The Impact of Social Media on Political Leaders

The Impact of Social Media on Political Leaders Introduction Since the start of the internet boom, in the early nineties, there has been a significant growth in the number of networked people. In fact, the number of networked people has increased from a few million people, in the early nineties, to a few billion people in the 2000s.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Social Media on Political Leaders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A formidable force that has increased the number of people who are online is the growth of social media. Indeed, social media has attracted many actors in the political sphere (including nongovernmental organizations, regular citizens, and even governments). This development raises important questions for different governments because it makes them think of how such online developments affect their state interests, and how they can position their foreign policies to benefit from such developments. As the telecommunication la ndscape becomes sophisticated and concentrated, people are enjoying more access to information and better ways of airing their grievances. As seen from recent developments in the Middle East, social media has prompted politicians to change their strategies to take advantage of this new communication landscape. For example, in Vanilla, social media increased the pressure on politicians to avoid loosely coordinated politics and adopt a more effective approach for communicating their strategies and actions, for the betterment of their people. In other parts of the world, social media has led to government changes and democratic reforms. People have also used social media to express dissatisfaction with poor governance, as a demand for better leadership. Such was the case in the Philippines when parliament impeached President Joseph Estrada. Initially, during his hearing, the Philippine congress ruled that the government would not present crucial evidence against the impeached president .Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, a few hours after this declaration, there was widespread public outcry from Filipinos, who later took to the streets, demanding that the government present the evidence against the president. Using social media, political activists mobilized Filipinos to go to the streets and demand for unbiased trials. Concisely, the citizens feared that their corrupt president would find his way back to power. Therefore, through several text messages written, â€Å"Go to EDSA,† millions of Filipinos thronged the streets of Manila in protest. Motivated by the fear of losing public support, Philippine’s congress quickly reversed their decisions and allowed for the presentation of evidence against the president. The government later found the president guilty of corruption and forced him out of office. The same script has occurred in other parts of the world. For example, Spain witnessed a social media revolution that ousted Spanish Prime Minister, Josà © Marà ­a Aznar. Aznar had earlier blamed Basque Separatist movements for organizing Spanish bombings in the country’s transit routes. Soon after the people removed him from power, the communist party of Moldova also relinquished power after massive demonstrations rocked the country, partly coordinated by social media. The party relinquished power because the citizens were dissatisfied with fraudulent elections. Besides governments and political parties, the church has also received negative attention from social media. For example, recently, there was widespread condemnation against the Catholic Church for defending child rapists, after evidence leaked to social media, regarding the widespread child rape acts in the church.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Social Media on Political Leaders specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nevertheless, despite the widespread success that online communication exhibits in advancing political agendas, there are many examples of the failure of social media to provide substantial political changes. For example, in March 2006, Belaru political activists used social media as a platform to organize street protests to oust President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s, amid accusations of vote rigging. These street protests first swelled, and then faltered soon afterwards. This protest angered the President and increased his determination to control the spread of social media in his country. The same social media failure occurred in Iran, when protestors tried to demonstrate vote-rigging attempts by the government, which left Mir Hossein Mousavi (a presidential candidate in the 2009 Iran elections) a loser in the elections. The government embarked on a violent crackdown that soon led to the end of the revolt. The same outcome oc curred in Thailand when technologically savvy street protesters crowded the streets of Thailand to demand for political reforms, but soon after the government launched a violent crackdown on the protestors (killing dozens of people), the protests ended. From the above outcomes, it is difficult to predict the outcome of social media reforms. Therefore, it is equally difficult to predict the impact of social media on the actions of political leaders. However, the unpredictable response by political leaders towards social media movements surface from the above illustrations. Clearly, some leaders respond positively to these movements, while others violently oppose them. This paper, seeks to investigate the impact of social media on political leaders.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research Objectives To investigate how online communication determines the way political leaders interact with their supporters To explore the impact of social media on introducing transparency in political leadership and governance To establish how political leaders marshal their support through social media To find out the extent that social media influence how politicians communicate with their supporters To investigate if political accountability increases through the use of social media Importance of Study Academic Importance For a long time, people perceived social media as a platform for people who do not have any significant social interaction skills to interact with other people in the real world. However, with the rapid spread of social media, it is increasingly difficult to find people who do not use social media, at least once a day. Indeed, people have adopted social media as part of their everyday life, and just as technology has found significant meaning in human li fe, online communication derives significant meaning in human interaction. Today, the scope of social media in human interaction occurs at unprecedented levels. Indeed, almost all aspects of our social interactions (whether at political, social, or economic levels), are influenced by social media, somewhat. This expanded scope of social media has prompted many researchers to investigate the impact of social media on not only economic, social, but also political levels. Economically, researchers have investigated the impact of social media on business-customer relations by exploring how businesses can better transform their operations to reflect new consumer tastes and preferences. Socially, researchers have investigated the impact of social media on human interactions by exploring how online communication redefines traditional patterns of communication. Politically, people use social media to redefine the way citizens communicate with their governments, and how citizens can better a rticulate their grievances and concerns towards their governments. Indeed, recently, researchers have used social media to explain most revolts in the Middle East. The recently ended Middle East revolt is one such event that has recreated renewed interest regarding how social media eases democratic reforms. Despite the growing interest of social media on political reforms, one area that many researchers have failed to explore is the impact of social media on the political leaders who drive these political reforms. Instead, most researchers have focused on evaluating the impact of social media on political institutions and movements. Therefore, there has been minimal interest regarding the impact of social media on political figureheads or personalities. Meanwhile, in most countries, these political leaders control political institutions and other structures of power. Indeed, it is difficult to ignore the varying personality and behavioral traits of political leaders. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of social media on political leaders and their actions. The findings of this study therefore help to build the body of knowledge regarding social media and its impact on political leaders. Professional Interest As online communication continues to transform different political systems and ways of interaction, the importance of diplomacy and Intergovernmental relations continue to gain credence in today’s global society. Considering I am an employee of the Crown Prince Court, that represents the government of Abu Dhabi, I find it crucial to highlight the importance of understanding the role of social media in political leadership, because the Crown Prince Court supports the activities of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is the ruler of the Emirates. As a body given the mandate to support the private and public duties of General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it is similarly crucial to understand how online commu nication simplifies the President’s duties. This may happen both locally and internationally because the government of Abu Dhabi mandates the Crown Prince’s Court to support the president’s local and international duties. Therefore, through the understanding of the impact of social media on political leaders, the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s court can better understand how to improve the interaction/communication between the President and the citizens of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Through general correspondence, the Crown Prince Court may similarly understand how to gather information from the citizens and provide a customized solution to every concern identified. In addition, since the Crown Prince Court helps to manage the private affairs of the Crown Prince, it would be interesting to understand how the court may improve its functions using social media. This initiative would also be instrumental in creating a stronger impact for the Crown Prince’s corporate and philanthropic initiatives on the citizens. To this extent, the understanding of social media and its impact on political leaders create significant professional interest. Methodology Research Design The methodology for this report will mainly rely on the political discourse analysis method. This research methodology seeks to investigate the prevailing social systems, which lead to the creation of reality. The political discourse analysis method has widely been used in other political spheres, such as, the identification of suitable policies for the creation of practical solutions to solve social problems. In practice, people have used the political discourse analysis method to understand political systems around the world. Most of the analyses show different polarizing outcomes. For example, people have used the political discourse analysis method to understand the exchange of political views in America. This analysis has shown polarized results, where observers demon strate the polarization of Americans along republican and democratic lines. The discourse analysis method will therefore be useful in this study to describe how people talk about things, present them, and use them in their daily lives. Comprehensively, the discourse analysis method shows how these social constructs link to power relations. Through this analysis, it will be easy to understand how social constructs affect political leaders. Data Collection The main data collection method for this paper will be secondary research. The main motivation for using secondary research is its ability to provide an accurate understanding of the research problem by providing a background to the issues surrounding the research problem, and providing different insights from varied authors who have written about the research topic. Through this ability, it is also easy to see how secondary data provide the platform for comparing different views regarding the research topic. Besides these advantage s, using secondary research is also a cheaper alternative to data collection. Furthermore, the use of secondary research saves time. The secondary research sourced will provide a structured framework for the study because it defines the scope, depth, and breadth of the topic. Moreover, the use of secondary research will aid in providing a broader understanding of the research topic by incorporating other research dynamics that do not exist in the objectives of this paper. Peer reviewed journals form the main sources of secondary information for this paper. The above research sources will provide the groundwork for a meta-analysis, which will combine the findings from different data sources to form the framework for the research findings. Therefore, the meta-analysis will estimate the true â€Å"effect size† of the data collected from the secondary research sources. Comprehensively, it will be easy to achieve a systematic review of the research problem by eliminating the less- precise effect size of the research information collected from the secondary research sources. Several advantages may manifest from this meta-analysis. For instance, it will be easy to establish the diversity of the information obtained from the different types of information sources used as secondary research. Through the meta-analysis, it will be equally easy to derive the statistical testing for all the factors involved in the research process. Even though the concept of generalizing findings is a limitation of this study, the meta-analysis will help to generalize the findings of this research to different, but related contexts Data Analysis The main data analysis technique incorporated in this study is the coding technique. As an interpretive tool, the coding technique will sort and evaluate the expansive information obtained from the secondary data analysis process. Indeed, since the diversity of the secondary data chosen will present diverse information regarding the research topic, the coding technique will aid in sorting out this information and categorizing them into easily understandable data. The coding technique works by assigning different codes to related pieces of information. Comprehensively, the coding technique will therefore work by assigning codes to related information, so that it is easier to analyze related literature, as opposed to having many confusing and dynamic information sources (which are difficult to comprehend). The coding technique will therefore be beneficial in providing a structured impression of the overall findings. The member-check technique will similarly play a complementary role to the coding technique in evaluating the credibility, transferability, and accuracy of the information analyzed from the coding technique. In detail, after the categorization of data (into related subjects) by the coding technique, the member-check technique will ensure that the information sourced is factual. Indeed, the member check techniq ue works by evaluating areas of disparities between the outcomes of the data analysis process and the initial sources of information. The member check technique will therefore ensure that the data analysis process reflects the opinions, ideas, context, and attitudes of the authors. The same process will also ensure that there are no significant disparities between the sources of data obtained and the overall outcomes of the data analysis process. Literature Review Public relation is the main profession informing the process of investigating the impact of social media on political leaders. Theoretically, this topic also underlines social networking as the main foundation describing the research topic. Indeed, there are several studies, which show how online communication affects electoral processes and political systems in today’s technological world. Recent research studies investigating the impact of social media on political systems focus on the ongoing Arab spring. Mostly, researchers understand the Arab uprising through the contribution of social media in mobilizing people and aiding political reforms in Tunisia and Egypt. One paper that will be useful in this study is a study by Abdelhay (2012) titled, â€Å"The Arab uprising 2011: new media in the hands of a new generation in North Africa.† This paper sought to draw the link between information and communications technology and the Egyptian and Tunisia political uprisings. The paper also sought to investigate further the new opportunities that online communication has brought to the Arab society, in terms of their ability to speak about social ills, public governance, and newer ways of improving their lives. Abdelhay (2012) therefore describes the relationship between today’s technologically savvy generation, new media and the potential political ramifications of this transformation of the political class and public governance. A related report that concerns the Arab spring uprisings trace to a research paper by Mansour (2012), which discusses the role of social media in aiding the country’s political reforms. The paper incorporated a study that investigated the views of a few Egyptians (sampled through the snowball technique) regarding their involvement in the Egyptian revolts (through social media). This paper is useful to this study because it explains the role of social media in influencing the actions, beliefs, and attitudes of the citizens towards their governments. Indeed, through the understanding of how social media influenced Egyptian political reforms, this paper draws significant comparisons regarding how social media may influence the actions of political leaders to quell such revolts, through democracy or violent crackdowns. An article by Payton (2012) titled, â€Å"Social media and the blogosphere,† also provides a clear direction for this study because it highlights the way different audiences react to social media messages. Howeve r, Payton (2012) analyses the impact of social media on ethnic audiences by evaluating how online communication promotes social activism. Payton (2012) provides a significant understanding of how online communication affects political leaders because she shows how people react to social media and political activism, within this sphere. Therefore, through her discussion, it is easy to predict the outcome of social media on different audiences. In an article titled, â€Å"The use of the internet by political parties and candidates in Scotland during the 2010 UK general election campaign,† Baxter (2011) discusses the use of social media, by politicians, to communicate their campaign messages to the electorate. As the title suggests, Baxter (2011) sought to investigate how political parties and political personalities used social media to design their campaigns in the 2010 UK elections. To achieve this objective, Baxter (2011) analyzed 18 websites of different political parties, and the activities of 12 politicians, to understand how social media affected their political operations. From his investigation, Baxter (2011) was able to establish the high level of social media adoption by UK politicians in the recently ended 2010 elections. His paper directly relates to the subject of this report because Baxter (2011) discusses the impact of social media on political leaders. Therefore, Baxter (2011) provides a tool for comparing the findings of this study to the evidence presented in his report. Tà ¼rke (2006) explores the extent that information communications technology has changed how people interact within different political structures. He acknowledges that today’s political structures are greatly complex and dynamic. However, he says social media has presented new opportunities of interaction, which were hitherto unknown (Tà ¼rke 2006). Therefore, Tà ¼rke (2006) explores how varying social and political dynamics harmonize to present a new model of interaction between politicians and their supporters. To this extent, Tà ¼rke (2006) contributes to this research process by explaining how online communication redefines how political leaders (and their followers) interact today (using social media). This way, it is easier to understand how online communication redefines and reshapes political interactions and governance structures. A related research paper that closely resembles the analogy by Tà ¼rke (2006) is a research paper by Gadekar (2011) titled, â€Å"Web sites for e electioneering in Maharashtra and Gujarat, India. † This paper sought to understand how different political leaders (and political parties in India) used social media to communicate their political messages in the 2009 Indian elections. This paper investigated more than 30 websites run by political parties, and political leaders, to investigate how they used this online platform to mobilize support for their political objectives. The studies occurr ed in two Indian states, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Gadekar (2011) provides a significant contribution to this study because he broadly explains how politicians have used social media, in the past, to advance their political agendas. More specifically, Gadekar (2011) uses a different environment (India) to investigate how online communication works in other social environments. This way, it is easy to compare how political leaders use social media to undertake their political activities in developing and developed nations. Through a research paper titled, â€Å"The use of the Internet in the British European Parliament Election, 2009,† Jackson and Lilleker (2010) investigate the impact of Web 2.0 applications in Europe’s political processes. Mainly, both authors sought to understand how the online platform improved the interaction between political leaders and their followers. The research paper focused on understanding the political intrigues of the 2009 European parlia mentary elections by evaluating the web contents of different political leaders, plus how such online tools changed their interaction with their supporters. Jackson and Lilleker (2010) also provide an insightful analysis into how political leaders use social media to interact with their supporters. Therefore, like Gadekar (2011), it is simpler to understand how Jackson and Lilleker (2010) show the use of social media in advancing political agendas. This analysis also shows how such an insight will explain how political leaders change their strategies by adopting social media as a political tool. Comprehensively, these studies are beneficial to the understanding of how social media impact political leaders. References Abdelhay, N 2012, ‘The Arab uprising 2011: new media in the hands of a new generation in North Africa’, Aslib Proceedings, vol. 64 no. 5, pp. 529 – 539. Baxter, G 2011, ‘The use of the internet by political parties and candidates in Scotland du ring the 2010 UK general election campaign’, Aslib Proceedings, vol. 63 no. 5, pp. 464 – 483. Gadekar, R 2011, ‘Web sites for e-electioneering in Maharashtra and Gujarat, India’, Internet Research, vol. 21 no. 4, pp. 435 – 457. Jackson, N Lilleker, D 2010, ‘Tentative steps towards interaction: The use of the Internet in the British European Parliament Election 2009’, Internet Research, vol. 20 no. 5, pp. 527 – 544. Mansour, E 2012, ‘The role of social networking sites (SNSs) in the January 25th Revolution in Egypt’, Library Review, vol. 61 no. 2, pp. 128 – 159. Payton, F 2012, ‘Considering the political roles of Black talk radio and the Afrosphere in response to the Jena 6: Social media and the blogosphere’, Information Technology People, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 81 – 102. Tà ¼rke, R 2006, ‘Towards productive and sustainable forms of interaction in governance’, Kybernetes, vol. 35 no. 1, pp. 164 – 181.

Santeria Essays

Santeria Essays Santeria Paper Santeria Paper Essay Topic: African Religions and Philosophy Santeria The Yoruba people, who were brought over from Nigeria as slaves, came to the Caribbean in the 1500’s with their own religion, which was seen as unfit by the white slave owners. Most plantation owners in the Caribbean were members of the Roman Catholic Church, so they forced their slaves to disregard their native religions and become Catholic. Soon, the slaves realized that they could still practice their West African religion as long as it was disguised as Catholicism, and Santeria was born. Now it’s practiced in the United States, Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Canada, Venezuela, and Panama. Based on Santeria, people are born under a guardian Orisha, or saint, that must be worshipped throughout life. Each Orisha is an aspect of one supreme god. The seven main Orishas are known as the Seven African Powers. Eleggua is the gatekeeper between life and the afterlife in heaven and is the connection between the Orishas, humans, and god. He is very powerful because without him, there would be no communication between humanity and the saints. The Catholic Saint that is associated with Eleggua is Saint Anthony, and the colors associated with him are red and black. Obatala is acknowledged as the parent of the Orishas and all of humanity, the creator of the world, and the enforcer of justice. He is linked with qualities of intelligence, harmony, compassion, and purity, so his color is white. In Catholicism, he represents the saint Our Lady of Mercy. According to legend, Obatala would consume so much palm wine while forming the bodies of babies who were going to be born, that many of them were born deformed. He was told by his spiritual guide, Olofi, that he wasn’t allowed to drink palm wine while performing his most important job. Now, any child who his born with a defect is considered to be a child of Obatala, so taunting them isn’t allowed. Yemaya is the spirit of maternity, mother of all wealth, rules over witches, and is comparable in Catholicism to the Virgin Regla. Her real name is Yey Omo Eja, or Mother of Fish, which comes from the idea that life begins in the sea, and that developing babies are like fish. Similar to the oceans and the rivers, she has mysterious depths, but at the same time she exhibits nurturing maternal qualities. Her colors are blue and white, and she is sometimes referred to the spirit of mercy because of her loyalty to her children. Oya is the gatekeeper of the cemetery and the master of the cemetery and the dead. A powerful warrior, she personifies the forces of the Nigerian River, thunder, and lightning. In animal form, she becomes a water buffalo. A shape shifter herself, she gives her children the capability to change themselves. Her colors are maroon and white, and she often rides to battle alongside her fellow Orisha, Chango. Chango is one of the most notorious Orishas and is symbolized as fire, thunder, and lightning. His is characterized as having passion, chauvinism, charm, great power, beauty, wisdom, and valor. With his sword and machete, he can construct or demolish anything he wishes. St. Barbara is the Catholic saint who is synonymous with Chango. His colors are white and red, and he is often worshipped on his days of the week, which are Friday and Saturday. Oggun represents effort and hard work. He works with no rest as an iron worker for his siblings Eleggua and Chango. This older Orisha is known for his violent rage and his threat as a potential danger. Some of the many tools he is associated with are the knife, the machete, the anvil, the pick, the chisel, the hammer, the rake, the spade, and horseshoes, all of which are kept in a black cauldron. Instead of animal sacrifice, most of his followers offer cigars, rum, toy cars and airplanes, and weapons. The final one of the main Orishas is Ochun who is similar to Venus in Greek mythology. She is the Orisha associated with romance, flirtation, seduction, love and marriage, money and fertility. Ochun is the goddess of sweet water, so many of her ceremonies are held near waterfalls or on river beds. Ochun enjoys dancing, but she also has a serious side. She is a great diviner and usually her children are exceptionally gifted with psychic talents, especially when using the sacred seashells, which are the mouths of the Orishas. When the slaves first arrived in Cuba, copper was the form of money they came in contact with, so Ochun is associated with Our Lady of the Caridad del Cobre. People who follow Santeria are known as Aborishas, and they organize themselves under the Casa de Santo. There are priests and priestesses who are referred to as babalawos, and this position is open to both men and women. However, the high priest position is only reserved for males. High priests concentrate on divination to predict the future or understand omens in a person’s life. New initiatives to the religion are put under the care of a godfather or godmother who will teach them the secrets of Santeria. Candidates receive beads that are sacred to their Orisha, and many times, they must follow strict dress codes, shave their heads, practice celibacy, or eat particular foods. Then they must be cleansed in order to be ready to receive the divine energy. This belief system is not a good versus evil philosophy, like God and the Devil. Everything is seen to have positive and negative aspects, and no action is always wrong or right. Actions can only be judged based on the circumstances under which they were committed. A lot of focus is put on striving to do good works. However, if a person commits a good act out of fear of punishment or possibility of a reward, it doesn’t count as good character. People should do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do. There are many misconceptions involving Santeria. One movie shows a couple that practices the religion, and they sacrifice humans and eat aborted fetuses. Actually, the only living creatures that are sacrificed are animals, commonly the blood of roosters, turtles, goats, and chickens. The animals are killed in the most humane ways possible, and usually the only part that is sacrificed is the blood. Any remains are cooked and eaten by the followers. Practitioners of Santeria also do not perform black magic, which is actually forbidden. However, there is no moral code, like in Christianity, so certain spells are used by criminals for protection and good fortune. For example, Ochosi, the spirit of hunting and owner of traps, is often honored by criminals when they want to escape arrest and ward off the police. There are still ambiguities when it comes to Santeria because most of the existing knowledge comes from oral tradition. Recently some books on the subject have been published, but there are still secrets left untold to those who don’t follow the religion. Some celebrities who follow Santeria include Desi Arnaz, Jennifer Lopez, and the White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillen.

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders Essay - 3

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders and stakeholders with useful information on corporate soci - Essay Example This is in contrary to the normal accounting basic that has been known about debiting and crediting financials. With the current business trends, accounting as profession has shifted from just an ordinary financial profession to numerous environmental researches and an accountability when it comes to the contribution of social environmental factors. Therefore thin paper is trying to find out as to whether, Thesis: corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders and stakeholders with useful information on corporate social and environmental performance. Having been clarified into different segments, financial managerial and costing that are familiar to most people, must relate to the issues of finance in one way or the other. However, when it comes to corporate social responsibility, accounting would only concentrate on corporate social repotting that is considered vital to both the organization and any other stakeholders in different ways as explained in this paper (Sims, 2003). Shows accountability of democracy Corporate social reporting gives adequate clarification about the commitment to stakeholders concerning accountability, democracy and transparency. The CSR constitutes a proper clarification of social and environmental concern on factors that are never economic viable to the society as a whole as explained by divergent stakeholders theory. Besides, it gives a composer of distinct and varied number of environmental reports that clarifies about annual returns of an organization and this must be based on organizational profitability in relation to the size of the economy or regulatory environmental. Through engaging the necessary stakeholders, corporate social re

Rhetorical analysis of first writing since Essay

Rhetorical analysis of first writing since - Essay Example Such is an acknowledgement of how people should consider the problems in all other nations instead of America alone. Hence, her response is towards the terrorist attacks, which occurred in September 11, 2011. The poem by Hammad is beautiful and it provides a clear illustration of the feelings and belief she has towards terrorism. The message calls for unification of the entire world irrespective of the cultural background and taking each society as important as the other for the purpose of fighting terrorism and addressing common social issues in different nations. Analyzing the poem through Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals, pathos, ethos and logos, it is clear that Hammad had the ability of creating an appeal to the audience through the pathos. As such, the poem is directed to different cultural backgrounds (American Booksellers Association 18). The entire audience is affected by the theme of the poem since one gets a picture of the September 11, 2011 events â€Å"†¦. Sky where once was steal†¦.†. Hence, the audience makes a connection of the state of the nation and the environment before the attacks and after the attacks. She ensures that the audience has the ability of developing mental images of the people inside the towers before the attacks and after the attacks. Further, she uses Logos and Ethos in an effective manner. â€Å"My hand went to my head†¦dead Iraqi Children, the dead in Nicaragua and Rwanda†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is a vivid illustration that Hammad comprehends the current issue, which is facing the American people. However, she needs people to minimize their focus towards the issue and pay attention to the social problems, which are occurring in the other countries. This is also illustrated by â€Å"One more person ask me if I know the hijackers†¦.† (Hammad 1). Her point in this case is that she is fixed in a situation because of her ethnic background, which would indicate that she is

Outline attempts to halt their decline Essay Example for Free

Outline attempts to halt their decline Essay Suggest why traditional seaside resorts in many MEDCs have declined in the last 30 years. Outline attempts to halt their decline. Over the past 30 years the state of many seaside resorts in the UK and other MEDCs has been in as tourist numbers in destinations drop, the income of an area begins to suffer and the multiplier effect from visitors stops, leading the whole area to suffer economic decline. Tourists are now travelling to cheaper LEDC resorts such as Northern Africa and Eastern Europe after suffering destination fatigue with traditional holiday resorts, example of a UK seaside resort in decline if Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear. According to Butler’s tourism model Whitley bay is in a state of sustained decline which is represented in its derelict hotels, arcades in a condition of disrepair and the vandalised and almost ruin-like remains of ‘The Spanish City’ a once busy amusement park in the area. As the resorts became more and more popular, more and more people came. This can lead to increased conflict between locals and tourists. It also means that the resorts are much more crowded and noisier as well as there being a lot more litter. This puts people off going if they want a quieter holiday and means they will travel to the less popular, much quieter LEDC holiday resorts. When you think of a tradition British seaside resort you picture crowded beaches, screaming children, buckets and spades, candy floss and donkey rides. People were able to escape from their working lives to experience the fresh air and relaxed atmosphere in places such as Bournemouth and Brighton. Blackpool was also a popular resort and, after the railway arrived in 1846, Blackpool became easily accessible and became even more thriving after the arrival of cars and coaches. By 1980 it was attracting over a million visitors every year. This is the same for a lot of seaside resorts. However, not many people like to go to crowded places for their holidays. Much of the decline has been blamed on the expansion of mass overseas tourism to locations popularised by tour operators through package holiday marketing, including the expansion of charter flights. They are considered to be better value for money with better facilities and guaranteed sunshine in a more exotic location. With the increase in transport e. g. planes, Eurostar, trains, bus tours and increased car ownership, people can travel further for their holidays and therefore look to the more remote, unexplored places for their holidays which have less people and therefore less litter, less people i. e. less noise pollution and sometimes less traffic. This makes their holiday more relaxing and quiet but also means they have much more room to spread out and relax and can find a place on the beach without being too crowded. More flexible working hours along with more disposable income means that people can afford to go the more remote areas and often the more expensive such as safari’s in Africa and tend to go on day trips or long weekends to seaside resorts in MEDCs. LEDCs tend to be on the news a lot more as well and with increased knowledge about the less economically developed countries people like to go on holiday there to spend time on the remote, empty beaches and to find out more about the culture there. Also, LEDCs include places such as Africa, Asia and other countries with a much better climate and hot weather nearly all year round which attracts many people each year who go to ‘top up their tans’. There are also more cruise liners around now which means that more people go on cruises to be near the sea rather that to the beach. There is also an increase in urban tourism meaning people travel to the cities rather than to the beach to explore an area’s culture and an increase in eco tourism and leisure tourism with more people travelling to theme parks than to the coast. Seaside resorts also declined due to activities and industries such as fishing, mineral extraction and shipbuilding also going into decline. And which visitors love the Victorian piers and promenades this is expensive for local authorities to upkeep and they get little commercial return because it’s free to walk down the pier! Flood defence and coastal erosion are also very expensive and mean that the government has little money to spend on the resort itself leaving it to go downhill. Package holidays, and later budget airlines, provided major competition but the real problem was the seaside resorts were mainly Victorian and after the war they had a huge surge in demand which exceeded supply. A lot of resorts got complacent and thought the visitors would always come because they had been since the 1870s. The high-earners went overseas in the 60s and the resorts responded by going downmarket and cutting prices, and the spiral of decline began. One of the towns which endured a typically tough experience was Morecambe in Lancashire. The town fought a losing battle in the 70s when package holidays really took off. Initially Morecambe lost many of its tourist attractions and the guest houses turned into houses of multiple occupation filled with benefits claimants. With less attractions and competition from the likes of Blackpool, by the 90s Morecambe could hardly be called a resort any more. Boarded-up shops, hotels and houses were evident, while petty crime and vandalism became rife and a BB ghetto for people on benefits grew up. Those problems still exist but thanks to the regeneration initiatives things are changing and people want to live there again and the future looks bright. Morecambe still has thousands of visitors every year and is marketing itself as a place for bird-watching, while many parts of the town have been remodelled through multimillion-pound schemes. While social and economic problems still persist elsewhere, there are reasons for optimism. In Skegness the daytripping, self-catering and short breaks market is still strong, while efforts are being made to extend the holiday season. And in Rhyl, a ? 3. 8m project called Drift Park, with its five themed gardens and open air theatre, has inhabitants hopeful things are on the up. These are just some of the things being put in place in order to bring tourists back to the coast. Much more money is being pumped into the coast in order to improve the areas and encourage people back. Many more theme parks are being introduced near the coast and many more hotels and places to stay. Some resorts have been able to compensate to some extent by expanding and developing other functions such as office and light industry development, expansion of higher education institutions and their growing function as retirement towns. The most successful of these have been coast resorts such as Bournemouth and Brighton which are within easy access of London. Others, such as resorts like Skegness and Scarborough are less accessible and have less potential to attract much alternative growth. These resorts depend on grant aid and their own initiatives to reverse the decline in tourism. E. g. in 1992 three smaller resorts collaborated with certain other European resorts to establish the ‘restore project’, backed by European Commission money. Experiences have been pooled and ways of regenerating coastal resorts explored. This has been followed up by the Resort Regeneration Pilot Project covering selected resorts such as the small resorts of Redcar and Saltburn on the North Yorkshire Coast and the wider region of the Costa Brava in Spain. There must be a well thought out strategic plan at local and regional level to cover the long and short term. Regeneration will require extensive refurbishment and infrastructure improvement in the resort itself and additional leisure and recreational activities currently in popular demand such as theme parks, heritage and nature trails. There is greater need to attract more short break visitors. There is some evidence of resort regeneration. Brighton for example is regarded as having ‘reinvented itself’ by upgrading accommodation and facilities, promoting itself as a centre for market day trips and as a national and international conference centre. In conjunction with the local authorities, North West Water Authority have undertaken a clean up of the coastal stretch fronting Blackpool, while, with the help of a government grant of ? 21 million, Blackpool’s local council has undertaken a major refurbishment of the Central Promenade as well as trying to market its traditional character to overseas tourists. Resorts with little else to offer beyond seaside tourism have tried to highlight their advantages for the traditional family seaside holiday while at the same time updating and widening their image by adding more modern recreational facilities and promoting the ‘green tourism’ and historical attractions of the rural and undeveloped coastal areas around. While to some extent recent trends would support the view that seaside towns are a national resource and do have a future, given the large number of alternative holiday venues abroad and a continues fall in real costs of overseas travel, the traditional seaside resort is unlikely to regain its former position as a magnet for mass domestic tourism.

book report- my sister my sorrow Essay -- essays research papers

Book Report â€Å"My Sister, My Sorrow† by Bebe Faas Rice, explores the natural human reactions to death, sickness and love. It delves into sibling rivalry, adolescent fear and stereotypes and gives insight into how beautiful the world seems when your life is on the line. â€Å"Leukemia is one of those diseases that creep up on you suddenly and catch you by surprise† ‘The story revolves around her thoughts and feelings towards friends, family, the meaning of life, depression, love, jealousy, cancer, etc. During the course of the book, the reader begins to understand much about what type of Leukemia it is that Beth has. Explained by the author in lame-mans terms, it becomes simple and enjoyable. Facts and story line fuse together to make an interesting chapter. â€Å"My toothbrush in the morning looked like an accessory to a suicide attempt† the signs of cancer are explained to the reader in an interesting, informative way. Beth explains all the emotions that she feels, she doesn’t leave anything out. As the reader goes through the pages they actually understanding the feelings and the emotions that are being explained. The way she tries to explain grief to the reader is through what she sees â€Å"I’ll never forget that night, with Mum out in the kitchen, sobbing as she scraped the carrots for dinner. Artists and sculptors usually depict grief as a heavily veiled figure leaning on a tombstone, but they’re wrong. What grief really is, is a middle-aged woma n with a carrot parer in one hand, la...

Reflective Journal: Leadership and Management

The Business MilieuSkin Solutions is a clinic that offers medical esthetic services to treat various skin imperfections other than providing remedies for skin diseases. It employs 6 licensed medical estheticians and one doctor of dermatology to look after patients who come for consultation and treatment. Facilities include a spa, and three spacious rooms for performing extractions, facials, and treatments for skin nourishment.To meet the needs and the demand of clients who come to the clinic, investments in the latest technologies for improving and treating skin imperfections have been made. Tools of the trade consisted of state-of-the art equipment and lasers, and computerized analysis of skin imperfections among others to boast of. This was therefore one of the reasons why customers were satisfied that they always came back to avail of other services and even brought with them a friend or two to promote what the clinic could also do for them.The skin clinic has always been full of customers that keeping the clinic open from 9am to 8pm was not enough to accommodate all the patients that wanted to be checked in a day. Some patients would have themselves enlisted at the front desk first and then either wait outside the clinic or just check back a few hours after strolling around the mall. Some patients would also call in and make appointments for the following day so they could be sure that they wouldn’t have to wait in line when they come for consultation and treatment in the coming day.I was a medical intern in dermatology when all this was happening. I observed that many attempts to compete with the style and service of the clinic have been made by others to no avail. They often wondered about what business secret was held by the clinic that allows them to click with the public.My mentor was not only a cousin. She is the clinic’s owner and dermatologist; considered a prime mover in modern medical and cosmetic esthetics in our area. She was an in spiration to others in the same field as well as for others who were not into the esthetics business but who were like her, an entrepreneur who had a vision for her enterprise.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on maturity?I somewhat felt anxious and uncomfortable by being a protà ©gà © of a cousin. Having a relative for a coach was sometimes embarrassing for we’ve known each other far deeper than anybody else did in the clinic and so, it was easy for the coach to point out my mistakes and weaknesses. I on the other hand would sometimes be too proud to admit them but knew deep inside that the coach was right and that I had to lower my pride and accept her corrections for it was, after all, for my own good.What I admire about my cousin was that she would raise the level of our relationship at work to one that is strictly professional. With this, I learned that her goal was always of maturity – of following a purpose and not the personality who runs with that p urpose. This valuable character I have learned to accept for myself as I observed her ways in leadership.In my case, it seemed that I had the tendency to follow a person for their personality as though I were a teenager. This, I felt was a mark of immaturity that had to be changed. But when one sees a personality’s purpose and follows that purpose, then he or she is likely to succeed. I realized then that being mature entails adopting marks of maturity, one of which is having a sense of purpose for it is this purpose that causes one to act and move a certain way and make decisions that will lead to success.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DeterminationAnother key lesson learned was that we don’t just have to be in the business. Rather, we should be in the business in such a way that we want to succeed and win. A winning attitude is what makes businesses flourish and sustain competence in a domain where there seems to be many competitors. I have learned to adopt that attitude and be determined to be and do the best, not settling for the mediocre.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DirectionAnother message that proved significant to me was a lesson involving direction. One may be determined to be the best in business but this determination is nothing if one does not have a direction for the business. Two things I realized that will set a person’s direction in life and business are purpose and focus.Purpose gives meaning to one’s life and trade. For the business to grow, advance, and prosper, purpose is an essential ingredient. Focus on the other hand leads the direction towards a goal. Running aimlessly will amount to nothing. Doing many things for the business without focus will not accomplish something laudable. But when one has purpose and focus in pursuing dreams, goals, and visions for the business, then a direction is charted, a course is followed, and a heritage is handed down.What did you learn about you rself: Lessons on HeritageLearning secrets of the trade is a privilege that ought to be cherished. Those closest to my cousin in the business besides me, were the six medical estheticians who have grown to love their work at the clinic. They have become skilled at customer relations, medical dealings, and the dos and don’ts of the industry. The good thing about our mentor is that she was a constant source of business knowledge. She shares with us a knowledge that is not temporary but one that will last. She expects that this knowledge will bear fruit and help establish businesses in the future that will hold the same philosophies.Prerequisites of heritage I then realized while receiving training include focus and the heart to communicate one’s vision. This vision includes making partisans and training them to become future leaders in their desired trade. The goal was to make replicas of one’s self or people who may be better than the mentor. With this, the idea is to focus by fervently believing in the vision and forgetting about things that does not run with this vision of success.I realized that in order for a heritage to be built, a leader must have conviction and learn to communicate something that he or she lives for, and then her protà ©gà © will follow. The second prerequisite was building the right foundation. Mentors are pillars of foundation who are present to support their charges. The values they treasure are priceless, indispensable and effective. Investing these in trainees will be beneficial for the success of the company.What did you learn about yourself: Lessons on DisciplineIn all these things, I also learned the value of discipline. There’s a cost for success. Strict training in all aspects of running the business is important to maintain business and financial health. What we want is to please both our human resources and then of course, our clientele. To achieve this, therefore, is to sacrifice time to learn a bout proper ethics of the trade, people skills and influence, the latest technology involved, and also learn about the rates for effectiveness of each technology and treatment.Mastering the treatment strategies, these tools, and providing customers with quality service is essential in making them come back to avail of more services. The quality of care rendered includes properly informing clients about their skin problems and providing them with treatment options to choose from. Educating them about what is best for their skin, and what alternatives they can do to maintain its health is also crucial for multiplying customers who will come for consultation in the future.What did you learn about yourself: Personal DiscoveriesI thought I knew what it took to run a successful business. I always thought that having the latest technology was enough to draw clients into the clinic. I realized later that this was not enough. Personal qualities also needed polishing and development. Professi onalism is first and foremost an aspect that needs to be learned, developed, and practiced. Without this, one’s business values will be poor and will cause the business to suffer.How did this activity strengthen your self leadership skills?The activity has allowed introspection to be done. As I examined myself regarding my feelings, thoughts, and motives about management and leadership, I found myself dealing with bad habits and replacing them with the principles I gained from training. I’ve learned to be more mature in dealing with people and in running a business. To chart the course of the business and believe that it can be achieved.I’ve learned how to develop and polish a vision with which I can run with and communicate to others so that they may be partners in making the business progress. I also learned the value of discipline and what needs to be done to keep a healthy and happy enterprise. I adopted all these and noticed changes in the way I conducted b usiness deals. Thus far, the feedbacks I’ve obtained were all positive. I am grateful for the lessons and insights I gained from the activity for it has made me a better person and now I swell with pride and would like to share these with others also.How did this activity improve your communication/interpersonal skills?People are important for it is they who can make or break a business. People skills need to be developed to help the business grow. With the strategies I gained from the activity, I was able to expand my people-making skills and increase my influence by maintaining rapport with clients. Being able to inform the clients properly and educating them about dos and don’ts in skin care helped enhance my skills in interpersonal communication. Keeping a smile, greeting customers, providing suggestions, and exchanging ideas with people around me proved a big help for enriching my communication skills.Rough roads, detours or roadblocksThus far, no hindrances or ba rriers have been experienced. The only thing I remember was that uncomfortable feeling on having a cousin for a trainer. But when this feeling is eliminated and pride is lowered to welcome corrections and good instruction, then everything will go well.Comments on personal effectivenessI’ve adopted the principles myself and utilized these every time I go to the clinic. Other than that, I also use the principles of people and influence to my advantage to polish my interpersonal communication skills. Feedbacks have been very positive and I use this as my yardstick for effectiveness.Was this a valuable experience for you? Importance of the ActivityOn the job training is an effective tool in developing a person’s character, business knowledge, and skills. The activity for me was a very valuable experience because I learned first hand what it takes to own and manage a business, be an effective and efficient business leader, and be an exemplary figure for others to follow. It helps if one works side by side with a leader. The leader’s character, life principles, philosophies, and strategies are learned immediately. Other than this, being with such people is encouraging because one gets stimulated to do the same things they do, think the same way they do, and compose one’s self as they do.Leaders are catalysts for improvement. Living by their example will make persons significant in their chosen field of activity in the future.