Tourism, hospitality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tourism, hospitality - Essay Example Since social media seems to have a relation to the success of a travel business, this phenomenon has got much attention among businesses and researchers. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to review literate on the matter and determine the major points of research being conducted in relation to tourism and social media. In an attempt to establish current knowledge of the subject this work will summarize, interpret and critically evaluate the existing literature, as well as will try to identify the key issues related to social media and tourism. In order to fulfill all of the set goals it is important to determine the very reason of extensive interest of the tourism-related community in the subject. It can be assumed that social media has an influence on consumer behavior. This idea is supported by Williams (2002), who states that purchasing high risk items, such as tourism products, involves information research step of the buying process being more extensive than that for purchasing less expensive or important for people products. The first step of the decision-making process is motivation and recognition of a need. Then, as an individual has decided one wants to purchase a tourism-related product, he or she starts searching for information on the available options. At this point, as Blackwell et al (2006, p. 75) write, the consumer is influenced by â€Å"market dominated† and â€Å"non market-dominated† sources of information. These non market-dominated sources refer to the word-of-mouth publicity and social media. Furthrthermore, social media tools can even be called an advanced variant of traditional world-of-mouth publicity. So, today a consumer evaluates alternatives and makes a buying decision on the basis of more sources of information: from marketers, from the community (friends, colleagues, family) and from social media. At the same time, it should be remembered

Management Communication- Change Management Report Assignment

Management Communication- Change Management Report - Assignment Example ement implementation; and the final step involves any corrective action, which needs to be taken to remove gaps in the process (Lattuch and Young, 2011). The purpose of this project is to discuss ways in which changes in the management of a company can be effectively communicated to the employees. In this case, the company is about to make some changes in the senior level management and some staff will also be added to the organization. These thoughts of change are creating disruptions in workplace conditions as some of the workers fear that this change may affect them adversely. As a result, the workers are losing their confidence in the organization and productivity of the company might be hampered. In this context, the change management planning process, organizational activities as well as communication and implementation tactics are to be discussed. Firstly, there are certain positive changes that the company wants to incorporate. This is only possible if the existing structure of senior management is altered as analysts of the company strongly believe that this will be essential in realizing the new goals. Secondly, organizational development (OD) is expected to be achieved through a humanistic approach by relying on human potential. This is the reason why the company wants to add new human resource to its existing base. Organizational development implies the change, which an organization goes through in order to survive and thrive. Change management for organizational development is the way in which decision makers manage changes that are necessary for facilitating organizational development. The first step of achieving organizational development is to create a well-structured plan for the task. Bullock and Batten (1985) has come up with a four phased model of planned change, which can be broken up into exploration, planning, action and integration. The model includes two broad steps, namely the process of change (describing the way in which an

Draper Engineering case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Draper Engineering case study - Essay Example Usually, the conditions in the organizational environment – internal and external – influence the potentials of the organization for growth. At this point, the ability of organizational leaders to introduce strategies that will help the firm to increase its competitiveness is critical. Current paper focuses on the examination of the performance of Draper Engineering, a firm operating in the automotive and transport industry. The SWOT analysis is used as a strategic tool in order to identify the firm’s advantages and weaknesses and to check whether its potentials within the particular industry are significant or not. Moreover, the relationship between the firm and its contractors is reviewed and evaluated; measures are also suggested so that the above relationship to be improved, as possible, taking into consideration the current market conditions and the resources available. It is concluded that, currently, the performance of the organization is characterized by a series of failures; the introduction of certain policies, as suggested below, can help the organizational performance to be improved, even in the long term. 2. Draper Engineering – SWOT analysis – improvement of weaknesses 2.1 SWOT analysis In order to understand the current status of the firm in terms of its performance, it would be necessary to develop a SWOT analysis. The specific technique helps to identify a firm’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The advantage of the specific technique is that its elements are not standardized – only their classification in the four above categories needs to have the particular format (Analoui et al. 2003). Otherwise, a variety of organizational characteristics and elements can be included in the specific analysis – depending on the information provided by the organization and the market conditions, which can lead to different assumptions on a firm’s potentials for growth (Burtonshaw -Gunn 2009). For instance, for a specific organization, outsourcing can be a competitive advantage (when the technology used by the firm’s partner is significant and the increase of the firm’s productivity is important); however, for another firm outsourcing may be a weakness, when the contribution of the contractor in the increase of the firm’s performance is quite low while the costs of outsourcing are high. From this point of view, the SWOT analysis of Draper Engineering will be based on the information available but also on the expected performance of the firm in accordance with the current market performance – in other words, the potentials of a firm of this size within the specific industry would be considered as a standard – minimum – of performance which the firm should reach. If it is proved that such performance is not achieved, then the causes for this outcome will be identified and evaluated. The SWOT analysis of the particular o rganization could be developed as follows: a) Strengths The firm operates in the automotive and transport industry, a sector with many perspectives, if taking into consideration the level of the use of its products in markets worldwide. Moreover, the products of the firm are not quite common in the market; in accordance with the case study the firm focuses on the production of ‘drive shafts and track rods’ (case study, p.1) for the particular industry. This means that the firm has two significant advantages: it is part of an industry which has an important presence in the global market and

We the animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

We the animals - Essay Example r instance, he is not worried about the challenges his family is going through such as his father’s drinking problem and the conflict between his father and mother. The narrator is also a humorous character. This is evident in the sixth chapter after graduating into adulthood, but he still remembers the joys of brotherhood that make him wish to be young again. The brutal treatment and a true portrayal of many families as presented in the novel depict that the narrator is a real and considerate person with respect to the contemporary life experiences. The ending scenes in the last chapter create a nostalgic feeling in the audience’s mind. This is evident in the scene where the narrator speculates into the future tense telling the readers, â€Å"soon they’ll drop out, they’ll skunk around in basement apartments with grown men who keep pet snakes in glass aquariums† (Torres, 2011). A scene from the last chapter also distances the audience from the flow of the story line. The narrator says, â€Å"Look at us, see how I made them easy† (Torres, 2011). This scene presents a stylistic device that likens the writer’s story with his real life experiences. Additionally, a part of the novel also seems to be missing in this scene. This is the part between â€Å"Niagara† and â€Å"The Night I Am Made†, which describes the narrator’s sexual orientation and violence unfolding from his family. Comparable to his brothers at beginning of the story, the readers are voracious and are lef t in a melancholic mood of wanting to know more about the left part. I feel that Torres would have created reader’s anticipations to satisfy their reading appetite when he follows up this debut with a second appealing novel like We the Animals. This book touches real life experiences of many individuals as presented in different scenes. For instance, the hardships these boys went through are the extreme versions of what most of the readers remember about their childhood lifestyles. I was

Globalisation - Fair Trade or Free Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Globalisation - Fair Trade or Free Trade - Essay Example rmine poor farmers in some African countries, thus creating a â€Å"free trade versus fair trade† conundrum which must be solved if African farmers are to develop modern commercial agricultural techniques and a ready export market. This paper will also discuss some European consumer efforts at buying â€Å"fair trade† goods from third-world farmers, but how these efforts are more conscience-palliative than actually effective in increasing the incomes of poor farmers in Africa. No developed nation is completely innocent of protecting its own farmers at the expense of poor third-world producers. The United States, for example, has a significant farm subsidy program which accounts for 11% of all agricultural receipts. The EU, however, with its more generous program, pays fully 33% of all farm receipts, with subsidies reaching over 50% in some countries. This paper will argue that these blocks to free trade not only cost European consumers (with higher prices and lower availability and quality), but they also directly harm third-world farmers whose welfare the politicians and citizens of the EU claim that they would like to help. This paper will demonstrate that, with true free trade in farm commodities, the benefits to third-world farmers and European consumers alike would be far greater than Fair Trade practices on their own. No developed nation is immune from the temptation to protect its farmers. In the United States, the current 5-year farm bill (which has been extended every 5 years since the 1930s) will inject approximately $273 billion into farm ‘supports’ over the next five-year period (NPR, 2007) (SLC, 2007). This amount appears high, but is only 1/10th of the amount of agricultural production of greater than $2.5 trillion expected over the period. Additionally, the farm price supports which take a significant portion of the allocation may not, in fact, be used, as the global prices for commodity farm products like corn and wheat are expected to

Can be on anything to do with microbiology (you can chose the topic) Article

Can be on anything to do with microbiology (you can chose the topic) - Article Example The gold standard for diagnosing typhoid fever is isolation of organism through blood culture. But lack of expertise and equipment for this test makes it unusable in a peripheral setting. Widal test is also useful, but is of no value in endemic areas. Currently, this test is regarded as non-specific and inaccurate. Because of these limitations of the popular tests, several assays and serological tests have been developed but have not been found to be optimal. Thus, the need of the hour with regard to typhoid testing is a test that is not only simple, but also reliable and carried out in small laboratories in the peripheries. Two such tests which merit importance are typhidot M and Diazo tests. In this study, Beige et al prospectively evaluated typhidot M and Diazo tests vis-a-vis blood culture and Widal test in children. In this prospective study, children aged 6 months to 12 years with fever of more than four days duration and with clinical suspicion of fever were enrolled. Those wi th other suspected diagnosis were used as controls.

Catholic Church Essay Example for Free

Catholic Church Essay The church remains to be one of the most powerful and influential social system which affects our day to day living. As such, controversies involving church authorities have always attracted utmost social attention. Such issues are even incorporated in many literary works. One of the most esteemed literary pieces tackling church-related controversies is John Patrick Shanley’s â€Å"Doubt†, a play which yielded the Pulitzer Prize. Basically, the play presents the depressingly typical scenario of pedophile priests. However, although the story tackles an abuse scandal involving a church authority, it is important to note that the plot does not indulge in exposing amoral activities within the respected institution. Rather, it diverges from its particular plot by exploring a range of interrelated dilemmas faced by the Catholic Church. Analyzing the various themes that were vaguely discussed in the play’s plot through smart dialogues and characterizations, Doubt appears to be more than just a formula-based story mimicking a real event derived from the newspapers. On the whole, the play is more of a twisted portrayal of the hierarchy, male dominance, and conservatism that embraces the practices of the Catholic Church. Battle between the sexes and male dominance In the play, Sister Aloysius, the principal of the grade school suspects that Father Flynn has molested the first and only black student of the school. Examining these two major characters presented in the story, Doubt somehow becomes a picture of a battle between the sexes, within the grounds of the Catholic Church. Being the head of the school, Sister Aloysius supposedly has absolute power over her territory. As the principal, she is in charge of maintaining order within the school and protecting the children from harm so she is also entitled of subjecting the teachers to disciplinary actions whenever she deems fitting. However, in Father Flynn’s case, everything takes a different turn. Suspecting that something is wrong with Father Flynn’s actions, the principal does not directly call on the priest or immediately report him to a superior for questioning and punishment. Rather, Sister Aloysius chooses to confide to Sister James and narrates a somewhat similar experience that she has encountered before. Eight years ago at St. Boniface we had a priest who had to be stopped. But I had Monsignor Scully then who I could rely on,† the principal notes, stressing her need for a male ally. She further states that the situation with Father Flynn is quite different because â€Å"there is no man† that they can go to and that â€Å"men run everything†. At the end of their conversation, Sister Aloysius suggests that it is up to them to stop the peculiar Father. This proposition, along with the apparent cry for help from the naive nun and the student’s mother, only suggests that Sister Aloysius recognizes that the Church is a patriarchal system and that there is a need for women to unite and work together in order to expose a priest’s wrongdoing. During the confrontation of Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, it is also obvious that the priest recognizes the male dominance within the church. When the principal tells him that she has sought the assistance of other parishes that the priest has served before, the fuming father states that despite the authority she holds over the school, she is still a member of the religious order, so she should be obedient to her superiors – who were men, of course. As anticipated, the priest brings himself to an untouchable position, between Sister Aloysius and the Monsignor, simply using his gender as the basis for the claimed authority. Furthermore, the end result of the confrontation – the transfer of Father Flynn to another parish, and his promotion as a parish priest only proves that the fear of Sister Aloysius and the haughtiness of the priest in question are well-substantiated. A Conservative Church vs. the Liberal Ways Based on the idea that the church is patriarchal and that male superiors often turn a blind eye to the wrong doing of priests, it somehow appears that Sister Aloysius is the protagonist and that Father Flynn is the unobvious antagonist. However, taking into account the conservative versus liberal scenario also embodied by the two major characters, it seems that there is more to the story than an outcry against a patriarchal system. In the play, it is clear that Sister Aloysius is the embodiment of the traditional and conservative church. She represents the old ways – inflexible, definite, and authoritarian. She is not fond of those who, like Father Flynn, attempt to be different and applies their distinctiveness in the way they preach and interact with the parishioners. In stark contrast with the nun’s character is the witty and playful Father Flynn who is fond of hugging his students, making jokes, and ultimately working against the principal’s idea that moral authority suggests social isolation. Assessing the clash between the two in relation to their symbolizations of the traditional versus the liberal, it seems that the principal’s suspicions are largely a product of her attempt to restore order in her Catholic school. It may be that Sister Aloysius’ qualms are just manifestations of her anger and fear against the threat that is Father Flynn, nothing more. Conclusions: Doubts†¦. And more doubts Apart from the question of whether Father Flynn was really a child predator, the play raises many other doubts about the Catholic Church. It engages the audiences in the dilemma if they should struggle for a social structure that is impartial and unprejudiced to a certain gender. Also, the play explores the idea of whether the church should maintain the old ways, or they should just go with the flow of modernity and adopt liberal methods of preaching and relating to their parishioners. Overall, the play also touches on power play within the system, with regards to the maintenance of long practiced values like social isolation and patriarchy. Thus, it is safe to conclude that analyzing the characters and dialogues within the play, themes in the story only show that Doubt is also about church scandals, but only to the least degree. As noted by Shanley in a feature article for the Huffington Post, he wasnt interested particularly in writing about the church scandals† nor did he had the interest to write mystery novels. True to his purpose, Doubt exists to make people realize that they are indeed living in a world that’s full of doubts – doubts that are ever present even within the church that they lean upon for certainty and deliverance. Works Cited Falsini, Cathleen. â€Å"Beyond The Shadow of a Doubt. † Huffington Post. 2003. 24 July 2009. http://www. huffingtonpost. com/cathleen-falsani/beyond-the-shadow-of-a-do_b_150496. html Shanley, John Patrick. â€Å"Doubt†