David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg The director I chose to do my Analysis/Research paper on is was David Cronenberg. After screening The Dead Zone, Cronenbergs work impressed me. Prior to this class I had never heard his name, even though I had seen previous works such as The Fly. Since I had already viewed this movie I resorted to alternate movies he had directed. I was able to locate The Brood and Videodrome. The main reason I chose Cronenberg for my director had to do with his style. His movies are not the typical horror flick one has come used to today. When I was younger these movies were low budget and have a character such Jason from Friday the 13th running around with an ax and a hockey mask. Today the industry has progressed to Ben Wilson from I Know What You did Last Summer running around with a sharp hook for a hand. Somewhere between these two genres Mr. Cronenbergs work fits in. He is not obsessed with the body count as many other horror directors are and is also able to develop ! a plot rather rare in this type of a film. The three films I chose were able to walk a fine line between horror and science fiction, Videodrome in particular. While The Dead Zone was more of an action film with The Brood being the most true horror movie. I can tell that none of these films were high budget, they could even be considered a little cheesy leading to a cult status. Cronenberg definitely likes the use of blood, particularly when a person is shot by a gun, quite a lot of splattering. In The Dead Zone when Frank kills himself and the sheriff shoots his mother the use of blood is quite elaborate. Frank is covered in blood when he is discovered and the mother seems to almost explode when shot. In the Videodrome everyone Max shoots has the same exploding effect. And in The Brood when Doctor Raglan shoot the little freaky kids there is the same use of blood as in Videodrome. But when the freaks or creatures bludgeon Juliann and Barton to death ...

Tourism in Rwanda is rapidly increasing since the genocide that took place in 1994. The WritePass Journal

Tourism in Rwanda is rapidly increasing since the genocide that took place in 1994. Chapter I: Tourism in Rwanda is rapidly increasing since the genocide that took place in 1994. Chapter I: 1.0 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND1.1: General introduction1.2: Background to the study, history of Tourism in Rwanda1.3: Rwanda’s Tourism Economy1.3.1: Is Tourism a key factor in the Rwandan Economy?  1.3.2:  What is Rwanda’s main source of income?1.4: Aims and Objectives1.4.1: Aims.1.4.2: Objectives.Chapter II:  2.0: Literature Review2.2: Below are the frameworks that show different types of strategic planning models2.3: Five basic strategic planning models that are mostly likely to be used in tourism organisations2.3.1: Basic strategic planning model2.3.2: Issue based planning2.3.3: Alignment Model2.3.4: Scenario planning model2.3.5: â€Å"Organic† or Self-Organising planning modelChapter 3: Methodology3.1: Introduction to the chapter3.2: Using secondary data3.3: types of secondary data used in an organisation3.3.1: Documentary secondary data: 3.3.2: Survey-based secondary data:  3.3.3: Multiple-source secondary data:  3.4: Advantages and Disadva ntages of Secondary data3.4.1: Advantages of Secondary data3.4.2: Disadvantages of Secondary data3.5: Evaluation of the main tourism master plan of Rwanda and what it consists3.5.1: Strategies that was setChapter 4:  Findings4.1: Analysing different models4.1.1: Destination management plan:4.1.2: Tourism action plan: 4.1.3: Alignment model:4.1.4: Scenario planning model: 4.2: what are the strategic plans of Tourism in Rwanda?4.3: SWOT analysis Rwanda4.4   The main role of Gorillas and its contribution toward the economy of Rwanda4.4.1: Benefits of Gorillas towards the Government of Rwanda4.4.2: Gorilla naming ceremony4.4.3: images of the Gorillas at the event of KWITA IZINA in Mountain RangesChapter 5: Conclusion/Recommendation5.1: Will tourism in Rwanda develop as planned by the government?5.2: Possible outcomesReferencesRelated Chapter I: 1.0 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND 1.1: General introduction Tourism in Rwanda is rapidly increasing since the genocide that took place in 1994. The country is full of history and natural beauty. There are many interesting sights to see, with many guided tours to choose from. Each tour group is led by an experienced guide that specialises in teaching others about the landscape and wildlife of Rwanda. There are plenty of expeditions to places like volcanoes, waterfalls and rainforests which are home to many different African animals. Rwanda is home to a huge diverse population of animals including gorillas and the largest natural park for Hippos some 20,000 are believed to be there. Although Rwanda is still a developing country it has quite a few hotels and its new international interest in tourism is giving it a comeback. Tourism is regarded as the fastest growing industry in the world. Rwanda was identified at the World Investment Conference in Geneva (WAIPA, 2005) as one of the countries in east Africa with a significant potential for developing tourism. Rwanda is a low income, landlocked and densely populated country in Africa. Tourism provides the best alternative for economic development to Rwanda which does not have mineral resources unlike most African countries. The development of tourism can contribute a lot to this country through reduction of the level of poverty, creation of job opportunities as well as contributing to the national income. However, the tourism industry in Rwanda is still in its early stages due to the 1994 war. Most of the parks re-opened in 1998/1999, and still concentrate on low volume of tourists. Until now Rwanda is not recognised among the known tourist destinations in Africa; it is believed to be a less developed place for tourists. This study presents barriers to to urism development in Rwanda as perceived by domestic and international tourists as well as workers in the tourism sector of Rwanda. The study was conducted in the four provinces of Rwanda and the capital city, Kigali. A quantitative design using two cross-sectional questionnaires was utilised to establish the opinions of the participants. A sample of 426 participants, including 68 international tourists, 182 domestic tourists as well as 176 workers in the tourism sector was selected to participate in the study. 1.2: Background to the study, history of Tourism in Rwanda Rwanda is country that used to be situated in Central Africa and now joined East Africa among the rest of the common wealth countries. According to the research from the tourist board of Rwanda which is RDB (Rwanda Development Board) suggests that ‘’Rwanda is popularly known as ‘the land of a thousand hills because of its many tourist attractions. The landscapes in this green country are truly incredible. A lot of people who had the chance to visit Rwanda have remarked the country as unique on the African continent. From East to West; and North to South, that you get to discover one of the Gods best creations with a holy climate’’. Rwanda is a small East African country, that draws visitors from all over the world, primarily to see its rare mountain gorillas. Rwanda faced a horrible genocide in 1994 which still has not been forgotten, the memorial museum in Kigali is a must-see. On the surface ‘’and highly encouraged by officials’’ the locals have decided to move on to better things, and now the country is seen to be peaceful and safe destination for visitors. Rwandas infrastructure is has improved a lot, since they were destroyed during the war. Most of the roads are paved which makes it easy to get around. The country has banned plastic bags and it certainly has kept it cleaner. Rwanda has shown strong responsibility in order to promote the tourism sector; the government developed a clear tourism master plan strategy which will help to market the destination successfully, they also involved the private sectors in the policy and in general improved the country’s business environment. The key factors and their role were to ensure that tourism becomes the main source of income/economy towards the government. Rwanda at glance. Country   What is made of? Rwanda Kigali Official language Kinyarwanda, French, English President H.E Paul Kagame Area 26,338 km squared water 5.3% Population (2009) 10,117,029 GDP (2010) 6% Source:   (Rwanda Development Board) Chat 1:   Map of Rwanda. Source:   (the holocaust centre, 2008) 1.3: Rwanda’s Tourism Economy Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in mainly subsistence agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwandas breakable economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and battered the countrys ability to attract private and external investment. On the other hand, Rwanda has made significant progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and price increases has been restrained. Despite Rwandas productive ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received Mill ennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. Kigalis high defence expenditures have caused pressure between the government and international donors and lending agencies. Energy shortages, insecurity in neighbouring states, and lack of passable transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap development. Rwanda’s economy still may be small and predominantly agricultural, but in recent years, with political stability, it has posted an impressive 9.9% GDP growth rate at the same time reducing inflation to 3.2% and currency depreciation to merely 6.5% per annum. Foreign exchange controls have been liberalized and the banking system is sound and successful. According to RDB mission statement or rather vision for the economy of the country, there vision for 2020 objective for combating poverty, Rwanda is embarking on a complete program of privatization and liberalization with a goal to attaining rapid and sustainable economic growth. This goal is to transform the economy from its 90% dependence on subsistence agriculture into a contemporary, largely based economic engine which they think will be welcoming to investors, creating employment and new opportunities which will benefit mostly the locals. 1.3.1: Is Tourism a key factor in the Rwandan Economy? Tourism is one of the key factors in the whole of the country’s economy but like other sectors, tourism was affected by the genocide 1994 but it is starting to experience a explosion due to the government’s new approach to work together with neighbouring countries which has an impact on the locals and the government.   1.3.2:  What is Rwanda’s main source of income? Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population occupied mainly in subsistence agriculture. Subsistence means that people farm enough for themselves to live with the farmed agriculture but however not have enough to make income out of it and enjoy the luxury item that are taken for granted in the west. As Rwanda is landlocked, it has few natural resources and minor industry. 1.4: Aims and Objectives 1.4.1: Aims. To assess the strategies that are undertaken by the Government in order to increase tourism in Rwanda. 1.4.2: Objectives. To assess the role of Gorillas and its contribution toward the economy of Rwanda. To recommend on possible strategies in relation to the destination. Chapter II:   2.0: Literature Review Strategic planning is the set of processes that is undertaken in order to develop a variety of strategies that will contribute towards achieving the organizational direction. A wide range of definitions of strategic planning and models have been expressed within this literature review. Strategic planning is defined as a process that enables an organisation to obtain its goals and objectives. There are five general steps in the strategic planning process: goal/objective setting, situation analysis, alternative consideration, implementation and evaluation† (Crittenden and Crittenden, 2000). It has also been suggested by Robertson (1995) 199 that tourism companies/businesses which are behind manufacturing firms are in the use of strategic planning. Tourism organisations are to be no less important to the environmental threats than manufacturing organisations, it has been assumed that strategic planning are procedurally adopted by tourism companies and are of equal sophistication to those who used are by manufacturing organisations. Tourism researchers argue that tourism firms/organisations are mostly vulnerable to the environmental threats; this is however a study that was conducted by Rovelstad and Blazer who reports that tourism organisations wait behind manufacturing organisations in the strategic planning efforts. According to the finding of information in this journal, Robertson keeps on suggesting that people who set strategies view their products and their competitors’ products from the perspective of an objective outsider; he also suggests that it was argued that there are two types of externally orientated planning: which are strategic planning and strategic management. Therefore this means that when an a certain organisation views its external orientated planning, they allocate different resources to the programmes to achieve its business objectives in a self-motivated environment which therefore separates management function, then it is generally referred to as strategic planning. But on the other hand, if externally orientated planning is viewed as an integral part of the management function, it is then generally referred to as a strategic management. It’s been established that the marketing strategies to be used by organisations should be able to target overseas visitors, Taylor L, Allardyce M and Macpherson N (1992) 52 also suggest that it important to recognise the influencing variables which may in the long run have an affect towards the tourism product choices that maybe offered to these tourist coming from abroad. The above authors keep on suggesting that identification of motivating factors is not always straight forward and can conclude the main factors in an organisation’s marketing strategies which does not ensure success meaning that the strategies which the organisation decide to market on may not be successfull. A study by WTO (world tourism organisations) suggest that governments should be involved in tourism in order to follow these four main functions, coordinating, legislative, planning and financing. On top of that the WTO also identified the main five objectives of tourism development which the governments should be responsible for in the management of tourism, which are to fulfil the rights to leisure and holidays; to prepare citizens for tourism; to develop the economy through tourism; to increase social and cultural development and last but not to ensure that there is enough protection towards the nature.   According to the argument by Jenkins and Henry (1982) 499-521, they think that most developing countries, active government involvement in tourism is much required to compensate for the absence of a strong and a promising tourism experienced private sector. Baum (1994) 185 suggests that the formulation and implementation if tourism policies/strategies at a national level reflect a diversity of priorities and circumstances. Also Hartley and Hooper says this diversity when they state that ‘’public sector policy objectives which may be needed from tourism in order to include the creation of income and wealth; job creation; maintaining and the quality of life; maintaining and improving links both within and between nations; and contributing to the nation’s balance of payment position.’’ In consideration of a published national tourism policy documents positively confirms this as a multifaceted agenda, an example is given in chapter 4 of my findings, the Rwandan Tourist Board (ORTPN) introduced their objectives by providing a tourism master plan by stating that the policy must include the need to be able to sustain and promote the country’s culture and heritage, to be able to protect and enhance the p hysical environment of Rwanda and last but not to ensure that the economics and social well-being of the host community is maintained at a high standard. Fayos-sola (1996) 408 suggests that tourism policy huge impact and it should continue to be used in organisations and destinations. Fayos-sola continues to suggests that in most countries, tourism has not been truly integrated in economic policy, whereby many tourism organisations focus their strategies in a tourism communication policy, launching aggressive promotional programmes, where tourism administrations acting in greater or lesser coordination with private initiative or try to reach out a market niche for the tourism destination in question by making what is considered to be on occasion an amateurish use of communication tools.’’ These types of policy are likely to cause issues in terms of efficiency, this is because they regularly focus exceptionally on promotional methods and messages but rather not have enough on measuring and improving the issues that may occur. B.Teye (1992) 408 presents ‘’A normative strategic planning model for local tourism management and development. Table 1. This table above explains the planning framework that involves the preparation of an agreed agenda for strategic planning. This includes the identification of the participants, the establishment of structures which would enable them to undertake the process, the formulation of mission statements and objectives and the agreement of a time frame for the completion of the various planning stages. This model should enable a tourism organisation or destination to develop a clear vision of the nature of the local economy. B.Teye states that this model was put together 1990 December as strategic planning process with a public meeting in ishmore. 2.2: Below are the frameworks that show different types of strategic planning models The development of a strategic tourism plan for a destination is an expression of the strategic direction that has been acknowledged by stakeholders for the planning, development, management and marketing of an area. Strategic Plans for destinations has been called Destination Management Plans, Tourism Action Plans or Sustainable Tourism Plans in different areas around the world. Rwanda used all these types of strategic planning model in when drafting a tourism master plan. A strategic plan for destination management is important because it determines the success and the sustainability of a destination for the near future. Table 2. This diagram above identifies a performance measurement of an organisation; it also investigates the impacts of performance measurement in strategic planning. Performance measurement was found to be one of the four main factors that clearly show the modern practice of strategic planning. When evaluating the performance measurement, there are major influences in supporting the achievement of the company’s aims that they set and the effectiveness of its strategic planning process that were revealed at the end of the measurements. 2.3: Five basic strategic planning models that are mostly likely to be used in tourism organisations 2.3.1: Basic strategic planning model This process is followed by organisation that are really small, busy, and have not done much strategic planning before. The process might be implemented in the first year of the non-profit to get a sense of how planning is conducted, and then overstate in later years with more planning phases and activities in order to make sure well-rounded direction for the non-profit. Planning is usually carried out by top-level management. 2.3.2: Issue based planning   This is a process where Organisations that begin with the â€Å"basic† planning approach described above, regularly develop to using this more comprehensive and more effective type of planning. 2.3.3: Alignment Model The main purpose of this model is to certify strong alignment among the organisation’s mission and its resources to successfully operate the organisation. This model is very important for most organisations that need to adjust its strategies or even find out why they are not working. Most organisations might also choose this model if it is experiencing an outsized number of issues around internal efficiencies. The Overall steps in this model includes: The planning group outlines of the organisation’s mission, programs, resources, and needed support, Identifying what’s working well and what needs improvement within the organisation, Identifying how these improvement should be tackled. Last but not least include the improvements that were made as strategies in the strategic plan. 2.3.4: Scenario planning model This model is mostly used in combination/together with other models to make sure that the planners are seriously undertaking strategic thinking where by it will be useful, most especially in identifying strategic issues, aims and objectives. 2.3.5: â€Å"Organic† or Self-Organising planning model This model is identified as a traditional strategic planning. â€Å"Mechanistic† or â€Å"linear† are processes that are sometimes considered, for example they sometimes begin by conducting a broad assessment of the external and internal environments of the organization and also conducting a strategic analysis (â€Å"SWOT† analysis) as shown in chapter 4, this model would help reduce to identify and listing issues of developing exact strategies to deal with the specific issues taking place. Fayos-Sola.E, Marin.A and Meffert.C (1994) 13 suggests that tourism organisations must adapt to the new market conditions, improving their tourism information systems, and strengthening their company culture and other competitively useful business tools for the future. On the other hand they think such improvement must be made in permanent contact with the markets that are chosen with improvements which will help them enable to obtain competitive advantages and will also help to avoid others lead to unnecessary spending, inflexibility or even incorrect positioning. They then suggest that the strategic business decision-making task is very important in the new age of tourism which yet becomes more complex. The main point of this is that these needs no longer refer not only to sales function, or rather to the integrated marketing function. Most tourism companies/industries respond strategically to their competitive environment with the lowest information which helps gather costs and op timal possibilities for using a quick feedback mechanism. Athiyaman.A, (1995) 449 suggests that strategy implementation is the process or way of implementing a sound strategic decision that can make an ineffective or alternatively make a debatable strategy successful. The implementation process contains a series of activities which are primarily administrative.   Some of the activities include developing an information system that provides timely information on a variety of strategic activities to all apprehensive and rearranging the performance measurement and incentive systems in order to match the kind of behaviour needed for efficient strategy implementation. The boundary of tourism and strategy research will explored by way of a literature analysis which is conducted to be a major reason to assess the attempts made by researchers in order to understand the functioning of tourism businesses. Some other reasons include identifying the research gaps in tourism strategy research and lastly to highlight the possible areas of strategy rese arch that are open for examination. A strategic management model was chosen by Tregoe and Tobia in order to show that strategy has been used rather casually by both management authorities and executives which unfortunately seem to be the case in tourism.   There are four components that are involved in this model. These are: Analysing the environment this is where this part of the strategic management process needs research into two part or aspects of the environment: task or market environment and societal environments. Planning direction this part of model is concerned with determining the where the organisation is going in the future. In more words, determining the overall direction for the company where it’s heading to and want to be in the near future. Planning strategy- this is a process that deals with identifying ways of achieving the objectives. More often a number of alternative strategies are measured, for example simulation game theory, linear programming and st atistics are definitely used to select the optimal strategy. Implementing strategy- this is a process whereby once a strategy is selected, each of the operations within the company such as marketing, manufacturing and human resources is associated in a way as to be able to contribute toward the efficient implementation of strategy. Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005:10) defined strategy as ‘the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to also fulfil stakeholder expectations’. This statement contrasts with views made by Ansoff (1969:7) that a set of management guidelines which specify the organisation’s product-market position, the directions which the company is looking forward to grow and change, the competitive tools it will employ within the business, the means of how they will enter the new markets, the manner in which it will build its resources, the strengths which it will look for in order to develop, on the contrary the weaknesses it will seek to avoid. Ansoff then rounds up by identifying what is strategy, he suggests that strategy is a concept of the firm’s business which then provides a unifying theme for all its activities. Tribe (1997) 110 suggests that there are generic strategies that are involved in porter’s model which are designed to promote a lasting competitive advantage for an organisation. The model is made up of three generic strategies which are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Cost leadership strategy involves an organisation becoming the lowest cost provider within the industry. That one of the key ways to achieve this is by offering a basic, standardised, mass produced, no frills product or service with inessential aspects stripped out. A differentiation strategy is where by an organisation seeks product exclusivity. The company will then attempt to establish real products or perceived differences between its products and those of its competitors so that a premium price can be charged without loss of customers. The logic for this strategy is that an organisation will be an industry above average performer and that’s if the price premium exceeds the extra costs of providing differentiation. Lastly focus strategy this model mostly occurs where strategy is customised towards a particular market segment instead of the whole market and this may take the form of cost focus or differentiation focus. The following chapter will focus on different methods used, in order to complete this project:    Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1: Introduction to the chapter In this chapter, I am going to state down all the types of methodology that I will be using in this project. The main type of methodology that will useful to this project will be conducting a secondary data, whereby I will have use qualitative analysis, also analysing, identifying and evaluating what is in the main recent master plan of tourism in Rwanda. I will then use different analysis of series of findings found by different authors/researchers in textbooks, journals and other search engines which will include dissimilar internet sites. Continuously I will do a presentation of appropriate sources which will include statistical indexes, graphs and tables of my findings which will support the views of the literature review above and the personal assumptions on the subject that I am discussing within this project. The reason why I will not use primary data is because my subject area/business sector is Tourism in Rwanda where as it will be complicated for me to collect any informati on. Secondary data research is a method that is commonly used for data collection. It is used by most service organisations worldwide. The process of collecting data may involve accessing information that is already collected by the organisation that maybe seeking information within the company or sometimes by a distributor of primary data research. When collecting or on-going   secondary data   research, people tend to use third-party sources which may include internet websites, sales and accounting records, the press which may include news papers and magazines, last but not least, marketing research reports are commonly used. Internal and external sources can also be used following up a information that was put together by the marketers. (prescott, 2008) 3.2: Using secondary data Saunders. M, Lewis. P and Thornhill. A (2007) suggests that secondary data uses both raw data and published summaries. In most organisations/companies tend to collect and store a lot of data in order to support their on-going operations: for instance the company’s payroll details, copies of letters, minutes of meetings taken and accounts of sales of the company’s products and services, this helps the organisation know or even get track on where they stand. 3.3: types of secondary data used in an organisation They are different types of secondary data that most organisations can choose to use but most importantly they tend to consider Quantitative and Qualitative data which is used in most cases when collecting information. This data is used in both descriptive and explanatory research. Farther more, in collecting or use secondary data, most tourism organisation may consider Documentary, Survey-based and multiple-source secondary data research. 3.3.1: Documentary secondary data: Are sometimes used in research projects that may include using primary data collection methods. Nevertheless this type of research can be used by its own or with other supported secondary data sources, for instance, an organisation’s history research within its archival research strategy.   When using this data, the organisation uses written materials; e.g. notices, correspondence, minutes taken in the meetings, reports to shareholders, diaries, transcripts of speeches, administrative and public records which may include customer’s complaints etc. journals, newspapers, magazine articles and books are also included in this research. (Saunders.M, Lewis.P and Thornhill.A 2006) 3.3.2: Survey-based secondary data:   Are used to collect data, more especially when using a survey strategy which includes questionnaires that have been analysed by the company for their original purpose. This type of data is likely to not be used in a tourism industry because it is mostly used to collect data such as censuses, continuous or regular surveys or even Ad hoc surveys which is usually collected by the Government. I think it is not beneficial for any hospitality industry to use this type of data. (Saunders.M, Lewis.P and Thornhill.A 2006) 3.3.3: Multiple-source secondary data:   This type of data can be a documentary or a survey data. But on the other hand it can be combined together in order to form a data set. E.g. 800,000- 1,000,000 Tutsi minorities were killed in just 100 days. (Statistics on Rwanda, 2008) this data clearly indicates the statistics of all people who were killed in the Genocide that took place in the year of 1994 in Rwanda. (surf surviours fund, 2008) 3.4: Advantages and Disadvantages of Secondary data 3.4.1: Advantages of Secondary data Easy to access information because the information required already exists, therefore it saves time. (Mark Saunders, 2007) Suggests that secondary data sometimes provide a source of data that is both permanent and available in order to be easy for the readers and researchers. Low cost to obtain meaning that it is a lot cheaper when collecting information compared to primary research. Can sometimes result in unforeseen discoveries meaning that it may allow you to access information or collect data that you could not otherwise get from anywhere else. Source: (prescott, 2008) 3.4.2: Disadvantages of Secondary data Access to data collection maybe difficult or expensive. Sometimes the information needed may not be available free of charge on the website or even not available in books etc, therefore the person that need the information may be need to either spend some money in order to gain access towards the information they may need, this can also include organisations. No control over data quality which means that you may have less control over how the data was collected. The data may be out of date which may result in misleading the researchers. 3.5: Evaluation of the main tourism master plan of Rwanda and what it consists The tourism master plan is very important because it outlines the strategies and plans that the Government want to implement or rather put in place in order to increase tourism in the country. RDB (Rwanda Development Board) developed a Tourism master plan that will enable them to transform the country into a leading tourist destination in the world. The aims of a master plan were to come up with strategies that will cover all the aspects of increasing tourism among the tourism industry in Rwanda. 3.5.1: Strategies that was set One of the strategies that they came up with was to improve infrastructure and facilities such as roads, hotel facilities, airports, shopping centres, tourist attractions and recreational facilities. Additional products and service to attract tourist besides the Mountain Gorillas which is known as the key tourism product of Rwanda. Improve customer service within the tourism industry. Human resources management and policy regulatory frameworks and competitiveness needed to be improved in order to attract more domestic and outbound tourists. (Times, 2009) Chapter 4:   Findings In this chapter I am going to present the findings of analysis models referring to Chapter 2. I will do this by analysing different models and also explain what the strategic plans of the Government of Rwanda are and how they are trying to implement these strategies in order to increase Tourism and how tourism strategies are prepared. Furthermore I will conduct a SWOT analysis and product development in order to show how the Government may tackle problems that may occur while trying to increase its tourism. Rwanda’s tourism sector has been a relatively fast growing part of the economy in the last 10 years especially the last quarter of the decade. Generally, the hospitality and tourism industry consists of two main sectors the Hospitality sector and the Travel and Tourism sector, each consisting of different sub-sectors and each consisting of specific jobs and job opportunities which require qualifications and skills obtained either through formal pre-service training or through continuous on-the-job and in-service training. Rwanda faced a horrible civil war that caused so many problems, besides killing over 800,000 to 1 million lives but also destroyed its tourism. Over the past years Rwanda has worked so hard in order to bring back its image. (Murangwa, 2010) 4.1: Analysing different models The types of strategies and models that Rwanda used when preparing a tourism strategic master plan are: Destination management plan, tourism action plan, Alignment model and Scenario planning model. 4.1.1: Destination management plan: As explained in chapter 2, destination management plan is used when preparing strategies of a destination. Rwanda used this type of strategy in order to determine the success of the country.   After the country lost its image straight after the war that took place in 1994, in order to gain its image as a destination, they had to come up with strategies that will help the country restore its name. For example, they had to make effort in developing a cleat tourism strategy, mainly focusing on high-end tourism with conservation as one of the main key. They also had to involve an international marketing campaign in order to be known abroad and make improvement towards the country’s image. 4.1.2: Tourism action plan: This model is very important to Rwanda because it helps them take action when preparing a strategic plan. They get to know what problems tourism is facing and they find solutions to the problems. An action plan or sustainable tourism plan also prepares to develop actions that will be taken in the near future in order to solve issues that may occur or may not go according to the strategies that were set during planning. 4.1.3: Alignment model:    This model is very important and useful for Rwanda when drafting a tourism master plan, this is because they were strategies that were set in order to improve tourism in Rwanda and the Government is following them, however they might come up with changes that they may find to be beneficial and that way they may include them. For example, the YouTube link shows how Rwanda will look like in 2020 whereas they didn’t not include all aspects that they will touch on when drafting the 2010 tourism master plan. Changes may occur when trying to meet up with the strategies. 4.1.4: Scenario planning model: Rwanda’s Tourist Board should be able to find this model very useful to them most especially when trying to implement strategies because they will be able to identify issues that may occur during the setting of the strategies or even after, then will be able to know what actions to take on solving the issues that may occur. Set aims and objectives may not go according to plan, so that is where this model is very useful. It helps the strategy planners plan ahead, meaning what actions to take if they do not meet there target goals that were set. 4.2: what are the strategic plans of Tourism in Rwanda? Currently Rwanda suffers from an under-resourced manpower in tourism and technical skills are limited. In the past the tourism legislation regulating and protecting the industry has been non-existent, which has undermined the country’s natural historic and cultural heritage. However in the last 6 years a master plan has been drafted to help address these issues as well as expands the industry. The country famously nicknamed ‘the land of a thousand hills’ which therefore makes it a destination for adventure tourism. Rwanda is blessed with a temperate climate supporting a range of fauna, and a flora beautiful scenery. Perhaps the most iconic of the being the heckling visits of the mountain gorillas, which at its peak had 17,000 visitors in 2008. Another of the future destination is the Lake Kivu, with a potential to be a major tourist amenity. Currently the road network in Rwanda is considered amongst the best in central and particularly the east of Africa. In the last 3 years the government has made optic fibre connectivity a priority installing more than 2500 km of fibre optics nationwide, making internet connectivity dependable. This in turn helps consolidate a reliable and productive tourism industry communication wise. Another of the government strategic plans is to increase investment in the leisure industry by increasing the number of hotels, resort and motel rooms, particularly on its (730 rooms) of available stock considered to be at international standard. The Government of Rwanda also managed to come up with a tourism policy/plan and they called it vision 2020. They implemented that the country should focus on preparing a recovery plan which will enable tourism to increase by restructuring the national tourist office in Rwanda and also ensuring that the private sector is strengthened in order to encourage eco-tourism. Since Rwanda is seen as a natural beautiful country. The policy also should include the development of the tourism sector which will lead to fair distribution of the country’s income. The tourism industry will have the responsibility of ensuring that the tourism sector adds on/contributes towards the creation of the image of Rwanda, since the country is known as a country that Genocide in 1994 which gave the country a bad image. The Government of Rwanda conducted a study on tourist arrival statistics in 2008 which indicated a substantial growth of the industry than previously assumed. With an estimate of around $600m per annum projected to be the annual revenues in a decade’s time, more than quadruple at current rates. For these figures to be achieved in the future, the focus of the government will not be only on the tourism sector but rather to diversify the wider economy. To do this the government is looking to develop the agri-business on an international scale, increasing manufacturing and in particular the service sector, to which tourism is the key sub-sector in regards to economic growth. The above stated that it will help the tourism sector with a growth rate of 4.8% annually to the year 2016. This is in line with the country’s vision 2020 to increase the services sector from 7% to 11%, of which 6.5% will be the tourism sector as mentioned above. (Economy Envestiment) Table: Rwanda’s economic growth. year percentage 2016 4.8%   2017 3.2%   2018 7%   2020 11% 6.5% is conducted to be the tourism sector. Source: Rwanda’s Economy and Investment. The banking and financial services also project strong growth as Rwanda aims to be the financial hub of central Africa and east Africa, for this to happen Rwanda is looking to out-perform African neighbouring countries with a growth rate of 5% per annum, especially starting from a much less development tourism segment. In figures this translates as $130million tourism receipts by 2012, excluding transit and others indicating a growth rate of 300% from 2007-2012. Another major asset in the tourism expansion has been the local population in particular individuals with a high net worth have been sensitised to the business opportunities in an expanding and dynamic tourism sector. On the international scale, the government has upped its marketing strategies by organising a major tourism investment forum in Kigali 2009 with official backing from the government. Thereafter a follow event up is to be mounted in the Middle East in one of the GCC states given the region’s interest in in vesting in major tourism assets in Africa, such as the Dubai world in Rwanda. High profile international assistance has also been sought by Rwanda to help mobilise investment flows in the tourism sector. An example is the former British prime minister who has in the past used his contacts in business to network on Rwanda’s behalf to attract investment within the country. 4.3: SWOT analysis Rwanda   Ã‚  Strengths.    1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Excellent tourist attractions. E.g. Mountain Gorilla 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Country is safe and friendly. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Excellent temperature throughout the year. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Colourful landscapes, mountains and lakes. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Excellent road networks.         Weaknesses    1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lack of quality tourism products and services. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rwanda can be an expensive destination. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poor development of cultural heritage. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Visitation to the national parks is quite expensive yet it’s poorly marketed. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poor customer service among staff in the tourism industry.      Opportunities.  Ã‚      1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Resorts and potential activities offered at the national parks. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rwanda is seen and also aims to be the financial hub of central Africa and east Africa. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product and climate well suited to niche markets, e.g. people aged 50’s and over 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increase of the country’s profile and economy. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bird-watching and wildlife experiences are seen to be available.   Threats  Ã‚      1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accidents affecting the Gorilla’s. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Destruction coming from built and natural heritage causing issues. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   High cost of imported products. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recession affecting some of the key markets in the country. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1994 Genocide still causing bad image to the country. Source: Rwanda’s Master Plan. 4.4   The main role of Gorillas and its contribution toward the economy of Rwanda Gorillas are the main key tourism product of Rwanda. It contributes a lot toward the economy of Rwanda. Mountain gorillas was made famous in the 1990’s after a release of a movie called ‘’the gorillas in the mist’’ in 1988 by an American zoologist and gorilla conservationist called Dian Fossey. Thereafter gorilla tourism became one of the major attractions that helped contribute towards the economy of the country/Government, but from 1991 to 1994 this tourist attraction didn’t have any use towards the economy because of the war. However after the war, when the country was stable, the Government of Rwanda did what it could possibly do in order to restore its economic sectors by putting the gorilla tourism before other attractions and that is how it became to be the main key product. Mountain gorillas are situated in one of the volcanoes National park of the country called Virunga. Mountain Gorillas is seen to play a critical ecological, economi c and political role for the Government of Rwanda. 4.4.1: Benefits of Gorillas towards the Government of Rwanda As mentioned above, gorilla tourism being put as a most important tourism product in the government’s strategy, it has benefited the country in so many ways, by promoting the country and conservation of natural environment which helped or lead to sustainable tourism development and decreasing poverty reduction of the community by providing job opportunities. In terms benefits towards the locals, the park has employment opportunities, so therefore it employs the locals as guides, trackers and rangers. Besides the locals, private sectors also benefit a lot, those that have restaurants and hotels around the park, this also helps the locals to gain employment, skills and experience in these hospitality sectors which has made a major improvement towards the living of the locals. Following up is the Gorilla naming events that takes place every year in Rwanda and put together by Rwandan Tourist Board. 4.4.2: Gorilla naming ceremony Gorilla naming ceremony/event was introduced in 2005 in order to create recognition/awareness for the conservation of the mountain Gorillas. This is a process where they give baby gorillas names. The event is called ‘’KWITA IZINA’’ each and every year this event takes place and every year it has a theme. 2010 KWITI IZINA theme was ‘’ Many Species, One planet, One Future’’. This event brings in a lot of international, regional and local visitors to Virunga mountain ranges where the gorillas live. This event is also beneficial towards the economy of the Government as it brings in a lot of tourist to the country. Another reason why this event takes place is ensure that the people of Rwanda and the international are able to participate in environmental protection and help look for possible solutions and ways to reduce incoming threats to biodiversity of the mountain ranges. This event also helps to promote the culture of Rwanda, durin g the event, speeches take place by the members of tourism committee, and Rwandan people are also able to explore their culture by dancing, singing and poem telling. Ever since this event was introduced, 103 baby gorillas have been named. In 2007 when this event launched, the director General ORTPN Rosette Rugamba, suggested that â€Å"The new event brand Identity has been developed to incorporate the evolution of the Gorilla naming event from a local event into an event of international stature while keeping a national identity that is distinctively Rwandese, and also she added on that every birth of the gorilla is a confirmation of a successful conservation and protection program that aims that one day it will achieve its principle objective of removing the mountain gorilla off the endangered species list. Source: (Rwanda office of Tourism and National Park, 2007) (Lawler, 2010) 4.4.3: images of the Gorillas at the event of KWITA IZINA in Mountain Ranges Image 1    Image 2    Image 3    Image 4    Source: (Lawler, 2010) Chapter 5: Conclusion/Recommendation To conclude this, the strategies that have been implemented by the government to increase tourism in Rwanda have had an impact on the government and the local people. The reason for this is because people that work in tourism organisation have been forced to take on the strategies that can help increase tourism, therefore employees and employers are trying to follow these strategies in order to see that Rwandan Government can increase its tourism, doing this will help the country be reorganised the developments/changes they have done in order to increase tourism in Rwanda. Following up on some of the strategies that the Government of Rwanda want to implement, such as country’s infrastructure, hotel facilities, tourist attractions and customer service within the tourism industry. After the strategies were put together on how to improve infrastructure, the roads were really bad, a lot of tourist were complaining, but now talking from experience, the roads are being maintained now and then since the country is working hard to ensure that they meet there aim for vision 2020.   For airports, the Government is currently building a national airport in a place called Nyamata which will be bigger than the one they had. Their main objective for this is to ensure that they promote and establish the new airport that is currently being built as a regional hub, last but not least to promote the development of air transport. Tourist attraction has been also improved and still improving straight after the policy was set. Rwanda has several attractions, the major one is the mountain Gorillas, the memorial sites, etc. Besides the gorillas being the main key tourism product of Rwanda but also the memorial site is seen to be another tourism product. The site also helps generate income towards the country and also has a huge impact on the locals who lost their relatives during the 1994 genocide. The main strategy for the memorial sites were to ensure that it is built and well maintained for both out-bound and in-bound tourists. The aim for building these sites in each region within Rwanda was to ensure that it is beneficial and it will help transform the lives of those who survived. Customer service within the tourism industry was one of the key issues that was raised and put in the strategies that the Government want to improve. Again talking from experience, Rwanda is still facing a problem with lack of customer service both in private and public sectors. The strategy that was taken in order to improve this issue was to ensure that tourism organisations introduce training for the employees. This aim would help both the organisations and employees. Tourism organisation will benefit by first of all success and also providing the best customer services they want towards their consumers. Employees will benefit by gaining the best skills and life experience that they can use in any organisations they may go to.   Customer service is very important mostly for tourism in Rwanda because it provides excellent and memorable support towards the consumers/tourist that may feel that Rwanda cannot provide, most especially tourist that go to Rwanda having an impression tha t the country is one of the third-world country. 5.1: Will tourism in Rwanda develop as planned by the government? Tourism in Rwanda will develop as planned by the government and this is because since 1994 when the genocide ended, the government had tried to do a lot of changes to the country in order to increase tourism, firstly by drafting   a ten year tourism master plan that contain strategies that will be followed in order to increase tourism, so far the government of Rwanda is continuing to follow its strategic plan in order to see whether Rwanda is recognised within world for its tourism development rather than being recognised for the civil war that took place. Besides the tourism master plan that was drafted by the country’s tourist board, they have what is called vision 2020. So far Rwanda is building new roads as mentioned above, new homes and business buildings which they think it will contribute towards the success of the economy and the plan where they want Rwanda to and look in 9 years time. Below is a short YouTube website that demonstrates 2020 master plan of how the strategy makers want Rwanda to look like. youtube.com/watch?v=jnvBDJA9Mug 5.2: Possible outcomes Conclusively, Rwanda is certainly reaping from the gorilla tourism and contributing to poverty reduction that was caused by the civil war. The image of the country has seriously improved straight after the strategies were put to action; first and foremost they had to ensure that gorilla tourism promotion was done since the gorillas are there main tourism product that generates the country’s economy. However, In order for the country to ensure that they are doing the right thing, the government of Rwanda should diversify its tourism products by establishing other tourism products that will complement the gorilla tourism.   Such as Lakes, the national parks, mountains and the memorial centres. More conservation efforts and community involved is also needed to ensure sustainable tourism development as mentioned in chapter 4. Focusing mainly on the internal and external issues that are affecting tourism in Rwanda, since Rwanda is seen to have excellent tourist attractions, one of the weaknesses seen is that they lack quality tourism products, for recommendation, Rwanda should provide more products and services to collaborate with its fascinating attractions. For example they should sell more and more traditional handicrafts, gametes and other products that would eye-catch mostly international tourist. As for services, hotel and other hospitality organisations nearby these attraction should ensure that they offer a high standard service towards the tourist because they deserve what they paid for and also by providing what the customers want, in order for these organisations to know what customers want, they should create customer feedback forms and provide them after each visitation of a tourist and then they will be able to know what customers want, do not want, what they prefer most and what they think s hould be changed in terms of improvements. That way tourism organisations should be able to know what they need to change in order to provide quality products and services.    References Journals Mazimhaka J, ‘Diversifying Rwandas tourism industry’ a role for domestic tourism  (September) 2007 24 (3) 491-504 Athiyaman, A and Robertson, R W ‘Strategic planning in large tourism firms; an empirical analysis’ Tourism management 1995 16 (3) 199. Taylor L, Allardyce M and Macpherson N ‘Attitude measurement for development of tourism marketing strategies’ Tourism attitudes and motivators (march) 1992 13 (1) 52. Dexter J.L. Choy ‘Alternative roles of national tourism organisations’ Government role in tourism   (October) 1993 14 (5) 362 Baum T, ’The development and implementation of national tourism policies’ Tourism management 1994 15 (3) 185 Fayos-Sola E, ‘Tourism Policy: a midsummer might’s dream?’ The development of tourism policy 1996 (17) 408 B.Teye.V, ‘Case study’ Strategic planning at the local level (December) 1992 13 (4) 408 Fayos-Sola.E, Marin.A and Meffert.C, ‘The strategic role of tourism trade fairs in the new age of tourism’ A strategy for the future (February) 1994 15 (1) 13 Athiyaman A, ‘The interface of tourism and strategy research: an analysis’ The subfields of strategy 1995 16 (6) 449 Books Chadwick.S, Beech.J, (2006) analysis of the business environment and strategy in tourism, what is strategy and why is important? Chp 9 pg 204/ Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005:10) Exploring corporate strategy. Tribe.J, (1997) Corporate strategy for tourism, Cost leadership, chp 5 pg 110 Electronic Ngenzi, Yves Kome, Perceived barriers to tourism development in Rwanda as a tourist destination (2009). CPUT Theses Dissertations. Paper 29. Economy Envestiment. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 16, 2011, from Rwanda today: rwandatourism.com/economy.htm Lawler, G. (2010, 06 05). The Kwita Izina Event. Retrieved 03 18, 2011, from World Environment day annual kwita izina: kwitizina.org/ Murangwa, F. (2010, 11 01). Tourism issues and developments. Retrieved 03 18, 2011, from Adventure tourism, Gorilla trekking, the golden product for Rwanda!: tourism-master.nl/2010/11/01/adventure-tourism-gorilla-trekking-the-golden-product-for-rwanda/ Park, R. o. (2007, 04 24). Official lauch of Kwita Izina. Retrieved 03 18, 2011, from Rwanda Virtual Tours : rwandatourism.com/kwita_izina.htm Mark Saunders, P. L. (2007). Research Methods for Business Students. London: Pitman . prescott, a. (2008, May 14). Advantages and Disavantages of Secondary Research. Retrieved 03 10, 2011, from http://prosandconsofsecondaryresearch.blogspot.com/: http://prosandconsofsecondaryresearch.blogspot.com/ surf surviours fund. (2008). Retrieved 03 10, 2011, from statistics on Rwanda: survivors-fund.org.uk/resources/history/statistics.php Times, T. N. (2009, 03 12). RDB drafts Tourism master plan. Retrieved 03 10, 2011, from Government Supporting Daily: http://allafrica.com/stories/200903130234.html

How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism Essay

How important was nationalism as a cause of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe - Essay Example In this paper, the term nationalism is used in the meaning of political doctrine and ideology which is justified by a goal to make a certain nation succeed in pursuing its interests. In this context, a nation is understood as â€Å"a political, ethnic, territorial, cultural, or religious group united by a common economy, mass culture, common legal rights and duties, and a belief system that emphasizes either shared history and genealogy or other common myths distinguishing this group from others† (Smith, 1991: 14). Molchanov (2000: 264) observes that nationalism today is a product of modernization as well as mass education. It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its member s’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). ... It is also a product of the elites’ conscious manipulation of country’s masses. Nationalism is based on national feeling, i.e. a feeling of belonging to a community which is culturally distinct and goes beyond people’s circles of important others, covers the barriers of statuses and classes, and on a legitimate basis commands its members’ loyalty. In this respect, a national community is perceived as an imagined community with its contours being reconstructed during the process of national mobilization (Molchanov, 2000: 263). As for the national elite, it serves a mobilizing agent in this process. Its parochial interests get the status of national interests and become values for which all compatriots fight. Typically, the elite is made up of well-educated classes â€Å"from the indigenous nationality and local administrators† who have become dissatisfied with current social standing (Molchanov, 2000: 264). Exploring the political agenda of contempor ary nationalism, one may state that it necessarily develops in its connection to state (Tibor, 2010: 36). The relationship between nationalism and the state is discussed in two major modes. The first one describes the situation when the representatives of the indigenous nationality already have control over the state. They make efforts to unite people and create their specific nation. It is characterized by a focus on cultural and linguistic homogenization, consolidation of political connections, and creating the feeling of solidarity. The activity of the government results in education standardization and decrease of the social distance which may be found between the society layers (Gellner, 1998). The second mode of nationalism development within the state is when the elites do not possess control over

Tracing Genetic Ancestry in Humans Research Paper

Tracing Genetic Ancestry in Humans - Research Paper Example Before the advent of molecular technology, ancestral lineage is based on the recollection of and stories passed by the oldest living family member to the younger family members. People born from the same continent also have some attachment, as it seems logical to think they could have come from the same ancestors because of the proximity of their parents with one another. Now, DNA analysis becomes a way of objectively verifying those theories. By comparing the nucleotide sequences of samples against a sequence database from more than 75, 000 indigenous and traditional populations from all over the world, (Biological and Environmental Research Information System, 2010), DNA sequence unique to people from a certain continent, country, town, village or family may be identified (Rotimi, 2003). These populations are each composed of people living within a particular region for several generations and maintaining the same culture (Biological and Environmental Research Information System, 2 010). Anyone who would like to determine his or her group of origin can thus look for these unique sequences in his or her own genome. An example of a population seeking to define their ancestral origin and the populations that have the same ancestors is African-Americans. Certainly, the parallelism in their experiences with slavery and obvious similarities in appearance motivate the effort of linking African-Americans with modern-day Africans. The results of many DNA studies suggest that the common female (140, 000 years old) and male (60, 000 years old) ancestors of modern humans are from Africa. Migration started 65, 000 years ago, when they populated southern Asia, China, Java and Europe (Biological and Environmental Research Information System, 2010). Such movement has caused a modern human population, such as African-American, to be genetically-diverse. For example, African-Americans can have a European Y-chromosome because of the historical admixture of African farming employ ees to European plantation owners (www.rootsforreal.com). As well, in a study of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University analyzing the genetic make-up of 365 African-Americans, 203 people from 12 West African populations, and 400 Europeans from 42 countries, it was found that African-Americans had as little as 1% and as much as 99% West African ancestry. The genetic sequences implicating West African origin was also found to be similar to those of Igbo and Yoruba from Nigeria and Bantu-speaking populations in Western Africa. In addition, their median proportion of European ancestry is 18.5%. Specifically, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) origin (mothers) were mostly African, while the Y chromosome (fathers) were African or European (http://www.physorg.com/news180632039.html, 2010). Which tools can be used to determine such ancestral connections? Let us start with the most superficial. If an individual would like to verify connections between him or her and an alleged relative, he or she can request for a DNA fingerprinting test. Using certain sequences at 16 chromosomes, the possibility of a blood relationship is calculated (www.rootsforreal.com). As mentioned earlier, matching mtDNA and/or Y-chromosome with the database of samples from different populations can be done to determine ancestral roots. These

Why America Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay Example for Free

Why America Bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki Essay It was during the Second World War that the USA dropped two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities of Japan. This caused a lot of destruction with its negative effects being felt up to date. Monuments have been erected on the places where the bombs hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of people died in these two cities following the dropping of weapons of mass destruction by the US following a directive from her president – Harry S. Truman. This was after Japan failed to agree to surrender during the war as was agreed in Potsdam where issuance of declaration was done to push Japan to give in to the war (Kennedy, Bailey, 99). Together with the then president of the China Republic and the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Truman came up with a document enumerating ‘terms of surrender’ to Japan upon which if it failed to adhere to would face the consequences. Japan on its part thought it was just a mere threat and therefore failed to surrender. This prompted the USA president to mobilize the bombing of the two cities. According to reports, the dropping of the first atomic bomb- ‘the little boy’ on Hiroshima was a ‘test’ of the capability of destruction. This though did not move Japan, a situation that led to the dropping of the second atomic bomb- ‘the fat man’ on Nagasaki killing and maiming an estimate of 35,000- 80,000 people, some instantly and others afterwards because of after- effects. War had been raging on across the pacific from 1939. Some Japanese cities had been bombed before the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U. S.  A, which were spared but for just a while. This is because there was a stalemate between the two countries- Japan and the U. S. A. The US government was also prompted by the acts of Japanese military of attacking the Pearl Harbor. U. S. A decided therefore to force Japan to admit defeat in the war, an event that did not go well with Japan, thus resisting it. Japan’s worry was the inclusion of the words â€Å"Unconditional Surrender† in the pact issued by the U. S. A regarding ceasefire (Walker, 28). Without warning so as not to be prevented on its mission, U. S.  A decided to drop the bombs on Japan. This was on anticipation that because they were fighting for disarmament and dropping of use of nuclear weapons the process of forcing Japan to surrender would not succeed because of interjections by other parties to the war. Japan had waged war against the U. S. A following the Pacific war, a situation that led to many U. S. A citizens to lose their lives and property destroyed. These bombings were not an easy task to accomplish. On humanitarian grounds, using atomic bombs would cause much unwanted suffering and aggression. On moral grounds, it would be really wrong to do it as taking away human life is wrong considering that life is sacred. Though Japan was determined to make peace with the U. S. A, the only thing that hindered this decision was the words â€Å"Unconditional Surrender†. With calls for demonstration of the operation of the bombs to the Japanese civilians unheeded, the bombings were inevitable. Petitions for the withdrawal of the use of atomic bombs by the U. S on Japan were uncalled for and already too late as tests of the effective destruction by the bombs had already been conducted. At this point, nothing seemed to stop the inevitable bombing as the then president of the US (Truman) issued an order to use atomic bombs (Newman, 21). Hiroshima was a communication hub as well as a military center. Nagasaki was an industrial town and a port with plants to make military weapons giving the more reason they should be attacked, the purpose being to derail the Japanese militants. The scientist behind the making of the atomic bombs used on Japan regretted the use of these bombs. Driven by personal conviction and conscience, this scientist never wanted the use of the bombs at all on Japan. This implies that he foresaw the destruction the bombs would cause with regard to human life and humanity. The explanation given by President Truman on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was that they were military bases and that he wished to avoid the bombing of women and children, reports indicate that over 95 % of those killed and maimed were civilians and not militants. US wanted to end and win the war, but Japan would not accept prompting dire measures to be taken upon it. Another reason given was to save Americans from the war and not only them but also Japanese as well. Resources also were being protected from further destruction. It is for certain that he USA took advantage of her technological advancement to attack Japan with the atomic bombs (Kennedy, Bailey, 101). This is because; it was the first time atomic bombs were being used, just shortly after their discovery. Following the demise of the American soldiers killed by Japanese military forces during the war, revenge seemed another driving factor to the bombing of the two cities. The decision by the USA militants to block entry of oil tankers and food entering the country of Japan could have propelled the Japanese to surrender. This is because it means that people could no live because of lack of food and no traveling as all running engines would be deprived of what is the most important-oil causing everything to go into disarray. More diplomatic tactics would be used as use of excessive force was unnecessary. Chances of arbitration or mediation were there, but US decided on the use of force. It might have been a revenge mission but which cost so many lives with claims of saving even more lives. It might be true the allegations, but where is the rationale behind the bombings considering that Japan had every indication of surrendering in the war? The US troops had largely won the war though a considerable number lost their lives, very little force therefore would be required to claim Japan’s adamancy to surrender. This would include just the normal warfare between militants. The fact that US was fighting back the attack of the pearl harbor did not give her reason to interfere with the internal organization of Japan as a country, it should have just left Japan to continue with its cultural practice of having an emperor and convincing the country’s citizens on the importance of having peace and maintaining it (Wainstock, 12). Forcing the country to abandon its practice which was known and practiced for many years meant resistance with an eminent danger of sparking unrelenting war. Instead of using force, it should have used reasoning and logic to convince the people of the country to refuse tyrannical kind of a rule. Therefore, even though the bombings act was widely acceptable by most of the Americans in solving the stalemate, it brought about gnawing memories to the people of Japan. The resultant situation can best be described as that of devastation and hopelessness to the victims.

What are Emotions? Essay -- Psychology Emotional Essays

What are Emotions? What are emotions and do they affect those we relate to in our daily lives. Webster’s Dictionary describes emotions as an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, or the like is experienced. One can easily see emotions are a strong surge of feelings. These feelings could be happy, sorrowful, joyful, and anxious. You know these feelings and have probably experienced them all from time to time. Different situations will affect our emotions and cause them to change, but can our emotions affect the people that surround us? Do people adjust their attitudes and emotions according to those they are around? In Alice Walker’s, â€Å"Am I Blue,† she is deeply affected by the horse and the different emotions it displays. Blue’s emotions affected the way she was feeling. If she felt that he was happy, then she too felt happy. In Walker’s essay, she speaks about Blue’s reaction to loosing his companion and how he grieved. Alth ough he was in a beautiful place, with thousands of acres to run, he had no one to share this with; therefore he became devastated and sad. After reading this article, a pre-school/kindergarten teacher decided to see how her moods and emotions would affect her students. Would their actions and behavior depend solely on the emotions she was experiencing? After watching and observing them over a period of time and experiencing both good moods and bad moods, this is what she found. Emotions or one’s emotional state definitely affects how we function and interact with others, especially children. When a teacher is in a good mood, he/ she will exercise more energy and will display more patience with his/her students. This will have a positive affect on the clas... ...y will ask someone else. If the teacher continues to be in a state of emotional stress, his/ her students will begin to have fear. Also, they may not have the eagerness to learn; they won’t ask questions because they’re afraid to ask. Whether the teacher is in a good mood or a bad mood, their emotions will affect those they are teaching. In conclusion, one can tell emotions affect everyone in both positive and negative ways. On order to be a good teacher, one must exude energy, patience, knowledge, and creativity at all times. Therefore, it is very important for a teacher to try to leave any negative emotions; he/she may be feeling at home. If a teacher displays negative emotions, it will not only affect his/her students, but it will also take away from one or all the qualities he/she should posses in order to be a good and affective teacher.

Research Paper. People Power Revolution Essay

For more than a decade now, many Filipinos have trekked to EDSA to commemorate the anniversary of the February 1986 â€Å"People Power Revolution,† marking the overthrow of President Marcos’ regime. This year the customary rituals – ecumenical invocations, on-site masses, eloquent political speeches, martial marches, colorful parades, star-studded shows and other diversionary entertainment – will be performed as before. The celebration will probably take a more subdued tone as the country, as well as the region, reels from the economic slowdown and disruptive challenges to erstwhile secure political orders. For most people who persist in joining the EDSA celebration, few are inspired to explore its historical or spiritual connotations. It appears sufficient that this historic stretch of the national highway is momentarily transformed into a convenient amusement park. After all, people who live precariously from moment to moment, as more Filipinos now must, are not inclined to burden themselves contemplating the depressing state of the nation. Better the light entertainment of the moment than the serious reflection which a continuing sense of national purpose and civic responsibility demands. Yet, amidst today’s celebration of the 1986 People Power Revolution, one really ought to inquire into the meaning of this historic mass action, the original context within which it might be more fully appreciated and the painful but now compelling perspective for assessing the current relevance of this experience. In 1986, a critical mass of Filipinos found Marcos and the political order he created sufficiently revolting; and, throwing their support behind a small band of desperate military coup plotters, forced the ailing dictator, his family and his subalterns to flee the country. The popular revolt succeeded in toppling Marcos’ rule, but lacking a clearly revolutionary ideology, a revolutionary program of government, a revolutionary political leadership and indeed a revolutionary mass base, the rising could not go much beyond ridding the country of the hated Marcos and dismantling the formal political infrastructure of his dictatorship. The leaders and other supporters of the â€Å"people power revolution† could have worked hard to give substance to this media-projected identity. Indeed the momentum of the popular revolt could have been sustained and immediately magnified had a series of progressive government policies been launched and implemented with revolutionary rigor by the successor regime. These policies included people empowerment particularly at the local level, national unification embracing the traditionally marginalized and even the main rebel groups, recovery of plundered public resources and relentless pursuit of those responsible for the rape of an entire nation across several generations. The revolutionary possibilities indicated by these early policies of the new government however would remain illusory. Traditional vested interest groups (e.g. landed wealth, those in business and the religious) as well as politicized new players in Philippine politics (e.g. the military) developed more than enough political stakes in the post-Edsa political arrangements and predictably shirked from the revolutionary thrusts of these early policies. As had happened so often in the history of most nations, collaborationist Philippine elites thought it best to undertake a politics of restoration where their primacy would be guaranteed rather than to assist in the building of a new and, for the historically privileged, a problematic, even outrightly perilous democratic regime. Most leaders of the 1986 revolt understandably settled on the reassuring shores of oligarchic history rather than embark on the uncharted, revolutionary seas searching for the proverbial terra incognita, a conceivably democratic national destiny. National unification was pursued without any critical attention being paid to what elements could legitimately be included in or excluded from national life. Thus economic plunderers and scoundrels automatically were inserted as integral parts of post-Marcos transition. It did not matter much, that for more than two decades, they had abused and looted the nation. National reconciliation was similarly uncritically pursued and perpetrators of appalling crimes, including economic brigandage and human rights abuses, were courted without requiring them to undertake significant restitution to the victims of their rapacity while they retained control of government offices at various levels. No revolutionary possibility could survive amidst policies which glossed over the antithetical character of the nation’s traitors and its patriots, the victimizers and their victims, the plunderers and the plundered. A nation that is successfully misled by its leaders into adopting this convenient and self-serving ambiguity learns to readily forgive and hence to also easily forget. Without a clear memory, no nation can hope to sustain an irreversible revolution, the only truly reliable path to its deserved destiny. The historical record since 1986 reflects the implacable effects of reformist policies which do not basically alter the substantive character of Philippine society and its core political system. Economic and political inequities remain at high levels, with poverty engulfing probably more than 6 years percent of the nation’s families (this count is often registered in academic surveys although the government’s own estimates would improve this profile, cutting down the estimated poverty incidence rate to less than 40 percent by 1997). Despite the much touted improvements in national economic performance particularly between 1992 and 1997, Philippine per capita income remains low in relation to countries like Thailand and Malaysia and only slightly better than Indonesia within the region. Independent surveys also indicate that gains made by the national economy in the last 60 have been largely limited to the better-off and had not significantly trickled down to the poorer Filipinos. Politically, local governments have gained more autonomy, the oligarchic and dynastic characteristics of the political system continue to be apparent and are documented in various studies looking into electoral financing, candidate profiles and public official pedigrees. Systemic graft and corruption remain at fairly high levels. Thirteen years after the EDSA Revolution, a new president’s public speeches would continue to denounce routinely â€Å"hoodlums in robes† (those in the judiciary), â€Å"hoodlums in uniform† (those in the military and the police) as well as all other plain hoodlums in and out of government service. All would be warned in his inaugural address not to test his presidential resolve to combat graft and corruption. (Almost a year into his own presidency, it appears that some of his own close political aides have been hard of hearing at his inauguration). One could continue documenting the agitating features of Philippine political history after 1986. One could explore the serious challenges of criminality to public safety (with about 40 percent at least of the people feeling unsafe whether in their own homes or in the streets of their own neighborhood), or of dissident groups defying public order (the CPP-NPA-NDF communist threat and the Muslim Islamic Liberation Front) or the politicization of purportedly neutral government institutions such as the judiciary and the military, among others. All these are painful images of a current reality emphatically belying any claim that a political or socioeconomic revolution was indeed precipitated at EDSA. Yet one more image remains and perhaps it is this one that might serve to sufficiently outrage another critical mass and another generation of Filipinos toward a much more authentic revolutionary awakening. Criminals do appear to have a compulsion to return to the scene of their crimes. The national plunderers are back in business, in all the influential sectors of Philippine society, in government, the private sector and even in  many of the pseudo-organizations of civil society. Their dramatic presence, their predictable forays into the nation’s patrimony and their subsequent arrogant posturings could re-ignite the public’s fading memories of a previous regime’s brutal political repression and tyrannical rule. A better-organized, better-informed and more truly revolutionary consciousness could be facilitated by the resurgence of these people who treated the Philippines as their private looting grounds for more than two decades. Then, like the devil in Goethe’s Faust, they may yet philosophically pronounce when asked for their identity: â€Å"I am he who while ever conspiring to do evil somehow manage to effect good.† The lessons of 1986 and other earlier possible turning points in Philippine history are relatively unambiguous. Revolts do not necessarily make for revolutionary outcomes, at best on for revolutionary potential. In the case of the 1986 Revolution, that potential was aborted. Marcos was deposed as a political ruler, but the political system which spawned him was not irreversibly destroyed and may even now be resurgent. The final lesson of EDSA has long been suspected by democratic sympathizers, although there have been few validations of their thesis. A democratic revolution cannot be initiated or sustained by self-serving elites. Only an enlightened, self-serving citizenry can reliably initiate and sustain an enduring democracy.

Dickens presentation of the four spirits Essay

In ‘A Christmas Carol’ four spirits meet Scrooge and they haunt and warn him of how he disregards Christmas and how people look upon him. Dickens uses his own unique writing skills in portraying the spirits, making the appearance relevant to the purpose of the each spirit. The first supernatural being to visit Scrooge is the ghost of Jacob Marley – Scrooge’s deceased working partner. The appearance of this spirit is directly similar to what Marley wore in his first life when he was a slave to money – exactly like Scrooge. These same working clothes show how he is still chained down by the burden of money and that his afterlife has been made rather painful by being a slave to work. Marley’s ghost is warning Scrooge that if he doesn’t change his character, he will too be burdened in his afterlife. The spirit also foretells the appearance of three more ghosts. The chains ‘clasped about his middle’ and all the different items that are wrought to the chain all symbolize money and greed of the spirit. The cash-boxes and the keys all represent the hiding away of money and keeping the wealth to themselves and not sharing the abundance of money. The imagery of heavy objects such as the ‘padlocks’ and ‘steel purses’ show how laden the ghost is with the weight of the money. The ‘ledgers’ and ‘deeds’ show the detailed accounts of money and proper ownership and this is a symbol that everything has to be accounted for, no money can pass by the scrutiny of the accountant which is so true to Scrooge’s life. Apart from being immensely weighted down by his possessions of greed which held back his life, Marley was transparent. This was so obvious that Scrooge could see the two buttons on the back of his coat. This transparency conveys the sense that this person was never a normal human, he was a chilling figure who lacked some human qualities that most usual persons have. This is a ghost which freezes the presence around him with his ‘death cold eyes’ and his ‘chilling influence’, he is cold, like his life. He has no real substance and the only apparent clear images Scrooge can see of this spirit are the symbols of hoarding, selfishness and greed. The ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ reveals itself to Scrooge, shortly after the affair with Marley, and the purpose of this ghost is to show Scrooge of the times of his past life which involve his school and family life as well as his relationships with Fan and Belle. The first line of the description portrays excellently the appearance of this unusual spirit: ‘It was a strange figure – like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man’. Dickens shows that even though this spirit is a child, representing youth and looking back in to the past, it is strong bodied being able to be firm with Scrooge. This strength, and the indication of the spirit being old, shows that the ghost is wise and experienced, able to lift Scrooge out of the window with considerable ease and make the miser look up and pay attention. The spirit is also strangely attired with stark contrasts in its dress for the spirit has a holly branch in his hand and summer flowers lining the end of its dress. This displays the progression of time and the seasons which in turn reflect the stages of Scrooges past life and the progression of a mans life, which is slowly been clutched by the grasp of money. The spirit also possesses another unusual quality in that a ‘bright clear jet of light’ springs out from his head as well as having extensive description of the whiteness of its being. This clear whiteness and the jet of light symbolizes the simplicity of what the spirit is showing – It is making thing apparently clear to Scrooge. This ghost is not satisfied with a complicated face and bizarre attire for it also changes the form of its being from ‘being now a thing with one arm, now with one leg, now with twenty legs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and the changes vary so much that at one point the spirit has no head. This unusual distinction, I feel, represent the change in emotions and I think Dickens is trying to portray the alterations of Scrooges past and of all the feelings and events that changed him in to a tight-fisted businessman. The ghost of Christmas present is a bit simpler to understand for he represents the things and spirit of Christmas. His purpose is to show Scrooge the way people celebrate Christmas at present and to point out the abundance of Christmas joy there is in families, which is alien to Scrooge. The spirit is introduced with a large range of different Christmas foods such as long plum-puddings, mince pies, ‘cherry-cheeked apples’ and ‘immense twelfth cakes’, just to mention a few of the items layering the floor. The abundance and feeling of plenty is conveyed with the magnificent quantities of tangible items on display, with the ‘barrels of oysters’ and ‘wreaths of sausages’. Dickens eloquently describes the food making the reader feel tempted by these appetizing descriptions. All this is completely foreign to Scrooge. He has never seen this type of thing for he never shares his money to make these things happen, therefore this is appropriate so to open Scrooge’s eyes to the celebration of Christmas. The actual spirit is huge, happy and incredibly relaxed which is shown by his ‘easy state’ upon which Scrooge finds him. This peaceful, kind and generous spirit holds Plenty’s horn which is a sign of abundance and a richness of possessions and atmosphere. He is full of Christmas spirit and he knows what it is like to have a good time and a laugh, he is only haunting Scrooge with good things he has not seen before. The spirit is radiant, full of light for it pours on to Scrooge, he cannot escape the joyous plentiful atmosphere. He cant run away for the light is so strong it grasps him. The spirit is kind to Scrooge yet he is not passive telling Scrooge in a firm manner to look upon his wide, inviting eyes. The ghost has clothes of a simple nature with a ‘simple green robe bordered with white fur’. This shows just how relaxed and unpretentious the spirit is, he is even bare-breasted showing that he just wants to present himself as he is with no false attachments – even his feet are found without covering. The holly wreath which is seen on the spirit, is a symbol. Jesus once wore a similar wreath and he was peaceful and kind, just like the spirit who is compared to the son of God for they are both cheerful and immensely unconstrained. The ultimate peace of the spirit is displayed when Scrooge notices that in his scabbard there lay no sword but a hole of air polluted by the aging rust. The spirit is a provider, feeding his immense family of 1,800 well, with the full stuffing of Christmas spirit and all the joyous aspects this brings with it. This open hearted spirit is showing the true meaning of Christmas to Scrooge who has only ever lived for money seeing Christmas as a wasted day. There is a very stark difference between the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’ and the ‘Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’ for the spirit which foresees the future is firstly described as moving ‘slowly, gravely, silently’. This is more a haunting spirit, he is meant to be scary and menacing and he certainly is introduced in this fashion for he is to show the grim tales of Scrooges future which are not pleasant. The overwhelming fear in Scrooge is seen, in that he quickly bends down on one knee and the atmosphere disperses in to one of ‘gloom and mystery’. There is definite sense of fear for the words convey ghostly imagery such as ‘shrouded’ which is a dark word in that it is often associated with a funeral or a burial. The deep, piercingly solemn appearance of a hand is all Scrooge needs to fill him with ultimate fear for the ghost is incredibly hard to distinguish and the outstretched hand is all one can see. This mysterious invisibility makes the ghost even more harrowing for there is only one hand which brings about this dark and undistinguished presence, the ghost is a shape which is horribly not complete. As well as not being able to see all the parts of the ghoul, the spirit does not even talk which makes him even more fearful for it is impossible for Scrooge to communicate to this haunting phantom. Scrooge is desperate for the ghoul to utter a word but Dickens purposely does not let the figure talk for it adds to his mysterious and chilling demeanor. This spirit is one which people dread, it is of an appearance of a phantom which chills the surrounding air which others choke on in fear. The description continues, with Dickens using metaphorical speech to describe the ghoul: ‘but a spectral hand and one great heap of black’. The effect of the metaphor is once more of absolute fear and terror. The description ends with Scrooge requesting speech from the ghoul but it is not going to respond which rounds off the passage with a feeling of fear. Dickens shows skill in describing these ghosts so relevantly to what there immediate purpose is. Each ghost has its own specific meaning and Dickens presents this effectively giving each spirit a unique appearance which tells a story with a true moral which still applies today. Dickens is a storyteller with unique gifts and this is shown in these descriptions of the four spirits.

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