Thursday, October 31, 2019
Racism in the White Dog Film Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Racism in the White Dog Film - Assignment Example As demonstrated in the movie, â€Å"White Dog,†racism is seen to be a deep-seated issue in the society in which every race harbors some resentment against other races. The film was highly criticized across the United States for its racist views. The White Dog is a movie that demonstrates racial conflicts and disparities. At the beginning of the movie, actress Julie Sawyer finds a stray white dog that she takes gives treatment and goes looking for the owner. She is unsuccessful in tracing the owner hence she ends up having the dog with her. A rapist attacks Julie one night but the dog protected her. This makes Julie decide to adopt the dog despite the fact that her boyfriend was opposed to it. In advancing the racial theme, the dog happens to have been trained against the black people. In the process, it ends up killing a black truck driver as well as Julie’s colleague (Pearl 11). This demonstrates racial discrimination; the reasons for targeting only the blacks in a negative way reveal the black race in a bad light. Apparently, the dog was trained in order to attack black people that it came across. However, despite the dog being seen to be a racist or having been trained to be a racist, it goes further to save Julie from the hands of a rapist irrespective of their tribal affiliation. There is a variation in the perception of characters towards racial prejudice. Julie was one of the characters that outstood in developing an intervention towards the situation of the white dog. She realized that the dog had some training that did not go well with her expectations. This made her embark on looking for a dog trainer. The first one she meets is called Carruthers, who also harbors anti-racism thoughts hence he recommends that the dog should be killed.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Poetry Essay Example for Free
Poetry Essay The poem described the speaker’s longing and hope for her happiness in life. As she raises everyday, she depicts life at its best to fulfill her joy and contentment even if she is alone. The four stanza poem discussed the character’s identity and idea towards joy and contentment in life. The speaker wants to convey to her readers that whatever circumstances they may have; it is a great start to thank God for a new day of life. The first stanza discussed the emotions of the speaker as she faces the new day. The second stanza discussed how she thanked her creator for the new beginning of challenges and happiness. The third stanza discussed how the speaker prayed for the people around her whether they are in the same race or not. The last stanza described how the earth is filled with gladness if equality and justice exist. The speaker described her prayer through this poem. It is a selfless desire to transform the earth into salvation and peace despite of all the injustices and social inequality. On the other way around, the title also described the wholeness of the poem. It serves as the identity and apparent illusion of the poem. The title of this poem showed the main idea of the poem as it reveals the attack of the poet. In conclusion to this, it can be said that the poem is too short to read and understand. The poem has simple thoughts to convey to its readers. The attack of the poet showed how prayer becomes powerful despite of all the troubles and fears of the society.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Discussion on Women Education and Empowerment in India
Discussion on Women Education and Empowerment in India Women constitute almost half of the population in the world. But the prevailing masculine ideology made them suffer a lot as they were denied equal opportunities in different parts of the world. The rise of feminist ideas have, however, led to the tremendous improvement of womens condition through out the world in recent times. India being a developing nation and having huge tussles among its political, religious and administrative organs resulting into blocked development and the worst effect of that we can witness into women condition .They do not have proper chance to learn and grow and access to education has been one of the most pressing demands of womens rights . Women education in India has also been a major preoccupation of both the government and civil society as educated women can play a very important role in the development of the country. History of Women Education in India(4,6):Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India but as the time grew they lost this right to avail education and academic exposure. However, in the British period there was revival of interest in womens education in India due to Britishers strong influence to the core Indian education system. During this period, various socio religious movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar emphasized on womens education in India. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the lower castes in India who took various initiatives to make education available to the women of India. They also ensured about their participation in the social gatherings and events by introducing them into polity and administration at all levels. However womens education got a fillip after the country got independence in 1947 and the government has taken various measures to provide education to a ll Indian women. As a result womens literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in fact been higher than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 22% of Indian women were literate, by the end of 2001 54.16% female were literate. The growth of female literacy rate is 14.87% as compared to 11.72 % of that of male literacy rate and is on growing path. Government has taken a step forward by making education compulsory and free to girl child till the age of fourteen. They are getting reservations in public sector exams and private sectors like Banks, Transport Services, Hospitality and Tourism, Healthcare etc. (4. Freedom Struggle By- Bipin Chandra Pal) Table The Literacy Rate in India 1901-2011 Percentage  of    Literates   to  total   population Year                                                        Persons                 Males          Females 1901                                                 5.3                          9.8                0.7 1911                                                 5.9                        10.6                1.1 1921                                                 7.2                        12.2                1.8 1931                                                9.5                        15.6                2.9 1941                                                16.1                        24.9                7.3 1951                                                16.7                        24.9                7.3 1961                                                24.0                        34.4              13.0 1971                                              29.5                        39.5              18.7 1981                                             36.2                        46.9              24.8 1991                                                52.1                        63.9              39.2 2001                                               65.38                       76.0              54.0 2011(Recent data) 74.04 82.14 65.46 The above table shows that there is an improvement in women literacy in India during the years. But when we compare it with male literacy it becomes a concern area. (9. Censusindia.gov.in) Importance of Women Education in India(7):Women education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the nation. Education is a potent tool in the emancipation and empowerment of women. Its true that greatest single factor which can incredibly improve the status of women in any society is education. It is indispensable that education enables women not only to gain more knowledge about the world outside of her shell and home but helps her to get status, positive self esteem, and self confidence. It imparts necessary courage and inner strength to face challenges in life. Apparently it also facilitates them to procure a job and supplement the income of family and achieve social status. Education especially of women has a major impact on health and nutrition as an instrument of developing a sustainable strategy for population control. Moreover educated women can play an equally important role as men in nation building. Thus there is no denying fact that education empowers women. For example the different organs of the United Nations and experts on womens liberation argue for womens education as the basic step to attain equality with men. ( 7. Saraswathi Mishra, Status of Indian Women,Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 2002) Obstacles:As we have discussed earlier to improve women education and condition in India various initiatives and corrective measures have been done but still a lot is expected to be accomplished. THE ROOT CAUSES FOR LOW LITERACY AMONG WOMEN IN INDIA Women education is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. No single factor or cause can be held responsible for very low literacy rate of women in India. Subsequently it is associated with combination of many factors including social, cultural, economic, educational, demographic, political and administrative and so on. The following are the some of the important factors which could be attributed for the present poor state of affairs of womenfolk in education. The Lower Enrolment: The lower enrolment of girls in schools is one of the foundational factors which stand as stumbling block for women empowerment in India. Reliable sources indicate that more than 50 % of the Non-Starters (those who have never been to school) are girls. According to the latest statistics, two out of every ten girls in the age group of 6-11 are still not enrolled in schools. (1) Higher drop-out rate among girls from schools: The incidence and prevalence of drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas seem to be quite high. According to available sources, occurrence of drop-out and stagnation amongst girls is nearly twice that of boys all over India. (1) Girl Child as Second Mother:In many families girl children play the role of second mother by shouldering the responsibilities of household work such as looking after the sibling, fetching water, collecting firewood, bringing fodder for cattle, cleaning and cooking etc. In rural India especially in poor families this traditional sex role makes girl child handicapped and conditioned by the attitude of mother and the family and discourages girl child to go school as it becomes secondary and unimportant. Hence girl child is getting deprived of her basic and fundamental right of education and freedom. (8) Bonded Labor System: This social evil is a quite discouraging phenomena which stand as barrier for girls education in rural areas for the underprivileged families of washer men and agricultural labor , scheduled caste and scheduled tribes. Caste System as a Barrier : Children belonging to low caste families are forced to learn skills and work ways and not encouraged to go to school due to various factors. Strict instruction /threat from high caste communities for their selfish motives of keeping them as domestic servants and child laborers in the farms or factory. We can witness this through the stories of various factories and farm houses in industrial cities of India. Media is also playing a crucial role here in promoting as well as resisting these mishaps. (8) Bane of Dowry:Dowry system and other social practices act as main causes of the neglect of the girl child and discrimination against girl child including the deprivation of right of education. In many families especially poor and down-trodden think that if their daughters are educated more, they have to accumulate more assets and properties to provide as dowry in large proportion at the time of marriage, so prefer rather to either stop their children with average education and so on but never higher education. This prevails more in underprivileged families and communities. (1) Child Labour Practice:A large segment of child population in India is engaged in child labour practices. According to UN sources India is the most child labour populous nation in the globe with more than 50 million child labourers indulged in beedi works , carpet making , bricks, mining , quarrying ,glass, bangles, match and fireworks, gem polishing ,handloom works. zari, embroidery ,coir industry, domestic works, construction etc. In most of these industries girl children are preferred for high productivity and low cost. (8) Poor School Environment for girls: In general the school environment for girls in India is not really interesting and encouraging. The subjects taught in schools are also not related to the environment of girl children. The methods of teaching are mostly out dated, rigid and uninteresting. There are still hundreds of schools with poor basic amenities such as drinking water, latrine and toilet facilities, improper building, and inadequate number of teachers especially female teachers preferable for any parents for safety of their girl children from different types of exploitation and abuse. (7) Female age at marriage: There is high association of female literacy with female age at marriage. By and large the female age at marriage of 18  ( recently 21 years ) as prescribed by various legislations not at all followed in India .It is very much ignored and neglected by the families of parents with low literacy and illiteracy background. This obnoxious practice discourages female children to continue their schooling and higher education as they enter into family life at the early age which is not advisable from the physical and mental health point of view and also of social development. (7) Inferiority, subservience and domesticity:The female child in Indian culture especially in rural, tribal and poor families is expected to develop the qualities of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. They are considered to be lesser important for getting knowledge of outside world and exposure to education and liberty. (6) Poverty as a Barrier: In many poverty stricken families, children especially girls are considered as economic  assets as they bring income for livelihood as well to save from economic crises due to death or incapacity of parents (sick/ handicapped/aged). Ineffective Law Enforcing Machinery:Indian constitution and various legislations pertaining to education to children assure free and compulsory education all children of this nation but unfortunately the enforcement machinery fail to discharge its duties and responsibilities to the satisfaction of the public interest and welfare of women. Due to this wrong implementation of right policies also women of our country is getting severely affected. (5) Demographic Factors:The high population growth rate, rapid urbanisation, migration etc also attribute immensely for the poor literacy level of women and girls in India. In these frequent transition girl Childs and women are getting neglected, uncared and unheard. (5) Poor Political Will and Conviction: Government officials, policy makers, politicians etc of our country have neither political will nor conviction for the empowerment of women in general. The only think about their personal benefits and money making ignoring the welfare of the community for whom and by whom they have reached to that position. It is a very sad and disappointing aspect of Indias democracy. (5) Gender discrimination:It still persists in India .Male are still dominating and commanding the social structure of the nation and lot more needs to be done to improve womens participation in this regard e.g. womens education. The gap in the male-female literacy rate is just a simple indicator. While the male literary rate is more than 75% according to the 2001 census, the female literacy rate is just 54.16%.Prevailing prejudices, low enrollment of girl child in the schools, engagements of girl children in domestic works and high drop out rate are major obstacles in the path of making all Indian women educated. (6) Poor Academia:Another reason for poor quality of women educationhere is the poor quality of teachers ingovernment schools .Government schools are unable toattract good quality teachers due toinadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on educationwhich is inadequate and insufficient. Toimprovethe quality of education, the government needs tospend more money from its coffers on education. (4) Steps to improve their Participation: A A significant development in recent years has been the mushrooming of community-based organizations and initiatives at the local level for women. Reports indicates that self-help programs, often in the form of savings and credit or micro credit schemes, have succeeded in changing the lives of poor women, enhancing incomes and generating positive externalities such as increased self-esteem. Micro credit is about much more than access to money. It is about women gaining control over the means to make a living. It is about women lifting themselves out of poverty and vulnerability. I is about women achieving economic and political empowerment within their homes, their villages, their countries. (5) In this whole paper we have discussed about women condition in India in terms of access to education, opportunity to learn and grow and problems in achieving the same and at last some of the measures to rectify the errors and making things happen. B-One more initiative taken by the government is the voucher system. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed tochoose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system has also a draw back because it will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of educationingovernment schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools toprivate schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used tobuild infrastructure inschools then the government can realize economies of scale. (6) C-The government of India has also felt the need to put in place an appropriate institutional mechanism to look after the Education Rights of Women and thus instituted the formulation of All India Womens Conference, National Womens Commission and State Womens Commission. At the same time government has approved special grants and allowances to NGOs working for the cause of women upliftment and social mobility. Self Help Groups have also been constituted at Panchayat level to provide a platform for the rural women to discuss issues such as family planning, child marriage, widow remarriage, Sati, domestic violence. Mother Teresas Women Universityhas greatly helped in the cause of women empowerment who received Noble Peace Prize for her genuine social work. (6) D -India is getting a great help from World Bankfor the betterment of women education and their empowerment in the country .It has approved funding for Andhra Pradesh Rural Poverty Reduction Programme (APRPRP) thus garnering international supportfor the upliftment of women. Womens reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha has gained momentum with Govt. of India promising the reservation of one-third seats in Parliament for the women. (8) E -One of the recommendations of National Policy on Education (1986) by the Government of India is to promote empowerment of women through the agency of education and it is considered to be a land mark in the approach to womens education of illiterate. The National Literacy Mission is another positive step towards eradication of illiteracy in the age group of 15-35 years. Women education has assumed special significance in the context of Indias planned development, as it is incorporated in every Five-year plans as the major programme for the development of women. Universalization of elementary education, enrolment and retention of girls in the schools, promotion of balwadies and crutches, raising number of schools and colleges of arts , science, and professional for girls , Politechniques, girls hostels, multipurpose institutions and adult education programmes are some of the steps being  taken by both central and state governments in India to boost-up womens education. (5) F  Since the prevailing situation of poor or less enrolment of girls in schools closes the doors for development and prosperity of future generation of women, concerted efforts must be initiated jointly by the government, parents and civil society to achieve universal enrolment for girls without any compromise. The enrolment can be made even mandatory for every girls by the government in the realm of compulsory education. (5) G -The Ministry of Education both at Centre and State level should work out strategic steps to stop firmly the ongoing high drop -outs among girls especially in rural, tribal and slums areas with the serious involvement of voluntary organisations in every locality to realize zero drop-out among girls. (7) H -The poverty stricken families can  be identified through proper research and necessary poverty alleviation services be provided to strengthen the income thereby to enable the families to send their children to schools and colleges without much financial difficulties I -Bonded Child labour and Child labour  practice must be abolished with strict administrative measures and the relieved children form bondage  should be integratedinto schools with suitable defence social mechanism. J Appropriate steps should be taken by the educational authorities with the participation of communities in order to bring the girl children to the main stream of education and development at every level including family and community. K -The female child in every Indian family irrespective of socio-economic status should be moulded to overcome the challenges of inferiority; subservience and domesticity which place sever limitations on her education and development. Every family irrespective its socio-cultural and economic background can take it a challenge to bring up their girl children as dignified human being with empowerment in physical , mental, economic and social dimensions of life. (7) L The Midday meal scheme and other educational supportive services like free text books, Note books , Fee uniforms , Free Bicycles, Free bus , scholarships Free bus pass and so on  as done in the state of Tamil Nadu can be provided in all states and union territories to lift up the literacy level among girls. (6) M -As social evils like dowry, child marriage , caste system and other practices deprive rights of education for children belonging to poor and underprivileged families and communities, they should eliminated through well-designed packages of mass awareness programmes and social welfare measures with full support of public, political parties, NGOs and government agencies. (7) N -The electronic and print media can play significant role in building a good and positive image about girls and women in general in the society by giving no focus for such advertisements and news fetching commercial gain at the cost of depicting women as an object. This would help in changing the society s attitudes towards girls and their roles to treat every girl or woman as human being with self respect and dignity. (7) O -Government, voluntary sector and philanthropic organisations and individuals should come forward to provide free education for poor girls and provide free hostel facilities for girls studying in schools and colleges in every state of India. This will certainly encourage children of poor families to pursue good and higher education without much impediments. (6) P -The schools of social work, departments of women studies, Women Universities and other educational institutions in hand with  NGOs  and social service organisations such as Rotary Clubs , Lions Clubs , women lib organisations associations can work together to improve the educational status of the womenfolk in this country on mutual respect and understanding. (7) Q -The parents of children belonging to poor, underprivileged families must be specially educated with proper social formula to help them to understand the significance of education for their girl children as foundation for empowerment. (1) R -Government, NGOs and public should work hand in hand to implement the minimum age at marriage (21and above) Awareness should be created to institutionalise it as a traditional practice cut acrossing castes, religions, community etc. (5) S Government officials, policy makers, political parties and others should have adequate political will and conviction to empower women in India without double standard mind T -The law enforcing machinery should be made really effective with efficient monitoring vigilant system to implement the constitutional and legislative provisions and administrative measures to assure free and compulsory education for all children of this nation without any gender discrimination. (7) Its true that there is great deal of requirement to uplift women education in India at the grass root level because majority of the female population live in the rural areas .They do not avail the basic things in their life and to get education is still a distant dream for them. However Indian government is coming up with various scheme in their five year plan to make the situation healthy and encouraging for these women. In 1990s, grants from foreign donor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs(3). Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self Employed WomenHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEWAHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEWAs Association (SEWA) have played a major role in womens rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements. For example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Companies like NIIT Ltd. (2) has come up with the project called Affirmative Action where they are taking girls from the down trodden areas and training them about English language, basic computer knowledge and after that helping them to get jobs in Retail, BPO ,Hospitality sectors. In this way the are educating them and by providing jobs women are getting empowered in taking decision, participating in family income and by helping their kids to make the future bright and opportunity oriented. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the bad phases of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been on better track. In modern India, women have acquired high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition, etc. The current President of India is a woman. (5) A review of governments various programmes for women empowerment such as Swashakti, Swayamsidha, Streeshakti, Balika samrudhi yojana and another two thousand projects reveal that little has been done or achieved through these programmes. The discrepancy in the ideology and practice of the empowerment policy of women in India constitutes its continued social, economic and social backwardness. Women make up 52% of our countrys population. Hence there can be no progress unless their needs and interests are fully met. Empowerment would not hold any meaning unless they are made strong, alert and aware of their equal status in the society. Policies should be framed to bring them into the mainstream of society. It is important to educate the women. The need of the hour is to improve female literacy as education holds the key to development. (2 , 3) There is no doubt about the fact that development of women has always been the central focus of planning since Independence. Empowerment is a major step in this direction but it has to be seen in a relational context. A clear vision is needed to remove the obstacles to the path of womens emancipation both from the government and women themselves. Efforts should be directed towards all round development of each and every section of Indian women by giving them their due share. I believe with the likes of Pratibha Patil, Sonia Gandhi, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochar etc. bagging the top jobs, it would not be long when India would be boosting of its Gender Equality Index (GEI) and Gender Development Index (GDI).Lesser will be the social stigma of women exploitation which have haunted it for many years gone by. Summary: Empowerment can be defined as the totality of the following or similar capabilities: Having decision-making power of their own Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.) Ability to exercise assertiveness collective decision making Having positive thinking on the ability to make change Ability to learn skills for improving ones personal or group power. Ability to change others perceptions by democratic means. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated Increasing ones positive self-image and overcoming stigma Conclusion: From these discussions we can say that the most common explanation of womens empowerment is the ability to exercise full control over ones actions. The last decades have witnessed some basic changes in the status and role of women in our society. There has been shift in policy approaches from the concept of welfare in the seventies to development in the eighties and now to growth in the nineties and now trumpet of empowerment. This process has been further accelerated with some sections of women becoming increasingly self-conscious of their discrimination in several areas of family and public life. They are also in a position to mobilize themselves on issues that can affect their overall position.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
NASA vs. Public Schools Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers
NASA vs. Public Schools Dozens of cupcakes arrive at Cape Canaveral, baked and iced by astronauts and their spouses. The heads of NASA believe this fundraiser will save the space program for the next year. After all, if everyone who cares about the future of the last frontier buys a cupcake, we can save the funding of the space program. Yeah, right! Sadly, our country spends 13.5 billion dollars on space exploration but can't find enough funding for our public schools. (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/congress/budget1.html) The United States is the richest nation on our planet. Yet, parent clubs all over the country spend volunteer time raising money for public schools. Why do we not have enough funding for our public schools and who is responsible for our lack of funds? An article on NASA's website shows me a testimony by NASA Administrator, Dan Goldin, who spoke before the U.S. House of Representative's subcommittee after the NASA budget received an eleven-percent reduction in funding. Mr. Goldin feels outrage that the space program would be expected to function on such restricted funding. Goldin states this kind of cut would "gut space exploration." With closures of NASA centers and significant layoffs, Mr. Goldin predicts this budget cut will affect employee morale. Mr. Goldin poignantly states, "Perhaps most sadly, we will lose the opportunity to inspire a future generation of children." (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/Goldin/2000/testimony) Goldin's issue is the reduction in his budget. In my experience with budgets, reduction of the budget means, Goldin and his team are going to have to cut costs. Reading between the lines of his argument, I presume the eleven-percent are costs he does not want to cut. It must be his beli... ...ronomers, or engineers to further our advancing future. We must concentrate on the educational funding of our nation. I perceive the National PTA to have a valid mission in the lives of our children and education. Instead of raising funds through the community, perhaps we can become political advocates and persuade our politicians to allocate necessary funds to our public education; instead of baking cupcakes. Cupcakes in hand, I head to my next PTA fundraiser. I realize cupcakes are not going to save the education system for the next year, just as they cannot save a space program. After all, we do care about the future of education for our children. We need to analyze our issues and decide how to go about trimming the state educational budget. NASA can live through the budget cuts without cupcakes and so can our educational system. But for now, cupcake, anyone?
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Economic Crisis Management in Hospitality and Tourism Industry
INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY, GURGAON Issues in International Hospitality and Tourism Management U 54082 Module leader: Ms. Bandana Rai Submission: ECONOMIC CRISIS IN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM INDUSTRY Submitted by: Pavitra Mehrotra Student Id: 010109029 Abstract In the recent scenario, hospitality and tourism sector has become an important part of daily life but which is now experiencing multiple challenges because of the global economic crisis.Besides tourism, many other industries are in a position to create affluence and economic development opportunities, which also considered difficult to develop. After a significant reduction in 2009, tourism industry boomed strongly in 2010 and 2011 the international tourist arrivals were predictable to increase considerably. As tourism is a steadily growing sector, and a more globally connected, which is already indulged with a maximum population, so in such environment it is often considered di fferent to think about Crisis Management. Related essay: Relationship Between Hospitality and Tourism Accompanying material: Advertising in Tourism IndustryBut this thing is often neglected and also mostly considered a task to be only thought upon when Crisis actually takes place. Purpose This research study is done to know how financial crisis occurs in tourism industry and how it can be overcome. So this research article named Economic Crisis in Hospitality and Tourism Industry will tell about the impact of economic crisis on this industry and the recommendation to overcome it. Methodology It was an attempt to determine the impact of Economic Crisis in Hospitality Industry, and its main objectives were: * To investigate negative effects of economic crisis in this industry. To investigate the possibilities and importance of preventive crisis management within corporate framework. * To recognize the importance of crisis planning and organizational measures. Keywords: hospitality, tourism, crisis, economic uncertainty, growth, and tourism market Paper Type: Research Paper Introduction The word â€Å"crisis†is derived from the Greek word â€Å"krisis†, which means differentiation. (Dirk, 2003). In legal terms, crisis was used to describe the differentiation i. e. eparation between actual and proposed situation. National economics was the first to use crisis for its operations. Their business administration started to look into the matter when the conditions were getting worse due to shortage of crude oil in 1970s. The company was unable to solve this oil shortage due to lack of situation management, so this laid the consequence of coping with crisis. Crisis Management, the term usually refers to change of tasks and procedures done when a crisis materialize.Different types of crisis management and correlating activities are categorized in regards to the process and differentiation between different phases. Crisis Management as a system refers to the group of people who are responsible for crisis management activities. Mainly middle and lower level e mployees and the external factors join with the upper management as essential part of crisis. Although crisis management has abided through various attempts of explanations and theories, but till now none of the standards have been found to overcome it.Crisis management should be implicit as a preparation to avoid uncertain damage or negative effects. Taking the process of crisis management into consideration, the prevention of actually surviving with the crisis is acknowledged. Therefore, both the activities of prevention and struggling should be comprehended to crisis management as should be apprehended as a comprehensive management problem. This part of crisis management is dependable on crisis terminology, both part of regular official planning are also independent from it. Literature ReviewAs quoted by Krystek and Schulten â€Å"Business administration predominantly terms crisis as a process that negatively influences the development of a company to a considerable extent†(Krystek, 1987; Schulten, 1995). According to this the crisis either endangers or makes the survival of the affected company impossible. In words of Burtscher, â€Å"†¦ a company should only be spoken of when the achievements of existential or dominant goals, which are decisive factors in the survival of the entire system, are seriously endangered. †(Burtscher 1996, p. 31).Another group of authors Sonmez, Bachmann and Allen in 1994 defined tourism crises in even more concrete terms as â€Å"†¦ any occurrence which can threaten the normal operations and conduct of tourism destination’s overall reputation for safety, attractiveness, and comfort by negatively affecting visitors’ perceptions of the destinations; and, in turn, cause downtown in the local travel and tourism economy, and interrupt the continuity of business operations for the local travel and tourism industry, by the reduction in tourist arrivals and expenditures. (Sonmez et. al. 1994, p. 22). Later after 2 years in 1996, Scheler defines crisis management as: â€Å"†¦. measures of all types which allow a business to cope with a suddenly occurring danger or risk situation in order to return as quickly as possible to normal business routine. †(Scherler, 1996, p. 17). Another author Weinberg and Konert in 1985 argued that ‘†¦subjectivity experienced through the product, the service, the contribution made to the consumer’s quality of life†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Weinberg and Konert, 1985, p. 85).Years later Haedrich in 1998, proved that in year 1991, ‘only 40. 6 percent of the companies interviewed were in a position to implement their planned competitive strategies unhindered by social demands. The onset of a negative event will increase this number even further. (Haedrich, 1998). Luhmann also quoted â€Å"†¦that risk assessment and the readiness for risk acceptance is not only a physiological but mainly a social problem. We behave as it is expected by the relevant reference groups or as we-whether in accordance with or against the opinion-are socialized’. Luhmann, 1991, p. 11). According to Romeo ‘if a high degree of object-specific involvement exists, it can be assumed due to the greater load and a strong discrimination effect in comparison to positive stimuli. (Romeo, 1991). Another author Krielkamp described risk as ‘the possible negative consequences of the consumer’s behavior as perceived by the consumer. Seen from this point of view, risk during the travel decision is the deviation that can exist between the expected and the final, subjectivity experienced tourism product.If this perceived risk exceeds a certain tolerance value, the consumer tried to reduce this risk using reductions techniques product than for a material product. (Krielkamp, 1998). According to Ritchie and Crouch, it is important for the tourist to know the dangers that exist in a destination in order to adjust their behavior and, secondly, to set these in relation to the usual danger at the location. (Ritchie and Crouch, 1997). Tschiderer’s defines the holiday location product as ‘a bundle of market services, which are made up of constant core part and a derived variable offer’.And the natural offer as a core service of the service bundle, ‘with a few exceptions, is the core of holiday tourism and, therefore, the deciding element of the services’. (Tschiderer’s, 1980) â€Å"ECONOMIC CRISIS IN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM INDUSTRY†Tourism has an important impact on economies, societies and cultures of countries. From boosting economic growth to improving the social fabric and material resourcing to improve living conditions, the tourism has started to act upon.It’s obvious that tourism contributes to economic and social process, but the strength of action differs remarkably from region to region depending upon the level of Obviously, tourism contribution to economic and social progress, the strength of its action differs significantly from country to country depending on its level of development and the regimen attended on them. As with the most industries hospitality and tourism sector is also experiencing number of challenges as a result of global economic crisis.The industry is feeling the impact of a reduction capital market and non-mandatory spending by both corporate and individual customers. Tourism has suffered a lot during the global economic crisis; there was a turn down of 4% of international tourist arrivals in 2009, and revenues from international tourism fell by 6% by 2009. Motivations of travel for 2011 have been to traditional tourist destinations (58%), while 28% wanted to discover new destinations. (Global Financial Crisis Bulletin, Protiviti, 2009) Based on existing forecasting, the quarterly increase in hotel RevPAR is not expected until the second the second quarter of 2010.Corporate travel which ac counts to 18% of airline revenue has also decreased consecutively as companies all around the world are getting determined to reduce costs. With partial expansion contingencies, many hotels and companies are looking forward to improve the capability of their sales and marketing expenditure and maintaining prevailing brand value so as to gain customer loyalty and market share. According to a new report of UNWTO â€Å"2011 International Tourism Results and Prospects for 2012†during the year 2011 tourist arrivals grew up by about 4% to a total of 980 million.As published in the report, in 2012 the same will continue to grow, at a slow pace most likely very close to one billion tourists. The increase in 2011 was 4. 4% (980 million in the year 2011, compared with 939 million in the year 2010). (Universitatea Danubius Galati, 2012) Tourism development during Global Economic Crisis Tourism industry in the recent decades has proved to be an important element in the economic growth. The increasing number of tourists, tourism business growth, but also being an area that is still a major employer in the labor market motivates positive development of the global Hospitality & Tourism sector.The involvement of tourism industry in global GDP is striking 9% with only slightly smaller than the banking sector representing 11%, but higher than the automotive industry that is 8. 8%. This figure is itself very impressing, but taking into consideration the global situation becomes even more valuable. The year 2011 was characterized by a deadlock in the global economy that seems to recover in a series of events leading to political instability in countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and natural disasters, also as in earthquakes in Japan.The global economic crisis of 2008-2009 had a momentous impact on international tourism industry, the most severe so far in the last decades. International tourist arrivals declined by 4% and international tourism receipts by 6%. In 2010, the sector rebounded strongly (international tourist arrivals grew by 7%) demonstrating the resilience of tourism demand. (http://www. unglobalpulse. org/projects/rivaf-research-economic-crisis-tourism -decline-and-its-impact-poor) The Impact of Economic Crisis on Tourism and Hospitality Worldwide:Businesses have reported a declination in sales of lodging, food service; events and other hospitality products and some have closed their doors forever. The declination has resulted not only from smaller number of customers in hotels, restaurants, conference and convention centers, etc. , but also from a momentous decline in the average expenditure per guest (Pizam, 2009) The decline in international tourism in 2009 was felt globally, but specifically affected destinations with a higher dependence on the European and US source markets.All world regions suffered a decline in international tourist arrivals with the exception of Africa. By income level, low-income countries have been less adversely affected by the global crisis and have recovered comparatively faster. Business tourism was more affected than other segments, but available information does not allow for a detailed impact analysis by a segment. Employment in tourism was less impacted and tended to recover quicker than in other economic sectors according to data on employment in hotels and restaurants (the available proxy used in there port to evaluate the impact of the crisis on tourism employment).The recession had caused serious problems for luxury hotels all around the world. However, many hotels in international markets, especially the ones catering to leisure travelers, were not as much of affected. The popularity and growth of the luxury hotel sector in recent years commend that a strong return may not be idealistic (Barsky, 2009). (UNWTO, 2010) More specifically: * Europe ended the year 2009 by 6% declination. Destinations in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe were predominantly poorly affe cted, as compared to the results in Western, Southern and Mediterranean Europe that were relatively better. Asia and the Pacific (? 2%) showed an unexpected rebound. The second half of 2009 measured a 3% growth, reflecting enhanced regional economic results and scenarios. * In the Americas (? 5%), the Caribbean returned to growth in the last four months of 2009. * The Middle East (? 6%), though far-far better from the growth levels of previous years, had a positive second half in 2009. * Africa (+5%) was a strong performer, with sub-Saharan destinations doing particularly well business. (Q Finance, 2012) Crisis Handling StrategiesThe further area of crisis management concerns with the application of basic courses of action for crisis handling. The basic aim of crisis handling strategy is the pressure of the developments of the effects caused by negative consequence of global economic crisis. The forms of a crisis handling strategy can be either of the two i. e. Offensive handling an d defensive handling. 1. Offensive handling strategy: The aim of an offensive handling strategy is to timely and systematically implement the measures that eradicate and contains the cause and the effects related to identifying the problem area.To make this handling strategy work the organization must be prepared, intended and independently, to accept all the parts of activities, particularly customers, stakeholders and the state, that something has not worked as anticipated. An essential part of the offensive handling strategy is the attempt to eradicate the causes of the problems. Despite large number of efforts, there will remain always some problem areas for which this is not possible; for example, natural disasters. In such cases, a long-term well thought-out offensive strategy can be used to agree to and capitalize on the event. Dirk, 2003) 2. Defensive handling strategy With a defensive handling strategy, it is taken in consideration without knowing the consequences and knowl edge of the circumstances, not to act upon them, but to wait to react in order to bring the situation under control. The aim is to elude the crisis as far as possible and not to strengthen the circumstances with an individual’s action. In practice, the defensive handling strategy can be often observed. This is certainly also affected by the verity that offensive handling strategy and information given come with unknown attention in the preliminary stage. The greater scope with regard to handling and structuring but also the sensibleness of voluntarily talking on social responsibility means that an offensive handling strategy has a lot going for it. If the crisis is understood in such terms, it offers the chance to develop the organization further and ensures the influence in the various spheres of activities. †(Dirk, 2003) Crisis Planning and Organizational measures Planning is defined as a constructive process that defines how the organization’s stakeholders wa nt to see a future process to be developed.Hence planning is the opposite of brain-storming, ad-hoc decisions that are dependent on chance. In the crisis process and implementation process, there are three discrete stages i. e. Generic Planning, Contingency Planning and Preventive Planning (WEU, 1995). 1. Generic Planning- it reclines planning basis for possible crisis situations. The aim is to identify fundamental requirements and potentials. In addition, the ensuring planning stages should be made simple and plans that speed up the process. The questions that are related to organization’s structure as well as to the workflow organization that are much influence and unwavering by it.Generic planning is followed by the predictable investigation of certain crisis synopsis. The basic aim is to work out and evaluate different privileges in order to keep them accessible as tactics of action. This outline of planning is also known as ‘alternative planning’ or emergenc y planning. 2. Contingency Planning- In brief, contingency planning for predictable events enables the organization to get a boost up start that fundamentally helps the company to be more reliable about their decisions in critical situations like under pressure.The planning process in terms of detailing is limited to economic and human necessities as on the well as within boundaries of imagination. So a lot of attention is required when it concerns with situations for which there is very short reaction time left. 3. Preventive Planning- Whenever a negative is prevailing on an organization, then preventive planning is used. Depending on the need with which the task should be completed, i. e. depending on the speed with which the crisis is increasing, this can only happen through the adaptation of various option plans.The aim of these option plans, which are made up on the outline of preventive planning, is the application and preparation of feasible solutions to the increasing crisis situation. For all planning actions of preventive planning, the findings and result of previous steps and also the contingency planning are used as an initial point of start. Although these rare results of the applied contingency are being used in this application, the use of the least part of the contingency plan considerably shortens the preventive planning process.It is important to think through crisis planning and organizational preparation in good times as it is to be implemented in reality. With its implementation, one of the essential factors for a successful crisis management is met (Mileti and Sorensen, 1987; Reilly, 1987) Conclusion In 2011, world tourism has emerged fully from the crisis, say experts unanimously. Trend of increasing profits and the number of tourists will continue over the next few years, and this year could be even set a new record for number of trips, reports World Travel Monitor Forum.As shown in the statistics world tourism industry activity increas es in importance. The main index, tourist arrivals, is increasing, and sales in 2011 of 4. 4% are significant. According to the WTO officials, tourism is very important in emerging economies, tourism affects the entire economy by reducing debt, trade deficit and creating jobs. Besides the critical economic dimension, tourism is very important socially and culturally, favoring communication between different cultures, it can have an influence on mentality and geopolitical developments worldwide. Bibliography * Barsky, J. 2009). Luxury Hotel and Recession: View from around the World. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. lhw. com/download_s/230. pdf. [Accessed 25 October 12] * Burtscher, J. G. (1996). Wertorientiertes Krisenmanagement, Diss. * Dirk Glaesser, 2003. Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry. Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann. * Haedrich, G. (1998a). Kommunikationspolitik. In Tourismus- Management (G. Haedrich et al. , eds) pp. 379-403, de Gruyter. * Krielkamp, E. (1998). Stra tegisches Planung in Tourismus, In Tourismus- Management (G. Haedrich et al. , eds) pp. 287-324, de Gruyter. Krystek, U. (1987). Unternehmungskrisen. Gabler. * Luhmann, N. (1991). Soziologie des Risikos. de Gruyter. * Pizam, A. (2009). The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on the Hospitality Industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 301 * Protiviti. 2009. Global Financial Crisis Bulletin. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. protiviti. in/en-US/Documents/Newsletters/Global-Financial-Crisis/FinCrisis_Bulletin061909. pdf. [Accessed 24 October 12]. * Rirchie, B. and Crouch, G. (1997). Quality, price and the tourism experience. In Quality Management in Tourism (AIEST, ed. Vol. 39, pp. 117-39, AIEST. * Romeo, J. (1991). The effect of negative information on the evaluations of brand extensions and the family brand. In Advances in Consumer Research, Proceedings, (R. Holman and M. Solomon, eds) Vol. 18, pp. 399-406. * Scherler, P. (1996). Management der Krisenkommuni kation. Helbig & Lichtenhahn. * Schulten, M. F. (1995). Die Erlebnis-gesselschaft. Campus Verlag. * Sonmez, S. F. , Backman, S. J. and Allen, L. R. (1994). Managing Tourism Crises. Clemson University. * Tourism and Hotels Industry | Market Analysis and Trends – QFINANCE. 2012.Tourism and Hotels Industry | Market Analysis and Trends – QFINANCE. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. qfinance. com/sector-profiles/tourism-and-hotels. [Accessed 28 October 2012]. * Tschiderer, F. (1980). Ferienortplanung. Paul Haupt Verlag. * Universitatea Danubius Galati. 2012. Acta Universitatis Danubius. A’conomica. [ONLINE] Available at: http://journals. univ-danubius. ro/index. php/oeconomica/article/view/1256. [Accessed 24 October 12]. * Weinberg, P. and Konert, F. -J. (1985). Vom Produkt zur Produktperson-lichkeit. Absatzwirtschaft, 2, 85-97. * World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 012. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. unwto. org/media/news/en/p ress_det. php? id=5361. [Accessed 25 October 2012]. Article Summary-1 Zahed Ghaderi and Ahmad Puad Mat Som (2012). Impacts of Global Economic Crisis on Tourism Business in Penang. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage. 5, pp. 08. Key Point-1 This article tells us about the impacts of recent economic crisis on tourism business in Penang (Malaysia). Tourism industry is always helpless to various crises and disasters, and its growth has been badly affected due to unpleasant situations.This paper was part of a research which has been conducted in Penang and uses qualitative research methodology. The level of impacts was different for industry and their businesses decreased for a certain period of time. It was found that the recent economic crisis formed many negative impacts for businesses in Penang and various strategies have been applied to lessen the negative effects. The paper also argues that the crisis had consequent effects and created many challenges for tourism industry. Key Point-2Recent economic and financial crises that affected tourism industry from 2007 through 2010 and further has thrown considerable attention on the role that crisis measures play in tourism. (Hall, 2010). The scope and size of impacts were so severe, that the World Tourism Organization estimated that international tourist arrivals fell by 4% in 2009, and many destinations in the world reported negative growth. As Penang is a mature tourist destination in Malaysia was also affected by recent global economic crises. Attracting many international leisure and business tourists gives threats and opportunities to this destination.Threats because these markets highly depend on global economic situations; and variation in the number of arrivals can create negative impacts for tourism industry. Comment and analysis The above study tells us that tourism industry in Penang was struck by global financial and economic crises. However they were not equal for different hospitality industrie s in Penang, although they approved that the crisis created many opportunities for their business. It is also important to note that although economic crises affected Penang as a tourist destination.Tourism business in Penang also looked at this crisis as an opportunity for organizational learning and they obtained valuable experiences on how to manage the difficult situations. They also believed that there is an immediate need to develop a tourism crisis management plan that integrates all tourism business in the State as the industry is very delicate to external factors. Article Summary-2 Carmen Babaita, Marilen Pirtea, Andreia Ispas (2010). Professional tourism – before and after economic crisis in the hotel industry from Timisoara, Romania. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics. , pp. 10 Key Point-1 This article demonstrates information on the concept of proficient tourism and its associated terms and how the global economic crisis has affected this valuable segmen t financially, particularly in tourism industry. The research was conducted in two periods: before and during the economic crisis and targeted 13 hotels of 3 and 4 stars from the hotel market in Timisoara. The study projected a series of related research regarding the tourism and services from the hospitality field, which was in the position of finding new ways to attract and retain business customers.Also according to authors Hotels surveyed in 2009-2010 except for a 4 Star Hotel said they were affected by the financial crisis. Key Point-2 According to the article, the competitive advantages for Romania as tourist destination were unusual destination markets; location in Central-Eastern Europe, the existence of large international hotel chains; knowledge of English by a large part of the young population; upcoming professional specialization of the Romanian companies with the opportunity to become trusted partners for any global organizations, also placed in Romania.Taking into acc ount the addition of the professional travel motivation in the definition of tourism and tourists, there were numerous clashes of opinion, having prevailed the opinion that professional tourism produces the same economic effects at the destination of the traveler or visitor as the recreational tourism; these effects can be: an increasing or a stimulating economic activity, an increased turnover of firms specialized in tourism benefits and an increased revenue from tourism balance. Comment and analysisAccording to the above study, it can be analyzed that the economic crisis had a major affect on the hotel market activity in Timisoara. The hotel management has always been in a position to find intellectual and resourceful solutions to attract customers, which are scarce and more demanding. Accommodation are still limited, their number is significantly lower to the accessible needs. Starting a project with European funds that include design, site plan of new hotels, even hotel chains, could be the key to improve job prospects, the number of events, business tourists coming to western markets.Article Summary-3 Protiviti: Risk and Business consulting. (2009, June). Impact of the Economic Crises on the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry. Publisher U. S Available from: http://www. protiviti. com/en-US/Documents/Newsletters/Global-Financial-Crisis/FinCrisis_Bulletin061909. pdf [Accessed: 17/09/12. ] Key Point-1 The current article discusses about the analysis of existing conditions faced by the hospitality, travel and leisure industry, along with a review of the significant issues the management should have concentrated as the economic rises continues to run its run as an economic recovery begins. According to the article the financial crises has impacted both domestic and the domestic i. e. U. S market as well international travel market. The occupancy ratio of domestic travelers to international travelers is approximately 4:1 (83 percent v/s 17 percent). In r esponse many hotels have reduced number of guests, which is one of the largest expenses at both the hotel and corporate levels. Key Point-2With limited expansion opportunities, many hotels and companies are looking to improve the effectiveness opportunities, many hotels and companies are looking to improve the effectiveness of their sales and marketing spend and maintain existing brand value to gain customer loyalty and increase market share. Their strategies include print and online advertising, and marketing directly to national groups that initially have arranged events at their properties. As in other industries, cost management and controls spend have become important areas of focus for owners and operators.Centralizing or outsourcing business processes (e. g. , payroll, accounts payable) is among numerous strategic initiatives hospitality management is undertaking. Comment and analysis Based on the article it can be concluded that companies are using different strategies to ma intain themselves during the global economic crises. For firms in hospitality and tourism industry, it is important for management to maintain customer expectations, manage to maintain customer expectations, manage costs, optimize cash flows and working capital, and maintain debt obligations.Additionally, many in the industry are using the current economic crisis as an opportunity to gain market share. Through increased marketing and advertising initiatives, companies are striving to maintain existing customers while also positioning themselves to be top-of-mind for industry consumers once the economy begins to recover. Summary-4 Crises Management in Hospitality Industry: Case of Croatia Cizmar, Sanja: Vlahov, Antonio. An Enterprises Odeyssey. International Conference Proceeings: 1576-15-89, 4, 20. Zagreb: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business. (May 26-May 29, 2010)Key Point-1 This article tells us about the 2009 economic on the hospitality in Croatia. It tells tha t a strategic approach to the crisis management in the hospitality industry both on government and private level sectors. On government level, the article examines the overall process of dealing with the crises as well as pre-crises planning. The research findings tell that the Croatian government, got failed in the pre-crises management but in tourism sector it handled the crises in a very effective way, thus assuring the country tourism results in the year of global economic crises.A survey done in on a small fraction of Hospitality companies in Croatia, revealed that top level managers understood the importance of crises management measures and also they were regular in their implementation. The authors also concluded that global economic crises cannot be stopped but, the impact on hotel industry can be limited both by private organizations and public sectors. Key Point-2 In 2009, world economy has faced a rare crisis, activating severe recession that critically affected tourism industry.In Croatia two percent drop of overall tourist arrival, and one percent increase of overall overnights has been recorded in 2009 in comparison to 2008. The drop in tourism receipts of Croatia has been much stronger than the drop in the arrivals, and is expected to reach 15. 5% compared to next year. A typology of crises, which is important for further discussion in the paper, is based on the types of domains or origins or causes of the crises. Complexity of the crises’ origins affects that lifecycle and duration of the crises, thus impacting its intensity and impacts to organizations. Since tourism industry is very ulnerable to different crisis, the scope of crises impacts in tourism is multilevel. Out of all 24 crises management measures, 14 measures have significant correlation between managers have significant correlation between managers’ perception of importance and its usage. Four measures belong to group ‘operation, investment, and environmentâ₠¬â„¢ and three measures to group ‘human resources’. Comments & Analysis This article analysis’s the way of coping with the economic crisis on government and company managerial level in the hospitality industry of Croatia, with regards to 2009 economic crisis.In deep economic crisis as it was in 2009, which has had a significant impact on the hospitality industry market and financial position, only synchronized actions of government and companies’ management may generate positive results in crisis prevention and especially in a phase of coping with the crisis. Empirical survey shows that top managers of Croatian hospitality companies’ management may generate positive results in crisis prevention and especially in a phase of coping with crisis.The survey should be done on the same sample of hospitality companies in order to reveal which company has succeeded to recover operational performance in a shorter period. Parallel, the research should aim to r eveal which group of crisis management measures generates the fastest recovery of companies operating performance in a post crisis period. Article Summary-5 Carmen Babaita, Marilen Pirtea, Andreia Ispas (2010). Professional tourism – before and after economic crisis in the hotel industry from Timisoara, Romania. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics. 7, pp. 10Key Point-1 This article demonstrates information on the concept of proficient tourism and its associated terms and how the global economic crisis has affected this valuable segment financially, particularly in tourism industry. The research was conducted in two periods: before and during the economic crisis and targeted 13 hotels of 3 and 4 stars from the hotel market in Timisoara. The study projected a series of related research regarding the tourism and services from the hospitality field, which was in the position of finding new ways to attract and retain business customers.Also according to authors Hotels sur veyed in 2009-2010 except for a 4 Star Hotel said they were affected by the financial crisis. Key Point-2 According to the article, the competitive advantages for Romania as tourist destination were unusual destination markets; location in Central-Eastern Europe, the existence of large international hotel chains; knowledge of English by a large part of the young population; upcoming professional specialization of the Romanian companies with the opportunity to become trusted partners for any global organizations, also placed in Romania.Taking into account the addition of the professional travel motivation in the definition of tourism and tourists, there were numerous clashes of opinion, having prevailed the opinion that professional tourism produces the same economic effects at the destination of the traveler or visitor as the recreational tourism; these effects can be: an increasing or a stimulating economic activity, an increased turnover of firms specialized in tourism benefits an d an increased revenue from tourism balance. Comment and analysisAccording to the above study, it can be analyzed that the economic crisis had a major affect on the hotel market activity in Timisoara. The hotel management has always been in a position to find intellectual and resourceful solutions to attract customers, which are scarce and more demanding. Accommodation are still limited, their number is significantly lower to the accessible needs. Starting a project with European funds that include design, site plan of new hotels, even hotel chains, could be the key to improve job prospects, the number of events, business tourists coming to western markets.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Excoriating and Coruscating
Excoriating and Coruscating Excoriating and Coruscating Excoriating and Coruscating By Maeve Maddox Both excoriating and coruscating are verb forms used as adjectives. Excoriating is a hideous word. At least, its meaning is: excoriate (transitive verb): to pull off the skin or hide from (a man or beast) The word retains this literal meaning in the context of pathology to refer to the removal of skin by cutting, abrasion, or corrosion: Gastric secretions leaking around the gastrostomy can result in skin excoriation. Excoriate can also mean to strip bark from a branch or other part of a plant: A tree which does not fructify is often rendered fertile by an excoriation near its root. In general usage, excoriate is frequently used figuratively to mean, â€Å"to upbraid scathingly, decry, revile†: Feinstein excoriates CIA for spying on Senate committee Kerry excoriates Assad regime for ‘inexcusable’ chemical strike Coruscating, on the other hand, is a pretty word: coruscate (intransitive verb): to give forth intermittent or vibratory flashes of light; to shine with a quivering light; to sparkle, glitter, flash. From the Latin verb coruscare, â€Å"to vibrate, glitter, sparkle, gleam,†coruscate and its forms (often misspelled with two r’s) are used to describe lighting effects: now, when the ground was white with snow, and the forest trees covered with ice, and sparkling and corruscating [sic] in the rays of the sun, Nettie would shout with delight below, by the creek, a corruscating [sic] tendril of smoke drifted up through the trees. Figuratively, coruscating describes a lively witty writing style, the kind demonstrated by Oscar Wilde in The Importance of Being Earnest, a play devoid of malice. Ambrose Bierce and H.L. Mencken, on the other hand, made use of a lively, quick-witted coruscating style to excoriate the people and institutions they despised. For this reason the pretty word coruscating and the ugly word excoriating have collided like chocolate and peanut butter in a Reese’s candy ad. A few journalists seem to understand the meaning of coruscating, but a great many use it as if it meant excoriating: Michael Moore’s coruscating attack on the gun culture, Bowling for Columbine. [Julia Gillard] launched a coruscating attack in parliament on opposition leader Tony Abbott Iain Macwhirter launches coruscating attack on Alex Salmond and Rupert Murdoch Betsy Andreu, the wife of Lance Armstrongs former team-mate Frankie, who played a key part in exposing the Texan as a drug cheat, has launched a coruscating attack on the disgraced cyclist. Because of the confused idea that coruscating has something to do with negative comments, the word is frequently paired with review, critique and criticism: The Australian literary critic Clive James manages to produce coruscating reviews like his brutal attack on Dan â€Å"Da Vinci†Brown’s novel Inferno. But the most coruscating criticism came from Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romana, two of the widows of the Munich Eleven Wow, a coruscating criticism of Sonys PS4 Another possible reason for the frequent misuse and misspelling of coruscate could be that speakers associate it with the meaning and spelling of corrosion. In the interest of saving coruscating to mean sparkling, the next time you want to characterize a verbal attack as extremely scathing, use excoriating. When you do have occasion to use coruscating, remember to spell it with one r. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?One Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Hyphenation in Compound Nouns
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Impact of Pornography on Children and Youth Essay Example
The Impact of Pornography on Children and Youth Essay Example The Impact of Pornography on Children and Youth Essay The Impact of Pornography on Children and Youth Essay Persuasive Essay Kurtis Olson Per. 1b 2/6/11 Pornography is a word that is brought up as bad for kids to watch. Kids are most likely exposed to it at a young age. The largest group of viewers of Internet porn is children between ages 12 and 17 â€Å"Family Safe Media, December 15, 2005. †Kids will want to see it and try it. We need to have stricter pornography sites on the internet. Entering a birth date isn’t enough clarification, it’s easy to lie. The identification number you see on an identification card or driver’s license should be used to go along with clarifying your age online for anything that requires a mature audience. Kids may think that they could steal their parent’s license but all pornography sites should have a small fee so their parents would know if they made a charge with their credit card. Teens are mostly lazy so an average teen or child wouldn’t go through all that work. Any parent who looks at their bill will penalize the child in someway. Kids won’t be exposed to sex at such a young age, or making sacrifices to watch pornography. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the western industrialized world. More than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school. Billions of dollars are spent taking care of teenage mothers and their children and they are more likely to be in the poverty bracket. Teenager pregnancies are dropping; it is still a constant problem as there are more and more kids who enter their teenager years each year. It’s not always the parents fault when kids are looking at porn. Parents may work two jobs, have to cook, help with homework. With this economy parents aren’t always home. Parents could also have a schooling type of their own. With America being so much in debt and destroying the economy it’s almost impossible for two parents or especially a single parent to be watching every move their kid makes at all hours. Charging for pornography will reduce how much kids will watch. At the same time it will boost the economy and possibly make more jobs. Some say exploiting sex for money isn’t right but I guess people have to make do in life. So the next time you think about watching porn for free, leave it alone and wait till you’re older to do it. Unless you actually realize that watching it is pointless and unproductive in any way. When you have kids always watch them and what they’re doing as much as possible.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Aluminum vs Aluminium Element Names
Aluminum vs Aluminium Element Names Aluminum and aluminium are two names for element 13 on the periodic table. In both cases, the element symbol is Al, although Americans and Canadians spell and pronounce the name aluminum, while the British (and most of the rest of the world) use the spelling and pronunciation of aluminium. Origin of Two Names The origin of the two names may be attributable to elements discoverer, Sir Humphry Davy, Websters Dictionary, or the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). In 1808, Sir Humphry Davy identified the existence of the metal in alum, which he at first named alumium and later aluminum. Davy proposed the name aluminum when referring to the element in his 1812 book Elements of Chemical Philosophy, despite his previous use of alumium. The official name aluminium was adopted to conform with the -ium names of most other elements. The 1828 Websters Dictionary used the aluminum spelling, which it maintained in later editions. In 1925, the American Chemical Society (ACS) decided to go from aluminium back to the original aluminum, putting the United States in the aluminum group. In recent years, the IUPAC had identified aluminium as the proper spelling, but it didnt catch on in North America, since the ACS used aluminum. The IUPAC periodic table presently lists both spellings and says both words are perfectly acceptable. History of the Element Guyton de Morveau (1761) called alum, a base which had been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, by the name alumine. Davy identified the existence of aluminum, but he didnt isolate the element. Friedrich Wà ¶hler isolated aluminum in 1827 by mixing anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium. Actually, though, the metal was produced two years earlier, though in impure form, by the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted. Depending on your source, the discovery of aluminum is credited to either Ørsted or Wà ¶hler. The person who discovers an element gets the privilege of naming it; however, with this element, the identity of the discoverer is as disputed as the name. Correct Spelling The IUPAC has determined either spelling is correct and acceptable. However, the accepted spelling in North America is aluminum, while the accepted spelling just about everywhere else is aluminium.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
For or against the concept of fate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
For or against the concept of fate - Essay Example Fate is considered to be an event or a course of events which are bound to happen no matter what choice of action an individual makes (Strandberg). For example if a person is born in a poor family, it is his/her fate. There was absolutely no control of man over this event. On the other hand there is choice, which means that events that take place due to an individual’s choice of actions. There are several schools of thought which explain the influence of choice and fate in one’s life. The first school of thought suggests that there is no such thing as fate which has an influence of human life. All events that take place in one’s life and in the universe are governed by the actions of individuals themselves. If an individual takes correct decisions, he/she will have complete control over the results. If bad decisions are made, one cannot blame fate or coincidence for his/her failures. Psychologists have identified that people always tend to escape from their failures believing that they had no control over the events in their lives. Fate is seen as a physiological defense system which enables man to neutralize the pain of failure. (Is there something called destiny?) The second school of thought explains that not all the events in life are in control of human beings. There are various such instances where the situation might not be in the hands of an individual. The logic behind this theory is that as soon as an individual has taken a decision, he/she becomes bound to the laws of the nature (Is there something called destiny?). For example, if a couple wants to have a family or not, it is their choice, but if they do, then the baby will be a boy or a girl will be determined by the nature rather than the couple itself. Therefore, there are several alternate decisions that individuals might have, but once they have taken the decision, their
Friday, October 18, 2019
Experiences with People of Other Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Experiences with People of Other Cultures - Essay Example I have traveled to different parts of the globe because I want to experience as many cultures as I possibly can. I believe that we can all learn from other cultures because everyone has different values and beliefs. Learning about someone else’s culture not only develops my understanding for their culture, but it also helps to develop my own. This is because I can use another culture and compare it to my own, thus critically examining all the strengths and weaknesses of it. My experiences with other cultures will help me to work with a diverse student population because I already feel comfortable working with students from different cultural backgrounds. I believe that every student should be treated fairly and not discriminated against because of their culture or race, which is something that they have no control over whatsoever. Promoting equality among students also helps to improve the overall learning environment in the classroom because it gives students of minority ethnic groups the chance to thrive. I understand that some people feel uncomfortable learning alongside students of other cultures, but it will be my responsibility to promote fairness and understanding among all students. This way, they will learn to respect each other no matter where they come from. One useful idea is to allow one student of each culture in the class to have a turn each week standing in front of the class and teaching the rest of the students about their own culture. This will break down cultural barriers.
The Role of Computers in Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
The Role of Computers in Childhood - Essay Example The possible negative impacts of computer on each component discussed also have been stated. A general recommendation for the optimization of the impact of computer on each factor has also been added. The essay has been concluded by stating the steps required in further research in the field and it also puts forward the suggestions so as the maximise the boons of computers on childhood while minimising the banes. Every realms of every day routine are increasingly getting affected by the innovations of computer technology. The interaction between the man and the machine, the role of automated commands in facilitating and regulating the professional and personal routines of the day, all has since last few decades turned to be an inevitable reality. Let it be the field of education, science or communication, computers is becoming an integral factor in facilitating the easiness of approach to any utility. The macro and micro level of utilities of computers and its applications has in a broader level made life easier. The equity and improvisation in the access to knowledge as provided by the use of computers have made many of the opportunities of the modern world more sociable. Commerce, Banking, Politics, Media, Industry, Education and the list of facilitated fields in the world by the ever improvising innovation involving computers and its applications are envisaged to increase in the days to c ome. The role of computers and related technology on today’s children and childhood has had interesting developments in the recent years. The parental society of today while envisaging the hilarious impact that computers are going to have over the world in the future, are encouraging the access of the children of today to computers and its numerous applications. The society in that context is of the general view that for children to involve in this new and different world socially, economically, and politically they must acquire a
What is strategic human resource management and what is HR's role in Essay
What is strategic human resource management and what is HR's role in strategic management planning process - Essay Example Strategic HRM even includes the process of making strategy related choices and the development of priorities of different strategies. In basic terms, Strategic HRM revolves around the amalgamation of the strategy of both the company and the human resources so that HR strategies result in the attainment and implementation of the company’s strategy. It is more commonly practiced that the human resources department plays a major role in the implementation of the strategic plan. On the other hand some organization do consider HR’s role as an important one in the development of the strategic plan. While devising a strategic plan an organization needs to perform an internal assessment in various areas of the organization including the human resource aspect of the organization. The organization even performs an external assessment in relation to human resource management. While performing an external assessment an organization needs to focus on whether there are opportunities and threats related to human resources (Bernardin 116). For example: an external analysis may reveal that there is a threat to the organization because of shortage of laborers who can work on process of manufacturing denim clothes. The external assessment may even help in identifying opportunities such as an increase in number employees being laid off an d these employees have the ability to handle denim manufacturing processes. After conducting the external assessment, the organization turns to conducting an internal assessment in the context of human resources. For example: a denim manufacturing organization identifies that there is an increase in demand for denim. In relation to that opportunity the organization may conduct an internal assessment regarding whether the organization has the required human resources who are capable of handling denim manufacturing processes such as sewing. If
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Culture, orruption and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Culture, orruption and Development - Essay Example Culture can be judged by means of religion, lifestyle, literature, music, foods, arts, and architecture, language, fashions, behaviors, rituals, and symbols employed by individuals of a society (Tyler 1974). The culture is shifted from generation to the other generation and keeps on changing (Kroeber and Kluckhohn 1952). The topic, which interests me the most, is the association of culture to the development of society and individuals of a society. Culture is an important part of our lives, which is responsible for shaping our personalities (Dabaghian 1970). It enables us to develop into the individuals as we are. People from different cultures are different because of the different social values that are there because of culture (Tyler 1974). With the help of culture, the development in a society can be judged. With the passage of time, the culture of a society goes through various transactions that are the outcome of change in cultural values because of many reasons (Dabaghian 1970). The reasons that can bring in a change in a culture are an invasion of a country, the impact of global linkage, colonialism and many others (Dabaghian 1970). The change is not necessarily good. The change brought by the intrusion of another culture keeps the ability to annihilate the cultural values of a particular culture or one culture can be amalgamated in another culture and can come out in form of a new culture (Agbaje 1996). While helping a nation in order to develop in terms of technology and advancement, it must be assured that the cultural values of a society are not corrupted because of the technologies (Agbaje 1996). The culture should be retained as such in order to be different or unique.Â
Critical Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Critical Writing - Essay Example programs coordinator at the graduate center in New York and commendably contributed to the success of Luso-Brazilian and Hispanic Literatures in the university. She has conducted several studies to investigate how foreign students are affected by the American education system, predominantly the challenge of coping up with a new educational culture and language. The authors pinpoint that bilingual education started receiving widespread support in the USA in late 1960s. The upsurge in number of students coming from Puerto Rico and Mexico and the wave of civil rights movement instigated the government to provide additional funding for educational programs to facilitate knowledge acquisition through English. Several acts such as ESEA (elementary and secondary education act) were formulated and implemented to force government and institutions to prepare bilingual teachers who will aid in the facilitating success of the educational programs (Bartlett & GarciÌ a, 2007). In 1974, the Bilingual Education Act constricted the goal of bilingual education to Transitional Bilingual Education where students received thorough instructions through English, implying that not only limited English speakers were to learn the language but the entire student fraternity. However, for the first 3 years, content was delivered in English as students prepared to start sedate English classes. In 1990, Americans started disapproving the use of educational resources to teach in other languages other English. Americans perceived phonological proficiency in English as an emblem of unity and fidelity to the state, and started demanding that immigrants drop their native languages and espouse into the American community by learning English. The high rate of Latino drop outs and their failure to be intellectually competitive was blamed on bilingual education, further arguing that it led to discrimination of English learners within schools. Currently,
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
What is strategic human resource management and what is HR's role in Essay
What is strategic human resource management and what is HR's role in strategic management planning process - Essay Example Strategic HRM even includes the process of making strategy related choices and the development of priorities of different strategies. In basic terms, Strategic HRM revolves around the amalgamation of the strategy of both the company and the human resources so that HR strategies result in the attainment and implementation of the company’s strategy. It is more commonly practiced that the human resources department plays a major role in the implementation of the strategic plan. On the other hand some organization do consider HR’s role as an important one in the development of the strategic plan. While devising a strategic plan an organization needs to perform an internal assessment in various areas of the organization including the human resource aspect of the organization. The organization even performs an external assessment in relation to human resource management. While performing an external assessment an organization needs to focus on whether there are opportunities and threats related to human resources (Bernardin 116). For example: an external analysis may reveal that there is a threat to the organization because of shortage of laborers who can work on process of manufacturing denim clothes. The external assessment may even help in identifying opportunities such as an increase in number employees being laid off an d these employees have the ability to handle denim manufacturing processes. After conducting the external assessment, the organization turns to conducting an internal assessment in the context of human resources. For example: a denim manufacturing organization identifies that there is an increase in demand for denim. In relation to that opportunity the organization may conduct an internal assessment regarding whether the organization has the required human resources who are capable of handling denim manufacturing processes such as sewing. If
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Critical Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Critical Writing - Essay Example programs coordinator at the graduate center in New York and commendably contributed to the success of Luso-Brazilian and Hispanic Literatures in the university. She has conducted several studies to investigate how foreign students are affected by the American education system, predominantly the challenge of coping up with a new educational culture and language. The authors pinpoint that bilingual education started receiving widespread support in the USA in late 1960s. The upsurge in number of students coming from Puerto Rico and Mexico and the wave of civil rights movement instigated the government to provide additional funding for educational programs to facilitate knowledge acquisition through English. Several acts such as ESEA (elementary and secondary education act) were formulated and implemented to force government and institutions to prepare bilingual teachers who will aid in the facilitating success of the educational programs (Bartlett & GarciÌ a, 2007). In 1974, the Bilingual Education Act constricted the goal of bilingual education to Transitional Bilingual Education where students received thorough instructions through English, implying that not only limited English speakers were to learn the language but the entire student fraternity. However, for the first 3 years, content was delivered in English as students prepared to start sedate English classes. In 1990, Americans started disapproving the use of educational resources to teach in other languages other English. Americans perceived phonological proficiency in English as an emblem of unity and fidelity to the state, and started demanding that immigrants drop their native languages and espouse into the American community by learning English. The high rate of Latino drop outs and their failure to be intellectually competitive was blamed on bilingual education, further arguing that it led to discrimination of English learners within schools. Currently,
The Motion Picture Association of America Essay Example for Free
The Motion Picture Association of America Essay American Psycho, A Clockwork Orange, Boys Don’t Cry, and Clerks. What do all these movies have in common? They were all rated NC-17 at first viewing. The reason why they were rated as such is the real issue. They were rated NC-17 for the sexual content, either shown or talked about. The way in which it was presented in these movies made the MPAA give it an NC-17 rating. The MPAA found it offensive and inappropriate. The violence, some of it quite gruesome, was seen as less offensive and inappropriate according to the MPAA. Despite their best efforts in trying to protect children and what they’re subjected to, the MPAA is utterly useless. The internet provides easy access to pornography and other sexual content by the click of a mouse. The boundaries made by the MPAA in regards to sexual content are unclear most of the time and the rating is inconsistent and gender biased. The MPAA has worn out its usefulness and should be entirely eliminated and replaced with a more democratic, fair and open rating system. A rating system for film has been around for quite a while. Since 1926, the film industry has been rated in some manner. Back in 1926, much more was banned sexually and in terms of violence. â€Å"For almost 40 years the US film industry was governed by the Motion Picture Production Code, which banned nudity, drug use, religious ridicule, disrespect for the law and other depictions in film that would have the effect of lowering society’s moral standards†( Feiser, np). Many movies back them were quite subtle compared to today’s day and age. Many filmmakers didn’t get adventuress and stayed well within the parameters of the rules because our society was more modest and pure. There was a much harsher strain on sexuality. Romantic scenes were heavily scrutinized to uphold ‘the sanctity of the institution of marriage’ and ‘excessive and lustful kissing, lustful embraces, suggestive postures and gestures, are not to be shown’†(Feiser, np). Filmmakers had no option, they needed to comply with the code or their film would not be released. When the times changed, the rules needed to as well. â€Å"In 1966 the standards of the production code were relaxed, and two years later it was replaced with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) film rating system, which, in modified form, we follow today†(Fesier, np). However, with this rating sysyem, filmmakers have the option to not follow the guidelines set in place. â€Å"Filmmakers can opt out by not submitting their films for rating and accept an NR (not rated) designation. But by taking NR rating, a film will have less theatrical distribution and will attract fewer viewers to movie houses. Thus, for mainstream films, participation in the rating system is a practical necessity†(Fesier, np). Many filmmakers are stuck when it comes to getting their movie rated because the MPAA is the only company out there that rates films so what they say goes. Even though filmmakers can make their films NR, the film won’t get any publicity and will most likely fail. All filmmakers can do is hope for the best when they submit their film for rating. No filmmaker wants to receive an NC-17 rating because it would require severe editing and cutting of the film. Every filmmaker knows that sex is the only thing that will drastically effect a rating but the rules and guidelines of what sexual things are and aren’t allowed have never been stated by the MPAA and often times, it is shocking what is allowed in one film and not another. Let’s first discuss the issue of masturbation in films. For example, Kevin Smith’s film Jersey Girl, released in 2004, was made by Kevin Smith for his daughter. It’s about one man’s struggle to be a single father after his wife dies in childbirth. The movie contains no nudity or sex scene. When Kevin Smith gave it to the MPAA for rating, Kevin Smith said â€Å"The MPAA gave Jersey Girl an R rating for a scene where Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck’s characters discuss masturbation in a diner†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith, who disagreed with the film’s rating, talked to the head of the MPAA and her response was â€Å"It’s uncomfortable to think of my 16 year old daughter listening to this†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith then said in response, â€Å"Do you really think your daughter hasn’t masturbated? †(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kevin Smith’s response, although quite brave, brings up quite a valid point. Masturbation is a natural part of life but the MPAA don’t want kids knowing about it. The MPAA is incredibly gender biased when it comes to rating a film that includes physically showing masturbation. For example, in the film But I’m a Cheerleader, in its original viewing, it received an NC-17 rating. The director Jamie Babbit said that â€Å"The MPAA told me that in order to get an R rating, I would have to cut a scene where one of the girls is touching herself fully clothed†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The director, furious, then makes a great comparison when she uses the example of American Pie. Jamie Babbit says â€Å"In American Pie, Jason Bigg’s character masturbates in an apple pie not fully clothed and yet that only received an R rating†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). A scene much more vulgar and inappropriate receives an R rating because it’s a male and not a female that does the masturbating. A girl fully clothed rubbing herself or a male, with his pants down, masturbating in an apple pie. It’s almost as if the MPAA views guys masturbating as inappropriate but natural but a female masturbating is unnatural and worse. That is insulting to women and angering as a film watcher. The MPAA is also quite harsh in their issue of physical sex between two people and sex scenes in movies. There are many perfect examples of movies being rated harshly, including NC-17 simply for sexual content over extreme violence like blood and gore, and mutilation. One example is when Marry Harron, the director of American Psycho, sent her movie to the MPAA for a rating. She asked the MPAA why it was rated as such and she paraphrases, saying â€Å"It was rated NC-17 but not for a scene of brutal mass murder with a chainsaw. No brutal murder scene was the issue; the issue was a rear entry three way sex scene†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). One scene determined this movie’s harsh rating. One sex scene was enough to overlook several scenes of brutal mass murder. This is just one of many movies that have gotten an NC-17 for one sex scene and not for anything else. For example, Blue Valentine was rated â€Å"NC-17 for a scene of explicit sexual content†(Berkeley Library, np). Crash, as well, was given an NC-17 rating for â€Å"numerous explicit sex scenes (Berkeley Library, np). Even This Film Is Not Yet Rated was given an NC-17 rating due to â€Å"some graphic sexual content†(Berkeley Library, np). Maria Bello is an actress that was in The Cooler, which is another movie rated NC-17, this time because of Maria Bello’s pubic hair being shown in the sex scene. She gives her opinion in This Film Is Not Yet Rated when she says â€Å"I’ve always been such a fan of the way European filmmakers in the way they view sexuality which is real people and real bodies and it’s a way of life and human nature†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). She goes on to say that â€Å"We’ve desexualized sex because we’ve taken it out of being a day to day function. We’ve desexualized because we’re afraid of it†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). David Anser, a film critic for Newsweek says that â€Å"Europe has always found America odd in sexual matters†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Finally, Allison Anders, a director, says that the US has become so strict in their policies of sex that it’s become a â€Å"denial of women pleasure, but of pleasure in general†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Despite all of what is said, there are people who believe that movie censorship is a good thing. Jack Valenti, founder of the MPAA, has had to defend the MPAA and his opinion on censorship for years. He sent an article to the LA Times where he discusses why things are the way they are and why the MPAA is in fact successful. In the article, he states that â€Å"For the last 15 years, more than 70% of parents with children under 13 find the system to be Very Useful to Fairly Useful in helping them guide their childrens movie going†( Valenti, np). He then mentions that the 2006 poll showed that â€Å"an increase in approval by parents with children under 13 to 80%. Those who said the rating system was Very Useful rose 10% higher than last year. This latest poll underscores my central theme that parents, for whom the system was designed, are highly approving of what it does they trust it†(Valenti, np). First of all, parents with children under 13 years of age are infected by the higher ratings because they can’t even be allowed into a PG-13 movie without a parent. The high ratings are the ones that affect ages 15-18. He should poll those parents and see how many parents agree with the R to NC-17 rating, or even the PG-13 to R rating. Secondly, Matt Stone, co creator of South Park states that â€Å"Valenti brings up these statistics that say that 70% of parents find the ratings useful. I always felt like that was because they’re the only game in town. As compared to nothing at all, they probably are useful†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Having no ratings board at all would be chaos. There needs to be a ratings board, there is no doubt about that. Having nothing at all would is not acceptable but since the MPAA is the only rating board that rates movies, they should be fair in their ratings as well as listen to directors arguments and try their best to accommodate. The MPAA refuses to ever change their minds or hear what anyone has to say. It’s their way or the highway. Unfortunately, the MPAA is not the end all be all in censorship. The internet, although a great tool, has little to no censorship and someone can find just about anything on the internet. As John Waters put it â€Å"All teenagers, because of the internet, have seen more hard core pornography then their parents have seen. They’ve seen the most hideous things you can find on the internet and they’ve all seen it. All kids have searched and gone deep into web porn sites†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Although film is a huge media outlet, kids aren’t seeing any less hideous things just because they’re not allowed to see this movie or an inappropriate sex scene was cut out of a movie. According to Internet Pornography Statistics, â€Å"The average age of a child’s first exposure to pornography is 11. A total of 90 percent of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography online†(Ropelato, np). Another striking statistic is â€Å"15-17 year olds having multiple hard-core exposures is 80% and 8-16 year olds having viewed porn online is 90% (most while doing homework)†(Ropelato, np). Unfortunately, kids have so many options when it comes to pornographic sites. â€Å"There are 4. 2 million (12% of total websites) pornographic websites and 420 million pornographic pages†(Ropelato, np). By censoring or harshly rating films based on sexual content, all the MPAA is doing is forcing kids to go online to find pornographic material and as proven, it is as easy as the click of the mouse. â€Å"Encino, California inside the headquarters of the Motion Pictures Association of America, an anonymous group of parents gather to rate film G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17. But the MPAA won’t let anyone inside to see who these people are or how they make their decisions and among their most controversial decisions are the movies they rate NC-17†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The MPAA has been anonymous and their members have been unknown since the MPAA’s inception. This has come under much scrutiny with filmmakers and film producers because they believe they have a right to know who these people are that rate their films. There are many opinions as to why the MPAA members are unknown and one opinion is by Kimberly Pierce, director of Boys Don’t Cry. She says â€Å"You’re dealing with a very powerful, cultural censorship group that doesn’t want to be disempowered. If you made those names public, you might disempower them†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Kirby Dick, the director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated asks John Lewis, author of Hollywood v. Hardcore â€Å"Is there any other review board in this country that you can think of in any industry besides the C. I. A. that is secret that operates in secrecy. †John Lewis’s simple is a simple but powerful â€Å"No. †The MPAA is the only other association besides the C. I. A. hat operates in secrecy. There is something seriously wrong with that picture. All the MPAA does is rate movies, the C. I. A. helps keep our country from being destroyed. The C. I. A. risks their lives every day to protect us and MPAA members sit in a dark room and rate movies. There is no good reason why the MPAA should be secretive. Naturally, Jack Valenti had something to say as to the reason why board members names are unknown. He told the L. A. Times â€Å"First, the Motion Picture Assn. f America withholds the names of the rating board members so they wont be harassed by disgruntled producers. Grand jury members names are withheld; so are criminal jury members, all for the same reasons. Theres nothing sinister about this. We convey to the press, upon request, a brief biography of each rater. We could make public their names, but if we did, how would that advance the quality of the ratings? †(Valenti, np). What Valenti doesn’t realize is that he has more disgruntled producers because the member’s names are unknown. Producers have the right to know who rated their movie. Kirby Dick said it best when he told Joan Graves â€Å"It seems like the raters who you are trying to protect from influence actually are in direct contact with the people who can influence them, the senior rater’s especially†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). The senior raters would, in all likelihood, have a huge impact in what rating a movie gets and the other raters would be more inclined to agree and give it the same rating as the senior rater did. This is probably due to the fact that the raters have the opinion that the senior raters would know more knowledge of ratings and have more experience so therefore their rating must be the best rating for the film. Senior raters wouldn’t be the only ones that would influence raters, other raters as well would be able to convince another rater to give a rating. Even though Valenti tried to avoid influence, influence is still a big factor in the MPAA. Valenti also told the L. A. Times about the guidelines required to be an MPAA rater. He told the L. A. Times that â€Å"They are parents, who see a film through the eyes of a parent. We have three senior raters who give historical knowledge to the system, have administrative duties and whose children, young when they started, are now over 17. The rest have younger children†(Valenti, np). Kirby Dick, director of This Film Is Not Yet Rated, hired a private investigator to discover the identities of the MPAA raters and find out if what Valenti said about them is in fact true. The investigator figured out the names of the raters on the 2005 board and discovered that what Valenti said wasn’t 100 percent accurate. One rater was â€Å"Joan Worden, Age 56, Children: 18 year old twins†and â€Å"Howard Fridkin, Age 47, Children: none†(This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Dir. Kirby Dick, IFC Films, 2006, Film). Joan Worden has two twins who are old enough to see an NC-17 movie so how does she know what’s best for children to see? How is someone with no kids like Howard supposed to know what children should and should not see? Ultimately, it’s these factors that make the MPAA utterly useless and really more harm than good. The MPAA and the process of getting a game rated leaves many directors and producers frustrated. The MPAA should be replaced by a rating system which has clear rules and regulations when it comes to how movies are rated. It should also consist of members names that are known so as to give the producers and directors some idea who rated their movie and therefore can discuss easily what needs to be done to get a different rating. This system should also treat violence as being a serious factor, like sex, that determines a movie’s rating. These factors are essential for a successful movie rating system that will benefit not only the movie makers but the audience as well.
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