-how capable of transforming and encouraging people to develop openness to new experience, readiness to social change, placing higher value on technology education and aspiring to high levels of industrial attainment, understanding the logic underlying production and industry; placing high value on technical skill and accepting it as a basis for the distribution of rewards, and a basic trust in the calculating of the surrounding world, and that people and institutions can be relied upon to meet their obligations.Conclusion Attaining national development depends on three things that are considered most important. One is that education, particularly technology education which is the source of high levels of human capital accumulation, should be heavily invested in to generate the human resources Nigeria needs as the ‘engine’ for growth. There should be active government involvement or intervention that will encourage enormous investments in human capital, educating large skilled manpower able to absorb and adapt the most advanced technology.Secondly, Nigerians should know that modern societies are science and technology driven. There is no reason why we cannot set target year for achieving technology education for all. Such focus will make Nigerians think scientifically and technologically, the resultant effects of which will be change in our attitude and belief system, worthwhile social, economic, political and cultural lives, culminating into poverty alleviation, economic progress that will touch millions of Nigerians.Thirdly, irrespective of the level of education, the students are the core input into our educational institutions and the quality of the output (students) depends largely on the provision of infrastructures capable of directly or indirectly supporting, facilitating, influencing and encouraging the development of their potentials. Therefore, the knowledge, skills, compe tences and attitudes students acquire for life can make them fit into the cultural, social, economic and political contexts of the society in which they live, and to work and employment.It can all be summarily put that quality of education is reflected in the fit between, on the one hand, the expectations of society expressed in the general and specific objective of education, and on the other, the actual characteristics of the educational process (technology education) and the changes observed at the students’ level. References Adeogun, A. A. (2003). Economics of education. Lagos: Olatunji Publishing Press. Ajelabi, A. (2000). Essentials of educational technology. Lagos: Raytel Communications Ltd. Bannock, A. O. (1977).Modern technology and students’ instinct development. New York: McGreen Publishing Company. Bosah, H. O. N. (1997). Improving school plant provision and administration in Nigeria school. N. I. Ogbonnaya and C. L. Ajagbaonwu (Eds. ) Major concepts and is sues in educational administration. NAEP Publication. Ibadan: Awemark Industrial Printers. Busari, O. O. (2004). Towards a rethink of science and technology education in Nigeria. Ejiogu A. (ed. ) Nigerian education and challenges of the 21st century. Lagos: Faculty of Education, University of Lagos.Cambridge International Dictionary of English (1996). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 377. Collins English Dictionary (2005). Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers, pp. 443, 449, 1675. Coombs, Y. (1991). What is planning? Paris: IIEP UNESCO. Ehiametalor, E. T. (2001). School facilities: Management practice in Nigeria. N. A. Nwaguru, E. T. Ehiametalor, and M. A. Ogunu, M. Nwadiani (Eds. ) Current issues in educational management in Nigeria. Benin City, Nigeria: Nigerian Association for Educational Administration and Planning. Ejiogu, A. (ed. ) (2004).Nigerian education and challenges of the 21st century. Lagos: Faculty of Education, University of Lagos. Madumere, S. C. (1997). Educ ational planning and manpower development. Lagos: Samuel Printing Press. Nwagwu, N. A. (1978). Primary school administration. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Odeyemi, O. (1996). Technology as a vehicle for qualitiative education in Nigeria. Technology education Today 6(1 & 2), pp. 49 – 52. Ogunranti, A. (1988). Educational technology and curriculum development. Ogunranti, A. (ed. ) Problems and prospects of educational technology in Nigeria.Ibadan: Heinemann. Oguntoye, A. O. O. (2004). Education for national development self reliance in a deregulated economy. A paper presented at the 1st national conference of the School of Technical Education, Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. Subair, S. O. (2007). Infrastructure, students’ welfare and students’ motivation to learn in universities. An unpublished post-field report paper presented at the departmental seminar of the Educational Administration Department, University of Lagos, Akoka. Ukeje, B. O. ( 1991).Educational technology in the new national system of education. In Ajelabi, A. (2005). Essentials of educational technology. Lagos: Raytel Communications, p. 18. United Nations (2001). Road map towards the implementation of the United Nations millennium declaration. Retrieved Sept. 17, 2008 from http://www. un. org. /millenniumgoal. United Nations Development Programme (2003). Human development report. New York: University Press for UNDP. United Nations (2005). Jakarta Declaration on Millennium Development Goals in Asia and the pacific: The way forward 2015, Jakarta, 5 August 2005.

Community Based Ecotourism Project in Ghana

Course Name Student name: |Assessment No: |Module Level: |Module Tutor: | |Cristina, Selam and Sofia |1 of 2 |5 |Birte Schmitz | |Module: Principles of Tourism Planning |Assessment Method: |Weighting: |Date of submission: | |and Development | | | | | |Group Executive Summary and |50% (25% executive summary and |As per AR1 | | |Presentation |25% presentation) | | |Length: |20 minutes for the presentation | | |2000 words plus tables and charts (10-12 pages executive summary) | |Learning outcomes assessed: |Assess the impacts of tourism planning. | | |Assess the limitations of tourism planning. | |Identify the various stages of the planning process | |Skills Mapped: |Group working | | |Research Strategy | | |Creative & innovative thinking | Feedback |Assessment Criteria |Weight |Strength |Areas of Improvement | |% | | | |Conduct a stakeholder analysis |30 | | | |discuss how your proposed product | | | | |may positively & negatively affect | | | | |their lives within the count ry. | | | | |How might any negative impacts be minimised? | | | |Highlight the positive and negative |30 | | | |socio-cultural, environmental | | | | |and economic impacts of | | | | |developing your product. | | | | |Work effectively as part of a team. 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Hand in a well written executive summary, which is |10 | | | |spell checked, referenced within the text, has a | | | | |biography and does not include poor grammar. Marks | | | | |will be deducted otherwise. | | | | |Self Presentation – please see hand in guidelines. 20 | | | |Marks will be deducted for poor report format, | | | | |spelling & grammar, lack of in-text referencing and | | | | |incorrectly formatted bibliography | | | | |Deductions: Late Submission | | | | |Deductions : No Front Sheet | | | | |Total mark out of 100% | | | | Subject to ratification at the validating University Subject Board Community-based Ecotourism Project in Deme village in Ghana [pic] Cristina Aldea, Selam Misghin a and Sofia Whyte Summary This report analyses the development plan of a community-based tourism product of a village in Ghana. It provides a brief description of the chosen site; mid and long term development plans and impacts. It also conducts a stakeholder’s analysis and highlights strategies to ensure sustainability, cooperation with local government and indicates how demonstration effects may be minimised. List of contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 3 2. Mid and long term development plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 6 1. Table: Mid term development plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 6 2. 2 Table: Long term development plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦pg. 7 3. Impacts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 7 4. Model approach to sustainable tourism product†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 8 5. Strategies to ensure sustainability†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 9 1. Table: Highlighted strategies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. pg. 10 6. Stakeholder analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. pg. 10 7. Strategies to ensure cooperation with the local government†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. pg. 1 1. Human Resources in tourism development†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦pg. 12 2. Education and training†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 12 8. Avoiding demonstration effects†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦pg. 13 9. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦.. pg. 14 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 15 1. Introduction Ghana is a country in West Africa with a population of 21 million people, and often labelled â€Å"Africa for beginners†, home to a number of diverse people and cultures, all finding ways to live together in a rapidly developing and modernizing country. (Lonely Planet). Fig. 1: Map of Ghana [pic] Source: AddictedtoTravel, 2009 Volta Region is situated in the East part of Ghana. Highlights of this region are the massive man-made Volta Lake, the largest in the world and the tallest mountain in West Africa, Mount Afadjato (885m). (Addictedtotravel, 2009). The Hohoe (ho-we) District is one of the 17 districts of Volta Region in Ghana and was created in 1979 and the major ethnic groups here are Ewes, Akpafu/Lolobi, Santrokofi, Likpe, Logba, Tafi and Nyagbo, with a population of around 144,500, in 2000. The total number of households in the Hohoe stands at 32844, with 7172 living in the urban area whiles the rest of 25672 live in the rural area. (Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ghana and Maks Publications & Media Services, 2006). Fig. 2: Hohoe in Ghana [pic] Source: Hebert, 2009. Deme village is the chosen site for the development of this community-based tourism project and is located in Hohoe District. The area is surrounded by tropical forest, home for different amazing species of monkeys, exotic birds, bucks and buffalos. The wonderful diversity of nature is not the main attraction here, the historical heritage and vibrant cultural identity is instead. Every year in November there is the celebration of the Gbidokor Festival of the Gbi-Ewes, where chiefs of the two tribes, the Gbi and the Ewe, wearing traditional colourful costumes are carried in palanquins, surrounded by drumming and dances of the local people. The population of this village is part of Ewe ethnic group, and the majority of people speak Ewe language, and the majority of the youngsters speaking English as well. (Ghana Tourism Board, 2008). Fig 3: Deme village in Hohoe, Ghana [pic] Source: fallingrain. com, 2009 This project seeks to help the people of Deme village to generate income from tourism in order to alleviate the poverty level of their community, to provide basic facilities for living conditions, to educate and encourage the locals to preserve the natural resources and endangered animal species and to promote the unique culture and traditions of the Ewe tribe that most of the locals belong to. The current tourism provision in Deme village is inexistent, but the tourism statistics of the Hohoe area show that an increasing number of visitors are becoming interested in the natural and cultural beauty of this district. Touristy attractions that are close to Deme, such as Tafi-Atome Monkey Sanctuary and Mole National Park registered a number of approximately 97,129 arrivals in 2007. (Ghana Tourism Board, 2009). 1. Mid and long term development plans The idea of this community-based ecotourism project is to create a place where tourists can experience real rural African village life by staying in the village itself and taking part in its daily activities and traditions. Table 2. 1: Mid term development plans (2010-2015) |Introducing the idea of developing eco-tourism to the local people. |Educating local people to come in contact with tourists, to take pride in their culture and traditions, even though| |the economic resources are limited. | |Come in contact with the local gover nment and try to obtain funding and their involvement. | |Building an eco-lodge to accommodate tourists (10 basic huts), toilets, a small eating place; electricity | |facilities, clean drinking water and first aid care are also priorities. | |Organising volunteering placements programmes for people who would like to get involved in this project (such as | |students, teachers). | |Creating a community fund and raise awareness of the programme in order to obtain sponsorships (from charity | |foundations, Ghana Tourism Board). |Come in contact with niche travel agents and the Regional and National Tourism Boards in order to promote the | |tourism product, such as Jolinaiko Eco Tours and Ghana Tourism Board. | |Create community experiences that tourists can take part when visiting the village (ex. : fishing with the locals, | |learning how to weave a mat or a basket, learn the dancing moves of the Ewe tribe, meeting the storyteller of the | |village, etc. ). | (Jolinaiko Eco Tours, 2009 ). Table 2. 2: Long term development plans (2015-2020) |Maintain the tourism product authentic and sustainable and try to minimise the negative impacts, if these occur. | |Introduce other community experiences, such as excursions. |Building a community centre and a school in the village. | 2. Impacts Tourism, as a form of human activity, takes place in an environment, which is made up of both human and natural factors, and can have major impacts. Impacts can be positive or/and negative, and are usually referred as economic, environmental and socio-cultural. (Mason, 2003). The development of the community-based ecotourism project of Deme village can trigger a series of impacts. Economic impacts include: †¢ Reduce the poverty level of the community through generating jobs for the locals (also avoid money leakage). †¢ Contribution to the community development. †¢ Over-dependence on tourism. Socio-cultural impacts, according Burns and Holden (1995, cited in Mason, 2003), â€Å"are greatest when there is a large contrast between the culture of the receiving society and the origin culture†, and these are: †¢ Preserve the traditional cultural activities of the Ewe tribe and the unique lifestyle †¢ Educating the local people (regarding taking pride in teaching their culture and traditions and act as hosts to visitors; the income earned by the locals through tourism is used to send their children to school) †¢ Avoid migration of the local youngsters in order to preserve the unique culture and customs and transmit it from generation to generation (through generating jobs and a higher quality of life) †¢ Overcrowding (causing stress for both visitors and locals) †¢ Demonstration effects (behavioural changes of the local people through observing the behaviour of the tourists and wanting to adopt it). Environmental impacts include: †¢ Educate the locals to act in consideration with preserving the natural environment and the endangered species of animals †¢ Pollution (air pollution, solid waste, litter, noise) †¢ Damage or/and disturbance of wildlife habitats †¢ Over-fishing (community experiences include fishing with the locals in the Volta Lake) †¢ Footpath erosion In order to reduce some of the negative impacts listed above, the tourism product needs to be sustainable developed. (Mason, 2003). 4. Model approach to sustainable tourism product The sustainable development strategy is defined by Brundtland (WCED 1987 p. 49 cited in Hall, 2008) as â€Å"sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†. The ecotourism project of Deme has been planned having sustainability and minimizing the possibly negative impacts as the main concern. It is vital for this poor community that tourism activity is planned sustainable. The development plan was made following the community approach of Murphy (1985, cited in Hall, 2008), who promotes â€Å"the use of an ecological approach to tourism planning that emphasised the need for local control over the development process†. So, the local people are at the centre of this small scale tourism project, which directly benefit from it, and the environment will be slightly modified and preserved. There will be a small number of tourists visiting that will be accommodated in 10 basic clay-made huts, an eating place serving traditional food (fish, cassava and mango dishes, using local products). Tourists can come in contact with unique experiences that involve the locals: learning how to weave a basket or a mat out of reed, learning the Ewe tribe dancing moves, go fishing with a local fisherman, and enjoy a meal with a local family. This approach will ensure that both the tourists and the locals gain a high level of satisfaction, poverty is eradicated and tourism in Deme is sustainable. (Hall, 2008). 5. Strategies to ensure sustainability To ensure sustainability there must be strategies because sustainability in tourism development is really important. Sustainability strategy has to connect with all stakeholders in the tourism planning so the developed tourism can have a future. The sustainable development has to guarantee that the natural, cultural and all other resources of tourism are preserved for stable use in the future, at the same time as bringing benefits to the local community. (Inskeep, 1994). Table 5. 1: Highlighted strategies: |Save energy by reduce emission through renewable energy sources. |Encourage efficient use of natural and local resources. | |Support the sustainable use of land. | |Protect and develop biodiversity. | |Constantly informing the visitors. | |Encourage environmental education a nd community involvement | 6. Stakeholders analysis According to Hall (2008), stakeholders are â€Å"individuals, groups or/and organisations with an interest on an issue, problem or outcome that are directly influenced or affected by the actions or non-actions taken by others to resolve the problem or issue†. Stakeholders in Deme are people with an interest and directly involved in the tourism activity of the village. They are: the local community (fishermen, the boat makers, the eating place owner, the traditional ewe-an crafts vendors, the local tourist guides, the youngsters of the village), Ghana Tourism Board, the local and national government and the travel agent that will market the tourism product and will make the bookings. The local community is the main stakeholder involved in this tourism project, because the tourism product offered is local community experiences, which means that everybody is involved. Directly earning income from this tourism project will be: the locals working on building the facilities for accommodating tourists, the locals taking part in teaching the tourists about the customs and traditions of the Ewe tribe (basket weavers, the dancers), fishermen that will supply the eating place, and will also act as tourist guides, the boat makers. The youngsters of the village will benefit indirectly through educational programmes that will teach them about sustainable tourism and how to protect the environment and their local traditions and culture. This tourism project will positively affect and change the lives of the locals. Negative impacts might be over-dependence on tourism and tourism activity not constant. This is why the planning process needs to take into consideration these aspects and make sure the influx of tourists is constant. Ghana Tourism Board will benefit through internationally raising awareness on tourism business in Ghana, the local/national government through taxes from the tourists/ taxes from the locals. This tourism product will be sold to the tourists through an independent niche travel agent who will benefit and make profit from the tourists that will book their holidays with them. (Hall and Richards, 2003). 7. Strategies to ensure cooperation with the local government The regulation of tourist development is determined by policies, which together inform an overall set of planning principles for the area being planned. The determination of these policies is based on several considerations. Thus, the form which tourism planning takes will be influenced by general government policies and private sector policies. Cited in Elm Publications (2002) page: 6-1 Ghana’s government has a role to play in formulating appropriate policies and strategies for human resource development in tourism. Support for continental and regional structures are part of this, but it is also necessary to encourage private initiatives and, in particular, Ghanaian entrepreneurs. Properly conceived, government interventions in the tourism sector can play an important catalytic role. It is important, for example, to create institutional mechanisms that bring together governments and private entrepreneurs, thus avoiding damage that may be caused if they work at cross purposes. Cited in CABI (2001) page: 73 The problems in Ghana’s tourism are closely related to structural imbalances in its overall development pattern. There are no clear strategies for development in general or for tourism in particular, and tourism has not been integrated with other economic sectors. The economic crisis and the need to provide more employment compel governments to speed up replacement of expatriate senior staff by nationals. Cited in CABI (2001) page: 66, 68 7. 1 Human Resource (HR) in tourism development HR development in tourism is aimed at reducing dependence on import personnel and replacing them with workers from local areas. This requires an understanding of the market for labour in the tourism industry, and an awareness of quantitative and qualitative requirements of the industry. Cited in CABI (2001) page: 68, 72 7. 2 Education and Training It is important to emphasize in Ghanaian tourism, cooperation is especially urgent in education and training, as well as in a wide range of skills, including management and information technology. This should not be confined to the formal education system. While formal training is obviously important, it may often be more beneficial and most cost-effective, in practice, to focus on informal training, either on the job or through programmes carefully tailored to meet defined objectives and targeted at specific types of individuals. Cited in CABI (2001) page: 73 8. Avoiding demonstration effects Demonstration effect is seen as a socio-cultural impact regarding the tourism activity and is referred to as the behavioural changes in the resident population when coming in contact with tourists. The impacts are greater when the culture of the host community and the tourists is very different. This situation can have negative effects especially on the young host community who becomes resentful because they are unable to obtain the goods and lifestyle demonstrated by the visitors. (Burns and Holden, 1995). The demonstration effect may encourage youngsters to migrate from rural areas in search for the lifestyle from urban areas â€Å"demonstrated† by the tourists. (Mason, 2003). Demonstration effects in Deme village will be minimal because this is a small-scale project and the number of tourists visiting the area will be controlled by the travel agent involved in this project. Anyhow, the demonstration effect involves the individual perception of the locals upon the tourists’ behaviour and it is not something that can be measured and totally controlled. This could be minimal if locals are taught about the important value of their culture and that they should be proud of being part of the unique environment that surrounds them, and also the effects of globalization. Educational programmes should help minimise demonstration effects, together with sustainable development. (Mason, 2003). 9. Conclusion This case study report has analysed the development plan of a community-based ecotourism project in Ghana. The development plan of Deme village has been conducted having the community as the main resource for tourism. The local people are involved in all aspects of tourism activity in order to break the poverty barriers that enable the community to have a decent lifestyle. The local government is involved through educational programmes which will help the local community avoid demonstration effects and preserve the natural and cultural environment of Ewe tribe and Deme village. Bibliography Books Hall M (2008), Tourism Planning. Policies, Processes and Relationships 2nd ed. England, Pearson Education Hall D. and Richards G. (2003) Tourism and sustainable community development, New York, Routledge Ham et al. West Africa Lonely Planet Harrison D (2001), Tourism and the Less Developed World, Oxon, CABI Publishing Inskeep E (1994), National and Regional Tourism Planning. Methodologies and case studies, London, International Thomson Business Press Lavery P (2002), Tourism Planning, Huntingdon, ELM Publications Mason P. 2003) Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management, Oxford, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Nault H. W (1992), The World Book Encyclopaedia, Chicago, World Book Inc. Journals Herbert A. (2009), CSS. 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