Behavior Modification

Running Head: BEHAVIOR CAN BE MODIFIED BY REWARDS AND REINFORCEMENTS Behavior Modification: Desired Behavior can be Created by Proper Reinforcement Natalie Tamayo CUNY Queens College Abstract This experiment is centered on the notation of Behavior Modification. In this experiment a rat is trained to exhibit a targeted behavior called Roll. The desired goal of the experiment is mold the rat into the behavior of producing rolls whenever the light is turned on.One rat took part in this experiment. There were two precursor behaviors to the desired Roll behavior. One behavior was genital grooming and the other was head tucking. First the behavior of genital grooming was consistently reinforced when exhibited. This behavior, after sometime, led in to the secondary behavior of head tucking. Once the rat began to consistently exhibit the behavior of head tucking the reinforcement for the genital grooming was eliminated.Reinforcements were then only provided for the displayed behavior of head tucking thus encouraging this secondary behavior. When the rat begins head tucking on a fairly often basis this behavior leads into the ultimately desired behavior of rolls. Just as was done with the first precursor behavior, reinforcements were then discontinued for this behavior and were only reintroduced for the behavior of roll. Once the rat had proved that she could consistently roll the last step of this experiment was introduced.This part entailed incorporating the dependant variable of light. Now she would only receive reinforcement when the light was turn on and she rolled. The following hypothesis was supported; desired behaviors can be controlled through proper reinforcement and reward. Method Participants One virtual rat was used in this experiment. She was provided through the Sniffy the virtual rat Pro version 3. 0 CD Rom software. Materials In the virtually simulated world of Sniffy; a cage, a light, a magazine and pellets of food were utilized. Behavior Modification This paper aims analyze what behavior modification is and seeks to provide an insight into the process of behavior modification. It revolves around numerous dimensions of this process which are dependant on numerous theories like conditioning and contiguity. It focuses on behavior modification techniques and provides examples for sufficient understanding of the process.Behavior modification Behavior modification is a term which refers to any process achieved from a certain learning theory which is aimed at changing a person's behavior or the way he or she interacts with the outside world.The specific area of behavior modification which is under focus in this paper is the techniques involved in behavior modification. Secondary research is being used for the collection of data and demonstration of examples. Using the behavioral approach The behavioral approach revolves around three different types of behavioral learning theories which are as follows: Contiguity. The theory of contiguit y suggests that a specific stimulus followed by a particular response tends to be followed by the same response again on reoccurrence.It suggests that the stimulus response connections gain full strength on the first interaction of the connection i. e. contiguity. Repetition neither strengthens nor weakens the connection that has already been developed. Guthrie also based his belief on the law of recency which suggested that an organism would respond to a stimulus in the same way as it responded in the most recent encounter with that stimulus. This idea implied that habits once formed were extremely hard to break. However Guthrie suggested that behavior could be broken i. e.new behavior could be formed on the basis of following techniques: 1. Exhaustion Method: Exhaustion Method/Fatigue Method: suggests one should continue to present the stimulus until an organism is too tired to respond in the habitual way. At this point, either a new response will occur or a new stimulus-response habit will form or the organism will do nothing. 2. Threshold Method: suggests presenting the stimulus so faintly that the organism does not respond to it in the habitual manner. Then gradually increase the intensity of the stimulus so that the organism continues not to respond to it.3. Incompatible Stimulus Method: Present the stimulus when the habitual response can’t occur and will lead to occurrence of incompatible response. Classical conditioning Pavlov in his experiment presented dogs with food and observed the dogs salivary responses to the ringing of bell immediately before food was presented. Initially the dogs didn’t respond unless they were presented the food, however after a certain time the dogs started salivating at hearing the sound of the bell because they had started associating the sound of bell with food.There are two major purposes served by classical conditioning: 1,Conditioning automatic responses for example reducing adrenaline levels in humans wi thout the usage of stimuli that would produce such responses. Secondly for creation of stimuli association. There are two different types of stimuli that can be categorized as secondary stimuli or primary stimuli. Stimuli which result in response without any training are called primary response for example pain and food. Stimulus which leads to a response only after training is called secondary stimulus for example the bell in Pavlov’s case.A trainee has to be taught to like or dislike the secondary stimuli. Application of classical conditioning: Animal trainers use classical conditioning to train animals. Usually dog trainers use a light flicker which flickers at different intervals of time following which the dog is given a treat. Simply flick the light, wait for a moment and then give the dog a treat maybe food. After this has been repeated a few times, one may observe that the animal monitors, stares at the treat or maybe looks at the trainer.This is an indication towards formation of an association. The flickering light then becomes a signal for an upcoming reinforcement. Operant conditioning Operant conditioning results in the creation of an association amongst a specific behavior and a specific consequence. This refers to response stimulus conditioning because it leads to an association development amongst the behavior and its following consequence. Consequences have to be clearly linked to behavior. A reinforce refers to anything which makes an event occur more frequently than usual.An organism tends to repeat behavior when the consequences are positive; these are referred to as reinforcers. Similarly an individual tends to reduce a certain kind of behavior if it leads to unfavorable consequences; these are called punishers. As a result of punishment or reinforcement the following scenarios can prevail: †¢ If something good starts and leads to an increase in behavior it is called positive Reinforcement. †¢ When a good thing is taken aw ay the behavior decreases which is called negative Punishment.†¢ If a bad consequence is presented the behavior will decrease which refers to positive Punishment. †¢ When a bad consequence is reduced the behavior would increase which is known as negative Reinforcement. Behavior modification techniques There are five different categories of activities that revolve around numerous dimensions of behavior modification techniques: Development of a new behavior: For example teaching a child to act in desired ways which he hasn’t exhibited before, successive steps can be rewarded until we have reached or attained the final desired behavior.For example if a child to be taught a certain alphabetical spelling list we can reward the child with candy or a desired toy every time the child learns a spelling. This will eventually lead the child to learn all the constituent words of the list. This process is called SHAPING. According to continuous reinforcement principle to teach a child a new behavior which he has never exhibited an immediate reward should be presented after each correct performance. For example provide a dog with a cookie every time it responds to a stimulus in a desired behavior.The negative reinforcement principle suggests that to increase a child’s performance in particularly desired ways, the trainer should reduce undesirable consequences; this can be done by allowing the trainee to avoid the aversive situation by behaving appropriately. The cueing principle suggests that in order to teach a child to remember how to act at specific times the trainer should arrange for the provision of a cue to the correct performance immediately before the action is expected rather than after its incorrect performance.Strengthen a new behavior: encouraging a child for continuation of performance of a previously established behavior leading to little rewards, gradually requires a longer time period. This refers to decreasing reinforcement principl e. According to variable reinforcement principle, for improvement in a child's performance of a certain tasks the child should be presented with an intermittent reward.For example if a child acts according to the desired manner when sitting on the dining table, providing the child with candy immediately will lead the child to repeat that behavior in future. Maintain an established behavior: according to the substitution principle for changing reinforcers when previously effective rewards are not modifying behavior any longer, the reinforcer should be presented immediately before or immediately after the time the more effective reward is presented.Stop an inappropriate behavior: according to the satiation principle to stop a child from acting in a particular way the child must be allowed to continue the undesired act until it becomes boring and the child gets tired of it. For example if you disapprove of a child’s computer usage patterns and you think it’s leading to ad diction you should try not saying anything and encourage the child to do what he is indulged into and eventually there will be a time when the child will get sick of it and will stop doing so naturally.The extinction principle suggests another way to stop inappropriate behavior i. e. to efficiently eradicate a specific behavior one should create such conditions for the child that he/she receives no rewards following the undesired act. For example if you don’t want your child to talk while eating, every time the child indulges in such activity create such a consequence for him which is extremely undesirable, for example scolding the child. This will eventually lead to extinction of that certain behavioral display.The incompatible alternative principle suggests efficient stopping of a certain behavior in a child can be achieved by rewarding an alternative action, whose simultaneous performance with the undesired act isn’t possible. Modify emotional behavior: the avoidanc e principle states in order for a child to be taught to avoid a certain type of scenario the child should be simultaneously exhibited to the situation that is undesired or any form of its representation and some aversive condition. ConclusionBehavior modification is a technique which has been thoroughly and repeatedly analyzed in numerous experiments. These experiments have proved that following a certain series of modification can lead to a change in the behavior of an organism. References: Dimensions of human behavior by Elizabeth Hutchison, sage Pubns ( March 2003 ) Applied behavior analysis by John O Cooper, William L Heward , Edward R Canda. Prentice Hall (December 2006) An introduction to behavioral endocrinology by Randy J. Nelson, Sinauer associates inc ( March 2003 ) Behavior Modification Running Head: BEHAVIOR CAN BE MODIFIED BY REWARDS AND REINFORCEMENTS Behavior Modification: Desired Behavior can be Created by Proper Reinforcement Natalie Tamayo CUNY Queens College Abstract This experiment is centered on the notation of Behavior Modification. In this experiment a rat is trained to exhibit a targeted behavior called Roll. The desired goal of the experiment is mold the rat into the behavior of producing rolls whenever the light is turned on.One rat took part in this experiment. There were two precursor behaviors to the desired Roll behavior. One behavior was genital grooming and the other was head tucking. First the behavior of genital grooming was consistently reinforced when exhibited. This behavior, after sometime, led in to the secondary behavior of head tucking. Once the rat began to consistently exhibit the behavior of head tucking the reinforcement for the genital grooming was eliminated.Reinforcements were then only provided for the displayed behavior of head tucking thus encouraging this secondary behavior. When the rat begins head tucking on a fairly often basis this behavior leads into the ultimately desired behavior of rolls. Just as was done with the first precursor behavior, reinforcements were then discontinued for this behavior and were only reintroduced for the behavior of roll. Once the rat had proved that she could consistently roll the last step of this experiment was introduced.This part entailed incorporating the dependant variable of light. Now she would only receive reinforcement when the light was turn on and she rolled. The following hypothesis was supported; desired behaviors can be controlled through proper reinforcement and reward. Method Participants One virtual rat was used in this experiment. She was provided through the Sniffy the virtual rat Pro version 3. 0 CD Rom software. Materials In the virtually simulated world of Sniffy; a cage, a light, a magazine and pellets of food were utilized.

Rikki Tikki Tavi Theme

Theme is a big idea we take away from a story after reading it. In the short story, â€Å"Risk Tick Davit† by Rudyard Kipling, the primary theme of the story is the Idea of good versus evil. Above all, Risk's character represents good, and the cobras In the story represent evil. In Dalton, another possible theme for this short story could be courage versus fear. By and large, the story contains action and dialogue that helps us determine what the author wanted to reveal about mankind. Body Paragraph 1Risk = Good Explain each characteristic of Risk's through summarizing and quotations. Protective courageous loyal Kipling develops the character of Risk to represent the good in our world. Though Risk is somewhat of an underdog, he demonstrates protectiveness, courage, and loyalty. Risk's protectiveness Is evident at the beginning of the story when he went to bed with Teddy, the young boy. He was awake on the pillow as Teddy was sleeping. Teddy's mother didn't like it, because she thought Risk might bite Teddy.But Teddy's ether explains, â€Å"He Is safer with that little beast than If he had a bloodhound to watch him. † Rural was motivated to protect the family because he wanted to live with them. Courage was a trait Risk showed several times throughout the story, but when Nag came into the house through the sluice, he became very frightened when seeing the size of the big cobra. At that point, Risk began to reason and ask himself questions about what he should do. Then he says to himself, â€Å"It must be the head, the head above the hood; and, when I am once there, I must not let go.Though he was afraid, he showed courage and never gave up even during the toughest battles. When Rural Interacted with Dare, he discovered that the tailboards were miserable because one of their babies fell out of the nest and Nag ate him. Risk demonstrated loyalty to his friends by standing up to Nag, the big black cobra, and asking him, † Do you think It Is rig ht for you to eat fledglings out of a nest? † This loyalty helped him gain hero status with Dare and his wife. Body Paragraph 2 Anglia = Evil selfish 1 OFF determined Body Paragraph 3Alternate claim Courage vs.. Fear Risk = courage Schnauzer = fear Conclusion: Kipling used the theme of good versus evil to help us think about what this means for mankind. When we demonstrate protectiveness, loyalty, and bravery we make life better for others not Just ourselves. If we are selfish and threatening, and our only goal is survival, then we aren't contributing and making the world a better place. In conclusion, we learn that our focus in life should be to think about others before we think of ourselves in order to make a difference in the world.

Business paper review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business paper review - Essay Example At this point, the reader may become confused with regards to the exact problem being addressed, which may extend to the solutions being recommended for the problem. The progress report provides solid evidence that the writer has made progress on the report. For example, there is evidence that he has researched on the problem being addressed by locating training reports that are relevant from the training command website and from Navy Education. In addition, there is evidence that the writer interviewed experts relevant to the research problem, such as senior supervisors, while information was also sought from the junior sailors. The writer has also observed a formal instructor teaching at the transport support center. The writer also identifies what remains to be done, which is the formulation of solutions to current problems in acquiring technical skills among junior sailors. He also identifies finding enough time to read reports and conduct research as an issue facing the research, although this is not expected to affect the completion of the project on time. Finally, the writer also comments on changes to his work-schedule since beginning the project, although these changes are not identified. Overall, it is my opinion that the writer does provide convincing evidence on how the project is going. Kevin begins by providing the purpose for the progress report. The audience for whom the problem is to be solved is identified in the report as pet owners living in Berkshire SoCo apartment complex, as well as property management, owners, and all the residents of the apartment. The issue they are facing is also identified as problems with pet waste and litter that is found around the apartment, which is exacerbated by the high number of pets in the facility. However, the solution to the problem is not addressed in the introduction, although this is not confusing as the problem is already well posited. There is some evidence of progress made in

Marketing of Chicago Cutlery, Dexter-Russell, Cutco,and Emerils Research Paper

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E-marketing - Case Study Example At the same time it is also worthwhile here to mention that the e-Market space is coming up as a formidable alternative, as the customer feels more comfortable to know everything before accepting the services of the company. E-business is more than just e-commerce. It involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating with business partners. Such a venture on the net greets each customer by name and presents targeted information and services that correspond to each visitor's unique preferences and requirements. This not only helps in reducing the man-hours spent by the company officials in explaining the details to customers, but it also helps us in establishing as a company with total transparency in all its deals. Real estate and mortgage deals are not done by individual customers on a daily or weekly basis. An individual resort to such deals onl y limited number of times in many years. Therefore, the individual prefers to give a deep thought to it before actually going for it.

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LIT 201 3-3 Ouline - Thesis Example A comparison of the literal works of Oedipus Tyrannous and Don Quixote gives a depiction of irony depicted in two literally unique set ups. Literary works of both Oedipus Tyrannous and Don Quixote utilizes irony is a vital aspect of literary brilliance. Oedipus made an endeavor to challenge God yet his future was made clear to him by the Oracle of Delphi and the future too of his entourage. Despite this, he repelled and wanted to mend his own fate and destiny (Salomon, 2008). The characters own perceptions, ideologies and beliefs helped actualize his prophecy. This was purely ironically since fate took its course of action that Oedipus knew prior to drafting and following his strategy. Conversely, Sancho a loyalist of Quixote remarked that the black mole on the back of Quixote was a sign of a sturdy man. Quixote compared it to the Islamic forecaster Mohammed and an indication of the strength of a knight even though the audience knows the truth. Oedipus and Don Quixote have displayed vast through paths that proved to be tremendously ironic retrospection. A clear comparison of the irony in Oedipus and Don Quixote and similarities made to appreciate the literal works of the classic writers. It is a literature drive engine intended to spice the stories, enhance its impact and keep the audience fully involved. It is thus a vital part of

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Hedge Funds-who is the winner(literature review) Essay

Hedge Funds-who is the winner(literature review) - Essay Example In the later part, we give an analysis, consult other authors and available literature in the field, and critically assess Brown’s article on hedge funds. The phrase â€Å"hedge funds† alone has not been well defined. Dr. Grenville, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia could not mention the proper definition. The Bank of Australia, in a paper submitted to the Australian House of Representatives, indicated that it was very concerned about the activities of highly leveraged financial intermediaries known as â€Å"hedge funds†. The paper stated that they were concerned that the funds made money â€Å"by attacking an exchange rate that has already overshot, so that it overshoots even further.† Through published actions and short selling, a bandwagon forms, then the funds would pull out. The Bank paper further stated that this was what happened to the ERM crisis that hit the British Pound in 1992, the Asian currency crisis in 1997 and speculative attacks on the Hong Kong dollar peg in 1998. With their action, the funds were holding the small countries hostage. (p 301) Brown (2001) pointed out that the International Monetary Fund reported that in the 1990s, there were financial intermediaries that had been investing steadily into South East Asia. There was a net inflow of about US$20 billion into the region over and above portfolio and direct investment; this was up to 1995 and 1996 when it increased to US$45 billion per annum. Then, there was a collapse of the Baht and the Ringgit in 1997 (the start of the Asian financial crisis), and a sudden outflow of US$58 billion. It was then perceived by the central bankers in the region that the collapse in the currency had everything to do with an attack on the currencies of the region by well-financed international speculators. Hedge funds could be the cause of the Asian financial crisis. One of those who believed on this was Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad when he said,

Boston Tea Party Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Boston Tea Party - Article Example The Indemnity Act of 1767 served to shield the British government from losing out to tea smugglers who sourced their tea from Holland. Holland did not impose taxes for its imported tea hence Dutch traders supplied it at cheaper rates. After establishing the Indemnity act, the East India Company was able to retrieve the 25 percent ad valorem tax it paid for tea that they exported to British colonies. Part of the act’s outcome was to permit export of tea to other British colonies by the East India Company. In addition to this, the act also reduced taxes paid by domestic consumers of tea in Britain. The overall idea here was to shift the taxation burdens from the homeland to the colonies. The Townshend Act was Britain’s attempt at imposing tea taxes on its colonies. Constitutionally, this precise issue was the long, held bone of contention that drove up resistance from colonists to British authority in the colonial lands. The Whigs, who were a group of political activists in America, laid a case against the Townshend Act. Reason being that it forced American to pay taxes, which had no approval from their local elected representatives. The new taxes brought about by the passing of the Townshend act resulted in massive protests and boycotts from colonists. (Rowe, web). This eventually forced the government to repeal the taxes included in the Townshend Act. In 1772, after the Indemnity Act expired, the government reverted to taxes that they had offset from British people in 1767 (Rowe, web). On the reintroduction of taxes, sales of tea fell short, and there was a large surplus held by the East India Company. As a major driver of the British economy, the company re ceived help from the government. The Tea act finally came as a solution to the crisis. It allowed the East India Company to sell directly tea to Americans at a price of their choosing. This was supposed to help reduce the overdue stock that was still in their warehouses. Because of this, tea prices for America significantly dropped in the hope of driving up sales. The taxes payable on importing the tea were paid, under much secrecy, to avoid reaction such as those that had been encountered before. The Actual Event It was not long before the arrangements to hide taxes were discovered by the American Whigs. The discovery came about while seven ships made their way to American harbors to offload large consignments of British tea. Three of these ships namely the Dartmouth, Eleanor and Beaver, headed for Boston while each of the others went to New York, Charleston and Philadelphia. After the three ships to Boston arrived, American protestors climbed onto them, opened up 342 chests that c ontained the imported tea and threw the tea into the sea (Lepore, web). This took no more than three hours to accomplish, and the colonists had disguised themselves as Indians to be mistaken for workers. The damaged product was worth 10000 pounds, and it would be unsalvageable for authorities to charge duty on it (Lepore, web). The ship’s owners had, however, been warned earlier on to retreat and return the ships to England through a meeting held in Boston with the protest’s leaders. Resolutions and Outcomes The British legislature after receiving news of the event decided to take disciplinary action against the entire populace of Boston. It passed the Boston Port Bill, which Boston harbor closed off until the East India Company had received due compensation for the destroyed tea. In addition, to this Parliament decided to amend the structure of the Massachusetts Council, which was largely elective in nature. They instead had the governor acquire

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example for Free

Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Night by Elie Wiesel. Born in the town of Sighet, Transylvania, Eliezer is a young and strong –minded individual, but doubts his religious beliefs. He and his family were taken from their home in 1944 to Auschwitz concentration camp, which was known as the Holocaust. Eliezer, being a dynamic character had many thoughts and feelings towards life and his father. His thoughts and faith always changed (Wiesel 33). But, he always tried to stay strong, hopeful and determined for himself and his father. While in Auschwitz, Elie thought alot about how his life was changing (38). He went from a 13-year old deeply observant and very religious teen, into a wishing, confused and doubtful individual. Being dynamic changes you as a person and it affected the mood and tone of the story. Eliezer’s appearance wasn’t really mentioned in the story. But you could imagine what happened with eating just bread crusts, soup, and sometimes nothing to drink (54). When Eliezer broke his foot, he still hopped for survival along with his frail father (78). His belief and faith subsided the longer they stayed in the camps. Others lost complete faith in their God that they trusted (66). It was every man for himself and they would do anything to stay alive, even kill. While staying in the camps Eliezer sometimes decided between life and death, to escape the hurt, torture, and pain. Once they were finally released free, no one thought of revenge (115). All they wanted was to eat and when they were no longer hungry, they still didn’t think of revenge. Freedom and food were the only things left to think about (113). Eliezer is a young and strong-minded individual, but doubts his religious beliefs. Being a dynamic character means that you aren’t sure about decisions and your mind is always changed. When Eliezer found the strength to get up and look at himself in the mirror, the gaze that looked back at him never left him.

Marketing strategy of a furniture store

Marketing strategy of a furniture store Customers are core for any business. Companies manufacture products to fulfill their needs. Every company would like to increase their market share through sales by beating their competitors. In order to achieve this, one should have efficient and effective marketing plan. The most vital element of a successful marketing plan knows your customers likes, dislikes and expectations. Basing on these factors a marketing strategy could be developed which allows you to fulfill customers needs by understanding your competitors and identify changes in market place. The every purpose of marketing plan is to outline a strategy to attract and keeping customers. This could be done by defining your market, identifying your customers and competitors. The two main marketing principles are: Entire efforts of a company should be directed towards satisfying customers. Sales volume which is profitable is more important than maximum sales volume. Marketing strategy Marketing strategy is identifying customer groups and serves them better than its competitors by offering tailor made products, prices, distribution and promotional methods to that segment. The strategy should address unmet customer needs that earn potential profitability. Target marketing Identifying separate customers who makes up large groups which helps to locate their needs more specifically. This smaller segment of the general market is convenient for market research and information helps to serve this segment better. This segmentation can be done in two ways Geographical segmentation serving customers needs in a particular geographical area. Customer segmentation identifying those people who buy products and services and targeting those groups. Products and service: To satisfy the target markets product is very important. This is how organizations earn revenue. These products may be in the form of goods, services or ideas. Promotional strategy: Promotion is communication process with the customers about the products through advertisements and direct customer interactions. This helps companies to distinguish their product from competitors. Pricing strategy The right price is the crucial for maximizing total revenue. In general higher prices means lower volume and vice versa. Micro Audit Consumers Industry and market related information regarding consumer buying patterns plays very critical in expecting future levels of demand. Having sales volume information of past helps to foresee the market trend and buying pattern. Key information like current market volume, demand, etc helps to identify the profit potential market. This information helps to build relationship with customers by identifying their needs, wants, preferences and buying habits. Key Points: The market for kitchens (including  furniture, worktops, sinks and taps, appliances sold as part of a kitchen and installation) was estimated to be worth  £3.25 billion in 2008, but it is estimated that it will decline to  £3.12 billion in 2009. Product innovation, fashion in the home and the desire for individuality are all strong drivers to growth in the market. Added to this, the growing emphasis on the kitchen and its central place at the hub of the home is also stimulating interest in the kitchens appearance, functionality and furnishings. Mintel believes the consumer market will return to growth by late 2010 or early 2011, accelerating to 2014. All the previous positive factors remain in place for a recovery. Kitchens UK: August 2009 Mintel Competitors Sustaining competition in market is important for any business success. Identifying the direct competitors and analyzing their market information like where they stand in market, their strengths and weakness, sales performance, pricing strategy, studying their product range and promotional methods helps us to prepare strategies to penetrate into their market for greater market share. Distributors and suppliers Building proper distribution channel to reach target audience is important. Distributors are one of the key elements in supply chain of a company as he helps to move product from hands of the company to the hands of customers. Reaching target market is unlikely without proper distribution channel. A distributor saves both money and time for companies by their expertise in what they do. Macro audit Macro environment considers challenges in the world at large. These elements are politics, Economy, technology, laws and environment which impact the market. Having detailed information about these elements helps an organization to serve market better. Politics Political system like taxation policies, foreign trade policies, how supportive the government is for private sector helps an organization to plan their marketing strategies more efficiently. Economy Information like inflation, disposable income levels decides the income of the market place which is vital for planning pricing strategy. Technology In todays world technology is growing in very fast phase. Technology enables business to communicate more efficiently and saves time which helps to take efficient decisions. Environment Environmental policies have a major role on the manufacturing process. Availability of raw material, energy costs and pollution are the major influencing factors of quality of product. Research Requirements Retailers Opinion: Retailers knows and understands the behavior pattern of customers. They will have the first hand information on market and what exactly customers are looking for in a product they want. Retailers even have key information on taste of customers who belongs to a particular geographical region. Research methodology: one to one interview is the best research method for this objective. One to one interviews help to get most of the information possible from a retailer which may miss through questionnaire or online survey. Through this method we could able to know the retailers personal views on our product as well as his experiences with customers while selling our product. This information regarding our product and service helps us to understand our lagging points and allow us to work on them. As retailers interact with different kinds of customers during their day to day business they know the customers preference and choice better. So, retailers are the best source of information regarding the pattern of customers buying behavior and the factors which influence their buying decision. As retailer being the possible large data base of information regarding customers, one to one interview research method is the best to collect the information in its totality. Fashion and Trend: In the matter of fashion and trend only change is constant. Peoples taste vary from person to person, place to place etc. people always get influenced by latest trend and fashion. Research methodology: conducting surveys through online as well as placing questionnaires at shops to answer are the best methods to collect information. Young working people who are single and newly married couples are best sample for this kind of survey. These sample can be questioned online by preparing questionnaire with pictures of product with different kinds of designs and asking them which kind of furniture they like and why. Through this method coverage will be more as most of the youngsters use net. At shops customers can see, feel and know more about the product. So, getting answers for what they like or dislike in a product example color, comfort, style, and design etc through questionnaires placing at shops helps to analyze the thought process while shopping. Target Customer segment profile: Before venturing into new market it is important to study the characteristics of that target group as customers thoughts and opinions are different depending on factors like place, income etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Research methodology: Focus group is the best research method which can be adapted here for this research. The targeted group can be working professionals, business men above age 25 who belongs to both mid and high income markets. This information could be gathered at offices, social gathering places like hotels, restaurants, organized events etc. Feedback from a group has more diversified opinions on a product. This provides most invaluable information about brand, quality, pricing, design etc which helps company to provide best possible quality furniture with appealing design at affordable prices (Saunders M. et al., 2006). SW/OT Analysis Stateroom Furnitures Strengths It is very popular brand known for its quality hand crafted furniture which is made of wide variety of wood. Have wide product range of kitchen furniture which covers from high end dining set to china display cabinets. Capital reserves are available for development and even extra funds can be raised in strong business cases. It has a facility with new machinery which could be used to manufacture a variety range of furniture. Stateroom Furnitures Weakness SR furniture could not utilize its potential in market completely. Many people back off from buying the furniture for its price even though they like it. Its market is limited only to certain section because of its old fashioned design. The material used to make furniture is limited to wood which leads to lack of variety in product range. Though the brand is popular its distribution is limited only to up-market stores in cities and counties. Only 55% of the factories capacity is being utilized. Market Opportunities A huge section of market with young audience is open to target the products. Furniture with modern stylish designs and made of different materials are in huge demand. This space in market in not yet ventured by SR There is demand for branded quality furniture around the world not only for domestic purpose but also business purpose. Large section of market with audience who belongs to middle income group is still open. Market Threats Change of peoples perception towards kitchen as cooking, eating and hanging out area is a threat to kitchen furniture sales. Plastic and Self assembly furniture is becoming popular which are cheap and comfortable to use. As young audience dont like old fashioned furniture there is threat of losing this market completely in future. Reduction in room sizes may lead to not using the dining set which will affect SR sales figures because 50% of sales are of dining sets. Resultant Strategies Different strategies can be developed by using TOWS frame work: S-O Strengths : Opportunities Strategies Capital reserves, Product range and brand reputation could be utilized (S1/2) to promote present sales. Utilize brand reputation to export and contract sales (S1) could be increased as there is demand for quality brands all over the world. (O3) Brand reputation and Capital reserves and factory capacity (S1/3/4) could be utilized to manufacture and market modern style furniture for young audience.(O2) W-O Weakness :Opportunities strategies A Product range at reasonable price (W1/4) could be manufactured and marketed through more outlets even in small towns for middle income group which is a large market segment. (O4) Making furniture with different variety of materials (W2/3) like steel, Plastic etc covers more market and could attract young audience. (O1/4) S-T Strength : Threats Strategies Brand image (S1) can be utilized to venture into other furniture segments like office, bedroom, etc. (T4) For the future: Utilize capital reserves (S3) to venture into plastic and self assembly segment (T 2/3/4). Utilize capital reserves (S3) to change perception of people over dining set and other furniture by running campaigns. (T1) W-T Weakness : Threats Strategies Should make furniture with low cost materials like plastic and others (T2) for mass market which can be sold at reasonable prices (W1). Factory capacity could be utilized to manufacture adjustable furniture with innovative designs (W2/5) to answer space problems which can capture the market of young and other segment who dont like traditional furniture (T3/4). Marketing Strategies Unique selling proposition The USP aims at making new range of durable kitchen furniture made with different materials like wood, steel, Plastic etc. and designed appealingly according to the taste of all age groups. Positioning To be successful SR furniture should use its brand reputation to capture market neglected before which became advantage to competitors. Thus it is targeted at both sophisticated clientele and mass market by positioning itself as quality furniture maker for all age groups. The marketing mix should be planned in such a way that the product range has both quality and appealing designs to cover all age groups and mid income market. This can be achieved with two lines of products where one is positioned at mass market with affordable furniture range and the other for sophisticated and higher income group. This product mix could be achieved with both traditional and modern designer furniture range made of different materials like steel, veneer, plastic etc. This is illustrated in brand positioning map below: Price vs. Quality Design Good Quality Appealing Design Affordable Price SR Galiform PLC High Price Kohler Mira Jaccuzi UK Group PLC Bristan Group Poor Quality Design The above illustration shows that the market positioning is to capture both high end and mid market by offering good quality furniture. Competitive Strategy SR Furniture seeking to venture into new market with affordable price range for mid income group rather down market as the product range is mainly concerned about the brand image it carries for its quality and design. With current product range its strategy is to capture both high end and mass market of all age groups. Mid market prices could be achieved as the material usage will vary for different designs without affecting the quality and durability of the product. This mass market is going to sustain as getting good brand like SR Furniture at affordable price is great value for money. Growth Strategy Utilizing the brand reputation to venture into new market with new product range is very good move as it makes market penetration easy. The strategy of making a product range of modern designer furniture for sophisticated market could carve its share easily as there is lot of room in market with young audience and others who dont like traditional designs but still appreciate SR brand for its quality. In long term this strategy gives a great scope to enter into the other furniture segments like bedroom, living room etc. Marketing mix differences Consumer vs. Business Marketing mix differs from business market and consumer market. Product Consumer market: Product range should consist furniture with appealing design to all age groups. Consumer prefers good looking furniture which is comfortably fits in their rooms and easy to mobilize during house shift. Business market: Business market includes buyers like hotels, restaurants etc who dont shift often. They prefer durable furniture which lasts long and design of furniture is very important in setting up a good ambiance and image in market place. Price Pricing strategy varies between consumer and business markets as the buying pattern differs. Business clients place bulk orders and consumers buy individual pieces of furniture. Furniture manufactured for business purpose could be costlier as it is manufactured according to the specifications of business client. Place Furniture is sold through retail stores at different locations for convenience of individual consumers to shop and transport. There would be no specific location to sell furniture for business purpose. Manufactured furniture according to the clients order would be transported directly from factory. Promotion Television advertisements, ads in news papers and magazines, hoardings, exhibitions and other promotional methods are adapted to reach consumer market. Catalogues would be designed with products picture and key information which are distributed to clients personally by marketing team.

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Essay -- Papers Henry David Thoreau

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience In a concise essay, Thoreau proffers a challenge to all men, "not to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right." Over and over, almost redundantly, Thoreau stresses simplicity and individualism, as most transcendentalists (the new philosophical and literary movement of Thoreau's time) did. Thoreau clearly states, in his On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, that the government is unjust and doesn't represent the will of the people, that one man can't change the government, and that people succumb unconsciously to the will of the government. The first of these is a ridiculous notion; the second contradicted and supported alternately throughout the essay so that one cannot be sure of what they agree or disagree with while reading it because it always contradicts itself in the following paragraph; and the last, a well-thought-out and legitimate concept. Thoreau believed that "That government is best that governs least," (222) but his harsh feelings stemmed from his dislike of the government and its motivations at that time. He thought that everything the administration did was wrong: their head-turn at the treatment of slaves, their land-grabbing war with Mexico, and the taxes that Thoreau himself was imprisoned for refusing to pay. Even the basic system of government was unfair and biased to him. He thought that the majority system was unjust, "†¦ when the power is in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted †¦ to rule, not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest," (231) but what else can there be in a non-monarchical government? He shoots down the entire American gover... ...ch is a profoundly admirable position. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience is an opinionated yet sincere treatise on the efficaciousness and assumed power of the United States' democratic government. The three main points proposed in this discourse vary in sensiblity from tangible to impalpable. Unfortunately, it is a very difficult and, for some, uninteresting and exasperating reading because in many parts of his essay, Thoreau, through ramblings and descriptions, unwittingly contradicts himself many times. Because of this, he is, by many, disregarded as a great philosopher and considered a hypocrite, and one has to look deep to discover the real meaning behind his grand words and complex sentences. Works Cited i Henry David Thoreau - "Civil Disobedience" from A World of Ideas - Essential Readings for College Readers, Lee A. Jacobus, Bedford Books, 2008, 1849

Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi :: American America History

Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. No w that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable. The government participated in a great "push" to get its citizens to move to west. At first few people moved to the west, but this changed when gold was discovered in California in 1848. This caused a "gold rush" to the west coast which consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the gold mines of California. Many traveled to the west coast, however few actually found their fortunes. Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi :: American America History Development Of The West Beyond The Mississippi The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. No w that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable. The government participated in a great "push" to get its citizens to move to west. At first few people moved to the west, but this changed when gold was discovered in California in 1848. This caused a "gold rush" to the west coast which consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the gold mines of California. Many traveled to the west coast, however few actually found their fortunes.

An Overview of Peace and Conflict

AN OVERVIEW OF PEACE AND CONFLICT DEFINITIONS: Peace is often seen as the converse of war. i. e. peace and war as two sides of the same coin. Hence the definition of peace as the absence of war, and that of war as the absence of peace The problem with this definition is that it does not explain everything about peace and war For example even in situations of war, some conditions of peace still prevail. E. g. in spite the long years of hostilities between the Israelis and Palestinians, both have been able to reach a peaceful agreement on the use of their water resources.Secondly, the definition does not take into account the issue of structural violence, in the words of John Galtung. According to Galtung, war represents only one form of violence, which is physical, open and direct. The others form of violence has to do with social conditions of life. This consists of †¢Poverty †¢Exclusion †¢Intimidation †¢Oppression †¢Want †¢Fear and †¢Other forms of psychological pressure So from this analysis, it is possible not to have peace even where there is no war.This is the situation in countries where there is acute poverty, police brutality, oppression of the poor by the rich, use of power to intimidate people by those in power. Even where there is no war in such societies, they may not experience peace (Ibeanu) OTHER VIEW OF CONFLICT: †¢Conflict as the pursuit of incompatible interests and goals by different groups †¢Conflict occurs as a struggle over values. The values may be in terms of physical of material possessions or resources, status or power. (Louise Coser) †¢Central to conflict is the issue of perception.When one party perceives the action of another as preventing or blocking the attainment of a goal, conflict is said to occur. Therefore the two ingredients necessary for conflict to occur are: ? Perceived goal incompatibility ?Perceived opportunity for interference or blocking. In other words, conflict occur s when an intended action is perceived to be inimical or detrimental to the realization of one’s objective Generally perception is a product of man’s physiological, cognitive and cultural dispositions which of course differ from person to persons, and from one environment to another.Therefore, we can say that conflict is inevitable to the extent that it is fundamental to the existence of any institution, body or society It is inevitable because human beings are naturally different from one another in their attitude, perception and orientation. But conflicts could be destructive if not properly handled. Hence we often sat that the way and manner conflicts are resolved differentiates one organization or society from another. VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE †¢To the Instrumentalists: Peace is a means to an end. Here the absence of war serves the objective of social progress and development.In other words, where there is peace, society will experience positive transforma tion in all facets of life. 2. TO THE FUNCTIONALISTS: Peace has a social function of integration and order. That peace is fundamental if society is to function properly. If not the social and political system will experience stress, and then brake down. 3. TO THE PHILOSOPHERS: Many philosophers interpret peace as a natural, original, God-given state of human existence. i. e. , the pre-corruption state of man in society, as God established it. This is the God’s created state of perfection.EXAMPLES OF PHILOSOPHERS †¢St. Augustine of Hippo: He distinguished between â€Å"two cities†, namely; The city of God, founded on perfect heavenly peace and spiritual salvation; and the Earthly city of man, founded on acquisition and possessive mentality of man, but corrupt and always in conflict. †¢John Rousseau: He sees from the angle of a state of nature, the original state of existence of man where there are no desires, where men were naturally good, free and enjoy tranq uility. But this atmosphere was corrupted by human desire and greed for private property †¢THOMAS HOBBESHis argument was that peace is a product of the state of nature where life was poor nasty, brutish and short, and where society was in a state of perpetual war. For men to overcome this sorry state, they resolved to establish a social contract in which each gave up his/her right to self defiance to powerful force (what he called the leviathan) above all to which all were subject, thus creating a more peaceful and orderly life †¢THE HEDONISTS AND UTILITARIANS Argue that human beings naturally seek happiness and avoid pain, and consequently prefer peace to war and violence. PLATO: He addresses the social context of peace. He sees justice as the most fundamental basis of ordered social life. For him, justice is the basis of peaceful social life. Justice is given to each his or her live. Plato defines society in terms of three classes of people: – Workers – eng aged in production – men of appetite – Soldiers – defend the society – men of courage -Rulers – Govern the society – Men of Knowledge Each must operate within his area of competence, and where this does not operate, he sees injustice †¢SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF PEACE The Sociologist also addresses the social context of peace †¢The Sociologist sees peace as a condition of social harmony, the absence of social antagonisms †¢Peace to the sociologist, is a condition in which there is no social conflict and individuals and groups are able to meet their needs and expectations This is achieved through the establishment of structures to perform certain basic functions of society; for example a society must service, it must educate it citizens, produce goods government and its often provide security for its members.To achieve these structures such as schools, industries, parliaments, courts and armed forces are established. †¢Th erefore to the sociologists, peace is achieved where these structures perform their functions adequately †¢TO THE MARXISTS: †¢Conflict is a product of dialectical materialism †¢It is a product of the structure of rewards in the society †¢It is a reflection of the nature of class and class struggle †¢This breeds a struggle for the control of the means of production in the society †¢The result of the attendant inequality is in two folds; Violence perpetrated by the upper class on the oppressed – Violence engineered by the oppressed against the ruling class – revolutionary violence. Hence the phrase â€Å"Those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable† †¢Political Perspective of Peace †¢Politically peace is synonymous with political order when the political structures are stable, we talk of peace in the society: †¢Peace is also seen as a political condition that makes justice possible. The colap se of the political structures lead men to seek other route to enforce their will. These may be in the form of Mob action, demonstration, strikes or even military coups To ensure peace therefore the political structures must be stable and effective to extent that they perform their role. Politically, these must guarantee citizens participation in the political process; ensures tolerance of opposing views; and encourage bargaining and negotiation.Also politically speaking, peace suggests that government does not rely on coercion and the instruments of force (such as army, police) in dealing with citizens Instead people willingly accept and obey the dictates of government Peace in this sense connotes mutual consent and agreement to respect the rules governing a society whether locally or internationally. But the question is whose order? Must every political order be sustained just to ensure peace (e. g. The Nazis, Mobutus, Abacha)

Is Eco-tourism the way forward for countries such as Ecuador?

The Republic of Ecuador is located on the Western Hemisphere, on the northeastern corner of South America. The neighbouring countries are: Colombia in the North and Peru in the South. Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in Latin America (roughly same size as Britain). Despite its size, Ecuador offers great variety of places to visit, many different cultures, and many activities to enjoy such as nature tours, mountain climbing above 6000 meters, paragliding, white water rafting, or scuba diving. Ecuador overall has a population of 11 million people, with an annual population growth rate of 3%. Ecuador formerly is a developing nation, evidence that can be used to establish this is for starters the GNP level is depleted being $3,000 (2001), when compared to a country such as USA $36,300 (2001) or UK $24,700 (2001) it shows that Ecuador is a developing country. The diagram on the next page shows the GNP level through the years passed for Ecuador. Other aspects that show that Ecuador is a developing are the birth rate and the infant mortality rate. The infant mortality rate of Ecuador reaches up to 30.69% in comparison to United Kingdom's infant mortality rate, which is 5.78%. This already shows that there are much more babies dieing per 1000 live births in Ecuador than UK, which then leads to showing that there are more diseases and unhygienic living conditions. The life expectance of Ecuador initially is 69.54 for males and 74.90 for females, saying that, the life expectance in UK a developed country is 74.73 for males and 80.15 for females. There are over 50 % of Ecuadorians living in poor conditions. All these factors prove that Ecuador is still a developing country. Being a LEDC, Ecuador has many concerns for convalescing living conditions and improving the economy. Therefore Ecuador's main concern is money. The most comfortable way is TOURISM, there are however other ways for getting money such as labour work, but since Ecuador has beautiful sceneries and plenty of attractions tourism will be the fastest and the easiest way of bringing in money into the country. Earning more money would help the country improve the economy which then can improve and create jobs for the unemployed, it will also help build more schools and hospitals which would help the country on the whole and generally improve amenities. Commercial Tourism Many LEDC's promote tourism for money. Tourism is a huge industry that can support many different types of jobs. This would be beneficial for the people who are unemployed, they can take up jobs such as shopkeepers in fairs in order for tourists to buy souvenirs, and other jobs can include cleaners. Tourism generates â€Å"easy money† as tourists will be coming to see your culture and your traditions and also enjoy the many facilities such as sight seeing or enjoying themselves on beaches. It basically does not include much hard work for the indigenous people. Since tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, more and more people are spending more money on tourism each year, travelling abroad etc. Many countries such as Jamaica, Kenya or India are all starting to invest and become familiar with tourism. Most of the LEDC's are becoming increasingly popular with tourists coming to see different cultures or to relax and enjoy the wildlife, which are only to be found in LEDC's. Ecuador is the perfect place for tourists interested in the outdoors and nature activities. Fine colonial architecture, rain forest trips, Inca treasures and the Andes are among Ecuador's top attractions. The main reason people will go to Ecuador for a holiday is that it is â€Å"a land of contrasts you will never forget, Ecuador is divided by nature, yet solidly held together by a common cultural heritage. It is a four-in-one deal offering an awesome wealth of cultural and natural diversity; trek through the Andes, swim along a tropical coast, and explore the mysteries of the jungle and the Galapagos Islands, all in one trip!† Tourism not only provides many different jobs, but it also helps areas that are particularly spoilt to start to improve and develop. Money is invested into the local areas; services are improved such as hospitals and schools. From tourism the local transport system improves tremendously, which would benefit the local indigenous people and also tourists. As you can see, this (commercial) type of tourism can help a country economically and also help the indigenous people. While â€Å"Commercial tourism† looks to be perfect in all ways, it also has many disadvantages, some of which discourage LEDC's to take on commercial tourism. These disadvantages include social problems, for instance when western tourists offend local people or various religious groups within the society because of their style of dress or even when their behaviour seems different it discourages these local people to stop working with tourism. There can also be environmental problems, when natural environments and landscapes are damaged; from tourists for example coastal areas and seaside resorts are completely altered from rubbish from the tourists. Rivers and seas are increasingly polluted from the tourists throwing things such as wrappers and rubbish, which again effects the environment negatively. Mainly the government would be in favour for this type of tourism but only to an extent. Other wise the indigenous and the more environmental friendly people would be against this type of tourism. The main risks commercial tourism and also any other type of tourism is that a country may not be as â€Å"popular† as time passes, it will become less interesting to holiday makers and with the same leisure activities each year, it would start to become boring to people. From all the disadvantages LEDC's are being discouraged constantly from the fear of their natural environment being destroyed by tourists. Therefore more and more LEDC's have started to familiarise them selves with another type of tourism, ECO-TOURISM. Eco-Tourism Eco-tourism comes from a concern about the natural ecosystems of places and from a concern that the local ways of life and the environment or wildlife can be damaged or destroyed by commercial tourism. As commercial tourism has extensive negative effects on the beaches, local cultures and the environment, the idea of developing eco-tourism is to encourage smaller scale developments with visitor coming and staying with the indigenous people and learning about the environment. This type of tourism also supports the idea that holidaymakers will spend time learning about the wildlife and the environment. It can also include bird watching and sight seeing. The main scheme of eco-tourism is to make tourism less damaging and more in tune with the environment. The main obvious advantage of eco-tourism is that it helps the environment enormously and also the wildlife. The other advantage of eco-tourism is that the money made would go straight to the actual indigenous population by small groups performing in front of tourists or acting like guides. The Quicha people are able to use their expert knowledge of the plants and animals of the forest as the basis of tours, which again will bring money straight to the people them selves. It is also an advantage as it would make the indigenous people more self-dependent and this would mean they would work for themselves. In contrast to commercial tourism where the local people have to take up jobs such as cleaners in order to get money and sometimes they are not being paid fairly. The profits that are earned from the eco-tourism are invested to improve the community and public issues such as schools and hospitals or health centres. This type o tourism also makes the people feel they are in the commun ity and they are working together, â€Å"it makes the community stronger† There would also be less crime because most of the crime came from children stealing things of the tourists in commercial tourism, but since the indigenous people are more intact with the eco-tourists there would be less crime. While being many advantages, there are also a few disadvantages. But none of which include environmental or social issues but instead include economical issues. These economical issues would include the lack of tourists interested actually in eco-tourism. Again most people would rather spend their money to go abroad to places where they can relax on beaches, enjoy parades and basically leave their troubles behind, there would not be that many people interested in learning about the environment and the wildlife, and because of the lack of tourists going to the eco-tourism countries there would be a lack of jobs and more people unemployed since most of the indigenous people will be depending on the tourists so they could give tours. The other main disadvantage apart from the lack of tourists is that the country will just be depending on the tourism and when that starts to decrease, the country as a whole will start to be more and more less developed. Views of the local people Different people in the village would be thinking different things. The main thing on there minds will be to be in favour of eco-tourism as they will not be up for commercial tourism as that can damage the rainforest, some people even believe that commercial tourism could not bring enough jobs and if it does it would be jobs such as cutting down tree's which is against the culture and traditions. The village leader wants the village to stay together and prosper. However he is completely against commercial tourism. This is because the last time that tourist had come into the village they had paid the villagers little money and also they did not respect the villagers in a proper manner. The village leader is also not sure about the eco-tourism scheme, as he is worried it would have the same effect as commercial tourism, which was poor. Local development worker in contrast to the village leader believes that eco-tourism is the right way forward. The local development worker has helped villages around the area and has seen it work; therefore she believes that eco-tourism will work in this village. As you can see we can understand why different people will differ in their views for or against eco-tourism, for instance the village only wants the village to grow and develop through, he does not understand the facts of what eco-tourism can do because of the fear of what he had suffered when the tourist exploited their village and did not respect any of the villagers. On the other hand the local development worker believe that the village can develop very easily if they allow eco-tourism, her main argument against the village leader could be that she has seen other villages develop through eco-tourism and it can happen to this village as well. Evaluation After analysing both commercial and eco-tourism, I have found many advantages and disadvantages of both. Commercial tourism will destroy the land and the wildlife will get hurt and the indigenous people are sometimes not respected. On the other hand commercial tourism does bring more money into the country not necessarily straight to the local people and also more people are interested in commercial tourism. However the eco-tourism protects the wildlife and keeps the land clean and unpolluted. It also helps the indigenous people feel they are dependent and part of a strong community, but eco-tourism having the environmental and social advantages, it has a flaw, there is an economical disadvantage which is, it brings in less money and in most cases most tourists would go to a commercial tourism country as it would be more pleasurable. The final question really is â€Å"Is eco-tourism the way forward for countries such as Ecuador?† After going through all the advantages and disadvantages and what the indigenous people think, my answer would be, yes eco-tourism is the way forward for countries such as Ecuador. I have decided this because, it helps the environment without destroying it, it does not hurt the wildlife in anyway, and it also brings in a reasonable amount of money straight to the indigenous people. However these all are very important factors on why I have chosen eco-tourism, but there is one more imperative factor which I think is vital, it is that the Quichua tribe are happy with it, they believe eco-tourism is the way forward, it does not destroy their environment and the wildlife are safe and the Quichua people are satisfied in occupying jobs such as tour guides. The main argument I would believe which is against eco-tourism is the economical problem; people believe that eco-tourism will bring in less money than commercial tourism. However the way I see it, I believe that every industry when it starts of in the beginning has less people, in spite of this there are small groups going to countries that follow the eco-tourism scheme and slowly that group will be expanding as people will be telling others about their holiday and slowly the eco-tourism industry will begin to rise.

Research Findings on Mid Day Meal Essay

Some research findings on Mid Day Meal Scheme conducted by independent agencies reported that MDM programme is a visible programme and has helped in increase in attendance and enrolment of children particularly girls. They also reported that there is an increase in retention, learning ability and achievement as well as greater social equity among caste, creed, sex and gender groups in the schools. The main research findings are as under: i) Research findings (2010) of Pratichi trust of Prof. Amartya Kumar Sen: Unlike many other Government programmes, implementation of MDM has been a success throughout the country. Though the quality of food needs to be improved, it must be said that with active participation of the beneficiaries, it has become a community programme. The quick response of the state administration in amending the shortcomings indicates that the administration is gradually becoming aware of this. ii) The major findings of the PROBE (Public Report on Basic Education) Report indicated that 84% of households reported that the children get cooked mid day meal in schools and children enjoy varied menu. Good practices like washing hands before eating, & after eating are imparted in the schools. Incentives like MDM have contributed to improving enrolment rates. iii) Mid Day Meal Scheme in Madhya Pradesh by National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development, Indore has reported that MDM has shown marked improvement in enrollment pattern of children in primary schools. Mid Day Meal Scheme undoubtedly resulted in increased school attendance and retention of children in schools for a longer period. The Scheme has played a crucial role in reducing drop out, especially among girls. Parents viewed that the mid day meal had reduced the burden of providing one time meal to  their children and considered it as a great support to their families. Teachers opined that mid day meal aided in active learning of children, which indirectly improved their academic performance. The Scheme has played a significant role in bringing social equity among all the sections of the society. iv) An empirical study conducted on Mid Day Meal scheme in Khurda district of Orissa, revealed that cooked mid day meal has increased socialization among the children and helped in increasing enrolment and afternoon session attendance. MDM has created new employment opportunities for underprivileged sections. v) Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2010 reported that in 83.4% schools served MDM on a day of visit and almost same percent of schools (81.3%) schools were having kitchen sheds for cooking mid day meal. A vastly improved availability of mid day meals had contributed to the increase in enrollment. vi) vii) 2. Supreme Court Commissioners undertake extensive review of various welfare schemes through field visits. They have observed that the MDM is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful schemes of GOI. Increase in enrollment and attendance of children in primary schools has been noticed after the introduction of MDM. Performance audit (2011) conducted by Centre for Environment and Food Security on food security schemes in Orissa and Uttar Pradesh; The sample survey in 130 villages spread over 12 districts of Orissa and Uttar Pradesh (Bundelkhand) was carried out and reported that performance of the MDM scheme is far better in Orissa in comparison with the Uttar Pradesh. An overwhelming 86.7 per cent of Orissa’s children were getting second best category of MDM (regular but inadequate and unsatisfactory meal), only 51.8 per cent of children in UP were getting regular but inadequate and unsatisfactory meal in their schools. Findings of Evaluation Study by Planning Commission Performance Evaluation of Cooked Mid Day Meal Scheme – study conducted by Programme Evaluation Organization of Planning Commission (2010): The highlights of the Study conducted by the Planning Commission are as under: i. The Cooked Mid Day Meal Program has been successful in addressing classroom hunger in sample schools. ii. Cooked Mid Day Meal is reported to have created a platform for children of all social and economic backgrounds to take meals together, thereby facilitating achieving the objective of social equity. iii. It has also been observed that the programme has resulted in the diversion of the attention of teachers and students on activities related to it, rather than towards teaching and learning activities, which results in loss of studies. iv. In general, visible shortage of basic infrastructural facilities and manpower (that are crucial for the success of the Cooked Mid Day Meal programme) were noted. v. Most of the states, it was observed, did not follow the guidelines of Government of India to deliver foodgrains at the school point by PDS dealer, thereby resulting in the leakage of foodgrains. There have been instances where due to long supply chain, foodgrains supplied got adulterated and pilfered. vi. While Cooked Mid-Day Meal Scheme seems to have contributed to an increase in the attendance in schools across the country, it does not seem to have any significant impact on fresh enrolments in sample schools. 3. Review of the Scheme by Supreme Court Commissioners Supreme Court Commissioners are monitoring all welfare Schemes of the Central Government including Mid Day Meal Scheme. They have monitored seven States viz. Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa and West Bengal during 2010-11. The main recommendations of the reports are as under: i) Delay in release of funds to school / implementing agencies. ii) The mid day meal should be expected to cover all children in the school going age irrespective of whether they are enrolled in school. The location of meal served can continue to be the school; this might further encourage those out of school to join schools. iii) The provision for cooking costs under the mid day meal should be increased based on Price Index developed for Mid Day Meal Scheme to counter the effect of inflation. iv) Proper infrastructure for mid day meals should be mandatory, including cooking sheds storage space, drinking water, ventilation, utensils etc. v) Mobilization for kitchen garden in school premises should be encouraged. vi) Priority should be given to disadvantaged communities (especially Dalits and Adivasis) in the appointment of cooks and helpers. All cooks and helpers should be paid not less than statutory minimum wage. vii) Mid day meal should be linked with nutrition education and related educational activities. State Government should be encouraged to adept their text books for this purpose, as the NCERT has already done for some text books. viii) Nutritious items such as eggs and green vegetables should be provided regularly. ix) Serious action should be taken in the event of any form of social discrimination in mid day meal such as discrimination against dalit children or dalit cooks. x) Community participation in the monitoring of Mid day meal should be strengthened, particularly to prevent corruption and ensure quality. xi) Mid day meal should be integrated with school health services, including immunization, de-worming, growth monitoring, health checkups and micronutrient supplementation. xii) Grievance redressal mechanism must be within easily reachable distance of complainant and should therefore be decentralized to Panchayat level. It could also consist of mobile camps that reach out to each village. *********

Family vs. Law Essay

Family, an important theme of life, gets expressed throughout many ways in society. Family may take precedence over many things, including authority and the law. Within the tragic play, Antigone, the author Sophocles presents situations where the characters have to choose between their family and the law. The characters must choose what is more important to them, their family or obeying the laws of Thebes. Throughout the play, Sophocles presents a strong theme of family values and the importance of it through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon. Antigone, placed in many situations throughout the play, has to choose between her family and the law. Antigone chooses to honor her brother, Polyneces, by burying him even though she will break the law by doing so. Antigone asks her sister Ismene to help bury their beloved brother, but when Ismene says no, Antigone responds by saying, â€Å"But as for/ me/ I will bury the brother I love† (Prolouge. 192). Antigone chooses to honor her brother and risk breaking the law because family means more to her. Antigone puts her family first, presenting her as a selfless person. Along with the risk of breaking the law, Antigone also risks her death. Once Creon tells Antigone of her punishment after finding out she buries Polyneces, she has to decide whether or not burying her brother is worth it. After Creon tells Antigone of his plan for her, she says, â€Å"This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not† (SceneII. 208). Antigone shows Creon that he cannot stop her from saving her family by trying to punish her with death. Antigone chooses to help her family and stand up for them, even when faced with death. Sophocles shows Antigone as a brave person by denouncing Creon’s rules and saving her brother. Through Antigone’s actions, Sophocles shows how he favors family over authority and the law. Sophocles expresses his devotion to family throughout Creon’s actions in the tragic play. Prior to Creon’s initial decision to let Antigone die, the Choragos convinces him to let her go free. Creon, reluctant at first, listens to the Choragos and says to them, â€Å"It is hard to deny the heart! † (SceneV. 235). Creon knows deep down inside that he will be doing the right thing by letting Antigone go free. Although Creon wants Antigone to pay for breaking the law, his family ties with her prove to out shine his devotion to the law. As Creon orders the Choragos on what weapons to bring, he says, â€Å"I buried her, I/ Will set her free† (SceneV. 236). Creon realizes that his family ties with Antigone mean more to him than justice and he wants her to know that by freeing her himself. Creon wants to prove to Antigone that he does care about her safety and her future so he will set her free so she can go on living her life with Haimon. Although Creon decides to free Antigone partly out of guilt, he mostly does it because of her love for her. Sophocles shows throughout the tragic play that he prefers family over the law through the actions of Creon. Sophocles shows his devotion to family over the law by the actions of Haimon. Haimon has to decide whether to fight for his wife’s life or obey his father. Haimon, driven mad by the situation he has at hand, decides to kill himself after he finds out Antigone has done the same. The messenger delivers the horrible news to the Choragos and says, â€Å"Haimon is dead; and the hand that killed him/ Is his own hand† (Exodos. 239). If he cannot live with Antigone, then Haimon does not want to live at all. Haimon’s devotion and love for Antigone is stronger than his will to obey the law. Even as Haimon â€Å"died/ He gathered Antigone close in his arms again,† (Exodos. 241). By having Haimon’s last moves before his death be hugging his wife one last time, Sophocles shows that family takes precedence over the law through Haimon’s selfless acts. Haimon wants to show to everyone, especially his father, that his love for Antigone overrules everything else, particularly the laws that Creon creates. Throughout Haimon’s actions in the play, Sophocles shows that family means more to him than the law. Throughout Antigone, Sophocles shows that his strong devotion to family overrides authority and the law. Sophocles proves this to the reader through the actions of Antigone, Creon and Haimon and the choices that they make throughout the play. Even at the face of death, Antigone chooses to honor her brother over obeying the law as a way of showing Sophocles’ devotion to family. Prior to Creon’s original decision to kill Antigone, he changes his mind and decides to spare her life to exemplify Sophocles’ loyalty to family life. Haimon chooses to spare his own life to support his wife and rebel against the laws his father creates to prove Sophocles’ commitment to family. Sophocles shows that his devotion to family overrides the law by the situations and decisions Antigone, Creon and Haimon make. Not just in the play Antigone, but even in the world today, family values have high precedence over the laws and rules created to follow.

The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water

The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende IB A1 English HL World Literature Comparative Essay Word Count: 1496 Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 1 In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, respective authors Laura Esquivel and Isabel Allende use a connection with the supernatural to empower the protagonists in three ways. Firstly, the central characters in each story possess unique otherworldly abilities, which enable them to distance themselves from their oppressors.Secondly, the supernatural is active in providing spiritual healing of those in dire situations. Finally, supernatural events are responsible for the eventual suppression of the main antagonist of each novel, and the subsequent liberation of the protagonists. Supernatural empowerment is also used to convey the authors’ perspectives on Latin American cul ture, which will be explored in relation to each form of supernatural empowerment discussed. In both novels, the oppressors of the central characters desire to control them completely, however, the protagonists have unique abilities which come to their aid.In The House of the Spirits, author Allende uses Esteban Trueba’s desire and expectation to possess his wife Clara entirely, to portray the view that in Latin American culture, there is an implication of female inferiority and submissiveness in relationships. Allende, however, expresses a negative view of this societal expectation, by giving Clara supernatural abilities which sustain her, allowing her to detach herself from him and be independent. The reader learns that Esteban desires â€Å"far more than her body; he wanted control over that undefined and luminous aterial that lay within her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Allende 111). The use of magical realism in this description of Clara’s â€Å"undefined and luminous† a spect emphasises her otherworldly character, creating an image of a bright light which Esteban cannot grasp with his hands, for his fingers simply pass through. It is precisely this supernatural aspect of Clara’s character which gives her strength, independence and the power to resist domination by Esteban. â€Å"He realised that Clara did not belong to him and that if she continued living in a world of apparitions †¦ she probably never would† (Allende 118).Clara’s clairvoyance and preoccupation with spirits prevent Esteban from controlling her. Whilst he becomes increasingly enraged at the unbridgeable distance between them, Clara is content, strong and empowered, thus defying the Latin American culture of female inferiority which is implied in the novel. In Like Water for Chocolate, Mama Elena has a similar obsession to Esteban’s, in desiring to control her daughter Tita’s every move. Through her description of the de la Garza family traditi on, the author portrays Latin American culture as giving family values great importance.In compliance with her family values, Tita, as the youngest daughter, is required to devote her Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 2 life to the care of her mother, who strictly denies her the opportunities of love and marriage. By empowering Tita through her supernatural culinary abilities, an attribute of Tita’s character which Mama Elena cannot control, the author protests against this focus on honouring family tradition at the expense of individual rights. â€Å"In the kitchen †¦ flavours, smells, textures and the effect they could have were beyond Mama Elena’s iron command† (Esquivel 45).Tita’s domain is the kitchen, and she transfers her inner-most feelings to her cooking. The results are dishes which recreate Tita’s mood and infuse her deepest desires into those who consume the food. When Mama Elena bans all c ommunication between Tita and her love Pedro, Tita channels her emotions into her cooking to create â€Å"a new system of communication† (Esquivel 49) with Pedro. The author uses the oppressiveness of Mama Elena and the de la Garza family tradition to portray a negative image of extreme emphasis on family duties in Latin American culture.The attribution of supernatural culinary abilities to Tita allows her to escape Mama Elena’s control and bring herself closer to Pedro, and this illustrates the author’s desire for respect for individual rights in family relationships. In both novels, the supernatural plays an active part in healing those in troublesome situations. The authors describe positively an intimate Latin American culture in which a suffering individual can depend upon assistance from trusted friends, even in the most dire circumstances.Such a phenomenon occurs in The House of the Spirits, when the imprisoned Alba has resigned herself to death in a â₠¬Å"dark, frozen airless tomb† (Allende 469). Into this atmosphere of oppressive coldness, Clara materialises as a radiant apparition, â€Å"with the novel idea that the point was not to die †¦ but to survive, which would be a miracle† (Allende 469). Clara’s radiance contrasts with the darkness of the â€Å"doghouse† (Allende 469) which holds Alba, inspiring her with hope.Clara urges Alba to write a journal in her mind so that others may one day learn of â€Å"the terrible secret she was living through† (Allende 470), evoking in Alba a purpose and will to live. The author gives Clara the ability to empower others even after her death, emphasising her positive opinion of a culture of trust, selfless giving and unconditional love among friends. A similar healing phenomenon occurs in Like Water for Chocolate when Nacha’s appearance to Tita, as she eats the oxtail soup at Dr Brown’s house, restores Tita’s spiritual health and he r speech after her breakdown caused by Mama Elena. With the first sip, Nacha appeared there at Tita’s side, stroking her hair †¦ kissing her forehead† (Esquivel 114). Tita cries for the first Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 3 time in six months, resulting in a â€Å"stream that was running down the stairs† (Esquivel 114). The author’s use of magical realism is effective in emphasising the emotion and miracle of the situation. Tita makes the decision to speak again; she is â€Å"fully recovered, ready to start a new life† (Esquivel 117-118).Like Clara in The House of the Spirits, Nacha possesses the ability to empower those she loves even after her death, and this element of magical realism is employed by the author to illustrate a positive perception of Latin American culture, where connections based on love and friendship can overcome even the most hopeless of circumstances. The final use of the supe rnatural allows the author to describe a culture in which disaster befalls those who bring control and malevolence to relationships which should be filled with love and friendship.In both novels, supernatural events result in the suppression of the antagonist to empower the protagonists. In The House of the Spirits, Esteban’s jealous suspicion causes him to banish his sister, Ferula, from his house, and ban her from contact with her family. In response to his cruelty, Ferula curses him: â€Å"You will always be alone! Your body and soul will shrivel up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Allende 158). Esteban soon observes his body â€Å"shrivelling†: â€Å"he could tell from his clothes †¦ his sleeves and his pant legs were suddenly too long† (Allende 212).There is also evidence of his soul â€Å"shrivelling†: as he drives others away from him, he is indeed cursed with the fate of being alone. His violence against his daughter and his physical abuse of Clara who stands up for Blanca, sever the few weak bonds he had remaining with these members of his family. Esteban’s experience of his physical shrinking and his alienation from family, result in personal insecurities, a deflation of his ego and a sense of loneliness, and those he has mistreated are no longer oppressed by him. In Like Water for Chocolate, Tita’s wholesome cooking has adverse effects on oth Mama Elena, and Tita’s callous sister, Rosaura, indirectly resulting in their deaths. On her return to the ranch after Mama Elena is left temporarily paralysed by a group of bandits, Tita carefully prepares oxtail soup for her mother â€Å"so that she would recover completely† (Esquivel 119). Mama Elena, however, immediately detects a bitter taste, and accuses her daughter of poisoning her. Ironically, as a result of emetic overdose taken secretly to combat the imagined poison, Mama Elena eventually dies. Tita’s sister, Rosaura, suffers a similar fate. She beco mes overweight and flatulent from eating Tita’s food.While in San Antonio, Rosaura loses weight, but â€Å"all she had to do was come back to the ranch and she got fat again! † Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay 4 (Esquivel 192). Following her selfish proclamation of her intention to subject her daughter, Esperanza, to the oppressive family tradition of forced self-sacrifice, Rosaura dies from an extended attack of flatulence attributed to Tita’s cooking. Through the supernaturally caused deaths of Mama Elena and Rosaura, the author describes a culture of retribution for those who bring control and malevolence to relationships which should be sources of love.Their deaths liberate Tita and Esperanza, enabling them to love freely. In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, the supernatural is used as a positive force to empower the leading characters. Characters possess supernatural gifts which provide them w ith an untouchable inner strength; the supernatural gives them the power to heal others in dire need; and ultimately, it is the supernatural which is responsible for the downfall of the oppressors, and the liberation of the gifted characters.Furthermore, the authors use supernatural empowerment to integrate their perceptions of positive and negative aspects of Latin American culture into the novels. 5 Keri-Anne Murray Candidate #: 003072-058 World Literature Comparative Essay Works Cited Allende, Isabel. The House of the Spirits. Trans. Magda Bogin. London: Black Swan Books, 1986. Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. London: Black Swan Books, 1993.