The Local Economic Impact From Mega Events Tourism Essay

The Local Economic Impact From Mega Events Tourism Essay In this section, the researcher will present the reason for the selection of this topic. An introduction about mega sporting events, the research questions, its aims and objectives, the literature review, theoretical rationale, methodology, its limitations and followed by a short summary will be written in this proposal. As the researcher in writing is much more familiar with the Singapore economy, the research would be based on the local market, which would be the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix. Roche (2000) describes mega-sporting events as large-scale cultural (including commercial and sporting) events which have a dramatic character, mass popular appeal and international significance. They are typically organised by variable combination of national governmental and international non-governmental organisations. This describes that such events should attract viewers and media representatives from all over the world and that the host city or nation should experience alterations to the regular cycle of events. The hosting of sport events in particular has showed a number of potential benefits. Potential benefits such as investments, advertising, tax generation, revenue generation, enhanced community image, job creation, positive spiritual earnings, health and fitness, promotion of sport, creating local amusement, creation of new infrastructure, improvement community pride, urban redevelopment, increased tourist flow, according to Daniels and Norman (2003), and Kim et al. (1998). Research Question This research explains how mega-events like Singapore Formula One Grand Prix affects the local economic impact and the strategies adopted. The research is classified under the following question where in this report; the researchers effort will be concentrated on giving insights on this research question. How do managers use strategic analysis tools on a mega-event such as F1? Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to discuss the impact of strategic analysis tools used on mega-events, on how events such as Formula One is marketed to the beneficial of Singapores local economy. Thus, the researcher will be aiming to attain the following objectives: To identify the different strategic analysis tools used for economic impacts. To develop an understanding on how these strategic analysis tools are placed on to mega-events. To discover the influences from strategic analysis tools on mega-events such as Formula One. To examine the effectiveness of the strategic analysis tools impact on Formula One. Literature Review Mega-events such as Formula One have the ability to attract large numbers of visitors and their expenditure, which is often sought after by local tourism agencies because of their actual potential to contributing to tourism marketing and development. An important fundamental that government bodies put forward to hosting a mega-sports event is the perceived economic benefits that the event creates (Porter, 1999). It is usually claim that mega-events, such as the Formula One Grand Prix, give an incentive to business resulting in economic benefits generated which are greater than the costs, including public funding, from hosting the event. Sports entrepreneurs or government bodies typically engage consulting agencies to outline an economic impact report (Johnson and Sack, 1996). Regardless of the mega-sports event, such reports from consulting agencies normally claim a huge positive economical impact. However, there are a lot of criticisms in the academic literature on the effectiveness of these economic impact analyses. Matheson (2002; 2006) points out that many (event-sponsored) studies overstate the economic impact on local communities and Porter (1999) states that the envisioned benefits of public spending never occur. This explains that the future prospects of hosting such mega-events are worse off for developing countries and the opportunity cost of providing up-to-date facilities are greater and the need of modern infrastructure required poses a major further investment. 4.1 Impact of Events Mega events can help re-prioritise urban agendas, create post event usage debates, often stimulate urban redevelopment, and are instruments of boosterish ideologies promoting economic growth (Hiller, 2003, p. 449). Thus, these offer an extensive range of potential positive and negative impacts for host destinations and are both short- and long-term. Even though now there is significant competition between destinations, there is still significant gaps between the experience of mega-events in developing and advanced societies, between economic and non-economic outcomes. Mega-events should be part of a long-term developing and marketing plan. The hosting of mega-event can play a critical role in marketing or branding a host destination and be part of a long-term development or positioning strategy. It is important for the marketing opportunity sought from hosting a mega-event to be seen as part of a longer term strategic marketing plan for the destination as opposed to a one-off marketing event (Jago, Dwyer, Lipman, Vorster, 2010, p.231). If a host destination has a development plan in place, the hosting of a mega-event can perform as a catalyst to bringing forward future development opportunities. In this case, this often brings in merit in creating an on-going suite of events that utilises the infrastructure built for the mega-event and enhance the reputation and profile of the host destination over time. In order to formulate a plan for both short- and long-term event outcomes, the organizing committee must consider various event leveraging strategies to be adopted. (OBrien and Chalip, 2007). The leveraging perception is implicated with planning ahead of the event so that a host city can improve and maximize positive impacts such as increased business, tourism and social aspects and benefits Chalip (2004, p. 245) explains that a strategic management process must be formed and implemented in order to properly leverage the opportunities from hosting an event. Strategic analysis tools such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis and Value Chain analysis are appropriate for the evaluation of event leveraging or marketing strategies. The following section will examine what the natures of the said four analysis tools entails and how it is applied to a strategic management process for the organization to host mega-events. 4.2 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is whereby an approach to analyze the aspects of the external environment, in order to identify and establish the most attractive or suitable course of action in terms of strategic decisions to be used. In the sport context, Shank (2009) found that the strengths and weaknesses are manageable elements within the establishment (in this case a host city) that may influence the objectives of the strategic management process. In this case, conducting a SWOT analysis is deemed helpful for host destinations as it can provide event organizers to recognize how the strengths of their country or city can be matched with opportunities that exist in the environment, and useful insights to leverage the benefits of the event. A brief example of a SWOT analysis on Singapore Formula One Grand Prix can be seen in Figure 1. C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopSWOT table.png Figure1 4.3 PEST Analysis PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations (Roumboutsos, Chiara, 2010). It understands the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological of the business environment and event managers can use PEST to scan the environment and adjust their plans to minimize threats and capitalize on opportunities. In the context of Singapores Formula One, brief examples of PEST analysis can be seen as: Political Seen as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the public and private sectors. Economic A stable and growing economy, translating to high consumer confidence and increase in spending Social Lack of racing events in Singapore, thus the idea of Formula One will be well received by the society. Technology Singapore ranked 2nd place of World Class IT Infrastructure by the World Economic Forum in 2011. 4.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis Porters (1980) five forces framework models the five most significant competitive rivalry forces in an industry in order to determine that industrys profitability. This serves as a proxy for the magnetism of the industry for potential entrants and determines the industries profitability. The five forces are: rivalry between competitors in the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of consumers, barriers to entry and threat of substitutes. Thus, in the case of Singapore Formula One, examples can be seen in Figure 2. C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopUntitled.png Figure 2 4.5 Value Chain Analysis Value Chain analysis defines each activity that takes place in a business organization and relates them to an analysis of the competitiveness in the environment.  It is based on the principal that firms (or events) exist to create value for their customers and helps to identify new business opportunities. The value chain analysis includes a couple of significant theoretical distinctions, one being between primary and support activities (Porter, 1985). Primary activities create value for the customer, whereas support activities support primary activities and indirectly affect customer value. Competitive advantage involves signification and interpretation on the activity cost behavior drivers and differentiation generated by those activities. Product differentiation in turn effects what customers are willing to pay for the firms products, thus depending on the activity cost drivers leading to the end product. A simplified table used on Formula One can be seen in Figure 3. C:UsersBenjamin PhoonDesktopUntitled.png Figure 3 Theoretical Rationale Leveraging mega-events such as the Formula One can offer incentives and benefits to a host destination, relating to cultural insights, development of collaborations and improved organizational networks (Kellet et al., 2008). In order to successfully leverage the event, strategic analysis tools such as SWOT, PEST, Porters Five Forces and Value Chain Analysis associated with hosting the event can provide valuable knowledge to host destinations. Analysis of weaknesses in the operating environment, such as economic stability and political support (Shank, 2009) can also offer valuable insights for event managers and tourism providers to plan on how the host destination can reap the benefits from the sport event (OBrien and Chalip, 2007). However, mega-events can lead to an entryway to under-utilized infrastructure and debts. Jones (2001) argues that the justifications in the use of public funds are based on the economic benefits that are often overstated. The case of Montreal 1976, where they experienced a tremendous debt after hosting an event, which cost the country and its residents over CAD$2 billion in capital and interest cost (Whitson and Horne, 2006). Therefore, the selection of Strategic Choice Theory and Stakeholder Theory would be appropriate for this rationale. Stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984) focuses the organizations efforts on developing a firm that has to deal with a multitude constituent groups other than customers and shareholders. Stakeholders groups represented are both legitimate and powerful, thus this approach seeks to widen the vision of a marketing manager, of his/her duties, rather than just being profit and customer oriented (Mitchell et al., 1997). Stakeholders are distinguished into two categories primary and secondary. Managing both primary and secondary stakeholder relationships is critical and essential for the marketing organization in achieving marketing objectives. Strategic analysis theory contends that marketing managers plays an exceptional role in a marketing firms success or failure in the market, with other factors such as product development and market repositioning efforts (Child, 1972). Strategic decisions made by managers are often made with careful considerations for the marketing firm as the primary driver, where they are able to adopt a specific type of strategy that fits their main marketing competencies. Strategic choices geared to the accomplishment of achievable strategic objectives are more likely to be effective through an open managerial decision- making process (Harrison and Pelletier, 1998). With the inter-relationship between stakeholder and strategic choice theory, stakeholders (e.g., customers, media, and shareholders) will have an influence and affect on marketing managers strategic decision making on the nature of the situation (Jawahar and Mclaughlin, 2001). A clear role of stakeholders is that they can provide necessary and vital information and if well captured by marketing firms, would lead to better organizational performance in decision making (Mori, 2010). A simple model of the process of decision making can be seen in Figure 4. C:UsersBenjamin PhoonDesktopUntitled.png Figure 4 Managers would use strategic analysis tools to measure the strengths and opportunities from stakeholders to hosting a mega-event, in this case, Formula One in Singapore and make strategic choices within constraints. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of what can be classed as a major sporting event of international recognition and its implications from the perspectives of government officials, private businesses and local residents. Furthermore, sports events research has lacked exploratory findings to qualitatively examine how it impacts on the local economy. Hence, the following research will utilize a qualitative approach to begin developing an understanding of how mega-events such as Formula One would impact on the local economy using strategic analysis tools. This research will offer a basis for future qualitative research and provide relevant information to future researchers studying strategic analysis tools to evaluate and identify data relevant to strategy formulation mainly on mega-events. Research Methods The researcher will undertake a case-study and secondary data approach. This study will only be analyzed by a qualitative approach and thus, the researcher will conduct a case study based on qualitative findings. Qualitative research focuses on the gathering of more richer and in-depth data from other smaller samples (Kent, 1999). Case Study According to Yin (1984), case study research method is defined as an empirical inquiry that explores a contemporary phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly palpable; and in which several sources of evidence are used. The approach of a qualitative case study is to research and assists examination of an occurrence within its context and to compare using a wide range of data sources for research validity (M. Dooley, 2002). This will ensure that the focus is not explored through a single view, but a variety of views which allows for various facets of the event to be exposed and understood (Baxter Jack, 2008). Secondary Data Secondary sources will be mainly used to collect and utilized to gather qualitative data related with this research. This is especially helpful as the researcher lives in Singapore and could not acquire data of market situations from other countries holding mega-events such as Formula One. In this case, different research reports, books, electronic journals and web portals will be accessed to gather information from these sources to conduct the study of the available secondary data. Data Analysis Firstly, after collating data from secondary sources and case studies, the researcher will read and transcribed all collected data to get a general sense as a whole and ideas presented. It is crucial to take into consideration the value of the data before analysing as it may not be significant to the research. Next, the researcher will identify areas to be covered and what is to be achieved based on the aims and objectives of the research by focusing on the analysis. In this case, the researcher can focus on the analysis by comparing the data collected from various case studies and secondary sources in a qualitative perspective, in which theoretical statements and causal relationships are clearly developed from and grounded in the phenomena studied (Cumberbatch, 2004). Thus, this leads to the use of Grounded Theory where it provides a mix of flexibility and structure with unambiguous guidelines, where the researcher will adopt the usage of coding. Coding is a method of constant comparison which led to the founding of Grounded Theory on the conceptualisation of data (Jones, Keifilik and Zanko, 2005). There are three steps of coding in analysing data collected. Opening coding is about understanding and to have a constant comparison of data collected that would be fractured into conceptual codes. In this case regarding to case study methodology, the researcher may categorise factors of economic impacts from mega-events into codes such as social, environmental, strengths, benefits, etc. The next step after data has been fractured, axial coding would be used. It is the process of exploring new relationships among the data and to discover any connections between them (Warburton, 2012). The final step would be selective coding, whereby it involves picking of certain codes to construct and integrate them with the listed categories in the axial coding model as part of the approach to developing a grounded theory (Strauss and Cobin, 1998). Limitations One of the main limitations is that an independent empirical process research is not being employed due to restrictions of organizations being reluctant to provide accurate data as some sports that host mega-events are naturally secretive. F1 is heavily technologically driven; therefore the release of information is seen as a pejorative to the sport. Reliance can only be placed upon the accuracy of data provided from external sources such as case studies and mainly secondary data. However, this issue will be minimized through the approach of identifying as many different reports as possible and cross-referencing them. Timeline The Gantt chart in the appendix section will be showing the estimated time needed for each process up till the submission of the dissertation itself. Conclusion In conclusion, the researcher will use a qualitative research methodology to have a better understanding and insight of the local economic impact of mega-events, using Formula One as the key event to the research. With the study on strategic analysis tools, the researcher will be able to find out how marketing managers analyse the economic situation and make strategic decisions on for the success of leveraging mega-events. It is also vital that the researcher have an open mind without any biasness in order to obtain accurate data for the development of grounded theory while conducting this qualitative research. Nevertheless, information acquired for the research will hopefully formalize a grounded theory and to be used as guidance for future researchers and academics studying economic impact from mega-events using analytic tools, to have a better insight and build on in the future for improvement. Appendices C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopUntitled.png Planned Timeline/Gantt Chart of Dissertation

The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Essay -- Yugoslav

The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia     On May 25, 1993, U.N. Security Council Resolution 827 established an international tribunal charged with prosecuting violations of international law arising from the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Not since the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, following World War II has an international court tried individuals accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTFY), which was established at The Hague, Netherlands, is widely seen as an important step toward the deterrence of crimes, the establishment of the firm rule of international law, and the promotion of world peace. Yet, from its inception, the tribunal has generated controversy among supporters and detractors. Among those who believe that the tribunal idea is sound, the principal concerns are that such an institution be established on a sound legal basis, that it adhere to an acceptably high standard of due process, that it administer equal and dispass ionate justice, and that it be perceived by nations and individuals to be legitimate, fair and effective. Unfortunately, the Yugoslavia tribunal has not yet met all these standards--and may never be able to meet all of them in the fullest sense. A discussion of some of the realities that face the ICTFY demonstrates why the task of making the tribunal work is so difficult--and why it is vital that it be accomplished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  None of the four requirements that the tribunal must meet is easily achieved, and, in some cases, success seems unlikely. Many supporters of international humanitarian law are convinced, however, that, so long as the court does no harm, it must continue to pursue its original goals. This position supports the general idea of the rule of law, without reference to the circumstances. Ordinarily, of course, justice is supposed to be above the particularities of any case. Yet the nature of the circumstances in the case of the former Yugoslavia may undermine the ICTFY's credibility and render it ineffective in obtaining justice and promoting the concept of international humanitarian law. Justice must be predicated on detachment and impartiality. But the ICTFY is essentially a first attempt at administering such justice, and the peculiarities of the test case have to be kept from contaminating the process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The... ...via and International Law." East European Constitutional Review 5, no. 4 (1996): 75-79. Dimitrijevic, Vojin. "The War Crimes Tribunal in the Yugoslav Context." East European Constitutional Review 5, no. 4 (1996): 85-92. Dworkin, Anthony. "The World in Judgement." Index on Censorship 5 (1996): 137-144. Guest, Iain. "The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: A Preliminary Assessment." In Implementation of the Helsinki Accords: The War Crimes Trials for the Former Yugoslavia: Prospects and Problems, briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Washington D. C., May 28 1996, 75-84. Washington, D. C.: Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1996. Niarchos, Catherine N. "Women, War, and Rape: Challenges Facing the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia." Human Rights Quarterly 17 (1995): 649-690. Teitel, Ruti. "Judgment at The Hague." East European Constitutional Review 5, no. 4 (1996): 80-85. Thornberry, Cedric. "Saving the War Crimes Tribunal." Foreign Policy no. 104 (Fall 1996): 72-85. Walsh, Brian. "Resolving the Human Rights Violations of a Previous Regime." World Affairs 158 (Winter 1996): 111-121.

How Are the Elements of Realism Used to Present Believable

How are the elements of realism used to present believable characters to the audience? â€Å"If you know your character's thoughts, the proper vocal and bodily expressions will naturally follow† said by the creator of realist theatre Constantine Stanislavski, is used heavily in the assistance to the portrayal and understanding of the characters in Ray Lawler’s ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’. Actors and actresses can achieve great heights with the depiction of the characters through Lawler’s use of dramatic elements and a constant realist setting and symbolic props. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’ is a play set in Australia during the 1950’s which was a crucial period in the development of the Australian identity. It was a time of post-war reconstruction and immigration, of materialism, a wool boom, of suburban comfort and conservatism- the first decade since early in the century in which the ordinary Australian had not been hounded by war, depression and drought. It was also a time period in which the sugar cane industry was booming and many workers made their way up to the sugar cane fields in Queensland to harvest the sugar cane and earn a living.This was the occupation of Barney and Roo as they are coming back from their seventeenth year working in the fields as the play begins. Like all realist and naturalist plays, the characters portrayed in ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll’ are in a constant state of flux, reflecting human actions within the cultural milieu of 1950’s Australia, attempting to present perspectives on ‘truth’ in such a way that the Australian culture can digest that ‘truth’ as they desperately struggle to hold on to the adopted traditions that regularly take place within the lay-off season.Lawler effectively uses symbolism to distinctly highlight the characters ongoing futile attempts to hold on to their various illusions, through the accidental s mashing of the vase containing the seventeenth doll, and as the play progresses their flaws unfold. Olive and her perception of the lay-off season becomes her flaw as she considers this a time in which she can thoroughly enjoy herself in the company of men without the fear of commitment and the pressures of a family. She made a mistake’ is replied by Olive after Pearl had said, ‘Didn’t seem to stop her from getting married’, as Olive shows her unwillingness to be within wedlock. ‘Compared to all the marriages I know, what i got is †¦ is five months of heaven every year’ as Olive further reinforces her unchanging views of marriage. Also the men have their flaws through their pride and masculinity suffering a severe beating. Roo, the silly cow, strains his back’ is told by Barney to Olive of Roo’s horrid year in the fields then continues on to say ‘Instead of pointin’ out he had a bad back, he puts himself to work by this Dowd – gonna show him up, see’ further accentuating his grip on his pride and masculinity. However Roo and Barney engage into a heated argument which eventuates into the smashing of the vase which contained the seventeenth doll. ‘The big man rips it from his hands and throws it away into the centre of the room, smashing the vase and scattering the dolls’.At this high point of tension the audience feels shocked as the vase and the dolls had symbolised the great joy that the lay-off season is supposed to bring. ‘There is a sudden silence. Olive sinks to her knees and picks up the seventeenth doll, hold it close’ the absence of dialogue is extremely effective as the audience can feel the raw emotions of Olive as the smashed vase symbolises her hopes of the lay-off season being shattered into pieces. Through slow and accentuated movements the audiences can easily understand the significance of the doll to Olive therefore deeply sympathise with her character.Furthermore the shattering of the vase is again symbolic for Roo as just before the vase was smashed it was revealed that his back wasn’t sore and that it was jealousy that led him to lie about his back. ‘He never had a bad back’ was exclaimed by Barney moments before the smashing of the vase. This again was highly symbolic of the smashing as the realisation of his fleeting masculinity and the inevitability of his ageing mind and body are finally beginning to sink in, and his true self is revealed to the audience.Also, considering the play was set in the 1950’s of Australia, the people of Australia had their own unique way of the pronunciation of words and had adopted a very colloquial styled language. Lawler had taken this firmly into account as he consolidated this type of language into the play. ‘†¦ the regulars'd stand aside to let 'em through, just as if they was a – a coupla kings’ was said by Olive as she described Barney and Roo. Again, Olive says ‘these are a coupla sugarcane cutters’.This exemplifies an ordinary, raw and realistic representation of Australian culture and life in the 1950’s which is especially evident through the word â€Å"coupla. † In pairs we worked to together to workshop a scene between Olive and Pearl which involved us changing our tone of voice to suite the 1950's Australian language. ‘Well I dunno what it's gunna be like livin' here' was a line that I said as I had played Pearl and using the words â€Å"dunno†, â€Å"gunna† and â€Å"livin† really assisted me in believing in my role and my character.When we performed or dramatic reading in front of the class the authenticity of a 1950's Australian was shown through the alterations in our tone of voice as it became laid back in the not climactic beats of the scene and our accents deepened and again our tone of voice altered in the high points of tension, ‘Here, sit down and shut up if you can't talk sense. ‘ In class we worked together to create a scene through our dramatic reading that lead me play Roo in the scene where Barney smashes the vase containing the seventeenth doll.The lines that were read were as follows: Roo: No, I think that’s up to you [he charges across at Barney, pushing Olive out of the way. He savagely whips Barney’s arm behind his back, and forces him to his knees, facing the women] It's your lie – you tell'em! Barney: [his face contorted with pain]Aah – cut it out. Roo: [increasing the pressure] tell’em Barney: [gasping] he never had a bad back. At the high point in tension where I (Roo) charged over at Barney and grabbed his arm and whipped it behind his back I used fast explosive movements to convey to the audience the frustration and anger felt by Roo.I forced Barney to his knees in order to show the levels between the characters so that Roo was the more domina nt figure, and when Barney was to reveal the secret to the women, he would've had to comprehend extreme guilt whilst feeling lower and belittled towards everyone else. ‘His face contorted with pain', the person playing Barney reacted to the arm whipping feeling very subdued with dynamic facial expressions to compliment the pain he must have felt.As I ‘increased the pressure' and forcefully exclaimed â€Å"tell'em†, all of my movements were extremely tense as I created this enticing moment for the audience and the characters. The person playing Barney ‘gasped' and revealed the enticing situation and said ‘he never had a bad back'. The characters and audience were left stunned at this revelation and, the tone, movements and facial expressions used within those beats and units had created strong dramatic meaning as the audience was gripped onto hat would happen next. The concept of dramatic realism operates within Summer of the Seventeenth Doll through as pects such as the use of slang, language, set, costume approximates real life, natural language rhythms, relevance to society of that era, etc. Summer of the Seventeenth Doll is set in the 1950s, Olive and her black dresses and when she changes it for that night symbolising change and at the end when she changes back to black and symbolising nothing has changed

Free Essays on Water Philosophy

The Fluid of Life, The Fluid of Death†. I believe the number one environmental problem is the increase in the human population, and sustainability and conservation should be our environmental objectives. Water is one of the most common substances in the universe, and our planet is blessed with a fairly large amount of it. As far as having enough on the earth, water is not a problem; the problem lies with having it in the right place at the right time in the right form. This subject I believe to be of the utmost importance and consequently have picked it and the various aspects regarding it to be covered in my personal philosophy paper. If indeed this paper were to be as it is entitled, a personal philosophy pertaining to the environment, then this in my opinion would be the best topic to describe the human interaction with nature. Although there is more then enough water for all of mankind to use, unfortunately 97 percent of the earth’s water is salt water and much of the rest is locked up in ice. Actually out of a hundred percent, if you took out the ninety seven percent for the oceans, then took another two percent for the glacial ice we have stored, less then one percent of that water is suitable for our use. Obtaining an adequate supply of freshwater has therefore been the focus of man’s invention throughout history. Water has been the prize (and William Roberts 2 sometimes the weapon) in conflicts around the world. Whether it is used for cultivation, recreation, or providing a town with life, water is the blood of the earth. Even in the upcoming century, new inventions in trying to find, transport, and conserve fresh water may not be able to support our increasing demand, especially in the developing countries. Problems that different cultures have between need and supply could instigate violence, and stop some of the poorer and underdeveloped countries from ever getting back on track in o... Free Essays on Water Philosophy Free Essays on Water Philosophy The Fluid of Life, The Fluid of Death†. I believe the number one environmental problem is the increase in the human population, and sustainability and conservation should be our environmental objectives. Water is one of the most common substances in the universe, and our planet is blessed with a fairly large amount of it. As far as having enough on the earth, water is not a problem; the problem lies with having it in the right place at the right time in the right form. This subject I believe to be of the utmost importance and consequently have picked it and the various aspects regarding it to be covered in my personal philosophy paper. If indeed this paper were to be as it is entitled, a personal philosophy pertaining to the environment, then this in my opinion would be the best topic to describe the human interaction with nature. Although there is more then enough water for all of mankind to use, unfortunately 97 percent of the earth’s water is salt water and much of the rest is locked up in ice. Actually out of a hundred percent, if you took out the ninety seven percent for the oceans, then took another two percent for the glacial ice we have stored, less then one percent of that water is suitable for our use. Obtaining an adequate supply of freshwater has therefore been the focus of man’s invention throughout history. Water has been the prize (and William Roberts 2 sometimes the weapon) in conflicts around the world. Whether it is used for cultivation, recreation, or providing a town with life, water is the blood of the earth. Even in the upcoming century, new inventions in trying to find, transport, and conserve fresh water may not be able to support our increasing demand, especially in the developing countries. Problems that different cultures have between need and supply could instigate violence, and stop some of the poorer and underdeveloped countries from ever getting back on track in o...

Beauty and Body Image in the Media Essays

Beauty and Body Image in the Media Essays Beauty and Body Image in the Media Essay Beauty and Body Image in the Media Essay Review Of Literature Beauty and Body Image in the Media ( Men ) Review – 1 From the , Journal of Marketing Communication Vol. 11. No. 1. 3-19. March 2005 Idealized images of the male body in advertising: a reader-response exploration BY- RICHARD ELLIOTT CHRISTINE ELLIOTT Warwick Business School. University of Warwick, Coventry. UK. Harris Manchester College University of Oxford. Oxford. UK Introduction : This is a study which particularly focuses on how men are being portrayed in advertisements This study has used an interpretative methodology for exploring mens reactions to the representation of male bodies in advertising, particularly when men are portrayed in a sexual or naked pose and complimented past studies by investigating whether or not men felt that they were being objectified or exploited in advertising in the same manner as critical and feminist literature has suggested in relation to women. The extent to which men felt that the representation of idealized male images in advertising had an adverse effect on their self-image and self-esteem is discussed. Emergent interpretive themes include homophobia, gender stereotyping and the legitimization of the exploitation and use of sexuality in marketing. This study set out to explore the extent to which men may be similarly negatively affected by idealized representation of male bodies and the ways in which they negotiate the meaning of representations and their coping strategies for any emotional disturbance. Representations of the Male Body in Advertising : The researchers have focused on how men are portrayed in advertisements , and they have collected responses from many other researchers . All these researchers have commonly said that , men have become more preoccupied with muscularity because it is still perceived as a cultural symbol of masculinity. Men are developing an Adonis complex and eating disorders after being overexposed to idealized and unattainable male bodies in advertising. Since the I980’s mens bodies have appeared more frequently in advertising, offering a similarly idealized body to that presented to women. An increasing number of advertisements are showing men as sex objects . These researchers have conducted many studies which showed how are men are portrayed in the advertisements . Kolbe and Albanese a researcher has conducted a content analysis of sole male images in mens magazines and found that the majority of the bodies in advertising were not ordinary, but those of strong and hard male icons . His study says that men were usually represented in an objectified and depersonalized manner in advertising. Pope et al another undertook a study of male body obsession and found that advertisements for everything from cars to underwear were using body-builder images with washboard abdominal muscles, massive chests. nd inflated shoulder’s. a combination of muscularity and leanness probably achievable only by drugs. A study by Patterson another researcher also identified a relatively uniform depiction of male bodies within lifestyle magazines, where the audience was routinely presented with mesomorphic (strong, muscular and hard) male bodies that were hyper-masculine in their iconography. The depiction of ectomorphs (thin and lightly muscled) was limited mainly to the advertising of clothing where products may look more attractive on the slimmer, taller man. Endomorphs (soft and round) were rarely used and, where they were, tended to be the object of humour. Moreover, Patterson and England (2000) indicated that representations of male bodies were often used irrespective of whether they were relevant to the product category being advertised. Mens Responses to Representations of the Male Body : Researchers Kimmel and Tissier-Desbordes had conducted a study with 30 French men in order to determine whether brands and consumption played an important part in their lives. The study has suggested that men were uncomfortable with products that presented men as feminine. Their study explored mens relations to products and masculinity in general, but was not related to body image and provided only limited insight into mens reactions to advertisements. To date then, very little is known about how men react emotionally to the portrayal of male bodies in advertising. There is a suggestion that some of the men in the study by Researchers Kimmel and Tissier-Desbordes demonstrated a fear of admitting a feminine side to their self-image . Methodology of the research : In order to do a study of portrayal of men in advertising these researches have done this research with Two main research questions 1. How do young men respond to the representation of male bodies in advertising, particularly when men are portrayed in a sexual or naked pose? 2. How do young men negotiate the sexual meaning of advertising images in a social setting? setting? One-one interview They researchers had conducted this one to one interview because, they have said that the one-to-one in terviews would allow trust to be established and allow the exploration of underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes and feelings . The researches had conducted twelve in-depth interviews, which ranged from 40 minutes to 2 hours in length. The ages of the respondents varied from 18 to 31 years, with the majority of respondents being in their early twenties. The interviews were audio-laped and transcribed for analysis. The researches had also collected 25 advertisements from major mens lifestyle magazines five advertisements were chosen as stimulus material so as to allow the examination of responses to different advertisements and different body types. Focus groups The focus groups were used for studying whether the male respondents would alter their responses to the advertisements when in a peer group environment. The number of participants in the focus groups varied from five to eight men with the same age spread as in the individual interviews. Conclusion: This study was based on men’s portrayal in advertisement . Many researchers have given their views in this regard which gives a much detailed informa tion of how men are portrayed in the advertisements.

The Current Obama Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Current Obama Administration - Essay Example Alinksy believed that the people he was working with had no power in the community, but he sought to make that community heard. [Alinsky] believed that widespread poverty left America open to the influence of demagogues and that the only antidote was active, widespread participation in the political process†¦[he] envisioned an ‘organization of organizations,’ comprised of all sectors of the community...† In fact, many of the people he worked with felt like they had no say in their own lives, and as a result some turned to crime. â€Å"[Alinsky] realize[d] that criminal behavior was a symptom of poverty and powerlessness.† Alinsky believed in empowerment of the people, and the Have-Nots desperately needed someone who would step up to the plate for them and plead their case. â€Å"Alinsky considered himself a realist above all, the ultimate pragmatist†¦[he] had no qualms about assorted versions of morality in the pursuit of worldly power. He didn't coddle his radical acolytes or encourage their bourgeois distinctions between good and evil when it came to transferring power from the Haves to the Have-Nots.† Alinsky claimed that making the opposition live up to their own standards was something that would trip up the opposition every time, because the other could not live up to its promises in a political showdown. Saul Alinsky said, "Make the enemy live up to his/her own book of rules. You can kill them with this. They can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity." The Obama Administration would do well to fight fire with fire, especially on the topic of the health care reform debate. There are about 40 million Americans who have no say when it comes to facing big insurance companies, and therefore are uninsured. If Obama and his Administration held the Republicans' feet to the fire, and really extracted from them that what they did not want was tort reform-but for people to continue going on without health insurance-the dark underbelly of Republican politics would certainly be shown. The Republicans would then be beaten by their own game. The people Saul Alinsky chose to organize were people who had no relative value. "[Alinsky] recruited and guided indigenous leaders who identified common interests that brought together previously hostile ethnic groups of Serbs and Croatians, Czechs and Slovaks, Poles and Lithuanians into a large organization, the Back of The Yards Neighborhood Council."7 The Obama Administration, likewise, has done well to hire a bunch of people from different backgrounds. They should still continue this policy. Saul Alinsky commented, "One of the criteria for picking the target is the target's vulnerability ... the other important point in the choosing of a target is that it must be a personification, not something general and abstract."8 The Obama Administration must focus on the vulnerable points of the Republican Party. If one msut choose the topic of health care, the main sticking points that will keep the Democrats in power-as one is sure this is a factor Obama wants to have a successful presidency-is to expose the Republicans' "can't-do" attitude, obstructionist politics, and misguided, misinformed, and idiotic notions. "An organizer working in and for an open society is in an ideological dilemma to begin with, he does not have a fixed truth -- truth to him is relative

Management and Leadership Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management and Leadership Development - Essay Example This study looks into management is fundamentally a human social craft necessitating the ability to interpret the wants and thoughts of others. On the other hand, leadership has been defined as an influence relationship among followers and leaders who are determined to introduce real changes reflecting their mutual purposes. However, some authors have commented that leadership is nothing more than a romantic myth based on untrue and unrealistic hopes and expectations. A number of management approaches have been developed to address contemporary ideas in the leadership and management development. For example, Longenceker and Neubert contend that the constant state of change has diminished the potential for actual long term benefits. However, they fail to realise that the change has become an internal part of today’s business environment and there is no way to avoid the presence and implications of the change. Contrary to the above contemporary idea in the management development , a number of authors who believe that with the changing requirements in the organizations, the organizations have welcomed the phenomena of change and have moulded their organizational structure along with the management development. They also maintain that managers face the issues such as more work for less rewards as organizations re-invent themselves in order to remain competitive and attain competitive advantage. Organizations do not survive without appropriately satisfying the needs of all stakeholders including managers. No organization prefers to increase its labour turnover cost under normal circumstances. In the following parts of this literature review, first, definition of management is provided and is followed by the definition of leadership. Subsequent to that, the critical evaluation of the management development has been included before the description of critical evaluation of the leadership development. A summary of literature review is provided after the critical evaluation of leadership development. Definition of Management Management is essentially a human social craft requiring the ability to interpret the thoughts and wants of others who could be employees, competitors, customers or whatever; management is the facility to shape values, meanings and human commitments (Watson 1994, p.223). Moreover, management is responsible for others, maintaining and controlling processes and implementing policies as well. Definition of Leadership Defining leadership has been elusive and complex problem largely because he nature of leadership itself is indistinct (Daft & Lane 2008). Some have even stated that leadership is nothing more than a romantic myth based on false hopes and expectations that someone will come along with an utter ability to solve their issues and problems. However, Rost (1991) defines that leadership is an influence relationship among followers and leaders intending real changes that reflect their mutual objectives. Critical Evalua tion of Management Development Historically, management theory and practice have been largely influenced by the classical approach of Taylor’s scientific management movement, Weber’s bureaucracy and Fayol’s administrative principles (Mighty and Ashton 2003). In these aspects, managers are assumed to be â€Å"heroes† making a considerable positive contribution to organizational effective and performance (Mintzberg 1973, 1975). However, particularly in the last quarter of the twentieth century, this perspective was seriously challenged. Pfeffer (1977) for example, contended that organizational outcomes were significantly attached or linked primarily to a range of external, contextual factors rather than the policies and actions of the organizational leaders. New challenges such as increased competition on a global level, constantly changing technological means along with the growth of information and knowledge age have largely influenced and challenged the traditional methods of managing the organizational