Minimising Disruption Essay

Strategies for Minimising Disruption Through Inappropriate Behaviour Different behaviours require different levels of intervention, it is more effective to manage inappropriate behaviour when it is first noticed or at its lowest level and the type of intervention used should be determined by the intensity, frequency and duration of the behaviour displayed. It is important not to try to befriend students or gain their approval as this will make behaviour management very difficult as they will think you are trying to win them over. You should establish ground rules and boundaries as soon as possible, these should be stuck to, students need to know where they stand. Do not make empty threats as this threatens the security of students, therefore encouraging inappropriate behaviour. It is important to talk to students and distraction often works to bring them back on to the task in hand, a warning about what will happen if they continue with the behaviour, if appropriate a reminder of the rewards for positive behaviour will stop the inappropriate actions straight away. How do These Strategies Relate to the School’s Policy? In the school’s behaviour policy we use the rule of ‘3 strikes then out’, this rule is not exhaustive and it depends on the extremity of the behaviour displayed. A student may be moved seats and asked to step outside the classroom before they are removed from the room and sent to the sanctions room. Our policy is displayed in each classroom and inside each student’s planner so that they are all clear about what is expected from them with regards to inappropriate behaviour.

Human Error Theory in Health Care

Patient safety is a basic standard of health care. Every step in health care service contains intrinsic unsafe factors . The combination among newest technologies, health innovations and treatments have introduced a synergistic development in health care industry, and transformed it into more complex field. This rise health safety risks which may result from problems in practice, procedures and medicine etc . This Essay will discuss the relationship between human factors and patient safety. Definitions Patient safety is the reduction of unnecessary harm associated with healthcares to acceptable minimum â€Å"(Runciman ,Hibbert , Thomson , Der Schaaf , Sherman ,Lewalle , 2009) Human error in health care can be observed by two different methods: â€Å"the person approach and the system approach†, each model has own perspectives . Understanding these differences has a significant practical outcomes in healthcare industry and open sights for management of medical error (Reason, 2 000). The person approach stress on the hazardous act and procedural deviations of nurses,  physicians, pharmacists.It analyses these risky acts as resulting mainly from deviant mental functions such as lack of memory & concentration , poor enthusiasm , carelessness, , and recklessness(Reason, 2000) . The associated preventive measures are intended mainly at decreasing risky inconsistency in human performance (Reason, 2000) . Whereas the system approach insight human errors as consequences rather than causes, thus it relays the reasons for error occurrence on failure of organizational system (Reason, 2000).Countermeasures are established on the theory that although â€Å"we cannot change the human condition, we can adjust the  circumstances under which humans work† (Reason, 2000). Human error Theory Patients always expect miraculous solutions to each problem. In such expectations people who receive medical services tend to believe that no mistakes can happen. It is ac tually not so, and it is seen that there are instances where the medical errors can occur at any stage (Moyen, Camrie, Stelfox, 2008).They can take place if the healthcare provider chooses an inappropriate method of diagnosing the problem. There is another scope for medical error if the execution part goes wrong, even after choosing the correct method. Therefore, such medical errors are only referred to as the human errors in the area of health science (Moyen , Camrie ,Stelfox ,2008 ) . The importance of this issue can be seen according to the report provided by the American Institute of Medicine.It stated that US Hospitals been have astonishing as there had been deaths which were be ‘avoidable’. Some cases were the medical staff inconvenient, and others were seen that the poor system was actually beyond the failure. The possible flaws in the system are there like the poor communication, between the medical team and between them and the patients; also the reporting syst em of the hospital suffers from the lack of the coordination in the hospital system (Taxis & Barber, 2003). .This subject can be better understood with relation to the existing human error theory which consider errors are opportunities for improvement and it interestingly highlight the concept of error, the same issue was adhered by literary thinker and philosopher Francis Bacon(1620), that human mind has always thought of the ‘over-generalisations’ which means that the human mind always have that over-confident element of remembering things. This thought itself gives rise to error, because it all of being thoroughly perfect which is not possible.The theory stands widely accepted by the British Department of Health, they have moved away from solely blaming the individuals, towards accepting the fact that error is something inevitable ( Runciman ,Hibbert , Thomson , Der Schaaf , Sherman ,Lewalle , 2009) Various literary scholars, scientists and the psychologist have pointed out the fact that there are some cognitive processes and the multiple disturbing factors in the organisational environment and the surroundings that can lead to various accidents in the health care domain.According to Reason’s interpretation for the concept of error (1990), it is â€Å"the failure of a planned action to be completed as intended – without the intervention of some unforeseeable event; or the use of a wrong plan to achieve an aim. † This definition was somehow subjected to varied reactions, while some accepted this possibility of the error while others thought it was only a pretext for the mistakes done in a medical scenario.Though in the contemporary context this Human Error Theory has gained popularity because the same has been highly in relevance to the Norman’s idea of error, and thus these perspectives which have been built are the ‘Human Factors’ (Carayon, 2008) Further many factors have been analysed with relation to the same theory like the slips and the lapses from the memory, the mental performance etc (Carayon, 2008). The same theory is widely accepted because of the precise description for the human factors but still the same remains vulnerable to the criticism.The same effectively brings out that the nursing is an important factor in healthcare but there can be chances for human fallibility where even the same system can fail to acknowledge those how such errors can be avoided. But the critique of the same has been there on building up the counter-argument that the job of nursing accompanies humanities, therefore the basic human factors which can be controlled like the personal hygiene like the wearing of the uniform, washing the hands, the use of anti-bacterial and the anti-viral techniques while handling the patients can guarantee high infection control (Handler, et al, 2006).The availability of the trained staff which is willing to attend the patients can effectively led to stop the fostering of the errors. Other human factors which can be worked upon by the nursing staff in the hospital can range from the valid reason for which a drug is being used the collection of the true and the right records therefore the proper documentation of the patient’s disease.These were the critiques that were made on the various human actors which can lead to serious medical flaws (system) and the consequences can become fatal (Handler, et al, 2006). Swiss cheese Model Also, the assessment of the Swiss Cheese Model is necessary to understand that how the system of the medical errors contains the holes of the errors. Alike the holes that are present in a Swiss cheese there are the inherent holes that are present in the medical system.This interpretation of the errors is formed on the basis of the Swiss cheese model, it emphasis on the causes present in the system rather than blaming any sort of the individual failures. In a way this model has acted so far as a representati ve for giving an idea how can the painful events occur in a healthcare system and how should they be prevented. The Swiss Cheese Model effectively brings the significant human factors and the system factors which impact the health care set up and the various quality and the safety perspectives.The medical errors according to the model have a scope to arise because of the Organisational factors, the unsafe work conditions, the human tendency for the unsafe actions and the unsafe acts. The organisational influences are the lack of the management of the resources that are provided in the healthcare settings like the excessive use of the tools which are torn out, the improperly maintained machines and the lack of coordination among the staff members (Reason, 2000).The next is the distracting and the fluctuating work environment of the hospital, also referred to as the Organisational climate, like the lazy staff members, the inexpert doctors and the dogmatic nurses who are unwilling to a ttend to the patient’s queries. The third influential factor is the operational process; this accounts to the methodology that is followed for diagnosis, the nurse or the medical supervisor might indulge either too fast processing or the too slow processes (Karman, L. , 2008).The extreme behaviour of the clinicians and the health care staff thus can be referred to as the problematic in the operational process. The interpretation of the model defines that the healthcare system should be diligent in dealing with the patients at the right time and with the right networking, for this the recommended system by the Swiss Cheese Model where the holes should be seen as the chances where the on-going plan or the operation can fail and the slices of the cheese are the ‘defensive layers’ thus becoming the safety steps or the shields (Karmen, L. 2008).. Therefore, the different layers only act as the filter, where even if the mistake, the error or the flaw in the operation h as occurred in the first step then the same can be trapped in the defensive layer, leaving no scope for the error to be passed on to the next level. This is possible because the next layer would not be having the same positions of the holes as it was in the previous layer.This interpretation thus propagates the main idea that though the natural tendency of a human being to make mistakes cannot be corrected but the correction can be made at the part of the plan that is being executed so that the chances of the fatal consequences are effectively minimised (Karmen, L. , 2008). Conclusion On the basis of the Human Error Theory and the basic Human Factors that are responsible for the failure of the health care system, one can conclude that the critical review of Swiss Cheese Model can come to rescue many patients ho are admitted to the healthcare centres. The question which the analysis has answered is that ‘Can the human errors be effectively reduced in the medical context? â€⠄¢ and it seems that a positive light spot on the solutions to catch the problematic have been provided by the collaborative efforts of the literary precursors, the medical scholars and the psychologists. The model and the theory which has been studied effectively solves the problem by attacking its root in that health care setting is an indefinite system in which the safety of the patient resides (Wagner, C et. l , 2001). The safety & quality is only achieved while there is possible healthy interaction between the medical providers, the health care standards and the potential errors in the existing health care system. References Carayon, P. (2010). Human factors in patient safety as an innovation. Applied Ergonomics, 41(5): 657-665. Handler,S. , Castle, N. , Studenski, S. , Perera, S. , Fridsma, D. , Nace, D. , & Hanlon, J. (2006). Patient safety culture assessment in the nursing home.Qual Saf Health Care 15(6), 400-404. Karmen, L. (2008). Pilot, Swiss cheese, and cash mach inery: Health of the Health System. Croatian Medical Journal, 49(5), 689. Moyen, E. , Camire, E. , & Stelfox, H. T. (2008). Clinical review: medication errors in critical care. Critical Care Medicine, 12(2), 208. Taxis, K. , & Barber, N. (2003). Ethnographic study of incidence and severity of intravenous drug errors. British Medical Journal, 11, 326. Reason, J. (2000).Human error: models and management. British Medical Journal,  320:768-70. Runciman, W. , Hibbert,P. , Thomson, R. , Schaaf, T. V. D. , Sherman, H. , & Lewalle, P. (2009). Towards an international classification for patient safety: key concepts and terms. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 21(1). 18-26. Wagner, C. , Wal, G. , Groenewegen, P. , & Bakker, D. (2001). The effectiveness of quality systems in nursing homes: a review. Qual Health Care 10(4), 211-217. .

The Characteristics of Expository Essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Characteristics of Expository Essays - Essay Example An expository essay is usually a ‘how-to’ essay or one that analyzes an event or an object. The two essays under consideration ‘Dinner Party Table Settings’ and ‘Cochlear Implants’ qualify to be categorized as expository because the former tells us how to host a formal dinner party while the latter provides information on the features of cochlear implants and their usefulness. Both the essays contain detailed informative processes explaining such things as the differences between traditional hearing aids and cochlear implants or the preparation of frosted fruit. The functions of time and space have an important role to play in an expository essay. The author of the second essay at first wonders whether she should go for a cochlear implant and with the passage of time, in the light of certain experiences, she establishes how the thought of getting an implant herself occupied her mind more and more. In the other essay, space settings dominate the content, giving the reader a detailed picture of the position of seats, plates, forks, glasses and even candles. The organizational choice is obvious in both because, the cochlear implant being a recent advance in science, the chronology is important in differentiating it from the earlier solutions devised for the deaf, while for the host of a party, the first concern is ‘right arrangements’ having to do with ‘where is what’. This is responsible for another difference between the two essays: the tense used. Present tense is more common in the expository type unless due to the ‘time’ order, the past tense becomes inevitable here and there. So we see past tense has no use in the essay at a dinner party.

Enthymeme's in Obama's 2008 election and the effectiveness on our Essay

Enthymeme's in Obama's 2008 election and the effectiveness on our current Y, technological generation - Essay Example Furthermore, it also tells about the successful strategies to use media or new media for reaching and engaging millennial generation towards some certain activities. â€Å"Obama comes out as a moderate American who is really different from his other party fellows. Although Obama convinces his listeners through reasoning and logic in almost his every political speech, his present speech is, from first to the last paragraph, full of the use of logical style of talking.† (Alvi and Baseer) Every president of the United States including the current president Barrack Obama constructs enthymemes according to their specific targeted audience or crowd. â€Å"This separation is evident in his minor premises both when he specifically addresses the target audience and when he uses a word or idea that suggests that he is trying to persuade a particular group. I am also contending that each president’s speech can be broken down into numerous major and minor premises that lead to one overarching conclusion in each speech that those premises support.† (Lawson, 7) THE CONCEPT OF ENTHYMEME â€Å"An enthymeme, while a type of syllogism, does not contain the same indisputable logical truths as the formal syllogism. It is a rhetorical syllogism, or informally stated syllogism, which contains same three elements as a complete syllogism: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.† (Lawson, 8) However, one of these elements in an enthymeme is understood as it is already known as a general knowledge or some belief held by the audience as well. Basically, an enthymeme is considered as an unfinished argument in a way that not all the parts in this are exactly expressed or definitely stated. Therefore, it is dependent upon the previous mentioned assumptions which were the general knowledge or prior beliefs or knowledge regarding the subject. Furthermore, the speaker also relies upon the presupposition which helps them build their arguments in the futur e. This is the concept developed by the great Aristotle. According to his assumption and belief, enthymeme is an argument which basically opposes to an assumed idea or a topic which is either an indisputable fact or it is proved with the help of science and has science support. However, there is no one specific definition for the word ‘enthymeme’ as its meaning differs from person to person and what they think of this particular word. A recent study has shown that â€Å"Scholars have been trying to define and redefine enthymeme through various philosophical and literary readings of Aristotle’s texts. Each definition contains similar elements, but none of them are exactly alike.† (Lawson, 12) Because of this fact mentioned that ‘enthymeme’ has various definitions and analysis with respect to that particular enthymeme. One early scholar named E.M. Cope presented a definition that has been the core element for many different scholars when it come s to discussing enthymeme. Lloyd Bitzer, R.C. Seaton and Carol Poster are the few names who follow E.M. Cope regarding enthymeme. Seaton points out that â€Å"Cope bases his initial definition on another one set forth by Sir William Hamilton, and later ‘reverses his own decision in a note with the remark that the view given in the text „was adopted mainly in deference to the decided opinion expressed by Sir William Hamilton’ † (Seaton 114). But, Bitzer points out that Aristotle refutes this

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 4

Media - Essay Example Drury (2008) further elaborates that the social networking sights, such as Facebook and Twitter, are two important platforms where people have created virtual identity for sharing different types of content and interacting with each other; thereby, social media democratises the content in its all forms. The scope of this paper is to elaborate on the news consumption and translate that consumption into further interaction and into tangible form such as buying or subscribing to news and information. In this regard, it is essential to highlight that the news dissemination purpose is to increase awareness and enable consumers to make well-informed decisions relating to products and services which are being offered through marketing on social media and other forms which disseminate information and news. Keeping this view in mind, the social media, particularly the role of social networking sites will be closely discussed for producing, marketing, distributing and consuming the news. For this objective, following sections will highlight the role of social media with the above mentioned aspects of news. First, social media and production of news section has been given. It is followed by social media and marketing of news part has been included. Subsequently, social media and distribution of news segment has been incorporated. Before the conclusion part, social media and consumption of news section has been provided. Social media facilitates and empowers the rise of citizen journalism. Citizen journalism refers to individuals, who are not formally member of any news agency, produce, report, and upload any news through using the medium of the Internet and more specifically the social media sites (Bryant, 2006). Silverblatt (2013) differently describe the use and prominence of the citizen journalism on the land of the social networking sites by explaining that the citizen journalism refers to

Sustainable Talent Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sustainable Talent Management - Assignment Example Many leaders experience challenges while trying to gain sustainable competitive advantage in the current dynamic business environment. Organizations have created an environment that supports talent management and advances peoples’ needs. This is with the intention of addressing challenges that may arise (Deb, 2005). It is vital for the performance management process to allow persons with the right talent to handle specific tasks at an appropriate time. Most organizations handle varied issues affecting the line executives and human resource professionals in their businesses. Organizations apply different management process to measure employee talents. This is apparent when measuring the organizational performance against pre-set objectives (Povah & Thornton, 2011). The process unites every actor within a given organization and draws attention on qualitative measures and quantitative objectives of an organization. The process applies a strategically oriented focus within the per formance management process that allows the talent management process to be effective. Organizations and businesses use different methods when measuring talents among the employees. Most managers accurately measure the talent of every candidate and employee in their organizations. This enables them match the best talent and job; furthermore, it encourages them to support, motivate, manage and develop talents among employees. Accurate talent measurement is significant because it enables employees to perform their task appropriately, increasing profit within organizations. The process is vital to an organization because it enables employees to understand their strength and weaknesses making them learn how adapt to the working environment (Deb, 2005). Organizations use different approaches such as conducting interviews, understanding leadership success factors and applying leadership review process when measuring the talents among employees. This usually takes place through random inte rviews or conducting reference calls (Berger, 2010). The leader then observes the behavior and traits of the involved individual as seen when he or she handles the job. Talents measurement may also focus on observing personal attributes and core skills. This helps the manager understand the benefits that an individual may bring to an organization. Analyze the key concepts related to the talent pools and the talent review process. The talent pool is a development process that focuses on the concept and principles within an organization. Initially, the organizations assert that every employee is a member of the talent pool. Consequently, the development of problem solving ability among individuals starts during the youth until maturity implying that everyone possesses an inherent potential of cognitive development over time (Berger, 2010). The main aim of the talent pool process is to analyze both the present and future roles played by an individual and their capabilities. This proces s has a line manager who is responsible for observing talents with the help of human resource who offers support. Managers conduct different functions such as coaching for employees to perform their current roles (Galagan, 2011). A retired manager plays a mentoring role by ensuring that subordinates conduct their roles fully. The managers and retired managers record the results

DLA Piper Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DLA Piper Business - Case Study Example Miller respectively. Moreover, in the international who’s who of business lawyers legal awards, Edward J Levin, Elliot M Surkin, Charles l Edwards, Robert H Goldman and David Glickstein are among those who happened to be recognized internationally. There is a plethora of competitively experienced individuals and a truthful national mode of networking. Over the past year, the exceptional large team has been preoccupied with a varied range of contentious issues as work related fatalities and explosions (Lorsch & Chernak, 2006). In addition, the company is also expanding to the non-contentious issues as giving sufficient advice to companies on compliance related matters. For instance, Paul Burnley, client focused, has a good reputation in health and safety cases and many clients profess satisfaction with his service. The company has a customer approach to offering its services. In legal advice, a majority of the client are informed in the language they can best comprehend for sat isfaction and an emphasis and unlimited synthesis to matter pertaining to the law. To the court cases, proper documented evidence is given with prior filing of documents at the clerks’ offices. ... The competent lawyers who come to the root the law undertake detailed case proceedings. In addition, the company was the second largest supporter of president Barrack Obama re-election campaign (Lorsch & Chernak, 2006). This is to unveil the loopholes that may not have been underscored in the search for justice. There are opportunities to thrive into new countries and give legal advice, to absorb new graduates in the bar into the firm and also expand the scope of operations of the company to other areas in law. The challenges that abound the firm are: to start with is the navigation into a multi jurisdictional environment. This is where legal suits happen in a country albeit the lawyers do not understand the jurisdictional customs, or a transfer of suit to other jurisdictions. Secondly, the process of mastering the European market for competent arbitrage opportunities turns out to be a drawback to the firm. Thirdly, the company is trying to make prior up to date preparations for cons olidation and ensure there is greater competition to competitors. Consequently, less complex legal services should be offered to clients and DLA piper is obliged to be customer- focused. The long-term leadership of the firm is also a challenge that needs to be addressed. It is prudent a decision to address the challenges faced by the company so as to come up with better management methods of legal entities. In the event, better services and organizations will come up. In the Adler and Gunderson case, the company should be well able to transcend the national boundaries and impart new knowledge to others. An example of the company is that it should traverse other boundaries to establish new operations there. In the event, it will become a

Stages of Japanese Post-war Economic Growth Case Study

Stages of Japanese Post-war Economic Growth - Case Study Example Economic Recovery Phase: 1946-1950 The first phase implying the recovery of Japanese economy from the adverse effects of World War II started soon after the year 1945. Teranishi propounds that in the wake of the Second War, the Japanese economy confronted with an arrant economic disaster in the form of declining GNP, mounting inflationary pressures, and collapsing production. However, soon after the downturn in the year 1946, the economy caught the track of recovery. In 1948, the inflation was cut down significantly and production was steadily improved. This recovery and stabilisation period lasted during 1945-50 (139). This period is crucial in the study of the rapid growth of Japanese economy in the post-war era because this phase started a couple of years after the war. Also, a study of these years' economic activity suggests major changes made to the industrial structure that impacted on its growth. Japan was fortunate in the sense that although it had lost its economic and industrial vivacity as a consequence of the World War II, yet its efficient and effective human resource was still there to bring the country out of the disaster caused due to war. Seldon propounds that, "it was not that Japan was building from Scratch True, industry and the industrial cities had been devastated. But there existed large resources of well-educated manpower with a strong determination to survive" (271). The country's human resource played a great role in lifting the country from economic downturn to the recovery period. Seldon illuminates that the "'long-term achievement was to steer the pre-war economy in new directions move slowly away from cotton to heavy industry such as iron, steel, shipbuilding, and chemical production" (272). No doubt, the... This paper describes the rapid economic development in Japan after the year 1945 in the context of various phases it experienced while travelling to the unprecedented levels of growth. This paper identifies several economic phases in the development of post-war Japan, each with some specific characteristics. Japanese economic growth in the post-war period is considered to be an example for countries struggling against their economic disasters. It has also been termed as a ‘miracle’ owing to the spectacular effort demonstrated on the part of a nation that had just suffered from war, yet that leaped rapidly towards the economic boom. The first phase implying the recovery of Japanese economy from the adverse effects of World War II started soon after the year 1945. In the wake of the Second War, the Japanese economy confronted with an arrant economic disaster. Soon after the downturn in the year 1946, the economy caught the track of recovery. This recovery and stabilisation period lasted during 1945-50 This period was successful enough to curb the inflationary pressures as well as restore the production level nearly to the pre-war period. In this period, industries were strengthened by means of demilitarisation and amendments to the labour laws. The boom of Japanese economy from mid 50s to the early 70s was very well manifested in the growth of the manufacturing capabilities in the country. Not only that, the economic growth even rose above the pre-war level during the 1960s and this rapid growth lasted till the early 1970s.

Education Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Education Systems - Essay Example But over the years, it seems the geo-political circumstances have taken its toll on the education sector in Ethiopia. A study carried out UNICEF points out that the net primary schools enrollment for male students in Ethiopia during the period 2000-2007 was around 74 percent, while for females this percentage was 69 percent. The study indicates that the enthusiasm shown by parents could not be sustained for long, as the net secondary school enrollment percentage drops down to 29 percent while for female students this figures comes down to just 19 percent (UNICEF, 2008). This indicates towards a fundamental issue of sustaining the interest of the masses in sending their kids for higher education. This indicates towards a need for allocation of still better resources towards the education sector in the country. Amongst other things, the political climate and the war like situation with bordering Eritrea is also responsible for eating into the resources of the country and thus resulting into the adverse humanitarian situation prevailing in the country. International agencies like UNICEF have indeed done commendable work for addressing the needs of general population. For example, the international agency has earmarked US$3,800,000 for the education sector in Ethiopia for the current year (UNICEF, 2009). Ghana, an integral component o... International agencies like UNICEF have indeed done commendable work for addressing the needs of general population. For example, the international agency has earmarked US$3,800,000 for the education sector in Ethiopia for the current year (UNICEF, 2009). Ghana, an integral component of the Gold Coast, is historically known for its rich resources. But, over the years situation has changed to a great extent. In the 1950's it was known as a country with highest level of education in the entire Sub-Saharan Africa2. But the latest statistics point out that the dropout rate of youth while migrating from primary to secondary schools is substantially higher. The UNICEF statistics3 point out that during the period 2000-2007 the enrollment of male in primary schools was 73 percent and for females this figure was 71. But this figure sharply drops down to 47 percent and 43 percent respectively as the students march towards secondary schools education. Despite having a tuition free and mandatory primary and junior secondary school education in Ghana the enrollment in schools can certainly not be termed as satisfactory. Ghana has made a constitutional provision under article 39, which mandates the tenets of free, compulsory, universal basic educat ion (FCUBE) initiative4. Ghana has been getting international attention as well in support of the forward looking policies of the government. Aid from international organizations and foreign governments is helping Ghana in strengthening its educational system. Availability of resources certainly impacts the shaping of the overall picture of educational system. Ethiopia and Ghana are not the one's having best of resources but the respective governments need to accord more priority to

Akhenaten Family Background Essay Example for Free

Akhenaten Family Background Essay Describe the family and family background of Akhenaten. In your answer refer to: the 18th dynasty pharaohs, his mother, his brother, Akhenaten’s wives, particularly Nefertiti (her origin and roles) and his children. Assess their importance to the pharaoh. In your answer refer to at least four sources, ancient and modern. You can also show diagrams if you wish. (500-550 words) Akhenaten was the tenth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty; he reigned over New Kingdom Egypt for approximately 17 years. Akhenaten was the son of Amenhotep III and his chief wife, Queen Tiy. Scholars agree that Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy had four known daughters and two sons, Thutmoses and Akhenaten, who was originally named Amenhotep IV. Akhenaten was a sheltered child and appeared to be rejected by his father as he was rarely included in portraits of the family and was never taken to any public events unlike his brother, Thutmoses, as he was not assumed to take the throne. Akhenaten became pharaoh after the death of his father Amenhotep III in 1352BC, as Thutmoses had died prematurely. It is believed that Akhenaten was already married to Nefernefruaten- Nefertiti when he came to the throne. Nefertiti’s origin or parents are unknown, there are two main theories of her origin, and the most accepted is that Nefertiti is the daughter of Ay, vizier to various pharaohs of the 18th dynasty and the assumed brother of Queen Tiy. This is believed as Nefertiti’s nurse was the wife of Ay, as well as references that Nefertiti’s sister, Mutnojme, is prominently featured in the reliefs of Ay’s tomb. Another theory is that Nefertiti was the Mitannian princess sent to Egypt for a diplomatic marriage, referred to as ‘Tadhukhipa’, this is supported as Nefertiti means â€Å"the beautiful woman has come†. Nefertiti was Akhenaten’s chief wife and it is clear that Akhenaten valued his beloved wife, in his tomb he referred to her as ‘the mistress of his happiness’, and according to C. Alfred on one of the boundary stelae at Amarna he describes her as â€Å"Fair of Face, Joyous with the Double Plume, Mistress of Happiness, Endowed with Favour, at hearing whose voice one rejoices, Lady of Grace, Great of Love, whose disposition cheers the Lord of Two Lands†. In Akhenaten’s tomb and in tombs of the nobles, Nefertiti is depicted as equal to the pharaoh, in Akhenaten and the Amarna Bradley states â€Å"she’s is treated as the king’s partner not only in their family life but in religious and political life as well†, unlike other pharaohs there are also many family reliefs depicting Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their six daughters making offerings to the Aten; no son was ever depicted in reliefs. Akhenaten and Nefertiti are accepted to have had six daughters together. They were Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhensenpaaten, Nefernefruten-tasherit, Nefernefure and Setepenre. Meritaten ‘beloved of Aten’, married Akhenaten’s successor, Smekhkare. Around year 15 of Akhenaten’s reign, Meritaten was given the rank of ‘Mistress of the House’ and favourite of the King, at this time she was depicted performing certain religious rituals in the temple of the Aten. Meketaten ‘protected of Aten’ possibly died at childbirth (Alfred) or at the age of eleven (Redford), mourning scenes of Akhenaten and Nefertiti are depicted in the king’s tomb. Ankhensenpaaten ‘her life is in the Aten’, married Tutankhamun and became Ankhensenamun. Nefernefruaten-tasherit ‘Nefernefruaten Junior –after Nefertiti’, Nefernefrure ‘beautiful as the beauty of Re’, and Setepenre ‘chosen of Re’. What happened to the youngest three daughters is unknown. In addition to Nefertiti, Akhenaten had many other minor wives that he inherited from Amenhotep III’s harem as well as those he would have selected himself. Of particular importance is Kiya, one of Akhenaten’s minor wives. Her full origin is unknown, but she seems to have come from an official family with links to the royal household. In Akhenaten’s inscriptions Kiya was described as the greatly beloved wife of the king, this was purely an acknowledgement of her position as secondary wife and in particular as the mother of royal children. She is believed to be the mother of Tutankhaten (later Tutankhamen) and possibly Smenkhkare, who succeeded Akhenaten’s reign. It appears Kiya was a favourite of Akhenaten’s for a reasonably long time. Describe the building projects of Akhenaten in East Karnak, near the traditional capital Thebes, and Akhetaten (his new cult centre). Describe the features of the buildings and account for the stylistic changes, especially to do with the worship of the Aten. In your answer include evidence from sources ancient and modern. You can use diagrams and maps if you wish. When Akhenaten came to power in 1353BC instead of holding the holistic New Kingdom Egypt builder-warrior pharaoh, Akhenaten focused on his building projects and the establishment of Aten worship in New Kingdom Egypt. In the first year of his reign Akhenaten ordered that his father’s construction project be completed, this was typical of New Kingdom pharaohs. This project was of two decorated pylon gateways at the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak. The relief scenes carved on the pylon at this time show Akhenaten in a traditional way, they also depict the Aten as a falcon-headed god. In the second year Akhenaten ordered the construction of four temples dedicated to the Aten to be built at East Karnak, outside the enclosure wall on the east of the Great Temple of Amun-Re. These temples were Gempaaten – ‘sun disk is found’ , the Mansion of the Ben-ben stone, Rud-menu – ‘Sturdy are the Monuments of the sun-disk Forever,’ and Teni-menu – ‘Exalted are the Monuments of the sun-disk Forever’. The Gempaaten was an open rectangular court approximately 300m by 200m enclosed with a mud-brick wall, surrounding this was a roofed colonnade. The temple itself was adorned with colossal statues of Akhenaten. The decorative scenes shown in the temple showed a celebration of the Heb-sed festival in the second and third year of the king’s reign. According to an unknown source in the depictions of the first year the ritual was enacted before officials from all the districts and the gods of Egypt, whose statues had been brought from near and far to be placed in shrines. Akhenaten offered to the gods individually and was accepted by each to continue ruling. However, in the Heb-sed festival of the third year all the shrines of the gods of Egypt are replaced by the Aten and Akhenaten in the reliefs. Typically when a pharaoh is being depicted with a god he is either drawn equal or depicted kneeling to the deity, but as the sun-disc is shown at the top of relief scenes Akhenaten’s single standing figure becomes more prominent. There is no firm evidence of the other three Aten temples purpose or location at Karnak, as they were destroyed and the building materials were reused in later pharaohs building projects. It is believed that the Mansion of the Ben-ben stone was built for Nefertiti, the Ben-ben stone is typically depicted as a pyramid shaped stone, but in this temple it was shown as an obelisk. In the relief scenes Nefertiti is portrayed making offerings to the Aten as this role was generally undertaken by Akhenaten, these reliefs were the first to include Nefertiti in the triad of the Aten. A major change in the depiction of Akhenaten began to appear in these temples, he was no longer portrayed as the tradition pharaoh but instead his face become elongated, he showed very little upper body tone and had a pot belly. However large and remarkable Akhenaten’s Aten temples were, they would never be able to overcome the dominance of Amun at Karnak. This issue led to Akhenaten’s desire to form a new capital city entirely devoted to the Aten sun-disc. In year six of his reign Akhenaten selected a site halfway between Memphis and Thebes, where the cliffs on the east bank form an amphitheatre opposite from the river Nile, this naturally occurring amphitheatre was 13km in diameter and 5km wide. Akhenaten set up boundary stelae to mark the limits of his new city in every directions, he affirmed that the ground did not belong to any deity and it was the Aten himself who had revealed the land to Akhenaten. On the boundary stelae the king states the city is to be called Akhetaten meaning ‘the Horizon or seat of the Aten’, the message on the stelae mentions the temples Akhenaten intends to construct in the city – A House of the Aten, a Mansion of the Aten, a Sunshade of the Queen and a House of Rejoicing for the Aten in the Island. Evidence of most of these temples and buildings has not been found or confirmed. Akhetaten was divided into several main building regions; these included the Main city – with the royal palace and temples, the North Suburb, South city, Maru-aten (Southern Palace), a workers village and rock cut tombs. The Great Temple of the Aten was built as the centre of worship in Akhetaten. The building was an 800m by 300m open roofed rectangular court, similar to the Gempaaten in layout but much larger. The temple was not open to the public and only the royal family or high priest could enter into the Great Temple of the Aten. R. J. Unstead states the temple was designed in a processional way; entrance to the temple was from the west between two tall pylons, this entrance let into a small courtyard, ahead of this was the House of Rejoicing or Per-Hai. This was a hall filled with columns and adorned with reliefs of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. From Per-Hai you reach the next part of the temple Gem-Aten ‘finding of the Aten’, this courtyard contained rows of mud brick offering tables. Ahead of the Gem-Aten is the entrance to a long narrow court with a raised altar, beyond this alter is then entrance to another court, followed by a second and finally into three smaller sanctuary or garden courts. Each court of the temple, aside from the Gem-Aten had its own altar and colossal statues of Akhenaten as well as representations of the Aten on wall reliefs. There was no exit at the other end of The Great Temple so the procession of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and the Aten priests had to turn around and exit through the west entrance.

Should Combat Sports be Banned?

Should Combat Sports be Banned? 1. Should physical combat sports be banned? Ans: Introduction: Combat sports have been in existence in different forms for more than 2000 years. With high risks prevailing is such sports and the nature of aggression demonstrated on the sporting arena, ethical issues have come up whether in a modern civilized society there is a place of such activities. Measures have been adopted to minimise the risks to participants yet the demonstration of skills in such thrilling fashion has been under criticism. There are both bright and dark sides of these sports but whether to eliminate them or not is the major debate. Definition of Combat Sports: Combat sports may be defined as sports wherein two individual combatants fight each other using fighting techniques according to a set of prearranged rules. Competitors use different techniques in different forms of Combat Sports, but the objective of any contest is to subdue the opponent. The question arises here that is it ethical to allow such a sport where the main intension is to harm your opponent. The Dark Side of Combat Sports: The first thing that strikes into ones mind while saying about the dark sides of such sports is morality. 1. Morality: As said earlier, is it morally correct for one human being to attempt intentionally to harm the brain of the other as in boxing. It might be true that reckless tackles are made in sports like American football, Soccer, ice hockey etc and also body line bowling prevails in cricket which sometimes result in serious injuries but one does not win the game by doing so. Where as in physical combat sports one can win only by hurting the opponent and that too so seriously that the opponent cannot continue to take part in the game anymore. 2. Impact on society: The impact of such sports on the society can be viewed in two different ways. Combat sports practice: Evidence of unlicensed boxing events exist where violence has reached its extremities but it may be argued that a sport, which is explicitly a stimulation of actual combat and which has clearly defined boundaries is less of a threat to the social order than such evidences. Another issue evolved which argued if participation in a combat sport results in increase of violence and aggression in a human being. But different researches have shown increase in social and emotional awareness among the participants. Viewing Combat sports: The effect of excessive media exposure of combat sports does have a positive impulse of violence in some people but for the vast majority of the population exposure to aggression and violence as a passive spectator is considered to have negligible impact on peoples social behaviour. The Value of Combat Sports: Notwithstanding the violent nature of combat sports, â€Å"good† can be found in them just like any other sport. Any form of combat sport has the potential to improve physical health and well being. Higher physical competence and ability to defend ones own self can be considered as the positive side of combat sports. Combat sports can also acts as a medium of self-expression and human bonding. Contrary to popular belief, winning is not the sole objective of fighting contests. Value is given to what can be learnt from the opponent, be it in victory or defeat. Conclusion: Considering the fact that sport where the principal intent is to harm your opponent and with the high risk of fatalities and serious disabling injuries involved, the question arises both from the ethical and safety point of view as to whether or not combat sports be legally banned. In my opinion, before considering a legal ban and forcing the sport underground, each combat sport should be given the opportunity to review its rules for competition. For example, fighting within predetermined weight class, only one fight per night etc.

Views of Heaven in From the Fifteenth District :: Fifteenth District

Views of Heaven in From the Fifteenth District Mavis Gallant presents us with a disconcerting view of death in the short story "From the Fifteenth District," where dying is not a salvation from the pains of life but where the dead are forced to suffer eternally. In this story, the author sets out three distinct cases of 'haunting,' except that these hauntings are reported by the dead about the living. Major E. Travella, killed during World War I, is angry that he is being exploited by the church and the public. Mrs. Ibrahim is upset that her doctor and social worker are fighting over her death. Finally, Ms. Essling is frustrated that she is unable to get on with her 'life' after death because of her husband. All three of these individuals are harboring anger and hostility after death and are unable to move on and rest in peace. Major Emery Travella feels as if the church is trying to capitalize on his death. When the Major visits the church for Communion he realizes that the congregation is not there to pay tribute to God but instead, "the congregation sits, hushed and expectant straining to hear [his] footsteps" (282) which signal his haunting of the church. The Major is upset that the church is allowing the congregation to make a mockery of the church by devoting their time to him instead of the Communion which should be the reason they are there. The church is also trying to profit by the Major's haunting by allowing cameras and tape recorders into their place of prayer. Travella feels that the church is sacred and is supposed to be seen as a place of worship, not a place to record abnormal phenomena. Major E. Travella feels that he is not being respected by the congregation, instead, he is being insulted by people only caring about him because he is a ghost, not because of who he was as a living per son. Mrs. Ibrahim is bothered that her doctor and social worker cannot settle their differences in opinion in their accounts of her death. She does not see the point of fighting over her because she is no longer living and has died of natural causes. They are both lying to save themselves from punishment, and even though no one was at fault, they were both trying to place the blame on the other.

Management Audit Essay -- essays research papers

Marketing Analysis of GITS-FOOD PRODUCTS PVT. LTD. GSN 408 Marketing Management 1 The Team Ali Tejani   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 03119386 Christopher Pangestu   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 04255682 Thanapong Sirirat Usdorn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 03122204 Lecturer: Associate Professor Susan Dann Submission Date: Wednesday 19th Dec 2001 Word Count: 3054 Queensland University of Technology - MBA Table of Content 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company Overview  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environment Scan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 2.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Micro Environment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macro Environment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environmental Scanner  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Segmentation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Positioning Strategy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 4.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preparing the Positioning Strategy 4.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &... ...earn from their experiences in the market place, and this knowledge influences consumption decision. (McColl-Kennedy, Janet R. and Kiel, Geoffrey C. 2000: 102) „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life Style- Gits-Food focuses on how people spend their interests and activities, and by their opinions. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Situational Factors The situational factors influence the customer ¡Ã‚ ¦s decision- making in different ways such as occasion to buy, the time or the weather to buy, a sales posters and crowding in a store, and the amount or lack of money in the customers ¡Ã‚ ¦ hand. 7.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mc Coll-Kennedy, Janet R. and Kiel, Geoffrey C. (2000), Marketing: A Strategic Approach, Nelson: Melbourne „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neal, C. Quester, P. and Hawkins, D. (2000), Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy, McGraw-Hill: Sydney „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proctor, T. (2000), Essentials of Marketing Research, Prentice Hall: London „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.gitsfood.com/2001 „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interview and questionnaires by email and phone to Pune, India. Management Audit Essay -- essays research papers Marketing Analysis of GITS-FOOD PRODUCTS PVT. LTD. GSN 408 Marketing Management 1 The Team Ali Tejani   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 03119386 Christopher Pangestu   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 04255682 Thanapong Sirirat Usdorn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   # 03122204 Lecturer: Associate Professor Susan Dann Submission Date: Wednesday 19th Dec 2001 Word Count: 3054 Queensland University of Technology - MBA Table of Content 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Company Overview  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environment Scan  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 2.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Micro Environment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macro Environment  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environmental Scanner  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Segmentation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Market Positioning Strategy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 4.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preparing the Positioning Strategy 4.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &... ...earn from their experiences in the market place, and this knowledge influences consumption decision. (McColl-Kennedy, Janet R. and Kiel, Geoffrey C. 2000: 102) „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life Style- Gits-Food focuses on how people spend their interests and activities, and by their opinions. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Situational Factors The situational factors influence the customer ¡Ã‚ ¦s decision- making in different ways such as occasion to buy, the time or the weather to buy, a sales posters and crowding in a store, and the amount or lack of money in the customers ¡Ã‚ ¦ hand. 7.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mc Coll-Kennedy, Janet R. and Kiel, Geoffrey C. (2000), Marketing: A Strategic Approach, Nelson: Melbourne „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neal, C. Quester, P. and Hawkins, D. (2000), Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy, McGraw-Hill: Sydney „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proctor, T. (2000), Essentials of Marketing Research, Prentice Hall: London „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.gitsfood.com/2001 „X  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interview and questionnaires by email and phone to Pune, India.

Benefits of Breastfeeding Essay -- Parenting Raising Children

Benefits of Breastfeeding Mother’s milk is the best food possible for the newborn baby. Breast milk works as an all in one nutritional supplement.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Breast milk works as a thirst quencher, medication, food supplement and for the mother it works as a weight loss program with no equal. Although, there are formulas that can be used for replacing breast milk, they do not have the same supplements as the natural milk from the mother. The American Academy of Pediatrics â€Å"†¦recommends that babies be breast-fed for six to 12 months. The only acceptable alternative to breast milk is infant formula.† (Williams, 1995). Breast milk is a perfect combination of nutrients and antibodies for an infant’s fast growing system. Breast milk is made up of fatty acids, water, lactose, and antibodies. The antibodies in breast milk help the baby fight off many illnesses within their environments as well as help them build their own immune systems. Without these antibodies babies tend to get sicker more often, and it can take the babies longer to recover from these illnesses. Since the food is coming directly from the breast rather then a bottle, there is less likely a chance of bacterial infection that can come from a bottle not having been properly sterilized. One of the great benefits of breastfeeding for mothers is the ability to loose the extra weight gained quicker. The mothers body uses alot of the stored food in the body and converts it to milk for the infant. Breastfeeding also hel...

End of Life Issues

After being diagnosed with debilitating diseases, such as one of the multiple forms of cancer or being in a Persistent Vegetative State, (PVS), many consider euthanasia to end the suffering of that individual. Euthanasia is defined as â€Å"the act of painlessly ending the lives of individuals who are suffering from an incurable disease or severe disability† (Santrock, 2012). The whole idea of euthanasia is to end the pain and suffering of a person instead of letting them go through the rest of their life awaiting a slow, painful, and oftentimes, undignified death.The act of euthanasia is separated into two main categories; passive and active, or â€Å"letting die† and â€Å"killing†, respectively, according to Ansari, A. , Sambo, A. O. , & Abdulkadir, A. B. (2012). Passive euthanasia is when a person is allowed to die by withholding available treatment, such as an individual not performing CPR on a person who suffers from cardiac arrest or taking a person off th eir artificial life support system, like a feeding tube or breathing machine.Euthanasia can be considered active when a person actively or deliberately gives another person a lethal injection to end their life. Another way to differentiate between the two types of euthanasia would be to say that active euthanasia occurs when an something happens to cause death to a patient and passive euthanasia happens when an inaction causes the patient to die. Physician-assisted suicide is considered a type of active euthanasia, which takes place when a doctor gives a patient a prescription or other drugs to let them to commit suicide.To further classify the term, euthanasia, it can also be categorized as voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary is when a mentally competent person makes the decision to die on their own without being coerced and made fully aware of the pertinent facts of their health. Involuntary euthanasia, (or non-voluntary) is done without the consent of the patient, such as when th e patient is in a coma, and the wishes of that patient are unknown.To combat any moral or ethical issues about a persons' decision to partake in euthanasia, or not partake for that matter, that individual should discuss their advanced care planning, or planned preferences for end-of-life care (Santrock, 2012). By evaluating how a person wants to live out the rest of their life, they can establish an advanced directive, or living will, which would indicate whether or not they wanted life-sustaining procedures used to prolong their life if death were imminent.Any living will should only be signed by an individual that is in a coherent state of mind and able to think clearly (Santrock, 2012). The ethical issue raised by active euthanasia is that it could be considered used as a way to rid society of elderly or terminally ill patients whether they want to die or not. Patients may begin to fear that if they go to the hospital for even routine exams, they might not leave because a person on the medical staff might deem them unable to recuperate from whatever reason brought them to the hospital in the first place.Proponents however, say that people are autonomous, that they have the right to make their own decisions about important issues in their lives such as death. An ethical issue raised by passive euthanasia is that it causes a person die slowly and painfully, instead of giving them the opportunity to pass away comfortably and on their own terms. The laws in Arizona state that any contributor participating in euthanasia would be guilty of one of the subheadings of homicide, being manslaughter, a class 2 felony, or first or second degree murder, both being class 1 felonies.The state of Arizona believes that life is very important and nobody should be able to take that right away from any individual, barring any medical emergency procedure. I believe that euthanasia has its place in society. While I do not condone murder, I believe if a person is dying from an inc urable disease or is in a persistent vegetative state where there is no chance of recovery, allowing that person to die painlessly and with dignity is more moral than not doing so.Although human life is a precious gift from God, I feel that it would be the duty of the patients' family and doctors to take all the information about the health of the patient and make the best decision for their loved one, even if the end result means the death of that person. Euthanasia has many angles to evaluate before a person commits to such an ultimate and final act, whether for a loved one or their own ending. A person

Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay

Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the travel industry in the last decade. eTourism reflects the digitalisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. It emerges as a term describing the entire range of applications of ICTs on tourism and the implications for the tourism value chain. Major opportunities and challenges have emerged and need to be addressed by all industry players. However, the level of eTourism developments varies between regions, countries and continents. The tourism sector is experiencing an acceptance of ecommerce to the extend that the whole industry structure is changing .The web is used not only for information gathering but also for ordering services .A new type of user is emerging one who acts as his or her own travel agent and build a personalised travel package .This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Meikles Hotel Zimbabwe in order to study the adoption of ecommerce applications on the hospitality sector. 1. Introduction Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism as â€Å"the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs.† The tourism industry requires a diverse range of information and lends itself well to the support offered by developing multimedia, communication technologies and information systems .The internet provides an extra ordinary connectivity and the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively directly with customers at a reasonable cost .Its potential to generate more revenue is not questionable but is acknowledged as something the tourism industry in developing countries needs. According to the World Tourism Organization 2002, Tourism in many developing and least developed countries is the most viable and sustainable economic development option, and in some countries, the main so urce of foreign exchange earnings. Implications of the Internet and other growing interactive multimedia platforms for tourism promotion are far reaching and alter the structure of the industry. This research aimed to explore the impact of ICTs and the  Internet in particular for the future competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper explores the current state of eTourism development and examines the use of the Internet in the sector. The rapid development and commercialization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the travel and tourism industry has prompted hotels and other enterprises in this sector to increasingly adopt these technologies. This is based on the expectation that the new ICT based technologies and processes would lead to an improvement in their operating efficiencies and customer service levels. Buhalis, D. (2003: 77). The ICT based products and processes help the hotels to enhance the operating efficiency, improve the service experience as well as provide a means to access markets on a global basis. Brussels, 2005. Says ‘The use of ICTs is a relevant opportunity for growing and strengthening a local tourism industry, and for the development of destinations economies overall. Specifically ICTs have the potential to increase destination incomes for financing economic and social development’. While ICTs were used in the hotel industry from the late seventies in the f orm of Computerized Reservation systems and Global distribution systems, it was only in the 90s that the ICTs began to make a difference in the hospitality sector. Nowadays the internet has turned into an informative channel providing both individuals and organisations with different types of information making them aware of new tourism and old travel opportunities and offers enabling them to compare the offers, have online purchases and provide feedback. It has also turned into a source for travel agencies and organisations to promote their services and products to their potential customers. As the internet is being used worldwide it was important for Meikles hotel to implement hence the creation of its web site www.meikles.com Meikles Hotel Meikles Hotel is situated in the heart of Harare and overlooks the historic landmark and colourful flower gardens of Africa Unity Square. According to Experience Zimbabwe, Meikles is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel is a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a prestigious hospitality organisation which represents some of the world’s most acclaimed hotels, spas and resorts. Established in 1928, the organisation exists to meet the needs of discerning travellers and for a  hotel to be recognised by this body, it needs to exceed every expectation and achieve exacting standards of excellence. Executive chairman Mr Onias Makamba says ‘Meikles Hotel has won the prestigious Association of Zimbabwean Travel Agents (AZTA) award for Best City Hotel in Zimbabwe for an astonishing 15 consecutive years’. This award is voted on by AZTA members and is based on feedback given to travel agents by their many clients across the worl d. Problem Definition There have been a lot of changes in the rapid growing world of technology. Changes in the technological world have made organizations to change the way they conduct their day to day business in order to provide satisfactory services delivery. Effective delivery of service is defined by Martin (2004) as providing products and services that bring utility to users and customers. E-tourism is offering significant benefits for organizations that integrate the technology into their organizational information systems. This versatile technology improves information quality and accessibility, increases operational efficiency (service delivery) and enhances effective management (Maamar, 2006). Despite these highly perceived benefits of e-tourism its adoption has been relatively slow in Zimbabwe. Currently, there are no studies which have been carried out in Zimbabwe to identify the benefits and challenges of adopting ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence it is the ideal time to ca rry out an investigation on the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Objectives The key objective of this research has been to examine the Adoption of ICT in the tourism industry mainly looking at Meikles Hotel in Zimbabwe .In particular the research examines the level of ICT diffusion in tourism enterprises. Another objective is to Identify the factors affecting E-tourism in Zimbabwe The paper also assesses how eTourism concepts and techniques can contribute towards the improvement of the Zimbabwe tourism competitiveness. RESEARCH QUESTIONS I. At what rate is ICT being adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe? II. What factors are encouraging or discouraging the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry of Zimbabwe. 2. Literature  review Literature review is a â€Å"systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by other scholars† (Khan, 2008, p.41). The literature review focuses on the impacts of ICTs on tourism and the eCommerce developments in Zimbabwe. It also includes a brief section on Tourism in Zimbabwe which provides the contextual environment that determines the requirements for eTourism in the country. 2.1 ICT Developments and eCommerce in Zimbabwe There are various factors that have affected the adoption of ecommerce in Zimbabwe, these include : Software development tools are still evolving .It is difficult to integrate Internet and e-commerce software with some existing (especially legacy) applications and databases .Special web servers are needed in addition to the network servers, which add to the cost of ecommerce. The Standard June 5, 2011 says the adoption of the multiple currency system in 2009 presented a strong opportunity for the growth of e-commerce in Zimbabwe. It said Zimbabwe now had a chance to catch up with the rest of the world if the financial and retail sectors took the lead. Internet accessibility is still expensive and or inconvenient .Powertel Communications, a government owned internet provider, is one of the 12 POTRAZ licensed Internet Access Providers in Zimbabwe. In June 2014 Powertel mobile broadband price were $50/month .The price of the modem $45.Every Zimbabwean cannot afford these prices. The Fin ancial Gazette 3 Oct 2013 states Despite the growth of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, which has seen internet penetration rising from five to 47 percent in the past five years, the cost of accessing the internet still remains high. The improved internet penetration is largely credited to the ICT Strategic Plan crafted by the then ministry of ICT under Nelson Chamisa. Customers’ attitudes towards online shopping remain skeptical, mainly because of worries about product quality, product delivery, and security and privacy issues (Ghazali et al., 2006; Scott & Scott, 2008). People do not yet  sufficiently trust paperless, faceless transactions .Payment security and privacy concerns are one of the major non technological barriers that prevent consumers from completing transactions online Lack of trust in e-commerce and in unknown sellers hinders buying. Online fraud is also increasing. Some customers like to feel and touch products. They are afraid that if they purchase without actually touching the products they might not get exactly what they ordered. Also, customers are resistant to the change from shopping at a brick-and-mortar store to a virtual store. The lack of stand ­ards in technology and its applications eventually increases the cost of system integration for effective and efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Large hospitality corporations have invested to transform their systems into a total netware system; however, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate the systems due to a shortage of financial sources Factors Determining the Adoption of ICTs In Zimbabwean Hotels There are a number of factors that affect the adoption of ICT in hotels these will be discussed below. In the hotel industry, the geographic location of a hotel has a major impact on its operations and profitability. The geographical location of a hotel would greatly determine the profile of its visitors, the size of its market and the level of competition that it has to face. A hotel will therefore be more inclined to adopt ICTs if it expects the ICT based facilities to either provide greater competitive advantage or to blunt the advantage enjoyed by its competitors considering the characteristics of its customer profile, its market size and the intensity of competition that it has to face. Thus based on the profile of a hotel’s visitors, the size of the market, or the intensity of competition, hotels may differ in their levels of ICT adoption propensity. The market size, in terms of the number of tourists who visit the location, will also be a significant factor that affects ICT adoption , since hotels  in smaller underdeveloped destinations may need to use the internet and other ICT based technologies to a greater degree to reach out to the global population than hotels located in developed destinations. According to Bajaj and Nag (2005) a range of advanced ICT systems such as Decision Support System (DSS) can be applied to gain substantial benefits on practical levels not only by large organisations, but also by small and medium-sized business organisations as well. Bajaj and Nag (2005) argue that DSS integration by small and medium-sized organisations can assist management by generating a set of alternative solution options to management problems of various levels complexities The competition level among the hotels in a location, can also influence the adoption of ICTs. The general occupancy rate in the location is an indicator of the competitive intensity among the hotels in a location. High levels of occupancy rate at a location imply that the competition is low, and the hotels can expect to get their rooms filled with relative ease while low levels of occupancy point towards higher levels of competition to attract customers between the hotels in the location. High levels of competition may prompt the hotels to aggressively use ICT based technologies both for attracting customers as well as to increase the efficiency of its operations. The size of the hotel has an important effect on ICT adoption. Effective adoption of several ICT technologies requires a substantial investment of resources. Lack of resources may affect the inclination of small hotels to adopt costly ICTs and therefore large hotels can be expected to be more inclined to ICTs. Further the risky nature of investing in new technologies may prompt small hotels to wait till the technology has stabilized before investing in it. Another aspect of the hotel size that can influence adoption of ICTs is the inclination to change within the organization. Large hotels have been found to be more resistant to change than small firms. This fact tends to suggest that large hotels are less inclined to adopt ICTs than small hotels as long as the investment required is not a consideration. The scope of activities that the hotel is engaged in can also influence adoption of ICTs. Since ICTs enable an effective integration of activities of an organization, hotels with varied lines of activities would find more use in the adoption of ICTs than hotels with a relatively lesser span of activities. 2.2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Tourism sector The internet has become a key application in the tourism industry. Tourism providers have been using the internet to communicate, distribute and market their products to potential customers worldwide in a cost- and time-efficient way. In fact, the individual company website had become the most important platform for e-commerce, followed by electronic markets. The main focus of e-business processes in the tourism industry has been on customer facing activities and services, i.e. primarily e-marketing and e-sales. Online booking and reservation services were widely accepted among consumers and business travell ers already in 2005. Similarly, online purchasing had become a relatively well-used application in the tourism sector. Parsons and Oja (2013) mention online reservations systems as one of the greatest impacts of ICT on tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strate ­gic practices dramatically in tourism .The tourism indus ­try at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world. In this section, we will provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. 2.2.1 Electronic tourism (e-tourism) It is the application of ICTs on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). Buhalis (2003) suggests that e-tourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-com ­merce and applies ICTs for maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourism  organi ­sation. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionises all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organisations with all their stakeholders. E-tourism determines the competitiveness of the organisation by taking advantage of intranets for reorganising internal processes, extranets for developing transactions with trusted partners and the Internet for interacting with all its stakeholders and customers. The e-tourism concept includes all business functions (i.e., e-commerce, e-marketing, e-finance and e-accounting, eHRM, e-procurement, e-production) as well as e-strategy, e-planning and e-management for all sectors of the tourism industry, including tourism, travel, transport, leisure, hospitality, principals, intermediaries and public sector organisations. Hence, e-tourism bundles together three distinctive disciplines: business management, information systems and management, and tourism. II.2.2 Computer reservation system (CRS) The 1989 CRS Regulation51 defined a ‘computerized reservation system’ as a system for reserving and booking seats on commercial flights electronically, as well as storage and retrieval of itineraries. Several airlines own and market such systems, which are used by travel agents. A few include: Sabre (produced by American Airlines), Amadeus, and Worldspan. It is a database which enables a tourism organisation to manage its inventory and make it accessible to its partners. Principals utilise CRSs to manage their inventory and distribute their capacity as well as to manage the drastic expansion of global tourism. CRSs often charge competitive commission rates while enabling flexible pricing and capacity alterations, to adjust supply to demand fluctuations. Airlines pioneered this technology, although hotel chains and tour operators followed by developing centralised reservation systems. CRSs can be characterised as the â€Å"circulation system† of the tourism product . II.2.3 Global distribution systems (GDSs) The business dictionary defines a global distribution system as a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related  items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The premier global distribution systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups. Also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).Since the mid 1980s, airline CRSs developed into GDSs by gradually expanding their geographical coverage as well as by integrating both horizontally, with other airline systems, and vertically by incorporating the entire range of principals, such as accommodation, car rentals, train and ferry ticketing, entertainment and other provisions. In the early 1990s, GDSs emerged as the major driver of ICTs, as well as the back bone of the tourism industry and the single most important facilitator of ICTs globalisation (Sheldon, 1993). In essence, GDSs matured from their original development as airline CRSs to travel supermar ­kets. Since the late 1990s GDSs have emerged as business in their own right, specialising in travel distribution. 2.2.4 Intermediaries Intermediaries (brokers) play an important role in commerce by providing value-added activities and services to buyers and sellers. The most well-known intermediaries in the physical world are wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, intermediaries of the travel industry have been outbound and inbound travel agencies and tour operators. However, the Internet restructured the entire touristic value chain, forcing the existing intermediaries to take up the new medium and to develop corresponding business models. 2.2.5 e-Travel agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Andreas Papatheodorou – (2006) Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. GDSs help construct complicated itineraries, while  they provide up-to-date schedules, prices and availability information, as well as an effective reservation method. In addition, they offered internal management modules integrating the â€Å"back office† (accounting, commission monitor, personnel) and â€Å"front office† (customers’ history, itinerary construction, ticketing and communication with suppliers). Multiple tr avel agencies in particular experience more benefits by achieving better coordination and control between their remote branches and headquarters. Transactions can provide invaluable data for financial and operational control as well as for marketing research, which can analyze the market fluc ­tuations and improve tactical decisions Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ‘Property management systems (PMSs)’ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the â€Å"back† and â€Å"front† of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing func ­tions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management re ­quests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged.This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates res ­ervations through several distribution channels 2.3 Tourism in Zimbabwe In the past, tourism contributed significantly to the GDP of Zimbabwe, and created many employment and business opportunities for locals in the 1990s. But it has faced a great decline since 2000. A number of Zimbabwean tourist attractions are marketed online by South African companies and they have created an impression to some international tourists that they are located in South Africa. E-tourism has always seemed like a no-brainer for Zimbabwe, as money can be paid direct to hotels and suppliers. But obstacles like the lack of access to communication in remote areas, uncertain electricity availability, high cost of bandwidth, the lack of integrated, real-time reservation systems and local online payment gateways have thus far stymied progress. However, with the arrival of voice and data-oriented telecommunications in some remote tourist areas, there is more access to information via websites by foreign tourists looking for a good holiday resort. In other parts of Africa, arrival o f cheaper bandwidth has lessened the barriers to communication and the world’s Online Travel Agencies like Expedia are showing a real interest in the continent. Ten years ago no-one was talking about online tourism. The tourism trade tended to focus on going to big trade events like World Tourism Markets, with brochures and doing support advertising in key markets. The travel agents tended to suggest where people went and to some extent picked the destinations. As a result, a great deal of the revenues went to large, international hotel chains and not much of the money was retained locally. According to The Zimbabwean (22 June 2011) 56% of travel globally is booked online and the rise of the Online Travel Agents has been unstoppable. These OTAs, as they are known in the trade, include Expedia, Travelocity, Lastminute.com and Bookings.com – who have significant market share in Africa. Expedia has actually opened an office to focus on Africa. It goes on to say In 2005, less than 2% of tourism revenues in Africa came from online booking. In 2010, buoyed by the World Cup, that percentage rose to 5% and looks set to go to somewhere between 15-20% by 2016. The World Cup may have been a one-off boost but it accelerated the growth of online tourism in South Africa. 50% of Americans read an online review before booking internationally and that’s usually  either Trip Advisor or Facebook. (Trip Advisor is now owned by Expedia). Most in ternational travellers have credit cards and increasingly expect to be able to book online for anything from the smallest travel lodge to the largest hotel chain. So what are the barriers? The missing piece was e-commerce. There used to be no route for doing online transactions in other countries in Africa including Zimbabwe. Online distribution by the OTAs requires a reservation system that offers real-time availability. OTAs won’t do business with you unless you have that. In Zimbabwe there are few tourist resorts offering e-commerce reservation and booking services. Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls offer online booking and payment services, which have attracted a large number of tourists over the years. The second missing piece was the ability and tools to do online marketing. The companies needed marketing skills, especially with social media. Today’s tourist wants to hear from other travellers (through Facebook and Trip Advisor) and are not that interested in what the hotel has to say. For example, hotel chains Africa Sun and Cresta Hotels have invested in websites and Facebook groups where reviews are easily accessible to prospective tourists. Now that the data oriented communication and cheaper bandwidth is slowly becoming available throughout the country, telcos and ISPs need to focus specifically on those industry sectors that are most likely to make the online transition fastest. It must be possible in the near future for a herita ge site in Binga to be marketed online to the world and attract visitors. 3. Research Methodology To fulfil the objectives of this research a number of methods were used. Both primary and secondary data were therefore essential. Given the dynamic nature of the subject area, multiple primary research approaches were adopted, including both qualitative and quantitative methods (Phillip, 1998). Bryman (1998) explains that the two methods are complementary rather than competing, especially for exploratory research. The researcher made use of the internet and some library books to carry out the research and establish the solutions to the research objectives .First a qualitative approach was adopted in order to enable the appreciation of all aspects of the subject and to develop a set of the most critical variables  to be included afterwards into a questionnaire. The main objective was to objectively establish the level of eCommerce and the on-line representation of Zimbabwean tourism. The second stage involved semi-structured interviews aimed to elicit critical issues and to explore the key factors that determine the development of eTourism in Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews are considered as the most appropriate method to obtain information about perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. Judgmental sampling was employed and interviewees were selected as pioneers in eTourism in Zimbabwe, as determined by their online presence assessed in the previous phase of the research. Owners and marketing managers of organisations that run innovative web sites, as demonstrated by the methods used to interact with their clientele, were targeted and an interview was requested. The sample was chosen to include interviewees who would be informed, reflecting their particular experience and outlook on the research area. Twenty five telephone contacts were made and 28 interviews were finally conducted, which resulted in a 51% response rate .The reasearcher also made use of the questionnaires. The questionnaires designed by the researcher had both open ended questions thus allowing a respondent to fully express the answer and closed questions which only provided simple choice of answer such as yes or no. Questionnaires were used by the researcher because they saved time and they were an inexpensive way of surveying a cross section of people. Questionnaires allowed the researcher to guide the respondent along the lines regarding the topic under study and responses obtained from closed ended questions are easy to analyze. Questionnaires allowed the respondents to give freely the confidential information since the respondents were not required to disclose their identity. The researcher favoured the use of questionnaires because the analysis of data from close-ended question was easy. However data collection through the use of questionnaires required a significant commitment, expertise, time and material resources. The researcher also noted that questionnaires were highly inflexible as they gave no room to rephrase questions, furthermore, some questions remained unanswered and it affected the research findings. The researcher used simple wording in the questionnaires so that the respondents would not fail to understand the questions, that is, the researcher used simple wording to elaborate the meanings of what was being asked and required. The researcher also used face to face interviews. The researcher employed structured interviews to obtain detailed and specific information from the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Mr Mzembi. The questions presented to the Minister sought to determine the factors affecting adoption of ICTs in Zimbabwean hotel and also how far Zimbabwean hotels are in terms of adoption of ICTs. The interview also sought to discover challenges to implementing ICTs and compliance at different hotels. The interview process proved time consuming and required persistence since the honourable Minister was a busy person and he was not easily available. The actual interview session had a length of 15 minutes due to the Minister’s busy schedule. To avoid inconveniences, an appointment via e-mail and telephone call prior to interviewing visit was made. Goodman (2003) states that certain biases exist due to the tendency by the interviewer to ask wrong questions and be supplied with answers he expects to get. The researcher eliminated such errors by avoiding leading questions and taking a listener approach instead of providing suggestions. Probing was only applied as a means of seeking clarifications. This technique was used because interviews are highly flexible and the researcher was able to rephrase the questions to make the respondent understand better. Dennis (2003), states that an interview is whereby the researcher and the respondents discuss verbally with each other either face to face, over the phone or over the internet. Interviews allow probing on open ended questions, clarifications on ambiguous questions and sequencing of questions is easily changed. However, the researcher noted that interviews were costly to run in terms of money and they are time consuming because the interviewee was a busy person hence the need of an appointment and the need of a telephone call reminding the interviewee about the appointment before the  time. The researcher also noted that the interview failed to give anonymity to the respondent, hence, there was a greater chance of being given biased information. RESULTS Eight hotels participated in the survey Meikles hotel, Holiday inn (Bulawayo), Victoria falls, Regency Fairmile, Kadoma hotel, Midlands hotel. At the outset the author quotes from a number of previous reports, which indicate that ICT has not been implemented effectively in the hospitality industry Evidence from the literature review has shown that there are a number of factors, which affect technology adoption. These factors include organisational readiness, external pressure, internal expertise, support of owner or manager, user participation, efficient and effective use of any external expertise. The barriers which were uncovered by the research: IT management training, dependency on outside experts and size and scale of enterprise are all directly related to the ‘other’ factors which influence ICT adoption. The level of significance of these barriers varies between the tourism sub-sectors surveyed. This study has added new knowledge in terms of the significance of a n umber of further barriers to ICT adoption. They include peripheral or rural location, security concerns, cost issues, lack of capital, and personal background of the owner manager. A closer analysis of findings has revealed that although technology is available, some of it is obsolete or not necessarily functional. Hotels possessed various outdated versions of software packages which did not seem to serve them well. . The mode of Internet bookings is an important determinant of their success. A lot of Internet booking systems generates a booking in email format rather than integrating into the hotel’s reservation system online. This obviously limits the usefulness of these systems. DISCUSSION The adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast; this was noted by the stakeholder preparedness to harness it. Meikles hotel being a  five star hotel recognised internationally, this pushes them to move along with technological changes. Meikles hotel is interested in improving in their service provision through the use of e-commerce, and the results of this study show that this is being done at a fast pace. The top management at Meikles hotel are quite literate hence the adoption of ICT is faster compared to other hotels .The C.E.O is a holder of an honours degree in Computer science .Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. Meikles hotel has a website developed and maintained by an inhouse programmer .Their website is user friendly and they have all the information that one needs about the hotel. Meikles hotel started offering wireless network services to guest in 2006.They use Fidelio management system which integrates all the information from the reservations, banqueting, finance departments and the restaurants. They use point of sale systems. CONCLUSION It can be noted that the adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast and it has been done to a very large extent. Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. References Buhalis, D (1998), â€Å"Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industry†, Tourism Management, Vol.19, pp.409-421. Connolly D. J and Olsen M. D(2000) â€Å"An Environmental Assessment of How Technology is reshaping the Hospitality Sector†, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol.3 (1), pp.73 to93. Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S (1998) Tourism Principles and Practice, Pearson, Essex. Hoontrakul and Sahadev (2005*) â€Å"Determinants of E-commerce Usage in the Hotel Buhalis, D. (1997) Information technologies as a strategic tool for economic, cultural and environmental benefits enhancement of tourism at destination regions. Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3 (1), 71-93. Buhalis, D. (2003). eTourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. London, UK: Pearson (Financial Times/Prentice Hall). Morrison, A., Taylor, S., Morrison, A., and Morrison, A. (1999) Marketing small hotels on the world web 2 (2), 97–113. O’Connor, P. (2000) Using Computers in Hospitality, 2nd edition. London: Cassell. Peacock, M. (1995) Information Technology in Hospitality. London: Cassell. O’Connor, P. and Frew, A. (2000) Evaluating electronic channels of distribution in the hotel sector: a Delphi study. Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (3/4), 177–193. O’Connor, P. and Horan, P. (1999) An analysis of web reservations facilities in the top 50 international hotel chains. International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology, 1 (1), 77–87.