Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Georgeââ¬â¢s first diary Essay
Weââ¬â¢re here now, at the ranch. Our new home, for the time being anyway, until Lennie messes up again! Heââ¬â¢s always messing up, losing us our jobs! Stay here, and save the money here instead of always being on the run. He made us lose our last job. Thatââ¬â¢s why we had to leave. You see, Lennie loves soft things; he loves to stroke them and hold them. One day he saw a girl with a soft dress on. Of course, the first thing Lennie does is touch it. The girl doesnââ¬â¢t realise how stupid he is, (and simple) and thinks heââ¬â¢s going to rape her and she screams. Lennie, being the idiot that he is just holds on and rips the dress! So, that leads to us being chased by a lot of angry people! Now we have to start all over again. If only he werenââ¬â¢t with me. Aw hell, I canââ¬â¢t say that. Heââ¬â¢d die without me. And I donââ¬â¢t reckon Iââ¬â¢d be doing that great without him either. Who would I have to talk to? Well anyway, on the way to the ranch, the bus driver, being a lazy bastard, wouldnââ¬â¢t take us all the way. We didnââ¬â¢t want to walk all night so we stayed in the brush until morning. It was just a little clearing in the woods with a stream running through it. I told Lennie that if he got in trouble he should come there. Its safe and hidden away so I could easily find him! But if it comes to that, if he messes up again. Iââ¬â¢ll kill him, Iââ¬â¢m sure I will. Iââ¬â¢ve had my full of him and I donââ¬â¢t think I have much patience left! Oh yeah, he made me tell him yet again about the house weââ¬â¢re gonna get. Him and his rabbits. He always makes me remind him about our house and his damned rabbits! I love thinking about what our life will be like too when we get the house but he drives me crazy, having to remind him every two seconds. The thing Iââ¬â¢m most looking forward to is not being told what to do. Being my own boss! I canââ¬â¢t wait. We met our workmates today. They seem okay. We got a nigger working with us too. Havenââ¬â¢t met him yet. Thereââ¬â¢s a guy called Candy. Heââ¬â¢s pretty old and a right gossip. Seems nice enough though! The boss seems okay too. Candy says heââ¬â¢s real generous! Though how much I can trust what he says, I donââ¬â¢t know! Curley the bossââ¬â¢s son, on the other hand, heââ¬â¢s horrible. Reminds me of a troublemaker and all the other workers seem to agree! He took one look at us, especially Lennie and started to make trouble. I donââ¬â¢t like the look of him, I just donââ¬â¢t know what Iââ¬â¢m gonna do if he starts any trouble. Lennieââ¬â¢s dangerous. This Curleyââ¬â¢s married too. Met his wife! A right piece of jailbait if ever I seen one! Lennie liked her. Iââ¬â¢ll have to make sure he stays right out her way. She gonna cause us trouble otherwise, I can feel it. Met Slim too. Hell of a nice guy, he is. Seems well respected too. Real nice. I do like having nice workmates but it is worrying, knowing that thereââ¬â¢s an evil bastard lurking ââ¬â¢round too! Iââ¬â¢ve a bad feeling ââ¬â¢bout Curley, its real bad. George Georges second diary Dear Diary, What a heck of a day! It started off so well. I knew that Curley would be trouble, I said it. He ruined what couldââ¬â¢ve been a good day. Started off well. Got to know Slim a little, or, well, he got to know me better. There must be something good about Slim, I must have sensed it ââ¬Ëcoz I told him things ââ¬â¢bout Weed and ââ¬â¢bout the house weââ¬â¢re saving for. He understood Lennie didnââ¬â¢t mean no harm in Weed. Heââ¬â¢s fair and knows a ââ¬Ënice fellaââ¬â¢ when he meets one. He also has a dog. It had pups so I got one for Lennie. Aw, he was so pleased. Petting it and hugging it. Iââ¬â¢m a bit worried that heââ¬â¢s gonna pet it too much. Lennie just donââ¬â¢t know his own strength Goddamn it! I felt so sorry for Candy today. You see, heââ¬â¢s got a dog too, but his is old and tired. Itââ¬â¢s like Candyââ¬â¢s best friend. Well, Carlson started complaining about the smell of him (the dog) then started talkinââ¬â¢ ââ¬â¢bout shooting him, putting him out of his misery he said. I suppose I agreed at the time but seeing Candyââ¬â¢s face was enough to change anyoneââ¬â¢s mind. Slim suggested he have one of the puppies but Iââ¬â¢m not sure whether he decided to. Well anyways, Lennie and I thought we were the only ones in the bunkhouse, where we sleep. The others went off to see Curley have a pop at Slim; he thought his wife was with him. I notice he never seems to be able to find her, though sheââ¬â¢s always lookinââ¬â¢ for him. So Lennie and I get talking ââ¬â¢bout our house weââ¬â¢re saving for. What we didnââ¬â¢t know was that Candy was there too! Well, I was a bit wary at first. Worried that he would tell the others but then he decided that he wanted to be part of it. Even said heââ¬â¢d put up over half the money we needed! It was great. In a matter of minutes we went from just talking about it, to it being a fast-coming reality! I told him to keep it to himself for the time being until we were ready. It was so exciting. Then, in come Curley and the others and Curleyââ¬â¢s ready for a fight. Slim was shouting at him of sleeping with his wife. Anyways, dopey old Lennieââ¬â¢s still sitting there smiling away to himself about the thought of his rabbits, and Curley notices and thinks heââ¬â¢s mocking him and of course picks a fight. He starts punching poor Lennie, and Lennie having listened real hard to what I told him was not fighting back! After a while, I told Lennie to fight back. I couldnââ¬â¢t bear it. He was just yelping like a dog. Anyways, he got scared and just held on tightly to the closest thing at hand, Curleyââ¬â¢s fist. He just wouldnââ¬â¢t let go. It was bleeding and everything. We got him off in the end and blackmailed Curley to say he got it caught in a machine. I donââ¬â¢t like this place. It smells of trouble. I can tell. George Crookââ¬â¢s diary Dear Diary, Here I am. Just another day of either being ignored or picked on ââ¬Ëcoz of me being a Negro. I hate this. Day in day out. Itââ¬â¢s not fair the way Iââ¬â¢m ignored. The others say I smell but I wash more than they all do. My back hurts too. Its seems like its getting worse every day. The liniment donââ¬â¢t seem to be much use either. They call me Crooks too. That ainââ¬â¢t my name. Itââ¬â¢s not what my mother gave me and I donââ¬â¢t like it. I canââ¬â¢t say nothing though, Iââ¬â¢m just a nigger they keep tellinââ¬â¢ me. I gots a room to myself and I have no one to talk to or play cards with. Iââ¬â¢m not even allowed to borrow their cards to play solitaire. It smells in my room. All the shit is kept just under my window and on those hot days, the steam rises into my room and rests on my sheets ready to smother me as I go to sleep. I got another tellinââ¬â¢ off today too. Curleyââ¬â¢s hand got hurt in a machine and the boss oââ¬â¢ course blames me. Likes I did it! Not that I wouldnââ¬â¢t mind ruffinââ¬â¢ him a little. Heââ¬â¢s a nasty asshole and needs to be brought down a bit. Iââ¬â¢d get hung if I did it so I sââ¬â¢pose I better leave to the white men! They all gone to the town today. Their regular Cathouse visit. Iââ¬â¢d never be allowed in one of those, at least I donââ¬â¢t reckon I would. They never asked me to go with ââ¬â¢em so I never went. Just in me room, on me lonesome, rubbing me backâ⬠¦.. â⬠¦.. Lennie and Candy jusââ¬â¢ been in here! I was a bit funny at first ââ¬Ëcoz I thought Lennie was coming for trouble but no, he said the others had gone and he had jusââ¬â¢ been with his pup. Him and his pup! Oh boy. He loves it so much but heââ¬â¢s not careful. Those big hands oââ¬â¢ his are likely to break that pup one day if he ainââ¬â¢t careful. Anyways, I said he could come in and we got to talking a little. Heââ¬â¢s a bit slow. He donââ¬â¢t remember anything you tell him. Just talks ââ¬â¢bout George and his rabbits heââ¬â¢s gonna get when they get a house. Heââ¬â¢s all set on getting a house. He wants to tend rabbits! Whenever the subject changed to something other than those rabbits, he went straight back to ââ¬â¢em like weââ¬â¢d been talking ââ¬â¢bout ââ¬â¢em all the time! Heââ¬â¢s awful fond oââ¬â¢ that George one. I just said one tiny little thing ââ¬â¢bout George not coming back from town and he went mad. Like I jusââ¬â¢ told him someone had died or something. It took a while to calm him down. Then, Candy comes in too. Heââ¬â¢s by my room and I ask him what he wants. I thought he may oââ¬â¢ been wanting to talk too but he was just looking for Lennie. He came in too, though. They talked to each other most but it was nice them just being there. Well, they were talking ââ¬â¢bout their house. Candy was gonna go there too. I thought that Iââ¬â¢d ask if I could help. They wouldnââ¬â¢t have to pay me oââ¬â¢ course, just put me up, but before they could answer that bitch walked in. Sheââ¬â¢s trouble if ever I did see it. She asking ââ¬â¢bout Curley and where heââ¬â¢s at but she knows where! I donââ¬â¢t understand these white folk. Talk about them being so educated and well learned and they ask such stupid questions! Anyways, I asked her to go away real politely mind, the same way any of the boys round here say it when they know sheââ¬â¢s looking for trouble. She does her nut and starts yelling ââ¬â¢bout needing people to talk to too! Then she starts telling me sheââ¬â¢s gonna tell the boss I been doing bad things and get me strung up. I donââ¬â¢t want to be strung up so I shut up. Candy was nice though. He told her that if she did that he would stick up for me. I ainââ¬â¢t ever known anyone to stick up for me before. Candy then said, when sheââ¬â¢d gone, that the boys were coming back. I told ââ¬â¢em they better go. I didnââ¬â¢t want all of those white fellas thinking they can bother me when they like. I gotta have some rights even if I donââ¬â¢t like ââ¬â¢em. I dunno. Itââ¬â¢s been a funny day thatââ¬â¢s all. I better get back to my liniment. That back oââ¬â¢ mine is just murder. Georges last diary Dear diary, This has been the worst day Iââ¬â¢ve ever had and I donââ¬â¢t think Iââ¬â¢mââ¬â¢ a ever gonna have a worser one. I had to do it. It werenââ¬â¢t nothing evil. I diââ¬â¢nt wanna hurt him. He was my only friend, more like family and I feel jusââ¬â¢ awful. If you coulda seen her, what he did. If only you coulda seen the other option he woulda had. Curleyââ¬â¢s evil way. I suppose I woulda done the same in his place but Lennie diââ¬â¢nt do no harm. At least he never meant none. I feel awful, just awful. He never meant no harm. They may oââ¬â¢ been nice? No, thatââ¬â¢s stupid talk. Thaââ¬â¢s the kinda thing Lennie woulda said! Heââ¬â¢s a crazy bastard. I mean he was. Oh I feel awful. What will I do now? What can I do? I sââ¬â¢pose the only thing to do is to spend my money the way anyone else would, if they diââ¬â¢nt have a Lennie with ââ¬â¢em. We were just having a game oââ¬â¢ horseshoe. Lennie was in the barn with that damn pup I reckon. Iââ¬â¢d left him in the bunkhouse but he ended up there. Anyways, we were all playing and I had no thought to what he was doing. The next thing I knew, Candy was looking all pale and calling me over to the barn. For a second I thought she was just resting. It was the look on Candyââ¬â¢s face that made me guess. I knew what he was thinking and I knew he was right. She was lying there, that good for nothing piece of jailbait, her neck all twisted and face down in the straw. Lennie did it. Crazy bastard. I knew he was the only one, but to think of it was killing me from the inside. I ainââ¬â¢t never felt that before. I suppose in the back of my mind, I always knew he would go too far, that he wasnââ¬â¢t safe and should not oââ¬â¢ been left alone. But I diââ¬â¢nt wanna think like that. Now I had to. From that moment I knew what I had to do and just set about doing it. I knew that I had to get to him before them. I told Candy to make out I never saw this and tell the others and then fetch me. I had to go to the bunkhouse and get Carlsonââ¬â¢s Luger. I wasnââ¬â¢t completely sure why first but I realised when I saw him. Candy said heââ¬â¢d do that and I ran out. Next time I saw her everââ¬â¢ one was there too blaming Lennie for everââ¬â¢ thing. Curley was shook up and was ready to explode. He scared me looking like that but I had to keep my cool. I had to make it like I was on their side, out to kill for murder. That word sends shivers down me and I know I done it too now. Lennie always said we were the same. All of them ran to get guns to help out Curley. Two-faced thatââ¬â¢s what they are. One minute theyââ¬â¢re complaining about him and the next they are trying to be his best friend betraying their true friend. Oh I canââ¬â¢t blame ââ¬â¢em really if it werenââ¬â¢t Lennie I reckon I woulda done it too. Anyway Carlson never found his gun. They all thought Lennie had it. Only I knew that Lennie wasnââ¬â¢t so clever to think forward like that! Slim knew what I was doing though. He knew well enough. His face said he knew and was ready to do what he knew was best. I sent Curley in the other direction to where I knew Lennie was. He woulda gone to the brush like I told him too. He always tried to do what I told him. I ran off and found him straight. He was sitting there by the river and was talking to something. He kept saying sorry: Saying he knew I would look after him. He made me tell him about our house for what was to be the last time. I mentioned it, and, he heard it. I told him not to look at me. I was trying to be a man but I couldnââ¬â¢t control my eyes. I was shaking too. I donââ¬â¢t want to write his last moments. I donââ¬â¢t want to have this later and be reminded of the moment my life as I knew it ended. I want to remember Lennie as the Lennie I knew. Not the one I saw moments later. That Lennie will go from me. If I still believed in God (a part of me that was there but now has gone) I would pray to ask Lennie to forgive me but I know that he cannot be in my life because he let this happen. If Lennie was ever here and I could talk to him once more, Iââ¬â¢d tell him that I didnââ¬â¢t mean what I said about not wanting him there. That now he isnââ¬â¢t, I feel lost. And last, that he was my friend; my best friend and I wish he was still here.
Gender and Video Games Essay
The current development in the literature concerning videogames and gender constitutes the formulation of perceptions of how not only game developers but also players establish their individual and collective identity in this process. Their relationship then corresponds to creating specific norms and principles that seek to identify specific ideas concerning their representation of reality and also their ability to capitalize on existing genres for cultivating game play and the issues related to acceptance of existing norms. Due to this, to better understand the relationship circumventing around video games and gender, fair amount of analysis must be made not only in its ability to represent the gaming public but also in the impact it creates towards taking the issue into a bigger picture as it relates to the construction of social norms and roles. Assessing Video Games and Gender Indeed looking at previous literature studies, it can be seen that misrepresentation remains apparent especially among the representation of gender in video games. Here, common patterns of male masculine figures and characters continue to dominate different platforms and games. Such idea remains to be seen particularly, during the earlier times wherein there is a corresponding depiction of players that are relatively male and ultimately dominate both the primary and secondary characters. Here, Williams, Martins, Consalvo and Ivory (2009) study highlights these apparent trends by arguing that ââ¬Å"the most popular games are less representative than the typical game produced by developers, indicating that players also play a role in the cycle of creation and consumptionâ⬠(p. 828). Similarly, such actions then establish the formation of implications relating towards both businesses and gamers alike. Given the constant marketing and exploration of new strategies to expand the level of gamers within a specific platform, there are indeed restrictions that this gender bias and formulation of games create. It necessitates not only hindering the potential appeal of these games towards consumers but also induce common means for limited appreciation and also shortage in sales. These dynamics in turn necessitate a constricted response to the ever growing number of patrons of video games as it encompasses the majority of participants and involve other actors who also place emphasis in their capacity for media to exhibit their common associations and relationship within the platform (Williams, Martins, Consalvo, Ivory, 2009). Opening up Patterns for Diversity and Change Assessing the validity of how video games embrace diversity, careful analysis needs to be made in the manner that video games seek to portray and outline the views concerning the gaming culture. Since social symbols often connote this process to be a male/masculine endeavor, earlier platforms somehow inhibit female participation in such activity and more often than not associated with male roles and tendencies (Williams, Martin, Consalvo and Ivory, 2009). However, this started to change as new designs and models have been introduced to cater to the changing perceptions of gender roles related to video games and adherence to the objectives to transcend over common representations that platform has over male and female responsiveness. Recognizing the current needs for embedding gender equality within the video game platforms, many game developers now seek to apply these strategies in the formulation of new titles that seek to connote better ability for people to utilize their perception of themselves within a particular game. This brought about significant changes as designers brought into consideration diversity and equal representation of male and female roles in the process. This dynamics then consolidated better means for outlining not only significant areas related to the overall game play but also in the appeal it gives towards different individuals regardless of their racial and gender associations (Brandtzaeg and Heim, 2009). Seeing this, the study by Jansz and Vosmeer indeed offer a good analysis of how the game ââ¬ËSims 2ââ¬â¢ address these changing trends and outline the evolution of gaming from a masculine and male dominated genre to a more lax and diverse area that induces common connections between masculinity and femininity. By using this game as an example, the study was able to highlight significant changes in these perceptions and was able to ascertain common ideals shaping and furthering opportunities accounting to how diversity serves as an instrument in merging the idea of gender and video games together. To complement this process, it takes into account creating video games that are not only responsive to the needs of gamers but also reach out towards their ability to utilize connections over the roles specific characters play. Here, Jansz and Vosmeer (2010) argues, ââ¬Å"developing gender and games theory requires more detailed insight into the mutual shaping of game content, game play, and gender identitiesâ⬠(p. 247). By collaborating on these three aspects accordingly, the ability of growth of video games have indeed showcased a reality that is more conducive and responsive to the needs of individuals by offering a variety of platforms wherein interaction and associations remain possible. Videogames, Violence, and Gender Roles Another precept shaping the understanding concerning the idea of videogames and gender is the corresponding perceptions and roles it provides participants. Since this element is one part of media, it is through this that representations about culture and gender roles are provided among individuals regardless of age, race, or cultural affiliations. These dynamics in turn necessitate both positive and negative responses in terms of the establishment of identity and formulation of specific patterns of behavior innate within the characterization of primary and secondary characters in a particular game. In essence, there continues to be a relationship in the way individuals ascertain their preferences in games with their innate social behavior and ability to denote a particular response to each theme of a video game played (Brandtzaeg and Heim, 2009). Seeing these diverse variations concerning the ability to extract experiences and ideas from video games, it then presents the formation of specific behavior and inputs depending on the themes provided. Such actions then result in current diversity of games available in the market today. As Brandtzaeg and Heim (2009) argue, ââ¬Å"the new electronic gaming landscape is complex, and consists of a vast array of choices in different game content genres tailored towards a range of user profiles in regards to highly different interests and content preferencesâ⬠(p. 71). These in turn result in the formulation of specific behavior that equally shapes an individualââ¬â¢s personality and the manner that each one seeks to equate this in the formulation of their identity and role within social institutions. Associated with the formulation of gender roles, there are also instances of video games promoting violence as themes in its platforms. Such dynamics then necessitate impact on individual behavior as they try to ascertain specific tendencies towards the acceptance of violence to be a social norm and apparent in different scenarios and environment. Though research and literature may argue differently concerning this stance, it also goes to show the impact that video games can provide towards the inducement of violent and aggressive tendencies among gamers. Here, it is what Kim refers to as desensitization of violence within video games genre and points out its impact not only in the formulation of gender roles but also the acceptance of its role within the development of a playerââ¬â¢s identity (Kim, n. d. ). Under this process, there continues to be new developments happening in video game technology that aides the desensitization of violence among consoles. These in turn contributes to further exposure and creates a real-life scenarios wherein players experience an almost-real setup where violence as a theme is depicted. Here, Kim (n. d. ) argues that ââ¬Å"as video games become more sophisticated, there is a wide range of input devices at various levels of realism ââ¬â from pushing keys on a keyboard to a turning wheel to drive or actually shooting a gunâ⬠(p. 5). Such realities then brings about the question of how such games provide the means to explore means to correspond the manner to ascertain violence, videogames and gender. It does take into account the value of how these themes permeate within choices and ability to partake in the gaming experience of individuals. By establishing these relationships, it can help analyze the formulation of behavior as well as how it corresponds to the nature of furthering opportunities to extract behavioral responsiveness on the part of individuals who partake in such endeavor. (Jansz, and Vosmeer, 2010). To conclude, the idea of gender and video games have undergone an expansion of literature that takes into account its development from a more conservative and masculine-oriented dimension towards the creation of games that seeks to highlight and induce elements of diversity. By taking account of these areas, it was able to consolidate better means to reach out towards different gamers and allow better means for access among people. Though there may still be corresponding bias views concerning gender, it was able to construct a new playing field wherein new games are able to cater towards the dynamic needs among gamers. Alongside this development, there is also the corresponding perspective of shaping new means to carry out effective means to extract gender roles among players. These elements manifest in the themes and perceptions utilized by individuals who participate in such endeavor. One element that can be seen in these areas is the corresponding violence that video game creates. Though there are contrasting views in the impact on human behavior, it plays a crucial role in establishing analysis in its association with the interplay of social norms and roles through the spectrum of perceptions and choices of video game genres. References Brandtzaeg, P. B. and Heim, J. (2009) Childrenââ¬â¢s Electronic Gaming Content Preferences and Psychosocial Factors: Is there a connection? Nordicom Review. 30 (2), pp. 69-86 Jansz, J. , Avis, C. and Vosmeer, M. (2010) Playing The Sims 2: An exploration of gender differences in playersââ¬â¢ motivations and patterns of play. New media and Society. 12 (2), pp. 235-251 Kim, O. T. Effects of Violent Video Games on Desensitization: The Role of Gender, Previous Exposure, and Input Device. Williams, D. , Martins, N. , Consalvo, M. and Ivory, J. (2009) The virtual census: representations of gender, race, and age in video games. New media and society. 11 (5), pp. 815-834
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
American Culture
Every person has his/her own way of surviving life. We have our own beliefs that keep us alive. We have a set of rules that are set by the perspectives we kept even when we are still young. With this, we have ideas that differ from others. Religion is a part of our being that can define the person that we are in a lot of circumstances before our religions have its own set of moral and ethical values. Christianity for example is a widespread religion that was also used to conquer a number of countries around the world.However, Christianity has this certain belief about the life after someoneââ¬â¢s death. This is patterned with the life of Jesus Christ who serves to be the Savior of the World from Godââ¬â¢s punishments for being sinners. Religion has developed as time passed by having a number of trials and oppressors. In America, religion has also changed the way leaders and its people look into life. An example is that, people who believe in their religion depend on it at times of cruelties. They face difficult times in different ways such that there are those who call for Buddha and for God.Moreover, American life changed in having slaves by which, they have abolished the notion of having slaves that would cater their needs like some household chores and farm works. Reports show that slavery in America can be seen widely among its places especially in the northernmost colonies. Since for Christianity, the Bible say that the story of men also has some slaves, punished people, it is allowable that 40% of the families there own a slave. But Mennonites in the year 1688 tried to raise that slavery must be opposed and from that time, there had been arguments of removing this set ââ¬â up.Even if there were ââ¬Å"good slaveriesâ⬠, they argued that being a slave itself is very degrading. It may lower the self ââ¬â esteem of a person and might give them a perspective that their life are a little worthless than their bosses. Revolution was done to end this cruel set ââ¬â up. There are also movements against the Christians who pursued doing bad things with other people with lower status than they have. It was with the revolts of these oppressed that they realized that the worth of other people be treated with significance.American until now might be enslaved by the thought of being superior if there are no other forces who tried to oppose them and make their spirits be awakened. In the sermons of Jonathan Edwards, he stated that God was with him the time he was all alone. For that matter, I think that with this very strong belief, Americans are able to be living with the likeness of spreading goodness especially when they are being sinners themselves for a long time. Religion has become the moving force of America that draws them close to civilization and developments.Moreover, it can move them to a life that is more productive and meaningful. Religion caused a lot of change in America that should be well taken in the minds o f its students as Educations has also been the priority of the government. Immigrants American has been termed to become the salad bowl by which many people from other countries settle. With that, there are many cultures that are being inside it for a long time. There is an argument though that American is not a salad bowl but a melting pot of people. Salad bowl is a set up by which all its ingredients are mixed together but not altering its shape and composition.This is what we call in science a heterogeneous mixture that apparently still has the characteristics of it components detectible. On the other hand, melting pot defines a homogeneous mixture that makes its constituents one. For instance, America being a melting pot described that the culture of the people who migrated there might have forgotten their own culture and had been accustomed with living like the true Americans. But can there be real Americans given that there are already many circumstances that they have been mi xed with other cultures years ago?Generally speaking, the immigration of people will more likely be causing the American a confusion of culture that will show that there is no specific culture in the country. Moreover, the risk of having immigrants will take them to a situation that will really reduce their privileges of expressing their own as they may want to have a good relationship with others. It may be noted though that the effects of the immigrant vary from time to time. When America has not yet settled its forces that will protect it from oppressors, it is very open with the people and countries that have bad and greedy motives over the country.It is only during the last 2 centuries that America has established a force that will prohibit other country to terrorize them and eventually, conquer it again. Luckily, America as of the moment stands tall with the ideology of being superior among the others. It was on the survey that there is only a very few percentage of Native Ame ricans in the State today. Approximately 1% of them are those with the pure blood of Americans. There were very little accounts that clearly state the original occupants of America.In what I have heard for a long time, America has been occupied by the red Indians which were also told to become the true native occupants of America. It was only when some White Americans tried to colonize the Indians that they were put on a situation not to oppose but to leave. Having a lot of settlers in America is both good and bad for some reasons. Good because the country is giving a number of opportunities to other people regarding careers and jobs. On the other hand, it is somehow a negative thing since immigration might be opening the country again to an occurrence of colonization.It may open the avenues of the terrorist to populate the country and soon become conquered by other nations. References Thomas Paine. (1776). The Crisis. Retrieved 19 May 2008 from http://www. ushistory. org/paine/cris is/c-01. htm John Edwards. (2008). Personnal Narrative. Retrieved 19 May 2008 from http://www. apuritansmind. com/JonathanEdwards/JonathanEdwards-Biographical- EdwardsPersonalNarrative. htm J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur. Letters from an American Farme. Retrieved 19 May 2008 from http://xroads. virginia. edu/~hyper/CREV/letter03. html
Monday, July 29, 2019
Mrk #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Mrk #1 - Essay Example Finally, a key aspect of any relationship is that it is balanced; one side does not hold all the power. Aspects that tend to cause problems in relationship include incompatible personalities and one person depending totally on the other person. 2. In this situation, I would let the incident go because the salesperson is consistent with hitting sales objectives. If I was to reprimand him, then it may adversely affect his performance, and this would not benefit the company. While other salespeople have a right to be concerned, I would trust the judgment of the employee who sensed that a large order was possible. However, I would remind this particular salesperson about the companys stated guidelines for customer entertainment expenses and give him a warning. I would tell him that another incident like this could potentially land him in hot water, so he needs to be a little bit more selective next time when he feels that he is close to finalizing a deal with a major
Sunday, July 28, 2019
WE 2 &3 Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
WE 2 Response - Essay Example This includes rehabilitation, educational opportunities and job training, which will significantly deter growth of crime. For the past thirty-years, the United States relied on Incapacitation as a way of punishing offenders. But presently, rehabilitation is considered more efficient. Employees proposed this in the correctional facilities. However, the success of the rehabilitation process is usually dependant on probation supervisor and offenders interest. On the other hand, efforts to properly rehabilitate offenders have been derailed by a number of factors, namely, large caseloads, low pay, and weird goals. This is, as a result, of old policies that were less concerned about the correctional officers and recovery of offenders. Consequently, the rehabilitation process is negatively affected. Probation refers to a period within which the offender is under watch as directed by the court as an alternate judgment. Furthermore, it has imposed on offenders, waiting to serve their jail term. It plays a significant role in reforming offenders. The success of probation is possible with the existence of a probation officer. They are usually tasked with the responsibility of doing the following to the offender, monitor their progress and secure jobs, maintaining contact with employers, and arranging for job interviews. The possibility of an offenders being transformed relies on their willingness to change and attitude towards their officers. The constant evolution of the probation process, through three phases, has raised hopes regarding the ability of probation officers to provoke behavioral change. In the 1990ââ¬â¢s, there was the formulation of the community correction models. Its role was to provide intervention during supervision of offenders. However, the outcome of fusing treatment with supervision was problematic. For this reason, the results were contrary to the expectation. The use of evidence-based practices identified factors
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Compare and contrast the glass-steagall act with the Essay
Compare and contrast the glass-steagall act with the gramm-leach-bliley act, also known as the citigroup relief act - Essay Example It removed barriers and obstacles that securities companies, banking companies, and insurance companies had to endure. In this paper, I will seek to compare and contrast the Glass-Steagall Act with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, also known as the Citigroup Relief Act (White 3). To begin with, the Glass-Steagall Act prohibited all commercial banks from taking part in the issuance and flotation of securities. It remained unclear as to why the Congress decided to mandate this divorce but one thing is clear, it made the involvement of commercial banks in securitizing insurmountable burden. This came due to the dichotomy between and among the actual motivation behind Congressââ¬â¢ decision and the ostensible legislative intent. On the other part, enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act revolutionized the circumstances since it repealed a section of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 whereby it did away with obstacles or barriers present in the market among insurance, securities, and banking companies. In other words, it relived these companies of any barrier that deterred any single firm from acting as a combination of a commercial bank, investment bank, and an insurance company (White 12). Secondly, a study conducted within almost three thousand banks in years between 1856 and 1936 proved that securities were not to blame for most of banks failure or collapse however; they were a particular hazard to banks. More intense studies revealed that the underwritten securities of commercial banks were actually of higher quality as opposed to the prior claim that the affiliate underwritings were of poor quality. The history of Glass-Steagall Act reflects the common notion that the possible underlying cause of the 1929 market crash came about because of using bank credit in excess to speculate stock market. Quiet a number o econometrics assert that what prompted the
Friday, July 26, 2019
Tintern Abbey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Tintern Abbey - Essay Example These lines capture in essence the role played by memory in preserving emotion and in poetic expression. Tintern Abbey in particular is imbued with the spirit of these lines and best embodies the role of memory in Wordsworth's poetry. At the onset of the poem Wordsworth declares that five years have elapsed since his visit to this idyllic location. With gentle contentment he allows the sheer beauty of the well remembered and much beloved landscape to sink into his being and permeate his very senses. His detailed description of nature bedecked in all finery transports the reader and one can almost see the "steep and lofty cliffs" and hear the "soft inland murmur" of the flowing water (Wordsworth 112). He becomes nostalgic and is filled with bittersweet remembrances connected to this gorgeous spectacle. Slowly he is lifted up on the wings of memory and he sees himself as the boy he once was and as the man he has become and recollects the eventful time between the two stages of his life. In the said five years, Wordsworth's life had been tumultuous and he bore witness to much suffering, sorrow and pain brought on by the darker side of human nature. He had spent time in France at the time of the French revolution and had been an idealistic supporter of the revolutionaries' cause. However in light of the tide of violence that swept the country and subsequent hostilities between France and Britain he became disillusioned and heartsick and returned to his country. Therefore his return to Tintern Abbey and its idyllic setting is a homecoming of sorts. Spurred by his memory he recollects the pleasurable bond he forged with nature and how it sustained him in trying times and happily looks forward to forging a new bond for the future. Wordsworth describes the profound effect his memory of this location has had on him despite his prolonged absence. Even as he nursed his loneliness in crowded cities and towns, his memories of this picturesque scene eased his fatigued state and rejuvenated his wearied spirit as it filled him with "sensations sweet,/ Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,/ And passing even into my purer mind,/ With tranquil restoration" (Wordsworth 113). Thus for Wordsworth his memories serve as an opiate for the senses, bruised and battered by a harsh life. He further credits memory for his random acts of kindness. His memories of nature's bounty is like a wellspring of goodness that never runs dry and spurs him on towards achieving a state of perfect morality. Thus pleasant sensations induced by memory are responsible for bringing out all that is pure and true in him. Wordsworth also attributes memory with providing him an insight "into the life of things" (114). Oftentimes he is baffled and bogged down by the thick fog of mystery surrounding the mechanism of the world and thus obscuring his vision of life itself. But he is relieved of this cumbersome burden by memory which allows him to reach deep within himself to find answers and ultimately enlightenment. He is able to shed the trappings of civilization and
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Human Rights and democratic society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words
Human Rights and democratic society - Essay Example The various conflicts and revolutions in the world have shaped the concept of human rights as we know it. In the last two hundred and fifty years, we see the clamor for human rights as the clamor of a world and of the various peoples inside it for equality and freedom. Starting with the French and American revolutions towards the latter part of the eighteenth century, it is this very notion of human rights that has led colonized states and revolutionary movements to assert their voices and fight for their freedoms against oppressive and despotic governments - from the Tiananmen Square uprising in China to the struggle of the East Timorese against Indonesian occupation. All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated. The international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing, and with the same emphasis. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. When the United Nations was created in 1948 by a world still reeling from the ravages of the Second World War and intent on healing the wounds wrought by it, it was tasked to become the primary agency in defining and advancing human rights. From then on, various other agencies were created, addressing specific human rights concerns. Notable examples of this are the International Labor Organization and the UNICEF. However, the universality of human rights has oftentimes been challenged by critics on the allegation that the Western bias is very much evident, and that the popularity of it in recent times is nothing more than the remnants of a neocolonial attitude purveyed by the crafty and bought by the undiscerning. A refutation of this was attempted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1968 through a study that demonstrated that "the profound aspirations underlying human rights correspond to concepts - the concepts of justice, an individual's integrity and dignity, freedom from oppression and persecution, and individual participation in collective endeavors - that are encountered in all civilizations and periods." Some Islamic scholars like Safi (2000) remain unconvinced: The pragmatic arguments for the universality of human rights are problematic, because they either completely overlook the significant impact cultural differentiation has on values and perceptions, or ignore the fact that agreements through UN reflect, more often than not, political compromises by political elites, rather than normative consensus. Further, many of the ruling elites who pretend to speak on the behalf of the peoples of the developing world lack political legitimacy and public support, and have embraced ideological outlooks at odds with the surrounding cultures. In the absence of genuine democracy in the countries of the South, no one can
Classical Music Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Classical Music Concert - Essay Example Naturally, the concert was entirely devoted to the cantata of Carl Orff (1895-1982) called Carmina Burana, which incorporates a prologue and three parts consisting of a number of musical movements. The first movement I would like to describe is Veris Leta Facies, the movement immediately following the prologue and proceeding with its overall tone. According to the rules of Cantata genre, the movement focused mainly on vocal part, with the choirs being accompanied by the pianos and percussion ensemble. The mixed choir parties were mediated by piano and percussion ritornellos. The general atmosphere and tonality hinted at expressionistic coloring of Orffââ¬â¢s work, for the vocal parties sounded rather minor despite a rather lively ritornello at the beginning. Expressionistic nature of the composition was sensed also due to a slight dissonance between the lyrics (the translation of which is in the program) and the tone of music. Moreover, listening to the movement, I was able to identify an allusion to and imitation of medieval music with its simple tonalities and choral singing. Although the movement featured the mixed choir, it resembled much of the monophonic medieval Greg orian chants style. What is also notable about the whole concert and this movement in particular is that the instrumental accompaniment of the Cantata was performed by a minimal number of instruments; though ââ¬â as far as I know ââ¬â it is traditionally played with a wide variety of instruments including woodwind and brass sections. The second movement I would like to write about is ââ¬â no surprise ââ¬â one of the most famous classical vocal pieces of nowadays, a movement framing Carmina Burana, its opening and closing. The movement was characterized by a steady rhythm supported by piano and a dramatic choral parties sung by the mixed choir. Approximately, in the middle of the piece, the powerful
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Managenent and leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Managenent and leadership - Assignment Example For example, many of the leaders in the Arab world are ruling their country only because of their heredity. It is not necessary that these leaders are as effective as other leaders. Some people label leadership as an art whereas others label it as science. In fact, it is a mixture of these two. Both scientific and artistic skills are necessary for a leader to become an effective leader. It requires skills such as intelligence, emotional control, communication abilities, temperament, patience, authority, power, decision-making abilities etc. Since these skills are not available to many, it is impossible for all the people to become effective leaders. This paper analyses the question can anyone can be an effective leader. Skills necessary for an effective leader According to Daniel Goleman, ââ¬Å"that the most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional Intelligence. In his research he found that emotional intel ligence is the sine qua non of leadership (Goleman, 2009, p.82). Emotional intelligence or EQ is different from intelligence quotient or IQ. Emotional intelligence is the ability to know other people and their needs. It is the ability to adapt with the surroundings and the people. On the other hand, IQ is the abilities of a person with respect to intelligence. It is not necessary that a person with high IQ score may have high EQ score also. Same way, it is not necessary that a person with high EQ may have high IQ. In short, both EQ and IQ are entirely different concepts. To become an effective leader, high EQ is necessary. It is not necessary that a leader with high IQ may become an effective leader if he has low EQ. There are plenty of situations in which control of emotions are necessary to manage a complicated situation well. For example, Iran is currently threatening America and other westerners because of their ambitions to become a nuclear power. Iranââ¬â¢s current presiden t is trying to provoke America and Israel in many ways. Obama is neglecting the allegations of Iran since he has higher abilities in emotional controls. Another American president would have responded differently to Iranââ¬â¢s threat and the problems could have been worse. In short, an effective leader definitely needs strong controls over his emotions and he should never approach situations based on emotions. Wisdom should prevail over emotions for a leader to become effective. Since emotional controls are less for many leaders, it is difficult for them to become effective leaders. Saddam, Gaddafi and Mubarak were some of the leaders of the present century who failed to lead their people effectively because of their lack of EQ. Nobody can argue that these people have less IQ. In fact, all of them had high scores of IQ. However, they cannot be labelled as effective leaders since they failed to lead the people based on their needs. Emotional intelligence helps a leader to take sou nd decisions in difficult situations. For example, there are plenty of organizations, which struggled to overcome difficult situation created by recent recession. However, there are many other organisations, which come out with success even in the difficult business climate. This is because of the effectiveness of the leaders in those organizations. For example, Apple is one American company which excelled even during the recession period. They are the most valuable technological company in the world at present.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Attorney disciplinary board vs. Moothart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Attorney disciplinary board vs. Moothart - Essay Example The disciplinary action taken against the attorney was an indefinite suspension of his practicing license without a possibility of reinstatement for at least 30 months. Additionally, the attorney was required to undergo evaluation by a health professional and provide proof of participating in sexual harassment counseling before being considered fit to practice law again. This decision was based on the nature of the violations committed by the attorney, his fitness to continue practicing law and the desire to protect the public from the unethical practice of law. Moreover, it is important to maintain confidence in the justice system, maintain the reputation of the bar and deter the occurrence of such behavior. The decision was also influenced by aggravating factors such as the vulnerability of the women who believed they needed the attorney's help and the attorneyââ¬â¢s pattern of unsuitable behavior over the years. The conduct was harmful to the women the attorney interacted with and those he represented and, therefore, the disciplinary action was appropriate(Justia Law, 2015).It is unprofessional and violates rules of professional conduct for a lawyer to engage in sexual harassment while in the practice of law. In this context, an attorney-client relationship is not required provided the lawyer is engaged in the practice of law. Sexual harassment includes both verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature and includes sexual requests, favors, and advances.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Example for Free
Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the travel industry in the last decade. eTourism reflects the digitalisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. It emerges as a term describing the entire range of applications of ICTs on tourism and the implications for the tourism value chain. Major opportunities and challenges have emerged and need to be addressed by all industry players. However, the level of eTourism developments varies between regions, countries and continents. The tourism sector is experiencing an acceptance of ecommerce to the extend that the whole industry structure is changing .The web is used not only for information gathering but also for ordering services .A new type of user is emerging one who acts as his or her own travel agent and build a personalised travel package .This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Meikles Hotel Zimbabwe in order to study the adoption of ecommerce applications on the hospitality sector. 1. Introduction Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism as the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs. The tourism industry requires a diverse range of information and lends itself well to the support offered by developing multimedia, communication technologies and information systems .The internet provides an extra ordinary connectivity and the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively directly with customers at a reasonable cost .Its potential to generate more revenue is not questionable but is acknowledged as something the tourism industry in developing countries needs. According to the World Tourism Organization 2002, Tourism in many developing and least developed countries is the most viable and sustainable economic development option, and in some countries, the main source of foreig n exchange earnings. Implications of the Internet and other growing interactive multimedia platforms for tourism promotion are far reaching and alter the structure of the industry. This research aimed to explore the impact of ICTs and theà Internet in particular for the future competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper explores the current state of eTourism development and examines the use of the Internet in the sector. The rapid development and commercialization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the travel and tourism industry has prompted hotels and other enterprises in this sector to increasingly adopt these technologies. This is based on the expectation that the new ICT based technologies and processes would lead to an improvement in their operating efficiencies and customer service levels. Buhalis, D. (2003: 77). The ICT based products and processes help the hotels to enhance the operating efficiency, improve the service experience as well as provide a means to access markets on a global basis. Brussels, 2005. Says ââ¬ËThe use of ICTs is a relevant opportunity for growing and strengthening a local tourism industry, and for the development of destinations economies overall. Specifically ICTs have the potential to increase destination incomes for financing economic and social developmentââ¬â¢. While ICTs were used in the hotel industry from the late seventies in the f orm of Computerized Reservation systems and Global distribution systems, it was only in the 90s that the ICTs began to make a difference in the hospitality sector. Nowadays the internet has turned into an informative channel providing both individuals and organisations with different types of information making them aware of new tourism and old travel opportunities and offers enabling them to compare the offers, have online purchases and provide feedback. It has also turned into a source for travel agencies and organisations to promote their services and products to their potential customers. As the internet is being used worldwide it was important for Meikles hotel to implement hence the creation of its web site www.meikles.com Meikles Hotel Meikles Hotel is situated in the heart of Harare and overlooks the historic landmark and colourful flower gardens of Africa Unity Square. According to Experience Zimbabwe, Meikles is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel is a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a prestigious hospitality organisation which represents some of the worlds most acclaimed hotels, spas and resorts. Established in 1928, the organisation exists to meet the needs of discerning travellers and for aà hotel to be recognised by this body, it needs to exceed every expectation and achieve exacting standards of excellence. Executive chairman Mr Onias Makamba says ââ¬ËMeikles Hotel has won the prestigious Association of Zimbabwean Travel Agents (AZTA) award for Best City Hotel in Zimbabwe for an astonishing 15 consecutive yearsââ¬â¢. This award is voted on by AZTA members and is based on feedback given to travel agents by their many clients across the world. Probl em Definition There have been a lot of changes in the rapid growing world of technology. Changes in the technological world have made organizations to change the way they conduct their day to day business in order to provide satisfactory services delivery. Effective delivery of service is defined by Martin (2004) as providing products and services that bring utility to users and customers. E-tourism is offering significant benefits for organizations that integrate the technology into their organizational information systems. This versatile technology improves information quality and accessibility, increases operational efficiency (service delivery) and enhances effective management (Maamar, 2006). Despite these highly perceived benefits of e-tourism its adoption has been relatively slow in Zimbabwe. Currently, there are no studies which have been carried out in Zimbabwe to identify the benefits and challenges of adopting ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence it is the ideal time to ca rry out an investigation on the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Objectives The key objective of this research has been to examine the Adoption of ICT in the tourism industry mainly looking at Meikles Hotel in Zimbabwe .In particular the research examines the level of ICT diffusion in tourism enterprises. Another objective is to Identify the factors affecting E-tourism in Zimbabwe The paper also assesses how eTourism concepts and techniques can contribute towards the improvement of the Zimbabwe tourism competitiveness. RESEARCH QUESTIONS I. At what rate is ICT being adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe? II. What factors are encouraging or discouraging the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry of Zimbabwe. 2. Literatureà review Literature review is a ââ¬Å"systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by other scholarsâ⬠(Khan, 2008, p.41). The literature review focuses on the impacts of ICTs on tourism and the eCommerce developments in Zimbabwe. It also includes a brief section on Tourism in Zimbabwe which provides the contextual environment that determines the requirements for eTourism in the country. 2.1 ICT Developments and eCommerce in Zimbabwe There are various factors that have affected the adoption of ecommerce in Zimbabwe, these include : Software development tools are still evolving .It is difficult to integrate Internet and e-commerce software with some existing (especially legacy) applications and databases .Special web servers are needed in addition to the network servers, which add to the cost of ecommerce. The Standard June 5, 2011 says the adoption of the multiple currency system in 2009 presented a strong opportunity for the growth of e-commerce in Zimbabwe. It said Zimbabwe now had a chance to catch up with the rest of the world if the financial and retail sectors took the lead. Internet accessibility is still expensive and or inconvenient .Powertel Communications, a government owned internet provider, is one of the 12 POTRAZ licensed Internet Access Providers in Zimbabwe. In June 2014 Powertel mobile broadband price were $50/month .The price of the modem $45.Every Zimbabwean cannot afford these prices. The Fin ancial Gazette 3 Oct 2013 states Despite the growth of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, which has seen internet penetration rising from five to 47 percent in the past five years, the cost of accessing the internet still remains high. The improved internet penetration is largely credited to the ICT Strategic Plan crafted by the then ministry of ICT under Nelson Chamisa. Customersââ¬â¢ attitudes towards online shopping remain skeptical, mainly because of worries about product quality, product delivery, and security and privacy issues (Ghazali et al., 2006; Scott Scott, 2008). People do not yetà sufficiently trust paperless, faceless transactions .Payment security and privacy concerns are one of the major non technological barriers that prevent consumers from completing transactions online Lack of trust in e-commerce and in unknown sellers hinders buying. Online fraud is also increasing. Some customers like to feel and touch products. They are afraid that if they purchase without actually touching the products they might not get exactly what they ordered. Also, customers are resistant to the change from shopping at a brick-and-mortar store to a virtual store. The lack of standà ards in technology and its applications eventually increases the cost of system integration for effective and efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Large hospitality corporations have invested to transform their systems into a total netware system; however, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate the systems due to a shortage of financial sources Factors Determining the Adoption of ICTs In Zimbabwean Hotels There are a number of factors that affect the adoption of ICT in hotels these will be discussed below. In the hotel industry, the geographic location of a hotel has a major impact on its operations and profitability. The geographical location of a hotel would greatly determine the profile of its visitors, the size of its market and the level of competition that it has to face. A hotel will therefore be more inclined to adopt ICTs if it expects the ICT based facilities to either provide greater competitive advantage or to blunt the advantage enjoyed by its competitors considering the characteristics of its customer profile, its market size and the intensity of competition that it has to face. Thus based on the profile of a hotelââ¬â¢s visitors, the size of the market, or the intensity of competition, hotels may differ in their levels of ICT adoption propensity. The market size, in terms of the number of tourists who visit the location, will also be a significant factor that affects ICT adoption , since hotelsà in smaller underdeveloped destinations may need to use the internet and other ICT based technologies to a greater degree to reach out to the global population than hotels located in developed destinations. According to Bajaj and Nag (2005) a range of advanced ICT systems such as Decision Support System (DSS) can be applied to gain substantial benefits on practical levels not only by large organisations, but also by small and medium-sized business organisations as well. Bajaj and Nag (2005) argue that DSS integration by small and medium-sized organisations can assist management by generating a set of alternative solution options to management problems of various levels complexities The competition level among the hotels in a location, can also influence the adoption of ICTs. The general occupancy rate in the location is an indicator of the competitive intensity among the hotels in a location. High levels of occupancy rate at a location imply that the competition is low, and the hotels can expect to get their rooms filled with relative ease while low levels of occupancy point towards higher levels of competition to attract customers between the hotels in the location. High levels of competition may prompt the hotels to aggressively use ICT based technologies both for attracting customers as well as to increase the efficiency of its operations. The size of the hotel has an important effect on ICT adoption. Effective adoption of several ICT technologies requires a substantial investment of resources. Lack of resources may affect the inclination of small hotels to adopt costly ICTs and therefore large hotels can be expected to be more inclined to ICTs. Further the risky nature of investing in new technologies may prompt small hotels to wait till the technology has stabilized before investing in it. Another aspect of the hotel size that can influence adoption of ICTs is the inclination to change within the organization. Large hotels have been found to be more resistant to change than small firms. This fact tends to suggest that large hotels are less inclined to adopt ICTs than small hotels as long as the investment required is not a consideration. The scope of activities that the hotel is engaged in can also influence adoption of ICTs. Since ICTs enable an effective integration of activities of an organization, hotels with varied lines of activities would find more use in the adoption of ICTs than hotels with a relatively lesser span of activities. 2.2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Tourism sector The internet has become a key application in the tourism industry. Tourism providers have been using the internet to communicate, distribute and market their products to potential customers worldwide in a cost- and time-efficient way. In fact, the individual company website had become the most important platform for e-commerce, followed by electronic markets. The main focus of e-business processes in the tourism industry has been on customer facing activities and services, i.e. primarily e-marketing and e-sales. Online booking and reservation services were widely accepted among consumers and business travell ers already in 2005. Similarly, online purchasing had become a relatively well-used application in the tourism sector. Parsons and Oja (2013) mention online reservations systems as one of the greatest impacts of ICT on tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strateà gic practices dramatically in tourism .The tourism indusà try at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world. In this section, we will provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. 2.2.1 Electronic tourism (e-tourism) It is the application of ICTs on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). Buhalis (2003) suggests that e-tourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-comà merce and applies ICTs for maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourismà organià sation. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionises all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organisations with all their stakeholders. E-tourism determines the competitiveness of the organisation by taking advantage of intranets for reorganising internal processes, extranets for developing transactions with trusted partners and the Internet for interacting with all its stakeholders and customers. The e-tourism concept includes all business functions (i.e., e-commerce, e-marketing, e-finance and e-accounting, eHRM, e-procurement, e-production) as well as e-strategy, e-planning and e-management for all sectors of the tourism industry, including tourism, travel, transport, leisure, hospitality, principals, intermediaries and public sector organisations. Hence, e-tourism bundles together three distinctive disciplines: business management, information systems and management, and tourism. II.2.2 Computer reservation system (CRS) The 1989 CRS Regulation51 defined a computerized reservation system as a system for reserving and booking seats on commercial flights electronically, as well as storage and retrieval of itineraries. Several airlines own and market such systems, which are used by travel agents. A few include: Sabre (produced by American Airlines), Amadeus, and Worldspan. It is a database which enables a tourism organisation to manage its inventory and make it accessible to its partners. Principals utilise CRSs to manage their inventory and distribute their capacity as well as to manage the drastic expansion of global tourism. CRSs often charge competitive commission rates while enabling flexible pricing and capacity alterations, to adjust supply to demand fluctuations. Airlines pioneered this technology, although hotel chains and tour operators followed by developing centralised reservation systems. CRSs can be characterised as the ââ¬Å"circulation systemâ⬠of the tourism product. II.2.3 Global distribution systems (GDSs) The business dictionary defines a global distribution system as a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel relatedà items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The premier global distribution systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups. Also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).Since the mid 1980s, airline CRSs developed into GDSs by gradually expanding their geographical coverage as well as by integrating both horizontally, with other airline systems, and vertically by incorporating the entire range of principals, such as accommodation, car rentals, train and ferry ticketing, entertainment and other provisions. In the early 1990s, GDSs emerged as the major driver of ICTs, as well as the back bone of the tourism industry and the single most important facilitator of ICTs globalisation (Sheldon, 1993). In essence, GDSs matured from their original development as airline CRSs to travel supermarà kets. Since the late 1990s GDSs have emerged as business in their own right, specialising in travel distribution. 2.2.4 Intermediaries Intermediaries (brokers) play an important role in commerce by providing value-added activities and services to buyers and sellers. The most well-known intermediaries in the physical world are wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, intermediaries of the travel industry have been outbound and inbound travel agencies and tour operators. However, the Internet restructured the entire touristic value chain, forcing the existing intermediaries to take up the new medium and to develop corresponding business models. 2.2.5 e-Travel agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Andreas Papatheodorou ââ¬â (2006) Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. GDSs help construct complicated itineraries, whileà they provide up-to-date schedules, prices and availability information, as well as an effective reservation method. In addition, they offered internal management modules integrating the ââ¬Å"back officeâ⬠(accounting, commission monitor, personnel) and ââ¬Å"front officeâ⬠(customersââ¬â¢ history, itinerary construction, ticketing and communication with suppliers). Multiple tr avel agencies in particular experience more benefits by achieving better coordination and control between their remote branches and headquarters. Transactions can provide invaluable data for financial and operational control as well as for marketing research, which can analyze the market flucà tuations and improve tactical decisions Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ââ¬ËProperty management systems (PMSs)ââ¬â¢ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the ââ¬Å"backâ⬠and ââ¬Å"frontâ⬠of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing funcà tions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management reà quests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged.This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates resà ervations through several distribution channels 2.3 Tourism in Zimbabwe In the past, tourism contributed significantly to the GDP of Zimbabwe, and created many employment and business opportunities for locals in the 1990s. But it has faced a great decline since 2000. A number of Zimbabwean tourist attractions are marketed online by South African companies and they have created an impression to some international tourists that they are located in South Africa. E-tourism has always seemed like a no-brainer for Zimbabwe, as money can be paid direct to hotels and suppliers. But obstacles like the lack of access to communication in remote areas, uncertain electricity availability, high cost of bandwidth, the lack of integrated, real-time reservation systems and local online payment gateways have thus far stymied progress. However, with the arrival of voice and data-oriented telecommunications in some remote tourist areas, there is more access to information via websites by foreign tourists looking for a good holiday resort. In other parts of Africa, arrival o f cheaper bandwidth has lessened the barriers to communication and the worldââ¬â¢s Online Travel Agencies like Expedia are showing a real interest in the continent. Ten years ago no-one was talking about online tourism. The tourism trade tended to focus on going to big trade events like World Tourism Markets, with brochures and doing support advertising in key markets. The travel agents tended to suggest where people went and to some extent picked the destinations. As a result, a great deal of the revenues went to large, international hotel chains and not much of the money was retained locally. According to The Zimbabwean (22 June 2011) 56% of travel globally is booked online and the rise of the Online Travel Agents has been unstoppable. These OTAs, as they are known in the trade, include Expedia, Travelocity, Lastminute.com and Bookings.com who have significant market share in Africa. Expedia has actually opened an office to focus on Africa. It goes on to say In 2005, less than 2% of tourism revenues in Africa came from online booking. In 2010, buoyed by the World Cup, that percentage rose to 5% and looks set to go to somewhere between 15-20% by 2016. The World Cup may have been a one-off boost but it accelerated the growth of online tourism in South Africa. 50% of Americans read an online review before booking internationally and thatââ¬â¢s usuallyà either Trip Advisor or Facebook. (Trip Advisor is now owned by Expedia). Most internatio nal travellers have credit cards and increasingly expect to be able to book online for anything from the smallest travel lodge to the largest hotel chain. So what are the barriers? The missing piece was e-commerce. There used to be no route for doing online transactions in other countries in Africa including Zimbabwe. Online distribution by the OTAs requires a reservation system that offers real-time availability. OTAs wonââ¬â¢t do business with you unless you have that. In Zimbabwe there are few tourist resorts offering e-commerce reservation and booking services. Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls offer online booking and payment services, which have attracted a large number of tourists over the years. The second missing piece was the ability and tools to do online marketing. The companies needed marketing skills, especially with social media. Todayââ¬â¢s tourist wants to hear from other travellers (through Facebook and Trip Advisor) and are not that interested in what the hotel has to say. For example, hotel chains Africa Sun and Cresta Hotels have invested in websites and Facebook groups where reviews are easily accessible to prospective tourists. Now that the data oriented communication and cheaper bandwidth is slowly becoming available throughout the country, telcos and ISPs need to focus specifically on those industry sectors that are most likely to make the online transition fastest. It must be possible in the near future for a herita ge site in Binga to be marketed online to the world and attract visitors. 3. Research Methodology To fulfil the objectives of this research a number of methods were used. Both primary and secondary data were therefore essential. Given the dynamic nature of the subject area, multiple primary research approaches were adopted, including both qualitative and quantitative methods (Phillip, 1998). Bryman (1998) explains that the two methods are complementary rather than competing, especially for exploratory research. The researcher made use of the internet and some library books to carry out the research and establish the solutions to the research objectives .First a qualitative approach was adopted in order to enable the appreciation of all aspects of the subject and to develop a set of the most critical variablesà to be included afterwards into a questionnaire. The main objective was to objectively establish the level of eCommerce and the on-line representation of Zimbabwean tourism. The second stage involved semi-structured interviews aimed to elicit critical issues and to explore the key factors that determine the development of eTourism in Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews are considered as the most appropriate method to obtain information about perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. Judgmental sampling was employed and interviewees were selected as pioneers in eTourism in Zimbabwe, as determined by their online presence assessed in the previous phase of the research. Owners and marketing managers of organisations that run innovative web sites, as demonstrated by the methods used to interact with their clientele, were targeted and an interview was requested. The sample was chosen to include interviewees who would be informed, reflecting their particular experience and outlook on the research area. Twenty five telephone contacts were made and 28 interviews were finally conducted, which resulted in a 51% response rate .The reasearcher also made use of the questionnaires. The questionnaires designed by the researcher had both open ended questions thus allowing a respondent to fully express the answer and closed questions which only provided simple choice of answer such as yes or no. Questionnaires were used by the researcher because they saved time and they were an inexpensive way of surveying a cross section of people. Questionnaires allowed the researcher to guide the respondent along the lines regarding the topic under study and responses obtained from closed ended questions are easy to analyze. Questionnaires allowed the respondents to give freely the confidential information since the respondents were not required to disclose their identity. The researcher favoured the use of questionnaires because the analysis of data from close-ended question was easy. However data collection through the use of questionnaires required a significant commitment, expertise, time and material resources. The researcher also noted that questionnaires were highly inflexible as they gave no room to rephrase questions, furthermore, some questions remained unanswered and it affected the research findings. The researcher used simple wording in the questionnaires so that the respondents would not fail to understand the questions, that is, the researcher used simple wording to elaborate the meanings of what was being asked and required. The researcher also used face to face interviews. The researcher employed structured interviews to obtain detailed and specific information from the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Mr Mzembi. The questions presented to the Minister sought to determine the factors affecting adoption of ICTs in Zimbabwean hotel and also how far Zimbabwean hotels are in terms of adoption of ICTs. The interview also sought to discover challenges to implementing ICTs and compliance at different hotels. The interview process proved time consuming and required persistence since the honourable Minister was a busy person and he was not easily available. The actual interview session had a length of 15 minutes due to the Ministerââ¬â¢s busy schedule. To avoid inconveniences, an appointment via e-mail and telephone call prior to interviewing visit was made. Goodman (2003) states that certain biases exist due to the tendency by the interviewer to ask wrong questions and be supplied with answers he expects to get. The researcher eliminated such errors by avoiding leading questions and taking a listener approach instead of providing suggestions. Probing was only applied as a means of seeking clarifications. This technique was used because interviews are highly flexible and the researcher was able to rephrase the questions to make the respondent understand better. Dennis (2003), states that an interview is whereby the researcher and the respondents discuss verbally with each other either face to face, over the phone or over the internet. Interviews allow probing on open ended questions, clarifications on ambiguous questions and sequencing of questions is easily changed. However, the researcher noted that interviews were costly to run in terms of money and they are time consuming because the interviewee was a busy person hence the need of an appointment and the need of a telephone call reminding the interviewee about the appointment before theà time. The researcher also noted that the interview failed to give anonymity to the respondent, hence, there was a greater chance of being given biased information. RESULTS Eight hotels participated in the survey Meikles hotel, Holiday inn (Bulawayo), Victoria falls, Regency Fairmile, Kadoma hotel, Midlands hotel. At the outset the author quotes from a number of previous reports, which indicate that ICT has not been implemented effectively in the hospitality industry Evidence from the literature review has shown that there are a number of factors, which affect technology adoption. These factors include organisational readiness, external pressure, internal expertise, support of owner or manager, user participation, efficient and effective use of any external expertise. The barriers which were uncovered by the research: IT management training, dependency on outside experts and size and scale of enterprise are all directly related to the ââ¬Ëotherââ¬â¢ factors which influence ICT adoption. The level of significance of these barriers varies between the tourism sub-sectors surveyed. This study has added new knowledge in terms of the significance of a n umber of further barriers to ICT adoption. They include peripheral or rural location, security concerns, cost issues, lack of capital, and personal background of the owner manager. A closer analysis of findings has revealed that although technology is available, some of it is obsolete or not necessarily functional. Hotels possessed various outdated versions of software packages which did not seem to serve them well. . The mode of Internet bookings is an important determinant of their success. A lot of Internet booking systems generates a booking in email format rather than integrating into the hotelââ¬â¢s reservation system online. This obviously limits the usefulness of these systems. DISCUSSION The adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast; this was noted by the stakeholder preparedness to harness it. Meikles hotel being aà five star hotel recognised internationally, this pushes them to move along with technological changes. Meikles hotel is interested in improving in their service provision through the use of e-commerce, and the results of this study show that this is being done at a fast pace. The top management at Meikles hotel are quite literate hence the adoption of ICT is faster compared to other hotels .The C.E.O is a holder of an honours degree in Computer science .Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotelââ¬â¢s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. Meikles hotel has a website developed and maintained by an inhouse programmer .Their website is user friendly and they have all the information that one needs about the hotel. Meikles hotel started offering wireless network services to guest in 2006.They use Fidelio management system which integrates all the information from the reservations, banqueting, finance departments and the restaurants. They use point of sale systems. CONCLUSION It can be noted that the adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast and it has been done to a very large extent. Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotelââ¬â¢s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. References Buhalis, D (1998), ââ¬Å"Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industryâ⬠, Tourism Management, Vol.19, pp.409-421. Connolly D. J and Olsen M. D(2000) ââ¬Å"An Environmental Assessment of How Technology is reshaping the Hospitality Sectorâ⬠, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol.3 (1), pp.73 to93. Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S (1998) Tourism Principles and Practice, Pearson, Essex. Hoontrakul and Sahadev (2005*) ââ¬Å"Determinants of E-commerce Usage in the Hotel Buhalis, D. (1997) Information technologies as a strategic tool for economic, cultural and environmental benefits enhancement of tourism at destination regions. Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3 (1), 71-93. Buhalis, D. (2003). eTourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. London, UK: Pearson (Financial Times/Prentice Hall). Morrison, A., Taylor, S., Morrison, A., and Morrison, A. (1999) Marketing small hotels on the world web 2 (2), 97ââ¬â113. Oââ¬â¢Connor, P. (2000) Using Computers in Hospitality, 2nd edition. London: Cassell. Peacock, M. (1995) Information Technology in Hospitality. London: Cassell. Oââ¬â¢Connor, P. and Frew, A. (2000) Evaluating electronic channels of distribution in the hotel sector: a Delphi study. Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (3/4), 177ââ¬â193. Oââ¬â¢Connor, P. and Horan, P. (1999) An analysis of web reservations facilities in the top 50 international hotel chains. International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology, 1 (1), 77ââ¬â87.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Current Education System Impact on Creativity
Current Education System Impact on Creativity Abstract This paper discusses how the current system education in Latin America kills creativity. The paper explains that standard test need to be reorganized and how the system would improve. Then it will show how free time is important for each student to have better knowledge. Finally, you will find how is the methodology of the system to reflect on the path we are following. Also along the paper there are some comments to solve the problem because that problem is affecting childhood. Keywords: Current educational system, creativity, students , methodology, childhood. The current education system kills creativity Does every person have the same opportunities in the current education system? The answer is clear No. Nowadays the current education system is based on a few important subjects such as maths, science and language but it does not focus on people who like to dance or sing. In the article The case for disruption in Latin Americans classrooms (Segan, 2016), Susan says that many schools in Latin America continue to use antiquated models for education. For many years education system in those developing countries has not had a great change, even though humans are developing every moment; our cars improved, our computers improved, and our engines improved. However, in the article Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà a en la prà ¡ctica. (Howard), Gardner suggest that we have been used this education system since industrial revolution. In those days this system worked because the world necessities only consisted on memorizing or following instructions. This education system uses those old techniques such as memorization but in todays world skills such as creativity, imagination, and innovation are needed. Gardner also suggests that there is more than only one intelligence so why does education system only focus on some of them? We have different ways to learn, create, and innovate so we cannot keep on using this system. Each person is different and unique so the system cannot judge us equal. Also, the world has changed since the industrial revolution and our necessities have changed too. Now we have many people without work because the system does not prepare them for new labour requirements because the world need more people who can solve problems. On top of that the current educational system believes that some subjects are more important than others such as math and dance but nothing farther than the truth because a dancer can create and innovate with his/her body. However we sometimes think that a mathematic or a logic person only has theoretical knowledge and c annot apply that kind of knowledge in real life, but that is not true in all cases. However the current system education guides us to think in a unique way. For those reasons by me there are 3 issues with the current system education that kills creativity. Standard test are not suitable for all students First of all, standardized tests are one of the biggest problems in the education system. In the article Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà a en la prà ¡ctica. (Howard) , the author says that there are several different intelligent. Based on this information in my view standard test is not a good way to evaluate a students progress. Standardized test are based on questions to benefit certain people with specific skills. For example, in Ecuador there is an exam called ENES which benefit people who have logical and linguistic intelligence. However, people who do not have those skills cannot pass this exam so they believe that they are not able to study anything. Those exams are created to benefit specific skills such as the ability to calculate math problems or create and solve equations. However, in the article The case for disruption in Latin Americans classrooms (20 May 2016), Susan Segal says that the way students learn and what they need to learn is rapidly changing so the ma in problem is Can a unique exam apply to everyone? According to Gardner there are different intelligent, skills and necessities so those kinds of exams do not work because each person has different skills and necessities. By the contrast this kind of test judges everyone as equals. Another issue is that a test takes a lot of time to be answered and is exhausting for students. People who control educational system should change test methodology and try to make them less stressful. With this in mind if tests were more practical, students would increase their knowledge faster and they would develop new important abilities. For example, with a test is difficult to value the real awareness. By the contrast by creating projects would be better to evaluate each student. By creating projects students develop skills such as to resolve real problems, create new ideas or improve leadership. In science, we dont begin by knowing the answer-we value the processÃâà ¨ (Ossola, 2014). That shows us that sometimes we need to move our hands to learn better. If we do not make the process we will have knowledge but we would not be able to apply that knowledge in the real world. One solution for this problem would be to decrease the number of tests and increase the number of pro jects but tests could be more practical because now there are a lot of tests that only exploit our ability to memorize. At the present time our world is more competitive and big ideas are required to improve our world. In this way test should be related to take advantage of those skills and guide us to use them to resolve real problems. Time should be better spent Secondly, the lack of free time for students is another problem in the current education system. Time is important for every one because we can use it on different things such as relaxing, doing homework, playing or whatever we like. However, what happens if we spend too much time in classes? We do not take advantage of the hundred percentage of our time because we have exhausting classes with a long schedule. In some cases each subject is token 2 hours per day, so teachers cannot stay those schedules and neither do students. Thus students get stressed easily and cannot pay attention very well. Also students who do not like some subjects spend their time in other activities such as playing on their cell phones, chatting or joking. Hence time is not taken advantage of in classes, so schedule should benefit students and teachers. Each one works better if they are relaxed. A good example to take advantage of time is in the article, A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill, electrifying a nati on. (2007). Where Sarah Childress says that while William Kamkwanba quietly plowed through homework, his classmates were busy gossiping and checking their Facebook profiles. He took advantage of his time while his partners did not spend time in a good way. Also William Kamkwanba created a new project without any pressure. He was relaxed and he worked better. Also he did not spend his time in classes because he was forced to work with his hands so he worked better if he was moving his hands. Also William Kamkwanba had done his work without any teacher; he is a great example of self-preparation. A great example of this is when he built a wind will only with a book. This shows that the only limit is our imagination. He worked every minute in his project so his project could be done. Based on that the scholar system should change the schedule and exploit each ones abilities taken advantage of every minute in classes and give more free time to decrease stress. Also the system should cons ider different ways to exploit time. As we can see in Willians example creating projects is one of the best solutions because with projects we are able to think outside the box and not waste time. Time is too important because we cannot recover lost time. The current methodology no longer works Finally, the current methodology based on memorization is an impediment to learn because creative people are wasting their time. Nowadays memorization is an important base in our education system. However not all students are able to learn in this way also this way of teaching does not teach critical thinking skills. If we think on memorization, scientist comes up our mind because some people believe that they are like robots and they only memorize their books. However , in the article Scientists Are More Creative than You Might Imagine (Nov 12, 2014). Ossola Alexandra believes that scientists are like artists as well. Scientists are able to create because they need new ideas. Also projects are based on new ideas and a scientist always does projects. If a scientist only has the ability of memorize, he would fail in the science world. However the education system, which I described before, is not useful for different skills based on creativity, it focuses in creating head knowledge. S chools only teach what they need to learn they only teach facts, but sometimes they do not teach how they can apply that knowledge and students are like machines, empty machines. A student can follow instructions but the real question is, can that student think by himself. Curiosity, initiative, leadership are not used in classes and they are abilities that can help a student not only in his studies also in his life. Innovative solutions and new technologies are emerging around the world (Segal Susan, 2016). That means that there are a lot of people with good ideas. However in Latin America those techniques such as creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and others are not taken of advantage because those skills are killed in schools or high schools. The system only teaches us to follow one way. Nevertheless kids are living a different reality so they need different skills. Memorization is an antiquate technique that should be changed by techniques like leadership or adaptability initiative. To sum up In conclusion if the current education system in Latin America based on memorization and head knowledge are not useful in the world today, we should find a solution to help people with fresh ideas, innovation or creativity. Today we are judge a fish by its ability to climb that shows us that we are not creating people who can solve real problems because the education system is focused head knowledge. However, the world need more than knowledge as developing countries we should be able to pick the best of other education systems from countries with better development. Also education system is too important for each one because kids are formed in this system and they will be the future of our society. Nevertheless we are killing their abilities and we are formed robots that only have linear thinking. Is true that there are problems so we need to identify which are they and try to find a solution. Childress, S. (2007, DECEMBER 12). A Young Tinkerer Builds a Windmill. Retrieved from THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119742696302722641 Howard, G. (n.d.). Inteligencias Mà ºltiples: La teorà a en prà ¡ctica. Barcelona: PAIDÃâS. Ossola, A. (2014, November 12). Scientists Are More Creative Than You Might Imagen. Retrieved from the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/11/the-creative-scientist/382633/ Sean T, F. (Director). (25 june 2013). El Sistema Educativo Finlandà ©s Subtitulado web [Motion Picture]. Segan, S. (2016, May 20). The case for disruption in Latin Americas. Retrieved from The World Economic Forum on Latin: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/a-case-for-disruption-in-latin-america-s-classrooms/
Directors Duties in Company Law
Directors Duties in Company Law Solution: Facts and Issues: In this case Mario is the Director of FWPL Company. Mario decides to contact Simon with the intention to acquire his shares in FWPL. As a Managing Director, Mario knows that there is a good chance that Company will in near future enter into a distribution agreement with a leading retailer in the United States that will enhance the value of the business. The issues in this case are as hereunder:- Duty of care or (directors duty of care to the company and to the members). Duty of good faith. What duties director owes to the company? (Bostock, 2012) Rules: Section 180 (1) of the Corporations Act 2001 incorporates the Duty of diligence and care. This provision states that a officer or Director of a corporation shall exercise the powers vested in him and discharge their duties with a degree of care and diligence which is exercised by a reasonable person if they: Were a officer or director of a corporation in the circumstance of corporation; and held or Occupied the office by, and bear the same responsibilities within the corporation as the Director or the officer. The reference reasonable person indicates an objective level of care which is consistent with the development of a duty based on trust. The balance should be between the foreseeable risks of harm against the potential benefits that can reasonably affect the corporation from the questioned conduct(Lowry, 2012). Section 181 Duty of good faith. An officer or Director of a corporation shall exercise their powers and discharge their duties: In the best interests of the corporation and in good faith For a proper purpose This provision embodies fiduciary duty on directors of the corporation to act Bonafide and in good faith for the advantage of the corporation, and provides with an obligation to act honestly(Barasnevicius Quagliato, 2008). Section 182 Duty of Director not using his position improperly. A director of a corporation shall not use their position improperly to gain an advantage either for themselves or for some other person. The director shall not make improper use of their position in such a way that it causes detriment to the corporation. This section is determined to be violated when a director is engaged in a conduct with the intention and objective of obtaining an advantage regardless of the fact whether that advantage occurred or not (Ho Lee, 2007). Section 183 Duty not to use information obtained as a director improperly. When a person obtains some information because he has been or is a director of the corporation, then he must not use that information in improper way to have an advantage for himself or any other person (Kottow, 2010). Application: Section 180 of the corporations Act 2001 attracts a civil obligation that a officer of the corporation or director of the corporation must at all reasonable times show a proper degree of care and diligence in the execution of their duties and powers. Section 180 (2) provides a rule of business judgment whereby a director is required to: Make their judgment for a proper purpose in good faith The director should not invest his personal interest of material nature in the matter of the concerned judgment. Should inform themselves regarding the matter of the judgment to the extent they believe to be appropriate. The directors believe that the judgment is made with the advantage of the corporation. In this case the decision of Mario to acquire Simonââ¬â¢s shares is based on his personal interest and violates the duty of care and diligence (Bainbridge, n.d.). The duty of good faith as per section 181 of the corporations Act 2001 is violated. Section 181 requires that the director must entertain his duties in good faith in the best interests of the corporation and. In this case Mario is not discharging his duties for a proper purpose for the advantage of the corporation rather he has been intended to have a personal advantage which shall not be in the advantage or interest of the corporation. On the other hand, this is also not for the proper purpose. Proper purpose under this act refers a purpose which is in the interest of the corporation. A civil obligation is imposed on the directors and other officers under section 181 to exercise their duties and powers in good faith and in the interests of the corporation. It has been provided that if the directors use their powers of their personal interest, the advantage of any other party, then it shall be considered to have breached this duty under section 181. It is important to note that under section 184 (1) breach of this duty shall be considered as a criminal offense if the director was intentionally dishonest (Lim, 2013). The duty provided under section 182 not to make improper use of position and under section 183 not to make improper use of information has been violated in this case. Here Mario has used his position in an improper way for his personal interest and benefit rather than for the benefit of the corporation or the members of the corporation. Mario has also used the information which he obtained because he was a managing director has violated and breached the duty under section 183 of the act. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the above analysis that in this case Mario being the Managing Director has breached the duties under section 182 and 183 of the Corporations act 2001. Mario has used his position and information he obtained being in the position of Director of the corporation for his personal interest and benefit. Mario has failed to perform his duties in good faith against the corporation as well as against Simon. In this case Mario has breached the duties to act in good faith in the interest of the corporation for a proper purpose. Mario has breached his duties against the corporation and the members of the corporation both. Question 2: Facts and Issues: In this case JV Mine Pty Ltd is jointly held fifty percent by GML and the other fifty percent by QMNE. In 2009, QMNE approached GML, the shareholder in JV Mine, to make another big investment in JV Mine, to offer it to develop a copper mine. The directors of GML delegated to others, which included a geologist, the work of collecting the technical information relating to the quantum of copper that the company might be able to be mined. The report, which was prepared for the directors showed that the investment offered in the mine shall be very fruitful. Queried by other directors regarding the optimistic results, Mr. Chester (who has a geology qualification) assured them that all reports seem to be in order. But it was discovered that some of the facts had been negligently included in the report. This means that, if the directors believe the report and invest funds of GMLââ¬â¢s in the mine, the investment will not be as successful as the report has declared. The issues in this case are as given hereunder: What should be standard of care for the directors? Duty of care is same for all or less for others or special for one? Is it special for directors who have geological qualification? Mention responsibilities of decisions, all decisions canââ¬â¢t be positive (Bruner, n.d.) Rules: Section 180 (1) of the Corporations Act 2001 provides the duty of care and diligence for the directors of the corporation. It states that an officer or director of a corporation shall exercise the powers vested in him and discharge their duties with a degree of care and diligence which a person of reasonable prudence would exercise if he: Held the position a director or officer of a corporation in the circumstance of the corporation; and Occupied the office or position held by, and hold the same powers in the corporation as the Director or the officer (Lipson, n.d.). The standard of care which is to be observed by the directors of the corporation should be as expected from a person of reasonable prudence would have shown if he was a director or held the same office with the same responsibilities. In other words the standard of care which is required from the directors is that same for a person of ordinary and reasonable prudence. The directors have a duty to act in the advantage and interests of the corporation. Directors have a duty to directly avoid conflict of interests (DIRECTORS PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR CORPORATE FAULT, 2007). An objective standard of care was developed by Australian courts in the case of Daniels V Anderson (1995) 13 ACLC 614 (Cassidy, J.1997). Duty of care is same for all the directors of the corporation. The law does not provide for difference in liability of directors. All the directors are expected to act with their diligence and care and perform their duties with such care that no loss is caused to the corporation (Art, R. C.2003). Special standard of care is expected from the directors who are skilled or have special knowledge of a technical question involved. Where the question is related to a technical point and any of the directors have special knowledge or skill related to that question then the standard of care expected becomes as that from an expert (Gordon, R. 2003). Application: In this case it is the duty under section 180 (1) of corporation act 2001 of the directors to act with care and diligence. The standard of care expected was as that of a person of ordinary prudence. The directors of GML fulfilled their duty of care by delegating it to others, including a geologist to obtain technical information on the amount of copper that could be mined. It was the duty of the directors to take the decision that whether the investment will be successful or not. In this case the duty of care is same for all the directors and a duty of care was special for the director who had a special knowledge of geology. It comes within the scope of duty of care that the directors make sure that the report submitted before directors should be verified. In this case Mr. Chester, who has a geology qualification, had a special standard of care in this case because he had the special knowledge of the subject. So in this case the duty of care has been breached by the directors of GML as the report showed the amount of profits was not accurate or reasonable. As it was discovered later that some information in the report was negligently prepared. So it comes within the breach of duty of care when the directors fail to obtain a reasonable report and the facts in the report are based on negligence that means the duty of care has not been fulfilled as of the expected standard (Harding, D. 2001) Conclusion: In this case the duty of care was vested in the directors of the GML as to the question of the amount of copper which could be obtained from the mine. The directors had a special standard of care expected from them. The directors delegated to others to obtain the information on technical points about the quantum of copper which could be achieved from the site. It was discovered later that the report, though in order, but it has included the facts of profit which are negligent and not reasonable. So it can be concluded that the directors of GML breached their duty of care in this case (Premiers.qld.gov.au, 2015). References: Bostock, T. (2012). The Corporations Act 2001.Ac,2002 (39). Lowry, J. (2012). The Irreducible Core of the Duty of Care, Diligence and skill of Company Directors: Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Healey.The Modern Law Review,75 (2), 249-260. Barasnevicius Quagliato, P. (2008). The duty to negotiate in good faith.Int Jnl Law Management, 50 (5), 213-225. Ho, L., Lee, P. (2007). A DIRECTORS DUTY TO CONFESS: A MATTER OF GOOD FAITH?The Cambridge Law Journal,66 (02), 348. Kottow, M. (2010). The improper use of research placebos.Journal Of Evaluation In Clinical Practice,16 (6), 1041-1044. Bainbridge, S. The Business Judgment Rule as Abstention Doctrine.SSRN Journal. Lim, E. (2013). Directors duties: improper purposes or implied terms?Legal Studies,34 (3), 395-418. Bruner, C. Is the Corporate Directors Duty of Care a Fiduciary Duty? Does it Matter?SSRN Journal. Lipson, J. Directors Duties to Creditors: Volition, Cognition, Exit and the Financially Distressed Corporation.SSRN Journal. DIRECTORS PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR CORPORATE FAULT. (2007).Tilburg Law Review,14(4), 481-482. Has the sleeping director finally been laid to rest?Australian Business Law Review,25(2), 102-117. Shareholder rights and remedies in close corporations: Oppression, fiduciary duties, and reasonable expectations.Journal of Corporation Law,28(3), 371 Do publicly traded corporations act in the public interest?Advances in Economic Analysis Policy,3(1), 1013 Referral of powers paves way for Australias corporations act.International Financial Law Review,20(4), 57-58. Premiers.qld.gov.au,. (2015).7.3 Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Corporations Act) Welcome Aboard Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
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