Respect Yourself Essay

Nowadays, many people grow up with the worries of the others. People worry about others’ expectations, comments, or treatments. People always overthink about it until they are too busy to recognize themselves. People do many changes to be accepted, to be considered as a good person, and to be treated as good as possible. Sometimes they have to use a mask, become what the others want, ignore what they want to be or what they need. They do many sacrifices and self-restraints. People put everyone else before themselves because it is such an addiction to feel that they are needed. It makes them feel important and honored to contribute to someone else’s life. People think that they are happy to be like that all the time because they don’t realize that actually it is merely a doctrine to them. What they feel is not happiness, but that is a personal feeling of security and self-confidence that is based on getting the approval of others. In fact, all people that have ever done all kinds of pleasing people have a lack of confidence. Newman said that is the main cause of why people always want everyone around them to be happy and they do whatever others ask them to do which is called as the phenomenon of being people-pleaser (as cited in Tartakovsky, 2011). In the beginning people-pleasers may feel happy to please others, however they need to realize that they can have serious risks such as stress, anxiety, or health problems because they overthink, worry and do many things to others without thinking about themselves. That is the imbalance. Thus, in my opinion, being people-pleasers without self-respect may cause the imbalance of life. Being people-pleaser actually is not entirely their fault. People consume many myths that direct them to be people-pleaser, such as â€Å"giving is better than receiving†, â€Å"human’s task is to give to the others† or â€Å"people will be happy when people give to others†. Those myths are not wrong, it is merely a misconception or a â€Å"shield†. Shield that is meant here is a self-protection when people realize that they are fake, tired, unhappy, or depressed to be people-pleaser. They use those myths to avoid the facts that they live in a wrong or unbalanced life. Those myths give doctrines to continue being people-pleaser because they are unconfident, scared, and worried of what others’ expectations, comments, or treatments. Those thoughts direct them to do bad things to themselves, such as self-restraints and sacrifices. They are too busy to think about the others, worry about them, make them as comfortable as possible and all kinds of pleasing-people-things. People make themselves too busy to care about others, but forget and ignore themselves. They always make their necessities in the bottom of their priority or sometime they erase them. The questions are â€Å"Have people loved themselves? Have people fulfilled their necessities? Have people given the nutritious foods, enough sleep or appropriate recreations to themselves?† Maybe people seldom do that because they always try to ignore them and make the others as a number one in their life. Because of others’ expectations, comments, or treatments, people also do many changes and strive to be someone they are not. They do those activities all the time until they deplete their energy resources, physically and mentally. The smaller energy that people have, the weaker they feel. They will feel like they are not able enough to keep moving forward. They will realize that they are not enough and ready to give. None of them wants to feel this feeling, so they insist to make themselves do harder than before, they ignore the limitation. People don’t realize that it will direct them to the imbalance and many serious risks, but they are so blind although the alerts are there. Spadaro (2011) posited that among the alerts of the imbalance in people-pleasers’ life are prolonged stress or anxiety, lack of focus, grumbling and physical or emotional symptoms. Prolonged stress or anxiety that they feel, however, especially when they feel it in their body, can be a signal that they are too busy and they don’t care about the inner needs and let their reserves shrink. This problem can cause the discomfort. People won’t live in happy life, they will work under pressure, not a good pressure, but bad pressure that makes them sick. So when people feel anxious or stressful, they need to give some cares. The second alert is lack of focus. When people don’t fulfill their necessity, the thoughts and emotion will deceive them. They can’t sit calmly, they are too easy to divert the attention and postpone all works, and they will have the difficulty in concentrating. Because of that problem, they will find many inabilities. People need to make sure that they get refreshment and renewal if they want to get their focus back and sabotage themselves indirectly. The next alert is grumbling. Grumbling or complaining is a way to communicate to themselves about the unhappiness in their life. Grumbling means that actually people need help, support or break and they will feel many regrets. Therefore, if people realize that they are grumbling, they need to ask themselves why they grumble, what the causes of the unhappiness are. The last alert is physical and emotional symptoms. Body and emotion can react in many ways when people don’t give enough care to themselves. Spadaro (2011) explained that the reactions can be like strained shoulder, many sighs, headache, stomachache, lack of sleep, tears, outbursts of anger, overeating, lack of eating, etc. and then those small reactions can direct people to many disease complications such as inflammation of the liver, stomach disorder, etc. Those problems are not bad. They are trying to communicate with people. What people have to do is finding out what those problems mean. There are some balancing steps to solve the alerts and effects of the imbalance. According to Spadaro (2011) there are 7 balancing steps: 1. People have to be true to themselves, especially being true to their inner calling. It is important that they have faith in their own values and remember what is important to them. Because others think people should behave in a certain way doesn’t mean they are right. People need to follow their path. Even if others don’t respect their decision, it is important that they do. They also have to realize what they need, what they feel, and what makes them comfortable and happy. 2. People need to remove the thoughts about this or that. People are always in a situation that they have to choose between 2 choices and they usually let their necessity yield. From now, if they are in this situation again, they need to say to themselves that they have right and responsibility to give to themselves. 3. People need to do some preventive actions. They have to do some actions before they are trapped in the imbalance. For example, if they feel like they will have a headache, they need to have a break. 4. People have to communicate to their whole self. They have the necessity on four life’s levels which are physic, emotional, mental and spiritual. When they communicate to themselves, they have to assess those areas and ask â€Å"what part that need some cares right now†. People need to find it and make a commitment to make that part healthy. 5. People need to feel their victory. They have to celebrate all achievements that they make by respecting or being grateful, even it is too small to be celebrated. It can help them to recharge their inwardness. 6. People need to do simple steps to make the world that they want to be, such as buy themselves some cloths, stop being skimpy. They have to leave the shield, remove self-restrains, and feel the freedom. 7. People need to accept the compliments. They have to stop having low self-esteem; realize that they are worthy to receive something from the others. Pettinger (2008) added 3 balancing steps: 1. People need to learn handling criticism. Nobody likes criticism and when people are criticized, either directly or indirectly, they feel bad about themselves. They need to learn how to deal with criticism. They should not take criticism personally. They need to look at it from a detached perspective. Maybe it is false, in which case they should ignore it. If it is true, they can use it to develop their character. However, it is important not to take criticism too personally. 2. People need to remember the motivation, not the results. Sometimes they work with best of motives and the best of intentions only to be disappointed by the outcome. The problem is that they equate their self-respect to outer displays of wealth, success and social standing. It is the nature of life, that thing will not turn out as people hoped, but, it is a mistake to link their sense of self-worth to the achievement of external targets. People have to respect whatever they achieve, either it is good or bad. 3. People have to stop impressing the others. People will stress if they are permanently striving to impress others with outer displays. People who are impressed with material wealth and social standing are probably the kind of people not worth impressing anyway. People have to be comfortable with what they have, not what they think will impress others. Those balancing steps disembogue to self-respect that will direct people to the balance. Self-respect makes them more worthy, comfortable and happy to live their life. There will be no self-restraints, sacrifices or fakes. They will have many energy resources on their four life’s levels which are physic, emotional, mental and spiritual. With those energies, they are ready to give to the others and share many positive things. Being people-pleasers without self-respect may cause the imbalance of life then what they have to do is realizing the alerts and doing some steps to solve that imbalance. As the result, they will get the balance and feel that they are more worthy than before. Thus, people sometime have to think about themselves first before doing something for others.

Business Plan Template: The Laundry Room Essay

The Laundry Room is a full-service, including wash, dry, fold, dry cleaning, repairs and alterations, pick-up and delivery, coin operated laundry service dedicated to consistent customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing reliable machines and furnishing a regularly maintained clean, attractive atmosphere at a competitive price and value. The Laundry Room offers its customers the opportunity to utilize or enjoy the output of the most superior, state of the art laundry machines the industry has to offer. Additionally, The Laundry Room will provide on-site retail cleaning and laundry products for one-time and household use. The Laundry Room will focus on two target consumers: Type A: Middle to Lower Class Individual(s) without the resources of an adequate laundry facility. Generally this customer will occupy apartment complexes, government housing or condominium type housing. It will include home owners, families and individuals with inadequate laundry facilities without the financial resources to upgrade or replace faulty equipment immediately. These consumers will also include low-disposable income, physically capable senior citizens in community housing and students residing in dorms or rental properties. The Laundry Room will penetrate this market by offering self-service, coin and card operated, state of the art laundry machines in a clean, safe, customer service oriented environment. Coupons, loyalty discounts/cards and daily promotions will appeal to this financially moderate and conscious market. Type B: Middle to Upper Class Individual(s) who possesses more money than time, an advanced taste and high demand for exceptional customer service but no time to complete routine laundry tasks. This will include home owners, families and individuals who have high disposable income and require laundering assistance but fail to allocate the time commitment in busy work, family or life schedules. This unique and routine consumer will continue visiting The Laundry Room because of it’s high quality output and impeccable customer service and become a devoted return customer. The Laundry Room  will penetrate this market by offering professional laundry services, pick up and drop off work order delivery options and corporate discounts. The Laundry Room’s financial layout is quite reassuring. Since it is practicing a cash business with no receivables, however the introductory is generally more than majority of start-ups. The procedure is labor demanding with many services available in one location and The Laundry Room identifies that skilled talent and modern, state of the art buildings and equipment are a necessity. The financial and time investment in its labourers, locations and equipment will be the differentiating factor between The Laundry Room and it’s competitors. For the purpose of this business plan template, the investments of equipment and locations are financed. There will be minimal product inventory kept on hand to take advantage of limited space and price drops in supplies and to discover consumer trends. The Laundry Room projects the original sequence of investments and long term financing of $325,000.00 to abolish the need for additional debt or equity investing beyond the acquisition of equipment or locations. This will translate into slower expansion than what would otherwise the possible but based on consumer demands and product requests will allow more consistent and solid financial growth. OBJECTIVES The Laundry Room has generated three solidified objective it desires to accomplish in the next three years of business. 1. Three full-service laundry facilities in the Western Manitoba region. 2. Establish sustainable business by the end of the fourth quarter of the first year. 3. Product net profits. 4. To establish a beneficial brand to customers and gain brand loyalty within the first three months of operation by functioning socially and ethically responsibly. MISSION Our Mission Statement: The Laundry Room makes decisions that value our  customers and employees. We are dedicated to providing unmatched customer satisfaction at every level of our operation with through our focused commitment to Leadership, Respect, Innovation and Technology, resulting in a profitable business and a satisfied consumer. Corporate activities are conducted with the highest standard of professionalism and ethics. Core Values: People: We treat all people (customers, employees and vendors) with respect. Integrity: We manage our operations, finances and services with professionalism, honesty, efficiency and reliability. Service: Our customers are the heart of everything we do. Innovation: We stay current and innovative with the systems, services and technologies that improve the way we operate our business and live our lives. Responsibility: We promote a safe, eco-friendly and clean environment for our customers, employees and vendors. Loyalty: We earn and maintain the respect and confidence in our customers, employees and vendors routinely, in everything we do. Our Motto: Professional, efficient, reliable service at a competitive price. KEYS TO SUCCESS There are four basic keys to success in this company, three are congruent with any service driven industry but our quality customer service (including interaction with customers, pick-up and delivery service and customer loyalty programs) and clean, modern environment (free Wi-Fi, state of the art machines, cash free machine options, gaming arcade) will give us an additional advantage in the consumer eye. Convenient Location- visible, high-traffic pattern, efficiently accessible to consumer. The Best Products- state of the art machines, consistently clean, safe environment, eco-friendly laundry and cleaning products. The Friendliest, well-trained Staff- cheerful, professional, hygienic, articulate, highly skilled company representatives. Finest Reputation- Word of mouth advertising through impeccable customer service, community involvement and valuable customer referral program. COMPANY SUMMARY The Laundry Room is a full-service, including wash, dry, fold, dry cleaning, repairs and alterations, pick-up and delivery, coin operated laundry service dedicated to consistent customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing reliable machines and furnishing a regularly maintained clean, attractive atmosphere at a competitive price and value COMPANY OWNERSHIP The Laundry Room is a Limited Liability Company. All membership shares in the present day are owned by Brooke Ward and Joel McPhail with the future intent of using an excerpt of these shares to increase capital. The projected plan requires the sale of 100 membership interests in the company to family, friends and informal investors. Each company membership interest is set to $4250.00 with a minimum of five entities per stock certificate or minimum of $21,250.00 per shareholder. If and when all funds are collected, Brooke Ward and Joel McPhail will preserve ownership of 51% of the company. START UP SUMMARY COMPANY LOCATIONS AND FACILITIES The Laundry Room will open its first location in Brandon, Manitoba on the corner of Victoria Avenue and 34th Street, a location formerly occupied by Brandon Turbo. An additional two locations will be designed and distributed in Southern Manitoba over the preceding three years including locations in Virden, Manitoba and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The location in Brandon, Manitoba will remain company headquarters and occupy the offices of our executives. The demographic and physical requirement for The Laundry Room locations: High traffic and easily accessible on either side. Visible from roadway. Established retail shops or business locations in the general vicinity. A combination of apartment complexes and residential areas in the general vicinity. PRODUCTS The Laundry Room offers its customers the opportunity to utilize or enjoy the output of the most superior, state of the art laundry machines the industry has to offer. Additionally, The Laundry Room will provide on-site retail cleaning and laundry products for one-time and household use. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION CUSTOMER USE: Coin Laundry: The Laundry Room utilizes 20 IPSO Washers and 16 IPSO Dryers with capacities ranging from 14lbs-75lbs. The attractive stainless steel exterior is complimentary to the heavy duty motors, eco-friendly water-preserving emissions and a seal system to enhance cylinder stability considered to be the best-crafted in the world. In keeping with todays growth of modern technology, The Laundry Room will offer a series of machines equipped with a card system as an alternative to coin fuelled machines. The card system will accept all forms of payment including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Debit and an internal, reusable and refillable customer card. PROFESSIONAL USE: Commercial Laundry: For it’s professional cleaning services, The Laundry Room will utilize a series of industrial sized IPSO Washers and Dryers with capacities ranging from 12lbs to 165lbs. These laundry machines will be used exclusively by fully trained company representatives and utilize the same technology as the Coin Laundry appliances in a much larger size and without the option of payment. Folders and Feeders: The Laundry Room will also possess one IPSO Folder (folds clothing) and one IPSO Flatwork Ironer (irons clothing) to minimize costs allocated to labor and energy. Operating using technologically advanced, professional, attractive, eco-friendly, easy to use IPSO equipment will ensure the highest quality output and efficient production levels. PRODUCTS: The Laundry Room will provide on-site retail cleaning and laundry products for one-time and household use. The Laundry Room plans to capitalize on the ongoing consumer trend of purchasing eco-friendly products free of harsh chemicals and dyes. A strategic alliance with Progressive Sanitation, developed through a long-standing personal relationship with both companies’ Owner/Operator(s), will allow each to capitalize on product sales. An agreement that Progressive Sanitation will be the exclusive supplier of one-time and household products for re-sale at all The Laundry Room locations and all product labels must display BOTH company names. Products available on site in one-time use format include: Eco-Max Lavender Laundry Wash (Liquid), Eco-Max Dryer Sheets, Eco-Max Laundry Detergent (Powder) and Eco-Max Fabric Softener. Products available in household use format include: {LAUNDRY} Eco-Max Lavender Laundry Wash (Liquid), Eco-Max Dryer Sheets, Eco-Max Laundry Detergent (Powder) and Eco-Max Fabric Softener {KITCHEN} Eco-Max Liquid Dish Detergent and Eco-Max Dishwasher Soap {BATHROOM} Eco-Max Ultra Bathroom Cleaner, Eco-Max Ultra Odour Neutralizer {GENERAL} Eco-Max All Purpose Cleaner, Eco-Max Glass Cleaner Bottle. COMPETITIVE COMPARISON The Laundry Room acknowledges itself as a competitive contributor in the laundry and cleaning industry. Contrarily, it also recognizes that rivalry for its products range from dry cleaning service to general wash/dry service to repairs and alterations to cleaning products. The Laundry Rooms main competitors will come in four forms: Locally Owned Dry Cleaning Facilities. National brand Dry Cleaning Facilities. Locally Owned Laundromats. On-site Apartment/Condominium Complex Coin-Operated Laundry Facilities. The Laundry Rooms secondary competitors will come in three forms: Locally Owned/Operated Tailors. Department Stores offering cleaning products. Locally Owned General Stores offering cleaning products. Characteristics that set apart The Laundry Room from is competitors are: Impeccable customer service Free on-site Wi-FI. State of the art equipment. Clean, inviting atmosphere. One-time-use and household products available for purchase. Customer loyalty cards, senior, student and corporate discounts. 48 hour guarantee. Pick-up and Delivery service. (provided free for any work orders equivalent to or exceeding 20lbs) Full-service facility including wash, dry, fold, press, dry cleaning and repairs/alterations. SOURCING The Laundry Room purchases it’s IPSO equipment and all machine fulfillment equipment exclusively from Coinamatic Commercial Laundry, a subsidiary of WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems. Retail products and fulfillment products are purchased from Progressive Sanitation. The Laundry Rooms technological equipment (POS system) and â€Å"free to the customer† internet connectivity is provided by Westman Communications Group. The Laundry Room’s state of the art, user and eco-friendly is reliant on technology and proper maintenance. Ron’s Appliance Service has been  contracted to upkeep all machines for the entirety of the first year of business to ensure customer satisfaction. The Laundry Room will be equipped with 24 hour surveillance video monitored by Allen Leigh Security and Communications. TECHNOLOGY The Laundry Room projects to obtain a competitive advantage, improve operations and capitalize on the growing consumer trend of technology. The Laundry Room will offer a series of machines equipped with a card system as an alternative to coin fuelled machines. The card system will accept all forms of payment including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Debit and an internal, reusable and refillable customer card. This will create a safer environment for customers and employees, allows the balance of the customer card to travel with the cardholder to various The Laundry Room locations, creates customer loyalty and permits the business to add bonus dollars or a â€Å"kick back† when a customer adds more cash. This innovative customer card technology is beneficial internally by tracking total sales, times and dates of each individual machine; minimizing the coins to collect and process decreasing labor costs; providing electronic accountability and eliminates the chance of theft or vandalism. The Laundry Room will also offer self-use laundromat customers the access to free Wi-Fi while utilizing the facility, anticipating the conclusion of their laundry session. FUTURE PRODUCTS Seasonally, The Laundry Room will offer products, services and discounts that will increase sales and also meet consumer demands. Offering discounts in the summer months on utilizing dryers (as more customers will opt to hang dry) and to students in the Fall to build brand loyalty and gain market share. Subsidizing holiday themed scented products with florals and beach inspired scents during the summer months and offering seasonal dependent products when in demand including automobile detailing packages when weather  permits. The Laundry Room’s central focus will be to utilize customer feedback and trends to cater to the product and service demands of the consumer and provide it accordingly. In addition, once basic operational kinks have been subsidized and revenue is steady, The Laundry Room will maximize their profits by providing customers with access to multiple services to utilize our buildings space to its fullest potential. The future possibility of offering food and beverage vending machines, renting mailboxes and game arcades demand little increase to overhead as all property and rent expenses are already paid for. Our customers and their experience will benefit and enjoy capitalizing on several services located in one convenient building. To provide community camaraderie, build customer base and fulfil it’s social responsibility The Laundry Room projects to host quarterly, season tailored charitable events including music concerts, hot chocolate giveaways and BBQ following the first year of business. A portion of proceeds from events will be donated to a local charity, making strides to improve the community. MARKET ANALYSIS SUMMARY Type A: Middle to Lower Class Individual(s) without the resources of an adequate laundry facility. Generally this customer will occupy apartment complexes, government housing or condominium type housing. It will include home owners, families and individuals with inadequate laundry facilities without the financial resources to upgrade or replace faulty equipment immediately. These consumers will also include low-disposable income, physically capable senior citizens in community housing and students residing in dorms or rental properties. Type B: Middle to Upper Class Individual(s) who possesses more money than time, an advanced taste and high demand for exceptional customer service but no time to complete routine laundry tasks. This will include home owners, families and individuals who have high disposable income and require laundering assistance but fail to allocate the time commitment in busy work, family or life schedules. MARKET SEGMENTATION The Laundry Room will target two separate segments: Lower to Middle Class Individual(s) without the resources of an adequate laundry facility and Middle to Upper Class Individual(s) possessing more money than time. The Laundry Room has designed two distinct delivery plans to penetrate these markets. For the Lower to Middle Class, we offer a clean, affordable, conveniently located and well maintained state of the art self-service laundry facility and for the Middle to Upper Class, a professional laundry service with convenient pick up and delivery option. The Laundry Room will penetrate the Lower to Middle Class market by offering self-service, coin and card operated, state of the art laundry machines in a clean, safe, customer service oriented environment. Coupons, loyalty discounts/cards and daily promotions will appeal to this financially moderate and conscious market. This unique and routine Middle to Upper Class market will continue visiting The Laundry Room because of it’s high quality output and impeccable customer service and become a devoted return customer. The Laundry Room will penetrate this market by offering professional laundry services, pick up and drop off work order delivery options and corporate discounts. MARKET TRENDS Laundromats have been established for over 50 years and generally occupy retail space on long-term leases of approximately 10-25 years and product consistent cash flow over the duration of the lease. Laundromats thrive in periods of inflation and recession. During recession, when home ownership decreases, the coin operated laundry market expands as more individuals are unable to repair, replace or purchase new washers and dryers or as they relocate to apartment housing with less than adequate or non existent laundry facilities or services. During inflation when the market size grows in proportion to the increase of population. Like food and shelter, clean clothing is a necessity of life and laundromats provide a basic health service for millions of Canadians every year. MARKET GROWTH According to available consumer statistics, the demand for professional and self-service laundromats is on the rise. Industry and market growth is based on the demographics os population density, population mix and population income. The more concentrated the population in the environment, the greater the demand for profession and self-service laundry facilities. Self-service laundry facilities are primarily used by household renters, the fastest growing segment in the country. As of the 2011 Canadian Census, 24.4% of Brandon, Manitoba’s 21,950 households were renter occupied with an 11% population increase from the 2006 Canadian Census. Professional laundry services for residential individuals generally tailor toward wealthy one-income families or affluent two-income families. Compared to provincial averages, Brandon, MB has a $2,500 (2.54%) higher after-tax family income as of 2005 proving that Brandon has the market for a company offering professional services at affordable prices. MARKET NEEDS The market for our selection of self-use coin operated machines is derived of individuals without the resources of an adequate laundry facility and possess a limited disposable income. The demand for laundry services without the financial resources of outsourcing work, purchasing, repairing or replacing machines gives The Laundry Room’s self-service facilities, a budget savvy solution, the opportunity to fulfill this market need. The market for our selection of professional services is derived of individuals who have limited time, demand exceptional customer service and who possess high disposable income. The opportunity to devote valuable time to mundane tasks such as laundry is far and few between, but the demand for quality service and the necessity of practicing good personal hygiene remains active in their overloaded schedules. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS As the population of Canada grows with it’s economy, the number of renters, a significant contributor to our revenue, is likely to grow as well. Other social phenomena, like the commonness of double income families, suggest that convenient services offered by The Laundry Room will continue to increase in popularity as working households have less time to attend to essential tasks like laundry. It is even becoming more common for individuals with washers and dryers located at home to utilize self-service or professional full-service laundromats for the sake of convenience. With the regular capacity, generally smaller washing equipment used in homes, it can extend time allocated to laundry. Basically, although the majority of laundromat self-service customers are low to middle income class renters, an increasing number of facilities are tapping into high-income markets by offering convenience; full-service laundering and large, multiple machines. DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS The North American delivery process of laundry and coin-operated services reflects laundromats in the past. The consumer enters a mediocrely designed, well maintained and organized environment, engulfed in fresh, clean aromas concealing an elementary â€Å"turn-key† business plan model offering products and services at a competitive price. The Laundry Room will mirror some of these aspects however based on our previously outlined Core Values, the customers positive experience is most essential. Not only greeted by clean, well organized, public Wi-Fi capable, state of the art equipment and modern atmosphere but also a well-trained company representative offering any form of assistance as requested and required. The Laundry Room will offer a pick up and delivery service (provided free for any work orders equivalent to or exceeding 20lbs) and a professional guarantee of all work orders, no matter the size, will be completed and ready within 48 hours of drop off. COMPETITION AND BUYING PATTERNS There are four basic opponents for The Laundry Room’s customer segment. Locally owned dry cleaning facilities, like Brandon Cleaners Ltd. and Brandon Extreme Clean, national brand dry cleaning facilities, like Perth’s Service, locally owned laundromats, Glacier Wash and Wheat City Laundry and on-site apartment/condominium coin-operated laundry facilities. Strengths Multitude of services offered in one conveniently located, well monitored and maintained modern facility. Well thought out and designed business plan. Superior well-trained and filtered staff with impeccable customer service. Professional grade equipment with quality output. Weaknesses Less experience than already established competitors. Debt is required to commence business plan. Opportunities Contribution and capitalization on a steadily growing industry. Maple Leaf providing job opportunities to individuals immigrating to Canada residing in rental housing without proper laundry facilities. Multitude of services attracts every target market (Upper, middle and lower class) Proper hygiene is a necessity to life providing a constant demand for products and services. Threats Possibility of a large franchised business opening and mirroring business model. MAIN COMPETITORS When contrasting direct business opponents, we have discovered that there are no other businesses offering the same services and products collectively in the Brandon community. The Laundry Room will be the premiere full-service, including wash, dry, fold, dry cleaning, repairs and alterations, pick-up and delivery, coin operated laundry service in the Westman area. On the contrary, there is still competition from similar laundry service and retail product distributors. Locally Owned Dry Cleaning Facilities: Brandon Cleaners Ltd., Brandon Extreme Clean, Richmond Dry Cleaners & Laundromat The Laundry Room has a competitive advantage over these companies due to the following benefits: We are open Monday to Saturday 7am-10pm. Sundays 9am-6pm. 48 hour work order guarantee. Clean, safe, well designed and maintained facilities. Various services and products available conveniently in one location. Surveillance cameras to insure customer and employee safety. Loyalty card and referral program. Eco-friendly products for purchase on-site. Pick-up and delivery options. National brand Dry Cleaning Facilities. Perth’s Services The Laundry Room has a competitive advantage over these companies due to the following benefits: We are open Monday to Saturday 7am-10pm. Sundays 9am-6pm. 48 hour work order guarantee. Ability to have control and creativity without the consent of â€Å"head office.† Revenues from transactions remain within the community. Surveillance cameras to insure customer and employee safety. Loyalty card and referral program. Eco-friendly products for purchase on-site. Pick-up and delivery options. Locally Owned Laundromats. Glacier Wash, Wheat City Laundry, Rosser Laundromat, Princess Laundromat The Laundry Room has a competitive advantage over these companies due to the following benefits: We are open Monday to Saturday 7am-10pm. Sundays 9am-6pm. 48 hour work order guarantee. Clean, safe, well designed, and maintained facilities. Various services and products available conveniently in one location. Surveillance cameras to insure customer and employee safety. Coin-less machine option. Loyalty card and referral program. Eco-friendly products for purchase on-site. Pick up and delivery options. On-site Apartment/Condominium Complex Coin-Operated Laundry Facilities. The Laundry Room has a competitive advantage over these facilities due to the following benefits: Clean, safe, well designed, and maintained facilities. Surveillance cameras to insure customer and employee safety. Coin-less machine option. Loyalty card and referral program. Eco-friendly products for purchase on-site. Utilizing multiple machines for multiple loads is encouraged and lowers laundry time. The Laundry Room will consistently appraise its equipment, procedures, building layouts, company representatives and consumer products to remain a dominant commander in the laundry service industry. STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION SUMMARY STRATEGY PYRAMID The Laundry Room’s basic strategy is to convey to the community that they are dedicated to consistent customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing reliable machines and furnishing a regularly maintained clean, attractive atmosphere at a competitive price and value. To implement this strategy, The Laundry Room location will be easily accessible, visible and recognizable. All products and services will be priced accordingly to stay comparable with competitors and enforcing a professional training program for all production and customer service representatives to ensure The Laundry Room employees are the most accommodating in the industry. Through coupons, print advertisements, word of mouth and cleverly and ethically maintained social media, The Laundry Room will promote the series of products and services offered and communicate openly with current and potential customers about new promotions, discount programs, events,  products and services available. By implementing this strategy, The Laundry Room has: Offered the consumer a superior product at a competitive, comparable price. Offered the consumer a convenient, time-efficient method for acquiring their requested service or product. Displayed how The Laundry Room acknowledges and value consumer loyalty by offering discounts to return customers and referral programs. VALUE PROPOSITION The Laundry Room will over products and services in the most efficient and convenient methods available, either through their convenient, spacious, highly-visible locations, multiple coin-less or coin-operated, state of the art machines or convenient pick up and delivery services. This value proposition sets The Laundry Room apart from business opponents allowing patrons to avoid: Parking lot overload. Long wait times. Limited machine availability. Cluttered, unkept, poorly designed machine layout. This value proposition sets The Laundry Room apart from business opponents allowing patrons to capitalize on: A safe, well monitored atmosphere. Extra time provided by pick up and delivery service. Money saved by utilizing customer loyalty programs and discounts. The Laundry Room is also spotlighting on offering a compelling asset to the community by distributing locally produced eco-friendly one-time-use and household cleaning products for purchase on-site. COMPETITIVE EDGE The Laundry Room’s competitive edge is basic, we offer a superior output through state of the art self-service machines, expert laundry services and professional grade eco-friendly products at a competitive price in a modern, conveniently located atmosphere that efficiently saves valuable consumer time and money. MARKETING STRATEGY In its introductory months, The Laundry Room will conveniently locate its premiere location in an area of high traffic and visibility that is easily accessible. Victoria Avenue and 34th Street (former location of Brandon Turbo) is the area of choice, located in highly visible, commuter courses and in close proximity to established businesses, upper and middle class residential housing, university dorms, senior citizen housing centres, two of Brandon’s most profitable hotels and a series of apartment complexes. The Laundry Room locations will be unique and easily identifiable, establishing a creative branding and marketing feature. The Laundry Room will be executing a low cost marketing strategy and take advantage of low cost methods of advertisements including good will, word of mouth, social media including Facebook and Twitter and community message boards such as eBrandon. It’s been shown that the best method of advertising is through word-of-mouth. No major newspaper ad campaign is forecasted. However, we will run weekly specials. In addition, we shall have an incentive program for referrals. The customer who encouraged the new customer to utilize our services rewarded with a FREE service of their choice or 50% off a retail product, and the referee will receive an introductory gift of a FREE wash. In addition, we will ensure a clean environment, reliable machines, and friendly, prompt services. We will include loyalty programs and discounts including a BUY 5 GET ONE FREE card to reward routine customers with a lower price. This will benefit our company by building long term customers and maximizing lifetime revenue of our consumers. Several drawbacks of the loyalty card include, the constant return to ground zero with no built up financial incentive to return, only price sensitive consumers will carry it loyally and present during each purchase, it segments locals and newcomers and it’s a volume discount for items purchased over time and not all at once. Which is why we will not only  offer the physical cards but also the option of utilizing the FREE online application that replaces physical cards called â€Å"Punch crowd† to entice technologically, eco-friendly consumers. The Laundry Room will also offer 10% Student and Senior discounts as well as FREE pick up and delivery for any laundry services meeting or exceeding 20lbs. PROMOTION STRATEGY The long term goal is to achieve enough market leverage and consumer brand loyalty to the company to expand into other regions and attract attention from possible angel investors. To ensure this, The Laundry Room requires: A commitment to Public Relation services of $1250.00 per fiscal quarter for the first year of business to establish community awareness and create and design product and service information print advertisement mail-outs. It is projected that the grand opening, high traffic, highly visible location, utilization of free advertising methods such as social media and community message boards and word-of-mouth promotion will generate a significant amount of positive exposure and possibly diminish or abolish the requirements for a Public Relation Professional internal employment opportunity. To provide community camaraderie, build customer base and fulfil it’s social responsibility The Laundry Room projects to host quarterly, season tailored charitable events including music concerts, hot chocolate giveaways and BBQ following the first year of business. A portion of proceeds from events will be donated to a local charity, making strides to improve the community. This is projected to commence following the first fiscal year of business, re-evaluation of profits/losses and customer traffic may expedite these community events. MARKETING PROGRAMS HIGHLY VISIBLE, RECOGNIZABLE BUILDING: The Laundry Room is using retro inspired, modern buildings for it’s on-site locations equipt with state of the art, stainless steel equipment. We have worked closely with our contractor, Geoff Gregoire of Contractor’s Corner, to develop a recognizable structure that is fully functional and conveniently located for consumers. RECOGNIZABLE DELIVERY VEHICLE: The pick up and delivery vehicle is a crucial marketing tool. Similar to the on-site locations, the delivery vehicle will be easy to recognize and with an unmistakably similar design. The Laundry Room will schedule routine pick up (AM hours) and delivery (PM hours) with basic consumers and predetermined alliances including hospitals, retirement homes, businesses, schools and community event planners. We will utilize an eco-friendly hybrid Ford Escape creatively and tastefully sporting The Laundry Room company logo, location and contact information. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION: In the introductory year, The Laundry Room has allocated a moderate advertising and promotion allowance beginning in the first month of operations following the Grand Opening. As a company, we understand that a portion of graphic design, publicity and promotion is best left to professionals, so majority of advertising budgets will be spent on an external company, Direct Marketing to creatively and effectively design websites, brochures, logos and other print advertising. In the first fiscal year of business the word-of mouth-advertising in conjunction with our customer loyalty/referral program and utilization of free technological advertising like social media and community message boards will be strong consumer motivators. POSITIONING STATEMENT PRICING STRATEGY The Laundry Room product and service pricing will be competitive and comparable with similar industry national brand companies and locally owned businesses. SALES STRATEGY A series of sales strategies will be implemented including advertising daily and weekly specials on high-profit and high-return products and services on site. The highly qualified customer representatives will also distribute coupons, loyalty cards, product samples and discounts to customers who purchase products and services as a â€Å"kick-back.† The Laundry Room personnel will also use the practice of suggestive sales techniques suggesting services to improve quality of life and save time or products tailored towards customer needs. SALES FORECAST SALES PROGRAMS LOYALTY PROGRAM: REFILLABLE COMPANY PAYMENT CARDS: COUPONS: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: For the purpose of selling the products and services and for active community contribution purposes, The Laundry Room will become an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce. The partnership and publicity the organization offers is exceptional along with the business contacts and probability of generating strategic alliances through constant communication with members at Chamber of Commerce hosted events. STRATEGIC ALLIANCES MILESTONES Acting as a financial budget would, the milestone projection outlines pivotal dates in the company timeline. This timeline includes the introduction of the first and subsequent drive-thrus and the mobile cafes. TDG’s milestone table also identifies the break-even month and other key events that will determine our ongoing company success. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY In the introductory months of business, there is zero intention to operate The Laundry Room utilizing a top-heavy organizational structure that diminishes profits and complicates internal communication. TDG will operate under a significantly flat organizational chart. Overhead for management personnel will be modest and all senior managers will act as production employees. PERSONNEL PLAN There will be one Production Worker on duty at all times during all operating hours acting as a Professional Laundry Service Provider who’s employee responsibilities will include but are not limited to washing, drying, dry cleaning, folding, and pressing incoming work orders and all repairs and alterations. The current salary for the two existing full-time (40 hr/wk) personnel is $910 and part-time (25 hr/wk) personnel is $568.75. With added duties, longevity of job position and increased traffic re-evaluation to increase salaries is reasonable. There will be one Customer Service Representative on duty during all operating hours acting as an Attendant/Cashier/Retailer whose employee responsibilities will include but are not limited to store and basic machine maintenance, all customer interaction internally and externally and daily business transactions. They will assist the laundromat production worker with completing work orders including washing, drying, folding and pressing as time and work load permits. The current salary for the two existing full-time (40 hr/wk) personnel is $820 (40 hours X 2 weeks = 80 hours X $10.25/hr) bi-weekly and part time (25 hr/wk) personnel is $512.50 (25 hours X 2 weeks X $10.25/hr). With added duties, longevity of job position and increased traffic re-evaluation to increase salaries is reasonable. As for mechanical machine maintenance, this will be outsourced to Ron’s Appliance Service as an on-call, locally owned repair service. Ron’s Appliance Service is known in the Westman area for their quick and reliable output. Generally, they service within the day. It is estimated to cost approximately _____ per month per maintenance. FINANCIAL PLAN AND PROJECTIONS The Laundry Room’s financial layout is quite reassuring. Since it is practicing a cash business with no receivables, however the introductory is generally more than majority of start-ups. The procedure is labor demanding with many services available in one location and The Laundry Room identifies that skilled talent and modern, state of the art buildings and equipment are a necessity. The financial and time investment in its labourers, locations and equipment will be the differentiating factor between The Laundry Room and it’s competitors. For the purpose of this business plan template, the investments of equipment and locations are financed. There will be minimal product inventory kept on hand to take advantage of limited space and price drops in supplies and to discover consumer trends.

A Study on the Uncertainty Reduction Theory and the Evolutionary Process of the Human Brain

A Study on the Uncertainty Reduction Theory and the Evolutionary Process of the Human Brain Humans brains have evolved to see patterns. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory states that people tend to gather information about people to reduce uncertainty about them. This uncertainty is common not only when meeting other people for the first time, but it is present in all types of new situations. It is essential to our survival to constantly assess the environment and threats, whether they are real or perceived. Uncertainty Reduction Theory gives us a guideline on how and why we react to new situations. The Uncertainty Reduction Theory can be linked to our evolutionary past in which we had to assess the threat level of potential predators and detect their presence. â€Å"Heider’s notion that man seeks to â€Å"make sense â€Å"out of events he perceives in his environment,† is reminiscent of Neil deGrasse Tyson explaining why human brains tend to create patterns (Craig and Muller, 2007, p. 327). The reasoning was that our ancestors who were constantly under threat of predators would sometimes face situations in which there may or may not be a predator in that bush or high grass. If you look up at a tree, your brain naturally creates patterns among the leaves and branches where you may visualize some type of shape that may look like a lion, a person’s face, or a triangle. In the physical reality, there is no lion, that’s just the way the tree is shaped, or there actually is a lion there. Those that created patterns and visualized the lion whether a preda tor was there or not, ran away and survived. Those that didn’t create the patterns would have either survived(if there was nothing there) or have been killed(if there actually was a lion). In a type of Pascal’s wager, those that evolved brains to create patterns and in turn, took no chances on their livelihood survived. This same evolutionary pressure to â€Å"make sense† or create patterns of environmental stimuli to assess threat level can be adapted to interpersonal communication among individuals of a species. Humans can communicate verbally through language and that would be the ideal way to detect the threat level of an individual or group after assessing body language. Finding certainty in the uncertainty of whether there’s a lion in the bushes or whether a person is a potential friend or foe is essential to survival and interpersonal communicative behaviors is the medium in which uncertainty can be converted to certainty. Survival relies on awareness and our consistent surveying ability. It is optimal behavior to gather as much information as possible when new people or situations arise. Gathering information is crucial to making ideal decisions. Decision making becomes easier when you have as much information as possible.

Psychosocial Impact of Coronary Heart Disease Essay

Psychosocial Impact of Coronary Heart Disease - Essay Example This is known as ischemia, and if the ischemia crosses the threshold level for maintenance of vitality of cardiac musculature would lead to death of cardiac muscles, known as myocardial infarction (Hemingway and Marmot, 1999). The whole spectrum of this disease process if known as CHD, and there are many known predisposing, precipitating, and promoting factors for this disease. The implication of all the variants of CHD and their outcomes are well known, but it is very interesting to note that that disease happens in particular personalities (Asbury, Creed, and Collins, 2004). The metabolic pathways of cholesterol or lipids are well known, and this is established that dyslipidemia is the basic pathology that predisposes to the CHD. There is a large body of literature on the personalities of these subjects and the psychosocial factors closely associated with this disease. These conditions make the people more prone to coronary artery disease. Researchers have found that people who are aggressively involved in a perennial, chronic struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time are more prone to develop CHD (Sullivan et al., 2001). Psychosocial Factors: Stress has been related to diabetes, hypertension that are frequent accompaniment of CHD, and stress is an independent risk factor for CHD. Stress is a feeling of being out of control and being under unpleasant, seemingly unending pressure. Many situations cause stress and may be related to illness, bereavement, work problems, career issues, family relationships, personal relationships, financial affairs, and most aspects of daily life. Depression is usually part of stress that affects patients of all ages (Burg et al. for the ENRICHD Investigators, 2005). Unlike blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood sugar, or the number of cigarettes a person smokes, stress cannot be measured. Only the person affected knows how severe the stress is. It is subjective. Stress is dangerous for health and emotional well-being and bad for the heart. Certain forms of stress increase the chances of developing angina. Severe stress can trigger heart attacks. Researchers have long debated the role of stress in promoting heart disease, but there's a growing body of evidence that it is a risk factor (Denollet and Brutsaert, 2001). Exactly how stress harms the heart is not fully understood, but researchers do know that constant high levels of stress prompt hormonal changes that can send blood pressure and insulin levels soaring, and likely promote inflammation and other body changes that, over time, increase cardiovascular risk. Stress may also lead to depression, one of several psychological factors linked to an increased risk of a heart attack (Januzzi, Jr. et al., 2000). Background: Many patients with CHD do not have any associated risk factors that are well known. Several studies published in the last few years have identified depression as an independent factor that increases the risk of a heart attack. Precisely how depression affects heart function is unknown, but diagnosing and treating depression is now considered an important aspect of reducing cardiovascular risk (Lett et al., 2005). This is one of the important psychosocial factors recognized. Although an impressive body

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Strategic Management - Essay Example Along with this general, industry and competitor’s environment of Cochlear Ltd will be analysed for the success and growth of the company. Opportunities There is great opportunity for Cochlear Ltd as it operates in the health care sector. The company has been able to increase its revenue due to increasing demand of their products. In developed economy there has been increase of implant surgery of 25% and in the emerging economy it has been approximately 20%. There are great opportunities as there has been increasing demand for implants of Cochlear in emerging economies. The increasing trend is shown graphically in figure 1 below. Figure 1: Increasing trend (Cochlear Ltd 2011). By analysing the stock market of Cochlear Ltd, positive trends have been observed. This represents the performance of the company and the interest of investors in investing in the company. This offers the company an opportunity to raise funds and invest in new technology or innovation in order to expand their market and develop new products. The positive trend is represented graphically in figure 2 below. Figure 2: Positive Trend (ASX Limited 2011). Growth and Innovation The company invests in research that provides opportunity to develop innovative products. This is the key strategy that has led the company to a remarkable growth and innovation in the global market (Cochlear Ltd 2011). International Expansion With the increasing sale and growth the company has been able to enter in Eastern Europe, China and Southern American market. The increasing demand and revenues have helped Cochlear Ltd to achieve its international expansion (Herald and Weekly Times 2011) Strategic Alliance Role Cochlear Ltd has been able to integrate the goals of customers’ lifetime value to dynamic and performance-focused organisation that are poised to achieve its full potential and develop shareholder’s value and meet stakeholder’s expectations, which have strategically enhanced the p erformance of the company. Threats The threat is from technical advancement. There are innovative technical devices for impartial deafness. There are developments of new processors in portable size with greater efficiency that challenges the company as well as industry competition (McDermott & et al 2011). The implantation of these devices has shown discrimination in the result of performance. They do not show similar pattern of outcome (Busby & et al 2000) This problem of performance is threat to the company’s position in regards to the electrode bands of a cochlear implant array which had not been able to deliver greater results. There were lot of variations and the results are still not determined about the consequences. The problem is a threat for the company to grow in different economies (The American Journal of Otology 2011). General Analysis In the children category, there is greater opportunity for Cochlear Ltd as there are opportunities in the implantation of childr en. It is the best market for such opportunity to be tapped is the UK and the US market (Waltzman & Roland 2006). The implantation of cochlear is popular since people prefer these devices for themselves and also for their children. The scope is huge as there are supports for the

Google Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Google Technologies - Essay Example Google also has an unofficial slogan ‘Don’t be Evil’ (Google Investor Relations, 2012). The Trimble 3D Warehouse (previously known as Google 3D Warehouse), is a supplementary website for Google SketchUp. This is a website where modelers can download, share and upload 3D Models (3D Warehouse, 2012). The inauguration of this 3D powerhouse was on April 24, 2006. Modelers can use this website to do many things such as upload a collection of 3D models; moreover, its users can also detect certain patterns through algorithm to create similar looking models. Separate models can be observed in 3D right from the Internet browser. According to PC World,  3D Warehouse lets users lacking significant artistic inclination to make and crowd 3D models (Preston, 2008). According to The New York Times, 3D Warehouse had become a virtual "dictionary" of 3D vocabulary. The virtual 3D workshop is so powerful that it suits film making, for instance; people can find detailed three-dimensional virtual models of famous building structures, all over the world. Even a street in Alabama has virtual set that can be used in the movies. With potent search and design tools, high-definition pictures of any bridge in the world can be incorporated into common visual dictionary for later usage. This is not a dictionary of words, but of pictures, readymade images. And these ‘words’ from the 3D vocabulary can be used to make movie. All needed parts can be mashed up with a snap of the finger. 3D Warehouse is such a powerful tool that it makes up a nice collage of image database, and this serves as a unique grammar for image-motion. This tech product from Google has everything good about it. It is such a great tool for tech-savvy, web designers and electronic artists; they can have tons of fun while working with it. The only bad aspect I see is that professional

International Business Enviornment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business Enviornment - Essay Example (A) Analysis of National Business System and Cultural Conditions National Business System In this report, the developing nation that has been considered is India that has shown greater potential in the recent years and has been a potential market for many Multinational Corporations (NCAER, 2005). The Indian national business system is a diversified business model that has different aspects of operations. There are urban, rural, metropolitan markets and each of them differs in area with different business system of model. The national business system of India is different from other nations. In India the concept of family is highly valued within the organisations. A significant number of the organisations are owned and managed by the family members. The sense of corporate culture is present in current Indian organisations. But in the UK the business units are fully owned and managed by different personnel i.e. professionals. ... The best suited example is the Wal-Mart of the USA and Bharti Group of India in the retail sector (Bose & Et. Al., 2009). For the business development in the Indian market there are two organisations that operate. The CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) operate for the enhancement of Indian organisations and for foreign investments to be attractive in the Indian market in different sectors (Sinha, 2005). Many of the world’s renowned retailers such as Tesco, Wal-Mart and Carrefour are at present provided significant amount of importance to the Indian retail sector. Carrefour in recent times has entered into the booming retail market of India. With a populace of more than a billion people and escalating middle class, India provides ample promises in the retail sector. But the Indian market is unique with different aspects that make the market challenging for the foreign players (Padmanabhan, 2010). Cultural Co ndition India has a diverse culture. Business people in India have grown accustomed to the western method of education. The business language that is primarily used in India is English, and the nation also has a similar business and legal framework to that of the UK. In India, boom in the consumer product exports are frequently modern, innovative and lower-priced adapted version of the UK. Any marketing promotion, advertisement or other promotion should be personalised and adopted to take into account the Indian culture (Medicon Valley, 2007). In business organisations of India the participation of women is comparatively lower as compared to the UK. Companies of the UK should focus on this factor before deciding to appoint

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMNENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMNENT - Essay Example tice that organisations can not operate under one of the two above in absolute terms and a common ground should be struck to realise the best results and harmony. This is the management approach that perceives that the organisation is a family-like setting and that the whole system is harmonious and integrated. In this approach the proponents are against the formation of trade unions or any activity that is taken to be disruptive (Charles & Simhala 1998). Therefore, all employees are required to be loyal to the organisation and that their interests and purpose need to be shared by all. In this respect harmony in doing ones duties is of huge importance as it is perceived to lead to the overall success of the organisation. The management takes all the employees and itself as a people working towards a common cause for the betterment of the organisation. In other words the entire workforce is supposed to work as a team and any objective that deviates and sounds to be conflicting is deemed negative or dysfunctional. In this approach the management is required to provide an environment that enhances communication between itself and the employees a nd among the employees themselves. Proper communication reduces chances of conflicts as the commonality of interest shall be achieved (Sonia 2000). This approach has a number of pros that make it popular especially in the human resource sector of the United States. First is that the system or approach encourages harmony and builds on consensus. This as described in its definition above takes the core and therefore the foremost reason behind its adoption (Ackers 2008). Harmony and consensus are achieved since the employees and the management are made to work together in achieving the organisational goals and objectives. As also highlighted earlier the improved communication among the various parties enhances good relations that endeavour to promote peaceful coexistence. Secondly is that the approach makes the employees become

Research on Introduction to Television (Asia) Essay

Research on Introduction to Television (Asia) - Essay Example e development of television news and broadcast environment in Hong Kong closely paralleled that of UK in that it is driven by public service broadcasting, which is confined to educational and community development programs in other countries. The public broadcasting concept was introduced in the US in the 1960s as university-related radio and television stations in response to mounting concerns that the commercial networks cater to the baser desires of audiences at the expense of socially meaningful programming. Thus, the very first public broadcasting station was called National Educational Television (NET), which up to now produces the popular children program â€Å"Sesame Street.† 10 Other such stations have since featured the American Civil War, documentaries and academic views on relevant issues such as medicine, AIDS, terrorism and scientific breakthroughs. Public service broadcasting is at the center of a contentious debate in Hong Kong now that the Chinese are its new masters. The reason is that public broadcasting is associated with regulation and state control, for which Chinese governance is known and still secretly feared and which are anathema to the free and unfettered presentation of television news. Already, Chinese officials from the Mainland are promoting Cantonese for wider use in Hong Kong, which is taken as a bad omen by the television news people who pursue their job mostly in British English. This research project gathers the views of people in the television news industry in Hong Kong as well as those with high stakes in its unruffled and dynamic operation like public relations, advertising and rating groups. The main focus of the research is whether public broadcasting can provide credible TV news programs and whether it does anything to lift the quality and commercial appeal of television news. The sample of interviewees from the television news industry consisted of 10 individuals, divided equally between those working for

Northern Ireland History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Northern Ireland History - Essay Example This is what will be dissertated in the following. When discussing the history of Ireland, the 'peace process' is generally considered to cover those events which lead up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of The Troubles, the Belfast (or Good Friday) Agreement, and subsequent political developments. The history of Ireland in regards to the peace process as well as the ongoing battle and strenuous struggle for peace in the modern world is one of great detail and significant complexity. The Good Friday Agreement was reached in Belfast on Friday, April 10, 1998; it was signed by the British and Irish (Republic of Ireland) governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. The agreement said that Northern Ireland should remain within the UK so long as that was the wish of the people living there; but that the British and Irish governments would give effect to arrangements for a united Ireland if that should become the wish of the people of the province. The basic ideal of the plan is that it sets out a plan for devolved government in Northern Ireland on a stable and significantly exclusive basis, while also providing for the creation of Human Rights and Equality commissions. Such things as the early release of terrorist prisoners, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons and other far reaching reforms of criminal justice and policing are also included in this agreement. The main provisions of the Good Friday Agreement are as follows: The principle that the constitutional future of Northern Ireland should be determined by the majority vote of its citizens A commitment by all parties to 'exclusively peaceful and democratic means' The establishment of a Northern Ireland Assembly with devolved legislative powers Creation of a 'power sharing' Northern Ireland Executive, using the D'Hondt method to allocate Ministries proportionally to the main parties Creation of a North-South Ministerial Council and North-South Implementation Bodies to bring about cross-border cooperation in policy and programmes on a number of issues Establishment of a British-Irish Council, composed of representatives from the governments of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, to discuss areas of common concern Conditional early release within two years of paramilitary prisoners belonging to organizations observing a ceasefire Establishment of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission A two year target for decommissioning of paramilitary weapons The abolition of the Republic's territorial claim to Northern Ireland via the modification Articles 2 and 3 of its constitution New legislation for Northern Ireland on policing, human rights and equality Normalization of security measures, e.g. closure of redundant army bases Police reform. Undertaken by the Patten Commission (1998-1999) Equality of social, economic and cultural rights of all ethnic communities e.g. official recognition of the Irish and Ulster-Scots languages as equal to English (Wikipedia, 2006). The executive of a new regional government, which should have been installed in April of 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday agreement, is instead held in a state of frozen animation. "Pro-British Unionist refused to sit in government with Sinn Fein, an Irish

Medieval Architecture Essay Example for Free

Medieval Architecture Essay The Middle Ages, also known as the Medieval era, though scarred with a history of violence and war, has given the world some of the most marvelous and beautiful pieces of art, particularly in architecture. The Middle Ages is the name given to the time period from the late 5th century to the 15th century, particular to European history. The construction of these types of buildings was a constant for various cultures for a thousand years. They can be categorized into three phases; Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic. The most important buildings during medieval times were religious, defensive and governmental or power related. Figure 1 – Sarcophagus of Abbess Theodechilde in the Abbey of Jouarre. The Pre-Romanesque era started, arguably, with the Merovingian Dynasty of the Franks. Some say that not much was gained, from an architectural point of view, during the rule of the Franks but I believe there are a couple of points worth making. The Merovingian rule lasted from the 5th century, after the fall of the Roman Empire, to the late 8th century. Most of their buildings followed after the Roman basilica style. The Franks, due to religious beliefs, pushed the building of monasteries and included crypts within their structures. (see figure 1) Although there were many monasteries built with crypts, only five remain intact today. One of the noteworthy aspects of Merovingian architecture was that they are credited with being the first to build raised reliquaries of the saint within their monasteries, located behind the altar. Figure 3 – The 9th century Torhalle, or gatehouse, at the Lorsch Abbey in Germany. Figure 2 – Exterior of Corvey Abbey, showing the Westwork. The Carolingian Dynasty, which some say is where Pre-Romanesque architecture began, reigned from the late 8th century into the 10th century. Also deriving from a Frankish noble family, the Carolingians are credited with a couple of key designs that carry forward into the Romanesque and Gothic phases of architecture. The westwork, which was basically the west facing side of the church consisting of two towers with several stories between them, was probably the most significant change in architectural design for churches during the Pre-Romanesque time period. The first church to incorporate this new style was the St. Riquier Abbey completed in 799. The plan included equal emphasis on both the east and west ends, including a complex west facade. This church was later destroyed but the westwork was to be repeated in many Carolingian churches and passed on to Ottonian and Romanesque architecture. The oldest standing example today of this style is the Corvey Abbey built in the late 9th century. (see figure 2) Another piece of the Carolingian architecture is the Torhalle, or gatehouse, built at Lorsch. This gatehouse, built around 800, stands today in perfect condition. (see figure 3) It was built as the formal entrance to the Lorsch Abbey. And though it is small in comparison to the many other buildings at the time, it remains the oldest monument of the Carolingian era. Figure 4 – The Gloucester Cathedral in England. The Romanesque era is where we see a dramatic change in architectural style as well as an increase in the amount of building that takes place. The Romanesque period doesn’t have an exact date range, but most tend to agree that it existed from roughly the 9th century to the 12th century. Although churches remain the number one built structure in the time, we do see a large increase in the number of castles being built. There are many characteristics of Romanesque architecture. New building ideas and techniques were introduced, such as stone vault ceilings, buttresses, semicircular arches as well as barrel, groin and ribbed vaults. As new designs were added, the need for stronger supports systems resulted in massive double shelled walls, large piers and drum columns. (see figure 4) The Romanesque period is known for massive structures and elaborate designs. From this we see a noticeable increase in the skill of the masons during this time as the stone work displays an obvious increase in precision and engineering. Much of the architecture in the Romanesque era evolved into Gothic architecture. The Gothic era ran from the 12th century into the 16th century. There wasn’t necessarily a clean break from Romanesque to Gothic styles of architecture, but rather a gradual shift in design. The main characteristics of Gothic architecture are the pointed ribbed vaults and arches, flying buttresses and, in place of solid walls, a cluster of columns. Due to the vertical emphasis of the design, the archways could be redesigned and stretched or pointed. Four main Figure 5 – The depressed arch supported by fan vaulting at King’s College Chapel, England. ypes of arch designs that are commonly found within Gothic architecture are the lancet arch, which is simply a steeply pointed arch, the equilateral arch, the flamboyant arch and the depressed arch as seen in the King’s College Chapel. (see figure 5) Due to the new design of supporting the weight of the ceiling through the columns and flying buttresses, there was no need for walls made of heavy materials. With all the columns and archways in place, the structure took on a skeletal look. This gave way to expanding the once small openings for windows to an expanse of window space providing plenty of light to the interior of the structure. This space was commonly filled with stained glass. From this, stained glass flourished as an art work to be an essential part of many of the churches in the medieval time. Castles are a huge part of Medieval times and started to grew in number and size during the Romanesque and Gothic eras. The castles were massive and built primarily for defensive purposes. However, some were designed to convey messages of wealth, power and respect as well as fear and domination. Besides a military need, castles were used for administrative purposes as well as a residence. Typical castle residents consisted of the castle’s owner, his family and his military and administrative support staff. Castles were generally made from local materials of stone and wood as well as recycled materials, like Roman bricks and marble. There are, of course, exceptions to this depending on how much money and/or power the person building the castle had. For example, William the Conqueror had the White Tower of The Tower of London built from Caen stone, imported from France. (see figure 6) Figure 6 – The White Tower of the Tower of London. Castles come in all different shapes, sizes and designs depending on the materials available as well as the terrain chosen to build on. Some of the common characteristics of castles are; the motte – an earthen mound created with a flat top for the castle to be built upon; the moat – a large ditch around the castle, typically filled with water; the bailey – fortification that surrounds the keep; the keep – the actual residence of the lord in charge and the most strongly defended part of the castle; the gatehouse – the entrance to the castle; and the curtain wall – a large defensive wall, typically between two bastions. Castle construction would depend on the materials chosen for the building. Earth and timber castles were less expensive to build but could be constructed in most locations due to plentiful resources and most skilled workers had wood working skills. Stone castles cost much more, take longer to complete and require higher skilled masons, and many of them. Not to mention that the location was often relative to the location of the rock quarry. Naturally, stone castles were many times stronger than ones made from timber and, in the eyes of many, were worth the extra cost and time. Depending on the lord in charge and the primary reason for building the castle, the architectural design didn’t stop with just the construction of the building. Many castles maintained beautiful landscapes to compliment their architectural master piece. As seen in figure 7, landscapes play an important role in the overall allure of the entire estate. This particular landscape for the Leeds Castle in England has been maintained since the 13th century. Figure 7 – Panoramic view of the Leeds Castle in England. Throughout the Middle Ages, the key to the many successful pieces of architecture has been the architect. Of course they were not called architects back then, instead they were simply called masons. Often time there were many masons working together on one project. The mason in charge of the design and construction was sometimes referred to as the master mason. Prior to the 13th century, most masons were trained on the job site. From the 13th century onward, the masons took on apprentices and training became more formalized. The masons maintained a constant presence on the job site in smaller structures attached to the building project called lodges. They would store their tools, eat their meals and perform all their inside type work within their lodge. Masonry was one of the few crafts that did not form into a trade guild prior to the 14th century. In later centuries, the masons and their lodge became what we know today as the Freemasons. Architectural design and innovation was not protected and masons often borrowed ideas from one another. In the 14th century, masons were sent to study the design incorporated with the Chateau de Mehun-sur-Yevre in France. This structure was destroyed in the 18th century. Figure 8 shows the ruins today and figure 9 shows what the chateau would have looked like. Figure 9 – Artist rendition of what the Chateau de Mehun-sur-Yevre in France may have looked like. Figure 8 – Current day Chateau de Mehun-sur-Yevre in France. During the estimated thousand years of the Middle Ages, and what we know of it, it is quite evident that architecture played an important part of each society. In religions, in governments and in noble families, the physical structure of the building was just as important to the people as were the traditions and work carried out within. Architecture was not merely a necessary profession but it was a desired form of art work and we are fortunate that so many of these master pieces have been left for us to study and admire.

Jews and Jonah S Ministry Essay Example for Free

Jews and Jonah S Ministry Essay Jews Without Money is based on its author’s own childhood, Michael Gold. It re-creates the Jewish immigrant Lower East Side in Manhattan in which he lived, and it provides insight into the life of first- and second-generation Jewish Americans around the turn of the twentieth century. Gold does a wonderful job at putting the reader right in the middle of the sights, smells and sounds of people who may be materially poor, but very rich emotionally. The book paints for the most part a bleak picture of Jewish immigrant life in America, a picture that will remain bleak, the book’s ending implies, until the workers’ revolution occurs. In this paper I will discuss few issues that come up in the book and in the documents that we have read over the past month, along with a brief summary of the book as well. As the central character and narrator, Mike grows and learns more and more about the struggles that his parents and their neighbors undergo to earn a living. Mike’s father had been a housepainter, but he is disabled by a fall and by lead poisoning. At one point in the book, Mike finds him trying to earn money selling half-rotten bananas. We find out Mike’s mother is the central figure in the family. She supports them by working in a cafeteria and cleaning various apartments. After and before work, she takes care of her ill husband and children. On a terribly snowy winter day, Mike’s younger sister, Esther, goes out into the streets to collect wood for the stove where she is run over by a truck and dies. A lawyer comes to their home and says that if the mother and father sign a paper, he will get them a thousand dollars from Adams Express, the company that operated the truck. Herman wants to sign the lawyer’s paper, but Katie throws him out of the house. It is, she says, â€Å"blood money. † Repeatedly, Mike learns how terrible life is for people in America without money, especially Jews. They need to cope not only with poverty but also with anti-Semitism. When Mike uses a dirty word in school, his teacher washes out his mouth with soap, as well keeps calling him â€Å"Little Kike. † Herman and Katie are furious because the soap the teacher uses was not kosher. When a politician sends them a Thanksgiving meal, Katie asks Mike to tell her the story of Thanksgiving. After he narrates the tale of the Pilgrims, his mother decides that Thanksgiving is â€Å"an American holiday . . . and not for Jews. † The family cannot even eat the beautiful, fat turkey because it is not kosher. When Herman seems to be doing well in the housepainting business and thinks he will begin to earn more money, he falls from a ladder and cannot work. After Esther dies, the mother also is unable to work. When the family is nearly starving, a man from the United Charities visits them and asks all kinds of personal questions, including whether Herman beats Katie. Herman throws the man out of the house. Mike concludes that â€Å"starvation was kinder† than organized charity. Mike keeps hearing from those around him that the Messiah will come and lead the Jews to the Promised Land. He asks his neighbor, Reb Samuel, a very religious man, about the Messiah. Reb Samuel, who teaches Mike about Judaism, describes a â€Å"pale, young and peaceful† Messiah, but Mike prefers one who looks like Buffalo Bill and â€Å"could annihilate our enemies. † At age twelve, Mike quits school to go to work. He finds a variety of unpleasant, sometimes hellish jobs and discovers anti-Semitism in employment. Even some businesses owned by Jews, he discovers, refuse to hire Jews. One night, he hears a man on a soapbox declare that a world movement is coming to end poverty. Listening to him, Mike learns about the workers’ revolution, which he calls â€Å"the true Messiah. † The revolution, he says, forced him to think, struggle, and live. The book then ends with the words, â€Å"O great Beginning! † One of the first documents we read was â€Å"The Constitution of the United States of America (1789)†. The title of this document is almost self explanatory. We all know how this country was formed and how specific the founding fathers were. Article VI states†¦freedom of religion as a basic law of the land. It goes on to say no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States (p. 457). In the book we do see religious freedom however we do see discrimination of it because it is a different religion then the majority. This is truly unfair and the author makes it clear. If the law states and accepts religious freedom why is it so hard to accept others differences and for them to come up in the society? They struggled a lot but in the end they over came the obstacle course. With the law on their back, they are able to practice their religious views and make a difference in America. This story really makes you appreciate the issues that these poor Jewish immigrants faced and confirms that the American Dream certainly is possible as we have the luxury today in 2010 to evaluate the situations of many of these characters descendants. These people worked hard and helped each other and therefore made better lives for their future generations. The most admirable character in the book is Katie. She shows kindness to all, even the prostitutes who live near their apartment. When she works in the cafeteria, the other workers come to her with their problems. She remains gentle and concerned with doing the right thing, even though life for her is a constant round of work. The one time Mike sees her truly happy is when the family goes to Bronx Park and Katie takes the children to gather mushrooms in the woods. She accepts hardship and tragedy with dignity and grace. Only the death of her daughter Esther is too much for her. After Esther dies, Katie is defeated. As I think back about Katie there was one document that connected with me. Julia Richman wrote Women Wage-Workers, and as I re-read the document, images of Katie’s hard work reappeared. In this document, the role of women in society surfaces and takes stand. â€Å"General advance in the education of women, the desire to give children greater educational advantages then the parents enjoyed, the financial value of women’s work, the frequent necessity for women to contribute to the support of families† are just a few things that the article touches up on but they all hit on what kind of character Katie is. The Galveston Movement was a program operated between 1907 and 1914 to divert Jews fleeing Russia and Eastern Europe away from crowded East Coast cities. Ten thousand Jewish immigrants passed through Galveston during this era New York financier and philanthropist Jacob Schiff was the driving force behind the effort, which Schiff supported with nearly $500,000 of his personal funds. Bnai Israels Rabbi Henry Cohen was the humanitarian face of the movement, meeting ships at the Galveston docks and helping guide the immigrants through the cumbersome arrival and distribution process. I found this document very interesting in a way that this was good and a bad idea at the same time. A major theme of the book is the unfairness of the American capitalist system that leads people to dream of financial success but prevents them from achieving it. The hard-heartedness of the capitalist system is best symbolized by the Adams Express truck that kills Esther and the lawyer who tries to make money from her death. The only character who is really happy in America is Harry the Pimp. The honest workers, however, â€Å"eat the bread of sorrow and shame in America. † With so many Jewish immigrants in one place it’s a good start for all of them to achieve something in their lives but at the same time with so much diversity around them discrimination will be extremely high. By diverting people to the southern state they will struggle to adopted but at the same time the opportunities for success are greater then in the over-crowded cities. Also to relate the unfair American capitalist system the document, by Issac Rubinow, The Economic Condition of the Russian Jew in New York City, paints us a high-definition picture of the profession that the Jews take up in the city. Even though the professions of teaching and medicine was high within still the â€Å"Russian Jews are on a much lower economic level, they belong to the â€Å"masses† then â€Å"classes†. With so many Russian Jews in the city the facts cannot be denied and the percent of professional jobs is indeed much smaller then the industrial wage-workers. One of my documents that stuck to me the most and make think about the main character of the book was A Reply to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport by George Washington. He accepts their welcoming letter and says how the citizens of this great nation accept other religious views. â€Å"The citizens of United States of American have right to applaud them themselves for having given mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy, a policy worthy of imitation†. As this thought processed in my mind, something changed in our society in the start of the 20th century. The characters in Jews Without Money contribute to the growth of Mike. He runs wild in the slums of the Lower East Side, playing with his â€Å"Gang of Little Yids. † He describes the bums, horse drivers, prostitutes, and workers who live in his neighborhood. His father becomes a figure of despair. For Herman, nothing goes right. All of his get-rich-quick schemes go awry. Cruelly conscious of the need for money in America, he bitterly rejects the New World in which he suffers so much, at one point uttering, â€Å"A curse on Columbus! A curse on America, the thief! †. This stuck in my mind for a long time as I tried to figure it out. When this nation was found, it was created based on equality for everyone but something went wrong. According to Mike and the people around him there is no feeling of acceptance, equality. He lost faith in this nation that was going to change his life for the better. All the positives that have happened for the citizens of American didn’t do anything for him and his family. His father not being able to work and constantly ill, the death of his sister, hard working mother and all the other bad things around him, nothing good can happen to him. Mike sees hypocrisy in many, especially in the fat Chassidic rabbi imported from Europe at great cost to his relatively poor congregation. When the Chassids celebrate the coming of the rabbi, Mike sees the rabbi stuffing himself and thinks the rabbi will eat all the food at the celebration before the children get a chance to eat anything. He mentions that possibility to Reb Samuel, who sends Mike home without having eaten any of the feast; but, Mike says, Reb Samuel should have listened to the wisdom of the little child. After a while, the rabbi accepts a better paying job at a wealthy congregation. Mike cannot understand America and the effect it has on people because to him it hasn’t brought happiness as it did to other Jews. Jews Without Money is an example of the proletarian novel, the novel by a member of the working class and about members of the working class. In this kind of novel, truth is supposed to be more important than art. It is also a sensitive treatment of the life of a child in an immigrant neighborhood and I can relate to that as an immigrant of the 21st century. Some issues never go away but you can learn how to deal with them and hopefully learn what is better and incorporate the positives in your life. Over the entire book brings out many issues that we see keep re-occurring to this day. They might never go away but we can be aware and act different on them. After reading the book there was one quote that summed up many issues of the book and documents bring up; â€Å"Every persecuted race becomes a race of fanatics†Ã'Ž

Ecotourism For Development In South Africa

Ecotourism For Development In South Africa The South African government, along with many other governments of developing nations, has recognized the potential economic benefits of tourism. These include job creation, inflow of foreign exchange, and increased gross domestic product (Kaplan 2004: 219). The countrys government has also made ecotourism a priority, updating infrastructure to support the industry (Van Amerom 2006: 115). If it does so with sustainability in mind, South Africa could use tourism to capitalize on the benefits of tourism and successfully boost their development in the long-term. My family and I got to experience South Africas growing ecotourism industry when we moved there six years ago. My memories of living and traveling there sparked my interest in tourisms potential to reduce poverty. This paper will specifically focus on how South Africa could use the growing branch of ecotourism to increase employment and economic growth in some of the countrys poorest areas, which happen to be rich in ecotourism potential. South Africa has the power to use ecotourism in a way that benefits the countrys poor and simultaneously promotes environmental conservation to produce a sustainable profit-generating industry. Before I examine how South Africa could use ecotourism as a means of development, it is important to recognize the massive increase in tourism that the nation and the continent have witnessed in the last ten years, especially since the dismantling of apartheid. The growth in tourism has been truly enormous and is demonstrated by UN World Tourism Organizations statistics. According to the WTO (2010), the continent of Africa saw a total of 46 million international tourists in 2009 (8). 28.1 million of these tourists went to Sub-Saharan Africa, up from 6.4 million back in 1990 (WTO 2010: 4). This figure displays the significant growth that has occurred in the region in just nearly a decade. What is most critical is that, in the past ten years, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an average 6.3% annual rate of increase in the number of tourists arriving in the region (WTO 2010: 4). This steady rate of growth in the area is promising for South Africas future and its potential to benefit from tour ism and advance development. It is also important to note that South Africa is a major player in Africas tourism, capturing 15.4% of all of the 46 million international arrivals in 2009 (WTO 2010: 9). While is not known what percentage of tourists visiting South Africa are purely there as ecotourists, ecotourism is unquestionably a growing industry and has been credited for some of the growth of tourism on the African continent (Van Amerom 2006: 112). This is why I am going to critically examine how such tourism and ecotourism industry growth can help South Africa to develop. The very nature of ecotourism makes it valuable to examine as a potential means of advancing development in South Africa. The South African government defines ecotourism as environmentally and socially responsible travel to natural or near natural areas that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local people (White Papers 1996 :Definitions). The fact that ecotourism is based in the environment, is supposed to be environmentally and culturally educational, and is environmentally sustainable (Ayotte 2009: 14) means that it can work in South Africa and for the countrys overall development. South Africa is a country that is well predisposed to take advantage of ecotourism (Van Amerom 2006: 115) because it has basic tourism infrastructure coupled with the fact that it is rich in history, culture and environmental treasures- all things that ecotourists seek to experience. These assets give South Africa an advantage over many other countries in the tourism industry, which gives it comparative advantage in the world tourism market. Furthermore, since ecotourism is nature and culture based, South Africans will be capable of and inclined to preserve these treasures that generate revenue. Ayotte points out that, because of its sustainability, ecotourism is an alternative to traditional resource dependent industries which deplete finite resources (2009:2). One such example is the mining industry, which not only depletes limited resources but has also experienced massive job losses (Binns and Nel 2002: 236). Unlike the mining industry, tourism can be sustainable, as in the case of a local community being inclined to want to preserve a certain traditional ceremony of theirs that tourists will pay to experience. Instead of losing this aspect of their culture in any way, they will have the chance to profit off of it and preserve it for future profit. Profits support development of these host communities , especially in poorer rural communities, which ecotourism has the potential to extend to. Again, South Africa is in a superior position to take advantage of ecotourists because of the resources it has. What is more, tourism promotion is considered an inexpensive way to promote economic growth (Binns and Nel 2002:236). These factors make ecotourism a good industry for long-term sustainable profit and sequentially long-term development. Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been in a good position to take advantage of ecotourism for economic development. Since then, Western governments have been eager to provide support politically and economically for the country that it had previously held sanctions against for decades (Van Amerom 2006 :116). Such sanctions were certainly an economic hindrance to development in the country. The international community embraced South Africa after apartheid ended, and the country was allowed to host the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as well as the Soccer World Cup in 2010. This international attention has boosted the marketing of tourism attractions (Van Amerom 2006: 116) The international attention that south Africa has received does not seem to be going anywhere. President Zuma recently boasted that he has already acquired ninety-five meetings and conferences between 2010 and 2016 (Visas to promote tourism 2011) for the country, which surely adds momentum to its positive international standing. The country is therefore in a position to take advantage of its good image and all of the attention it has gotten. With all of that being said, The West still holds a considerable amount of influence over tourism to the country. Unfavorable media coverage or travel advisories could affect the future of South Africas tourism industry negatively (Van Amerom 2006: 117). That is why South Africa should continue to pursue its positive international image and simultaneously work to promote ecotourism, a form of tourism that also has a positive image. One development issue which South Africa faces that can be alleviated with ecotourism is unemployment. The number of unemployed plus those too discouraged to seek work is currently close to 30% (The Economist 2011: 54). That is why the South African government is presently focusing on creating jobs and reducing unemployment. President Jacob Zuma gave an address to the nation on February10th where he declared that he wants to boost tourism because every sixteen tourists create one job (Visas to promote tourism 2011). Regardless of how precise this statistic is, tourists do create jobs, and South Africa needs jobs. Therefore, the country should do all it can to promote tourism which alleviates joblessness and consequently promotes development. Kaplan elaborates that in addition, tourism typically employs a high proportion of women (Kaplan 2004: 219). Ecotourism as an industry that is capable of spreading around profits and benefits which promote development for more people. Along with providing jobs for women, ecotourism is able to spread development benefits to the poorer rural areas of South Africa, making it a beneficial aid to countrys overall development. These communities often hold unique cultural traditions or are located near natural treasures that are appealing to ecotourists. Ecotourism would bring profit and thus development to rural regions of the country that are excluded from the economic benefits of mass tourism, for instance in Cape Town or Johannesburg. This is what makes ecotourism superior to mass tourism. Binns and Nel explain that the government is anxious to ensure that the benefits [of tourism] are felt in all parts of the country (2002: 236). Ecotourism can do this. Binns and Nel highlight an example of a town called Still Bay, which experienced economic collapse after its fishing industry failed. The area consequently faced a disastrous 85% unemployment rate (2002: 240). The town desperately needed to diversify its economy and create jobs so they began to market themselves as a tourist destination, calling the town The Bay of Sleeping Beauty (Binns and Nel 2002: 241). The leaders of the community also coordinated to build the Jagersbosch Community Care Centre, which managed funds to promote development. The Bay of Sleeping Beauty tourism campaign was remarkably successful because the town is located along The Garden Route, an already popular tourism area. Still Bay was also blessed with incredible natural beauty as well as archaeological heritage sites, whale watching, and an annual town festival. All of these factors helped lower the unemployment rate to almost 0% (Binns and Nel 2002: 242). Binns and Nel examine this case study to prove what a success ecotourism can be for a community, even though it may not work 100% of the time. There are still many areas in South Africa which could benefit from ecotourism and experience a success story similar to Still Bays. Ecotourism as a means of development has its criticisms but these can be alleviated with skills development. One such criticism is that most companies involved in ecotourism have their headquarters in the north, and a large proportion of profits are repatriated (Wall 1997: 488). While this is true, skills development can change this because it can promote entrepreneurship. Fortunately for South Africa, they have already established much of the hardware of the tourism industry such as the necessary airport and road infrastructure. Entrepreneurship gives people in marginalized communities a chance to create products and services which, in their sale, can benefit the whole community. For ecotourism to be truly successful at reducing unemployment and promoting development, South Africa must insure that it puts in place the industrys software of a skilled local workforce (Kaplan 2004: 217). The country urgently needs better skills development for local people, which will not only enhance its competitiveness in the tourism industry but is central to the countrys development as a whole (Kaplan 2004: 217). Skills development and thus the employment of local people will reduce leakage of profits to internationally hired employees. This is because now more and more local people can be hired, sometimes even at a lower cost. Kaplan also highlights the issue of inequality of who is employed in what positions in the tourism industry. Unfortunately, the more significant managerial roles are usually occupied by white males while black South Africans, particularly women, do the unskilled jobs (2004:222). This issue, which is largely rooted in the countrys ugly history of apartheid, can be alleviated with skills development initiatives. Ultimately, a lack of skills undermines the industry and will cripple its positive effect on development in the nation (Kaplan 2004: 225). Therefore , the South African government should invest as much into this software as much as is does in the hardware of the tourism industry to make it sustainable and beneficial to the countrys most underprivileged citizens. One such criticism of ecotourism is that it is merely a marketing-gimmick that people buy into (Wall 1997: 487) and is therefore not superior to mass tourism and will not benefit development. While this would be unfortunate, I think that because one of the fundamental principles that ecotourism is rooted in cultural and environmental education, this cynical critique is sufficiently refuted. With the growth of the industry and as more and more people are exposed to and become educated about ecotourism, people will demand an honest and superior product in comparison to mass tourism. The south African government also has the ability to make sure that ecotourism doesnt become a mere gimmick by enacting laws that restrict the usage of the term ecotourism in marketing unless it meets their definition laid out in The White Papers. Another criticism or paradox of ecotourism that seems to discount its potential as a means of development is that countries who aggressively promote it actually run the risk of killing the industry because large influxes of tourists can easily damage the fragile environments they visit. Fortunately, the South African government can single-handedly prevent this from happening to South Africas special treasures. The government can impose caps and limits on the number of people who visit certain areas and what they are allowed to do in those areas. I know from personal experience that these types of restrictions exist in vulnerable environments in South Africas neighboring country, Botswana. Though caps and limits may seem to limit economic growth in the short term, they are critical for long-term benefits of the ecotourism industry. Fundamentally, the South African government has control over ecotourism and how it is carried out in the country. In order for it to be successful, they mu st help to insure that South Africas resources are not exploited to the point that they no longer exist. As the statistics from the World Tourism Organization demonstrated at the beginning of my paper, tourism in Africa is growing rapidly. More and more people visit the continent each year, even through this current economic recession. But the fact that tourism is inevitable does not dispel all criticisms of it and it does not mean that people should not try to assess its effects. This fact actually makes tourism more important than ever to scrutinize and critique because the industry that has a large impact on economies around the world. We need to understand this force that is tourism and how it can be used as a force for good in development. This paper has argued that ecotourism is a superior form of tourism because it is sustainable, can stimulate the economies of sidelined communities by creating jobs, and can improve South Africas overall development situation. Ecotourism is an industry that South Africa can uniquely take advantage of. For these reasons, ecotourism is a critical i ndustry to examine as a potential method of development. When paired with other development initiatives, ecotourism can be part of a comprehensive development plan for South Africa.