Women in Islam

Article Summary This article examines the issue of women’s rights in Islam by introducing Islam and women’s rights in several different Muslim countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. -The women in Islam are often viewed as a poor one, having to do whatever her husband, brother or father commands her to do. -This view is usually based on things picked up from what westerners see in the papers or on TV. -Not all Islamic countries follow the Qur’an and Ahadith as they say they are. (ex.In some of Islamic countries, it is acceptable for women to not cover their faces, women can drive, etc. -While female circumcision is not condoned by the Qur’an, it is still practiced in some predominantly Muslim areas in Africa. Egypt -The Women’s Rights Union started to have an impact on the ruling class of Egypt. -The Egyptian government signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) bill in 1981. -Gave women equal access to education, employment and work opportunities, equal pay for equal work and social security. Egyptian civil law, in accordance with Islamic law, gives women the right to possess, control and inherit property. -Unfortunately, women’s rights are still not being fully implemented, due to the restrictions of tradition, the government’s lack of interest in enforcing the laws and women’s own lack of awareness of their rights. -This lack of education has led to women being refused ownership of property and the right to divorce, despite legally being allowed to own property and divorce their husbands.Saudi Arabia -Women in Saudi Arabia are the victims of discrimination and human rights violations because of the gender bias in law, social mores and traditions. -They have gained some ground in terms of economic rights, but their civil and political rights are systematically violated. -Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, leave the co untry without authorization from their husband or father, leave the house in unsuitable attire, hold high-ranking jobs or be involved in the government. It was not until 2000 that Saudi Arabian women were allowed their own ID cards; they had previously been registered on their husbands’ or fathers’ cards. -When investigations against women are carried out they are often conducted improperly and make use of unreliable evidence. Pakistan -Pakistan is a vast country with many laws in place to protect women’s rights. -Unfortunately, outside of the big cities, Pakistanis are generally ruled by tribal law rather than governmental law. -Most laws prohibiting the mistreatment of women are ignored. Not all girls are punished with death; some have acid splashed into their faces instead, scarring them for life and sometimes causing blindness. -Pakistani legislation defines both adultery and rape as ‘sexual intercourse without being validly married’ and does no t draw the distinction that one is forced while the other is not. -If a woman is raped and reports the crime or becomes pregnant, she has to prove that she was raped by either having the man’s admittance of the crime or four witnesses who saw the man force her into having sex. If not proven, she is charged with having an illicit sexual relationship with someone and is punished. -Pakistan does not have the personnel or equipment to do a proper forensic examination, so it comes down to witnesses and confession. -After one village or tribe has committed a perceived offence against another, the second village or tribe will try to gain ‘compensation’. This involves rape and mutilation of women or the murder of entire families. -Girls from one of the tribes can be forced under threat to marry men from the other tribe. The most common method of abusing a girl is making her feel that she is displeasing God by refusing to marry the man her parents wish her to. -Women in P akistan are generally only educated to a reasonable standard it from a wealthy family. -About 5% to 7% of women work, with low-paid jobs. Men and women are kept segregated in the workplace. Indonesia -Women in Indonesia are not as poorly treated as in other countries. -They have the right to own and sell property and livestock, to work, to choose to whom and when they get married and to divorce. -It is the women who propose marriage to a man, while men cannot propose at all. Women in Islam Article Summary This article examines the issue of women’s rights in Islam by introducing Islam and women’s rights in several different Muslim countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. -The women in Islam are often viewed as a poor one, having to do whatever her husband, brother or father commands her to do. -This view is usually based on things picked up from what westerners see in the papers or on TV. -Not all Islamic countries follow the Qur’an and Ahadith as they say they are. (ex.In some of Islamic countries, it is acceptable for women to not cover their faces, women can drive, etc. -While female circumcision is not condoned by the Qur’an, it is still practiced in some predominantly Muslim areas in Africa. Egypt -The Women’s Rights Union started to have an impact on the ruling class of Egypt. -The Egyptian government signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) bill in 1981. -Gave women equal access to education, employment and work opportunities, equal pay for equal work and social security. Egyptian civil law, in accordance with Islamic law, gives women the right to possess, control and inherit property. -Unfortunately, women’s rights are still not being fully implemented, due to the restrictions of tradition, the government’s lack of interest in enforcing the laws and women’s own lack of awareness of their rights. -This lack of education has led to women being refused ownership of property and the right to divorce, despite legally being allowed to own property and divorce their husbands.Saudi Arabia -Women in Saudi Arabia are the victims of discrimination and human rights violations because of the gender bias in law, social mores and traditions. -They have gained some ground in terms of economic rights, but their civil and political rights are systematically violated. -Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, leave the co untry without authorization from their husband or father, leave the house in unsuitable attire, hold high-ranking jobs or be involved in the government. It was not until 2000 that Saudi Arabian women were allowed their own ID cards; they had previously been registered on their husbands’ or fathers’ cards. -When investigations against women are carried out they are often conducted improperly and make use of unreliable evidence. Pakistan -Pakistan is a vast country with many laws in place to protect women’s rights. -Unfortunately, outside of the big cities, Pakistanis are generally ruled by tribal law rather than governmental law. -Most laws prohibiting the mistreatment of women are ignored. Not all girls are punished with death; some have acid splashed into their faces instead, scarring them for life and sometimes causing blindness. -Pakistani legislation defines both adultery and rape as ‘sexual intercourse without being validly married’ and does no t draw the distinction that one is forced while the other is not. -If a woman is raped and reports the crime or becomes pregnant, she has to prove that she was raped by either having the man’s admittance of the crime or four witnesses who saw the man force her into having sex. If not proven, she is charged with having an illicit sexual relationship with someone and is punished. -Pakistan does not have the personnel or equipment to do a proper forensic examination, so it comes down to witnesses and confession. -After one village or tribe has committed a perceived offence against another, the second village or tribe will try to gain ‘compensation’. This involves rape and mutilation of women or the murder of entire families. -Girls from one of the tribes can be forced under threat to marry men from the other tribe. The most common method of abusing a girl is making her feel that she is displeasing God by refusing to marry the man her parents wish her to. -Women in P akistan are generally only educated to a reasonable standard it from a wealthy family. -About 5% to 7% of women work, with low-paid jobs. Men and women are kept segregated in the workplace. Indonesia -Women in Indonesia are not as poorly treated as in other countries. -They have the right to own and sell property and livestock, to work, to choose to whom and when they get married and to divorce. -It is the women who propose marriage to a man, while men cannot propose at all.

Life in the Iron Mills

. Life is Not Merely a Coincidence â€Å"Theatre of the Absurd† is designated for plays of absurdist fiction and refers to the avant-garde theatre of a loosely associated group of dramatists such as, Beckett, Ionesco, Pinter, and Albee who first emerged during and after World War 11. The plays express the belief that â€Å"in a godless universe human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down† (Britannica Online Encyclopedia). Logical construction and argument gives way to irrational and illogical speech and to its ultimate conclusion which is silence. Absurdist theatre is often called a reaction to realism, as instead of conforming to the concept of real life, absurdist sought to provide an unmistakably unreal experience. The absurd dramatist relates to existentialism and the philosophical approach in understanding human existence and experiences. Existentialism is based on the assumption that individuals are free and responsible for their own choices and actions. Hence, people are not victims of circumstances as there is the freedom of choice. In an absurdist play, time and settings are generally ambiguous, if they are even defined at all. The characters are not meant to mimic real people, but instead are often â€Å"metaphorical or archetypal† (Britannica Online Encyclopedia). Absurdism is a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence by employing disjointed, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situations, and plots that lack realistic or logical development. The guiding principle of absurdism is to look at the world without any assumption of purpose and its usefulness is it exists without prejudices or specificity. As it is equally alien to everyone, Absurdism is meant to be accessible to everyone. One of the common misconceptions of theatre of the absurd plays is that nothing makes sense. On the contrary, the characters in absurdism tend to behave in a serious way, reacting realistically to the bizarre occurrences of their environment. The protagonists of Endgame by Samuel Beckett, The Zoo Story by Edward Albee, and Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco are all overwhelmed by the irrational nature of their respective environments and the general effect they share is a nightmare and dreamlike atmosphere that is their existence involving the forces of hope, truth, identity, reality, alienation, meaning, and human existence; all of which are forces they are struggling against. The idea of the Endgame is taken from the game of chess where the concept designates the last, and entirely predictable, stage of a game, the end. The play portrays a universe which is nearing its end. Hamm and Clov both are the protagonists in Beckett’s one-act play, Endgame. Hamm is the chess King, paralyzed and wheelchair bound, who moves only when he makes demand for Clov to service him â€Å"get me ready, I am going to bed† (391) or â€Å"I feel a little too far to the left / Now I feel a little too far to the right† (399). Clov is his submissive Knight who staggers around erratically submitting to Hamm’s every whim. Hamm controls everything and everyone while having absolutely no control over himself or his environment. Frustration and anger dictates his existence as he sees the end all humanity seem to be moving towards is both uncertain and elusive, and he is terrified. Hamm channels his anger at God by shouting â€Å"The bastard! He doesn’t exist! † (Levy 410). The forces of a meaningless existence, reality, and Armageddon are the forces Hamm and Clov struggles against. Both are starving for identity and a healthy relationship with others but it is an impossible feat. They want to preserve their own unique identity, but it is necessary for both to relate to the outside world and nature to develop a true identity. Hamm and Clov are confined in a depressing, stagnant, bare, and dismal vacuum of their environment located partially underground, and their relationship with nature is nonexistent as Beckett reveals â€Å"nature has forgotten us / There’s no more nature† Levy 393). Since both fail to develop an identity the result is a failure to establish a healthy mature relationship with each other. Outside all seems dead, barren, and nothing occurs as Hamm states â€Å"outside of here it’s death† (393). Inside, Hamm and Clov, his caretaker is passing the time mortifying each other and toying with fears and illusions of a possible change that will never occur. Clov indicates â€Å"I can’t be punished anymore† (390) when he reflects on his life with Hamm. In return Hamm declares that he is miserable, â€Å"can there be misery—loftier than mine? † (391). Hamm is attracted to whatever light there is in the gray world and constantly asks Clov to push him under the window so he can feel the light on his face. Light is used as a symbol of hope and life which expresses many of the nuances of Hamm’s personality. Hamm is cursed with darkness and he wants Clov to share the same miserable fate so he continuously antagonizes him. The antagonist is at times Hamm as well as the environment and death. The antagonist death will ultimately prevail and win the chess game. Clov and Hamm are in the â€Å"endgame† of their life and death lurks around the corner. Endgame is the term used to describe an ending in chess where the outcome is already known. The chess endgame parallels the final stages of life. Hamm and Clov will succumb to death regardless of how the game is played. They are stuck in a perpetual loop that never allows final closure. Hamm claims he wants to be â€Å"finished† (410), but admits that he hesitates to do so. He has no answers to the basic existential questions of why he is alive, why he has to die, and why is injustice in his miserable, suffering, and empty existence. Just as death cannot arrive to seal off life, neither can Hamm or Clove escape to close the book of one existence and open another. The Zoo Story by Edward Albee is more anchored in reality than most typical works in the genre of Theatre of the Absurd. The drama is a confrontation between middle-class America and the outcasts of society, Peter and Jerry. Albee presents the setting in a simple structure in New York’s Central Park consisting of two park benches. The play never changes, and the action unfolds in a linear manner, from beginning to end. There are three overriding themes in the short one-act play. They are absurdity versus reality, alienation and loneliness, and wealth and poverty. The protagonist is Peter, a complacent publishing executive of middle age and upper-middle income. He is a conventional family man with morals, mainstream social values, and financial stability. Peter is contending with forces of loneliness, hope, identity, and meaning in his life. Marriage, his cage, and life in general has not played out the way Peter anticipates as his household is female-dominated and he is forced to comply with the desires of his wife. He desires to be freed from the cage and the zoo of his life as Albee shows Who better than a nice married man with two daughters and†¦a dog? [Peter shakes his head] No? Two dogs. [Peter shakes his head again] Hm. No dogs? [Peter shakes his head sadly] Oh, that’s a shame. But you look like an animal man. CATS? [Peter nods his head, ruefully] Cats! But, that can’t be your idea. No, sir. Your wife and daughters? [Peter nods his head] Is there anything else I should know? (549) Jerry, the antagonist is an aggressive, dysfunctional, lonely, disheveled thirty something man in search of human interaction who also yearns to be released from his cage. Jerry is in a personal conflict with his sexuality and Peter is dealing with his emasculation. The distinctions being, Jerry is a social outcast who is free spirited and morally obligated. He is a free man in respect to Peter restrained life. Jerry is in a search of meaning and his struggle is to find his purpose in life. Without the purpose he seeks his life is meaningless and he chooses death to end it all. Peter is a template of American societal male and is a caged animal. Through the serious failed conversation and misrepresentation of the act of love, Jerry begins his life experiment to see if the middle class are animals after all. The lives of both Peter and Jerry is forever altered when they encounter each other on that faithful day and The Zoo Story highlights what happens when one character enters the life of another and rapidly changes it forever. Neither character prevailed in the drama with the violent conclusion of the psychological attack by retreat by Jerry when he tries to teach Peter the nature of human existence and relationships. Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco explores issues of chaos while arriving at a clear message about the chaos. Despite the wild themes and constant activity in the play, a structure and a plot does move forward. Ionesco challenges the point of life and rational nature of humans and forces humanity to challenge to understand ourselves and our actions. The protagonist is Berenger, an everyman who has strong moral character and individuality. The force he has to contend with is the decision to be an individualistic or conform because the masses have succumbed. He is not so different from everyone else in many respects, however, his strength of self and individualism is highlighted when he resists the call to conformity when he says â€Å"But they won’t get me / You won’t get me! † (Levy 469). Berenger chooses to be alone and to give rationality another try. The question becomes is he being true to himself or not? Is human condition one more of rationality or irrationality? To what degree should one resist the pull to conformity, and to what degree should one capitulate to the ways of the world? The antagonist is the ruling government and Nazism and the protagonist Tom prevailed by standing for what he believes even though at times he doubts his decision. Life is full of challenges faced on a daily basis. The many circumstances of life test the human existence, identity, hope, truth, and alienation among many other. Existentialism is based on the assumption that individuals are free and responsible for their own actions and choices. Humans are not victims of circumstances as the freedom of choice is a reality. One gets to make conscious choices when faced with challenges in life. The primary difference between the Theatre of the Absurd and existentialism is that while existentialism recommends a certain type of response to the apparent failure of the human condition, the works of Beckett, Ionesco, Pinter, and Albee makes points without providing any integrated human solution. If the nature of man is partly or mostly irrational, the Theatre of the Absurd expresses the absurdity of human life in a relatable fashion. Works Cited â€Å"Electronic Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , 2011 Web. 11 Nov. 2011 . Levy, Walter. Modern Drama: Selected Plays from 1879 to the Present. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print.

Appearance vs. Reality, Hamlet

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main theme of the play is appearance versus reality. The characters within the play appear to be sincere and honourable when in reality they are corrupt and immoral. Many of the characters within the play illustrate this concept. When looking at them from behind a mask they give the impression of a person who is genuine and honest, but in reality they are plagued with lies and despicable behaviour. Four of the main characters that attempt to deceive Hamlet by hiding behind this mask are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two of Hamlets childhood friends who are not as they appear. They are asked by the King and Gertrude to spy on Hamlet in order to find the reason behind Gertrude’s â€Å"too much changed son† (II. ii. 36). They give the appearance of being Hamlet’s friend, yet in reality, the pair only came to Elsinore because they were summoned. Surprised by his friends’ unexplained arrival, Hamlet questions what has brought them there. Rosencrantz lies when responding â€Å"To visit you my lord, no other occasion† (II. i. 266). Hamlet instantly sees through their lies and insists â€Å"you were sent for, and there / is a kind of confession in your looks†¦I know the good king and / queen have sent for you† (II. ii. 273-276). Knowing that his so-called friends are lying about the purpose of their visit, Hamlet discloses nothing to them. Having gotten no answers for the King, the two were asked to go to Hamlet once more an d continue to seek the real reason for Hamlet’s behaviour. Hamlet has little patience since being lied to and reveals to the pair that he is aware that they are spies and saying to them: [Y]ou would play upon me, you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mystery, .. Call me what Instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me. † (III. iii. 343-350) Although appearing to be Hamlet’s friends, he quickly sees that in actuality, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are only trying to pry him for information. The King’s royal associate, Polonius, plays an important role in developing the theme. He’s constantly keeping up the facade of a concerned and caring individual. Polonius appears to be a good father, and honourable man. Upon learning that his son is going to France, he gives several pieces of advice to Laertes, in particular â€Å"This above all, to thine own self be true† (II. iii. 78). He gives advice in order to appear to be a caring father, when in fact he speaks in order to look good rather than to actually be good. Polonius then sends Reynaldo to bring Laertes money but instructs that â€Å"Before you visit him, to make inquire / Of his behaviour† (II. i. 4-5), and then advises him how to be sneaky about it. Throughout the play Polonius conspires with the King on ways to eavesdrop on Hamlet. When Hamlet is going to speak with his mother, Polonius suggests â€Å"Behind the arras I’ll convey myself / To hear the process† (III. iii. 28-29). Polonius acts as if his actions are for the king, when in fact it will benefit him greatly if the reason behind Hamlet’s strange behaviour is because of his love for Ophelia. Polonius also humiliates his daughter Ophelia by forcing her to read love letters from Hamlet aloud to the King and Gertrude. He tells Ophelia that it’s in her own best interest not to keep this secret. His words are those of a loving father, but his actions are quite different. Even though Polonius pretends to be moral and a loving parent, the reality is that he is a devious manipulator. Claudius, the current King of Denmark is the epitome of corruption and immorality although he presents himself to be the rightful king. King Claudius reveals his true maliciousness several times. Claudius only becomes King of Denmark after murdering his brother and marrying his sister-in-law Gertrude in an incestuous marriage. When speaking of his brothers’ death, he justifies the speedy marriage to Gertrude while appearing to have the kingdom’s best interest at heart when explaining â€Å"That we with wisest sorrow think on him / Together with remembrance of ourselves† (I. ii. 6-7). In actuality, Claudius acts out of greed to become king and out of lust for Gertrude. Claudius demeans Hamlet several times throughout the play. While Hamlet is grieving his father’s death, the heartless king requests â€Å"We pray you throw to earth / This unprevailing woe† (I. ii. 106-107), showing his deplorable behaviour by referring to Hamlet’s grief as useless. King Claudius shows his true maliciousness during his final act of manipulation. The king appeals to Laertes guilt and convinces him to kill Hamlet to avenge his father’s death by â€Å"A sword unbated, and in pass of practice / Requite him for your father† (IV. vii. 137-138). King Claudius’s selfish and despicable behaviour leads to the death of all those he had pretended to care for at one point or another: Gertrude, Hamlet, and Laertes. This final act of vengeance brings about the beginning of the end for the entire royal family. While proving that appearances can be deceiving, the characters help to develop the theme of appearance versus reality in the play. While Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and King Claudius all appear to be virtuous and honest people, the reality is that they are continually scheming and plotting against Hamlet. Although appearing to be respectable, each of them is actually tainted by evil and corruption. Unfortunately, Hamlet finds out the hard way that each of them have their own hidden agendas, and corruption spreads like disease throughout the state of Denmark.

Project 8 Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project 8 - Speech or Presentation Example These parameters generate secondary parameters such as total cost, total revenue, average cost, and marginal revenue. All of them are interrelated. This assignment studies the interrelationship of these parameters using two equations: inverse demand and average cost. The inverse demand equation is represented by p = 800 – q and the average cost equation is expressed by c = q + 100 + 500/ q. The following sections present the interdependency of the above-mentioned primary and secondary parameters of the price and demand relationship. The inverse demand equation is p = -q + 800. Therefore, the demand equation is q = - p + 800. This equation is coded in the Mathematica program to draw the 2D plot of the demand curve. The plot is drawn on the q-p plane; where q is independent variable quantity and p is the dependent variable demand. The plot is shown in Figure 2. Given Inverse demand function is p= -q + 800; therefore, Demand function is q = -p + 800. The formula for the calculation of Elasticity of demand is E = = *d(-q+800)/dq. This formula is coded in the Mathematica , which are shown below. The demand elasticity for price, p =1 is E = -1/799. Since E Given average cost function, AC = q + 100 + 500 / q. For total quantity q, the total cost function is TC = (q+100+500/q)*q= q2 + 100q + 500. Marginal cost, MC is the tangent to TC function, which is expressed as The MC function will be expressed through q variable. The solution is MC = TC’[1]. The solution is coded in Mathematica, which are shown below. We use the 3D profit function, f(π3D) = pq - q2 -100 q - 500. In this equation, p and q are independent variables. At the same time, for a given value of p there is a specific value of q. We find the values of q for p using p = - q + 800 equation. We assign p from 1 to 10 with interval 1. The 3D function and their arguments are coded in Mathematica. We have included a table of π3D = f (p, q)

Intangible assets valuation methodologies Assignment

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Reading Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Reading Reflection - Assignment Example The government used such agencies like the media to convince the public and suppress the truth, thus acting on false information which contradicted the democratic â€Å"marketplaces of ideas† which the country is based on. The question on the threat of inflation is quite confusing because democratic â€Å"marketplaces of ideas† are known for making accurate decisions, but as the case of Iraq may suggest, they flaunted this and acted on their own personal and selfish interest. A closer look at why the marketplaces of ideas was not applied into the case of Iraq is that US as a country had various strategic advantages which propelled both the citizens and leaders to declare war on the country. An example is that the media and the atrocities of the September 11 were responsible for the failure of marketplaces of ideas in the case of Iraq. Failure of the â€Å"marketplaces of ideas† in Iraq’s case was because of a number of reasons like biased manipulation of democracies buy selfish individuals for their own gains. Secondly, is that the control of information was only restricted to a fraction of individuals who were thought to have the country’s interest at heart and lastly the authority exerted in foreign

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American Disability Act - Essay Example ADA has received many criticisms that are mainly classified into two categories. The first category concerns employment of people with disabilities. Under this category of criticisms, critics have pointed out that ADA reduces the employment of persons with disabilities. In addition, critics have pointed to the concern that ADA increases the cost of conducting business for business owners. The criticism based on reduction of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities has been supported by the fact that just after its enactment, the period covering between 1991 and 1995, the employment of people with disabilities reduced by 7.8% and this reduction affected people of disabilities regardless of their age, their levels of education, or even type of disability afflicting an individual. The most affected with that drop in the employment rate due to the enactment of ADA were young people, those with lower levels of education and men that were mentally disabled. Nevertheless, there has not been any concerted focus on investigating the causal link between the Act and the decline in employment for disabled people for that decade since its enactment. The second category of criticisms relates increase in private plaintiffs. The argument is that since the Act was enacted, it became an integral part of the employment law yet the Act only permits private plaintiffs to get injunctive relief. Injunctive relief is the court order making it mandatory for public accommodation to remedy contraventions of the accessibility laws. Besides injunctive relief, ADA only demands that private plaintiffs receive attorneys fees. However, it fails to provide monetary compensations to private claimants who take legal action against non-compliant businesses. Thus, for persons with disabilities to receive the remedies left out by ADA, it is upon the specific state to

History Of Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History Of Mathematics - Essay Example Fermat, Descartes and Mersenne were all friends who shared mathematical ideologies. Descartes and Mersenne were both educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che. For this reason, they shared many ideals. Mersenne’s greatest contribution to philosophy was taken to be his passionate defense of Descartes. Mersenne was Descartes’ agent in Paris and even visited him severally while he was in exile in Holland (Bernstein, 1996). Mersenne founded a private academy where a large number of renowned mathematicians in France shared their research. Mersenne used the academy as a forum to spread the ideas of Descartes who was in Netherlands. Mersenne helped in the publication and dissemination of Descartes’ discourse method in 1637. He was also in-charge of soliciting the disputes that arose from Rene Descartes’ Meditations. For this reason, they corresponded very well (Koyre, 1992). Mersenne also corresponded with Fermat because he promulgated his ideas and mediated disputes arising from his works. For Descartes, Fermat and Mersenne, mathematics was their passion. Fermat was known to be a busy lawyer who really loved math as a hobby (Bernstein, 1996). Since math was just a hobby to him, he did not want his contributions to be published. The one thing that was published was done so anonymously. His international reputation as a mathematician was as a result of his link with Mersenne. Along with Descartes, Fermat was taken as one of the fathers of analytical geometry (Koyre, 1992). Descartes, Fermat and Mersenne are linked by their contributions to mathematics and their corresponding

Coach Carter Essay Example for Free

Coach Carter Essay 1.Coach Carter shows many qualities of different styles of leader ship throughout the movie. At the start when Ken first sees the basketball team he takes an autocratic style of coaching them. An autocratic coaching is where the coach has complete power over the team. Team members have little opportunity to put forward ideas or make suggestions. The benefit of this approach of leadership by Coach Carter is that it was incredibly efficient and his decisions are made quickly and the work gets done. This is displayed in the film effectively when he first walks into the gym and states that they must abide by this contract if they want to be apart of the team. Coach carter expresses his personal expectations and intent. â€Å"You can push up or shut up† he says to the team. This shows his autocratic coaching style in the film. Another important aspect of Coach Carter’s leadership style was respect. He stated that in order to gain respect they needed to give some. If this did not work with the players in the team, Coach Carter would have given up on his team, and would have left them with our victory. If there was no great success there was no point for the autocratic style of coaching, as the players would not bother putting up with the hard coaching sessions. Coach Carter shows a very caring attitude towards the players. He wants them to do well on the court and off. This the key to the autocratic style of coaching Ken delivers. The contract ken makes them sign says they must maintain a C+ in all classes and they have to sit in the front row of the class. If the team doses not abide by the contract they will not play. This is an autocratic style of coaching the team but realistically it’s for the best, he’s thinking of the teamâ₠¬â„¢s future in basketball and giving them opportunities academically. Through out the film Coach Carter says â€Å"to the base line† and blows his whistle. The coach makes the boys do 20 suicides and 250 push ups if they want to be apart of the team. This demonstrates his take and autocratic style of coaching. The discipline that he gives the players through his autocratic coaching makes them become men and be winners. Coach Carter sets out to change the attitudes of the team and performance. Carter immediately imposes a strict regime that includes written contracts, stipulations for being respectful, dress codes and good grades. He cancels all the teams’ activities and locks them out of the gym until the team shows improvement in there grades. These actions provide the evidence of an autocratic coaching style. He fights to keep his methods and determined to show the boys that they need to rely on more than sports for there futures. Coach Carter’s autocratic style of coaching keeps the team working well together. Coach Carter is and autocratic coach but his methods and techniques are in the best interest of the boys that he teaches to be men. This coaching style his expressed all throughout the film but Carter also infuses this style with his own style that makes him a good coach for the basketball team. 2.To be an effective coach you need to poses qualities such as listening, questioning, constructively challenging, holding to account, seeing different perspectives, encouraging and supporting, trusting the team and also focusing on the team. Coach Carter has very effective characteristics that a successful coach must have, this includes his duty. He is a proficient leader and knows when to take charge and give the teams tasks to complete. Carter gives the team a plan to accomplish the objectives. Another effective characteristic that Ken demonstrates is his ability to make sound and timely decisions. Such as when he gives the team push ups, suicides. Also when he straight away gets to the point and states the contract the team must follow. Carter also maintains the situation and shows awareness in order to anticipate needed actions. Ken also has a quality to improvise to handle the changing situation such as when he locks the team out of the gym due to there poor grades or when he hypes them up during a game and gives the tips and motivation talks. Qualities that a good coach much posses are qualities like Ken Carter. He ensures that the task is understood, supervised and accomplished. To do this he clearly states his expectations, such as the contract he gives them to sign and follow if they want to play. Ken also considers the teams development needs, such as maintaining a 2,3 in there academic studies and also ensuring that they will be winners regardless the outcome of the game, like when they just loose the final match. A good quality that Coach Carter has is his respect for the players and his term of the word respect. When Ken Carter took on the responsibility of coaching this team it was clear that he was more4 concerned with the people under his care that winning games. This shows a great amount of respect for the players and in the journey the players come to respect him for it. When Coach Carter cared about the future of the people in this team, the team became winners and not often are the coaches that set there sights on winning and influencing the lives of there student athletes. I remember from the film Carter speaks with the tem about the insulting use of â€Å"nigger†. He says â€Å"has some self respect†. The mock the coach by saying â€Å"God aint in this neighbourhood† because his appealing nature towards the team as a man of respect. Also qualities that Ken has is Building the team. He conducts frequent debriefings and gives feedback to identify things learned. If the team hasn’t done something or not doing something correctly he will blow the whistle and stop them bring them in an talk with them. He also has a quality of discipline although it mite not seen equal at times, such as when he makes Timo do something like 1500 push ups and like 1000 suicides, but this makes the team realise that he is serious and he’s not mucking around. A great aspect of Coach Carter’s leadership is his integrity, which all good coaches must have. He knows what he must do and knows himself to build the team, provide drills, activities and feedback. He seeks responsibility and accepts responsibility for him self and the team’s actions like when they are not keeping up with the grades in class. He corrects poor team performance and looks to strive to become a better team. Coach Carter also sets and example for the team, he doesn’t show discouragement when he faces setbacks such as when the parents and teachers hold a meeting about him closing the gym and vote for him to leave the job as a coach, he sticks to his methods which a correct and doesn’t back down. Ken has earnt the respect of the players as we see when they are waiting in the gym with there desks and school work in front of them because they know this is the way fro a better team. Ken also chooses the difficult over the easy which is a good quality, he makes the team put in the hard yards, but the result is them feeling good about them selves with a sense of achievement. 3. A quote from Coach Carter is â€Å"you will have my respect until you abuse it†. I think this idea of respect within thee team is a great motivation technique. The team doesn’t fully understand at the start but it grows within the team and they become winners and motivated to do so. Coach Carter dose everything he can to insure a promising future for his basketball players, against all odds. The team can see this and this motivates them to become better students, athletes and overall better people. They can see that the coach is putting in a great effort so they should do the same they follow his example and I think they start to look up to there coach. At the star even though he is without support he refuses to give in to the system that sidelines the players with prison, drugs and alcohol. Instead he pushes the team, pushes there grim statistics that he always give to them and faces them to meet his expectations as motivation. His tough attitude towards the team becomes very motivational for the team and they eventually acknowledge the benefits of his ways. Coach Carter preaches respect, dignity and manners. He calls his players â€Å"sir†, treats them as adults with responsibilities often giving the benefit of the doubt and expects the same attitude in return. His emphasis on living and playing like champions is hammered home. The team becomes motivated by Carters words and actions. They can see that he is doing this for them and gives them something to strive for in the future, gives them motivation to do all the hard work. I think something that motivates the team is there self achievement, when they can see that Carters method \s are making them champions the team motivates them selves and work to be better men.

Cambridge City A Great Place To Visit Tourism Essay

Cambridge City A Great Place To Visit Tourism Essay As we used questionnaire in our research, and we asked different questions from 39 visitors in Cambridge city centre for observing their opinions. Pie charts are used to display results in visual form. All information gathered from visitors, converted in to pie charts and displayed above. Pie charts are showing opinions obtained from real visitors with the help of questionnaire. Very first question was about their general information. General information included nationality, age and occupation. Nationality asked from visitors. Among the 39 visitors, our sample, 44 percent were female and 56 percent were male. Age of 41 percent were in between 18 to 30 years and 26 percent were in between 31 to 40 years. 12 percent were in between 41 to 40 and remaining were above 41. Question about occupation, 36 percent visitors said that they are currently unemployed and 31 percent visitors were students. 10 percent were businessmen and outside the Cambridge and 21 percent are doing job anywhere. 13 visitors out of total 39 said that they are visiting very first time Cambridge and 9 visitors sad they have second trip. 6 visitors said they have third trip and 11 visitors are enjoying their fourth or more trip. In the question in which type were asked, 33 percent were enjoying their independent trip and just 18 percent said they were with their friends and family. Large portion of visitors, 31 percent, were on their educational trip, trip to Cambridge University, ant 13 percent visitors were on business trip. How long they stay here? 13 percent said just for half day and 26 percent said for full day. 38 percent were living more than 2 days in Cambridge and 8 percent answered, not yet decided. In the question, what they do in Cambridge, 8 percent said enjoying boat tour and 18 percent said they are enjoying weather by walk. 36 percent said they are here for train trip and 31 percent said on road. 2 percent use to spend time by horse carriage trip. What services they used in Cambridge? All visitors vote for sightseeing tour with 5 percent, local transportation with 20 percent, food and beverages with 31 percent, accommodation with 9 percent and 24 percent they consumed other facilities and services. Unique question, did they enjoy Cambridge? 92 percent, definitely, said yes. 8 percent respond with No, due to some reasons. Quality of services used, good response seen in Cambridges favour. 0 percent vote for low quality, 8 percent vote for fair and 39 percent visitors said quality of services was good in Cambridge. 20 percent said quality of service was very good and 8 percent vote for excellent. 25 percent give no answer to this question. In the last, simple question were asked and that is will they visit Cambridge again? 58 percent, more than half of total visitors said yes of course they will surely visit. 28 percent said it depends on future conditions, they are not sure yet and 21 percent said you way, they are now finding new better place for tour. With the help of questionnaire and other methods used in our research, Tourists motivation and experience towards Cambridge, different opinion collected from real visitors. Results showed that most of visitors are male, under 40 years age, students, employed and businessmen, and visiting Cambridge for more than 2 time and willing to revisit it again. Reasons behind these answers are somehow related to culture and nature of Cambridge. Cambridgeshire is famous for University initially and then city of technology. Students like to visit the university and more than 25,000 students are resident of Cambridge. University of Cambridge is included in worlds top five universities. Thats why major portion of visitors is consist of students in different area. Cambridge city is also famous for technology. Software and bioscience are core industries operated in Cambridge and thats the reason of business trips. All technology related organizations have offices and research centres in Cambridge. Meetings and convocations are being held in this city. Other reasons behind these results are games being held in Cambridge city. Cambridge city is famous for cricket, football, rugby, water sports and varsity sports. Varsity sports are sports play under Cambridge University against different universities and have lots of attractiveness for the visitors inside and outside the Cambridge city. Strawberry flavour music and art festival are also reason behind motivations for the visitors coming in Cambridge. Questions about services used in Cambridge and quality of used services indicate that visitors like the way they enjoy in Cambridge and they liked food, transportation system and accommodations in Cambridge and they selected these services and facilities as a good quality services. This is also reason behind the motivation of being visited Cambridge again and again and some visitors visited Cambridge for more than 4 times due to facilities provided here. Cambridge skyline, Quayside, Silver Street, Kings Parade and Trinity Street, places famous for trips in Cambridge and different festivals and events are also reasons behind the tours and trips in Cambridge. Conclusion From the questionnaire, what we collect from the real visitors and tourists is data of our research and. Conclusion can be easily drawn through or finding as reasons are simple and logical behind the motivation for tourism in Cambridge. Visitors are most likely, students, businessmen, sports lovers, independents, willing to stay here for longer period because of verity of services provide and quality of services used. Primarily there are some reasons visitors used for motivation to visit Cambridge. Results shown that visitors from different area have same characteristics and main factor forcing behind motivation is age and occupation of sample visitors. Under 40 years are in large quantity visiting Cambridge and by occupation, students and businessmen are large art of tourist. People who are free also visit more Cambridge. University of Cambridge and industry of technology is main source of motivation for tourists. City of sports, festivals and events are also motivation for visitors and people who like picnic and visiting different places used these motivations for Cambridge. Question asked from sample visitors, did they like trip in Cambridge, showed the density of likeness Cambridge and question, will they visit again, showed the attractiveness of tourists toward the Cambridge. Overall, research helped to indicate the source of motivations behind the visit to Cambridge. One finding is, friends and family tours are more preferable from the tourist because of nature and culture of Cambridge city. Results indicate that tourists are more willing to use this place again for their trips and visits. Due to technological city, business world compellingly need to have visit this place. Recommendations Cambridge city is a great place to visit for family tours, educational tours, sports and music lover. Cambridge is not place where you can find some historical places ad old thing. Cambridge is full of urban tourism and based on new beauty. As Cambridge city is famous for education and technology, government must take more steps to increase efficiency in these areas because people point of view about Cambridge is good and green. Events and festivals are another sources of motivation for tourists. Local authority should promote events in worldwide in order to increase the strength of visitors. Varsity sports can be used as another main source of motivation for tourists because varsity sports are included large numbers of games and there is need to launch them as a regional festival. From the evaluation of peoples opinion, most of them said that beside the spots, technology and educational motivation, there is also need to motivate children for tourism. Creating attractiveness for children and young generation can be great source of tourism. Improvement in facilities and supporting services can also help to increase the attractiveness of visitors. There is need to plan for vocations in order to grape more visitors time and money. With beginning of 20th century, economy was rapidly growing so managing Cambridge is quite easy in betterment of tourism. Use of different ideas in tourism plan, can influence in future. Entertainment companies can be used for attracting tourists.

The survival of LEGO in changing environment

The survival of LEGO in changing environment This essay aims to provide an insight into LEGOs performance in the UK market and the strategies adopted by LEGO to be acclaimed today as UKs 3rd largest toy seller. Accordingly, a better understanding will be attained from a consumers perspective in the Toys industry. LEGO a brand which was in shambles in late 2006 stepped up to perform tremendously well during recession How did LEGO manage to reach where they are today? In the following chapters, a detailed description will be provided on how LEGO set an example for many global brands to follow in a touch economic situation. 2.0 Company Overview It all started with one mans vision. A man who believed that good play enriches a childs development Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund. He shifted his production from making wooden furniture for local farmers to childrens toys, owing to the great depression in the 1930s. LEGO originated from the Danish words leg and godt, which means play well. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). defines LEGO as The core product is a rectangular plastic brick, hollow on the inside except for one or more tubes, with rows of studs on the top emblazoned with the tiny LEGO LEGO. (Wiencekk, 1987) LEGO has a very powerful vision statement of Inventing the future of play. This vision indicates that LEGO is finding new ways of developing games and moving from being just a simple block of brick. They are aware of the changing requirements and attitudes of consumers in a globalised sense. As it claims It is not just about products, it is about realising the human possibility. (LEGO Group, 2010) Over the years, the LEGO Group has developed several products under its umbrella extending its products to the digital world as well. LEGO has always known that the Toys and Childrens entertainment industry is a difficult business to sustain oneself in as it is constantly faced with new innovations, technological advancements and market entrants. To face this constantly evolving industry, LEGO has invested much of its understanding their consumers needs and desires. They have studied playing habits, family patters and housing conditions to gain a deeper knowledge of this market. Another differentiating factor is the belief that has been passed on by generations that have embraced LEGO. The belief that LEGO will remain relevant to children of all ages and all generations. The belief to create a world where children have the freedom to build anything that can never be replaced with cyber experiences. (LEGO Group, 2009) By the late 90s, LEGOs sales began decreasing. They were challenged by low cost good enough competitors like Megablok, a Canadian Company. Other reason was their prime target audience were shifting to computer games. LEGO was also operating in a high cost economic environment Denmark- where the supply chains were expensive. Another problem LEGO faced was increasing complex product development with so many product ranges and different permutations and combinations; manufacturing economically became nearly impossible. All these reasons, led to LEGO running into a $ 240 million loss. In order to revive LEGO from this situation, the LEGO family invested $ 178 million and appointed of a new CEO, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp. Under Knudstorps leadership, LEGO saw a successful transition. In order to correct the situation, LEGO improved their supply chain, factory locations and enhanced their overall product development strategy. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009) 2.1 LEGO Financial Overview Since its foundation in 1932, The Danish Company has great achievements added to its name. However, in 2006, rumours had it that toy industry giant Mattel were going to buy LEGO since it had faced huge losses. But restructuring in management and change in strategy helped LEGO pick up their sales in spite of the recession. In August 2008, LEGOs international sales were reportedly up by 20% in comparison to the year before. In the UK alone, 2007 witnessed at 24% rise in sales as compared to 2006. (MINTEL. 2008) The latest report that appeared on November 2010 in The Times London edition states that LEGOs sales have picked up by 50 per cent this Christmas season keeping both parents and children happy.(Vine, 2010) According to the Guardian, in 2009 the total sales at the UK division based primarily in Slough, Berkshire, leapt 35% a performance that took LEGO to a record UK market share of 4.1%, up from 3.2% a year ago. (Wood, 2009) The pre-tax profits rose 68%, which is approximately up by  £171.97 million in the first half of 2010. LEGO posts strong sales (The Times, 2010) LEGOs financial performance during recession was commendable while other Toy industry competitors like Mattel, that reportedly faced a 19% fall in second-quarter sales in spite of housing big brand names like Barbie. (Wood, 2009) 3.0 Consumer Behaviour theories applied to LEGO From the above, it is clear that LEGO has had a successful track record during recession. In this section, a deeper understanding will be attained on how LEGO was immune to the recession by placing their consumers in the heart of their business and understanding their requirements. To achieve this, three theories have been shortlisted they are namely Buying Decision Making Process Attitude Formation and Change Consumer Identity and Reference Groups 3.1 Buying Decision Making Process In order to understand, how LEGO survived through the economic downturn, it is important to interpret the buying behaviour of consumers in the Toys industry. By understanding the dynamics of buying behaviour, successful insights can be drawn to help identify the gap between the consumer and company. In complex decision making process where one is faced with other competitors, there are 6 stages to the decision making process. The 6 stages are namely: 3.1.1 Problem Recognition (awareness of need) Problem Recognition is the difference between the actual state of mind and the desired state of mind (Solomon, 2009). In other words, it is the process of recognising the need or desire to own a particular product. Given below are some reasons why consumers felt the need for LEGO over other products. Need for learning though play Parents being one of the prime target audiences in this industry also play a major role in the buying behavior process. LEGO appeals to this market as it has the element of creative play and parents are assured that it is not a waste of time as compared to watching television or spending time on Facebook. Parents therefore would choose to buy LEGO as they want their children to learn while they play. Something that most other toys or video games have failed to achieve (MINTEL, 2008). Need for retro products during recession Another interesting point to note is how consumers chose retro products during times of crisis due to its established legacy. During recession, parents actually found the need to invest in products that are of high quality and are long lasting in nature as opposed to just purchasing a cheap toy. Gerrick Johnson, toy-industry analyst at BMO Capital Markets made a comment stating that In tough economic times, youll often see retro products come back. Parents spend money on stuff they know works. Rather than going to Disney World or on a trip, you get a $30 LEGO set. (Faris, 2010) Need for up-to date toys and gadgets During a time when their prime target audience were more inclined towards computer games, LEGO constantly kept innovating and updating their offerings to suit the needs of this market that is faced by such rapid growth and evolution. The company steadily launched new products which resulted in three-quarters of its yearly sales. In 2000, the British Association of Toy Retailers along with Fortune magazine voted LEGO as the toy of the century. (Oliver et al., 2007) Recognizing the need to enter the video game market, LEGO created its own software group providing children the opportunity to create their own animation for PC and gaming consoles (R. Duane Ireland, 2009). Therefore people chose LEGO as it had extended its offerings to a medium where most of its consumers lived the virtual world. 3.1.2 Information search When it comes to seeking information on which toys you would prefer your children to play with, there are several factors that play a role. From an internal search perspective, memory and nostalgia could be key determinants whereas word of mouth, friends, relatives etc. could be external search factors that dominate your purchase decision (Soloman, 2009) The market for childrens toys and games is a substantial one -A  £2.1 billion market for childrens toys and games, this is a lucrative industry with several competitors. In such a case, information search becomes even more complex (MINTEL, 2008). What adds on to the complexity is the ranging age groups and diversity in toys from simple board games to more sophisticated toys for older kids up to adulthood. LEGO belongs to the range of Activity Toys which incorporates certain level of creativity and makes playing an enriching experience. Other toys in this range are Meccano and magnetic building kits as well as arts and crafts products (MINTEL, 2008). 3.1.3. Evaluation of Alternatives At this stage, consumers evaluate the alternatives that have been shortlisted after their information search. Rankings, personal preferences, listings, word of mouth to name a few, are determinants while evaluating alternatives. Today LEGO is the fourth-largest toy manufacturer after Mattel, Bandai-Namco, Hasbro and the fifth position held by TOMY-Takara (LEGO Group, 2009). In the case of activity toys like LEGO, consumers would potentially ask these questions. Does the product benefit my child learning ability? Is the product safe and of supreme quality? Mc Donaldss once used LEGO in the USA as a part of one their sales promotion campaign. 37 billion bricks were distributed over four weeks out of which only a dozen complaints were received (Harris and McDonald, 2004). These sorts of cases help a consumer who is looking for top quality decide that he/she wants to purchase LEGO over other toys. 3.1.4 Purchase decision In order to achieve competitive advantage and take the final purchase decision, LEGO pays a lot of attention to their product, packaging, online store etc. In a Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten, an article was published on the safety of LEGO. Each individual block has a hole to ensure that if a child swallows a brick, the child would not choke as air could still pass though (Harris and McDonald, 2004). Therefore a consumer, who has safety as criteria, would decide to buy LEGO as the makers have taken care of this aspect. 3.1.5 Purchase This decision is based upon the time lapse and product availability. In 2004, LEGO sales began dropping massively. Poor customer service and unavailability of products were additions to their dilemma. During this time, customers were faced with many other alternatives. LEGO could not afford to lose out on customers in the big-box world. LEGO then improved on their supply-chain management and aimed to align its innovation capability. It also started online sales where customised products could be designed and purchased too (Oliver et al., 2007). 3.1.6 Post-Purchase Evaluation: When LEGO was voted as Marketer of the Year in 2009, one of the comments by a user from Dallas commented I have to vote LEGO-for continuing to provide a top-quality product in line with their brand, staying relevant and using new technologies to create new customer experiences in a kids toy market thats moving away from brands with a low-tech heritage. This is a company that inspires others to a higher standard. Who can vote for a company that continues to drive quality down to get to a cheaper price? (Creamer, 2009). These testimonials prove that consumers overall have been happy after purchasing the product. 3.2 Attitude formation and change One of the aspects involved in the psychological factor of the decision making process, is attitudes. These attitudes are either formed on experience or interaction with other people. An attitude of a consumer towards a firm and its products tends to have a great influence in the firms marketing strategy (Soloman, 2009). 3.2.1 Efforts made my LEGO to track attitudes For strategic decision making that is driven by insights, it is essential to track attitudes. It could be tracking changes in different age groups, scenarios about future, identify emerging trends etc (Soloman, 2009). LEGO has realised the importance of tracking changing attitudes and the following findings can be drawn in this regard: Scenarios about future One of the most significant changes that LEGO has taken up this decade is that it has begun listening to its consumers and their changing attitudes. In todays social networking era, it is highly essential to monitor behaviour and attitudes. It was through the efforts made by LEGO on social media, that they realised their fan base was not just limited to children but adults too. Courtesy the AFOLcommunity Adult Fans of LEGO LEGO now has some specialist ambassadors who communicate with them and provide feedback. LEGO also involves these ambassadors in their product development. They began monitoring blogs and got a deeper understanding on culture, desires of both potential and existing consumers and changed their strategy accordingly. It was through this initiative that LEGO decided to make sets based on movies like Star Wars or Indiana Jones and now these deals make up more than half of their sales (Advertising Age, 2009). By doing so LEGO gets inputs from probably the most loyal customer base and thus adress unhappy customers or fill any gaps in the market place. These insights drove their strategy and helped them survive in an atmosphere where the only words heard off were lay-offs and losses. LEGO is one such example of a brand that has benefitted by working in partnership with their consumers and predicting the future (Garfield, 2007). Changes in different age groups LEGO has a very ambitious mission statement of each and every child in the world to own one cubic metre of LEGO bricks. (Harris and McDonald, 2004) Children globally are treated the same by marketers no matter which culture they belong to. However, even if they are treated the same their attitudes may differ due to their upbringing and external environment. Though most of the concept and product development occurs in the Billund headquarters, LEGO has trends watching department in their offices in Munich, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Infact, to ensure that LEGO is an international product that suits ever child needs, the creative team is composed of 120 designers 15 different nationalities (LEGO Group, 2009). 3.2.3 Star Power: Celebrities as Communications Sources The source of the message the celebrity in this case can have a huge impact on the image of a brand and its sales. Messages tend to have a greater effect when there is a relation between the celebrity and product. Human beings tend to pay more attention when they see familiar faces as opposed to ordinary faces, thereby interpreting and processing the information more effectively (Soloman, 2009). People tend to associate characteristics of a persons personality, social status, and gender, to that of the brand. When David Beckham confessed in an interview that if he wasnt a footballer his dream pastime would be building with LEGO blocks, it set the LEGO sales roaring. In just one day of business, the father of three inspired the sales of 5,922- Taj Mahal set (The Sun, 2010). Parents formulate the core buyers of this segment six in ten have bought from five or more of the listed categories of toys or games in the past 12 months (MINTEL, 2008). After all, if a star figure like Beckham has spoken, why wouldnt parents try mantling Taj Mahal together. 3. 3 Consumer Identity and Reference Groups Any individual or group that acts a point of comparison of values, opinions, attitude or behaviour towards a product is a reference group (Soloman, 2009). In case of LEGO, there are several reference groups. LEGO has a combination of logic and creativity that enhances a childs learning and ability to solve problems. Owing to this factor, LEGO has been popularly used as creative play tool in institutions and schools i.e; formal reference groups (LEGO Group, 2009). 3.3.1 Effect of Gender on Consumer Behaviour Gender is a crucial element in consumer behaviour. A boy may perceive different things from a girl. This can be proven with an example of how LEGO researched playing habits amongst boys and. The findings were that girls were more likely to build living areas while boys built cars. LEGO introduced a new version of its product for girls called Paradise which emphasized around socially oriented structures such as homes, pools etc (Soloman, 2009). 3.3.2 Baby Boomers and the role of nostalgia in buying decision making process Baby Boomers are those who are above the age of 29 and have a significant influence on demands for housing, child care etc (Soloman, 2010). LEGO has evolved from a box of bricks that baby boomers grew up to a more diverse product. However, the positive feeling attached with having played with LEGO has passed on through at least three generations. (Oliver et al., 2007) Therefore, one may ask how much role does nostalgia play in triggering what baby boomers and generation X buy as toys for their children? Retro favourites are gaining popularity owing to the fact that they have provided real quality and value over time, and one of the reasons all these new fans have emerged is through nostalgia. According to the (Telegraph, 2010), LEGO has performed well in recession as parents due to nostalgia have shifted to trusted brands. Parents dont intend to buy toys that their children would throw aside in months, instead they would rather invest in toys that children of all generations would go back to. 3.3.3 Children Pester power v/s parent power Pester Power is a term used to define a childs influence over the parent in the buying process (Turner et al, 2006). According to Turner, children can be easily influenced by advertising and marketers use this as a medium to entice children to nag and purchase the product of their desire. The key factors that influences a childs pestering behaviour is the family type, family communication pattern, the person accompanying the child to shopping, intent of going for shopping and advertising. (Venkatesh and Ghai, 2010). According to the report by Mintel, 2008, Although adults are the primary purchasers, kids are the ultimate arbiters of success and failure across much of the market nearly four in ten parents cannot say no to their kids. LEGO partnered with Kelloggs in 2007 to create LEGO brick shaped candy called Fun Snacks. This created hype amongst parents as they had spent valuable amount of their time telling their children not to swallow LEGO bricks. LEGO went on to the extent of advertising in between childrens TV shows, placing the product at the bottom of the shelf spaces in order to make it accessible for children; thereby making children nag for Fun Snacks (Franziska_NDT, 2010) 4.0 Conclusion On the whole, LEGO has adopted the right measures to immune itself to the market, no matter how the economic situation is. Given below are few recommendations and discussions with regards to LEGO. Discussion/ Recommendations: 1. With LEGO factory LEGOs online design portal- is a gateway to 300,000 designers worldwide. By doing so, LEGO can get critical reviews on their products and help improve their offerings (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). LEGO could conduct an annual conference or workshop, whereby all these designers meet up and brain storm with key designers and managers on how to improve LEGO and keep up with changing trends. 2. Christmas accounts for around half of the years sales for LEGO. Keeping this in mind, LEGO should launch their new products or special Christmas edition toys as nearly seven in ten consumers buy toys and games for Christmas. (MINTEL. 2008) And after all, who would refuse the latest Christmas edition of LEGO? 3. An emerging trend is gifting new born toys up from 13% in 2003 to 26% now. Considering this trend, LEGO could launch its own collection of teether toys meant for new born. This could range from a simple brick soft chewy toy to its very own Harry potter collection for newborns. 4. Phone applications seem to be the next big trend that is picking up. LEGO already has its own Star Wars LEGO I phone game version. LEGO must continue entering markets where gaming is a hype. 5. LEGO should push the product more using the scientific connection. According to (Turkle and Smith, 2009) playing with LEGO helps children enhance their problem solving and discovery skills. This makes a child think in a scientific, problem recognition and solving approach that most engineers, scientist and designers use. Turkle claims that the toys that children play with have a great impact on their future careers. Some children may try and create unrealistic structures, while some may follow instructions, some keep their constructed sets as awards while some just break them; different children behave differently with LEGO. However, each role play is good to identify traits about your children and which direction they are progressing towards. 6 Most of LEGO consumers are not price sensitive. They buy LEGO because of the brand and the quality. As a consumer, you can either buy the simple bricks or a special version of LEGO to add it to your collection. Therefore, LEGO can afford to release a premium end version of the toys that are suitable to kids that belong to rich households. 8. LEGO for grey market- Research has shown that playing with LEGO for an hour or two can help old people fight memory loss and problems that occur due to degeneration like dementia and Alzheimers disease. It makes your mind active, while your fingers are still moving. 9. The idea of having Brand Ambassadors who use their network pool to get insights and inputs from consumers is one of LEGOs strongest strategies. LEGO fans discuss, review and suggest new ideas for LEGO on the AFOL community which helps LEGO look into the future and improve their capabilities. LEGO has managed to create a consumer experience that combines technology, mass customization and community to enhance and build relevance for its classic toy offering. (Tidd and Bessant, 2009). Indeed, LEGO has managed to keep up its legacy and set a great example for many international and global companies.

Neil Simon :: essays research papers

As one of North America’s leading playwrights, Neil Simon has definitely been instrumental to the world of theater. He has experienced a somewhat shaky personal life, but he has found that this only adds to the texture of his work. He began his career working on radio and television, and found that writing for stage was significantly different than his previous experiences writing. His first attempts at theater were rough, but it didn’t take him long to achieve excellence. He has also achieved great success with his work in the film industry. He is very fastidious when writing his work, and also quite critical of both the final written product, as well as its resulting production. However, no matter how uncertain he is of his work, it is apparent that audiences worldwide appreciate his writings, and he has been awarded numerous times to prove it. It is quite clear Neil Simon holds a place of importance in the world of dramatic arts. Born and raised in the Bronx NYC, Marvin Neil Simon was the second son of a traveling salesman. His mother Mamie, was largely responsible for the upbringing of the children due to this circumstance. His childhood household was quite unstable due to the absence of his father, and he has not truly escaped from this lifestyle. At age 28, he married Joan Baim, a professional dancer, and the first of three wives. The two had a daughter, Ellen, together. Seemingly happy for 20 years in marriage, Joan died unexpectedly. Shockingly, just over one month after Joan’s death, Neil remarried, causing doubt about the healthiness of the relationship before Joan’s demise. He wed actress Marsha Mason, who later appeared in a number of his works, including film versions of Only When I Laugh and The Goodbye Girl. The marriage lasted 9 years, and ended bitterly due to "undisclosed reasons". Five years after his divorce from Ms Mason, he coupled with Diane Landers, also an actress . He had a second daughter, Nancy, with the actress, as well as adopting a third daughter, Bryn. The two divorced just 2 years after the wedding. However, shortly after that, the couple remarried, and are living together currently as man and wife. His other relationships have been touchy as well. A bond with his brother was broken upon Neil’s sudden decision to end his television writing career and move on to script writing.

Biological Terrorism: Our City Streets as the New Battlefield Essay

Biological Terrorism: Our City Streets as the New Battlefield The last 60-70 years of the twentieth century might be called the modern era of biological warfare. During this period, nation states developed biological weapons to be used on a far-away â€Å"European battlefield†. Even after ratification of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, the most impressive BW program in the history of mankind continued for 20 years, effectively cloaked in secrecy. Yet between 1970 and 1990, little thought was given to the possibility of a biological warfare or biological terrorist attack on US cities. Funding for biological defense in the US was minimal and most of the federal government was oblivious about the threat. In fiscal year 2000, the US government has committed more than $1.5 billion to military biodefense and another $1 billion to domestic preparedness for biological attack. What happened? In 1991, the US decisively engaged the Iraqi force, demonstrating vast conventional technical superiority while the world watched on CNN. Shortly thereafter, with economic implosion in the Former Soviet Union, our concern turned to the fate of tens of thousands of Russian scientists and engineers who had developed an impressive programÃâ€"which may never be surpassed in scale or offensive capability. We feared that lesser nations might turn to now jobless Russian bioweaponeers for help in building their â€Å"great equalizer.† All this occurred with a backdrop of increasing evidence that the dual-use nature of bioweapons programs might make treaties unverifiable. Here at home, the equally dual-use biotechnological revolution screamed forward while novels imprinted the horror of bioterrorism on our minds and experts proclaimed that â€Å"there are no... ...se who would use these breakthroughs for evil---taking away their freedom through effective intelligence programs and law enforcement---we will be more likely to stay steps ahead as we use the technologies for good, and provide an additional deterrent to the threat. Bioterrorism presents a daunting problem to our free society, especially at the unique intersection of politics and biotechnology that occurred during the last decade of the 20th century. We may have been lulled by our prosperity and strategic isolation from major conflict into a sense of invulnerability. However, we are vulnerable todayÃâ€"and there is no reason to believe that will change in the near future. We must carefully evaluate the real threat, make the hard cost-benefit decisions and continue to build a fully integrated defense against the distortion of biology by those who would do us harm.

No Love Lost Essay -- Literary Analysis, A Doll’s House

For a play about marriage A Doll’s House does not have much love in it. All of the characters claim to love each other, but are really concealing other emotions. The expectations of society have forced them into love that they do not feel. This false love is what causes them to fall apart in the end. The play is riddled with marriages that are born out of convenience or expectation rather than love. Every character only loves in ways that they are expected to, and only continue to love for convenience’s sake. There is no love in A Doll’s House. Torvald treats Nora as a child, not an equal; he is not really in love with her. The most glaring examples of this are his pet names for her. He likes to think of her as a small, delicate creature that needs saving and protecting. Although this may seem like normal fare for a loving marriage, he takes it too far. Nora is not the type of woman that appreciates this sort of treatment, so it turns from affectionate to demeaning. He thinks that demeaning his wife is not only acceptable, but normal for a relationship saying â€Å"I wouldn’t be a man if your feminine vulnerability didn’t make you doubly attractive to me†(82). This is not a good base for their relationship, as it prevents him from giving Nora the kind of attention that she needs. She does not need the kind of doting attention that he gives her, she wants to talk as an equal. She want to be â€Å"bothered †¦ with all sorts of problems [she] couldn’t possibly helped [him] to cope with† (84) as that would allow her to help her with his life, and give them the kind of relationship that Nora needs to survive. He does not love her, he loves treating her this way. As a matter of fact, Nora describes his relationship with her best, when she says... ... â€Å"[he’ll] be able to find a way to redeem [himself] in people’s eyes†(69). He does not love her, he needs the social support. They have found each other after having being lost for many years, but it is not a romantic reunion. It is a calculation on both of their parts for their own greater individual happiness. A Doll’s House contains many relationships, but all of them are bad. From convenience to infatuation, Ibsen’s work seems to be a manual on bad reasons to love someone. Every single character has some personalized version of love, and none of them seem to bear any resemblance to real love. Whether they find it convenient to love for respect or because love was their only choice at the time, none of them know real love. It is as though Ibsen wanted to show how some of the many reasons for love at the time were wrong and would lead to problems later in life.

Hospitality Management Essay

Introduction The tourism industry is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing and successful industries, with revenue of recorded 693 million international tourist arrivals in 2001, reported by World Tourism Organization (WTO), nevertheless its definition cannot be agreed on. Youell (1998; pg.9) presents a definition given by WTO in 1993 defining tourism as â€Å"activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and other purposes.† During the nineteen century, there was a surge of mass tourism due to the advancement of all types of transportation as well as the development of seaside resorts. Society had greater income and more time for leisure (Urry, 2002; pg 16). Although tourism industry continued to grow, there was a shift in the tourism behaviour, WTO justifies this behaviour stating that society had become more aware of the environment and developed the sudden interest in different activiti es and opportunities involving local culture. Fennel describes alternative tourism as â€Å"small scale†; â€Å"locally-oriented†, tourists became more aware of local communities and with the environment. This theory is supported by WTO adding that consumers are now looking for â€Å"special, high quality, unforgettable experiences in which they can be active participants†. Furthermore it is added that special interest tourism is an extra motivation to tourist interest in engaging in more specific activities. Focusing solely on this topic, the author is to write a report on the grounds of special interest tourism. In order to achieve this, the author has chosen to analyze the surroundings of ecotourism in Amazon, Brazil. Therefore the report should offer the reader, provided with a justification, a sight full reportage based on one only special interest tourism, highlighting its history, size of market, market segmentation and examples of products available for the chosen special interest tourism. A review of models of motivation and tourism motivation enabling a study of different characteristics of the participants in the chosen special interest tourism should be included on the second section the report. The third section provides the reader an evaluation and profile of ecotourism identifying key organizations, agencies, communities, and businesses involved in the development of ecotourism in Brazil. Finally the last section incorporates an appropriate conclusion and recommendation which should include approaches that could provide a greater opportunity for the development and promotion of the ecotourism in the Amazon. Descriptive profile of the Special Interest Tourism activity The author had a chance to consider all options of research and carefully chosen to undertake a research and write a report concerning ecotourism in the Amazon. This topic was chosen as this is a new concept of special interest tourism and is in constant growth. Also this gives the author a chance to inform herself about ecotourism and its significance to the environment. As for the destination, Amazon was chosen because of its size, as it is the biggest tropical rainforest in the world and biggest biodiversity. Ecotourism activities have had a significant growth over the years due to â€Å"consumer concern about the environment† (WTO, 2002). United Nations decided to make 2002 the International Year of Ecotourism, focusing their reason to â€Å"bring together governments, international agencies, NGOs, tourism enterprises, representatives of local and indigenous communities and identify some agreed principles and priorities for the future development and management of ecotour ism† (Butcher, 2007, cited in CNEP/ WTO 2002a:7). Although 2002 was awarded as the International Year of Ecotourism by the United Nations, there is a general uncertainty concerning its history and meaning. Fennel (1995, pg. 25) defines ecotourism relating to nature, stating it is â€Å" a sustainable form of natural, resource-base tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature† connoting that such activity should occur in natural areas, contributing to the preservation of this. Opposing to this, WTO gives an alternative meaning to ecotourism, also based on the grounds of nature as â€Å"form of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature† (WTO, 2002) Further to this, WTO views ecotourism as a form of tourism with 5 characteristics: 1. Tourists’ motivation should be nature-based involving observation and appreciation of nature as well as  preserving it. 2. It should contain educational features. 3. It should be organized by specialized tour operators for small groups. 4. It should minimize the negative impacts of the environment. 5. It should support the maintenance of natural areas by generating beneficial income to local communities, organisations and authorities responsible for the conservation of ecotourism areas. In contrast to the above definitions, based on nature, the International Ecotourism Society (ITES) offers a more profound meaning relating nature to local communities, â€Å"is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people† (ITES). It is agreed that both organisations have the same principles regarding the maintenance of ecotourism areas, where tourists should respect the environment, provide financial benefits and empowerment to local communities. Although there is a general disagreement on the exact meaning of ecotourism, all researchers agree that involves the environment and local communities; however it appears that there is an uncertainty about its origin. Research shows that ecotourism can be traced back to the late 1970s, this supported by Fennel (1999.pg 18) who presents reasonable arguments from studies demonstrating the origin of ecotourism. He describes how ecotourism emerged through tourists searching for environmental travelling surrounding nature and wildlife. In accordance with WTO (2002) ecotourism is a small niche market with a big potential for growth and economic advancement, one that if well managed can be used in conservation and preservation of nature and of the environment. Following their research based on the most popular countries for ecotourism, WTO has identified the market segmentation for ecotourists, which shows that: †¢ The majority is aged between 30 and 50 years old †¢ Mostly women †¢ Preferred activities were wildlife viewing, being in wilderness areas followed by seeing rare species. †¢ The top five preferred destinations for ecotourists were United kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America Estimated as the biggest and richest ecosystems in the world, the state of Amazon in Brazil comprises of nine countries in South America all together, occupying almost half of the whole country. The state of Amazon is approximately 5million square kilometres, home to 200 mammal species, 950 bird species, 2,500 fish species and 300 reptiles’ species, making the Amazon the largest tropical rainforest in the world. In addition, the Amazon River, which cuts right through the state, is the second biggest river in the world after the Nile. Boats and ships are the best way of transportation as the Amazon is covered in forest. Amazon got its name after the Portuguese explorers started expeditions along the river for a lost city known as ‘Eldorado’ in the hope of uncovering a city made of gold, before the British, French and Spanish explorers found it. Eldorado could never be found, but the name remained the same. Amazon is not only the habitat of thousands of species but also home to indigenous tribes who live off the land just like their ancestors did depending on the ecosystem for their food, shelter and livelihoods. Although ecotourism is a new concept, it is rapidly becoming a fast growing economic factor in the Amazon as it attracts major tourists for its attractions. On the other hand, it is also in danger due to deforestation, logging and forest cleaning, which presents a threat to the Amazon (www.amazon-rainforest.org). As a form of special interest tourism, it is important to have products available for this, which represents the nature preserving its natural habitat. With this in mind, there are many activities disposable for tourism as ecotourism is growing in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). With the growth of ecotourism in the Amazon, many ecological crosswalks activities are provided to tourists wanting contact with the largest biodiversity of the world. The National Park of Pico da Neblina and the national Park of Jaà º are two of the most popular locations for crosswalks in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). Another popular product available to tourists is cave tourism otherwise known as espeleotourism, consisting of exploring the inside of caves and studying their formations. Within the Amazon, Mato Grosso is the most visited cave  (www.embratur.gov.br). Floatation is an additional form of ecotourism activity, consisting of light diving with the use of a snorkel and a mask allowing the diver to be enchanted by the beauty underneath the water. Mato Grosso is the most popular and sought after location for this in the State of Amazon. Fauna watching is popular for those mostly interested in wildlife. National Parks in the Amazon grants visitors with thousands of different species, experiencing nature at its best. Bird watching has become reasonably popular to numerous tourists who travel specifically to Amazon for its biodiversity in search of all types of endangered species. Considered as the most sophisticated city on the planet and an important location for ecological tourism, Manaus the capital of Amazon forest is home to almost 1.5 million inhabitants. The city attracts tourists for its natural beauty, ecological parks and a diverse of over 15 attractions (www.embratur.gov.br). These include: âž ¢ Paricatuba Waterfall located in the bank of Negro river formed by sediment and surrounded by vegetation. âž ¢ Love cascade situated at Guedes bayou and filled with cold and crystal clear water. âž ¢ Parque do Mindà º, one of the last resorts housing endangered species. âž ¢ Grove of the National Research Institute of Amazonia (INPA) âž ¢ Zoo of the Forest War Instruction Center (CIGS) which house 300 species of animals, among monkeys, jaguars, ariranhas (Brazilian otters), snakes, alligators, macaws, tapirs and land turtles. âž ¢ Tupà © Beach whose only access is by riverboat It is clear that tourists travel to Brazil for its raw beauty, especially to Amazon which is rich in biodiversity. Ecobrasil has published statistics on international ecotourism to which shows that 39% of tourists visit Brazil for its natural beauty, this being their main motivation for doing so, while 7% visit Amazon as their main source for ecotourism (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Ecobrasil has also demonstrated results carried by Embratur Domestic market study carried in 2005/2006 in which shows that 6% of tourists view ecotourism as a motivation for travel, confirming that only four million tourists are interested in ecotourism. Profile of the evidence of the motivation and satisfaction of SIT Above the author mentioned the statistics for tourists that visit Brazil and their motivation for such. However some researchers have identified other motives for motivation which explain reasons to choose a specific ecotourism location. Maslow generated a hierarchy of needs based on what motivates individuals when deciding where to go on holidays and what activities to pursue. This hierarchy of needs is based on a series of levels, starting on the lowest level and terminating on the upper level once all levels of achievement are satisfied. The hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid and at the lowest level, this for physiological needs, where individuals have the needs to satisfy their most basic needs such as eating and clothing. Once this need is achieved, Maslow identifies the individuals desire to carry on achieving the remaining needs until all levels of the pyramid are satisfied (Mullins, 2007, p.258). On the contrary to this view, Ryan (1997) has argued that the tourist behaviour is behind the motivation of the traveller leading to a certain type of holidays, focusing on the social motivation rather than needs. He identifies how two tourists from different backgrounds can have different attitudes to holidays but have similar motivation for such stating â€Å"both sets of behaviour arise from the need to be with others†. Ryan also recognizes theoretical models of motivation by classifying theories and their researchers. One of these the concept identified by Pearce who argued travel motivation through the concept of travel career ladder, this corresponding to â€Å"learning through tourist experience† (Ryan, 1997, p.37). The travel career ladder is characterised by different forms of motivations, with relaxation at the bottom of the ladder, followed by stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development and fulfilment, and it should be by order of travel experience, the more experience they are, more interest they start developing and their motivation to travel start to increase. This meaning that a tourist on their first holiday is looking for relaxation however the more they travel, motivation starts to change as they become more concerned with learning about history and culture, and in time, the tourists will rich the upper level of the ladder, searching to get more involved in the province (Ryan, 1997). Other analyses have emerged with the expectancy of encountering tourists’ motivation for choosing this type of special interest tourism. Thus Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified researchers who have studied motivations for specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified research made by Crompton in which he noted that tourist were in a cultural and educational travel motivations. This can be said it is closed linked to what was later interpreted by Read (1980) in which he admits what motivates tourists is the need for authenticity and uniqueness as well as educational. With this he emerged with the idea of REAL tourism, translating that travelling should be rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and a learning experience for the tourist. Hall and Weiler have created a table identifying tourists motivations associated with the specific special interest tourism and they have concluded that tourists may have various motivators related to the special interest activity. Therefore, it is said that the motivations for the participants in ecotourism are apart from learning is to be in contact with the nature or indigenous civilians. A further argument into the motivations of tourists has emerged, as Page and Dowling (2002) presented two sides of ecotourism: hard and soft tourism. Hard tourism refers when the participant are environmentalist who take sustainability quite serious and is purely interest in the nature and being in contact with the wilderness, taking a prolonged trip in almost undisturbed location, while soft tourism refers to tourists in short term trip, have little contact with nature and are not strongly committed environmentalists. However, motivations are not the only factors tourists take into account when deciding on the special interest tourism. The type of product and expertise by those involved promoting this specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (2002) argue that experienced professionals play an important role on the tourists’ selection of destination. Professionals such as Specialty Travel Index offer a multitude of travel opportunities worldwide (http://www.spectrav.com/index.shtml). Evaluation of the development of a named SIT within an identified destination area Butcher (2007) views community participation as an important step to the development of ecotourism, as decisions made concerning ecotourism affects the community and their lives. Butcher adds that this initiative is also supported by World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) in which they state communities should have a high level of control on the development of ecotourism. Additionally communities should be intensely in all decision-making concerning the growth of the landscape â€Å" tourism should therefore respect and value local knowledge and experience, maximise benefits to communities, and recruit, train and employ local people at all levels (Butcher, p.67). Ecotourism should be beneficent local communities, conservation of the environment and provide financial contribution to the upkeep of a conservation project. In addition local communities’ involvement in the development of ecotourism â€Å"improves the tourist experience† (Page and Dowling, 2002). Alternative Travel Group (ATL) is an example of the above, in which they work effectively with local communities. Founded in 1979 is an organisation based upon sustainability http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php) ATL collaborates with local communities, listening and acting on what was suggested. This allows communities to express their concern about the conservation of their habitat (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). Profits go towards construction of infrastructures and conservation projects in the most necessitated areas. They incentive individuals to present their ideas and providing they are sustainable to which they can invest on. Hence they have various projects ongoing worldwide which benefit local communities and preserve the environment (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). It is not only local communities that play a vital role in the making and development of ecotourism, many organisations, agencies and small businesses have an important and constant involvement in the successful and promoting of this growing form of special interest tourism. World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) is the largest non-governmental organisation in the world. Based in over fifty-two offices and active in over ninety countries, it has over five million supporters worldwide, many volunteers (Butcher, p. 42). WWF has three main missions that represent their work: safeguarding the natural world, tackling climate change and changing the way residents live. Consequently they have generated a program designed to protect the environment. Amongst other projects, WWF is working in ensuring the ecosystem in the Amazon maintains its environmental and cultural contribution to local people (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). WWF main objectives regarding the Amazon as a whole are: âž ¢ Tackling deforestation âž ¢ Encouraging responsible agriculture and production âž ¢ Helping create protected forest âž ¢ Ensuring free-flowing rivers and forest-friendly roads Moreover WWF has enlisted the help of Sky TV in promoting the safeguarding of rainforest in Amazon. Both work with local communities offering them with economical help to look after millions of hectares of forest, combating illegal logging and forest deforestation (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). Additionally WWF closely works with two UN bodies, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). WWF has written guidelines highlighting a community-based ecotourism in which the organisation directly works with communities in conserving and preserving the environment and provide advice on how to deal with issues surrounding their landscape. One of their project is based in Manaus, capital of Amazon, a community –based initiative, the Silves Association for Environmental and Cultural Preservation, this aims at protecting the fishing lakes at this site. On top pf this, WWF opened an ecolodge in the same region run by local people, 20% of all profits go towards the management of preservation of the site. In addition, WWF has created a programme in Brazil solely based on raising awareness about forms of ecotourism that should be practiced based on its principles (http://www.icrtourism.org/Publications/WWF1eng.pdf). The international ecotourism society (TIES) is a non-governmental organisation funded in 1990 with the objectives of aiding the development of ecotourism, helping communities, organisations to promote and practice the principles of ecotourism. TIES have clear aims concerning ecotourism which consists of bringing together individuals, institutions and tourism industries in the interest of ecotourism, educating tourist and professionals on ecotourism and influencing organisations on practicing all principles regarding ecotourism. Working in partnership with other NGOs such as Planeterra and yourtravelchoice.org, all three organisations provide tourists with opportunities to get involved in ecotourism activities, help local communities, work together in inform tourists on how to conserve the nature. Furthermore, they offer their own input on eco-destinations, allowing individuals to get some relevant information on ecotourism and its issues (www.ecotourism.org) Although Planeterra is more involved with community, they still remain concerned with the environment. This non-governmental organisation organises community based projects worldwide in order to help local people live in a more environmental safe surroundings (http://www.planeterra.org/). The Brazilian Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Trade Association (ABETA) is an association that closely works on the development of ecotourism activities in Brazil. Their goal is to promote the conservation and preservation of Brazil’s cultural and historical heritage (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). ABETA promotes amongst adventure tourism, ecotourism activities such as bird watching, caving, safari and wildlife. Thus in partnership with the Tourism ministry, Brazilian tourism board (Embratur) and BBECO which is administered by ABETA, all have the same common aspiration: promote Brazil as one of the top destinations for ecotourism while keeping it environmentally safe (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). Embratur, a Brazilian Tourism Board is an organisation responsible for providing policies in tourism related activities, including ecotourism activities such as hiking, cave tourism, floatation, bird watching and fauna watching (www.embratur.gov.br) Ecobrasil, a Brazilian ecotourism Association  is a NGO founded in 1993 whose primarily focus is on ecotourism. Whilst incorporate a clear mission in which they want to promote Brazil as a â€Å"reliable destination for ecotourism†, their vision is to â€Å"forward ecotourism and sustainable tourism through building knowledge networks and participate in and/or develop projects that helped advance the knowledge about good ecotourism practices and planning in Brazil†. Hence their objectives is to create a network of data solely on ecotourism, commitment in minimising the impact of tourism on the environment, acknowledge statistics on ecotourism and represent ecotourism on a worldwide level (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Proecotur – Programa de Desenvolvimento do Ecoturismo na Amazà ´nia Legal (programme of ecotourism development at the Legal Amazon) recognises that ecotourism has a huge potential to be converted into the biggest source of income on the Amazon, predicting up to three million ecotourist annually. Therefore they have generated new strategies to guarantee that Amazon becomes the most popular state for ecotourism. They believe the creation of a sustainable environment does not require greater investments, rather intelligent strategies for transportation. With this to attract tourists they agree that there is a need for improvement in the transportation and improvement of the quality of services available to tourists plus there should be a creation of more sustainable products (http://www.faunabrasil.com.br). Conclusion Although tourism is not a new concept, ecotourism is. This emerged with the individuals growing concern with the environment. There is a general disagreement when defining ecotourism but many researchers and organisations agree that is a form of activity in which participants want to be in touch with the nature and with the environment and this should follow principles set by organisations for the safekeeping of the environment and also benefiting local communities. Various researchers have attempted to clarify the motivations for tourist choice of destinations and specials type of interest, and with this it was concluded that none could have a general agreement on these except that  tourist could have common attitude when selecting destinations. They could be educational and cultural; however the idea of tourist wanting new, unique and untouched surroundings gave away to the new concept of Real travel: rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and learning. Ecotourism is a growing and prosperous form of special interest tourism and the activities incorporated for this are increasingly generating income to those involved in promoting ecotourism and to local communities who should be involved in the decision-making concerning the development of ecotourism. The author during the research into organisations involved in the promotion of ecotourism has come across the fact that most organisations are non-governmental organisations that depend on volunteers. Also the majority of these organisations are interrelated having common objectives when it comes to ecotourism: promoting all ecotourism activities, safeguarding the environment and preserving the nature. Recommendations Although organisations are interlinked with one another, it appears that it is not enough, as the market segmentation show, only a certain type of individuals practice ecotourism and ecotourism related activities. Brazil is popular with tourist for its beauty therefore NGOs, agencies and business should do more to promote ecotourism in Brazil, speciality in Amazon, which is a huge area with a lot to offer to all types of tourists. Hence all organisations should work together not only in the safeguarding of the environment but advertise Brazil as the best country for ecotourism, enhancing its beauty and reasons to visit as well as promoting ecotourism activities in a way that appeals to all age groups and gender. Additionally NGOs, agencies and business should stress the need to practice the imposed regulations in protected areas in order to preserve the nature for tomorrow. Another recommendation would be to look how other forms of special interest tourism could be useful in providing aid in the development of ecotourism. An example of this would be religious tourism. 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