Infinite Person Essay

I think that people like Mother Teresa to me is a perfect example of a infinite person.She give us all a new meaning to life. She truly proved that one person can really make a difference in the lives of millions. Mother Teresa set examples for future generations to continue her work.This shows how much of an impact she truly had. She made a difference, not by helping everyone, but by making people stop and realize how they could do the same. It should be instilled in our minds that we have a duty to help and serve others. If we as a hole took the examples of Mother Teresa and followed them our society would be a much better place. She went to countries with no medical care, no food, no drinking water, and never mind other necessities. Mother Teresa used her power of love from God to help those in desperate need. Mother Teresa didn’t get paid for anything she did nor would she except money from organizations or donations. It was not like Mother Teresa had an overwhelming amount of money but she was simply a person who devoted her entire life to serving others and helping those in need. Many people may not have noticed it, but all Mother Teresa had to do was touch a person and that was almost enough. She helped thousands of people in poor countries with ailing diseases, but most importantly see touched the souls of common men. She made even the rich and selfish take a deep look into their lives, which brought out the best in everyone.

Bessie gutmann’s art Essay

The role of women in art has always been very controversial as society did not want a woman to prove that she could be not worse (sometimes even much better) than a man in various spheres, in particular, in painting, architecture and design. The beginning of the twentieth century brought women some freedom and independence; thus, females received a chance to show what they really cost. Bessie Pease Gutmann is considered to be the best and perhaps one of the most well-known painters of children’s book within the first half of the twentieth century. She had been creating her masterpieces for about fifty years and got the world wide glory and popularity. The artist did not limit her art with just infants’ drawings; her brush touched grown-ups, animals and other colorful scenes as well. This wonderful woman performed about six hundred prints which were the reflections of superb and marvelous world around her. Gutmann’s drawings could be seen on numerous calendars, postcards, magazines and were extremely popular not only in the United States but abroad as well. Many of her illustrations of children are still very popular and rather expensive nowadays. Life of Bessie Gutmann Bessie Pease Gutmann was born on the 8th of April 1876 in Philadelphia in the family of a seller of tobacco – Horace Collins Pease Gutmann. From the early childhood, the girl became interested in art and she received the support from both her parents and her teachers to study painting. As the result, Bessie started to attend the so called Philadelphia School of Design for Women after graduation from high school. She didn’t stop on it and later entered the Chase School of Art (the former name of the New York School of Art) and the Art Students League. Having received the necessary knowledge, Gutmann was full of joy and persistence to start her career. And here she faced the first problem. The status of women at the beginning of the 20th century was very difficult and Bessie had to prove her talent. She started from small portrait sketches for local newspaper advertisements and for some time earned her living in such a way. However, her position changed in 1903 when Bessie’s cousins, Hellmuth and Bernard decided to open their own art print company under the name Gutmann and Gutmann. They suggested Bessie to become their commercial artist and she showed her skills in the best way she could. Owing to her natural charm and due to her professional talents, she attracted the attention of Hellmuth and in 1906 she married him. Her marriage saved Bessie from rumors about her spinsterhood (Christie). The first book she made illustrations to was A Child’s Garden of Verses written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Several other books, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, were illustrated by Bessie as well. Very soon her works slightly changed – Bessie gave birth to her three children – Alice, John and Lucille. The artist found new inspiration and depicted her children on the walls of some nursing houses, on many calendars, postcards and even on popular periodicals (the Washington Post, Chicago Sunday tribune, etc). Since that time Gutmann became the most popular woman-artist and had been on the top of her career until the World War II. Unfortunately, due to the worsening of eyesight, Bessie made up her mind to stop making illustrations, however, it was a very difficult decision. And it is no wonder – the artist’s creative work included more than six hundred wonderful art prints. As the result, after her husband’s death, Bessie sold the Gutmann and Gutmann company (Bessie Collins Pease Gutmann). Death of her husband and impossibility to work negatively influenced Gutmann and on 29th of September, 1960 Bessie Gutmann died in New York In order to commemorate the art of this great woman, three children’s books full of her best illustrations were issued after her death. Gutmann’s art and its historical significance The years from 1800 up to 1900 are called the Golden Age of illustration. The reason for such a name results in blooming of industry and increasing number of new printing methods and technologies. Bessie Gutmann had the chance to work during this period and she could be named the most successful woman artist of this epoch. Her works were influenced by the so called â€Å"Brandywine School† of illustrators that were very popular in Philadelphia; therefore, the artist got some necessary and outstanding pieces of advice from Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, Robert Henri and some other prominent artists. While at first her drawing style had elements of influence of these great masters, but later she managed to elaborate her own and very soft style, not similar to others. The main peculiarity of her works was that she never simply drew portraits, she included a lot of details, like expressions, mimicry, joy, etc. She made her portraits alive, demonstrating that she could skillfully grasp and notice the true spirit and soul of a depicted person. She was more than an excellent artist, but a really good psychologist and a good mother (Choppa). These skills helped her to create such wonderful works that differed from the works of other artists. Moreover, Bessie was not afraid of experimenting: starting from black-and-white paintings, she further moved on to luminescent oils and watercolors, using some impressionists’ technique. Except for her famous children’s pictures and prints, Bessie Gutmann was also engaged in creation another series of prints under the name Colonial Interior Series which were less known than her infants’ drawing. However, they were not worse than children’s series. The first Colonial Series were issued in 1916 in order to compete with Wallace Nutting. In comparison with Nutting Interiors (who used photos as illustrations), Bessie’s illustrations were well-prepared prints from her own original drawings. Every illustration depicted some colonial subject, usually a mother or a daughter at home. Unfortunately, these Gutmann’s Colonial Series are valued less than her children’s series, notwithstanding their originality. Role and position of women and women-artists in the first half of the 20th century The status of women-artists has been extremely difficult almost the whole 20th century. Females did not get the support from publicity, and were deprived of showing their real talents. Women artists suffered from such attitude greatly and had to overcome numerous obstacles in order to receive success and recognition; some were pioneers in this or that branch. Some women were successful as they co-operated with their husbands, a few had to reach their goals independently. Still, a lot of wonderful works appeared in this period. Louisa Chase, Catherine Critcher, Bessie Vonnoh, Violet Oakley, Cecilia Beaux – these are just several of notable names, that are â€Å"responsible† for great ideas and wonderful innovations in art field. Catherine Critcher, for instance, had to â€Å"pave her way† in a man’s world by herself; as the result, she was the only woman who was provided a membership in the Taos Society of Artists (the society included men artists) and the Director of her own Critcher School of Painting. Violet Oakley is considered one of the first outstanding mural painters; her large and beautiful works adorn the walls of Pennsylvania Capitol Building. The main theme of most works was an independent, strong and powerful woman who was able to both work and bring up children. Moreover, the issue of a woman’s place in society is depicted thoroughly: a female identity, health, morality, nationality and even her body. The strong sex discrimination began to lose its power and strong independent women appear instead. Conclusion The works of Bessie Pease Gutmann have exceeded time, nationality and age range. They are still very popular among people all over the world. This popularity may be explained by the fact that the artist included the part of her inner soul to each of her hand-made illustrations and paintings. She wanted other people to see not just a depiction of a child or a woman, but rather, the embodiment of purity, innocence and tenderness; the artist wished to change the world to better, she wanted to open people’s eyes and to make them see and listen. Showing the usual and simple themes of family and sacred hearth, Bessie Gutmann appeals to love, friendship, hope and kindness. Her numerous wonderful works radiate light, warmth and comfort; her paintings help people to cope with their problems and to become better. Her art and her talent shows that a woman is able to create such works of art that can be shined throughout years and centuries, causing astonishment and admiration of people. Works cited Bessie Collins Pease Gutmann. Available at: http://www. ortakales. com/illustrators/gutmann. html 17 April, 2005. Choppa Karen. Bessie Pease Gutmann: Over Fifty Years of Published Art. Schiffer Publishing, 2000. Christie, Victor. Bessie Pease Gutmann: Her Life and Works. Wallace-Homestead Company, 1990.

PressureToday

Today in our modern society cheating in school is growing at a rapid rate, but who is to blame, is it the school system is it students or is it the teachers. I strongly believe that it is not only the student's fault but the school systems as well. To begin, cheating among students has rapidly increased. The numbers are crazy; statically 2 out of every 3 kids have cheated on a test, homework, ect. â€Å"Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse 64% of students cheated on a test in the past ear and 38% did so too or more times up from 60% to 35% in a 2006 survey'(David Crary).Which raises the question why are so many students cheating. Its not like they don't know everybody knows that cheating is wrong, you learned that as a kid and you constantly here it till you are out of school. I believe that students cheat because they want a good grade and that they don't trust themselves enough to write down what they think when they can Just look over there shoulder and get an answers they think s better than theirs so they can get a good grade, because in this day and age the difference of one A or B can mean a good collage or a great one.As the demand for higher educated people grows so does the pressure and that's why students cheat, because they can easily take a C, D, or even an F if they wanted to and not cheat, but their logic is why get a easy F when you can gets a easy A. Next is the school system and how it works, and how I believe it greatly impacts and influences the students of are modern generation to cheat.To explain, are school ystem is revolving around grades and scores and if you get a A then you are considered smart and you fully understand the topic and are more likely to get accepted into a good school, but since we are seeing so many students cheat because of this system that we are initially hurting are generation and really only making more of are generation not as smart as the previous generations. Part of the reason high school students cheat is to get into a good University, but as the universities get more competitive and raise their standards even higher it really nfluences and pressures us high school students to cheat.So we can do good and initially get into the universities we want. I believe we should change the school systems to a system were there are no grades and we should Just focus on trying to make are students understand the material as opposed to Just getting a good score not knowing if the student understand the material of Just cheated to get a good grade to pass on to the next grade and initially get into a good University later on in his or her future. pressure By sammy2314

Marketing Mix Strategy Nuematic Shoppe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Mix Strategy Nuematic Shoppe - Essay Example Nuematic Shoppe is an Indian company dealing in distribution of pneumatics, hydraulics, LPG/CNG Gas Kits, Multivalves, Filters, Sealing elements, fittings, anti-vibration mounts. The company is a well known entity among the Indian industries with an international reputation as the only professional distributors of exclusive pneumatics and other products. Apart from the above mentioned products, the company is also representing hosts of Indian and international brands like â€Å"Shubhnorg†, â€Å"Stetters†, â€Å"Zeroil Hunter† and â€Å"Haag Zeissler† (www.neumaticshoppe.com) . As the company has good number of customers who place their requirements well in advance, the company is able to cater to the needs in time of emergency as it has stocks readily available. The company is powered with over 40 employees in the factory and 20 administrative staff handling the customer orders, queries, requisition and distribution.     Though the company was doing w ell in the market, there were few complaints arising from the customers about the quality of products which resulted in withdrawal of some orders by them. In order to identify the problem as per the marketing mix strategy, all the 7P’s of company are detailed below:1)  Product: The prodcut or the service is the element which satisfies the client’s needs generating two types of relationships with the prospect: a functional and a linking one which in turn relates to the products usefulness. The product manufactured by any company has to be in demand by the consumer (Belohlavek, 2008:15) .

Construction Toys Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Construction Toys - Research Paper Example This toy according to the reviews of the customers is durable, fun and well-constructed. KNex is a privately-held company with its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. It is the most innovative and fastest growing construction toy company3. Their products are distributed in over 30 countries worldwide. They also distribute BRIO trains and toys including Lincoln Logs in North America. One of their products is the Tractors & Trucks 10 Building set which comes with KNexmen and a KNex building system with real KNex bricks with rods and connectors4. Advantages of this toy include having a handy storage container for portability and it’s easy to clean. This is made up of 130 different toy pieces. This is priced at $ 12.99. Guidecraft started in 1964 in a small woodshop. It has been making quality educational items for kids for some years now, and are made with the same quality and durability as that of the furniture that they are making5. The Guidecraft wooden blocks and construction sets are some of the classic toys sold by the company. An example of the construction set by Guidecraft is the Construction Truck Sort and Match whose heavy duty pieces are attached to the matching board with pegs and some embedded magnets. It includes 6 double-sided pattern cards, 48 construction truck pieces, a durable birch plywood storage case and a self-propping board with pegs and a metal backing. This is priced at $ 40.006. Hasbro was started by three Polish brother textile merchants who experimented with different product lines, ranging from sales of cloth scraps to pencil bags and hatbox liners. Hasbro, then the Hassenfeld Brothers, initially were known for their pencils before their toy line, but with the advent of their switch to plastics in the 1940s, and the creation of Mr. Potato Head, they became giants of the toymaking world. They now are the parent company of Coleco, Tonka Co., The Parker Brothers, and Milton Bradley.

Discuss a state that has been in flux between a democracy and another Article

Discuss a state that has been in flux between a democracy and another form of government over the past 20-25 years - Article Example his paper aims to discuss the influx in India’s form of government from a unitary government ruled by a single party into what is now a democratic state. Further, this seeks to discuss the key characteristics, issues, legitimacy, social and political factors, as well as the wave of democracy that has affected India’s present government system. Democracy suggests a rule by the people. India is among those developing nations that have fostered a democratic multi-party system since it gained its independence where it adopted a parliamentary government with the President acting as the Constitutional head and the Prime Minister as the real head of the executive (Sharma, 2011, p. 146). Moreover, national unity, social revolution and stability are strongly enshrined in the Indian Constitution, which promotes the goal of a parliamentary democracy, fundamental rights and principles. Since India is notably the largest democracy, its Constitution also features the administrative procedures for Judiciary operation, selection of the members of Legislature, division between the Union and States, tax imposition, public services, electoral systems, and other salient characteristics for its democratic governance (Abbas, Kumar, & Alam, 2011, p. 98). As such, it is through its liberal democratic government that the Indian society can facili tate the recognition and exercise of human rights including the right of suffrage and be elected, or realize politically democratic values that are characterized by equality and absence of gender and social discrimination. Among the issues that have pushed India into a democracy include those affecting the civil society, the pressures of seeking autonomy, as well as with globalization that has largely influenced the political ideologies and policies of the state (Shively, 2014). As an opinion, however, other issues that may have propelled India to become a democratic state involve economic, social, and religious challenges that have created

Debt Vs. Equity Financing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Debt Vs. Equity Financing Paper - Essay Example On the other hand the process of issuing stock so as to raise capital for a firm is called â€Å"equity financing†. This is a study set out to discuss these two sources of financing for a firm and eventually choose the better alternative depending upon the merits and demerits associated with either. To achieve this, these will be a vivid answer to the question, â€Å"which are the differences between debt financing and equity financing and which alternative is preferable to the other?† (Livingstone and Grossman, 2001) Debt financing refers to the money borrowing from a source outside the business and this is accompanied with a promise to repay the principal together with the interest agreed upon by the parties. Start up as well as established companies usually turn to this source of financing to fund their operations. In the context of finance, a debt is also known as leverage. Examples of places or sources from which businesses can get debt finance may include banks and other sources like issuing by a private company or friends. Merits associated with debt finance are several. Firstly, debt financing helps a company maintain the ownership structure. That is, when a business borrows from a bank it is only obliged to pay principal and interest on time and that is the end of such an obligation. Secondly, its principal as well as interest are put in the profit and loss account of a business as expenses and this helps by deducting from the company the associated income taxes. (Richards, 2009) However, this funding source is disadvantageous to a business. The interest payments going with the debt increase the break-even point of a business. Also, the higher a company’s leverage or debt-to equity ratio the chances of securing credit from a lender. A debt can also restrict the actions of the management of a company in that owners of the firm are obliged to personally guarantee loans and thus may be called for to secure repayment by pledging

Time management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Time management - Research Paper Example 8 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...11 Time management Introduction Time management entails exercising prudent control on the amount of time spent in performing several activities in order to improve productivity, efficiency and increase effectiveness (Pausch, 2008). Time management includes several tools, techniques and skills that enable individuals and organizations to accomplish specific activities within the time limit. The main aspects of time management include setting and adhering to priorities and minimizing time spent on non-core activities (Carroll, 2012). Time management is about utilizing the available time effectively through effective scheduling of time, setting clear goal s, prioritizing of activities, delegation of the tasks and reviewing the time spent on different tasks. According to Pausch (2008), the management must organize the workspace or environment in order to eliminate destructions and ensure maximum concentration. Eisenhower time management method classifies tasks in to either urgent or important tasks while action priority matrix determines the priority of tasks depending on the efforts and perceived benefits to the organization. According to Pareto principle (80:20 rule), 80 percent of the output is generated by 20 percent of the efforts. The Pareto analysis is useful in prioritizing the tasks since 80 percent of the results can be attributed to 20 percent of tasks completed. This paper will discuss benefits of time management, various skills in time management and methods of time management. The paper will also discuss ways of avoiding procrastination. Carroll (2012) asserts that effective planning entails preparing work lists of activ ities that must be completed during a certain time. These include the ‘to do lists’ that prioritize activities depending on their importance and urgency to the organization. The pending tasks must take accomplished first and new tasks must not start until the previous or already started tasks are complete. Accordingly, the individual or management must set goals and objectives that aim at ensuring efficiency of work. The goals and objectives must be specific, attainable and measurable (Croft, 1996). The goals must have clear deadlines that will guide the efforts committed towards accomplishment of the specific tasks. The management must motivate employees towards attainment of the set goals within the pre-determined deadlines. Accordingly, the management must delegate authority and responsibilities in order to ensure employees take accountability of their tasks in completing the tasks within the deadlines (Pausch, 2008). The employees must spend the appropriate and allo cated time on the right activities depending on the priorities in order to meet any strict deadlines and ensure efficient workflow in the organization (Croft, 1996). Benefits of time management Time management involves making the possible best use of the available time while doing the right things at the right time. One of the benefits of time management is that it makes individuals more disciplined and punctual. The individuals are capable of preparing ‘

Tom Monaghan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tom Monaghan - Assignment Example His is a story of determination and hard work. His success story greatly inspired me and I felt the need to dig deeper to get more inspiration (Soucy & Huber 2006). Peter Drucker was a popular economist who was born in 1909 in Vienna, Australia. He was born and raised in a well cultured family where his father worked as a lawyer and his mother as a doctor. He did his studies in the best schools and completed his undergraduate at the University of Frankfurt in 1931. He left Germany and moved to London. He spent four years in the new country and later moved to the United States where he was finally elevated to U.S citizen status in 1943. Drucker has written over 40 books, most of his books have been recognized internationally owing to the fact that they have been translated into more than 20 languages. He was called the father of management. He was awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2002 by President George W. Bush in recognition for his great works in the field of management. He died on 11th November 2005 in the state of California (Drucker 2007). Peter Drucker is the father of management and he has excellent knowledge in the field. Retrieving lessons from his famous books would be of great help us to understand the subject more. His life experiences in the field of management can be related to the current experiences we are facing in our world today. His excellent knowledge from the books he has written will help us to tap the goodness he has brought forward in his many books. The knowledge is practical and it is applicable in the day to day activities that take place in our modern world. This famous business author and consultant had so much knowledge which has shaped so many lives in our modern world today; this is very essential in our studies (Drucker 2007). While conducting the research, I have learnt how to work in a team, to delegate tasks and to arrive at a

International Logistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Logistics - Essay Example The uniqueness that this store offers and its efforts to make it different and better than what is already being offered have made the retailer a success. When the company emphasizes on being better than ever, this means that they are actually keeping themselves updated with the pace of change that is taking place in its surrounding. Retail industry of UK is very competitive and the industry is facing many challenges currently too. But Morrisons has managed to deal with these challenges in a quite efficient manner. One of the biggest challenges in retail food industry is to provide fresh food to customers and Morrisons has always believed in providing the best quality and fresh food to its customers and they manage it through their efficient supply chain system which also acts as their competitive advantage in retail market (Morrison’s, 2002). Morrisons believes in providing premium quality food to its customers and to achieve this goal, Morrisons is ready to take necessary st eps. The retailer collects freshly produced foods from local markets which are later further processed according to the manufacturing procedures of the organization. This process is done to preserve the freshness of food and to store it safely in warehouse. Morrisons uses its own temperature controlled warehouse to maintain food’s freshness and it has its own packaging plant as well. The prime motive of Morrisons is to deliver the best customer service. Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance for the organization. It serves as a point of difference for their organization as the way they treat their customers simply differentiates them from their competitors (Lovelock, and Wirtz, 2011).. Especially when a company is operating in service sector, then it has to focus on customer service in order to be successful in the long run (Lovelock, and Gummesson, 2004). For the provision of best customer service, employees are trained; employees are always kept motivated so that the y are able to deliver in the working time. Performance benchmarking is done in order to be competitive and to gain greater market share and to perform better than previous performances. All of these steps taken by the organization play a significant role in affecting customer service positively. SITUATION ANALYSIS Morrisons is counted as one of the big names in United Kingdom’s retail sector. Despite of the fact that Morrisons is one of the big names, this year sales of Morrisons faced decline as compared to the sales of previous years. Due to this there is a drop in Morrisons customer’s confWidence. Now these two factors are areas of concern for the management of Morrisons (BBC News, 2012). The market environment is getting tougher day by day. Competitors are constantly bringing up new offers and products to compete successfully in market and to capture greater market share. Competitors are performing better and trying to take and maintain lead in retail business, in such environment, there is a great pressure on Morrisons to deliver more than expected. The reason diagnosed for the decline in sales of Morrisons was their lack of performance in trading market. This reason has resulted the company to lose its market share to 11.5%. The market share of the company was 12% last year (BBC News, 2012). These are some serious issues that need to be resolved in order to be the market leader in retail category and to defeat giants like Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury. Apart from the mentioned

Quality Assurance Essay Example for Free

Quality Assurance Essay It is the policy of Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E. T.B.- Mayo Area to develop and implement an effective Quality Assurance system that demonstrates consistent repetition of good performance using a system of documented procedures, which are known, understood and operated by all personnel. Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area’s QA system demonstrates our capacity to monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of programmes and services to teachers and tutors as well as learners. All Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area providers Quality Assurance systems are approved by FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council). What you need to know On Induction you will be provided with information about your programme and the assessment process from your tutors, However it is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with all assessment information and ask for clarification on anything that you feel you do not fully understand. This handbook includes all assessment policies and procedures. All learners must sign for receipt of the handbook. September 2013 Version 3 Quality Assurance Policies Assessment Fair and Consistent Assessment of Learners Policies and Guidelines. Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area Mission Statement In line with its mission statement, it is the policy of Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.Mayo Area to provide a supportive and positive mechanism to ensure that all learners are assessed in an equitable manner and that transparent procedures are evident to guarantee satisfactory outcomes for all stakeholders. Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area is committed to ensuring that all methods of assessment are effective in measuring learner attainment in line with documented learning outcomes and that assessment policy and practices are effective in monitoring the validity, equity and reliability of assessment consistent with national best practice. The planning and recording of assessments is to be carried out in accordance with the awarding body’s (FETAC) requirements and centre procedure. In order to achieve this Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area has implemented the following documented policies, guidelines and procedures: Admissions Policy Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area VEC Code of Behaviour for Students and Procedures Assessment Deadline Policy Feedback Policy Grievance Regarding A Grade Policy Appeals Policy Exceptional Circumstances Policy Plagiarism Policy and Procedure for corrective action. Assessment Malpractice Policy. Application for Specific provision. Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area Computer Network and Internet Usage Policy. September 2013 Version 3 Assessment Information Learner Guidance and Information It is the learners’ responsibility to follow all guidelines on assessment. Learners will receive the following information either written or verbally from the teacher delivering each module:The purpose, methods and schedule of FETAC assessment tasks. Relevant module descriptors, assessment criteria and deadlines for submission of evidence. A copy and explanation of section 9 (Assessment Regulations for Candidates) from NCVA/FETAC â€Å"Regulations for Centres and Candidates.† What elements will and will not count towards interim and final assessment and with what weighting. Comprehensive assessment briefs and instructions for all levels. The marking and grading conventions used. The consequences of assessment, such as decisions about progression and rights of appeal, i.e. grievance regarding a grade form. Plagiarism; the definition and the penalties, including examples of acceptable referencing techniques and Procedures for Corrective Action. How and when assessment decisions are made. – Feedback Policy, Appeals Policy. Policy on late submission of work. – Assessment Deadline Policy, Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Standards expected regarding the hand in of work. Channels of communication i.e. feedback, query regarding a grade etc. – Grievance Regarding a Grade Form. Learner roles and responsibilities Learners are responsible for seeking and ensuring that they are familiar with information on assessment, including deadlines etc. Learners will follow the required procedures for assessment Learners must observe deadlines as notified by the centre for the submission of all assessment work. Candidates must sign a statement on all work to be assessed stating that all projects, assignments, learner records and collections of work/portfolio work presented for assessment are their own original work – See Plagiarism Policy. Where group projects/assignments have been undertaken, all candidates must indicate which part of the work is their own. The portfolio of each group member should record or contain supporting evidence of the individual’s contribution to the group task. September 2013 Version 3 Learners must not interfere with or damage in any way the work of other candidates. Learners must follow the rules and regulations of the VEC and FETAC regarding assessment. Learners should ensure that they keep a copy of their own work. Once handed in assessment work will not be returned to learners, this is for security of assessment purposes. Art and craft work, will be returned to learners, this may be collected at a specified date and time after the appeals deadline has expired – centres will notify learners of these times. If a learner does not collect the work or contact the centre by the specified date, the art and craft work will be destroyed, this is for security of assessment purposes. Admissions Policy This policy is set within the context of The Department of Education and Science, criteria and procedures, The National Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999 (NQAI) and The Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), published policies. This admissions policy is issued Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area to facilitate lifelong learning and promote opportunities for: Access Transfer Progression All Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.- Mayo Area centres aim to: Provide a fair and transparent system of admissions for all prospective learners. Make reasonable provision and accommodation for learners, including those with a disability in accordance with relevant legislation, with due regard to the efficient use of available resources. See application for specific provision. All centres must inform learners of the knowledge skill and competence required for successful application in every programme offered. Any specific entry requirements for a programme will be stated including appropriate alternative experience or qualifications. These will follow FETAC’s guidelines ‘Information for Learners Guidelines for Providers.’ All applications for programmes received in any of Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim E.T.B.Mayo Area Centres for that programme will be examined by centre staff. All September 2013

Slow Food Versus Fast Food Essay Example for Free

Slow Food Versus Fast Food Essay Introduction Most hotels at Victoria Falls have for decades prided themselves on a culture of serving leisurely, gourmet meals (especially dinners) prepared using local ingredients including a variety of game meat (e. g. buffalo, kudu, impala, warthog, crocodile, guinea fowl), local mushrooms and vegetable varieties, and ? sh from the nearby Zambezi River. Arguably, a signi? cant proportion of this food quali? es to be called ‘slow food’, because it meets the four criteria for slowlness (Rothermel, 2009). First, slow food must be freshly prepared from fresh ingredients, mostly vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and meat in small portions. Second, the food must be eaten leisurely in company. Third, it must be simple but varied in taste. Finally, it must be produced in an ethical and environmentally friendly manner. However, in recent years, fast food restaurants, led by Innscor brands such as Chicken Inn, Creamy Inn, and so on, have begun penetrating the market. Indeed the expansion of fast food chains in the last decade can be observed in several African countries. In South Africa, international chains such as KFC and McDonald’s are becoming virtually ubiquitous. Rapid growth of fast food restaurant chains has become a global phenomenon (Berta, 2003; Doherty and van Warner, 1995; Emerson, 1980; King, 2004; Lan and Khan, 1995; Parsa and Khan, 1989; Soeder, 1994; Walkup, 2008; Willging, 2008). In the resort town of Victoria Falls, most tourists have traditionally opted to eat at the hotels where they lodge. However, with recent entrance of fast food chains, hoteliers, facing the threat of losing market share, have been responding to the changing competitive forces. Victoria Falls has become a ‘slow food versus fast food’ battleground. The main aim of this paper is to explore how the contemporary slow food– fast food contention is enacted in an African tourist destination setting. An important point to make is that it is not suggested here that Victoria Falls hotels serve slow food exclusively. Indeed, most hotels in the resort, in addition to what would qualify as slow food, also serve items which could be labelled as fast food, such as Corresponding author: Muchazondida Mkono, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Southern Cross University, P. O. Box 157, Lismore, New South Wales 2480, Australia Email: [emailprotected] edu. au, [emailprotected] Downloaded from thr. sagepub. com at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on March 14, 2013 148 burgers, fries, and so on, typically as part of their ‘still room’ menus for lunches and snacks. At the same time hotels at Victoria Falls have always accepted that the majority of their guests spend the day undertaking a range of ‘tourist activities’ away from the hotel (for example elephant riding, over-the falls helicopter ? ights, bungee jumping, game safaris, white water rafting) and will often ? nd a quick snack elsewhere, or be provided with refreshments by tour operators offering these activities. Breakfast is generally consumed at the hotel, as most hotel rates are charged on bed and breakfast basis. Thus the real contention as to the tourist’s choice of either fast food or slow food is centred around dinner. Tourism and Hospitality Research 12(3) Warner, 1995; Emerson, 1980; Lan and Khan, 1995; Parsa and Khan, 1989; Soeder, 1994; Willging, 2008). Research has mainly focused on the health impacts of this trend (Allen et al. , 2007; Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995; Blanck et al. , 2009; Bowens, 1994; Chandon and Wansink, 2007; Chaudhry, 1992; Crowley, 2002; Dundes and Swann, 2008; Fitch et al., 2009; Grazin and Olsen, 1997; Gregory et al. , 2006; Hawkes, 2003; Hodges, 2003; Parker et al. , 2006; Rubin, 1996; Schreiner, 2007; Thornton et al. , 2009; Xu et al. , 2011), with the majority of authors corroborating the view that fast food poses signi? cant health risks. As such Slow Food Movement enthusiasts advocate a return to slow food habits. At the same time, there is a growing health conscious, market (Bartlett and Bartlett, 1995; Gray, 2004; Grazin and Olsen, 1997; Jonsdottir, 1998; Hwang and Cranage, 2010). In response to this trend, many hoteliers position their menus as healthier and wholesome. A closely related debate to fast food–slow food discourse pertains to the authenticity of menus. Authenticity is a central topic in tourism sociological debates, and re? ects a search for the Authentic Other in tourists (Beer, 2008; Chhabra, 2010; Cohen, 2007; Connell, 2007; Connell and Gibson, 2004; Daniel, 1996; Johnson, 2002; Wang, 1999; Warner, 2009; Wherry, 2006; White, 2007; Xie, 2003; Yang and Wall, 2009; Yu and Littrell, 2003; Zheng, 2011). Slow food, with its use of local ingredients and traditional cooking methods, has a stronger claim to authenticity, while fast food can easily be criticised as deauthenti?cation and MacDonaldisation of cuisine cultures; as Americanisation of traditional food cultures. A noticeable gap in the literature with respect to fast food chain expansion relates to the impacts on hotel food and beverage sales and pro? ts, as well as how (slow food) hotels have reacted to the trend to protect their market share. For African tourist destinations, hotels have long been an important part of the destination’s ‘authentic’ image, and the MacDonaldisation of the food culture in these areas might destabilise the desired image. The impacts therefore are far-reaching. Literature review While the concept of slow food has been received with a lot of interest among academics (Emerson, 1980; Gardner, 2007; Hodges, 2003; Jennings, 2006; Paxson, 2005; Peace, 2008; Piggott, 2001; Sassatelli and Davolio; Schwaner-Albright, 2007; Scoffer, 2008; Vaughan, 2008; Walkup, 2008; Waterhouse, 2008; Waters, 2006; Wong, 2009; Wright, 2007; Yee, 1999; Zuber, 2002), existing research has so far not looked at how resort hotels offering what could be described as ‘slow ? ne dining’ have been impacted by the expansion of fast food chains in Africa. Further, most research on fast food and slow food has been conducted in Western and Asian countries. African case studies are noticeably lacking (Emerson, 1980; King, 2004; Lan and Khan, 1995; Parsa and Khan, 1989; Soeder, 1994; Walkup, 2008; Willging, 2008). The concept of ‘slow food’ was borne out of the Slow Food Movement, founded in Bra, Italy, in 1986 by Carlo Petrini (Jones et al. , 2003; Petrini, 2001). The movement aims at safeguarding food and agricultural heritage around the world, and educating consumers about traditional foods (Nosi and Zanni, 2004). Formed to counteract the rapid globalisation of a fast food culture, the movement has evolved from being a protest against the erection of a McDonald’s restaurant in an Italian town to a formidable international organisation that has enthusiasts all over the world (Jones et al. , 2003). Interest in slow food has grown parallel to increasing criticism of fast food, although some authors question the movement’s ef? cacy in challenging the seemingly ‘all powerful’ fast food industry (Jones et al. , 2003). Fast food, according to Rothermel (2009), typically bland, chewy, cheesy, crunchy, salty, meaty, nutty, fatty, and sometimes spicy, captivates the palette quickly, repetitiously, and obsessively. As such, fast food is consumed by a growing population, particularly in developed countries (Doherty and van Methodology The goal of this study is to provide an exploratory, inductive analysis of the slow food–fast food contention as it has unfolded in recent times at the tourist destination of Victoria Falls. As a starting point for future research, the study highlights the perspectives of hoteliers, speci?cally food and beverage managers. The philosophical approach adopted for this study was hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenology, which is also a research method (LeVasseur, 2003; Lopez and Downloaded from thr. sagepub. com at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on March 14, 2013 Mkono Willis, 2004; Wojnar and Swanson, 2007). The approach was adopted to make sense out of a local situation by providing a thick description (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994). The localised focus resulted in small-scale theories that are situated in speci? c personal experiences and perceptions (Riley and Love, 2000). The paper employs a highly re? exive and multivocal methodology where no single voice is priviledged (Riley and Love, 2000). Hermeneutic phenomenology is a particularly appropriate method for capturing subjective perspectives and lived experiences (Hegel, 1977; Ingram, 2002; Ironside et al. , 2003; Jonsdottir, 1998; Knibbe and Versteeg, 2008; LeVasseur, 2003; Lopez and Willis, 2004; Murphy et al. , 2009; Pernecky and Jamal, 2010; Racher and Robinson, 2003; Ross et al. , 2007; Sherrod, 2006; Simpson, 2007; Sinico, 2008; Szarycz, 2009; Wilde, 2003; Wojnar and Swanson, 2007). However, only a few hospitality researchers have adopted this methodology (Ingram, 2002). Hermeneutic phenomenology accepts that both the researcher and participants cocreate an understanding of the phenomena under study, while bringing into the research their own frames of references drawing from their different backgrounds (Wojnar and Swanson, 2007). Researchers under this orientation will therefore often attempt to acknowledge whatever biases they brought into the study, through a process of ‘bracketing’ (LeVasseur, 2003), explaining ‘where they are coming from’. As such, the researcher here acknowledges her own previous work experience in the hotel industry in Victoria Falls as signi?cantly shaping her frame of reference throughout the study. As Lopez and Willis (2004) argue, in the interpretive phenomenological approach, the researcher’s presuppositions or previous knowledge are valuable guides to the analysis, and can make the inquiry more meaningful. Wojnar and Swanson (2007) explain that hermeneutic phenomenology is most useful where the goal is to explicate contextual features of a lived experience as derived from the researcher’s and participants’ backgrounds, as well as their subjective experiences and perspectives. However, the researcher is not absolved of the responsibility to minimise, or if possible at all, eliminating personal biases from the ? ndings of the study. It is often very dif? cult for researchers to demarcate between bias and fact, as bias can be very subtle. Data were collected from 11 hotel food and beverage managers. Food and beverage managers are the hands-on food and beverage operations decision makers who are directly responsible for the day to day and longer term strategy of a hotel’s food and beverage operations. Of course, other managers in the hotel, such as restaurant managers, executive chefs,149 guest relations managers and functions managers may also input into the food and beverage operations. The researcher however felt their input was minimal and in most cases, involved more strategy implementation rather than strategy formulation. Thus food and beverage managers, as primary strategists in the food and beverage department, were identi? ed as the key informants in the hotels. Out of a judgement sample of 18 hotel managers in 18 hotels (2 to 5 star) who were contacted by phone and asked if they were available for an interview, 16 agreed and appointments were set up. However, only 11 were subsequently interviewed. The other 5 could not avail themselves giving various reasons including emergency meetings or busy schedules. The researcher used an interview guide to maintain focus in the interviews. Questions were very open ended allowing interviewees to air their views freely. The research revolved around the two major research questions: the extent of threat posed by the emerging fast food competition (if any), and hotel management reactions. All interviews were tape recorded and transcribed manually, verbatim. Data analysis was performed manually, through several stages, drawing from Benner’s (1994) hermeneutical analysis model delineated in Wojnar and Swanson (2007). The process began with reading and rereading transcripts reread to gain an intuitive feel for the data. Next, repetitious themes were identi? ed. The researcher then identi? ed exemplary quotes to illustrate themes. Findings and discussion The extent of threat The majority of managers felt that fast food companies were becoming serious competition for hotel restaurants: ‘‘It’s become a bit of a war really. We have our appeal, but fast food restaurants have ‘‘street’’ appeal. We offer ? ne dining. Both concepts have their appeal, I guess. ’’ The ‘war’ referred to above is not unique to Zimbabwe. Restaurant wars have occurred in other places where fast food restaurants have entered the markets rapidly (e. g. Watson and Caldwell, 2004). Some managers reported that some of their guests were using their shuttle buses to ‘sneak out for a burger dinner at a fast food restaurant in town’. In addition, and more worrying for the hotel industry in Victoria Falls, hotel food and beverage sales were reported to have been reduced signi?cantly due to fast food entrance. This was a great concern as managers Downloaded from thr. sagepub. com at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on March 14, 2013 150 reported the negative bottom line impact of fast food restaurant expansion. However, others were con? dent of the competitive strengths of their hotel restaurants, perceiving no real threat from fast food. ‘‘I think tourists in our hotel prefer to taste our full service men. It’s gourmet. Fast to me is bland and ordinary. Plus unhealthy. Our food is prepared by world class chefs.’’ Tourism and Hospitality Research 12(3) white water rafting on the Zambezi River, elephant back safaris, and so on) might not be consistent with a slow destination image, or a slow tourist segment. Another interesting comment made concerned the in? uence of age in preference for fast food: ‘‘It appears to me that it is our younger guests who might be particularly interested in fast food. The older folks are put off by the noise in the fast food places’’. The health implications in relation to fast food and slow food have been widely discussed (Hodges, 2003; Hunt, 2004; Mair et al., 2008; Wong, 2009). Indeed this could be the biggest selling point for hotel food over food in this context, especially if the market is predominantly health conscious. This requires further inquiry. One of the managers felt that hotels’ competitive strength with respect to food and beverage was in the uniqueness and authenticity of their menus: ‘‘We sell cuisines that they can’t get anywhere else, our kudu and impala steak, for example. Our cuisine is authentic Zimbabweanness. We bring out the best of Zimbabwean and African food. ’’ Future research could investigate further the validity of this observation in more causal, quantitative research. However, some existing research would suggest that more younger people tend to prefer fast food compared to older people (Dave et al. , 2009). One manager drew attention to the attention paid to ambience in hotel restaurants, arguing that this is an important source of differentiation from fast food restaurants: ‘‘Our hotel restaurants have a special ambience which fast food restaurants simply cannot provide’’. Authenticity is a core concept in tourism research, and it is signi? cant that hotel managers are engaged with this discourse in their re? ection of work lived experiences. But to ascribe Zimbabweanness lends to us to the complex questions of who authenticates food as Zimbabwean or otherwise, what criterion must be used, and consequently to the questions of identity and, for a multiethnic society that Zimbabwe is, ethnicity as well. Indeed, ethnicity has been a source of socio-cultural tension with regard to representing Zimbabwean identity. However, this point constitutes a highly convoluted debate that cannot be treated in more depth in an exploratory study such as this one. One manager felt that Victoria Falls was a destination for the ‘slow’ tourist, who preferred ‘slow’ products and services, so that there was no real threat for hoteliers posed by the entrance of fast food. The slow food–fast food contention is a topical issue in contemporary hospitality management as it resonates with a nostalgic yearning for the past in modern society. ‘‘I think Victoria Falls attracts more ‘slow oriented’ tourists, I think. ’’ The role ambience in in? uencing customer satisfaction is widely recognised. However some fast food restaurants have made some strides in managing the atmosphere in their restaurants. For example, the Rainforest Cafe chain’s restaurant interiors depict a tropical rainforest with detail such as plant growth, mist, waterfalls, animatronic robots of various animals and insects (Williams, 2002). Thus hoteliers cannot become complacent about their restaurant ambience as sustainable sources of competitive advantage over their fast food restaurant competition. The researcher asked whether the cheaper prices associated with fast food was a concern for hoteliers. Some managers agreed that price was in fact the major source of competition: ‘‘The trouble is that a burger at a fast food restaurants costs little, say three of four dollars. Our dinners cost them $30 dollars thereabouts. So if the decision is an economic one, especially where it’s a big family, the fast food restaurant is an inviting option. ’’ Slowness is a contested phenomenon, and it is not clear cut what constitutes slow. Further, it is questionable whether Victoria Falls is indeed a destination for slow tourists. Indeed, the adventure oriented activities that Victoria Falls is commonly known for (bungee jumping, helicopter ? ights over Falls, cruises and However, some felt that there was no logic in comparing hotel food prices with fast food prices; that doing so would be akin to comparing ‘oranges with bread’. It is clear then that hoteliers have varying perception of who their competitors are: whether competition refers to other hoteliers, or whether it extends beyond the hotel industry. De? ning competition narrowly, however, is likely to be detrimental to a hotel’s long term competitive strength. Downloaded from thr. sagepub. com at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on March 14, 2013 Mkono It was also highlighted by some managers that their clientele was ‘upmarket’ and therefore not very pricesensitive: ‘‘Most of our guests are internationals. . . . and price is not their primary criterion for choosing where they are gonna eat. They do not travel on a tight budget’’. 151 Victoria Falls. Hotels would need to think on a longer term basis if their strategies should shield them from the competitive threat effectively. One manager expressed apprehension about the potential ef? cacy of any potential reactive strategies, citing that tourists from countries where fast food consumption has become ingrained in lifestyle ‘‘can’t resist a cheese burger’’. Thus to some extent, in this manager’s view, the war was already lost. Since for some managers the real competition was lay in the differences in price levels, it was not surprising that hotels were expected to bring down their prices. Indeed, this had already been done in some hotels: ‘‘We have had to bring our prices down a little bit’’. Hoteliers would need to address the question whether they intend to target only the upmarket, or whether their target market can be de? ned more broadly. Considering that the government’s Look East Policy launched in the early 2000s has attracted a lower spending, more price-sensitive Eastern market, limiting the target market to af? uent high spenders might not be particularly wise as a marketing strategy. Hotels therefore ? nd themselves in a crossroads decision regarding whether it makes more business sense to bring their prices down to become more competitive in the face of fast food restaurant penetration, and accept any compromises this might bring to customers’ perceptions of their product and service quality; or to keep their price levels as they are in the hope that this lures a more high spending, perhaps elitist market. A particularly important point was the reference to health conscious tourists. It was the belief of some managers that a signi?cant proportion of tourists was becoming increasingly health conscious, and was therefore inclined to avoid eating fast food: ‘‘Our guests in general are becoming very health conscious. They ask for low fat, sugar free etc. They ask if our menu is organic. They know they can’t get healthy options at the fast food restaurant. That’s a fact. ’’ However, some managers were concerned about the effect of price cuts on their image. There was apprehension that tourists could assume that this was accompanied by a reduction in product and/ or service quality. The relationship between price and quality has been investigated in many marketing studies, suggesting that customers perceptions of quality are indeed affected by price. The theme of image for some extended beyond an individual hotel. The image of Victoria Falls as a tourist destination was seen as impacted by the expansion of fast food supply. One of the respondents asserted that this would compromise the ‘luxury resort’ brand image that Victoria Falls held internationally: ‘‘Victoria is a high end market destination. We are about luxury hotels, class. No offence to fast food restaurants. ’’ Conclusion and suggested future research Hotel reactions Most managers believed that the competitive threat posed for hotels by the expansion of the fast food industry in Victoria Falls was serious enough to warrant reformulation of competitive strategies. Among the changes that hotels needed to make was to change shuttle buses’ routes so that they would not pass through fast food restaurant locations: ‘‘We might have to change the route for our shuttle. The current pick up points are not good for us at all because fast food shops are staring at our guest right there where they get picked up. ’’ However, such a change cannot offer a permanent solutions as tourists are not necessarily restricted to the use of hotels’ shuttle buses for transport within The study sought to investigate hotel food and beverage managers’ experiences with and perspectives of emerging fast food competition. As such, the paper adds to a growing number of phenomenological studies in hospitality. Managers’ perspectives re? ect several interesting issues. Many of the responses suggest a signi? cant level of complacency, a refusal to accord fast food the status of formidable competitor. Some managers seem to think it ‘beneath them’ to even worry about fast food, and even more ‘beneath’ to engage in a ‘face-off ’ with them. The more ‘digni? ed’ option seems to be to pretend that fast food restaurants either do not exist at all, or to feign indifference. This begs the question whether this attitude is sustainable in the long term. The study also con? rms the dynamic and volatile nature of the tourist market. In an African destination Downloaded from thr. sagepub. com at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on March 14, 2013. 152 where fast food consumption has been a once-in-awhile affair, the entrance of fast food is set to rede? ne food and eating culture. It is no longer a Western phenomenon. What is also important to realise is that fast food consumption is not restricted to the tourist market; that locals are also a part of the market. Future researchers might investigate the impacts of fast food expansion on the local population’s food culture, which will further case study knowledge on the so called MacDonalisation of society. Hotels might have to start actively targeting ‘slow tourists’. However, research on the characteristics and means of engaging this potentially growing market segment is still lacking. It is hoped that more African context-speci? c studies will be carried out on the expansion of fast food and its business and sociological impacts. An inherent limitation concomitant to phenomenology is the lack of generalisability of research ? ndings. Owing to the small sample, the perspectives represented here are not representative of any other context, although some may be ‘transferable’ to similar resort destinations where fast food chains are beginning to enter markets which have previously been dominated by hotels. Future researchers might want to engage in similar studies with a larger sample of informants, and perhaps on a wider spatial scale. Such studies could employ quantitative methods to explain causal relationships and test hypothesis, such as whether fast food entrance into a traditional hotel dominated market poses signi? cant threats to hotel food and beverage pro? ts. To complete the supply side perspective for this study, fast food managers also need to be included in data collection in future perspectives. It would be interesting to investigate why fast food restaurants have decided to expand into the Victoria Falls now, how they perceive the competition from hotels, how they have tried to gain market share, and their views on slow food–fast food debate in an environment where fast food continues to be criticised as unhealthy. How are they building their defence against this onslaught? How do they continue to thrive despite this worldwide onslaught? What will be even more interesting would be to compare the ? ndings made in an African context with those found in other, perhaps very different contexts. This research took a supply side bias, and thus fails to capture the perspectives of tourists who in fact make the choice between fast food and slow food. Thus future researchers might want to pursue either a market oriented approach, or better yet an integrative approach, which combines both supply side and consumer perspectives. In addition, future researchers who carry out similar studies in tourist destinations Tourism and Hospitality Research 12(3) could utilise the broader concept of ‘slow tourism’ as an analytical framework. Thus food choice and consumption are not viewed simply as acts in dining, but perhaps as a microcosm of a much more complex ‘slow tourism’ phenomenon. References Allen KN, Taylor JS and Kuiper R (2007) Effectiveness of nutrition education on fast food choices in adolescents. 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The World Aircraft Manufacturing Industry

The World Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Introduction As the globalisation spreads out the whole world, the connection between each country becomes closer. Airplane as one means of transportation also plays an important role to support globalisation. Boeing and Airbus are the two largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the industry. This essay is focus on the market for commercial aircraft manufacturing by analysing competitive factors in the industry and comparing with personal computers market. Background The world aircraft manufacturing Industry can be divided into Military Space Aero-structure and commercial aircraft (Sedaei.S, 2007). In the Figure 1, it shows the segments of world aircraft manufacturing industry. à ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ .jpg Source: Commercial Aircraft Industry The passenger commercial aircraft is important in the aircraft manufacturing industry (Sedaei.S, 2007). In the large aircraft manufacturing, Boeing as the first producer, its quick development had made it become nearly a monopoly in the commercial aircraft. It made the prospect of airline worried. During the late 1970s, the nature of the industry was changed by European aircraft manufacturing. France and Great Britain created the Concorde with strong aviation industry, and then combined with West Germany to build up Airbus (Sedaei.S, 2007). Since Lockheed quitted in 1986, and McDonnell Douglas was merged by Boeing Company, the commercial aircraft manufacturing market is an oligopoly dominated by Boeing and Airbus (Besanko, 2007) Analysis of Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing Industry Market structure In the market, a few sellers control a significant amount of the market for the industry, which is defined as oligopoly. In the oligopoly, there are barriers to enter, due to the limitation of technologies and raw materials and so on. Also, the firms in the oligopoly are interdependent, which means that the action of one firm will influence all the other firm. Moreover, the non-price competition is engaged in the oligopoly (Besanko, 2007). As mentioned above, the commercial aircraft market has been in an effective duopoly by Boeing and Airbus. à ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ .jpg In the Figure 2, it reveals the market share of Boeing and Airbus. These two companies control the whole commercial aircraft manufacturing industry. Because of the oligopolistic between Boeing and Airbus, the competitive relationship will depend on the instances of strategic interaction. According to the market structure of commercial aircraft manufacturing industry, each firm would like to consider the actions of others when making decision (Cook.A.J, 2008). Competitive Factors The five-force frame work is the one of efficient ways to analyse the industry. The Figure 3 presents the five forces: internal rivalry, substitutes and complements, entry, supplier power and buyer power. Figure 3: The Five-Force Framework Internal Rivalry is pointed to the competition within the industry. Price competition and non-price competition are involved on the competition of firms. Due to the particularity of commercial aircraft manufacturing industry, which is its price elasticity of demand is not large, it is hard to erode profit by cutting down price-cost margin (Besanko, 2007). Therefore, the market engages in non-price competition. In the non-price competition, the firms can make profit by increasing fixed costs, such as new product development, and marginal cost like adding product features (Besanko, 2007). Except for crisis in 2001, Boeing and Airbus keeps backlogs which can take them long time to finish. It is found that neither Boeing nor Airbus can broaden market share rapidly with high fixed costs during this time. However, when it comes to downturn, Boeing and Airbus are willing to decrease the product capacity and make a deal with each other to face the declining backlogs (Tuttle.M, 2004). Recentl y, in order to make products differentiation, Airbus has developed its A380, which is a double-decker plane with over 550 seats. To maintain the market share, Boeing plans to concentrate on 350-passenger 787 dreamliner which is to be more fuel efficient than the others instead of creating Sonic Cruiser (Boeing.com, nd). Furthermore, the government subsidies is one of the drivers in the competition of commercial aircraft manufacturing. Since the airbus is generated by France, Germany and Great Britain, it received subsidies from European governments. With these subsidies, to some extent Airbus can undercut to the price of Boeing and gain the market share. To Boeing, it is also supported by US government on military aircraft, so that it can remain its competitiveness in commercial aircraft manufacturing (Besanko, 2007). Substitutes is an important factor affect the demand of products. To make profit, substitutes operate in the same way by stealing business and enhancing the internal competition (Besanko, 2007). In terms of the airline, the substitute for Boeing and Airbus is the airplane made by others. In detail, it is not economical that using medium and large capacity to fly with nonstop point-to-point travel. Thus, it forced Canadian manufacturer Bombardier and Brazilian Manufacturer Embraer to fill in this gag. These two manufacturers created regional jets, and 2000 regional jets sold to date. Undoubtedly, it shocked to traditional workhorses Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s. However, the demand for air travel is climbing up, and some carriers suppose to choose Boeing and Airbus to maintain profitability (Cook.A.J, 2008). Some indirect substitutes include the other means of transportation, such as high-speed rail in Japan, which can only impact on regional aircraft in certain routes (Besanko, 2007). Barriers to entry depend on the limitation of raw materials and technologies and so on. The commercial aircraft manufacturing is a special industry with high development costs and experience-based advantage, which makes difficulties on entering. For example, the Airbus takes $ 13million to manufacture the A380. That will be a large amount to an incumbent and the non-experienced will make incumbents to be risky (Besanko, 2007). Suppliers and Buyers are another two forces. Boeing and Airbus can get raw materials and components from supplier markets. In order to tie up with suppliers, Boeing has set up its Global Airlines Inventory Network, which can order spare parts from suppliers directly (Besanko, 2007). Concerned with buyers, each has limit power which are airlines and leasing companies. Because of the few substitutes, the minimum backlogs orders can be kept with its rival competition. Moreover, during the recession, the orders can be canceled by buyers. The cancellation will influence the profitability (Lipczynski.J, 2001). Comparison with personal market Personal computers have possessed an important position in the daily life. The personal computer varies in different types: workstation, desktop computer, single unit, nettop, laptop, netbook, table PC, Ultra-mobile PC, home theater PC and pocket PC (Reimer.J, 2005). Also, there are many competitors in the market for personal computers, such as HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Apple, ASUS and Toshiba. Therefore, the market for person market can be described as monopolistic competition. Different from oligopoly, the monopolistic competition involves many producers and consumers, and no exact business can control the whole market (Lipczynski.J, 2001). For instance, the Boeing and Airbus almost control the commercial aircraft manufacturing industry. Whereas, different brands in horizontal differentiation and different types in horizontal differentiation exist in personal computers and they are substitutes. In the short run, it can behave as monopolies to gain profit wit market power. In the long run, due to the freedom of entry and exit, it can behave like perfect competition (Besanko, 2007). Also, the new product development in personal computers market is independent. The firms can make decisions despite of effects come from the competitors (Shepherd.W.G, 1997). For instance, in the commercial aircraft manufacturing, Boeing and Airbus are interdependent which means the actions of one will entirely influence the other. Once Airbus develops A380 as new product, Boeing abandon its original plans to develop 787. Without the government subsidies, the innovation seems to be difficult owing to the high fixed cost. On the contrary, the producers in personal computer can develop new product based on customer preferences independently. Compared with personal computers, the growth opportunities in commercial aircraft manufacturing are limit. Because of the oligopoly, non-price competition and interdependent relationships is included. Boeing and Airbus have its own customer loyalty, the high operation cost and technologies. It is hard for them to stealing business and market share from each other. However, in the personal computer market, free entry makes the entrants can obtain the profits when sellers set prices above marginal cost, and can offer customers much more new flavors, styles, and so on (Besanko, 2007). Conclusion Overall, the market structure of commercial aircraft manufacturing industry is oligopoly. Boeing and Airbus possess the largest market share in duopoly. The competitive factors come from both internal and external, which are internal rivalry, substitutes, barriers to entry, suppliers and buyers, influence the firm growth, new product development and pricing of the commercial aircraft manufacturing market. Compared with the market for personal computers, they are different owing to different market structure which is monopolistic competition. The personal computers can do innovation freely and large space to grow.

rebeldol Essay on Nora’s Rebellion in Ibsens A Dolls House

Nora’s Rebellion in A Doll’s House  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The central theme of A Doll’s House is Nora’s rebellion against society and everything that was expected of her. Nora shows this by breaking away from all the standards and expectations her husband and society had set up for her. In her time women weren’t supposed to be independent. They were to support their husbands, take care of the children, cook, clean, and make everything perfect around the house. Nora’s first rebellion was when she took out a loan so that she could pay for her husband, Torvalds medical treatment. It was against the law for women to take out a loan without their husbands consent. When she did this she proved that she wasn’t as submissive and helpless as Torvald thought she was. He called her a "poor helpless little creature". A perfect example of Torvalds control and Nora’s submissiveness was when she got him to re-teach her the tarantella. She already knew the dance but she acted as if she needed him to re-teach her the whole thing. When he says to her "Watching you swing and dance the tarantella makes my bloo... rebeldol Essay on Nora’s Rebellion in Ibsen's A Doll's House Nora’s Rebellion in A Doll’s House  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The central theme of A Doll’s House is Nora’s rebellion against society and everything that was expected of her. Nora shows this by breaking away from all the standards and expectations her husband and society had set up for her. In her time women weren’t supposed to be independent. They were to support their husbands, take care of the children, cook, clean, and make everything perfect around the house. Nora’s first rebellion was when she took out a loan so that she could pay for her husband, Torvalds medical treatment. It was against the law for women to take out a loan without their husbands consent. When she did this she proved that she wasn’t as submissive and helpless as Torvald thought she was. He called her a "poor helpless little creature". A perfect example of Torvalds control and Nora’s submissiveness was when she got him to re-teach her the tarantella. She already knew the dance but she acted as if she needed him to re-teach her the whole thing. When he says to her "Watching you swing and dance the tarantella makes my bloo...

David Guterson And His Use Of The Theme Of Nature Essay -- essays rese

David Guterson and His Use of the Theme of Nature   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  David Guterson, a young American author, has written two major works regarding aspects of human nature and human emotions. His first publication, a collection of short stories, entitled The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind addresses some of the moral dilemmas that humans face throughout their lives. His first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, narrates the trial of a Japanese man accused of murdering a white man in the post World War II era. Throughout his literary works, Guterson uses elements of nature: land, trees, water and especially snow, as literal and metaphorical tools to develop and resolve conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  David Guterson uses the same aspects and characteristics of nature in two different ways. First he describes in visual detail the literal or actual effects that elements of nature have on the characters in the story. But more importantly Guterson uses nature to convey substantial and symbolic meaning in the lives of the characters in his stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the elements of nature that Guterson uses as a tool to develop the conflicts in Snow Falling on Cedars are the strawberry fields on the island. These fields represent an important source of income for the community. Traditionally the Japanese laborers worked the fields and the white Americans owned the fields. The question of the ownership of seven acres of strawberry fields serves as the apparent motive for the murder of Carl Heine. To a local Japanese fisherman, Kabuo (accused of murdering Carl Heine), the ownership of this land promises a secure future and ultimately independence. â€Å"...she knew that Kabuo wanted a strawberry field.. nothing more than that† (Snow Falling 89). â€Å"His dream...was close to him now, his strawberry land, his happiness† (Snow Falling 456). The strawberry fields connected Kabuo to his past and symbolized a continuity of life. â€Å"My father planted the fathers of these (strawberry) plants† (Snow Falling 362).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guterson also uses snow metaphorically to make the ownership of the strawberry fields disappear and seem unimportant in life (Snow covering the fields permitted the reader to veiw the ownership of the fields as a very materialistic and selfish thing). After the snow has fallen it acts as a purifier to a... ...nd. The snow changes in these scenes in the story as Guterson tells......................................................................   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Snow is also one of the elements that can also be traced through Guterson's earlier works. In â€Å"Angels in the Snow† Guterson uses snow in the very same way that he uses snow as a metaphor in his novel. â€Å"Angels in the Snow† is a short story about the struggle for a man to maintain a truthful marriage with his wife. In this story the snow that falls on Christmas eve symbolizes the falling apart of his marriage due to unsurpassable problems. â€Å"Outside the window a light snow blew down... in the yard the grass looked sprinkled with powder†(Angels 3). Guterson weaves a tale about moralistic troubles that began in a young man's fragile past. â€Å"Outside, the snow covered the last of the lawn. The world looked hushed, delicate and beautiful.† ( Angels 7) This passage describes the delicate remembrances of the protagonist's youthful days. And then, â€Å"outside the falling snowflakes looked larger...a low drift was forming...† ( Angels 12). This statement is offered as Guterson's main character begins to confront his past conflicts.

The Lottery by Beth Goobie is a Bad Influence on Teens Essay -- essays

A Bad Influence Throughout high school, the most essential trait to have above intellect and organization is good behavior. Without it, a student cannot be focused during a lecture, which can lead to disappointing grades and ultimately, a dreadful high school experience. The Lottery, by Beth Goobie encourages bad and rebellious behavior acted out by the protagonist Sally Hudson. At the start of the book, Sally gets picked by the school government as annual lottery winner. As lottery winner, Sally has to expect to be the butt of all jokes and for everyone to hate her. However, Sally gets told all the secrets and classified information the school has to offer. Sally does not enjoy becoming the outcast of the school so she tries to rebel. She eventually succeeds and the school government is forced to choose another person as lottery winner. This book is a bad influence on teens because it shows them that rebellion leads to triumph and that being devious and lying will grant them success in the future. In modern society, teenagers are being taught to be bold and honest, not sly or sneaky. We grew up hearing â€Å"since you told me the truth, it’s Okay,† by our parents. This way of thinking is correct, for what type of place would earth be if everyone was trying to swindle one another? However, in The Lottery the protagonist used sly and devious methods to get what she wanted. In the following quote, Sally gets exposed telling her best friend that she poisoned the president of the school council to avoid a meeting. â€Å"It was me, yes I poisoned Dusty†¦ it way the only way to avoid the council meetings† (Goobie 202). By using a dishonest way of getting what she wanted, Sally demonstrates how she is a negative role model for the world’s tee... ...nse to that is that it is tolerable to voice up in certain situations but not all the time or when it is unnecessary. In addition, some people may state that being sly is a good thing because it makes a person more cunning. My reply is it is fine if you think being sly will make you more intelligent as long as being sly doesn’t cross the line of unmoral. If it does, then the clever person will use his intelligence in a bad way as in Sally’s case. The Lottery is an incredibly bad influence on America’s youth because it portrays the protagonist as a sneaky rebellious individual who succeeds in life. Today’s teens as with any generation of youth is extremely lost and in dire need of direction. Books such as The Lottery should not be targeted towards teens for they are in a very fragile state of life. For if you hurt today’s teens, you are hurting tomorrow’s adults.

Prevention Plan for Divorce Before Marriage

Phuong Ho Prof. Janice Falbert CDFS 321 Section 9 Personal Relationships Wellness Philosophy Paper (PRW) Fall 2012 Marriage is one of the most essential factors of human life. It creates the basis for everyone to pursue a better, healthier, and happier life. However, it is the fact that there are more and more couples marrying and then ending up with divorce, and this rate is increasing faster year by year. Actually, all the divorce cases are originated from some of the forms of emotional illness that gradually appear in each partner during the time of their relationship.It is good to cure these forms of emotional illness to solve the martial problems of the specific patients. However; it is absolutely the best when the original points are studied and determined before they become the serious and fatal clues to damage marriage. What I am talking about here is the prevention efforts to be applied to the time period before couples marry, not after. I also present my Prevention Plan con taining the ideas, of preventing any chances that can cause divorce, for pre-marital couples.This is the ultimate result of the combination of my total knowledge about marriage and the practical philosophy of Primary Prevention material. It is true that relationship before marriage plays an important role in coupled life ahead; it also builds the foundation for the good, healthy, and happy marriage. However, it is completely wrong saying that dating works effectively to screen out future divorces, particularly those that occur early in marriage.Actually, dating does not have anything to do with the separation of married couples. The point here is that dating and marriage are different. Of course dating is important to lead to marriage. However, dating is a step to get two people closer and to see if they are for each other, and marriage is a commitment with full of incidents and probabilities. Loving someone, committing to him/her, and living together for the rest of your life are t otally different. This illustrates well for the divorces happening early in marriage.Many troublesome things happen when marriage life starts out. Things change dramatically, and the couples have to work through themselves or asking for professional help or divorces is the consequence. Another reason to say that dating is nothing to do with future divorces is that dating not working out leads to break-up right after that. People do not wait until they get into marriage, and then regret for what happen and say goodbye to each other. It does not work this way.Really, problems can appear during the dating; couples tend to learn how to overcome it (just like married ones); however, if they cannot find the same solution for this problem, break-up is easy to be brought up right away. Separation in dating is a lot simpler and easier than marriage. No such couples resist each other’s problems until they get married. As what I said previously, my Prevention Plan, which I will introduc e to you, is built upon my martial knowledge and the information from Primary Prevention material. So what is Primary Prevention?It is actually a distinct level from the three-tier model, which is pretty much similar to the main Prevention model, containing Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention, and Tertiary Prevention. Secondary Prevention (treatment activities) is about trying to decrease the length of time an individual or family experiences an emotionally distressful situation; Tertiary Prevention (rehabilitation activities) is about preventing the recurrence of a debilitating problem and to restore as high as possible the level of individual and family reorganization.Like the other two, Primary Prevention, considered as a hybrid form originated from Prevention, has its own characteristics and techniques, which are about aiming to reduce the incidence of new cases of mental disorder in the population by fighting against harmful forces which operate in the community and by str engthening the capacity of people to resist stress. So, unlike the purpose of Secondary Prevention shortening the time the patients resist and purpose of Tertiary Prevention avoiding the repetition of the illness, the Primary Prevention is more straightened method of anti-emotional-distress.It focuses directly on the fight against the mental illness created during the process by helping patients develop the abilities to avoid stress. Primary Prevention focuses mainly on groups of patients but for the specific problems that those groups obtain. To get a wider and deeper view of these concepts, let get back to the original Prevention. The fact is that the perception of Prevention is not new at all. The ideas that mental distress might be prevented and eliminated happened a long time ago, back to the ancient time.However, the fully attainable concept of Prevention as a Public Health treatment was recently developed when the number of serious mentally ill patients as well as divorces go es higher and faster. Prevention provides strategies that not only help all the patients take part in avoid illness and promoting health, but also enlighten the misunderstanding and wrong claims and opinions about emotional distress. Really, there were any people bringing on the ideas saying that major illness is surely in large part genetically determined and is absolutely not preventable, at most modifiable.Prevention proves that these ideas are wrong and that mental problems are not such diseases that can be hinted to any microorganism or DNA thread. They are actually troubles derived from the very normal routine life of each individual. Sometimes they can be cause from the factors of that patient’s life like family, friends, colleagues†¦; sometimes they are from the patient himself/herself. Therefore, because those problems are not genetic and instinctive, it is easy to result that they can be controlled, prevented, and eliminated. 4] So, how does Prevention do its j obs as a helpful treatment of promoting mental health and avoiding illness? The answer is in its technology given by four specific tools as Education, Community Organization, Competency Promotion, and Natural Caregiving. Each of them has different perspective, way of approaching, and practical application but they all have the same purpose of preventing mentally illness and promoting health. [3] My Plan of prevention of Divorce is a combination of martial and relationship tips, academic and proved material, and practically social information.The points are simple rules and tips to some people in their lives, but these people are failed to recognize or even ignore and underestimate them. This leads to number of serious consequences to their marriage lives, even divorces. As I mentioned, all my attention will be the Prevention applied to the time period before couples married. Firstly, the optimal step for the all couples before they commit to each other in order to have a good and st able marriage is to question themselves and each other â€Å"Am I sure? Are you sure? [6] That means a premarital couple have to make sure the other is the only one and their ultimate finish of love. Both of them have to make it clear that the other one think the same and is literally willing to commit to this life ahead. [5] There are some couples rushing to marriage by their contemporary passion and feeling without thinking reasonably. Certainly, this kind of marriage later will obtain many obstacles and problems and suffer from the multiple consequences including divorce if they do not ask for any help. Marriage is an important thing ever happening to a person.Make sure that is the right one and be ready to spend the rest time of your life with him/her. [1] The second point of the Prevention Plan is â€Å"Professional help is not supplementary, at all. † Some couples think they are fine with everything; all they need to do is go ahead and be ready for a wedding without th inking twice about this as a big incident that will change their lives forever. Premarital counseling is extremely important that helps couples have a clearer and more complete view of what is going happen and how things change dramatically after they become husbands and wives.Besides, this is also a chance for the couples to make up their mind again and see if the other one is really the one. This may create disappointments for some couples when they think they already know everything about their relationship (but they do not). However, this is one of the most effective ways to prevent the probability of divorces happen right before the marriage happens. [2] Another thing that affects most to the stability of marriage life of any couple is â€Å"Defining expectations can help build a good plan. † Any victorious battle has its own strategy.What are the expectations? They are intentions, standards, rules that are summed up by both sides of couple and will be applied for their future family. The same with this situation, a happy future house is not only built with love, but also with wisdom and knowledge. The expectations can be only found, treasured, and carried by communication, and the best way to communicate is, of course, talking. [6] Beside building, reinforcing, and enriching the love, respect, understanding to each other, the couples should take time having some serious talking, discussing about their future family.Many things this talking can come with are such as finance, children, sex, housework, religion, jobs†¦ Having a clearer and practical view of these factors can help couples avoid many unexpected issues popping up in their future life together. It will be a lot easier and simpler to avoid, deal with and fix these problems when the insiders already know the concepts of original issues. [2] Many people think it is wasting of time and unnecessary to spend their time for their future marriages while they have not even get married yet.Ac tually, this period of time is the bridge between the dating and marriage. Maybe dating does not work effectively to screen out future divorces, particularly those that occur early in marriage; however, preventing is much better than fixing. This period of time is the most magnificent transition step for couple to reinforce their points of view, concepts, and knowledge about the marital lives waiting for them ahead. Therefore, I can surely say that my Prevention Plan will work effectively in any society, including a nation with a high rate of divorces like U.S. As you can see above, this plan with three general tips is simple and trivial point in premarital relationship; however, missing, ignoring or even misusing them can lead to serious problems. Not only the citizens are educated about marriage promoting and divorce preventing, but also the influence of mental health service in U. S. will get more appreciations, attentions, and profits from the public. These profits can help impr ove the U. S’s medical health development in many ways also.The open behaviors that I encourage couples to do are completely suitably helpful for Americans especially young people to develop themselves a confidence in dealing with different situations that life brings to them. Number of stably happy families maintains and improves; divorce decreases; society is higher in standards; the country is stronger. The best way to get the Prevention Plan maximized its power is to publicize and popularize them as a guide for premarital, engaged, or long-termed couples.The therapists, professionals, or mentalists of Marital Mental Healthcare need to know about and encourage the couples to apply it. The plan should be also introduced to people by media like Science newspapers, Family or Health magazines, the online articles†¦ In order to get more results, the government also should legalize the law that each premarital couple have to take mandatory Marriage and Family course in orde r to have better perspectives of what they are going to face in the near future and to give them a chance to rethink if what they are doing is right or wrong.This will raise a flow of opposing ideas from media and public about imposing and frustrating premarital couples. This Prevention working means the rate of marriage of U. S. will decrease in some way also due to the cut way of couples who realize they are not ready for marriage. The birth rate is also stable due to the couples already talked about children issues before marriage. There are absolutely less poor or foster-care children due to the number of broken families reduce. The children’s future life quality is more clearly defined in a positive way. [1]Divorce rate decrease can lead to many social advantages and benefits to both people and government. My plan simply gives a little help to the couples that will be the future husbands or wives. Hopefully with its help, our nation will develop in a stable tempo. Though my plan plays as a tool to prevent Divorce for couples before marriage, it is the most important when the couples themselves are willing to do what the plan says. References 1. â€Å"How do you know that you married the right person? † Available: http://www. marriagemax. com/prevent-divorce. asp 2. Prevent Divorce before you get married. † June 22, 2009. Available: http://www. crosswalk. com/family/marriage/prevent-divorce-before-you-get-married-11605052. html 3. â€Å"Wellness – Primary Prevention. † Material. 4. Primary Prevention and its technology. † Material. 5. Marriage and the family: Diversity and Strengths (7th Edition). Olson-DeFrain – Skogrand. Chapter 9: Friendship, Intimacy, Friendship. Material. 6. â€Å"Preventing Divorce Before you Say ‘I Do’. † January 30, 2007. Available: http://voices. yahoo. com/preventing-divorce-say-do-177817. html