Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Human Rights Essay

Human rights and the concepts concerning the treatment of man have received much publicity since 1948 during the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Protection of human rights goes way back to the early society of humans and continues to evolve with time as a leading factor in revolution and politics of any given government (Symonides 2003 p. 15). Power limitation for most governors based on the concept of human rights, which provided the foundation for judgment of the rulers’ leadership standards. United States also adopted this concept in their Bill of Rights that later developed, and through stress put on the need for international rights for human beings, the Universal Declaration got formulated too( Maddex 2000 p. 60). Currently, the human rights concept closely relates to the political organization of a society and the relationship between the government and its people. This entails the right of the citizens’ participation in politics, freedom that people should be entitled to, responsibility of the government to the people and the preservation of the people’s human rights in the process of practicing contemporary politics. Governments and states owe the people their prime dedication to maintaining and protecting the human rights; which involves their participation, recognition and expansion of the basic rights of people without necessarily infringing on meeting their basic needs. In order for a state to ascertain success in practicing contemporary politics, they need to strategize on the importance of maintaining the human rights of the people in the process of legitimizing their power and command for obedience. This paper aims to analyze the depth of concern that maintenance of human rights should receive in relation to practicing contemporary politics. The international body’s concern on rights issues dwells entirely on the policies that countries develop, their politics and the respect they maintain in regards to the rights of human beings. For instance during the end of antagonism in the East-West the United Nations strengthened their policies and stand on protecting human rights (Eade & Williams 1995 p. 3). In their view of politics, in the contemporary world, they formulated ways to protect such rights; such as offering humanitarian assistance to governing bodies, team inspections in relation to weapon destruction and an effort to fight for the internally displaced citizens. The four duty levels of a state in politics require that they respect the rights regime by protecting, respecting and meeting the rights of the people. Therefore in order to achieve this fundamental objective and obligation to the people, the state needs to resist in interfering with the people’s rights, respect them, allow the freedom of sharing resources, taking part in political action and participating in political autonomy, as well. In respect to the rights of the people, the view on socio-economic rights comes into play because for the political government to be able to dispose the resources equally and satisfy the peoples needs; they face an obligation to respect the people’s rights to free utilization of resources. Regarding a collective group, let’s say the family, an association the governing bodies and the contemporary political leaders need to respect the resources belonging to these groups in relation to their rights to the use of basic resources to satisfy their needs; this is what strengthens the human relations arm of politics in any governing state (Eade & Williams 1995 p. 42). Additionally, in an effort to increase and enhance machinery for rights actualization the state has to ensure they meet their obligation in committing to protect the rights of the people. In contemporary politics, the state has to make sure they put measures in place to protect the rights of the people against political, social or economical interference to avoid cases of political wrangles and conflict between the citizens and the arm of the government. This tertiary duty practicality involves establishing and maintaining a legal framework; by effectively implementing laws and regulations that would give the common man avenues to realize and enjoy their freedom and rights. On the hand, human rights form the pivot of moral doctrine that gives political order to the contemporary practice of politics. Hence the observation of human rights in reference to the international bill of rights determine the direction, scope and content usable in contemporary politics in relation to the moral norms of the people. Maintaining this moral doctrine of the rights of human beings in contemporary politics requires the application of convention measures issued in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to rights of the people to quality health care and fair, legal attention; with the aim of improving lives. While the safest way to secure favourable conditions necessary for people to live exemplary lives still stands out as human rights activism; the public authorities remain best suited to secure those conditions for the people (Carey, Gibney & Poe 2010 p. 32). Therefore, the much needed importance placed on maintaining the doctrine of human rights by most national institutions and international politics; in an effort to primarily avoiding interfering with the interests of the people. Moreover, the human rights doctrine in contemporary politics contributes to the ideological and geo-political order with a clear framework defining the basis of social, political and economic conditions required to lead better lives. Thus, the importance of practically monitoring and maintaining human rights through legal recognition and validation of the doctrine. Additionally, the human rights moral justification defines the sovereignty considerations made by a nation. Since human rights direct the legitimate criteria to be followed by individual nations, any appeals made by through politics should not by any means otherwise deter the nation-states from committing fully to maintaining the basic human rights. Thus, the human rights doctrine should be highly maintained because this determines the effective way of evaluating the contemporary legitimacy of the national and international political authorities (Shawki & Cox 2009 p. 36). Another subject to consider in justifying the importance of maintaining human rights in contemporary politics cuts across the identity role it plays in a community of people. Human rights define the political identity of people living in a certain community; therefore any the political authorities need to be more careful in handling matters bearing the interest of the rights of a people because, in turn this reflects on their moral jurisdiction and legitimacy of order over a sovereign state (Shawki & Cox 2009 p. 0). The morality of logic and justification of the individual rights and the community as a whole adds more weight to the extent of attention paid in maintaining human rights. Authorities in the contemporary politics have an understanding that human rights imposes positively to their control of power and effectiveness in law implementation; hence most of the leaders should formulate legislative laws that grant the people the freedom and the right to universal vision and contr ibution in political issues. Also, in an effort to legitimize authority in current politics, the state will have to stand up and defend the universality and morals of human rights; indicating that their political concern is not entirely based on position and power, but emanates from their primary concern to retain the dignity and rights of the human beings. Considering the legislative role that humanity assumes in politics, the authorities should embrace the concept of human rights doctrine and pursue to promote high maintenance of human rights; to present the people with better living conditions. This is because human rights initiate the orientation and demand certain goods that lack political justification hence guiding the actions undertaken in contemporary politics. Furthermore in the past, human rights took the leading role in revolution activism; the same case applies to contemporary politics whereby the positive the authorities influence put on maintaining human rights the faster they will be able to expand their democratic control and command audience of the people. Therefore, since democracy in politics and human rights directly relate, democratizing the lives of the people and establishing lasting protective measures would go into creating political order and eliminating the ambiguity that politics has on the identity of humans (Neocleous 2006 p. 135). Alternatively, obligation to establishing and maintaining human rights should be emphasized, not just as for upholding the values of the society and mankind but leaders in the contemporary political world need to view human rights as political so that they will continue to defend and formulate new ones in favour of the people they govern. Satisfaction of the people through human rights- oriented politics involves the authorities appreciating the diversity of the peoples culture, understand people’s views, realize the other value of an individual apart from political persuasion and commit to the democracy of the community; allowing them to contribute to the overall contest for political power(Nash 2010 p. 53). The best response and support showed by the people to their political leaders emerges from their willingness to evaluate their own values, their role in the community, listen to the plight of the people, exclude favouritism and exploitation in their political hierarchy and utilize their personal privileges’ in power to improve the lives of the people. This practically justifies how deep the importance of human rights relates to contemporary politics; and so the need to deduce stringent policies that govern the authorities in dispersing their duties in the political setting. The Human Rights council and the International Criminal Court fall under the few international bodies established to direct and penalize the actions of contemporary political leaders; in an effort to maintain the rights of humans. Abuse of human rights results to tension between the authorities and the people; further disrupting the already acknowledge international rights and laws governing the same hence political instability (Baehr 1994 p. 60). Consequently the probing of the ICC, leads to positive change in the doctrine of human rights as the government and political body abusing the rights of man face tough penalties. Despite these changes emanating from negative political conduct, many ascertain their success and relevance in ensuring that people’s protection from greedy and selfish governance; thus ICC has gone further to increase the penalties tied to the practice of politics in the contemporary setting to reduce the political crime against humanity and the common cases of genocide. Despite the cry, for better leadership authorities through contemporary politics continue to violate the rights of humans; leaving humanity the remedy to seal the gap between the political reality and the democracy of a secure future for the people. Addressing the depth of this issue reflecting back to the controversies in United States of the Abu Ghraib Prison and The Guantanamo Bay prisoners (Johari 1991 p. 26); there’s need to address the relevant problems surrounding the fight for human rights and public display of political awareness through varied avenues like websites. Moreover, the common man can initiate the activism to retain the rights of humans through the family unit and the community which ultimately give rise to the leaders in the contemporary world. Direct campaigns on equality and importance of human rights need more boost in creating educative awareness and affirmative action; guiding the conduct of authorities in the modern world politics in relation to protecting the interests of the common helpless man. Since poor humanity directly reflects on global change, there’s need to cultivate the spirit of togetherness between the community and the political structures present in order to improve the living conditions of people and the growing generation(Symonides 2003 p. 8). Other motivating factors that push for the maintenance of human rights arise from the fear of denial from existence. The denial of human rights supports brutality in the regime of contemporary politics, therefore, to counteract this fear from becoming reality there should be incorporation of human rights policies in political debates; in the contemporary politics paired with their respective penalties in case of violation (Baehr 1994 p. 6). Political lea ders in contemporary politics continue to source out dubious avenues to evade observing such rights hence the need for the United Nations Program on human rights to effect change in contemporary politics through legitimate arguments and conferences with the relevant political bodies, humanitarian representatives and authorities. Conclusively, without pressure on appeals made to effect and maintain human rights, authorities, in the democratic political world, would continue to argue and ignore the desirable quality of human existence. Subsequently freedom and equality in terms of speech and sharing of resources respectively, would become less meaningful in comparison to the benefits that human rights induces in politics; hence instead of politics contributing to nation building the result would only push for the eradication of human existence. Therefore, despite the efforts made by international bodies to promote and maintain human rights, the common man also needs to start human rights activism from the grass root level to merge the two(the family or community with the political unit). This will go into fostering a positive political weather and educative awareness of self protection against abuse (Steiner & Alston 2000 p. 55); that ultimately sums up to the minimum efforts towards maintaining human rights to sustain humanity.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

David Hocking’s book The Nature of God in Plain Language Essay

It has to be said that the concept of trust has taken quite a hammering in society in the past twenty years.   During this time we have seen a host of previously considered â€Å"credible† people such as politicians, priests, childcare workers, teachers, babysitters and more exposed in the media as liars, cheats and criminals so is it any wonder that we might have trouble believing in an entity that has never actually been seen by anyone – someone like God for example.   David Hocking examines this issue of trust in relation to faith in his book The Nature of God in Plain Language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the key factors illustrated in Hocking’s book is the fact that the Bible clearly states that God made man â€Å"in his own image†, so therefore God should be viewed as we might view other people around us, or perhaps more specifically in the way we view ourselves.  Ã‚   Hocking makes it clear that God is not some form of â€Å"force† but that instead he can be viewed to be a person like us, and therefore if we want to learn more about God then we can learn about him through looking at ourselves.   Hocking writes, â€Å"He possesses life, self-consciousness, freedom, purpose, intelligence and emotion† (65). One of the problems that stems from this viewpoint is that many people walk around with a very low opinion of themselves so it might be difficult to understand that while God is not ‘better’ than us, and therefore be considered as some paragon of perfection, he is an image of the very â€Å"best† that we could be to ourselves, for ourselves and to others. Hocking reinforces the fact about being a â€Å"friend of God† and points to the example of Abraham in the Old Testament who is cited as being a person who did look upon God, and did consider God to be his friend. We are not capable of being friends with a force, or source of higher power, which is why it is important for non-believers to understand that God does have elements of humanity, which we as humans share.   But the distance that is often perceived between God and man does help perpetuate the elements of mistrust about God as a creator of life, God as a loving father and God as the keeper of all men, especially if our own experience with trusting other human individuals has left us so cynical or jaded about the good in mankind Hocking believes that our growing cynicism is why trust is such an important concept when discussing a relationship with God. We should be able to trust our friends, our partners, and our family and this same trust needs to be found in God if he is to provide a positive influence in our own lives. Hocking illustrates the common problem we have as trusting individual’s when he explains about a woman that had been abused and let down continually by the significant people in her life including her parents that placed her in an institution, to friends and significant others she met throughout her life.   If she had been let down by so many people in her life it would be virtually impossible for her to consider that an unseen and unknown friend like God could care for a person he had never physically met, at least in her eyes, and is apparently unknown to her. Hocking believes this lack of trust can be overcome through three main factors that should be indicators of a whether or not a person might be trustworthy.   These three elements, telling the truth, doing what is right and fair, and being reliable, should provide the standards we measure the trustworthy nature of our friends and family, and Hocking explains how these same three factors can influence the level of trust we might have in God. The Bible illustrates countless examples of where God has proven himself in terms of these three measures of trustworthiness.   Hocking describes God as being â€Å"morally pure† and therefore it would be impossible for God to lie, to be unfair or be someone that could not be depended on.   Hocking refers to the Old Testament that showed how the people of Israel came to trust in God as they walked through the desert, and the New Testament that supported the fact that God could be counted on as a faithful being and one who is always with us.   If these ideas can be understood by an individual then with the passage of time it would be possible for all of us to trust in the one being that will never let us down. Hocking’s viewpoint on God being an accessible, trustworthy and righteous being, who can have influence on an individual in modern life is not a new concept, but understanding the importance of understanding ourselves so that we may understand God more clearly is not a common idea.   Many religious based Churches strive to create a distance between God and man and use concepts such as man’s inclination to sin on earth and generally be considered unworthy in God’s eyes as a way to maintain that distance. The fact that this distance between God and ourselves only serves the purpose of the Church as a governing body, rather than the individual is often overlooked by many theologians, but Hocking, despite his own religious affiliations, seeks to strip away the negative perceptions that the Church has upheld about man and God throughout the ages and instead paves the way for a life that can be had by any individual who could understand that God can be a friend in every sense of the word. The one stumbling block to this level of understanding is the level of mistrust that is perpetuated in modern society between individuals and groups.   The central premise of Hocking’s book is that to know God we have to know ourselves; to understand God we have to understand ourselves as individuals and to trust in God, we need to trust in others and ourselves.   Stripped of religious hype and forewarnings of doom and gloom that is often manifested by Church groups worldwide, Hocking’s book shows us that it is possible to have a relationship with our Lord, and that this relationship can be based on trust, regardless of the actions of others in our lives. Works Cited Hocking, David.   The Nature of God in Plain Language, Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1984

Monday, July 29, 2019

A Flavorful Vegetarian Experience Essay

Consuming a full-on vegetarian meal might not sound appetizing for some of us meat-lovers, but a visit to this all vegetarian restaurant might change your outlook on healthy, humane choices of eating. This essay is based on a restaurant called â€Å"Udupi Palace†. It is indeed an Indian cuisine that serves strictly vegetarian dishes and is located in San Francisco. They serve a wide variety of dishes ranging from curries, soups, rice plates, appetizers and a handful of different desserts at affordable prices. It might seem sketchy at first to attempt to enjoy a meal at an all vegan restaurant, but if you keep an open mind and give it a chance, you might find that it is just as delicious as any meat entrees, anywhere. If you are looking to broaden your horizon to vegan food choices, this particular restaurant should be at the top of your checklist. The overall look of the restaurant is quite clean and crisp and the dà ©cor is plain yet tasteful. As you are walking in, you can smell the delicious aroma of different spices. Each table is decorated with a vase of flowers which makes the restaurant feel a bit more than just your casual, every day joint. There are a number of tasteful paintings on the wall which is interesting, and it gives the restaurant a more vibrant and polished feel. As for the surroundings, there is a variety of different genre of music playing in the background; it is faint, but clear. Although the overall look and feel of the atmosphere is pleasant and uplifting, the environment is not appropriate if you are looking to enjoy a quiet evening, but the sounds of the restaurant are yet bearable. The service is impeccable, thus your experience will be wonderful. The menu can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t have much knowledge about Indian food, but that won’t be a problem since the servers are tremendously helpful and informative. As for my experience, my server came with a warming, welcoming smile on his face and answered all the questions that were asked about the dis hes on the menu with much patience. The servers are attentive and extremely accommodating so expect your water glass to be filled frequently with water that tastes of citrus, in which shows they take time and effort to satisfy their customers. The food is served on a metal platter and plates which give an authentic Indian cuisine feel, as opposed to regular tableware I see in a lot of other Indian restaurants. A dish I would recommend is the Rava Masala Dosa; it is served with an array of different chutneys (dips). If you don’t know what Rava Masala Dosa is, it is basically a crepe stuffed with potatoes, onions and spices. It is crispy on the outside and warm and savory on the inside with just the right amount of spiciness and tartness. I would also recommend the Special Vegetable Curry which is made of fresh vegetables cooked in spicy curry sauce and coconut sauce. It has a distinctive taste, but is quite exquisite in my opinion. The taste of coconut is not too overpowering like other coconut based curry dishes form other places. The quality, presentation, and the taste of the food are a well-deserved five stars. In this economy, paying a high price for lunch or dinner is much hesitated but at â€Å"Udupi Palace† that won’t be a problem. Because of their affordable prices, you won’t have to give up quality for affordability. If you are looking to stretch your dollar, â€Å"Udupi Place† is the right place to go to because the portions are generous and in addition to that, the average price of the dishes is at a low cost under $10. Vegetarian food is a healthier, and a humane choice of eating. Studies show that vegetarians are much healthier and live longer due to the decrease in intake of toxins and drugs ingested by farm animals. It is better for your body because it lowers your cholesterol intake, thus reduces the risk for heart diseases such as heart attack or stroke due to excessive meat. It is also better for the environment because meat production is very resource consuming and also inhumane. This restaurant demonstrates that eating humane is possible without giving up flavor and succulence you get from eating meat. The food, the service and the price is impeccable. If you have doubts on whether you would enjoy a vegetarian meal, giving this vegan restaurant a try will make all your doubts go away. I would recommend this place to everybody, not just to the vegetarians, but also the folks that love to eat meat. I encourage the people that are hesitant about trying vegan food to give this place a chance. It might change your outlook on the possibility of going vegan or at least cutting down on meat. I would say, after giving this restaurant a try myself, I feel it is more possible for myself to convert to becoming a vegetarian.

Projectile Motion Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Projectile Motion - Lab Report Example The results indicate higher time of flight for high setting and vice versa. Besides that we expect to see the time of flight to be the same for any value of the initial velocity. In the second part, the experiment investigates ratio of the average velocity versus muzzle velocity that is, if the horizontal velocity is constant during the flight, then it should be equal to or very close to the muzzle velocity and this is achieved by setting the gun at an angle of elevation of 35 degrees. In the third part the experiment investigates that the range is the same for complimentary angles. The results indicate a relatively close value for the range and time of flight. This shows that the range and time of flight are the same for complimentary angles. The fourth part investigates that a curve formed by a trajectory takes the form of a parabola. This is achieved by setting the target at the same level as the muzzle for any chosen angle. The observed shape is a parabola. In this experiment, there were errors, hence accurate results were not achieved as can be seen from the data sheet. One possible cause of the uncertainties is the inaccurate timing from the time projection and the exact time of landing an error that can be attributed to the inaccuracy of the observer causing random error. Another possible cause of inaccurate results is the variation of the initial velocity as a result effect of the difference in the launching of the gun affecting the muzzle velocity. If this experiment was performed on the moon where the force of gravity is 1/6 of the earth, we expect the initial velocity to be greater than when it would have been in the lab because the moon offers less resistance in terms of force to the motion of the projectile. Similarly, If the experiment was performed on the moon, the target distance will be longer because the acceleration due to gravity acceleration is low hence the projectile will have an overall increased range. Finally,

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Creative Teams and Creative Conflicts Assignment

Creative Teams and Creative Conflicts - Assignment Example In such a situation, Puccio, Mance and Murdock (2011) note that organizational conflicts may be very common. Despite the differences in creative thinking styles, the group could improve their process by following these three principles. In the first place, the group should have talked about their unique differences to create a sense of identity among each other. This is because where there is an understanding of identities it is easier to accommodate other people (Grivas and Puccio, 2012). Secondly, based on the differences in identities, the group should have broken their job down into tasks and assigned compatible thinkers to different jobs. Finally, the group should have had a standby conflict resolution team that would have been responsible for managing all conflicts from the very unset that they showed up. Into the future, it is expected that the process would be approached differently so as to lead to group success. For instance if I was in charge of leadership, I would have used the strategic accommodation skill to ensure that each person appreciated the place of the other person in the collective realization of the organizational goal (Prichard, n.d.). Puccio, G. J. (2006). Tapping into our creative thinking skills to manage complex problems [Powerpoint]. Faculty Institute on Teaching and Learning-RIT, International Center for Studies in Creativity,State University of New York, Buffalo State. Retrieved from https://www2.rit.edu/fitl/presentations_2006/TappingIntoCreativeThinkingSkills.pdf Puccio, G. J., Mance, M., & Murdock, M. C. (2011). Psychological diversity: Leading people with different styles. In Puccio, Mance, & Murdock, Creative leadership: Skills that drive change (pp. 241–264). Los Angeles, CA:

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Gambino Crime Family Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Gambino Crime Family - Research Paper Example Understanding the way in which corrupt organizations are formed, romanticized and sometimes revered allows for a continued understanding of the culture and heritage of an aspect of the United States. The Mafioso presence in the United States most likely began during the 19th century when an influx of Italian immigrants can be measured through records from Ellis Island. Giuseppe Morello is most likely the first ‘boss of bosses’ in New York, having arrived there in 1867 when he was running from charges in Italy that he had been part of cattle rustling and had committed murder. He held this title until 1910. In the year 1900, he there are records of charges that include counterfeiting, murder, and the suspected kidnapping and disappearance of a teenage girl. There are extensive records of similar charges, including suspicion of his involvement in over 60 murders that follow until 1910 when he was imprisoned for ten years. Upon his release he was supposedly given a death sentence by the Mafia, but this was overturned and he acted as an advisor until 1930 when he was finally murdered by rival Mafioso gang members (Dash xvii) Morello was called â€Å"the Clutch† because his right arm had a deformity from birth. The arm was shortened and had only the little finger, missing the thumb and other three digits. The most infamous murder of the time was called the Barrel Murder. This murder was the landmark occasion that brought the Mafioso to the direct attention of the authorities. A man named Madonio was a rival of Morello. It is unknown his direct crime that landed him in such great peril, but while at an eating establishment, Morello had his men grab him, take him to a sink, then cut his throat so that the head was almost severed. The body was then stuffed into a three foot high barrel and left as a warning to anyone else who would dare to cross Morello (Dash 7-9). Thus began the conflict

Friday, July 26, 2019

Digital project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Digital project management - Essay Example Undoubtedly, the field of project management has as well been influenced by this innovative technology. Currently such highly refined online collaboration technology is used in the field of project management for remotely handling and managing the projects, directing business contracts as well as managing virtual relationships (Mumbi & McGill, 2007), (The Project Wall, 2011) and (Filev, 2008). This paper discusses the important aspects of digital project management. In this scenario I will assess the prime strategies and techniques which can be applied by a project manager in order to deliver the required results of the project. This paper will also discuss new developments and advancements in the field of project management. Project Management 2.0 This section discusses a new evolutionary paradigm of Project Management 2.0 that is evolved through the high-tech support and facilities of web 2.0. Project Management 2.0 (sometimes mistakenly acknowledged as the Social-Project-Managemen t) is one of the evolutionary information technology (IT) based project management practices. Additionally, this new IT based project management is implemented through the interface of new enhanced Web 2.0 tools and technologies. In this scenario, the modern Web 2.0 tools and technologies like wikis, blogs, shared communication boards, collaborative software, etc. have really supported the development of project management to a superior level. Additionally, through the implementation of these new Web 2.0 technologies, shortly distributed as well as globally distributed online virtual teams are competent to work in cooperation with a great deal of additional proficiency by using the next-age, usually less costly or free online development and project management systems. In addition, these innovative applications and effective tools completely change the customary approach of the project manager. Moreover, the new Project Management 2.0 practice demonstrates an impressive enhancement in the competency for collaboration or cooperation in distributed project management teams (Filev, 2008), (The Project Wall, 2011) and

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Guatemalan civil war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Guatemalan civil war - Essay Example Guatemalan civil war It is important to undertake a critical investigation into the cause-effect of this civil war and the input of cultural structure of Latin America in this war (Natella 176). Many scholars have explored the cultural factors within the context of Latin America region and how this contributed to the long standing economic oppression and political instability that was the order of the day in Guatemala from early 1960s. Political structure is always derived from the traditions of any community in their ancient socio-political organization and the way of governance and culture of loyalty defines success of any leadership. It would equally be important to consider the foreign influence into the civil war and what they sought to gain. It is also worth to take a look at the community that suffered the full brunt of this civil war and the consequences this had on its relationship with the governing authority to date. Maya community and Indians were particularly tortured, displaced and killed. Further inquiry would also be important in regard to the civil war’s contribution towards present day modernization and democratization and its cost in Guatemala. Critical analysis of the civil war in Guatemala indicates that there were real social problems that compelled some people to revolt against the government. . Research findings establish that there was massive oppression, widespread racism and mass violence which left many people displaced, maimed and killed. The question that many people would ask is the relationship that existed between the government of the day and its citizens in regard to the violent clashes between Neoliberal and Leftist (Coerver, et al.259). To answer this question, it would be important to find the other factors that contributed to this historic civil war almost likened to genocide. United States had a hand in the clashes through their push for capitalism in Latin America. It is therefore evident that there involvement fuelled the problem and explains its length of existence I terms of years. They supplied the government military wing with resources that were used against the leftists. This was a tactical approach towards forcing the citizens to adhere to the government oppressive economic ideologies and promote their interest in the country. This explains the US installation of Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas by Central intelligence agency against the democratically-elected president, Jacobo Arbenz. The later was considered communist threat and acted in the interest of the citizens. At the height of confrontation between the leftist and the government forces, the citizens suffered more in many ways and this soured their relationship with the government between 1960’s and the 1990s (Davies and Fredric 211). Government sought to favor foreigners by taking local people’s land and allocating to the foreigners, dividing to political cronies and completely ignored the plight of common citizens through autocratic leadership. The leftist represented the people as they fought to regain lost property to the dictatorial governments. The neoliberal forces were for the idea of capitalism that promoted extremes in form of wealth and poverty and therefore got much hatred from the citizens. Despite several negotiations and international community’s intervention in Guatemala crisis, citizens still had no confidence in the government and its socio-economic and political pursuits. It is important to note that

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

At WebAd Solutions, we are committed to ensuring the validity of our Essay

At WebAd Solutions, we are committed to ensuring the validity of our Cost-Per-Click Network - Essay Example From software to our sophisticated staff, our goal has become to ensure every click is legitimate. Our staff, software, and products weed out fraudulent or generated clicks. This saves customers money by only having them pay for legitimate clicks. In order to stop fraudulent or generated clicks, WebAd Solution believes communication with the client is essential. Click fraud has increased over the past year. Whether intentionally directed at one advertiser or ‘hitbots’ that target all PPC’s, fraudulent clicks hurt advertisers. Thus individuals become wary about using PPC’s and Search Marketing. If used correctly PPC’s and Search Marketing can reach millions of Internet surfers. However, when competitors or ‘hitbots’ misuse the system, this means of advertising becomes increasingly distrusted. Companies do not want to spend money on clicks that are not being seen by consumers. Advertisers can protect themselves from click fraud by following a few simple rules. The first rule is to communicate frequently with their PPC provider. Secondly, clients can used WebAd’s tools to help protect against fraudulent clicks. WebAd provides Click Observer, which helps the advertiser observe traffic sources, time spent, number of visits, and so forth. This allows the client to observe suspicious clicks that get past WebAd’s software or employees, which in turn can be reported to WebAd. Finally, research into WebAd’s resources can help an advertiser save money on illegitimate clicks. WebAd Solutions want their clients to feel comfortable that the visitors to their websites are from legitimate interest, not false clicks. Our goal is to give the client the advertising that is paid for. Despite the negative impacts of click fraud on PPC Advertisers and Search Marketing, WebAd Solutions strive to inspire confidence in our services. By using Click Observer from WebAd,

Starting a Computer Retail Business Overview Assignment

Starting a Computer Retail Business Overview - Assignment Example The corporate structure that the company selected is corporation. The company selected the corporate business structure because the firm plans to establish retail establishments across the United States. The corporate business structure can be used to raise capital faster. The customers the firm plans to target are computer enthusiasts of all ages. The firm will be competing against large and small computer vendors. To achieve the company’s goals the company plans on becoming a publicly traded corporation listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The firm plans on using a customer intimacy model to increase the customer retention of the firm. Customer retention is important because based on Pareto’s 80/20 rule 80% of a firm’s sales comes from 20% of its customers (Reh, 2012). The firm will also maintain good working relationships with other stakeholder groups such as employees, lenders, and suppliers. The long term plan of the company is to become one of the industry leaders in the computer

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Medicaid and the Uninsured Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medicaid and the Uninsured - Essay Example However, it seems that the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) (2005) poses a threat to those families who might use Medicaid and SCHIP. Reasons include the imposition of cost sharing, the complications involved in levels of income and percentage of cost demanded, and the need for individual families to keep records that determine what percentage to pay. This is difficult and complicated, as many such families' incomes vary a lot. Research also shows that imposing premiums makes people stop paying or applying for cover. Having such tight budgets already, this represents a further demand on limited resources. Knowing that treatment may be refused if one cannot pay is yet another deterrent. Restrictions on adults without children, enrolment processes, and the lack of knowledge of what is available are other factors preventing both adults and parents taking up insurance for themselves or their children. Christopher P. Tompkins, Stuart H.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Dealing with stress Essay Example for Free

Dealing with stress Essay One of the greatest sources of stress at work is caused by the innovations that have been created to make work easier. While it is true that there are already so many inventions and technological devices that have been invented to help people accomplish more at work, the result is far from the anticipated goal of allowing people to rest more. The increased capability of performing more work has been off-set by the fact that more and more tasks are placed upon the employees. The fact paced working environment and steady competition has changed the way work is being done and increased the stress levels. When a few decades ago companies only had to contend with local or national competition, the current business environment faces competition from firms and companies all over the world. Another factor which adds to the stress in any working environment, aside from the increased pressure to produce more, is the fact that the stress in the work place negatively affects the health of employees thus causing more absences and adding more pressure to catch up with the work load. It has been suggested that stress can be thought of as resulting from an â€Å"imbalance between demands and resources† or as occurring when â€Å"pressure exceeds ones perceived ability to cope† (Sedgeman 2005). The most common reasons for stress are poor working conditions such as excessive noise or heat and crowded or poorly designed workspaces, a lack of control over work, time pressures, long or inflexible working hours, too much or too little work or responsibility, confusion about duties and responsibilities, including role ambiguity, a lack of variety and interest in job, inadequate training and possibilities for learning new skills, poor work-life balance, difficult relationships with supervisors and coworkers, lack of support from colleagues, isolation from colleagues, organizational confusion, restructuring, and job change. All of these factors contribute to stress at the work place. It is important to note however that the effect or weight of each of these factors differs from person to person. Over the years, there has been more emphasis on job specialization and training. Aside from performing the regular work tasks, employees are also expected and pressured to meet higher expectations and maintain their competitive edge constantly. These factors were not as prevalent in the work place a few decades ago as they are now. There have been a number of studies on the relationship between stress and job performance that show that as the level of work related stress increases the job performance and satisfaction level also changes. Some of the consequences of stress include, job-related consequences such as low performance and absenteeism, emotion related consequences such as irritability and depression which affect work place relationships, and physiological consequences such as high blood pressure and other illnesses. All of these consequences affect the worker’s ability to perform his/her task at work and are also detrimental to the work atmosphere as more irritable people are less likely to contribute to team-related tasks and goals. Absenteeism is also a problem as it directly affects the work output of not only an individual worker but of the team or unit as well. Many techniques have been implemented to reduce worker stress. In a number of Japanese firms, certain activities such as worker exercise programs have been implemented in an effort to keep the employees in better shape. Other workplaces over the world have taken advantage of the technical advances in communications technology and used these to reduce worker stress levels. Some of these programs include the permitting of certain employees to telecommute at least once or twice a week in order to create a more relaxed yet productive working environment. Other programs included involving the families of the workers in group activities and corporate activities. While these have been shown to have mixed effects in relation to coping with stress, these activities have also shown that the most important way of dealing with work related stress lies in showing the employees that their employer cares about their welfare and is instituting programs to deal with such. In the long run, there is really no sure fire method of dealing with stress. There will always be different stress levels and methods of coping with them. The most important thing that remains, however, is that something is done. A proactive stance is still better than anything. References: Bower, J. E. Segerstrom, S. C. (2004). Stress management, finding benefit, and immune function: positive mechanisms for intervention effects on physiology. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 56(1): 9-11 Sedgeman, J. A. (2005). Health Realization/Innate Health: Can a quiet mind and a positive feeling state be accessible over the lifespan without stress-relief techniques? Med. Sci. Monitor 11(12) HY47-52.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Sita Tours And Travels Tourism Essay

Sita Tours And Travels Tourism Essay The Tourism Industry is a flourishing all over the world. The scenario of the tourism industry is ever changing; it is always in a state of flux. Tourism Industry in India is experiencing a high period of growth and has improved over the years however there is still a lot of scope for improvement and expansion. It is fast becoming an important player in the global market. It is also proven that tourism is the industry that contributes most to the Indian GDP, employment and foreign exchange reserves. The tourism industry proves to be the back-bone of other allied sectors for example, hospitality, transport, handicrafts, etc. According to WTTC, in 2011, India has been ranked 1st in direct contribution to employment through travel and tourism and 2nd in total contribution with monetary value of 24974900 jobs and 39351900 respectively. Also in terms of GDP, India ranks 11th in direct contribution and 12th in total contribution  [2]  . The Indian Government has invested a substantial amount in infrastructure development to promote tourism for the country after sensing the importance in the GDP contribution. This effort has been successful to an extent in increasing the arrival of foreigners in the last decade. The Incredible India campaign was also a contributing factor to the increase in tourism. The campaign helped create a colorful and diverse image of India in the minds of travel enthusiasts all over the world. It has directly led to an increase in the interest among tourists and created interest generally around the world. WTTC (World Travel and tourism Council) ranked India 4th  in terms of travel and tourism investment with a total of $ 26.7 billion  [3]  . Also (in Asia), after China, India stands second. In 2006, 4 million international tourists visited India and spent US $ 8.9 bn  [4]  . In 2011 (Jan-June), the total Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India was 2.92 million and foreign exchange revenues stood at US$ 78.11 billion which is up 14.2%  [5]  . As a matter of fact, in spite of a negative growth rate of -2.2% in 2008-09  [6]  , Foreign Tourist Arrivals increased considerably which registered a growth rate of 8.1% in 2009-10  [7]  , despite the world recession, Indian tourism showed a positive growth. According to World Travel and Tourism Council, India will be a tourism hot spot between the years 2009 -2018 which will show maximum growth rate during this period. Nowhere in the world is found, such a beauty, different and diversified climate, flora, fauna, religions, languages, dialects, dressing patterns, life style and rituals, like India.  [8]   Domestic tourism is also very huge in the GDP contribution in the country. There is still a lot of scope in promoting the tourism in many parts of the country. Since tourism is seasonal, it is slightly difficult for the Tourism Department, Government of India. It is Indias middle class that has promoted the tourism in the country. The increase in disposal income among this class of people has contributed to rise in tourism within the country. Consequently, they spend most of their disposable income on travelling. In 2009, there were 669.02 million domestic tourists which comprised about 18.8% of the total tourists in the country. The Indians going abroad is also increasing at a growth rate of 12.28 % per annum. Scope of Tourism According to the past trends, India has seen to contribute 0.5% to the global tourism industry. There is still a lot of scope for businesses to tap the market. India has a very diverse geography, culture, food, monuments and a rich past. The Incredible India campaign was promoted in order to attract various interests from tourists all over the globe in the varied types of tourism that has a scope for development and promotion. In recent times, Pilgrimage and Medical Tourism are one of the most popular among the foreign tourists. Medical tourism is currently growing at around 30% per annum. The other types of tourism are Adventure Tourism Leisure Tourism Eco Tourism Cultural Tourism Wildlife Tourism Highway Tourism Heritage Tourism Rail Tourism Rural Tourism An Indian Background chairman of the company, in 1956 established the first office in New Delhi, India. Company wanted to take the benefits of the religious beliefs attached with their companys name SITA in India. It is still associated with high quality and brand.   In 2000, Kuoni Travel Holding, a Switzerland based tourism firm acquired the 100 % stake of SITA World Travel India (Ltd.) and it became Indias largest travel company as Kuoni Travel India Ltd. Now, SITA World Travel is an Inbound Division of the Kuoni Travel India Ltd. And It is handling incoming international tourist to India from all over the world through a network of 30 offices in the region including associate offices in Sri Lanka and Nepal. SITA earned its reputation by giving world class services to its clients travelers, tour operators and the corporate houses. Also it has specialized itself by providing personalized service and close working relationship with its customers around the world. Factors which affect travel destination selection  [9]   Things to do and see Safety and security Overall image of the holiday destination Tourist facilities and infrastructure Ease of obtaining Visas SWOT Analysis Strength: Mass market product with small profit margin and economic of scale to create profit even though demographics and changing consumer trends Training academy Providing customized packaged tours Personalized customer support Online booking of packages Offices in major cities of India Weakness: People expectation has changed but their packaged tour has not changed Price of hotel is rising: no solution between cutting slim margin and rising price to customers Limited only to main destination spots, needs to cover more ground Proper feedback system not in place Opportunity: People go on holiday more than before Travelers want exotic destinations or short city breaks Increase in number of tourists because of upcoming sports event Government lending support as part of Incredible India campaign Increase in disposable income Threats: Heavy Price competition People wait till last minute for bargaining Rising hotel rates all over the world General economic slowdown and terrorist attacks Locally established travelling companies PEST Analysis Political The strongest reason of tourists visiting India is its rich and vast cultural heritage which is under the control of Archaeological Survey of India. So any changes in policy have a very major impact on the tourism industry. Political instability in many states also hinders the tourism opportunities. E.g. north east is still out of coverage of SITA travels because of this very reason. Although the government is now taking up various measures like stepping up vigilance in major tourist destinations in order to promote India as a safe tourist destination. Economic This industry thrives on the spending power of the people. The spending power is increasing in the country as well as all over the world. This increase in the spending power has left a good amount of idle cash in hand. This has led to a tourism boom and more and more people are now coming into the country with more cash and better affordability. Social Tourism is seen as something that will ultimately lead to the destruction of the social fabric. It is perceived that more the number of people travelling into a place, the more is the probability of the place to lose its identity. But apart from that people have now started perceiving tourism as a form of recreation. They are now more willing to go for packages like adventure tourism to Leh and Lakshadweep. Technology Although it is does not seem to be great factor but it plays a major role. Better technology has resulted in connecting many remote and unexplored areas. On the same terms online booking and transportation facilities provided by SITA travels have increased their number of clients. PORTERs Five Forces Model Threat of New Entrants As the search cost has been reduced due to the advent of internet it opens up the market for potential entrants, thereby increasing the possibility of a new company joining the market as the entry barrier has been reduced. Rivalry among Existing Firm within the Industry The major competitors of SITA Travels in India are Kesari Tours, Cox Kings India Ltd As the number of companies is increasing due to the advent of internet and the competition is increasing because of geographical expansion of markets and the reduction of entry barrier, thereby raising the rivalry and hence increasing the discount. Power of Supplier Entry barrier reduction and increased competition results in the increase of the power of supplier. Power of Buyer Reduction in switching costs has increased the bargaining power of the buyer. Price has become an important criterion as people now can compare products and gain knowledge about them. Threat of Substitutes Competitors offer similar type of products and services. Segmentation Tourism (Inbound and Outbound tourism) Segmentation types: Psychographic segmentation (Class), Behavioral segmentation (User status: First time, Regular, Potential). SITA is a large segment market addressing the customer needs of the international tourists. Targeting International Tourism: Initially tourists from USA are targeted, as SITA has stronger links with USA (Origin). Later they focused on other international markets like UK, Japan and Hong Kong. They have started a magazine called INDRAMA. This magazine portrays the rich tourist literature there by attracting foreign tourists to India). The idea of Heritage village further helped them to become a better tourism facilities provider. Inbound and outbound tourists are the tourist types of International tourism. Market growth of inbound and out bound tourists: Outbound market: The primary target market segment is out bound tourism. Overall Market: The total market size of the out bound tourism in 2010 is 12 million. It is expected to cross 20 million by 2015 and 50mn by 2020 (Source: UNWTO); more than 6.29 million tourists visited India in 2011. The total revenues of the out bound travel market is $14bn in 2010  [10]  . The Indian outbound travel market has grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million international departures in 2007; the pace of growth has accelerated since 2004 at an average annual growth rate of over 16%  [11]   Inbound market: Overall Market share: The total market size of inbound tourism is 6.18 million with a growth rate of 8.9%.The total revenues generated rounds off to US$ 16.691 billion. Competitive Intensity: The major competitors of SITA Travels in India are Kesari Tours, Cox Kings India Ltd which has more share than SITA while the others are Thomas Cook India Ltd, Karnataka State Tourism Development, Mercury Travels Ltd, Raj Travels Tours Ltd, D Pauls Travel Tours, Sachin Travels and Goa Tourism Development. High budget Customers: The program Affordable India targets the High budget segment tourists who come to Indian subcontinent. This program provides value added services to high budget travelers in order to customize destinations which were luxurious and affordable  [12]   Positioning strategies Indias first Leisure travel brand(Luxury segment) (Jan 2006) Tourist Safety with SITA (Mumbai) ( 2006) Indias Destination management service provider ( June 2006) Indias tourist destination for Business travel (Kuoni Business travel) (Feb 2007) Tourism education (Kuoni Academy) (May 2007) Young achievers Out learn , Outdoor school trips ( 2009-2010) Perfect moments with Kuoni (2011-2012). This program covers 3 packages The world is mine; Romantic escapes; undiscovered destination Uniform service :Accommodation, updating tourism infrastructure, travel related equipments same in all the offices to maintain uniform service Enpact ( 2011- 2012; Kuoni Academy: Pioneers to introduce a new teaching methodology Out of the ordinary tours for everyone (2012) ( Targeting individuals and small groups) Responsible tourism ( 2012) ( Thru CSR activities) Indian travel brand which is focused on the luxury segment, Incentive, Trade Fair tours and Sports Tourism Departments In order to meet the tourists demand of visiting various places, SITA has tie ups with local agencies. The services offered by the local agencies are meeting passengers on arrival/ departure, arranging local sightseeing and transport. SITA is maintaining a wide agency network to handle inbound and out bound tourism. The tourism department in SITA is divided in to two sectors as below: Inbound tours: This is the main foreign exchange earnings department of SITA. The marketing for this segment is done through various ways as below: Brochure Tours: Marketing in the form of brochures ( Tour plans in brochure) Tailor made tours: Customers design their tour Special interest tours: Organized by companies and other agencies Conferences and conventions: Arranging travel, registration facilities, accommodation arrangements, conference facilities, entertainment and leisure activities. Out bound tours: This is one of the fast growing tourism segment markets in India. Indians are the target customers in this segment. With an increase in the income level of the people, they are showing interest in visiting other countries. The tourist destination for the Indians is primarily USA and Europe  [13]   Indian out bound travel market is 3.7 mn in 1997. Currently it is 13mn (2011-2012) Estimated $28billion revenue in the year 2020. Fastest growing out bound market in the world in terms of numbers (After china) SITA Out bound tourism marketing Major sources of marketing are through brochures and advertisements in the newspapers Out bound division of SITA received TAAI travel award for 2011  [14]  . MARKETING MIX PRODUCT (Services Brand) While planning the market offering, SITAs marketers focused on five elements that constitute its customers value hierarchy: Core Products Destinations are the core products offered by any tour operator. Those offered by SITA are classified into: Inbound Leisure: SITAs major portion of foreign exchange is earned by this group. These destinations are designed to focus on leisure while travelling. Apart from must-do destinations these include tailored tours such as Cultural and Heritage Tours, Trekking and mountaineering Tours, Wildlife holidays, wellness and spa holidays, etc. Individual Travel: SITA has maintained an unparalleled expertise in customizing travel packages for foreign tourists or working professional expecting a well-tailored itinerary which optimizes their time and ensures that all arrangements are in order. Incentive Travel: Handled by: Distant Frontiers Designed for large companies to motivate or stimulate their employees Briefs are taken from each group, tailored to suit their needs and surpass their expectations by offering them special events planned exclusively for each travel group Post-trip follow-up approach to stay in touch with the customer and ensure a re-visit Main destinations include: India Nepal Sri Lanka Bhutan M.I.C.E.: Meetings Incentives Conferences Exhibitions SITA is a member of: The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) a worldwide body that handles all types of International Meetings and Exhibitions The India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB) The Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE) Charters: Leading player in India with the largest number of charters to Goa and Trivandrum Handles leading charter operations from the UK, Germany, Russia, Poland, and various CIS countries. Cruises: Major players in Cochin, Chennai, Goa, and Mumbai Shore Excursions- Regular sight-seeing trips Overland Tours- Designed to explore the deep interiors of India Adventures: Camel Safaris, cycling, trekking, scuba-diving, rafting, biking, mountaineering holidays designed especially for intrepid travelers Basic Products Transport Ground transportation Flight reservations Train reservations Accommodation Culture cuisines Special arrangements- Like Womens Group, Senior Citizens Tours, etc Conferences and Events- In collaboration with MICE Ground assistance Meet Greet services Tour Guides Tour Escorts Expected Products These are impeccable services for corporate clients like: Seat availability  on needed time Accurate information Quick check-in for the senior management Information about various package and routes to a particular destination Efficient customer support system Augmented Products These are the products that distinguish SITA from others. These may include special facilities like Wi-Fi availability throughout the journey, tele-checking, laptops on request, customized meals, etc. Potential Products SITA plans to come-up with underwater tourism very soon. PLACE SITA has its own branches situated throughout India hence are easily accessible. The customer can either go to the Tour office or plan a tour online. Hence strategic locations are very important for SITA. North India: Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Varanasi, Udaipur South India: Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Trivandrum, Hyderabad West India: Mumbai, Goa PROMOTION The promotional strategies employed by SITA travels are: Advertising Publicity Sales promotions Personalized products such as Flight bags, wallets, Foreign Exchange and covers of passport, etc Word-of-mouth Promotion Credibility: The high magnitude of this is due to high credibility of SITAs channel, especially in the eyes of the potential tourists. Sensitivity: The qualities of services they promise are world-class and client-oriented Approach: The marketers keep their eyes open Æ’Â   identify the opinion leaders Æ’Â  Special facilities for them to keep stimulating and creating demand Personal Selling Exhibitions- State and national tour packages, cruises, holiday financing, hotels, educational excursions, etc E-Marketing Twitter LinkedIn- http://www.linkedin.com/company/155449 Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/SITAWorldTours CSR Activities- Responsible Tourism Spiti Initiative- To build a Solar Bath for a Buddhist nunnery in Spiti Child Protection- Carries out workshops to protect children in rural and semi-urban parts of the country. Also offers training to children in various educational fields. Literacy India Program- Has an independent paper recycling unit where women work to earn their living. Bihar Flood Relief- Using its transportation system, it worked closely with Goonj to dispatch necessities to the flood affected areas in Bihar Lets Go Green- Implemented across all offices through posters and Green Utility trays. Creative Alliance Network- promotes responsible tourism practices amongst the businesses that benefit from Rajasthans rich cultural environment. PEOPLE Employees Well versed with the latest technologies in travel management Well trained to handle difficult customers Extensive training programs- SITA Travel Tourism Academy Training on courses conducted by WATA, PATA High credence quality via Good work place design Job Design Other Customers Caters to customers from diverse backgrounds by offering First class, Deluxe, or Luxury preferences SITA Travels Online support Unique Tours and value-added services Personalized customer support Bibliography World Tourism Organization and the European Travel Commission. (2009). Retrieved from http://publications.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/090616_indian_outbound_travel_excerpt.pdf Indian Tourism Department. (2010). Retrieved from http://tourism.gov.in/writereaddata/CMSPagePicture/file/marketresearch/New/2010.pdf Kuoni. (2011, December). Retrieved from http://www.kuoniindia.com/press-2011.asp SITA World Tours. (2012, January 20). Retrieved from http://www.sitatours.com/press/sitaaffordablerelease%20012611.pdf EconomyWatch. (2010, June 30). Economy Watch. Retrieved from http://www.economywatch.com/business-and-economy/tourism-industry.html Mol, A. (n.d.). Preserve Articles. Retrieved from http://www.preservearticles.com/201103084425/essay-on-tourism-industry-in-india.html Olivia Ruggles-Brise, E. A. (2012). World Travel Tourism Council. Retrieved from http://www.wttc.org/site_media/uploads/downloads/nepal2012.pdf Prof. Manjula Chaudhary, D. S. (2011, August). Indian Institute of Tourism Travel Management. Retrieved from IITTM website: http://www.iittm.org/doc/IITTM_ITC_Report-2011-rev..pdf Reshma S Kulkarni, S. S. (2011, November 26). The Hindu. Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/travel/article2659391.ece?homepage=true

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Starbucks Social Media Marketing Strategy

Starbucks Social Media Marketing Strategy In year 2008 operating income of Starbucks took a sharp drop, the majority of which stems from restructuring charges, related to store closures in the US and value share growth drop 0.5% from the year 2007 to 2008 (Euromonitor international, 2009). Chairman and CEO of Starbucks announced in year 2008 that unfortunately Starbucks would force to close down 600 stores this end of 2008 and lay off 12,000 employees. Its a blow, but far from fatal for a company with more than 6,700 locations in the United States and nearly 16,000 worldwide. (TheNewYorkTime, 2010). In resolve part of the problem, Starbucks gone further that involved cutting costs and in the first three quarters of 2009 in few different areas, part of the cost cutting focus on marketing and advertising and this has resulted in savings of US$370 million(Euromonitor international, 2009). However gaining more sales will be the main objective for a healthy growth. Marketing and advertising will be the key element on increasing sales volume. Based on this principle, Starbucks will need to find and alternative way as a substitute for the traditional marketing and advertising. Analysis, planning, implementation, control (APIC) system by Philip Kotler has been effectively as the subtitle of his Marketing Management (Kotler, 1994). As the management issue for Starbucks, managing the communication mix need to take place for solutions. Firstly Analysis of the present situation as the question of where are we now, Starbucks has a high reputation for their company and products that have a great market value. However in the crisis with limited budgeting, Planning will need to take place on reforming on the objectives and positioning. Starbucks has taken the opportunity by utilized the advantages of social media for their reorganization. With the objectives of create high engagement and create positive relationship with their customers through actively engaging in social media that provide the advantages on cost effective and efficiency. In addition Starbucks has formed a social media team to take control, monitor and evaluate the process and development of the us ed of social media. Started on October 2008, Starbucks began to actively engaging in social media, official Starbuck Facebook fan page is one of the major social networking sites for the company. Starbucks started to connect in to the cyber world of social media, and that is speak for itself in the number of Fans the company is engaging with. Facebook as a social media platform that has incorporates with different types of videos, content, and has active interactive activities with the fans. 2.1 Social media marketing strategy Starbucks has a small social media team with only six people; however they obtained a high level of engagement with their consumer in social media. (ENGAGEMENTdb , 2009) On the other hand Starbucks has building social media as a key part in their marketing mix, a stable platform for advertising and promotions. At the same time it creates a centre of attention to attract web traffic to the social networking site fan page with heavy advertising and promotion activities. Alexandra Wheeler, Director of Digital Strategy of Starbucks stated that, We live in the physical world with thousands of natural touch points, so when we laid out the vision for our social strategy, it felt like home for the brand. Its about the relationships we form with our customers. (ENGAGEMENTdb , 2009) The social media marketing strategies that Starbucks are using include special offers, coupons, sapling and discounts distributed through Facebook, because Facebook is the main social networking site for Starbucks. Promotion event on Facebook by Starbucks with the title of Free Pastry Day promotion allowing executively for Facebook fans of Starbucks to print out the online version of coupons for complimentary item with a drink purchase. Through this particular event in July 2009 it further added 200,000 fans just in a week. In the same year, by promoting the launch of the branded ice cream, Starbucks offering coupons for free pints via the Facebook application. Besides, Starbucks also used Facebook to promote a Taste Challenge together with the launch of Starbucks VIA instant coffee, offering participants with a free cup of Starbucks coffee will be given on their next purchase and discount of USD 1 with the VIA instant coffee purchase. (Mark Walsh, mediapost.com, 2010) Throughout the examples from above it is clearly presented that marketing theory of push and pull strategy are being used. A push strategy involves pushing the product of information through marketing channels to final consumers (Kotler and Gary Armstrong, 2009). Two types of push strategies were being used, first the push promotion strategy with the online version of coupons and discount on product purchase, flowing by push marketing with the channel by using Facebook social networking site to transmit the message across their audiences. Objective of the promotion is to gain immediate sales at the same time promote the fan page through the social networking side. Starbucks successful created high level of attention throughout the product promotion on Facebook with encouraging results. Based on a Razorfish study (2009) that generated a conclusion that traditional direct marketing practices for example offering discount and promotion are the keys on building engagement on social networking sites moderately focusing on to create deeper relationship and connection to a brand (Razorfish, 2009). CEO of social media management firm ViTrue, Mr. Reggie Bradford illustrious that Starbucks has the advantage on take in charge and managing all the Starbucks stores, provide an easier way to run standardized marketing programs that team up with Facebook. More significantly, Starbucks well manage with various types of updates that content, and interesting that includes blog articles and videos sharing that cover all aspects of coffee that includes how to grow coffee beans, pieces of writing about Starbucks and Starbucks employees. The tone and pitch of the updates is informative and relaxed, in addition even on their own product updates are kept in a wide-range that enough to remain interesting, for example, by offering and introduction up reviews of new music and books to be displace and for sale in their cafes. Therefore, the well managed and quality status update content has achieved a very engaged fan base, with every update on the social networking site will receive thousands of feedbacks and comments. 2.2 Success Following by reviewing the successful social media marketing strategies that used by Starbucks and the way the coffee giant fully utilized the opportunities of social media to create an interactive and interesting business approve. The level of engagement of a brand in social media will bring different level of success. As Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks said Were not just selling a cup of coffee, we are providing an experience (Business Week 18 November 1991). This implies that customers satisfaction is given top priority. In order to do so Starbucks serve coffee with great taste and quality. Not only quality the treatment of customer is excellent and the variety of beverages served is good (Kotha Glassman 2003). Based on the principle of providing an experience to the customers social media is a latest and most advance technology in communicate that can be personalize between the company and their customers. Coffee house giant Starbucks continue to develop its social media operations in attempt to extend its relationship with its end users. The reason for advertisers using social media is to go where consumers are and to provide a valuable and meaningful brand experience, according to Alexandra Wheeler. Although the challenges of the economic downturn, Starbucks posted profits of $242m in Q4 2009, as revenues rose 4%, to  £1.7 billion, mostly as a result of improved Starbucks store sales (Financial Time.com, 2010). From the research paper on the title of related to how Social Networks Improve e-Commerce, stated that creativity is an extremely important elements when come to approaching a social network (Gayatri, Christo Bryce, Kevin, and Ben Y. Zhao, 2009). Few of the successful principles are value need to be added to the interaction and use the naturally viral nature of community instead of forcing the marketing message through. On social network it have to communicate with people before selling, traditional ad campaigns and promotions should not be forced on the potential customers immediately (Social Media Optimization, 2007). Social network is all about building a community around the brands and the products, promoting, sharing and discussion (Brown, 2009). Get involved in the social network regularly, completely understand the content and focused to the topic is being said amongst the social network community, and the targeted audience before engaging (SocialMediaOptimization, 2007). Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks stated that the global economic recession has very much shaken consumer confidence and retailers which wish to stay relevant in the future will have no choice but to recognize and respond to this new reality and to continue and to accelerate. Starbucks current direction with continue to improve, innovate, and focus on strengthening the relationship with their customers. (The Seattle Times, January 28, 2009). In the year 2008 Starbucks promoted the worlds biggest Facebook ad campaign that including Facebook members in 16 that will be served ads for a Starbucks (RED) charity sing along of The Beatles All You Need Is Love when user log in. Starbucks undertook the biggest global Facebook ad campaign the purpose is to raise awareness of the project, which was a celebration of its partnership with (RED), the charity with the aim to fights Aids in Africa (Jennifer Whitehead, brandrepublic.com, 04 December 2009). This particular campaign has invited people to take part in stores which Starbucks donated a percentage of the cost of each selected product sold. The social media campaign that carries out this initiative received as the most viral impression ever; result of millions of people aware of the Facebook digital invitation which given respond (Wheeler, 2009). On Starbucks promotion Free Pastry Day where pastry will be give away for free with every drink purchased, resulting nearly 600,000 people who expressed an interest in that particular promotion on the social networking site Facebook. On the other social networking site Twitter also generated good respond with a similar promotion event. Besides on the public social networking sites Starbucks also has its own platform My Starbucks Ideas on online community that allows customers and staff to put together suggestion to the company, in August 2008 total of 75,000 of suggestions have been recorded (AdWeek, WARC, 2009). Based on the number of people involved has created a strong awareness outcome at the same time it had increase the sales at the period of time. The result on social media has the similarity outcome with the advertising objective that can be achieve through the social networking site. Starbucks persist as one of the brand that gains most popularity on Facebook, with sites now launched globally in 14 countries. In 2009 the consultancy company Altimeter Group, positioned Starbucks is of the brands make good use of the web properties, and Schultz stated that they would be integral to its operations going forward. The importance of our social media expertise continues to grow, and we evolve the conversation with our core customers, (Altimeter Group, 2010) Engaging with the millions of consumers through social media is a success. Multi-step flow is the extension of two step flow theory. A strong multi-step flow and personal influence model being involved in the process. Fill (2002) provides a clear description of the potency of word of mouth that can give a depth of credibility other form of communication cannot. Because of the nature of social media, the process of opinions and comments flow around in the social media, at the same time the social media management team will be able to monitor and provide instant reply. Starbucks brand, content and online vice president Chris Bruzzo, toldAdAge.com: Its like weve taken the version 1.0 of last year and now they are really doing it at scale and going to a lot more places where their customers already are and people are saying this is going to be a big year for social media and they are a microcosm of that. While last year it was a curiosity, this year its a core part of the program. (WARC, 2010). 2.3 Rewards This section will present the rewards that Starbucks gained throughout the Facebook campaign, based on the success factor that had been discuss on the above paragraph Starbucks also picked up a lot of benefits throughout the process. Financial performance correlates with engagement will determine the rewards that the company gains from the involvement in social media. Survey of Syncapse Consultancy Company, in an effort to gain understanding of the long term business value that generate by social network. The target research company in this survey is based on twenty most popular corporate users actively engaging in social network that includes Coca-Cola, Starbucks, McDonalds, Dove, Gillette, Nokia, Nike, Victorias Secret and Red Bull. The result found out that consumers who like a product in the Facebook feature were found to spend  £93 a year on the item in question, $71.84 more than the shoppers who have not performed the action (Syncapse, 2010). Starbucks is one of the brands th at scores at least 80% in the category of building empathy among their fans. Besides, the products of Starbucks scored over 90% associated with the feeling consumers that result in warm, gratified or happy. Fan value is cyclical and ever changing based on the ongoing marketing performance, (Syncapse, 2010). The result in the survey illustrate that long term brand value can be build by using the social network, independent social network campaign should be taken to increase the value of their company through their fan. Director of worldwide interactive marketing of Coca-cola Michael Donnelly acknowledged that end users perform activities of sharing information via using Facebook meaning that the fan-page of an organization is an additional way to promote and take immediate sharing information in the platform that the users are spending time with, based on the highly engagement platform it create a channel to listen and collect feedback s from consumer. The varies quick feedback that can be received from different methods for example photos, videos or status updates from the page and the message will rapidly share among their network (WARC, Brand Channel, 2009). Relationships are a form of organizational capital that provides value for the organization, the view that relationships are an enabler for resource exchange is well supported by relationship literature (Baxter Matear, 2004) The involvement of social media has became a importance role in achieving this aim, one of the Starbucks campaigns join together with Project Red to help promote fight AIDS in Africa, which was promoted using social media Facebook, where Starbucks has more than 5.5 million fans in end of 2009 that became the most popular brand second by Coca-cola and does not take long for Starbucks to achieved 10 million Facebook fan in July 2010. Schultz mentions that the effort of creating the world largest campaign ever on the Facebook social media platform is further strengthens Starbucks unique connection with their customers (Starbucks, 2010). Alexandra Wheeler stated that the campaign has became the most viral event in the history of Facebook and meant that this not only were trigger customers excited about the Starbucks at the same time the customer also came together on one day to accomplish something excellent. Take as a whole; she asserted that Facebook helps them get a pulse on the impor tant to their customers. The organization can have a direct communication dialog with their customers about the values and ideals that they gained and share the valuable experience with them. (Brand Channel, 2009) According to a report by ENGAGEMENTdb 2009 with the title of top 100 worlds most valuable brands, who is most engrage? In the report it divided brands in to four profiles with different levels of engagement, depending on the figure of channels and how intensely they are engaged in the brand. Starbucks fall in to the category of Mavens has been description as brands that are engaged in seven or more channels and have a greater than average engagement score. The brands are able to maintain a high level of engagement throughout multiple social media. The Mavens are not just a healthy strategy and enthusiastic teams focused on social media, but also make it a core part of their marketing strategy. Companies in this category will operate with a strong presence in social media. Company like Starbucks with deeply and widely engaged in social media outshine their competitors in term the performance in both revenue and profit by a large difference. Mavens group they have sustained strong reve nue and margin growth in spite of the current economy. (Figure 14) Further on with a strong engagement and multi-step flow and personal influence model it will develop on the principle of relational exchange theory. A brand relationship is being established, self-interest is best maximized by the returns available through cooperation in a relationship (Blau, 1964). In this approach, the analysis of interim relationships moves from the focal firm to the dyad or network level in an effort to understand interorganisational relationships (Cook Emerson, 1978; Bradach Eccles, 1989; Husted, 1994). There is interest in relationship quality that stems from trust and the high degree of certainty of predictable and obligatory behavior that leads to sales giving the seller integrity and the process a high degree of certainty (Crosby, Evans and Cowles, 1990). Based on a study, brands with more supporters and fans on Facebook more likely to involve in discussions, and could gain higher returns (Vitrue, 2010). According to chief product officer at Vitrue Michael Strutton stated that it is important to know that to build up a Facebook fan base will need consistent and well management. The learning process from customer can perform through social media. According to Bruzzo one of specialist members of staff at Starbucks stated that If you approach it as a customer relationship and as a multi-faceted human connection between Starbucks and customers, then we can have more than a conversation about products it can be a customer-insight channel and we can learn things from them. (Seattle PI, 2009).General Manager of advertising and customer engagement of Microsoft, Gayle Troberman, said social media offers a highly engaged audience who keen to know information about the company. She also mention that part of the social media strategy, is to focu s on honesty and authenticity, as well as attempting to respond to users as quickly as possible. (Seattle PI, Warc, 2009). 2.4 Risk On the above paragraphs it discuss about the success and reward of using social media of Starbucks, at the same time the risks of using social media need to take in consideration as well. As different social media evolved there will be multi channel for communications, at the same time communications professionals have a various options to connect with audiences. Worldwide audience can easily be reached with web 2.0, but the heady possibilities come with potential liabilities. Errors or mistakes in communication will be amplified. This is the reason why a lot of companies find the concept of social media as a risky media. The innovation of internet and World Wide Web have brought the world closer, and since social media are available on this technology there are different rules and regulations in different part of the world to protect the end user. From a international point of view for example regulations in the United Stated with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive guards against false representation, Securities and Commission (SEC) and their Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD) which set to protect the use of the social media. Beside in the EU there are also protecting against the use of social media for example EU privacy rules that against collection of personal information and email addresses on website. Because social media is an open world for every user around the world, different rules and regulations in different part of the world might come into conflict when it operates in business related activities on social media. Further on move on to the use of social media internally under a company. The use of social media should be guardian by rules and regulations, managing social media a company is agreed to allow employees to wiring blog, tweet or post Facebook comments updates. In the past companies tried to control risk on social media by disallowing access to cyberspace, however that will not work with the current situation of the use of social media. Robert Stroud, international vice president of ISACA, said in a statement. Companies should embrace it, not block it. But they also need to empower their employees with knowledge to implement sound social media governance. (ISACA, 2010). This managing process is apparently with high risk than not permitting whatever thing out of the usual channels. In particular if the social media management teams include top level executives or the CEO, where regulations exist which govern the disclosure of information by publicly traded companies. According to a stu dy by Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA, 2010) employees who dabble in social networking both on and off the job could expose their companies to a variety of risks. Malware, brand hijacking, lack of content control, noncompliance with rules over recordkeeping, and unrealistic expectations of Internet performance were the top five social-media risks to businesses (ISACA, 2010). 2.5 Challenges All kind of social networking challenges will be face by organization. Following this section will discuss the possible challenges for organization that are using social media as part of their marketing strategy. Social media providing a lot of benefit to an organization, a well managed of the use of social media will bring great future for the company, at the same time the hard work of minimize the challenges will be the best practice for prevention. 8% of companies had terminated employees because of the usage carelessness of social media (Proofpoint, 2009) for example a very frequent causes that might happen including sharing confidential or sensitive information or data on a network channel. According to David Arman, there are five possible challenges that every organization should be thinking ahead (Harvard Business review, 2010). The connection and linkage of social media cover almost every aspects and function of a business. All organizations will eventually grapple with integrating social into their entire ecosystem adopting either centralized, distributed or hybrid approaches (David Arman, 2010). The first challenge is regarding integration, because of the broad coverage of social media alongside the business, the decision of form up a specialize team to supervise the social media process is a judgment to be consider. Following by the second challenge governance, has been described as task to control and recognize both the contents produced for the public and also information that internal used around employees. Organization will need to keep attention on the internal contents among the company as well as set rules of engagement in the process how employees responding to the social media. The next challenge is that every organization have their own culture on the spectrum either being more transparent of the way they operate and collaborative or keep knowledge internally. Through using social media, organization can strengthen their company policy by managing customers and employees by using this channel, however it have to manage it intelligently and with purpose. The fourth challenge is related to the human resources of a company, emerge of social media business, rules and regulation of human resources will also need to keep up to date. Because of the fast moving and changeable technology set of rules and regulation will be an ongoing development process. At the same time organizations will need to train employees on the use of social technologies for work. The fifth challenge is on the measurement and return on investment. There will be difficulty on measuring the results on using social media, however it is measurable but to work out the financial definite will be a challenging task. 2.6 Conclusion After critical analysis on the achievements and threats, a conclusion can be made that the best practice to maximize on return and minimize risk of using social networking is to develop a well planed social media marketing strategy that cover a large part of the business. By minimizing the risk companies should develop social media policies and build up training meeting and classes to educate employees about the use of social media. The social media policies should includes personal use of social networks as part of the job description and also the personal use outside the work place. The use of visual in the social network is one of the way to stand out from the crow, visual communication is part of the design elements should be consider on how to communication with the audience by using design principles.

Supernatural in Shakespeares Macbeth - Witches as Heroines :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Witches as the Heroines of Macbeth Traditionally, the witches of Shakespeare's Macbeth have been treated as symbolic manifestations of the potential for evil. Many students and critics of Macbeth enjoy blaming the witches, along with Lady Macbeth, for Macbeth's downfall. Regardless, it may be argued that the witches are the heroines of the play. One eminent modern literary critic, Terry Eagleton, has addressed the issue of the witches as heroines directly: To any unprejudiced reader--which would seem to exclude Shakespeare himself, his contemporary audiences and almost all literary critics--it is surely clear that positive value in Macbeth lies with the three witches. The witches are the heroines of the piece, however little the play itself recognizes the fact, and however much the critics may have set out to defame them. (William Shakespeare, p. 2) For Eagleton, the social reality of the witches matters. They are outcasts, much like feminists they live on the fringe of society in a female community, at odds with the male world of "civilization," which values military butchery. The fact that they are female and associated with the natural world beyond the aristocratic oppression in the castles indicates that they are excluded others. Their equality in a female community declares their opposition to the masculine power of the militaristic society. They have no direct power, but they have become expert at manipulating or appealing to the self-destructive contradictions of their military oppressors. They can see Macbeth's destruction as a victory of a sort: one more viciously individualistic, aggressive male oppressor has gone under. This suggestion is not entirely serious (Eagleton observes that the play does not recognize the issue he is calling attention to), but it underscores a key point in the tragic experience of Macbeth, its connection to a willed repudiation of the deep mysterious heart of life, the place where sexuality and the unconscious hold sway. This aspect of life is commonly associated with and hence symbolized by women, for complex reasons which there is not time to go into here (but which would seem to be intimately bound up with women's sexuality and fertility, contacts with the irrational centres of life which men do not understand and commonly fear). In seeking to stamp his own willed vision of the future onto life, the tragic hero rejects a more direct acquaintance with or acceptance of life's mystery.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Clue and the Crisis of the American White Male Essay -- Movie Film Ess

Clue and the Crisis of the American White Male Nothing is more American than the crossover appeal of products in the mass media; this appeal is what propelled the idea for the 1985 release of the film Clue, based on the Parker Brothers board game. Furthermore, in keeping with the game's theme, the film appeared in theaters across the country with different endings. With an ensemble cast of talented but little known actors—Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan and Michael McKean—Clue seemed like a film destined to slip into obscurity. After all, it was a comedy, clever but crass. A deeper analysis of the film provides some insight into a running commentary that presents not just a murder mystery involving several comedic characters, but rather a complex allegorical situation that presents characters as archetypal figures for repressed forces in the dominant American ideology. In reality, Clue is a film about the crisis of the upper class white male in Ameri can culture. In the piece â€Å"Cinema/Ideology/Criticism,† Jean Luc-Comolli and Jean Narboni define the critic's job as the discernment of â€Å"which films, books and magazines allow the ideology a free, unhampered passage, transmit it with crystal clarity, serve as its chosen language† and which films â€Å"attempt to make it turn back and reflect itself, intercept it, make it visible by revealing its mechanisms, by blocking them† (753). Through their examination, seven film categories are outlined. Clue falls into the â€Å"E† category, which is defined as â€Å"films which seem at first sight to belong firmly within the ideology and to be completely under its sway, but which turn out to be so only in an ambiguous manner† (75... ...itty dialogue. As Wadworth said, it should be no surprise that the FBI (dominant ideology) is trying to cover up the murder of these repressed forces. â€Å"The FBI is used to cleaning up after multiple murders. Why do you think it's run by a man called Hoover?† By continually making fun of the very powers it is supposedly reinforcing, Clue becomes an important film in criticizing American bourgeois ideology. Works Cited Gledhill, Christine. â€Å"Recent Developments in Feminist Film Criticism.† Braudy and Cohen, 251-72. Braudy, Leo and Marshall Cohen, eds. Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings, Fifth Edition. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Comolli, Jean-Luc and Jean Narboni, â€Å"Cinema/Ideology/Criticism.† Braudy and Cohen, 752-59. Lynn, Jonathan. Clue. Paramount, 1985. Mulvey, Laura. â€Å"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.† Braudy and Cohen, 83

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Healthcare & Current regulatory policy

The Current regulatory policy touching on the healthcare professionals is grounded on the believe that the marketplace of these professionals services fails because of the lack of full information concerning the healthcare services on the part of the consumers of these services (Haas-Wilson, 2010). That way a number of professionals in this field can offer low quality services at prices that are not commensurate to the quality of the services to gullible consumers without the fear of being told to account for these compromised services that even flout professional ethics of the healthcare profession (Haas-Wilson, 2010).Healthcare professional are always very quick to defend the existence of these regulations arguing that they ensure that healthcare professionals are offering high quality healthcare services to each and every client of these services irrespective of whether they are informed of their right to quality healthcare services or not (Drake, 2008). Whether they ensure qualit y service to clients the way healthcare professionals argues is still a subject of intense debate.However, it is not in contention that by dictating the minimum qualification and experience that a healthcare professional should have in order to practices, there a big number of quacks who are restrain from infiltrating the lucrative healthcare market (Drake, 2008). The regulatory agencies that have been mandated to pass rules and regulations that will be used to govern the practice of the healthcare professional is also another major step at protecting the clients of these services and ensuring that they get only the best and most appropriate services.The restriction especially on advertising on the other hand which also makes up these regulations also go along way in enabling that the clients of these services make informed decision free from any influence when looking for the healthcare services. Reasons for the existence of mal-distribution of physicians in spite the high number o f physicians graduating from medical school The problem of mal-distribution of the healthcares professional is not a new phenomenon in the United States especially in the rural areas (Rapaport, 1980).This has continued despite the government intervention and even the high number of medical graduates graduating from our universities and other institutions of higher learning offering medical disciplines. Healthcare professional in this case refers to the likes of nurses, nurse practitioners, physician, and physician assistants. One of the reasons for this state of affair is due to the fact a large number of healthcare practitioners prefers to locate their medical facilities in the metropolitan areas because of their high population (Sign, & Shi, 2009).Another factor that is aggravating the already worse situation is the fact that many medical practitioners are leaving graduate school as specialists like retina specialist thereby making their application in the rural areas untenable (S ign, & Shi, 2009). Effects of this distribution in the context of diverse special populations There are a number of problems that are associated with this mal-distribution in the United States, some of these concerns that are associated with this kind of lopsided distribution include cost, access and finally quality.With scanty availability of healthcare services in most rural areas the question of high cost begin to haunt the consumers of this services. The few who are practicing in these rural areas can increase costs of these services without improving on quality of the same (Sign, & Shi, 2009). The same applies to the quality of the services which happens because of few practitioners, lack of enough information and inadequate regulation (Rapaport, 1980). Finally, the access of these services also becomes a problem to the dweller of these areas primarily because of the high healthcare practitioner to patient’ ratio (Rapaport, 1980).References Haas-Wilson, Deborah, (2010). The Regulation of Health Care Professionals Other Than Physician. Retrieved 25 July 2010 from http://www. cato. org/pubs/regulation/regv15n4/reg15n4d. html Drake, M. Dawn, (2008). Examining the Issue of Mal-Distribution of Physician through GIS: A Case Study of Retina Specialists in the United States. Retrieved 25 July 2010 from