Compare and contrast the poet’s attitude to and appreciation of the natural world in at least two poems you have studied

The simple beauty of nature is an aspect many of us take for granted in our everyday lives – the endearing sounds of birds welcoming another day and the powerful gush of a waterfall being some examples of these. But there are those individuals who have endeavoured to fully comprehend the marvellous complexity of the world around us. Such findings are present in the work of many poets – namely Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 – 1889) and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808 – 1882). Hopkins and Longfellow were two contemporary poets from the nineteenth century from different cultures, English and American respectively who relished in the gift of nature with all her attributes. Both of their work is characterised by a deep and personal sense of appreciation of the beauty of the natural world – work that when studied makes us truly delight in the wonder that is nature. The two poems that I feel effectively communicate Hopkins' and Longfellows' ideas are respectively â€Å"Pied Beauty† and â€Å"Snowflakes†. Although they are similar in their content concerning their love for the natural world, the poems do differ in the way in which each poet relates his ideas. Hopkins' poem â€Å"Pied Beauty† is one of the most famous, characteristic and linguistically accessible pieces combining the elements of nature and religion. In it the poet praises the creator for the infinite range and scope within creation. His appreciation of the natural world ranges in scale from a rainbow trout to an entire landscape. Even from its title alone we know that this curtal sonnet is effectively a song of praise for all things ‘pied' that is bi-coloured, streaked or patched. The poem â€Å"Snowflakes† by Longfellow is also an expression of the poet's attitude to and appreciation of the natural world. In it Longfellow describes in minute detail the subtle beauty of a single snowflake and makes us more aware not only of snow, but of the other small things surrounding us, making us realise their importance. Both poems acknowledge existence and power of a creator. In â€Å"Pied Beauty† a song of praise is presented in the first line of the poem's triumphant, alliterative opening stanza, as â€Å"Glory be to God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  immediately places Hopkins' appreciation of the beauty of the natural world in a religious context. Also as the poem concludes with the exhortation â€Å"Praise him† it is clear that the piece is deliberately framed as a Christian hymn of thanksgiving for the infinite variety in nature. The opening line also introduces the poem's theme: â€Å"dappled things† and this is the first of many adjectives describing parti-coloured natural elements. â€Å"Snowflakes† on the other hand opens with an altogether more maternal aspect of nature although the acknowledgement of a powerful creator is still present: â€Å"Out of the bosom of the Air Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken† This personification of the female form creates a ‘Mother Earth' type figure that I feel Longfellow used to successfully communicate his love and understanding of all things natural to a wide audience as a mother figure is something most of us could relate to. In this particular instance it is this ‘Mother Earth' entity that produces and generates the countless millions of snowflakes. We can directly contrast this to Hopkins' â€Å"Pied Beauty† where a masculine creator is presumed and praised â€Å"Praise him.† Both poems perceive and praise a religious dimension to the beauty of the supernatural world. The religious theme in â€Å"Pied Beauty† is continued as appropriately the poet's eyes seem to gaze up at heaven as he appreciates the beauty of â€Å"skies of couple – colour† implying that the sky's beauty was the work of God. This image also lends a sweeping panoramic aspect to his poetic attention as I imagine the vast immeasurable skies above. Then foreshadowing a technique used later in the poem, Hopkins immediately narrows his broader focus down to refer to the streaked markings on one â€Å"brinded cow†. In â€Å"Snowflakes† this religious theme is expressed in describing the shape of the snowflake as â€Å"some divine expression† indicating a superior eternal contribution to the formation of the snowflakes. As we know the two poems are about beauty that is all around us, but I noticed that both poems focus on tiny and large natural entities. In â€Å"Pied Beauty† Hopkins comments on â€Å"rose-moles† on trout and â€Å"finches-wings†. It seems that no aspect or detail of nature is too tiny or insignificant to escape the poets' attention. But on the contrary he also refers to â€Å"skies† and â€Å"landscape† showing the range in which nature is present. In â€Å"Snowflakes† Longfellow is concentrating more on the actual snowflake rather than an overview of all things ‘beautiful'. Yet in contrast he also comments on the â€Å"woodland† and â€Å"harvest fields† in which the seemingly harmless snowflake had somehow devoured. Both poems also use alliteration to achieve their impact in places. In â€Å"Snowflakes† he describes the woodland as being â€Å"brown and bare† and the movement of the snow as â€Å"Silent, and soft, and slow†. This repeated initial consonant sound is used to set the scene that the poet is trying to convey. This is also present in â€Å"Pied Beauty† when the sky is described as being of â€Å"couple-colour† to convey the varying shades and tones present in the sky above. Also by describing the chestnuts as â€Å"Fresh-firecoal† the poet is helping us to envisage fully the sight of the dual coloured chestnuts falling from a tree. In â€Å"Pied Beauty† Hopkins uses a wide range of vocabulary to describe the many parti-coloured aspects of nature, † dappled, couple-colour, and freckled† being examples of these. But it is the use of the word â€Å"fickle† that I found rather striking, as one would normally use the word to refer to a person with mood swings almost like personality changes. But here it is used to emphasise the speed and acceptance of change in the landscape and environment. I also noticed that the opening of â€Å"Snowflakes† featured many examples of ‘O' assonance: â€Å"Out†¦bosom†¦cloud-folds†¦Over†¦woodlands brown†¦soft†¦slow and snow.† It is almost as if the poet is purposely repeatedly using words that contain the letter ‘O' (physically circular in shape) to bombard the page, reminding us of a multitude of snowflakes as they completely cover the ground. The poet continues to acknowledge the over – powering nature that the snow possesses in † Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest fields forsaken† The use of the word ‘forsaken' reiterates Longfellow's notion that the snow can capture anything in its path. As well as imagery the poet also used such poetic devices as onomatopoeia and sibilance to relate the descent of snow to the ground, â€Å"Silent and soft and slow† which I feel he does and to great affect. Even from the title of Hopkins' poem we know his focus is on the infinite variety of all ‘dappled things', uniting in the single, uniform reality of God's creating power. â€Å"Snowflakes† on the other hand focuses on the one phenomenon of snow, something that blankets over and makes uniform the entire and varied landscape. I also noticed that in â€Å"Pied Beauty† the subject of the poem is introduced in the first line â€Å"Glory be to God for dappled things†. This plainly states that the poem shall be a song of thanks to God for everything in nature of a ‘pied' quality. â€Å"Snowflakes† on the other hand describes a journey made by the subject and where it originated from rather than stating plainly what it is. The actual subject of snow is not explicitly mentioned until the end of the first stanza (although it may be argued that the title of the poem is an obvious indication of the subject matter). From reading the poems it is easy to notice the different attitudes of the narrators of the poems. The tone in â€Å"Pied Beauty† is one of joyous exuberance by use of language such as â€Å"Glory be† and â€Å"Praise†. On the contrary â€Å"Snowflakes† takes a more mellow, introspective almost restless approach in describing its subject â€Å"troubled heart† and â€Å"secret of despair† are some examples of this. Also in â€Å"Pied |Beauty† the poem is celebratory and is about beauty. â€Å"Snowflakes† on the other hand is simple and complex and is beauty. After studying both poems in depth I feel that through the work of Longfellow I now would see and appreciate the complexity in the simplicity of snowflakes. But overall I prefer the work of Hopkins. His exploitation of the verbal subtleties and music of English, of the use of alliteration, repetition and a highly compressed syntax were all in the interest of projecting deep personal experiences, including his sense of God's mystery, grandeur and mercy in â€Å"all things counter†. He called the energising prosodic element of his verse ‘sprung rhythm' in which each foot may consist of one stressed syllable instead of the regular number of syllables used in traditional rhythm. The result is a muscular verse, intense and vibrant that combines accuracy of observation, daring imagination, deep feeling and intellectual depth. All in all a wonderful piece that for me as of yet shall remain one of the most touching I have read.

Poverty Policy In The Land Of Milk And Honey Essay

People might think that poverty is the last thing to be occurred in the United States of America –the land of milk and honey as they say, because America is known for having a Tiger Economy ever since. But it is a shame should the government of America admits that they too can experience poverty? Let them allow having an excuse that nothing is perfect. Everything is possible. However, we all know that we can attain the 0% rate of poverty in our country if everyone will work it out together. How the poverty is being measured in the United States of America? The United States Department of Health and Human Services says that there are two slightly different versions of the federal poverty measure. One is the poverty threshold which is used mainly in Census Bureau for statistical purposes, and the other one is the poverty guidelines which are basically for administrative purposes. (2007). But the US government do not really understand that the only thing this policy or measurement can do is the knowledge about figures and recoded data of how many could pass yearly in the poverty line in accordance to the standards that they have set. They never realize that the poverty measurement has nothing to do with poverty itself and how to totally demolish the poverty problem in the United States of America – the land of milk and honey! As a citizen, all I can say is that we have to go back to the main roots of the problem. What are those problems that lead us to poverty? Are we ready to face them? I guess we should. And it is not just facing them but to act on them for the betterment of any individual or household concern but also for the good of the common people, government and country. Poverty has not to be measured in starvation and emptiness only. There are many factors involve including illiteracy, illegitimacy, immorality, unemployment, dirty politics, bureaucracy, environment, lifestyle, vices, crime, over population, sickness, mortality or even having your own identity and citizenship. But as long as the scarcity and level of consumptions of every household are the major factors that we keep on measuring, we will never resolve the problem of poverty. Again, I suggest that we go back to the main roots of the problem. I affirm to David Brooks’ optimism outlook in his argument â€Å"†¦these rapid improvements (which refers to globalization) at the bottom of the income ladder are contributing to and correlating with declines in illiteracy, child labor rates and fertility rate. † (2004). But there are also some things that should be remembered. Tiger economy or third world country has the equal opportunity of experiencing poverty. However, addressing the issue of poverty lies not to the government alone. Every human beings living on Earth has to do their fair share of opinions and actions in fighting poverty. It could be done by helping others or the nation. But I guess the best poverty alleviation policy is improving first your own quality of life wherever you are; hence, every place you could have been has the chance to be a poverty-free land of milk and honey.

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

European Union Law - Essay Example Such provisions thus create room for conflicts of interests thus prompting the creation of specific laws to govern the interaction between the member states (Weiler)1. European Union The European Union functions through several super national institutions formed through consensus and participation of the member states. Such institutions include the European commission, the European council, the European parliament, the European central bank and the court of justice of the European Union. Chalmers et al. stated that these institutions coordinate the operations of the body with the view of safeguarding the interests if each member state thus creating a unified platform for political and economic development. Created after the end of the Second World War, which typified the differences among the countries in Europe, the body sought to bring all the nations together by addressing their common interest amicably thus safeguarding the continent and the entire world from such unwarranted agg ression2. However, such an agreement to unify several sovereign states was likely to present administrative challenges, as the countries would have to change their constitution among other supreme laws to integrate the dictates of the European Union3. ... The three help interpret and apply the laws and treaties of the European Union within the member states. (Greenwood & Richard)4. The doctrine of supremacy Supremacy is therefore a fundamental legal and administrative provision, which commands compliance from all the member states. Bomberg and Peterson wrote that in most cases, the member states would infuse the European Union laws into their constitutions and laws thus eliminating the previously conflicting legal provisions in the country5. This way, the administration of justice becomes easier especially when the conflict includes citizens from different countries. However, membership into European Union is voluntary. Most of the member states joined owing to the viable economic opportunities a common market would present. This implies that the inclusion of the European laws into the existing local laws is equally voluntary. By the virtue of registration into the international body, the doctrines of supremacy begin to apply thus dem anding compliance with the existing European Union laws (Walsh)6. According to Glendon the European Union has a detailed constitution developed from the numerous treaties that resulted in the creation of the body. Additionally, the European Union has an effective legal system comprising of both the courts and the laws to enforce the implementation of the agreements7. Besides the two, the union further has the capacity to implement its legislations throughout the member states. The European Union law versus Member’s States Laws In the first case of its kind, the Van Gend en Loos v. Netherlands case that was decided in 1963 at the Netherlands Supreme Court in regards to the direct effect of the EU treaty provisions and the extent to which individuals can rely on such

Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Idea - Essay Example ss corporations alive and successful today is innovation, though this innovation needs to be successful the first time around if the company wants to see positive results with it. The innovation of products does not only depend on the proper research but also on the creativity and imagination that helps a business to continue to grow (Cooper & Edgett, 2007). A list of possible new product ideas from our brainstorming session is as follows: 1. Eyeglasses with 3-D capabilities - The successful 3-D movie â€Å"Avatar† is proof as to how popular 3-D is, and how people are willing to pay extra money to see a film in 3-D. Unfortunately, movies take away the glasses once the movie is over and reuse them for the next showing of the film. This can be potentially dangerous to other people, as their are diseases that can be passed on from glasses that were already used by somebody. The proposed 3-D device will consist of just an attachable piece that can easily be attached to eyeglasses with a grade, similar to the eye glare attachments that are available today, making it easy to take the pieces on and off. After people are done using them, they can take them off and keep them until they need them again. 2. Kindle with Braille reading capabilities - Kindle has already released a product with special sound capabilities, like the text-to-speech, for people that have hearing or seeing problems. What Kindle needs to do next is make their devices friendly for those who cannot see at all and need to read with braille. Indeed, four South Korean researchers have already done a prototype on this product (Wright, 2009). 3. Cigarettes with Champix (anti-smoking drug produced by Pfizer) - Although it may seem like an oxymoron that a tobacco company would be offering a product that would essentially stop people from smoking. However, to prove that they really want to help people to quit smoking, decreasing the amount of smokers, tobacco companies can start making their cigarettes with

Software and Internet Industry in the Global Economy Assignment - 1

Software and Internet Industry in the Global Economy - Assignment Example In the internet industry players like Yahoo, and Bing has majority of market share, especially in search engine segment. Companies like SAP, Oracle, Sage, AG, etc are the successful players in the industry who provide business process solutions in production, marketing, finance, etc (Blythe, 2009). The political and legal factors are the external environmental factors which have a significant impact on the computer software and internet industry. The political factors ascertain the interest or focus of the government towards outsourcing information technology (IT) assistance, software, etc. This also affects the job opportunities and national income. The multinational software and internet companies operate from various countries, and regulations are developed for these companies by the government based on the existing legal framework. These are also known as cyber regulations. Companies failing to abide by the cyber guideline of different countries have also faced penalties like the cancellation of their license to trade in the respective country (Factor, 2013). Google faced pressure from the Department of Justice in order to abandon their search terms, and censor the search results from the Government of China. Apart from this, the demand of the government to abide by the privacy policies were also considered and in 2008, Google started responding to the concerns of the customers by adding a link to the home page that will directly take them to the privacy center and show Google’s policies for privacy and security. The political trend affects the subsidies, tax holiday, or rule relaxations, which also affect the sources of revenue generation for a country. Countries like India outsource maximum IT services for countries like US, UK, or Australia (Google, 2013).Google Inc considers mergers and accusations to be one of the ways to sustain in business. In this process, they purchase DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in 2007 and were also looking forward to buying out SimplyHired (Jackson, 2012).  

Contemporary Investigation Case Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Investigation Case Review - Essay Example The purpose of administrator is to advise the creditors on viable solutions like ending the administration and returning the companies control to board of directors, converting the administration into a creditors voluntary liquidation or have the company enter into Deed of Company Arrangement (â€Å"DOCA†) under Sec. 439C whereas the purpose of appointing the liquidator is wind up the affairs of the company by gathering its assets and distributing it to creditors and others whom the companies owe in any form resulting in deregistration of the company. (Marshall, 2006)1 Administrator is conferred with powers to exercise which were earlier exercised by the previous officers of the corporation whereas the liquidator is appointed through court with legal powers to officially or voluntarily winding up the company. (Tomasic,2 et.al. 2002,pp 743 & Marshal,3 2006) In regard to relation with forensic accountant, the administrator will be the in charge of the company and will required the forensic accountant to provide his expert opinion by determining the economic damages incurred till now whereas the liquidator will be performing the obligation of liquidation on the report of forensic accountant. Forensic accounting investigators is determined by the scope of work while find answers to the involvement, coconspirators, impact on financial statement, cause for deed, and ways to overcome the situation. The investigators should bear in mind that they are only to detect the fraud and put the facts on paper and submit the same to the in-charge officer. (Golden et.al. 2006, pp. 524)4 In order the investigate the company details regarding whether any fraudulent activity is performed and resulted in bankruptcy, a detailed and scientific plan is prepared for the purpose of investigation. Wolf Transport has history of around 26 years and therefore it is necessary to record each and

Management Accounting 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Accounting 3 - Essay Example Developed by Dr. Robert Kaplan of Harvard Business School and David Norton as a performance measuring framework which could have the capability to take into account the strategic vision and goals of the organization. It is also viewed as value methodology besides being considered cost benefit analysis tool however it is also being labeled as something which can help organizations to change value culture as well as improving operational efficiency and profitability of the organization. (Gumbus and Lussier). The need for developing a balanced score card emerges because though companies are good at developing the glossy mission and vision statements however they fail to develop operational strategies which can help achieve organizations those strategic goals and due to the lack of ability of the organizations to effectively measure whether they are achieving their strategic goals, and targets, organizations found Balanced Score card a very effective tool to measure and monitor their per formance against their strategic goals. Since a balanced score card connect various components of the organizational strategy making such as organizational resources, customers, people, operations, finance and the community also therefore Balanced Score Card is a very comprehensive strategic tool to manage above all. This essay will look into some of the key performance areas which a balanced score card look into and will review their usefulness in achieving the strategic goals within the context of a service organization. Balanced score card have evolved from being a simple performance measuring tool to one of the highly used strategic management tools organization could ever have. It tends to associate the non-financial aspects of the performance with the financial aspects and presents a broader and deeper view of the organizational performance and its relevance to the overall organizational strategy. Rather than being simply used as a performance measurement tool, it

Micro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Micro - Essay Example This will raise the price of gasoline and as a result its quantity demanded will also be decreased (as quantity demanded decreases when price increases owing to the law of demand). In this way, the equilibrium quantity of gasoline will reduced to the new level Q’ and equilibrium price will be raised to P’. Price S’ S D Q’ Q Quantity The impact of increase in equilibrium prices of gasoline can be traced to the consumers of gasoline i.e. automobile owners. As far as the Luxury cars are concerned, which are not so fuel-efficient, the owners of Luxury cars will face increase in operational cost of their automobiles. Thus, the increase in price of gasoline will decrease the quantity demanded for gasoline and so will also decrease the demand for Luxury cars – perfect complement for gasoline. Graphically, in the Luxury car market, the demand curve of Luxury cars will shift leftward and now there is lesser demand of Luxury cars at each unit of their prices. Given the supply of Luxury cars, the leftward shift in their demand will decrease the equilibrium quantity of Luxury cars since the decrease in their demand will lead to excess supply of Luxury cars which will put downward pressure on their price and as a result their quantity supplied will also be decreased (as quantity supplied decreases when price decreases owing to the law of supply). In this way, the equilibrium quantity of Luxury cars will be reduced to the new level Q’ and equilibrium price will be decreased to P’. Price S D’ D Q’ Q Quantity The same impact can also be traced to the market of Economy cars which are fuel-efficient. Since the increase in price of gasoline will decrease the demand of Luxury cars, the consumers will tend to switch to the less-expensive alternative – Economy cars. Since Economy cars are the substitutes of Luxury cars, decrease in demand of Luxury cars will increase the demand of Economy cars. Graphically, in the Economy car market, the demand curve of Economy cars will shift rightward and now there is more demand of Economy cars at each unit of their prices. Given the supply of Economy cars, the rightward shift in their demand will increase the equilibrium quantity of Economy cars since the increase in their demand will lead to a situation of ‘excess demand’ of Economy cars which will put upward pressure on their price and as a result their quantity supplied will also be increased (as quantity supplied increases with price). In this way, the equilibrium quantity of Economy cars will be increased to the new level Q’ and equilibrium price will also be increased to P’. Price S D D’ Q. Q’ Quantity Question 2 Price a S b Price Ceiling D QS QD Quantity At the binding price ceiling – which is the maximum price set below the equilibrium price – suppliers can't charge what they had been. Consequently, some suppliers exit the industry and thus s upply is decreased. In this way, there will be inefficiency in the market as it will prevent some sellers from selling their good to buyers who value the good higher than their cost ("Price ceiling" Wikipedia.org). On the other hand, consumers can now buy the product for less, so quantity demanded increases. This will cause a  shortage since quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied. Since producer surplus is area above the supply curve and

Vibration of Continous Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Vibration of Continous Media - Essay Example The gradient function is the function f’(x) or {dy}/{dx} is called Differentiation is the process of finding the gradient value of a function at whichever point on the curve, and the derivative of f (x). There are diverse ways of demonstrating the derivative of a function: {dy}/{dx}, {df(x)}/{dx}, f’(x), y’, {delta y}/{delta x}, and {y over} Example f(x + h)   =   5(x + h)   =    = = 5 f’(x)   =   Ã‚     =   5 Therefore f(x) = 5x; and f’(x) = 5. Deriving an equation from first principles implies that the equation is systematically proven based on the original principles of physics and mathematics which were postulated as a result of the basic researches and inventions that were postulated by scholars. There are the basic laws and theories of science which are recognized the world over and they form the basis upon which the later day scientific applications are based. The contemporary applications came as a result of manipulations of the initial principles of science. They are currently based on the hybrid equations theories and principles which hail from the maiden principle fronted by the scientific scholars. Putting an equation to conform to the initial principles of science is writing it in first principles. In regard to the equation in question, which is the cable equation; its first principles are the Newton equation and the Hookes equation. Newton is a renowned scholar who came up with numerous scientific principles including the principle of gravitational pull. It is from his principle of force that the cable equation veered. The Newton equation on force is as written below:- The equation forms the stepping stone of the cable equation. The Hookes equation on the other hand is as written below:- In regard to Newton’s equation, it follows that the equation for any kind of motion in respect to the weight of an object which is at the arbitrary location cited as x+h is effectively given or computed by a concerted manipulation which entails getting to equate these two desired forces as fronted form the first principle equations: In this case it is evident that entire time-dependence framework of the desired u(x) has with no doubt been made to be effectively explicit. Based on the above proven outcome, it follows that in the event that the array or list of weights weights in question in this computation which are arbitrary and hence indeed any other arbitrary eights do consist of inevitable N weights which as such are spaced evenly and stretched over the entire length L that is equal to Nh of the entire mass M that is equal to Nm, as well as to the sum total of the constant of the spring which is indeed of the desired array K that is equal to k/N. based on this conceptualizations, it follows that we can be able to comfortably write the entire above equation in the form that follows below: In regard to the stipulated equations, it is possible to compound the equations by making use of basic limits for the equation. Taking the limit N > ?, h > 0 and assuming smoothness one gets: This is manifested by the vibration mechanism of a catapult as well. As the toy trigger is being pulled, tension is applied on the trigger bar, and this relies on newton’s law. The ball is given at first a high pushing force by the gun which makes it vibrate; this also relies on newton’s law. The system uses a number of scientific principles of operation, all of which revolve around the three Newton laws of motion. As the ball

USA Patriot Act Essay Example for Free

USA Patriot Act Essay Patriot Act is also commonly known as the USA patriot Act. It is a controversial act of the parliament that became a law of the United States in 26th October 2001 after George Bush the president appended his signature. USA PATRIOT ACT is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act. The act was in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorism attacks that were targeted at the US pentagon and the World Trade Centre (WTO). These attacks led to the US congress to enact anti terrorism bills which finally came to be known as the Anti Terrorism Act of 2001. This is a complex law that incorporates many provisions for example it addresses the issue of financing terrorism, interception of phones and emails to control terrorism and detention and deportation of immigrants linked with acts of terrorism. This research paper will keenly focus on the Act itself and it will conduct on intensive and extensive research to know the issues that it addresses. It will also define the term terrorism as it is defined by various institutions and authors. Terrorism could be defined to as the systematic use of threats as a method of achieving ones objectives. It is a course of action that is taken by either rebel group within a country or by one country against the other like in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq against US. Its objective is to instill fear in people so that their (Terrorists) selfish demands would be met for example like the demands that are issued by the Al Qaeda network which is believed to be headed by the most wanted person in America Osama Bin Laden of US to stop giving any form of assistance to Israel. Terrorism also includes unlawful acts of war and violence. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), terrorism could be termed as use of violence or force against another person with intent to intimidate or force obedience to a particular course of action. As mentioned here above, terrorism could be classified into two categories: domestic and international. This kind of violence is perpetrated by a group within the US without any directions from outside while international terrorism could be defined to as domestic terrorism whereas international terrorism could be defined to as dangerous acts of violence that are deemed to be a violation of the US criminal laws whose main goal is to coerce or intimidate the population or the government to influence a certain policy for example most terrorists often use bomb threats, death threats to the kidnapped individuals or even assassination of high profiled figures in the government. This is why the US patriot act was formed so as to address all these issues that are associated or linked with terrorism and make United States a better and safer place to live in. It was passed in response to the September 11th attacks which were leveled to the US population by terrorist groups. In fact it took only forty five days to hatch and nurture the Patriot Act. This Act proved not to be thorough and conclusive and became subject to amendments because it had many flaws that needed to be readdressed. The Act aimed at suppressing all acts of aggression or dissent in the United States of America and that was why the country launched an attack against immigrants originating from South Asian countries, Muslims and Arabs as they were believed to pose threats to the Americans. With the powers given by the act, a lot of people were arrested after the September 11th, 2001 attacks but it is only those that were believed to be linked to terrorism were apprehended. The act added power to the law enforcers for example it gave them powers to intercept phone calls, emails and any other communication made via the internet. It also allowed all financial, medical and any other records that could be of importance in the fight against terrorism. Patriot Act also authorized the secretary of the treasury to regulate and monitor all financial transactions conducted by suspected individuals on understanding that those transactions could be geared towards financing acts of terrorism. (Rackow 1655) Thorough the Patriot Act, the immigration department laws of the United States were strengthened by giving it the mandate to arrest and deport any individual immigrant connected or involved in the acts of terrorism against Americans. The Act on understanding that terrorism is not only perpetrated by groups or countries outside America, it expanded its definition of terrorism to encompass even domestic terrorism. Therefore it gave powers to the local law enforcers the mandate to investigate, track and arrest the local people suspected of perpetrating terrorism acts. Also, the federal investigation bureau’s technical support centre is to be funded and it should be given any military assistance it may require if there is need and be provided with weapons of mass destruction if they are requested by the Attorney General of the United States. It addresses how electronic anti terrorism moves should be conducted. It is also in this chapter that it is generally acknowledged that Muslim Americans, Arab American and Americans who are from Asia are just like any other American citizens and they play a vital role in the development of the country. For this reason any acts of discrimination directed towards them were condemned but this was after the original provision elicited a nation wide outcry due to discrimination of these people. This issue was addressed due to the misconception that arose after the attack that these groups were terrorists and therefore they were harassed by police without any reason. This forced them to change their cultural and religious ways of life for example Arab Muslims changed their mode of dressing to avoid being targeted by the law enforcers. Rackow 1658-61) In the same chapter on section 106, the presidential authority is addressed. The president of the United States is empowered by the Act to direct the confiscation of properties and assets of any foreign country, organization or person who have been established by the investigations to have been involved or participated in any way towards attacks on the United States of America. Title II of the patriotic Act deals with surveillance procedures and addresses all forms of surveillance conducted in response to terrorism. It is here that most of the opposition against this Act lies. It allowed the foreign intelligence department to gather any information that could help in the tracking of terrorists be acquired whether from the United States or from outside its boundaries. Under this title, surveillance of wire networks were expanded so as to encompass information routing to enable packets of switched networks to be screened. Here the judges were also given the mandate to allow this surveillance to be conducted whenever need arose. The FBI’s apart from doing wire taps or interceptions, they were to access and listen to voicemails using search warrants. Communication organizations were also allowed to disclose communications that may have been made by terrorists. The FBI’s were also given powers to monitor internet communication so that emails sent by terrorists could be intercepted and action taken before it is too late. This was not done with intentions of disclosing any private information but the main objective was to control terrorists who might be involved in such acts. Rackow 1662) The Act was passed in a time when the United States was in desperate need of such a move and as the saying goes; desperate times call for desperate measures. It became a law within the first forty five days. It passed through the two congress houses with a landslide and without any division between the Republicans and Democrats. Despite its good perceived objectives and strong support it got from the congressmen, it elicited some criticisms from different groups for interference with the civil liberties of the citizens. To be specific these criticisms have been directed on the provision that allows immigrants thought to be linked to terrorism be arrested and deported. The search laws have also been criticized where officers entrusted with the law enforcement search homes and business premises without seeking for permission from the owner. They could also conduct these searches without the knowledge of the occupant and this is a total breach of the privacy rights. (Jaeger P. T. and Burnett. G. 467-469) Another provision of the Act that has been widely criticized is that one which allows the interception of internet communications such as emails and the screening of phone calls made by individuals who are suspected to have links with terrorism. This is a denial to the confidentiality and privacy rights. Through the Patriot Act, law enforcers are also given free access to people’s financial and business records so that they would be perused to see whether one could have been financing terrorist activities or not. What angers these people most is the fact that the laws enforcers do not even look for court orders to allow them to conduct their investigations and searches so, most of these searches are impromptu and are conducted in a manner similar or close to the way terrorists conduct their businesses. Due to these complains, several amendments have been made by the federal courts and it was agreed that some of these clauses were unconstitutional and for that reason they needed to be revised. The US Patriot Act is structured and arranged using titles and sub titles. Title one of the patriot act deals with enhancement of domestic security against terrorism. This one consists of six sections and addresses how terrorism can effectively be controlled for example by increasing the funding meant to counter terrorism acts. Under title three the issue of money laundering is addressed. It is geared toward controlling, prevent and prosecute and those that are involved in money laundering as well as financing terrorism. According to the federal law, money laundering is defined as the transfer or flow of cash with an aim of funding terrorism. The federal agencies achieve their end through forfeiture, criminal sanctions and regulations. This act authorizes the secretary of the treasury to monitor any foreign relations with its financial institutions. (Rackow 1667) Documents and transactions files from regions believed to be linked with terrorism are to be securely stored. If any money transaction according to this act is established to have terrorism acts, the said beneficiary of this money is to forfeit it. Importation of ammunitions and fire arms contrary to the law are also addressed and the penalties for the same are clearly defined.

Network Microwave Link

Network Microwave Link Microwave Communications Link Design And Implementation Gert Brits AbstractInternet and network access from any location is a requirement in most businesses around the world today. This paper outlines the procedure necessary to plan, install and commission a 5.8 GHz un-licensed point-to-point microwave link. The link will serve as a connection between two office buildings to provide internet and network access to the employees. The planning stages of the project presents the various environmental influences on a microwave link, as well as the considerations that must be made to select the appropriate sites, hardware and configuration settings for the link. These parameters are used to calculate the expected performance data and install a microwave link that would operate reliably at five nines (99.999%) of availability. Index Termsattenuation, losses, fading, line-of-site, received signal level, Introduction DIGITAL microwave systems are used all over the world for a wide variety of applications. The majority is point-to-point systems; a single link connecting two sites together. For most businesses, having access to the local area network and the internet is essential. The challenge for many is the occupation of more than one office building and how multiple buildings can gain access to the same network. Harris Stratex Networks (HSTX) in San Jose, California occupies an office building in San Jose as well as an equipment warehouse in Milpitas, two miles from the office building. Since the company manufactures digital point-to-point microwave radios and has access to such equipment, an effective method was researched to utilize a point-to-point radio link as a connection between the two buildings. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how a digital point-to-point microwave link can be used to link two office buildings together, in this case the main office building of HSTX in San Jose and the warehouse in Milpitas, and provide internet and local area network access to the employees at the warehouse. The various aspects involved in the design, installation and commissioning of a digital point-to-point microwave system is described to highlight the procedures and planning required from microwave engineering before, during and after a microwave link is installed. attenuating influences on a microwave link Almost all components involved in a microwave link will cause the signal to be attenuated at some stage during transmission. In microwave engineering, attenuation plays a major role in the design and planning of such a link to ensure reliability and availability regardless of the surrounding conditions. Whether its in the cables, connectors, antennas or free space; attenuation on a link can not be avoided and provision needs to be made, during the design stage, for the degree of expected attenuation to occur. Propagation losses Propagation losses such as attenuation caused by reflection, free space losses, attenuation caused by rain and by atmospheric gasses have a negative influence on a microwave link. Reflection Line-of-Sight Microwave links are designed to have enough clearance over any object or terrain along the path to avoid the signal grazing or scraping across obstacles. The Fresnel zone is known as the area around the visual line-of-sight that radio waves spread out into after they leave the antenna [1] and where obstacles would cause in phase or out of phase reflection of the radio wave. This area must be clear of any obstructions to avoid an undesired affect on signal strength. Fig. 1 illustrates the typical Fresnel zones associated with a microwave link. Microwave signals which are reflected or refracted could lead to multiple copies of the same transmitted signal to arrive at the receiving antenna at different times and out of phase. The reflected and refracted signals will experience differences in attenuation, delay and phase shifts which will result in either constructive (amplifying the signal) or destructive (attenuating the signal) interference. There are an infinite number of Fresnel zones. Obstacles in the first Fresnel zone will create signals that will be 0 to 90 degrees out of phase. The second Fresnel zone will cause signals to be 90 to 270 degrees out of phase. In the third, the signals will be 270 to 450 degrees out of phase and so forth. Odd numbered zones (1, 3, 5 etc.) have a negative effect on the signal power while even numbered zones have a positive effect since these signals actually add to the signal power. The phase canceling effect is strongest in zone 1 and decreases in each successive zone, hence the need to eliminate as many obstacles from the first zone as possible. These clearance requirements also include the sides of the path and not only the top and bottom. Free space loss Free space loss is defined as the loss that would obtain between two isotropic antennas in free space, where there are no ground influences or obstructions [2]; in other words, the loss where no obstacles nearby can cause blocking, refraction, diffraction or absorption. This loss increases with an increase in frequency and distance and the formula for calculating free space loss [3] using the frequency of operation (f) and the distance (in miles) between the two antennas (D) is given by: (1) Attenuation caused by atmospheric gasses Attenuation caused by atmospheric gases is mainly caused by oxygen and water vapor in the air. The small amount of attenuation caused by oxygen stays relatively constant across all operating frequency bands. Attenuation caused by water vapor absorption however is highly dependent on the frequency of operation as well as the density of the water vapor and will have a deep impact on the links operating above 14 GHz. Attenuation caused by rain Furthermore, fading can be the distortion a microwave signal experiences due to changes in the atmosphere or rain. The total amount of rain that falls is not as important as the intensity of the rainfall. For example, an area which gets lite rain for most of the year would be less affected by rain attenuation than an area that gets a storm of rain during the rainy season, even for a short period of time. Microwave links operating below 8 GHz remain largely unaffected by rain attenuation but at 10 GHz and above, rain has a big impact on the networks reliability. Availability for modern day high reliability systems varies. The annual outage objective for high reliability systems could be as little as 0.01% to 0.0001% of the total operating time which translates to 53 minutes of down time per year for 99.99% reliability and only 30 seconds of downtime per year for 99.9999% reliability. Fading can degrade the bit error rate (BER) performance of a microwave link resulting in loss of data. Parameters such as the radio frequency, path length, humidity, temperature, smoothness of the terrain, calmness of the wind, fog and the number of thunderstorms per year can all increase the probability of fading. Branching losses Branching losses are introduced by the hardware used to carry the microwave signal and is generally specified by the equipment manufacturer. Other losses Other losses associated with a microwave link include losses from feeders, connectors, antennas, radomes and TX line losses. These losses are specified by the manufacturers at different frequencies of operation. Microwave link Planning Sufficient microwave path engineering ensures a link performs according to the requirements set by the owner or user. In a perfect world, any microwave beam would travel in a straight line from start to finish. In reality however, everything surrounding the microwave beam and equipment can cause the signal to be attenuated, amplified or interfered with. The challenge for any microwave engineer is to know what these factors are and how to design around it. Site selection An essential part of planning a microwave link is the selection of appropriate sites. The office and warehouse roof of HSTX provided a line of sight which was clear of any surrounding buildings and obstructions that could block or cause the microwave signal to be diffracted. There was no possibility of additional floors being added to either of the two buildings and the absence of other towers and microwave systems in the area, which could interfere with this link, made these sites ideal for the antenna installation. In addition to this, the sites already had access roads, ac power and telephone services which were other requirements considered when choosing the appropriate sites. Frequency and equipment selection Industry standards and licensing for microwave radios are, in the USA, governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Radios operating in the license-free 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands are considered un-licensed radios and require no licensing from any governing body. Un-licensed radios, such as the Velox LE 5850 manufactured by Harris Stratex Networks, can be installed and operated without any approval from the FCC. The Velox 5850 series is capable of providing up to 45 Mbps of Ethernet throughput (Full-duplex) which was sufficient for the purpose of this link. The output power of the radio can be software adjusted up to +22 dBm and with a receiver sensitivity of -78 dBm; enough fade margin can be achieved to ensure link availability of 99.999%. The radio hardware is available in a split-mount configuration; a radio frequency unit (RFU) which is connected to a digital unit (DU) using shielded CAT5e cable. The RFU is installed on the tower or mounted below the antenna and the DU is installed inside an equipment building or enclosure. Management software to configure the radio and monitor the performance of the radio link is available for this product. A 4.940-5.580 GHz Grid Antenna (model no GS2-58N), manufactured by mWAVE Industries, LLC was selected for the project. The antenna provided a gain of +27 dBi, a VSWR of 1.5:1, a return loss of 14 dB and could be mounted for horizontal or vertical polarization as illustrated in Fig. 2. Microwave link calculations The microwave link design was started by doing a link budget analysis; a calculation that involves all the gains and losses associated with the antennas, cables, connectors, radio hardware and environment. The link budget was used to determine the expected received signal levels at each end of the link. Once this has been done, minor adjustments were made to the sites and hardware selections to achieve the desired link availability. Path calculations The receiver threshold value is a measure of the lowest possible signal level the radio can receive and still operate at an acceptable level of performance. This level was specified by the equipment manufacturer as -78 dBm. The difference between the received signal level and the receiver threshold indicates the fade margin (the amount of fading a microwave radio can experience before having the signal degraded enough to cause BER errors or framing errors) of the link. To calculate the expected receive signal level and the fade margin, the propagation losses, branching losses and other losses had to be subtracted from the radio output power and antenna gain. The attenuation caused by atmospheric gasses for links below 14 GHz was negligible. The free space loss given by (1) and therefore the total propagation loss was calculated as 114.32 dB. Transmit and receive branching losses associated with the Velox 5850 radio was specified by the equipment manufacturer as 1.5 dB respectively. Other losses, all of which were specified by the various manufacturers, included the TX line losses of 3.72 dB (1.24 dB per 100ft of cable used) for each site and an N-Type connector loss of 0.3 dB per connector (four connectors used). Output Power = + 22 dBm TX Branching Loss = 1.5 dBm Antenna Gain = + 27 dBm Propagation Losses = 114.341 dBm Other Losses = 8.34 dBm Antenna Gain = + 27 dBm RX Branching Los = 1.5 dBm Received Power = 49.68 dBm Receiver Threshold = 78 dBm Fade Margin = + 28.32 dB Fading and interference calculations The amount of attenuation expected on the link due to rain was calculated using the formula in (2)[4], where R0.01% represents the rain rate exceeded 0.01% of the time in mm/hour and D the path length in kilometers. Multiplier a and exponent b are values taken from the North American and ITU-R rain attenuation coefficients chart, while d represents the effective path length in kilometers. The link operating at 5.8 GHz over two miles can thus expect 0.106 dB of additional attenuation during the heaviest rainfall. (2) The possibility of the radio signal being diffracted was investigated by observing the structures surrounding the microwave beam and calculating the first and second Fresnel zones using (3)[5]. The distance from the antenna to any possible obstruction is given by d1 while d2 represents the remaining distance to the other end of the link. (3) Since the Fresnel zones consist of a series of concentric circles, the areas to the side, above and below the microwave beam had to be clear of obstructions. The height of the two buildings where the antennas were to be installed provided enough clearance to ensure no obstructions within the first two Fresnel zones. With a mere 0.106 dB of additional attenuation from rain and no possibility of the signal being diffracted or reflected, only 3 dB of variation on the calculated receive level was expected. The 3 dB of variation is due to component tolerance and is specified by the equipment manufacturer. Microwave link installation The antenna and radio frequency unit were installed on a mounting pole on the roof of both buildings, in accordance with the manufacturers recommended installation procedures. A high quality 5/8 coaxial cable was used to connect the antenna to the RFU. The digital units were installed in 19 racks inside the buildings while Belden 7921A Shielded CAT5e cable was used to connect the DU to the RFU. All the hardware was grounded to the various grounding points at the sites and the recommended impedance of less than one ohm measured on all ground connections. The antennas were aligned using a digital voltmeter connected to the back of each RFU. The DC voltage reading from the voltmeter was compared to the received signal level (RSL) chart shown in Fig. 3 [6] which was supplied by the radio manufacturer. [1] Fresnel Zone http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/F/Fresnel_Zone.htm [16 June 2000] [2], [4]-[5] GTE Lenkurt. 1970. Engineering Considerations for Microwave Communications Systems [3] Harvey Lehpamer. 2004. Microwave Transmission Network:, Planning, Design and Deployment [6] Harris Stratex Networks. July 2004. Velox LE Installation and Operation Manual.

Misunderstanding Men And Women Essay -- essays research papers

Misunderstanding Men and Women Since the beginning of biological time, males and females have had noticeable and unnoticeable differences. These differences have caused conflicts, which have endured time and are still a part of our modern everyday lives. However, the discord has become more defined than what is characterized as a woman and a man. In order to attempt accordance between the sexes, it is essential that we educated ourselves in the true meanings of men, women, masculinity, femininity and the power aspects involved. Before going into detail on the many differences between being a man and a woman, one must carefully examine the proper definitions of masculinity and femininity. These terms are common â€Å"falsely understood† words that no one has taken the time to define yet everyone uses on a daily basis. All human beings are classified by their biological and psychological sex. A biological man is a person born with the male genitalia, as a biological woman is a person born with the female genitalia. A biological male person along with a biological female person are needed to reach the goal of biological sexuality: procreation. On the other hand, a psychologically male person is a person that believes he or she is a male and vice versa for a psychologically female person. Psychological sexuality is about the personality traits that distinguish many men and women. For example, women are often more intuitive than men. Men often are better at spatial relationships than women. These two are needed for the psychological sexuality goal: making a love relationship. Femininity can be defined by such feminine traits as being soft, nurturing, intuitive, accepting and empathetic. Being stoic, analytical and public are traits generally associated with masculinity. Hence, from the previous definitions we can say that a â€Å"man† is a psychologically masculine person. He can be either biologically feminine or masculine. A â€Å"woman† is a psychologically feminine person. She can be either biologically masculine or feminine. A greatly noticeable difference between men and women is the power aspects of masculinity and femininity. Men seem most comfortable in situations where the power structure and its laws are clear to them. Competition is another trait of the masculine personality. He competes in order to gain control since, according to him, the strongest and mos... ... difference between what a man wants from a woman and vice versa. The man makes it possible for the woman to express her femininity by taking responsibility for her. He makes the major decisions, after consulting with the woman, provides basic necessities – food, clothing, shelter and creates rules for the family. The woman makes it possible for the man to express his masculinity by giving him the authority to carry out his responsibility for her. This model also has its downside. It is generally viewed as a dominant male – submissive female model where the woman is being taken advantage of and the man is a controlling person. In short, this model is confused with abusive relationships. Unfortunately, educating a whole population on the correct definitions of men and women is an arduous if not impossible task. Hence, there will always exist problems and conflicts between the sexes due to misinterpretation and misunderstanding between each other. It is imperative to all to comprehend that men and women are not only physically different, but psychologically different as well. And, the encapsulation of all these differences unavoidably leads to distinct power aspects and struggles.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun - Dreams and Racism Essay

Dreams and Racism in A Raisin In The Sun At most times, the American Dream resembles an ideological puzzle more than a fully realizable image. Within the confines of her fantastical, theatrical world Lorraine Hansberry attempts to fit a few of these pieces together and, in the process, ends up showing exactly how everything doesn't just snap-together all nicely. The problems in her play, A Raisin In The Sun, deal primarily with the basic nature of humans and their respected struggle's to "make it" in America. The story, for the most part, centers upon an African-American family, their dreams for the future and an insurance check coming in for death of the eldest man. Stirring into the mix later is the hugely oppressive, segregationist aspect of mid-twentieth century America. With highly oppressive external pressures, combined with conflicting ideas of happiness, the story centers on the ideological conflicts between characters. The largest conflicts result between Mama Younger and her son, Walter. Walter represents, apparently, all the things America instills in men; the desire to work hard and make a better life for his family than he had, the inability to be compassionate towards his family, an almost ignorant refusal to vary from his dream for the dreams of others. Hansberry centers here, it would seem, on the most negative aspects of "manhood". In fact, overridingly, men in this play are horrible creatures: George is uppity, aristocratic and a braggart (mentioning the curtain time in New York to a women who obviously has no idea about that type of thing simply places him, in his eyes, that much higher than her); Walter's friends are loud-mouth-know-it-all's (one of whom takes off with all the money th... ...r but, until the day he dies she will be his sister, and therefore he will always be somewhat proud of her. To me, this is an intricate human detail and evidence of Hansberry's supreme ability of crafting characters right out of real life. In the end I believe she is making the statement that the so-called American Dream is different for everyone; sort of a spiritual fingerprint of utopia. Being an African-American woman in the 40's and 50's probably had a large influence on the tone of this piece; as did being a severely closeted lesbian. Even though our respective upbringings couldn't be much more different, I fully agree with the stance she's taken. The table of America isn't level, thus causing the puzzle to shift and tilt uncontrollably. The pieces don't always fit and it is sad that so many people spend their entire lives trying to force them to work.

The Problem with Evil. Essay -- essays research papers

Arevalo 1 Michael Arevalo Philosophy/Extra Credit 02-03-02 The Problem With Evil The Problem With Evil refers to the statement; "No evil happens to a good person in this life or after death". The question at hand refers to the statement being accurate or not. Depending on how you define the words; â€Å"good†, and â€Å"person†, this statement may be construed as inaccurate or accurate. We must first define the words â€Å"good†, and â€Å"person†. The American Heritage defines â€Å"good† as being; (1a) â€Å"Virtuous; Valid or True†. It also defines â€Å"person† as; (2a) â€Å"Self; the personality of a human being†. However the Dictionary also has these alternative definitions: good – (1b) â€Å"Genuine; Real†: person – (2b) â€Å"the living body of a human being†. If you are to believe definition (2a), that there is more to a person than the physical body, our statement in question could be considered accurate. The thought or notion to be â€Å"true†, and or the â€Å"personality of a human being† is a concept. These concepts are forever true or changeless (eternal). Our ability to become aware of these concepts may illustrate somet...

China Managed Float

Their low cost productions have made China favorable for foreign company to produce goods for export. However, due to excessive buying and selling of US dollar, US is suffering from an increasing trade deficit. The manufacturing companies in US cannot compete with Chinese imports due to the relatively low product cost. Many of them become Jobless. The US government tried to persuade China into using a more flexible exchange rate policy to increase the Yuan currency. In year 2005, the china government finally bowed to the pressure and they have taken a more flexible exchange rate policy.The Yuan was allowed to move at a certain percentage each day against other currencies. The US government will place a higher tariff on Chinese imports if they are not depreciated further against the dollar. Question 1 Why do you think the Chinese government originally pegged the value of the Yuan against the U. S. dollar? What were the benefits of doing this for China? What were the costs? The Chinese government pegged the Yuan currency against the U. S to control the value of its currency. By doing so, China keeps its Yuan value lower than the U. S. alue. Furthermore, China originally pegged its Yuan value against U. S. s the U. S. dollar is considered as highly reliable financial instrument in the global market. In order for the country to become an export driven economy, the undervalued Yuan will attract more exports from foreign country. The china government also believed that a fixed and stable currency is crucial for the development and growth of the industry. There are many benefits China gained from holding its currency to foreign market. They gain competitive advantage with their low currency.As Yuan currency is undervalued by almost 40%, their exports will be less expensive making it favorable for the foreign company to invest. With this advantage, the profit seeking companies are attracted to invest in China as they have cheap labor and raw material. In addition, due to the government using managed float policy, the currency value is not affected by supply and demand of a given currency. Therefore, the country will not easily get affected with economic fluctuations as the government regularly buy or sell its currency to influence its short term exchange rate.This condition is ideal to encourage investment as it reduces fluctuations and risk. Fixed exchange rates enable firms to make decisions and plan ahead. All of these will help o boost china growth and development. There are disadvantages of using this strategy to both China and U. S. In order for china to maintain its currency as low as Due to excessive export, the country also may face the risk of natural resources depletion. Since China holds most of the global manufacturing, they might use up all the country natural resources in the long run. The U. S also faces a trade deficit as its imports are greater than exports.In addition, the trade deficit is also caused by large amount of U. S do llar being held by foreign nation. A greater trade deficit is unhealthy for the economy as it can lower the currency. Since production cost in China is cheaper, many local manufacturing companies in U. S suffer as it cannot match with the low price offered by china. This causes many U. S manufacturing companies to shut down or lay off workers to cover their expenses. Question 2 Over the last decade, many foreign firms have invested in China and used their Chinese factories to produce goods for exports.If the Yuan is allowed to float freely against the US dollar on the foreign exchange markets and appreciates in value, how might this affect the fortunes of those enterprises? If Yuan is allowed to float freely, the currency will appreciate. As the Yuan strengthens, the foreign firms that invested in china and used china as its manufacturing factory based will not gain any benefits on this. Most of the company invested in china because of its stable and relatively cheap currency in ord er to skim maximum revenues. China, which is favored by its low cost labor, will no longer be made possible if the Yuan currency increases.When the Yuan currency increases, the cost of material, labor and export will increase. Therefore, the production cost will be higher. The foreign company might not be able to sell its product at their usual price and it will affect the company profit margin. They might have to increase the price of the product in order to get the same profit. The increase in price of the product will not please the customers. It will cause a decrease in demand for china made product as they are known to produce goods at lower prices. The customer might shift its preferences with other cheaper substitute.This is not good for the company as it reduces sales and can affect their investment. Mattel for example, which is famous for its Barbie doll brand, outsources nearly 70% of its toy production from China. However, if the Yuan increases, it would result in an incr ease in the U. S dollar. Therefore, the profit margin for Mattel will fall as it has increase in product cost. However, the increase of Yuan currency also raises the Chinese standard of living. The Chinese gain more purchasing power and foreign company can direct its sales towards china market.The company can earn higher profit due to China large population as a substitute for the export market. The foreign company seeking for a lower product cost will have to shift its production to other low cost country in order to maintain its profit. Question 3 How might a decision to let the yuan float freely affect future foreign direct investment flows into China? By letting the Yuan float freely, China will become richer. Besides that, it could increase the foreign direct investment too. This will increase the Chinese economy and Chinese people's purchasing power.Foreign investor will take advantage of the growing China economy because of the higher buying power. Besides that, a freely floa ting Yuan would result to currency appreciation and significant decrease in the demand for Chinese exports. The people who make money of Yuan increased the value of their properties in China increased. If China were to abandon its peg, that could result in a slowdown in its exports. Question 4 Under what circumstances might a decision to let the yuan float freely destabilize the Chinese economy? What might the global implications of this be?A freely floating Yuan can increase the value of China's currency and lower the demand for export. Lower demand for export could mean lower Jobs available and thus higher unemployment. Higher unemployment can lead to domestic unrest and if not controlled to economic destabilization. The idea of keeping Yuan low in value on the global market is for other countries to buy China's exports. This will boost the China's economy. If China no longer provide for the world, all of the other countrys economies will suffer. If Yuan is allowed to float, China will see some of its manufacturing slow as companies lose the benefit of cheap Yuan exports.A stronger Yuan would give the Chinese more buying power, which might benefit foreign investors. If the raise of Chinese Yuan will push up inflation, China makes everything and not only supplies to US, but all over the world. Raise of Chinese Yuan means raising everyone's living cost in a chain Just as the cell phone wire that make in China gets more expensive, your phone cost more, the pizza store who uses phone a lot ncrease the fee of pizza. It will only give a big inflation to all of us (people lives in US. ). Now, people in US are more in demand of low-budget products.Question 5 Do you think the U. S. government should push the Chinese to let the yuan float freely? Why? Chinese legislature basically pegged the worth of the Yuan against the US dollar as an endeavour to rival the US and whatever is left of the world. US dollar was the strongest in the worldwide business. The profits for C hina were that their Yuan might stay week. Their fares might remain modest while their economy thrived on preparation for the US economy. The expenses for China were that they needed to trade for US dollars each month and that their trade was the US shortage.The US dollars development will influence the China's economy either way. The US legislature shouldn't prod the Chinese to let the Yuan float openly. Depending on if the Yuan float unreservedly, it was able to build regulate backing streams into China. An unlimited rushing Yuan makes China wealthier. This will support the Chinese economy and make the Chinese individuals' acquiring power higher. Due to, the higher getting power, different investors will look to profit from the developing Chinese economy (unique87, 2010). Question 6 What do you think the Chinese government should do?Let the yuan float, maintain the peg, or change the peg in some way? In 1996 Chinese money got convertible yet strict controls made it challenging to clandestine the Yuan to different coinage and between 1994 and 2005. To keep the Yuan from climbing against the dollar the midway bank purchases a large portion of the different money that streams into the nation from fares and outside transaction from the nation's business banks and trade them to Yuan. To avert the aforementioned finances from dropping in the oney related framework and fuelling swelling, the centremost bank issues treasury bills to money related foundations.In 1994, China cut the Yuan's worth by 30 for every penny and received a maintained buoy framework. In 1997, throughout the Asian fiscal emergency, the Yuan was pegged to the U. S. dollar. The conversion scale for the yuan was 7. 97 in 2006, 8. 19 in 2005, and 8. 27 in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Numerous exiles need to see the Yuan buoy, with the intention that it reflects its correct esteem and makes Chinese merchandise and labour more costly. They contend the flat Yuan gives Chinese endeavours a crooked point of int erest and akes it hard for makers in different nations†unable to match the level costs of Chinese imports†to contend.The U. S. Secretary of the Treasury has flown out to Beijing particularly to score concessions on this issue yet has Just been given bewildering guarantees that the Yuan will be permitted to buoy openly at a certain time sometime later. The quality of the Yuan is situated by the State Council not the mid bank. The Chinese legislature is agonized over authorizing the development of money crosswise over fringes, fuelling theory blast like the kind that accelerate Asian nvestment emergency in 1997.It additionally contends it ought to gets in banks in place before it can permit the Yuan to buoy; it ought to uphold development to balance work misfortunes in the state-claimed ventures; and coin soundness profits not Just China however each nation that exchanges with China. In April 2006, the Chinese administration issued regulations that made it simpler for Chin ese to contribute abroad and Chinese associations to purchase remote trade. The move was needed to create more surge of strange money and diminish upward force on the Yuan (Hays, 2012).

Economic Crisis Management in Hospitality and Tourism Industry

INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY, GURGAON Issues in International Hospitality and Tourism Management U 54082 Module leader: Ms. Bandana Rai Submission: ECONOMIC CRISIS IN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM INDUSTRY Submitted by: Pavitra Mehrotra Student Id: 010109029 Abstract In the recent scenario, hospitality and tourism sector has become an important part of daily life but which is now experiencing multiple challenges because of the global economic crisis.Besides tourism, many other industries are in a position to create affluence and economic development opportunities, which also considered difficult to develop. After a significant reduction in 2009, tourism industry boomed strongly in 2010 and 2011 the international tourist arrivals were predictable to increase considerably. As tourism is a steadily growing sector, and a more globally connected, which is already indulged with a maximum population, so in such environment it is often considered di fferent to think about Crisis Management. Related essay: Relationship Between Hospitality and Tourism Accompanying material: Advertising in Tourism IndustryBut this thing is often neglected and also mostly considered a task to be only thought upon when Crisis actually takes place. Purpose This research study is done to know how financial crisis occurs in tourism industry and how it can be overcome. So this research article named Economic Crisis in Hospitality and Tourism Industry will tell about the impact of economic crisis on this industry and the recommendation to overcome it. Methodology It was an attempt to determine the impact of Economic Crisis in Hospitality Industry, and its main objectives were: * To investigate negative effects of economic crisis in this industry. To investigate the possibilities and importance of preventive crisis management within corporate framework. * To recognize the importance of crisis planning and organizational measures. Keywords: hospitality, tourism, crisis, economic uncertainty, growth, and tourism market Paper Type: Research Paper Introduction The word â€Å"crisis† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"krisis†, which means differentiation. (Dirk, 2003). In legal terms, crisis was used to describe the differentiation i. e. eparation between actual and proposed situation. National economics was the first to use crisis for its operations. Their business administration started to look into the matter when the conditions were getting worse due to shortage of crude oil in 1970s. The company was unable to solve this oil shortage due to lack of situation management, so this laid the consequence of coping with crisis. Crisis Management, the term usually refers to change of tasks and procedures done when a crisis materialize.Different types of crisis management and correlating activities are categorized in regards to the process and differentiation between different phases. Crisis Management as a system refers to the group of people who are responsible for crisis management activities. Mainly middle and lower level e mployees and the external factors join with the upper management as essential part of crisis. Although crisis management has abided through various attempts of explanations and theories, but till now none of the standards have been found to overcome it.Crisis management should be implicit as a preparation to avoid uncertain damage or negative effects. Taking the process of crisis management into consideration, the prevention of actually surviving with the crisis is acknowledged. Therefore, both the activities of prevention and struggling should be comprehended to crisis management as should be apprehended as a comprehensive management problem. This part of crisis management is dependable on crisis terminology, both part of regular official planning are also independent from it. Literature ReviewAs quoted by Krystek and Schulten â€Å"Business administration predominantly terms crisis as a process that negatively influences the development of a company to a considerable extent† (Krystek, 1987; Schulten, 1995). According to this the crisis either endangers or makes the survival of the affected company impossible. In words of Burtscher, â€Å"†¦ a company should only be spoken of when the achievements of existential or dominant goals, which are decisive factors in the survival of the entire system, are seriously endangered. † (Burtscher 1996, p. 31).Another group of authors Sonmez, Bachmann and Allen in 1994 defined tourism crises in even more concrete terms as â€Å"†¦ any occurrence which can threaten the normal operations and conduct of tourism destination’s overall reputation for safety, attractiveness, and comfort by negatively affecting visitors’ perceptions of the destinations; and, in turn, cause downtown in the local travel and tourism economy, and interrupt the continuity of business operations for the local travel and tourism industry, by the reduction in tourist arrivals and expenditures. (Sonmez et. al. 1994, p. 22). Later after 2 years in 1996, Scheler defines crisis management as: â€Å"†¦. measures of all types which allow a business to cope with a suddenly occurring danger or risk situation in order to return as quickly as possible to normal business routine. † (Scherler, 1996, p. 17). Another author Weinberg and Konert in 1985 argued that ‘†¦subjectivity experienced through the product, the service, the contribution made to the consumer’s quality of life†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Weinberg and Konert, 1985, p. 85).Years later Haedrich in 1998, proved that in year 1991, ‘only 40. 6 percent of the companies interviewed were in a position to implement their planned competitive strategies unhindered by social demands. The onset of a negative event will increase this number even further. (Haedrich, 1998). Luhmann also quoted â€Å"†¦that risk assessment and the readiness for risk acceptance is not only a physiological but mainly a social problem. We behave as it is expected by the relevant reference groups or as we-whether in accordance with or against the opinion-are socialized’. Luhmann, 1991, p. 11). According to Romeo ‘if a high degree of object-specific involvement exists, it can be assumed due to the greater load and a strong discrimination effect in comparison to positive stimuli. (Romeo, 1991). Another author Krielkamp described risk as ‘the possible negative consequences of the consumer’s behavior as perceived by the consumer. Seen from this point of view, risk during the travel decision is the deviation that can exist between the expected and the final, subjectivity experienced tourism product.If this perceived risk exceeds a certain tolerance value, the consumer tried to reduce this risk using reductions techniques product than for a material product. (Krielkamp, 1998). According to Ritchie and Crouch, it is important for the tourist to know the dangers that exist in a destination in order to adjust their behavior and, secondly, to set these in relation to the usual danger at the location. (Ritchie and Crouch, 1997). Tschiderer’s defines the holiday location product as ‘a bundle of market services, which are made up of constant core part and a derived variable offer’.And the natural offer as a core service of the service bundle, ‘with a few exceptions, is the core of holiday tourism and, therefore, the deciding element of the services’. (Tschiderer’s, 1980) â€Å"ECONOMIC CRISIS IN HOSPITALITY & TOURISM INDUSTRY† Tourism has an important impact on economies, societies and cultures of countries. From boosting economic growth to improving the social fabric and material resourcing to improve living conditions, the tourism has started to act upon.It’s obvious that tourism contributes to economic and social process, but the strength of action differs remarkably from region to region depending upon the level of Obviously, tourism contribution to economic and social progress, the strength of its action differs significantly from country to country depending on its level of development and the regimen attended on them. As with the most industries hospitality and tourism sector is also experiencing number of challenges as a result of global economic crisis.The industry is feeling the impact of a reduction capital market and non-mandatory spending by both corporate and individual customers. Tourism has suffered a lot during the global economic crisis; there was a turn down of 4% of international tourist arrivals in 2009, and revenues from international tourism fell by 6% by 2009. Motivations of travel for 2011 have been to traditional tourist destinations (58%), while 28% wanted to discover new destinations. (Global Financial Crisis Bulletin, Protiviti, 2009) Based on existing forecasting, the quarterly increase in hotel RevPAR is not expected until the second the second quarter of 2010.Corporate travel which ac counts to 18% of airline revenue has also decreased consecutively as companies all around the world are getting determined to reduce costs. With partial expansion contingencies, many hotels and companies are looking forward to improve the capability of their sales and marketing expenditure and maintaining prevailing brand value so as to gain customer loyalty and market share. According to a new report of UNWTO â€Å"2011 International Tourism Results and Prospects for 2012† during the year 2011 tourist arrivals grew up by about 4% to a total of 980 million.As published in the report, in 2012 the same will continue to grow, at a slow pace most likely very close to one billion tourists. The increase in 2011 was 4. 4% (980 million in the year 2011, compared with 939 million in the year 2010). (Universitatea Danubius Galati, 2012) Tourism development during Global Economic Crisis Tourism industry in the recent decades has proved to be an important element in the economic growth. The increasing number of tourists, tourism business growth, but also being an area that is still a major employer in the labor market motivates positive development of the global Hospitality & Tourism sector.The involvement of tourism industry in global GDP is striking 9% with only slightly smaller than the banking sector representing 11%, but higher than the automotive industry that is 8. 8%. This figure is itself very impressing, but taking into consideration the global situation becomes even more valuable. The year 2011 was characterized by a deadlock in the global economy that seems to recover in a series of events leading to political instability in countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and natural disasters, also as in earthquakes in Japan.The global economic crisis of 2008-2009 had a momentous impact on international tourism industry, the most severe so far in the last decades. International tourist arrivals declined by 4% and international tourism receipts by 6%. In 2010, the sector rebounded strongly (international tourist arrivals grew by 7%) demonstrating the resilience of tourism demand. (http://www. unglobalpulse. org/projects/rivaf-research-economic-crisis-tourism -decline-and-its-impact-poor) The Impact of Economic Crisis on Tourism and Hospitality Worldwide:Businesses have reported a declination in sales of lodging, food service; events and other hospitality products and some have closed their doors forever. The declination has resulted not only from smaller number of customers in hotels, restaurants, conference and convention centers, etc. , but also from a momentous decline in the average expenditure per guest (Pizam, 2009) The decline in international tourism in 2009 was felt globally, but specifically affected destinations with a higher dependence on the European and US source markets.All world regions suffered a decline in international tourist arrivals with the exception of Africa. By income level, low-income countries have been less adversely affected by the global crisis and have recovered comparatively faster. Business tourism was more affected than other segments, but available information does not allow for a detailed impact analysis by a segment. Employment in tourism was less impacted and tended to recover quicker than in other economic sectors according to data on employment in hotels and restaurants (the available proxy used in there port to evaluate the impact of the crisis on tourism employment).The recession had caused serious problems for luxury hotels all around the world. However, many hotels in international markets, especially the ones catering to leisure travelers, were not as much of affected. The popularity and growth of the luxury hotel sector in recent years commend that a strong return may not be idealistic (Barsky, 2009). (UNWTO, 2010) More specifically: * Europe ended the year 2009 by 6% declination. Destinations in Central, Eastern and Northern Europe were predominantly poorly affe cted, as compared to the results in Western, Southern and Mediterranean Europe that were relatively better. Asia and the Pacific (? 2%) showed an unexpected rebound. The second half of 2009 measured a 3% growth, reflecting enhanced regional economic results and scenarios. * In the Americas (? 5%), the Caribbean returned to growth in the last four months of 2009. * The Middle East (? 6%), though far-far better from the growth levels of previous years, had a positive second half in 2009. * Africa (+5%) was a strong performer, with sub-Saharan destinations doing particularly well business. (Q Finance, 2012) Crisis Handling StrategiesThe further area of crisis management concerns with the application of basic courses of action for crisis handling. The basic aim of crisis handling strategy is the pressure of the developments of the effects caused by negative consequence of global economic crisis. The forms of a crisis handling strategy can be either of the two i. e. Offensive handling an d defensive handling. 1. Offensive handling strategy: The aim of an offensive handling strategy is to timely and systematically implement the measures that eradicate and contains the cause and the effects related to identifying the problem area.To make this handling strategy work the organization must be prepared, intended and independently, to accept all the parts of activities, particularly customers, stakeholders and the state, that something has not worked as anticipated. An essential part of the offensive handling strategy is the attempt to eradicate the causes of the problems. Despite large number of efforts, there will remain always some problem areas for which this is not possible; for example, natural disasters. In such cases, a long-term well thought-out offensive strategy can be used to agree to and capitalize on the event. Dirk, 2003) 2. Defensive handling strategy With a defensive handling strategy, it is taken in consideration without knowing the consequences and knowl edge of the circumstances, not to act upon them, but to wait to react in order to bring the situation under control. The aim is to elude the crisis as far as possible and not to strengthen the circumstances with an individual’s action. In practice, the defensive handling strategy can be often observed. This is certainly also affected by the verity that offensive handling strategy and information given come with unknown attention in the preliminary stage. The greater scope with regard to handling and structuring but also the sensibleness of voluntarily talking on social responsibility means that an offensive handling strategy has a lot going for it. If the crisis is understood in such terms, it offers the chance to develop the organization further and ensures the influence in the various spheres of activities. † (Dirk, 2003) Crisis Planning and Organizational measures Planning is defined as a constructive process that defines how the organization’s stakeholders wa nt to see a future process to be developed.Hence planning is the opposite of brain-storming, ad-hoc decisions that are dependent on chance. In the crisis process and implementation process, there are three discrete stages i. e. Generic Planning, Contingency Planning and Preventive Planning (WEU, 1995). 1. Generic Planning- it reclines planning basis for possible crisis situations. The aim is to identify fundamental requirements and potentials. In addition, the ensuring planning stages should be made simple and plans that speed up the process. The questions that are related to organization’s structure as well as to the workflow organization that are much influence and unwavering by it.Generic planning is followed by the predictable investigation of certain crisis synopsis. The basic aim is to work out and evaluate different privileges in order to keep them accessible as tactics of action. This outline of planning is also known as ‘alternative planning’ or emergenc y planning. 2. Contingency Planning- In brief, contingency planning for predictable events enables the organization to get a boost up start that fundamentally helps the company to be more reliable about their decisions in critical situations like under pressure.The planning process in terms of detailing is limited to economic and human necessities as on the well as within boundaries of imagination. So a lot of attention is required when it concerns with situations for which there is very short reaction time left. 3. Preventive Planning- Whenever a negative is prevailing on an organization, then preventive planning is used. Depending on the need with which the task should be completed, i. e. depending on the speed with which the crisis is increasing, this can only happen through the adaptation of various option plans.The aim of these option plans, which are made up on the outline of preventive planning, is the application and preparation of feasible solutions to the increasing crisis situation. For all planning actions of preventive planning, the findings and result of previous steps and also the contingency planning are used as an initial point of start. Although these rare results of the applied contingency are being used in this application, the use of the least part of the contingency plan considerably shortens the preventive planning process.It is important to think through crisis planning and organizational preparation in good times as it is to be implemented in reality. With its implementation, one of the essential factors for a successful crisis management is met (Mileti and Sorensen, 1987; Reilly, 1987) Conclusion In 2011, world tourism has emerged fully from the crisis, say experts unanimously. Trend of increasing profits and the number of tourists will continue over the next few years, and this year could be even set a new record for number of trips, reports World Travel Monitor Forum.As shown in the statistics world tourism industry activity increas es in importance. The main index, tourist arrivals, is increasing, and sales in 2011 of 4. 4% are significant. According to the WTO officials, tourism is very important in emerging economies, tourism affects the entire economy by reducing debt, trade deficit and creating jobs. Besides the critical economic dimension, tourism is very important socially and culturally, favoring communication between different cultures, it can have an influence on mentality and geopolitical developments worldwide. Bibliography * Barsky, J. 2009). Luxury Hotel and Recession: View from around the World. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. lhw. com/download_s/230. pdf. [Accessed 25 October 12] * Burtscher, J. G. (1996). Wertorientiertes Krisenmanagement, Diss. * Dirk Glaesser, 2003. Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry. Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann. * Haedrich, G. (1998a). Kommunikationspolitik. In Tourismus- Management (G. Haedrich et al. , eds) pp. 379-403, de Gruyter. * Krielkamp, E. (1998). Stra tegisches Planung in Tourismus, In Tourismus- Management (G. Haedrich et al. , eds) pp. 287-324, de Gruyter. Krystek, U. (1987). Unternehmungskrisen. Gabler. * Luhmann, N. (1991). Soziologie des Risikos. de Gruyter. * Pizam, A. (2009). The Global Financial Crisis and Its Impact on the Hospitality Industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 301 * Protiviti. 2009. Global Financial Crisis Bulletin. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. protiviti. in/en-US/Documents/Newsletters/Global-Financial-Crisis/FinCrisis_Bulletin061909. pdf. [Accessed 24 October 12]. * Rirchie, B. and Crouch, G. (1997). Quality, price and the tourism experience. In Quality Management in Tourism (AIEST, ed. Vol. 39, pp. 117-39, AIEST. * Romeo, J. (1991). The effect of negative information on the evaluations of brand extensions and the family brand. In Advances in Consumer Research, Proceedings, (R. Holman and M. Solomon, eds) Vol. 18, pp. 399-406. * Scherler, P. (1996). Management der Krisenkommuni kation. Helbig & Lichtenhahn. * Schulten, M. F. (1995). Die Erlebnis-gesselschaft. Campus Verlag. * Sonmez, S. F. , Backman, S. J. and Allen, L. R. (1994). Managing Tourism Crises. Clemson University. * Tourism and Hotels Industry | Market Analysis and Trends – QFINANCE. 2012.Tourism and Hotels Industry | Market Analysis and Trends – QFINANCE. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. qfinance. com/sector-profiles/tourism-and-hotels. [Accessed 28 October 2012]. * Tschiderer, F. (1980). Ferienortplanung. Paul Haupt Verlag. * Universitatea Danubius Galati. 2012. Acta Universitatis Danubius. A’conomica. [ONLINE] Available at: http://journals. univ-danubius. ro/index. php/oeconomica/article/view/1256. [Accessed 24 October 12]. * Weinberg, P. and Konert, F. -J. (1985). Vom Produkt zur Produktperson-lichkeit. Absatzwirtschaft, 2, 85-97. * World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 012. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. unwto. org/media/news/en/p ress_det. php? id=5361. [Accessed 25 October 2012]. Article Summary-1 Zahed Ghaderi and Ahmad Puad Mat Som (2012). Impacts of Global Economic Crisis on Tourism Business in Penang. South Asian Journal of Tourism and Heritage. 5, pp. 08. Key Point-1 This article tells us about the impacts of recent economic crisis on tourism business in Penang (Malaysia). Tourism industry is always helpless to various crises and disasters, and its growth has been badly affected due to unpleasant situations.This paper was part of a research which has been conducted in Penang and uses qualitative research methodology. The level of impacts was different for industry and their businesses decreased for a certain period of time. It was found that the recent economic crisis formed many negative impacts for businesses in Penang and various strategies have been applied to lessen the negative effects. The paper also argues that the crisis had consequent effects and created many challenges for tourism industry. Key Point-2Recent economic and financial crises that affected tourism industry from 2007 through 2010 and further has thrown considerable attention on the role that crisis measures play in tourism. (Hall, 2010). The scope and size of impacts were so severe, that the World Tourism Organization estimated that international tourist arrivals fell by 4% in 2009, and many destinations in the world reported negative growth. As Penang is a mature tourist destination in Malaysia was also affected by recent global economic crises. Attracting many international leisure and business tourists gives threats and opportunities to this destination.Threats because these markets highly depend on global economic situations; and variation in the number of arrivals can create negative impacts for tourism industry. Comment and analysis The above study tells us that tourism industry in Penang was struck by global financial and economic crises. However they were not equal for different hospitality industrie s in Penang, although they approved that the crisis created many opportunities for their business. It is also important to note that although economic crises affected Penang as a tourist destination.Tourism business in Penang also looked at this crisis as an opportunity for organizational learning and they obtained valuable experiences on how to manage the difficult situations. They also believed that there is an immediate need to develop a tourism crisis management plan that integrates all tourism business in the State as the industry is very delicate to external factors. Article Summary-2 Carmen Babaita, Marilen Pirtea, Andreia Ispas (2010). Professional tourism – before and after economic crisis in the hotel industry from Timisoara, Romania. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics. , pp. 10 Key Point-1 This article demonstrates information on the concept of proficient tourism and its associated terms and how the global economic crisis has affected this valuable segmen t financially, particularly in tourism industry. The research was conducted in two periods: before and during the economic crisis and targeted 13 hotels of 3 and 4 stars from the hotel market in Timisoara. The study projected a series of related research regarding the tourism and services from the hospitality field, which was in the position of finding new ways to attract and retain business customers.Also according to authors Hotels surveyed in 2009-2010 except for a 4 Star Hotel said they were affected by the financial crisis. Key Point-2 According to the article, the competitive advantages for Romania as tourist destination were unusual destination markets; location in Central-Eastern Europe, the existence of large international hotel chains; knowledge of English by a large part of the young population; upcoming professional specialization of the Romanian companies with the opportunity to become trusted partners for any global organizations, also placed in Romania.Taking into acc ount the addition of the professional travel motivation in the definition of tourism and tourists, there were numerous clashes of opinion, having prevailed the opinion that professional tourism produces the same economic effects at the destination of the traveler or visitor as the recreational tourism; these effects can be: an increasing or a stimulating economic activity, an increased turnover of firms specialized in tourism benefits and an increased revenue from tourism balance. Comment and analysisAccording to the above study, it can be analyzed that the economic crisis had a major affect on the hotel market activity in Timisoara. The hotel management has always been in a position to find intellectual and resourceful solutions to attract customers, which are scarce and more demanding. Accommodation are still limited, their number is significantly lower to the accessible needs. Starting a project with European funds that include design, site plan of new hotels, even hotel chains, could be the key to improve job prospects, the number of events, business tourists coming to western markets.Article Summary-3 Protiviti: Risk and Business consulting. (2009, June). Impact of the Economic Crises on the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry. Publisher U. S Available from: http://www. protiviti. com/en-US/Documents/Newsletters/Global-Financial-Crisis/FinCrisis_Bulletin061909. pdf [Accessed: 17/09/12. ] Key Point-1 The current article discusses about the analysis of existing conditions faced by the hospitality, travel and leisure industry, along with a review of the significant issues the management should have concentrated as the economic rises continues to run its run as an economic recovery begins. According to the article the financial crises has impacted both domestic and the domestic i. e. U. S market as well international travel market. The occupancy ratio of domestic travelers to international travelers is approximately 4:1 (83 percent v/s 17 percent). In r esponse many hotels have reduced number of guests, which is one of the largest expenses at both the hotel and corporate levels. Key Point-2With limited expansion opportunities, many hotels and companies are looking to improve the effectiveness opportunities, many hotels and companies are looking to improve the effectiveness of their sales and marketing spend and maintain existing brand value to gain customer loyalty and increase market share. Their strategies include print and online advertising, and marketing directly to national groups that initially have arranged events at their properties. As in other industries, cost management and controls spend have become important areas of focus for owners and operators.Centralizing or outsourcing business processes (e. g. , payroll, accounts payable) is among numerous strategic initiatives hospitality management is undertaking. Comment and analysis Based on the article it can be concluded that companies are using different strategies to ma intain themselves during the global economic crises. For firms in hospitality and tourism industry, it is important for management to maintain customer expectations, manage to maintain customer expectations, manage costs, optimize cash flows and working capital, and maintain debt obligations.Additionally, many in the industry are using the current economic crisis as an opportunity to gain market share. Through increased marketing and advertising initiatives, companies are striving to maintain existing customers while also positioning themselves to be top-of-mind for industry consumers once the economy begins to recover. Summary-4 Crises Management in Hospitality Industry: Case of Croatia Cizmar, Sanja: Vlahov, Antonio. An Enterprises Odeyssey. International Conference Proceeings: 1576-15-89, 4, 20. Zagreb: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business. (May 26-May 29, 2010)Key Point-1 This article tells us about the 2009 economic on the hospitality in Croatia. It tells tha t a strategic approach to the crisis management in the hospitality industry both on government and private level sectors. On government level, the article examines the overall process of dealing with the crises as well as pre-crises planning. The research findings tell that the Croatian government, got failed in the pre-crises management but in tourism sector it handled the crises in a very effective way, thus assuring the country tourism results in the year of global economic crises.A survey done in on a small fraction of Hospitality companies in Croatia, revealed that top level managers understood the importance of crises management measures and also they were regular in their implementation. The authors also concluded that global economic crises cannot be stopped but, the impact on hotel industry can be limited both by private organizations and public sectors. Key Point-2 In 2009, world economy has faced a rare crisis, activating severe recession that critically affected tourism industry.In Croatia two percent drop of overall tourist arrival, and one percent increase of overall overnights has been recorded in 2009 in comparison to 2008. The drop in tourism receipts of Croatia has been much stronger than the drop in the arrivals, and is expected to reach 15. 5% compared to next year. A typology of crises, which is important for further discussion in the paper, is based on the types of domains or origins or causes of the crises. Complexity of the crises’ origins affects that lifecycle and duration of the crises, thus impacting its intensity and impacts to organizations. Since tourism industry is very ulnerable to different crisis, the scope of crises impacts in tourism is multilevel. Out of all 24 crises management measures, 14 measures have significant correlation between managers have significant correlation between managers’ perception of importance and its usage. Four measures belong to group ‘operation, investment, and environmentâ₠¬â„¢ and three measures to group ‘human resources’. Comments & Analysis This article analysis’s the way of coping with the economic crisis on government and company managerial level in the hospitality industry of Croatia, with regards to 2009 economic crisis.In deep economic crisis as it was in 2009, which has had a significant impact on the hospitality industry market and financial position, only synchronized actions of government and companies’ management may generate positive results in crisis prevention and especially in a phase of coping with the crisis. Empirical survey shows that top managers of Croatian hospitality companies’ management may generate positive results in crisis prevention and especially in a phase of coping with crisis.The survey should be done on the same sample of hospitality companies in order to reveal which company has succeeded to recover operational performance in a shorter period. Parallel, the research should aim to r eveal which group of crisis management measures generates the fastest recovery of companies operating performance in a post crisis period. Article Summary-5 Carmen Babaita, Marilen Pirtea, Andreia Ispas (2010). Professional tourism – before and after economic crisis in the hotel industry from Timisoara, Romania. WSEAS Transactions on Business and Economics. 7, pp. 10Key Point-1 This article demonstrates information on the concept of proficient tourism and its associated terms and how the global economic crisis has affected this valuable segment financially, particularly in tourism industry. The research was conducted in two periods: before and during the economic crisis and targeted 13 hotels of 3 and 4 stars from the hotel market in Timisoara. The study projected a series of related research regarding the tourism and services from the hospitality field, which was in the position of finding new ways to attract and retain business customers.Also according to authors Hotels sur veyed in 2009-2010 except for a 4 Star Hotel said they were affected by the financial crisis. Key Point-2 According to the article, the competitive advantages for Romania as tourist destination were unusual destination markets; location in Central-Eastern Europe, the existence of large international hotel chains; knowledge of English by a large part of the young population; upcoming professional specialization of the Romanian companies with the opportunity to become trusted partners for any global organizations, also placed in Romania.Taking into account the addition of the professional travel motivation in the definition of tourism and tourists, there were numerous clashes of opinion, having prevailed the opinion that professional tourism produces the same economic effects at the destination of the traveler or visitor as the recreational tourism; these effects can be: an increasing or a stimulating economic activity, an increased turnover of firms specialized in tourism benefits an d an increased revenue from tourism balance. Comment and analysisAccording to the above study, it can be analyzed that the economic crisis had a major affect on the hotel market activity in Timisoara. The hotel management has always been in a position to find intellectual and resourceful solutions to attract customers, which are scarce and more demanding. Accommodation are still limited, their number is significantly lower to the accessible needs. Starting a project with European funds that include design, site plan of new hotels, even hotel chains, could be the key to improve job prospects, the number of events, business tourists coming to western markets.