Scapegoating

Scapegoating, (v, act of singling out any party for unmerited, negative treatment) has been around since the biblical days, and still exists in many different forms today. Although there are many reasons a person or group of people may have for choosing a scapegoat, the bottom line is the simple fact that the â€Å"blamer† does not want to accept responsibility for their own actions or feelings.Whether fueled by hostility, aggression, frustration or jealousy, the scapegoat is singled out as the cause of those unwanted feelings, and for any trouble that may come up along the way. Scapegoating can happen anywhere from right at home within the family, right up the line to various issues within society and politics. Within the home, although most people view this to be their â€Å"safe place,† this may not be the case for some.There are many families that either knowingly or unknowingly pick one member of the family to be the scapegoat. This person will bear the brunt of mo st or sometimes all family members’ anger and frustrations. There are different factors that contribute to how this person is chosen, such as: being viewed to be weaker, they may have traits of un liked relative or friend of the family, or many other unknown reasons. Eventually, this person will begin to accept this to be their lot in life, and begin to accept the blame as reality.This will lead to emotional, behavioral, and social problems, as well as lead to low self- confidence and low self -worth. Another common place to see issues of scapegoating or bullying would be within society and politics. Some societies will place the blame for certain social problems on certain groups. There are places in the world that label specific tribes or ethnicities as the cause for what is going on. Countries will put the blame for government issues onto the President, or Prime Minister.The leader of these countries will then in turn use scapegoating to distract from more serious, underly ing issues by keeping the public busy blaming another person, country or group. The bottom line is that scapegoating, although it may seem convenient at the time, does not actually solve anything! It can lead to violence, hatred, segregation, and more serious issues. There are very rare instances of anything positive coming from scapegoating in a family setting, and even more within society and politics.

Organizational Profile Pfizer Company Essay

Prior to a corporate wide restructuring effort, the Pfizer Corporation operated with a divisional structure. This divisional organization prevented realization of full organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Although this organizational structure provides for defined accountabilities, creation of professional development opportunities, and cultivates the process for local performance management, the divisional structure can create extreme inter-organizational competition, while requiring a duplication of functional specialists and inter-division personnel throughout each divisional area (Iqbal, 2008). Pfizer recently transitioned to a new structure which created an opportunity for clearly defined responsibilities and accountabilities, while eliminating the duplication of functionalities throughout divisional areas (Pfizer, 2007). The new structure promotes well defined objectives and additional organizational efficiencies (Iqba, 2008). The Matrix structure is, however, much more complex. Unlike the previous divisional structure, the organization now operates within an integrated model. This new structure creates multi-channel accountability through sharing of authoritative powers and a general decrease in organizational clarity (Iqba, 2008). Although the Matrix provides many advantages not seen through the Division structure, the organization must resolve structural deficiencies in order to achieve their defined objectives. Problem Selection and Rationale Pfizer’s new organizational structure is conducive to their company. The Matrix structure is an ideal structure within project-focused organizations (Johnson, 1990). For the Pfizer Corporation, who is driven by consumer demand, the Matrix structure creates an opportunity for flexible use of corporate resources. Within the Matrix environment, personnel may transition from one project to another, as needed (Johnson, 1990). Because Pfizer’s routine business activities involve research leading to the development and market introduction of new medicines, the demand for human capital within the company varies. The Matrix structure provides opportunity for efficient use of human resources within the organization. The introduction of the Matrix structure resulted in several problematic areas. Within the new environment, the functional manager assumes the ultimate roll of authority for the project at hand (Johnson, 1990). Unlike alternative structures, this is based on the project at hand rather than functionality; delays in processing, approvals, etc. are likely to arise through having narrowed executive leadership. Additionally, priorities can become variable leading to misalignment within the team. Pfizer Corporation has identified a problematic situation in which team members carry conflicting priorities (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). The integrated structure has caused some concern within the functional teams. While the project manager’s priorities remain with the project at hand, the functional manager has often utilized time for training which has been known to consist of several consecutive days (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). In these instances, the company’s authority has conflicting objectives of what should be done first. While the manager’s priority has been training, the leader’s priority remains completion of tasks related to the project (McKinney Rogers, n. d. ). This problem has paved the way for ineffective organizational leadership. Use of a matrix structure within Pfizer has significantly impacted organizational leadership. Within the matrix structure, the project manager provides direct oversight of the project at hand while the functional manager maintains authoritative powers (Johnson, 1990). This can cause confusion amongst the team, as the chain of command becomes diluted. The project manager’s main concern lies with the big picture of the project itself while the functional manager is accountable for the functionality of completing the job (Iqba, 2008). While the perception seems that these two aspects go hand in hand, the reality is that the seemingly diluted management can create chaos and discontent amongst the team. Identifying these problematic areas is the first step towards enhancing the organizational structure. Each of these areas negatively impacts the organization’s productivity, quality, and efficiencies. While the foundation of the matrix structure aligns with Pfizer’s company, the manner in which it is utilized should be examined. Minor modifications to promote effective operations will result in higher levels of productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall efficiency of operational processes. Recommended Solutions and Rationale When enhancing an organizational structure, determining solutions to identified challenges is a critical piece of the overall process. Identifying solutions consist of examining current practices, determining challenges, researching solutions, testing hypothesis, and then implementing recommendations. In an effort to overcome the above challenges, research was conducted and solutions uncovered. To overcome the delayed response time in things such as decision making and approvals, we recommend the implementation of management maintenance through regularly scheduled meetings. In doing this, it is our hope that Pfizer will be able to maintain a consistent stream of communication, efficiency, and execution. By having regularly scheduled meetings, employees and the management team will have specific time set aside for things such as decisions needed to be made and approvals needing to be signed off on. To overcome inconsistent priorities throughout the organization, we propose that Pfizer establishes a clear definition of goals and expectations through management. The project manager of who is technically working under the authority of a product and the functional manager should both be given the authority to make critical decisions (Thomas, 2006). This would ensure that all involved with the project as well as those working in a functional capacity would have a clear vision set and know that decisions are made based on that vision. By showing a united team between the two management roles, it should alleviate confusion within the team and priorities should remain consistent if in line with the overall vision. To overcome decreased effectiveness of organizational leadership due to multiple managers overseeing the same project from a different aspect we believe that training is needed at the managerial level. This training should be targeted at increasing the managers’ emotional intelligence in order to increase their leadership abilities effectively (Harmer, n. d. ). Ilard & Findlay (2006) found that emotional intelligence contributes to team effectiveness and productivity. With Pfizer working in a team environment, this training would provide managers with the tools to assess the emotional intelligence of their team and tap into the different personalities they are working with. A team’s probability of success is believed to be reliant upon having members of the team who work well together and each contribute to the overall purpose, goal, or task at hand (Ilard & Findlay, 2006). The usage of emotional intelligence would be beneficial to Pfizer because it would have with everyone being on the same page and be able to flex their personality style based on the team member that they are working with. The challenges described can all be overcome through dedication to improving Pfizer’s organizational structure by all employees. In an effort to overcome these challenges, Pfizer will build a strong bond between employees through a process that provides timely responses, consistent priorities throughout the organization, and increased effectiveness of organizational leadership. Solution Evaluation Metrics and Rationale It is common belief that â€Å"the companies that are best able to manage projects, programs, and portfolios align them with strategic goals† (PMI, 2008). In terms of a company’s ability to practice this type strategizing in its â€Å"every day† practice is referred to its project management maturity level. Obviously, the companies that are better at predicting their ability to execute are better at meeting their key business objectives. Therefore, â€Å"Companies with greater maturity should expect to see tangible benefits that include better-performing project portfolios, efficiencies that come with better resource allocation, and increased process stability and repeatability† (PMI, 2008).

Human and Technology Essay

A social constructed human beeing: a (bio)technological approach The importance of this article talks about how technology has helped us and how it has also changed us as humans. It compares the past of the humans with the future of the humans. This source of the paper deals with my topic by helping me answer some questions of how technology is helping out humans and making them smarter. But then there is a down side to it also helping me explain the technology and if it is evolving faster than what we can get a grip on it and actually enjoy it before something more advanced comes about. The reason feeling like I can actually relay on this source is because it has a lot of other sources behind it that are cited and that are included into one big source that is which makes up this paper. Pros and Cons of modern technologies In the importance of this article it talks about the pros and cons of technology. This source is very helpful to my topic by it explaining how technology has helped us humans and destroyed us at the same time. This source explains the positives on how this new technology has put us humans at an advanced rate and helped us out tremendously. It also explains the cons of this new advanced technology and how it has put a major hurting on the new generation and has made us too reliable on this new technology to do all the dirty work rather than how it was done in the past of long ago before all these new electronics and gadgets came along, when most things were done by human hands, instead just with the flick of a switch or push of a button. Yes and no of relying on this source because it has background information and a few cited sources which I can relay on, but some things there just isn’t enough information on whether to believe it all or not. The comparing of both of these sources that I’m using is that they both talk about how much technology has helped us. The difference between these two sources are that one article also talks about how all this new advanced technology has hurt the human nature with its side effects. September/26/2011 The Pros and Cons of Technology Today In this source it talks about the great things of technology and how it has come a long way and helped out the world lots and that we use it in our everyday lives, but also that with every good there comes a bad. This source helps me with my topic and relates with my topic because I’m looking for the good and bad in technology and how it has changed our lives, either for the good or bad. But this source tells me all the good and how it has saved lives, and then there is the downfall of how it has effected lives and caused harm. I know that I can rely on this source because it has hot links that are included into this which lead to more information if more is needed for back up. With the differences of the other resources some doesn’t talk about all of the different effects that technology has on life. The pros and cons of advancing technology With the importance of this source article it talks not only about how technology helps humans, but is it evolving faster than we can learn. This source is relevant to my topic because of the good things it talks about with technology helping people and the bad of technology with people. It answers the fact that of are we really prepared for all of these new changes in technology or is technology advancing way too fast for us? This source also has hotlinks that linked too it that gives me more information from different websites for me to have something to backup all my information on. The comparing of all of these sources is that they all talk about the greatness of technology and how it has helped out the human population so much, but then how technology has also effected the human population and given people different perspectives on things than the way it was of the past. The difference from this source than all the other sources is that this source talks about how technology is advancing and that it might be advancing more than what the human mind can comprehend all so fast. October/3/2011The Pros and Cons of Technology in the classroom The main story behind this article is about the good and bad of technologies. The source of this article is relevant to my topic by technology having its good and effective ways on helping people learn faster, and easier. This source also talks about how hard it is for every person to be as advanced with the technology and have it in every school  because of its expenses. In one way technology can be good for its uses in classrooms, but on the other hand it can also be bad, because every school isn’t going to be able to have the advanced studies of the new type of technology that comes out so often, because of it expenses. For example when one school who is on a budget with buying new technology, and when they final are able to get that technology, a school that is able to afford the technology as soon as it comes out already has a newer version of the schools old technology. So that’s a down side to this. Yes I can rely on this authors work because of its well cited facts and information to back up things. This article is different with its talks about technology in classrooms. Same by having its ups and downs of technology. Technology of Security Engineering (Program for Cyber security Neighborhood watch Developed) This article’s source is about mainly the technology security and how it can help and also cause security problems. This source of this article is relevant to my topic by showing ways of how technology has helped keep the people safe and how it has also hurt some people verbally and physically. This article answers the question of to how can the security help and help people in their everyday lives. The way technology security can help people are with their being passwords for to help save people from letting them get out their personal information. Also it can harm people by their being hackers out here in the world and breaking through those security fields and getting information of other people. Then they can pretend to be others through technology without showing ones true identity and ruining someone else career. The comparison of all these articles is there being a way technology can help people and harm them. The difference is that this source talks about security technology, than any of the other sources. October/5/2011 Technology in restaurants The source to the technology in restaurants is that there can be errors and there can be good things that come about. The good can come about for when the restaurant has a quality of food and the technology is just there to help them keep track of the stock of things. The bad is that there can be  errors when technology is doing all the work and there can be a wrong type of number put in and can cause a miscount of the quality of the food. This topic relates to mine by there being way that technology can help and affect our everyday human life. The comparison of all these sources is that there is always a plus to having technology and a negative to how it can affect our everyday lives. The difference of this article is that this one talks about how technology helps and affects our lives with restaurants. Investing in Technology in restaurants This source talks mainly about how if it is good or not to invest into technology and if it can ditechnology can go two ways. This can be good because the technology might make things faster and easier for the restaurant. But this could also go bad because this could change the taste of food from which peoples are use too, and it could slow things down. So it’s a risk that the purchasers for the restaurants have to take. This source relate to my topic by saying whether it is good or bad for this technology and if it can help out humans or not. The comparisons of all of these are that the good and bad comes with all technology. The difference of this article is saying is there a risk with helping or hurting the restaurant with buying technology that they are not familiar with. October/12/2011 Pros and Cons of Modern versus Old Technology The source of this article talks about the greatness of how much technology has helped out with the human body so much in ways of finding things that couldn’t be done without technology. The source of this article also talks about how technology has its downside with helping humans figure out problems with the human body. This source is relevant to my topic with all the good of saying how far technology has come with making humans lives so much easier. But it also relates to my topic by telling all of the cons about how technology has hurt the human body and that it sometimes reads off false information. This source helps me answer that no matter how great technology is, that it can still be wrong at times. I can rely on this source because of all the good information that is stated along with its information backing up all the details. The comparison of all these articles  is that they all have the good and bad side to having technology around. The difference of this article is that it talks about how technology has helped out discover new things in the human body. The pros and cons of finding out through technology about Medicated chewing gum. This source of the article talks about how chewing gum has its great ways of helping people out. This source also talks about the bad side of how chewing medicated chewing gum can affect you. This source is relevant to my topic by having the good side of chewing gum and how it can help humans by keeping them with fresh breath, helping humans out by whiting their teeth; fight cavities and making your jaw bone structure stronger. The other way it helps me is by showing the way technology finds out the bad things that this medicated chewing gum can harm you by giving you cavities causing problems with your gums because of the sugars and colors affected changes to the mouth. I can rely on this source because of all the other case studies that are within this article that all have information to back it up with. The comparison of all these articles are that technology has its ups and downs of helping humans. The difference of this article is that it’s about chewing gum and how it can affect the human body mouth and cause more problems.

Memo for accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memo for accounting - Assignment Example The internal control process assists the Aero management to ensure the reliability of financial reporting and preparation. It also makes sure that the prepared financial statements exhibit a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. With regard to the efficiency of internal control system, based on the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission (COSO)’s criteria, the company claims that its internal control over financial reporting as of 29th January 2011 was effective (annual report). An effective internal control system is considered as the potential strength of any organization as this feature adds value to stakeholder interests. The proxy statement 2011 clearly shows that the Aero has effectively defined the roles of its CEO and chairman. As per the disclosures contained in the proxy statement, the CEO is responsible for dealing with â€Å"general management, oversight, supervision, and control of the business and affairs† of the company (proxy statement). He has also the responsibility to find that the Board’s all orders and resolutions are put into effect. In contrast, the Chairman is assigned for the supervision of the Board meetings and shareholders. In addition, it is the duty of the Chairman to provide appropriate advices to the CEO and other executive officers on various business matters (proxy statement). The separate CEO and chairman structure of the company is very effective, and hence it contributes to the operational efficiency of the Aeropostale, Inc. The interdependent functions of the CEO and the Chairman would aid shareholders to ensure better use of their money. From a detailed study of the report, it is evident that the Aeropostale, Inc has a prosperous future. Aero’s international expansion strategy is the most positive aspect. The company has entered numerous overseas markets over the last decade and it

Marketing Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Information System - Essay Example The technological opportunities are obviously highly appealing for Marketers to explore and use extensively and intensively. Technology has no inherent morality and the way in which it is utilized is what really matters. In this matter, both the deontological as well as the utilitarian view of ethics (Bergman, 1997) apply. Drawing coop concentration to the ethical facet of the use of web-based technologies in the area of marketing might comprise of differentiating force for proactive firms. Some aspects of information gathered are visible (such as self-divulgence of information for purchase, self-divulgence of information in accessing a web-site, self-divulgence of information for free merchandise) and some are less visible (such as anonymous profile data, IP, cookies). Owing to these possible uses and abuses of information, many consumers remain hesitant about Internet purchasing. The development of software allowing "private Internet experience" and "completely undetected surfing" is an indication of consumer concern regarding the invasion of privacy. There is room for the development of competitive advantage. The Issue of Marketing Tools Advertising is an important marketing tool on the Internet with a range of possibilities for customer interactivity and involvement (Ranchhod, 1998). Banner advertising has been an important tool for many Internet based advertisements with much research dedicated to its design elements. At the same time, marketing professionals try to comprehend how individuals surf through websites and consequently attempt to increase the CTR (click-through ratio). In this regard, researchers as well as practitioners attempt to recognize key variables like type and size of ad banners, animation, use of color, sounds, images, incentives, etc. Certain practices can be monitored and are endorsed as efficient ones like pop-ups, deceiving banners (computer-like messages, with "ok" button). Parallel to Internet advertising, the development of e-mail marketing and Spam are features of aggressive e marketing. However, there is still a long way to go before many companies put in place the best and most effective approaches to conduct an exceptional email marketing campaign.Companies already have the creativity, the magnificent deals on offer and the colourful landscapes of dreamy holidays to mention a few, but what marketers don't know is that sometimes this creativity can actually get in the way, preventing emails from making it into the inbox. If this is the case, what good does a top-notch creative campaign do if the email is never opened. Although marketers are often from a creative background, one cannot ignore the vital impact of analysis. The information convened from campaigns, such as click through rates and churn rates, is definatele key to gain the discernment about customer's likes and dislikes, and provides the preliminaries to make future campaigns more effective and pertinent. This lead to the conclusion that the emails that companies send are delivered and contain valuable information for customers. By targeting messages more closely and handling customer data more efficiently and effectively, not only will the possibility of fabricating a sale increase, but the overall costs can be cut, databases cleaned and a greater

Retail Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Retail Marketing - Case Study Example "We want to be the best clothing retailer in the United Kingdom. We strive to exceed our customers' expectations, for our customer is our king. Our stores are well situated and easy to reach. The environment is to be treated with care. We sell fashionable clothes of excellent quality and price. Our employees are our treasure. Our goals are double-digit sales growth and satisfaction of our shareholders in the long run." Next Retail Limited has 383 stores in the UK and Ireland and also 1 in Denmark as in January 2006. Apart from these Retail Stores Next also has 80 franchise stores overseas, operated by eight franchise partners. Next franchise stores are spread across 14 countries namely: Bahrain, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Iceland, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malta, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovak Republic and United Arab Emirates. Next products can also be ordered online by the help of Next Directory which is their mail order and internet shopping service. Orders can be delivered to customers' homes or to a store of their choice for collection. Next Directory has approximately 1,905,000 active customers showing an increase of 14.8% from the previous year. NEXT operates through five divisions: NEXT Retail operates the high street shops through more than 330 stores covering the UK and Ireland; NEXT Directory is the mail order division which also contain the e-commerce platform; NEXT Overseas operates retail outlets in the United States, Asia, Continental Europe, and the Middle East through franchise agreements; Ventura runs the financial services division. Other activities include telecommunications software services and property management. Other Departments of NEXT include: Next Distribution Limited is Next's warehousing and distribution service. It is responsible for maintaining the appropriate inventory levels in its warehouses and provide distribution services their designated stores on as and when needed basis. Next First Retail Finance Limited - operates a funded credit business for a limited number of stores and mail order customers. Next Financial Service Limited - provides support services to the business operations of Next Retail Limited. It does not offer any consumer credit. Next Sourcing Limited (NSL) - a sourcing company working exclusively to design, source, buy and merchandise Next branded products. It employs over 1,000 people in China, Hong Kong, India, Romania, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. NSL also owns and operates a garment factory in Sri Lanka which manufactures exclusively for Next Retail Limited and employs a further 2,000 people. NEXT Retail accounted for

The Movie Fight Club Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Fight Club - Movie Review Example Although one can argue that the narrator makes more use of his mental capacity as evidenced by his imagining Tyler to the point that he thinks Durden is a real person, in the Narrator’s mind it is still the use of the body thru fighting and having sex which is dominant. Furthermore, this also serves as proof to the disorganized thoughts of the person.An important matter that faces us now is how to make sense of the narrator’s creation of Tyler. Was he trying to project himself as a hero? Deep inside, was he actually a person fond of out-of-the-norm sexual practices? These are questions that must be addressed because these characteristics are for an Eros person and not for Thanatos.For sure, the Narrator made Tyler as a hero who gave meaning to the life of other persons. We argue that this is not the case. Tyler is a separate entity and not the narrator himself. It is not the Narrator consciously projecting himself as the hero. What the Narrator is actually committing wa s an act of transference where he transfers his reason or ‘consciousness’ to Tyler. Due to his desperation because of the flaws in his character, he tries to endow another person his consciousness and make that individual make the world know of his angst. Since Tyler was only a product of the subconscious and is therefore unreal and since the dominant behavior of the person is as the Narrator in real, conscious life, we can, therefore, say it was Tyler who was an Eros while the Narrator was a Thanatos.... Was he trying to project himself as a hero Deep inside, was he actually a person fond of out-of-the-norm sexual practices These are questions that must be addressed because these characteristics are for an Eros person and not for Thanatos. For sure, the Narrator made Tyler as a hero who gave meaning to the life of other persons. But the question is, was Tyler essentially the Narrator We argue that this is not the case. Tyler is a separate entity and not the narrator himself. It is not the Narrator consciously projecting himself as the hero. What the Narrator is actually committing was an act of transference where he transfers his reason or 'consciousness' to Tyler. Due to his desperation because of the flaws in his character, he tries to endow another person his consciousness and make that individual make the world know of his angst. Since Tyler was only a product of the subconscious and is therefore unreal and since the dominant behavior of the person is as the Narrator in real, conscious life, we can therefore say it was Tyler who was an Eros while the Narrator was a Thanatos. Having an Eros mentality leads to many worries and frustrations while having a Thanatos character results to a life devoid of meaning. Being a rebellion can be fulfilling but only for a short time. In the end it leads to regret and what-could-have-been statements. What then could lead to a happy life There many ways in which people can be happy. Some achieve it by adding zeroes to their bank account while some consider the lack of conflict in interpersonal - especially marital- relationships as a happy life. Whatever form it may assume, happiness can be achieved if a person is successful in his endeavor - whether

The effects of tobacco advertising on youths Research Paper - 1

The effects of tobacco advertising on youths - Research Paper Example In addition, the images in various advertisements relate tobacco smoking with accomplishment, liberty and as a way of relaxing (Farrelly et. al., 2001). Youthful age is considered as an age whereby individuals engage in experimentation process with various things. Therefore, tobacco use is depicted as alluring through the process of advertising, which is appealing to most youths. Furthermore, the media through various forms of adverting plays a role in terms of exposing the youth to tobacco use. Most advertising companies engage in the use of celebrities to promote various tobacco brands. Hence, the youth who mostly associate with celebrities are lured into smoking through advertising with this kind of advertising. Various reports have indicated the fact that the youth are considered as being more approachable to various forms of tobacco advertisements as compared to adults. The forms of advertising that are use by various companies involve print and promotional form of advertising. In addition, newspapers, magazines, and posters have been used by the tobacco industry as a media of advertising (Reddy et.al., 2006). The youthful period is regarded as a very crucial period of an individuals life. The actions of individuals during this stage greatly affect their future in terms of development and their careers. The youthful mainly illustrated by various passionate acts that can either be positive or negative in nature. During this stage, an individual engages in the process of experimentation with everything within their proximity. Tobacco smoking among the youth is considered as a vice that has far-reaching implications in terms of both the health and economic aspects. The main driving force to youth tobacco smoking is the advertisement that is mainly utilized by the tobacco industry (Pollay et. al., 1996). Therefore, advertising is considered as a powerful tool that is highly persuasive, especially among the youth. The process of advertising through

Religious Expression's relation to ancient cultures through Greek and Essay

Religious Expression's relation to ancient cultures through Greek and Roman times - Essay Example II. Roman Temple Cultus (150 words) The temple cultus of Rome was what drove Roman society. Romans were expected to make sacrifices to the temple court on a regular basis, and no one was exempt—from the very wealthy to the very poor. However, early Christianity started to rise up in popularity. The Christians refused to pay sacrifices to the temple cultus, claiming that they only served one god alone. According to Hauer and Young (1998), â€Å"On one point devout Christians were obdurate in their resistance to Roman policy. This was teh cult of the divine emperor†¦The cult of the emperor was more popular in the provinces than in Rome itself [and the divine kingship in the eastern Mediterranean† (pp. 338). This was the beginning of the end of divine rule in Rome, as Christianity was spreading like wildfire. It is certain that the rituals that the Christians developed were based on traditions already in place. III. Pre-Christian Tradition in Rome (300 words) Early Ch ristianity was basically based on Judaism as well as Roman religious tradition. Everything from the Lord’s Supper (which was basically consisting of bread and wine)—to providing sacrifices for Jehovah or Yahweh—were rituals based on both Roman and Jewish tradition. While the Eucharist was based on a Jewish tradition, Roman love-feasts were also the basis for the Lord’s Supper. People got together in secret burial societies and had feasts, committing each other to themselves in order to ensure that after their deaths they would be properly buried. These burial societies were the precursors of early Christian tradition. It was only with the appearance of the early church fathers that these Jewish and Roman customs were totally extracted from Christian tradition, and new religious meanings were associated with the Lord’s Supper. In lieu of the Jewish tradition of celebrating in the mikveh ceremonies, the practice was renamed baptism and was required o f all Christian converts. There were so many traditions that were borrowed from Judeo-Roman religious tradition that many Christians are not even aware of these traditions. It is necessary for Christians to realize that Christianity indeed was a sprout forth from Judaism, and, indirectly, a branch of Judaism. The only difference was that Christianity declared Jesus not only their prophet, but the son of God, Yahweh—also known as Jehovah in some circles, depending upon one whether one used the Hebrew or the Greek translation. Even though the language of Jesus was Aramaic, many of Jesus’s followers were indeed Jewish before realizing that following Jesus meant converting into a Christian—which was a new way of life and unfettered by all the rules of Pharisaic Judaism. Indeed, it is true that the several traditions that still continue today in Christianity are evocative of religious Jewish and Roman tradition. IV. Greek Gods (200 words) Greek gods were frequently w orshipped in the Greco-Roman Empire as well. Since the histories of both Greece and Rome are so intertwined, some of their religious traditions overlapped. According to Newsom and Ringe (1998)â€Å"Many cities honored one particular god or goddess as primary, such as the worship of Artemis at Ephesus, but also honored other deities as well. Judaism acknowledged only one deity, Yahweh, the God of Israel†¦

Flowers Essay Example for Free

Flowers Essay Flower is abeautiful things for me.I like it so much.Ilike to give all person that.I love them flowers to exepres my love and recpect for them.We can see the flower in many places such us:garden house and farms.It have amany beautiful colours like:red,light pink and dark pink,yellow and white.for me I like the red flower becous it meems the love.Know I wont to give my teacher this flower to exepres my love and recpect for her. Information about flowers Municipal offline Avatar municipal flower of great beauty with red and purple and other colors and the rose nicknamed Queen of flowers because the Avatar has a beautiful shape and the smell of a smart stay long and seeing the flowers before sunset to extend the life of Rose and reap a portion is a short section by scissors so as not to dissection tree offline and then placed Rose immersing the leg in the water in the deep water for about an hour. Lotus flower Is the flower was taken by the old army informed him, and lotus leaf ground and agricultural leg upright has many branches and flowers bright yellow color, topped with some red spots, and the lotus plant rises from 15 cm to 30 cm and a lotus flower in a coloring substance analgesic anti-spasm and has an uncanny ability to cure infections , and lotus flowers flowers thin can not afford transport from one place to another and is also picked to cause her death quickly and lotus in Egyptian mythology reflect the childhood of innocent flying from the heart of the flower white, flower lotus grows with sunlight and grows in the ponds of static water in the marshes wide in the Fayoum and the the surface of quiet water in the foot hills of the desert has been called the Pharaohs on the lotus flower beautiful or Nangr because it is the most perfect flowers and the lotus flower with a blue lady perfume and brightest of the white lotus. Violet Trees of violet are Kaloashab small but bushes Accessories leaves in the form of tablets have a long neck and flowers in the axes of shrubs, each flower grows in the branch and its reach is long and the color of flowers white or purple, violet leaves heart-shaped and the flowers her legs long and is yellow or blue and Tguettaf flowers violet in the early hours of the morning because the smell stronger in the early morning and violet flowers, but do not live long after the cut out of the water as quickly appended to their necks He shall be placed in water immediately or transfer to another place, wrapped in paper to protect it during transport. Narcissus Its leaves are similar to drive five or six in number, and a page of paper upright and culminates plant Zahrtan large color sulfur, and flowers of narcissus Municipal harvested early in the morning and the smell pungent and stronger than those harvested in the middle of the day for they shall be then, a few essential oils that evaporate with rising temperature of the atmosphere. Camellia Girls dendritic sprouting flowers in winter and spring and flowers Alcamili pink or red or white, a plant beautiful lives in the shadow does not need a small amount of sunlight, but needs to light a lot, and can be grown Camellia seeds or planting can also cut his mind by the buds of the leg A plants and planting from September to February each year. Willow Large tree grows on the shores of canals and drains, rising to about about 25 meters and its subsidiaries medium extroversion and upright form of green oil topped with fluffy white, leaves paint the parties, the length of paper 12 cm and view 3 cm, we get the tree serrated edge, with some yellow flowers and most of the flowers of the white a tree for decoration and magnificent beauty. Six-Hassan Plant a beautiful name of scientific Belladonna It grows in the countrys warm and temperate, a grass not a tree land with a height of 600 to 4150 cm, roots thick and leg strong upright and leaves oval are really to Zjh but greasy, and the flowers six-Hassan Ali bell-shaped red beautiful shape and its fruits village green and then turns to a red flower and then turn to black after maturity is not eaten because they are toxic to produce mature seeds. Henna flowers Henna shrub agricultural roots and red legs and branches fluffy white bark and leaves are opposite and the neck of a small hump in the form of a bright green leaves and flowers are used for dyeing the hair and strengthen it to deal with it. Chickpea flower Herbal plant farm on his leg Qraaa cruel and libra above of from 30 to 50 cm papers vehicle Oriqath oval serrated flowers central focal color tends to red and white but the fruits of chickpeas is centuries in the form of an egg tip hooked and this fruit is a nice taste and health benefits. Sunflowers Flower plant sunflower plant long-average leg, but hollow, this flower such as the disk of the sun bloom with the first light of the sun and pay attention to the bright and still move with the movement of the sun until it reaches the west and the sunflower plant agricultural measures about two meters leg rigid upright and Haah weak and leaves a large heart-shaped and the plant Sunflower prepared by the Indian sacred and loved the Egyptian street. Cactus flower Is the blossom of the yellow color and large size is the plant flesh Akats material Alklorvil green rises from 2 to 5 meters and racks Yearbook oval shape and a length of from 30 to 40 cm and width of from 20 to 50 cm promises green with forks long characterized by flowers that the materials for the salivary and sugar and acid, citric acid and apple and fruit is very nutritious. Flowers lilies Iris white plant rises from 60 to 100 cm flowers large Vuahh the blue and central color of the yellow-and-leaf iris articulated shape and leg strong and there are some flowers for color and white topped illustrate red Rakech scarlet side is yellow from 5 to 8 cm. Papyrus flowers Papyrus plant long family Alkhimih and grows in swamps in the Delta and its roots are deepening in the mud and his legs stretch up on the section of a three-form flowers, papyrus is in the form of a tent and with a dense thicket of dense they resemble the sun and used in the manufacture of paper papyrus for writing was called the paper Royal, a evergreen and flowers bouquets were made of papyrus in the temples of God and drawing closer to the plant is still located in the southern Bahr el Ghazal River Nile. Flowers of the pomegranate Pomegranate trees with a height of 3 to 5 meters in his leg smooth and branches upright and the leaves are opposite and in the form of shaft blossom pomegranate five petals and the color purple and out of the fruits of spherical large the teeth cup him peel the heart and start a green color and then begin to flush with maturity within the fruit seeds of a small claims Frend Frend surrounding this core fluid and the birthplace of the pomegranate tree in Persia and the Pharaohs.

Relationship between Transport and Environment

Relationship between Transport and Environment The relationship between transport and environment is paradox in nature. From one perspective transportation is categorised in two areas, passenger transportation which consists of all transport of individual, refers to all forms of public and private transport of commuters, passenger baggage transport whether scheduled or unscheduled. The second category of transportation is freight movements meaning the movement of raw materials, of work in progress, finished goods from supplier to consumer and of returns of used and new products back to supplier. Freight movement is also consists of movement of agricultural products (food, fertilizers) and animals. Freight movement is progressively intermodal and multimodal and makes use of local, regional, national and international operations. Transportation causes a considerable amount of harmful emissions, which causes problems that become harmful and costly to the society and environment. According to EU analysis 35% of freight transport acco unts for eight percent of external transport cost to the GDP in European Union (EEA, 2001). The transport sector contributes to 30 percent of the CO2 emissions in OECD countries. 32 percent of Co2 emitted is accounted for by freight transport, while passenger transport accounts for 48 percent of emissions of CO2. This share of transport emissions however increases yearly. In this paper I will be focusing on freight transport (goods and services) impact on the environment. Based on different mode of transport which includes air cargo, shipping, rail, trucking, pipelines and intermodal terminals, the effects on the environment are majorly air pollution, water pollution, noise, global climate concerns, accidents, land take and habitat fragmentation both for humans and animals. The effects of freight transport on the environment affects the interrelation of the environmental system which is between the following:- Atmosphere (air quality) Hydrosphere (water quality) Lithosphere (soil quality) Biosphere (living organisms) In the process of defining the environmental impacts of freight movement, three components could be considered: Firstly the environmental stressors which include pollutants, noise, or exotic and toxic species are released in natural ecosystems. Each tonne of goods transported adds an additional stress on the environment. The cumulative amount of stress placed on the environment depends on the quantity of goods and the destination and distance they are transported. The total stress can be calculated as the quantity of goods times the distance carried multiplied by the stress per tonne. In addition the mode of transportation used is also put in to consideration. The total stress is also determined by the nature of the receiving environment. Visible characteristics such as physical ecosystem characteristics, how populated is the area affected, and how critical or endangered species in the receiving ecosystem will determine the willingness to avoid the impact and payments. This paper will be focusing more on the first component primarily to the other two components, with a little attention to the third component. Overview of Freight Movement Impacts on the Environment Air pollution: Air pollution is considerably seen has the most dangerous environmental threat caused by transportation. Highway vehicles (i.e. cars, trucks, vans e.t.c), marine engines (i.e. propels ships, boats), locomotive (i.e. diesel, coal trains e.t.c), and aircraft are the main causes of pollutant which affects air quality causing damage to human heath and the climatic changes in the environmental system, all these includes gas and emissions that are particulate matters. All these toxic air pollutant are closely related with the cause of cancer, cardiovascular (heart arteries, capillaries and veins), respiratory and neurological diseases. Air pollution reduces the availability of oxygen which affects the blood stream, and can be extremely harmful to public health if Carbon Monoxide (CO) is inhaled; also nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emission from different modes of transportation when inhaled reduces lung function, affects the respiratory immune defence system and put humans at higher risk of respiratory problems. Acid rain is caused by the emission of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere from different acid compounds that when they get mixed in the cloud water. Acid rain has serious disruption on the built environment, limits agricultural crop yields and causes deforestation. Acid rain also causes smog, affecting the visibility in the environment having adverse effect on the quality of life and less attraction of tourist activities. Emission from vehicle exhausts as well as non exhaust like dust raise due to vehicle and road abrasion affects air quality in such areas. The impact of the modes of transportation on air quality Air transport: air transport emission during take off and landing contributes to air pollution and global warming. Although emission from air transportation are minor relatively to other means of transportation of goods and services, the rate at which air transportation is adding to the emission from transportation is faster than all other emission source, due to the increase in air travels and air freight. (Vedantham and Oppenheimer 1994, p 1). From a survey two thirds of air freight is carried by commercial passenger flights, and estimated increases in air freight is expected to be distributed through passenger flights. (Snape and Metcalfe p. 176). Low level emission is recorded during take off and landing of air transport, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide during high altitude flight are pollutants to the atmosphere and ozone layer. These pollutants with other compounds could lead to smog. Road/trucking: the movement of freight by road or truck as a great impact on the air quality. The longer a truck is driven the more emission it impacts on the environment. Emission from both exhaust and non exhaust, like the abrasion between truck and road raises dust. Carbon Monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are all effects of emission on the environment. Rail: rail transportation is the less damaging mode of land transportation when compared with trucking. The effect of rail transport on the environment is determined greatly on the source of power generation for the train, like in Europe most of the trains are powered by electricity. In some other part of the world like Nigeria, trains are powered by coal (locomotive) this generates a lot of pollutant to the environment. Shipping: freight transportation through shipping are not a major source of air pollution. Nevertheless, most of ships are powered by combustion engines, so they do emit air pollutants. Emission occurs both underway on the waters and while docking. Pipelines: this mode of transportation is usually safe and free of air pollution, except in cases of accidents, pipe bursting or vandalized. Apart from the pumps been used to pump or compress oil or gas, which emit air pollutant like all other machine does. Water pollution: Generally most of the other mode of transportation does not really have effect on water quality, except for shipping and in land water ways transport, and also in times of accidents i.e pipeline bursting, car accident entering the waters, oil spill e.t.c. The activities of shipping are increasing because of the increase in demand for shipping. Emissions from marine transport as also increased as well; the main effects of marine transport on water subsequently arise from dredging, waste disposal, ballast waters and oil spills. Dredging is essential to build and maintain water depth for ease of shipping operations and port accessibility. Dredging affects the marine biological diversity. Waste disposal of plastics at sea is a major source of environmental harm, since the material are both sizeable (buoyant) and persistent i.e. fishing boats discard old nets, and lines, which are usually made of plastic. Ballast waters are used in containers to keep the ship balance when the ship is empty of cargos. It is used to control the stability and draught and to modify the ship centre of gravity in relation to the cargo and the difference in weight distribution. The water ballast is usually discharge in to the water and replaced with freight. These ballast waters are mixed and contaminated with oil and possibly with other wastes in the tank. The discharge is therefore water pollution to the waters. Oil cargo vessel accidents are one of the most heart breaing problems of maritime transport activities due to oil spills Oil. Road transportation is usually not a factor to consider when it comes to water pollution, but issues like road accidents and vehicle exhaust are both sources of oil and hazardous chemicals which run off the road into surface and ground by rain waters, into seas and ocean these are all direct and indirect causes of water pollution. Noise: Noise pollution refers to the unpleasant irregular and chaotic sounds. It traumatize the hearing organ, its unpleasant and disturbing character are serious threat to the quality of life, noise contributes to such health problems that affects the quality of life such as stress, sleep disturbances, cardio vascular disease, and hearing loss. Surveys show that noise pollution affects people more directly than any other form of pollution. German experience has found that as people become annoyed about noise, they become aware of other environmental pollution problems as well (Kà ¼rerp. 493). And also long term exposure to noise levels greater than 75db seriously hampers hearing and has a significant discomfort to human physical and psychological existence. Trucking: there is different size of trucks causing noise pollution at different scale. Trucks are considered to be a more significant source of noise than other modes of freight transport. Rail: rail freight movement is a lesser noise pollutant when compared to trucks. Air Transport: people living or working around airports suffer from major nuisance from the noise pollution generated during landing and taking off of planes, traffic congestion and other dangers of air crashes. It is a major nuisance to those who live or work in the vicinity of airport. Climatic change All the activities from different mode of freight transportation and passenger transport industry have lead to the emission of several million tons of gases into the atmosphere every year. Gasses, dusts from contact from road and tire cohesion and ash like substances from different modes of transport like lead (Pb), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), silicon tetraflouride (SF6), nitrogen oxides (NOx),benzene and volatile components (BTX), heavy metals (zinc, chrome, copper and cadmium) and particulate matters (ash, dust) as lead to climatic change when mix in the cloud waters. Land take and soil quality The construction of transportation infrastructures and facilities has an impact on the layer of urban landscape. The construction of roads, airport, and rail ways take up significant land space in the environment, in most cases displacing people of their habitat and farm land. Airport takes up space, and discourages people from living in areas close to the airport. Water transport displaces some organism from their habitat, and also dredging is bad for the water and soil organism. Dredging causes soil around the water to be contaminated. Green Movement of Freight The environmental effect of freight movement has caused a lot of harm and changes in the environmental system. Due to all these impacts, some companies have come together separately and some as a group working towards reducing the effects of freight movement on the environment. There lots of freight movement lacking fast and efficient transport underpinning the Global economy. Globally road transport is the most proffered mode of freight movement but rising traffic volumes cause congestion, pollution and extra costs. There are alternatives route which make more economic and environmental sense like rail, sea and inland waterways. Alternative forms of transport are greener, cleaner and even cheaper over time, but most manufacturers and producers and hauliers are not really interested in investing in change. Here are some of the companies investing in alternative green, cleaner and even sometimes cheaper mode of transport:- Damco: is one of the worlds leading company in rendering freight movement and supply chain management services. For more than 30 years Damco have been providing her customers all over the world with transportation and logistics solution. In the process of Damco working on her supply chain expertise extensively, Damco recognize and implements solutions for reducing carbon emissions in your supply chain. The extra advantages of conducting a Supply Chain Carbon Check helps the company have a lower carbon emission level based on best practises within the monitored period. The Supply Chain Carbon Check (SCCC): aides companies in assessing and reducing their supply chain carbon footprint. Damco conducts Supply Chain Carbon Check projects globally for many global companies from various industries. Through increased supply chain efficiency, the emission of CO2 can be reduced with the process of SCCC projects. It also reduces the cost of supply chain. Powered by the partnership with First Climate, Damco offers its clients the opportunity to offset their unavoidable CO2 emissions. Damcos Supply Chain Carbon Dashboard: is a tool use in able to reporting of carbon emissions on a periodic basis. Through the companies new Supply Chain Carbon Dashboard platform, Damco delivers a unique value proposition, assisting other companies in understanding their overall supply chain carbon emissions. By zeroing in on a particular level of emission levels, the Carbon Dashboard immediately allows companies to indentify carbon hotspots in their supply chain. This will help such companies to determine how and what to do to reduce and minimize their carbon footprint, in response to the effects of carbon emission on the climatic change. Damcos Packaging Optimization Service: this service helps in reducing environmental impact of freight movement, by implementing packages that suit companys end to end needs, reducing the number of trucks or containers needed. Damco as a company is able to achieve this new service by partnering with Supply Chain Optimizers (SCO) to deliver a unique Packaging Optimization service. Norbert-Dentressangle: is a freight forwarding company that operates in over 50 countries and across 3 continents. Norbert Dentressangle offers experienced and committed freight forwarding expertise and also work in cooperation with network of specialist partners and channel the transports of goods and services throughout the world using road, sea and air. Norbert Dentessangle provides transport and logistic network solutions that extends across Europe. In Norbert Dentressangle commitment in reducing the companys environmental impact on society, they have taken some measures and obtained accreditation of relevant environmental organisation body like ISO 14001 environmental certification for all the companys sites in Europe. The company is the leading owners of Europes No.1 HGV fleet, in reducing the green house gas emissions from trucks and other transport modes by the company, the company has kept a firm commitment and also believed trucks are not the problem, but form part of the solution. In showing their commitment the company developed some strategies in reducing the impact of their activities on the environment: The companys first strategy was to obtain ISO 14001 environmental certification for all their European sites. The companys sites meet up with stringent environmental management standards, these standards includes several dimensions, like complaisance with regulations, monitoring and measuring energy/water consumption, discards and waste all under the ISO 14001. The company carries out measurement of their consumption of natural and energy resources and reporting on waste treatment. Out of the companys 192 logistic sites, 79 are ISO certified. Truck/ Driving (Eco Driving) Hiring and training of responsible drivers in economical driving also know has eco-driving. Efficient driving that reduces fuel consumption over the same distance of freight movement. In the past decades engine technology has improved, with many drivers not adapting wit changes. Ecodriving offers lots of benefits, including GHG emissions reductions, fuel cost savings, as well as better safety. Working closely with their customers the company is able to optimise their transport plans and loading of associated vehicles. Also Norbert Dentressangle carries out RD projects in partnership with truck manufacturers, with primary objective on creating alternative technologies (innovation) to the diesel engine. The company renews her fleets of vehicle (85% of the companys fleets meets the Euro IV and Euro V standards) periodically to meet EU emission standards. Innovations like: increasing the level of aerodynamics (introduction of deflectors in roofing /lateral,feul efficient standard equipments in all vehicles average fuel efficiency gain of 1.5 l/100 km; tear drop style aerodynamic bodywork which has been tested in the UK: with proven estimated fuel efficiency gain of 5% estimate). Optimising transmission systems: purchases of automatic gearboxes which improve fuel efficiency in driving standard combined with standard equipment in all vehicles: a tested and proven statistics of an average fuel efficiency gain of 1.5 l/100 km). Investing in trucks by purchasing parts reducing rolling resistance (newly produced low-energy tyres by Michelin Energy) The company procures fuel economy device like Stop-Start technology, this device stops the engine from working when the trucks come to a stop, is made available as standard in all trailers purchased from major manufacturers, this new development as recorded an estimated fuel saving of 3% 5%. The company provides alternative multimodal transport solutions where possible. Either combining rail/sea/river/road in different channels. The company reduces carbon emission by carrying out proper packaging of freight goods, reducing the number of trucks and containers needed. Improved transport capacity (ambient and temperature controlled double-deck trailers). Testing alternative technologies to the diesel engine like hybrid technology innovation, being tested on four different prototype trailers in 2011: the following recordings and observations were made: 20% fuel saving efficiency, reduction of about 30% in pollutant emissions, less noise pollution. Carbon Calculator In the effort of measuring carbon emissions, given the fact that in 2013 the European regulations will make it compulsory for all companies registered to measure and publish their carbon emissions. Norbert Dentressangle with the help of its internal team has gone a step further in designing and developing a carbon calculator reliable in measuring emissions produced by the company and her customers during transport activities. The calculator analyse different types of information like mileage, diesel consumption, load weight, content in order to produce to indicators which are: Gross CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions/ tonne per kilometre DPS International DPS international is a global logistic company that has grown to become one of the most advance vehicle routing and scheduling systems service providers in the world. The company is the leading developer of desktop solutions by creating a state-of-the-art desktop solution called (LogiX) and also recently introduced their newly produced web based pay-as-you-go routing and scheduling system, logixcentral. In the effort of the company providing its clients with fleet efficiency, DPS has now developed a module to ensure her client are able to measure their fleets carbon emissions and the impact of introducing new and efficient fuel and emission saving vehicle types, and reducing mileage and numbers of vehicles. For several years the companys customers have been able to reduce their carbon emissions by using the state-of -the art DPS LogiX routing and scheduling software to optimise their vehicle usage. In 2006, from published results, DPS customers were able to save around, 15,000 tonne s of carbon by using LogiX software. DPS Saving Calculator: With the aide of this device companies can estimate how much carbon emissions they are contributing to pollution, and how they could reduce both cost of operations and in relations to carbon emissions by using the DPS calculator. DPS calculator could be downloaded from the companys website under the Financial and Carbon Savings (FACS) link. In show of DPS commitment to reducing green house gas emissions, the Managing Director (MD) Paul Palmer made note in his statement in 3rd April, 2007 for DPS UK to become carbon neutral. The company have worked closely with Climate Care organisation to offset all carbon emissions generated over the past years from our energy use within the companys office and also from the business travel. Due to the use of LogiXcentral over the web, DPS has seen some of her customers reduce their fleets of vehicles from at least (20 to 30 vehicles) to as few as ten vehicles. This reduction in vehicles as offset the cost of software licence (up to  £50,000), computer hardware (laptops and desktop); maintenance agreement (monthly maintenance and upgrades); internal IT support and upgrades (web site maintenance and upgrades). CONCLUSION Basically the major effects of transportation on the environment generally are freight movements. Road contributes a major share of pollutants relatively to other modes. Although air transport has some contradiction with passenger transportation, most goods moved by air is done on commercial flights. The increasing effects of global warming, has been a major wake up call for several organisation in reducing the factors causing global warming. Freight movement is major contributor, with proper awareness and constant innovative solutions the world can remain a better place. Question 3 Fourth Party Logistic Operator (4PL) What is a Fourth Party Logistics operator (4PL) Fourth part logistics companies serve as consultants that integrate the relationship between the principal company and transportation companies and one or more third party logistics companies to make sure all operations are running well. 4PLs render several levels of responsibility, which varies from advice on choosing the best companies, right up to the day-to-day management of essential logistical tasks being performed for the principal companies. Fourth Party Logistics (4PLs) was born originally in the 1990s, by the consulting firm Accenture. The definition of a 4PLs as since then evolved from being a consulting firm who integrates and mange companys logistics resources and providers, including 3PLs and transportation companies. A 4PLs dont own the assets use in the logistics process unlike 3PLs. The heart of the fourth-party logistics concept is the presence of that integrator and the sense of strategy involved. It is a Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) provider. A 4PL brings different perspectives and value which includes knowledge, experience and technology existing in the operational systems of the customers, and can and will work with the firm to reengineer it into an improved or new process. A 4PL is neutral and offers managerial responsibilities for the logistics process, regardless of what carriers, forwarders, or warehouses are owned or used by the primary company. The 4PL will even manage existing 3PLs either one or more, already been used by the customer. Historical relationship with the customer and existing 3PL means a better understanding of the complexity of the customers requirements, this allows for a viable solutions and to have customer satisfaction and retention policies. Some 3PLs companies also upgrade their expertise to render consultancy services like a 4PL. Some 3PLs have a 4PL division. Advantages of outsourcing a transport operation to a fourth part Logistics operator A good 4PL company should have a state-of-the-art technology that ensures their customers high demands are met. It should be able to render solutions that can be customized to each clients requirement, and also be able to deliver maximised availability of the right product at minimum inventory holding cost. These are the advantages/benefits of an efficient collaborative 4PL approach to logistics solutions: Debt and Unique Expertise: when logistics process becomes complex, increasingly expensive and non core competency to shed. The verse availability of resources at 4PL disposal makes it have capabilities to identify the most effective ideas and do further analysis on them to see how effective they are to their customers. 4PLs have more recourses and contacts (3PLs, IT vendors and transport companies) available for their customers to choose from. It retains cooperate supply chain network in the companys data. 4PLs addresses operational failures of existing 3PL companies by creating completely new structure for their customers. 4PLs carries out a single point of contact to mange all areas of their customers supply chain network to check for failures from existing or previous 3PLs. Normalize data: due to difference in reporting formats and different metrics from multiple relationships, 4PL is able to align these different data (normalize data) and makes it easy and quickly to compare data across the supply chain and across the company. For instance 4PLs knits together different 3PLs into a total, integrated solution. 4PLs deploy assets as efficiently as possible by considering both inbound and outbound sectors of supply chain logistics to leverage synergisms. Analytic capability: 4PLs does this by managing supply chain on a more concentration on data intensive basis. For instance, the curiosity of whether deliveries reached their final destination safely and on time is further analysed to also determine whether distribution stations have the right inventory and right levels of inventory. Optimisation of supply chain: this the ability of the 4PL to get a great rate on transport cost from one point to the other. 4PL do more comprehensive research in the process of goods being moved from one point to the other, paving way for an environment in which encourages the supply chain to become a competitive advantage. 4PLs are in a better position to develop meaningful metrics in a common format making use of terms and conditions that are standardized across the company and its supply chain. The ability of 4PLs to deliver raw materials and finished goods at the right place and right time, gives their customers a competitive advantage. Customers working with a top 4PL have the advantage of getting exposed to best practices and encourages innovation through the supply chain. 4PLS work with variety of companies both home and abroad, so they have a wide contacts and knowledge. 4PLs are welled positioned to see different approaches to problems and issues, in the process they assimilate the most effective approaches into their practices that could later be used on their customers. Sharing and Reducing Risks: the relationship between 4PLs and its customers brings about the sharing and reduction of risks. The 4PL company transfers, avoids, and also eliminates risks because they are specialized providers of logistic solutions. They are able to have first hand experience to assess uncertainties and potential catastrophes affecting logistics operations. The 4PL also have sophisticated and sufficient equipment and facilities to run logistics and supply chain process efficiently. The 4PL dont want to fail, in doing so they share risk with their customers. Improves Accountability: most companies find it hard to track money spent on transport activities, they cant come up with a presentation that states the consolidated report of detail spending or the reasons for it. 4PLs drive efficiency: by improving not just on transportation efficiency, but also on packaging engineering and products engineering. It makes use of its collaborative environment to pull together both packaging engineers and production engineers to optimize the sectors that has direct or indirect effect on the supply chain. For instance, freight forwarders deal with chartered weights and actual weights, so the main aim is to minimize the difference between charted and actual weights and in the process get better unit prices. Changing the structure of the network: this a usual approach taken by 4PLs, by implementing changes to optimize the supply chain, changes/ additional warehouses and distribution centre location, staging and inter or multi modal transportation. These are a one time savings, but are necessary for effective performance. It is very essential to look at transportation modes; fluctuation in factors affecting transport modes like economics, disaster, and pollution e.t.c. for instance, fluctuation in economics may cause some changes to modes of shipment. The decision on what combination of transport modes is necessary to get a better logistics solution. 4PLs provides its customers Improved availability of raw materials, increased customer satisfaction rating, and increased sales and profit by exposing its customers to its additional clients and other divisions. Effective consultancy and solutions provided by 4PLs leads to reductions in lead-times in exportation from export country to import country and vice versa. Improved load planning through consolidation options delivering optimised container fills 4PLs creates the opportunity of greater collaboration and improved relationships with multiple partners which shows no one knows it all. No company is perfect in every area and location of operations. A 4PL over sees all financial activities of 3PLs, in case of financial failure 4PLs releases capital through proper selling of logistics assets to the 4PL organisation or on levelled headed free market. Disadvantages of outsourcing a transport operation to a fourth part Logistics operator Although 4PLs have lots of benefits and logistic solutions to their customers, there are also some negative aspects of a Fourth Party logistics to the customers and the company. Some of these disadvantages are listed below: Lost of Control over the Supply Chain: as a company outsource its supply chain to a 4PL a bit of the companys control is lost. The company takes the risk of depending on the fourth party logistics provider and losses the control over the logistics and service process when the logistics operations are subcontracted to logistic providers like 4PLs. if the logistic operations goes like an error or mistake, the company will be affected directly but is unable to fix the problem itself due to the fact that such activities have been outsourced to a 4PL. Cost Awareness: out

The Tourism Trends In Mauritius Tourism Essay

The Tourism Trends In Mauritius Tourism Essay Nowadays tourism has become the major focus, mainly for small developing countries which have an effect on local people in terms of socio-cultural, environmental and economical impacts. Residents perceptions are very important and there is a need to understand how these perceptions can contribute towards tourism development. The reason of this study is to provide a theoretical background for assessing local people attitudes on the impacts of tourism development in Bel Ombre, Mauritius. Tourism and sustainable development are interrelated; and has been usually identified with the fast rising demand of tourists acting together with the natural environment. Tourism has the capability to protect as well as to destroy a destination. Studying the impacts of tourism is a critical element of accepting how tourism affects the economy, socio-cultural and environment aspects in Mauritius. A well elaborated literature shows the character of the main interaction of tourist and host, uniqueness of host-tourist relationship and their connection with the impacts generated by tourism development. Researchers were more interested towards the interaction between the tourists and the local people. Though, there are preceding studies that have considered the issue from tourist perspective. To achieve the purpose of this study a questionnaire was designed and a survey was undertaken among the local residents. Concerning the analysis part, quantitative approach was useful and the aim and objectives were related to the majority of relevant literature. 1.2 Problem statement The main reason for doing this study is because tourism is one of the major sectors in many countries, including Mauritius, with the highest growth potential. It is the worlds largest employer and one among the major sources of substantial foreign exchange earnings (Blank, 1991; Richards, 2003; Mwandosya, 2007). It is through this observation that many people believe that the industry is well placed as one of the major means through which development of local communities can be achieved (Scheyvens, 2002; Beeton, 2006). One approach to enhance this development through tourism is to involve local communities and ensure that their potential role is tapped and maintained through active participation in the industry (Beeton, 2006). It is imperative to note that involvement and participation of these communities is central to the sustainable development of the industry not only because tourism has had a close connection with the local communities, particularly as hosts and guides (Scheyven s, 2002), but also because the destinations of tourists are communities and it is in the community that tourism happens (Blank, 1989 p.115). Participation is a process through which stakeholders, among them the local communities who are often the intended beneficiaries of community tourism, influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and resources which affect them (Havel, 1996). Participation, therefore, seeks collaboration or partnerships and the commitment necessary to ensure sustainability of tourism development initiatives (Wolfensohn, 1996). Paradoxically, the outcomes of participation are usually a reflection of a certain level of involvement of relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process which in turn enables people to make informed commitments to a particular tourism project (Havel, 1996). According to Akama (1999) as cited in Manyara and Jones (2007, p.629), local communities are hardly involved in tourism development and they are usually without a voice in the development process (Havel, 1996). This situation according to Mbaiwa (2005) is contrary to the principles of sus tainable tourism development which, among other things, emphasize the involvement and participation of local communities. 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the study The aim of this study is to assess the residents attitudes and perceptions about the impacts caused by tourism development in Bel Ombre. The objectives of the study are: To assess the extent of local peoples perceptions and attitudes in the tourism development To assess the positive and negative impacts of tourism development To assess the extent of local peoples involvement and participation in tourism development in their local areas To investigate if local people are aware of the impacts of tourism development. 1.4 Tourism trends in Mauritius Since the 1990s, Mauritius adopted economic reforms aimed at establishing a market-based and private-sector-driven economy that marked significant growth in many sectors of the countrys economy. Such reforms for example, helped to improve the performance of the countrys tourism industry and enhanced growth of the sector through improved marketing and promotional campaigns, improved tourism services, improved air access to Mauritius, accommodation facilities, and other tourism supporting infrastructures. More specifically, growth in the Mauritian tourism industry can be measured by looking at the trends in tourism receipts, tourist arrivals, tourism annual growth, number of hotels and hotel rooms, contribution of the sector to countrys GDP, and direct jobs created by the industry. To give a clear picture of the performance of the tourism industry in Mauritius and to be able to gauge the achievements already realized by the industry. While the tourism industry continues to be one of the key foreign exchange earners in Mauritius, the industry depends primarily on the flow of international tourists to the country. The countrys main source markets are Britain, Germany, the United States, Italy, France, Spain, and some new markets emerging around China and Asian countries. The majority of international tourists come to Mauritius for cultural, adventure and beach resort all together making Mauritius a quality destination. It is, however, interesting to note from the statistics below that, in Mauritius, earnings from international tourism have grown more rapidly than tourist arrivals in nominal terms due to the to promote Mauritius as a high quality destination. Arguably, the increasing tourist numbers to Mauritius may be a convincing indication of increasing opportunities for local communities to earn revenue from tourism and these revenue opportunities could eventually contribute significantly to greater local interest in the development of the industry (Victurine, 2000). Table 1:- Tourist arrivals, nights and receipts, 2009 2012 Year Tourist arrivals (Number) Tourist nights (000) Tourism receipts 1 (Rs million) 2009 871,356 8,639 35,693 2010 934,827 9,495 39,456 2011 964,642 9,730 42,717 3 2009 1st Qr. 232,908 2,250 10,265 2nd Qr. 180,596 1,791 7,984 1st Semester 413,504 4,041 18,249 3rd Qr. 195,381 2,280 7,436 4th Qr. 262,471 2,318 10,008 2nd Semester 457,852 4,598 17,444 2010 1st Qr. 249,971 2,943 11,021 2nd Qr. 189,179 1,855 8,788 1st Semester 439,150 4,798 19,809 3rd Qr. 207,506 2,275 8,358 4th Qr. 288,171 2,422 11,289 2nd Semester 495,677 4,697 19,647 2011 1st Qr. 262,626 2,960 11,949 2nd Qr. 201,978 1,975 9,355 1st Semester 464,604 4,935 21,304 3rd Qr. 209,779 2,325 8,845 4th Qr. 290,259 2,470 12,568 3 2nd Semester 500,038 4,795 21,413 3 2012 2 1st Qr. 261,995 2,950 13,768 3 2nd Qr. 205,158 2,010 9,780 1st Semester 467,153 4,960 23,548 Source: www.gov.mu 1.5 Outline of Study Chapter 1- Introduction This chapter gives an overview of the study and the outline of the dissertation. It includes the introduction, problem statement, aims and objectives of the research. Chapter 2- Literature Review The literature review entails the theoretical background; the main aim in writing this is to assess existing literature related to the study, what other researchers have done, including empirical evidence to provide a foundation to the study. It consists of all the theoretical aspects like the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards tourism development. The impacts of tourism development are also discussed along with how the community participation can reduce or increase these tourism impacts. Chapter 3- Methodology This comprises of the methodology of how the research was conducted, the questionnaire design, method used to collect the data, sampling techniques used, the data analysis and limitations of the study. Chapter 4- Results and Discussions In this chapter the data collected through the use of questionnaires, will be analysed by making use of graphical, mean and standard deviation. Package for the Social Science (SPSS) Software was used to make these analyses. Chapter 5- Recommendations and Conclusions The last chapter identifies the possible solution to come across for the problems of the poor involvement of locals. The perceptions of residents on the impacts generated from tourism development, thus leading to the conclusion of the project. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter seeks to address a number of issues related to community involvement and participation in the tourism industry by examining some key points emerging from various studies, reports and other sources of information. It starts with a discussion about the perceptions and attitudes of host community towards the impacts of tourism development. Some critics about Doxey Irridex Model and Butler Tourism Area life cycle will also be discussed. The chapter also identifies factors which influence local communities and attract their participation in the tourism industry. It continues with a discussion about the tourism impacts that arise due tourism development in a small community. The chapter concludes by highlighting key issues raised by the literature that form the basis of this research. 2.2 Sustainable Tourism Development Sustainable tourism development (STD) is a long-term approach that cultivates economically viable tourism without harming residents environment or society while simultaneously ensuring fair distribution of costs and benefits (DBEDT, 2006a). Decisions are based on economic, environmental, and cultural impacts; how wealth is generated and distributed; and the relative power and interactions among the stakeholders (Bramwell, 2006; Twining-Ward Butler, 2002). STD balances industrys goal of profit with the needs of the environment and stakeholders (Bramwell, 2006). Stakeholder cooperation is necessary for sustainable tourism; otherwise only the most powerful will benefit (Dyer, Gursoy, Sharma, Carter, 2007). To keep stakeholders satisfied with tourism development and their community, the environment and culture must be protected (Ahn et al., 2002; Hjalager, 1996). When tourism development enhances, rather than erodes the natural environment, a more sustainable tourism product can be off ered to support the destinations economy (Batra Kaur, 1996). A government that effectively manages tourism creates benefits for all stakeholders (Jamal Getz, 1995). Effective management is avoiding negative impacts through a combination of general protective measures; regulations to control development; and financial restraints (Cohen, 1978; Hjalager, 1996). Improvement of the environment can be achieved by ensuring that development is harmonious with the overall plan for the destination (Batra Kaur, 1996). Necessary tourism infrastructure such as roads, airports, parks, and visitor centers are also the responsibility of government (Jamal Getz, 1995). Maintenance of infrastructure and facilities is expensive and residents, through property taxes, should not be the only group to bear this burden (Wong, 1996). Residents benefit when tourists spend money in the local economy and create jobs, as well as from the development of infrastructure that residents also utilize (Wong, 1996). Residents in mass tourism destinations such as Hawaii depend on tourism for their standard of living (Liu, Sheldon, Var, 1987). Because tourism development usually involves a tradeoff between economic benefits and environmental or cultural costs, residents cope by downplaying the negative impacts based and emphasizing the economic gains to maintain satisfaction with their community (Dyer et al., 2007; Cavus Tanrisevdi, 2003; Faulkner Tideswell, 1997). Residents with the most economic gain are the most supportive of the tourism industry (Harrill, 2004). Cavus Tanrisevdi (2003) found that the development process controlled by planners was the primary factor in residents negative attitudes towards tourism. When residents perceive that the costs of tourism outweigh the benefits, feelings of resentment and irritation towards tourists can develop and lower community satisfaction (Doxey, 1975; Faulkner Tideswell, 1997; Ko Stewart, 2002). Residents who feel that they have a voice in tourism planning are more positive towards tourism (Cavus Tanrisevdi, 2003). According to Choi Sirakaya (2005), sustainable tourism is the development pathway to minimize the negative impacts of tourism. There are many ways to make tourism more sustainable but few tools for evaluating and testing a sustainable tourism framework (Choi Sirakaya, 2005). Audits and resource valuation evaluate tourisms costs and benefits so that they can be fairly distributed to stakeholders (Warnken et al., 2004; Wen, 1998). Limiting tourism growth (such as carrying capacity or limits of acceptable change) can also make development more sustainable (Cohen, 1978; Butler, 1980; GÃ ¶ssling, Peeters, Ceron, Dubois, Patterson, Richardson, 2005; Christensen Beckmann, 1998; Ahn et al., 2002). In these approaches, government management and stakeholder cooperation are necessary to reach a consensus for how to manage future tourism development. This is why Understanding residents perceptions are critical to fairly distributing the environmental, social, and economic costs and benefits of tourism; thus, ultimately increasing sustainable tourism development (Twining-Ward Butler, 2002). 2.3 Host Community Attitudes and Perceptions about Tourism Development This study aims at identifying the relationships between residents socio- cultural, economic and environmental aspect and their attitudes towards tourism by focusing on a small community where tourism is in the development stage. By conducting this research, the author hopes to come across the residents attitudes and capture their current perceptions about tourism development in their area. Moreover, this research is being done because most authors agree that initial community attitudes toward tourism are critical to community involvement in the industry (Murphy 1981), the formation of destination image (Echtner Ritchie 1991). Attitudes are defined as a state of mind of the individual toward a value (Allport 1966, p. 24) and as an enduring predisposition towards a particular aspect of ones environment (McDougall Munro 1987, p. 87). Attitude of host community to tourism based development can improve if there is a boost in the tangible and indescribable settlements the host community can receive by being in based development (Choi Sirakaya, 2006). As Attitudes are based under this understanding, this is why some researchers came to a conclusion that residents attitudes toward tourism are not simply the reflections of residents perceptions of tourism impacts, but the results of interaction between residents perceptions and the factors affecting their attitudes (Lankford et al.1994). Some preceding researches have proved that some most important impacts of tourism are identified along with its variables, however the theory is underdeveloped: Currently there is limited understanding of why residents respond t o the impacts of tourism as they do, and under what conditions residents react to those impacts (Ap 1992, p. 666). Husband (1989) also addressed this issue by saying There is, so far, no theoretical justification of why some people are, or are not, favorably disposed to tourism. Various issues can persuade perceptions of the host community about positive outcomes of tourism development. Support will depend on the degree of benefits perceived. The participation of community will be discussed later on in the literature review. The acceptance of local values can also be an important factor that leads to the achievement of a tourism based development (Alexander, 2000). However over a certain period of time many findings detected that host community perceptions in the direction from tourism may have more positive attitudes. People who depend on tourism industry or having a better economic benefit may possibly have a higher degree of positivity than other inhabitants who do not benefit from a tourism development (lankford and howard, 1994; Jurowski, Uysal, and willimas, 1997; Sirakaya , Teye and Sonmez,2002 ). Lindberg and Johnson (1997) mentioned that people having higher economic impacts from tourism may have more positive attitudes. However Travis (1984) has stated that its not only an economic characteristic such as the opportunity for jobs creation or capital generation that needs to be considered by the host community. The socio-cultural and environmental aspects are also very important. For Choi and Sirakaya (2005), the most community should also have a better environment in term of infrastructures and improved amenities such as leisure and recreational activities. They describe tourism as consisting of various supports and any development in the tourism field should ensure the protection of the culture of host community, alongside the protection of the environment. In order to clarify the relationship between the impacts of tourism and residents attitudes toward tourism, several models have been developed. One of the most influential models is Doxeys Irridex model (1975) which suggests that residents attitudes toward tourism may pass through a series of stages from euphoria, through apathy and irritation. to antagonism, as perceived costs exceed the expected benefits. This model is supported by Long et al.s (1990) research results, which indicate residents attitudes, are initially favorable but become negative after reaching a threshold. To have a better comprehension about the relationship between the impacts of tourism and residents attitudes toward tourism, several models like Butler Tourism Life cycle Area and Doxey Irridex model have been developed. One of the most dominant models is Doxeys Irridex model (1975) which suggests that residents attitudes toward tourism may pass through a series of stages from euphoria, through apathy and irritation. to antagonism, as perceived costs exceed the expected benefits. This model was supported by Long et al.s (1990) research results, which indicated that residents attitudes are initially favorable but become negative after reaching a threshold. The Irridex model indicates that residents attitudes toward tourism will change overtime. It suggests that residents attitudes and reactions toward tourism contain a sense of homogeneity (Mason et al. 2000). Conversely, this concept was challenged by some research findings that reported heterogeneous community responses and diverse residents attitudes simultaneously existing in a community (Brougham et al. 1981,Rothman 1978). 2.4 Critics about Doxey Irridex Model and Butler Tourism Area Life cycle Butler (1980) took a more complicated approach. He argued that tourist areas go through a recognizable cycle of evolution; he used an S-shaped curve to illustrate their different stages of popularity. Butler stated that there are six stages through which tourist areas pass. These include the exploration stage, involvement stage, development stage, consolidation stage, stagnation stage, and decline stage. His study also reveals that evolution is brought about by a variety of factors, including changes in preferences and needs of visitors, the gradual deterioration and possible replacement of physical plant and facilities, and the change of the original natural and cultural attractions, which is responsible for the initial popularity of the area. Furthermore this model is supported by Murphys (1983) research results, which reveal the distinct attitude differences among residents, public officials, and business owners in three English tourist centers. Although Butlers model addresses th e difficulty of residents attitudes toward tourism, researchers still lacked theories explaining relationships between residents attitudes and tourism impacts until Ap (1992) applied social exchange theory to tourism. 2.5 Social Exchange Theory According to the theory, exchange will start, only when there are irregular inaction forms. Ap (1992) suggests that residents evaluate tourism in terms of social exchange, that is, evaluate it in terms of expected benefits or costs obtained in return for the services they supply He also argued that when exchange of resources is high for the host actor in either the balanced or unbalanced exchange relation, tourism impacts are viewed positively, while tourism impacts are viewed negatively if exchange of resources is low. Social exchange theory has been examined as a theoretical framework by researchers to describe residents attitudes toward tourism impacts (Perdue et al. 1990, McGehee Andereck 2004). However mason and Cheyen (2000) stated that that the representation of Butler assumes a degree of homogeneity of community reaction. Butler (2006) supported his model by suggesting that a consistent evolution of tourist area can be conceptualized. Different phases at a particular destination may not be understood without mistakes. The demonstration hence should be concerned only to some extent as the phase itself differs from one tourist area to anotherb(Tosun,2002). The Doxey irridex model gives a clear view of how host community attitude changes over a period of time. It mentions host community perceptions, reactions and attitudes in the direction of tourism (Manson et al.2000). This can be a conflicting principle because some research came to a conclusion that various host community attitudes and perceptions may exist in the community, (Brougham et al.1981, Rothman 1978). Akis, Peristanis Warner (1996) disapprove the Irridex Model and The Tourism Life Cycle and view it as too simple, because both models give a few hint of changing host community perceptions and attitudes over time. Other researchers like Lankford and Howard (1994, P.135) opposed against the model of Doxey(1975) because positive and negative factors that affect the perceptions and attitudes of host community are not given much consideration. As the tourism industry keeps on changing, this may be a reason why we must give this industry continuous support for its related development. Andereck vogt( 2000) stated that it is considered that optimistic attitudes towards tourism may entail the encouragement for further tourism development. If there is any delay in tourism project development this can be due to frustration towards tourists. Mill and Morisson (1984) even mention that, an acceptance of tourism cannot be built unless the benefits of tourism are made relevant to the community. Attitudes and perceptions of host community at a destination is of utmost importance in the accomplishment of tourism development alongside the development of the industry at large also, (Hayword,1975), (Heenan, 1978), and Hiller (1976). There is a broad belief perception and attitudes of host community in the direction of tourism outcomes are apt to become essential planning and policy concern for flourishing development and expansion of existing and potential tourism programs, (Ap,1992). Host community attitudes and perception is very important as it will influence their behavior towards tourism, (Andriotis and Vaughan, 2003). 2.6 Host community involvement and participation Community participation has become a common element in many development initiatives, such as community-based programmes, which assume participatory methods and has been promoted by development organizations, notably the World Bank, to address the inefficiency of highly centralized development approaches particularly in the developing world (Baral and Heinen, 2007). Today, many development initiatives solicit the participation of all concerned stakeholders, at the relevant level, not only for the sake of efficiency and equity of the programmes, leverage of donors and demands of local communities, but also for sustainability of these initiatives (Ribot, 2004). Consequently, the real outcome for soliciting such community participation is to create and produce an enabling environment needed by these stakeholders, especially local communities who have been vulnerable to negative impacts of tourism attributed partly to the fact that many tourism resources occur in their areas, to have a real stake in development activities (Havel, 1996; Songorwa, 1999). This requires involving local communities in decision-making and strengthening their ability to act for themselves. One approach to achieve this is through investments in human capital, such as education and health, investments in social capital such as local-level institutions and participatory proce sses, and support for community based development efforts planned and implemented from bottom up (Havel, 1996, p.145). However, given the fact that the central point underlying peoples participation may be the degree of power distribution, these efforts are less likely to succeed unless responsive institutions and the legal and policy framework that facilitate and support local participation are in place (Havel, 1996; Tosun, 2004; Wang and Wall, 2005). It is probably important to insist from here that a key consideration in tourism development is sustainability, which cannot be achieved without community support (Vincent and Thompson, 2002). While sustainability is the core objective of community participation (Vincent and Thompson, 2002; Johannesen and Skonhoft, 2005), proponents of community tourism further argue that community participation seeks to improve the welfare of the local community and, perhaps most importantly, win their support in conservation of tourism resources (Songorwa, 1999). This means community participation is inevitable and imperative for tourism development because most tourist attractions lie within local communities or in their vicinities and in most cases co-exist side by side with the communities, for instance, in wildlife areas. Community participation via decision-making is an essential determinant to ensure that the benefits that local communities get from tourism are guaranteed, and their lifestyles and values are respected. It is, however, important to note that community participation in decision making is not only desirable but also necessary so as to maximize the socio-economic benefits of tourism for the community. It is perhaps one of the most important elements of tourism management to enable communities who often serve as tourist destinations and for that matter suffer from the negative impacts of tourism, to get involved and eventually participate in planning decisions regarding tourism development. This is important in order to create better handling of the negative impacts of tourism development (Li, 2004; Tosun, 2000). It is equally important to note, therefore, that integration of local communities into the decision-making process is not a final goal itself but only one of the many ways throu gh which community participation can be achieved (Li, 2005, p.133). Another way to involve and attract community participation and ultimately their support in tourism development is through local job creation (Zhao and Ritchie, 2007). Since tourism offers better labour-intensive and small scale opportunities (Chok and Macbeth, 2007; Scheyvens, 2007) and since it happens in the community, arguably, it is thought to be one of the best placed potential sources of employment opportunities for local communities, inclusive of women and the informal sector (Blank, 1989; Li, 2005; Johannesen and Skonhoft, 2005; Scheyvens, 2007). Community participation via employment opportunities, as workers or as small business operators, can be a catalyst to the development of tourism products and services, arts, crafts and cultural values, especially through taking advantage of abundant natural and cultural assets available in communities in developing countries (Scheyvens, 2007). Tosun (2000) stated that community participation through working in the tourism industry ha s been recognized to help local communities not only to support development of the industry but also to receive more than economic benefits. However, it is important to understand that in some cases community participation is seen as a way of getting people to carry out activities or share their costs while the benefits are not clear to those expected to participate (Havel, 1996). This implies that a key factor to the success of any community-based tourism project is the incentive to benefit sharing which is usually attractive enough to make people highly motivated to participate. As Havel (1996) asserted people will not participate unless they believe it is their interest to do so Involvement and participation of the community in decision-making is advocated so that communities can have some control over tourism resources, initiatives and decisions that affect their livelihood (Wang, and Wall, 2005). On the other hand, the idea of involvement and participation of local communities in the tourism benefits is easily reflected in increasing incomes, employment, and education of local communities about tourism and entrepreneurship (Timothy, 1999). One way to accomplish this is to increase public awareness of tourism through education campaigns and train local communities for employment in the industry. While increased public awareness creates a more hospitable environment for tourists and improves the image of the destination, providing entrepreneurial training empowers local communities and ultimately increases their capacity to receive significant benefits from tourism (Timothy, 1999). This enables tourism-oriented businesses and locals such as taxi drivers, gue sthouse managers, restaurant owners, and street vendors, th