Monday, September 30, 2019

Electronic Media Essay

Electronic media  are  media  that use  electronics  or  electromechanical  energy for the  end user  (audience) to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly  print media), which are most often  created electronically, but don’t require electronics to be accessed by the end user in the  printed  form. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general public are better known as  video recordings,  audio recordings,  multimedia presentations,  slide presentations,  CD-ROM  and  Online  Content. Most  new media  are in the form of  digital media. However, electronic media may be in either  analog  or  digital  format. Although the term is usually associated with content recorded on a  storage medium, recordings are not required for live  broadcasting  and  online networking. Any equipment used in the  electronic communication  process (e. g. television,  radio,  telephone,  desktop computer,  game console,  handheld device) may also be considered electronic media. USES : Electronic media are ubiquitous in most of the developed world. As of 2005, there are reports of satellite receivers being present in some of the most remote and inaccessible regions of China. Electronic media devices have found their way into all parts of modern life. The term is relevant to  media ecology  for studying its impact compared to printed media and broadening the scope of understanding media beyond a simplistic aspect of media such as one delivery platform (e. g. the World Wide Web) aside from many other options.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Fast Food Annotated Bibliographydocx Essay

Over the years fast food have become a multi-billion dollar business all over the world. They are known for their swift service, affordable prices, and tasty, yet unhealthy food. There are a number of factors that can cause obesity and one of them is the colossal intake of fast food that many people consume worldwide. One third of American adults are obese today and fast food is a major reason why. Fast food restaurants are known for having foods high in calories, Trans fat, sugar, salt and carbohydrates. The question today is should fast food be blamed for the high rates of obesity? The reasons vary. Some people think that the cheap prices and the high in fats food make it easier to access to the food and to consume it. Another reason why people choose fast food is because of the incredible low fares. Some evidence suggest that many people cannot afford to buy healthier food, while some suggest that people think that everyone has the right to choose what they put in their mouth. Though fast food is not the only factor contributing to obesity, it is one of the major factors that needs to be addressed in the conversation surrounding the obesity epidemic. Currie, Janet, Stefano DellaVigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania. â€Å"The Effect of Fast food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain. † American Economic Journal: E economic Policy 2. 3 (2010): 32-63. Print. Ogunrinde 2 This article is comparing how the proximity of fast food restaurants affects the rates of obesity between three million pregnant women and three million children (32). The article spotlights what the rate of weight increase would be depending on where the fast food restaurant would be located. Over several years of this experiment they focused on ninth graders in California, and pregnant women in Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas who had already had at least two children over a course of fifteen years. The authors discovered that ninth graders who had fast food restaurants within 0. 10 of a mile from their school had a 1. 7 percent chance of gaining more weight rather than a ninth grader who went to a school with fast food restaurants 0. 25 miles away (33). In pregnant women they found that having fast food restaurants approximately 0. 5 miles from where they lived resulted in a 0. 19 percentage contingency of them gaining weight. They also found that the more fast food restaurants there were in an area greatly affected obesity although the closeness of fast food restaurants did not affect obesity. The article states that although there is a clear increase in weight gain due to the supply of fast food restaurants, there is no distinguishable increased rates in obesity and weight gain due to the proximity of the restaurants, which made the authors come to the conclusion that fast food does have a major effect on weight gain and obesity rates. This article is featured in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy which is known for publishing a myriad of topics all relating to economics. Some of the topics include public economics, urban and regional economics, law and economics, environmental and natural resource economics and many more. This article was written by four distinguished authors. Janet Currie, Stefano Della Vigna, Enrico Moretti, and Vikram Pathania. Janet Currie works in the Department of Economics at the Columbia University. Stefano Della Vigna and Enrico Moretti Ogunrinde 3 both work in the Department of Economics at the University of California at Berkley. Vikram Panthania works at Cornerstone Research in San Francisco, California. The article was published in August 2010 and during this time McDonald’s had already established 31,000 plus restaurants worldwide which is another reason why there is a visible rise in weight gain because of the numerous supply of fast food restaurants available. The sole purpose of this article was to see the effect of fast food on weight gain and obesity rates. Young, Lisa R, and Marion Nestle. â€Å"Portion Sizes And Obesity: Responses Of Fast-Food Companies. † Journal of Public Health Policy 28. 2 (2007): 238-48. Print. This article talks about portion size and its effect on weight gain and obesity rates. In 2001 the US surgeon general made a â€Å"call to action† on the obesity epidemic. The call of action addressed the obesity epidemic as a major public health problem and their plan was to help Americans in eating healthier and having more physical activity so they could maintain a healthy body weight. He challenged fast food restaurants to lower their portions in their foods. For example MacDonald’s had â€Å"super-size me† fries which were 7. 1 fl oz. Burger King had the â€Å"King† size which was 6. 9 fl oz., and Wendy’s had the Great Biggie which was 6. 7 fl oz. The large portions of fries, hamburgers, and soft drinks in fast food restaurants were starting to correlate with the weight gain in many adults and children. As the years went by the fast food restaurants started lessening their portions in some places and other times they would just change the name. Wendy’s â€Å"Biggie† became a medium and its â€Å"Great Biggie† became a large. McDonald’s gave away with the super-size me, Burger King got rid of the â€Å"King† size fountain drinks, and Wendy’s removed the â€Å"Great Biggie† French fries from their menu. What the fast food restaurants were required to do though was put the number of calories on the menu for each food item. Ogunrinde 4 This article is published in â€Å"The Journal of Public Health Policy†. JPHP is connected with the World Federation of Public Health Associations. This journal discusses public health policies and the many controversial topics concerning it. The authors of this article are Lisa Young and Marion Nestle. Lisa Young is a professor at New York University in Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health. Marian Nestle likewise is a professor of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University. This article was published in 2007, which is pretty outdated and a lot of things have changed in the fast food industry since then. At that time restaurants like MacDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s had very large portions of food but they have since lowered their portion size in mainly their fries and soft drinks. Jeffery Robert, Baxter Judy, McGuire Maureen, and Linde Jennifer. â€Å"Are Fast Food Restaurants An Environmental Risk Factor for Obesity? † Are Fast Food Restaurants an Environmental risk Factor for Obesity? 3. 2 (2006). Web. In this article the authors are studying fast food restaurants as an environmental risk factor for obesity. What they discovered out was that eating out at fast food restaurants, did indeed result in weight gain and poor eating habits. They discovered that people with children and people who often worked outside of the home tended to eat at fast food restaurants more. They also found that people who lived within a two mile radius of a fast food restaurant was more likely to frequent fast food restaurants along with regular restaurants. There was a connection between the geographic location and the amount of times people went to a fast food restaurant. This article was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. This journal is available for anyone to see and it is peer reviewed. IJBNPA focuses on physical activity and the behavioral aspects of dieting. The authors of this article are Ogunrinde 5 Robert Jeffery, Judy Baxter, Maureen Mcguire, and Jennifer Linde. Robert Jeffery received his Ph. D. in Psychology at Stanford University and currently is the Director at the University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center, Academic Health Center, Minneapolis, MN. Judy Baxter is an Associate Professor at the Community and Behavioral Health Colorado School of Public Health. Maureen Mcguire works at Guidant Corporation, Cardiac Rhythm Management Group. Jennifer Linde received her Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa. She currently is an associate professor at the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota. They are all experts in their fields which makes them very qualified to publish this article. Lorna,Fraser,ClarkeGraham,CadeJanet,andEdwardsKimberly. â€Å"FastFoodandObesity: A Spatial Analysis in a Large United Kingdom Population of Children Aged 13–15. † American Journal of Preventive Medicine 42. 5 (2012): 77-85. Print. This article identifies how there is an obesity epidemic all over the world in children and in adults. It points out how fast food is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. Their main focus in this experiment is to find out the relationship between fast food consumption and obesity. They conducted the study by getting a group of 4827 participants and surveying them on their fast food habits. They found that almost half of the participants ate fast food. Some of the participants only ate it once a month, some every two weeks and some participants ate fast food three to four times a week. They came to the conclusion that people who consumed fast food regularly had a higher BMI than the people who did not consume as much, also that people should be more informed of the nutritional values in fast food. The article was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They publish articles on prevention research, teaching, and practice and policy. Their papers focuses on many Ogunrinde 6 different topics like infectious disease, nutrition, diabetes, obesity, and so much more. Lorna Fraser received her Ph. D. from the School of Geography, University of Leeds. Graham Clarke is a Ph. D. holder and a professor at the School of Geography, University of Leeds. Janet Cade is also a Ph. D. holder and works at the Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom. Kimberly Edwards has a Ph. D. and works at the Centre for Sports Medicine, University of Nottingham. The article was published in May 2012. Poti, J. M. , K. J. Duffey, and B. M. Popkin. â€Å"The Association of Fast Food Consumption with Poor Dietary Outcomesand Obesity among Children:Is Itthe FastFood or theRemainder of the Diet? † American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 99. 1 (2014): 162-71. Print. This article is trying to figure what is causing obesity among children. Is it the huge consumption of fast food or is it the remainder of their diet? They conducted this experiment by studying a group of 4466 children from the ages of 2-18, by studying their eating habits and dietary patterns. What they found out was that half of the children in the study ate fast food and the other half consumed a western dietary pattern which consisted of red meat, desserts, and fatty food. The result was that there was a greater connection with the non-fast food diet that affected obesity in people. Despite fast food consumption having a great connection with obesity they discovered that a non-fast food diet had a stronger bond with obesity. This article was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This journal is a remarkably rated peer-reviewed journal in the nutrition and dietary category. It publishes articles on topics like obesity, nutrition, disease, vitamins, and energy metabolism. The AJCN has been selected as one of the top 100 influential journals by the Special Libraries Association. Jennifer Poti is a graduate research assistant at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kiyah Ogunrinde 7 Duffey hold a Ph. D. in Nutrition and her research focus is that factors that causes adults to become overweight. Barry Popkins received his Ph. D. from Cornell University and is an obesity researcher and a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The article was published on October, 13, 2013. Trushna, Shah, Purohit Geetanjali, Pillai Nair Sandhya, Patel Bhavita, Rawal Yash, and Shah R. â€Å"Assessment of Obesity, Overweight and Its Association with the Fast Food Consumption in Medical Students. † Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research 8. 5 (2014): 5-7. Print. This article is focusing on the correlation of consuming fast food and how it affects your BMI. They used a 147 medical students for this research study and they filled out self-questionnaires describing their physical appearance like weight, height, and age. They found out that 90 percent of the students have eaten fast food, and that 34 percent of those students were pre obese and obese. At the end of the study they found out that 90 percent of the medical students had fast food in their diet but only 22. 45 percent and 9. 52 percent were pre obese and obese. Eating more fast food and having less physical activity caused them to have a higher BMI. The article was published in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. Their aim is to publish the discoveries of doctors and new researchers. Trushna Shah and Sandhya Pillai Nair are both assistant professor in the department of biochemistry in Gujarat, India. Geetanjali Purohit is an assistant professor in the department of physiology in Gujarat, India. Bhavita Patel is a Ph. D. student in the Department of Biochemistry in Gujarat, India. Yash Rawal is an undergraduate student and works in the department of biochemistry in Gujarat, India. R. M. is a professor and head of department in the Department of Biochemistry in Gujarat, India.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Biography of Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Marcus Mosiah Garvey's Biography Marcus Mosiah Garvey is a person in history that brings unity and strength to the black people around the world. He traveled many countries and saw the working conditions and living conditions of blacks. He founded the United Black Improvement Association and talked about injustice against his people. He inspires and gives hope through speaking, teaching and writing. He understands his life, tells it to the black people, and uses poetry to encourage them to do so. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born in Joan Bay, Jamaica, the youngest child of eleven children, Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr, Mason, and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic helper. Only he and his older Indiana lived to become an adult. Considering the circumstances of this time, his family is economically stable. Garvey's father has a big library, and his father likes reading Marcus. When I was young, I went to elementary school in St Annes Bay. While attending these schools, Garvey first began to ex perience racial discrimination. At the age of 14, Marcus became an apprentice of the printer. In 1903 he visited Kingston in Jamaica and soon joined trade union activities. In 1907, he took part in a failed printer strike, and this experience gave him passion to political extremism. In 1910, Garvey left Jamaica and began traveling through Central America. He first came in Costa Rica, where his mother 's uncle was. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born in Santa Ana Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887. He is the manufacturer Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr and the eleven brothers Sarah Jane Richards, a housewife born in a farmhouse. . Only Marcus and his older sister Indiana mature. Garvey attended an elementary school in St Annes Bay and moved to Kingston, the capital of the country as a printer at the age of 14. Shortly thereafter he participated in public events and helped design Jamaica 's first union, Printers Union. Then he joined the printer strike, and the workers refused to do any work until they satisfied their request. This experience had a major impact on Garvey's political passion and news enthusiasm. Marcus Mosiah Garvey is a powerful, revolutionary and ethnic leader who has influenced many people in his era and continues to influence through reggae music. Many courses and ideals of Marcus Garvey are finding voices in the lyrics of past and present conscious reggae musicians. From internationally renowned musicians such as Bob Marley and Burning Spear to music and texts of The Rastafari Elders, reggae musicians were inspired by Marcus Garvey. For many reggae musicians, their work is not only music but also a tool to teach the public. Peter Tosh talked to the audience why he was there in a California concert. Do not think that I am here for entertainment, I and I are ultra-fast thunder, earthquake, and lightning in these destruction and unfair places. 2 The musicians are Garvey and Rasta It is a prophet of Biography of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey's Biography Marcus Mosiah Garvey is a person in history that brings unity and strength to the black people around the world. He traveled many countries and saw the working conditions and living conditions of blacks. He founded the United Black Improvement Association and talked about injustice against his people. He inspires and gives hope through speaking, teaching and writing. He understands his life, tells it to the black people, and uses poetry to encourage them to do so. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born in Joan Bay, Jamaica, the youngest child of eleven children, Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr, Mason, and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic helper. Only he and his older Indiana lived to become an adult. Considering the circumstances of this time, his family is economically stable. Garvey's father has a big library, and his father likes reading Marcus. When I was young, I went to elementary school in St Annes Bay. While attending these schools, Garvey first began to ex perience racial discrimination. At the age of 14, Marcus became an apprentice of the printer. In 1903 he visited Kingston in Jamaica and soon joined trade union activities. In 1907, he took part in a failed printer strike, and this experience gave him passion to political extremism. In 1910, Garvey left Jamaica and began traveling through Central America. He first came in Costa Rica, where his mother 's uncle was. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. was born in Santa Ana Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887. He is the manufacturer Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr and the eleven brothers Sarah Jane Richards, a housewife born in a farmhouse. . Only Marcus and his older sister Indiana mature. Garvey attended an elementary school in St Annes Bay and moved to Kingston, the capital of the country as a printer at the age of 14. Shortly thereafter he participated in public events and helped design Jamaica 's first union, Printers Union. Then he joined the printer strike, and the workers refused to do any work until they satisfied their request. This experience had a major impact on Garvey's political passion and news enthusiasm. Marcus Mosiah Garvey is a powerful, revolutionary and ethnic leader who has influenced many people in his era and continues to influence through reggae music. Many courses and ideals of Marcus Garvey are finding voices in the lyrics of past and present conscious reggae musicians. From internationally renowned musicians such as Bob Marley and Burning Spear to music and texts of The Rastafari Elders, reggae musicians were inspired by Marcus Garvey. For many reggae musicians, their work is not only music but also a tool to teach the public. Peter Tosh talked to the audience why he was there in a California concert. Do not think that I am here for entertainment, I and I are ultra-fast thunder, earthquake, and lightning in these destruction and unfair places. 2 The musicians are Garvey and Rasta It is a prophet of

Friday, September 27, 2019

Muslim Women in Medieval Spain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Muslim Women in Medieval Spain - Essay Example wholly foreign race professing a strongly hostile religion took over the country, a totally alien language became the official tongue, a completely novel culture was imposed on the population. Entire sections of the peasantry and the urban à ©lite deserted their Catholic faith and embraced Islam. By the tenth century the territory called Al-Andalus was a country with a solid Muslim majority, and had become the single most powerful and civilized state in western Europe. The Moorish state was never so integrated or unified that it crushed out the cultures that had preceded it (Collins 43). None the less, Islamic culture itself became so imbedded in the Hispanic mentality that it ceased to be alien and became an ineffaceable and authentic part of peninsular history. In Medieval Spain women obtained an important role and had more rights and freedoms in contrast to Christian women and their position in society. In Medieval Spain, the subjected Christian population was usually treated with the limited religious tolerance customary to Islam. Occasional persecution was matched by outbreaks of religious zeal on the part of the conquered. Those who held fast to their faith were called Mozarabs, Christian in belief but Arabized in culture and language. Their numbers, however, shrank, and their faith itself became diluted with novel beliefs and heresies. Many were attracted by the higher quality of Islamic culture. The principal episcopal see, Toledo, once the Visigothic capital, found itself isolated as the sees of the Christian north freed themselves from its jurisdiction. Despite these drawbacks, Mozarabism remained a vitally important phenomenon (Carr 64). It represented a profound dialogue between Muslim and Christian civilization, and retained enough of an identity to prepare the way for an eventual re, conversion of the lands which the Muslims had made their own. Dillard (1993): â€Å"The settlement charters, drawn up by king or count to attract settlers who would defend

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Neurological Assessment of the Infant (Ages Birth to 12 months) Assignment

The Neurological Assessment of the Infant (Ages Birth to 12 months) - Assignment Example motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional or behavioral impairment). Because of the presence of developmental disorders, pre-term babies are at risks of experiencing more serious problems with regards to their motor, cognitive, and behavioral functioning as they grow older (Tronick & Lester, 2013). The best way to check the whether or not an infant is at risk of having developmental disability or disorder is to conduct neurological assessment/examination (Hadders-Algra et al., 2010). Aside from testing the potential link between an infant’s neurological, motor, and behavioral functioning, Noble and Boyd (2012) mentioned that it is possible to conduct both neuromotor and neurobehavioral examinations not only to detect potential dysfunction on the infant’s central nervous system. Often times, neurobehavioral examination is necessary to learn more about the infants’ behavioral strengths and weaknesses (Brown & Spittle, 2015). In practice, there are quite a lot of neurological tools which can be used in the actual examination. For instance, Tronick and Leste (2013) mentioned that NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) can be use in detecting signs of neurobehavioral impairment among infants. In another study, Gabriel, Formiga and Linhares (2013) mentioned that the Neurobehavioral Assessment of Preterm Infant (NAPI) can be use to examine pre-term infants’ body movements, alertness, and cry among many others. Through early assessment, healthcare professionals can advice the child’s parents about the most appropriate intervention to consider (Brown & Spittle, 2015). Brown, N., & Spittle, A. (2015). Neurobehavioral Evaluation in the Preterm and Term Infant. Current Pediatric Reviews. 2015. 11(4). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://benthamscience.com/journal/abstracts.php?journalID=cpr&articleID=121467 Gabriel, P., Formiga, C., & Linhares, M. (2013). Early Neurobehavioral

Biodiversity Hotspots Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Biodiversity Hotspots - Essay Example While some of the plant and animal species in an ecosystem may be increasing in population, others may be actually decreasing or facing extinction (Bowen, P. 56). The fact that these species of plants and animals may soon become extinct is a wake-up call to the governments and other stakeholder organizations and individuals to multiply their biodiversity conservation and preservation efforts. In fact, for organisms such as insects, algae and fungi on which little are known compared to other larger organisms, more needs to be done to protect them from extinction (Bowen, P. 55). In addition, there are myriad larger animal species that face severe extinction threats and more should be done to preserve them. A community of plants and animals living together in a location and the various environmental processes and factors that directly and indirectly influence their lives is referred to as ecosystem. In other words, ecosystem refers to the elements that make biodiversity possible by supp orting the lives of animals and plants living in a community through the provision of valuable resources. For in instance, in an ecosystem, wetlands help in the cleaning of water, controlling of floods and filtering of toxic substances out of water bodies. Similarly, estuaries are nurseries for marine life while forests are the chief suppliers of oxygen and fresh water to an ecosystem besides their role in controlling soil erosion and levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Bowen, P. 56). Student 1 Biodiversity Hotspot Biodiversity hotspot refers to a region or an area in which natural ecosystems that are fundamentally native and intact species or communities of living organisms are naturally well represented and supported. In other definitions, a biodiversity hotspot could be an area that is richly populated with locally endemic species of plants and animals, which in most cases, are not found in regions outside the said hotspot (Novacek, P. 89). Unfortunate for most of the bio diversity hotspots in the world today, many of the management practices at these spots do great compromise and harm to the ecological balance at these spots since they place the natural values and resources of these spots at risk. This risk is likely to increase if not checked, resulting in the decreasing or extinction of certain endangered species of living organisms. There is thus the need for active conservation management practices at all the world’s biodiversity hotspots to ensure the survival of endangered species of plants and animals. The only source of hope for most biodiversity hotspots in the world is that most of the natural values of these spots are quite intact and it will only require the formulation and implementation of conservation actions that would maintain and improve these natural values (Novacek, P. 97). Protecting and conserving biodiversity hotspots should therefore be the concern of everyone in the society, more so governments. In this context, gover nments must establish programmes that emphasize activities that would improve the conservation of hotspots on both private and communal/public land. Similar course of action should be initiated at all levels of the society: that is, at the local, national, regional and international scales. There are quite a number of renowned biodiversity hotspots in the world. Most common are the thousands of islands in the major oceans of the world such as the Indian, the Pacific

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

How has automobiles made changes to our society and what do people Research Paper - 1

How has automobiles made changes to our society and what do people think about automobiles - Research Paper Example wever many firsts that were seen on the road to building a functional automobile that the modern world depends so much on, from one part of the present automobile to the next. Each part of the automobile has a rich history of invention from steam engines that pioneered, to electrical and gasoline driven engines that are seen today. Great men, from Karl Benz, the man to have come up with the first practical automobile to the pioneer of assembly line production in the industry, Henry Ford. Thanks to years of innovation, steam engines that first powered automobile prototypes were improved to the machines we use today to transport both ourselves and goods to different locations. All citizens of planet are affected by the automobile even in the most remote parts of the world where roads as we know them as non-existent. We are able to cover distances that would in the past take humanity months, in a matter of days thanks to the automobile. Help is able to reach the needy in remote locations because of the automobile. Every individual on the face of our planet is positively affected by the automobile to the last person alive. Like Henry Ford said: â€Å"I invented nothing new. I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work. Had I worked fifty or ten or even five years before, I would have failed. So it is with every new thing. Progress happens when all the factors that make for it are ready, and then it is inevitable. To teach that a comparatively few men are responsible for the greatest forward steps of mankind is the worst sort of nonsense.† The history of automobile is one of the most divisive subjects because it can be traced to the fifteenth century and was improved over centuries, which makes it very difficult to specifically spot its point of origin. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is within this entire division, credited with the first steam powered automobile in 1768. It was not until 1807 when Francois de Rivas came up with an

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Personal history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal history - Essay Example It was my first Monday at work after a happy long vacation. I was walking through the aisle of my Walgreens, when I suddenly heard from the Vitamin’s aisle a sweet voice of a little Cuban girl. ‘Mami, mami, manana es tu cumpleanos (mom, mom, tomorrow is your birthday)!’ said the little girl with a huge smile and happiness in her face. In that moment, a rush of emotion invaded my mind, and I could not stop the tears of my eyes falling to the floor. As I was looking at the mother’s girl with an immense smile, I saw a cheerful girl during the spring of 2000 in Cuba, when I was only 10 year old, and I saw the radiant smile of the woman who gave me life. In that age, I had a straight black hair, brown eyes and rep lips. Although I was a skinny and stylish girl like a Barbies’ model, I did not like to brush my hair and dress up my bed in the mornings, and every day I was waiting for make a new mischief with my friends at school. In that time of my life, my favorite place was a little space that I created for myself with rocks and small pieces of wood at the back yard of my home. I was the leader there! My school friends and I went to there to do homework, study for the tests, make some food and of course, play games endlessly. I had a very unique family. I lived with my father my brother and my Queen: my mother. She was my teacher, my best friend and my witness. Always, every single plan that I did, I had told her before. I almost forget! I cannot fail to mention my little and adorable Blanquito, my funny and crazy puppy! These are some of my most precious treasures of memories, but the storm that would come and the darkness that would surround me, along with the anguish and pain that destroyed my heart would forever leave me wanting to see her face again. Mum had been seriously ill in the days leading up to her painful demise. In the latter days, as her condition grew worse, my

Monday, September 23, 2019

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Globalization - Essay Example It is due to those encounters found on the pages of world history that several phenomena like exchange of ideas, thoughts, ambition, trade and technology have evolved giving rise to globalization. Phenomena of different centuries that have played the most important roles in globalization Several phenomena of different centuries have played the most important roles in globalization. These phenomena are the ideas, ambition and plan of accession to the thrown in order to gain complete control of the bureaucracy, military and thereafter to play a national role in the overall development of their nations through exchange with the international community. The regimes of President Assad in Syria and Saddam Hussein in Iraq since the 1960s indicate that these phenomena have led the path of establishment of self-identity for the nations, like Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Persian Gulf, etc., and created a platform of equality with the international community where exchange of trade and technology could take place. The fourth largest city in Syria is Hama, where Assad followed the Hama rule, which states, â€Å"Rule or Die† (Hureau 105). ... The phenomena of women’s empowerment over the centuries have also fostered the spread of globalization. The position of women in the oldest civilizations of China and India depicts the inferior status of women in the previous 600 hundred years of history. The societies were majorly patriarchal societies with power and influence of decision making in the hands of the men. The physical and psychological inferiority of women hindered the output of potential of the women. The women in China were influenced by the Confucian culture whereas in India, the women were dominated by the religious and cultural aspects of moral duties and obedience. With the growing dominance of men over women, the liberalization efforts on the part of women were observed in their struggle for equality. The willingness of attainment of equal status with the men opened the doors of the world, which led to their access to rights and legislative powers. Thus, the participation in the world platform and the fr eedom to be a part of the interaction between the communities led to the process of globalization. The phenomena of taxation in trade from the 16th century has played significant role in the spread of globalization. This could be observed in the Iranian history. Influenced by the bribes offered by the British colonial rule, the then ruler Nassir Ed-Din Shah sold monopoly rights to the imperial power. The Iranians received a considerable fixed amount on a monthly basis plus a quarter of the net profits. A sabotage act by the imperial rule stopped the payments to the Iranian empire in order to increase own profits of the trade. This led to a rise of national sentiments, and the farmers, peasants, and the trade agents revolted against the ruler. Ultimately, Nassir Ed-Din Shah was assassinated.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Supply Chain in A Brick and Mortar Environment Essay Example for Free

The Supply Chain in A Brick and Mortar Environment Essay The trading of company stock to the public has been going on for many, many years. Over the years the supply chain for buying and selling equity stock has changed with innovations in technology. Today, the old brick and mortar environment of equity trading is being replaced by virtual trading through websites like Ameritrade, E-Trade, and Trade Station. Brick and MortarWhen a privately held company needs money to expand their business, quite often they choose to sell part of the company through a public stock offering. To facilitate this process an investment banker is most often involved helping value the company and determine the price of each share of stock. Once the value of each share of stock is determined and the amount of funds needed by the company are complete, the investment banker forms a syndicate of broker/dealers who take on the responsibility of either purchasing all the shares of stock the company has to offer or to help sell in an initial public offering. The investment banker and syndicate members receive a concession for each share of stock sold. For example, if one share of stock is being offered at a price of one dollar, the investment banker and syndicate may split a 20 cent concession for their efforts. The process in which the stock is offered to investors prior to the development of the Internet was generally through brokers calling investors via the telephone. Another common way was the actual store front or office of a broker/dealer where individual investors could actually walk into an office and purchase new stock offerings directly. These offices were branch offices of a much larger firm like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, and Charles Schwab who might have been members of the offering syndicate. Brick and MortarSupply ChainIn the apparel industry there are several specific methods of the supply chain as it relates to the classic brick and mortar environment and one method really does not have a benefit over the other. The first method of discussion for the classic supply chain is the direct supply method where a company will make direct contact with its material suppliers to place orders; the supplier will then make arrangements to ship the material to the specified destination. This method generally takes a great deal of coordination on the purchasers parts because they may many different parts for many different department so generally it would  require a very expensive staff to ensure that the ordering is performed properly. The second method would be for a company to utilize an outside source to perform their purchasing and materials for manufacturing. This is a very effective method which allows a company to basically wash its hands of the entire supply chain process and holding the specialized company accountable for properly handling the purchase and ensuring accuracy. The down side is that it is very expensive to employ and outside company, this method can also not be feasible for many small brick and mortar companies. Web Site Supply ChainThe supply chain in a web site environment for an apparel company is much simpler then a tradition supply chain in many cases. The supply chain for these companies includes the purchasing of materials or finished products from other sources and creating a finished product sold under the familiar names of these companies. The use of the internet allows the goods to be purchased more efficiently then they were before. It also allows for a considerable financial savings in many cases. This is due to simplifying the whole process of procurement for the companies. They can now deal with these suppliers electronically from places all over the world. Wherever they can find the best deals for what it is they need. Orders are processed much faster this way and products can then be shipped out sooner then they would be traditionally. This allows the companies to move the products much quicker then they would ever have been able to using traditional methods. The result is larger profits for them and for the suppliers. Much of that is due to the better turn around. With the process being shortened, what is in demand can be procured in less time and sold to the customers that demand it. Supply Chain ModificationFor most brick and mortar type businesses they rely on customers actually coming into their stores to buy the goods they are looking for. However, with the advent of e-business and it success, it is harder to get people to come to these stores so they are now either going out of business or starting their own online services or e-Businesses. This  has caused many to move out of traditional spaces and into warehouses where they can store mass quantities of products and have fewer people on the payroll thus cutting costs. This also serves as a means to get more people interested in these companies as more and more people are finding it difficult or to time consuming to stand in lines for what can be hours just to buy a few things in a store with only a few registers running, this is also done to cut costs but in the long run it only serves to hurt business as people eventually get tired of the same old treatment and will go somewhere they will get fast friendly service. In many cases these customers will go to the internet versions of these same stores and get the same items delivered to their homes rather than go to these stores. For the companies previously mentioned they were for the most part off-sets from actual brick and mortar type businesses, the only exception is pyramid collection as they started as an e-business and have done quite well given their relatively small size and classification. As more and more traditional businesses are seeing market shares slip away to e-businesses, and their efforts to hold onto customers are not terribly successful. Many of these brick-and-mortars compete only with prices without regard to the level of service that consumers want. They undercut not only their online rivals, but also themselves, and their services are not financially sustainable. The best way to compete would be to take an honest look at the user experience, which is something most brick-and-mortars never do. E-businesses and traditional businesses alike could look to market leaders for solutions to their customer service shortcomings. A brick and mortar business has been the tradition for many years. As technology has become more advanced, e-business has had the opportunity to emerge into the market. It helps to save consumers time if not money all the time. By choosing to shop online, shipping charges are attached to all purchases, which brick and mortar companies do not have. The trade off has been shipping charges for a hassle free shopping experience. With e-business, a consumer can miss traffic, long lines at check outs and congestion of other shoppers. Brick and mortar companies will not go away as  they are still a needed part of the consumer market. These companies need to focus on how to get the customers back into their businesses and offline. The choice between e-business and brick and mortar businesses are determined by what consumers consider the advantage of their shopping experience. All business revolves around the consumer.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Basic Tourism System Tourism Essay

The Basic Tourism System Tourism Essay Fennell defined tourism as the interrelated system that includes tourists and the associated services that are provided and utilized facilities, attractions, transportation and accommodation to aid in their movement (Fennell, 1999). 2. Tourism Defined Tourism, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the theory and practice of touring or travelling for pleasure. According to Leiper (1979) the foundations of tourism are thought to have Greek origins, with the term describing a circle, reflecting a key component of tourism, returning to the point of departure (Leiper, 1979: 391). The Leipers model which is also known as the basic tourism system is shown in the figure 1. Figure 1. The Basic Tourism System Source: Leiper (1995) Leiper.N. (2004) Tourism Management (3rd Edn) Frenchs Forest: Pearson p.53 A tourist, as defined by the World Tourism Authority is someone who moves away from home on a temporary or short-term basis for at least 24 hours and less than a year, it can be internal movements within a country (domestic tourism) or going to another country (international tourism) (Law, 2002: 2). McIntosh (1977) described tourism as the science, art and business of attracting and transporting visitors, accommodating them and graciously catering to their needs and wants (McIntosh and Goeldner, 1977: ix). Today, tourism is one of the worlds largest and fastest expanding industries. In 2010, the overall global tourism export exceeded US$ 1 trillion (World Tourism Organization, 2011). Tourism exports are accountable for 30% of the worlds commercial exports and as a category ranks fourth in size after fuels, chemicals and automotive products (World Tourism Organization, 2011). 2.1 Relationship between Tourism and Transportation Transport has a direct connection with the tourism industry. Progression in transportation technology has helped a lot to form the modern tourism industry we are evolving today. Since the beginning of time, people have been traveling by various modes. Tourism and transportation are inexorably linked (McIntosh et al, 1995). Without the element of transport there is by definition, no tourism. This means that, although transport contributes for only a part of the tourism business, without it there is no tourism business. However, transport is essential not only to tourism, it is also essential to the economy and indeed to society (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). For that when we think of tourism we think of people who travels for main purpose of visiting ,that is, a particular place for sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives, taking a vacation and having a good time (Goeldner et al, 2009). These visitors will use all forms of transportation available. Furthermore, tourism is the entire world industry of travel, hotels, transportation, and all other components, including promotion that caters for the needs and wants of travelers (McIntosh et al, 1995). Thus, tourism can be seen as a whole range of individuals, businesses, organizations and places which works together in some way to deliver a travel experience (Leiper, 1979). In accordance with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism is the worlds largest industry surpassing autos, steel, electronics, and agriculture (McIntosh et al, 1995). Tourism set off important indirect development effects that improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance a countrys overall economic prospects. Crouch and Ritchie (2000) interestingly summarized (Figure 2) the various factors that together make the attractiveness of a tourist destination experience. Furthermore, they emphasized on the importance of the service infrastructure layer, which includes transport services, in the tourist destination experience. The destinations general infrastructure services in this category in fact represent one of the most important factors. The tourism phenomenon relies heavily on public utilities and infrastructural support. Tourism planning and development would not be possible without roads, airports, harbors, electricity, sewage, and potable water. The infrastructural dimension is thus a necessary element for tourism development and the factors below are all basic elements for attracting visitors to a destination. Kaul (1985) also recognizes the importance of infrastructure, more specifically transport as an essential component of successful tourism development meaning that it encourages the creation of new attractions and the growth of existing ones. Figure 2: The tourist destination experience Source: Crouch and Ritchie (2000) Transportation considered as one of the four main categories of tourism (transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services and other tourism goods and services). Dwyer and Forsyth, (1993) said that transport activities are fundamental for tourism because they provide the connection between generating and destination regions and the ability for tourists to move around the destination, that is, by making use of inland transportation services. The transport industry is also recognized as a central factor in destination development. Transportations included items such as ships, airplanes, buses, trains, limousines, taxis (Nariida et al, 2009), car traveling, (Rodrigue et al, 2009), cog railroads, aerial tramways, and similar passenger transportation facilities. Any and all of these modes may be relevant for tourism or recreational travel. Recreational facilities can include parks, stadiums, sporting facilities, and beaches. Furthermore, tourism sites are attractions for tourists as well as local residents and may include recreational facilities as well as cultural attractions (such as historical, musical, or educational facilities). Each type of recreational or tourism facility can have special and specific transportation needs (Petraglia and Weisbrod, 2004). Car traveling is usually an independent mean of transport. The driver is the one who decides where, when and how he is going to get to a destination. It is usually cheaper since roads fees are not directly paid but rather from taxes. It is the only transportation mode that does not require transfers, in the sense that the whole journey, from door to door can be achieve without even stopping (Rodrigue et al, 2009). Consumers choose cars based primarily on convenience and comfort (remote door openers, navigation systems, sound systems and cup holders) rather than maximum speed (Litman, 2007). Improving the quality of alternative modes is important for attracting discretionary travelers and therefore redu cing traffic problems such as congestion, accidents and pollution emissions (Litman, 2008). Ships as we know water travel is a major of tourism and contributes considerably to the development of travel as well as airplanes. Airplanes such as (Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Royal Jordanian) providing the seats which an individual traveler, business person or tour operator may purchase. On the other hand, rail travelers worldwide often prefer rail travel, (McIntosh et al, 1995). The operators of high-speed rail services find reliability and punctuality important factors that contribute to higher market shares (Jorritsma, 2009). Recently, train operating companies are delivering acceptable (and contractual) standards of service delivery in terms of information, comfort, cleanliness and quality of service on trains and at stations (Lyons et al, 2011) which are very important elements that tourists will consider in their decision process. High Speed Rail advantages are many, including getting people quickly and comfortably (Kinstlinger, 2009). But in Mauritius since we do not have tr ains therefore we will not lay much more emphasis on them. Consequently, having adequate taxi, limousine services are essential in a tourist area. Ideally, taxis should have removable and washable seat covers so the car always presents a clean appearance to the passenger. Also the taxi driver to make the best impression should show some courtesy by dismounting from the drivers seat and open the door for the passenger. He or she should assist his/ her passengers concerning their luggage or any other stuff and be courteous all times. Training taxi drivers in foreign language would ease communication and therefore create more foreign language ability (McIntosh et al, 1995). Usually, it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing a service to those who may have no other form of transportation. Therefore, Taxi service is a very important source of demand response transportation in many communities (Ridley, 2006). Moreover, buses are the most likely transit mode, which inten ded for tour use should have large windows, air conditioning, comfortable seats and rest room facilities. Springs or other suspension systems in the coaches should be designed so that the joggling of passenger is kept to a minimum or eliminated. Personnel assigned to buses should be selected for suitable temperament, courtesy and spirit of hospitality (McIntosh et al, 1995). Bus Rapid Transit is considered a more affordable alternative to rail for improving transit service quality and attracting travelers who would otherwise drive on congested urban corridors (VTPI, 2007). Bus organization, bus industry advocates believe that this form of transportation is particularly well suited to certain needs of tourism, especially one way trips of 150 miles or less. Furthermore, rental cars an important aspect of automobile travel is the rental car industry, whose growth has been paralleling or exceeding the growth in air travel. Taxi and Limousine service companies play an increasingly import ant part in tourism. Local transportation companies perform essential services for airlines in servicing departing and arriving passengers as well as providing similar services for bus, rail, and shipping lines (McIntosh et al, 1995). When taking a look at the position occupied by the various modes of passenger transportation one find that air travel dominates long -distance and middle-distance tourism. The nations economy and the tourism industry need a healthy air transportation system. The private automobile dominates for shorter trips and is the most popular means of travel for most domestic journeys. The auto is also very important in regional and international tourism. Affordability, flexibility, and convenience make auto travel the most popular mode of transportation all over the world. Air is the primary competitor to the automobile when it comes to travel, especially for long trips. The advantages of air travel, the quantity of service, speed and comfort must be weighed by travelers against the automobiles advantages of price and accessibility (McIntosh et al, 1995). But in Mauritius since it is an island, it is mainly accessible from air and the sea, therefore this type of competition does not exist. Furthermore, it is important to consider demand and supply when talking about transportation as they are together forming the transport market (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Many of the components of the tourist trip for example, transport and accommodation are demands derived from the consumers desire to enjoy what a destination has to offer in terms of things to see and do (Cooper et al, 2008). So, demand and supply are the main components which made up the transportation industry. 2.2 Transport Supply and Demand It is very important for a country to have the most efficient transport system. Efficiency means to say that the transportation system need to satisfy the transport demand for freight and passengers by using the best systems and the most appropriate balance between public and private transport and between modes of transport (For example; rail or road). The objective is to decrease overall transport costs for the collectively including direct costs (operating costs of the rolling stocks, the costs of infrastructure and the costs of time, security and comfort) and indirect costs (such as noise, pollution, accidents etc.) Transport supply can be defined in terms of infrastructures (capacity), services (frequency) and networks (coverage). Capacity is often assessed in static and dynamic terms the number of passengers, volume (for liquids or containerized traffic), or mass (for freight) that can be transported per unit of time and space is commonly used to quantify transport supply (Rodri gue et al, 2009), and these depend on the four basic elements in any transportation system: the way, the terminal, and the vehicle and motive power (Cooper et al, 2008). Transport demand is expressed as transport needs, even if those needs are satisfied, fully, partially or not at all. Similar to transport supply, it is expressed in terms of number of people, volume, or tons per unit of time and space (Rodrigue et al, 2009), other refers it to the amount of mobility and accessibility people would consume under various conditions (ITE, 2003). There is a demand for tourism products and demand for alternative non-tourism products (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Tourism demand and non-tourism demand will not only determine whether we travel but also which travel mode we choose, should we decide to travel, and indeed which particular service and carrier we choose. Principal among these features, other than physical transplant, are the following: speed, frequency, comfort, safety, availability, user information, access and price. For each mode is dictated by the weakest element in the system (Cooper et al, 2008). Speed in assessing the value placed, on speed it is important to take account not only of time saved but also of reduced journey time. For most people the ideal is to travel without any perceptible duration of time, not only because it would give up more time for doing other things (including doing nothing) but also because it would remove the many unpleasant aspects of travel that have to be endured when transiting to other places. This mean that we all display a stronger preference for speed and for paying a premium price for speed, than can be explained by the value place on time saved (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Transport system performance is often evaluated based on travel speed and distance (Litman, 2008A), some transport system changes intended to increase travel speeds and save travel time tend to reduce other forms of accessibility and increase travel time costs for other users (Victoria Transport Policy Institute, 2011) So, speed is an important feature to consider when t aking about transportation as people are limited in time and since lost time cannot be recovered tourists will rather prefer to have a rapid transportation system while visiting a destination. Frequency is another feature of transport that is to be considered as a good frequency of transport will mean that there is a greater possibility to use transport. But still if a particular route is not profitable there will be an inevitable decrease in the frequency level. Most public service vehicles notably trains, are so large in relation to expected traffic that economic operation can usually be achieved-except on a few high volume routes only by reducing frequencies to levels that are often unacceptable in the marketplace (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003), and for availability. Service availability trends reflect changes in demand, mileage, taxi fares and to a lesser extent transit fares (Consulting, 2000). Therefore frequency and service availability is mainly based on the demand for transportation. Comfort, safety and convenience significantly influence transportation decisions. Consumers choosing a motor vehicle are as likely to decide base on seat comfort and the ease of using navigation systems as on more quantitative factors such as speed, price or fuel efficiency (Litman, 2011). Tourists will travel in a mode of transport in respect to the satisfaction the will get from it and here when taking about comfort, the tourists will somehow benchmark the product available in their own countries so as to choose a mode of transport they will prefer to travel in. Prideaux (2000) argued that if the ability of tourists to travel to preferred destinations is inhibited by inefficiencies in the transport system such as uncompetitive prices or lengthy and uncomfortable journey, the likelihood that they will seek alternative destinations may increase. The quality of information can affect the functional availability and desirability of mobility and accessibility options. For example, motorists need actual and appropriate information on travel routes, roadway conditions (such as when congestion, construction and accidents delay traffic), vehicle services, and the availability and price of parking. Potential transit users need information on transit routes, schedules, fares, comfort factors (such as whether vehicles will have seats or stations will have washrooms), and access to destinations. There are many ways to provide transportation information, including maps, brochures, websites and telephones systems (Litman, 2008A). Also Information centers, welcome centers, and information displays are all ways in which visitors can be informed and guided to use appropriate travel routes and transportation facilities (Petraglia and Weisbrod, 2004). Finally, Price cost are the final essential elements in transport to consider. As the most price-sensitive user of fuel, airlines are again proving to be the first to suffer. In the case of surface transport, the effects are masked by the unfair taxation which so distorts the market that accurate forecasting requires advance knowledge of how politicians are going to tax as well as subsidize the various competing forms of transport (Lockwood and Medlik, 2003). Price is also a very important feature to consider as tourists will look for competitive prices so as to travel. Therefore these are the main features that are considered so as to travel, whether it is a tourist or not. These features are considered by anyone who needs to travel and these features will determine the satisfaction of the customer. Customer satisfaction is the aim of any industry as satisfied customers are more economical to an organisation as they not only generate repeat business but they also recommend the service or product to others. 2.3 Service Quality, Customer Perception and Satisfaction A review of the existing literature indicates a wide variance in the definitions of satisfaction and service quality. The customer could judge the quality a service delivered as good but they may not have had satisfaction from the experience (Randall and Senior, 1996). Crompton and Mackay (1989) acknowledged that satisfaction and service quality are not the same thing, stating, Satisfaction is a psychological outcome emerging from an experience, whereas service quality is concerned with the attributes of the service itself. Parasuraman et al. (1988) agreed but stated that customers use the same criteria to judge both, as they are interrelated. Customer satisfaction can be experienced in diverse situations and interrelated to both goods and services. It is a highly personal assessment that is greatly affected by customer expectations. Satisfaction also is based on the customers experience of both contact with the organization (the moment of truth as it is called in business literature ) and personal outcomes (Mack and Peter, 1989). Hunt (1977) defines satisfaction as a kind of stepping away from an experience and evaluating it. Oliver (1997) notes that satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment response, it is a judgment of a product or service feature, or product or service itself in its ability to provide a pleasurable level of consumption related fulfillment, including levels of under or over fulfillment. Most of service quality writers have considerable difficulty in understanding how customers judge services. One of the original service quality theories is that customers are satisfied when their judgement of the service they have received (perception) equals or exceeds what they expected: Customer Satisfaction Equation Customer Satisfaction (CS) = Perceptions (P) = Expectation (E) Gap analysis theory (Zeithaml et al., 1990) Olivers expectancy disconfirmation (Anderson Fornell, 1994; Olivier 1997) 2.3.1 Customer Expectation Zeithaml et al. (1990) considered that the factors that influence customers formulation of their expectations are word of mouth, personal experience, external communications and past experience. Parasuraman et al. (1988) tried to set customer expectations to context by suggesting that they are what an organisation should offer. So, a customer should expect the product or service to be in a specific standard. C:UsersnathanielDownloadsMGT613_Handouts_(Lecture_1_-_45)_img_55.jpg Figure 3: Basic Perceived Service Quality Model Based on figure 3, a basic perceived service quality model, we can say that the customers will decide whether they is satisfied by matching their expectation of the service to the perception derived from the service experienced. In an attempt to know the customer satisfaction, we must know what is the perception of the customer. 2.3.2 Customer Perception The final part of the customer satisfaction equation is their judgement of the service they have received: their perceptions. Olivier (cited in Taylor, 1997) defined customer perception as a comparison to excellence in service by the customer. It is often considered that customer perceptions of a service are made at the end of a service encounter. Customer perceptions of a service are a complex series of judgement made during and at the end of the experience but are modified by a range of factors including their mood, importance of the encounter. The tourism and leisure industry has to be aware of these elements, especially when designing methods of receiving feedback from customers. Customer satisfaction therefore needs us to think in a holistic manner by considering various factors that can affect it. 2.4 Transportation services in Mauritius. 2.4.1 Air Transportation Mauritius is an island and therefore the main access to the island is the air. The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, the airport of Mauritius, consists of one runway which cover a distance of over 3,047 m. The airport is situated in plaisance nearly the south of the island. Air Mauritius is the name of the national airline of the island. Air Mauritius Limited, doing business as  Air Mauritius, is the  flag carrier  of  Mauritius. The airline is headquartered at the Air Mauritius Centre in Port Louis, Mauritius. The company is the fourth largest carrier in  Sub-Saharan Africa,  and has an important standing in the  European,  African, and  Indian Ocean  region markets; the airline won the 2011 Indian Ocean Leading Airline Prize, making it the seventh year in a row for it to win the award. Out of a five-star ranking, the carriers inflight service is awarded 3 stars by Skytrax. As of July 2011, the Air Mauritius route network consists of 26 destinations in  Africa,  Asia,  Europe, and  Oceania.  Shanghai  became the 26th destination served by the company in early July 2011.  In February 2012, the airline announced the suspension of some non-profitable routes, starting with  Milan,  Melbourne, and  Sydney, effective May 2012. As of April 2012, Air Mauritius has  codeshare agreements  with the various following companies, which are the actual operators on the routes specified: Air France, on the Port Louis-Paris-Port Louis route and on several  European  routes radiating from Paris Emirates, on the Port Louis-DubaÃÆ' ¯-Port Louis route Malaysia Airlines, on some routes radiating from  Kuala Lumpur South African Airways, on the Port Louis-Johannesburg-Port Louis route   The Air Mauritius fleet consists of the following equipment, with an average age of 8.8 years: Mauritius has well organised its air transport so as to reach the markets that it has targeted for the tourism industry development. 2.4.2 Maritime Transport The Maritime transport in Mauritius is mainly focused on cargoes and merchandising. Tourism is not really at stake when talking about maritime transportation but still there are passenger ships which go to Reunion Island, Rodrigues and also Agalega Island. So these ships take tourists to the island. Cruise ships are another way where tourists can visit the island. The CRO (Central Statistics Office) published statistics for the year 2011 where it can be noted that total arrivals by sea included 29,900 cruise travellers (around 14,220 tourists, 5,500 excursionists, 330 Mauritian residents and 9,850 crews) aboard 18 cruise ships, which visited our port during the first nine months of 2011. Therefore we can conclude that there are tourists who travel to Mauritius by sea. 2.4.3 Public Transport The public transport in Mauritius consists mainly of the buses, the taxis and the car rentals. The most usual way of transport for Mauritian people is the bus. Bus is a quite easy way of transport in the island. The two main bus companies in Mauritius are the NTC (National Transport Corporation) and the UBS (United Bus services). These two companies deserve almost every regions of the island. Here is a list of all bus companies in Mauritius; NTC National Transport Corporation UBS United Bus Service RHT Rose Hill Transport TBS Triolet Bus Service IO Individual Operators MBT Mauritian Bus Transport Another way of transport and more comfortable is the taxis. A taxi  is a  mode of transport  that falls between  taxis  and  buses. These  vehicles for hire  are typically smaller than buses and usually take passengers on a fixed or semi-fixed route without timetables, but instead departing when all seats are filled. They may stop anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers. Often found in  developing countries,  the vehicles used as share taxis range from four-seat cars to minibuses.  They are often owner operated. Taxis are found in almost every corner of the towns, cities and villages in Mauritius. These taxis are individually owned as there are no taxi companies in Mauritius. In spite of those the taxis are well maintained and very comfortable. Mauritian taxis do not use a taxi meter even if they have it in their taxis, so it is usual here before entering a taxi to decide of the price before. A taxi driver knows usually all the interesting places of the island and therefore can help the tourists to go to a destination. Car rental can also be a good mode of transport in Mauritius. A car rental agency generally rents  automobiles  for short periods of time (generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks) for a fee. In Mauritius it has become quite common to rent cars as various car agencies are offering this service now. Below is a list of car rental agencies that are available in Mauritius; Avis Rent Car Ada ABC Car Rental Budget Rent A Car Hertz Easy Drive Rent A Car Europcar National Car Rental In Mauritius these are the main in land public transport that is available for the citizens and also for the tourists. There are also some companies like Mauritour and Summertimes who offer small buses on rent to tourists who come to Mauritius and these buses are mainly for tourists. 2.5 Importance of Public transportation and inland transportation. Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) link the importance of an effective and accessible transportation system to the length of time any given tourist would stay in one particular area in a destination. They go on to argue that if the ability of a tourist to travel within a preferred destination is hampered by inefficiencies in the transport system, then the tourist, may seek out alternative destinations. In regards to this identification by Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) transport to and from the airport is viewed as perhaps the most essential element of a tourist city. This linkage plays an important role delivering visitors from the airport to the main area of accommodation, most commonly in the central city. Law (2002) stated that in the absence of such facilities, as with the city of Florence, it can be a deterrent for potential visitors (Law, 2002: 71). Public transport and other inland transportation services, like taxi or rented cars, provide an important role in enhancing accessibility to the various tourism attractions within a city. Meanwhile, Khadaroo and Seetanah (2008) noted that inadequate public transport provision in an urban environment can result in limiting the amount of attractions visited, resulting in negative implications on the potential tourism revenue of a city. This inability to derive maximum benefits with an inefficient transport network was also emphasised by Kaul (1985). Kaul recognised that transport plays an important role in the successful creation and development of new tourist attractions within a city and also regarded transport as a catalyst for many city transformations. Within this recognition was the fact that transport and accessibility were essential for profitable tourist attractions. Leask et al., (2000) also noted the significant connection between tourist attractions and tourism transportation, stating that transport and tourism have a close relationship due to the need for access (Leask et al., 2000: 212). In the past accessibility to attractions has been based primarily on access by private modes, however, by not providing public transport connections, the number of visitors that can reach an attraction are consequently reduced. Gimeno and Vita (2006) also recognised that the easier it is made for tourists to travel between points of interest, the visitor gains more ability to participate in activities, which in turn will generate enhanced tourism revenue for the destination (Gimeno and Vita, 2006: 14). When talking about public transportation and inland transportation, we should also think of who are those tourists who will travel in the p ublic transportation services available in a destination. Lew and Mckercher (2006) noted that tourists have access to four basic modes of transport within a destination personal vehicle, commercial vehicles in organized tours, public transportation and walking. However, conventional public transport system tends to remain majorly inaccessible/ non-preferred mode of transport to tourists for various reasons (Law, 2002): unfamiliarity with the system and the associated risk of entering terra incognita (unknown territory) should they choose the wrong bus route or get off at the wrong stop (Lew and Mckercher, 2006: pp. 408), need for negotiation with the staff in local language and a system design optimized to cater to everyday needs of the local population (Lumsdon, 2006; Thompson Schofield, 2007) Specialised or custom made tourism transport potentially offers a higher level of accessibility to tourists within the destination. While a large segment of such services is covered under tourist packages offered by private operators, there remains a definitive demand for tourism-specific public transport within the destinations. A large segment of tourists choose not to opt for tourist packages due to lack of flexibility in the choice of both tourist spots and lodging, higher costs and a reduced adventure factor. As such intra-destination public transport can become a vital factor in tourists choice of destination and their ability to access their nodes of interest within the destination. These types of tourists will use the transportation services available in the destination to travel by themselves. Therefore in this research I will aim at categorizing the tourists who prefer travelling by them and not to choose a ready-made package for their travelling at the destination. Another important facto

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Golden Demon :: essays research papers

The Golden Demon (Response) Golden Demon (Konjiki-yasha) is the most important work of Koyo Ozaki, who was a pionner in modern Japanese literature. Since its publication in the form of a serial story in a daily newspaper, the novel has commanded high opinions, and many films and plays have been made of it. The â€Å"Golden Demon† synopsis is about a penniless drifter loses the woman he loves when her parents arrange her marriage to a rich playboy. Filled with bitterness and despair, the young man devotes his life to acquiring great wealth, which gradually turns him into a ruthless money lender. In brief, Omiya has a fiancà © whose name is Kwanichi. They love each other; however, she is loved by a capitalist, and her parents hope her to marriage Tomiyama. And Omiya also was dazzled by his wealth and married him. The story is talked Kwanichi’s grudge against her and Omiya’s regret about her marriage calmly, plus, it has been continued for six years. The poor girl, Omiya, couldn’t even die because of her regret feeling. She was still a old-fashioned girl who believed one’s fortune, and Kwanichi was simple-minded guy who become a leech because he was far beneath Mr. Tomiyama in wealth. However kwanichi was not really hero because he was deprived of his fiancà © and did not try to take her back. In Golden Demon, it lively depicts the live of people struggling and surviving powerfully despite being tossed about by the quickly changing waves of modern society. At the same time, the movie focuses on â€Å"love and money†, which we can safely say are universal themes for all human beings. The narrative is very â€Å"pre-modern† if â€Å"the modern† means the sense of self as unique, organic subjectivity. Since the narrative oscillates between that of and omniscient third person and emotional soliloquies by Kwanichi, Tomiyama, and especially Omiya, the reader can not see any trace of the boundary between the self and not-self. The narrator is, in this sense, nobody, who is floating in interstices of characters. This was not unusual at all before the modernist period, but it is interesting that object people’s voices restores the pre-modern type narrative in to the modern period. Does this mean that the social objects have no voice to be represented in modern narrative? Furthermore, in terms of its truth value in reality and self, for example, the value of realist narrative and confessional narrative, it was quite new and the first to openly mimic Zolaist naturalism.

Stowe and Truth Essay -- essays research papers

The Negro of today is a failure, not because he meets insuperable difficulties in life, but because he is a Negro. His brain is not fitted for the higher forms of mental effort; his ideals, no matter how laboriously he is train and sheltered, remain hose of a clown. He is, in brief, a low-caste man, to the manner [sic] born, and he will remain inert and inefficient until fifty generations of him have lived in civilization. And even then, the superior white race will be fifty generations a head of him. Around the 1850's many whites perceived this statement to be true. Not only did they believe in it, but they also had science and the doctors behind the science supporting this belief (Typically white males in the profession). African-Americans, as well as women were considered to be of lower intelligence, not able to perform in "higher forms of mental effort" and in the case of blacks "able to perform in a civilized manner". These two different causes gradually found themselves merging throughout history sharing one common cause, equal rights. When many of us hear about the civil rights movement we generally tend to think of the civil rights movement of the 1960's. With many well know leaders of the time, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, many would say that the Civil Rights movement was at its' peak. With all of the things that were going on during the time, and the fact that it was televised though the eyes of millions via television. It's No wonder The Civil rights movement of the 1960's is thought of as the peak and or beginning of the movement. One could say that the civil rights movement started in 1680's, right at the beginning of slavery. Part of the Civil Rights movement was slavery and or Anti-slavery. Before Blacks could be considered equal, they first had to be depicted as humans. This would prove to be no easy task. Slavery roughly started around 1619, that's when the first indentured servants arrived in Jamestown, and ended totally in the US around 1865 with the emancipation proclamation. There were many heroes in the battle against slavery that were both black and white. Around the 1800's slavery was more openly being expressed as being wrong. Many blacks started to speak against their master, some rebelled, som... ...ise to the entire human race? This is the most important document that our country was founded on, as the constitution is the supreme law of the land. When the Europeans came over to America they came here to escape persecution, but eventually manifested into the people they fled from. Europeans became the founding fathers of persecution in what was to become the USA. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe were two women who went about to change the unjust treatment, for not just women but for blacks as well. The relationship that Harriet Beecher Stowe and Sojourner Truth had was very uncommon at that time. Even the causes that they supported joining were very much uncommon but yet same. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe set a trend in American society that is still present today. A trend that two causes could find alimentation with one another. Many may argue as to whether or not Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe started the merging of the two movements but it can be assumed that the two reflected the relationship of the two parties at the time. Cited in Charles E. Siberman, Crisis in black and White (New York: Vintage, 1964), 108

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Robert J. Graves, MD and Graves Disease Essay -- Disease, Disorders

Graves’ disease was named after Robert J. Graves, MD, around the 1830’s. It is an autoimmune disease indicated by hyperthyroidism due to circulating autoantibodies, which is an antibody that attacks the person’s own body. The immune system attacks the thyroid gland, which causes it to produce too much thyroxine. Thyroxine is a hormone that helps control growth and also regulates metabolism in the body. While the thyroxine levels are high the patient’s metabolic rate increases, which can have an effect on their physical appearance as well as their frame of mind. Graves’ disease is the number one cause of hyperthyroidism in the U.S. There are many signs and symptoms of Graves’ disease. Symptoms of Graves’ disease include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, tiredness, irregular or accelerated heart rate, and sensitivity to heat. Sign of Graves’ disease are tremors in the hands and fingers, weight loss, brittle hair, goiter, menstrual cycle changes, and more frequent bowel movements. People with Graves’ disease also report having symptoms of Graves’ opthalmopathy, also known as thyroid eye disease. This can include bulging of the eyes, itchy eyes, red eyes, sensitivity to light, and swelling around the eyelids. More severe cases of opthalmopathy include corneal ulcers, double vision, blurred vision, and restricted eye movements. According to a journal published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, â€Å"Smoking greatly increases the risk for Graves’ opthalmopathy. Among patients with Graves’ opthalmopathy, smokers had more severe eye disease than nonsm okers. Smoking also appears to be one of the multiple factors inducing Graves’ disease in genetically predisposed individuals.† One more sign of Graves’ disease, though it is no... ...t it is not known what causes Graves’ disease to occur, the fact that there are so many treatment options is astonishing. Works Cited Christian Nordqvist. â€Å"What Is Graves’ Disease? What Causes Graves’ Disease?† Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Int., 6 Nov. 2009. Web 10 Mar. 2012. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170005.php Sai-Ching Jim Yeung, MD, PhD, FACP. â€Å"Graves’ Disease† emedicine.medscape. 30 Sep. 2011. Web 10 Mar. 2012 http://www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/120619-overview#showall Dr. Asha Thomas. â€Å"Treatment of Graves’ Disease† Baltimore Sun. 19 Oct. 2009 10 Mar. 2012. http://www.baltimoresun.com/2009-10-19/news/0910180070_1_graves-disease-underactive-thyroid-thyroid-disease Mark F. Prummel, Wilmar M. Wiersinga. â€Å"Smoking and Risk of Graves’ Disease† The Journal of the American Medical Association. 1993 10 Mar. 2012

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Multinational Corporations

Globalization The liberal economic theory Is based on the fact that not all state's territories include the blessing of various natural resources. Therefore, state economies over the years have established several laws that make economic global trade a rather fair transaction. In its core trading was created to facilitate the gaining of products for territories in which producing a specific good might be limited due to their natural resources from those with comparative or absolute advantage.Economic liberalizes believe that governments should not interfere in the markets, because international elate Is maximized when states practice comparative advantage and specialize in certain products. It makes more sense for a country with easier and cheaper ways to produce a specific product do so in abundance and share it through global trade with the world, rather than it be extremely difficult and costly for a single state to do it alone.Through foreign direct investment, multinational corp orations are able to invest in other countries by establishing their own facilities in foreign territories. This is the base of globalization. Through FED and Mans companies are locating closer to customers and Introducing themselves In the same area as competitors, meanwhile they hire local manufacturers and employees to assist the production of their product. By doing so, they not only fuel the international economy by creating a larger amount of production for trade, but they also are creating Jobs for people where they are most needed.They usually establish foreign facilities and plants in countries where wage is extremely cheap- indicating that these countries are probably home to extremely poor human beings, who would have trouble finding a Job In the first place. Yet they also search to Invest In states that have attractive resources. FED Is good for developing countries because they make their economies stronger. By paying taxes and training personnel, they enrich their host territories economy and development.Economic liberalizes believe that Mans can serve as a peace keeping potential during trying times between two countries. That interdependence globally would cause powers to be more understanding and hesitant before creating a war. However stating that underdeveloped nations cannot Lully control the Mans because of lack of proper enforcement of human right laws, there is a chance that the workers may be exploited, but through safety and health standards, this situation is usually controlled. I strongly believe that developing states should allow Mans to house facilities in their territories.It's clear that for development, you must establish a strong economy, and FED and Mans without a doubt assist lesser-developed countries in reaching development. They create Jobs for those who are uneducated and therefore disqualified from many Job technological advancement of local companies. I do, however, support that specific tariffs and laws should be set against the Mans goods being sold in that state's market, because local producers could not stand a chance next to mass productions.Also, the dangers of human rights being violated are possible when establishing an NC in a state with an unrecognized government and must be highly investigated for proper activity. In regards to those issues I believe that as long as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT) enforce and practice their trade principals the global trade market will be a safe place. The prevarication and liberalizing of trade and foreign direct investment are the best way to go about developing a state. Multinational Corporations Globalization The liberal economic theory Is based on the fact that not all state's territories include the blessing of various natural resources. Therefore, state economies over the years have established several laws that make economic global trade a rather fair transaction. In its core trading was created to facilitate the gaining of products for territories in which producing a specific good might be limited due to their natural resources from those with comparative or absolute advantage.Economic liberalizes believe that governments should not interfere in the markets, because international elate Is maximized when states practice comparative advantage and specialize in certain products. It makes more sense for a country with easier and cheaper ways to produce a specific product do so in abundance and share it through global trade with the world, rather than it be extremely difficult and costly for a single state to do it alone.Through foreign direct investment, multinational corp orations are able to invest in other countries by establishing their own facilities in foreign territories. This is the base of globalization. Through FED and Mans companies are locating closer to customers and Introducing themselves In the same area as competitors, meanwhile they hire local manufacturers and employees to assist the production of their product. By doing so, they not only fuel the international economy by creating a larger amount of production for trade, but they also are creating Jobs for people where they are most needed.They usually establish foreign facilities and plants in countries where wage is extremely cheap- indicating that these countries are probably home to extremely poor human beings, who would have trouble finding a Job In the first place. Yet they also search to Invest In states that have attractive resources. FED Is good for developing countries because they make their economies stronger. By paying taxes and training personnel, they enrich their host territories economy and development.Economic liberalizes believe that Mans can serve as a peace keeping potential during trying times between two countries. That interdependence globally would cause powers to be more understanding and hesitant before creating a war. However stating that underdeveloped nations cannot Lully control the Mans because of lack of proper enforcement of human right laws, there is a chance that the workers may be exploited, but through safety and health standards, this situation is usually controlled. I strongly believe that developing states should allow Mans to house facilities in their territories.It's clear that for development, you must establish a strong economy, and FED and Mans without a doubt assist lesser-developed countries in reaching development. They create Jobs for those who are uneducated and therefore disqualified from many Job technological advancement of local companies. I do, however, support that specific tariffs and laws should be set against the Mans goods being sold in that state's market, because local producers could not stand a chance next to mass productions.Also, the dangers of human rights being violated are possible when establishing an NC in a state with an unrecognized government and must be highly investigated for proper activity. In regards to those issues I believe that as long as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAIT) enforce and practice their trade principals the global trade market will be a safe place. The prevarication and liberalizing of trade and foreign direct investment are the best way to go about developing a state.

Monday, September 16, 2019

In Latin and other languages, Fluxus literally means flow and change Essay

In Latin and other languages, â€Å"Fluxus† literally means â€Å"flow† and â€Å"change.† Similarly, the related English word â€Å"flux† is used variously to mean â€Å"a state of continuous change†,†a fusion.† Fluxus ideas were prevalent well before the 1960’s, growing with the idea of intermedia, but first summarised, exemplified and presented in a festival jointly organised by the German, Joseph Beuys, and Lithuanian-born architect and designer, George Maciunas. It was Maciunas’ desire to show the work of a specific group of people, sharing the same thoughts on art at the time and it was he who coined the name Fluxus. The Fluxus performance festival held at the Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½sseldorf Art Academy on 2-3 February 1962 was a significant historical marker in the early development of the Fluxus group. Numerous Fluxus and Fluxus-type festivals and activities continued to be presented in Europe throughout the 1960’s after which the focus shifted to New York. Fluxus has been described as â€Å"the most radical and experimental art movement of the sixties.† Fluxus differs from most art in being purely conceptual. Characterized by a strongly Dadaist attitude, Fluxus promoted artistic experimentation mixed with social and political activism, an often celebrated anarchistic change. Although Germany was its principal location, Fluxus was an international avant-garde movement, active in major Dutch, English, French, Swedish, and American cities. Its participants were a divergent group of individualists whose most common theme was their delight in spontaneity and humour. Fluxus members avoided any limiting art theories, and spurned pure aesthetic objectives, producing such mixed-media works as poems, mail art, silent orchestras, and collages of such readily available materials such as scavenged posters, newspapers, and other ephemera. Their activities resulted in many events or situations, often called ‘Actions’ or as known in the USA, ‘Happenings’, which were works challenging definitions of art as focused on objects. Street theatre was very popular as were other performances such as concerts of electronic music. An account given by the American Fluxartist Dick Higgins described the sort of happening you would expect at one of his Fluxconcerts. This particular description is from the concert at Dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½sseldorf and it had become a kind of set piece for these festival performances. Higgins described his arrangement, Constellation No 4 as follows: â€Å"Each performer chooses a sound to be produced on any instrument available to him, including the voice. The sound is to have a clearly defined percussive attack and a delay which is no longer than a second. Words, crackling and rustling sounds, are excluded because they have multiple attacks and decays†¦Each performer produces his sound as efficiently as possible, almost simultaneously with the other performers sounds. As soon as the last decay has died away, the piece is over.† A person, who attends a Fluxconcert, after the first shock, typically gets caught up in the spirit of it and begins to enjoy it, without consciously knowing why. What the recipient sees is coloured by his or her perception of it and instinctively he or she is matching horizons, comparing expectations, participating in the process; the more actively he or she does so, the more likely they will be able to enjoy the experience. In 1981 Dick Higgins Wrote a list of nine criteria that he suggested central to Fluxus: 1. internationalism 2. experimentalism and iconoclasm 3. intermedia (a term employed by Dick Higgins to describe an art form appropriate to people who say there are no boundaries between art and life) 4. minimalism or concentration 5. an attempted resolution of the art/life dichotomy 6. implicativeness (an ideal Fluxus work that implies many more works) 7. play or gags 8. epehmerality 9. specificity (work to be specific, self-contained and to embody all its own parts) Clearly not every work is likely to reflect all nine of these characteristics or criteria, but the more of them a work reflects, the more typically and characteristically Fluxus it is. Similarly not every work by a Fluxartist is a Fluxwork; typically Fluxartists do other sorts of work as well. The group pioneered these ideas at a time when their thoughts and practices in the world around them were distinct from the art world and different from the world of other disciplines in which Fluxus, would come to play a role. Like Duchamp, many Fluxus pieces (most notably the performance ones), are often characterised by their taking of a very ordinary event from daily life, and their being framed as art by being presented on stage as a performance situation. A collection of Fluxus works will inevitably include some pieces which are untransformed from life. Their significance is their ability to transform viewers’ horizons. According to Joseph Beuys, Fluxus intended to â€Å"purge the world of bourgeois sickness . . . of dead art,† to â€Å"promote a revolutionary flood and tide in art, anti-art, promote non art reality . . .† and to â€Å"fuse the cadres of cultural, social, and political revolutionaries into a united front and action.† I was particularly interested in the work of Joseph Beuys on view at the Tate Modern. He was a shaman, showman, teacher and tireless debater. He used the detritus of daily life in his work; materials representing energy such as fat, felt, wax, honey, and copper, iron, bronze and batteries. His use of felt and fat in particular relates back to his near death experience in World War II when he used the two materials to keep him warm. *Show Pictures* Most of his pieces have changed through time, relying as they do on materials that decay, ferment, dry up, or change colour. â€Å"Since life is in a constant state of flux,† he reasoned, â€Å"art, in order to bring itself closer to life, must be similarly ephemeral.† It was thus, in change, that Beuys sought to bring about the ultimate unity between art and life. Many of the Fluxartists were poor and could not afford to work with fine and costly materials. The sense that if Fluxus were to incorporate some element of ongoing change – flux -that the individual works should change. Many objects therefore were made of ephemeral materials, so that as time went by the work would either disappear or would physically alter itself. A work such as this made a strong statement rather than a work that would last throughout the ages in some treasure vault. Many of the Fluxartists work, such as Robert Fillous’s works have disappeared into thin air. A good example of this is the work we looked at in the lecture last week entitled ‘The artists breath’ by Yves Klein. George Maciunas planned to create a Fluxus Board of Directors which he would head from the Headquarters in New York. Maciunas wrote a letter to Thomas Schmit, in the form of a Fluxus manifesto, as which it is often referred. He stated that: * Fluxus objectives are social and not aesthetic * The gradual elimination of fine arts (music, theatre, poetry, fiction, painting, sculpture, etc.) was motivated by the desire to stop the waste of material and human resources and divert it to socially constructive ends such as: Industrial design, journalism, architecture, engineering, graphic-typographic arts, printing etc. * The movement was against the art-object as non-functional commodity to be sold and to make a livelihood for an artist. * It could have the function of teaching people the needlessness of art. Therefore teaching that a work should not be permanent * Fluxus is therefore anti-professional * Against art as a medium or vehicle promoting artists ego. * Applied art should express the objective problem to be solved not by the artist’s personality or ego. * Fluxus art should tend towards the collective spirit, anonymity and anti-individualism * Fluxus concerts and publications are at best transitional and temporary until such time that artists find other employment. Maciunas states that it is of utmost importance that the artist finds a profession from which he can make a living. * He says that there is no such thing as a professional revolutionary. Revolution is for participation of all and that a revolutionary should not practice something he is trying to overthrow or even worse, making a living from it, and that the best revolutionaries practice what they preach. * Fluxartists should not make a living from their Fluxus activities but find a profession (like applied arts) by which he would do best Fluxus activity. * The best Fluxus composition is a most non-personal, ready-made one. * Fluxus way of life is 9am to 5pm working socially constructive and useful work – earning your own living, 5pm to 10pm spending time on propagandizing your way of life among other idle artists and collectors and fighting them, 12pm to 8am sleeping (8 hours is enough) * You cannot live off your family because then you are being just as parasitic as artists living off the society, without contributing anything constructive. Maciunas also calls the need for copyright arrangements. * Authorship of pieces would eventually be destroyed, making them totally anonymous – thus eliminating the artist’s ego. The author would be Fluxus. Maciunas says â€Å"We can’t depend on each artist to destroy his ego. The copyright arrangement will eventually force him to it if he is reluctant.† May I also add at this point, Robert. C .Morgan, art critic, writer, artist and poet says that ‘By creating the absence of authorship, Fluxus has revived itself as a significant tendency in recent art.’ However, no one really wanted to sign the manifesto set out by Maciunas. Dick Higgins says that ‘We did not want to confine tomorrow’s possibilities by what we today. That manifesto is Maciunas’ manifesto, not a manifesto of Fluxus.’ George Brecht notes that: â€Å"Fluxus encompasses opposites.† â€Å"Consider opposing it, supporting it, ignoring it, changing your mind.† Clearly, with Fluxus, normal theoretical positions do not apply. They are not intended to do the same things as say a Jackson Pollock painting. It does not mimic nature in any narrative way. It does not attempt to move the listener, viewer or reader emotionally or intellectually. The Fluxartist does not even begin to reveal him-or herself through the work. The reception of Fluxus, its popularity, influence and in general, its acceptance, varies considerably. A Fluxperformance or an exhibition of Fluxus works attended by a person uneducated about the Fluxus field is apt to having an interesting and pleasurable experience. For most avant-guard art, one needs to know quite a considerable amount of art history in order to get ones bearings enough to be able to fuse one’s bearings and horizons and experience pleasure. There is a progressive intellectualism of the audience, thus more ideas of what will, or should happen. The spectators of a Fluxwork have to learn that these ideas are not under attack and that they are simply irrelevant to the work at hand. There are two bodies of people whose hostility towards Fluxus is profound. These are: 1. Groups of art professionals who work in art institutions and galleries. Fluxworks do not lend themselves easily to becoming precious objects which are sold or beautiful fetishes to immortalize the donor. It has more the quality of a souvenir or a sacred relic than or an exquisitely wrought product of fine craftsmanship. 2. Secondly, it is the artists who are ‘good’ in whatever it is that they do, but who are not good enough to be really secure in it.Such artists feel threatened by Fluxus. Victor Cousin’s phrase of 1816 says of art: ‘It is done for the love of it -‘for its own sake’. The Fluxus Collective believed that if value came to be attached to the work then great! But the work must be un-commercial in its very nature. -Conclusion- Fluxus is more important as an idea and a potential for social change than as a specific group of people or collection of objects, action and life activity. Fluxus tried to eclectically organise itself around the advantages of existing strategies at the same time that it attempted to avoid their abuses. Fluxus was committed to social purpose but opposed the authoritarian means by which it was historically achieved. Today, it is clear that the radical contribution Fluxus made to art was to suggest that there is no boundary to be erased between art and life. The Fluxus movement does not present correct political or social views – all the elements behave democratically. Not one piece dominates another. The movement sees a world inhabited by individuals of equal worth and value. By chance, this movement entered the scene, and changed the worldwide view previously held. For a group of artists who sought the reunification of art & life, the current institutionalization of Fluxus is paradoxical, yet the subversive nature of their project; the challenge to hierarchy and authoritarianism, still persists today