Saturday, May 23, 2020

Consumer Behavior And Attitudes Of Organic Foods - 1295 Words

DISCUSSION / CONCLUSION Consumer Behavior and Attitudes As discussed previously, consumer behaviors are largely driven by attitudes usually established during childhood; this â€Å"combined with personal experiences and influences, contributes to the consumer s decision to purchase or not purchase organic foods†2 . Indicators that influence a consumer’s choice of whether to purchase organic foods were consistent across most studies: consumers cited health benefits, animal welfare, environmental conditions, and food safety as motivators for purchasing organic foods2,3,4,5,6,7. Alternatively, consumers cite high prices, lack of availability, skepticism toward certification boards’ approving items as organic, and cosmetic defects as reasons they may choose not to purchase organic food products6. For those that do purchase organic foods, â€Å"organic food consumption is part of a way of life. It results from an ideology, connected to a particular value system, that affects personality measures, attitudes, and consumpt ion behavior6. In this study, 41.7% ±1.7 of all participants purchased organic foods regardless of family size (Table 1). As with other studies, the reason for purchasing organic could be related to consumer beliefs that organic foods are healthier and taste better than conventionally grown products8. Additionally, consumers may believe that growing organic food is better for the environment than conventional growing methods since the use of pesticides is lower andShow MoreRelatedOrganic Foods And Organic Food1034 Words   |  5 Pages(USDA) took an interest in organic farming, publishing a report titled Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. (Organic Debate, 2014) As organic foods have been growing rapidly in the last 20 years there has been a lot of talking about whether or not organic foods are healthy. As people today have been eating a lot more of organic foods they are having arguments stating that organic food is not what they say on the labels. Although people th ink that organic food is not what the farmers sayRead MoreUnderstanding The Concepts Of Price, Quality And Value From The Consumer Perspective Essay1734 Words   |  7 Pagessimilar across consumers and products and how the consumers relate quality, price, and value in their deliberations about products and services. The objective of this paper is to define the concepts of price , quality and value from the consumer’ perspective. To work on these objectives, a review of previous research was done by an exploratory investigation of quality and value in the product category of beverages (place). Company interviews, a focus group interview and 30 in-depth consumers interviewsRead MoreOrganic Foods And Organic Food1019 Words   |  5 PagesAgriculture (USDA) took an interest in organic farming, publishing a report titled Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. As organic foods have been growing rapidly in the last 20 years there has been a lot of talking about whether or not organic foods are healthy. As people today have been eating a lot more of organic foods they are having arguments stating that organic food is not what they say on the labels. Although people think that organic food is not what the farmers say it is, it stillRead MoreOrganic Foods And Organic Food Essay1066 Words   |  5 PagesOrganic food is one of the fast growing markets in the world. Only in the U.S., retail sales of organic foods were $6.2 billion in 2015: California made up the biggest part of the country’s organic food market, with $2.436 billion of total sales; Colorado was on the ninth place with $155 million of total sales (â€Å"2015 Certified Organic Survey† 9). Today, organic products are available in almost every conventional grocery store and often have a higher price over conventional products. In fact, theRead MoreThe Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations847 Words   |  4 PagesThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the U nited Nations (FAO) defines certified organic products as â€Å" those which have been produced, stored, processed, handled and marketed in accordance with precise technical specifications (standards) and certified as organic by a certification body† (FAO, 1999). Here, this is a common definition oriented by the production process of the â€Å"organic† product and the label of verification of a certification body as opposed to and verification of product qualityRead MoreEssay on Est1 Task 310.2.1-05638 Words   |  3 Pagescompany will be evaluated on its attitude towards social responsibility. Also, recommendations will be given in three areas indicating how the company could improve its position regarding social responsibility. First of all, Company Q’s decision to close stores in high crime areas will have an adverse effect on the communities where they conduct business, leading to disruption and hardship in the lives of many. This definitely demonstrates an irresponsible attitude toward social responsibility. Read MoreA Simple Trip At The Grocery Store1227 Words   |  5 PagesA simple trip to the grocery store is not what it seems. Each step the consumer takes as they enter the market is predicted and governed to drive purchases. Every aspect of the environment has been designed to take advantage of the consumer’s primordial need for nourishment and basic urges. Product placement used to be dictated by a handful of large companies in the United States who control food distribution. They enticed customers with weekly coupons, colorful endcap displays, and nationwideRead MoreSegmentation and Target1262 Words   |  6 PagesTrader Joe’s is an organic grocery food store that is on e of the best known organic food chains. By listening to the consumer and adjusting to the changing consumer market, Trader Joe’s had built a brand equity that is continuously growing. Trader Joe’s faces stiff competition from other large organic food chains therefore must stand out and adapt to the consumers’ needs. Marketing strategies are important to communicate to the consumer more effectively and help target the consumer to their productRead MoreBrand Loyalty at Whole Foods Market1186 Words   |  5 Pages------------------------------------------------- Brand Loyalty At Whole Foods Market 1 Brand Loyalty Simplified brand loyalty describes a status in which consumers determine their selves in; out of it they become committed to a brand. Thereby they continue purchasing products or services of a specific brand. At this point consumers rather spent more money on a product of a specific brand than buying from multiple suppliers within the same category. Mainly brand loyalty is a result of consumer’s behavior, which is enforced through a company’sRead MoreFactors Influencing The Organic Food Market6312 Words   |  26 PagesThe organic food market in the US has reached new heights, with retail sales in 2010 totaling $26.6 billion; this represents a significant increase from $6.1 billion just ten years earlier (Dimitri, 2012). Organic production includes food that is grown without pesticides, chemicals, growth hormones, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Consumers, once buying mainly organic fruits and vegetables, have recently indicated a strong interest in a wide r ange of organic products, such as milk, eggs

Monday, May 18, 2020

Technological Evolution in the Film Industry Essay

As times are changing, knowledge and information are also changing. With that, the development of motion picture complexity has changed the film industry by a continuing technological evolution. It is evident that films have changed significantly over the last 100 years. The intricacy of filmmaking technology has rapidly progressed, allowing creative potential for filmmakers. Films are often due to technological advances, or even to reintroduce a classic story. Some examples of films that have been remade include Scarface (1932), remade in 1983, and The Magnificent Seven (1960), remade in 1998. King Kong (1933) is another example of a film that has been remade. The remake, King Kong (2005), directed by Peter Jackson, shows technological†¦show more content†¦The stop motion animation sequences were filmed separately from the live action scenes with the actors. These two parts were then combined to create the illusion that the ape was towering over the actors. In the 2005 rema ke of the film, director Peter Jackson relied on Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) to animate Kong. This use of CGI gave the director greater artistic control of the narrative. Many of the sets were computer-generated, as well as Kong himself. To combine both the actors and the computer-generated images together, chroma keying was used. In the scene where Ann Darrow is placed in the hand of Kong, the actress was filmed against a green screen, and held by a large green hand. When this scene was merged with the digital Kong, a composite image shows Kong holding her. Since chroma-keying technology did not exist in the 1930’s, a full-sized, fur covered hand had to be constructed to create the effect of Kong holding the actor. The difference between the visual effects in both versions is significant, making is apparent that the remake has displayed great technological advancement. These advancements also make the film more believable, and emphasise the story. Another aspect of the film that had a significant impact was colour. In the original version of King Kong, the film was shot in black and white. Sometimes there can be implications with interpreting the emotions in the film. Colour in film is a hugeShow MoreRelatedThe Era Of The Roaring Twenties1623 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluenced and altered America from the beginning of the 1920s to today. One of the several impacts that influenced America drastically in the 20s to today, was the boom in feature movies/the movie industry. Things that it greatly impacted, was our culture, lifestyle, career field, and our technological innovation. The creation of motion pictures, movies with sound, and talkies had an immense alteration on society’s entertainment. One thing that movie entertainment fulfilled was attracting peopleRead MoreThe Blu Ray Disc1456 Words   |  6 Pagesaims to address the emergence roadmapping of the Blu-ray disc. It will be structured in the three essential parts: the development of this technology, the environment involved and its initial market and competitors. The first part describes the technological development and the advantages that led to the implementation of this innovation, and it presents the challenges faced by it. In the second part, an environment analysis will explain what helped to the success of the Blu-ray disc. In the last partRead MoreFilm Review On The Film Cinema 1673 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the history of cinema, a never-ending evolution in technological progression – paired with filmmakers’ resourcefulness and ingenuity – allowed for the development of style and encouraged a more involved craft, thus giving individual films a specific personality which theref ore eased the process of discerning which piece of cinema was created by which filmmaker. Because of the progress made in film technology, especially early on, certain aspects of filmmaking that once were inconceivableRead MoreThe Evolution And Importance Of Sound1434 Words   |  6 PagesThe Evolution and Importance of Sound in Media Sound has accompanied performances and visual entertainment all throughout history, and more recently, with interactive media in video games. Sound is an integral part of the user experience and helps solidify immersion and realism. With the rapid increase of visual fidelity in film/television, and the rapid growth of graphical power in video games and animation, sound plays a more important role than ever. In these visual and interactive medias,Read MoreEasycinemas Failure670 Words   |  3 Pagesthe applicability of the easyGroup business model in the airline industry and the cinema industry (examine Exhibits 8 and 18, among others). What problems do you see for the cinema business? The business model of easyGroup, a concept embodying low costs, no-frills, maximization of the capacity and utilization rate, and price yield management was taken from easyJet and applied to easyCinema. Despite the fact that in the airline industry the strategy was succesful, the cinema business didn’t enjoy theRead MoreThe Science Fiction Film Genre Essay1683 Words   |  7 PagesScience Fiction Films The science fiction film genre has been around almost as long as movies have, but like the cinema it is still a fairly young art form. This genre came into existence shortly after the invention of the movie camera in 1888 and has endured for over one-hundred years. Science fiction is adaptive; it changes with the times and this trend can be seen in its incorporation of other genres, cultural history and technology. This essay will attempt to define the genre, chronicle the historyRead MoreThe Indian Film Industry Of India1380 Words   |  6 Pages1. History of Bollywood Bollywood is the Hindi Film Industry of the country and a part of the Indian Film Industry. Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in India and one of the largest centers of film production in the world. However, the first films India watched were not made in Bollywood. The various stages of evolution of bollywood can be categorized as follows: Silent Era to Talkies (1930-1940): Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian Cinema was a man with vision and courage. In theRead MoreThe Evoluation of Media Essay563 Words   |  3 Pagesby the way media has developed around me and the role I play in the evolution of it. Production of digital media not only excites me, but challenges my very being as I am only a minor part in an ever developing media world. The evolution of media stemming from technologies and innovations which are changed, adapted and evolved everyday brings a whole new level of relevance to the core of the course. The many facets of technological media has changed the way we live, the way we communicate and the wayRead MoreAustralian English and National Identity984 Words   |  4 Pagespolitical correctness also attribute to the way that language has evolved to fabricate our national identity. American culture is increasingly affecting the way Australians use language. The dominance and omnipresence of the US entertainment industry, be it film, television, music or media, plays an important role in modifying Australia’s national identity. From the wide array of Americanisms to the myriad of pronunciation and spelling differences, these American influences have targeted almost everyRead MoreThe Impact Of Digital Media On The Cinema Industry1284 Words   |  6 PagesTechnological innovations have brought about significant changes in in almost every aspect of the society. The proliferation of the Internet and new media has changed the way people live, work and entertain. Long–time forms of entertainment, such as music, games or movies have been changed accordingly. Within the entertainment industry, the cinema sector is experiencing dramatic transformations. Consumers are now provided with a wide range of ways to access their products. Traditional practices

Monday, May 11, 2020

Life Requires Imagination Essay - 1289 Words

Life Requires Imagination Not very many people have looked death in the eye. But, when a person does it is something can have a drastic effect on them. Some people are able to survive their deaths, however some end up passing on and are not able to turn their lives around. However, in the short story To Build a Fire by Jack London the man in the story does not survive his dance with death. In the story, the man, whom never gets a name, embarks on a very cold, very long journey to a mining camp. On his journey, he has to stop several times and build a fire in order to keep himself warm and keep himself going throughout his journey to the camp. He has a dog lead him, and then he must save the dog as it fell through the ice. Soon after, he†¦show more content†¦But, rather than waiting and keeping warm, the man simply keeps on moving when his body does need the rest. Also, he not only needs to keep warm, he separates himself from the boys. London states the other boys â€Å"had come over across the divide from the Indian creek country, while [the man] had come the round-about way to take a look at the possibilities of getting out logs in the spring from the islands in the Yukon† (4). This basically shows how confident he was about going about this trip alone and how he needed no one by his side in order to have a successful journey. This man wants to be just that, a man. And if he slows himself down, he does not consider himself a man any longer. The man tries to do everything in his power to make his trip to the mining camp successful, little does he know, he made his mistakes before the trip even began. He did not want to listen to the advice of an old man from Sulphur Creek. The man told him to never travel alone in that cold of whether, but instead of listening, he only continues with his travels, only because he wants to protect his own pride, and to be a man. London shows how foolish the man thinks the old man is when he states â€Å"Those ol d-timers were rather womanish, some of them, he thought. All a man had to do was keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone† (21). This clearly shows the manShow MoreRelatedChildren Of The Holocaust Survivor Essay1384 Words   |  6 Pagescoping mechanism to deal with his pain of remembering and to provide him with a moral compass from using his imagination to remember his past. Repression of Memories To try to deal with his memory of his parents and sister Bella, Jacob develops ways to repress his memories of losing his family during the Holocaust. His painful memories of losing his parents haunt him throughout his life. Memories that are so vivid, he has a difficult time letting go of his past most importantly his sister BellaRead MoreKnowledge Vs. Imagination1250 Words   |  5 PagesKnowledge End of Semester Assignment Question 3: â€Å"imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand â€Å"(Albert Einstein) Do you agree? In this essay, I aim to discuss the issue whether imagination is more important than knowledge. â€Å"For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there willRead MoreReview Of Lederach Named As An Essential Guide For Research And Practice Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesWhile reading the book by Lederach named as â€Å"Pertinent to The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace† and the book by Umbreit and Peterson â€Å"Restorative Justice Dialogue: An Essential Guide for Research and Practice† I have learned three important things; self-determination Creativity and Structure and Flexibility. Through the paper, I shall show how these important readings shall apply in my personal and professional life. a. Self-determination The first thing that I have learned fromRead MoreAnalysis Of Hunting By Rick Bass962 Words   |  4 Pagesstory describing his surrounding beautifully that towards the end of the article, his attempts to appeal to reader’s imagination strengthen his credibility and, ultimately, his argument. Bass begins building his credibility with personal experience and claims from other locals in the area. He argues that the two reasons that made him a hunter are the surrounding and the imagination. Throughout his piece, he talks about his surrounding and how it intrigued him to hunt He shares his story of an unplannedRead MoreProduct Review : Step2 Deluxe Toy Workbench1004 Words   |  5 Pagesevery aspect of life. The future mainly depends on how your child grew up and to some extent, the toys they interacted with. Therefore, parents should consider toy features and how they relate to real life before purchasing. An example to that can be possible choice is the Step2 Workbench. Looking at some of the key product features, you can make an informed decision about the product. Step2 Deluxe Toy Workbench Details The toy workbench transforms child play equipment to almost real life situation.Read MoreWilliam Wordsworth Poetry Analysis968 Words   |  4 Pages Individual Powers: Reflection, Imagination, and Feeling gives the poet, William Wordsworth, a chance to reflect upon his life. He writes this renown piece of literature at a time that the world is rapidly changing and shifting. Wordsworth is able to extract himself from hectic society, slow down, and absorb his surroundings while portraying central components of true romantic poetry in his piece. The poem was written toward the end of the 18th century, during the Romantic period. Romanticism emphasizedRead MoreCould Imagination Be More Important than Thought?643 Words   |  3 Pagesthe same knowledge but can never have the same imagination. Imagination is not only seeing pictures in the mind, it also includes smelling, feeling and tasting. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, imagination is, â€Å"the act of forming mental images of what is not actually present or never been actually experienced† (Agnes). Knowledge is, â€Å"the act, fact or state of knowing† (Agnes). Imagination and knowledge work hand in hand. Imagination is more important than knowledge because it leadsRead MoreDescartes Greatest Argument : Mind Body Duality1323 Words   |  6 Pagessimply be the brain and why, although we physically are present, our essence, our existence, is not linked with our physical self. Descartes arguments, however well crafted they may be, logically appear an inadequate explanation to our understanding of life. Descartes presents his opinion on the nature of the human mind throughout his second Meditation, and builds on this in his third. He lists the forms of activities that a ‘thinking thing’ engages in, providing the meditator with a more detailed descriptionRead More Sublime Elements in Of Love and Other Demons Essay919 Words   |  4 PagesSierva and Delaura is the most important of all the magical elements However, this element may also be indentified as sublime. In the sublime, there is a frightening breakdown of identity, a breakdown that leads to another world of dreams and imagination, and of spirit (qtd. in Sandner 54). This one event, called transcendence, has a huge effect on the characters and the outcome of the rest of the story. Through this dream, Delaura realizes he is in love with Sierva whom he has not even met. TheRead MoreSociology Imagination833 Words   |  4 Pagessociological imagination as the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience a nd the wider society. The sociological imagination is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another: from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world; from the theological school to the military establishment; from considerations of an oil industry to studies of contemporary poetry.[1] Sociological Imagination: The

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

KKK Not a Fringe Movement Essay - 2219 Words

After the Civil War was over it was nearly impossible for many of the Southerners to go back to their lives. They no longer had slaves, their family and friends were killed, and their homes and land were destroyed. The state government no longer existed and northern soldiers were now in charge. The whites’ right to vote was gone, and it instead was given to the uneducated former slaves. Six white men met on Christmas Eve, 1865, in Pulaski, near the Alabama border of Tennessee to form a club which would help support the former Confederate soldiers after the restless days of the Civil War and to have fun. They made white ghost like costumes that covered everything but their eyes, nose, mouth and hands. They began referring to their secret†¦show more content†¦Although the Klan was not common in large cities, the tidewater and costal areas, or the delta and black-belt areas, it was active in all states to some degree. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As the membership of the Ku Klux Klan began to soar the ideas and the goals of the Klan changed. The KKK originally was only against blacks and black defenders. But they later become defenders of conservative protestant denominations. The Klan believed that the whites were the superior race; they both feared and hated Jews, Catholics, immigrants, and African Americans. The KKK claimed to fight lawlessness and immortality such as; gambling, prostitution, homosexuality, and miscegenation. It portrayed itself as the champion of religion and morality. The Klan’s vowed goals were to protect God, country, house, womanhood, the south, but most importantly white supremacy. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The increase in membership and the change in the beliefs of the Klan led also to an increase in violence. It was no longer enough to just scare the people that the Klansmen were trying to control. The common practice of dressing in costumes and riding to the homes of black families and asking for water, ceased to be enough. The riders used to be able to scare the blacks by pretending to drink several well buckets of water. But in fact they were actually pouring the water through a tube andShow MoreRelatedThe Klan s Organized Terrorism1114 Words   |  5 PagesThe Ku Klux Klan had three eras, an era ends when the Ku Klux Klan movement dies out or they loss the need for it. Each era may have its own intentions or what their main goal is, but white supremacy is still their goal just trying to accomplish it in different ways, while also opposing thing that may go against their moral code, like gay marriage. The Ku Klux Klan is an origination focused on having wh ite supremacy, it has existed for many years and has had three eras, it is most known for its actRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920 Essay1558 Words   |  7 Pages The Ku Klux Klan had risen in the 1920s due to political encouragement through the movie, The Birth of a Nation, Prohibition, and political leaders. The Birth of A Nation by David W. Griffith had glorified the Ku Klux Klan. The movie portrays the KKK in such a way as Morrison explainsâ€Å"†¦The Rebirth of a Nation, in dubious tribune to D.W Griffith’s hugely successful 1915 film. In the film, as in Clansman, the novel on which it is based, the need to protect white women from the sexual threat posedRead MoreThe Ku Klux Klan And The Civil War1186 Words   |  5 PagesYes: Shawn Lay rejects the view of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) as a radical fringe group comprised of marginal men and instead characterizes the KKK of the 1920s as a mainstream, grassroots organization that promoted traditio nal values of law, order, and social morality that appealed to Americans across the nation. No: Thomas Pegram, on the other hand, recognizes that Klansmen were often average members of their communities, but this did not prevent most Americans from denouncing the organization’s commitmentRead MoreThe Kkk Klan Klux Klan1860 Words   |  8 Pageswhen things started to get bad. The social impact of the Klan was tremendous. The Klan spread like wild fire. It went beyond Tennessee and included mayors, judges, and sheriffs. They murdered African American politicians and political leaders. The KKK tortured these poor African Americans. The Klan lynched, beat, whipped, and murdered hundred of thousands of people. They made them scared but no one was safe. The Klan believed that the African Americans should have no freedom and have no say in governmentRead More Profile of a Hate Crime Offender Essay1614 Words   |  7 Pagesworkplace, neighborhood, or physical well-being. On occasion, hate crimes go beyond what their perpetrators consider reaction, at least in the narrow sense. Mission hate-crime offenders are likely to join an organized group such as the KKK or the White Aryan Resistance. Mission hate offenses are not nearly as common as the other types of hate crimes. The statement is consistent with recent estimates that no more than 5 percent of all hate crimes in the United States involveRead MoreThe Birth of Heroes and the Rise of Filipino Nationalism12139 Words   |  49 Pageswere not levied upon the traders and there was limited state interference. However, the place is small and congested. Newly converted traders, like Domingo, had limited commercial success there, if at all. Domingo decided to migrate to the outer fringes of the regime. He chose Binan, a town in Laguna, which has a bustling community of Sangleys. Sangleys founded the area shortly after the brutal massacre in 1602. When they fled Manila away from the knives of Sinophobic Spaniards, they saw LagunaRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 Pagesfollowing new 12 subparagraph: 13 ‘‘(HH) mental health counselor services (as de- 14 fined in subsection (kkk)(1));’’. 15 (2) DEFINITION.—Section 1861 of the Social 16 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x), as previously 17 amended, is amended by adding at the end the fol- 18 lowing new subsection: 19 20 ‘‘Mental Health Counselor Services ‘‘(kkk)(1) The term ‘mental health counselor services’ 21 means services performed by a mental health counselor (as 22 defined

Decaying of Ideology in Modern China Free Essays

Although Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Though (MLM) still serves as the ideology which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) adhere to, these socialist doctrines no longer serve inspirational purposes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and are viewed as an â€Å"ideological vacuum. † China’s attempt to establish a rapid growing economy to support the authority of the Communist regime has contradicted the Communist ideology and has thus created a reverse effect. It is certain that Chinese citizens have grown increasingly apolitical in the current era due to the exposure to market economy and Western influences. We will write a custom essay sample on Decaying of Ideology in Modern China or any similar topic only for you Order Now This new environment prompts the public to adopt individualism and neglect Communist ideologies such as collectivism. As Deng Xiao Ping and many other scholars blamed the ineffective political education as the major cause of this phenomenon, the assertion remains debatable. CCP now faces a challenge where it has to redefine its political ideology while fitting the socialist regime in the context of â€Å"socialist commodity economy. † The CCP’s attempt to reconcile its capitalist practices with socialist ideal results a dilemma. As uncertainties lay in the future of the Chinese political environment, this paper evaluates the failure of The Communist Party’s normative authority, and distinguishes possible alternatives and solutions. One of the main reasons for the failure of the propaganda scheme is that the value which the Party tries to promote grossly contrasted with the actual social condition. While the Party urges the public to embrace the idea of â€Å"collectivism,† and â€Å"serving the people,† it fails to justify how socialist morality is compatible with market competition. Jurgen Habermans has labeled this dilemma as ‘rationality crisis,’ caused by the disjunction between current practices and the original ideological tenets upon which the regime was founded. † Although CCP recognizes the need for combating moral disorder and launched the â€Å"socialist spiritual civilization† (SSC) campaign in 1997, the accomplishment is diminutive. It is obvious that political education in China is heavily emphasized, where political elements are incorporated in every curriculum, from kindergarten to university. However, the program is ineffective since these principles are not applicable in the social environment. As a result, students see no purpose in these materials except to know them well so they could obtain a decent academic record and remain competitive in the job market. Furthermore, â€Å"even party functionaries no longer take ideological work seriously, and few are interested in this specialty as a career. † The character of legitimation crisis has also surfaced besides the presence of rationality crisis. Legitimation crisis is â€Å"a discrepancy between the need for motives declared by the state and the motivation supplied by socio-cultural system. † As â€Å"harmonious society† (hexie shehui) and scientific development† continues to serve as current watchwords for CCP, they appears to be oxymoronic. The concept of harmonious society is drawn upon Confucius values, whereas the concept of scientific development aroused mainly from Deng Xiao Ping Theory, which is an emphasis on economic stability. The rationality and legitimation crisis which CCP now encounters â€Å"can be explained in terms of the antinomy between rationality and reasonableness, or between scientism and moralism. This antinomy seems to be the most visible obstacle and the most controversial policy of Chinese education. † Another critical argument for CCP’s decaying normative authority is the corruption of government officials and therefore creating a devastating effect on the Party’s goal on rebuilding moral order. Since the 16th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, more than 100 minster- and provincial-level officials were sentenced for corruption, an unprecedented number, according to statistics released by the Supreme Procuratorate. In 2005, 47,206 officials were disciplined-punished by Chinese supervision agencies. † Consequently, the uncontrollable widespread of corruption among government officials brings public to think that education system is hypocritical and therefore, unpersuasive. In a survey conducted in the state enterprises of Shenyang, one of China’s largest industrial cities, 71% of respondents agreed that moral education should be directed primarily at the high- and middle- ranking cadres rather than at ordinary people. † In order to overhaul the Communist Ideology, the Party implemented inspirational projects incorporating patriotic education and Confucianism. China’s patriotic education was design for two purposes. One is to combat Western influences and second is to achieve â€Å"unified thinking† (tongyi sixiang). To a certain extent, the program was successful, particularly in â€Å"unified thinking. † Although the Party is unable to eliminate all Western influences and the exchange of information, the general public has increasingly learnt to praises and adapt to traditional Chinese culture. The party has utilized Confucianism value by describing â€Å"Confucianism as a positive force that could consolidate the Chinese nation and foster socialist spiritual civilization. † Accordingly, most of the Chinese families today follow Confucian’s teachings and the value of Confucianism is already deeply rooted in the society. Through the post-1989 Patriotic Education, the regimen has provided China’s new generations with nationalists. In China’s education system, children are taught â€Å"that China’s misery was imposed by Western countries,† and acknowledged themselves as nationalists and â€Å"bound to become fenqing. † Furthermore, although young generations are no longer interested in the concept of ideology, CCP has little problems finding new members as we can see that during â€Å"the last five years, three-quarters of those who flocked to join were under thirty-five. This is not only a result of patriotism but also joining the Party could provide opportunities and benefits. On the other hand, the increasing population of nationalist does not imply legitimating the government’s policy and authorities. â€Å"By placing the party and the center of the official discourse the state-centered view of nationalism restricts the extent to which the Party-state can mobilize nationalist symbolism in support of its leadership and make the Party vulnerable to criticism from more popular conceptions of nationalism. June 4th crackdown and the emergence of Chinese liberalism are the result of nationalism. Besides from implementing propaganda program to strengthen Communist Ideology, new ideas have also formed in the Chinese political platform. Ideas such as â€Å"new left,† â€Å"new conservative†or evenâ€Å"liberalism† are introduced. The New Leftism is in opposition to capitalism and Chinese economic reforms and in favor of the restoration of the Maoist-style socialism. â€Å"New leftists† appeal to social injustice like corruption and the interest of low class people became particular popular in 2009. Furthermore, it addresses the problem of the disparity between rich and poor. The New leftists â€Å"guarantee the welfare of the country’s 800 million peasants left behind the recent change. † Alternatively, if China is to take on the advice of the New Leftist, it would create an enormous wave of withdraws in the form of foreign investments due to the economic uncertainty, which would inevitably destroy China’s new emerging market. And the collapse of the Chinese economy would make it impossible for the Party to provide welfare for the poor. In that sense, the New Left ideas do not generate common interest between the public and the Party’s ideology. On the contrary, the â€Å"New Conservatives†, or Neo-Conservatives, â€Å"holds that modernization is a gradual process (incrementalism), and that, during this process, traditional values, the existing order and an authoritarian government are necessary to maintain social stability and ensure a successful social transformation. † It also distinguishes itself from traditional conservatism by accentuating modern transformation and accelerates economic development. The Neo-Conservatives tries to develop â€Å"a model characterized by economic growth under an authoritarian political order. † This hybrid Ideology that retained Marxism-Leninism ideals and Deng’s goal to achieve modernization â€Å"enabled Jiang to legitimize the Party and ensure its survival. † Consequently, Jiang has balanced centralism (elements of the â€Å"Mao Era†) and capitalistic-orientated economic policies (which are elements of the â€Å"Deng Era†) and achieve new census. Besides from the ideas that were discussed above, â€Å"liberalism† is another concept which has derived from the June 4th incident of 1989. The collapse of Communism in the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe provided an opportunity for Chinese liberals to deeply reflect on the illusion of ‘socialist democracy. ’† The Chinese liberals advocate the abandon of one Party rule and call for multi-party elections to increase competition and limiting the power of the government. â€Å"Despite hard suppression of democracy and liberal ideas by the Chinese party-state, and partly due to this suppression, liberalism and the quest for human rights have been on the rise and achieved a level of sophistication in China since the late 1990s. Even though the idea of liberalism is not irrelevant to China’s political future, the system would be impossible to impose under a peaceful transition. Ultimately, China would have to construct a new political stance that ensures government power but also provide economic prosperity. China would have to undergo gradual transition from Communism to Authoritarian Capitalism, for instance the People’s Action Party (PAP) in Singapore. Under such political system, there is a large degree of economic freedom but tight control in terms of social freedom. Although there are negative comments on Singapore’s authoritarian capitalism, such as ones that were made by Christopher Lingle, his arguments are debatable. He claimed that â€Å"Singapore’s authoritarian rule has led to the ‘politicization of commerce,’ the distribution of economic and commercial privileges to trusted political supporters, stifling the emergence of home-grown entrepreneurs. † On the other hand, statistics has proven him wrong. Singapore is the second most economically free country according to 2011 Index of Economic Freedom. Furthermore, its government spending in terms of GDP is among the lowest in the world (14. 5%), according to information from The World Factbook. And as we can see, the Chinese government is actually taking such transition, and characters of capitalism can be found in increasingly free trade. Several universities claimed â€Å"that great powers like China and Russian, with authoritarian state capitalist regimes could pose a viable rival model. † How to cite Decaying of Ideology in Modern China, Essay examples

Operators and Development Organisations in Tourism

Question: Discuss about the Operators and Development Organisations in Tourism . Answer: Introduction Tourism is a major foreign exchange earner for Australia. In cities like Sydney, the arrival of tourists depends greatly on theme tourists. Such tourists, who come in groups, are visiting this magnificent city with the purpose of exploring the various cultural aspects of Australia. For economic and social reasons, forecasts about tourist arrivals becomes important as it enables the various tourism related sectors of the country such as airlines, hotels and other service providers. This forecasting also helps all these stakeholders in making preparation for the expected number of tourists at a given future period, assert Buhalis Crotts, (2013). This paper makes the attempt at forecasting arrival of tourists, especially in Sydney, by using the Statistical Time Series Modelling Techniques. Techniques used by the author include Double Exponential Smoothing and Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA). All the data related to arrival of tourists in Sydney has been obtained from Australia Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Trade Commission and Department of Tourism, Government of New South Wales, as per Erskine Meyer, (2012). The author has used the tourist arrivals for the period 2006 to 2015 for model validation. Arrivals of international tourists and the revenues generated from these international tourists have been used by nations across the globe as benchmark aggregate series for arriving at an assessment of the importance of tourism by specific countries. Nations often make use of advertising campaigns and international political discussion forums for arriving at a higher international tourist arrivals level so as to emphasize the success of their country in the international community, say Evans, Stonehouse Campbell, (2012). On the same scale, a sizeable increase in international tourist revenues become a good indicator of the role played by tourism in the economy of a nation when assessing its Gross Domestic Product and foreign exchange generation. Subsequently, the policy makers get convinced and assist in development of tourism and to further increase the profitability from these enhanced tourism activities. In Australia, the overseas visitors contributed about 25% of the total touri sm earnings of the country. In 2014-15, the revenue generated from overseas visitors was $32billion and it represented about 11% of Australias total export revenue, asserts Harris, (2012). Tourism Forecasting Methodology Rapid global growth of the tourism industry across all nations in the past 20 years is instrumental in contributing highly to the economy of that nation. The research data provided by World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) has shown that output value of global tourism, including other sectors related to tourism, was US$5.474 trillion and this was 9.4% of the Global GDP in 2009. According to WITC, this output value of global tourism industry may reach US$10.478 trillion, generating 9.5% of Global GDP by 2019, as detailed by Gilligan Hird, (2012). Methodologies used for tourism forecasting can be broadly divided into Qualitative and Quantitative methodologies. Regardless of the forecasting methodology used, this author has noticed that usefulness of the tourism demand forecasting model is actually based on the accuracy of the tourism demand forecasts which the technique generates, especially when it is measured in comparison with the actual inflow of the tourist arrivals, as defined by Hall, Timothy Duval, (2012). In this regard, there are five patterns in use while working on a tourism time series: Seasonality Stationarity Linear Trend Non-linear Trend and Stepped Series. It has also been observed that while forecasting, the single variable approach has limitations as it lacks in explanatory variables. Also, because it is best suitable when making short- to medium-term forecasting, assert Erskine Meyer, (2012). Another factor in this approach are the factors which are directly related to seasonality, trend and cycle, as they change slowly and can be best extrapolated in the short- to medium term forecasting, say Huimin, Ryan, (2011). The conventional tourism demand forecasting methodologies have been categorised as Univariate Time-series Approaches and Multivariate Demand Modelling Approaches. In this respect, say Lemelin, Dawson Stewart (ed.), (2013), the latter can be implemented by using either a conventional four-step travel planning model or direct demand model. As far as overseas tourist demand forecasting is concerned, the direct demand modelling approach has been used more often because of its capability to identify the demand elasticity which is helpful in representing the causal relationship between the demand and the explanatory variables, assert Lemelin, Dawson Stewart (ed.), (2013). However, in many of the forecasting studies conducted, one of the factors comprises of the facilities which the tourists demand and the prices at which the tours are offered. Under such circumstances, this model has shown that the Univariate Approach has been able to demonstrate a better prediction accuracy. The universal application of the Univariate Time-series Models, according to Jung, Namkung Yoon, (2012), in arriving at an accurate overseas tourist demand forecasting has established the superiority of this forecasting model in this field. Univariate Time-series Model This paper uses the univariate model and the multivariate direct demand model for forecasting overseas tourist arrival in Sydney. The author has used the ARIMA model for Univariate Time-series Analysis and this discussion is based on the dynamic Partial Adjustment Model (PAM), which is constructed from the Sydney Household Travel Survey (SHTS), as explained by Jung, Namkung Yoon, (2012). For the direct demand modelling approach ARIMA model has been used. This author has found that using a number of time-series models, which have been developed for the purpose of forecasting, does not in fact specify a superior time-series model, as this author has noticed and as has been detailed by Evans, Stonehouse Campbell, (2012), that the forecasting power solely depends on the nature of the data used and the context in which the study has been conducted. The ARIMA model, which was introduced by Box and Jenkins in 1970, has been the most widely used time-series model because of its capability to process non-stationary as well as the seasonal data. Hence, instead going into the comparison of performance of the different univariate time-series models available, the focus of this paper is on the forecasting power between univariate modelling technique and multivariate modelling technique, assert Lemelin, Dawson Stewart (ed.), (2013). This paper also looks at their implications for their practical use of tourist demand forecasting. Hence, the author has selected the ARIMA model for the univariate analysis in this paper solely because of its popularity in tourist demand forecasting studies as well as its flexibility while using a wide range of applications. The ARIMA model, typically denoted as an ARIMA (p, q) model, consists of the Auto-Regressive (AR) term and the Moving Average (MA) term. The AR (p) model uses p lags of time for predicting the dependent variable y as is specified below in equation which is referred to as ARIMA (p, 1, q) Equation. Data plotted in Graph-1 shows that the time series was a non-stationary one as there was certain trend component present in the flow of data. As per the available trend shown, the data was made into a stationary one by taking into consideration the first order difference (d = 1). The arrived at time series of this differenced data has been shown in Graph-2. Using the R-language for different values of p and q, the author arrived at different results of the ARIMA model, which were fitted for comparison with the requirements and then the best model was selected based on the minimum values prescribed in the selection criteria. For this purpose, this paper chose the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), the formula for which is given in the equation shown below. Based on these findings, this author arrived at the best ARIMA (1, 1, 1) model. The best model was represented by the following equation. The author also made use of the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) technique and the Mean Absolute Percentage Error technique (MAPE) using the following formulae for arriving at the best ARIMA Model. In making all these estimations, this author has used the Maximum Likelihood Estimation Technique (MLET). After this, use of data was made for forecasting the arrival of international tourists for the period 2006 to 2015 and the relevant values have been shown in the Table shown in the Appendix. List of References Buhalis, D. and Crotts, J. 2013. Global alliances in tourism and hospitality management. Routledge, Oxon. Erskine, L. M. and Meyer, D. 2012. Influenced and influential: The role of tour operators and development organisations in tourism and poverty reduction in Ecuador. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20(3), 339-357. Evans, N., Stonehouse, G. and Campbell, D. 2012. Strategic management for travel and tourism. Taylor Francis, New York. Gilligan, C. and Hird, M. 2012. International marketing: strategy and management (Vol. 17). Routledge, Oxon. Hall, C. M., Timothy, D. J. and Duval, D. T. 2012. Safety and security in tourism: relationships, management, and marketing. Routledge, Oxon. Harris, L. C. 2012. Ripping off tourists: an empirical evaluation of tourists perceptions and service worker (mis) behavior. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 10701093. Huimin, G. and Ryan, C. 2011. Ethics and corporate social responsibilityAn analysis of the views of Chinese hotel managers. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30, 875885. Jung, H. S., Namkung, Y., Yoon, H. H. 2012. The effects of employees business ethical value on personorganization fit and turnover intent in the foodservice industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29(3), 538546 Lemelin, H., Dawson, J., Stewart, E. J. (Eds.). 2013. Last chance tourism: Adapting tourism opportunities in a changing world. Routledge, Oxon.