Smu Mb0044 Sem 2 2013 Solved

Q1. State the important considerations for locating an automobile plant. A1. Automobile plant automated flaw lines, automatedassembly lines, flexible manufacturing systems, global transition rapid prototyping. Building manufacturing flexibility things are necessity. About the automated flow lines we can say it is a machine which is linked by a transfer system which moves the parts by using handling machines which are also automated, we have an automated flow line. Human intervention ma is needed to verify that the operations ate taking place according to standards.When these cab be achieved with the help of automation and the processes are conducted with self regulation, we will have automated flow lines established. In fixed automation or hard automation, where one component is manufactured using services operations and machines it is possible to achieve this condition. We assume that product life cycles are sufficiently stable to interest heavily on the automate flow lines to achie ve reduces cast per unit. Product layouts ate designed so that the assembly tasks are performed in the sequence they are designed at each station continuously.The finished item came out at the end of the line. In automated assembly lines the moving pallets move the materials from station to station and moving arms pick up parts, place them at specified place and system them by perusing, riveting, & crewing or even welding. Sensors will keep track of there activities and move the assembles to the next stage. The machines are arranged in a sequence to perform operations according to the technical requirements. The tools are loaded, movements are effected, speeds controlled automatically without the need for worker’s involvement.The flexibility leads to better utilization of the equipments. It reduces thenumbers of systems and rids in reduction of investment as well as a space needed to install them. One of the major cancers of modern manufacturing systems is to be able to respo nd to market Demands which have uncertainties. Prototyping is a process by which a new product is developed in small number so as to determine the suitability of the materials, study the various methods of manufactured, type of machinery required and develop techniques to over come problems that my be encountered when full scale manufacture is undertaken.Prototypes do meet the specification of the component that enters a product and performance can be measured on these. It helps in con be reforming the design and any shortcomings can be rectified at low cost. Flexibility has three dimensions in the manufacturing field. They are variety, volume and time. There demands will have to be satisfied. In that sense they become constraints which restrict the maximization of productivity. Every business will have to meet the market demands of its various products in variety volumes of different time.Flexibility is also needed to be able to develop new products or make improvements in the prod ucts fast enough to cater to shifting marker needs. Manufacturing systems have flexibility built into them to enable organization meet global demand. You have understood how the latest trends in manufacturing when implemented help firms to stay a head in business Q2. Explain essentials of Project Management Philosophy A1. Project Management Philosophy A project never goes smooth. It brings unexpected problems during the execution of any phase that marks a difference between the planned activities and actual executions.The deviations enforce re-planning of further activities so that the extra budget and time spent on previous activities can be compensated by revised project plan. A loser is a loser only when he realizes it and gives up. As long as one thinks he has the capability of changing lose situation to a winning situation, he is never a loser. Project management philosophy emphasizes on sharing the problems with all stakeholders and team members so that different brains come o ut with different responses and any of the response(s) can become the best solution(s).Challenge sharing definitely brings out a solution from somebody else having a different set of experience and exposure who has already been into such a situation and has come out of it already. Sharing problems and challenges saves one from re-inventing the wheel. Documentation sharing and a knowledge sharing platform make a strong basis for keeping all on the same wheel. Managers mostly focus on driving out results from the teams rather than enabling and empowering them to become self driven. Energy flows automatically and uncontrolled. Results start coming out without reaching the deadlines and prior to demand.It depends on managers that by empowerment they start preparing or building leaders within the teams. A combination of leaders, if synergized properly, propels a resultant progress of the project. Managers become critical key in engaging people in the project. A high level of engagement i s lodged in the team members via project manager. As long as the project manager is able to drive teams, it makes them engaged to the project. On the other hand if project manager inculcates and inspires team members to self-engage themselves, the team members do not depend to be driven by project manager.Q3. Several different strategies have been employed to assist in aggregate planning. Explain these in brief A3. Planning is a primary management responsibility. Aggregate planning is concerned with organizing the quantity and timing of production over a medium period of time up to eight to ten months with undetermined demand. Specifically aggregate planning means combining all of an organization`s resources into one aggregate production schedule for a predetermined intermediate time period. The objective of aggregate planning is to maximize esources while minimizing cost over the planning period. The aggregate production plan is midway between short-range planning and long-range pl anning. Aggregate planning includes the following factors: 1. Work force size and composition 2. Demand forecasts and orders 3. Raw material planning 4. Plant capacity management 5. Utilizing outside subcontractors 6. Inventory management Aggregate planning is the link between short-term scheduling and long-term capacity planning. What are aggregate planning strategies? There are three types of aggregate planning strategies: Pure Strategy.In this strategy, only one production or supply factor is changed. Mixed Strategy. This strategy simultaneously alters two or more production or supply factors or some combination. Level Scheduling. This strategy has been adopted by the Japanese and it embodies maintaining constant monthly production schedules. What aggregate planning strategies influence demand? Aggregate planning can influence demand in the following ways: 1. Pricing strategies. Pricing can be used to increase or reduce demand. All things being equal, increasing prices reduces de mand while lowering prices will increase demand. . Advertising and promotion strategies. Advertising and promotion are pure demand management strategies in that they can increase demand by making a product or service better known as well as positioning it for a particular market segment. 3. Delayed deliveries or reserving orders. Managing future delivery schedules is a strategy for managing orders when demand exceeds capacity. The net effect of delayed deliveries, or back ordering, and reservations is to shift demand to a later period of time, often to a more slack period, which provides a smoothing effect for overall demand.However, the negative is that a percentage of orders will be lost as consumers are unwilling or unable to wait the additional amount of time. 4. Diversifying the product mix. Product mix diversification is a method used to offset demand seasonality. For example, a lawn mower manufacturing company may diversify into snow removal equipment to offset the seasonalit y of the lawn mower industry. What aggregate planning strategies influence supply? Aggregate planning is also used to manage supply considerations by using the following strategies: 1.Subcontracting (outsourcing). Subcontracting is a method of increasing capacity without incurring large capital investment charges. It can turn the competitive advantage of other corporations to the contracting organization`s advantage. However, subcontracting can be costly, and also reveals part of the business to potential competitors. 2. Overtime and idle time. A direct short-term strategy for managing production capacity is to either increase or decrease the number of the work force. This strategy has the advantage of utilizing the currently existing work force.However, overtime is expensive and can produce job burnout if relied upon too extensively. On the other hand, enforcing idle time on the work force can result in resistance as well as a drop in morale. 3. Hiring and laying off employees. Hir ing and laying off employees is a medium- to long-term strategy for increasing or decreasing capacity. Hiring employees usually involves the cost of training while laying off employees can incur severance charges. Laying off employees can also cause labor difficulties with unions and reduce morale 4. Stockpiling inventory.Accumulating inventory is a strategy for smoothing variances which may occur between demand and supply. 5. Part-time employees. Certain industries have seasonal requirements for lower skilled employees. Aggregate planning can be used to manage these seasonal requirements. What is the charting method of aggregate planning? Charting is a highly utilized trial-and-error aggregate planning method. It is relatively simple to use and is easily understood. Essentially, the charting approach uses a few variables in forecasting demand, applying current production capacity.While the charting method does not assure an accurate prediction, it is simple to implement requiring o nly minimal calculations. But trial and error method does not provide an optimal solution. The charting method requires five steps to implement: 1. Calculate each period`s demand. 2. Calculate each period`s production capacity for regular time, overtime, and subcontracting. 3. Determine all labor costs including costs for hiring and layoffs as well as the cost of holding inventory. 4. Evaluate organizational employee and stock policies. . Create optional policies and evaluate their costs. EXAMPLE 1. 30 A Florida men`s suit manufacturer has created expected demand forecasts for the period June-January, as shown in Table 1. 2. The daily demand is calculated by dividing the total expected demand by the number of monthly working days: AVERAGE DEMAND = TOTAL EXPECTED DEMAND / NUMBER OF PRODUCTION DAYS FIGURE 1. 6 MONTHLY AND AVERAGE MEN`S SUIT DEMAND The graph in Figure 1. 6 illustrates that there is a substantial variance between the monthly and average men`s suit demand.What are the co sts of aggregate planning? Aggregate planning is a systems methodology having major organizational impacts. Every strategy has associated costs and benefits. Increasing hiring means increasing training costs and incurring associated employment benefit costs. Increasing inventory increases carrying costs consisting of capital and storage costs, deterioration, and obsolescence. Using part-time employees involves the costs and risks of using improperly trained and inexperienced personnel as well as creating possible union conflicts.Using subcontractors has the cost of exposing an organization to potential competitors. EXAMPLE 1. 31 Using the data in example 1. 30, it is possible to develop cost estimates for the men`s suit manufacturer. Basically, the manufacturer has three choices: 1. The manufacturer can meet expected monthly production fluctuations by varying the work force size, hiring and laying off employees as needed. In this scenario, an assumption is made that the men`s suit m anufacturer has a constant staff of 55 employees. 2.Another alternative is to maintain a constant work force of 51 employees and subcontract for additional expected demand. 3. A third alternative is to maintain a work force of 69 employees and store suits during the slack demand months. Organizational Costs THREE PLAN SUMMARY COSTS In this example, the best production plan is plan 3 which maintains a work force of 69 employees and stores men`s suit inventory during low demand months. Q 5: Explain the basic competitive priorities considered while formulating operationsstrategy by a firm? Answer:Operations strategy reflects the long-term goals of an organisation in its corporate strategy,a clear understanding of the operating advantages and a good cross functional coordinationbetween functional areas of marketing, production, finance, and human resources departments arerequired. Operating advantages depend on its processes and competitive priorities considered whileestablishing the ca pabilities. The basic competitive priorities are: Cost, Quality, Time, Flexibility Cost: Cost is one of the primary considerations while marketing a product or a service.Being a lowcost producer, the product accepted by the customer offers sustainability and can outperformcompetitors. Lower price and better quality of a product will ensure higher demand and higherprofitability. To estimate the actual cost of production, the operations manager must addresslabour, materials, scrap generations, overhead and other initial costof design and development, etc. Quality: Quality is defined by the customer. The operations manager looks into two importantaspects namely high performance design and consistent quality.High performance design includessuperior features, greater durability, convenience to services, etc where as consistent designmeasures the frequency with which the product meets its design specifications and performs best. Time: Faster delivery time, on-time delivery, and speedy dev elopment cycle are the time factors thatoperations strategy looks into. Faster delivery time is the time lapsed between the customer orderand the delivery. On-time delivery is the frequency with which the product is delivered on time.Thedevelopment speed is the elapsed time from the idea generation up to the final design andproduction of products. Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability to provide a wide variety of products, and it measures how fast themanufacturer can convert its process line used for one product to produce another product afterWhile customisation is the ability of the firm to satisfy the specific needs of each its customer, thevolume flexibility is the ability to accelerate or decelerate the rate of production to handle thefluctuations in demand. For example, the production of fertilisers of different specifications andapplications.

Effectiveness of Educational Technology”

The purpose of this research â€Å" Effectiveness of Educational Technology† â€Å"From a Department of Education 1995 forum, some panelists contended that rather than debating the connections between technology-based instruction and test scores, schools should focus on the most obvious and compelling reason form implementing technology-namely, those students needs strong technology skills to succeed in the world of work. From research studies it shows positive benefits from the use of technology for educational purposes. The data method use to collect this information was â€Å"First, a U. S. Department of Education-funded study of nine technology-rich schools, concluded that the use of technology resulted in educational gains for all students regardless of age, race, parental income, or other characteristics. The second, a 10-year study supported by Apple Computer, Inc. Concluded that student provided with technology-rich learning environments ‘continued to perform well on standardized tests but were also developing a variety of competencies not usually measured. † Some success seen by there research, rising scores on state tests, improved student attendance, increased student comprehension, self motivation, more parent/ teacher support improved student retention. Another issue the research hoped to confront was the possibility of negative effects from prolonged exposure to computers. Some critics have worried those students who use computers extensively will become ‘brain-dead’ or less social from looking at the computer screen all day. At the end of two years, the researchers learned that some of their worst fears had been groundless. † In a 1994 Software Publisher's Association (SPA) study, research found that: Educational technology has a significant positive impact on achievement in all subject areas, across all levels of school, and in regular classrooms as well as those for special-needs students. Educational technology has positive effects on student attitudes. The degree of effectiveness is influenced by the student population, the instructional design, the teacher’s role, how students are grouped, and the levels of student access to technology. Technology makes instruction more student-centered, encourages cooperative learning, and stimulated increased teacher/student interaction. Positive changes in the learning environment evolve over time and do not occur quickly. †

Sam 342 unit 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sam 342 unit 5 - Essay Example Its functions from division I to division III vary in nature although the core values of the organization remain the same. At a young age players can be exploited and their focus can shift from education to sports only, hence they might become successful sportspersons but in long run they might fail to become an educated and contributing citizen. To regulate and keep a check on practices prevailing in al three divisions, the role of NCAA has gathered much importance in the past few decades. The core values of other professional sports association or clubs are more oriented towards their own set of beliefs, history and achievements. The basic principals they operate through are more aligned towards profitability, success in results, commitment to sports and the courage that can bring victories to the club or the association. In comparison with NCAA the core values of professional clubs or associations are more centric towards commercialism while NCAA plays a more philanthropic role and strives for safeguarding the interests and ensuring betterment of young sports person from grass root level to university level moving towards a successful career in the selected professional

1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement - Essay Example This "1936 Coca Cola Print Advertisement" essay outlines the characteristics and peculiarities in the advertisement industry in the 1920's-1930. The image of this particular advertisement seems to show an opposition of the trend happening at that time. It was bold enough to create an image that women were still capable to do the things that ought to do during this time. The good point about this is that they slowly introduced safety and slowly erased fear in the majority of the women population. The concept of a male-dominated society was not taken for granted as the poster was created. An image of a male opera conductor was included to convey an equal treatment between the two genders. The male object indicates the importance of men in the slow liberation of women in the society. It provides a clear intention of making masculine concept bold and important in producing the advertisements. Looking at the totality of the printed advertisement and comparing it with the printed advertise ments of the contemporary era, it can be seen that there are more similarities in conveying information and catching attention. Both eras use colorful schemes that were important to catch the attention of persons passing by. The bright color schemes and hues were an upgrade of the old version of black and white advertisements. The incorporation of worded information is still being used to provide information to most individuals. These are primarily helpful in clarifying doubts about the message that might be drawn from the image alone.

Globalization and Its Main Characteristics Essay

Globalization and Its Main Characteristics - Essay Example Reich (1998) defined globalization as â€Å"a process through which events, decisions and activities in one part of the world can come to have a significant consequence for individuals and communities in quite distant parts of the globe (Reich, 1998, p.5). It is the process through which economies, societies, and cultures are exchanging their resources for mutual benefits. Moreover it is the process which integrate global network of political, technological, economical and cultural ideas through communication, transportation, and trade. In short, globalization is an effort to bring all the people in this world under one umbrella. This paper analyses the different characteristics of globalization. Globalization succeeded in bringing many social, political and economical changes in the world. It is intended for decreasing the gap between; rich and poor, different religious beliefs, different political and social ideologies etc. Poor countries may have many resources, but they may not have the infrastructure or technological expertise to exploit it. Globalization can help such poor countries to mobilize their resources more effectively with the cooperation from rich countries. For example, it is quite possible that oil resources are available in many of the poor countries. However these countries may not have the technological expertise or financial abilities to explore oil in their coastal regions. Rich countries can help such poor countries in exploring oil resources in their territory as a result of globalization. Thus, both the countries will be benefitted from their mutual cooperation. It is illogical for a poor country to keep their valuable natural resources untouched wh ile striving for progress. According to Lauder et al (2006), many people tempted to think globalization as the â€Å"process of transportation of jobs, ethnic and cultural composition of nations etc from one country to another† (Lauder et al, 2006, p.32).

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Literature review - Essay Example Health Organization (WHO), 2007, p.1, defines falls as â€Å"inadvertently coming to rest on the ground, floor or other lower level, excluding intentional change in position to rest in furniture, walls or other objects†. As age increases so does the incidence of falls. Consequently it is the older people that face the brunt of the problem of falls, which is demonstrated by the incidence of falls being between 28 to 35% in people between 65 and 70 years and between 32 to 42% in people over the age of 70 years (The World Health Organization, 2007). Falls among the older population and the consequent injuries suffered are a major public health problem. The reason for this is that besides the enhanced frequency of falls in the elderly, such falls result in mild to severe injuries to the tune of 20 to 30%. This leads to more than 50% injury related hospitalization among the elderly and 10-15% emergency of all emergency department visits (The World Health Organization, 2007). In comparison to hospital stays for other injuries among the elderly, hospital stays due to injuries from falls are much longer. In the United Kingdom hospital admission rates owing to falls to individuals over the age of sixty is between 1.6 to 3.0 per 10,000 of the population and the emergency department visits as a result of falls in the elderly is between 5.5 to 8.9 per 10,000 of the population (The World Health Organization, 2007). In addition, to high hospitalization rates, falls in the elderly carry the higher risk of mortality, with falls being responsible for about 40% of all deaths from injuries to the elderly (The World Health Organization, 2007). Post-hospitalization complications can also arise in the form of post-fall syndrome that include the elements of dependence, loss of autonomy, immobilization and depression. This reduces the ability to perform daily activities, making them dependent on caregivers from the family. In the United Kingdom, the average earnings per annum lost on

Business& Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business& Law - Assignment Example Tribunals gained full judicial mandate in the twentieth century, initially they composed of one chairperson and two experts in the relevant field. Tribunals were perceived to be more user friendly compared to courts due to their low cost and speed. The independence of tribunals got a major boost by the enactment of the human rights act 1998, which provided their full mandate in determining civil rights and criminal charges. This however, raised concern and prompted Sir Andrew Leggatt to draft the 2001 review. This review proposed the removal of tribunals from their sponsoring bodies and a department under the Lord Chancellor be tasked with the responsibility for policy and operations. This department would not engage in any disputes before the tribunal. The 2001 review further proposed the placement of all tribunal members under the leadership of a senior president to advice, support, and improve information which would help users to represent themselves where possible. The proposals were accepted and the Tribunal Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 was drafted and a harmonized Tribunals service was formed in April 2006 for all UK tribunals. A tribunal council under 2007 Act was established and tasked with reviewing the administrative justice system (ADAMS A, 2006). Reasons for Formation of Tribunals Before the Second World War, various tribunals were created to deal with issues such as War pensions, unemployment benefits, and old age pensions etc. However, in 1957 the tribunal system was under scrutiny by the Franks Committee. Frank suggested that tribunals were cheap, easily accessible, less complex and employs expert knowledge. It is known that the growth of Tribunals took place in an ad hoc form to deal with specific needs and demands (ADAMS A, 2006). Types of Tribunals Tribunals are part of the civil justice system. Some Tribunals function under local authorities or under government institutions. Tribunals exist in various forms depending on the case at hand. They include; First-Tier Tribunal/ the Upper Tribunal The First-tier Tribunal deals with appeals against government and public departments decisions. The Upper Tribunal based on the law hears appeals from the First-tier Tribunals. The Tribunal judges are qualified and the members of the Tribunal are specialists in various fields such as doctors, accountants, ex-service personnel etc (ADAMS A, 2006). Education Tribunals They are formed to resolve disputes that arise between parents and the school system concerning their children. They include: School Admission Appeal Panel These panels exist for parents whose children are denied admission to their preferred school. It cuts across primary, secondary, and maintained grammar schools. The admissions authority has the role of admitting a child and complying with parent’s preference unless doing so would jeopardize the efficiency and proper learning of other children. The school has to have an admission limit beyond which injustices would arise (ADAMS A, 2006). School Exclusion Appeal Panels Parents have the right to appeal whenever their children are excluded from school. The powers of the panel will depend on the nature and length of the exclusion. Not every disciplinary case amounts to exclusion, for example offences committed away from the school site or exclusion based on medical grounds. The panel’s options include upholding exclusion or directing reinstatement (ADAMS A, 2006). Special Educational needs and disability

Are Black Afro Caribbean boys underachieving within the Education Dissertation

Are Black Afro Caribbean boys underachieving within the Education system that are born in the UK - Dissertation Example Out of all the communities, debate about children of Caribbean heritage has been most controversial. There is no denial of the fact that Caribbean children are under achieving in UK. In 2004, according to National Statistics, the lowest levels of GCSE attainment were among black Caribbean pupils, particularly boys. Only 27% of black Caribbean boys and 44% of black Caribbean girls were said to have achieved five or more A*-C grade GCSEs. (BBC News 2009). The statistical release issued by Department for Children, Schools and Families at National statistics UK has reported that in 2008/9 44.3 percent of Black African pupils achieved a good level of development. This is 7.3 percentage points below the national average; this difference in achievement shows a reduction from 2008 when it was 10.7 percentage points. In 2009 27.3 percent of Black African pupils were classified as being in the lowest achieving 20 percent of pupils, this is a reduction from 2007 when 30.2 percent of Black Afric an pupils were classified as being in this group. 43.0 percent of Black Caribbean pupils achieved a good level of development. This is 8.6 percentage points below the national average; this difference in achievement has reduced from 2008 when it was 9.4 percentage points. ... It became evident that children were treated with discrimination, being called dull, slow learners, UN responsive, troublesome, dull, low achievers, backwards and UN intelligent. Observing all this, black parents moved to draw public attention and demanded government to take concrete actions. Since 1960 government took many actions and policy initiatives however to this day, concerns remain in air about educational performance of these children and their treatment. The low achievement of Caribbean children is in great contrast to high achievements by children of other minority ethnic groups in UK. There are many theories available to explain this problem. These theories include low IQ, genetics, poor self esteem, racism against society and schools, race politics in UK, poor quality of schools and poor home environments of children. It is an important observation that educationalists and government view this problem with different perspectives. This paper is an endeavour to understand why black British children of African Caribbean origin achieve less in academics and are subject of increased expulsion from schools. In the UK, in the 1960s and ‘70s, Black children were routinely labelled â€Å"educationally sub-normal† (ESN) and confined to ESN schools, also known as sin-bins. The parents often did not challenge the verdict of the teachers and the schools, but just accepted the situation. One reason for underachievement of students has been indifference of parents towards the situation. Educationalist Dr Tony Sewell from UK has researched and stated as late as September 2010 that institutional racism in education has no part to play in the educational failure of African

Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Globalisation - Essay Example Globalization is the process of moving towards a single-world society which has led to an increase in the economic activity in the world. For the purpose of this paper globalization would mean economic globalization which has been defined as the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), through the flow of workers and flows of technology Bhagwati, 2004). Debates ensue but the benefits of globalization are established; however while globalization has many benefits it also has many negative effects as reflected in the poor standard of living in some nations. Globalization has also been viewed as the dominance of western economic and cultural interests over the rest of the world, as the perpetuation of inequality between the rich and the poor countries and region (Brinkman and Brinkman, 2002). This is because corporate power by the MNCs has been utilized for maximizing profits without social responsibility. Frankel ( 2006) agrees that globalization has intensified competition thereby reducing costs and enhancing quality; it has led to liberalization, deregulation and privatization and opened up capital markets. Frankel emphasizes that at the same time, globalization has undermined the economic prospects for millions around the world. The gap between the poor and the rich has increased as the benefits and costs of globalization are unevenly distributed across the world. Bhagwati believes that charges of hypocrisy, unfair trade practices and double standards against the rich nations are baseless and instigated by NGOs such as OXFAM. Such charges instigate protectionism by the developing countries which can only hurt their own prosperity. Bhagwati fails to recognize that nations that have opened up their economy and have not been protectionists may have registered high growth rates but this does not necessarily translate into poverty reduction, as stated by Akoum(2008). Growth and poverty reduction are the ultimate goals of efforts geared towards development but policies that concentrate on growth may only be looking at a part of the development problem. For instance, Latin America can be cited as a model of trade openness but in terms of standards of living, the results are abysmal. This conforms to the standard economic model, as pointed out by Singer (2004, p92) which suggests that no one’s economic welfare can be improved without reducing the welfare of at least one another person. Unconstrained globalization can no doubt lead to economic efficiencies but the ruling elite have to ensure overall welfare. At the same time due to cost efficiencies, when world production shifts to countries that do the poorest jobs, efficiency is adversely affected. This occurred when the US shifted jobs to Mexico as a result of free trade; this resulted in increase in salaries in Mexico but adversely affected incomes in the United States (Singer, 2004, p78). The drivers of globalizati on include efforts to reduce transportation and communication costs by the private sector and efforts towards reduction of trade and policy barriers by the public sector (Frankel, 2006). Finding a strong connection between poverty and globalization, Singer (2004) asserts that technological upgradation has taken place in developing nations but

History of Bolsheviks in Russia Essay Example for Free

History of Bolsheviks in Russia Essay The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903. The Bolsheviks were the majority faction in a crucial vote, hence their name. They ultimately became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Bolsheviks came to power in Russia during the October Revolution phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and founded the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic which would later in 1922 become the chief constituent of the Soviet Union. The Bolsheviks, founded by Vladimir IllyichLenin, were by 1905 a mass organization consisting primarily of workers under a democratic internal hierarchy governed by the principle of democratic centralism, who considered themselves the leaders of the revolutionary working class of Russia. Their beliefs and practices were often referred to as Bolshevism. Bolshevik revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky commonly used the terms Bolshevism and Bolshevist after his exile from the Soviet Union to differentiate between what he saw as true Leninism and the regime within the state and the party which arose under Josef Stalin but as we will get to know there are similar traits to the Bolsheviks regime and that of Stalins. The Bolsheviks were journalists long before they were state leaders, and they never forgot the impact of a well-aimed message and the role of media. Newspapers were the life-line of the underground party. Formative ideological and political debates were conducted in them; reporters and deliverers evolved into party cadres; and readers became rank-and-file supporters. At times, newspapers smuggled from abroad kept the Party alive; and Lenins editorials often forestalled factional division. Revolutionary struggle taught Bolsheviks the value of mass media, and confirmed their belief that culture is inherently partisan. In times of political turmoil, they exploited it skillfully. Illegal front-line newspapers helped turn soldiers against the Great War; effective propaganda helped win the Civil War. Yet the revolutionaries knew that the same weapons could be used against them. When they took power, they protected themselves by denying the opposition access to public opinion; printing presses, theaters, movie houses were all eventually confiscated and placed under state monopoly. The Bolsheviks considered these measures necessary and just to maintain power and control as the ruling and dominant political party. Soviet authorities were never ashamed of their monopoly on different aspects of culture. Culture was a weapon of class struggle as identified by similar events in the Chinese Revolution as the media and its variety of channels would amplify the rate and effieciancy of propaganda. Allowing the enemy access to mass media would have seemed criminally stupid. To debate the ethics of censorship was a waste of time; the Bolsheviks concern was how to mold popular values, how to reach the masses, reflect the wishes of the state and censure alien ideals. This essay will look at the reason why the Bolsheviks were convinced that a stringent control over the media through a monopolistic system was necessary for holding unto political power but would eventually lead to press freedom for the masses due to a systematic process of internally socializing the Soviet Union with a strong appeal to the working class which would help solidify the Bolsheviks political power in the long term. With a strong thought that they overly represented the working class, the control over the media represented one of the strongest tools to control and effectively influence the social working class in the Soviet Union. 1 Bolsheviks and the Media The early twentieth-century media suited Bolshevik purposes. Under Bolshevik sponsorship, they spoke with one powerful voice, unweakened by dissent or excessive subtlety, unencumbered by complexity. Red propaganda depicted a world of stark contrasts: Bolsheviks were valorous and self-sacrificing; the Whites were cruel and debauched. It was no time for half-tones or self-conscious irony. Bolshevik propaganda might seem heavy-handed, yet judging by its success, much of the public did not resent the overbearing tone. Opponents on both the left and right were no match for the Bolshevik blitz, and some, like the Whites, were particularly ineffective in shaping public opinion. Discussions of Soviet mass culture have usually dwelt on its administration and rhetoric more than content and reception. This is unfortunate, because mass culture was a rare example of equilateral negotiation in Soviet society. The culture gap could not be forced as it stood as an obstacle to the unity of the nation behind one unilateral political party. The economy could be socialized; industry could be whipped into higher production; and citizens could be made, at tremendous cost, to behave as they should. But socialist society demanded not that people just say the necessary things, but also think them in private. Socialism had to be internalized. Many Bolsheviks saw the mass media as the path from ideology to internal thought. It converted abstract phrases into concrete images. Propaganda demanded the cooperation of three groups: the Party and state, which provided the content; the skills of writers and artists, who made ideas into image; and the audience, which received and digested the images. Leaders, artists, and citizens all acknowledged the wishes of the other. The audience craved interesting material; the state needed its values represented by symbols; artists desired an arena for their creative energies (and a respectable living). One side-the audience-stayed mute about its thoughts, yet even at the height of tyranny, no mass audience could be forced to watch a movie or read a book. After claiming to represent the working class and finally taken power in Russia, the Bolsheviks saw themselves as the rightful representation of the working class. Though the Bolsheviks felt they were right in claiming to represent working class within their many promises and strong influence, they were not justified in making this claim in the end. The party felt it had won the right to represent the proletarians by promising freedom and self-government, but after demonstrations such as the Kronstadt Rebellion and the formation of the Cheka, it became apparent that the Bolsheviks had betrayed the working class. Firstly, the Bolsheviks felt that they were a clear representation of the working class. One of the main reasons for this assumption was Lenin’s irresistible promises to the working class. In Lenin’s work â€Å"Declaration of the Rights of the Toiling and Exploited Peoples† he outlines the rights and privileges promised by the Bolshevik party if they should come into power. One of the first rights he outlines is â€Å"The sovereignty of the people; i. e. , the concentration of the supreme power of the state in a unicameral legislative assembly composed of representatives of the people. Lenin sets out to demonstrate how the Bolshevik party stands for people’s representation in government, to further show the proletarians that the Bolshevik party is a â€Å"people’s party†. Lenin then goes on to point out that workers should be given the right to â€Å"Unrestricted freedom of conscience, speech, press and assembly; the right to strike and to form trade unions. † Because these new rights and freedoms were never available to the proletarians under the Tsarist regime, the promises made by the Bolsheviks were too good to pass up. In addition, the strength of the influence of the Bolsheviks’ served to gain support of the working class to the extent that other parties could not reach. Alex Shotman demonstrates how he and many others like him were influenced more by Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks , than any other party leader. The result of this debate and many others like it demonstrate how Bolshevik influence dominated in comparison to that of any other party. Because of the many promises and strong influence of the Bolshevik party, its members felt that they were justified in representing the working class. The validity of this idea, however, proved to be questionable after the Bolsheviks came into power. 2. Monopoly and the Media The Bolsheviks established a state monopoly of the media that absorbed literature, art, and science into a stylized and ritualistic public culturea form of political performance that became its own reality and excluded other forms of public reflection. Although Lenin had control he wasnt completely supported by the people of Russia. To gain support Lenin made a secret police force, which was in charge of erasing any opposition to the party. The Bolsheviks were also renamed the Communists. Freedom of press was cancelled, unless you supported the Communist cause. The government took control of all ways of life. Lenin also made peace with the germans as he knew if war continued, the revolution wouldnt fully work. Although some were angery with the losses Russia had in the treaty, the Bolsheviks were in control, though it was not a steady form of control. There was still widespread opposition and soon a civil war broke out. he socialist ideologyon the freedom of press viewed it from two categories. Firstly the Leninism-marxism was completely against the idea of freedom of press as either absolute or abstract. The argument embodying this was that in a capitalist society the notion of freedom of press applied only to the Bourgeoisie and therefore the right to freedom of press applied to only a small percentage of the population. The first action to implement restrictions on the freedom of speech was the introduction of the De cree of the Press authored by Lenin himself. The Decree and form of press which advocated for opposition and insubordination to the ruling communist party. An excerpt from the Decree below details the the thought of Lenin on how the monopolising the press would later benefit the masses and the working class: â€Å"For the bourgeoisie, freedom of the press meant freedom for the rich to publish and for the capitalists to control the newspapers, a practice which in all countries, including even the freest, produced a corrupt press. For the workers’ and peasants’ government, freedom of the press means liberation of the press from capitalist oppression, and public ownership of paper mills and printing presses; equal right for public groups of a certain size (say, numbering 10,000) to a fair share of newsprint stocks and a corresponding quantity of printers’ labour. † He recognised both the revolutionary potential of the workers press, see for example a number of his early articles such as Where to Begin and What is to be Done, and the reactionary role of the bosses papers (as did Marx later in his life). However, the class nature of society had actually corrupted the press, according to this resolution. Against the bosses newspapers, the revolutionary government set up a commission to examine the links between the capitalist press, shareholders and who owns, funds and organises the bosses newspapers. However, at this stage of the revolution the bosses press had not been suppressed, that came soon after with the invasion of Soviet Russia by 19 different armies and attempts to undermine the revolution. Sadly, these measures of suppression in part laid the basis for the later dictatorship of Stalin and the snuffing out of freedoms alone with wholesale state terror and murder of millions. In one way the suppression of the press proved Marxs original point about human freedom but in a far more terrible way. 3. Aftermath of Monopolising Freedom of the press in the Soviet Union The Bolshevik leadership took it for granted that the revolutionary changes that they would carry out in the area of property relations, that is economic reforms, would result in equal revolutionary changes in culture. Thus in the first decade of their rule, the Bolsheviks would allow a degree of tolerance for independent creativity as well as developing government policies to mould the thoughts and behaviour of its citizens. The Bolsheviks were prepared to use propaganda on a scale never before used by any government to create a people attuned to the ideological dictates of their rulers. To this end, Lenin created a series of institutions to manage every aspect of public activity. The Supreme Council of the National Economy was formed to direct and coordinate all aspects of the communist economy. All matters dealing with the security of the State were entrusted to the Cheka and the Revolutionary Military Council handled every aspect of the Civil War. To manage the social revolution, Lenin consolidated all cultural organisations into a single large bureaucratised institution called the Commissariat of Enlightenment (=Narkompros) under the leadership of Anatolii Lunacharskii until (1929). Lunarcharskii was the Cultural Commissar and his all â€Å"counterrevolutionary newspapers were closed. a State monopoly over newspaper advertising was created. Lenin hoped to restrict the publication of anti-government newspapers by denying them advertising revenue. However, despite this, some 3,000 anti-Bolshevik newspapers continued to be published between November 1917 and June 1918. July-September – all independent newspapers were closed down by the Bolsheviks. On 27 May 1919 a state monopoly on paper was created. The state could now control the publication of all books. 6 June 1922 saw the censorship of all publications and pictorial matter was placed under the control of Narkompros. Publications of he Communist Party and its affiliates the Communist International and the Academy of Sciences were exempt. Due to these rules of censorship any semblance of independent thought disappeared from public life in Russian. From 1918 onwards, authors and painters learned to practice the art of self-censorship because they knew that the government censor would be keeping a strict vigilance on the work. Despite this however, Stalin was to in troduce even more severe censorship laws after 1928 to further ensure that the government controlled the mind and the social development of the ‘communist citizen’.

Leisure Tourism in Nepal

Leisure Tourism in Nepal Introduction The United Nations World Tourism Organisation, (UNWTO), undoubtedly the most influential international tourism organisation, describes tourists as â€Å"people who travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited†. (Richards Hall, 2000, P 36) Whilst this rather complex interpretation does not do justice to itinerant and obsessive travellers, or to the thousands of young westerners who live for months on the beaches and mountain resorts of alien countries, it effectively narrows down tourism to a short or medium term self funded leisure activity in foreign, unknown, strange or unfamiliar environs. Sharpley’s definition of tourism as a phenomenon of modern society, (1994) whilst being apt with regard to timeline, does not also do justice to this seething and volatile activity, the largest and possibly the most complex organised process in today’s world. Tourism is widely known to be not just the world’s largest business but also its principal employer. It accounts for practically 8 % of global GDP and continues to grow at a clip of 4 %, despite its massive base. (Richards Hall, 2000) Millions of people all over the world, from the largest metropolises to the remotest hamlets, depend upon tourism for their livelihood, opening up their countries and towns to enable people from other countries and cultures to come and gain touristic experiences. Tourism, since the inception of the concept, has primarily been associated with the desires of affluent citizens of advanced nations to go out of their ordinary places of residence for experiential activities that provide emotional and physical satisfaction. (Richards Hall, 2000) Even though tourism has constantly been viewed as a self indulgent activity, its phenomenal increase and adoption by all affluent societies has led to the creation of a multi billion dollar octopus like activity; one with numerous tentacles in different activities and places. (Richards Hall, 2000) Leisure tourism has witnessed a dramatic upsurge in the last few decades, driven by (a) steadily increasing incomes and discretionary spending powers in the advanced and industrialising nations, (b) cheaper air travel, (c) strong western currencies, (d) globalisation, (e) the emergence and consolidation of a unipolar world, and (f) the opening up of numerous tourism destinations and experiences. (Mowforth Munt, 2003) As such, whilst tourism has expanded phenomenally in recent years, the reasons for this phenomenon possibly lie in a number of modern day happenings that have come together for the expression of latent but previously existing desires. The fact that a modern day occurrence, can, in a matter of decades become the world’s largest activity also belies any simple definition or explanation. (Mowforth Munt, 2003) The complexity of tourism can be gauged from the number of activities and businesses it encompasses, including, among other things, different modes of transport, varieties of accommodation, choices of cuisines and eating ambiences, range of activities, and innumerable players. Touristic pursuits are now becoming segmented into different areas like culinary, cultural, historical, health, wildlife, sex, and outdoor adventure activities. (Richards Hall, 2000) Out door adventure pursuits are again further subdivided into a plethora of activities like trekking, mountaineering, mountain and flat land cycling, para-gliding, and white water rafting. (Richards Hall, 2000) Driven by changing lifestyles, these activities are becoming increasingly popular with more and more people wishing to experience more rewarding leisure experiences. (Richards Hall, 2000) Countries with natural resources conducive to outdoor sports have naturally started leveraging their resources to take advantage of this upsurge in interest. Australia and New Zealand, for example, have taken adventure tourism to new levels by building facilities and infrastructure that not only showcase the country’s natural beauty but allow visitors to participate safely in a range of outdoor activities. (Mowforth Munt, 2003) Whilst these countries have been able to exploit their resources successfully, other nations, equally rich in natural beauty, have been unable to fulfil or even come near their potential in attracting leisure or adventure tourism traffic. Nepal, a nation state tucked away in the Himalayas between China and India is a land of unimaginable beauty, grandeur, and ruggedness, and is ideal for leisure and adventure tourism. The country has attracted considerable leisure tourism interest from Europe and the UK and a number of British tourism companies have tried to set up operations in the state, especially in areas relating to white water rafting, mountaineering, and adventure trekking. Whilst disturbed political conditions during the last few years had led to a significant decrease in tourist arrivals, recent developments involving the formation and installation of a democratic government have now resulted in more stable conditions and an upsurge in tourism interest. (Basu Riaz, 2007) This assignment deals with Nepal’s attractiveness as a White Water Rafting and Leisure Tourism destination, its current position as a tourist attraction, and the various initiatives that need to be taken at the private and public level to attract visitors and promote tourism on a sustainable basis. Commentary and Analysis White Water Rafting Rafting is widely accepted by historians to be one of the most primitive modes of water transportation. The activity evolved thousands of years ago when humans started using water currents for transportation by roping wooden logs into platforms for floating downstream. Rafts have changed little over the centuries and even today represent small flat bottomed floating vessels without engines or sails, dependent fully upon water currents and oars for forward propulsion. (Robinson, 2004) Rafts are nowadays made of specially manufactured thick plastic or fabric. (Robinson, 2004) The material is multi layered, adequately waterproofed, and stitched or fused into inflatable multi chambered rubber vessels with flat bottoms and short sides. (Robinson, 2004) Not large in size, modern day rafts are less than 20 feet long, about 6 to 8 feet wide, and can seat a maximum of 12 people. (Robinson, 2004) Being inflatable they can be easily transported over long distances and are economical to buy and maintain. (Robinson, 2004) White water rafting (WWR) originated a couple of decades ago with the use of these rafts by pleasure seekers for rushing down swiftly flowing mountain streams. (Robinson, 2004) The turbulence of mountain streams and rivers, the feel of spray in the face, the froth, the foam, and the association with danger, combine to make rafting a thrilling and enjoyable proposition. (Robinson, 2004) WWR has gained significantly in popularity and is now available across the globe. Involving trips to distant places with the opportunity to participate in intrinsically enjoyable outdoor activity, WWR makes for an ideal group, individual and family pursuit and is open to all reasonably healthy people. (Robinson, 2004) WWR expeditions last from a few hours to days, depending upon the stretch of available water, and often incorporate outdoor camping, tent accommodation, barbecues and spits next to the river at night, and local cultural shows. â€Å"Though river rafting once was thought akin to slaying dragons, the sport has grown dramatically in the last two decades, pursued on more than 145 rivers around the country, according to David Brown, director of America Outdoors, a trade association. But trends in rafting are steering away from expeditions designed for thrill-seekers and toward family-style trips and one-day float outings† (Cooke Haggerty, 1996) Safety is obviously of paramount importance for WWR and rafters use specific gear including helmets and inflatable vests. (Robinson, 2004) Getting thrown off the raft is common during turbulent stretches and rafters are provided with detailed instructions before the commencement of trips. Extremely stormy conditions increase the risk of such occurrences as well as the chances of being swept downstream. Water stretches used for rafting are categorised in accordance with the level of danger involved, levels 1 to 3 being mild stretches ideal for beginners and levels 4 to 6 being rough and meant for experienced rafters. (Robinson, 2004) The significant increase in WWR activity over the last two decades has been attributed by social researchers to a number of factors, which include its widespread availability and manageable costs, the opportunities it provides for group and family bonding, and the growing increase in interest in outdoor activity. It is also associated with the pleasure people obtain out of escaping from urban work and life tensions, the proximity to natural beauty, ruggedness and majesty, and the adrenalin rush that comes from exciting physical activity. Rowlands (2008) feels that the popularity of the activity is due mostly to it being high on adrenalin, medium on fitness, and low on cost. Recent innovations like the designing and fitment of special seats on rafts for people who can not use their lower limbs indicate the spreading popularity of the activity. â€Å"Weve got special seats on rafts adapted for people who dont have use of their lower limbs. The seat helps to stabilise you in the raft, gives extra support and has quick-release straps so you can get out quickly if necessary. People with sight or hearing difficulties also come rafting with us its a really inclusive activity.†(Rowlands, 2008) The low cost of setting up rafting facilities (expenditure comprising largely of investment in reasonably low priced equipment, and trained instructors and guides) is also a major reason for the mushrooming of WWR activity, more so in developing nations where local entrepreneurs and nature enthusiasts are otherwise hindered by lack of capital and resources. (Robinson, 2004) Improvement in communication, greater information availability, and cheaper air travel costs have also contributed enormously to the growing popularity of WWR. Cheaper air travel has enabled tourists to travel to distant destinations even during short holidays and it is now common for Britishers, Americans, and citizens of other affluent countries to engage in intercontinental travel for tourism experiences that could last even lesser than a week. The plethora of information available over the internet has brought information about hitherto exotic and distant locations into the common realm of knowledge and the av ailability of online booking facilities for airline tickets, hotel accommodation and tourism experiences has empowered tourists to act on their own and undertake trips at short notice without the involvement of travel agents. Tourism experts feel that the interest in WWR activity is bound to increase in future, given its many appealing features and possibility of the opening up of numerous fresh locales. (Robinson, 2004) White Water Rafting in Nepal Nepal, a small Himalayan nation state currently undergoing a difficult transition from a monarchy to a democratic republic, has among the most abundant mountaineering and WRR resources in the world. Home to 8 out of the world’s highest 14mountain peaks, the country nestles in majestic mountain country. (Welcome to Nepal, 2008) It is abundantly fed by swiftly flowing rivers, covered with dense forests, and is home to an incredible range of flora and fauna. (Welcome to Nepal, 2008) Connected by air and road the country is not difficult to access and is normally reached after a stopover in a major Indian city. (Welcome to Nepal, 2008) Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is a remarkably tourist friendly city; rich in cosmopolitanism, culinary variety, and culture, and was a major backpacker and mountaineering destination even a few years ago. Local entrepreneurs along with British and European companies have started promoting Nepal as a strong WWR destination and a number of its river s are being used for rafting trips. Appendix 1 provides details about various Nepalese rivers and the duration of WWR trips possible on each of them. Approximately 61 companies service Nepal’s tourism industry, which in turn provides employment to thousands of Nepalese citizens. (Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, 2008) Despite its enormous tourism resources and its friendly people, Nepal has in recent years been beset with large scale peace and order problems caused by agitating Maoists and other anti monarchists. (Basu Riaz, 2007) The installation of an elected government in 2006 has led to a cessation of large scale violence and whilst civil strife and unrest is yet to cease completely the situation is steadily moving towards normalcy. (Basu Riaz, 2007) Various European and North American governments still have negative travel advisories for their citizens wishing to travel to Nepal. The Canadian government, for example, advises its citizens to exercise great caution whilst visiting Nepal. â€Å"You should evaluate carefully the implications for your security and safety before deciding to travel to Nepal.Canadians in Nepal should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times due to the unpredictable safety situation. Following an intense period of unrest and armed conflict, the political and security situation remains fragile and volatile.† (Travel Report Nepal, 2008) Nepalese WWR providers have however started work on rebuilding awareness in Europe and the UK about facilities available for rafting on Nepalese mountain streams and rivers. The Nepalese Association of Rafting Agents has in fact recently concluded the 7th Himalayan White Water Challenge. (Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, 2008) Held in November 2007 in association with Peak UK, an English White Water and Kayaking Equipment Company, the event was designed as a multi disciplinary one boat competition that combined extreme slalom and river running skills with down river speed and free style action. (Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, 2008) Combining state of the art forms of slalom and head to head racing, the event drew 80 international and 30 local participants and turned out to be a huge success, despite the troubled state of the country and the somewhat inclement weather. (Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, 2008) Whilst the successful holding of the event should help in bring ing back WWR enthusiasts to Nepal in the coming season, much still needs to be done to make WWR and allied tourism activities in the country truly self sustaining and beneficial for the local population. Challenges and Hazards before Nepal’s WWR Tourism Activity Even as a modern and democratic Nepal tries to reengage with the global community after nearly a decade of unrest and isolation, it will need to put in extraordinary efforts to rebuild its inward tourism activity on a sustainable basis if it is to ensure protection of its environment and the passing of tourism benefits to the local population. Tourism has been the subject of endless research and discussion in recent years. Even as hoteliers, airline operators, travel agents, keepers of historical sites, designers and operators of amusement parks and other touristic activities, and the numerous other operators have striven to provide better and differentiated offerings, the industry has been criticised for sharpening income divides, creating low skill employment, causing large scale environmental degradation, generating pockets of work as well as income divides in scarcity ridden areas, and for being one of the chief causes of greenhouse emissions. (Robinson, 2004) Debate has raged over other aspects of tourism especially the impact of modernism and postmodernism on the evolution of the business. Thinkers like MacCannell, Sharpley, Ritzer and Liska have raised a number of issues about existing tourism practices, introduced postmodernist concepts, and stressed the need to bring in far reaching changes in government attitudes and public policy in dealing with the issue. Postmodern views on tourism encompass various perspectives, including the imperative need to make tourism sustainable. A major global initiative in this regard came about in 2002 when representatives of inbound and outbound tour operators, emerging entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, national parks, provincial conservation authorities, all spheres of government, tourism professionals, tourism authorities, NGOs and hotel groups and other tourism stakeholders, from 20 countries in Africa, North and South America, Europe and Asia came together in Cape Town to consider the issue of responsible tourism and agreed to a number of actions. (Responsible Tourism in Destinations, 2002) These included adoption of a number of processes that aimed at inculcating responsibility in tourism. Conference members agreed to (a) minimise negative economic, environmental, and social impacts, generate greater economic benefits for local people and enhance the well-being of host communities, (b) improve working conditions and access to the industry, (c) involve local people in decisions that affect their lives and life ch ances, (d) make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, (e) maintain the worlds diversity, (f) provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues, (g) provide access for physically challenged people and (h) engender respect between tourists and hosts, and (i) build local pride and confidence. (Responsible Tourism in Destinations, 2002) WWR and associated touristic activities in Nepal have the potential of causing severe damage to the environment through large scale littering of river banks, cutting and burning of forest resource, spillage of diesel and petroleum products in rivers, destruction of local flora and fauna, and spoilage of natural habitat and biodiversity. Tourism authorities in Nepal along with local tourism operators need to ensure that increase in WWR tourism does not harm the environment and is able to bring about real benefits to the local population. Marketing of Nepal as a WWR destination WWR activities, like other touristic pursuits, are mainly concerned with optimal utilisation of leisure time and characterised by â€Å"a sense of separation from the everyday world, feelings of intense pleasure, freedom of choice, spontaneity, timelessness, fantasy, adventure and self-realization.† (Otto and Ritchie, 1996, p 54) Leisure is also associated with six conditions, namely intrinsic satisfaction, perceived freedom, involvement, arousal, mastery and spontaneity, and also characterized by two forms of risk, functional and psychosocial. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) It contributes to strong feelings of camaraderie and mental bonding, especially when tourists take part in group activities, be they harmless sightseeing tours or riskier mountaineering or white water rafting expeditions. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) Tourism can also be categorised in two dimensions, existential, representing satisfaction, freedom, involvement, pleasure and reward as well as structural, which deals with physical tasks and an element of external enforcement like, e.g., visits to safari parks or the undertaking of supervised hill climbing expeditions. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) A number of tourism experiences have greater or lesser elements of risk. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) As such, tourists subconsciously deal with a number of psychological and social issues while making a tourism choice. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) As these perspectives are also not readily transferable to managerial activity to prompt suitable decisions, most marketers of tourism tend to focus on discrete service quality factors and tend to ignore the various psychological factors that are closely related to leisure activities. (Otto and Ritchie, 1996) Concentration only on the technical aspects of WWR and ignoring various involved emotions will lead to an inadequate understanding of the true nature of consumer satisfaction and the true extent of satisfaction with a tourism experience. It is evident that proper and holistic marketing of WWR activity for Nepal must address the total needs of the prospective traveller, which comprise not only of objective and physically quantifiable components but also of emotional and subjective parts that do not lend themselves to physical quantification, but are nevertheless important components of a total leisure experience. WWR tourism in Nepal will depend upon a complex amalgam of a number of service industries as well as on the efficiency and ability of primary service providers like Travel Agents, Tour Operators, the Airlines, and the Hotels as also local guides, leisure activity experts, transporters, restaurants and shopping infrastructures at major Nepalese cities. The political stability, the government controlling the affairs of the tourism destination, and the nodal tourism agency play very important roles in the effective marketing of a tourist destination. (Klenosky and Gitelson, 1998) A primary market audit of Nepalese tourism reveals that inward travellers mostly come in from India and whilst the majority of visitors are Indians, the country also attracts adventure tourism aficionados from the western countries and religious tourists from South East Asia. Whilst the country was experiencing increasing tourism arrivals until the late 1990s, recent years have seen a decline due to unstable political conditions. The most popular tourism destinations are Kathmandu and Pokhra, both of which are near WWR starting points. Most of the tourists who come at present are in search of mountain and jungle holidays. Nepal is situated on the Northern border of India, and many visitors nowadays prefer to engage in WWR and allied activities in the neighbouring country. A PEST analysis indicates that the country is on its way to becoming a stable and peaceful democracy. The government is committed to increasing tourism and has a tourist friendly approach. Whilst there is a local Maoist threat, terrorist activity is still absent and the country has not experienced bombings like those that occurred in London, Madrid, Bali or Bombay. Nepal is a developing nation and tourism is its largest service industry. The number of hotel beds is growing and whilst there are numerous travel agents, few are of significance. Katmandu has many WWR and car rental services as well as numerous bars, restaurants and cafes. Nepal has in the past been a Hindu kingdom and is progressing towards becoming a secular democracy. Whilst it is technologically backward it has enormous natural and religious touristic resources. As the birthplace of the Buddha it attracts visitors from all over east and Southeast Asia. A SWOT analysis shows that Nepal has very strong WWR resources. It has an accessible location and is proximal to both India and China. It has magnificent mountains, crystal clear rivers and immensely varied wildlife and forestry resources. The country has a strong tradition of history and culture, friendly people and a reasonably developed tourism industry. It has good air connections, proper roads, comfortable hotels, taxi services, restaurants, cafes, and bars. Prices are far lesser than in major European countries, and holidays in Nepal are economical and provide value for money. The country has a poor railway system and sanitation and drinking water facilities are inadequate. Ecommerce in the tourism industry has not developed in line with that of European countries and online bookings are available only for a few hotels. A perusal of tourism websites indicates that marketing of tourism is weak compared to that of western nations and most visitors are not affluent. Average days spent by tourists in Nepal as well as money spends are low. Most arrivals are during the summer months and there is underutilisation in the lean periods. Language barriers also pose a problem for tourists to access services. The tourism industry has opportunities to increase off-season business and step up the number of arrivals in the cold winter months. There is great scope to increase cultural and historical tourism because of the availability of significant historical resource. Efforts to step up visits of more affluent tourists and arrange for longer visits through introduction of structured tours can also boost tourism earnings significantly. Underdevelopment of infrastructure could encourage tourists to go to other locations. Low-income tourists are very liable to change their mind and move to other locations at short notices and this threat will continue until the income profile of tourists’ changes. Very little information is available on market segmentation and growth has been organic. Recommendations and Conclusion Opportunities to increase tourist arrivals and promote Nepal as a WWR tourist and leisure destination are immense. It is evident from the SWOT analysis and the available data that the country has numerous underdeveloped areas, which if properly addressed can improve the quantity, and quality of tourist flows significantly. Tourism efforts should focus upon positioning Nepal as a WWR destination through a combination of interconnected and complementary set of attractions that provide tourists with an interesting and enjoyable value proposition; in this case a mix of WWR, interesting culture, novel cuisine, historic sites, lovely climate, gorgeous mountains, extravagant jungles, and a range of mountain and hill oriented outdoor activity. Marketing efforts will need to be provided through a mix of various suppliers who combine together to offer the tourism experience, i.e., the local tourism body, tour operators, airlines, hotels, taxi operators, WWR services, restaurants, cafes and guides. The tourism body needs to co-ordinate with all service providers to ensure improvement in services as well as adoption of a common marketing approach. The co coordinating body needs to develop value propositions that will appeal to various market segments, e.g. the low budget tourist, the affluent visitor, people desirous of WWR or mountaineering holidays, historical and cultural experiences or a mix of both. These value propositions need further development to form visitor activity packages that will satisfy the subjective and objective demands of tourists. A complex branding exercise for the complete tourism experience as well as its components like WWR needs development and implementation. The country has various touristic experiences on offer that have their unique appeal and need distinguishing and highlighting. Brand development is a complex exercise and must encompass the physical aspects of Nepalese holidays, cultural components, historical sites and the fun aspect of the total tourism package on offer. The country has extremely inadequate infrastructural facilities like train services, competent local tour operators, drinking water availability, waste disposal systems, and availability of guides with knowledge of foreign languages. The Nepalese authorities need to encourage and catalyse various initiatives, private, public and private-public partnerships that aim to improve the quality of infrastructure. In addition to improvement of basic tourism infrastructure WWR activity will be well served by improvement in the quality of guides and operators, introduction of mandatory safety requirements, and dissemination of information about the different WWR options. The tendency of tourists to avoid tour operators wherever possible and organise their tourism experiences on their own is increasing constantly, especially in the USA and Europe. It is essential that the parties involved in marketing WWR in Nepal should arrange for strong on line presence, including payment options. E Commerce gives rise to enormous possibilities to increase the value proposition of the tourism experience through different tourism sectors like WWR operators joining restaurants and cafes to offer discounts, free meals, entry and other benefits. Apart from setting up these initiatives the introduction of a practical monitoring system to assess progress in various areas will also help enormously in effectively marketing Nepal as a major tourism and WWR destination. Appendix 1 Rivers Suitable for WWR in Nepal (Nepal Association of Rafting Agents, 2008) Serial Name of River Duration of Rafting Trips in days 1 Trishuli 1 to 3 2 Seti 2 3 Bhote Koshi 2 4 Kali Gandki 3 5 Marshvangdi 4 6 Sun Koshi 7 to 9 7 Arun Up to 9 8 Karnali Up to 10 9 Tamur Up to 11 Word Count: 4428 Bibliography Ansoff, I, 2005, Strategic Choice, Management Centre, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from www.managementcentre.co.uk/knowledgebase/pdf/Ansoff%20-%20July%2005.pdf Basu, S and Riaz, A, 2007, Paradise Lost, Lexington Books. Beckman, T. N., Davidson, W. R, 1967 Marketing, New York: Ronald Press Co. Bloodgood, J. M., Bauerschmidt, A. (2002), Competitive Analysis: Do Managers Accurately Compare Their Firms to Competitors?. Journal of Managerial Issues, 14(4), 418+ Bright, A. D, 2000, The Role of Social Marketing in Leisure and Recreation Management. Journal of Leisure Research, 32(1), 12 Brown, T. L, 1996, The Challenge to Democracy in Nepal: A Political History. London: Routledge Cooke, A. Z., Haggerty, S, 1996, July 1, The Original White Water: During the Last 20 Years, River Rafting Has Evolved from a Sport for Thrill Seekers to Family Fun. Insight on the News, 12, 40+ Houston, P. D, 1998, November, Navigating Dangerous White Water Together. School Administrator, 55, 69 Klenosky, D and Gitelson, R, 1998, Travel agents destination recommendations, Annals of tourism research, Vol. 25, No. 3, Pgs 661-674 Lazer, W, 1971, Marketing Management: A Systems Perspective, New York: Joh

Diversity and the American National Identity Essay -- Exploratory Ess

Diversity and the American National Identity Greed is good, get get get, I want what you have, don't touch mine." This is what a friend of mine said when I asked for his conception of the American national identity is.1 Although this statement seems informal and absurd, it accurately reflects the dog-eat-dog world many people believe to be the American capitalist culture.2 Whether my friend said this with the intent of comic relief is inconsequential. Whether he knew it, the informant reflects his cultural identity. Many ambiguities surround the establishment, formation, and retention of a national identity. To what extent can a national identity be individualized? Does every individual, regardless of origin, possess the ability to engage in the national identity? Can an individual abandon his or her "cultural self?"3 Can non-American citizens who reside in America create multi-national identities of their own? Is a national identity predestined, or does an individual exert control over it? There is not one definitive national identity in any society. America is marked by the diversity of both people and ideas. The aim of this paper is not to establish a universal conception of national identity from the basis of history and documented facts. Rather, I am attempting to form a holistic definition of the national identity from my fieldwork with the widest possible variety of college students. Hernando, a native of Sacramento, considers himself a Mexican-American, yet he declares himself to be of indigenously American descent. He states, "If you trace my lineage back, I am actually from the United States. My family came from Texas and California before it was taken over by the United States." Despite Hernando's Mexi... ...ational identity and "a" national identity. "The" is used in the context of the United States and "a" refers to the universal construct. 2. In this discourse, the term "America" refers to the United States. 3. Emily A. Schultz and Robert H. Lavenda. Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition, 5th ed. (California: Mayfield, 2001) 120. 4. Ibid., 328. 5. Ibid., 160. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid., 109. 9. Deborah Tannen. That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships. (New York: Ballantine, 1987), 74-75. Bibliography Schultz, Emily A., and Robert H. Lavenda. Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition. 5th ed. California: Mayfield, 2001. Tannen, Deborah. That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships. New York: Ballantine, 1987. Diversity and the American National Identity Essay -- Exploratory Ess Diversity and the American National Identity Greed is good, get get get, I want what you have, don't touch mine." This is what a friend of mine said when I asked for his conception of the American national identity is.1 Although this statement seems informal and absurd, it accurately reflects the dog-eat-dog world many people believe to be the American capitalist culture.2 Whether my friend said this with the intent of comic relief is inconsequential. Whether he knew it, the informant reflects his cultural identity. Many ambiguities surround the establishment, formation, and retention of a national identity. To what extent can a national identity be individualized? Does every individual, regardless of origin, possess the ability to engage in the national identity? Can an individual abandon his or her "cultural self?"3 Can non-American citizens who reside in America create multi-national identities of their own? Is a national identity predestined, or does an individual exert control over it? There is not one definitive national identity in any society. America is marked by the diversity of both people and ideas. The aim of this paper is not to establish a universal conception of national identity from the basis of history and documented facts. Rather, I am attempting to form a holistic definition of the national identity from my fieldwork with the widest possible variety of college students. Hernando, a native of Sacramento, considers himself a Mexican-American, yet he declares himself to be of indigenously American descent. He states, "If you trace my lineage back, I am actually from the United States. My family came from Texas and California before it was taken over by the United States." Despite Hernando's Mexi... ...ational identity and "a" national identity. "The" is used in the context of the United States and "a" refers to the universal construct. 2. In this discourse, the term "America" refers to the United States. 3. Emily A. Schultz and Robert H. Lavenda. Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition, 5th ed. (California: Mayfield, 2001) 120. 4. Ibid., 328. 5. Ibid., 160. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid., 109. 9. Deborah Tannen. That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships. (New York: Ballantine, 1987), 74-75. Bibliography Schultz, Emily A., and Robert H. Lavenda. Cultural Anthropology: A Perspective on the Human Condition. 5th ed. California: Mayfield, 2001. Tannen, Deborah. That's Not What I Meant! How Conversational Style Makes or Breaks Relationships. New York: Ballantine, 1987.

Love in Poetry Essay -- Robert Burns Carol Ann Duffy Love Poems Essays

Love in Poetry â€Å"The course of true love never did run smoothly,† (William Shakespeare.) How far do you think the three poems you have read conform to this view? Throughout history love has been a favoured theme with many poets in their writing. Carol Ann Duffy, (born 1958) tackles the issue of love in her poem â€Å"Valentine,† as does Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822) in the poem â€Å"Love’s Philosophy,† and finally Robert Burns (1759-1796) considers the topic in â€Å"A Red Red Rose.† As different poets throughout history have written about the topic it is not surprising that all three contain different and contrasting messages and viewpoints. It is clear that with the passage of time, views have become more pessimistic or some may say realistic. However, poems written in the eighteenth century still have relevance today. â€Å"A Red Red Rose† by Robert Burns portrays a very positive image of love. Firstly, Burns compares love to â€Å" a red, red rose.† This is a traditional object linked with the theme of love and through this comparison it is clear Burns is praising love. Burns describes the rose as â€Å"red, red.† This a bright, vibrant, sensual colour commonly associated when extolling love and appealing to the visual senses. Burns also compares love to â€Å" the melodie, that’s sweetly played in tune.† This vivid description appeals to the reader’s auditory senses. The fact that Burns implies love appeals to several different senses demonstrates that he feels love is a powerful influence that can be experienced by all. In the poem love is portrayed as a unifying force. Images of the sea, â€Å"the seas gang dry my dear† give the poem a natural element. This emphasises that love is universal to all. The image of the rocks, â€Å"t... ...ve characteristics of love but Valentine does address these issues more forcefully and in greater depth. Carol Ann Duffy wrote her poem nearly 200 years after Burns and Shelley. This means that a negative opinion of love would have been more accepted in society. Duffy may also have experienced a particularly painful relationship that may have ended on bad terms. My personal favourite out of the poems is Valentine as I feel it does show a very true side of love but achieves this in an original and exciting way. In connection with Shakespeare’s statement, it is clear that Duffy most definitely agrees with it while Burn is in no doubt that the course of true love does run smoothly. Shelley, however, does not agree or disagree with the statement and I would personally agree that in some case love does run smoothly while in other relationships it does not.

Readings on Sexuality and Racism :: Sexuality Sex Racism Racist Essays

Readings on Sexuality As I begun to read chapter four I thought that it would be one of the most interesting and informative for me. The further I got in to the reading I realized I couldn’t relate too much of what was said. The first concept I chose was a basic for the chapter, sexuality is not instinctive but learned from our families, our peers, sex education in school, popular culture, negotiations with partners, and listening to our own bodies. I have never thought about my sexuality in that way. As I read I was asking myself, where did I learn to be so sexual, where did it come from? I never realized what I had learned along the way or who from. The second concept I found interesting was that of the word â€Å"vagina.† As the book has said, for many women the word vagina is associated with shame, embarrassment, and silencing, even violation. As I remember I saw a version of The Vagina Monologues at Portland State a few years back and as comfortable as I thought I was with my gender and sexuality I did feel embarrassed. I felt a little ashamed, but as the production went on I found it entertaining. I grew more and more comfortable as the play went on. I also found interesting V-Day College Initiative, a nationwide project to celebrate women and oppose sexual violence. I have never heard of this â€Å"V-Day,† a day for women to come together. One fact I found very interesting was that of the law passed in the state of Alabama on the ban on the sale or distribution of vibrators and other â€Å"devices designed or marketed as primarily useful for the stimulation of human genital organs.† Politics, religion, and other social institutions put limitations on women’s sexuality and sexual expression. It’s not fair for old men passing these laws to tell me what I can and cannot do with my own body; it disgusts me and it hard to think that it still happens today. The third concept happens to be a definition that struck me as interesting, virgin. The word virgin did not originally mean a woman whose vagina was untouched by any penis, but a free woman, one not married, not bound to, not possessed by any man. A woman who is sexually and socially her own person. Why has that definition changed into something held to such high standards?

Bedouins

The term ‘Bedu'in the Arabic language refers to one who lives out in the open, in the desert. The Arabic word ‘Badawiyin'is a generic name for a desert-dweller and the English word ‘Bedouin’ is the derived from this. In ancient times, most people settled near rivers but the Bedouin people  preferred to live in the open desert. Bedouins mainly live in the Arabian and Syrian deserts, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and the Sahara Desert of North Africa.There are Bedouin communities in many countries, including Egypt, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq in the Middle East and Morocco, Sudan, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in North Africa. Altogether, the Bedouin population numbers about 4 million. The Bedouins are seen as Arab culture’s purest representatives and the Bedouins continue to be hailed by other Arabs as â€Å"ideal† Arabs, especially because of their rich oral poetic tradition, their herding lifestyle and their traditional co de of honour.The Egyptians refer to the Bedouins as ‘Arab', but Bedouins are distinct from other Arab’s because of their extensive kinship networks, which provide them with community support and the basic necessities for survival. Such networks have traditionally served to ensure safety of families and to protect their property. The term ‘A'raab' has been synonymous with the  term ‘nomad' since the beginning of Islam. The Bedouins are recognized by their (nomadic) lifestyles, special language, social structures and culture. Only few Bedouins live as their forefathers did in camel- and goat hair tents, raising livestock, hunting and raiding.Their numbers are decreasing and nowadays there are approx. only 5% of Bedouins still live as pastoral nomads in all of the Middle East. Some Bedouins of Sinai are still half-nomads. Bedouins have different facial features by which they can be distinguished from other Egyptians and also they generally dress differently. The Bedouin men wear long ‘djellabaya' and a ‘smagg' (red white draped headcover) or ‘aymemma' (white headcover) or a white small headdress, sometimes held in place by an ‘agall' (a black cord).The Bedouin women usually wear brightly coloured long dresses but when they go outside they dress in an ‘abaya' (a thin, long black coat sometimes covered with shiny embroidery) and they will always cover their head and hair when they leave their house  with a  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtarha' (a black, thin  shawl). Traditionally a woman's face was hidden behind a highly decorated ‘burqa'ah' but this is now only seen with the older generations. The younger generations cover their face simply with their ‘tarha' (shawl).The Bedouins have a rich culture and their own Arabic ‘Bedawi’ language, which has different dialects depending on the area where they live. In former days they emphasised on the strong belief in its tribal superiority, in return to the tribal security – the support to survive in a hostile environment. ‘The Bedouin' is aristocratic and they tend to perceive the Arabian nation as the noblest of all nations, purity of blood, way of life and above all noble ancestry. They often trace their lineage back to the times of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and beyond.The first converts to Islam came from the Bedouin tribes and therefore (Sunni) Islam is embedded and deeply rooted in the Bedouin culture. Prayer is an integral part of Bedouin life. As there are no formal mosques in the desert, they pray were they are, facing the Ka’aba in Mecca and performing the ritual washing, preferably with water but if not available they ‘wash’ with sand instead. ‘The Bedouin' is generally open-minded and interested in what is going on in his close and far surroundings since this kind of knowledge has always been a vital tool of survival.At the same time, the Bedouins are quite suspicious and alert keep ing a low profile about their personal background. Modern Arab states have a strong tendency to regulate their Nomadic lifestyle and modern society has made the traditional Bedouin lifestyle less attractive, since it is demanding and often dangerous, so many Bedouins have settled in urban areas and continue to do so. The Bedouin people are faced with challenges in their lifestyle, as their traditional Islamic, tribal culture has begun to mix with western practices.Men are more likely to adjust and interact with the modern cultures, but women are bound by honour and tradition to stay within the family dwelling and therefore lack opportunity for advancement. Today unemployment amongst Bedouin people is very high. Only few obtain a high school degree and even fewer graduate from college. However, for most people the word Bedouin still conjures up a much richer and more mysterious and romantic  image.. THE ORGANIZATION OF BEDOUINS SOCIETY Until today the ‘clan organization' is t he basis of the Bedouin society.Every ‘Bayt' (tent) represents a family and the connected families form a clan (‘Aela'). All  members of the same clan consider each other as of one blood (‘Dam') and the spirit of the clan demands unconditional loyalty to fellow clansmen. A number of kindred clans form a tribe (‘Qabilah') with its own land. The clan is represented by an elder or the eldest, choosen by its members, who is powerful but has no absolute authority. In major affairs he must consult with the tribal leader: The ‘Shaykh'.In most of the Bedouin tribes, the leaders (Shaykhs) are picked for their wisdom and judgment. In others, such as the Allegat and the small Hamada tribe, leadership passes from father to eldest son. You could say, that the Bedouin is a born democrat who meets his ‘Shaykh' with respect but on equal base†¦ The ‘Quabilah'  is a union of extended families  and is the major family unit. It is a kinship structure of several generations that encompasses a wide network of blood relations descended through the male line.In the past, the ‘Quabilah'  provided its members with economic security and protection (land, labour and water are tribal property), but today with the loss of the Bedouin’s traditional livelihoods, the ‘Quabilah' is less able to fulfil all these functions but it still serves as a major source of identity,  psycho-social support and social status. The ‘Bayt' and the ‘Aela' are the basic social and economic unit of the Bedouin society, but the leaders of these units generally form a council of elders, directed by the head of the ‘Quabilah'.The smallest family unit of parents and children and the tribe are closely bound by extensive mutual commitments and obligations, such as ‘Hamula', the bringing of gifts. This social network of the Bedouins is underpinned and maintained by a deeply ingrained system of values and expectations that govern the behaviour and the relationships of the members. In practice, age, religious piety, and personal characteristics such as generosity and hospitality, set some men above others in the organization of the group. The ‘Shaykh' traditionally exercises authority over the allocation of pasture and the arbitration of disputes.His position is usually derived from his own astute reading of the majority opinion. He generally has no power to enforce a decision and therefore has to rely on his moral authority and the concurrence of the community with his point of view. In a  sense, the Bedouins form a number of ‘nations. ‘ That is, groups of families are united by common ancestry and by shared territorial allegiance. The exploitation and defence of their common territorial area is effected through a universally accepted system of leadership.For centuries, these â€Å"nations† of Bedouin tribes and their leaders operated in the ecologically and politically shi fting landscapes of the Middle East and North Africa. Only in the course of the twentieth century has their traditional flexibility and mobility been checked. Factors foreign to their universe have damaged the territorial mainstay of their societies, necessitating the adoption of new bases of identification with their ‘nations' and its leaders. THE KEY VALUES The key values of the Bedouin society are harmony, kinship solidarity, honour  and hierarchy.The Bedouins emphasize cooperation, adaption, accommodation and family cohesion. Individuals are expected to show loyalty and responsibility to the collective, to place its good above their own and to follow the rules and commands of those above them in hierarchy. The Bedouins have a collective attitude to just about everything: work, money, family, feuds; you name it and the Bedouins will take a collective position because of their highly developed sense of community and tribal loyalties. Family comes first, second and third; f or them blood is definitely thicker than water.Their strict code of honour dictates proper behaviour for all members, men, women (see:   MARRIAGE AND FAMILY   ) and  children and to live according to its (many) rules, like a healthy person always stands up  to greet an older person, they  always greet all  starting with the person on their right  hand and moving on against the hands of the clock to the rest, they always start serving the person on their right hand first  (even if this is a child) and then the rest moving against the hands of the clock, etc. Breaking any of these rules means  real trouble.The (semi)nomadic lifestyle  is demanding and that's why the  children are expected to assume a considerable amount of responsibility in order to help their families survive. Although modernization has changed their lifestyle somewhat, emphasis is placed on teaching children to carry on traditional ways of life and the advancement of modern technology is so far not considered important to children’s education. ‘The' Bedouin people are known to be very polite and honest. They prefer not to say bad things or be the bearer of bad news. MARRIAGE Marriage for Bedouins has both religious and social significance.From  an  Islamic perspective, marriage legalizes sexual relations and provides the framework for procreation. From a social perspective, it brings together not only the bride and groom but also their families. Women  are protected in the Bedouin code of honour. A man who is not closely related to a woman is not allowed to touch her in any way, not even so much as to brush his fingers against hers while handing her something. To do so is to dishonour her. Likewise, in some tribes, if a woman brings dishonour to herself, she shames her family because honour is held not by individuals but by the whole family.The loss of a woman's honour, her ‘ird', is extremely serious amongst the Bedouins. Bedouin men and women en joy the freedom of choosing their partner. Nevertheless,parents can put sufficient pressure on their children to arrange their marriage. If there is no father to speak for the girl/woman, a brother or other male relative will speak for her. If a male from the family doesn’t agree with the choice of a spouse for his daughter, sister or even cousin, he is able to stop the wedding according to Bedouin Law.There is an engagement period for about a year or more, during which the Bedouin boy/man can visit the girl/woman at her family (and most rarely they will be alone) where they can talk, share views and expectations and get to know each other. If the engagement  does not work out, the ending of the engagement should be done in a way, that there is no shame or blemish on the other (family). Therefore pressure from parents or family should be handled very careful and tactful. BEDOUIN FAMILY he three-generation extended family is the ideal domestic unit.Although this group, avera ging between nine and eleven persons, may sleep in  more than one tent or in more than one house, its meals are generally taken together. The newly formed nuclear family of husband and wife tends to remain with the larger domestic unit until it has sufficient manpower and a large enough income (herd) to survive on its own. On occasion, a combination of brothers or patrilineal cousins will join forces to form a single domestic unit. Children and infants are raised by the extended family unit.Parents, older siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all take part in the rearing of the young. By the age of 6 or 7, the child begins to take on simple household tasks and soon thereafter becomes a full working member of the family. Adolescence is hardly recognized; by the early teens, at the age of 16 or 17, the individual is accepted as a full  member of Bedouin society. The Bedouins are patrilineal. Their names consist of a personal name, the father's name,  the agnatic gra ndfather's name and the great grandfather's name.Women retain their name and father's family name unchanged  after marriage. There are distinctive terms for kin on the mother's side and kin on the father's side. All terms indicate the sex of the person designated. The smallest residential unit (‘Bayt') is named after its senior male resident. However, unlike settled peoples,  most Bedouins are also members of larger patrilineal descent groups which are linked by agnation to form even larger lineages and sometimes even tribal confederations. RELIGION AND TRADITIONSThe Bedouins (and Muslims in general) variously believe in ‘Jinn' (the presence of spirits), some playful and others malevolent, that interfere in the life of humans. ‘Hasset' (the envious, evil  eye) is also very real to the Bedouins and children are believed to be particularly vulnerable. For this reason, they often had protective amulets attached to their clothing or hung around their necks. In Is lam the existence of ogresses and monstrous super naturals is postulated, known as ‘Maleika Al Ard' (Kings of the Earth) and Bedouins believe they are sometimes met by lone travellers in the desert.There is no formal clergy in Islam and no centre of ‘priests'. Every Muslim has its own direct relationship with Allah. Bedouin societies have no formal religious specialists. They traditionally arrange for religious specialists, called ‘Shaykh' or ‘Sjeikh', from adjacent settled regions to spend several months a year with them to teach the young to read the Qur’an. A rural or settled religious specialist that Bedouins seek out for curative and preventative measures is called a ‘Gatib'. This is not the same as the ‘Hakim', which is a Bedouin doctor/healer is, who specializes in herbal and traditional healing. ) In addition many Bedouins tend to have ceremonies and rituals including elaborate celebrations of weddings, ritual naming of newborn infa nts and the circumcision of children (boys universally, girls frequently but this is less common nowadays because in the mosque is preached that this is in contradiction with the teachings of the holy Qur'an). According to Islam  Bedouins ritually slaughter a goat or a sheep when a child is born.Bedouins call this ‘Foo-ela' and their family is invited to eat the prepared meat together. Bedouins of southern Sinai who are influenced by Sufism (Islamic mysticism) also celebrate the Prophet's birthday and carry out ‘pilgrimages' to the tombs of (local) saints. They only  worship Allah and these journey's are more important to consolidate the ties to the tribe and the tombs serve as a meeting place. Death and traditions Islamic tradition dictates the practices associated with death. The body is buried as soon as possible and always within 24 hours.Among some Bedouin groups, an effort is made to bury the dead in one place (‘Maghebr'), although often it is impossible to reach it within the strict time limit imposed by Islamic practices. Funeral rites are very simple and Bedouins mark their graves with exeptional simplicity, placing an ordinary stone (or unmarked board) at the head of the grave, where family regularly place a fresh leaf of a palm tree. When they visit the graves, they take off their shoes and say a prayer, after which they sit around the graves and eat fruit.Children playing around the cemetery always get a (sweet) treat from the visitors. Healing HOT SAND BATH They put their selves in the sand when theyfeel pain in their bones or the whole body, to let the sand lick the pain and bad fluids out of the body CAMEL MILK The Bedouins take camel as their friend. They have Camel Milk to cure diseases like Hepatitis C, stomach pain, sexual disability, digestion and immunresistancy. Half il bar are herbs from the desert cleaning the kidneys Handal is a kind of fruit from the desert we put for some time under your heel. It helps against r heumatism.