A Summary Of A Personal Statement - 2169 Words

I have been a communications officer in FCR for 8yrs, I was also a special constable for 7yrs, during my time as a comms officer I have progressed through call taking and dispatching. Last year I was successfully promoted to scale 5 and have been working as a senior comms officer since that time. I am a tutor and have tutored 9 new members of staff on call taking and dispatch and 2 others on the ANPR desk. I am fully trained in ANPR, VODS, recruitment and selection interviewing and as an acting supervisor. I am also the health and safety SPOC along with first aid and fire marshal for FCR a role I volunteered to take on alongside my normal duties. I have completely rewritten the health and safety book to bring it up to date, I have†¦show more content†¦As health and safety SPOC I had noted a breach of fire and HS regulations in relation to the kitchen door. This was a designated fire door, that lead into the kitchen area which is a high risk area for fires and there had been one in there previously. I took away door stop that was preventing the door from closing to comply with regulations. However this then caused issues for disabled members of staff. We currently have 5 members of staff who are not able to open doors properly without help or an automatic door due to disability. This was a concern as disabled members of staff could not access the kitchen without the door being permanently open but this was then breaching fire regulations. I then called and spoke with the HS manager about the options that I could put in place. I then weighed up these options and presented the two best solutions to the local command team to remedy the issue. I had to factor in accessibility with cost and what could be fitted. Of the two options submitted one a push button automatic door was ruled out due to cost, however the other option of placing a magnetic latch on the door was accepted as this would allow the door to remain open at all times, therefore complying with the disability act for accessibility, but would then close on activation of the fire alarm complying with fireShow MoreRelatedEssay on Writing a Strong Nursing Resume1111 Words   |  5 Pagescaption, objective statement, qualifications summary, heading, headlines and bulleted statements outlining the applicants professional background and all (nursing schools) attended, including successfully completed (LPN program) and bridging (RN programs). A caption simply includes the applicants name, address, telephone number, and personal email address. The caption should be centered on the top of the page. Use 13 to 14 point boldface font. 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State Lamark and Darwins Theory - 1727 Words

2a) State Lamark and Darwin’s theory and explain the difference using an example Lamark proposed the theory that offspring were able to inherit the traits that were acquired during their parent’s lifetime. He held the belief that organisms altered their behaviour according to their environment, in turn modifying their organs and body structure to best suit their surroundings. The improved structures useful to the organism were then to be inherited by their offspring. Unused organs would deteriorate and eventually be removed from the body overtime. For example, giraffes obtained the useful characteristic of elongated necks and front limbs to reach food in high trees through the straining of their necks. It was believed that that the neck and front limbs would progressively elongate each generation as giraffes stretched further. On the other hand, Darwin believed that genetic variation already existed with a population of organisms. Physical and chemical environmental changes or competition for resources acted as selecting agents for favourable genetic characteristics. The organisms with the genes best adapted to the environment would survive and produce offspring with those favourable traits. Conversely, those with unsuitable traits died off quicker and therefore were less likely to reproduce. Over generations, the organisms with the desirable characteristics would eventually dominate the population. For example, giraffes with the already existing favourable trait ofShow MoreRelatedEvolution Of Evolution And Genetics921 Words   |  4 PagesBiologists have been studying evolution and genetics to further advance human knowledge, discover the human origins, and to eliminate human illnesses. Biologists like Lamark and Darwin have contributed much knowledge to the biology community and have helped many grasp the idea of evolution. But there are still many questions left unanswered; regressive evolution is one of these puzzling questions left unanswered. Cavefishes may help solve the mystery of why regressive evolution occurs and biologists

Describe a significant event in your life Essay Example For Students

Describe a significant event in your life Essay Describe a significant event in your life that has influenced your future plans. Tell us what your plans are and how the significant event helped create those plans. It was my first visit, to a country that I had always been told was my ? motherland? , but it was a land I knew no more about than what travel brochures told me. Having come to the United States as an infant, I knew no other home or way of life than what I was used to in the United States. However, my trip to India in the summer of 2001 was a significant event that made me see myself as well as the world around me in an entirely different perspective. It was quite overwhelming actually; it was as if I was thrust into a whole other vortex, one with pungent odors of curry and saffron. It was an entirely different atmosphere, one with snake charmers, palm readers, and mesmerizing religious rituals. However, it was a matrix with not so mesmerizing sights as well. There were poverty and disease everywhere, men and women, emaciated due to lack of food and proper medical attention. Almost everywhere I turned there was someone, young or old, man or women, so withered from hunger and diseases that each bone on their body could be seen, so poor that they barely had enough rags to cover their body. This is the real side of India, one of disease, malnutrition, and intense poverty. A country, in which antiquated diseases like malaria, and tuberculosis are not only in existence, but run rampant. Nothing is safe; water is contaminated thus, causing an ideal location for disease. Of course, there is the beauty and enigma of India, the ! mystery of the mausoleum known as the Taj Mahal and the serenity one experiences by practicing yoga on the banks of the holy Ganges, as well as other tourist attractions. However, they are merely tourist attractions. It is not until I looked at the real face of the rural side of India behind the faÃÆ'Â §ade of tourist sites, did I realize how lucky I have been to escape the poverty and misery felt by millions of Indians. I have always had a natural affinity towards the field of medicine, and for me taking biology in my freshman year of high school was the only course I truly enjoyed. I loved staining animal cells and identifying the nucleus or mitochondria. I was one of the few students who actually anticipated the frog dissection in the spring and anxiously awaited it all through the fall semester. And when dissection day arrived I was the first one to put on those latex gloves, grab a scalpel and pin the frog down, set it in anatomical position and make that first incision. Despite my intense interest in biology, the idea of medicine as a career had never occurred to me. It was towards the end of my junior year in high school and with college right around the corner, I had no real sense of what my future plans were and that worried me. Even with my parents constantly reassuring me and reinforcing in me the idea that, ? it will come to you, just give it time? I was still concerned. However! , what it took was a trip to India, the experience of seeing a world different form our own, with people whom I shared a common heritage and ancestry but an absolutely different way of life. My trip to India made me realize how fortunate I have been to be raised in a country where there is no fear of polluted water or dangerous, contagious diseases spread through unsanitary conditions. .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .postImageUrl , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:hover , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:visited , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:active { border:0!important; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:active , .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4 .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u424ace3b8b59f033458ba24e3b039dc4:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Capital Punishment: The Legal Punishment of a Criminal EssayI am living in a country where the biggest worry on a seventeen-year-old girls mind is not where and how to get the money to treat her mother? illness that is curable but not affordable. It was then that I decided to carry my love for medicine one step further and make a career out of it, become a physician. Unlike many of the individuals living in third world countries like India, I have the opportunity to get an education. And upon receiving that education, I have many of career choices to select from. However, what I want more than anything, is to give back to a country and a community that is in dire need of m edical assistance. Third world countries are burdened by too many diseases and it? in these countries where the help of physicians are needed the most. For this reason! I would like to volunteer my services in the rural areas of India. I do fully understand that saving all of India is quite improbable, but I do believe that helping one life can make all the difference. My future plan is not to save the world, had it been then this essay would be nothing but a clichÃÆ'Â © and my feelings towards helping the needy are anything but a faÃÆ'Â §ade. The events that unfolded in India, the people in misery, depleted by the disease and lack of money, is a sight that made me appreciate my good fortune. It made me want to combine my immense interest in the field of biology/medicine with my desire to help the people of India. Medicine is about one individual helping another for the common good. My decision to become a physician was a direct result of my trip to go to India. I realized my dreams by reflecting on what great opportunities await me in my college career and how I can use this opportunity to help people in the United States as well as my ? motherland? of India.

Tata Nano Marketing free essay sample

Falling GDP usually means falling purchasing power. According to (Euromonitor International, 2009), two or more consecutive quarters of negative real GDP growth indicate a recession. Appendix A shows that US Real GDP had been experiencing persistent negative growth since 2007. 2. 3 Unemployment: Higher unemployment will act as a hurdle to Tatas Nanos success in US by reducing disposable income and therefore demand. Slow down in the housing sector has slowed down the construction industry and led to Job cuts. With 82000 Job cuts in the construction industry alone in November 2008, the US unemployment rate stood at . % which is the highest in 16 years (Euromonitor International, 2009). 2. 4 Fiscal Policies: To boost Americas ailing economy, the government has introduced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. According to Euromonitor International (2009), this stimulus package is the biggest ever in US history including tax breaks and ambitious spending. The breakdown of th e fiscal package is given in Appendix B. We will write a custom essay sample on Tata Nano Marketing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is of great interest to Tatas marketers since it promotes demand, growth and consumer confidence and will improve the market for Tatas Nano. The US consumer market is the worlds largest. This is attractive to marketers since it implies a significant market for products. However, according to Euromonitor International (2008), consumer expenditure has fallen sharply since the last quarter of 2007 with consumer confidence at a 16 year low. Falling consumer confidence reduces consumer expenditure and the demand for products like Tatas Nano. 2. 6 Income, Expenditure and Savings: Harsh credit and employment conditions meant incomes were no longer enough to cover expenditures. Consequently Americans had to draw on their savings which repercussions, as Americans may not have adequate savings to purchase the Nano in he future. Appendix C illustrates the relationship between income, expenditure and savings between 2001 and 2007. 2. 7 Income distribution: Income is mainly distributed between three major groups in the US. According to Euromonitor International (2008), Baby Boomers, aged 45-59 years, are the highest earning consumer segment earning between USD 48000-84000 annually, with a refuse to age attitude. Spending often on children and grand children they would be a lucrative market for Tatas Nano. The second biggest demographic segment is approximately 36 years in age, earns about USD 60000 annually and accounts for a arge proportion of the population. Third is the age-group 24-32, which accounts for 15% of the total population and is important for its size, though not for its income. A breakdown of income distribution is given in Appendix D. 2. 8 BOP: The persistently deficit US current account reached its peak of USD 901,878 million in 2008 (Euromonitor International, 2009). This is a drawback especially for companies like Tata planning to export to the US since it increases the likelihood of a sudden depreciation of the dollar to reduce the BOP deficit. Foreign companies with investments in the US will buy less foreign dominated currencies. Exporting companies will experience a fall in demand for their goods as the products become more expensive for US consumers with the depreciation of the dollar. 3. 0 Cultural Environment: This section analyzes the consumers perceptions and behaviour towards their environment. A countrys culture encompasses knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Nakata Huang as cited in Yaprak, 2008). Geert Hofstede first introduced cultural dimensions into contemporary business literature.

Benefits of Having an Online Presence for Your Business Essay Example

Benefits of Having an Online Presence for Your Business Essay Example Benefits of Having an Online Presence for Your Business Paper Benefits of Having an Online Presence for Your Business Paper The different benefits a business may receive all varies with different aspects, such as the size of the business and what kind of business is being run. For example, a small organisation may want to buy it stock from the internet which will drastically reduce the amount they have to pay and the amount of space for the storage of these supplies. However, a business that is already online such as Apple would like to increase their number of customers, sales and profit. Market Presence A lot of public and voluntary sector organisations use the internet to widen their profile and to get more people to be aware of the services they provide. This is a very popular way of promoting their organisation. The benefits of trading using online means are very simple. Global Presence The presence is on a global scale as the webpage used for the company can be visited or viewed by anyone in the world, from any country. This will productively increase the amount of customers, potential sales and promotion for the business. Small companys benefit from this the most. 24 Hour Visibility Unlike shops, websites are on all the time, non-stop 24 hours a day seen days a week so it can be visited at any time which is very helpful, plus this is really good on a global basis as different countries have different time zones. Equality of Presence Regardless of Size of Business A customer who visits online services doesnt judge the company whether its small, medium or large but instead judges on the quality of service, the attraction of the site and on how easy the website is to use. So on paper, a small business can be a strong competitor for medium and large businesses and can even attract more customers. Rapidity of response to customer interest You can respond to a customer quicker when having an online webpage, but it is not been used effectively by some organisations. Websites can provide new, quick and easy ways to contact their customers. An important part of this feature is quick replies. Statistics show that online customers expect very fast responses to their messages and orders. This is good customer service. If the company does not respond or takes too long to reply this can make it very unpopular and lose it potential customers and sales. To insure this does not happen companies can hire staff for this specific task or it can use an automated system. Opportunities to analyse Online Competitors It is much more simple and fast to spy or see how and what your competitors are doing online then actually going to the store to compare your business to theirs. Long before a business has gone online it should check out the online webpages of all of its main competing businesses. So you can see the layout of their webpage, the size of it and what it has in it. This is to ensure your webpage is to a similar level or even better. Also take in mind your competitors can also spy on your company once you are online. The task at hand is to get your webpage at the top of its game and to keep it there. Marketing Benefits This is the advantages receives for knowing more about its customers, contacting them more rapidly and more simply and offering every aspect to their customers needs. Collecting market research information from online enquiries There are a lot of ways were companies can retrieve users information from its website: Using log files and cookies: Both of these methods collect data using the usage of the site by the users, this can provide the business with very important marketing information. Users can block cookies so there not accepted but many sites refuse to work without cookies. However, all sites produce log files. These are files made by the web server that hosts the website. They give information like how many people have visited the site and how long they visited the site for. Website activity software: This produces more information from the log files. It can also tell you which search engine are the best at attracting customers for your business. They can find out using website activity software, which is the favourite of the pages and which one is least liked. Registration and order forms: Many sites ask users to register or make an account; this is so they can access users information. They also offer users an extra thing if they agree to receive regular emails from the site for example a special offer on an item. This offers the site owners with valiable information about the user that they can use. Access to new markets When taking your business online no matter the size of your business, you will be able to grow to reach a wider range of potential customers. Remote locations The internet has become a new way of buying with out the need to exit your home. This means customers can purchese wanted items from the comfort of there house, no matter how far the shopping centre is, this provides those who live in locations which are almost blocked out such as, the islands around the United Kingdom have a much larger selection of goods and services to be provided to them. Customers with travel difficulties People who live in urban areas, have cost problems, mothers with young babies and even the elderly find it very easy to order online as they have difficulties traveling around to get what they need or want. So buying online is their favourite choice especially when the weather is not particulary good which many times is the case. Poor Transport links In many areas, especially small rural areas, the bus services are hardly available or they are really bad and train services are almost unseen or used. While in special moments using such services should be worth getting most amounts of time quick and easy online purcheses are much more painless and time consuming. Customers with disabilities and can not travel at all will find shopping online a very important invention as this makes it unbelivably easy for them. Access from a wide range of devices Modern day technology has made it easy to shop from anywhere on the go. Smart devices such as internet phones or PDAs or Pocket PCs have provided customers an even simpler and quicker way to shop from absloutly any where and any time. Level of response The speed of a companys response and how many customers they can respond to at one given time have factors which affect it such as; Sales features This can either mean home delivery, delivery to a different adress then the buyers or the option to pick when you as a customer want the item to be delivered. Access from a wide range of devices This would mean making the site with different servers to support multiple devices not only PCs. This would mean making it smaller and easier to use in handheld devices such as mobile phones and ipads or other advanced technology. Access out of business hours Help pages which are previously written to answer the most asked questions, or a blogging page where customers can answer each others questions and help each other, would mean that customers can get 24 hour assistance daily without the need of a member of the staff team being in attendance. Access from around the world Business who plan to sell globaly or plan to provide services on a global scale can do so in a quick and easy way online and customers can access the information they need from anywhere in the world. Rapid response to orders and enquires Email services and the usage of customers needing to register means the responce can be far more quick. Websites that sell such as ebay, not only use email providers to message you they also have there own messaging service which would mean far more quicker response and the chance of the customer spotting it a lot more higher. Online order tracking Postages can be tracked and followed on a real life time map which follows the journey of the delivery of the customers order. This is done by attaching a tracking device or chip to the postage. Customers can follow this progress on either partner websites or the website having there own application which shows them this information. Financial advantages Improved cash flow through fewer bad debts Less thefts and tricks can be used if it is online. As the customer has to provide the debit or credit card details before purchase and the money is taking off accordingly to the delivery of the item in the b2c transactions you will not have to worry about not being paid or being tricked as much. Freedom of low-cost location Having a complete online business will mean you can have your delivery head quarters or base in cheap locations. For example, HMV and Tesco have theres in Jersey which has lower tax then the one in the UK which means they save money. Lower overheads The amount of staff needed are much more less in an online business, so less pay checks will mean more money for the company. Online companies use call centres to help customers even these can be automatic and previously recorded. This can greatly save a business in cost. Rapid payment To be able to purchase items online you need to make payments quickly, one click payments. This will mean a business can govern there money and control there cash flow with more ease and it will disable the need to loan money. No expensive cash handling The seller doesnt have real cash to deal with instead the money is transferred from the buyers account to the sellers bank account. This will protect seller against fraud or theft and make it easier to sort your money out plus the cost of storing the cash out is removed. Ease of entry Making your entrance into a new and a wider scaled market is far easier online. The internet has provided small business with huge posibilities to grow like the big organisations and it offers them the chance to compete with them and maybe get further and more larger then them.

Media Students and Vietnam essays

Media Students and Vietnam essays To many, the Vietnam War symbolizes controversy, myth and question in America. There are many events that made Americans wonder what reasons we had for putting our troops and families in Vietnam. Up till that point, many other Americans had never questioned the acts of the American government and armed forces. Issues dealt with in the Vietnam War showed great impact on the American people, particularly the students. American involvement started off very low key. Two marine battalions landed in Da Nang on March 8, 1965 (Doyle, Lipsman). They were not fighting a war yet, though a war was going on in the very country that they were in. Their job was to merely protect an air field in Da Nang, not look for trouble or initiate any kind of war tactics. But soon, holding off the enemy was not so easy for the American soldiers, and more troops were sent in. This continued on, and when May rolled around there were 46,000 American Troops in Vietnam (Doyle, Lipsman). It was at this time when American troops were then given the "permit to use more active defense," and soon after, the number soared to 82,000 American troops in Vietnam (Doyle, Lipsman). From there, the American defense quickly turned into an offense, and transportation flights turned in to rescue missions. This was about the time that Americans at home began to become worried that the war in Vietnam was getting out of hand. Small protests broke out amongst college students across America, but these began to become very serious. On April 17, 1965 The Students for a Democratic Society organized a national protest on the steps of the capitol in Washington D.C. (Doyle, Lipsman). Television coverage enraged people by misleading facts and disturbing war images of troops killing women and children. Frustration in America grew and riots and protests got out of hand as no questions seemed to be answered. Students protested and gathered, building rage against the war sp...

Classic Hollywood Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classic Hollywood Cinema - Essay Example This essay explores the interaction between the message and medium in a scene from Casablanca. The scene that will be analyzed is the scene when Annina Brandel (Joy Page), a refugee who is desperately looking for exit visas for her and her husband Jan Viereck (Helmut Dantine), converses with Rick and asks for guidance regarding her dealing with Renault. This scene demonstrates the themes of nationalism and sentimentalism; it uses the cinematic elements to complicate the portrayal of the themes, by showing how Rick fights his inner emotions, values, and goals, and these elements also reinforce the themes through expressing them through symbolisms and motifs, as well as the actions and words of the characters. Rick embodies his contradictions as an empty and â€Å"filled† man, which manifests more in the form of sentimentalism. He seems to not care for the idea of true love. French bargirl Yvonne (Madeleine LeBeau), in the beginning of the film, pleads for Ricks attention. She drinks heavily, showing her confusion with her feelings and Ricks feelings for her. She asks Rick for a date that night, but all he says is: â€Å"I never make plans that far ahead.† During this time, through a middle shot, Ricks back is on the audience as he busily writes on something on the bars desk. It shows his indifference to Yvonne. As he pulls Yvonne out, shadows fall on Rick. These shadows symbolize the darkness inside his heart. He seems to have no feelings for anyone. He does not believe in â€Å"love† or â€Å"passion,† which can be inferred as he brusquely shoves Yvonne out of his bar. This woman evidently likes him, but he does not care for her. His actions demonstrate how h e also brushes aside love and passion away from his life. He has an emptiness inside him and the scene sends the first impression of Rick as a lonely introvert. Nonetheless, when he speaks with Annina, the scene reveals the complication between the

Financial Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Financial Services - Essay Example ave assumed new perspectives with most of the advisory services being focused on marketing specific financial products to the customers rather than highlighting the potential benefits, scope and efficiency of different products. The financial advisor receives commission based on the sales of the specific financial product. In view of this lack of transparency and increasing variation in financial charges by service providers are considered the primary reason behind the framing of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The RDR was initiated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in June 2006 with the primary objective of shifting the retail financial service industry away from commission based revenue paid by customers for financial advice. The RDR proposes to remove such practices and provide a ground for fair customer treatment. â€Å"Under the proposed FSA rules, an advisor firm will be prohibited from holding itself out to a retail client as acting independently unless the advisory service that it offers to the client is unbiased and unrestricted; and based on a comprehensive and fair analysis of the relevant market† (Smith, 2009). The key features of the RDR are improving the clarity for customers about financial advisory services, addressing the potential for remuneration bias, and increasing the potential standards of advisors (Davies, 2009). The RDR will have an impact on any financial institutions or agencies involved in retail investment dealings, trading and professional bodies, financial product providers, advisory firms, distributors, investment advisors, banks, building societies, mutual funds, and consumers (Davies, 2009). To gain an improved understanding of the impact of RDR on retail investment markets, firms should conduct an impact analysis to evaluate the effects of this framework on their business (KPMG, 2010). There are number of challenges facing the effective implementation of RDR in the present industry environment and existing business

Siddharta Essay Essay Example for Free

Siddharta Essay Essay Teachers are important figures in everyone’s life: they prepare for future events teaching lessons and giving suggestions. The book Siddhartha, written by the German author Herman Hesse, shows a perfect example of education and understanding given by different types of instructors. The protagonist, Siddhartha, is the son of a Brahmin, and he has an assured future as a religious figure. He is unhappy and unsatisfied in the beginning of the novel: he can’t find the right answer to his questions. He distrusts teachers, because they didn’t teach him the life lessons he wanted. He doesn’t think his actual life can lead him to nirvana, the maximum status of joy and understanding of the self. The following quote proves this statement: Siddhartha had started to nurse discontent in himself; he had started to feel that the love of his father and the love of his mother, and also the love of his friend, Govinda, would not bring him joy for ever and ever, would not nurse him, feed him, satisfy him. (Hesse 5). He decides to embark in a journey to reach enlightenment, and during this spiritual path he learns some life lessons through persons considered nontraditional teachers, people who influenced his life, and taught him indirectly, such as Govinda, Kamala and Kamaswami. The first instructor that Siddhartha acquires knowledge from is Govinda, one of the most influential characters in the novel: Siddhartha’s best friend, companion and disciple. He is unlikely to be a teacher, mostly because of his follower behavior, but despite the reader’s opinion of him in the beginning, he reveals himself as one of the most important nontraditional teachers. The main feature of Govinda is the fact that he doesn’t choose his own path, he always is a follower. Hesse emphasizes Govinda’s status by defining him as a shadow: â€Å"Govinda wanted to follow him as a friend, his companion, his servant, his lance bearer, his shadow† (4-5). Initially he assists Siddhartha in his quest for enlightenment, but when he encounters another master, Buddha (an enlightened person with a group of followers), he decides to apply his philosophy and to become one of his disciples. This character is really important for Siddhartha, because, in the moment of his friend’s worst depression, the climax of his journey, he saves him. A clear evidence of this fact is the  following quote: â€Å"I saw you lying and sleeping in a place where is dangerous to sleep. Therefore I sought to wake you up oh sir† (67). This shows how Govinda cares about his friend and takes the role of a nontraditional teacher. Another quote that proves the fact that Govinda has a savior role is the following one: â€Å"Once, O worthy one, many years ago, you came to this river and found a man sleeping there. You sat beside him to guard him while he slept, but you did not recognize the sleeping man, Govinda† (95). The main teaching he taught to Siddhartha is that he has to find his own path; he has to embark on his own journey to reach the understanding of the self. This character will remain important even in the end of the story, because the novel finishes with his word s, meaning that Siddhartha has become a teacher, the figure he distrusted. The second influent person in the protagonist’s is Kamala: she is an attractive courtesan that makes the protagonist fall in love with her. Before Siddhartha met Kamala all he knew was thinking, waiting, and fasting(46). The main character meets her during a period on his life where he tries to focus on material things; he tries to find a different way to understand the self. Kamala represents Siddhartha’s entering into the world of greed and lust. She is considered a teacher because she teaches him some important life lessons; she shows him the best of what the material world has to offer. This quote proves her status as a teacher: â€Å"If it doesn’t displease you, Kamala, I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I know nothing yet of that art which you have mastered in the highest degree† (50). Kamala makes Siddhartha realize that the material world isn’t enough to satisfy him, it isn’t the right choice for his path and the right way to reach nirvana. He learned from her that he could not expect to receive love unless he gave it first. She taught him the the value and the meaning of the life in which he was living and the moments he had spent with her are considered good. She instructs Siddhartha in the art of physical love: In addition to being Siddhartha’s lover, Kamala helps him to leave his ascetic life as a Samana behind. When he met her, he had some ideas and principles of his previous ascetic group, in fact he was a simple Samana from the forest(45). Siddhartha, thanks to the beautiful courtesan, understands what love is, and after some time they give birth to a son. Her teachings include also exterior aspect and clothes: â€Å"I am beginning to learn from you. I already  learned something yesterday. Already got rid of my beard, I have combed and oiled my hair. There is not much more that is lacking, most excellent lady: fine clothes, fine shoes and money in my purse† (54). Her goal is to educate him about sex and human passions. Although Siddhartha becomes disillusioned in the end, because of the emptiness of his life in the material world, he cites Kamala as one of his primary teachers on his journey to find nirvana. The third important teacher is Siddhartha’s journey is Kamaswami, an older businessman who represents an instructive figure mainly because he teaches him the art of business. The protagonist, referred by Kamala, puts himself in the old man’s hands. Under his guidance, Siddhartha successfully enters into the society of city-dwellers: â€Å"When Kamaswami came to him to complain about his troubles or to take him to task over some business deal, he would listen with good humor and interest, marveling over him, trying to understand him. He would allow him to think he was right to the extent that he seemed to require and then would move on to the next person who sought his attention† (75). Kamaswami tries to teach Siddhartha about business life. He shows him the accounts, the goods and warehouses (65). While Siddhartha is working for him, he realizes that business doesn’t satisfy him, it doesn’t create any interest; more particularly, it does not stir his heart (66). Another quote that proves the statement is His heart was not indeed in business (69). Material things do not interest Siddhartha, in fact he hears a voice inside him, telling him that business and money are a game: Kamaswami conducted his business with care and often with passion, but Siddhartha regarded it all as a game (66). The old man, as a wealthy merchant, has qualities that Siddhartha refuses as a Samana. The businessman is obsessed with wealth, so there is a noticeable contrast between them. The life lesson he learns from Kamaswami is that material things create unhappiness. He realizes that money and business are not important: they are just temporary things. During his journey, Siddhartha learns some life lessons from different teachers like Govinda, Kamala and Kamaswami. All these instructive figures contribute to his accomplishment, contribute to the achievement of enlightenment and were indispensable to his spiritual mutation. Throughout  Siddhartha condemns and left his teachers, in the end he becomes one. For his whole journey he is the one who learns, and all his past experience leads him to become the one who teaches. Thanks to those teachers, he finally finds what he has been looking for, after all the sacrifices he did and all the difficulties he has been through.

All the Kings Men :: essays research papers

The entire King’s Men   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All the King’s Men, written by Robert Penn Warren, is set deep in the south during the 1930’s. This is a story of the rise and fall of a political titan. Willie Stark comes from poverty to become the governor of his state. He forces his enemies into submission by blackmails, repeated threats, and bullies them. He creates a series of liberal reforms that lay heavy tax burdens on the rich and lifts the money issue off of the poor farmers. His foil character Sam MacMurfee persistently searches for way to ruin the career of Willie Starks. Sam MacMurfee has thugs and powerful political allies deep in his pockets. The two characters remind the reader of corrupt figures in politics such as the famous Boss Tweed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willie Stark’s right-hand man is Jack Burden. He left his eloquent and polite family to work with Willie. Jack is an extremely intelligent historical researcher that uses his abilities to dig up dirt on Willie’s enemies. Willie uses the secrets to blackmail his enemies into his submission. Often corrupt political figures indirectly pay off other individuals to do the â€Å"dirty work† and blackmail their enemies. Although Willie Starks may have been acting corruptly for a good purpose it was still illegal and wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Willie asks Jack to search for secrets on a father figure from his child hood. Judge Irwin was a father figure in Jack’s life as a child. In this situation, Jack’s motivation and responsibility to himself is questioned. Jack discovers that Judge Irwin accepted a bribe and Governor Stanton covers the bribe up. The blackmail influences the suicide of Judge Irwin, makes Adam Stanton accept the position as head of the hospital that Willie is building, and Anne Stanton begins an affair with Willlie. Adam murders Willie when he finds out about Willie and Anne. This horrific event lead to Jack’s retiring from politics forever.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The death of Willie Starks and the circumstances force Jack to rethink the way he thinks. He rethinks a belief that no one can ever be responsible for the evil actions of another individual over time. In a way Jack feels responsible for Willie’s death. Jack eventually marries Anne Stanton and he feels orthodox about his decision to marry her. Jack restarts his long lost hobby of working on a book about Cass Mastern.

Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus Block Health And Social Care Essay

The brachial rete is a complex agreement of nervus fibers arising from the spinal column via the ventral rami of the 5th cervical to the first thoracic nervus roots. It proceeds through the cervix, armpit and into the arm where it terminates into single peripheral nervousnesss most notably average, radial, ulnar and musculocutaneous nervousnesss. These nervousnesss contribute motor and centripetal nervus supply to the upper limb. Barricading these nervousnesss near to their beginning between the cervix and the axilla is called brachial rete block. Supraclavicular block is used to providesurgical anesthesia and postoperative analgesia forthe upper limb operations. The brachial rete traditionally performed via interscalene, supraclavicular, infraclavicular and alar attacks with clinically of import advantages and disadvantages of each. The supraclavicular attack is popular for surgery affecting the manus to the elbow,1 and the brachial rete can be easy visualized by puting an ultrasound investigation at the base of the cervix merely above the collarbone. Ultrasound is used routinely for supraclavicular brachial rete blocks forsurgery affecting the manus, forearm or the cubitus. Surveies have shown that ultrasound improves the efficaciousness and safety and clip to execute the the block.2,3,4 With the blessing of the Local Ethics Committee, a prospective survey will be conducted in up to 40 ASA I, II or III patients of either sex undergoing elected upper limb surgery. A verbal account of the test, patient information sheet will be provided by the attention ( clinical/medical ) staff for the patient to see which will be about 6 hebdomads before the twenty-four hours of surgery. This will include elaborate information about the principle, design and personal deductions of the survey. When the patients will be admitted to the infirmary, they will be approached by one of the research workers farther information and account for any inquiries to assist them take an informed determination on engagement or non-participation into the trial.Following information proviso, patients will hold at least 24 hours to see engagement and will be given the chance to discourse the test with their household and health care professionals before they are asked whether they would be willing to ta ke portion in the test. The chief research worker or the co-investigator will accept the patients. All are qualified by experience and educational course of study as an anesthetic physician to take the consent for this in their everyday pattern. Assenting patients will so be officially assessed for eligibility and invited to supply informed, written consent. The right of the patient to decline consent without giving grounds will be respected. Further, the patient will stay free to retreat from the survey at any clip without giving grounds and without prejudicing any farther intervention. A transcript of the consent will be given to the patient, one filed in the Trial Master File, one filed in the infirmary notes and a 4th transcript sent to the Sponsor. For the supraclavicular block, the brachial rete will be visualized utilizing a Sonosite Titan ultrasound machine with 10MHz additive investigation. The overlying tegument will be infiltrated with 1 % lignocaine and a nervus block acerate leaf passed under ultrasound counsel so that its tip lies next to the brachial rete. After negative aspiration on the needle the survey dosage of bupivacaine will be injected. This will be done under ultrasound visual image to guarantee right location of the acerate leaf is maintained. Bupivacaine will be prepared newly for each patient. Efficacy will be assessed at 15-minute intervals for up to 45 proceedingss at the centripetal dermatomes of the average, ulnar, radial and musculocutaneous nervousnesss in the upper limb to cold utilizing an intoxicant swab ( i.e at 15, 30 and 45 proceedingss after the injection is finished ) . Failure to accomplish loss of cold esthesis with intoxicant swab at all four of the centripetal dermatomes of the average, ulnar, radial and musculocutaneous nervousnesss in the upper limb after 45 proceedingss will be considered uneffective block. This will be considered as the terminal of the survey for the participant and repetition injection utilizing 5 to 10 milliliters of local anesthetic will be done under ultrasound counsel. This will non ache because the local anesthesia of the overlying tegument from the old injection normally lasts more than 2 hours. The following patient will so have a dosage based on the CRM. The block will be assessed by the co-investigator who will non be present during the behavior of the block and hence will be wholly blind to the dosage used. The topics will non be cognizant of the dosage of the local anesthetic used. The survey is therefore double blinded since the topic the research worker and the assessor are blinded to the dosage of the local anesthetic used. The blinding of the survey will take the prejudice that may be at that place if the individual executing the block assesses the block every bit good.Statistical considerations & A ; power analysisPersonal and surgical inside informations will be collected and the informations will be presented as average ( interquartile and scope ) or per centum as appropriate. The minimum effectual dosage ( MED95 ) will be estimated utilizing CRM. Our confederates, Dr Sylvie Chevret and Dr Sarah Zohar will supply the statistical expertness for the current test. These confederates are experts in the field of CRM and have advised that a sample size of 40 patients is sufficient in theory to supply an reply to the inquiry of ED95. The design of this dose-finding, double-blind survey was chosen in order to measure the dose-response relationship of bupivacaine for supraclavicular brachial rete block utilizing ultrasound. The CRM ( Oaa‚ ¬a„?Quigley et al 1990 ) 6 utilizing a alteration in order to command outliers observations ( Resche-Rigon et al. 2008 ) 7 will be used in order to find the minimum effectual dosage ( MED ) of Bupivacaine for supraclavicular brachial rete block of 95 % of patients. The CRM is consecutive Bayesian method based on a one-parameter theoretical account, which aims at gauging the percentile of dose-response among thousand distinct dose degrees di ( i=1, †¦ ,5 ) . Each one of the six dosage degrees was randomly associated by the research worker ( harmonizing to his/her personal experience and available informations in the literature at the clip of induction of the test ) with the following prior estimated success chance, 0.5, 0.75, 0.90, 0.95, 0.98 and 0.99 for the 12, 15, 18, 21, 24 and 27 volume integrity dose severally. Then, a one-parameter power theoretical account will be used to suit the dose-response curve, with an exponential anterior distribution ( with mean = 1 ) for the theoretical account parametric quantity. The posterior response chance of each dose degree will be re-estimated after each new inclusion of cohort patients ( 2 patients per cohort ) ( see following page ) . The allocated dosage to each new cohort of patients was the dose degree with the updated posterior response chance closest to 0.95. In the present survey, the first cohort of patients will have a lading dosage of 21 volume units with the anterior success chance closest to the mark ( 0.95 ) . The MED is defined as the dose degree among the six chosen dose that had a concluding response chance closest to the mark. The determination to stop the survey was based on halting standards, in order to observe whether all doses were likely to be inefficient or a suited appraisal of the MED has been reached ( Zohar and Chevret 2001 ) .8

Salem Witch Trials and Real Hero

The real hero is always a hero by mistake, in my understanding this quote means, true acts of courage and bravery are always performed by people who do not intentionally set out to become heroes. I agree with this quote because a person can become a hero without realizing the impact they cause to the people around them, like they didn’t know they were going to do it, they just did it. And I’ll use the play The Crucible to justify my position.In the play The crucible, John Proctor one of the main characters displayed remarkable courage and heroism, John realizes that he must confess his sin of adultery to the courts, only to stop the fury in Salem. After he confesses, he encourages his wife to do the same, â€Å"Elizabeth, tell the truth! Elizabeth, I have confessed it!† He confesses his sin, and speaks those words, only because he is looking out for the good of the community, and others around him. He hates that his name is damaged, but feels that God will forgiv e him for it.Proctor accepted the truth for what it was, not because he had to, but because speaking words of truth are actions of an honest and prideful man, that’s why I consider him as a hero. In addition there is another character in this play that I consider as a hero too, his name is Giles Corey, in the play he is killed for two different things. One thing was that he would not give Danforth the name of the person who told him that Thomas Putnam was trying to get rid of the people in the town so that he could buy their land when they were gone. This is what originally got him arrested. Later they charged him as a witch and he would not answer his indictment.Because he didn’t answer his indictment they could not charge him with being a witch. Therefore, he saved his name and his pride. You can kill him and his wife but you are not taking his property. ‘’more wait’’ were his lasts two words. Betrayal and intolerance are some of the themes we can find in this book. The crucible is a story of betrayal, the betrayal between a husband and a wife within the sanctity of a conventional marriage. However, John Proctor who is guilty of infidelity is not alone. Many of the characters are guilty of betrayal.Abigail betrays her whole community in order to seduce John. Those who falsely confess to witchcraft betray their relationship with God and their church. Intolerance, The accusations throughout the witch trials are an expression of intolerance. In conclusion the people turned to the girls to rely on who was a witch. The  girls were led by Abigail she stunned everyone with her attitude and her ability to see the Devil. It also shows that you cannot always believe what you hear because it may not be true. It also tells us that man is not perfect, and that we can make mistakes. However, even with these mistakes, we can cleanse ourselves and purify ourselves by making what is wrong right.

Self-reports in psychology Essay Example

Self Self-reports in psychology Paper Self-reports in psychology Paper Using examples, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the use of self-reports in psychology.  One of the strengths of using self-reports as a method of data collection in psychology is that, if we are to believe the cognitive approach, this is the only way in which we can extract information about the way a person thinks. To clinically interview a person, such as in Ellis’ study on Rational Analysis as a means of treating an affective disorder can provide important information about the individual that otherwise cannot be seen, as the cognitive approach believes that mental processes, or cognitions, are hypothetical constructs and the only way we can establish reasons for behaviour is to ask the individual themselves. Another strength of self-reports in psychology is that you can collect both quantitative and qualitative data from them. With the use of closed questions whereby predetermined answers are provided (multiple choice questionnaires, e.g. a Likert scale), researchers can collect quantified measurements of the number of people who chose a certain answer, like in Holmes Rhe’s study of Life Changing Events, where the majority of participants rated the bereavement of a spouse/partner as the hardest thing to adjust to on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), giving in a collective rating of 100/100. With open questions however, there is room for elaboration, meaning the participants can explain and illustrate reasons behind their decision to, for example, strongly agree/disagree with a statement the questionnaire makes, etc. A weakness of the self report method however is the introduction of social desirability. In almost all studies on medical adherence there is a worry of social desirability affecting the answers. In Becker’s study into providing empirical evidence for the support of his Health Belief Model, he conducted self-reports on the mothers of asthmatic children and whether they stuck to their child’s prescribed regimens. It could be argued here that the mothers may have lied about their adherence to the regimen in order to make themselves appear a responsible mother who, regardless of interferences, gave their child their prescribed regimen of asthma medication. A further weakness of self-reports in psychology is that there is no real way of making self-reports ecologically valid as answering questionnaires about psychological research is not something humans regularly involve themselves with. In almost all studies, but particularly studies like Farrington, et al.’s into delinquent development, where ecological validity can be considered relatively high, the use of self-reports interviews during the participants development into an adult reduce the ecological validity as the participants had to be contacted and visited to conduct the interview, thus making self-reports’ ecological validity a limitation in psychology.

The Colorful History of Comic Books and Newspaper Cartoon Strips

The Colorful History of Comic Books and Newspaper Cartoon Strips The comic strip has been an essential part of the American newspaper since the first one appeared more than 125 years ago. Newspaper comics, often called the funnies or the funny pages, quickly became a popular form of entertainment. Characters like Charlie Brown, Garfield, Blondie and Dagwood, and others became celebrities in their own right, entertaining generations of people young and old.   Before Newspapers Satirical illustrations, often with a political bent, and caricatures of famous people became popular in Europe in the early 1700s. Printers would sell inexpensive color prints lampooning politicians and issues of the day, and exhibitions of these prints were popular attractions in Great Britain and France. British artists  William Hogarth (1697-1764) and  George Townshend (1724-1807) were two pioneers of the medium. Comics and illustrations also played an important role in the colonial U.S. In 1754,  Benjamin Franklin  created the first editorial cartoon published in an American newspaper. Franklins cartoon was an illustration of a snake with a severed head and had the printed words Join, or Die. The cartoon was intended to goad the different colonies into joining what was to become the United States. Mass-circulation magazines like Punch in Great Britain, which was founded in 1841, and Harpers Weekly in the U.S., founded in 1857, became famous for their elaborate illustrations and political cartoons. The American illustrator Thomas Nast became famous for his caricatures of politicians and satirical illustrations of contemporary issues like slavery and corruption in New York City. Nast is also credited with inventing the donkey and elephant symbols that represent the Democratic and Republican parties. The First Comics As political caricatures and standalone illustrations became popular in early 18th century Europe, artists sought new ways to satisfy demand. The Swiss artist  Rodolphe Tà ¶pffer  is credited with creating the first multi-panel comic in 1827 and the first illustrated book, The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, a decade later. Each of the books 40 pages contained several picture panels with accompanying text underneath. It was a big hit in Europe, and in 1842 a version was printed in the U.S. as a newspaper supplement in New York. As printing technology evolved, allowing publishers to print in large quantities and sell their publications for a nominal cost, humorous illustrations changed as well. In 1859, German poet and artist, Wilhelm Busch published caricatures in the newspaper Fliegende Bltter. In 1865, he published a famous comic called Max und Moritz, which chronicled the escapades of two young boys. In the U.S. the first comic with a regular cast of characters, The Little Bears, created by Jimmy Swinnerton, appeared in 1892 in the San Francisco Examiner. It was printed in color and appeared alongside the weather forecast.   The Yellow Kid Although several cartoon characters appeared in American newspapers in the early 1890s, the strip The Yellow Kid, created by Richard Outcault, is often cited as the first true comic strip. First published in 1895 in the New York World, the color strip was the first to use speech bubbles and a defined series of panels to create comic narratives. Outcaults creation, which followed the antics of a bald, jug-eared street urchin dressed in a yellow gown, quickly became a hit with readers. The success of the Yellow Kid quickly spawned numerous imitators, including the Katzenjammer Kids. In 1912, the New York Evening Journal became the first newspaper to dedicate a whole page to comic strips and single-panel cartoons. Within a decade, long-running cartoons like Gasoline Alley, Popeye, and Little Orphan Annie were appearing in newspapers across the country. By the 1930s, full-color standalone sections dedicated to comics were common. The Golden Age and Beyond The middle part of the 20th century is considered the golden age of newspaper comics as strips proliferated and papers flourished. Detective Dick Tracy debuted in 1931. Brenda Starr the first cartoon strip written by a woman was first published in 1940. Peanuts and Beetle Bailey arrived in 1950. Other popular comics include Doonesbury (1970), Garfield (1978), Bloom County (1980), and Calvin and Hobbes (1985). Today, strips like Zits (1997) and Non Sequitur (2000), as well as classics like Peanuts, continue to entertain newspaper readers. But newspaper circulations have declined precipitously since their peak in 1990, and comic sections have shrunken considerably or disappeared altogether. But while papers have declined, the internet has become a vibrant alternative for cartoons such as Dinosaur Comics and xkcd, introducing a whole new generation to the joys of comics. Sources Gallagher, Brendan. The 25 Best Sunday Comic Strips of All Time. Complex.com. 27 January 2013.Harvey, R.C. Outcault, Goddard, the Comics, and the Yellow Kid. The Comics Journal. 9 June 2016.Jennings, Dana. Old Breakfast Buddies, From Tarzan to Snoopy. The New York Times. 9 January 2014.History of Cartoons and Comics. CartoonMuseum.org. Accessed 8 March 2018.Cartooning: Political. IllustrationHistory.org. Accessed 8 March 2018.

Marketing Communications of Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Communications of Facebook - Essay Example However, in many cases marketing initiatives fail in achieving the goals set. The reasons are many; failures in planning and monitoring the relevant processes have been found to negatively influence marketing plans worldwide. On the other hand, when a firm operates in a highly competitive industry, the challenges for marketers are increased. Firms that are already well known in the market are more capable of preparing effective marketing schemes. Such case is Facebook. The particular social networking site has become quite popular within a short period of time. In this case it was not only the fact that the site was the first of such kind that entered the global market. Indeed, through the years other sites, with similar features appeared; still, Facebook remained the key competitor of its sector. Its marketing practices had a key role in this success. The marketing communications of Facebook are analyzed below using appropriate theoretical models and theories. Table of contents Intr oduction 4 1. Consumer Buying Process for Facebook 1a. What is the Facebook customer experience throughout the 6 stages of the Consumer Buying Process. 4 1b. What 4 internal and 4 external factors can influence Facebook customers during this process 5 1c. The 3 roles that customer can play throughout this process 6 2. Promotional Mix Tools for Facebook 2.1 Conduct a report to critically evaluate the characteristics, features and effectiveness of any 3 marketing communications tools 2.1.1 Advertising 6 2.1.2 Public relations 7 2.1.3 Direct marketing 7 3. Facebook Communications Process 3.1 How all the 9 elements of Communication Process specifically apply to global social networks such as Facebook. 7 3.2 What 4 limitations, and 3 Barriers Facebook marketing department should be aware of before planning their global marketing campaign. 8 4. Market Research prior Facebook Campaign 4.1 Comparison of the characteristics and benefits of Qualitative and Quantitative research methods 9 4.2 Why Facebook marketing department can still benefit from both research methods 9 4.3 Diagram of the Continuum of Research Techniques 10 5. AIDA at Facebook 5.1 How the AIDA model can still be utilised by Facebook to organise the Promotional Mix message into 4 phases 10 References Introduction The development of effective marketing strategies can be a challenging task, especially when referring to highly competitive industries. Social networking is a rather recent activity, compared to other market sectors. The services of firms operating in this industry could be effectively promoted using traditional marketing methods, which are appropriately customized for meeting current market trends. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative research techniques can be employed for identifying the changing customers’ preferences in regard to this sector’s activities and features. Facebook has become the key competitor in the specific industry. The effective use of marketing for promot ing the site’s features can be considered as the key advantage of Facebook compared to its rivals, in the context discussed below. 1. Consumer Buying Process for Facebook 1a. What is the Facebook customer experience throughout the 6 stages of the Consumer Buying Process. The 6 stages of the Consumer Buying Process can be described as follows: a) Problem recognition; at this phase, the needs of the customer in regard to a product/ service are identified; in terms of Facebook, the customer realizes that he needs to communicate with other people and share his experiences/ knowledge, b) Internal and External research; after identifying his needs, a customer proceeds to the research required

Technology and Management Functions Paper (due Week One) Essay

Technology and Management Functions Paper (due Week One) - Essay Example The efficiency quotient is however low due to various factors It was understood that the way to achieving efficiencies lies in Technology upgradation. This was the most important, yet the weakest of all resources we have. To help the day to day management of the organization the company used several small software packages for different departments like Finance, Production, and HR management. Yet the information was lacking for correct decision making. To overcome this issue it was agreed that the best option was to have an integrated ERP solution and to discard the several smaller software packages. This would result in seamless flow of data from point to point and instant information will be possible. This would be the backbone of an efficient organization. An industry specific ERP was purchased installed and implemented throughout the organization with a central database at the company Headquarters where all information became available to the management to help them in making informed decisions. The first step was to define the workflow between different departments. The ERP Project Managers assisted in planning a system and then provided activity based results in form of MIS (management information system) reports. These dynamic reports, that are prepared on the fly by picking data as soon as it is recorded, offer the management current status of each activity. They are indeed an end-to-end report management system. These reports can be accessed from any location enabling management to spot problems quickly and address them without delay. This would also reduce wasteful communication earlier required for just accessing the information. Production Planning and Control (PPC) was introduced at the various production units of the company. This resulted in identifying the resources available and then distributing the orders between them based on available capacity. The ERP could forecast this based on Knowledge Inputs like output

Philosophical methods and their role in integrating learning and faith Essay

Philosophical methods and their role in integrating learning and faith - Essay Example In Greek semantics, the traditional goal most associated with philosophy as a discipline is not stated directly, which is not to say that truth is absent in the definition of philosophy, but rather that truth is present in the defining aspect of wisdom. Wisdom relates to truth as knowledge relates to understanding, and the dynamics of this relationship is illustrated in the Greek term ‘Sophia’. In defining philosophy as the â€Å"love of wisdom,† the nature of wisdom itself must be analyzed through a comparison to other types of knowledge. On a fundamental level, traditional philosophy in both the Eastern and Western traditions is gnostic, for these schools assert that truth can be directly experienced and known by human consciousness and that truth is divinely inspired or created by aspects of a divine being. Yet, philosophers themselves may differ in the degree or the manner in which they accord truth to be divine, sacred, holy, or beautiful. Similarly, an agnostic philosophy may be possible, where followers of the teaching believe that truth itself cannot be known absolutely, constructed accurately, or experienced in a valid form by human consciousness, and that truth is not divinely inspired or created by theistic forces. An agnostic belief system or philosophy would appear to be inherently tragic in believing that truth cannot be definitively known to mind, whereas a gnostic or religious system of philosophy can be expected to be liberating through either immanence or transcendence related to mental apprehension o f truth. Therefore, in the gnostic aspects of philosophy, the reconciliation of faith and learning becomes possible, where truth is equated with divinity and wisdom with spirituality in the wider context of life and experience related to the existential aspects of being. In comparison, this possibility of reconciling faith and learning is fundamentally cut-off or eliminated from the philosophy of the agnostic type, as God or divinity is inherently rejected as valid reference. The relationship between philosophy and religion is seen traditionally across all cultures, languages, and schools of thought. In the Christian tradition, Max Dashu (2000) writes, â€Å"The syncretism of Judaic, Egyptian, Hellenistic and Persian traditions gave rise to Gnosticism, a name which arose directly from an emphasis on inner knowing.† (Dashu, 2000) In defining philosophy through the gnostic methodology of â€Å"inner knowing,† a deeper inquiry into the historical dimensions of ‘Soph ia’ or wisdom is also required. Wisdom in the age of the Greeks may have been worshipped with the attributes of the Divine Goddess in indigenous religious traditions, though simultaneously operating as an integral aspect of consciousness. Most schools of philosophy are united by the belief that truth can be apprehended by consciousness, but religious philosophy synchronizes divinity with truth experientially through gnostic realization. Gnosticism as a school of Christianity combining elements of Platonism, Pythagoreanism, Buddhism, and Orphism in a syncretic manner is distinct from the ‘direct knowing of truth’

Slow Food Versus Fast Food Essay Example for Free

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