The Inefficiency Of U.S. High Schools Essays - Youth, Adolescence

The Inefficiency of U.S. High Schools U.S. high schools are not properly preparing kids for the college experience. The primary purpose of a high school in the United States is to get kids into college. The courses taught in U.S. high schools are way too lenient in their grading policies and offer students much leeway. High school courses are too lenient because high school teachers make them that way. One good example that proves just how much leeway secondary education offers students is that on average, professors at the high school level accept late papers. Of course late papers are marked down, but this policy voids the purpose to having deadlines. Most universities, both public and private set strict guidelines on these matters and openly encourage their professors to do the same. I turned in papers a week late in high school and still received a grade of 70 % on them. This is coming back to hunt me in college because I now have a big problem meeting deadlines. Although I do not like to admit it, if high school had been stricter in this respect I might not be going through these many difficulties right now Most public high school teachers are astoundingly underpaid and overworked with sometimes over fifty students in a single classroom. In the last ten years the average class size doubled according to a Time magazine study published in 1995 stating that throughout the whole nation classes have doubled in size. The article mentions that this problem has occurred and will worsen due to illegal immigration, a population expansion, and people migration to cities and urban sites. Some students that can afford a private tutor or the cost of private education follow that path. This is not fair to the majority that can't afford this. Again, the lack of individual and private interaction between professor ends up resulting in that the student gets half of the education. For some reason I don't know, the student ends up always paying the price of an inadequate and inefficient public high school system. These statistics offer little incentive and motivation to get teachers to take action and lobby for change. Governmental cutbacks have forced many schools to close vital advanced placement and other college preparatory courses which are vital for the student aspiring for a college education. It is becoming now more than ever common that states give private entities and teachers public school charters along with grants and financial aid to encourage the nation's public high schools, as California Governor William Wells said in a 1994 Time magazine article titled, "A Class of their Own," "to raise their standards and improve the quality of education for all students." Public high schools around the nation should establish and "enforce" stricter college preparatory curriculums because over 50% of high school students that participated in a Time magazine poll conducted in 1996 said they are interested in pursuing a 4-year college education. The article stated that fifty years ago this would not have been the case. If over half the students attending U.S. high schools wish to pursue university education then public schools should tailor their programs to meet the needs and demands of the majority. It is important to know that there is a small percentage of the nation that don't even go to high school as the October 22, 1990 Time Magazine article, "Schooling Kids At Home," points out. Parents send their kids to school confident that the school will prepare them well for the future, but overlook that essential programs like SAT preparation and study skills courses are not offered. How must a school system expect that one study efficiently for exams if they don't show how. Clearly people have been studying for many years and there is no set way to study, but it helps to know what are the most time efficient ways to review for exams. I feels that s "study skills" class should be offered in every public high school around the nation. If this implies a great cost then study skills should be incorporated in the daily curriculum or at least taught once a week during class. The fact is that some time should be set aside for this essential class for which there is great need for. The same concept applies for S.A.T. preparation. Again I propose the conundrum, how must one be expected to pass the S.A.T if schools don't show us how to pass it. Many

The Grapes Of Wrath Essays (1216 words) - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl

The Grapes Of Wrath Essays (1216 words) - U.S. Route 66, Dust Bowl The Grapes of Wrath The Grapes of Wrath is a novel by John Steinbeck that exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930's live under. The novel tells of one families migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930's. The Joad family had to abandon their home and their livelihoods. They had to uproot and set adrift because tractors were rapidly industrializing their farms. The bank took possession of their land because the owners could not pay off their loan. The novel shows how the Joad family deals with moving to California. How they survive the cruelty of the land owners that take advantage of them, their poverty and willingness to work. The Grapes of Wrath combines Steinbeck adoration of the land, his simple hatred of corruption resulting from materialism (money) and his abiding faith in the common people to overcome the hostile environment. The novel opens with a retaining picture of nature on rampage. The novel shows the men and women that are unbroken by nature. The theme is one of man verses a hostile environment. His body destroyed but his spirit is not broken. The method used to develop the theme of the novel is through the use of symbolism. There are several uses of symbols in the novel from the turtle at the beginning to the rain at the end. As each symbol is presented through the novel they show examples of the good and the bad things that exist within the novel. The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described a covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is ruined ^way of life (farming) gone, people ^uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for ^profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers) have been drained of life and are exploited: The last rain fell on the red and gray country of Oklahoma in early May. The weeds became a dark green to protect themselves from the sun's unyielding rays....The wind grew stronger, uprooting the weakened corn, and the air became so filled with dust that the stars were not visible at night. (Chp 1) As the chapter continues a turtle, which appears and reappears several times early in the novel, can be seen to stand for survival, a driving life force in all of mankind that cannot be beaten by nature or man. The turtle represents a hope that the trip to the west is survivable by the farmer migrants (Joad family). The turtle further represents the migrants struggles against nature/man by overcoming every obstacle he encounters: the red ant in his path, the truck driver who tries to run over him, being captured in Tom Joad's jacket: And now a light truck approached, and as it came near, the driver saw the turtle and swerved to hit it. The driver of the truck works for a large company, who try to stop the migrants from going west, when the driver attempts to hit the turtle it is another example of the big powerful guy trying to flatten or kill the little guy. Everything the turtle encounters trys its best to stop the turtle from making its westerly journey. Steadily the t! urtle advances on, ironically to the southwest, the direction of the mirgration of people. The turtle is described as being lasting, ancient, old and wise: horny head, yellowed toenails, indestructible high dome of a shell, humorous old eyes. (Chp 1) The driver of the truck, red ant and Tom Joad's jacket are all symbolic of nature and man the try to stop the turtle from continuing his journey westward to the promise land. The turtle helps to develop the theme by showing its struggle against life/ comparing it with the Joad struggle against man. The grapes seem to symbolize both bitterness and copiousness. Grandpa the oldest member of the Joad family talks of the

Are fish and chips really british's national dish Essay

Are fish and chips really british's national dish - Essay Example Fish and chips are a traditional food in the United Kingdom and one of the few dishes that is distinctively British (Smith, 2006:103). The dish contains a piece of fish, usually cod, or haddock that undergo dipping in butterfat and then deep-fried. Cut potatoes that are deep-fried to produce a product named chips is the usual companion of the fish. The dish is served in paper, seasoned with salt and vinegar, and its consumption or eating is done using the fingers or a wooden fork. Most towns in the UK have numerous restaurants band fast food joints that serve fish and chips. Fish and chips have a long history because they existed during the Victorian era and by twentieth century; the dish had gained popularity and British regarded it as a symbol of British identity and class (Le Besco, 2008:33). More so, chips and fish were important form of sustenance during two world wars. In spite of fish and chips venturing in to diverse nations in the world, chips and the fish seemed to have sto len the hearts of the Britons (Smith, 2006:103). This is the case because the British have embraced it as their national food to the extent that they have formed annual awards that award the best restaurants that serve the best fish and chips. For instance, the National Fish & Chip Awards were held for the 25th time in 2013 this year, and The Bay in Stone haven, Aberdeen shire, got the awards as the best British fish and chips shop in Britain. To proof this point, scholars researched on the intensive perception of the British in consuming fish and chips in 1999. Their research findings claimed that the Britons consumed approximately 300 million servings of fish and chips. This is equivalent to six servings for everybody in the country. More so, statistics claim that there are around 8,500 fish and chip shops across the UK, and McDonald’s outlet is the favorite outlet that serves this dish (Smith, 2006:103). Argument against the fact that fish and chips are British’s na tional dish With current changes, the chips and fish perception seem to be changing as well. These changes are a result of stiff competition from other take away food such as pizzas and burgers. More so, the other major reason as to why British are opting for other food is because they are becoming health conscious since fish and chips contain and partly due to health concern over the high fat content of fish and chips (Smith, 2006:111). Still in this section, fish and chips have become more expensive as the days go by and that is why people are opting otherwise. Current survey, British cuisine boosts a wide range of tastes, which may vary from region to region. Many of their dishes are foods like meat, fish, potatoes, flour, butter, and eggs. Main dishes are products of beef, lamb, chicken, fish, or pork whose accompaniment is potatoes or carrots, peas, cabbages and onions. Some of the main dishes have strange names like Toad-in-the-Hole and Bubble & Squeak and. In addition, some o f the most common and typical foods, very popular in England are sandwiches, pies, trifle and roasts dinners (Smith, 2006:111). However, above all these dishes, sandwich tops them all. Sandwich invention came earlier than even the chips because it estimates claim that sandwich was invented in the mid seventeenth century. The sandwich idea came from a certain gambler who asked a waiter to offer him a piece of ham that he placed between the two

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Ethics - Essay Example These ethical concerns can guide the actions of DWI in their official and unofficial position on any step taken by the FCC to allow the same company to control more media sources in a geographical location. The first ethical concern for DWI is to be utilitarian in its ethics to provide the best possible service to society. However, since society also includes the competitors of the company it would be difficult to apply utilitarian ethics to the company and ethical egoism appears to be a more realistic approach. In this approach the company has to do what it thinks will be the most beneficial course of action for the stakeholders of the company which includes the investors, the shareholders, the employees as well as the consumer. One method of doing that would be for the company to maximize its profits which can be done if it controls more of the media in a given location. Companies such as Viacom and Disney are doing exactly the same since it would be profitable for them to control a large share of a given market (Turner, 2004). If DWI is similar in size and market positioning to these companies it should take the same approach as taken by the other large firms and support the plans for allowing one company to control a greater share of the media business in a geographical area. However, since ethical egoism demands that DWI look out for its own best interest, if DWI does not have a media business as large as Disney or Viacom, it should seek to protect its business interests through going against the plans of the larger companies. In fact, the company should be quite vocal about smaller companies being pushed out of business with giants strong arming them and also talk to anyone who is willing to listen about the media situation. Further, to prevent the situation from developing, DWI could also bring the attention of the people to the fact that control

The Sri Lanka Tourism Tourism Essay

The Sri Lanka Tourism Tourism Essay Sri Lanka tourism has been under a purple patch of nearly three decade of ethnic war is seen a new dawn of growth for future. With the introduction of new tourists hot spots in the island, many foreign travellers around the world have shown great interests that there are many more things to discover in this tiny island of the Indian Ocean. Government figures show that there is a considerable increase in tourist arrivals since the war had ended 2009 May, it has created more job opportunities and foreign income for government in many aspects. Government strong commitment role was mentioned in this research where creating more opportunities with hidden attractions of north and east to attract tourists. Utilisation of technological advancement to attract new markets in Europe by publishing website in their mother languages and governments open sky policies can be taken as strong points in this research where Sri Lanka tourism have to develop on weakness such as infrastructure, literacy a nd environmental issues to become a successful tourist destination after its anticipate with fear was ended for a new sun shine in Sri Lankan tourism with its nature that could last more years in global tourism sector. Introduction Sri Lanka is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is a country that offers great variety of attractive that unique to its own. Land filed with range of geographical features including variety of rivers and waterfalls making a magnificent atmosphere. Sri Lanka is blessed by its wonderful sandy coast line that runs all around the island. Result from recent survey (Sri Lanka,n.d.), showed that Sri Lankan information There are so many records of ancient travellers came to visit the country. Study by Hien (414A.D cited Mithtapala, 2009), showed thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ who travelled in Sri Lanka in the century he defined country as, this country is an oasis, prosperous and happy: its People are well-to-do: They all have received the faith and find their amusement in religious music. With holds trueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Study by Mark Twain (1890 cited Mithtapala 2009) showed thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, Dear me; it is beautiful, which holds trueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Describes the how it was defined in the eyes of the visitors. It indicates our peoples attitude who they never hesitate to bring host in to their home and treat with warm welcome. Miththapala, S, (2009) describe Refocusing from terrorism to tourismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Unfortunately this warm welcome paradise devastated from brutal conflict. We lost our reputable tourists who love our country a lot. More than two decade conflict was over in May 2009 and bring new hopes to develop our nation with tourism industry which country depends on most. In this research report I would be like to investigate what possibilities to improve our industry under political, economical, technological and social foundation and effects of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in our tourism industry Methodology According to my topic which I had investigated Sri Lankan tourism industry have shown tremendous growth with in less than a year after the end of ethnic issue. Because the country and economy was suffered lot from this brutal war, I examined in depth that development in tourism sector using accurate tools such as P E S T and SWOT analysis which gathered valuable information from secondary and primary data for planning proposals and implementation for development projects. For secondary data, basically I used journals, magazines, reports and articles. Consideration of primary data is difficult to obtain since I lived away from Sri Lanka. But I made an effort to speak to member of the tourism board in United Kingdom to get some valuable information about latest developments in tourism industry. Overview of Sri Lankan tourism industry Sri Lankan tourism industry had a rollercoaster ride after the outbreak of civil war in 1983 with ups and downs. Contribution of tourism sector for the Gross domestic product (GDP) and foreign exchange earnings of Sri Lanka are 1-2% and 2-5% respectively in recent past. Even it doesnt provide much direct employment, the contribution to the GDP is high reflecting that employees have a higher productivity than the average Sri Lankan worker. With the liberation of North and east, a number of tourist attractions were originate in that area. Mainly the beaches in the east coast were more popular than the west and south coasts in early 70s. But the lack of facilities is dominant and even the few existing facilities are long overdue for renovations. In the recovery path, Sri Lanka has to deal with the long lasted negative image of worse security situation. In the dawn of peace and prosperity by ending the civil war with the recovery of the Global financial crisis Sri Lanka can expect a better position with more arrivals and investments. It would be better to bring in to attention the areas that need to be utilised to attract more tourist which is the north and northeast areas of the country that consists untouched beaches and natural beauties runs from Nilaveli beaches in trincomalee to kumana wilpaththu national in south east. The trends of the Sri Lankan have shaped up during the last 3 decades from European tourist to south East Asian tourist. Therefore the Sri Lankan tourism market has diversified that looms more opportunity with the end of the ethnic conflict. Howkins et al., (2009,) describe the Sri Lankan tourism authority responsibilities How did the 26 years of war have derailed the growth of Sri Lankan tourism? Sri Lanka had long standing civil war that lasted for more than 26 years that had many effects on tourism and the economy as a whole. According to Reuters report Liberation Tamil tiger of Eelam (L. T. T .E) wanted to damage $32 billion worth Sri Lankan economy. it defensive poor war tactics, strategies and logistic have dragged the economy deeper in to trouble. In 2001 LT.T.E attacked to the international air port at katunayaka which created tremendous blow for the economy. Result from recent study (Tamil guardian, 2009) showed that destructionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Terrorist attack in the Yala National Park leads to huge crises for tourism in southern region of the country. Until that time the southern region is a much safer place to travel in the country and this attack alarmed that the LTTE is in a very strong position to create any attack else where in the country. That implication was a tremendous drawback for the tourism industry in the southern region. In addition, the bad press releases are another problem for the suffering economy. Several countries including united state of America (USA) declared travel warnings and bans for their citizens not travel to Sri Lanka due to war situation, and mainly after the heavy attacked in Yala wild life park. In a recent study (Rebel air base attack is to cripple Sri Lanka tourism.2007) showed that how international image was weakened.. Because of the war situation, in the North and east regions none of the infrastructure projects commenced, which impacted very negatively for the local economy and socially. In recent study (Gouby.M,2007),describe the international monetaryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It can be mentioned, a good example that in the beginning of 1983 passikadha project stop due to LTTE activities and it is a massive development project located on land 150 acres that targeted local and foreign tourists. Result from recent survey (passikadu plan, n.d.) Showed that project develop Number of development projects were ignored which were planned to start on cease fire durations, after reigniting of the war. Another huge effect due to conflict was consumer prices grew 11% and inflation played depreciation for the local currency. Result from survey (Asian development outlook, 2002) showed that developing south Asiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ However in 2002 new born cease-fire agreement enhance unexpected growth in tourism and other sectors in the country. Small miracle expected due to confidential growth rates by 5% in 2003 that did not last long. Result from the recent survey (Sri lanka economy, n.d.), showed that economy of Sri Lankaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Pest analysis 1. Political a) Sri Lankan government objectives on development of the tourism industry are Development of tourism to be a local and internationally as a new destination. Provide setting targets for tourism bureau to develop the industry. Provide information about inclusive and efficient tourist service for industry. Provide guidelines to development and maintain standard for license tourist establishments. Improve confident private sector participation, promotional and training activities for development in tourism. Government identify and develop niche tourism product. (Interview by Sanjika Perera) Implement zonel planning and infrastructure development as resorts. For example regions are Arugambe (east region), hambantota and kalpitiya and going to add Trincomolee and Pasikadu. In recently study (Srimane, 2010) political stability pays dividendà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Due to the peace process, the tourism demand is rapidly high in short term. But in long term it has to be more challenge for the government. b) Long term government challenges can be taken as follows; 1. East region would have to develop as a tourist destination and improve better tourism as much as possible. Therefore social life and other facilities is draw up to make their confident due to war. 2. Domestic air facilities has to improve and re schedule for their own necessity. Rail transportation has to expand and improve at least cover major cities to air port. 3. For investment approval procedures has to provide fast and accurate to encourage local and foreign investors. 4. Establish more advancement techniques to attain high skill people to industry through training and development concepts. Recent survey (miththapala, 2009), described the following as Refocusing to terrorism to tourismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ C) Government legislation for development in tourism sector Tourist hotel association of Sri Lanka was established in 1965. Association implement tremendous effort to develop Sri Lankan tourism. It keeps communication with ministers to make formulating development plan and policies. In recent study (Miththapala, 2009), Sri Lanka tourism quo vadisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ New tourism act no 38 was ruled in 2005 which brought new invention and development for the industry. It provides and encourages to private sector to involve to makes decisions and other promotion programmes with government support. This positive impact creates much feedback to tourism development in country. In recent study (Miththapala, 2009), Sri Lanka tourism quo vadisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition bilateral investment agreements secure of their investment by law. Major political parties made settlement not to obstruct any investment company or individual doing investment in the country. Basically agreement validate for ten years and then it will renewed another 10 year if investors happy to continue. In addition Sri Lanka is founder member of multilateral investment guarantee agency (MIGA) provide guarantee for expropriation and non commercial risks to invest people. There have been tremendous improvements of infrastructure facilities that can be taken best out in South Asia. Government have attracted the private sector investments such as BOO concept (build, operate and own) and BOT (built, operate and transfer).In recent study (Solid infrastructure, 2010), showed that investment opportunitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ d) Development in North and east areas to attract tourist to It able to identify several locations in conflict area can convert to most attractive destination domestic and international tourists. This can be required to consider proper planning and implementation of infrastructure investments. it has a huge issue to overcome in this region. Post conflict area can find planning infrastructure delays and it cause higher employment rate. Consequently it bring to people massing depress and confusion in post conflict region 1. Government seeking private sectors to get supportive role to development of framework maintain the standards, plan and working system, priority areas such as eastern, north central region. They get donor assistance from World Bank to implement under SITDA sustainable development projects. They have already got USD 300 million for infrastructure developments. In the post conflict area new projects design for lodging, restaurant and other facilities to attract international and domestic tourism. 2. Authority has to provide time-bound investment to regenerate employment and income earning opportunity to post conflict society. 3. Authority and private sector should have to expand and upgrade training program for youngsters. 4. Government has to avoid restriction on domestic civil aviation and encourage to private investment in air transportation. In addition authority has to examine locate domestic airport near to Traincomalee. Howkins et al., (2009,) describe the Sri Lankan tourism authority responsibilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ e) Implementation of government proposals to be environmental friendly tourist destination. Government establish appropriate methods to protect environmental issues. They hope to implement development plans for rural areas to preserve nature. Tourism authority being monitors their stranded and places the reschedule programme for negative issues if occur. Energy consumption programme would be another commitment to protect natural recourses and environment. This programme given knowledge to local society how it consecrate energy, water and waste in hotel environment. This is conducted by the ministry of tourism (MOT). Result from the recent survey (Responsibletourism Sri Lanka, 2009), showed that environmental conservational methodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. Economical Factor Economic condition in Sri Lanka was much ahead of all the south East Asian countries except few like Japan and China in late 60s. But with the civil unrest leading to war in early 80s, it started to deteriorate in growth prospects in the years of 86-89. in addition to the war in northern part, whole country was in internal terrorism that had major influence on main income supports. In recent study (Bureau of south and central Asian affairs, 2009), showed that economy grower in ceasefire durationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ With the end of the war there are new hope and central bank Sri Lanka have pointed out interest rate reductions and showing significant growth despite the global economic downturns will attract more foreign investors, especially on tourism developments. in recent study (Bureau of south and central Asian affairs, 2009), showed that attract investorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a) As a fact of ending of decades of war the new outlook of the Economy is paving the way to improved tourism industry. Economic contribution of the Liberated area 15% of the whole population is still living in the war affected area. The increase of economic contribution of those is immensely increasing leading to increased facilities for the tourism. Also World Bank Development Indicators 2000 shows that the Sri Lanka has the lowest labour cost per worker in manufacturing leading to cost effective labour force for the market. In recent study (Board of Invest of Sri Lanka, n.d.), showed that labour charges are lowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ International trends Tourism industry in Asian region has immensely increased in the past two decades and countries likes Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore is leading the way. However Sri Lanka showed a decrease in international arrival in the past decades due to the civil war. With the current situation in the country, it has a large potential for new arrivals in near future. In recent study (Miththapala, 2009), Sri Lanka tourism quo vadisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Business environment in the Country (for foreigners). Sri Lanka has a lucrative business environment for foreign investments. Foreign investments are guaranteed by the constitution and double taxation relieves are in place to attract foreign investors, tourism is an area that government is looking forward for foreign investors to build more world class hotels. Increased foreign direct investment, currently contributing only 2-3 % of the Gross domestic product (G.D.P) will lead to develop more facilities and infrastructure for the industry. In recent study (new department strategy., n.d), showed that frame work for economy growthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4. Improved related infrastructure. Sri Lanka has the potential of developing as the regional trading Hub for the south Asian region. 4.1 Colombo Port. Government is identifying opportunity to attract cruise lines to use Colombo, trincomalee and hambanthota as a stop point to tourists who want to discover the island on their voyagers. (Interview by SanJeka perera) 4.2 Busy International AirPort Most of the major airlines operated in this airport linking every part of the world, providing better services for tourist arrivals. It has shown the Passenger movement has increase of 29% for 95-2000 with the conglomeration of Emirates air lines and hence show the potential of higher growth and expansion. Result from recent study (Regional trading hub, n.d) showed that international air port progressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3. Social factors influencing tourism development a). Human Resource Sri Lanka has the highest Human development index (HDI) in the south Asian region in par with East Asian countries proving improved health and education in the country. It has the highest literacy rate in south Asia 92%. In general HDI has direct relationship to GDP per capita for most of the countries. Sri Lanka has a drastic drop in GDP per capita income relative to HDI. As higher HDI reflects better Human resources, Sri Lanka has the potential to cater the job market with the boom of tourism without any trouble. Result from recent survey (human develop index-going beyond income, 2009), showed that how HDI important à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Also worlds Bank Development Indicators 2000 shows that the Sri Lanka has the lowest labour cost per worker in manufacturing leading to cost effective labour force for the market. Recent study (highly literate labour force, n.d.), showed that labour charges are lowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ b). English Language ability As Sri Lanka was once a British colony, it has a large population of English speaking community. But that has declined significantly since 1970s. But with the newly implemented educational reforms it recreates the emphasis on English language. At present Sri Lanka stand along with her regional counterparts in English language ability which has a large impact on tourism related regional facility development. Result from recent study Bureau of south and Central Asia affairs, 2009), showed that language ability work forceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ c) Culture impact Modesty and decency is important in all situations cultural and religious influences have some effect on Sri Lankan tourism. Nudity and topless bathing are forbidden and law can be forced for mis-behaviours.When visiting religious place, visitors must cover their body sufficiently and should remove shoes before entering holy shrines .in addition visitors are not allowed to pose for photos with monks and Buddhist statues.Sri Lanka being a country that have preserved with 5000 years of Buddhist culture is restrained for social activities such as night clubs, casino and indecent social behaviour in areas where Buddhist pilgrims situation even near coastal areas, therefore there are constraints of selling alcohol and permission to build hotels with pleasure activities is a social factor affecting fulfilling all needs of the tourists. Result from recent survey (travel essentials, n.d.), showed culture restrictionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4. Technology factor a) Use of internet technology as a main marketing tool SLTB uses its official website to promote Sri Lankan tourism in English, France, Netherlands and Italy version. The website provides offers and all link registered accommodation and other relative business. Furthermore it provides check availability but unfortunately online real time bookings are not available since the secure payment method in not in place yet. Most tourism companies implement their own websites and they are equal to Europe countries as well. Sri Lankan air line provides 20% total amount of booking in globally but Europe consider it totally amount 50%. Result from recent survey (Etourism at glance Sri Lanka, n.d.) showed that web servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ S W O T Analysis for Sri Lankan tourism sector 1. Strengths a) Being a unique tourist destination Sri Lanka is a one of most attractive destination in the world. It is surrounded by most beautiful beaches, which offer many more cultural and natural places. Kandy was built in 17 and 18 century that provides to see the temple of Lord Buddha.Hikkaduwa is well known as a real paradise for divers and search for abundance reef fishing turtles. Annuradapura has been classed as a world heritage site by U.N.E.S.C.O (United nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation) Sigiriya would be most valuable place that is going back thousand of years history. Visitors can see caves and gardens, which never ceases. In recent study (Kumara, n.d), Sri Lankan awesome placesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And also East coast creates some best beaches like Arugabay and Nilavelli beaches with stunning coral reefs can be taken as new destination points which have been added with end of the ethnic conflict. In addition Arugabay offers best surfing destination in the world. These regions are given unseen scenes like whale watching, natural hot spring in Kanniya and ancient ruins in Ampara. Result from a recent survey (East coast at a glance, n.d.), showed that unseen east destinationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. b) The strong management force behind the tourism sector in government Sri Lanka has formed number of government agencies to directly involve in tourist development. Ministry of tourism Sri Lankan tourism development authority. (S.L.T.D.A) Sri Lankan tourism promotion bureau. (S.L.T.B.A) Sri Lankan institute of hotel management. (S.L.I.T.H.M) Sri Lankan convention bureau. (S.L.C.B) Other government agencies are that indirectly involve in the industry Urban development authority (U.D.A) Central environment authority (C.E.A) Department of wild life conservation. (D.W.L.C) Private agencies are such as tourist hotel association and cultural triangle hotelier association. In addition non-government agencies works for community for development process in the post conflict areas. Howkins et al., (2009) describe the Sri Lanka connecting regional economiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Ministry of tourist boards vision is to implement sustainability for tourism industry in Sri Lanka. The ministry of tourism and tourist board mission is to As Ministry of tourism Sri Lanka (n.d.) Position Sri Lanka as the most treasured island destination in Asia, which hold trueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Mission of tourist board As Ministry of tourism Sri Lanka (n.d.) Create an enable environment for the public and private sector in partnership to tourist develop tourism its desired potential while sustaining and conserving both the natural and cultural recoursesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. which hold trueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ C) The vital role of the Sri Lankan Tourism development authority This is the major organization for Tourism development, which is playing main role for setting targets, and principles development. Therefore S.L.T.D.A is responsible for promoting Sri Lanka as a travel and tourist destination in national and international level. S.L.T.D.A planning to facilitate own lands for lease to private sectors for develops in eastern province. E.g. Trincomalee and passikudah areas. Howkins et al., (2009) describe the Sri Lanka connecting regional economiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Organizations proposed plans are: Improve and maintain tourist infrastructure project. SLTDA ensure to provide quality products and service with secure atmosphere to tourists. Sri Lanka is positioning as a treasured island in terms of natures secrets and maintains one of the best destinations in the world. Agency setting targets to create skill and training for better job opportunity to society. Agency plan to expand domestic tourism to get motivate for develop international sector. Result from the recent survey (product development, n.d) showed that government expect to provide benefit to communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ d) International role by Sri Lanka tourism bureau S.L.T.B is act as a international marketing and promotion to industry which consult with S.L.T.D.A .in 2009 industry re brand as a small miracle Howkins et al., (2009,p39) describe the Sri Lankan tourism bureau activityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ .furthermore it is promoting new destination such as east region and published broachers to attract natural beauty of Trincomalee to Arugubay. For promotion campaign they advertise local television and special events like international surfing competition. S.L.CB is mainly responsible for MICE activities (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition), which provides service to develop and applies competitive age to industry. Howkins et al., (2009,) describe the Sri Lankan tourism authority responsibilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ e) Cost advantage for tourism industry Minister of public administration and deputy minister of finance explained devastating effects of conflict made costs of investing and operating a business. With the end of the ethnic conflict, commercial transportation of goods, insurance and other commodity prices have fallen down which paved way to less financial arrangements costs are much lower with dawn of peace that added much more competitive edge over other destination in the area. Therefore country has more advantage to access too many products via free trade agreement with India and Pakistan. In recent study (Amnugama, 2009), business is profitableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. Weaknesses a) Infrastructure issues Limited rail networks available throughout the country where rail travel is much more difficult which take 10 hours journey to reach Batticoloa and hill country and to East province. In recent study (Wijesinha, 2009), lack of infrastructure in the eastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ b) How does the poverty can be a constraint to the development of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka? According to the World Bank report Sri Lanka is under developed country with per capita income in average us $ 810 per year. However the poverty being reduces over the past four decades. But still it is 35% of 19 million living under poverty line. The reason of this situation is continuous political unrest and unsuitable economy policies in the country. Mackee et al., (2007), described lack of skills of the employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Furthermore social constrains are the main areas that have effects on tourism which encourage prostitution and child abuse. It is very often as a growing problem that male and female unemployed young job seeker are attracted to tourist areas willing to do whatever jobs to earn an income. Today it estimates more than 5000 children are being used in child prostitution in Sri Lanka. In recent study (Samarasuriya, 1997), showed that prostitution became a huge issueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ c) Environmentalist groups intervention on some tourist attraction sites due to lack of government funding to prevent impact to environment Unfortunately number of issues can identify as environment issues due o lack of environmental assessments (EA) activities in the country .It is difficult to find suitable qualified or professional staff with in the country due to lack of training and funding by government. In addition testing of approved projects effectiveness, this is tested very rarely. Another issue is lack of inter agency co-ordination such as development authority and improper government legislation. Mackee et al., (2007), described lack of skills of the employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Governments implementation of buffer zone regulations in coast after the tsunami that makes it difficult get building permission on small-scale tourism business industry especially in rebuilding sites that was under war for past 3 decade Ex: arugubay area. Result from recent survey (Sri Lanka, n.d.), showed that government legislationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3. Threats a) Competition of neighbouring countries Asian region recorded double growth in the past two decade of tourism industry, which indicates G.D.P contribution to their economies. Where Sri Lanka is lagged behind where it is difficult to penetrate straight away in to market that easily. According to the Pacific Asia travel association (PATA) revel similar estimate as 6% growth in Asia and Sri Lankas negative commitments and image in tourism industry will remain for sometime in global arena over the competition of its south Asian rivals. In recent study (Miththapala, 2009), Sri Lanka tourism quo vadisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ b) Natural threats as Tsunami issues Natural disasters have been a considerable factor that has impact on world tourism industry. Tsunami cost more than 30000 thousand lives and more importantly destroyed the lower and medium scale tourism communities based on the coastal areas since December 2004. . Result from recent study (Bureau of south and Central Asia affairs, 2009), showed negative impact of tsunamià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ c) Influence of World terrorism activities that create negative awareness of countries that had history of terrorism such as Sri Lanka Since the Al Qaeda suicide attacks which was killed 2972 on September 2001. The world travel and tourism council estimates tourism demand reduction 10% and affected world wide not for only America also country like Sri Lanka that had been under long term terrorism is still remained cautioned in European market Bennett and Bray (n.d.) have proposed that impact of terrorismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ d) Work force migration to developed countries Economic and social complications have influenced to skilled workers to migrate to develop countries such as Europe, America and Australia. Skilled labour migration has become a threat to industry where there is shortfall of skilled labour for some areas of the service industry. In recent survey (Haque, 2005), migration trend and patternà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ e) Global economic crises affect for the industry. Impact of the world tourism badly affect due to global credit crunch in2008.this is clear how effect which indicators shows 6% growth beginning and end of the year it showed 2%. Then it shown negative figures in 2009.as a result people only consider basic need as a security of job and avoid travel plans, which had wider impact on tourism depended countries such Sri Lanka In recent study (Miththapala, 2009), Sri Lanka tourism quo vadisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4. Opportunities a) Massive infrastructures projects in East and northern region. As the devastating effects of tsunami and terrorism that lasted north and east part of the country-causing heavy loss on infrastructure. Government plans to develop the area with major projects that support tourism industry as well. In recent study (Gupta, 2005), devastated infrastructure in eastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Therefore government planed to manage recover proposals in North West coast. Something such as they address several locations in east beaches like Aru

speech :: essays research papers

Persuasive Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world today one never knows what to expect, The Attacks of September the 11th were only the beginning of our nation being challenged. Lately there has been a large amount of worldwide media coverage showing the damage of the world, attacks on churches, embassies, hotels, as well as schools. Any particular areas were Americans are or where there are large groups of people inhibit. And yet this is not only Americas war it is a war that we are all receiving impact from. Many Israeli’s may feel that Americans deserve to be punished, and many are upset with Yasir Arfat, as a result of their anger suicide bombers feel that they need to take a stand for their cause at the expense of themselves as well as other’s primarily Americans. In order to create change The Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop the attacks on innocent lives our lives and the lives of those we love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 18,2001 two Americans died as well as three others when two terrorists threw grenades into a Prostant church near the American embassy, this attack was aimed at Americans, killing embassy employee Barbara Green and her teenage daughter. Many Americans feel outrage at the attacks that are currently taking place, however the attack with Barbara Green hits close to home two innocent Americans killed by grenades while visiting a foreign country bodies blown into undescriable bloody images. This is an outrage, and the Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop these terrorists attacks from happening, just as our innocent Americans are be killed, an Israeli can be harmed in the process. Is that what needs to happed before Israeli’s take a stand? After the attack on September 11th America had a tragic loss, the mass deaths of a wide rage of nationatalities were to be accounted for on American soil. We as a country have accepted our lose and have moved in, in hopes for peace in our society. And yet whenever we begin to feel safe there has been another attack on either on of our churches, or our people. Daily there are attempts being made to harm innocent Americans. When will you help to make the Attacks stop? Violence is all many know however peace has an overall justice that out weight the effects of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Passover just under we were hoping for a peace treaty to come into effect, especially after the attacks killing two Americans on March 18,2001. speech :: essays research papers Persuasive Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world today one never knows what to expect, The Attacks of September the 11th were only the beginning of our nation being challenged. Lately there has been a large amount of worldwide media coverage showing the damage of the world, attacks on churches, embassies, hotels, as well as schools. Any particular areas were Americans are or where there are large groups of people inhibit. And yet this is not only Americas war it is a war that we are all receiving impact from. Many Israeli’s may feel that Americans deserve to be punished, and many are upset with Yasir Arfat, as a result of their anger suicide bombers feel that they need to take a stand for their cause at the expense of themselves as well as other’s primarily Americans. In order to create change The Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop the attacks on innocent lives our lives and the lives of those we love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  March 18,2001 two Americans died as well as three others when two terrorists threw grenades into a Prostant church near the American embassy, this attack was aimed at Americans, killing embassy employee Barbara Green and her teenage daughter. Many Americans feel outrage at the attacks that are currently taking place, however the attack with Barbara Green hits close to home two innocent Americans killed by grenades while visiting a foreign country bodies blown into undescriable bloody images. This is an outrage, and the Israeli people need to take a stand to help stop these terrorists attacks from happening, just as our innocent Americans are be killed, an Israeli can be harmed in the process. Is that what needs to happed before Israeli’s take a stand? After the attack on September 11th America had a tragic loss, the mass deaths of a wide rage of nationatalities were to be accounted for on American soil. We as a country have accepted our lose and have moved in, in hopes for peace in our society. And yet whenever we begin to feel safe there has been another attack on either on of our churches, or our people. Daily there are attempts being made to harm innocent Americans. When will you help to make the Attacks stop? Violence is all many know however peace has an overall justice that out weight the effects of violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With Passover just under we were hoping for a peace treaty to come into effect, especially after the attacks killing two Americans on March 18,2001.

Linguistic Changes of an Individual in Migration Essay

As the world becomes increasingly globalised, we observe a rising trend where individuals migrate for educational and economic opportunities. The prestige of being educated in a highly ranked university and the prospects of higher paying jobs are definitely important pull factors for both internal and international migration (Welch, 1970). When people move, they also transfer the use of their existing linguistic repertoire to their host country. However, what might have been effective at home might be interpreted differently when placed in different socioeconomic contexts. Hence, the relative value of linguistic repertoire one possesses and how mobile are one’s language skills in the world determines how a migrant interacts with a new community. Consequently, this paper seeks to provide insight on how the relative value of linguistic resources affects one’s mobility and decisions in community interactions. Drawing on Blommaert’s study on the sociolinguistics of globalisation, this discussion will focus on how an individual’s linguistic repertoire is being used to one’s advantage within the community. It also highlights the changes which occur when one attempts to transfer the same linguistic repertoire as the shift to a place of varying cultural and linguistic ability. As Blommaert suggests, â€Å"placed resources are resources that are functional in one particular place but can become dysfunctional as soon as they are moved to other places† (Blommaert, 2003). Essentially, this essay seeks to expound on the changes of one’s linguistic repertoire and how it affects one’s interactions with new communities resulting from migration. Linguistic repertoire refers to linguistic varieties acquired by an individual to different degrees of proficiency and for different uses (Crystal, 1990). The acquisition of linguistic repertoire thus extends not only to the procurement of different types of language codes like English and Hindi, but also the speech styles and genres within each language. In light of this definition, this paper chooses to trace how one’s use of language repertoire might change in the context of internal migration and international migration. With this in mind, a migrant from India who experienced both types of migration was chosen. India boasts twenty-two official languages as per the Constitution of India, where English is determined as the secondary official language and is used as lingua franca throughout India. Within the context of this paper, the experiences of the migrant serve to provide personal insight on language mobility within the transmigrational arena. Research methodology and background of interviewee With this in mind, a fifty minute interview was carried out on 16th October 2012 to gather substantial data in order to provide a comparison between internal and international migration. The sole participant is Joshua Cherian, aged 24 who is currently pursuing a postgraduate education in Singapore. He was born and raised in Kerala, Southern India, after which he moved to Jamshedpur, Northern India to pursue a tertiary education before working in New Delhi. He was taught English at a young age and learnt Hindi during university, while his mother tongue is Malayalam. During the interview, questions were asked ranging from the interviewee’s experiences of language acquisition and his experiences in India and Singapore to language policies in India. Utilising his personal insights on adapting to different communities and observing it through the concepts provided in Blommaert’s study, the relative value of linguistic repertoire consequently becomes more obvious not only from country to country but also within different areas of the community. Language repertoire in internal migration Within India, it is said to have a de-facto three plus minus one language policy. Those who neither speak the language of the state nor the two official languages, English and Hindi, now have to grapple with learning four languages in order to pass the school systems and secure jobs within the modern sector (Laitin. D, 1989). Consequently, many people who migrate in the pursuit of education or jobs find it necessary to expand their language repertoire in order to compete for the chance of upward socioeconomic mobility within India. Joshua notes that: â€Å"There is a divide between the corporate world and industrial world, where managers and people in multinational companies speak in english, but those in manufacturing speak Hindi in work. In the north of India everyone speaks Hindi, so I had to learn Hindi. When I worked in Delhi, I spoke mostly Hindi in my workplace, because I am a manager of labourers and those who just passed tenth standard, they just need to make something so they don’t need English. People who do software need to interact with clients overseas, so it is important for them to speak English.† Due the demands of his job, Joshua was required to expand his language repertoire to include fluent Hindi in order to communicate with his subordinates effectively. Although English could have sufficed in interacting with white-collar professionals, learning Hindi would have enabled Joshua to ensure a smooth running of operations that he was in charge with. As such, it is observed that migrants tend to expand their language repertoire within internal migration according to which languages are most functional within their community. Furthermore, an expansion of linguistic repertoire also affects one’s interaction the community. As immigrants acquire proficiency in more languages, there is a tendency to broaden their participation in various communities within the area that they have settled in. This is especially evident in Joshua’s recount: â€Å"In India you would have to know many languages in order to fit into different communities. University students will use English because it is prestigious. It shows you are well educated. Outside of the education system, everyone speaks their own dialect or their own state language. I used to hang out with many friends when I was studying in Jamshedpur who came from all over India. I also managed to become my student governing body’s president, so speaking the many languages helped me reach out to a lot of people.† Even though migrants who migrate within their home country experience a new environment, there are common cultural familiarities that they can relate to by being in the same country. Naturally, this allows them to assimilate into the communities easily since they already share similar cultural and national identities. Rather, this pre-existing factor enables immigrants like Joshua to interact with different groups of people. Such a preference is also extremely beneficial to an individual within a new community as they are able to called upon a large network of acquaintances should they need help in the future. Hence, the broadening of one’s interaction with many communities would be positively correlated to the acquisition of language repertoire because both serve the same purpose of helping the migrant assimilate well into the new environment they are in. Language Repertoire in International Migration In contrast to internal migration, one’s use of language repertoire might decrease across different geographical spaces. It is noted that international migration denotes a shift to a foreign culture in which the values placed upon certain languages is different from one’s original country. As such, many migrants would utilise a language within their repertoire that is widely used in the world. Joshua relates his experience moving from India to Singapore: â€Å"When I first arrived in Singapore, everything was easy for me to get used to because I was already proficient in English. Even if I needed help, I could just approach anyone and they would reply me in English. I don’t even Hindi anymore because the friends and people I meet with speak only in English. Perhaps it is because there are so many races here so communication needs to be in a common language. Although I have friends from India here, they never speak in their mother tongue! Everyone would rather speak in English than Hindi! Despite Joshua’s extensive language repertoire, he only speaks in English in Singapore, thereby showing a decrease in language repertoire employed in daily life. In most cases of international migration, migrants often move from the ‘periphery’ to the ‘core’ of the world system. As one attempts to transfer one’s language repertoire from one country to another, the languages employed more frequently within the core global system would be more mobile compared to other languages. In particular, because Singapore is a multi-racial community, it requires English as a lingua franca in order to achieve cohesiveness and efficiency. Consequently, rather than expanding one’s linguistic repertoire to gain access to every community, a migrant in Singapore need only focus on speaking proficient English, which subsequently narrows his language repertoire within the host country. Parallel to one’s decrease in language repertoire, it is observed that migrants narrow their participation to a few communities that they are comfortable with. While migrants who migrate internally tend to broaden their participation in a wide array of communities, people who migrate internationally prefer to focus their efforts in interacting with a particular community where they feel most comfortable with. Joshua, expresses that: â€Å" I like to be in a place where I can interact with people well. When I came to Singapore, everybody spoke â€Å"Singlish†. It was especially hard for me to understand the jokes of my Singaporean friends. Thats why I wanted to be in a Christian group, so I went around to look for churches and even joined the varsity christian fellowship. Then I found a church cell group to be in and we could talk about common things, at least everyone there understands what I am going through when I talk about my struggles and life. I don’t meet with the Indian community much because everyone here speaks English anyway and I am more comfortable speaking in English, so when I talk about God and faith, I don’t get any puzzled looks when I am with church people† For most immigrants, being in a foreign community could be unsettling because there exists stark differences in culture that they might not understand. In Joshua’s case, not being able to understand Singlish hindered his active participation in various communities, especially in understanding humour within the sociocultural context of Singaporean society. As such, by participating in communities with specific shared beliefs that the migrant can identify with, it could be easier for him to assimilate into a new environment. Communities with shared beliefs also tend to share a similar use of register in their daily speech. Drawing on Joshua’s case of finding a christian community, a christian setting could be more comfortable for him because he understands the semantics of words such as â€Å"communion† and â€Å"faith† used frequently in that community. Additionally, by narrowing one’s participation to few communities, individuals would have more time to spend more effort on forging closer relationships within a particular communities. This in turn could be more beneficial to the migrant as this niche area of society provides a source of emotional support for the migrant in order to cope with the anxiety of being away from home. Conclusion What Joshua has experienced demonstrates the constant change of the value of language resources as he shifts between places in migration. This relative value of one’s linguistic resources is largely due to cultural and socioeconomic factors that have shaped the community to place emphasis on certain languages and speech styles. As such, an immigrant’s increase or decrease language repertoire is largely affected by the placed importance of certain languages within their host communities. In conclusion, this paper has asserts that language mobility is profoundly affected by the changing values of linguistic resources which vary from place to place, especially when there is a shift of resources from the periphery to the core of the world system. Whether one participates in a wide number of communities or chooses to focus their efforts in a single community depends on a change in one’s use of his language repertoire. References 0. Blommaert, J. (2003). Commentary: A Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Journal of Sociolinguistics 7/4, 2003: 607-623 0. Crystal, D. (1990). A Liturgical Language in a Sociolinguistic Perspective. In D. & R.C.D. Jasper (eds),Language and the worship of the church (Basingstoke: Macmillan), 120-46 0. Laitin D. D. (1989). Language Policy and Political Strategy in India. Policy Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 3/4, Policymaking in Developing Countries (1989), pp. 415-436 0. Welch F. (1970). ‘’Education in Production’, Journal of Political Economy, 78 (1), January/February, 35-59