A History of Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A History of Mathematics - Essay Example His idea used as basis the fact that the Greek mathematicians of his time knew how to square regular polygons. He proposed that if a regular polygon were to be inscribed in a circle, and if the number of sides of the polygon were doubled again and again, the polygon would eventually become indistinguishable from the circle. This solution was still incorrect, because making the polygon coincide with the circle required an infinite number of permutations. The Europeans of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci among them, tried in vain to solve the problem. They did not realize that it was impossible to square a circle using the straight edge and compass method. The Scottish mathematician James Gregory (1638 - 1675) proposed that the ratio of the area of any sector of a circle to that of inscribed or circumscribed regular polygons cannot be expressed with a finite number of terms, thus concluding that squaring the circle is impossible. Ferdinand von Lindemann (1852 - 1939) published in 1882 his proof that pi is not an algebraic, but a transcendental number (not a solution of any polynomial with rational coefficients). This essentially means that there is no way to determine if any physical object or quantity has an exact measure of pi (regardless of the unit system). Because squaring the circle involves the use of pi, Lindemann's proof ended the quest for the plane technique of squaring the circle. Trisecting an Angle Another classic mathematical problem is that of trisecting an angle, again with the restriction of using only an unmarked straight edge and a compass. Although there are certain angles that can be trisected with this method, the problem is to trisect an arbitrary angle. It has been proven that this is impossible. It can be solved, however, without the said restriction. There is no certainty of when this specific problem first arose. It is known that Hippocrates in the 5th century B.C. considered the problem. For centuries the problem of trisecting an angle (using Euclidean constructions) was pondered upon by mathematicians, but these early mathematicians focused on plane methods of trisecting an arbitrary angle, and thus failed. The first known mathematician who worked on the problem was the Greek Hippias (460 - 400 BC). He came up with the curve called the quadratix, which was originally used for squaring the circle, and was also used to solve the problem of angle trisection. Archimedes (287 - 212 BC) came up with a curve, the Archimedean spiral, and also used it to solve the problem. The Greek mathematician Nicomedes (280 - 210 BC) also worked on the problem. He came up with the curve known as the conchoid, and used it for angle trisection. These solutions, however, break the straight-edge-and-compass restriction. It was only in 1837 that it was proven that there is no solution for the original problem of trisecting any angle with only an unmarked straight edge and a compass. The French mathematician Pierre Wantzel proved the impossibility of solving the problem under the straight edge and compass restriction. Antiphon Antiphon was an orator, writer, teacher, and philosopher. He was a contemporary of Socrates. He died, like Socrates, because of political troubles. There

Art 21 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art 21 - Essay Example Cai Guo-Qiang is an artist from Fujian Province of China. Guo-Qiang currently lives and does his artistic masterpieces in New York, United States. Guo-Qiang uses several media to show his inner feelings. His art works are infused with political themes. Uniquely, Guo-Qiang uses gunpower as an art form ingredient. He is successful in this unique art genre. Guo-Qiang learned gunpowder art while staying in Japan. As expected, Guo-Qiang’ art is characterized by explosions (PBS, 2014) The left image shows the artist using animals as models of his art work. The image will surely attract children. Children prefer images that resemble life. The left image will remind the children that our world includes the survival of animals. It is a good art image because the children can easily understand the image. The right image shows the author’s use explosions (fireworks) to attract the attention of the audience. The audience who will actually see the live explosions will either be entertained or may fear for their life. The audience will discern whether the fireworks explosion will cause danger to the lives of the audience. When the audience senses fire explosion debris going towards the audience, the audience will run to safety. Jeff Koons is from Pennsylvania. He school included studying in the popular Art Institute of Chicago. The artist uses images from different cultures as inspiration for his masterpieces. The artist injects both taste and pleasure themes into his art pieces. Koons uses the benefits of computer technology to create his currently popular art form. Koons uses the computer technology’s accurate detail advantages to reduce the time needed to complete his artwork tasks. Further, Jeff Koons’ masterpieces had been displayed in several art galleries. One of the galleries is Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Koons displayed his art works in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Jeff Koons accomplished the above two art pieces. The left

Price Elasticity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Price Elasticity - Research Paper Example The greater the percentage of income the commodity represents, the greater the elasticity because it will attract people’s attention as a result of its high cost (Moschandreas, 2000). If a commodity represents a small percentage of the consumer’s income, on the other hand, it will have little effect on demand, and is deemed to be inelastic. Therefore, the purchasing power of the consumer affects elasticity a great deal. Necessity also profoundly affects elasticity. If a product is necessary, that is, if one cannot do without a product, elasticity is reduced because people will still buy the product irrespective of the change in price (Ferrell, 2010). The availability of alternative goods affects elasticity. If a substitute good is close and readily available to the market, elasticity will be high since people will have the choice to switch to the attractive alternative. This can be necessitated by the slightest of changes in prices, and therefore largely affects elasticity (Ferrell, 2010). Substitute goods availability and reach is a factor that many companies look at in price consideration due to its massive impact on elasticity. Some factors have the least effect on elasticity. Though relative, the effect that these factors have is thought to be negligible. Time is one such example. Price changes that persist for short time periods affect the demand for a good, and subsequent sales far much less than price changes that hold for a long time. If a price change holds for a long time, elasticity is likely to be high since the customers will have time to find suitable alternatives (Moschandreas, 2000). Loyalty to a specific brand affects elasticity. This is so because if a consumer is loyal to a brand, elasticity is low as the variables that affect the product will not affect its demand. However, it s worth noting that with time and availability of better alternatives, loyalty eventually

Compare and Contrast the Ways in Which Two Poets Create Sympathy for Their Characters †‘on a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ and ‘the River God’. Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast the Ways in Which Two Poets Create Sympathy for Their Characters – ‘on a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ and ‘the River God’. Essay The poems ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’, written by John Betjeman and ‘The River God’, written by Stevie Smith appear as two very different poems; one in monologue form and the other in a regular form; but they are in fact two very similar poems. ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ presents a character mourning the death of a deaf man who was very close to him/her, and ‘The River God’ presents a lonely God who is abused by people and resorts to murdering women to keep himself company. Both characters are lonely and the portrayal of this loneliness causes you – the reader to feel sympathetic towards them. The ‘River God’ is lonely because he is only used by others, no one stays to be with him, they leave – ‘and I like the people who bathe in me . . . or will she go away?’ suggesting that he enjoys their company but doesn’t want them to go as he get’s lonely. In ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ the mourner feels lonely because he/she has lost someone very close to them – ‘the kind old face . . . he took me on long silent walks . . . when young’ implying they were close as they have known each other since a young age. Both blame others for the situations that they have found themselves in. The ‘River God’ blames the women who ‘bathe in [him]’ for his loneliness, meaning that out of desperation he tries to keep the women with him but by doing so ends up killing them ‘she lies in my beautiful deep river bed with many a weed’. I believe he understands though that he has killed them and that is why he keeps them in the ‘beautiful deep river bed’; this causes you to feel some sympathy for him as he accidentally kills them but then out of love keeps them in his ‘beautiful deep river bed’. The mourner blames God for the death of the ‘deaf man’: ‘You, God, who treat him thus and thus, /Say ‘Save his soul and pray.’/You ask me to believe You and / I only see decay’ describing how God should be, but then the reality of asking God for things which aren’t achieved. This causes you to feel sympathetic because you see someone who asked God to save him yet he still died – ‘see decay’. The poems both begin with descriptions of characters. ‘The River God’ begins ‘the kind old face, the egg-shaped head’ and ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ begins ‘I may be smelly and I may be old’; the first description makes you feel sad that someone kind and good has died and the second makes you feel pitiful for the river, it’s not the river’s fault that it’s that way as it’s reflective of old age and the abuse it has had by mankind, all of which you would be distraught if you found yourself in so you can feel sympathetic towards them. The poets use the death of a person to draw sympathy from you. In ‘The River God’ a woman dies, one that he was fond of and he was against her dying; in ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’ a friendly deaf man dies, presumably suddenly; these draw your sympathy because it suggests that they are lonely, in a state of mourning and vulnerable – all of which are states in which you would not want to find yourself and when you see someone else in such a state, you will feel sympathetic and be able to relate to the emotions they are feeling. The poets use the deaths of characters in their poems to create side-personas for the characters through the persona of the main-speaking character. ‘The River God’ uses the dead woman to give another perspective of what’s going on, ‘This beautiful lady, or will she go away?’ shows this perfectly. The questioning gives her perspective that she wants to leave but she is being held, leading you to feel sympathetic for her as this large ‘River’ is holding her captive and she cannot leave. However, it shows the misunderstanding of the ‘River God’ as she is drowned, ‘Oh who would guess what a beautiful white face lies there’, ‘white face’ implying she is dead, leading you to feel sympathetic again towards him as he is totally ignorant of everything going on around him. ‘On a Portrait of a Deaf Man’, the writer uses the deaf man to display what exactly he/she has lost through his death, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œHe knew the names of ev’ry bird’. This shows how caring he was and this would presumably translate to how he acts to people – kind and caring – and lead to sympathy as you would never want to lose a person so good to die. The poem also describes what further potential to do good he had if he knew what was coming, ‘He would have liked to say good-bye/Shake hands with many friends.’ This causes a sympathetic response from the reader because again even though he was dying he would have wanted to show respect to his friends rather than just leaving. It also creates sympathy because the person who has lost this ‘kind’ man would be very upset about his/her death. We see this when he/she blames God for his death as he didn’t save him/her, ‘’Save his soul and pray.’/ You ask me to believe You and/ I only see decay.’ – this shows a stage of mourning in which you blame others for the death you have experienced. In conclusion, the poets create sympathy for their characters very effectively through: descriptions, meanings and powers out of the characters control; all of which attract the reader to feel some understanding, pity or empathy towards them. The poets both use the deaths of characters to contrast the feeling of the characters and the feelings of the dead to create sympathy.

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that businesses conduct business practices for the social good while they pursue economic goals. It refers to operating a business in such a manner that all social environmental impacts that are created are then accounted for. Both market and nonmarket stakeholders expect businesses to be socially responsible. (Business and Society) It is a commitment to developing policies that integrate responsible business practices into daily operations, and to report on the progress made toward the implementation of these practices. (As you sow, 2011) So why is this so important? Some see this work as charity, philanthropy, or an allocation of resources that could better be donated by shareowners themselves, but to us, it is a vital investment in our future, essential to our top-line and bottom-line business success. Dunn, Hewlett Packard Senior Vice President for Global Citizenship Richard Murphy references a study, done in 2003 of buyer/supplier relationships, in his article â€Å"why doing good is good for business.† The study found a strong correlation between trust and procurement costs. The least trusted buyers in the study incurred procurement costs that were five times higher than the cost of most trusted buyers.† This statement alone shoes the value of social responsibility and how it now only impacts consumers views on the company but the relationships firms foster with suppliers. It is simply good for business. Throughout this report we will evaluate the importance of CSR and how it affects the firm and the impact the firm has on the community from and environmental perspective. A study performed in 2003, by researchers at the university of Iowa, evaluating the relationship between corporate social responsibility and firm performance; concluded â€Å"Corporate virtue, in the form of social responsibility and, to a lesser extent, environm ental responsibility is likely to pay off.† 1 After all it green is the color of money. It pays to go green this day in age. Going Green: Environmental Considerations Deseret Digital Media, also referred to as DDM, is an online internet conglomerate in the intermountain west. Being a media company, I’m sure much like others, environmental consideration are certainly a thought but not highly acted upon due to the â€Å"minimal† impact that online media has to the environment. While DDM has a strong company mission and culture, in which they excel and positively impact the community, they do little in means of protecting the environment. They are constantly in the public eye in their operation area due to their user base which leads me to believe that going â€Å"green† would only be a beneficial think for business. be good for business. Mark Orlitzky, Frank Schmidt, and Sara Rynes, â€Å"Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-analysis,† Organization Studies, 2003, pp. 403–41. Also investigating this issue are Marc Orlitzky and John D. Benjamin, â€Å"Corporate Social Performance and Firm Risk: A Meta-analytic Review,† Business Society, 2001, pp. 369–96; and for a contrarian view see Idris Mootee, â€Å"The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility—From Creating Customer Goodwill to Influencing Social Standards,† Futurelab, blog.futurelab.net/2008/12. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS We only have one earth, and one ecosystem. We each need to do our due diligence in protecting that ecosystem. Understanding the earth’s carrying capacity, how fast resources are being used and what we are doing to change that, can only positively affect our world ecosystem. Damaging any part of the ecosystem in one area can affect others in other parts of the world. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) Now human activity affects three major forms of natural resources; water, air and land. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) Deseret Digital Media can actively improve business practices and protocols to reduce the company’s impact on the usage of those three natural resources. Areas of impact below include but are not limited to: Water Resources: 3% of the water on earth is actually fresh. Only about one-tenth of 1 percent of the Earth’s water is in lakes, rivers, and accessible underground supplies, and thus available for human use. Water is, of course, renewable: Moisture evaporates from the oceans and returns to Earth as freshwater precipitation, replenishing used stocks. But in many areas, humans are using up or polluting water faster than it can be replaced or naturally purified, threatening people and businesses that depend on it. Humans are consuming/using water faster than it can be replaced or naturally purified, threatening those who depend on it. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) ï‚ § Considerations: DDM currently does nothing to maintain their water consumption. Currently the only consumption that is taking place is human usage by means of drinking water and restroom usage. Might not seem like a significant amount of consumption however; simple math, 100 employees x 64 ounces of drinking water = 6,400 ounces of water a day. While drinking water should not be regulated there are other ways to regulate water usage. ï‚ § Recommendations: A very simple concept used in all places, the restroom, can minimize water consumption quite significantly. Reducing the amount of usage by installing flushometeres. The current standard specifies that flushometers use no more than 1.6 gpf, though many manufacturers are shooting for 0.8 gpf (3 liters) 2. Urinals are also improving: The U.S. Department of Energys standards for urinals are currently at 1 gpf (3.8 liters)3. An important water-saving feature of commercial flushometers is that they can be designed to let users push a handle in one direction for liquid waste and another direction for solid waste. The latter would trigger a full flush while the former would trigger a partial flush. This dual-flush technology is becoming common other parts of the developed world, including the U.K. and Australia, though it has yet to become as popular in the United States. With wider use of these features, water efficiency is expected to improve for all toilet types. (Cancio, 2009) Air Pollutants/Energy Consumption: According to the American Lung Association (ALA) an estimate in 2008 reported that 125 million Americans, or 42 percent of the population, were breathing unsafe air for at least part of each year. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) This has to do with the pollutants that are being emitted into the air we are forced to breath. A major contributor the unsafe air and even more concerning; a major factor of Global Warming is the burning of fossil fuels that releases carbon dioxide. Not only do fossil fuels affect the air they also account for a huge percentage of the world’s energy source. 85% of the energy in the United States comes from fossil fuels by way of combustion of coal, oil and natural gas. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) Kohler. Power Lite Technology. (accessed December 11, 2009)http://www.us.kohler.com/tech/products/why_powerlite.jsp U.S. Department of Energy. Best Management Practice: Toilets and Urinals. Federal Energy Management Program. July 2009. (accessed December 16, 2009)http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/program/waterefficiency_bmp6.html Unfortunately the unlike water fossil fuels are nonrenewable energy sources. Even more concerning is that for every one barrel discovered for every three or four consumed. ((Lawrence Weber, 2010) 10) ï‚ § Considerations: When it comes to air pollution DDM luckily doesn’t have to worry about it as much, as say, a manufacturing facility. What needs to be considered more in depth is the amount of energy being used on daily basis. Being an internet company and hosting six websites 24/7, requires multiple servers and in turn a high consumption of energy. Along with traveling from coast to coast and using fossil fuel resources there are a few small â€Å"green† concepts that can be applied to reduce the amount energy being used. Deseret Digital Media has mentioned upgrading the hosting servers to protect the sensitive content, as well as, an energy saver. Recommendations: Something as simple as encouraging each employee to put their computers in an energy saving mode, turning computers in sleep mode or shut down when leaving for the evening. Updating IT equipment, and using energy saving light bulbs, are small changes that can make a sustainable difference. Land Waste: The United States produces an astonishing amount of solid waste, adding up to almost five pounds per person per day. Of this, 46 percent is recycled, composted, or incinerated, and the rest ends up in municipal landfills4. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) ï‚ § Considerations: While 46% is quite a large percentage there is more that can be done to protect the environment. Currently DDM has a small recycling program that is not widely publicized. While it is a great concept more needs to be done in order to encourage employees to use such programs. ï‚ § Recommendations: While having a small recycling program is a great concept more needs to be done encouraging employees. Posting flyers around the office, ensuring everyone is aware of the recyclable materials. DDM has numerous soda fountains throughout the building for their employees. Currently the drinking cups provided are Styrofoam that get thrown away regularly. Offering employees reusable hard plastic cups will help reduce the company’s carbon footprint and the amount of waste that is admitted into local landfills. ETICAL LEADERSHIP CONSIDERATIONS In simple terms what are ethics and how do they play a role in business? Ethics is a conception of right and wrong conduct. It tells us whether our behavior is moral or immoral and deals with fundamental human relationships—how we think and behave toward others and how we want them to think and behave toward us. Ethical principles are guides to moral behavior. (Lawrence Weber, 2010) Business ethics derive from the same moral compass. This generalized human trait is applicable to business and their ethical ideas and behavior within an organization. All areas of business, accounting, marketing and IT have to follow a certain standard of ethical considerations in operations. For this report in particular we will focus of ethical leadership and how they play a role in our green effort, with regards to social responsibility. Institutionalizing a code of ethics and ethical safeguards are grounds for encouraging environmental ethical performance. Institutionalizing a code of ethics encourages our employees to align with the company’s â€Å"green† mission (an articulation of our goals) and our societal obligations. By creating a strong code of ethics we are establishing expected behaviors among employees. Environmental Protection Agency, â€Å"Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2007 Facts and Figures,† www.epa.gov/epawaste. ethical behavior is extremely important because it will help to ensure that employees have predefined expectations of in office behavior and guidelines to follow in all functional areas of operation, as well as the companies green efforts. In the first line of the written mission statement form Deseret Digital Media (2012) it states, â€Å"The mission of Deseret Digital Media is to become the trusted digital voice in all of the markets we reach. This goal is part of our broader corporate mission to become â€Å"trusted voices of light and knowledge, reaching hundreds of millions people.†Ã¢â‚¬  They are trying to accomplish what any company is hoping to do as well, be a trusted place to come to for your product, service or information. To develop a strong presence in the market by adhering to the green policy suggested above, DDM can have a much greater impact on their local market. As much as it pays to be green, ethics pays as well. Below review the ethical leadership recommendations for each environmental issue discussed above. Water Resources: The water conservation suggestion presented above is a little bit more detailed and requires many parts in order to implement. To start management will need to get with building maintenance and even determine if this is possible to make such a change to the plumbing. From there the implementation process will take some time and patience leaving many toilets out of commission for a time. After the conversion process has been completed a company meeting will need to be held regarding how the new toilet process will work. It wont need to be in depth just a quick overview is needed and the importance and positive impact it will have on the community. Air Pollutants/Energy Consumption: With the recommendation above: Something as simple as encouraging each employee to put their computers in an energy saving mode, turning computers in sleep mode or shut down when leaving for the evening. Updating IT equipment, and using energy saving light bulbs, are small changes that can make a sustainable difference. A lot can be done by management’s actions. If management isn’t shutting down at the end of the night, and we have outdated equipment what makes employees inclined to want to save our resources. Leading by example and have management place their computers in an energy saving mode and sending a interoffice memo encouraging employees to do the same thing will definitely help reduce the amount of energy being consumed by DDM in a daily basis. As for updating the servers to be more energy efficient DDM is one step ahead of the game. They VP of Technology realized what an impact that would make and this suggestion is currently in process. Land Water: Since DDM has a tiny recycling program with limited recycling stations it would be suggested that management offer individual recycling bins to be stationed at each individuals workstation. This way it is more accessible/convenient for employees to recycle certain materials as opposed to throwing them into a waste bin, which will eventually be deposited into one of the nations landfills. This small step can mean great things for reducing the company’s carbon footprint. We want to accomplish just that by allowing consumers to feel safe buying our product and letting their children play with it. Their stakeholders are those who use media on a daily basis, while ours are children and parents of children who buy/use our toy collections. â€Å"All Deseret Media Companies are owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That ownership comes with a significant amount of trust and an expectation that we will align our actions to honor our owner. We want to work hard to demonstrate that we value our users and our marketplaces as well. To paraphrase the founder of largest the social media network in the world, We don’t create communities, they already exist. We know we have to earn the trust of the communities and individuals who choose to use our products. We are not perfect, but we want you to know that Deseret Digital is always working†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Deseret Digital, 2012) We need to align our actions much like Deseret Digital Media is order to grow a successful business and maintain employee and customer satisfaction. MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE Now that we have a solid suggestion for the implementation of our green movement, we need to ensure that it â€Å"makes sense† for the company. Not only in a socially responsible manner but also from a fiscal stand point. A common and effective way to measure environmental impact compared to the company’s financials is known as Triple Bottom Line Accounting (TBL). Triple Bottom Line is a concept that was first coined by John Elkington of SustainAbility in 1994, and it referred to the interrelated goals of economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social justice. He developed the TBL concept in context of the growing concern centered around sustainability. TBL added the social dimension to the corporate sustainability framework which had previously focused mostly on businesses’ environmental impacts. The next year, SustainAbility developed the 3P (People, Planet, Profits) formulation of the TBL. Elkingtons 1997 book, Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, helped launch the concept of the TBL among corporate leaders. (McNulty , 2012) The TBL concept provided a means of incorporating sustainability concerns within the traditional accounting framework familiar to and accepted by corporate managers. While there is no universally accepted means of practicing TBL accounting and reporting, the TBL framework is widespread in the business world. A 2008 survey by KPMG of the 250 largest companies in the world found that nearly 80 % of them issued corporate sustainability reports and that the large majority (77 %) of the companies reporting did so using the TBL standards developed by the Global Reporting Ini tiative (GRI). (McNulty , 2012) This concept enables the organization to effectively assess sustainability movements and performance. Furthermore the metrics provide managers with feedback to make more informed decision and displays a picture for employees to see exactly hoe their green efforts contribute to corporate sustainability goals. When making a decision to use the TBL the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a great way to benchmark performance indicators for all three aspects; people, planet, and profits. The â€Å"people† component of the TBL refers to the social aspects of the an organization’s activites and impacts. In short it is meant to gauge the organizations impacts on and relations with its own employees, its suppliers and contractors, the communities within which the organization operates, and the organizations customers or clients. (McNulty , 2012) Since this is much harder to determine the social impact the ‘people’ component is slightly less developed so we aren’t going to focus too much on that. Compare to the ‘people’ aspect, with the â€Å"planet† component it is easier to measure environmental impacts. (McNulty , 2012) There are many metrics that contribute to the performance indicators used in the GRI. For the purposes of corporate sustainability, the Profits component of the TBL takes a broader view of an organizations economic impacts and evaluates the activities and impacts of a firm with respect to a wider array of stakeholders than just the firms owners. (McNulty , 2012) Below is an example of TBL principles: PowerStar, an electric utility company, is considering making an investment in a new power plant and is evaluating several options that use different technologies and would be located at different appropriate sites. The technologies being considered use different fuels and require different capital and labor inputs for construction and ongoing operations. In the past, PowerStar focused primarily on the financial returns associated with the different options. The firm has now adopted the TBL framework and is using a project evaluation matrix. This matrix evaluates how projects can be evaluated and trade-offs identified in terms of economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Problem Faced By The Tourism Industry

Problem Faced By The Tourism Industry 1.0 Introduction: 1.1Background/ Preamble: In todays world the top three most important industries are telecom, tourism and IT. According to some estimates tourism shares 11% of the total worlds employment and around 100 million were employed in tourism industry during 2008. Tourism sectors around the world have shown phenomenal growth. Over the last quarter of a century it has grown by 500%. Many economically weak countries are generating their largest share of GDP from the tourism sector. Thailands tourist industry started to grow when Thailand launched Visit Thailand Year in 1987. This growth remained constant despite the Gulf war in 1991. This growth period is called as the Golden Decade of Thai Tourism. Economic growth of Thailand also proved to be very helpful for the growth of the tourism sector over the years. According to an official research the tourists coming to Thailand had reached an astonishing 42.5 million. The focus on Thailands government was not the only reason for its growth of the sector; there were other factors which helped the growth. These factors include the prevailing peace after the Cold War, the overall expansion of the countries in the pacific regions, the focus on tourism in the countries around Thailand, the growth and feasibility of the trade between countries, the innovations in the airline sector, the innovations in telecom industry which increased the feasibility of communication and others. The fact that all these factors were very helpful for the growth of Thailands tourism industry was that it was the first country to recognize the advantages of the tourism and set out to implement its tourism campaigns. Thailand also had location advantages as a tourist country as the tourist coming to Thailand also had the option to go either to China or India which are also one of the leading tourist countries. Following the growth of tourism in Thailand was the growth on middle income class. The later growth stimulated the desire of Thais to travel abroad too. The growth in local tourists has over all declined the net income from the tourism sector of Thailand. Currently tourism sector of Thailand has a 6.5 percent share in the GDP. Although the tourism industry of Thailand is very flourishing, but it still lags behind other sectors, such as manufacturing and services. Tourists coming to Thailand spend 16 billion dollar each year and spend 9 days in Thailand on average. Foreign visitors are not the only tourists Thailand depends on. The local residents of Thailand are also a major part of the tourists. Although the amount spent by these tourists is far less than the foreign tourists. In 2008 more than half of the international tourists were from East Asia, Malaysia and Japan. Malaysian visitors have a majority in the overall number of foreign investors to the country. European countries give close to 25% of the total number of visitors. Around 700,000 Australians visited Thailand in 2008; the number is huge when compared to the total residents in Australia. 1.2 Trends from 2007 to 2011 The number of tourists in the 1stQtr and 2ndQtr of 2009 was around 3.6m and 2.9m respectively. The numbers of tourists were lower than the 1stQtrs of 07 and 08. In the 3rdQtr/09 the no. of visitors is similar to that of both 07 and 08. In the 1stQtr/09 there was the highest number of visitors than the previous two years. The no. of visitors was highest during the 1stQtr/10. Due to the political instability from April to May 10, the number of visitors was low. The number of visitors was lower by about 1 to 2 million during year 09 and year 10. Still the number of arrivals in year 10 was record breaking. This shows that visitors forget the instabilities in only around 2 to 3 months. 2.0 Literature review Countries around the world are facing several problems with the tourism industry. Looking at the current trends there are a number of factors affecting tourism industries. Some of these factors are economic factors, technological factors, political factors, demographic factors and cultural factors. 2.1 Economic factors: Economic factors of both the host and the visitors country impacts a countrys tourism industry. The overall buying power of the visitors acts as a very important determinant for the tourist industry. In some countries the cost the vacations is very high. This discourages visitors from going to the specific country. On the other hand some countries offer cheap vacation packages allowing more visitors to come to their country. Over all global prosperity also plays a very important role. If the over all economical condition of countries is good this means in most cases that the purchasing power is higher in those countries. When the standards of living are better and the purchasing power is better people can afford more luxuries. Tourism is also considered as a luxury and the overall numbers of tourists from the specific countries grow. Thailand is one of the favorite places for tourists as it provides every thing that tourists want. Low cost and high quality services, beautiful beaches and natural environment. This also backfires for the host country at many places. Due to higher economic growth in the host country, the residents of the country also will to go abroad for vacations. This causes outflow of money from the economy known as leakage. The overall outflow is then balanced by the inflow of currency from other countries. The net income from the tourism industry of the host country is lowered over all due to the local population going abroad for vacations. Inflation is also a very important determinant when it comes to tourism sector. If the inflation rate is higher in the host country compared to the visitors country, the overall spending by the visitors is low in the economy as the price of products and services is higher in the host country. On the other hand if the inflation is lower in the host country compared to the visitors country, visitors tend to spend more in the host country. Thailand is facing a high inflation rate because of increase in the prices of crude oil but the problem is global. But due to difference in exchange rates inflation does not have a major impact on the tourist industry. For example, the appreciation of the euro against the US dollar has increased the number of EU tourists in Thailand. Along with this the purchasing power of Americans in Thailand has been stable, despite the depreciation of the dollar. In order to maintain the price competitiveness of exports the bank of Thailand has not allowed the Baht to appreciate against the dollar. The baht is under upward pressure, and it has an adverse affect on Thailands tourist industry. Thailands low price level has made it a most reasonable tourist place. 2.2 Technological factors In the current era aviation technology has seen a lot of advancements. Now days the major cause of inflation in many countries is the increase in fuel prices, but it also greatly hampers the tourism sector. As the increase in the fuel prices also increase the airline ticket prices. Therefore aircraft building companies are bringing a lot of innovation to the air craft designs. Due to this reason the over all air fare is greatly reduced. Countries now pay attention to keep the best and most technologically advanced planes at their main airports so that more visitors can come in. Infrastructure is very important factor for tourists on vacations. Tourism is considered as luxury act and tourists from across the world want the best or atleast sufficient infrastructure in the country they are about to visit. Example, Dubai is considered a famous tourist location only because it has better infrastructure than many other countries in its region. Tourists when think of Dubai, they know that it will be a place where they will have all the facilities that they might require; this is a global mind set for most of the tourists. Countries therefore must spend heavily on their infrastructure for the growth in the tourism sector. Now days the use of IT has been a focus of most of the countries. People around the world are now more used to of IT than any other mode of communication. Even visitors now days search online for holiday packages. Countries must make sure that ample information is available relating to their country and tourist spots which people around the world can see and be motivated to visit their country. 2.3 Political factors Visitors avoid areas of political unrest mainly when they visit other countries for vacations. This is mostly because of the mindset that people want to enjoy and relax during the vacations. An extreme example can of Egypt currently. Due to the protests for the change of president and protests in previous months the overall tourist industry of Egypt has recently collapsed. In order to achieve a liberal democracy, Thailands economy is facing a fluctuating and worsening political condition. However as tourists are mostly not interested in any countrys political condition then the political instability would not affect the tourism industry. Instable security conditions can be a major problem for the tourism industry. However research shows that if there is any instability in some parts of the country and the political turmoil is happening in a local area then it would not have a major impact on the tourist industry. Such as worsening of political condition in the southern province of Thailand does not have a declining impact on the tourist industry. However if the political instability increases and reaches other parts of the country it will boost tourists insecurity and fear. It will build a negative perception in the minds of tourists about that place. Also it might have a negative impact on tourists plans for example, if the crisis in Thailand increase s and reaches other parts of the country than it might have a n adverse affect on the tourist industry _ bomb blasts in Bangkok has led to a negative affect on the development of the tourist Industry. Individual and situational characteristics have affected tourists a lot because of the availability on information. It should be considered when taking in the account the security of tourist destinations, that the political instability is exaggerated by the news reporting. Several incidents in Thailand such as terrorists strike are given greater importance by the media than major road accidents. Road accidents in Thailand create a major security risk than a political unrest- and tourists are out most of their time and face many traffic jams every day. How ever Thailand is fairly a safe place than several other countries. Except for political instability, terrorism also has an indirect relation with the amount of tourists visiting a country. Terrorists also try to target the most important sites of a country to spread their terror. Most of these sites are the same sites to which tourists around the world come to visit. An example can be the pyramids of Geza which can we seen as an ideal spot for terrorists to attack. Thea Sinclair and Adam Blake of WTO said The contribution of tourism and travel to both industrialized and developing countries is now so great that any downturns in the level of activity are a cause for concern. The repercussions extend beyond activities directly associated with tourism, notably airlines, hotels and catering, to sectors that supply intermediate or final goods that are purchased by firms and employees in the industry, so that all sectors of the economy are affected to a greater or lesser effect. In the above quotation they are clearly pointing out the adverse impact of terrorist activities on tourism industry and how this adverse impact amplifies over time. Examples can be of cases from target killing of tourists in Egypt, bombing in Nairobi, hijacking of planes for the 9/11 attack etc. These activities not only collapse the tourist industry of the specific countries, but it also impacts the overall global growth of tourism. As mentioned above 9/11 had one of the most harmful impacts on global tourism industry. The overall impact of the 9/11 attacks cannot be measured but according to an estimate but it lowered world tourism by 10%. To regain the confidence most of the countries are using several encouragement tools such as lowering their air fares. 2.4 Demographic Factors Demographics of countries also impact the tourism industry. Living patterns and population affects both the demand of tourists and the supply of labour in the tourist industry. Example the overall percentage of tourists from Australia is higher though their population is lower than many other countries. 2.5 Cultural factors It cannot be ignored that culture is one of the strongest factors affecting the tourist numbers. It can be crucial point when it comes to competitiveness between the countries. Tourism nowdays basically stems out of cultural attractions. And this is this bond of culture and tourism that makes a destination more attractive than other to either go as a tourist, employee, investor or emigrant. 3 Objectives of the study The main purpose of this study is: To find out what are the current social problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current economical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current infrastructure problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out how tourism industry of Thailand is suffering due to the current political situation of the country. To find out what are the current demographical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current technological problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current demographical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. 3.1 Limitations: In order to conduct this study few limitations will be faced as well, such as: Geographical research limitations are our first constraint. The target audience is large in number and it will be very difficult to interact with every tourist of Thailand. We will not be able to cover all the minor problems related to the sector. Some of the official analysis by the Thai govt may be restricted to us. Time is also a big issue which will make our research limited. 3.2 Scope: In this study we will be focusing on the current economical condition of Thailand. We will relate different economical variables with the tourist sector. These variables can range from inflation to exchange rates. By looking at the previous trends of growth we will try to analyse the future growth of the Thailands tourism sector. Through online or paper questionnaires we will try to find out what problems are tourists in Thailand facing. 3.3 Assumptions: The assumptions we will take in this study are: The sample size of our research shows the majority of the tourists coming to Thailand The situation of Thailand remains stable during our research. Data gathered from TDRI is accurate. 4.0 Research Methodology: 4.1 Research Design: In order to understand the problems affecting the tourism industry we will first measure the effect of each of the variables on the over all tourism industry of Thailand. In exploring these variables several different studies will be taken under as secondary data to build the foundation. Apart from this, several tourists perception surveys will be conducted to develop a deeper understanding. In order to insure that all the variables are covered we will attach specific weight ages to the variables and the results will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature. 4.2 Procedure: Problem Statement Study of Thailands economy: Basic understanding of the different sectors, Problems Thailand is facing as a country, Understanding of the Thailands tourism industry foreign perspective: Introduction of the sector, Growth of the sector, Comparison the to the other countrys tourism industries, Past trends of the sector, -In-depth research on forces which previously moved the market globally and in relation to Thai tourism: Economic forces, Political forces, Demographic forces, Technological forces, Primary research: Questionnaire In-depth Questionnaire, Hypothetical offers, In-depth Analysis, Conclusion: Problems and challenges faced by Thailands tourism industry, Recommendations for the Thai government as a whole, 4.3 Sample: The sample size will be consisting of 100 tourists both local and international. Interviews will be taken from famous economic analysts for in-depth research. 4.4 Measurement/ Instrument Selection: Data Collection: Data will be collected through both secondary and primary sources. Primary data will be collected after complete analysis of available secondary data. Method of Data Collection: Interviews: interviews will be taken from both the tourists and economic analysts. Data gathered from the tourists will be used to form a perception chart of Thailand as a whole and the information gathered from the experts will just be used to see if the research is going on the right track and nothing is being missed out. Structured questionnaire: For the collection of primary data, in depth structured questionnaires will be developed. 4.5 Variables: The variables will be incorporated at the later stages, as the research will proceed. 4.6 Hypotheses: Hypothesis will be incorporated at later stages. 4.7 Software employed: We will use Spreadsheet and SPSS software in during our study.

Charles Dickens and Mark Twains lessons Essay -- GCSE English Literatur

group D Friday II Final essay Charles Dickens and Mark Twain's lessons Writers can not only entertain their readers by telling an appealing story, but they can also educate the readers and open their minds. Charles Dickens and Mark Twain are both very famous and important writers. Although Dickens is British and Twain American, they had the same purpose with their writing. They both wrote novels that made stories appealing to the common man as well as to educate people. A comparison of the two novels Hard times by Charles Dickens and The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can show that although both writers lived in different societies they shared the same point of views about life and used their writing to educate their readers and change their societies positively. Both books satirise individuals who think that they are superior to others, by doing this the writers want to show their readers that this is a wrong thing to do. In The adventures of Huckleberry Finn the general southern public is satirised, as they are mostly portrayed as ignorant, prejudiced individuals. In their society, whites are seen as the superior race, and blacks are owned as property, and are slaves to common folk. The word ''Nigger" is used multiple times in the story, as to stress their ignorance. It is illegal for blacks to get proper education, so in no way could they rise up, and seemingly be forever oppressed. This is shown as Jim, a black slave is constantly called a Nigger, even by Huckleberry, who is the only character in the book that treats Jim as a person. In Hardtimes the arrogance of the upper classes is satirised. The characters Mrs. Sparsit and James Harthouse represent the upper class in the novel. Mrs. Sparsit clings fiercely to her heritage and fade d glamour. She is arrogant to those beneath her and despises the efforts of the workers to organize a union. Harthouse is revealed as cynical and directionless. He seduces Louisa, one of the important characters and treats this as a division, without thinking of the consequences of his actions. In both stories the conflict of the wisdom of the heart and the wisdom of the head is brought out to show people that they sometimes have to let their heart guide them. In Hardtimes, Gradgrind represents the wisdom of the head. His philosophy is utilitarianism. This philosophy is based on scientific laws that d... ...nce between Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. They both were against unequal treatment between people. In Mark Twain's case the inequality between black and white in America and in Charles Dickens case the inequality between the different social classes in England. They both believed that people essentially have good hearts but are distracted from what their good hearts tell them by their heads which are filled by society with wrong philosophies. In Hard Times the wrong philosophy is utilitarianism and in The adventures of Huckleberry Finn it is the philosophy that whites are superior to blacks and that blacks are thus their property. Mark Twain and Charles Dickens were both against abusive societies that made the lives of people a struggle. They both lived in such societies and wanted to change this. They dreamt of an idealistic society where people are equal and listen to their good hearts and used their writing skills and wrote novels like Hard Times and The Adventures of Huckle berry Finn to educate people. References: Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. London: Penguin books, 1995. Twain, Mark. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: W. W. Norton & Company inc. 1990.