Social-Ecological Model Theory

A behavior I would like to modify or change would be the sexual activity of today’s youth. Focusing more on using protection, being safe, or abstinence if possible. We know that if you aren’t careful and using protection it is very easy to attain a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD). I would use the social-ecological model theory to accomplish a prevention and promotional change in behaviors. The social-ecological model provides a framework for understanding the different influences and their relationships to one another. In the social-ecological model theory there are different stages or levels to your prevention or promotional program. The five stages or levels are: Individual, Relationship, Community, Societal, and Policy. Individual would be intrapersonal. Relationship would be interpersonal. Community would have institutional factors. Societal would have community factors. And Policy would local, state, and national laws and policies that contribute to the prevention of your program. The first level of the social-ecological model (SEM) theory is Individual or intrapersonal stage. It represents the individual who might be affected by a sexually transmitted infection. And the sexual prevention program aims to increase the individual's knowledge and influence his or her attitudes. You do so by providing, the need for STD testing, the intention to be tested, the risks and benefits of being tested, and access to affordable and convenient STD testing, diagnosis, and treatment. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The second level of the SEM behavior theory is Relationship or interpersonal level. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the interpersonal level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by affecting social and cultural norms and overcoming individual-level barriers. Friends, family, health care providers, community health workers or promoters, and patient navigators represent potential sources of in terpersonal messages and support. Activities included are: providers making STD testing recommendations to their patients, patients receiving reminders about the need of regular STD testing, patient navigators helping to remove logistical and other barriers to screening. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The third level of the SEM behavior theory is Community which has institutional factors. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the organization level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by influencing organizational systems and policies. Health care systems, employers or worksites, health care plans, local health departments, tribal urban health clinics, and professional organizations represent potential sources of organizational messages and support. At this level you would; promote the use of client and provider reminder systems, provide provider assessment and feedback on their performance, encourage the coverage and expansion of benefits for screening, adopt worksite policies that support preventive care. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The fourth level of the SEM theory is Societal which has community factors. It represents STD prevention activities implemented at the community level. These activities are intended to facilitate individual behavior change by leveraging resources and participation of society-level institutions such as comprehensive abstinence coalitions, tribal health departments, media, and community advocacy groups, which represent potential sources of societal communication an d support. Several interventions appropriate for this level, includes: working with coalitions and collaborates to promote STD testing and expand resources, conducting public awareness and educational campaigns, collaborating with tribal health departments to expand STD screening. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) The final level is Policy. It represents STD prevention activities at the policy level. These activities involve interpreting and implementing existing policy. Federal, state, local, and tribal government agencies may support policies that promote healthy behavior, including screening. Some examples include: collaborating with coalitions to communicate policy decisions to the public (i. g. insurance mandates for STD testing), and translating local policies for community members (i. g. proclamation of a STD prevention awareness month). (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) Works Cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, September 9). The Social-Ecological Model: A Framework for Prevention. Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. (2012, November 16). The Social Ecological Model. Olympia, Washington, United States.

Chinese Nationalism Essay Essay

A? er a long ? me of peace and success the Qing dynasty was the highest point of its power. However, as ? me passes they were harassed and humiliated by western powers, quickly the Qing dynasty collapsed. But the Qing collapsed due to the tremendous external pressures of moderniza? on that the west implemented. Extraterritoriality was a huge contribu? ng factor to the fall of the Qing dynasty. China set aside (ve coastal ports for the Bri? sh to use in the southern part of the country. From the start this was a bad idea, basically China was giving them a part of their land for them to save and make money o* of. This caused a limit on their taxes for imported goods. Essen? ally, the Bri? sh were saving and making so much money from this that their army prospered. The Bri? sh army grew because now that they had an outstanding amount of money they were able to cover the costs of war and spend the money on their own country. But it didn’t stop there; China also gave the Bri? sh the island of Hong Kong. This meant that they were able to obtain even more wealth by taking advantage of the land. The ac? On that China made which allowed the Bri? sh to use a part of their country was set up to fail, nothing good could have came out of this to help China which is why external pressures were such a big factor in the fall of the Qing dynasty. Similar to extraterritoriality, an interna? onal economy also caused a decline in the Qing dynasty. During the ? me European traders moved into China, China’s trade and industry were doing extremely in large ci? es. At this ? me, westerners forced China to join the interna? Onal economy; this was huge for China’s economy because it would reach its utmost height; but in the long run was not bene(cial for China at all. Imperialism started to become a problem in China. Many of the Chinese were being used, and it caused a state of dependence on China. Also due to imperialism China was in a period of underdevelopment. This meant that because of foreign countries taking advantage of China; instead of the pro(ts Chinas new economy was making going to its own country it went to foreign na? ons. Chinas industry and trade went through a ? Me of deteriora? ng, which caused the economy to go down and China as a whole to weakening. China was also being used for its land and resources, which is why Jack Petersohn History in-class essay other countries were â€Å"carving up the Chinese melon†. Many European and western countries wanted to have a piece of China; therefore they were â€Å"carving up the Chinese melon†. These foreign na? ons forced China to reform to new ways and change even though they wanted to keep tradi? on. For example westerners introduced China to new means of transporta? On and technology. China may have enjoyed and used these new advances but it took them away from their tradi? on; this caused an outbreak for rebellion and revolt. Therefore triggering a decline in the na? on due to external pressures. The foreign in6uences on China caused the Qing dynasty to struggle in maintaining power. Westerners use China for its individual economical bene(ts while China was in a ? me of stress and were barely keeping power. Eventually China declined and the Qing dynasty fell due to the external pressures.

Take home mid term (nonresearch other than course readings) Essay

Take home mid term (nonresearch other than course readings) - Essay Example The social structure that we have is dictated by our economics. Class and stratification come about as a result of economic opportunity. Groups that struggle for equal rights pin their demands on the need for economic equality and equal pay. Efforts to create new social institutions are done so not with speeches and persuasion, but with economic motivations. Barrington Moore's argument that economic trends are a better predictor of political behavior is certainly true in America. America was built on free market economics and has molded the way we perceive our class system and our social programs. The American Revolution was unique in that it was not a revolution that overthrew an existing system, but was rather a fight for independence that was in the process of building a system of government. Historians have, at times, noted the multiple roles of America's revolution and termed it a liberal-republic or exclusionary republic. John Adams observed with some pride that America had turned "their backs on Europe's class-ridden corporate society, for rejecting the canon and feudal law" (Hartz 322). This viewpoint painted America as a Democratic Republic in which each individual was a participant in their own fate. Indeed, there was little to overthrow when America was created. It was the most orderly and free society in the world and there was a movement to preserve that tradition. Sam Adams was less hopeful and predicted that all systems, however free, would eventually fall prey to man's tyranny and the "passions of Men that are fixed and timeless" (Hartz 324). The American Revolution created a free republic that was still in its infancy. There was freedom that was unknown to Europeans as Hartz notes that, "millions of Europeans have fled to America to discover the freedom of Paine, there have been a few Americans, only a few of course, who have fled to Europe to discover the freedom of Burke" (336). This freedom was not only in political thought and social structure, but also economics. Free market economics demanded freedoms of political thought and this was not overlooked by Franklin. Franklin was more absorbed with the philosophy of economics than that of politics and was revered for the philosophy by which Poor Richard lived more than for the Almanac itself (Hartz 332). From this aspect America was a rugged Republicanism that was exclusionary by necessity. They were building a society with deliberate frugality. The deliberate course of events created a free market republic, yet many economic sectors were dependent upon the oppression of slaves and women. Their freedoms, built into the constitution, would not be realized for centuries. Still, the free Republic was inevitable as Hartz writes, "When men have already inherited the freest society in the world, and are grateful for it, their thinking is bound to be of a solider type (324). This soldier mentality has been the impetus for the steady progress toward the building of the Republic as it was founded and it was intended. 3a.) James Madison's Political Thought James Madison, one of the most influential founding fathers of the constitution, was a complicated political thinker whose enigma, has at times, been interpreted as inconsistent. Madison began his life born into wealth and privilege offering him a liberal education in one of America's finest universities. Madison was a man of

You write me a topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You write me a topic - Essay Example In addition, the article gives attention to the banks involved; this is especially the banks in Switzerland. This is including the effect that the confessions of the whistleblower have had on the banks. These include the loss of business and reduced revenue from lower rates charged for private banking due to loss of privacy. One more issue is the remuneration of individuals who come forward with information on fraudulent activities that involve tax evasion. Therefore, with this, it shows the commitment of the IRS in recovering lost taxes by spending substantial amounts of the same funds in compensating those that forward the information. Tax evasions appear to be a critical issue in the United States leading to the loss of billions of dollars in expected revenues to the IRS for national development. This fraudulent behavior is highly unethical; moreover, it is degrading to the development of the country morally. This should provide the perspective to the individuals involved that it is their moral responsibility to pay taxes to the government. It is also the moral obligation of an individual to the society to pay taxes because the same society benefits from it (McGee and Smith 3982). Failure to pay the taxes, results in unfair practices in the society by overburdening some members of the society to shoulder the burden of developing the nation. This means that tax evasion is an issue that the IRS is well aware of and is condoning both directly and indirectly. This is following the reward scheme, where whistleblowers are rewarded with substantial amounts of finances, despite their involvement in defrauding the IRS (â €Å"Whistleblower - Informant Award†). As a result, it might lead to worse ethical issues of intentional tax evasion in an attempt to clinch the prize money offered by the federal government. In addition, the other issue is that of

Temperature Control In Foods (Milk) Delivered To Hospitals In Saudi Research Proposal

Temperature Control In Foods (Milk) Delivered To Hospitals In Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example This research study is likely to make a significant difference with regard to milk storage and delivery not only in the medical setting but also in other sectors like milk processing and storage in retail shops such as supermarkets. This will be achieved as a result of the researcher making applicable recommendations that are within the requirements of the Saudi Food & Drug Authority, the body that is in charge of ensuring that all food substances reaching the citizens are within the required standards. The body works with other relevant stakeholders like the ministry of health in cross-examining the quality of the foodstuffs and drugs in the state's market. This research conducts using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, meaning that the researcher will combine both qualitative and quantitative research concepts. The researcher uses quantitative tactics in collecting data relating to temperature control in milk delivered in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. During this research study, the researcher is not likely to be in a situation that may lead to a violation of respondents’ rights. However, the researcher will safeguard respondents’ right to privacy by withholding any information that they may feel confident or secretive like business secrets, profitability, or any other area that the researcher may be interested in investigating. In addition, the researcher will ensure that respondents are aware that their businesses are being examined for academic purposes though the findings may be used as reference sources during other studies.

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

E-commerce - Essay Example The E-commerce revolution has surged forward with applications appearing in the airline industry as equitable with fast and easy modern technology service in the new age. This scientific protocol allows the industry to communicate internally with suppliers and partners and with their customers. Plagued with a series of economic downturns and fierce competition and global critical issues, the airline industry had no other recourse but to adjust and adapt itself to the current business scenario than remain covered in dust as other competitors fly by. Although most airlines were reluctant to engage strategically in electronic commerce giving justification to their highly exceptional personalized service, the Paris Crash in 2000 and the September 11, 2001 downfall made every international flag carrier cringed at the thought of closing its doors forever and were instead forced to lunge for drastic measures to regain its earning equilibrium. Bigger airline industries brainstormed their ma rketing specialists while directors hold close door meetings in the effort to address the problems besieging the entire future of everyone associated with the business. Small players beyond 2003 were still struggling to keep up with the prevailing market scene but bigger players had adjusted faster but then again faced with the critical issue of mass employee lay-off for most of its workers affected by the online economic measures. However the e-business held promises to lower the operating costs of these sectors as well as connections to the wider world in a matter of seconds. Flag carriers like British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and Singapore Airlines responded by installing e-commerce platforms as the robust channel for business. The Paris Crash in 2000 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks the following year, coupled by fluctuating maintenance costs, and the future of Concorde was limited despite the expensive modifications after the crash.

Case Study 8-1 Aero Marine Logistics Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

8-1 Aero Marine Logistics - Case Study Example At the outset it seems that the second alternative is preferable. However, AML has expertise and capability to handle 20-foot containers. Their flatbed trailers can transport these containers. If they are to go for 40-foot containers it is not clear whether they have the capability of transporting such huge containers. Even if the transport can be arranged, it is not mentioned whether fitting larger flatbed trailers with refrigeration equipments will cost more than Rs 12 lakh. If it costs more, the second proposal may not remain more efficacious. Further, there is always a chance, albeit smaller, of one container getting waylaid or damaged. In that case, with the second proposal, the loss will be higher. Another potential risk may be that the promised 150,000 kg mushrooms per month may not be feasible. Then it will be easier to decommission one smaller container rather than one larger container. 4. Here the supply chain considered is based on an agricultural production. Mushroom is not an ordinary agricultural product. Special expertise is required for mushroom farming. Assuming the farming is done in Holland (since the port mentioned is Amsterdam), export of food item from there to India is considered. Farmers (Holland) Wholesellers/ Distributors (Holland) Food Processing Unit (Holland) Freshfoods (Holland) Shipping Company AML (India) Market (India) Consumers (India) 5. Costs are due to production (mushroom spawn, medium, labor), transport to distributors, storage, cost of freezing and storage in the Food Processing Units, power cost, containers and others as described in the case study, cost of setting up channels to market, cost of shelf display etc. At every stage labor cost is there as well as management cost. Then, even though it is not mentioned, there will be insurance premiums and shipping costs to be taken care of. Since it

Toothbrush with Unique Double-lock Mechanism Case Study

Toothbrush with Unique Double-lock Mechanism - Case Study Example Thomas also believed that by replacing toothbrushes regularly, patients could save more money in dental work and would then decrease their chances of needing dentures, and that improved oral hygiene could increase a person's life expectancy to four years, as his studies showed. Thus, Butler and Thomas then agreed that a market existed for a toothbrush that could attend to these issues and decided to follow through with their idea. Butler and Thomas wanted to produce a toothbrush, which was similar to the safety razor, which was at the time, very widely used. They wanted it to have two separate sections: a re-usable handle, and a disposable head. The disposable heads would be in multi-unit packages to encourage customers to frequently change the toothbrush and to lower the costs of packaging as well, since they have discovered that the packaging costs were around 50 percent of the total toothbrush price. Butler and Thomas also felt that the retainable handle would then elevate the concept of toothbrushing to something of a higher value personal possession instead of just the regular disposable one. Thus, they came up with the idea that the handles could be personalized using a variety of materials like plastic, brass, or stainless steel. It could also have floss holders, mirrors, interproximal brushes, or gum massagers. In addition to this, they thought of marketing bathrrom holders or travel cases. However, Butler and Thomas then discovered that there were already a number of toothbrushes out in the market that catered to the needs they wanted to attack. But they found out that these toothbrushes had disadvantages when it comes to the locking of the head to the handle. As a result, they concentrated their efforts on developing a better locking mechanism. Butler tried a lot of approaches but they all posed different disadvatages: they were either too weak, too difficult to attach, or too expensive. But in May 1987, while travelling with Julie McBride, Butler suddenly thought of the idea of the double-locking mechanism, which consisted of two locking mechanisms that would make the head stick to the handle safely. This design also enabled the consumers to constantly check if the lock was in place. Butler then took his rough sketch of the design to an engineering firm in London, which then produced a prototype for him. Addressing Issues Despite his success in coming up with the double-lock mechanism idea, he was confronted with several issues that he needed to address. With regards to the feasibility of manufacturing the product, they had to consider the following: product style, types of models required, engineering specifications, collapsibility, and tolerances in tool requirements, and aesthetic appeal of the product to the consumers. These were the aspects of the concept of the product that they have yet to resolve. The Process Butler knew that after the prototype has been made, that there were still a lot of steps for him to do, to ensure that the

Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development Essay

Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development - Essay Example Such has been the case with all local as well as global organizations. Organizations have been increasingly making huge investments in managing their human resource in the form of recruitment, selection, training and retaining talents from across the world. In other words their human resource strategies are more and more aligned with the long term and strategic objectives of the firms. The project brings forth the case of BP Chemicals which has been confronting with difficulty in meeting its staff requirements. The organization faced a human resource crisis when it struggled to find the processing and engineering staff having the requisite skills and qualification for keeping pace with the technological advances and changes. It increasingly faced difficulty in finding the right technical expertise and skills; however, finding the manual and graduates was not a problem. In order to resolve the crisis the company established Quartz, an autonomous body responsible for recruitment and tr aining of candidates as required in BP Chemicals. The project tries to explore and evaluate the learning and development programs adopted by BP Chemicals in terms of the long term objectives of the firm and also the satisfaction of its employees. To what extent does the organisation adopt a structured training process approach in its learning and development provision The training and development process conducted in BP Chemicals would be discussed in the context of the Lewinian Experiential Learning Model. There are two main aspects on this model which need to be emphasized. First is the model’s emphasis on the here and now concrete experience for validating and testing the abstract concepts. The immediate experience is considered as the main aim for giving life, texture, learning and personal meaning to the abstract concepts. It also provides a publicly shared ad referenced point for the testing of validity and implications of the ideas which are generated during the proces s of learning (Cliffs, 2006, p.4). The following figure would depict the ideas in the model. Figure 1: Lewinian Experiential Learning Model (Source: Thorpe & Edwards, 1993, p.139) Secondly the laboratory training and action research are primarily based on the process of feedback. The information feedback is considered to be the basis on which continuous process of goal oriented actions and their evaluations are generated. In the case of BP Chemicals, it is seen that the concrete experience is felt when the organization failed to avail of the human resource with the needed skills and expertise to keep in pace with the technological advances and changes. The firm realised that as technology continued to change, it would have to recruit people having knowledge of the new technologies and skills or would have to provide training to the existing people in the new technologies. It was felt that the above two aspects were completely necessary for the firm to survive and compete in the mark et. The second stage in the model which is the actions research and the laboratory training are said to be based on the process of feedback. As per the case study it is seen that BP Chemicals established a body called Quartz which had the responsibility of recruiting personnel for the organization and also providing the requisite training and learning for them. As per the feedback on the implementation of the new training and deve

Autism and Mental Retardation Essay Example for Free

Autism and Mental Retardation Essay Respond to the following: 1. List the primary features of autism. Children with autism are unresponsive to others, uncommunicative, repetitive, and rigid their symptoms usually appear before the age of three. An autistic individual will have difficulty sustaining employment, accomplishing household responsibilities, and leading independent lives. Furthermore, they express having problems displaying closeness and empathy and have limited interests and activities. The characteristics seem to be pronounced as indifferent in physical care and affectionate expressive interest in those who are taking care of them. Verbal communication and language impairments and inability to use speech are often primary features of autism. Some autistic individuals may exhibit Echolalia a echoing of phrases used without apparent understanding. Some may even repeat sentences a week later, this is called delayed echolalia. Their variation of speech difficulties include; paranormal reversal, difficulty in naming objects, lack of verbal understanding and use of suitable tone in their voice while talking. Some noticeable characteristics that often expose autism are their lack of imagination while playing, rigid, abnormal and repetitive behaviors, failure to accept environmental change and obsession with animate things and inanimate things. They express repetitive and unusual motor movements like flapping their hands, and odd facial expressions. Below is a checklist the DSM has provided for a guideline to diagnosis of autism. 1. A total of at least six items from the following groups of symptoms: A. Impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following: (a) Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction. (b) Failure to develop peer relationships appropriately. (c) Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people. (d) Lack of social or emotional reciprocity. B. Impairment in communication, as manifested by at least one of the  following: (a) Delay in or total lack of, the development of spoken language. (b) In individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to start or sustain a conversation with others. (c) Stereotyped and repetitive use of language, or idiosyncratic language. (d) Lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play. C. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following: (a) Abnormal preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest. (b) Inflexible adherence to specific nonfunctional routines or rituals. (c) Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting). (d) Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects. 2. Prior to 3 years of age, delay or abnormal functioning in either social interaction, language, or symbolic or imaginative play. 2. Which explanation for autism is no longer considered valid and lacks research support? The sociocultural model lacks support and the theory suggests that autism could progress through particular personality characteristics of the parents. These characteristics generated unfavorable development and contributed to the development of the disorder. This theory is no longer considered. 3. What forms of treatment are helpful for a person with autism? The treatment that is helpful for a person with autism is behavioral therapy, communication training, parent training, and community integration. Psychotropic drugs and certain vitamins have at times aided when joined with other approaches. Behavioral therapies consist of therapist using modeling and operant conditioning. In modeling they exhibit a chosen behavior and direct the individual to reproduce it. In operant conditioning, they reinforce such behaviors, first by shaping them, breaking them down so they can be learned step by step and then rewarding each step visibly and consistently. These measures often create more purposeful behaviors and long term achievements. Communication Training is a therapy that is often taught to those individuals who remain speechless. They are taught other forms of communication, including sign language and simultaneous communication, a method combining sign language and speech. They also learn  to use augmentative communication systems, such as communication boards or computers that use pictures, symbols, or written words to represent objects or needs. In some programs teachers try to recognize essential underlined forcers rather than insignificant ones like food or candy. They encourage participation in choosing an item they want and then encouraging them to ask for it with questions like; what’s that? Where is it? And whose is it? The studies have found that child- directed interventions increase self-initiated communications, language development, and social participation. Parenting training programs train parents so they can apply behavioral techniques at home. They are provided with instruction manuals, and teachers do home visits. Individual therapy and support groups help parents of autistic children deal with their own emotions and needs. Community integration is a great tool for autistic individuals, In today’s school and home based programs there are programs for autism children to teach self-help, self-management, and living, social, and work skills as early as possible to help children function better in their communities. There have been many workshops and group homes available now for teenagers and young adults with autism to help them become a part of their communities. These types of programs give parents a since of relief as their child will always need supervision. 4. List the criteria for a diagnosis of mental retardation: The DSM-IV-TR gives guidelines to the diagnosis of mental retardation. Individuals need to display general intellectual functioning that is well below average, in combination with poor adaptive behavior. As well as having a low IQ score of 70 or below. There should be notable difficulty in communication, home living, self-direction, work or safety. These symptoms should appear before the age of 18. 5. Explain one way in which sociocultural biases in testing might pose problems for assessing mental retardation. Sociocultural biased in testing that might pose a problem for assessing mental retardation is IQ testing. IQ testing in some children has caused them to be labeled retarded when they had trouble speaking the language at a level that would establish their IQ. 6. Of the four levels of mental retardation, into which category do most  people with mental retardation fall? Mild level – IQ ranges from 50 – 70. â€Å"They are sometimes called â€Å"educably retarded† because they can benefit from schooling and can support themselves as adults† (Cromer, 2011). 7. What are the main types of biological causes of mental retardation? The main types of biological causes of mental retardation are Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. 8. What is the only way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome? The only way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is to not drink during pregnancy. 9. What are normalization and mainstreaming? Normalization and mainstreaming are educational terms; they reference the settlement of mentally retarded individuals within ordered classrooms. This is to make sure these individuals can intermingle and learn along with typical fellow students. The school systems have made adjustments and adaptations to their core curriculum and the teaching given to the mentally retarded child. 10. What is your opinion about mainstreaming and normalization for children and adults with autism or mental retardation? I agree with mainstreaming for a person who is suffering from autism or mental retardation. Autism runs in my family, and I have a cousin who is the same as age as I am and she did not receive mainstreaming when she was younger and she is severely handicapped I believe because of this. On the other hand, our classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are experiencing challenges within the so called â€Å"normal† population. Labeling these individuals at such an early age incorporates stereotyping within the classroom and can cause even more hardship for those individuals. My ex-husband’s brother had an autistic child who is thriving and even attending college classes at a University. He did have special schooling and went to private therapies. His success was through behavioral therapy and parenting training. I would say mainstreaming should be considered on the level of the disorder. If the disorder is extreme, then consideration should be given to the teacher and her other thirty something students. It is a hard question when in fact someone could be mildly retarded or highly retarded and the school system really needs to know just where the individual stands with their language ability and social ability. Resource: Comer, R. J. (2011). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (6th ed.). New York, NY.

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet 1. Introduction and History A successful example of a European no frills airline is easyJet. Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Greek) founded the company in 1995. It is based on the low-cost, no-frills model of the US carrier Southwest. The concept of easyJet is based on the belief that demands for short-haul air transport is price elastic. That means, if prices for flights are being reduced, more people will fly. Traditionally airline concepts are based on the assumption that airline traffic grows in line with the economy and that cutting prices will only lead to a decrease in revenues. With the introduction of the no-nonsense concept to the European market, after its deregulation in 1992, easyJet has proven this theory wrong and goes from strength to strength by actually increasing the size of the market and more recently by taking away passengers from the majors (see www.easyjet.com for passenger figures, financial data and employee statistics). Today, it offers 125 routes from 39 European Airports (see www.easyjet.com for route launch dates), with Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, Amsterdam as base airports  [1]  and is operating 72 aircrafts (November 2003). November 1995: easyJet starts flights from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh with to leased Boeing 737-300 with a capacity of 148 seats at a price of  £29 one way. Seats are being sold over telephone reservation system only. In 1996 easyJet takes delivery of its first wholly owned aircraft and goes international with first services to Amsterdam from Luton. One year later easyJet launches its website, easyjet.com which will from 1998 onwards form an integral part of the business concept (and which provides for some 90% of the bookings today  [2]  ). In August 2002 easyJet expands its fleet and routes by acquiring British Airways low-cost subsidiary Go. In October 2002 the airline signs a deal to purchase 120 Airbus, which will facilitate the airlines ongoing growth strategy. Up until now, one of the cornerstones of the easyJets low-cost model has been to operate a single aircraft type fleet which so far has been the Boeing 737 series because uniformity means efficiencies in train ing, maintenance and operating costs. However, easyJets new deal with Airbus is being viewed by the company as stunning as the additional costs, which incur through the new type of aircraft are far outweighed by the financial benefits of this deal. easyJet argues that both Boeing and Airbus aircraft have broadly similar characteristics but that a wider aisle on A319 will make it quicker to embark and disembark, that it has an extra seat on board (150 vs. 149) and that overall the A319 will lower costs by about  10% compared to the current mix of aircraft, which will contribute to lower ticket fares. (See appendix 1 for Stelios Haji-Iannous other easyGroup enterprises). 2. The Mission Statement of easyJet To provide our customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this will develop our people and establish lasting relationship (see www.easyjet.com) The basis of an organisations mission statement should answer the question What business is the company in? easyJet is doing this by stating that it provides point-to-point air services to its customers. That clearly underlines that easyJet is not in the people or food business, neither in the service business as such, but in the mass-transportation business, and as such its model is based on cost efficiency of the mass-transportation business. Moreover, it reflects several decisions about what kind of air service easyJet wants to provide. Evidently, its focus is on European routes, targeting business and leisure travellers alike. Furthermore, it aims to offer safe, good value transportation. easyJets mission statement also gives information on the How to get there? by putting emphasis on its people and suppliers. What is missing from the statement is the importance of the customers point of view, which could be expressed by saying, for instance, we want to be recognised asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Also, as the mission statement is the bedrock for the marketing plan it should be more quantifiable, as to how much market share easyJet aims to gain in the future, for example. 3. Competitive Analysis In order to analyse the airline industry in detail, it is useful to apply Porters five competitive forces. The threat of substitutes Minimal threat from other modes of transport like train and car on domestic routes. Usually the time and cost advantage of the low-cost carriers far outweigh the increased comfort and flexibility of trains or cars (e.g. on the route Luton/London to Glasgow a train takes around 6 hours and costs around  £80 while a easyJet plane takes just one hour and costs around  £29). On international routes distances are usually too great for car or train to be an alternative to air travel, expect maybe from London to Paris, which can be reached by Euro Star. The threat of new entrants High capital requirements negate threat to some extent. easyJet was started with a loan of  £5 million, with 2 leased aircraft, but required a  £50million investment raised by debt and equity in year two to speed expansion and buy 4 new planes. The UK low-cost market is quite mature in comparison to the rest of Europe and easyJet, as the biggest operator has quite a comfortable position. However, expansion into new European markets might prove more difficult as established; cash strong holiday firms like TUI are setting up their own low-cost operations (see information about Hapag Lloyd Express, www.hlx.com) Lack of take-off and landing slots makes it difficult for new carriers to find suitable airports. Loss leader is required in order to join the low cost market. The power of suppliers The price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil, as an individual company easyJet does not have the power to alter this. Airplane manufacturers are concentrated in the industry, with Boeing and Airbus providing the majority of commercial planes and with easyJet operating one type of aircraft until recently. easyJets deal with airbus however shows that favourable agreements can still be reached. The dependence on spare parts from one manufacturer could pose a risk. The more easyJet expands the more power it will posses over its suppliers The power of buyers Buyer power within the airline industry and especially the low-cost market is relatively strong, as customers will often shop around for the better price, particularly with the dependence that the low cost airline has on Internet sales. Price discrepancies can be easily found and exploited by the consumer, meaning that the operator must keep a regular check on prices. Need for customer loyalty because of low switching costs Customers have the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on their side which provides: 1. protection against the consequence of travel organiser failure for people who buy package holidays, charter flights and discounted scheduled air tickets; and 2. licenses airlines and ensures compliance with requirements of European and UK legislation relating to financial resources, liability and insurance of airlines.  [3]   Rivalry among existing firms Ryan air, BMIbaby, MyTravelLite and Buzz are major competitors of easyJet in the UK. Virgin Express, Hapag Lloyd Express, Germanwings and Air Berlin already are or might become competitors in the light of future expansion plans. Ryanair is the only one of these so far to have succeeded and shown a continuous yearly profit (see appendix 2 for financial data). A growing number of tour operators (like Thomas Cook and TUI) are selling air only scheduled seats to reduced prices  [4]  . British Airways and other traditional carriers out of the UK are competitors as well but on a lower scale as they target different market segments (see appendix 3 for more detail). 4. Marketing Mix Price Low price is a key element of the brand. Uses differential pricing; off-peak travelling and booking in advance makes a ticket less expensive. Discounts for tickets booked online. Product no-frills, point-to-point air services also car hire on its website (use of the Internet for bundling products) and links to other easyGroup websites (see appendix 1 for other easyGroup enterprises). Place/distribution Internet booking system (over 90% of bookings). Telephone reservation system. Promotion Highlights its number one position among Europes low-cost airlines (advertising strap line: Size matters!, slogan: the webs favourite airline) Advocates internal marketing, creative work done in-house. No Bullshit approach (Stelios), humorous, attention-catching campaigns (e.g. the giving away of free tickets on Gos inaugural flight and Stelios protesting in a orange boiler suit against an increase of airport fees at Luton in a branch of Barclays bank which owns the airport). 5. SWOT Analysis 5.1. Internal Analysis Strengths Image, differentiation on price and brand. Is financially successful. Is being seen as an innovative and flexible organisation. Has a strong e-business. Is part of the consortium that has been awarded to run UKs air traffic control system (NATS). Weaknesses Has no customer retention policy Has little or no scope outside of Europe. Lack of service, flexibility and business focus (such as frequent flyer programmes e.g.) make the low-cost model unappealing for most business travellers. The two drivers of growth, the focus on price and the focus on convenience (frequent flights, few connections, more nearby airports e.g.) are reaching their natural limits. Differentiation from there remains to be difficult. easyJets own success makes it difficult to recruit and train staff quickly enough. 5.2 External Analysis Opportunities Experts predict great potential for future growth in the next years (see appendix 4). The current recession is favourable as people and businesses are more cost-conscious. More full-service airlines may withdraw from the regional market to focus on more profitable long-haul routes leaving the market to the low-cost operators. The short-breaks market, an important market for easyJet grows more rapidly than the UK travel market as a whole  [5]  . Reduced aircraft prices Threats Difficulties to expand as viable new routes from London are scarce. Competition is likely to intensify, given the saturated market and the shortage of other options  [6]  . Increased competition is likely to lead to greater difficulties in demanding incentives from communities, like the very low fees easyJet received at Luton  [7]  . Companies cut on business travel in times of economic downturn and because of new time-consuming security measures travel substitutes like videoconferencing are introduced  [8]  . 6. Situational Analysis easyJet seems to be positioned very well with experts predicting excellent growth opportunities for the low cost-sector. Given the saturated market and the shortage of other options in the UK, competition is likely to intensify inevitably followed by consolidation, an early sign of which is easyJets purchase of GO. The UK market offers little growth opportunity, therefore concentration will be on the continental market, a step forward in this direction is setting up a major new base at Berlin, with flights from 11 European cities  [9]  , and possibly as well on Eastern Europe. Focus remains on pricing Strategy and expansion of its route network. Promotion needs to persuade people that it is safe to fly and establish easyJet as Europes largest low-cost carrier (as easyJet is already doing in its advertisement: Size matters!) 7. PEST Analysis Marketing Plan PEST analysis for easyJet for the next 5 years The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet. Politico-legal factors Threat of war in the Middle East The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may change to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. Economic factors Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. Socio-cultural factors To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet  [10]  . The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights. However they may feel begrudged where they see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for  £10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. Technological factors A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. 8. Conclusion 8.1 Strategic issues facing the airline industry The face of aviation is gradually evolving. The long-standing problems of the industry in the form of large numbers of network carriers and substantial over-capacity in many markets were exacerbated by the events of September 11th (see appendix 5 for a post-Sept. 11th overview). This is likely to pave the way for some acceleration in the process of airline restructuring and consolidation. Experts believe that there is not room for the current multitude of carriers in Europe, and that these will eventually be whittled down to three or four major airlines, with the others absorbed or restructured to focus more on regional traffic. This also represents an opportunity for no-frills carriers to increase their market share. Along with this, some restructuring of the industrys complex and outdated regulatory system will be required. In the longer term, trend growth may itself slow gradually as the big air travel markets mature. In addition, falling yields, which have boosted air travel growth in the past, cannot be relied upon to persist, at least at the rate they have for the past decade or so. If cost trends are less favourable for example because of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risks of terrorism the scope for lower yields would be less, and this might reduce future growth trends. A key issue will be the extent to which favourable cost trends such as the impact of the Internet on distribution costs and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset these upward pressures on prices and costs. The full-service airlines, saddled with big networks and strongly unionised workforces, cannot easily embrace the management strategies of the no-frills airlines. Moreover, their scope for de fensive mergers is limited by competition policy. The ability of international airlines to expand is limited by ownership restrictions (In the US foreigners cannot own more than 25% of a national airline, in the EU the restriction is 49%  [11]  ). The no-frills market within Europe is immature relative to that of the US. The sector accounts for only around 5% of all intra European capacity, though the share is much higher in the UK domestic market and on services between the UK and Europe, closer to 20%. Further strong growth is expected over the next 2-3 years as new operations start up, and new destinations are added to the existing carriers networks. However as the UK market becomes saturated, these carriers are likely to focus their development at continental European hubs. The experience of the US market suggests that deregulation will be followed by industry consolidation. So far there has been limited progress in this direction but many are viewing the current crisis as the catalyst necessary to completely restructure the European airline industry . In the US the industry has consolidated into seven major carriers, which carry over 80% of passenger traffic of US airlines. Europe is far more fragmented with the equivalent figure for the seven European majors at only 47%  [12]  . 8.2 easyJets Future easyJet has to consider whether it should respond to new entrants by ceding niche-segments or by competing aggressively on price, routes and service in an attempt to drive the entrant out of the market. To make the strategic decision market research on the size of different combinations of pricing and service is needed. easyJet also needs to know how much it costs the competitor to serve, and how much capacity the competitor has for, every route in question. Finally, the new entrants competitive objectives are of relevance to anticipate how it would respond to any strategic moves easyJet might make. By obtaining these information residual uncertainty would be limited, and the incumbent airline would be able to build a confident business case around its strategy  [13]  . It is advisable that easyJet targets mainly leisure travellers as business often demand frequent flights to a wide range of destinations, seek quality service and frequent flyer programmes, and are willing to pay a premium for these benefits. Also, trying to appeal to widely different customer needs runs counter to the overall trend in service industries, in which distinctive approaches, tailored to different customers, have generally come to dominate  [14]  . No real opportunity offers the long-haul business as it is very different, both technically and in customer needs, to short-haul travel. easyJet should continue to focus on price and attempt to connect the dots in its network, which cost less than opening new cities. Thereby, it needs to make sure that a growth in its network and fleet does not lead to higher operating costs. It should also consider putting more emphasis on direct marketing by e.g. introducing a customer retention scheme. To differentiate its brand further on promotional lines, easyJet could introduce a CRM (cause related marketing) scheme, developing a reputation for being a caring airline, e.g. by selling shares in forest help programmes over its website, collect ing foreign currency on flights for charity etc., thereby giving its passengers a sense of psychological comfort and well-being  [15]  when they choose to fly with easyJet. Overall, easyJet has to develop a realistic and accurate assessment of the market-niche to be served. A relentless commitment to quality service and cost control is as important as the discipline to establish a growth plan (see www.easyJet.com for easyJet product life cycle and marketing strategy). (Word count 3,144) Appendices Appendix 1 Under the easy brand Stelios Haji-Iannou has furthermore established and Internet car rental service (easyRentacar), a chain of Internet cafes (easyEverything), a financial services site (easyMoney), a portal site for bargains on the net (easyValue) and a free e-mail service (easy.com). In all his ventures he is using yield management to extract the ideal margin from each customer  [16]  and keep costs down. Furthermore, yield management can help to better use price in the marketing mix to best reach the most customers  [17]  . However, there are no cross-shareholdings between easyJet and these other easyGroup companies. easyJey operates independently from the other companies although some cross-marketing agreements do exist. Also, results of the non-airline businesses have been mixed as they have lost  £75m in three years  [18]  . Appendix 2 Profit for Ryanair April September 2002 Year-on-year increase 151m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ( £96m) 71% Source: Tran, M. (2002)  [19]   See http://www.ryanair.com/download/morganjune.pdf for actual data. Appendix 3 Compare Airline Traffic Data (Europe) Air Transport World http://www.atwonline.com/Pdf/worldairlinereport_2002.pdf Appendix 4 The airline market is currently being re-shaped by the expansion of existing low-cost airlines. It has been estimated that they will expand their European market share from 5% to 25% by 2010, establishing themselves on a long-term basis. (Source: International Travel News (2003), available on http://www.internettravelnews.com/article/20223 Friday, 28th November 2003) Low-cost airlines are gearing up to take large chunks out of their rivals. In a decade, low-cost airlines may be the dominant form of air travel in Europe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In Europe, no-frills travel accounts for only 5% of European air travel, but it is likely to grow to claim a 12-15% share in the next decade. (Source: BBC News (2002), available on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2038192.stm; Friday, 28th November 2003)

Americans are Immigrants! Essay -- essays research papers fc

Americans are Immigrants!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life,† was the words of former American president, John F. Kennedy (American Immigration: Quotes about Immigration). Immigrants have been in America for many years now. Today many people have different opinions about whether immigrants should be allowed into America freely, or if there should be more harsh regulations to those coming into the country. After September 11, people have been afraid, or scared of foreigners coming to America. â€Å"Today a wide-open door is an invitation to national disaster,† was said by FAIR (American Immigration: Quotes about Immigration). I believe this quote is very wrong. People come to our country to find a better place to live, and have a family. They come here for the opportunities, the jobs, and for the pleasures of all the freedom America has to offer. I believe immigrants should freely be able to come into America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One reason why immigration should be allowed freely into our country all started a long time ago. As early as the 1600’s when Americans were using Africans as slaves, the Americans brought these Africans over to America for their own benefits (American Immigration: Assimilation? If so, to What Degree?). As soon as these Africans came to America their title from Africans changed to African-Americans. This means that they are in fact American. After slavery stopped in later years, the now African-Americans had the chance to go back to their homelands, but refused to (American Immigration: Assimilation? If so, to What Degree?). They were so used to being around their American masters that, they now knew how to speak English. This helped them live strong in America, because they already had an advantage over most other immigrant, because they were fluent in their home language, and the American language (American Immigration: Assimilation? If so, to What Degree ?). This is good because, immigrants have brought so many other languages into America that it causes us to expand our knowledge and learn other languages. Chinese immigrants were getting paid as little as nine hundred dollars a month, while working a eleven hour workday (American Immigration: Assimilation? If so, to What Degree?). But for Chinese immigrants our country is still offering b... ...ly. They wanted better jobs, more money, and most of all they wanted freedom to express themselves how they wish. Immigrants should have the right to come into America, and become one of us. â€Å"Remember, remember always, that all of us†¦ are descended from immigrants and revolutionists,† Franklin D. Roosevelt (American immigrants: Quotes About Immigrants). Works Cited â€Å"Assimilation? If so, to What Degree?† American Immigration. 27 February 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/assimilation.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . â€Å"Opportunities for and Success for Immigrants.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Immigration. 27 February 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/opportunities.html. â€Å"Quotes About Immigrants.† American Immigration. 27 February 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/quotes_about_immigration.html. â€Å"Reasons for Immigration.† American Immigration. 27 February 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/reasons_for_immigration.html.

Owning a business Essay -- essays research papers

OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS WITH EMPHASIS ON CHILD CARE CENTERS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   INTRODUCTION This paper will discuss ways in order for you to become a business owner as well as how to start your own child care center. Owning a business is not an easy job. There is actually a very complicated and long process to become a small business owner. Before you start to think about what you want to do, you need to ask yourself if you will be committed to this venture. If you are then proceed on with your business however, if you are not then owning a business is probably not for you. With owning your own business, your going to have less personal time then you had previously. Here are some reasons people become entrepreneurs. Many people have a strong desire to be independent, they would rather be their own boss because they don’t take orders from others well. Owning a business is also a chance for owners to work at something they enjoy, they aren’t shoved behind a desk doing filing work for eight hours a day. You are free to operate at your own paces with your own busi ness. Depending on the type of business you own, you have a great opportunity to accumulate great wealth. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this report is to inform readers of the options available to people who want to own their own business. There is also a growing need for child care. So with this need more and more people are deciding to open up child care centers. In this report I will lay out steps in how to start your own business, and what to do from there. Also, pros and cons to owning your own business. Sources and Methods In order to give the information needed to start your own business, I have searched many journals as well as business related books. Internet sources have also help get information. I have also conducted an interview with an owner of a child care center. GETTING STARTED Choosing what kind of business to open is the most important decision to make. Just because you like to make bracelets doesn’t mean you would like running a business making bracelets. You need to think about how much money you want to make, past experiences, attitudes on the business you choose, and your going to need a knowledge and some skills with the choice you make. Pros and Cons With everything else in life there can be advantages and disadvantages to owning a business. There are many... ...a business to run, consider child care. Child care is a growing need. More mothers are going back to work after having children. The children need structure during the hours their parents are away. Those who are too young for school can find a childcare center warm and inviting. Most childcare centers will provide a curriculum that will help your children learn. The people who open and run daycare centers are doing so for a reason. That reason is because they love children. So in conclusion, if your job is going nowhere and you need to start over, consider starting your own business. Also if you like kids and can deal with them properly, consider opening a childcare center. Works Sited Burstiner, Irving. â€Å"The Small Business Handbook.† Third Edition. FIRESIDE Rockefeller Center. New York, NY 1997 Gallagher, Patricia. C. â€Å"Start Your Own Child Care Business† Second Edition. Young Sparrow Press, Worcester, PA 2000 McKeever, Mike. â€Å"How to Write a Business Plan† Sixth Edition. September 2002. WWW.Startingadaycarecenter.com â€Å"Starting a Day Care Center† 2003 WWW.Onlinewbc.gov â€Å"Online Women’s Business Center† 2004 WWW.SBA.gov â€Å"Owning Your Own Business (Pros and Cons)† 2003

Solitude and Isolation in One Hundred Years of Solitude :: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Solitude and Isolation in One Hundred Years of Solitude   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "†¦Races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."   These powerful last words of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude ring true.   The book demonstrates through many examples that human beings cannot exist in isolation.   People must be interdependent in order for the race to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Solitude.   Examples are found of this idea throughout the one-hundred-year life of Macondo and the Buendia family.   It is both an emotional and physical solitude.   It is shown geographically, romantically, and individually. It always seems to be the intent of the characters to remain alone, but they have no control over it.   To be alone, and forgotten, is their destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel begins with geographic isolation.   Jose Arcadio Buendia shouts, "God damn it!   Macondo is surrounded by water on all sides!"   Whether it is, in truth, an island is irrelevant.   The town believed itself to be cut off from the rest of the world.  Ã‚   In addition, Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula are looking for solitude.   The founding of Macondo was a result of escaping Jose Arcadio Buendia's murder of Prudencio Aguilar.   Aguilar's ghost haunted them, eventually forcing them to retreat.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The family seems to remain very involved within itself.   Much of this is Spanish culture.   In Spanish-speaking countries, it is not uncommon to find many generations of the same family living in one house.   The Buendia house always has various relatives within it.   Yet, this is not the only explanation.   The incest of the family is a theme throughout the novel, and is a significant factor in the solitude of this family.   If a family rarely turns to others to branch out, it eventually becomes completely turned in upon itself: isolated and detached.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Occasionally, the family poisoned with the fate of solitude does reach out.   Those who interact with this family share in its unfortunate fate.   First to Pilar Ternera, the sexual companion of two of the Buendia boys.   Following this sexual interaction, Pilar spends the rest of her life alone.   The same pattern is seen with Petra Cotes, simply with another generation.   Another example is demonstrated by Remedios Moscote.   She is another outsider, paired with Aureliano Buendia.   Soon after their marriage she dies unexpectedly and violently. Solitude and Isolation in One Hundred Years of Solitude :: One Hundred Years of Solitude Solitude and Isolation in One Hundred Years of Solitude   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "†¦Races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."   These powerful last words of the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude ring true.   The book demonstrates through many examples that human beings cannot exist in isolation.   People must be interdependent in order for the race to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Solitude.   Examples are found of this idea throughout the one-hundred-year life of Macondo and the Buendia family.   It is both an emotional and physical solitude.   It is shown geographically, romantically, and individually. It always seems to be the intent of the characters to remain alone, but they have no control over it.   To be alone, and forgotten, is their destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel begins with geographic isolation.   Jose Arcadio Buendia shouts, "God damn it!   Macondo is surrounded by water on all sides!"   Whether it is, in truth, an island is irrelevant.   The town believed itself to be cut off from the rest of the world.  Ã‚   In addition, Jose Arcadio Buendia and Ursula are looking for solitude.   The founding of Macondo was a result of escaping Jose Arcadio Buendia's murder of Prudencio Aguilar.   Aguilar's ghost haunted them, eventually forcing them to retreat.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The family seems to remain very involved within itself.   Much of this is Spanish culture.   In Spanish-speaking countries, it is not uncommon to find many generations of the same family living in one house.   The Buendia house always has various relatives within it.   Yet, this is not the only explanation.   The incest of the family is a theme throughout the novel, and is a significant factor in the solitude of this family.   If a family rarely turns to others to branch out, it eventually becomes completely turned in upon itself: isolated and detached.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Occasionally, the family poisoned with the fate of solitude does reach out.   Those who interact with this family share in its unfortunate fate.   First to Pilar Ternera, the sexual companion of two of the Buendia boys.   Following this sexual interaction, Pilar spends the rest of her life alone.   The same pattern is seen with Petra Cotes, simply with another generation.   Another example is demonstrated by Remedios Moscote.   She is another outsider, paired with Aureliano Buendia.   Soon after their marriage she dies unexpectedly and violently.

Cyber Crime and Targets

The internet has put the world literally at anyone’s fingertips with a vast quantity of information is a mouse-click away. Information that was once only available in obscure reference libraries or card catalogs can be accessed by everyone. Unfortunately the internet is an equal opportunity tool, and those with virtuous as well as nefarious intentions can use this open resource to further their efforts to levels heretofore unheard of. The internet is also soapbox for free speech that epitomizes the intentions of the founding fathers to allow everyone the same opportunity to have their opinions aired.There is a line that often blurs between legitimate and illegal behavior, when does harsh criticism become bullying, when does an expression of affection become harassment and how do the authorities differentiate between someone looking up an old classmate for rekindle a friendship and stalking a former girlfriend that spurned their overtures. The constitutional protections of free speech and requirements of specificity of regulations make the criminalization of inappropriate behavior.CAUSES OF CYBER – CRIMEThere are many reasons why cyber-criminals commit cyber-crime, chief among them are these three listed below:Cyber-crimes can be committed for the sake of recognition. This is basically committed by youngsters who want to be noticed and feel among the group of the big and tough guys in the society. They do not mean to hurt anyone in particular; they fall into the category of the Idealists; who just want to be in spotlight. Another cause of cyber-crime is to make quick money. This group is greed motivated and is career criminals, who tamper with data on the net or system especially, e-commerce, e-banking data information with the sole aim of committing fraud and swindling money off unsuspecting customers.Thirdly, cyber-crime can be committed to fight a cause one thinks he believes in; to cause threat and most often damages that affect the recipients adversely. This is the most dangerous of all the causes of cyber-crime. Those involve believe that they are fighting a just cause and so do not mind who or what they destroy in their quest to get their goals achieved. These are the cyber-terrorists.HOW TO ERADICATE CYBER – CRIMEResearch has shown that no law can be put in place to effectively eradicate the scourge of cyber-crime. Attempts have been made locally and internationally, but these laws still have shot-comings. What constitutes a crime in a country may not in another, so this has always made it easy for cyber criminals to go free after being caught.These challenges notwithstanding, governments should in the case of the idealists, fight them through education not law. It has been proven that they help big companies and government see security holes which career criminals or even cyber-terrorist could use to attack them in future. Most often, companies engage them as consultants to help them build solid security for t heir systems and data.â€Å"The Idealists often help the society: through their highly mediatised and individually harmless actions, they help important organizations to discover their high-tech security holes†¦.†# The enforcement of law on them can only trigger trouble, because they would not stop but would want to defy the law. â€Å" Moreover, if the goal of the cyber-crime legislation is to eradicate cyber-crime, it mint well eradicate instead a whole new culture, in education is a much better way to prevent their actions.Another means of eradicating cyber-crime is to harmonize international cooperation and law, this goes for the greed motivated and cyber-terrorists. They can not be fought by education, because they are already established criminals, so they can not behave. The only appropriate way to fight them  is by enacting new laws, harmonize international legislations and encourage coordination and cooperation between national law enforcement agencies.WHO AR E INVOLVED:Those involved in committing cyber-crimes are in three categories and they are: THE IDEALISTS (Teenager). They are usually not highly trained or skilful, but youngsters between the ages of 13 – 26 who seek social recognition. They want to be in the spotlight of the media. Their actions are globally damageable but individually negligible. â€Å"Like denying a lot of important e-commerce servers in February, 2000 is said to have caused high damages to these companies.†# Most often they attack systems with viruses they created; their actual harm to each individual is relatively negligible. By the age of 26 to 26 when they have matured and understood the weight of their actions, they lose interest and stop.THE GREED – MOTIVATED (Career Criminals).This type of cyber-criminals is dangerous because they are usually unscrupulous and are ready to commit any type of crime, as long as it brings money to them. â€Å"They started the child pornography often calle d cyber-pornography which englobes legal and illegal pornography on the internet.†# They are usually very smart and organized and they know how to escape the law enforcement agencies. These cyber-criminals are committing grievous crimes and damages and their unscrupulousness, particularly in child-pornography and cyber-gambling is a serious threat to the society.Example to show how serious a threat they pose to the society is â€Å"the victim of the European bank of Antigua are said to have lost more than $10million†# â€Å"†¦theft of valuable trade secrets: the source code of the popular micro-soft windows exploration system by a Russian based hacker could be extremely dangerous†¦ the hackers could use the code to break all firewalls and penetrated remotely every computer equipped with windows were confirmed. Another usage could be the selling of the code to competitors.†#THE CYBER – TERRORISTS. They are the newest and most dangerous group. Thei r primary motive is not just money but also a specific cause they defend. They usually engage in sending threat mails, destroying data stored in mainly government information systems just to score their point. The threat of cyber-terrorism can be compared to those of nuclear,  bacteriological or chemical weapon threats. This disheartening issue is that they have no state frontiers; can operate from any where in the world, and this makes it difficult for them to get caught. The most wanted cyber-terrorist is Osama Bin Laden who is said to â€Å"use steganography to hide secret messages within pictures, example, a picture of Aishwarya Rai hosted on the website could contain a hidden message to blow up a building.†# A surprising fact is that these hidden messages do not alter the shape, size or look of the original pictures in any way.HOW TO DETECT A CRIMINAL MAILA criminal mail is usually sent to networks with the aim of either corrupting the system or committing fraud. The w ay to detect such mails is by putting security measures in place which would detect criminal patterns in the network. News Story by Paul Roberts, of IDG News Service says that Unisys Suite has a system called the â€Å"Unisys Active Risk Monitoring System (ARMS) which helps banks and other organizations spot patterns of seemingly unrelated events that add up to criminal activity.†#Actimize Technology Ltd based in New York has developed technology that enables organizations to do complex data mining and analysis on stored information and transaction data without needing to copy it to a separate data warehouse. â€Å"The actimize software runs on the Microsoft Corp. Windows NT or Windows 2002 platform and can be developed on standard server hardware with either four to eight processors, Katz said.†#Eric J. Sinrod in his article ‘What’s Up With Government Data Mining’ states that the United States â€Å"Federal Government has been using data mining te chniques for various purposes, from attempting to improve service to trying to detect terrorists patterns and activities.†# The most effective way to detect criminal mails is to provide security gadgets, educate employees on how to use them, and to be at alert for such mails, above all, making sure no security holes is left unattended to.CONCLUSIONIt has been deduced from this study that reliance on terrestrial laws is still an untested approach despite progress being made in many countries, they still rely on standard terrestrial laws to prosecute cyber-crimes and these laws are archaic statutes that have been in existence before the coming of the cyberspace. Also weak penalties limit deterrence: countries with updated criminal statutes still have weak penalties on the criminal statutes; this cannot deter criminals from committing crimes that have large-scale economic and social effect on the society.Also a global patchwork of laws creates little certainty; little consensus e xist among countries regarding which crimes need to be legislated against. Self-protection remains the first line of defense and a model approach is needed by most countries; especially those in the developing world looking for a model to follow. They recognize the importance of outlawing malicious computer-related acts in a timely manner or in order to promote a secure environment for e-commerce.Cyber-crime with its complexities has proven difficult to combat due to its nature. Extending the rule of law into the cyberspace is a critical step towards creating a trustworthy environment for people and businesses. Since the provision of such laws to effectively deter cyber-crime is still a work in progress, it becomes necessary for individuals and corporate bodies to fashion out ways of providing security for their systems and data.To provide this self-protection, organizations should focus on implementing cyber-security plans addressing people, process and technology issues, more reso urces should be put in to educate employees of organizations on security practices, â€Å"develop thorough plans for handling sensitive data, records and transactions and incorporate robust security technology- -such as firewalls, anti-virus software, intrusion detection tools and authentication services.By way recommendations, these kinds of actions are suggested following the weak nature of global legal protection against cyber-crime:†¢Firms should secure their network information. When organization provides security for their networks, it becomes possible to enforce property rights laws and punishment for whoever interferes with their property.†¢Laws should apply to cyber-crime—National governments still are the major authority who can regulate criminal behavior in most places in the world. So a conscious effort by government to put laws in place to tackle cyber-crimes would be  quite necessary.†¢There should be a symbiotic relationship between the firms, government and civil society to strengthen legal frameworks for cyber-security. An act has to be crime in each jurisdiction before it can be prosecuted across a border. Nation must define cyber-crimes in similar manner, to enable them pass legislation that would fight cyber-crimes locally and internationally.

Drawing the Line on Political Correctness Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is funny how over the years, humor had changed tremendously. Television networks do not intend to offend anybody, except for the ego-driven celebrities and politicians as well as constant draws which satirize church people and family driven values.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is not because some things are now regarded revered. The viewers have also changed. They cannot express amusement at themselves to any further extent. One concrete example is the old sitcom, titled Murphy Brown, which over ten years ago, has been the center of contention on the subject of political correctness. The show on October 11, 1993 was aired and was regarding a series of comments made on-air made by Murphy and Peter which all got gashed up, and had the entire staff production required to attend a session on political correctness (Tucker 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That particular episode exposed much of the irrationality of how people can get easily offended by the least thing said, such as: â€Å"I’m not black, I’m African-American† as one character protested. Another beamed up â€Å"I’m not African†¦I’m black†. â€Å"I’m not black†¦I’m brown!† Networks have determined that it is impossible to say anything without getting anyone offended by someone, so they have principally decided not to pronounce anything (Tucker 1). Political Correctness   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1980’s, political correctness or PC emerged as a communal tyranny. It was an impulsive or unprompted statement of specific expressions, behavior and ideas considered legal but must be outlawed and those who disobey will be imposed with punishment. It began with little influence and later on had grown to such popularity till it then started written and unwritten law in the community. By way of those declared in the public as not being politically correct fitting the subject of state or mob prosecution (Atkinson 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the effort of pointing out the detestable background of political correctness is to reiterate the vital significance of freedom of speech, freedom of voice and plain speaking; such are the safeguards of the community against the nuisance of tyranny, the absence of these factors indicates having no tyranny. For that reason, any form of expression prohibition or those summoned by the slander, libel and public decency laws, are considered matters of severity subject by methodology of common law and not by mob dictations (Atkinson 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The affirmed coherent of this oppression is to avert people from getting offended; to coerce each one to stop the use of   behaviors or words which can displease women, non-whites, homosexuals,   the fat, the stupid, the ugly or the crippled. This exposes not only its irrationality but its stimulation. The set of values which are not accepted are those apprehended by the earlier generation, for such reasons, the terms dagos, wogs, niggers, coon, sheilas,   poofs, spastics and   have turned out to be profanation, because, in an action of infantile rebellion, their issue have develop as well-regarded by the latest generation (Atkinson 1).   Political correctness is simply the antipathy of spoilt children bound for against their values of the parents (Blazquez 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A decline in the community takes place at the time the greater part of its people turned out to be self-centered, and beneath this power it gradually takes apart all the manacles in the lead of decadence brought about by customs, law, manners, tradition and beliefs. As each succeeding generation of self-centered people accede to be in command of the community, it grabs its chance to desert further of the exasperating fetters that wisdom and genius had instilled. The social annihilation and its proponents attain their unfounded principle by openly taking on irrationality by means of slogans at the same time as defaming those who do not sustain their standpoint (Atkinson 3) .As part of the social decline due to political correctness it makes each generation by another one crafts public behavior less rational and less restrained.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the present day we face up to a problem of political correctness which is the direct opposite of the liberal tradition. Wherein liberalism promotes challenging political ideas, political correctness, by language, conduct or law, tries to find how to hold back the expression of the ideas.   The fundamental nature of social equality is the preference of opinions and ideas, and the liberty to convey the ideas.   However democracy is not all about choice, it is moreover about majorities. The values and ideas of the greater part are capable to succeed over to other choices.   The politically correct pay no attention to the autonomous ideal in terms of both the majoritarism and choice.   It is their objective to have the institutions of the state captured and mould them to reveal their outlooks.   The reality that their thoughts may not mirror the thoughts of the majority, or certainly are particularly conflicting to views of the majority, is of no importance.   It is the views’ imposition that matters.   Hence this is the deep-seated predicament with political correctness (Hanan 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are three features in political correctness. The first is that, political correctness is a set of beliefs and attitudes which are separated from conventional values.   Next, the person being politically correct has a narrow outlook on how people ought to sense and what they are allowed to talk about.   Third and mainly significant, political correctness is rooted in institutions of the public, which comprise a lawmaking support, and which have compelling powers.   It is this third feature that provides political correctness its influence.   The absence of this confine of power the outlooks of the politically correct will merely be an additional view in the arena of ideas (Hanan 2). An institution, government is or a person is politically correct when they stop to correspond to the welfare of the preponderance, and become concentrated on the concerns and cares of sector groups of minority.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Political correctness and its origin does breed confusion.   This is for the reason that political correctness has its beginning in equality campaigns, specifically the racial equality campaign, which has regularly been motivated by politics and its liberal side.   The existing result is that the more raucous adversaries of political correctness plunge into the corner of involving, for instance, that racism is acceptable, basically since it is not politically correct.   Doing the contrary to what is politically correct is not the base to be in opposition to political correctness (Hanan 3). This ensnares, on the other hand, point out why it is imperative to evaluate the predicaments emerging from political correctness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retorts about Vice Presidents are a revered custom on TV. But the issues of Dan Quayle in an Emmy Awards ceremony bear a resemblance to a Rodney King thrashing by the elites of Hollywood. Quayle is television’s superior beating guy ever in view of the fact that he made campaign issue on Murphy Brown; it was a ram of what appeared like every onstage joke. Diane English, the creator of Murphy Brown, topped the evening with an argument of single mothers that traversed the line into adherent nastiness. â€Å"As what Murphy has said to herself, ‘I couldn’t possibly do a worse job raising my kid alone than the Reagans did with theirs.’ â€Å" The viewers applauded and laughed on lines such as these. However the reaction was extra troubled and concerned. At a campaign rally Quayle used the Emmy volley to stress his point that â€Å"Hollywood doesn’t like our values.† Numerous parties in the industry of television approved that the entire flaunt was, at the semantically criticism like values of religious faith, marital fidelity and patriotism. Quayle writes that â€Å"Tens of millions of Americans now see the entertainment industry as an all-powerful enemy, an alien force that assaults our most cherished values and corrupts our children† (Zoglin 1). The Republican-political episode in which Murphy reacted to the Vice President, while hurriedly nursing to her new born; she heeds his remarks on television and responds with disbelief: â€Å"I’m glamorizing single motherhood? What planet is he on? I agonized over that decision.† Afterward, she emerges on her television show to respond to the charges of Quayle: â€Å"Perhaps it is time for the Vice President to expand his definition and recognize that whether by choice or circumstance families come in all shapes and sizes. And ultimately, what really defines a family is commitment, caring and love.† (Zoglin 1) Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What can be done to deal with political correctness and its problems is to eliminate the encouragement role of such seen on televisions.   They should be apprehensive with the arbitration of rights, not disseminating the politically correct ideologies.   Their backing character roots from their lawmaking permission.   It is the point to eradicate this permission which does slight more than allow misinformation (Hanan 4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In these modern times, many people are amused with how funny lines are thrown in television shows, especially when the icons make fun of prominent people using politically correct terms which are perceived to be satirical and insulting. Political correctness does not happen only in the industry of television, each individual may encounter such lines which can cause annoyance and getting offended. For instance when one is told that â€Å"she does not wear too much makeup, she is cosmetically oversaturated† or when one is told to be â€Å"afraid of commitment then he is monogamously challenged†. It can be very much insulting indeed. Political correctness is something that should be eradicated in the society. There should be lines drawn as to when joking or entertaining goes, it should not go beyond the point of insulting and degrading someone’s character, because no person has the right to insult nor hurt their sensible beings. The television industry is such a great means of influence; hence they should realize the sensitivity with which their messages affect their audiences. Works Cited Atkinson, Phillip. Political Correctness. 2000. A Theory of Civilization. 3 February 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Blazquez, Augustin.April 8, 2002. Political Correctness: The Scourge of Our Times. Newsmax. 3 February 2008 . Path: Archives; Articles; 2002. Hanan, Ralph. The Problem with Political Correctness. June 22, 2005. National. 3 February 2008 . Tucker, Jamey. Politically Incorrect Humor. April 11, 2005. Jamey Tucker’s Blogsquat. 3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   February 2008 . Zoglin, Richard. Sitcom Politics. Sep. 21, 1992. Time Magazine in parnership with CNN. 3 February 2008 . Path: Time; Magazine; Article

Cars enslave us rather than liberate us Essay

Cars have been in use since the year 1870. Since then the number of cars on the roads has increased many times over. Cars now seem to have made our live easier and more convenient. Nevertheless, in my opinion, more cars give us much more problems than their benefits.First of all, people must work much harder in order to afford a car. This also means that they have to earn a considerable amount of money. The prices of new cars are so high that they usually need to take a credit to buy one. Moreover, cars are not only expensive to buy, but also cost very much to run. In fact, the gas price gets higher and the cost of maintenance is overpriced. Therefore, you have to work more hours if you want to have a car and still be able to live a decent life. one has to work overtime if he or she wants to have a car and keep their car still useful. Second, the quality of life in our cities is made worse because of cars. There are many traffic jams every day and the number of accidents is on the in crease. Consequently, people almost are getting more stress when they drive on street and feel risky every time. Futhermore, cars have had an adverse impact on the environment, causing an alarming rise in the levels of pollution worldwide. In addition, the toxic gases that cars eliminate pollute the air we breathe and this seems to threaten our lives every day. To make the matter worse, the main reason that develops the number of lung cancer is the air pollution. There are many people who die from lung cancer every year. Thirdly, I think that people who own cars are worried about them, especially when their cars being stolen or damaged. In order to cope with this worry, they have to install expensive alarm systems and, to make matters worse, car-owners have to avoid areas of the city where cars get broken into or stolen. Finally, there are a lot of advantages of the cars. For example, you can set off to any place you want no matter what time of the day and if there is any public transport to there. Another advantage in my view that cars are very helpful in carrying things from one place to another. To conclude, it is clear that cars seem to have made our live easier and more convenient. In conclusion, cars have many advantages but enslave us even more. Cars take us much affordability, threaten our life and worry us about making the car safe.

Impact of Sociology and Psychology Factors on Leisure/Tourism Activity Essay

Dyer, Gursoy, Sharma & Carter (2007, p. 409) argued that tourism is prominent in Australia’s economic restructuring, particularly in regional and coastal areas. There are many aspects such as history, attitudes and culture to contemplate when defining the meaning of leisure, though it is essential the participation of recreational activities free from any other obligations or responsibilities (Lynch & Veal 2006, p. 25). The issues statement provided for discussion through this essay is: â€Å"Australian governments, industry bodies and organizations work to promote leisure participation through a range of event, sport, tourism or hospitality experiences. All individuals have the opportunity to participate in these leisure experiences and can benefit from them if they make the effort†. This essay embodies psychological and sociological concepts to evaluate tourism experience. Following the essay, it will analyse two areas separately. It is divided into three parts in sociological aspect which are time, socio-economic and gender. In psychology aspect, it will emphasise on motivation and satisfaction. Through the conveyance of our study and research, the perspective held throughout this essay will agree with the statement that â€Å"All individuals have the opportunity to participate in these leisure experiences and can benefit from them if they make the effort†. Sociology Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups, and societies, sometimes defined as the study of social interactions (Osborne & Van Loon 1998, p. 3). That means all social activity is not only just individuals’, but also connects with members of groups and institution. For tourism, tourists are usually stratified by geography, age, sex and socio-economic status (Dann 1977, p. 185). While this essay will discuss the aspect of time, socio-economic and gender. Time is one of the key elements in a tourist’s decision-making and people must adapt themselves to the amount of time the tourist has available at destination (Martinez-Garcia & Josep 2008, p. 1064). Leisure time is an important factor affecting tourism activities and a tourist will consider how much leisure time to save for the future, because leisure time has its price (Gu 1995, p.239). Gu (1995, p. 239) argued that â€Å"leisure time given up today can be transformed into additional discretionary income and saved for tomorrow, because non-regular working opportunities such as overtime work, second job and summer teaching always exist, and individual has the flexibility of allocating his or her leisure time between today and tomorrow†. Stockhausen (1998, p. 1676) argued that people may be deprived of leisure as there are no time left after work and family obligations. If people have too much work or housework then they will not go to participate in tourism. Martinez-Garcia & Josep (2008, p. 1067) argued the amount of time available is limited and must be distributed, among other things, between the time dedicated to travel and the time spent for work. That means how much time people can spend for tourism depend how much time they left after work. The socio-economic also impact of tourism on destinations (Martinez-Garcia & Josep 2008, p. 1064). Tourism consumption not only requires amount of time but also requires a significant amount of money (Gu 1995, p. 242). There are some negative socio-economic impact tourism, such as high spending tourists are likely to negatively affect people’s way of living; it is likely to change our precious traditional culture; it is likely to result in unpleasantly overcrowded beaches, hiking trails, parks and other outdoor places in people’s community; it is likely to put more pressure on local services such as police and fire protection, utilities and roads; the price of goods and services are likely to increase because of tourism and construction of hotels and other tourist facilities are likely to destroy the natural environment (Dyer, Gursoy, Sharma & Carter 2006, p. 414). The role of gender, and the inequalities correlated with this ideology, is most apparent in how a particular culture perceives the role of tourism as a leisure activity (Dunning 1999, p. 222). The women’s recreation is constrained by patriarchy-the pervasive power of men in society. It is so easy to force women have no time to engage in recreation. Women always consider a range of social or environmental factors before participate in the leisure activities such as safety, their behaviour and level of control (Lynch & Veal 2006, p. 377). Tourism is one of recreation activities, so before join in it, they will consider where they will go, who they go with, there is safe for them and so on. Also, women always play the role as wife and mother, and then they should do the housework and look after children even if they got a job. In general, women lack of access to appropriate space for leisure, they usually have less leisure time than men, especially for those in paid employment, and then women have less chance to participate in tourism activities. On the other hand, men have more time and more chance to go to travel than women. Overall, gender influences individuals to participate in tourism activity. Psychology This section discusses psychological factors of tourism activities. In terms of psychology, tourism is indication of tourists’ ideas and opinions about going on trips, about where to go and what to do, and about how to relate to other tourists, locals, service personnel. (Leiper, cited in Richardson & Fluker 2008, p. 6). Nowadays, there are various choices of tourism experience which people can choose and enjoy, fulfilling their satisfaction. To explain the facts related to psychological perspective such as why people look for tour and why tourists revisit the same destination, this section discusses tourists’ motivation and needs, and cognition next. Tourists’ motivations play an important role in understanding their behaviour. According to Iso-Ahola (cited in Ryan 2003, p. 84), motivation happens when people want to satisfy their needs and achieve psychological rewards with travel. As tourists’ needs are assorted, they can meet their satisfaction in different experiences. So, their preferences of tourism choices are also different. In general, People need to escape and seek, for instance, they want to escape from routine such as home or work environment and want to experience new place (McCabe 2000). In addition, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be applied to tourists’ needs for tourism; physical needs at base (rest, relaxation and exercise), safety/security needs (friendship groups and youth subcultures), love/affiliation needs (family leisure activities related to sexual partnering and team sports), social and self-esteem needs (exercise of skills in sport and cultural activities) and self-actualisation at the highest level (engaged in for their own sake) (Lynch & Veal 2006). For example, some individuals travel to relax and rest in order to escape their daily life; however, others travel to gain enjoyment from tourism experiences. In short, travellers can have different goals to achieve if they tour same place. There are two factors that influence tourists’ motivations; push and pull factors (Richardson & Fluker 2008). While push factors refer to socio-psychological motives, pull factors are not from tourists themselves but the destination itself (safety, attraction, climate etc. ) (Goossens 2000). McGehee et al. (cited in Meng & Uysal 2008, p. 448) stated that male and female tourists are influenced by push and pull factors in different degrees. In Australia, women tend to be affected by society, status and opportunities for family bonding, while men regard sports and adventure as more significant when they choose their trip. According to Burnett-Wolle and Godbey (2007), there are differences and similarities of tourism motivation between young and old people; older adults are not likely to be affected by acquiring career related experience and understanding others. However, both young and old people tend to be motivated by enhancing self-esteem, reducing negative affect, exercising values, and making friends. All individuals have their own characteristics so they feel differently when they visit same destination based on their tastes. There is a satisfaction process which can be affected by expectation and disconfirmation. According to Bosque and Martin (2008, p.553), satisfaction is defined as ‘an individual’s cognitive-affective state derived from a tourist experience’. Previous destination image, past experience and fellow tourists can affect tourists’ expectation. According to Maddux (cited in Larsen 2007, p. 9), an expectation can be defined as ‘the individual’s ability to anticipate, to form beliefs about and to predict future events and states’. In pre-purchase stage, people develop their expectation based on not only the image of destination (made by previous experience) but also fellow tourists’ opinions (Neal & Gursoy 2008). A positive image of the place will have an optimistic effect on the individual’s beliefs of a future experience. Tourists are likely to rely on their beliefs or expectations. As tours are intangible, evaluations are too difficult. In post-purchase stage, travellers tend to compare the actual performance with their expectation. If the actual performance exceeds tourists’ expectation, it is possible for them to have positive disconfirmation. Conversely, they are likely to have negative disconfirmation when their actual performance does not meet their expectation (Neal & Gursoy 2008). The satisfaction is affected by disconfirmation, emotion and comparing costs with rewards. Positive disconfirmation makes tourist satisfied with their travel. And emotion can affect their satisfaction independently. The emotional states will determine tourists’ response in satisfaction process because individuals’ enjoyment is based on their own experiences (Bosque & Martin 2008). Furthermore, Oliver and Swan (cited in Neal & Gursoy 2008, p. 54) argued that tourist’ satisfaction is formed by comparing costs (price, time and efforts) with rewards (benefits from tour). If they feel their benefits exceed costs they spend, they are likely to evaluate their experiences positively. Consequently, the higher level of tourist satisfaction causes the stronger loyalty to the destination. They are willing to revisit that places and recommend to other tourists by word-of-mouth (Bosque & Martin 2008; Chi & Qu 2008). In conclusion, our society has been aware of leisure importance recently. Especially, governments and organisations are trying to help all individuals to participate in tourism activities. A number of people enjoy their tourism because they are affected by psychology and sociology factors. When people travel, they need to spend amount of time and money. People should manage their time between work and leisure, and they can afford to go on a tour as well. In addition, gender inequality of opportunities in tourism exists even though the awareness has been improved. Because women are likely to consider social factors and perform domestic responsibility. While tourists can be motivated by external factors, internal factors also affect decision-making of tourism activities. Tourists meet their needs through tourism experiences. And all individuals have different needs and motivation, so the types of tourism they pursue are diverse. Generally, tourists are satisfied with their tourism experiences based on their cognition processes, which are affected by their previous experiences and expectation. Governments and organisations need to not only motivate tourists to take part in tourism but also support all individuals to enjoy their tourism activities in society when they are willing to participate in tourism. 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