The Emotions Explored in the Poems Essay Example for Free

The Emotions Explored in the Poems Essay What Emotions does Tennyson explore in the poems ‘Mariana’ and ‘In the Valley of Cauteretz’ and what methods does he use to convey a range of emotions effectively? Tennyson explores many emotions throughout Marianna, In the Valley of Cauteretz which have been reflected from his life. Born to a large family of 12, Alfred Tennyson had many fears and worries in his life. Some of these worries included money due to the fact that Aunt Elizabeth Russell and Uncle Charles Tennyson had a great deal of wealth than that of his own family. Tennyson also had a lifelong fear of developing a mental illness as several of the men in his family had a mild form of epilepsy. In those days it was thought to be a shameful disease which was made worse by the fact that his father was an alcoholic. His fathers’ condition worsened and he became paranoid, abusive, and violent. Marianna is a poem about Marianna, a woman who has been waiting for her true love and has become more and more desperate in an old lonely grange with a moat. Tennyson uses a range of techniques to portray Marianna’s emotions. The idea of loneliness and grief is highlighted with the use of pathetic fallacy and nature ‘after the flitting of the bats when the thickest dark did trance the sky’. Tennyson stresses her desperation at the last four lines of each stanza which recurs but with slight modifications ‘She only said,’ my life is dreary, He cometh not,’ she said; She said, ‘I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead! ’ It is almost a death wish which slowly she believes. In ‘In the valley of Cauteretz’ it is clear that grief, sorrow and loneliness are recurring themes in Tennyson’s work. Right from the beginning of this short poem the effect the reader gets is that he is writing about a time in his life from experience and he is trying to go back to when he was happiest. ‘I walked with one I loved two and thirty years ago. All along the valley, while I walked today’. Tennyson tries to hide the bad times and think about the positive ‘the voice of the dead was a living voice to me’ showing that even though someone is dead, to him he is still alive. Tennyson had a friend called Arthur Hallam who died at a very young age hich was a great shock, because of this he presented the preciousness of youth in his poems by creating images which stress youthful joy. In the valley of Cauteretz describes an experience on revisiting a valley in the Pyrenees, years after he had been there with his now dead friend. This valley appears to shoe the reader a great psychological significance. As Tennyson describes himself travelling the valley, there are different elements which are triggered and crafter to create a lasting sense of how his friends’ death still affects himself decades later. Tennyson uses a range of different poetic techniques to convey all these emotions effectively. Some may think that the use of repetition highlights the desperation and sadness of the ‘characters’ he writes about in his poems however the dactylic, experimental rhythm in my opinion helps make sentences stand out and in ‘in the valley of Cauteretz’ makes him want to portray his friend as different and that they didn’t have just an ordinary friendship but a very string bond. Tennyson makes it clear to the reader that the valley was a place he had been before and had many memories from that place and he goes back in time using language making it seem as though the past has come alive ‘i walked with one I loves two and thirty years ago. All along the valley, while i walked today; two and thirty years were a mist that rolls away. Tennyson also used rhyming couplets which add effect of time passing by and to show that nothing has changed. In Mariana Tennyson also uses some of these techniques but for different reasons. He uses nature and sounds to show that there was nothing there, no feeling, no life. The mood of ‘Marianna’ does contrast to that of ‘In the Valley of Cauteretz’ however the themes throughout both are the same and based on Tennyson’s life experiences. Marianna is a poem about a woman in a daydream that she will be rescued by her love and swept away from this forlorn, dreary place. It is clear that in the final stanza Marianna has finally accepted that she will not be rescued by her true love and her final death wish is flooded with sadness ‘The sparrows chirrup on the roof, The slow clock ticking and the sound, Which to the wooing wind aloof, The poplar made, did all confound, Her sense; but most she loathed the hour, When the thick-moted sunbeam lay, Athwart the chambers, and the day, Was sloping toward his western bower. Then, said she, I am very dreary, He will not come, she said; she wept, I am aweary, aweary, Oh God, that I were dead! In conclusion Tennyson explored many emotions linked to grief, sadness and loneliness effectively with the use of exciting language, repetition and metaphors referring to all the good times with his friend. Word Count: 886

Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Example for Free

Managing Diversity in South Africa Essay Introduction In the workplace, diversity in terms of ethnicity, locality, education and skills, age, and gender exist. Managers or employers therefore require innovative ideas to successfully manage employees in the workplace. Diversity management is a relatively new field in the South African business environment. Managing employees and the work environment involves different aspects and is influenced by the internal environment such as in the mission, vision and goals of the organisation as well as the external environment. These aspects include areas where diversity management is important. Managers have various roles to carry out in an organisation in order to provide effective management and deal with the ethical issues. Factors such as changing structures and polices, providing diversity skills training, creating cross functional teams and employee network groups, building relationships, and providing complete managerial support are all factors that contribute towards effective diversity management. A successful diversity management approach must be more accommodating and more capable of promoting the diversity within an organization to bring everyone together and generate effective participation. This means that employees should be regarded as an organized whole that brings meaningful contributions from their social, political, economic, and geographical experiences. 2. Diversity Diversity can be defined as all the ways people differ, that is the different influences to approaching the workplace, communication between employees, satisfaction achieved from performance and identification in the workplace (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). It is a commitment to distinguishing and appreciating the range of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that supports and celebrates individual and collective achievement (Tennessee, 2003). Diversity â€Å"represents the multitude of individual differences and similarities that exist among people (Kreitner, 2001). According to Erasmus, diversity applies to all employees and does not only encompass certain differences but rather the entire spectrum of individual differences that make people unique. Therefore diversity cannot be viewed as only racial or religious differentiation but s all differences combined. The notion of diversity describes differences among people as well as similarities. The discipline of managing diversity requires that these two aspects are managed simultaneously. He further suggests that managers are expected to integrate the collective mixture of similarities and differences between workers into the organisation (Erasmus, 2007). Diver sity is more than being politically correct; it is about nurturing a culture that values individuals and their wide assortment of needs and contributions Diversity management is a moderately new field in the South African business environment. Diversity management is ensuring that the necessary factors are in place to provide for and to encourage the continuous development of diversity in the workplace, by incorporating actual and perceived differences to achieve the utmost efficiency (Bandyopadhyay, Hazra, amp; Goswami, 2007). Diversity management can also be defined as the commitment on the part of the organisations to recruit, retain, reward and promote a heterogeneous mix of productive, motivated and committed workers, including people of colour, whites, females and the disabled (Inancevich amp; Gilbert, 2000). The two areas where diversity management are particularly important include: * Workplace diversity. * Global diversity. Workplace diversity refers to the array of distinctions between people in an organisation. Some of the benefits of implementing workplace diversity are; increased adaptability which supplies a variety of solutions to problems in service, sourcing, and allocation of resources, various opinions which include ideas and experiences, and effectiveness in terms of employee performance to attain goals (Greenberg, 2005). Furthermore, enhanced use of employee capacity is encouraged. This involves competitive advantage over other organisations along with prospects and development of employees for retention purposes. Diversity initiatives retain a competitive advantage by improving employee confidence, decreasing interpersonal conflict, facilitating development in new markets and increasing creativity. It also includes the understanding of the marketplace in terms of the changing needs of consumers. Building workplace diversity will also result in the improved extent of understanding in leadership positions that encompasses a variety of skills. Better quality of team problem solving to bring in different perspectives resulting in creativity of ideas and solutions and lastly reduction of costs induce lower turnover, absenteeism and lawsuits (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). Global diversity is more than just demographical factors (such as age, race, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation), it is about thinking, leadership, skills and style which integrates peoples differences to achieve all the goals planned and is acceptable universally, that is by breaking though barriers through globalisation (Dell, 2011). Globalisation refers to standardisation of products plan and marketing strategy throughout the world by assuming a homogeneous global market of consumers and industrial products (Daft, Kendrick, amp; Vershinina, 2010). A benefit of global diversity is broader services through customer satisfaction and product availability. By managing diversity, managers access a range of skills which the organisation has never had before and thus a broader array of individual strengths, experiences and perspectives. There is also a wider legitimacy and organisational image across a wider audience. Managers however should realise that managing diversity is fairly tough and cannot be implemented immediately. It is instead a long-term strategy in order to correct the imbalances in the workplace. 3. Mission, Vision and Goals A mission is defined as the organisations’ reason for existence. A mission statement is a broadly stated definition of the purpose of the company. Well designed mission statements can enhance employee motivation and organisational performance.

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay In the last decade, an overwhelming consensus has emerged among the worlds most reputable climate scientists that the world has entered a period of rapid global climate change, much of which is accountable to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (NSAC 2009). The agreement is demonstrated in the 1996 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of leading natural and social scientists sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. According to the panels report, an equivalent doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration will force a rise in global average surface temperature of 1.0 to 3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. It will result in an increase of sea level by 19 to 59 cm. Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, average precipitation also will go up as much 10 to 15 percent (IPCC 2007). Agriculture is highly sensitive to climate variability and weather extremes, such as droughts, floods and severe storms. Even warmer climate may give positive effects on food production, the increased potential for droughts, floods and heat waves will pose challenges for farmers. Global climate change is also expected to impact agriculture by causing shifts in precipitation, soil quality, pest regimes, and seasonal growth patterns (NSAC 2009). The exact nature and degree of these changes for any given region will be difficult to predict. CASE OF VIETNAM Situated in South East Asia in the Indochinese Peninsula, Vietnam territory is lasting from 8Â °15 to 23Â °22 latitude and between 102Â °8 to 109Â °30 longitude (ADPC 2003). It has 329,314 sq. km of natural area, in which 7,348.5 thousand hectares (22.2 percent) is arable land, with population about 83 millions (WHO). Viet Nam lies in the region of tropical monsoon climate with a high temperature. The average temperature varies between 21Â °C and 27Â °C, rainfall volume of 1800-2000 mm/year and is not evenly distributed among the months of the year (Tran 2009). Versatile and various climates of the regions create a variety of vegetation and domestic animals which originated in the temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions. Being an agricultural country, 75 percent of Vietnamese labor-force is engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. This sector contributes roughly 20 percent to the GDP. The output value structure of agriculture, forestry and fisheries was 77 percent, 4 percent and 19 percent, respectively (Tran 2009). Vietnam is likely one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, because of its geographical location (Oxfam 2008). During the last 50 years, Viet Nams annual average surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.50 0.70 C, while the sea level along its coastline has risen by approximately 20 cm (ISPONRE 2009). The El-Nino and La-Nina phenomena have caused increasingly adverse impacts to Viet Nam. Changes in climate can have serious implications for economic development, especially in the agricultural sector, due to its direct exposure to and dependence on weather and other natural conditions. Studies for the Southeast Asian region show that climate change could lower agricultural productivity 2-15 percent in Vietnam (Bingxin et al. 2009). It is very likely that global warming is leading to an increase in weather extremes like heat waves and heavy rainfall. Droughts will occur more often, and that tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense. Vietnam has always been suffering from extreme weather events and is struck by typhoons annually. Strong winds and sea surges cause death and destruction along the narrow and low-lying coastal area, while heavy rains hit the mountainous hinterland and river deltas with floods and landslides (Vietnam Red Cross 2007). For example, the river flood in Mekong Delta in 2000 killed 548 people; it flooded and damaged 401,342 ha of rice fields. An estimated loss of this flood is about 250 million USD (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). The peak occurrence for typhoon landfalls has been during the month of October in the Central region and November in the South. A partial explanation of this lies in the sea surface temperatures (SSTs), which decrease later in the season. T yphoons are generated where SSTs are 26 Â °C or above, and by September, this is only found in those ocean areas further south where the SST remains around 25-28 Â °C throughout the year (ADPC 2003). Climate change may lead to an increase in sea surface temperatures in higher latitudes and a resulting increase of typhoon activity in North Vietnam. An increase of extreme events, both in intensity and duration, will be the most catastrophic preventing the agriculture development. Flood damage is expected to be aggravated because of a predicted increase in daily rainfall of 12 19% by 2070. In other times of the year, an increase in evaporation and the variation in rainfall will intensify drought problems about 3 percent in coastal zones and 8 percent in inland areas by 2070 (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Climate change impacts on agriculture are also channeled through changes in temperature. According to the third assessment report of IPCC, the temperature in this century will increase by 4-50 C. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) modeler determined that, as a general rule, yield of rice will decrease by 0.5 ton per hectare for every 10C increase in growing seasonal minimum temperature (Javellana 2007). According to the medium emissions scenario, the average temperature is expected to increase by nearly 2Â °C in the southern regions of Viet Nam and up to 2.8Â °C in the northern regions by 2100. However, in the high emissions scenario this could be as much as 3.6Â °C in the North Central Coast region (United Nation 2009). So, it is predicted that yields of summer rice will decrease by 3 6% by 2070 when compared to the 1960-1998 period. The impact on spring rice may be more serious, especially in the north where yields are expected to decrease by 17% (Chaudhry Ruyssc haert 2007). The evapotranspiration rate will also increase due to increasing temperature, depicted in figure 1 2. Rainfall in the dry season will decrease by 2070 in Central parts of Viet Nam and droughts would occur more frequently, because rainfall would be concentrated in the rainy season (WHO). Figure 1: The projected change of mean daily maximum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Figure 2: The projected change of mean daily minimum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Climate also creates a shift in amount and pattern of precipitation. It will affect hydrology and runoff, which will alter the availability of water for irrigation and other uses. The projected runoff changes for the two major rivers from three organizations show different trends. In the Red River, the IPSL scenarios show decreased wet-season flow. GISS and MONRE projections show increased dry season flow. In Mekong River, major flow reduces under IPSL projection, depicted in figure 3 (Ringler 2010). Significant rice yield decline is observed in all scenarios, ranging from 4.2 percent in MONRE-2030 to 12.5 percent in IPSL-2030. The impact is especially large in the Central Highlands and the northern zones, highlighting the enlarged gaps in food supply in these regions. Although the impact of climate change is relatively moderate in the major rice-producing region of the Mekong River Delta, the average rice yield is projected to drop by 1.4-8.3 percent by 2030 (Bingxin et al. 2010). Figure 3: Percentage of Basin Runoff Changes (Ringler 2010) Besides increasing average temperature, global warming also raises the sea water level which has resulted in salt-water-invasion and land loss. A recent study on the potential impacts of sea level rise in 84 developing countries suggested that Vietnam would rank among the top 5 affected countries. About 43 million Vietnamese or about 55% of the countrys population are living in vulnerable low elevation coastal zones (LECZ) (38 % of Vietnams urban population) (Waibel 2008). In Vietnam, the sea level has risen between 2.5 to 3.0 cm per decade in the last 50 years, but with regional variations (Oxfam 2008). According to ADPC report, sea levels may increase by 9 cm in 2010, 33 cm in 2050, 45 cm in 2070, and 1 meter in 2100 (ADPC 2003). If sea level rises 1 meter, a national potential land loss is predicted of 12% which will expose about 17.1 million people or 23.1 % of the population (Schaefer 2002). The Mekong River Delta will be the most affected region with 1.77 million ha of saline l and, accounting for 45 percent of the land (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Land loss and sea water invasion in the Mekong River Delta and parts of the Red River Delta, which are the most important agricultural areas in Vietnam, will cause serious risks to farmers as well as agricultural exports, and possibly to national food security. In summary, climate change is a very real threat to Vietnamese socio-economical development. Higher temperatures, the rising of sea water level and extreme weather events will all have significant impacts across the nation. However, the concept of climate change and its effects are just well known by experts and management agencies. Dealing with the serious implications of climate change will be a major challenge for Vietnam in the next decades.

Theory And Practice Of Strategic Planning For Tourism

Theory And Practice Of Strategic Planning For Tourism It is widely acknowledge that planning is crucial to successful tourism development and management; and planning has been a widely adopted principle in tourism development at both regional and natural levels. Tourism in Europe has been the subject of considerable academic debate and commentary since the political even of 1988-89. The debate has often focused on Central Europe, whose future free market depends on planning especially including tourism. In particular, strategic planning in the region will be critical to the future success of tourism as attempts are made to utilise tourism in the process of planned economic change. The lack of coordination and cohesion within the highly fragmented tourism industry is a well-known problem to destination planners and mangers. Gunn (1988) stated that continuous tourism planning must be integrated with all other planning for social and economic development, and could be modelled as an interactive system. He pointed out that the go-it-alone policies of many tourism sectors of the past are given way to stronger cooperation and collaboration. No one business or government establishment can operate in isolation (Gunn 1988; 272). On the other hand, Inskeep (1991) has pointed out the importance of an effective organisational structure for tourism management and the need for continuous, integrated planning. Achieving coordination among the government agencies, between the public and the private sector, and among private enterprises is a challenging task, however, and requires the development of new mechanisms and processes for incorporating the diverse elements of the tourism system. Countries need to have an idea about where they want their tourism sector to be in the future and the route it is going to follow to get there. If nations do not have a strategic plan for their tourism, then the old clichà © can apply. If you dont know where you are going, how will you know when you have arrived? (Tim Hannagan 1998, p. 120). In this write up, the meaning of both strategic planning and tourism will be analysing, and also analytical argument on strategic planning for tourism will be explored. Furthermore, few example of tourism planning activities will be evaluated to support the subject matter. Thus, what is Strategic planning / Tourism Strategic planning is concern with deciding what business an organisation should be in, where it wants to be and how it is going to get there (Smith 1994). Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations (Johnson and Scholes 2005). Harrison et al (1995). Explain that strategic is about clarifying your mission, setting clear long term objectives and formulating a comprehensive and integrated set of steps to achieve it. Strategic planning then is concern with defining and achieving organisational purpose (Porter 1994). planning is the purposive process in which goals are set and policies elaborated to implement them and is concerned with understanding and explaining the substance of policy content and policy decisions and the way in which policy decision are made. (Barett and Fudge, 1981). On the other hand, According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO) the organisation defines tourism as: the short term movement of people to destinations away from the communities in which they live and work, and their activities during their trip, including travel, day visits and excursions (WTO cited in T. Outhart. et al 2001, p.4) so tourism includes short term travel for all purpose, weather for leisure or business. Furthermore tourism is about the temporary, short term movement of people to destinations outside the place where they normally live and work and about their activities during their stay at these destinations. (Outhart O. Taylor L. 2001, p.6). Tourism development is the planning and ongoing development of destinations, facilities and services to meet the need of current and future tourist. When tourism is effectively planned and managed, tourism development can result in huge improvement and benefits both for visit and tourist and for the local population, therefore the need of strategic planning for tourism in order to meet the desire of people living in the demanding world has to be encouraged so as to promote and attract tourist as well as building their confidence with tourism activities. Tourism planning has also been seen as a way of extending the life cycle of a destination with a view of exploring new opportunities, adaptation to the current market demand and marketing harmonisation and as well forecast for the future. As stated by Clegg (1994), tourism activities comprise the worlds largest industry with over trillion of dollars in revenue produced and the challenges in benefiting from such economic impact is the result of efficient planning that will take into account the preservation and protection of the environment, the enhancement of a community quality of life and development and that will attract not only first-time visitors but also repeaters as a result of building a reputation and be a successful destination. (Inskeep 1991, WTO 1994) in their own contribution to tourism planning and development, they stated that planning is crucial to successful tourism development and management; and planning has been a widely adopted principle in tourism development at both regional and national levels. On the other hand, (Cooper et al. 1993; Shepherd, 1998) argued that poor tourism planning will cause social problems, degradation of the environment, short-term benefit and failure or constraints due to lack of analytical details or miscalculations regarding the control of land usage (Cooper et al. 1993; Shepherd, 1998). Furthermore, (Tosun and Jenkins, 1996) elongated the above comment by saying that the failure of central planning caused by lack of community involvement as well as mismatch between central planning and local possibilities is detrimental for the tourism market. Thus emphasising on a new concept of sustainable development to empower the planning system for long term success of tourism as it can help to promote and support conservation, regeneration and economic development as well as enhance the quality of life of visitors and host communities (Holden, 2008; Wall and Mathieson, 2006). Furthermore, Gunn and Varr (2002) stated that if tourism is to reach towards better economic impact it must be planned as well towards goals of enhanced visitor satisfaction, community integration, and above all, greater resource protection. Strategic and Its Resources Implication Fig 1 Stage of strategy process Questions Description STRATEGY FORMULATION Mission statement Statement of aims Statement of Values What is our purpose? What kind of organisation do we want to take? A clarification of the purpose of the business Environmental Analysis Where are we now? This involves the gathering and analysis of intelligence on the business environment. E.g. staffing, resources, competitors, stakeholder expectation Objectives Where do we want to be? This involves detailed articulation of aims i.e. setting a target for the organisation to achieve Strategic choice of strategies How are we going to get these? Strategies describe how the objectives are to be achieved Options analysis Are these alternative routes Here you identify options required to be screened in order to choose the best STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Action How do we turn plans into reality? A specification of the operational activities task required. Monitoring and Control How will we know if we are getting these? Taking corrective action as necessary and reviewing strategy Source: (Johnson Scholes 1997 p. 13) (Catterick 1995 p. 14) Many organisations produce separate mission statements and statements of aims, objectives and strategies. The strategic plan will contain all of these, which is also applicable to all countries embarking on tourism activities. Looking at the meaning of tourism and its activities, the theory and practice of strategic planning for tourism sector in every nation cannot be measured. This is evident on the ground that, it is clear that effective strategic planning and management is a prerequisite for the successful utilization of tourism as an agent of change in every nation. Tourism is seen as transcending the traditional economic sectors and is viewed as an industry which can actively regenerate the small business/entrepreneurial sector with all its flexible and responsiveness to dynamic changes. However, the transformation of a centralised economy, characterised by flexible practices and a low priority for tourism, does involve a change of hearts and minds as much as it is needs outside strategic planning from expertise. No wonder that, Hungary has recognised the advantages that tourism can bring as witnessed by Prime Ministerial statement in 1990 lauding tourism as a potential power-house for the economy. However, Halls (1991a) most persuasive point is that, tourism is seen as an integral part of economic restructuring by exposing the system to both national and international forces and, in so doing, introducing potential foreign investors, encouraging privatisation and reducing the level of bureaucracy and centralisation. All this are made possible via strategic planning approach adopted by a given nation. In the case of tourism, Page Thorn (1997) suggested that a national policy or strategy was required in addition to the RMA, if sustainable tourism goals in New Zealand were to be achieved, since then a national strategy has been produced, reviewed and subsequently updated, emphasising the sustainable development concepts and the desirability of integrating environmental, economic, social and cultural considerations in the long-term management of tourism resources. Tourism Planning Approaches (Countries overview) The changing evolution of tourism, its different political and socioeconomic development environments, and the diverse scientific and technical contributions in the fields related disciplines (urban, regional, environmental planning, etc.) shape different approaches to planning. Such approaches have been the object of interesting systematizations, especially the critical perspectives of Getz (1987), and Tosun and Jenkins (1998) for Third World Countries, which are neither mutually exclusive nor a reflection of a chronological evolution: boosterism, economic, physical-spatial, and community-oriented approaches. To these four could be added two more that are omnipresent in todays literature: a strategic approach and planning for sustainable tourism. Boosterism has been the dominant tradition ever since the emergence of mass tourism. It is based on a favourable, uncritical assessment of tourism that identifies it as intrinsically positive and ignores its potential negative effects on economic, socio cultural, and environmental levels. Halls (2000) expresses his doubts about its consideration as a way of focusing on Getzs contributions, four approaches can be distinguished, and planning since it is precisely characterized by being a tourism implementation and development method that reveals lack of planning. The economic approach conceives tourisms as an instrument that can help achieve certain economic aims. It reinforces tourisms character as an export industry and its potential contribution to growth, regional development, and economic restructuring. Public intervention, in its regulating and promoting role, gives priority to economic purposes over environmental and social ones, although it also attends to all the factors that can jeopardize its economic efficiency: development opportunity costs, selection of the most profitable market segments, control over demand satisfaction, estimate of its economic impacts, etc. However, this approach does not usually analyze how the benefits derived from tourism are distributed socially (Burns 1999). The physical-spatial approach incorporates the territorial dimension with the aim of adequately distributing economic activities, and specifically tourism activities, in space, while also ensuring a rational land use. It is an approach in which both town and country planning and tourism planning coverage as a result of the recognition that its development has an environmental basis. This approach mainly focuses on the preservation of the natural resources that make the industry possible and on the management of the environmental impacts it causes. Among the examples of the physical-spatial approach, Hall (2000) mentions the work by Gunn in the late 70s (Gunn 1994) or Insteps integrated approach (Inskeep 1991). The community oriented approach originated in the late 70s with the numerous works that criticized tourisms negative sociocultural effects (de Kadt 1979; Smith 1977). It is not exclusively confined to the aim of solving and preventing those effects. In fact, it promotes a local tourism development control scheme so that residents are the ones who benefit the most from that development, thus avoiding conflict situations that could put the industrys future viability in danger. Murphys work (1985) undoubted constitutes a basic reference point of an approach revitalized by the need to achieve greater social involvement in planning processes. This circumstance has provided the momentum to undertake, from public instances, bottom-top planning schemes, among them the European initiative leader for rural development. Strategic planning moved from the business context to regional and urban planning in the 80s, and it has a strong influence on economic restructuring schemes for declining places and sectors (Borja and Castells 1997; Vazquez Barquero 1993). This approach has been progressively incorporated into tourism planning and essentially focuses on the search for competitiveness of firms and destinations in a changing, complex environment. In short, it contributes to or reinforces the following distinguishing elements of tourism planning: analysis of the competitive environment as a fundamental element in the definition of the firms or destinations strategy; definition of a wide time scope for planning on the basis of foresight and prospective techniques; stress on social participation and the creation of coordination and cooperation channels among stakeholders; and the rise in value of planning as a process that is permanent, flexible and integrated into management (Ansoff 1988; Borja and Cast ells 1997; Hall 2000; Ivars 2001; Porter 1982). Planning for sustainable tourism is related to the great deal of interest aroused by the development paradigm ever since the celebration of the Rio Summit in 1992. The application of its principles to tourism is especially relevant due to its ambivalence, for it can help to preserve and improve the environment. THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND IMPLIMENTATIONS OF COUNTRIES For example, the strategic plan and implementation program for the county of Szolnok in Hungary highlight many of the problems facing the future development and reorientation of tourism in Central European States. During the construction of the strategic plan, the largest obstacle was identifying tourism facilities that would meet the development needs of the county while minimising the risk of social or environmental damage. The county strategic planner came up with the following planning strategy; Phase 1; Immediate Action Improve Quality of Existing Facilities Improve utilization of existing facilities Improve Economic Benefits from Tourism Improve Performance of existing Entrepreneurs Create environment for future tourism planning Phase 2; Immediate to Medium Term Action Develop Szolnok town as tourist centre Increase Accommodation stock Create new restaurants/cafes in tourist areas Develop new tourism activities Build on existing cultural/heritage attractions Encourage the development of closer linkages between sectors Phase 3; Medium to Long Term Action Wider tourist base-conference business Develop new up-marker tourist facilities Widen the marketing activities Establish strong links with national/international organisations Adopt a fully international computerised reservation system Continue to develop monitoring/regulation and research into tourism activities in the county Develop new 5 year tourism development plans. The result of the strategy plan and its implementation is a county that is now poised to break through into wider tourism markets, armed with promotional materials of high quality, tourism information and maps together with a broad spectrum of products, a network of commercial and organisational links that will enable it to capitalise on the potential market for visitors from within and to Hungary. On the other hand the strategic planners for tourism in Spain came up with what is refer to as FUTURES (Master Competitiveness Plan for Spanish Tourism) (Ministerio de Comercio y Turismo 1994). This plan opened a new state of tourism policy in which the state redefined its role within an institutional discourse that intended to consolidate a system of coordination and cooperation between the different administrations. The FUTURES plan became the catalyst of this change encouraging the design of specific plans for the 1992-1995 period, favoring cooperation through actions financed jointly by the different administrations and fostering the participation of public and private agents. The plan was a reflection of the third generation of tourism policies, according to Fayos classification (1996) where competitiveness turned out to be a key element for tourism management. The FUTURES plan formed a part of the structural adjustment theory (Bote and Marchena 1996) which focused on the adaptation of Spains supply to the structural changes caused by the market that jeopardized the competitiveness of the countrys tourism industry. Finally, this period witnessed the start of the planning model derived from Spains entry into the European Union with the preparation of the 1989-1993 Plan de Desarrollo Regional (Regional Development Plan) for Objective -1 regions and the 1989 1993 Plan Regional de Reconversion Regional y Social (Regional Plan for Regional and Social Restructuring) for Objective 2 regions. These plans made possible the application of Europe Structural Funds to tourism in Spain and implied the definition of a regional development strategy where special attention was paid to tourism, both in those autonomous communities in which it has a strategic role and in others where it was perceived as an emergent industry (Ivars 2001). Essential objectives included taking advantage of tourism growth expectations, the valuation of non-exploited resources, the contribution made by new products to territorial rebalance and finally, the incorporation of tourism into local development strategies both in rural and urban milieus. In the case of Barnette County, Wisconsin, a strategic planning was formulated to improve its tourism industry as for decades tourism has been the main economic revenue for the area. Based on existing data collected from a 1993 assessment, an action plan was implemented and the main issues encountered were lack of organisation, marketing performance, finding and government perceptions form which actions were created to eradicate the problem but it didnt escape failure since estimated budget to find a visitor centre wasnt reach due to lack of fund, marketing guides on the county printed but not distributed, eco-tourism was to be developed using a joint marketing grant but was refused by the state of Wisconsin. Overall, it showed the issues of lack of interest and participation from stakeholders (tourism businesses and government) for further tourism development of Barnett County. Looking at New Zealand as a case study, a county that want to increase the level of its tourism activity and sustainable tourism has become the key of the country to do so, which according to Bramwell Lane 2000; Hall Page, 2006), the success of sustainable tourism planning depends on existing planning and management functions that guide appropriate developments and the ability to respond to pressure on infrastructure and environments that increasing tourism demand creates. The concerns for New Zealand are that the tourism product relies a lot on the natural resources and the image of a clean and green country (Tourism New Zealands marketing campaign) and its has been quite a problematic issue in some areas with regards to conservation and preservation of the environment. Page and Thorn (1997) suggested that a national policy or strategy was required in addition to the RMA (Resource Management Act), if sustainable tourism goals in New Zealand were to be achieved. Based on the previous research undertaken by Page and Thorn in 2001 and 2002, the following issues were encountered such as lack of considering the number of international tourist arrival at national level, lack of planning at national level which Page and Thorn argued that if a national plan was needed in order to achieve a more balance equitable and beneficial patterns of tourism activity and development for destinations and host communities, however a PCE (Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment) report on education for Sustainable development, suggested that the like and dislike and the caring of something lies with the people. What was found from the previous study was the lack of communication and integration between the RMA and the local authorities and resources available from the government was inadequate. However the recent study also reflect the incapacity of the RMA to work together with the national government, since tourism related project were not released but effort has been done to integrate the process of a sustainable development and increase the continuity of collaboration between the public and private sector, but there is still that major gap between strategy and the implementation of the policy formulated in the evolution towards a more sustainable New Zealand. Based on which Page and Thorn (2002) stated that a national plan is required if tourism is to be developed with the target of enhancing the quality of life of its local people and increase environmental protection from the tourism activity. Furthermore, within the tourism planning the goal and objectives set should be achieved to challenge pro-development policy in order for New Zealand to keep up in the term of competitive advantage as a clean, green and sustainable tourism destination. As argued by Edgel, Allen, Smith and Swanson (2008), those destinations, localities and nations that prepare good policies and implement detailed strategic plans will reap the benefits for sustaining their tourism products in the future, which is the indispensable and fundamental basis of New Zealand tourism strategy. Hence leads to betterment of tourism activities in New Zealand. Furthermore, before any implementation, analysis study will be performed through survey of existing data and collection of primary data. The data requirements will include information such as existing tourism profiles, travel patterns, tourist attractions, accommodation and other tourist facilities, land availability, economic and government structure, education and training needs and provisions, environmental indicators, socio-cultural characteristics, investment sources and available capital, relevant legislation and regulation and private sector organisation. (Cooper et al. Tourism Principle and Practices). Ones data has been collected, the issues associated with it will be analysis in terms of assets (infrastructures), market assessment of demand and supply and feasibility study, source of funding and impact of economic, environment and social factors in terms of tourism needs and opportunities and overcome detrimental impact. The result derived from these analysis will help in the formulation of plan and policies such as marketing strategies, human resources management, environmental conservation, economic and tourism development by which implementing and monitoring to ensure the development path and avoid deviation from the actual plan of the nation on tourism sector. The diagram below represents the key stages in the planning process. Fig 2 Key stages in the planning process Source: Tourism principle and practices by Cooper et al. RECOMMENDATION Tourism has been identified as one of the primary industries with the potential to assist local communities in developing economic diversity (Allen et al 1993, Davis Morais, 2004) However, tourism is not a panacea for economic decline. Tourism has the potential to create both positive and negative impacts. Gunn (1994) indicated that, there is no other form of development that has so many far-reaching tentacles as tourism (p.16). For tourism development to be successful, it must be planned and managed responsibly (De Oliveira, 2003; Inskeep, 1991; Martin, 1995). Inskeep, (1991) furthered the concept of responsible management, warning that ill-conceived and poorly planned tourism development can erode the very qualities of the natural and human environment that attract visitors in the first place (p. 460). Thus communities that use or plan to use tourism as an economic development tool to diversify their economy must develop strategic planning policies for the sustainable development of the community. It should be noted that one key to strategic planning for sustainable development of tourism in a community is the inclusion of stakeholders. Without stakeholders support in the community, it is nearly impossible to develop tourism in a sustainable manner. Therefore, a clear understanding of the attitudes and interests of stakeholders is a necessary precursor to the strategic planning and management of sustainable tourism. Strategic planning also emphasise the integration of economic, socio-cultural and environmental, therefore stakeholders should collaborate and take into consideration the preservation of culture and environment while maximising economic growth and returns to community. Jamal and Getz (1995) define these collaborative efforts as a process of joint-decision making among autonomous key stakeholders of an inter-organisational, community tourism domain to resolve planning problems of the domain and/or to manage issues related to the planning and development of the domain. CONCLUSION Tourism exists as a powerful economic force in the development of both community-based and global markets. Today, its activities comprise the worlds largest industry with over three trillion dollars in revenues produced. (Clegg 1994). Accordingly, the success of sustainable strategic planning depends on existing planning and management functions that guides appropriate developments and the ability to respond to pressure on infrastructure and environments that increasing tourism demand creates. As Iskeep, (1991) argues, the special relationship between tourism and the environment, based on a unique dependency on natural and cultural resources, requires a balanced approach to tourism planning and development to maximise the associated benefits and minimise the negative impacts. Therefore, if ill-planned or excessive development is permitted, tourism can damage the special qualities that are essential for sustainable development. Finally, the importance of strategic planning for tourism within a sustainable development context is now acknowledged globally as it was addressed as a specific topic in a review of Agenda 21 in 1997. In 2002, the world summit on sustainable development included a submission on sustainable tourism (chapter IV, paragraph 43) in the Johannesburg plan of implementation, which identified that while tourism has positive effects, uncontrolled (lack of strategic planning) tourism growth can undermine the basis of tourism. However, the extent to which sustainable development ideology is translated into policy and practice requires a strategic planning investigation to uncover the tourism activities that need urgent attention to meet the demand of visitors. This can be in a form of language to be used, create an image to be used, practically assistance and guidance, promotional material and its design, and strategic for the provision of tourism information. Tourism planning has also been seen as a way of extending the life cycle of a destination with a view of exploring new opportunities, adaptation to the current market demand and marketing harmonisation and as well forecast for the future. Therefore, it is on this premise that the researcher believes that the role of strategic planning in tourism development of any nature can not be quantified. Words Count 4365

Becoming An Effective Hospice Nurse Nursing Essay

Becoming An Effective Hospice Nurse Nursing Essay Hospice nursing is an occupation that few people know about. Although the process of getting into this occupation is quite simple, there is a lot of work to be done in this growing field. Almost anyone can get a degree in nursing, but it takes a special kind of person to be a hospice nurse. This is because hospice nurses deal with the emotions the come with caring for terminally ill patients every day. How to Become an Effective Hospice Nurse Hospice nursing is an occupation that many people dont know about, although it deserves as much credit and awareness as any other nursing position. Many hospice nurses go to great lengths and make huge sacrifices in order to get this position, and the process to do so is very intricate and can be confusing. Nursing is a profession that takes a special kind of person, especially hospice nursing, because their job is to assist a patient and the patients family through a death. In todays healthcare situation, there is a rapidly increasing shortage of nurses. This is due to the fact that most registered nurses are retiring all at once, and there is no one there to fill their shoes. It is not uncommon to go to the doctors office and not give a second thought to the nurse seen before and after the doctor. This is part of what makes hospice nurses different. They form a close relationship with not only the patient, but the family as well. As with any medical profession, it can be difficult to understand how a person went about obtaining their career. There are many routes available, along with characteristics that make up a good hospice nurse. Essential Question How does a person become an effective hospice nurse? Supporting Questions What schooling is required, and what kind of classes should be taken? What kind of certification is needed, and how is it obtained? What is the job outlook, and why is it like this? How will having certain characteristics and specific skills benefit? What schooling is required, and what kind of classes should be taken? To be accepted into nursing school, a person has to have a high school diploma. Taking classes in math, biology, and chemistry while in high school help build a strong application, as well as being able to speak a foreign language. Someone looking into being a registered nurse can choose one of three options when it comes to finding a program. The first option is to get a four-year bachelors of science degree in nursing. This is offered by more than 700 colleges. The second option is to get either a two-year or a three-year associate degree in nursing, and this is possible at 850 community colleges. The final alternative would be to go through one of the 70 diploma programs available at some hospitals, which takes about three years (Education and Training, 2009, p.3). Regardless of which path is chosen, all nursing education will involve supervised clinical and classroom instruction. Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences are some of the classes that are commonly taken by nursing students (Paying Your Dues, 2010, p.1). It is important to take math, biology, and chemistry in high school because even if they cant be taken as college credit, they are still crucial preparatory classes. They will serve as the basic foundation for starting out in nursing education. Being able to speak a foreign language is helpful as well, because people from all backgrounds and cultures need medical help and deserve the right to speak in their own language. This is especially true in the hospice area of nursing because most patients are being taken care of in their own homes, and need the comfort of not having to be stressed about what languages their nurse can or cannot speak. One of a nurses main duties is to serve as a central communicator between the doctor and patient. The best option to choose when picking a nursing program is getting a four-year bachelors of science degree (BSN). It used to be that a nurse with an associate degree could get a job at almost any hospital. However, times are changing and it is now p referred that nurses have a four-year BSN. It is important for all of the programs to have experiences in clinics in all different settings because it provides students with a chance to learn about multiple areas of healthcare. For instance, a person could be planning to have a career in geriatrics, but after spending hours at a nursing home for a clinical, they might completely change their mind. What kind of certification is needed, and how is it obtained? In the United States, all hospice nurses must be registered nurses in addition to being certified by their states health department as a hospice worker. In order to become a registered nurse, a person must take and pass a national examination after graduating from a school of nursing (Education and Training, 2009, p.3). This examination is called the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX-RN (Licensing and Certification, 2010, p.7). It is mandatory for all registered nurses to renew their license periodically, and some states require continuing education. This test is administered electronically, and is multiple-choice. Students usually begin studying for it in their final year of nursing school. Results are sent by mail and arrive five to eight weeks after the testing date. Being certified by the state health department as a hospice worker is important because it ensures that only nurses trained for this field will be entering palliative situations. If this requirement wasnt in place, any registered nurse could go into a home and perform hospice work. It is because of this rule that patients and families can feel confident that they will receive the best care. The National council Licensure Examination helps weed out the students who arent quite ready to start their career in nursing, and need a little more time to study. The students who dont pass can continue to study and try again the next time the test is administered. What is the job outlook, and why is it like this? Registered nurses have more than 2.5 million jobs in the United States. This is expected to hold through and only increase until at least the year 2016. The growth of healthcare in general and the needs of a quickly growing and aging population will raise the demand for registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that more new jobs are to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation (Employment Outlook, 2010, p.4). The number of elderly is increasing rapidly, which creates many new jobs for hospice nurses. Another reason is because patients are becoming more and more okay with the idea of in-home care, and are actually starting to prefer it. Technology is supporting this by allowing nurses to deliver complex treatments away from hospitals. As interest in the field of hospice nursing grows, so do the opportunities. Right now there are two programs in the United States that provide masters degrees that focus on hospice care. One is at New York University, and the other is at Ursuline College, which is in Pepper Pike, Ohio. However, once this career takes off, there will hopefully be more masters degree programs available that specialize in hospice nursing. How will having certain characteristics and specific skills benefit? Hospice nursing includes 24-hour availability, pain management, and family support combined with compassionate listening and counseling skills (Hospice/palliative care nurses, p. 1) . According to Theresa Valiga: Nursing is a profession that challenges a person intellectually, physically, and emotionally. But it is also a profession that is incredibly rewarding. Nurses are with people during every major life event from birth to death. They have the privilege of being quite intimate with strangers. They are well-respected and they make a real difference in the lives of people and communities. Who could ask for more from a career? (p. 1) Like she said, a hospice nurse needs to not only be able to handle the physical stress of the everyday work, but also the emotional stress. One of the main goals of hospice nursing is to find out the patients last wishes and make sure they are carried through and communicated to the family (A. Fredericks, personal interview, December 9, 2010). On average, hospice patients die within a month of enrolling in a hospice program. Because of this fact, hospice nurses need to have skills to deal with spiritual and culturally sensitive patients. They also need to be able to lift patients or help them bath, sit up, get out of bed, or walk. Sometimes the patients are moody, confused, and uncooperative. Communication is a huge key in hospice nursing, because it is the nurses job to observe the patients condition and report it to the doctors, as well as the patients emotional needs and wishes to the family. How does a person become an effective hospice nurse? The first step to becoming an effective hospice nurse is getting a bachelors of science degree from a four-year nursing program. After that, the National Counsel Licensure Examination needs to be passed, as well as registering with a state health department as a hospice worker. A masters degree may be obtained specializing in palliative care. Amy Fredericks, a hospice worker encourages nursing students to continue on past their registered nursing licenses while they are free and not tied down by family and career (Personal interview, December 9, 2010). An effective hospice nurse can walk out the door at the end of the day and know they made a difference, whether it be through making someone smile or teaching a family member how to care for their loved one. As a hospice nurse, it is important to be caring, compassionate, and knowledgeable in order to provide the best care for the patient. Annotated Bibliography Hospice/palliative care nurses. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nursesource.org/hospice.html. This source have me specific information about hospice nursing and more details on the day to day experiences. Hospice nurse. (2010, April 14). Retrieved from http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=177. This source was helpful because it talked about the educational steps needed in order to become a hospice nurse. Kathy, Initials. (2009, January 7). Home health nursing. Retrieved from ultimatenurse.com/171. This source provided me with information about how hospice nurses serve as the prime communicators between doctors and patients. Occupational outlook handbook. (2009, December 17). Retrieved from http://bls.gov.oco.ocos083.htm. This source helped me see the statistics from the Bureau of Labor and analyze the outlook for hospice nurses. Registered professional nurses. (2009, February). This source provided me with information about the working conditions of registered nurses as well as education and training and personal qualifications.

The Changing Role Of Women

The Changing Role Of Women Gender inequality is one of the enormous puzzles of contemporary society. In last several decades, a significant alteration has happened in higher education throughout much of the industrialized world. For the first time in history, females are completing their educational studies more than males are. However, the university majors are still highly gender separated. Nonetheless, the creation of womens studies programs at university level helps women to reach the gender equality. Also women have to overcome many restrictions connected with the business issues. Despite the fact, that in general, women participation in the Fortune 500 board seats has grown, on the average, the rate of increase is quite slow. Moreover the wage gap and the glass ceiling issues are still exist. Furthermore gender disparity in family remains an issue, despite the fact that the inequality has shifted and became less pronounced in the family life. Keywords: gender inequality in education, college majors, womens studies, sex disparity in business, Fortune 500, wage gap, glass ceiling, gender inequality in family, households, childrens gender, child custody. Gender Inequality: The Changing Role of Women throughout the Last 30 Years in U.S. Gender inequality is one of the enormous puzzles of contemporary society. Gender inequality refers to the unequal perceptions of individuals according to their gender. Males and females are unequal in every possible way in infinite circs, both immediate and enduring, by both objective aspect and subjective practice. Thus, what we can count as gender inequality? Can we describe it in methods that let us surely and fairly assess when there is more or less of it? Gender disparity occurs in the all areas of modern world. Education, business and family evoke the enormous amount of controversy in terms of gender disparity. Gender inequality in education has received significant consideration during recent years from researchers and educators. There are three main points that describe the gender inequality in education: preponderance of women who graduate from university compared to number of men, gender gap in terms of college majors and creation of womens studies. Although women overcame many restrictions connected with the business issues, however the gender gap in the managing positions, wage gap and glass ceiling are still exist. Moreover, gender disparity within the family remains an issue. Despite the fact, that women and men try to share all households, eventually females still doing more than males. Also the sex disparity appears in the perception of childs gender. In addition, the decision-making that refers to childrens custody after d ivorce shows the changing tendency that connected with gender inequality. Gender roles: are they really changing? Gender inequality in education In last several decades, a significant alteration has happened in higher education throughout much of the industrialized world. For the first time in history, females are completing their educational studies more than males are. Up until the 1990s, men have surpassed women in the number of undergraduate and graduate degrees that were completed in US. Since the 1990s, women have begun to attain greater equality with men and, in many cases, have exceeded men in regards to their educational achievement. According to a recent study by the U.S. Congress, females are now prospering as well as, or better than, males on many of the indicators of educational achievement. Interestingly, the huge gaps in educational achievement between males and females that once prevailed have been generally eradicated. In the United States, women currently earn 67 percent of all bachelors degrees. In a recent study McDaniel(2010) found that the demographics were that 61 percent Hispanics, 61 percent Native Am ericans, 54 percent Asians, and 57 percent White females attained college. Changing educational achievement rates for men and women could reinforce gender gaps in salary, the involvement of women in the labor force, and a huge variety of other labor market issues. The increasing ratio of college-educated women compared to men could change social tendencies in marriage: more women delay marriage, divorce or completely deny marriage. As we can see now, the traditional roles of woman are being altered because of the impact of educational access for women. The tendency for increasing numbers of women in higher education should explain not only how females have caught up to males in graduating from college, but also why the female percentage of the population surpassed and continues to increase as compared to the male rate for college graduation. Researchers have looked at sociological and economic ways that the study of educational achievement has evolved. The significance of women increasing their educational opportunities shows in changes in the labor market, where women need to have a higher degree than men to have an equal wage, or the goal to develop their special skills and talents. The second determinant of educational achievement is access to resources. The numerous studies confirmed that family-based financial, social, and cultural resources all play an important role in educational attainment (McDaniel, 2010). Research has begun to concentrate on a females advantage in education in the United States, but it is necessary to emphasize that womens rising tendency of graduation does not mean that the parity in the area of education has finally been reached. University majors are still highly gender separated. In most cases, women choose fields of study which usually bring in less money. The fields that are predominated by men are engineering, law, medicine, natural science and mathematics. The majors that are predominated by women are nursing, social science, teaching, and the humanities. The variety in choices of university majors between males and females is highly striking. In 2007-2009, among recipients of bachelors degrees in the United States, 13% of women majored in education compared to 4% of men, and only 4% of women majored in engineering compared to 14% of men (Evertsson et al., 2009). Unfortunately, in different mens majors women face the problem of gender inequality that connected with the gender perception. The sex differences in choice of major have recently been at the top of disputes on the reasons behind womens under-representation in science and engineering (Evertsson et al., 2009). Females are still considered as being less capable in succeeding in mathematics and natural sciences than males. However, the gender gap in math and science achievement tests is quite insignificant. It is also known that the gender gap has been declining over the past 20 years. One more important change that is connected to gender inequality in education is the creation of womens studies programs at university level. Since the first womens studies program was founded in the 1969-1970 academic year, over 600 schools have established programs (Carell, Page, West, 2010). Undoubtedly, the number of womens studies courses has continued to increase, from 449 in 1984, to 626 in 1994. Colleges and universities now offer about 2,000 womens studies programs (Carell et al., 2010). Today, womens studies are offered in many countries, though the extension of its institutionalization varies widely. The researchers state that the rise in high rate of womens studies has occurred due to the fact that women were always treated as a minority in the society, whose rights have been violated. So now it is considered as a great opportunity to learn about women. An appraisal of the disciplinary impact of womens studies will necessarily be continuous process, as womens studies and associated academic fields further develop. The researchers state that womens studies majors help females to enhance their feminist consciousness and personal self-esteem. Some researchers also point out that females who take part into womens studies changed their attitude towards the perception of men. Women became more likely to compete with men, despite the existing gender disparity. Its important to expand end develop womens studies in order to displace the harsh oppression often made regarding women and reduce the gender inequality. Gender disparity in business One substantial indicator that a society has achieved gender equality would be the existence of approximately equal number of males and females in executive positions. Despite the fact that in Western countries females have far more access to management positions than at any other period in history, equal picture is surely not present. Nonetheless, in recent decades the number of women entering the executive, managerial, or professional ranks in the U.S. has increased. However, these females are concentrated at lower levels of management. Across all economic areas, compared to males, females rarely occupy positions conferring major decision-making authority and the ability to affect others salary or preferment (Duehr Bono, 2006). During the last fifteen years, progression wasnt fast for females in the boards of the largest 500 US firms. The Fortune 500 is the rating of the top 500 United States publicly traded companies as measured by their gross incomes and is complied per annum by Fortune magazine. Women held 9.6 per cent of the Fortune boards seats in 1995, though by 2011 women held 19 per cent seats (Van Der Lippe, De Ruijter, Raub, 2011). Despite the fact that in general, women participation in the Fortune 500 board seats has grown, on the average, the rate of increase is quite slow. According to this rate of increase, it may need at least 70 years for women to attain equity with men on Fortune 500 boards. Females actions can encounter with greater examinations and their performance may be more sharply judged as long as women are not well represented on the board. In spite of the progression women have made, gender pay parity in the workplace is still a problem. In 1990 women earned only 60 cents for every dollar that men earned, implying a gender pay gap of 40 cents (or 40 percent). Although the gender pay gap had stood at roughly that level for decades, the 1995 a striking thing happened: the raw pay gap shrunk rapidly, and it has continued to shrink to this day ( Dey Hill, 2007). Economists analyze the gender wage gap using wage regressions-that is, statistical analyses specifying the relationship between wages and productivity- related characteristics for men and women (Hoque, DuBois, Fox- Cardamone, 2010). The survey concludes that some of the raw wage gap is due to varieties in the measured characteristics of males and females. The gender pay gap has become an essential attribute of the U.S. workstation and is so wide spread that many people believe that it is normal. In most fields college-educated females still earn less than their male co-workers earn, despite the equal working conditions that connected with hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors that are normally associated with payment system. Women tend to work in the nonprofit and local government areas, where salaries are statistically lower than those in the for-profit and federal government areas (Hoque et al., 2010). The pay parity is particularly a question of fairness. Women dont have enough resources to provide themselves and feed their families, when they are paid less compared to men for equal work. A lot of women experience deficiency is terms of savings as a result of the wage gap, especially when they reti re (Van Der Lippe et al., 2011). The pay inequality is an obstacle for females opportunity to negotiate in the workstation. Most couples tend to prioritize the higher-earning husbands well-being in child care, selection of residence, and other household decisions, because women earn less. The term glass ceiling was used in 1984 by the author of the Corporate Woman column in The Wall Street Journal to describe the process in the work area in USA and other countries. This author reported that an invisible obstacle serves to prevent all but a disproportionately few females from reaching the highest levels of the corporate hierarchy, oblivious of their achievement and merits ( KepHeart Schumacher, 2005). Researchers state that the glass ceiling in corporate America shows a few cracks now, but it is still firmly in place. The point is that the glass ceiling is not a hurdle for a person based on an individuals failure to cope with a higher-level job. It refers to females as a group who are kept from promoting because they are women. Unfortunately, many women who plan their promotion and expect high work positions may not be promoted not because they cant handle the higher-level job, but because they are women. This refers to a special kind of gender discrimination connecte d with the working area. Many researchers also report that despite the glass ceiling there is one more hurdle for female leaders today. That is the peculiar wall that exists at the top, in other words when women succeed in the process of the destruction of strong glass ceiling, then she face another barrier, which is the brick wall between their success and the traditional male hierarchies on the other side. Sometimes as a result, women are choosing to leave the workplace on their own consent, to participate only in family matters, or because they do not want the burden of the leader positions. Actually, women choose to leave corporate America, not so much because of the obvious obstacles previously outlined, but because they choose to establish their own businesses. In fact, the foundation of the owning a business is a very prosperous way of avoiding the glass ceiling concepts. Researchers state that 23% of the women interviewed providing disillusionment with the glass ceiling as the incentive for establishing their own businesses, also between 1997 and 2008, the number of women-owned companies increased by 19 % nationally, in addition, since 1999 there has been a 190 % increase in construction businesses and a 130 % increase in manufacturing businesses started by women ( Terjesen, Sealy, Sinqh, 2009). Moreover, over 2.46 trillion dollars in commerce are generated from female owned businesses. Females are also owners of 12.6 million privately held and majority owned corporations (Terjesen et al., 2009). Its impressive that women serve as employers to 19.5 million employee s; it means that the quarter of all employees work for a woman entrepreneur. These indexes prove the tremendous shift in direction of women entrepreneurism as the chosen approach to crack through the glass ceiling. Sex inequality within family During the last decades womens responsibilities within the family have changed a lot. Therefore, gender inequality acquired a new form due to participation of women in the labor force. The researchers claim that womens employment leads to more equal participation regarding households. Presently, females dont have enough free time to participate in a household as before. Thus, gender inequality has shifted and became less pronounced in the family life. Actually, it took a lot of efforts for women to acquire the same status as men have today. There are two aspects that underlie this change. The first aspect is connected to the womens position of power that she reached as a result of getting independent income. Women now have access to money resources, the opportunity to negotiate the allocation of responsibilities and tasks and became an important and reputable participant in the process of the decision making within the household (Minques, 2012). The second one refers to the females limitation of free time that led to the increase of mens participation in child care and other activities connected with the household. However, researchers state that the disproportional share of the burden of household still exists. Females are assigned more labor-intensive and time-consuming chores. Despite the increase of males participation in a household, men tend to be responsible for familial obligations that take less time and concentration (Mi nques,2012). It means that in spite of the fact that men share the households with their spouses, women still spend a lot of time doing their domestic duties. Another factor that shows the gender inequality within the family is connected to the gender of children. In spite of the statement that the contemporary families are less concerned about gender of their children and tend to have one child of each sex parents still have some preferences. Dahl and Moretti (as sited in Raley and Bianchi, 2006) argues that a number of pieces of evidences suggests that there continues to be a preference for sons, at least among fathers in the United States. For instance, they investigated that couples with two daughters proceed to a third birth than those with two sons. The researchers consider this finding as consistent with a preference for boys over girls. Whether or not parents have a preference in terms of gender of their child, they subconsciously set more hopes on boys than girls. Given past gender differences in adulà Ã‚ µ economic achievements, parents may assume that one gender, most often sons, will have higher economic achievement in adulthood (Raley Bianchi, 2006). In spite of the fact that a lot of couples emphasize that girls will be caregivers for them in the future, parents also suppose that their sons will help them financially, while daughters will spend most of the time in their own families doing households and taking care of children. The presumption that girls will devote the life to their own families as caregivers leads to another area in which couples seem to differentiate the involvement in house-work activities by sex ( Raley Bianchi, 2006). Although parents state that they allocate chores equally, girls do more household work overall. Because girls do more feminine households like cooking and cleaning and boys do more masculine chores as household repairs and outdoor works, its obvious that daughters will do more chores, because cleaning and cooking is a kind of everyday activity, what we cant say about repair. It is an obvious fact that during the long time in US gender inequality in terms of custody of children after parents divorce was in favor of women. However, that tendency has endured a huge surge of changes 25 years ago. National estimates in the 1970s and 80s indicated that women had sole custody of the children approximately 85% of the time, and men retained sole custody 10% of the time, with the remaining 5% spread over a variety of custody arrangements, including grandparent, split or joint custody ( Kalmijn, 2007). The rights of males in this issue has increased and changed for the better over time. Affected by fathers complaints of gender discrimination in custody decisions, constitutional concerns for parity protection, the feminist movement, and the entry of large numbers of females into the labor market, most states had replaced the standards that were based on the gender. Women lost one of their few benefits that refer to gender inequality. The researchers state that the fact that women became more independent and anxious about their career played not a good role for child custody decision-making. In 1980, 2.9 million mothers got sole custody of their children; by 1995 that situation had almost tripled. Nevertheless, by 2007 the number of fathers with sole custody increased by 4 times, while the number of mothers who got the sole custody decreased (DeGermo, Patras, Eap, 2008). Although the number of mothers who have the sole custody substantially prevails, the number of fathers who get the sole custody of children unceasingly grows. Despite all the changes and reforms, gender inequality still exists. Women are trying to avoid many obstacles that they face on their way to success and power. Unfortunately, women need to prove their capabilities in all areas much harder than men do and it does not matter if it is an education, or business, or family scope. Today women still face the gender inequality in terms of leadership positions, pay gap and glass ceiling. They also are unequal with men in area of different college majors and family responsibilities. Nevertheless, due to tremendous efforts, the gender disparity gave a crack in point of womens attendance to college and establishment of womens studies programs. It is well known that the modernity is a time of change and it is obvious that change in gender inequality will continue. But the question is how much time and efforts it will take and will we be satisfied with the results that we will finally receive?

Distance Learning as an Effective Enhancement to the Elementary School

Distance Learning as an Effective Enhancement to the Elementary School Curriculum Distance learning does not replace the existing classroom; rather it has proven to be an effective and useful tool in expanding the elementary school curriculum. Distance learning is defined as the â€Å"education for students working at home, with little or no face-to-face with teachers and with material provided remotely, for example through email, television, or correspondence† (Encarta World English Dictionary, 2001). The concept of distance learning has been around for centuries, evolving from primarily correspondence courses, to the Internet and two-way audio and video connection that are used now to establish a connection between the teacher and the students. (Poole, 2000). Distance learning has been used to augment the curriculum for elementary schools, rather than replace the personalized classroom that is vital to student development. It is designed to expand and fill in the gaps of the traditional course offerings, while meeting the widely diverse needs of each individual student. Distance learning has been designed to enhance student education, while still keeping learning firmly centered within the school. (Ravaglia & Sommer, 2000). There have been many arguments, both for and against distance learning; all have been well supported. However, there is extensive support for the benefits of distance learning, and how it has expanded and enriched the elementary school curriculum. There have been many critics that strongly advocate against the use of distance learning in elementary schools. Many believe that this new teaching method may replace the existing classroom all together, and won’t give students the adequate face-to-face con... ... Poole, D.M. (2000). Student’s participation in a discussion-oriented online course: A case study. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33, (2), 162-177. Ravaglia, R. & Sommer R. (2000). Expanding the curriculum with distance learning. Principal, 79, (3), 10-13. Scheps, S.G. (1999). Homeschoolers in the library. School Library Journal, 45, (2), 39-40. Truell, A.D. (2001). Student’s attitudes towards and evaluation of internet-assisted instruction. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 43, (1), 40-49. Expanding the Curriculum with Distance Learning. (2001). Retrieved November 13, 2001, from http://iiswinprd03.petersons.com/distancelearning/default.asp TEAMS Distance Learning. (2001). Retrieved November 5, 2001, from teams.lacoe.edu. Distance Education. (2000). In Encarta World English Dictionary (Vol. 14, pp. 309). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.