Content Analysis (cartoon) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Content Analysis (cartoon) - Essay Example To summarize, 1 scene of verbal aggression by non-adult character will be viewed by audience every 10 minutes. The results also show that there is no significant difference in the number of aggressive scenes depicted by non-adult versus adult characters, except in verbal aggression. These three cartoons’ stories frequently revolve around family issues, with one or more non-adult characters, like Bart in The Simpson, Stewie in Family Guy, and Stan in South Park. Despite producers’ assertion that these shows are for adults, they attract children during prime time viewing hours, due to young age of characters, family-based story lines and animation. As my sample size s relatively small, I cannot conclude that other prime-time cartoons contain similar levels of aggressive scenes, as in the sample. However, for further research, I will view as many samples as possible and extend my research to include Prime Time Drama, to determine whether a specific genre contains more scenes of aggression than

Hurricane Charley Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Charley Essay Trees down every where, houses crushed, roofs gone, thousands of people without power, cars damaged, people dieing. Hurricane Charley was perhaps one of most devastating events that I have ever experienced, in my entire life. The next morning after hurricane Charley hit, we drove outside and saw the devastating remains that Charley left. The roads were full of chaos, with no traffic lights, and the gas lines were insanely long. I was very fortunate to only loose my power and cable, in comparison to some people loosing a loved one. This hurricane caused approximately $20 billion in damages, which is nothing compared the 19 lives it took. I learned to never underestimate the effects of a hurricane, always be prepared for a hurricane, and to always think and help the less fortunate. Hurricane Charley wasnt perceived as a very powerful hurricane to a lot of people as it progressed more towards Central Florida. I feel that a lot of people were not very prepared for Charley, just as I wasnt. When I heard about this hurricane coming I thought, Oh, another hurricane coming, there is going to be a lot of rain. I didnt think it was going to be a big deal at all. After the hurricane hit, I realized that I was completely wrong. One should always be prepared for a hurricane. I think that this statement is most definitely true, and should be carried out by everyone. Every household should have plenty of water, money, gas, batteries, flashlights, and many other things stashed away in their houses. There were major gas outages at the gas stations, because people were filling up their generators and cars. One of the major problems was that almost everyone was out of power, so you could cook or keep things cold without a generator. This lead to everyone needed ice to keep their very expensive groceries cold. When I looked back at what resulted from Charley, I actually feel fortunate. Yes, Charley did cause my dad lost business, left a lot of yard for me, left power and cable outages, and hundreds of dollars of meat to go bad. When I thought about this I felt kind of unfortunate but, when I thought about the people that starve day after day on normal bases in places like Africa, I feel fortunate. A lot of people in other countries dont ever have power, cable, or even houses for that matter. I think that after events like this,  we should all pull together and help one another. Volunteer to help your neighbors and people that had it worse then you, have free barbeques with your meat that is going to go bad anyway, and most of all give everyone moral support. I think that Charley was a very important learning experience for a lot of us and should be thought about in different views. If you think about it, were you that effected by hurricane Charley? Did you take your power for granted? Were you well prepared for this hurricane? Did you underestimate Charley? All of these are important things to think about as you look back on Charley.

Prohibtition of Alcohol in Gujarat

Prohibtition of Alcohol in Gujarat LESLIE DO REGO FYBA B. SECTION 1: Gujarat has a sumptuary law in force that proscribes the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition has been in place ever since statehood in 1960, originally in the purview of the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, but now under the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 2011, following several amendments. The latest version, which followed 150 deaths caused by hooch in Ahmedabad in 2009, includes the death penalty for those found guilty of making and selling spurious liquor. The law allows for temporary and long-term drinking permits to foreigners, NRIs and tourists, with outlets and purchase limits specified. A resident can get a permit only on health grounds. At special economic zones, the government allows consumption against three-year permits.(service, 2014) SECTION 2: Inter-disciplinary approach: There are many ways in which we can analyse this issue, through different disciplines which give us greater perspective and gives us a better idea of the issue viewed from different angles. First, let me shed some light on the Political aspects of this law: Appeasement of the masses: When looking at a law or a bill, one has to ask the simple question: Why was this proposed? In this case, it’s very simple. The people in power want to appease the people of Gujarat. An alcohol-free state encourages a family state. When I say that I mean parents would be happy to raise their children in a state where it would be impossible for them to fall prey to underage drinking and all the harms that come with it. It becomes an environment which is conducive for children growing up healthy and it keeps the vice of alcohol away. Also, this law has been in existence for over 60 years. In that time, the culture of Gujarat has changed and it has been cemented in the values of the people and families. For now, people are so used to the idea of an alcohol-free state that they may not be willing to make way for a more progressive state of things, in which the laws are relaxed. The conservative population will do anything to maintain this Law. This is wh ere the politics comes into play. Politicians, being pro-Prohibition or anti-prohibition internally, will project themselves as Pro-prohibition in order to appease the masses and gain their support. Vote Buying: This concept is different from Appeasement. Instead of the people following politicians, it’s the other way around in Vote Buying. Politicians provide incentive for people to support them. The reason I’ve brought this concept up in my paper is because of study on the reality of things in Gujarat. There has been evidence of politicians or members from political parties offering alcohol to the people. People have been visited at their homes for these kind of exchanges. It is estimated that liquor demand increases manifold during the election season as many parties resort to supplying liquor to people anticipating favourable voting. This sort of under the table activity is an act of vote buying and it unfortunately occurs which is why I’ve put it into this paper. Booze for ballot: While no police official was willing to be quoted on record about the flow of liquor to specific pockets in the state ahead of elections, sources said that liquor for vote was a reality in several places. During polls, the quantum of seizures made by the Election Commission remains higher than that of the police (Times of India, 2014). However, due to the impending fear of seizures and consequent losses, the transportation of liquor from other states to Gujarat falls during elections. The bootleggers often increase their stock of goods before the poll date and release them gradually at a larger profit. Bribery and monetary gain: Theweekly payoffs flow continuously in government as well as police departments from the bottom to the top. Regular raids on liquor dens and bootleggers, and arrest and imprisonment of offenders, are mere drama which provide the police with some good publicity. For, the truth is that the liquor mafias ensure that families of arrested or jailed bootleggers are not short of money while the hafta collection continues. This has been a regular feature of prohibition in Gujarat from the beginning. It is estimated that the money involved in illicit liquor business is almost equal to the loss in excise and customs duty of the state exchequer. (dna, 2014) So it is glaringly clear that the higher-ups or the people in power benefit from the support of a large percentage of the people for keeping the law in place but also benefit from the under-the-table deals that are rampant in the State with respect to alcohol laws. Social Aspects: Demonstration Effect: Demonstration effects are effects on thebehaviorof individuals caused by observation of the actions of others and their consequences. The term is particularly used inpolitical scienceandsociologyto describe the fact that developments in one place will often act as a catalyst in another place (Wikipedia, 2014). If we look at the law optimistically, we see the behaviour of people as shown by the demonstration effect. Taking the law on prohibition, when alcohol is banned, most of the people stop consuming it. On seeing the behaviour of the people in question, others may stop as well, maybe people from outside Gujarat. So the law does not affect only the citizens of Gujarat. Through the demonstration effect we can see that the alcohol consumption of people from neighbouring states may well decreases thanks to the law. Consumption of spurious alcohol: It is an observed phenomenon in modern studies of human behaviour that when something is taken away from a person, their want for that object increases. We can equate it with the prohibition law. With the ban of alcohol, the demand for it does not go away. In the state of Gujarat a large portion of the population still demand alcohol. This demand is met by bootlegging activities (which I will elaborate on later). However, since the law prohibits the selling of alcoholic substances, the bootlegged liquor that one receives is at a higher price. The people of impoverished circumstances simply cannot afford the good stuff. But the demand remains. Therefore, the poor population resorts to alcohol of an inferior quality. This is often spurious alcohol which is incredibly harmful to the body and can also prove fatal. On 7 July 2009, ten people died inBehrampuraafter drinking spurious liquor.The liquor was brewed in the house of Arvind Solanki, who also died after consuming the liquor. The death toll rose to 43 next dayand crossed 120 by July 12.276 people were admitted in various hospitals with nearly 100 of them inintensive care units.More than 1000 litres of hooch containingmethanolwas brought to AhmedabadfromMohammadabad. (Wikipedia, 2014) Section 3: When one thinks of the economic analysis of Prohibition one’s mind goes to revenue. The revenue of a state under prohibition is significantly less than that of an anti-Prohibition state, obviously. The widespread consumption and purchase of alcohol by the masses provides huge income for the state through sale and tax. But, when we delve deeper into this issue, we see the many aspects of economics that comes into play. The economics of Prohibition and Addiction The relatively inelastic demand for alcohol by an alcoholic: To start off, I’ll explain in a few lines what the elasticity of demand is. It is basically the behaviour of a consumer’s demand with a corresponding change in price. It shows the relationship between the two and measures the extent to which the consumer’s demand changes. When we use the term relatively inelastic demand what we’re saying is the change in price doesn’t have a very big effect on the demand of the consumer. This is usually observed in the demand for essential goods. Therefore, when analysing the demand for alcohol of an alcoholic, he is psychologically and sometimes physically dependant on alcohol. Thus even when the price goes higher he still demands alcohol. So the bootleggers in a way have a direct impact on the welfare of the people, controlled with the prices that they charge for bootlegged alcohol. Also, the sever dependency of an alcoholic on alcohol can drive him into poverty due to his inelastic demand for alcohol and the prev iously mentioned high prices of bootlegged alcohol. We can also see this form the point of view of the sellers of liquor. Experience has shown that stricter the law against drinking, higher is the price of illegal liquor and greater are the profits. The existence of a huge black market of alcohol in the state of Gujarat: As I’ve said before, bootlegging in Gujarat is rampant. It is safe to say that even with the blanket ban, anybody who wants to can have access to alcohol and its products. There are over 300 listed bootleggers in Ahmedabad and over 3,500 in Gujarat. Half of them smuggle IMFL while the rest brew country-made liquor. As part of an unwritten understanding between bootleggers and low-ranking policemen, bootleggers are booked in small-time cases from time to time and sent to jail for short durations. A senior police official says that politicians-from the panchayat to the state levels-are greater beneficiaries of this illicit business. According to an unofficial estimate, the Ahmedabad police getRs.80 lakh toRs.1 crore as monthly bribes from bootleggers. It is believed that the Gujarat police get aroundRs.100 crore as bribes from bootleggers. Vadodara police getRs.50 lakh each year, Surat police getRs.70 lakh andRs.25 lakh goes to the Rajkot police. There have been instances where police officials themselves have created bootleggers to earn illicit money from them. Around a dozen major bootleggers operating from the border areas of Gujarat churn out an annual turnover of overRs.1,500 crore by selling illicit Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) in the state. Hundreds of smaller IMFL and country-made liquor bootleggers operate with impunity under the very noses of the Gujarat police and politicians. With the prohibition law becoming a farce, each year the state Government losesRs.3,000 crore in excise duty due to bootlegging. According to state intelligence sources, bootlegger Kailash Rathis gang alone pushes 10 trucks of IMFL worthRs.1 crore into Gujarat each day. Rathi, who was arrested in Ahmedabad recently, operated from Sanchor, Rajasthan. His annual turnover is pegged atRs.300 crore. Ramesh Patel alias Michaels turnover from selling illicit liquor is as much as Rathis. Patel operates out of Daman on the south Gujarat border. His brother is a district panchayat chief in Daman. That the police are involved in bootlegging is evident from the suspension of an Ahmedabad police inspector for accepting a bribe ofRs.20 lakh from Nagdan Gadhvi, one of Gujarats most active liquor smugglers. (Indiatoday.intoday.in, 2014) So the numbers don’t lie. Gujarat ropes in a huge amount of revenue from bootlegging. But unfortunately, Gujarat does not gain anything. In other states, through various taxes the State has a piece of the pie of this revenue. However, due to the ban, all the money brought in because of alcohol is black money which results in the loss of possible income of thousands of crores of rupees for the exchequer. Increased price of Alcohol: It is a common concept in economics that when supply goes down, price goes up. Now in a State which has a policy of prohibition, it is obvious that the supply falls dramatically. Since, again, it is a state under Prohibition, there can be no regulation in prices. The sellers of alcohol can freely decide the prices of the products they sell and the customers are powerless and have no choice but to accept these prices. And they are forced to pay these prices for their daily fix. Policy Efficacy and Section 4: The avoidance of alcohol consumption can be looked at as a noble cause. However, the government should not have the right to force it upon people. We elect the government to protect us and serve us for the good of the country. The attempt at legislating what is moral should not be encouraged. I feel that this law should be repealed. It is a law which is over 60 years old and is a hindrance to the advancement of India on a global scale. There are many direct losses due to this law. The state loses thousands of crores of excise duty which, in turn, has to be recovered by making other goods and services more expensive. Gujarats government has estimated that it loses Rs 30 Billion ($ 615 Million, â‚ ¬ 441 Million, Â £ 379 Million) a year in excise revenues from prohibition, hinting at the true magnitude of the states underground alcohol trade (1). Several other Indian states have tried prohibition in the past, but all except Gujarat have abandoned it. Gujarat is trying hard to promot e itself as a global investment destination and a tourist hub. For both these industries, the ban on alcohol has an adverse effect. Indians are ok with the hypocrisy of routinely breaking the law. Many foreigners are not. Foreign tourists do not find it exciting or normal to have bootlegged alcohol. Gujarat’s beach destinations, for instance, will never thrive unless the alcohol policy is lifted. Tourism creates jobs. With this law in place, we are preventing employment to thousands of Gujarat’s youth. Also, even as an investment destination, this policy isn’t helping Gujarat. There is no global finance city – be it London, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul or Mumbai — where alcohol is banned. World businessmen don’t wish to live in a place where they are doing something illegal when they attend a party. If Gujarat is serious about becoming a world class business destination, the need of the hour is to benchmark its laws to these locations. Looking at it from an economic point of view, even then, I feel it is imperative to repeal the law. As I’ve said above, Gujarat cannot hope to become a global financial hub if this law remains. The massive increase in revenue if the law is repealed can go a long way in improving the conditions in Gujarat and can finance a number of social welfare schemes. To end, I say that taking steps to address social problems such as alcoholism are welcome. But prohibition, especially if implemented in bits and pieces, may not serve its purpose. The Government should endeavour to educate people about the perils of excess alcohol consumption. An outright ban impacts not only people with a drinking problem, but also those who see alcohol as a recreational beverage and social lubricant. CITATIONS: dna, (2014).The punch of liquor lies in prohibition by Gujarat govt | Latest News Updates at Daily News Analysis. http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/report-the-punch-of-liquor-lies-in-prohibition-by-gujarat-govt-1626224 The Times of India, (2014).In dry Gujarat, booze demand soars before polls; EC’s largest liquor seizure in India was made in state The Times of India.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/In-dry-Gujarat-booze-demand-soars-before-polls-ECs-largest-liquor-seizure-in-India-was-made-in-state/articleshow/34223925.cms service, E. (2014).Prohibition: How Gujarat and other states fared. [online] The Financial Express. Available at: http://archive.financialexpress.com/news/prohibition-how-gujarat-and-other-states-fared/1283150 J Indian Acad Forensic Med. Jan- March 2012, Vol. 34, No. 1 Indiatoday.intoday.in, (2014).The price of Prohibition : NATION, News India Today. [online] Available at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/illicit-liquor-business-thrives-in-gujarat/1/130913.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2014]. Wikipedia, (2014).2009 Gujarat alcohol poisonings. [online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Gujarat_alcohol_poisonings Wikipedia, (2014).Demonstration effect. [online] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstration_effect

Similarities and Differences in the Two Poems, Cousin Kate and The Sedu

The two narrative poems, ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘The Seduction’ have a number of similarities between them, such as the poems are both based on love and the misuse of women. However, the two poems are also very different in some ways. For instance, the reactions to love vary in the poems. ‘Cousin Kate’ was set in the 1860’s and ‘The Seduction’ was set in the 1970’s, therefore, the poems are set one hundred years apart from each other. It is due to this that they have many differences between them. The difference in time contributes to the language that the poems have been written in. The two poems are also set in different areas. ‘Cousin Kate is set in the rural countryside, and ‘The Seduction’ is set in an urban area. An example of a difference is the way their emotions and views on love are presented. For the reason that the poems are set in different centuries, people thought of love differently, they did have the same morals or reactions to the pregnancies. ‘Cousin Kate’ was written by a female poet called Christina Rossetti. The poem is divided into six stanzas. It consists of an abcb rhyming scheme. For instance, the poet has rhymed ‘air and fair’. The rhyming of the words allows the poem to be read fluently and in a rhythmic pattern. The poem could be sing-songed to seem more interesting to listen to. This poem consists of three main characters – the Cottage Maiden, Cousin Kate and the Great Lord. The three characters have three very diverse personalities in the poem. The poem is written in the first person, from the Cottage Maiden’s point of view, therefore, she is describing her feelings throughout the poem. On the other hand, you can only observe Cousin Kate and the Great Lord through the Cottage Maiden’s eyes and conseq... ...to live. Ultimately, as well as having their differences, the poems are very alike. They both have the same moods throughout the poem – anger, sadness and betrayal. The themes are also comparable – betrayal, respect, pain and love. However, they are different because of the way the poems have been written. ‘The Seduction’ is more like a story, going through the different stages in her life. Whereas, ‘Cousin Kate’ could be seen like a diary, the Cottage Maiden is talking about her feelings and emotions about different aspects of her life. I think that both of the poems succeed in what the poet set out to do. In ‘Cousin Kate’ I experienced the emotions the Cottage Maiden encountered. In ‘The Seduction’ I saw how inconsequential the girl’s life was to the boy. She was not ready to be a woman, but she had no choice. I felt the loneliness and betrayal she experienced.

Dilemma of International Community

The US prevention strategies against international terrorism have come a long way since the mid-1990s. The disciplined, centralized organization that conducted the September 11 is diminished because most of the group’s senior and midlevel leaders are either incarcerated or dead, while the majority of those still at large are on the run and focused at least as much on survival as on offensive operations. However, Al Qaeda still has the potential to impose lethal threat.From the critical standpoint, the key challenges for contemporary counterterrorism efforts are not as much Al Qaeda or any other terrorist organizations as what will follow them. The emerging primary terrorist threat includes the global network of mostly Sunni Islamic extremists, which extends beyond members of Al Qaeda. The foundations of these extremist sources remain very much alive and in some cases are growing deeper. Practically, they contain the interconnected economic and political systems of the Muslim w orld.In addition to â€Å"Muslim† factor, there is a widespread opposition toward U. S. policies within and toward the Muslim world, especially the U. S. political position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, which is more important, the invasion and occupation of Iraq (Byman, 2003:61). Considering the mentioned trends and reasons, the counterterrorism challenges after the liquidation of Al Qaeda may very well be even more complex than they were before.Decentralization and secretive nature of terrorist plots as well as indeterminate nature of the final target imposes extreme challenges on the intelligence. While the mission of intelligence in counterterrorism is to monitor and prevent terrorist activity, practically it may become vain due to its inability to identify terrorist groups and individuals. However, even a decentralized terrorist threat has some connections that can be discovered, and this will constitute the core of intelligence counterterrorist efforts.From t he practical standpoint, although almost every extremist can be connected at least indirectly to the network of Sunni Islamic terrorists, the majority of linkages includes only casual contacts and do not involve preparations for terrorist operations directed against the United States. No intelligence service possesses the resources to monitor all of these linkages, to construct the life history of every terrorist, or to compile comprehensive sociograms of the radical Islamist scene (Rothkopf, 2005:34).International community’s willingness to assist in the struggle against terrorist organizations to the major degree has depended on Al Qaeda’s record and menacing capabilities. However, from the contemporary point of view, foreign cooperation becomes more problematic as the issue moves beyond Al Qaeda. Mentioned difficulties that the United States has already encountered in dealing with Lebanese Hizballah depict some of the problems in more generally enlisting foreign hel p against terrorist groups (Byman, 2003:63).An underlying limitation to the willingness of international community to collaborate with the United States on antiterrorist efforts is the skepticism among foreign political elite that the most powerful country in the world needs to be preoccupied with small groups of radicals. Critically, the skepticism of foreign community can be considered in terms of fact that the U. S. preoccupation is no longer with the group that carried out the terrorist attacks on September 11 (Nash, 2004:56). However, the most significant challenge to the U. S.counterterrorist efforts that may emerge along with a more decentralized terrorist threat is the ability to uphold the nation’s own commitment to struggle it. Surprisingly, the American society has revealed that its determination to fight counterterrorism can be just as inconstant as that of foreign publics. During the past quarter century, the U. S. public and government has given different and co ntradictive attention, priority, and resources to U. S. counterterrorist programs, with interest and efforts increasing in the aftermath of a major terrorist incident and declining as time passes without an attack.International Threats of Terrorism From the critical standpoint, it is clear that even being the world’s only superpower the United States can no longer sustain a war on terrorism. Due to inability of the US to provide detection, monitoring and elimination of 100 percent of international terrorist groups, international cooperation in this area seems to be a promising solution. Moreover, terrorist organizations are now acting across the domestic borders of hosting states, jeopardizing security of entire international community and recent terrorist acts in London’s subway became an evident support for this statement.Brian Jenkins underlines that the success of terrorism has much to do with the perception of a nation’s capability to deal with such crises, proposing that â€Å"public perceptions of government standing and competence in combatting terrorism are based not on overall performance, but rather on performance in a few dramatic hostage incidents, where the government, of course, suffers disadvantages from the outset† ((Jenkins, 1983:10). Indeed, the public sees the government only in crisis, demonstrably unable to provide security for its citizens, sometimes yielding to terrorists to save lives, unable to bring its enemies to justice.Practically, a rescue attempt or successful prevention of an attack adds immeasurably to a nation’s image of military prowess, while an attempt that fails does incalculable damage. Many statistics exist to quantify the activities, numbers, types, locations and targets of international terrorists. It was reported in 1986 that â€Å"incidents of terrorism – those involving citizens or territory of more than one country – have doubled in number since 1975, to slightly o ver 800 last year [1985]† (Hanley, 1986:3).Notwithstanding the bombings in August 1998 in Kenya and Tanzania, there are analysts who believe terrorism has been in decline in recent years. â€Å"Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1997†, published by the American State Department, reported that there were a total of 304 acts of international terrorism, one of the lowest annual totals since 1971 (US Department of State, 1997). According to Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1998, the number of acts of international terrorism dropped to 273 attacks. However, in 1998 there was a record high toll of 741 people killed and 5,952 injured in terrorist attacks (US Department of State, 1998).In 2000, there were 423 terrorist acts, an increase of eight percent from the 392 attacks in 1999. The death toll for 2000 was 405, and 791 were wounded (US Department of State, 1999, 2000). The year 2001 witnessed a dramatic increase due to the audacious attacks on 11 September of that year. Many commen tators agree that terrorist violence is, and will likely remain, an integral part of international relations. As Scotland Yard’s counterterrorist specialist George Churchill-Coleman stated, â€Å"Terrorism is with us now, whether you like it or not. You’ve got to adjust your way of life to that† (Hanley, 1986:3).This mentality has now reached the American scene as the head of the Office of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, noted, â€Å"We need to accept that the possibility of terrorism is a permanent condition for the foreseeable future. † He stated, â€Å"We just have to accept it† (Calabresi & Ratnesar, 21). At airports there is a â€Å"get on with the job† attitude and in daily living one must accept the need to be on guard, like steering clear of suspicious packages and reporting them to the local police. One columnist wrote, â€Å"By not surrounding the (terrorist) incident with hysterical posturing, we cut it down to size.We make it seem a nuisance rather than a cataclysm. We stifle its capacity to instill terror. We decline to be afraid† (McCabe, 1996a:4). In that regard, Great Britain is one of the few nations which is intimately familiar with terrorism and its impact. Lacking any other alternative, the British have essentially learned to live with the threats and the bombings. Moreover, the British have learned to live with intrusive surveillance cameras, the cost of bomb insurance (3. 2 billion dollars a year), as well as a higher awareness of the threat that has been assimilated into the society over the years, particularly since the late 1960s.Even despite the recent terrorist attacks in London’s subway, â€Å"the British approach to terrorism, developed over many years, seems natural in a culture that places great store on a ‘stiff upper lip’† (McCabe, 1996b:8). The prognosis becomes ever more frightening as terrorists seek out softer targets, as witnessed in the 1998 bombing s of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. This is because international police and security agencies will, for the most part, strengthen the defenses of consulates, embassies and residences, and will provide other forms of personal security for the more likely terrorist targets.Therefore, terrorist attacks will probably become more indiscriminate. The bombing campaigns in Paris during the summers of 1986 and 1995, aimed at government buildings, restaurants and cafes, the bombings in London during the spring of 1992 of commuter train stations and the financial district, and the use of sarin in the subway in Japan by the Aum Shinrikyo in 1995, and the February 2001 reported discovery by the British police of a terrorist plot to release sarin into the London underground system as well as the suicide hijacking of four airliners in September 2001 are examples of what we may expect.(Other examples of indiscriminate terrorism are the strikes at airports such as those in December 1 985, in Rome and Vienna. ) Furthermore, targets abound in highly developed industrialized societies and analysts anticipate that terrorist groups will begin targeting vital points such as â€Å"computer systems, power grids and other key links of industrial societies† (Hanley, 1986b:2). Reports underline that terrorists are expanding their interests in nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons as well as information warfare.Some of these concerns were highlighted in December 1999 when the Solicitor General of Canada, Lawrence MacAulay, told the House of Commons that Canada needed to strengthen the government’s capacity to address the threat of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack by terrorists. Although the possibility of such an attack happening was low, Mr. MacAulay felt all levels of government must be prepared to deal with such eventualities (Evenson, 2001:2).His concerns followed warnings by scientists of the Health Protection Branch that a release of the dead ly anthrax bacteria in a major Canadian population center could kill upwards of 35,000 and cost 6. 5 billion to the health care system, underlining the fact that medical facilities were not prepared to deal with such an incident (Evenson, 2001:2). In the fall of 2001, a series of letters containing the anthrax virus were mailed to media centers in New York City.The letters were sent to ABC, NBC and CBS, and were orchestrated to attain the maximum amount of media coverage, while concomitantly stirring up popular fear and anxiety about these and other possible attacks. Another issue that relates to this is that of nuclear scientists who represent a valuable resource to those nations developing nuclear programs, such as modern Iran. Potential Responses to Terrorism: International Scope The evolution and deployment in the 1970s of elite counterterrorist teams in Israel and West Germany was in response, partly, to the frustrations of employing a series of so-called â€Å"non-force† methods against terrorists.Livingstone has argued that â€Å"governments have employed a variety of nonforce strategies in their efforts to resist terrorism, including diplomacy, negotiation, concessions, and cooptation. Occasionally such methods have worked, but more often than not they have failed or only provided a temporary prophylaxis to an endemic problem† (Livingstone, 1982:176). Now it is widely recognized that, under most circumstances, making concessions to terrorists only invites further acts of terrorism. This fact, combined with the failure of the U. N.to take concerted action to develop effective remedies to the problem of international terrorism, has resulted in a growing tendency on the part of national governments to resort to unilateral military action against terrorism in the belief that, if it is not possible to make terrorists answerable to the law, then they must be answerable to the gun. It is apparent from recent twentieth-century history in Western countries that the responsibility for combating terrorism has been, for the most part, that of law enforcement authorities.On occasion, army units were tasked and, for the most part, were found to be operationally wanting in a number of areas such as strategy, methodology and structure. Conventional military forces and tactics have not met the challenge of terrorism: â€Å"Not only are contemporary weapons and tactics far too destructive to be employed in heavily populated urban regions, but also the deployment of large numbers of soldiers against terrorists simply increases the number of targets at which they can strike† (Livingstone, 1982:176).General George Grivas, the famous Cypriot terrorist leader, noted that the level of terrorist operations is much lower than that of conventional military operations. Counterterrorist operations demand specially adapted and trained soldiers, tactics and strategy. He noted the â€Å"only hope of finding us was to play cat and mouse: to use tiny, expertly trained groups, who could work with cunning and patience and strike rapidly when we least expected† (Taber, 1977:118).In short, one must use those same weapons and tactics belonging to the terrorists’ inventory – psychology, stealth, speed, surprise and cunning – against the terrorists themselves. Moreover, candidates for such units must have motivation and determination, physical and mental stamina, initiative and self-discipline, be capable of operating in small groups during long-term isolated operations, and they must have the aptitude to assimilate a wide range of skills and think laterally. This type of military operation demands a different type of soldier, namely one who can develop a broad spectrum of skills.Practically, contemporary counterterrorism demands highly trained and motivated commandos, operating in small groups; skilled in electronics, communications, demolitions, marksmanship, deception, silent killing; and familia r with terrorist tactics and behavior. References Byman, Daniel (2003). Should Hizballah Be Next? Foreign Affairs 82, no. 6, November/December: 54-66. Calabresi, Massimo, & Romesh Ratnesar (2002). â€Å"Can We Stop the Next Attack? † Time, 11 March, 16–26 Evenson, Brad (2001). â€Å"Canada Poorly Prepared for Germ Warfare. † National Post, 1 FebruaryHanley, Charles (1986a). â€Å"Experts Note Common Traits in Terrorists. † Ottawa Citizen, 19 April Hanley, Charles (1986b). â€Å"International Terrorism: Global Order Shaken by Wanton War. † Ottawa Citizen, 19 April Jenkins, Brian Michael (1983). New Modes of Conflict. Santa Monica, California: Rand Corporation, June. Livingstone, Neil C (1982). The War against Terrorism. Lexington, Massachusetts: Lexington Books McCabe, Aileen (1996). â€Å"Britain Learns to Live with Terrorism after Decades of Blasts. † Ottawa Citizen, 4 August McCabe, Aileen (1996).â€Å"Facing Terror with a Stiff Upper Lip . † Montreal Gazette, 3 August Nash, James L (2004). Prevention or cure. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD Observer. Paris: May:56 Rothkopf, David (2005). Can Technology Fix U. S. Intelligence. Technology Review. Cambridge: Feb. 108(2) Taber, Robert (1977). The War of the Flea: Guerrilla Warfare Theory and Practice. St. Albans, Frogmore, Herts, Great Britain: Paladin United States, Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1997 Retrieved From < http://www. mipt.org/Patterns-of-Global-Terrorism. asp> Accessed Jan 3, 2006 United States, Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1997 Retrieved From < http://www. mipt. org/Patterns-of-Global-Terrorism. asp> Accessed Jan 3, 2006 United States, Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999 Retrieved From < http://www. mipt. org/Patterns-of-Global-Terrorism. asp> Accessed Jan 3, 2006 United States, Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism: 2000 Retrieved From < http:/ /www. mipt. org/Patterns-of-Global-Terrorism. asp> Accessed Jan 3, 2006

AnnouncingAccepted - The PrepScholar College Admissions Podcast

AnnouncingAccepted - The PrepScholar College Admissions Podcast SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you love our strategy guides, we have great news: PrepScholar is launching a college admissions podcast! It's hosted by PrepScholar co-founder and Harvard grad Allen Cheng and writer Melissa Brinks. Download our podcast now at iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Libsyn (or wherever you get your podcasts). In our first season, which will be ten episodes long, we’ll be covering the foundations of a strong college application- how to make a college list, what SAT/ACT score is high enough, and how to maintain a good GPA with strong coursework throughout high school. Our goal in the podcast is to have an engaging conversation about college applications, in ways that are more approachable than our world-famous online strategy guides. Better yet, we’ll be taking real questions from our listeners about each topic and answering them on the show itself. So if you've ever wanted your questions answered by PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng, submit your questions to podcast@prepscholar.com. Our first three episodes of Season 1 are already available through iTunes,Spotify, Stitcher,Google Play, andLibsyn. We’ll be releasing new episodes every two weeks, with new questions from students like you every episode. Enjoy, and send us your burning questions!

6 Words and Phrases to Banish from Your Vocabulary

6 Words and Phrases to Banish from Your Vocabulary It was my mother who first outlawed certain words from my vocabulary. The ones I remember are â€Å"but,† â€Å"have to† and â€Å"should.† Later in life, I took some courses that added â€Å"try† and â€Å"can’t† to the list (Yoda would approve). Most recently, â€Å"just† joined the ranks of words to avoid. I may have been in the minority ten years ago as someone with hyper-awareness of how certain small words affect our messaging. But more recently, I’ve encountered more people who pay attention to the implications that subtle turns of phrase have on our meaning. Let’s take a look at the impact of each of these words- and at alternative ways to express ourselves. 1. But (Say â€Å"and† or â€Å"while† instead!) If you start paying attention to how often you use the word â€Å"but,† you might be surprised. Often the word is completely unnecessary and what you really mean is â€Å"and†! For instance, one of my writers wrote the following: I wanted to make sure that the client’s profile was succinct but clearly revealed his differentiating qualities. I notice that people frequently default to â€Å"but† in situations like this, where they want to say something was â€Å"short but sweet† or something along those lines. Why say â€Å"but†? Who says that being short implies â€Å"not sweet†? Who says that a profile’s being â€Å"succinct† implies that it doesn’t reveal a client’s differentiating qualities? Instead, how about this: I wanted to make sure that the client’s profile was succinct while clearly revealing his differentiating qualities. In this second sentence, the challenge of creating a profile that includes the client’s differentiating qualities is laid out in a positive light and does not imply a succinct profile could not reveal those qualities. It’s a subtle difference, and a significant one. I was pleased to discover that a Stanford University professor, Bernard Roth, has taken up the cause to substitute â€Å"but† with â€Å"and.† See A Stanford professor says eliminating 2 phrases from you vocabulary can make you more successful. As he explains, When you use the word but, you create a conflict (and sometimes a reason) for yourself that does not really exist. †¦ whereas when you use the word and, your brain gets to consider how it can deal with both parts of the sentence.† Take the following sentence: I want to go to the movies, but I have to study. vs this one: I want to go to the movies, and I have studying to do. Changing â€Å"but† to â€Å"and† trains the brain to come up with win-win solutions, rather than creating a state of victimhood. 2. Have to (Say â€Å"going to† or â€Å"want to† instead) The movie vs. studying example above highlights another phrase that does not serve us: â€Å"Have to.† Professor Roth suggests substituting â€Å"want to.† I like substituting â€Å"going to.† Let’s take a look at the sentence above again, with the word â€Å"and† substituted for â€Å"but†: I want to go to the movies, and I have to study. (This still sounds fairly catastrophic.) What about these options: I want to go to the movies, and nevertheless I am going to study. (Suddenly this person has choice in the matter!) It would probably be pushing it to say â€Å"I want to go to the movies, and I want to study.† That might not be completely honest. But it’s a sentiment to try on. 3. Try (There is no â€Å"try†) There’s a difference between trying something as an experiment (see my above suggestion to try something on or try something out) and saying you’ll try to do something when what you really mean is you don’t think you’ll succeed. Trying is lying. Trying is not doing. I can try all I want to write a blog article every Sunday. That doesn’t get me to writing a blog article every week. It gets me going out with friends on Sunday nights while Im busy â€Å"trying†- and while my blog remains blank. We use the â€Å"try† word when we want to weasel out of things, whether they are commitments to ourselves or others. Saying you’ll â€Å"try† is pretending to say â€Å"yes† when you mean â€Å"probably not.† Stop it. Instead, choose the actions you are willing to take. Say â€Å"I will do x, y and z.† Or say you aren’t going to do it. There is no â€Å"try.† 4. Should (Don’t â€Å"should† on yourself or on others) â€Å"Should† is a close relative to â€Å"have to.† It’s a moral judgment that often leads to a whole lot of trying. Do you think you â€Å"should† go to the doctor? â€Å"Should† go to the gym? â€Å"Should† apologize to someone you love? Or do you think someone in your life â€Å"should† do something and are you telling them so? How’s that working for you? Take this example: You should stop eating so much sugar, honey. You’ll make yourself sick! vs. I want you to eat less sugar, honey. I’m so scared you’ll get sick. (The â€Å"you† in this sentence could be yourself or someone else.) To me, the second version is much more vulnerable and scary to say. It’s less judgmental. If I’m saying it to myself, it’s actually sweet and caring. And although it could produce defensiveness, it’s less likely to do so than the version that takes a moral high ground and tries to control someone’s behavior. Some of us â€Å"should† on ourselves even more than we â€Å"should† on others. Take a look at how you’re putting yourself down with that sentiment, and how you use â€Å"should† to let yourself off the hook instead of committing to something. 5. Can’t (I think I can!) This one is basic. â€Å"Can’t† is a disempowering word that leads to a lot of inaction. Instead of â€Å"can’t,† be curious about how you can. Look for other options than the one or two you are considering. Get coaching. Read The Little Engine That Could for inspiration. Get creative! As a friend and I often say to each other, the only 100% reliable way to reach a goal is not to stop until you accomplish it! And if you choose a different goal along the way, that’s okay too. 6. Just (I called to say â€Å"I love you.†) The word â€Å"just† diminishes what we say after it. Calling to say â€Å"I love you† is a big deal right? Why make it smaller, as the famous song does, with â€Å"just†? I was unaware until about a year ago of how much I qualify my sentences with the word â€Å"just.† Common usages could be â€Å"I just wanted you to know that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"I just feel like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"I just thought†¦Ã¢â‚¬  If you start paying attention, you might be surprised at the frequency of the word â€Å"just† in your vocabulary. See what happens if you delete it. Your communications might become more truthful and riskier. You might start to claim your feelings, opinions and choices in a new way. Did you learn something from this article about your language? Did you try eliminating any of the recommended words? Are there more words that you recommend banishing from our vocabularies? Please share!

Human Resources Department Roles and Responsibilities

Human Resources Department Roles and Responsibilities AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to describe Verizon Wireless Human Resource Department roles and responsibilities. This paper will explain how Verizon's Human Resources Department must constantly change to adapt new business strategies in specific areas like globalization, diversity and ethics to facilitate a successful business environment.Human resource roles in My OrganizationThe human resources department at Verizon Wireless performs a vital role in this successful communication company. Benefits management, training, recruitment, and employee relations are some of the primary areas concerning Verizon Wireless Human Resources Department. If any area within this vital support organization is neglected, serious problems can occur within the company. The areas supported by human resources department can also help pave the way for a successful, thriving company.The management at Verizon Wireless relies heavily on the expertise of the human resources department. Although traditio nal business thinking can portray this business entity as "dangerous" or "the enemy", a good relationship between employees, management, and the human resources department creates a wonderful working environment.End zone view of the ice surface at the Verizon Wi...The management at Verizon Wireless promotes extensive use of services provided by this department such as evaluating employee conflicts, general hiring practices, and salary evaluation. Traditional human resource department roles continue to be important to all businesses, but the role of this department is always changing.Business strategies change constantly and the human resources department must also change to enable these strategies to work. Many areas create a successful business environment, but the following listed areas of discussion will perhaps create the most productive change.GlobalizationDiversityEthicsGlobalization has evolved as a crucial part of business in many companies throughout the United States. In o rder to remain competitive, businesses must rely on global economies to expand markets and reduce operating costs. Human resource departments can assist in reducing costs by combining a comprehensive understanding of...

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature Review - Essay Example History is replete with such instances including the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-1949 and the Balkan Crisis which ended in the breaking up of former Yugoslavia into Croat, Serb, and Bosnian states. The problem with the brokered peace in such wars is that multi-lateral agreements stem from frivolous motives. The author argues that the UN would be better off assisting the strong overcome the weak for lasting peace. Instead the peace making efforts only add to the continuity of the war by encouraging the weaker forces to remain as refugees and make for potential outbreaks of hostility, as is seen in Rwanda. The UN peace keeping forces are usually ineffective in ensuring a lasting peace through the proper use of force and the usual outcome of UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) peace keeping efforts is the creation of refugee nations, as is the case with Palestinians living in scattered refugee camps in the Middle-East. It is in these refugee camps that resentment of their plight and the respite provided by the peace keeping efforts that lengthens the conflict. There should be the political will not to unnecessarily intervene in wars. Powerful nations like the United States of America should discourage multi-lateral efforts to bring about peace. New rules should be created to ensure that refugee relief by the UN does not allow the creation of refugee camps, but instead repatriation, local absorption, and emigration should be encouraged to prevent any permanency of the refugee camps. These measures may seem perverse but in keeping with the paradoxical logic that wars bring peace. The strength of this article lies in its highlighting of the ineffectiveness of the peace making efforts by the UN and international bodies, whereby there is hardly any resolution the war remain, but instead it creates permanency to the presence of conflict in a

Compare and contrast learning to ride a bike versus learning to drive Essay

Compare and contrast learning to ride a bike versus learning to drive a car - Essay Example Riding a bike may be perceived to be a hard art because of the techniques that an individual requires to maintain balance. Thus, it will require the learner to engage in riding a bike a number of times with failures and success to be able to acquire the skills required. Similarly, learning to drive will require practice in which the learner will have to drive a car with the help of an instructor to be able to get used on how to engage the various components that are related to the moving mechanism of a car. Remarkably, both learning to ride a bike and drive a car are arts that are perfected through experience. Even after getting the knowledge to ride a bike, it is often likely that an individual will have to keep on engaging in the art to ensure that all the techniques acquired are perfected. It becomes an art because a learner has to know each component of the bike and their operation in certain circumstances while riding. This also applies to learning how to drive a car, which is more of gaining the experience rather than just learning the basics of its mechanism. It also becomes an art because a learner will have to master each of the car’s components and their application during driving. Both experiences happen once in an individual’s life though a person may decide to engage in lessons that will act as reminders in few cases. Once an individual is well acquitted with the skills necessary to ride a bike, gets experience and perfects the art, it will not be necessary for an individual to get involved in other learning process unless she/he would like to participate in specialized riding skills applicable in sports. Likewise, this applies to learning to drive a car because once a learner has passed the driving test and has been issued with a driving licence, there is no need to further engage in the learning process. Learning to drive a car differs with learning to ride a bike in

Market Model Patterns of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Market Model Patterns of Change - Essay Example In the year 1981, it introduced a Nordic mobile telephone (NMT); NTM was the first mobile phone or cellular phone which was able to permit roaming network. In 1987 the Nokia Corporation launched a mobile phone that was capable to be handled, the phone used NTM network. Regardless of its price and its weight, the phone became classic as it recorded biggest sell of the time. In the year 2002 the Nokia Corporation launched Nokia 3650, the phone had camera feature. Later in the year, the company launched Nokia 6650; it was the first 3G phone in the market. Currently, Nokia has made a major step on the models of the phone they are manufacturing. In the year 2011 February, the Corporation declared to work together with Microsoft Company to improve features of Smartphones they plan to manufacture. After the two major company united, in October they launched two models; Nokia Lumia 880 and Nokia Lumia 710 (Pulkkinen, 2011). Previously, Nokia Corporation was enjoying monopoly; it was the firs t company to develop hand mobile phone. Despite the size and the price of the phones, in made highest sell than what the company was expecting. In 2005, the company manufactured Nokia 1100 which recorded billion sell even though it was having less features. The monopoly of the industry Nokia to enjoy profits and failed to concentrate on the advancement of their products. As the industry evolved, new technologies were brought into the market. Small industry entered into the market and impressed technology, these new companies in the industry started manufacturing products that had more features, hence attracting more customers. With the increase in competition, Nokia Corporation started to follow new drift of the technology and started to manufacture better phone models. Initially, Nokia Corporation enjoyed monopoly, currently there is pressure in the communication industry. Different and new companies have entered into the market and are making remarkable profits; therefore, Nokia C orporation is facing oligopoly. At present, other companies that are into the market includes; Motorola Corporation, Samsung company, apple industry, Alcatel, Sony Ericson, and blackberry Corporation. Each new product brought into the market by one company, it is countered by other company by producing a more advanced technologically handset. With these competition trend seen in the market, consumers or the buyer of the product are the ones who enjoys better product. Also with this tendency of competition, consumers have a wide variety of product to choose from and at an affordable price (Morris, 2009). Presently, it is viewed that the market or the industry trend has changed to a perfect competition; there is no dominant company in the market. Each company is trying to manufacture best possible product than what the other company can produce. In the short term run, the major dominant or the giant company in the industry will enjoy the market as a result companies known and trusted names. This dominancy with major company will hinder penetration of the emerging businesses into market. The new company has never been on the market before and there product has never been used before; it will be difficult for them to penetrate into the market. Therefore, in a short run, the dominant corporation including Nokia, and Samsung; they will prevent entry of the new companies into the market (Gruber, 2005). In the long

The Economics of The Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

The Economics of The Death Penalty - Essay Example In the modern times, the world is divided in half as to countries that use capital punishment and countries that do not. Many nations including some of the developing nations have abolished the system of death penalty by any means or methods described above. One country where it would be greatly expected that this system does not operate is the United States of America (USA). Unlike other industrialized nations, some states of the US have capital punishment or death sentence system still intact. The above graph shows the increase and decrease in the execution during periods of 1930 to 2004. If the western part of the globe is reviewed, it would be seen that US is the only western country where death sentences are executed. The executions in the country are linked to the legal system of the country which is considered to one of the most developed systems in the world due to its characterization for respect of human rights (Zimring, 2000). According to article by Zimring published in the MSN Encarta, the practice of death penalty and laws regarding it vary between the states of US. Almost 12 states do not have death penalty but do have life imprisonment laws. This life imprisonment can sometimes be without parole. The rest of the states have different death penalty laws for different kinds and degrees of offences. About 200 to 300 criminals and prisoners are sentenced to death. The use of death penalty as a punishment rose to its heights when the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Since then more than 600 executions have place in US. The graph taken from Wikipedia.com shows the death penalty status in US since 1976. 29 states out of 38 carried out capital executions in the last two decades. The states which did conduct the execution include Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, Utah, Texas and many more (Zimring, 2000). If the graph is looked at more closely, it

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for Research Proposal

Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for the Design of University Education - Research Proposal Example In the last decade, higher education in Saudi Arabia has undergone a major transformation. There has been a three-fold increase in the number of universities in the last ten years. Consequentially, postgraduate students have increased in number. Along with this, improvement in the quality of education and making Saudi education come at par with the education of technologically advanced countries in terms of quality has been the major goal of Saudi universities in the 21st century. Several events have recently occurred that have reflected the increased interest of the students in Saudi Arabia in e-learning. In the year 2009, an international conference regarding cyberlearning and distance education was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in her entire history. This led to the establishment of the Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning. This center was developed in accordance with the plan prepared by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education that was directed at cultivating a ro bust infrastructure for the promotion of technology led education in the Universities of Saudi Arabia. Taking a look at the recent advancements that have been made in the field of education in Saudi Arabia, it becomes evident that this is a very crucial time for understanding how students’ own experiences of digital technology use in their personal lives influence their perceptions of ideal university education. Young people have conventionally been the primary users of innovation information technology (Rheingold, n.d. p. 97) â€Å"remaining at the top of Internet usage statistics and distinguishing themselves as early adopters of features such as instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, and social networking tools† (Xenos and Foot, n.d.). Thus, the matter fundamentally concerns the youth and hence the future of Saudi nationals. This research will generate this information so that educationalists may be facilitated in adjusting the university education according to the aspirations of students which is conducive to the students’ increased participation and better academic performance. Provision of digital media in Saudi universities will â€Å"enhance their civic engagement, which comprises political activism, deliberation, problem-solving, and participation in shaping a culture† (Levine, n.d., p. 119).

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

E-commerce - Essay Example The increasing online shopping preference of the consumers is equally gaining momentum especially among the young generation (Information Resources Management Association & Khosrow-Pour, 2002). The integral aspect of globalization and online marketing and sales overrides the competitive agenda for companies. The creation of websites for enquiries and transactions which is highlighted in the paper makes the work captivating and consistent with observed social changes. The author also points out the effectiveness of web-based consumer interaction with the organization (In Lee & IGI Global, 2014). In fact the idea of increased confidence to make enquiries has significantly boosted sales for companies. Besides, E-commerce is portrayed as a tool of customer feedback mechanism on their areas of dissatisfaction. The efficiency of consumer choice platform on websites has offered consumers space, time and varieties to choose from. This underscores the benefits of E-commerce to the companies and consumers (Cheeseman & Cheeseman, 2003). Through E-commerce, consumers are accessible to custom made product options. This has blended well with the current generation and offers a smooth transition for the older generation. The discussion is generally exhaustive in terms of addressing the concepts and applications that surround

The Economics of The Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

The Economics of The Death Penalty - Essay Example In the modern times, the world is divided in half as to countries that use capital punishment and countries that do not. Many nations including some of the developing nations have abolished the system of death penalty by any means or methods described above. One country where it would be greatly expected that this system does not operate is the United States of America (USA). Unlike other industrialized nations, some states of the US have capital punishment or death sentence system still intact. The above graph shows the increase and decrease in the execution during periods of 1930 to 2004. If the western part of the globe is reviewed, it would be seen that US is the only western country where death sentences are executed. The executions in the country are linked to the legal system of the country which is considered to one of the most developed systems in the world due to its characterization for respect of human rights (Zimring, 2000). According to article by Zimring published in the MSN Encarta, the practice of death penalty and laws regarding it vary between the states of US. Almost 12 states do not have death penalty but do have life imprisonment laws. This life imprisonment can sometimes be without parole. The rest of the states have different death penalty laws for different kinds and degrees of offences. About 200 to 300 criminals and prisoners are sentenced to death. The use of death penalty as a punishment rose to its heights when the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Since then more than 600 executions have place in US. The graph taken from Wikipedia.com shows the death penalty status in US since 1976. 29 states out of 38 carried out capital executions in the last two decades. The states which did conduct the execution include Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, Utah, Texas and many more (Zimring, 2000). If the graph is looked at more closely, it

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

E-commerce - Essay Example The increasing online shopping preference of the consumers is equally gaining momentum especially among the young generation (Information Resources Management Association & Khosrow-Pour, 2002). The integral aspect of globalization and online marketing and sales overrides the competitive agenda for companies. The creation of websites for enquiries and transactions which is highlighted in the paper makes the work captivating and consistent with observed social changes. The author also points out the effectiveness of web-based consumer interaction with the organization (In Lee & IGI Global, 2014). In fact the idea of increased confidence to make enquiries has significantly boosted sales for companies. Besides, E-commerce is portrayed as a tool of customer feedback mechanism on their areas of dissatisfaction. The efficiency of consumer choice platform on websites has offered consumers space, time and varieties to choose from. This underscores the benefits of E-commerce to the companies and consumers (Cheeseman & Cheeseman, 2003). Through E-commerce, consumers are accessible to custom made product options. This has blended well with the current generation and offers a smooth transition for the older generation. The discussion is generally exhaustive in terms of addressing the concepts and applications that surround

Marijuana Should Not Be Outlawed Essay Example for Free

Marijuana Should Not Be Outlawed Essay Human laws are based on moral and ethical principles. This applies to almost all existing laws aside from the drug laws. Because of this aspect of the drug laws, much clamor is present as many groups are calling for the legalization of drugs like marijuana. Marijuana and other illegal drugs are not evil but it has gained a negative connotation because of numerous misinterpretations. The prohibition of drugs has also brought about negative effects instead of positive effects. In analysis, legalization may even prove to have more benefits. According to Benson Roe, the professor emeritus and chairman of the Cardiothoracic surgery at the University of California, there is no reason why marijuana, cocaine and heroine would be called poison as these substances have not been proven to have any ill effects on the health of a person. Roe narrated an incident when he was removing destroyed heart valves from a drug user and he got curious and consulted the San Francisco coroner to what extent do illegal drugs cause death. Roe was surprised to find out that the only causes of death coming from drugs come from the very rare cases of overdose and the use of infected intravenous injections. According to the coroner, â€Å"clean, reasonable dosages of heroin, cocaine and marijuana are pathologically harmless† (Roe). It is argued that marijuana causes psychological damage but the truth is no scientific evidence has traced mental illness or psychological damage to the use of marijuana. Marijuana users have been found to exhibit psychological distress after intake of the drug. However, it has been proven that these effects are temporary and will pass away after some time. It has also been argued that the harms brought about by marijuana have been scientifically proven but the Lancet, a British Medical Journal, concluded that based on 30 years worth of research, smoking marijuana is not harmful to health even if it is used in the long-term. Likewise, marijuana use has also been related to brain damage. This was thought to be proven in an earlier study when rhesus monkeys were exposed to marijuana smoke, however, a more reliable study wherein monkeys who were forced to inhale a significant amount of marijuana smoke manifested no brain damage. Anti-drug advocates also argue that marijuana has addictive properties even as evidence points to the direction that marijuana is not addictive. Less than one percent of marijuana smokers smoke marijuana on a daily basis. Majority of the people who smoke marijuana only smoke it occasionally. Some people who wish to stop smoking marijuana have no trouble breaking the habit. Even if a person experiences symptoms from marijuana withdrawal, these are usually mild symptoms (Drug Policy). There is also no reason to classify marijuana as illegal when other substances that have proven to be more addictive and harmful to the health, such as tobacco and alcohol, remain legal. In 2005, the number of deaths that has been associated with marijuana in England and in Wales only totals 19 while tobacco has been associated with 86,500 deaths and alcohol with 6,627 deaths. The number of deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco do not compare to the number of deaths caused by marijuana. Even other drugs which have more notoriety still fall short as heroine and morphine account for only 842 deaths, while cocaine (including crack cocaine) is associated with only 176 deaths (Transform). The use of drugs like marijuana does not affect other people aside from the person ingesting the drug. Technically, a person who uses drugs does not violate the rights of any other person. If a person under the influence of drugs violates the rights of another person or commits a crime, this is the time when he/she should be prosecuted by law. Alcohol remains legal even as drunk people commit heinous and even brutal crimes. The substance is not an excuse for committing a crime and drinking alcohol is not a crime in itself but when a person commits a crime under the influence of alcohol, this is when he/she is prosecuted. The same should apply for the use of drugs (Cussen Block, p. 532). Drugs are not evil per se but it has gained a negative image because of negative propaganda. The media always make use of the phrase â€Å"drug-related† in the presence of a drug in a crime even as the drug has not been indicated as a direct cause of the crime. Usually, the crime is not motivated by the drug. It is usually motivated by another external factor. The media has inadvertently played a role in giving drugs a negative image. This practice has been so common that no one even looks to identify if a crime really is related to drugs (Jackson). The anti-drug lobby also makes use of vague and emotive statements to persuade the people to support their cause (Russell). Even politicians make use of these statements and call for tougher drug laws simply to forward their political careers (Jackson). People interpret these vague and emotive statements differently and this may be identified as a basic element of a black propaganda. In a book entitled Hugs not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual published in the Philippines, the author starts by narrating a story of a studious young girl who got mixed with the wrong set of friends who influenced her to use marijuana. As a result, the young girl dropped out from school and had relationships with men that took advantage of her low self-esteem. After realizing what had happened to her, she decided to undergo rehabilitation. And after a tearful reunion with her parents, she vowed to stay away from drugs. This story is very common and immediately suggests that marijuana caused all the negative things failing to look at other factors which might have caused the girl to behave the way that she did. Additionally, the book indicated that drug use has been directly related with juvenile and even violent crime. However, the book does not cite where the information was taken or what study linked drugs with crime. The book also does not have a clear reference page evidencing that it is not a reliable source. Many critics of drug also make use of violent and obscene images in an attempt to prove that drugs are harmful. Drug prohibition results in too many expenses for the government as the drug laws leads to the incarceration of many non-violent offenders. In 2002, it is estimated that prohibition expenses amounted to $18. 22 billion indicating that â€Å"incarceration is an expensive policy option† (Taylor, Trace Stevens, p. 3-4). Prohibition is not good, in fact, it is even the greatest ally of the drug dealers as drugs are priced very high because they are illegal and not regulated (Jackson, 1998). Legalization will even benefit the general public. Marijuana has been related to crime rate by anti-drug groups but all unbiased studies have pointed to the direction that marijuana does not cause people to do criminal acts. The only crime that marijuana users commit is that they possess the drug (Drug Policy). Additionally, legalization will come with regulation which will eliminate the already minimal number of deaths as a result of drug use. Also, crime rate will decrease because drug prices will be regulated and people would no longer need to resort to crime to be able to buy the drugs. It will also be another source of income for the government as the drug trade will be taxed and the costs of prohibition would be avoided (Roe). No scientific evidence has proven that marijuana is harmful to the health and it also has not been identified as a cause of crime. Because of this information, there is no reason to outlaw marijuana. Legalizing marijuana may even be the better option as it will be a source of income for the government, all the while avoiding the high costs of prohibition. It will also reduce crime rate as well as prevent the incarceration of people that are merely caught possessing drugs. The negative image that drugs have gained is mainly because of negative propaganda.

The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park

The Situation Of Hong Kongs Ocean Park Introduction In contemporary international business with an increasingly open market, many local enterprises are facing severe competition from large scale international company. In the case of disparities in overall strengths, it is quite essential and necessary for local business to explore new development ideas as well as new space for development. With its continuing effort on re-engineering these years, Hong Kong Ocean Park has turned a profit of 95.7 HK$ millions in 2004. However, with the coming opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Ocean Park should be well prepared for the challenge from its main competitor by starting from its own characteristics, repositioning, identifying its absolute advantages, carrying out redevelopment plan with the support from its partners and local government. This report is mainly focused on the statement of the current situation of Hong Kong Ocean Park and discussion about its future development. To begin with, there will be some basic introduction of Hong Kong Ocean Park like its mission, vision and so on. Next goes the analysis of external and internal environment. After that, strategic choices will be discussed. And finally, suggestion and recommendation are proposed to the CEO and Board of Ocean Park. 1. Strategy concepts and vocabulary Mission: Ocean Park provides all guests with memorable experiences that combine entertainment and education, while inspiring lifelong learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, while striving to deliver the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). Goals and objectives: -boost the number of annual visitors from four million in 2004 to five million by 2010; -to make a 0.5 per cent contribution to Hong Kongs gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. Vision: Ocean Park aspires to be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature (Ocean Park Hong Kong, 2010). And, more specified, its vision is to become number one marine-based park for each family not only from Hong-Kong but also from mainland China. The main performance measures to determine the success of Ocean Park are the following: Firstly, it has high reputation in both Hong Kong and mainland China. As it has been operated for more than 28 years, it become a long-time favorite of several generations, many local people were sympathetic to Ocean Park. Thus, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to it. Secondly, it had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. Thirdly, the number of visitors in 2004 is 4 m of people (with daily maximum capacity 35 000 people); total revenue in 2004 was 536.2 HK$ m comparing to 428.3 HK$ m in 2003, surplus for 2004 year was 95.7 HK$ m comparing to deficit 4.1 HK$ m in 2003. And finally, its new brand (Whiskers) is recognizable at every house in China and plays a major role in the success of Hong Kong Ocean Park. On one hand, we have stakeholders, who help to achieve parks purpose and mission, such as Hong Kong government, Home Affairs Bureau and the Tourism Board, employees of Ocean Park corporation and parks visitors (customers). On other hand, we have those, who interfere with achieving parks purpose and mission, such as activist groups (certain environmental groups and animal rights activists), who insist on forbidding of buying and transportation exotic animals to park, trade associations and unions (bus companies and taxi drivers), who are against building a mass transit railway (MTR), and competitors, who want to regain the market share. 2. External Environment Key driving forces and their ranking Raise and spend HK$5.55 billion from private and government loans to revamp parks well-worn product line (approval of development plan) Global changing in tourism for Hong-Kong and Asia-Pacific region (development of tourism in region) Disneylands arrival worldwide success of main competitor-Disneyland, coming to Hong Kong (Disneys success or failure) PESTEL ANALYSIS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS for amusement park industry 1) Threat of new entry As entertainment and theme park industry requires a lot of money (for park equipment, human resources maintenance), the entry barrier is high. Also lots of time is required for parks planning, construction, development and launching, a lot of licenses and legalization is needed (safety, sanitary, security etc). Besides this, a large space of land is essential to the development of the amusement park, especially in Hong Kong, where the land price in real estate market is high. 2) Threat of rivalry With low differentiation of products visitors choice will be based on price and service only. As a result, there is an additional pressure on the price and service competition. Ocean Park needs to carry out different plans and activities such as redevelopment and introduction of new attractions. There are no rivals with exactly the same range of products. Disneys arrival is only expected. 3) Threat of substitution In the familys leisure activities segment, where Ocean Park is operated, many organizations provide different kind of services. These include Cultural Center, Zoo and Botanic gardens. Thus, Hong Kong, as a metropolis, has a variety of cinemas, karaoke clubs, family cafes, concert halls and museums. Such services cant offer full range of activities, which Ocean Park provides, but they have an impact on number of customers, especially during the days of unique events, such as blockbusters premieres or festivals. 4) Bargaining power of buyers (visitors) As Ocean Park successfully established and positioned its image with unique attractions, it has become a must see place for foreign visitors. The tourist bargaining power is low due to it is hard for visitors to get the same experience at any other place as they have had in Ocean Park. Local residents have a high buying power as they have many other choices for leisure. For instance, they can go to Wetland Park for ecotourism and nature and wildlife experience, they can also go to movies or fitness club for entertainment purpose. Moreover, the switching cost is relatively low for them. 5) The power of suppliers Suppliers have quite high power. Thus, construction elements of amusement rides are huge and complicated, thats why park is highly tied with supplier. Additionally, supplier is responsible for maintenance of objects he has developed for park. This caused in higher dependence of selected constructor. Otherwise, this market is developed and the choice of suppliers is become greater now. While constructing buildings (hotels, etc) with particular contractor park cant easily change to another contractor because of high switching cost). The situation with the exotic animals is such as Ocean Park can buy in particular country only. The underlying dynamics, which are driving five forces 1) Aftermath of economic crises and increasing in number of suppliers will decrease supplier power. 2) Disneys arrival decrease entry threat in entertainment park industry and increase competitors rivalry. 3) Developing of new technologies will affect rising of substitutes. Also competitors with new technologies will win (in this aspect Disney has an advantage) 4) Disneys arrival increase demands in diversification of Ocean Parks products. 5) Ticket price advantages (185 HK$ for adult ticket at Ocean Park compared to 295HK$ for the same ticket at Disney). 6) The main rival (Disney) is also same market oriented (families with children), therefore, this could rise buyers power. Based on the five forces analysis, the main dominant force of industry is substitutes. Less importance has suppliers and further buyers. Looking forward, the five forces will change in this way: -Rivalry will increase with Disneys arrival; -Buyer power will increase slightly; -Substitute threat will also increase; -Entry threat decrease dramatically; -Supplier power will also decrease. Five forces much more affect Wetland Park Ocean Parks key competitor, located at the northern part of Tin Shui Wai, in Yuen Long, than Ocean Park itself, because Wetland parks products are less differentiated. It has a 10,000m2 visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World, and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Arrival of other competitor Disney and its substitutes doesnt affect much Ocean Park because it has its own niche. More differentiation of new products, directed mainly to Chinese native culture will affect rivalry, substitutes and buyers. Unique high-quality products and services also will influence buyers. For seeking suppliers big impact will have Internet and special web-sites with best quality of service, characteristics, recommendations and prices. Strategic group/space analysis for Ocean Park There are 2 key competitors for Ocean Park: 1) Hong Kong Wetland Park, mentioned above. It is a conservation, education and tourism facility, consisted of large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a Wetland Reserve. This park provided visitors with opportunities to observe wildlife, awareness and understanding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region and beyond, wetlands conservation. So, its mainly about wetlands. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is also going to be a world-class ecotourism facility to serve both local residents and overseas tourists (Hong Kong Wetland Park, 2010). Compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park, Hong Kong Wetland Park has different facilities and product range (such as themed exhibition galleries, a theatre, a souvenir shop, an indoor play area), provide different services and thus, like Disney and Ocean Park, has its own niche. The range of facilities provided is the narrowest among 3 parks. Therefore, Wetland Park cant meet demand of those visitors, who are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure, which can be found on a rides at 2 other parks. 2) Hong Kong Disneyland, arriving in a nearest future. After 28 years of operating as a near monopoly, Ocean Park would soon have to compete with one of the biggest names in the entertainment and theme park industry. Moreover, Disneyland targets the same group of parks customers families with children. It has well-known brand and reputation. Its the world leader in terms of entertainment. Several of Disneys characters (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh) were household names all over the world, including in Hong Kong. Image, which Disney company holds almost for a century (The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923) and Disneyland itself (first park was opened in 1955) for half a century (compared to 28 years of Ocean park) helps to attract visitors not only from Hong Kong and midland China, but also from different part of the globe, especially those who are from the USA and Europe (The Walt Disney Company, 2010). But, despite of distinguish of Chinese culture, Disney characters may be not as popular in Hong Kong as Ocean Parks mascot, Whiskeys. Among other advantages of Disneyland are: location (it could be reached in just 10 minutes from Hong Kongs airport and less than 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong); the price claimed to be the least expensive among the five Disney amusement parks throughout the world; the area of Disneyland is 310 acres compared to 215 acres of Ocean Park; 5 times greater investment than for Ocean Park; world-renowned innovation; high customer service standards. Strategic groups within the entertainment and theme park industry in Hong Kong Broad Ocean Park Disneyland Product range Narrow Wetland Park Global Local Geographical Scope On one hand, Ocean Park is a part of entertainment and theme industry. Its market is families with children. On other hand, Disneyland, its future competitor, applies to the same market. Despite of this, Ocean Park has its own niche with visitors from mainland China and products range, combining entertainment and leisure as well as education. 3. Internal Environment Ocean Parks resources 1) Tangible: financial private and government loans; expected HK$5.55 billion investment; HK$145 billion economic effectiveness; surplus from operations in 2004 was HK$182.2 million on revenues of HK$536.2 million; net current assets HK$283.2. physical Sea World, marine life and real animals: 35 rides and attractions; favorable and convenient location on the southern side of Hong Kong Island; wide range of new activities, such as the Abyss Turbo Drop thrill ride, seasonal and special events (Chinese New Year, Easter Holiday, Summer Holiday, Halloween and Christmas), popular water-related activities, interactive activities with animals, edutainment programs, successful Sea Jelly Spectacular and so on. 2) Intangible: long-time reputation of park with government, customers; new brand sea lion named Whiskers; cultural heritage of Hong Kong; great number of repeated visitors. 3) Human: 37 100 employees, their skills and knowledge; Thomas Mehrmann, new CEO of Ocean Park, and his previous experience at US-based Six Flags Corporation. Main capabilities of Ocean Park 1) New products, facilities and services development capability continually adding new features and attractions. Therefore, in a nearest future Ocean Park will become one of the best marine-based theme park with strong connection with nature. 2) Research and development, marketing and sales capabilities: plan to refurbish and rename Ocean Parks 2 major areas (the Lowland and the Highland), new hotels to be developed, including a five-star boutique, spa-type hotel, plan to open offices in the major urban areas of Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract more mainland visitors. 3) New incentive compensation that linked employee compensation to the financial performance of park. The competences of Ocean Park local market loyalty, customers trust and love long-term reputation, distinct Chinese characteristics recognizable brand education in combination with recreation cost and differentiation of product, encouraged visitors to return to the park distinctive work culture, with its own norms and practices Competitive Advantages of Ocean Park over Disneyland cultural heritage of Hong Kong, orientation mostly on visitors from midland China first-mover advantages primary focus of Ocean Park on real nature and wildlife in contrast to Disneys strengths in cartoon characters, castles, virtual reality and fantasy no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth more diverse and wide range of products price advantage: the admission price for Disneyland is expected more than twice higher for child and one and a half higher for adult than price of Ocean park. And visitors from mainland China are very price sensitive. SmartFun Annual Pass program with unlimited admission to the park for its holders within a year, and discounted prices for food, souvenirs orientation not only on entertainment, but also on education of visitors special events for traditional Chinese holidays (Chinese New Year) besides events for western holidays (Halloween) Despite Ocean Park build its strategy on its resources, capabilities and competences, it cant relay only on them they need to be developed, innovated and refreshed, because they may begin to look dated and shabby for their visitors. For example, it can import more species, construct water/sea-related facilities and hotels. Overall, Ocean Park resources are sustainable, with some exception such as, the impact on these resources from environmental groups opposition. SWOT ANALYSIS Positive impact Negative impact Internal environment Strengths -diversified and wide range of amusements (thrills, animals, seasonal and special events) -product line revamp -highly linked with culture of mainland Chinese visitors, knows their demands and behavior -the main, oldest and most famous amusement park in the country, hometown favorite -28 years of operating as a near monopoly -no need to engage in high-profile advertising and publicity, rely more on word-of-mouth -strong business connection to the local government (support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China) -previous experience of Thomas Mehrmann (new CEO of Ocean Park) in theme park industry (at US-based Six Flags Corporation) -local market loyalty -positive image of park Weaknesses -located on a hills-hard to get to some riders-thats why visitors experienced rides only once -different facilities are old and un-attractive and need renovation -a lot of activities depend on weather -no substantial capital investment External environment Opportunities -focusing on delivering mainland Chinas visitors as well as foreign visitors -plan to build a mass transit railway (MTR) station to connect Ocean Park to the subway grid -the development and improvement of the amusement machinery, which can impact the services and features of the organization and its relationship to their foreign visitors -raise the standards of park with Disneyland arrival fostering sponsorships -plan for building new hotels (boutique and spa-type) orientation on new luxury tourism market segment Threats -economical instability (such as the Asian financial crisis of 1999-2001, lasted for 3 difficult years for Ocean Park), outbreak of different diseases, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 (Both these factors can affect number of visitors and their buying behavior, worsening the park financial situation) -arrival of Disneyland Hong Kong -location on valuable real estate: it could be shut down and its land could be sold off for other recreational or commercial purposes. 4. Strategic Choices Business-level strategy Hong Kong Ocean Park uses hybrid strategy, which seeks simultaneously to achieve differentiation and low price relative to competitors (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). Most activities were carried out based on this Strategy. 1) Hong Kong Ocean Parks admission fee is Adult HK$185, Child HK$95 which is lower that of Disneys: Adult HK$295(weekdays) HK$350(holidays); Child HK$210(weekdays), HK$250(holidays). 2) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not spend too much on new fixed-asset attractions due to short life circles of them and difficulty in coming up with an encore. 3) It keeps part attractions fresh, novel and exciting while minimize costs. Instead of buying in new attractions, Hong Kong Ocean Park focused on culture innovation. Some relative low-cost ideas proved successful: Seasonal and special events attracted repeat visits every year. 4) Hong Kong Ocean Park did not take part in highly cost advertising campaign. Compared to its competitors, Hong Kong Ocean Park tended to rely more on word-of-mouth to generate additional business. Since Hong Kong Ocean Park was the local residents favorite theme park and had high reputation in Hong Kong even in Asia. Hong Kong Ocean Park had profound influence on several generations in Hong Kong, people who had visited the park as children were now bringing their own children to visit the park. Actually, Hong Kong Ocean Park was locally born and bred and had become a fixture of Hong Kongs cultural heritage. 5) Hong Kong Ocean Park had a clear organizational structure, no too much redundancy. It can save labor cost. 6) Hong Kong Ocean Park had identified its strategic customers clearly; those are Local tourists and Mainland Tourists. So, it carried out several plans to attract its key customers. a) It hosts several festival events and activities to complement its park offerings with distinct features, like Chinese New Year. It had distinct Chinese characteristics that reflected its roots in Hong Kong, a quintessentially Chinese city. b) Retained its unique SmartFun Annual Pass Program and tactically reviewed and developed value-added benefits to build sales and local customers loyalty. This program encouraged annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Visitors to the park would spend money in other areas to boost revenue beyond the admission fees. 7) Hong Kong Ocean Parks had clear and definite position; that was to become the best marine-based theme park in the world need a source here!!, to provide customers with a place for recreation and education about marine life and environmental conservation. This unique strategic position is differentiated Hong Kong Ocean Park from its competitors and ensure its advantages over the main competitors. Competitive strategies of Hong Kong Ocean Parks competitor Disneyland was regarded as Hong Kong Ocean Parks main competitor and it adopted a differentiation strategy. With a differentiation strategy, a company provides products or services that offer more benefits than those of its competitors which are widely valued by buyers. The aim is to make a company advantageous over its competitors by offering better products or services at the same price or increasing profits by a slightly higher price (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). More specifically, Disneyland took below action plans in line with its differentiation strategy: 1) The selling points of Disneyland were Disney cartoon characters, fantasy world and famous Americans brands, 23 rides and attractions. 2) Disney has strong abilities to create fantasy and virtual situations, and it was going to leverage the benefits of animation into its amusement parks. 3) There would be two hotels in Hong Kong Disneyland which could provide guests with better recreation facilities. 4) There was going to be a subway station linking Disneyland to other parts of Hong Kong which enable Disneyland to has convenient transportation advantage over its competitors. 5) Unique Disney World-styled wedding ceremony was offered to guests in Disneyland. Strategic direction In 2005 Ocean Park had good business characteristics it became profitable, with significant market share, effective management team and successful recognizable brand. Otherwise, arriving of Disneyland could negatively impact on success of a company. To avoid this, Ocean Park must define a right strategic direction. Most preferable direction is product development. This means that Ocean Park need to improve its products range and number of additional services. Thus, by offering new wide set of entertainment and educational products for all target groups, the company can gain advantages to harden its brand, attract new consumers and retrieve lost customers, who not engaged with old facilities and services any more. Despite the international tourists is a minor group in customers totals, company could start to develop a new markets. This development includes marketing campaign directed to tourists from selected countries and making contracts with tour agents. Realization of these methods helps to increase tourists share when local citizens share will decline after Disneyland coming. International Strategy International Strategy for Ocean Park is limited to marketing policy for preferable countries. The main reason of this limitation is that Ocean Park cant be expanded to other countries like Disneyland does, for example. Its based on local flora and fauna and strongly attached to Chinese culture. Also other countries may not have such resources. Ocean Park is a unique, not common product. Not every country even needs it. Thus, expansion is considered in case of marketing development only, such as connection with potential tourists, opening of offices, TV advertising and so on, which helps to enhance promotional activities in Hong Kong and attract visitors. CAGE FRAMEWORK for Ocean Park Cultural distance: With increasing popularity of the Ocean Park, the CEO and Broad of Ocean Park need to think about it attractiveness to tourists in case of the whole world. Indeed, Ocean Park activities are affected by cultural heritage, but it only helps park to attract tourists not only from Asia, but also from all over the world. High priorities should be given to those countries, from where the number of tourist is significant. Administrative and political distance: Its important to consider at first countries with good and stable relationships with China and Hong Kong. Geographic distance: High priority should be given to those countries, from which the number of tourist is significant, then to neighbor countries. Therefore, Ocean Park need to make agreements with tour agents in these countries, organize different sales and advertising, so, expand its marketing presence in these countries. Economic distance: The economic circumstances of a country is an important factor when carrying out international strategy. Therefore, the amusement theme park cant be developed well in the countries with bad economic circumstances. Thus, the main orientation of Ocean Park will be on countries with high income per capita or high level of consumer wealth. 5. General introduction and future of development Hong Kong Tourism Since the reunification (except during the SARS outbreak in), the Hong Kong tourism industry has performed well. In 2004, Hong Kong tourism industry reached new heights, with 21810630 tourists, increasing by 40.4% compared to the figures of 15536839 in 2003 (subject to SARS impact), meanwhile, the revenue of tourism amounted to 91.8 billion Hong Kong dollars, up to 9.6% over 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). Hong Kong government has always been thinking of a new positioning and development direction. In the Governments policy report, it is identified that Hong Kong to be Backed by the Mainland and towards the world, to be an international metropolis providing quality services, and it is clearly stated the new policy as Market Leads, Government Facilitates. need a source here!! Tourism is the most robust momentum in services industries, one of the pillar industries of Hong Kong and is paid high attention by Hong Kong government. In the new situation and new policy paradigm, the Government begins to make overall planning for the tourism industry, which means that the Government will take more proactive measures to promote the development of tourism (http://www.gov.hk). In 2004 mainland visitors continued to be the majority of Hong Kong tourism with a number of 12245862 tourists, increasing by 44.6%. Free exercise program was the driving force to promote further expansion of mainland market. Moreover, from July 1, 2004, the free exercise extended to 32 cities in South China and East China, 100 million 58 million residents from these cities could apply for travel to Hong Kong with the name of free exercise. In 2004, there were 426 million free exercise visitors, accounting for 34.8% of the total number of tourists; which rose more than twice than 134 million tourists in 2003 (http://www.discoverhongkong.com). With the support from the government as well as the increasing trend of visitors travelling to Hong Kong, it is predicted that there will be a bright future for Hong Kong tourism which will directly promote the development of them park industry in Hong Kong. 6. Suggestions to Hong Kong Ocean Park Generally speaking, Hong Kong Ocean Park, with Disneylands arrival, should transform hybrid strategy to differentiation strategy. More specifically, it involves two main parts: marketing strategy as short term goals and infrastructure construction as long term objective. However, it should always stick to its mission and vision of delivering the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service, be a world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment connecting people with nature. put a source here! Marketing strategy Product: Keep on introducing a variety of interactive activities with animals. For example: the Ocean theatre that staged dolphin and sea lion shows every day. Keep focus on seasonal and special events like Chinese New Year and Halloween. For instance, during summer holiday, some water-related activities such as water-war of foam parties should be organized which target teenagers. Develop a niche products, e.g. Sea World-styled wedding ceremony. Provide more sophisticated products to its customers than Disney. For example, build boutique hotel and spa-style hotels for tourists with higher income, expectations and needs. Such, move to a new market segment, even luxury tourism. Price: Concentrate on giving value for the money the customers have paid. It is quite essential to attract mainland visitors who are more sensitive on price. Provide guests with more amusement facilities at a lower price than Disneyland to attract more visits. As to the local residents, it is suggested to offer them the annual pass as it creates loyalty and a real sense of value by encouraging annual pass holders to visit the park repeatedly. Some special offer to different groups in the society is also recommended, for example, a discount for students during holidays. As a step of moving from hybrid to differentiation strategy after Disneys arrival, at first, Ocean Park should keep its prices, but later, with differentiation of its products range, the prices could be increased. Promotion: Make full use of word of mouth marketing and the advantage of being the localized theme park. Proceed the promotion through the unique feeling of growing together with Hong Kong (Yan Le, 2007). Advertising campaign in Hong Kong can be carried out through the interactive quiz of the knowledge about animals to inspire their interest in nature and wildlife. As there is a significantly increasing number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong, it is strongly suggested that Hong Kong Ocean Park should establish agencies in major cities in China to showcase its unique attractions and attract more mainland visitors. Expand the marketing campaign to international markets to attract foreign tourists. In case of Disneys arrival, Ocean Park can start more aggressive marketing politic for attracting tourists from all over the wor