Discipline by spanking your children is not Abuse Essay

In an ideal world, spanking would never be necessary. However, on rare occasions it may be necessary to smack your child’s bottom. I do not intend to either promote or discourage spanking, but rather to give parents correct instruction on using non-abusive spanking in discipline. Spanking is a much-debated topic. Most child psychologists do not recommend spanking as a discipline method for children. However, other psychologists and many parents will tell you that a spanking given with fairness, love and care is an effective discipline technique. A child’s parent’s best make the decision as to the usefulness of spanking. It is gravely unfortunate that, there are many children who are abused under the guise of spanking, and this essay is an attempt to inform parents in a way that would prevent abuse. Never spank any place other than the child’s clothed bottom and only with your open hand. Spanking should generally be carried out in private. The aim of the punishment is to teach the child that they have done wrong, not to humiliate him/her. Many people believe that while privacy is important, if in a public place, you should not hesitate to take your child to an area where diners or shoppers will not be bothered and carry out the promised discipline. Privacy is secondary to setting clear rules and your child’s understanding that discipline will be sure (and swift). Further, if you are disciplining in loving and fair manner, you should not be concerned about onlookers and what they might think. This is your child, your responsibility and a swat on the bottom, not a public debate. Give your children clear boundaries. Knowing exactly what they can and cannot do is the foundation of happy and successful children that are honest and respectful of their parents, other adul ts and themselves. Learn which behaviors deserve a spanking. This really can be boiled down to one thing, open disobedience. You must be fair with children. Spilling things, toddler tantrums, nose-picking, bed-wetting, arguing, even lying and stealing are normal childhood behaviors that, while they may require action on the part of the  parent to help a child mature, they are not spanking offenses. You must let toddlers, children, teens and young adults make mistakes and have normal childhood behavior that is age appropriate without making them miserable about it. Any spanking should be meant to get their attention and establish your authority. Never spank them hard enough that they are going to feel it later. Always spank the child only on the child’s clothed bottom and only with your open hand. Cool off first. If you are angry, do not attempt to give your child a spanking. Tell them you need to think about this for a while and let yourself cool off and then re-evaluate the situation. Do not hit your child with implements or objects. Using belts, switches, spoons, paddles or worse on your child will never build the kind of respect and love that a properly administered spanking will. Only use your open hand on the child’s clothed bottom. Know when to enforce discipline with spanking. Once children are old enough to understand â€Å"no,† they are old enough for a spanking. This could occur as early as approximately 18 months, but varies by child. Be mindful that the force and amount of spanks should be reduced (i.e. a quick pat on the bottom) for very small children but the framework should be similar. If properly used, once a child has reached the age of 6 or 7, spanking will hopefully never be necessary again. On the other hand, if you have never spanked and a child is already 9 or 10, it is probably too late to begin once the patterns of parenting have been so firmly established. Do not spank too frequently. Again, spanking should be reserved only due to open disobedience, and not used whenever one feels annoyed. If you do it all the time, it will lose any effectiveness that it might have and is just plain mean. Give them one warning. If you think that you were not clear the first time, you might have to clarify, but do not give warning after warning and expect any child to be compliant. They will always know that they can push and push and have their way once you give up. The child must clearly understand that there will be one warning and that’s it. If you do this, they will obey after one warning, if you give them ten warnings, they will probably never take you seriously. But please, you must take great care when disciplining your child, be fair, be clear and make sure that you understand what is going on; you should not turn back once you have declared â€Å"you’ve just earned yourself a spanking†. Earn the respect of your child by being fair; you must also convince your children that if they are openly disobedient, the discipline will be quick and certain. In this way, they will learn the clear boundaries and seek to not overstep them to earn your trust. Do the following once you have decided that you must spank your child. Tell them that they are going to be spanked. Take them to a neutral area. If in the home, it should be out of sight of the other children. If at a restaurant or store, please wait until you get home. Never spank in a public place. You never want to embarrass a child in front of siblings or other people any more than necessary for the moment. Once in the proper location, carefully explain why they are getting a spanking and precisely the behavior that got them in this inevitable situation. Once the decision is made, do not consider turning back unless you become genuinely convinced that you have misjudged the situation. Explain what is going to happen: [i.e. at age 3] â€Å"You are going to get four swats, and then we are going to talk about it for a minute, then it will be over.† If possible have the child lay across your lap with their bottom up. Deliver each swat with an open hand only on their clothed bottom and only hard enough that they feel mild discomfort. Sit them up at eye level, repeat the explanation, and have them agree that they will not repeat the behavior again. Ask them to apologize. Assure them that this is the end of the punishment (however, certain offenses or lack of remorse may require a time of quiet thought) and that you are not going to be angry with them about it. Tell them that you love them. When Does Discipline become Abuse? Vs. Discipline by Spanking does not constitute abuse? Discipline is one of the defining elements of parenting; whether used sparingly or liberally, it’s fundamental to the parent-child dynamic. Most Americans agreed with the necessity of sometimes spanking children, but proportions disagreeing increased 15 percentage point (94% overall) between 1986 (16%) and 2010 (31%). Growing proportions disagreed with spanking in each consecutive decade for all significant generational cohorts, with the greatest increase against spanking for Silent Generation (Menard 18).Through discipline, children are taught to become responsible, honest, kind, sharing people. By following their parents’ guidance, teachings and rules, they ideally grow up to be well-behaved and respectful  individuals. If you, however, punish your child instead of disciplining them, the end result will not be the same. Punishment is an act of anger and impulse. It happens when a parent takes things personally; the punishment is, in fact, retaliation for the child’s poor choice. In contrast, discipline is centered on helping the child, with the goal of correcting their choices and actions. A parent who disciplines is trying to teach their child right from wrong, helping them learn life skills. Ultimately, punishment hurts a child whereas discipline helps a child. The urge to punish comes from within when you feel hurt by a child’s behavior — you’re looking to strike back and inflict this same pain, often overreacting to the situation. For example, in the heat of the moment, Mom or Dad might lash out — even raising a hand to a child instead of taking a deep breath and assessing the situation objectively. The challenge parent’s face is to detach themselves from the situation and control their anger and impulses before responding or reacting to the child. By controlling this anger and emotion, a parent can stop themselves from making the situation worse. And this is important, as punishment — which can lead to abuse â⠂¬â€ is usually both unreasonable and much more physical than discipline. Here’s why it’s so important to resist the urge to react in anger. Most abusive parents never plan on hurting their children, but they impulsively react and strike out of anger, punishing them with physical revenge instead of teaching them right from wrong. Once trapped in this mindset of punishment, it is difficult for parents to think rationally or even compassionately about their child’s actions. And in an instant, on impulse, lives can change dramatically. A loving parent can be convicted of child abuse and land themselves in prison simply because they impulsively did something violent to their child. If you choose to listen to your impulses, you lose your self-control and ability to think clearly. For example, a parent grabs their child by the hand. The parent is upset and twists the tiny arm. Being a â€Å"good parent† they take their child to the hospital to have it looked at. They find a greenstick fracture. The x-ray clearly shows how the arm bone was twisted. This is a red flag for hospital employees who know this is a sympto m of child abuse. In a whirlwind, Child Protective Services is called in, the children may be removed from the home,  the guilty parent can be arrested and even go to jail. One of the biggest problems with an adult punishing a child is that the two are not equals. When calm and rational, no one would argue that children are the same as adults. They are not the same size, nor strength; they have less knowledge and fewer life experiences. Furthermore, when parents punish their child out of anger, they teach kids that it’s okay to treat those who are weaker, smaller, and younger with less respect. The parent is modeling a bullying type of behavior which is obviously not a positive way to interact with others. My father was verbally and physically abusive so I understand on a personal level the negative impact impulsive, erratic behavior can have on a child. To justify their actions parents may say, â€Å"This is what happened to me when I was growing up.† While that might explain why you’re more likely to parent this way, it doesn’t excuse the behavior. So, instead of coming home and taking out your frustrations on your children, resist the urge to overreact and lash out at them. Replacing punishment with discipline, In order to function in our society, adults must have a certain amount of self-control, impulse-control and anger management. I’m suggesting these skills be developed in our homes. Again, it’s a matter of respecting our kids as people. Consider the dozens of interactions you have with others on a daily basis. Surely at one point or another someone has said something that you disagreed with or they’ve done something that annoyed you. Did you react by lashing out or hitting the other person? Is there another situation where we, as adults, would act so recklessly even if we were upset? In place of punishment, let’s look at some effective discipline techniques. When establishing discipline in your household, communicating your expectations and guidelines with your children is the first step. Initially, help your kids understand why these rules and expectations are important to you. Then, explain to them what will happen if these expectations are not met — what the consequence will be. By explaining to your kids the reasoning behind the consequences, you’ll be helping them learn from their poor choices. It’s important that a child understands their parents and believes there is logic to their actions. Otherwise, not only is it impossible for the child to meet these goals, but if they break the rules, they have no way of predicting what the reaction will be. However, if  everyone is upfront about what will happen, then your child will be more accepting of the consequences and parents are less likely to overreact. Works Cited Brodie, Kay L., and Barbara Hoffert. â€Å"The Case Against Spanking: How To Discipline Your Child Without Hitting/Lots Of Love And A Spanking!: A Common Sense Discipline Plan For Children From Birth To Age Twelve–That Works.† Library Journal 122.9 (1997): 95. Literary Reference Center. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. Menard, Lauren A. â€Å"Should Discipline Hurt? Shifting American Spanking Beliefs And Implications For School Corporal Punishment Policies.† Online Submission (2012): ERIC. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. Ramsburg, Dawn, and Urbana, IL. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. The Debate Over Spanking. ERIC Digest. n.p.: 1997. ERIC. Web. 26 Sept.2014.

Cell Phone Effects on Youth Essay

In powerful effect paradigm, media has immediate, direct influence and assumes that people are passive and absorb media content uncritically & unconditionally. That paradigm related to Frankfurt school of though. Three theories come under this paradigm; one is Mass society theory, second is Magic bullet theory and third is Critical theory. All that theories based on assumptions, that all theories shows that media has strong impact on audience and a malignant force within the society. Mass society theory: This theory is related to media and Herbert Marcuse presented this idea. It’s a first media theory and also known as â€Å"Grand Theory†. Mass Society Theory is based on various assumptions. Following are the assumptions of Mass Society Theory: 1. The media are a malignant, cancerous force within society and must be purged or totally restructured. 2. Media have the power to reach out and directly influence the minds of average people. 3. Once people’s minds are corrupted by media, all sorts of bad long-term consequences result – not only bringing ruin to individual lives, but also creating social problems on a vast scale 4. Average people are vulnerable to media because they have been cut off and isolated from traditional institutions that previously protected them from manipulation. 5. The social chaos initiated by media will inevitably be resolved by establishment of a totalitarian social order. 6. Mass media inevitably debase higher forms of culture; br ing about generation decline in civilization. Read more:  Negative Effects of Smartphones on Youth Limited effect paradigm: Limited effect paradigm idea has been associated with Paul Lazarsfeld and his colleagues. They focused on the media effect is measureable, short term and concluded that the media played a limited role in influencing public opinion. The â€Å"Limited-Effects† Model developed by Lazarsfeld and his colleagues from Columbia was highly influential in the development of media studies. The model claims the mass media has â€Å"limited-effects† on audience. Comparison of Mass Society Theory Assumptions with Limited Effect Paradigm 1. The media are a malignant, cancerous force within society and must be purged or totally restructured. The Functional Analysis Theory rejected this assumption as in this theory media is a healthy organization and has a positive role within the society, and Information Flow Theory also discarded this assumption that all information does not consider valuable and 80% people heard and read soft news so the reaction and the negative effect of media is less. 2. Media have the power to reach out and directly influence the minds of average people. Two step flows discarded this assumption, this theory urges media to be less direct and less powerful effects and people are much more affected by opinion leaders rather than media. As in the Information Flow Theory most news are unnoticed by people so how it can affect average people and also in the Attitude Change Theory, society or people cannot change by media. People changed when they want change or change their self. 3. Once people’s minds are corrupted by media, all sorts of bad long-term consequences result – not only bringing ruin to individual lives, but also creating social problems on a vast scale. Attitudes Change Theory discarded this assumption that changing is a complex process and societal change is a slow process. As in a Cognitive Dissonance Theory, anything which is inconsistence that effect is less. Psychological disorder topics have a less effect on audience. One more theory rejected this assumption Functional Analysis Theory says that media role is positive in the society. 4. Average people are vulnerable to media because they have been cut off and isolated from traditional institutions that previously protected them from manipulation. Reinforcement Theory rejected this assumption it says that media act to reinforcement already held beliefs and idea. Change transpire by family, school, church etc and traditional institution are still there and have strong power to stop the individual an society by manipulation. As in Cognitive Consistency Theory people consciously or unconsciously want to see those channels or programs which are of their interest. Two Step Model also discarded this assumption by opinion leaders are attached with our institutions and in the Attitude Change Theory, in human attitude changing these three variables play focal role, 1.the Communicator, 2.communication, 3.situation. 5. The social chaos initiated by media will inevitably be resolved by establishment of a totalitarian social order. Only Innovation Diffusion Theory prop up that assumption. New idea, information introduced in the society by innovators, to spread any new idea is society has five stages by establishment of totalitarian social order the social chaos can be pave. 6. Mass media inevitably debase higher forms of culture; bring about generation decline in civilization. Cognitive Consistency rejected this assumption people always try to hold their existing beliefs so they do not allow to change their culture and values. As Reinforcement Theory, media acts to reinforce the already held and existing beliefs and ideas. It does not disturb society by creating any change. Conclusion: Mass society theory portrait media role is negative and malignant force within the society but there are many other theories which describes that media role is positive and it is a healthy institution like other social institutions. Change always comes, when people want change or try to change themselves. We negated all these assumption by these imperial studies.

An Influenza test

An Influenza test RESULTS: An Influenza test is ordered when a provider suspects the patient has Influenza or if someone else in the family/household has been diagnosed with Influenza or is suspected of having it (Feemster, 2016, pg. 504). If the test result is negative, it would still be sent to the lab for PCR confirmation (Blosser, 2016, pg. 507). The Rapid Influenza test requires a respiratory sample collected on a swab from the nasopharynx or a nasal aspirate (McMullen et al., 2016). HPI The patient presented with a cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea with an onset of 3 days. The physical exam findings of Influenza may include cough, nasal congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, macular or maculopapular rash, or fever (Feemster, 2016, pg. 504). COMPONENTS OF THE RAPID FLU TEST The test detects viral nucleoprotein antigens in respiratory specimens, giving a qualitative result within 15 minutes (McMullen et al., 2016). One downfall of the rapid influenza antigen test is that it has a high number of false-negative results (Cunha Connolly, 2014). Another issue is the sensitivity to detect Influenza A and B; sensitivity for B is lower than A (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).Also, when Influenza activity is low, false positive results can happen as well (McMullen et al., 2016).These tests usually identify as low as 5% and as high as 50% of influenza cases (McMullen et al., 2016). According to the CDC, if an individual is suspected of having Influenza, even if you tested negative, you should not withdraw treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). If an individual tests negative, a viral culture PCR may be sent to confirm. These tests can detect either only Influenza A viruses, or both A B, and either distinguish or not disti nguish between the two (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). There are no rapid influenza diagnostic tests that determine any information about influenza A virus subtypes (Cuhna Connolly, 2014). ABNORMALS IDENTIFIED Rapid Flu positive Influenza B positive and Influenza A negative INTERPRETATION The positive lab result test confirms that the patient has a diagnosis of Influenza B and not Influenza A. A positive result means that the test detected the influenza viral antigen, but it does not mean the person has the Influenza virus or they are contagious (Cuhna Connelly, 2014). A negative result means that the test did not detect any influenza viral antigen (Cuhna Connelly, 2014). Positive results are typically higher when Influenza activity is high and lower when Influenza activity is low (McMullen et al., 2016). You are more likely to have a true positive result if the individual it was collected on had an onset within 4 days (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). PREVENTION/TREATMENT Influenza is highly contagious; it is easily spread through contact. Hand hygiene is key to prevent spreading. Prevention includes receiving the Influenza vaccination annually for 6 months of age and older (Kelly Sandora, 2016, pg 319). It is important children receive the vaccine as soon as it is available before the yearly influenza season starts; they are a major vector for influenza transmission because they tend to contract the virus far more than adults (Blosser, 2016, pg. 490). When a positive result is confirmed, the recommendation/interventions for these positive results include medication treatment and supportive care. Medication treatment may include antiviral treatment, such as neuraminidase inhibitors; they can help shorten the time period and reduce the symptoms (Feemster, 2016, pg. 505). The reason why you would use antiviral medications over antibiotics are because antibiotics are not effective against viral infections like Influenza; antibiotics are generally prescr ibed for bacterial infections. Neuraminidase inhibitors are the recommended antiviral medication for treatment and chemoprophylaxis for Influenza A and Influenza B (Feemster, 2016, pg. 505). However, the effect on antivirals change yearly depending on the virus and strains for the winter season (Blosser, 2016, pg. 508). Medications that are approved for treatment are Tamiflu (Oseltamivir), Relenza (Zanamivir), and Rapivab (Peramivir). Amantadine and Rimantadine are only recommended for influenza A and not Influenza B treatment because it is not effective on Influenza B (Blosser, 2016, pg. 508). The dosages of these medications are determined by the age and weight of the patient. When a patient is diagnosed with Influenza, it is important to provide supportive measures as well. These may include keeping the child well hydrated with plenty of fluids, bed rest, antipyretics for a fever, or decongestants if they are congested (Blosser, 2016, pg. 508). Using a humidifier in the room that the child sleeps in is beneficial as well. Parents should be educated on what signs or symptoms to contact the office or seek further medical attention, such as difficulty breathing, dehydration, or muscle weakness.

How Bismarck used wars to bring about the creation of the new German Essay

How Bismarck used wars to bring about the creation of the new German state.Why was Bismarck successful in unifying Germany when the revolution of 1848 failed to do so - Essay Example At that time, Austria was not willing to recognize a united Germany predominated by Prussia. Thus, a meeting was held at Olmutz by Austrians n the November of 1980 which was torn down by Prussians and thus the contract of Prussian Union was given up. This meeting is seen by the Prussian historians as a disgrace of Olmutz. Significantly, the Prussians were more dominant in Zollverein operations and thus the Germans created a union in 1834 to renaissance to free trade. The five German states, comprising Austria, were not part of Zollverein by 1854. Thus, economic empowerment of Prussia was guaranteed again.2 But, this dominance was achieved by Otto von Bismarck during the era of 1815-1898 for Prussia. He was selected as the President in 1862. He inherited the Prussian nobility or better known as Junkers from his father’s side. A highly conservative person, he succeeded to many diplomatic posts. The times of constitutional crisis marked the beginning of his prime minister career. William I (1861-1888), who was a regent since the year 1858, became the then Prussia King in the year 1861 after his brother’s death. This new king was contemptuous towards army receiving more funds and also was disdainful towards the lower house of legislature. King was reluctant to support the established military and wanted to build up his own army. But, he needed tax revenues for this endeavor. Parliament refused to this notion. Thus Bismarck decided to receive taxes somehow, without the parliamentary consent. The loyal people of Prussia paid the taxes; and the King with Bismarck’s assis tance gave birth to a new army. 3 Bismarck needed a strong military because according to him, military power was more than the power of masses. He blew off the liberal constitutionalism as shown by the Frankfurt Assembly. Being a pragmatist, he devised that force was the ultimate success factor; and being a

Social Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Web - Essay Example There are many ways in which the ICT is affecting the people and the society (Walter, 2001). People are witnessing the developments and innovation in different ICT fields like computers and internet, telecommunications and mobile telephone, mass media, travelling facilities and many more. ICT has very strong and direct impacts upon the human development and society. It not only serves the society as a whole but also tends to improve and develop the individual position of the people. There are several aspects of human and social lives that are facing the ICT effects. ICT developments are reshaping the cultural values of societies. ICT do lot of beneficial functions for the mental growth of humans. It facilitates the people to communicate in better ways, develop good understandings about different things and have deep knowledge and instant information about the events occurring in any part of the world (Kraut, 2006). The social networking sites over the last decade stand as new options provided by ICT that have facilitated the society by providing them interesting and attractive ways of interacting with the people. These sites have provided new and innovative ways of communication to the people having strong impacts upon their ways of interaction with the others. Overall, these sites support the human interaction regardless of space and time differences and make it easier for the people to remain in contact with the people they already know as well as to expand their social circle by finding out people of their interests on these networks. Social Networking Websites and Society The advent of advanced technology has paved the ways for certain new ways of social interaction. People of today’s technology driven world are provided with broad assortment of opportunities of social networking through internet (Wellman, 2007). The dotcom sphere is filled with several social networks striving hard for their survival and popularity among the internet punters. The ap plications like Face book, Twitter, Flickr and MySpace have evolved as popular online social networking means that have succeeded to attain the attention of the considerable portion of internet users through effective management and coherent leadership styles (Kazeniac, 2009). These networks are based on the ideas of providing people a platform to facilitate the process of online social networking however; the interface, interaction means and styles of these networks are notably different from each others. (Wellman, 2007) These applications provide the prospect of social interaction through numerous advanced options however; their approaches towards the attainment of this goal are entirely different that is clearly visible in their interfaces and styles of presenting information and options of maintaining social connections. These networks have picked up distinctive leadership style to lead the group of internet users looking for unique and advanced manners of communication and conn ections. Their distinctive leadership styles and strategies have worked towards maintaining difference in their popularity, effectiveness and stability within the industry. These social networking sites use to place wide range of options in front of the users and these networks are popular among different user groups like youngsters, business professionals, educationalists and households. The reasons behind the success and popularity of these networks include proficient and adequate management of the marketing and operational strategies,

Discusstion 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discusstion 8 - Essay Example ential risk for an Autism Spectrum Disorder and the public measures that could assist in the identification of the people at risk, plan health programs and implement preventative measures. Essentially, evaluating environmental factors in concern to risks of autism requires a depth analysis of human and animal aspects, exposures, medical procedures and alimentary influences (Autism Response Team, 2014). Many of the studies base on exploring the relations between disclosures and body encumbrance approximations and autistic consequences; however, neurological progress of humans and animals is also a considerable factor. Largely, exposure to environmental chemicals is a common risk for a number of autism spectrum disorders that have adverse effects that cause variations in the growth of the neurological system and other parts of the human body and normal function. Many learning and development incapacities in humans result from environmental agents and chemicals such as pesticides, solvents, mercury, ethers among others; moreover, they have a straight effect on the evolving nerves of the human system leading to autism and other related disorders. All the same, these agents do not solely cause the autism spectrum disorders but combine with other environmental factors; though, these factors have minimal impact. Furthermore, research shows that even while combined, the chemicals alone do not cause the related effects. Genes also act as a major determinant for the environmental chemicals’ effects especially because of their variations; typically, some of the people exposed to these chemicals have an increased risk to autism than others (Rodriguez 2014). Triggers to autism vary with the state of an environment and individual factors such as the genes hence creating ample challenges on utterly establishing the core causes. Identification, reduction and prevention of a risk are usually the basis of almost every medical risk factor research. Assertively, implementation

Management Report Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Management Report - Dissertation Example Unlike other resources which an organization deploys people or its staff are live resources that think, have feelings, aspirations, motives and emotions which get nurtured, developed ,frustrated or stunted every now and then. No human would be willing to work with frustrated aspirations or stunted and suppressed feelings. Thus it becomes incumbent on an organization to nurture and develop the feelings, aspirations, emotions of its employees. Recruitment and selection is only the starting point in labeling the potential employee as successful; it is the proper organizational induction process that ensures that the employee catches his breath, looks around the organization, understands its basic and core activities, evaluates the various opportunities and facilities for growth, looks at the responsibilities maps and evaluates the sources available in the organization to carry out the tasks given to him/her in the job card. Thus a proper induction process is the start of the strategic H R function for any organization. A short cut or improper induction process may result in cutting short the employee's overall experience in the organization and may critically affect his overall morale and motivation .A proper induction is also an important step in setting up the employee on a potential path of employee empowerment. A proper orientation can also result in developing leaders among employees. This paper examines the overall strategic HR function in reference to the role of the process of induction and orientation. 9 Building on this focus this paper maintains the following research and Project Learning Objectives 10 Research Objectives 10 The main objectives of the proposed research scheme primarily concerning the impact of induction procedures...A change model built by Ghoshal and Bartlett can be considered for application in the case of MILKO and the suggested induction and onboarding program would set in motion such a change model. This envisages a change from the traditional corporate structure to an organization characterized as an "individualized corporation". This model is built in a manner to provide managers and leaders a perspective from which to deliberate the changes required their organizations. In a traditional corporate structure where compliance, control and contractual employer/employee relationships dominate, the organizations turn bureaucratic and become less hospitable for innovations and quality consciousness. Such organizations present work performance and quality standards which rarely improve from such preset standards. The model radically intends to relocate responsibility and the sense of ow nership to the employee encouraging greater discipline in getting to targets- a process ably supported by requisite systems and visibility of information. In conclusion, this paper took up the study of MILKOS and found through a survey that employee induction efforts had left much to be desired. This paper is an attempt to devise and propose a new induction process that is based upon well-researched theoretical models and concepts that threw out the important dimensions that may be essential to cover in the employee induction program. The paper finally suggests such an ideal induction program and bases it on the realities of MILKOS.

Business & Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business & Employment Law - Essay Example The entering into contract with Fernando by Simon is not legible. In the sale that Fernando entered into had no acceptance into the contract of sales. The offer was made by Simon and accepted by one party2. The seller did not enter to the allowance of the buying by Fernando. The contract was no variation in the terms of offer. Fernando though accepted the offer that was made by Simon did not notify him so that they could agree on the terms of the sales and the services that could be offered by Simon to him after the sales. In the sales there should be intention to be legally bound. The agreement that was to occur between the two parties were not confirmed by the law due to the fact that the agreement between the two was not reviewed. The enforcement was also not done in the basis of the public policy. Simon can be made not liable for the inconveniencies that was caused to Fernando. This is due to the considerations that was not made between the two. The value was worth to the contract that could have been reached between the two but it was not reached. Consideration as an element of an agreement for sale between the two parties was not agreed that could make them being bounded by the law to take the particular exchange of the book. The exchange that was to occur between the two people also was that that could not be held for productive use in the exchange since Simon was not able to receive the mail that was sent to him by Fernando. The exchange between the two was not of like kind since the two were not of the same nature and did not come to the agreement3. Fernando included in the payment for the book other additions that were not recommended and specified by Simon in his advertisement for the sale of the book. The additional charges makes the seller of the book not liable since he did not quote them in the advertisement. The contract that the two came into was void and this makes no

Reading Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading Assessment - Assignment Example The current immigrants are different from the earlier immigrants in the sense that they form the source of terrorists and other ill intention arrivals with an objective of destroying the United States. John Amagoalik quote emphasizes relevance of Nunavut to original inhabitants of Australia and Greenland, Canada. Amagoalik argues that preserving Nunavut would assist Inuit and Aboriginals in protecting the erosion of their culture and history. Therefore, Nunavut existence remains symbolic of Aboriginals and Inuit historical reality. Gurston Dacks quote contradicts ideas advanced by Amagoalik. He argues that Nunavut have no particular value. Dacks, further states that Nunavut existence would only revoke postwar ideals rather than infer benefits to Austrian or Canadian community (Smith, 1971). Clash of civilization theory proposes that post-Cold War would result from peoples’ religious and cultural identities. Media arguments and research findings support clash of civilizations theory. Media reports on continued disagreements between Islam community and the Western countries relates to the theory. Contemporary media news reports that Islamic communities have decided to form militant movements that reject Western values and way of living. Unfolding religious and cultural events prompts for analysis to support clash of civilizations theory. Cultural and religious differences between Islam and Christian community require insightful analysis and professional views to ascertain clash of civilizations

Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Example for Free

Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the travel industry in the last decade. eTourism reflects the digitalisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. It emerges as a term describing the entire range of applications of ICTs on tourism and the implications for the tourism value chain. Major opportunities and challenges have emerged and need to be addressed by all industry players. However, the level of eTourism developments varies between regions, countries and continents. The tourism sector is experiencing an acceptance of ecommerce to the extend that the whole industry structure is changing .The web is used not only for information gathering but also for ordering services .A new type of user is emerging one who acts as his or her own travel agent and build a personalised travel package .This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Meikles Hotel Zimbabwe in order to study the adoption of ecommerce applications on the hospitality sector. 1. Introduction Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism as the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs. The tourism industry requires a diverse range of information and lends itself well to the support offered by developing multimedia, communication technologies and information systems .The internet provides an extra ordinary connectivity and the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively directly with customers at a reasonable cost .Its potential to generate more revenue is not questionable but is acknowledged as something the tourism industry in developing countries needs. According to the World Tourism Organization 2002, Tourism in many developing and least developed countries is the most viable and sustainable economic development option, and in some countries, the main source of foreig n exchange earnings. Implications of the Internet and other growing interactive multimedia platforms for tourism promotion are far reaching and alter the structure of the industry. This research aimed to explore the impact of ICTs and the  Internet in particular for the future competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper explores the current state of eTourism development and examines the use of the Internet in the sector. The rapid development and commercialization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the travel and tourism industry has prompted hotels and other enterprises in this sector to increasingly adopt these technologies. This is based on the expectation that the new ICT based technologies and processes would lead to an improvement in their operating efficiencies and customer service levels. Buhalis, D. (2003: 77). The ICT based products and processes help the hotels to enhance the operating efficiency, improve the service experience as well as provide a means to access markets on a global basis. Brussels, 2005. Says ‘The use of ICTs is a relevant opportunity for growing and strengthening a local tourism industry, and for the development of destinations economies overall. Specifically ICTs have the potential to increase destination incomes for financing economic and social development’. While ICTs were used in the hotel industry from the late seventies in the f orm of Computerized Reservation systems and Global distribution systems, it was only in the 90s that the ICTs began to make a difference in the hospitality sector. Nowadays the internet has turned into an informative channel providing both individuals and organisations with different types of information making them aware of new tourism and old travel opportunities and offers enabling them to compare the offers, have online purchases and provide feedback. It has also turned into a source for travel agencies and organisations to promote their services and products to their potential customers. As the internet is being used worldwide it was important for Meikles hotel to implement hence the creation of its web site www.meikles.com Meikles Hotel Meikles Hotel is situated in the heart of Harare and overlooks the historic landmark and colourful flower gardens of Africa Unity Square. According to Experience Zimbabwe, Meikles is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel is a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a prestigious hospitality organisation which represents some of the worlds most acclaimed hotels, spas and resorts. Established in 1928, the organisation exists to meet the needs of discerning travellers and for a  hotel to be recognised by this body, it needs to exceed every expectation and achieve exacting standards of excellence. Executive chairman Mr Onias Makamba says ‘Meikles Hotel has won the prestigious Association of Zimbabwean Travel Agents (AZTA) award for Best City Hotel in Zimbabwe for an astonishing 15 consecutive years’. This award is voted on by AZTA members and is based on feedback given to travel agents by their many clients across the world. Probl em Definition There have been a lot of changes in the rapid growing world of technology. Changes in the technological world have made organizations to change the way they conduct their day to day business in order to provide satisfactory services delivery. Effective delivery of service is defined by Martin (2004) as providing products and services that bring utility to users and customers. E-tourism is offering significant benefits for organizations that integrate the technology into their organizational information systems. This versatile technology improves information quality and accessibility, increases operational efficiency (service delivery) and enhances effective management (Maamar, 2006). Despite these highly perceived benefits of e-tourism its adoption has been relatively slow in Zimbabwe. Currently, there are no studies which have been carried out in Zimbabwe to identify the benefits and challenges of adopting ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence it is the ideal time to ca rry out an investigation on the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Objectives The key objective of this research has been to examine the Adoption of ICT in the tourism industry mainly looking at Meikles Hotel in Zimbabwe .In particular the research examines the level of ICT diffusion in tourism enterprises. Another objective is to Identify the factors affecting E-tourism in Zimbabwe The paper also assesses how eTourism concepts and techniques can contribute towards the improvement of the Zimbabwe tourism competitiveness. RESEARCH QUESTIONS I. At what rate is ICT being adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe? II. What factors are encouraging or discouraging the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry of Zimbabwe. 2. Literature  review Literature review is a â€Å"systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by other scholars† (Khan, 2008, p.41). The literature review focuses on the impacts of ICTs on tourism and the eCommerce developments in Zimbabwe. It also includes a brief section on Tourism in Zimbabwe which provides the contextual environment that determines the requirements for eTourism in the country. 2.1 ICT Developments and eCommerce in Zimbabwe There are various factors that have affected the adoption of ecommerce in Zimbabwe, these include : Software development tools are still evolving .It is difficult to integrate Internet and e-commerce software with some existing (especially legacy) applications and databases .Special web servers are needed in addition to the network servers, which add to the cost of ecommerce. The Standard June 5, 2011 says the adoption of the multiple currency system in 2009 presented a strong opportunity for the growth of e-commerce in Zimbabwe. It said Zimbabwe now had a chance to catch up with the rest of the world if the financial and retail sectors took the lead. Internet accessibility is still expensive and or inconvenient .Powertel Communications, a government owned internet provider, is one of the 12 POTRAZ licensed Internet Access Providers in Zimbabwe. In June 2014 Powertel mobile broadband price were $50/month .The price of the modem $45.Every Zimbabwean cannot afford these prices. The Fin ancial Gazette 3 Oct 2013 states Despite the growth of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, which has seen internet penetration rising from five to 47 percent in the past five years, the cost of accessing the internet still remains high. The improved internet penetration is largely credited to the ICT Strategic Plan crafted by the then ministry of ICT under Nelson Chamisa. Customers’ attitudes towards online shopping remain skeptical, mainly because of worries about product quality, product delivery, and security and privacy issues (Ghazali et al., 2006; Scott Scott, 2008). People do not yet  sufficiently trust paperless, faceless transactions .Payment security and privacy concerns are one of the major non technological barriers that prevent consumers from completing transactions online Lack of trust in e-commerce and in unknown sellers hinders buying. Online fraud is also increasing. Some customers like to feel and touch products. They are afraid that if they purchase without actually touching the products they might not get exactly what they ordered. Also, customers are resistant to the change from shopping at a brick-and-mortar store to a virtual store. The lack of stand ­ards in technology and its applications eventually increases the cost of system integration for effective and efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Large hospitality corporations have invested to transform their systems into a total netware system; however, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate the systems due to a shortage of financial sources Factors Determining the Adoption of ICTs In Zimbabwean Hotels There are a number of factors that affect the adoption of ICT in hotels these will be discussed below. In the hotel industry, the geographic location of a hotel has a major impact on its operations and profitability. The geographical location of a hotel would greatly determine the profile of its visitors, the size of its market and the level of competition that it has to face. A hotel will therefore be more inclined to adopt ICTs if it expects the ICT based facilities to either provide greater competitive advantage or to blunt the advantage enjoyed by its competitors considering the characteristics of its customer profile, its market size and the intensity of competition that it has to face. Thus based on the profile of a hotel’s visitors, the size of the market, or the intensity of competition, hotels may differ in their levels of ICT adoption propensity. The market size, in terms of the number of tourists who visit the location, will also be a significant factor that affects ICT adoption , since hotels  in smaller underdeveloped destinations may need to use the internet and other ICT based technologies to a greater degree to reach out to the global population than hotels located in developed destinations. According to Bajaj and Nag (2005) a range of advanced ICT systems such as Decision Support System (DSS) can be applied to gain substantial benefits on practical levels not only by large organisations, but also by small and medium-sized business organisations as well. Bajaj and Nag (2005) argue that DSS integration by small and medium-sized organisations can assist management by generating a set of alternative solution options to management problems of various levels complexities The competition level among the hotels in a location, can also influence the adoption of ICTs. The general occupancy rate in the location is an indicator of the competitive intensity among the hotels in a location. High levels of occupancy rate at a location imply that the competition is low, and the hotels can expect to get their rooms filled with relative ease while low levels of occupancy point towards higher levels of competition to attract customers between the hotels in the location. High levels of competition may prompt the hotels to aggressively use ICT based technologies both for attracting customers as well as to increase the efficiency of its operations. The size of the hotel has an important effect on ICT adoption. Effective adoption of several ICT technologies requires a substantial investment of resources. Lack of resources may affect the inclination of small hotels to adopt costly ICTs and therefore large hotels can be expected to be more inclined to ICTs. Further the risky nature of investing in new technologies may prompt small hotels to wait till the technology has stabilized before investing in it. Another aspect of the hotel size that can influence adoption of ICTs is the inclination to change within the organization. Large hotels have been found to be more resistant to change than small firms. This fact tends to suggest that large hotels are less inclined to adopt ICTs than small hotels as long as the investment required is not a consideration. The scope of activities that the hotel is engaged in can also influence adoption of ICTs. Since ICTs enable an effective integration of activities of an organization, hotels with varied lines of activities would find more use in the adoption of ICTs than hotels with a relatively lesser span of activities. 2.2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Tourism sector The internet has become a key application in the tourism industry. Tourism providers have been using the internet to communicate, distribute and market their products to potential customers worldwide in a cost- and time-efficient way. In fact, the individual company website had become the most important platform for e-commerce, followed by electronic markets. The main focus of e-business processes in the tourism industry has been on customer facing activities and services, i.e. primarily e-marketing and e-sales. Online booking and reservation services were widely accepted among consumers and business travell ers already in 2005. Similarly, online purchasing had become a relatively well-used application in the tourism sector. Parsons and Oja (2013) mention online reservations systems as one of the greatest impacts of ICT on tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strate ­gic practices dramatically in tourism .The tourism indus ­try at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world. In this section, we will provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. 2.2.1 Electronic tourism (e-tourism) It is the application of ICTs on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). Buhalis (2003) suggests that e-tourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-com ­merce and applies ICTs for maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourism  organi ­sation. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionises all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organisations with all their stakeholders. E-tourism determines the competitiveness of the organisation by taking advantage of intranets for reorganising internal processes, extranets for developing transactions with trusted partners and the Internet for interacting with all its stakeholders and customers. The e-tourism concept includes all business functions (i.e., e-commerce, e-marketing, e-finance and e-accounting, eHRM, e-procurement, e-production) as well as e-strategy, e-planning and e-management for all sectors of the tourism industry, including tourism, travel, transport, leisure, hospitality, principals, intermediaries and public sector organisations. Hence, e-tourism bundles together three distinctive disciplines: business management, information systems and management, and tourism. II.2.2 Computer reservation system (CRS) The 1989 CRS Regulation51 defined a computerized reservation system as a system for reserving and booking seats on commercial flights electronically, as well as storage and retrieval of itineraries. Several airlines own and market such systems, which are used by travel agents. A few include: Sabre (produced by American Airlines), Amadeus, and Worldspan. It is a database which enables a tourism organisation to manage its inventory and make it accessible to its partners. Principals utilise CRSs to manage their inventory and distribute their capacity as well as to manage the drastic expansion of global tourism. CRSs often charge competitive commission rates while enabling flexible pricing and capacity alterations, to adjust supply to demand fluctuations. Airlines pioneered this technology, although hotel chains and tour operators followed by developing centralised reservation systems. CRSs can be characterised as the â€Å"circulation system† of the tourism product. II.2.3 Global distribution systems (GDSs) The business dictionary defines a global distribution system as a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related  items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The premier global distribution systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups. Also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).Since the mid 1980s, airline CRSs developed into GDSs by gradually expanding their geographical coverage as well as by integrating both horizontally, with other airline systems, and vertically by incorporating the entire range of principals, such as accommodation, car rentals, train and ferry ticketing, entertainment and other provisions. In the early 1990s, GDSs emerged as the major driver of ICTs, as well as the back bone of the tourism industry and the single most important facilitator of ICTs globalisation (Sheldon, 1993). In essence, GDSs matured from their original development as airline CRSs to travel supermar ­kets. Since the late 1990s GDSs have emerged as business in their own right, specialising in travel distribution. 2.2.4 Intermediaries Intermediaries (brokers) play an important role in commerce by providing value-added activities and services to buyers and sellers. The most well-known intermediaries in the physical world are wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, intermediaries of the travel industry have been outbound and inbound travel agencies and tour operators. However, the Internet restructured the entire touristic value chain, forcing the existing intermediaries to take up the new medium and to develop corresponding business models. 2.2.5 e-Travel agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Andreas Papatheodorou – (2006) Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. GDSs help construct complicated itineraries, while  they provide up-to-date schedules, prices and availability information, as well as an effective reservation method. In addition, they offered internal management modules integrating the â€Å"back office† (accounting, commission monitor, personnel) and â€Å"front office† (customers’ history, itinerary construction, ticketing and communication with suppliers). Multiple tr avel agencies in particular experience more benefits by achieving better coordination and control between their remote branches and headquarters. Transactions can provide invaluable data for financial and operational control as well as for marketing research, which can analyze the market fluc ­tuations and improve tactical decisions Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ‘Property management systems (PMSs)’ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the â€Å"back† and â€Å"front† of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing func ­tions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management re ­quests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged.This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates res ­ervations through several distribution channels 2.3 Tourism in Zimbabwe In the past, tourism contributed significantly to the GDP of Zimbabwe, and created many employment and business opportunities for locals in the 1990s. But it has faced a great decline since 2000. A number of Zimbabwean tourist attractions are marketed online by South African companies and they have created an impression to some international tourists that they are located in South Africa. E-tourism has always seemed like a no-brainer for Zimbabwe, as money can be paid direct to hotels and suppliers. But obstacles like the lack of access to communication in remote areas, uncertain electricity availability, high cost of bandwidth, the lack of integrated, real-time reservation systems and local online payment gateways have thus far stymied progress. However, with the arrival of voice and data-oriented telecommunications in some remote tourist areas, there is more access to information via websites by foreign tourists looking for a good holiday resort. In other parts of Africa, arrival o f cheaper bandwidth has lessened the barriers to communication and the world’s Online Travel Agencies like Expedia are showing a real interest in the continent. Ten years ago no-one was talking about online tourism. The tourism trade tended to focus on going to big trade events like World Tourism Markets, with brochures and doing support advertising in key markets. The travel agents tended to suggest where people went and to some extent picked the destinations. As a result, a great deal of the revenues went to large, international hotel chains and not much of the money was retained locally. According to The Zimbabwean (22 June 2011) 56% of travel globally is booked online and the rise of the Online Travel Agents has been unstoppable. These OTAs, as they are known in the trade, include Expedia, Travelocity, Lastminute.com and Bookings.com who have significant market share in Africa. Expedia has actually opened an office to focus on Africa. It goes on to say In 2005, less than 2% of tourism revenues in Africa came from online booking. In 2010, buoyed by the World Cup, that percentage rose to 5% and looks set to go to somewhere between 15-20% by 2016. The World Cup may have been a one-off boost but it accelerated the growth of online tourism in South Africa. 50% of Americans read an online review before booking internationally and that’s usually  either Trip Advisor or Facebook. (Trip Advisor is now owned by Expedia). Most internatio nal travellers have credit cards and increasingly expect to be able to book online for anything from the smallest travel lodge to the largest hotel chain. So what are the barriers? The missing piece was e-commerce. There used to be no route for doing online transactions in other countries in Africa including Zimbabwe. Online distribution by the OTAs requires a reservation system that offers real-time availability. OTAs won’t do business with you unless you have that. In Zimbabwe there are few tourist resorts offering e-commerce reservation and booking services. Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls offer online booking and payment services, which have attracted a large number of tourists over the years. The second missing piece was the ability and tools to do online marketing. The companies needed marketing skills, especially with social media. Today’s tourist wants to hear from other travellers (through Facebook and Trip Advisor) and are not that interested in what the hotel has to say. For example, hotel chains Africa Sun and Cresta Hotels have invested in websites and Facebook groups where reviews are easily accessible to prospective tourists. Now that the data oriented communication and cheaper bandwidth is slowly becoming available throughout the country, telcos and ISPs need to focus specifically on those industry sectors that are most likely to make the online transition fastest. It must be possible in the near future for a herita ge site in Binga to be marketed online to the world and attract visitors. 3. Research Methodology To fulfil the objectives of this research a number of methods were used. Both primary and secondary data were therefore essential. Given the dynamic nature of the subject area, multiple primary research approaches were adopted, including both qualitative and quantitative methods (Phillip, 1998). Bryman (1998) explains that the two methods are complementary rather than competing, especially for exploratory research. The researcher made use of the internet and some library books to carry out the research and establish the solutions to the research objectives .First a qualitative approach was adopted in order to enable the appreciation of all aspects of the subject and to develop a set of the most critical variables  to be included afterwards into a questionnaire. The main objective was to objectively establish the level of eCommerce and the on-line representation of Zimbabwean tourism. The second stage involved semi-structured interviews aimed to elicit critical issues and to explore the key factors that determine the development of eTourism in Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews are considered as the most appropriate method to obtain information about perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. Judgmental sampling was employed and interviewees were selected as pioneers in eTourism in Zimbabwe, as determined by their online presence assessed in the previous phase of the research. Owners and marketing managers of organisations that run innovative web sites, as demonstrated by the methods used to interact with their clientele, were targeted and an interview was requested. The sample was chosen to include interviewees who would be informed, reflecting their particular experience and outlook on the research area. Twenty five telephone contacts were made and 28 interviews were finally conducted, which resulted in a 51% response rate .The reasearcher also made use of the questionnaires. The questionnaires designed by the researcher had both open ended questions thus allowing a respondent to fully express the answer and closed questions which only provided simple choice of answer such as yes or no. Questionnaires were used by the researcher because they saved time and they were an inexpensive way of surveying a cross section of people. Questionnaires allowed the researcher to guide the respondent along the lines regarding the topic under study and responses obtained from closed ended questions are easy to analyze. Questionnaires allowed the respondents to give freely the confidential information since the respondents were not required to disclose their identity. The researcher favoured the use of questionnaires because the analysis of data from close-ended question was easy. However data collection through the use of questionnaires required a significant commitment, expertise, time and material resources. The researcher also noted that questionnaires were highly inflexible as they gave no room to rephrase questions, furthermore, some questions remained unanswered and it affected the research findings. The researcher used simple wording in the questionnaires so that the respondents would not fail to understand the questions, that is, the researcher used simple wording to elaborate the meanings of what was being asked and required. The researcher also used face to face interviews. The researcher employed structured interviews to obtain detailed and specific information from the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Mr Mzembi. The questions presented to the Minister sought to determine the factors affecting adoption of ICTs in Zimbabwean hotel and also how far Zimbabwean hotels are in terms of adoption of ICTs. The interview also sought to discover challenges to implementing ICTs and compliance at different hotels. The interview process proved time consuming and required persistence since the honourable Minister was a busy person and he was not easily available. The actual interview session had a length of 15 minutes due to the Minister’s busy schedule. To avoid inconveniences, an appointment via e-mail and telephone call prior to interviewing visit was made. Goodman (2003) states that certain biases exist due to the tendency by the interviewer to ask wrong questions and be supplied with answers he expects to get. The researcher eliminated such errors by avoiding leading questions and taking a listener approach instead of providing suggestions. Probing was only applied as a means of seeking clarifications. This technique was used because interviews are highly flexible and the researcher was able to rephrase the questions to make the respondent understand better. Dennis (2003), states that an interview is whereby the researcher and the respondents discuss verbally with each other either face to face, over the phone or over the internet. Interviews allow probing on open ended questions, clarifications on ambiguous questions and sequencing of questions is easily changed. However, the researcher noted that interviews were costly to run in terms of money and they are time consuming because the interviewee was a busy person hence the need of an appointment and the need of a telephone call reminding the interviewee about the appointment before the  time. The researcher also noted that the interview failed to give anonymity to the respondent, hence, there was a greater chance of being given biased information. RESULTS Eight hotels participated in the survey Meikles hotel, Holiday inn (Bulawayo), Victoria falls, Regency Fairmile, Kadoma hotel, Midlands hotel. At the outset the author quotes from a number of previous reports, which indicate that ICT has not been implemented effectively in the hospitality industry Evidence from the literature review has shown that there are a number of factors, which affect technology adoption. These factors include organisational readiness, external pressure, internal expertise, support of owner or manager, user participation, efficient and effective use of any external expertise. The barriers which were uncovered by the research: IT management training, dependency on outside experts and size and scale of enterprise are all directly related to the ‘other’ factors which influence ICT adoption. The level of significance of these barriers varies between the tourism sub-sectors surveyed. This study has added new knowledge in terms of the significance of a n umber of further barriers to ICT adoption. They include peripheral or rural location, security concerns, cost issues, lack of capital, and personal background of the owner manager. A closer analysis of findings has revealed that although technology is available, some of it is obsolete or not necessarily functional. Hotels possessed various outdated versions of software packages which did not seem to serve them well. . The mode of Internet bookings is an important determinant of their success. A lot of Internet booking systems generates a booking in email format rather than integrating into the hotel’s reservation system online. This obviously limits the usefulness of these systems. DISCUSSION The adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast; this was noted by the stakeholder preparedness to harness it. Meikles hotel being a  five star hotel recognised internationally, this pushes them to move along with technological changes. Meikles hotel is interested in improving in their service provision through the use of e-commerce, and the results of this study show that this is being done at a fast pace. The top management at Meikles hotel are quite literate hence the adoption of ICT is faster compared to other hotels .The C.E.O is a holder of an honours degree in Computer science .Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. Meikles hotel has a website developed and maintained by an inhouse programmer .Their website is user friendly and they have all the information that one needs about the hotel. Meikles hotel started offering wireless network services to guest in 2006.They use Fidelio management system which integrates all the information from the reservations, banqueting, finance departments and the restaurants. They use point of sale systems. CONCLUSION It can be noted that the adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast and it has been done to a very large extent. Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. References Buhalis, D (1998), â€Å"Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industry†, Tourism Management, Vol.19, pp.409-421. Connolly D. J and Olsen M. D(2000) â€Å"An Environmental Assessment of How Technology is reshaping the Hospitality Sector†, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol.3 (1), pp.73 to93. Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S (1998) Tourism Principles and Practice, Pearson, Essex. Hoontrakul and Sahadev (2005*) â€Å"Determinants of E-commerce Usage in the Hotel Buhalis, D. (1997) Information technologies as a strategic tool for economic, cultural and environmental benefits enhancement of tourism at destination regions. Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3 (1), 71-93. Buhalis, D. (2003). eTourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. London, UK: Pearson (Financial Times/Prentice Hall). Morrison, A., Taylor, S., Morrison, A., and Morrison, A. (1999) Marketing small hotels on the world web 2 (2), 97–113. O’Connor, P. (2000) Using Computers in Hospitality, 2nd edition. London: Cassell. Peacock, M. (1995) Information Technology in Hospitality. London: Cassell. O’Connor, P. and Frew, A. (2000) Evaluating electronic channels of distribution in the hotel sector: a Delphi study. Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (3/4), 177–193. O’Connor, P. and Horan, P. (1999) An analysis of web reservations facilities in the top 50 international hotel chains. International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology, 1 (1), 77–87.

Energy Efficiency: Directives and Legislation

Energy Efficiency: Directives and Legislation 2.1 Introduction The debate is ongoing, but there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that mans activities are causing significant climate change. Climate change has the potential to affect all aspects of life on earth and will have major detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts. The best response to these challenging issues is to change. Change the way we think. Change the way we act. (Get source) 2.2 Background to Directives for Climate Change The International climate change agenda containing the Directives and Legislation that drives for energy efficiency began in 1992 with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The objectives of the UNFCCC were to: stabilise the atmospheric greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climatic system, to be achieved in a time frame to ensure food production is not threatened and to enable economic development proceeds in a sustainable manner. The UNFCCC is the parent treaty of the Kyoto Protocol (1997) which was developed to implement the UNFCCC effectively and properly. (www.euroace.org/reports) Irelands relation to the Kyoto Protocol is outlined in the subsequent sub-chapter. In December 2007, the latest climate change conference took place in Bali, Indonesia and it included representatives of over 180 countries. The two week period included the sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, as well as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The ‘Bali Roadmap was adopted from the conference which charts the course for a new negotiating process to be concluded by 2009 that will lead to a post 2012 international agreement on climate change. The next meeting of the parties to the climate change convention is scheduled to take place on December 2008 in Poland. After the Kyoto Protocol was established, Europe needed to take action to succeed in cutting its greenhouse gas emissions to 8% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, as required by the Kyoto Protocol. This action was taken by launching the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) in June 2000 which was then ratified in October 2005. The main goal of the ECCP was to develop all of the necessary elements of an EU strategy to implement the Kyoto Protocol. From this European Climate Change Programme, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD 2003) was developed. This is explained in chapter 2.4 of this text. (www.euroace.org/reports) In order for Ireland to meet its Kyoto target of limiting the increase of greenhouse gas emissions to 13% above 1990 levels by 2008-2012, a National Climate Change Strategy was implemented. 2.3 Ireland and the Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was adopted to tackle the threat of climate change. It contains legally binding greenhouse gas emission targets for developed countries for the post 2000 period. The Protocol promises to move the international community one step closer to achieving the Conventions (UNFCCC) ultimate objective of preventing man-made interference with the climate system. As a first step towards tackling the threat of climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) required developed countries to put in place policies and measures with objectives of returning emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by the end of the decade. However, in recognition of the need to take more substantial and urgent action, industrialised or developed countries committed to reduce their combined emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 5% compared to 1990 levels by the first commitment period 2008-2012. The protocol came into force on 16 February 2005. As of November 2007, 174 parties have ratified the protocol. Of these, 36 developed countries are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the levels specified for each of them in the treaty. The EU has an overall reduction target of 8% below 1990 levels and has agreed a burden sharing agreement that recognises the different economic circumstances of each member state.   Irelands target is to limit the increase in its greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol to 13% above 1990 levels by 2008-2012. To date Ireland has struggled to get on target and at this stage looks unlikely to meet the 13% figure. With the help of the National Climate Change Strategy and the Protocol flexible mechanisms, this target may yet be achieved. The National Climate Change Strategy 2007- 2012 provides the national policy framework for addressing greenhouse gas emission reductions and ensuring that Ireland meets its target for the purpose of the Kyoto Protocol. Ireland may achieve their individual targets through domestic actions and use of flexible mechanisms provided for in the Protocol. The Government has decided that it will use the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanisms to purchase up to 3.607 million Kyoto Units in each year of the 2008-2012 period. (www.environ.ie) 2.3.1 Kyoto Protocol Flexible Mechanisms / Emissions Trading An important part of the Kyoto Protocol was the introduction of three flexible mechanisms to reduce the costs of achieving emission reductions for the member states with emission reduction or limitation targets. The mechanisms enable Parties to purchase Kyoto Units from other Parties or to invest in cost-effective opportunities to reduce emissions. While the cost of reducing emissions varies considerably between projects and between countries, the effect for the atmosphere of limiting emissions is the same no matter where the action occurs. The three mechanisms are outlined below: Joint Implementation (JI) This is provided for under Article 6 of the Protocol, and enables Parties with reduction commitments to implement projects that reduce emissions in other member states with reduction commitments, in return for credits. The tradable unit under the JI mechanism is an Emissions Reductions Unit (ERU). Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) This is provided for under Article 12 of the protocol and enables Parties with targets to participate in projects that reduce emissions in those Parties that do not have targets under the protocol. This mechanism is aimed at developing countries. Credits generated using the CDM mechanism can be used by the investing Party for compliance purposes. The tradable unit under the CDM mechanism is a Certified Emissions Reduction (CER). International Emissions Trading This is provided under Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol and enables Parties or member states that have a greenhouse gas emissions limitation or reduction target under the Protocol to acquire Kyoto Units from those Parties that have reduced their emissions beyond their target under the Protocol. The tradable unit under emissions trading is an Assigned Amount Unit (AAU). The National Treasury Management Agency is the designated purchasing agent for Ireland and will administer and manage purchases of Kyoto Units on behalf of the Government. A dedicated Carbon Fund has been established for this purpose. All purchases will be made in accordance with the following objectives: That they contribute to the ultimate objective of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change That risk is minimised, particularly in relation to the timely delivery of credits That they represent good value for money The National Treasury Management Agency will use the following mechanisms to purchase Kyoto Units: Direct purchase of Kyoto Units from other Kyoto Protocol member states Direct investment in joint implementation and clean development project activities Direct market purchases of Kyoto Units Any surplus Kyoto Units held by the State at the end of the 2008-2012 commitment period can be banked and used in a subsequent commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol or any successor treaty. (National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government) Below is a graph illustrating the total greenhouse gas emissions for all sectors of all the member states up to 2005. As we can see, Ireland is somewhat off reaching its Kyoto target. 2.4 The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2.4.1 Introduction â€Å"Energy performance demands in the building sector within the EU range from rather demanding energy regulations and already established energy certification schemes in countries like Denmark and Germany, to the situation in countries like France and Spain with low regulation demands and without certification processes established at national level† (Casal, 2006). EU legislation and policies, implemented through the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD), aim to provide a more uniform approach to implementing building energy saving measures and reaching Co2 emission goals. Each member state is required to translate and implement the policies and guidelines within the context of its legal and economic framework. The EPBD was enacted by the European Union in line with the Kyoto Protocol to: reduce European building energy consumption by 10 per cent by 2010 and 20 per cent by 2020; complete energy ratings of 2 million existing buildings by 2010; and cut Co2 emissions by 45 million tonnes by 2010 (Casal, 2006). The directive is the first move to target buildings specifically to reduce emissions and overall energy consumption in the construction sector. 2.4.2 Overview of the EPBD The EPBD is a legislative act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve particular results with respect to the energy performance of buildings. The directive 2002/91/EC (EPBD, 2003) of the European Parliament and Council on energy efficiency of buildings was adopted by member states and the European Parliament on 16th December 2002 and came into force on 4th January 2003. This directive is a very important legislative component of energy efficiency activities of the European Union designed to meet the Kyoto commitment. The directive concerns a large number of participants on all levels with different impacts and different motivations: designers, housing associations, architects, providers of building appliances, installation companies, building experts, owners, and tenants effectively all energy consumers in the European Union. It will greatly affect awareness of energy use in buildings, and is intended to lead to substantial increases in investments in energy efficiency measures within these buildings. The EPBD has created a great challenge for the transformation of the European building sector towards energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources. The 4th of January 2006 was the official deadline by which the 25 member states had to transpose the directive. 2.4.3 Objectives and Requirements of EPBD The objective of the EPBD is to improve the energy performance of buildings within the community, taking into account outdoor climate conditions as well as indoor climate requirements and cost effectiveness. The directive lays down requirements regarding: The framework for a methodology of calculation of the integrated energy performance of buildings The application of minimum requirements on the energy performance of new buildings The application of minimum requirements on the energy performance of large existing buildings that are subject to major renovation The energy performance certification of buildings The regular inspection of boilers, an assessment of the heating installation in which the boilers are more than 15 years old and an inspection of air conditioning systems in buildings The requirements for experts and inspectors for the certification of buildings, the drafting of the accompanying recommendations and the inspection of boilers and air conditioning systems. The requirements of each member state are set out in the EPBD under different articles. (EPBD, 2002) 2.4.4 Summary of Articles 2.4.4.1 Adoption of a methodology Each member state is required to have a method of calculating the energy performance of buildings. This calculation method can be set at a national or a regional level. This is an extract of the directive on article 3: ‘Member States shall apply a methodology, at national or regional level, of calculation of the energy performance of buildings on the basis of the general framework set out in the Annex. Parts 1 and 2 of this framework shall be adapted to technical progress in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(2), taking into account standards or norms applied in member state legislation. This methodology shall be set at national or regional level. The energy performance of a building shall be expressed in a transparent manner and may include a CO2 emission indicator (EPBD, 2002) 2.4.4.2 Setting of energy performance requirements These minimum requirements shall be reviewed every five years. Some categories of buildings may be exempted from the requirements. These include: Protected buildings and monuments Buildings used as places of worship Temporary buildings Residential buildings intended to be used for less than 4 months of the year Stand alone buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50m ² 2.4.4.3 Setting of energy performance requirements for new buildings Each member state will set minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings. For large new buildings with a floor area of over 1000m ² member states should consider alternative energy systems before construction starts. These include: Decentralised energy supply systems based on renewable energy CHP (combined heat and power) District or block heating or cooling, if available Heat pumps, under certain conditions The consideration of the alternative energy systems should take technical, environmental and economic feasibility into account. 2.4.4.4 Setting of energy performance requirements for existing buildings Each member state will ensure that when buildings over 1000m ² undergo major renovation that their energy performance is upgraded to meet minimum requirements. The minimum standards may be applied to the whole building or limited to the renovated part. 2.4.4.5 Energy performance certificate Each member state must ensure that when a building is constructed that an energy performance certificate is made available to the owner. When a building is sold or rented out an energy performance certificate must be made available to the prospective buyer or tenant. The certificate is valid for 10 years. For buildings over 1000m ² occupied by public authorities, an energy certificate must be placed in a prominent place clearly visible to the public. 2.4.4.6 Independent experts Member States shall ensure that the certificate of buildings, the drafting of the accompanying recommendations and the inspection of boilers and air-conditioning systems are carried out in an independent manner by qualified or accredited experts, whether operating as sole traders or employed by public or private enterprise bodies. (EPBD, 2002) Implementing EPBD in Ireland 2.5.1 Building Control Act 2007 The Building Control Act provides for the legal transposition of the EUs Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) into Irish law. This will lead to energy efficiency becoming an important aspect of design concern for all buildings, both residential and non-residential. It is essential that the general public and companies involved in the industry understand the impact of the directive on residential and commercial property in Ireland. The Act requires that there will have to be mandatory building energy rating (BER) certificates for some buildings. This means that when a building is constructed, sold or rented out, the owner must provide a BER certificate to the prospective buyer or tenant. The BER will be accompanied by an advisory report setting out recommendations for cost-effective improvements to the energy performance of the building. This is further explained in chapter 3. ‘‘The successful implementation of the directive will require that systems are in place to guarantee the day-to-day delivery of assessment and inspection services by qualified people in a way that is consistent, practical and cost efficient, and with acceptable response times that maintain levels of service in the construction and property markets. (www.lkshields.ie/htmdocs/publications/newsletters) www.sei.ie www.epbd.ie http://www.euroace.org/reports/CIBSE_EUBD.pdf Casal, X.G. (2006), ‘‘Analysis of building energy regulation and certification in Europe: their role, limitations and differences, Energy and Buildings, Vol. 38 No.5, pp.381-92 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2002

Analysis of Stings by Sylvia Plath :: Stings Essays

In lines 51-60 of â€Å"Stings,† imagery, allusion, and antithesis are employed by the author, Sylvia Plath, to develop her attitude towards men. In this section of â€Å"Stings,† Plath uses the â€Å"queen bee† as a symbol of herself -- a fiery, angry, vengeful daughter who rises up in spite of the man (her husband Ted) described in lines 38-50. Because much of Plath’s work is confessional poetry, it can be analyzed not only by her use of poetic devices but by her personal history as well. This poem was written on 21 May 1962, the day after a weekend visit by some friends of the family, the Wevils. Sylvia sensed an attraction between her husband Ted and Assia Wevil, which may have provided the motivation for much of â€Å"Stings.† Lines in this section of the poem, especially lines 51-52 (â€Å"They thought death was worth it, but I / Have a self to recover, a queen†) indicate Sylvia’s desire to assert her independence, not only from Ted but from all the other female bees, who die when they sting -- â€Å"sting† in this case meaning sacrificing themselves for men. From this standpoint, â€Å"Stings† can be seen as a feminist work as well as an â€Å"anti-Ted† poem. In lines 51-60, Plath uses several poetic devices to express this feminist theme and the anti-Ted theme. Lines 55-58 state: â€Å"With her lion-red body / her wings of glass / Now she is flying / More terrible than she ever was, red / Scar in the sky, red comet.† In these lines, her feminist attitude is revealed in large part by color imagery. â€Å"Red† is used in lines 55, 57, and 58 to express her independent lust, strength and power (archetypally, red symbolizes male strength, ex. Mars as the red planet). The lion-red queen emerging from all of the worker bees echoes the lines 82-84 of â€Å"Lady Lazarus,† in which Plath alludes to the Phoenix: â€Å"Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air.† Her allusion to the emerging â€Å"lion-red body† in line 55 accomplishes the same purpose. However, in the same line, Plath uses antithesis to assert her femininity as well -- â€Å"wings of glass† seems to express her delicate nature in contrast with the power of the â€Å"lion.† The final lines, lines 59 and 60, of the poem reveal more of her contempt towards Ted.

Symbols and Symbolism in A Tale of Two Cities - Symbolic Events Essay

Symbolic Events in A Tale of Two Cities      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many events that take place in A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, foreshadow upcoming obstacles and give insight into the hardships of the townspeople. Symbolic events occur which describe the vengefulness of the peasants towards the aristocrats. The novel contains many events, which have symbolic value. Many of the symbols have to do with the inevitable clash between the aristocrats and peasants. These events foreshadow the war that is soon to become reality.    The first apparent symbolic event is the broken wine cask. A large cask of wine drops and breaks in the street and the people of St. Antoine stop their daily business to drink the wine from the ground. "Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear around the mouth" (Dickens 33). The people are very poor and live in poor conditions. They will do anything for something to eat or drink and the broken wine cask provides proof. The Marquis de Evremonde kills Gaspard's son and confesses that he would wil...

Essay --

Cloud Computing Cloud computing is a type of computing that depends on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal device to handle applications. In cloud computing, the word cloud is used as a metaphor for â€Å"the internet†. So the cloud computing means â€Å"a type of internet-based computing†, where different services such as servers, storage and applications are delivered to an organization’s computers and devices through the internet. It allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installation and access their personal files at any computer with internet access. E.g. Yahoo mail, Gmail, Hotmail. Cloud computing is provides on-demand self-service. Service Models:- A cloud service is any resource that is provided over the internet. Service delivery in cloud computing comprises three different service models. †¢ Software-as-a-service (Saas):- Saas is the model in which an application is hosted as a service to customers who access it via the internet. E.g. Google docs, salesforce.com, CRM, ERP, email, social networking. It provides significant efficiencies in cost and delivery in exchange for minimal customization and represents a shift of operational risks from the consumer to the provider. User of Saas offering usually has neither knowledge nor control about the underlying infrastructure. †¢ Platform-as-a-service(Paas):- This kind of cloud computing provides development environment as a service. The consumer can use the middleman’s equipment to develop his own program and deliver it to the users through internet and servers. It provides a well organized and graceful approach to operate scale-out applications in a predictable and cost effective manner. The consumer controls the application that... ...tecture for scalability and availability as the public cloud but is restricted to a single organization. †¢ Community cloud:- A community cloud is controlled and used by a group of organizations that have shared interests, such as specific security requirements or a common mission. †¢ Hybrid cloud A hybrid cloud is a combination of a public and private cloud that interoperates. References:- http://cloudtweaks.com/2012/07/the-4-primary-cloud-deployment-models/ http://south.cattelecom.com/rtso/Technologies/CloudComputing/0071626948_chap01.pdf http://www.cloud-competence-center.com/understanding/cloud-computing-deployment-models/ http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Cloud_Computing#References http://www.thbs.com/downloads/Cloud-Computing-Overview.pdf http://www.priv.gc.ca/resource/fs-fi/02_05_d_51_cc_e.pdf http://cloud.cio.gov/topics/cloud-computing-deployment-models

Interpersonal relationship Essay

Interpersonal Communication September 15, 2013 Interpersonal communication reflection: When Harry Met Sally When Harry first meets Sally, they look really different. From the very beginning scene, they argue as they have different perspectives on the opposite-sex friendships. Nonetheless, they eventually become good friends after they self-disclose their intimate information to each other. However, after their unexpected sex, their relationship becomes awkward. In the end, Harry finally finds out that he loves Sally and reveals his feelings. Over the course of their relationship in the movie When Harry Met Sally, Knapp’s stages of interpersonal communication develop and change. Knapp defines the stage of initiation as conversation openers. Harry and Sally encounter each other in an unpleasant way. Sally finds him kissing his girlfriend. Obviously, they are not interested in each other at first as Harry has a girlfriend and Sally is a good friend of her. As a result, they do not really greet in the car. Sally tells Harry th at they are just carpool partners. While driving to New York City, they discuss about opposite-sex friendship. This scene falls into the experimenting stage. From this scene, Harry and Sally get to know better of each other’s different characteristic. Harry thinks that it is impossible to establish a true opposite-sex friendship because sex part always gets in the way. Sally argues him that she does not have sexual interest to her male friends. One of Knapp’s four purposes of experimenting stage is that it can be an audition for a future friendship or a way of increasing the scope of a current relationship. Harry and Sally’s relationship does not develop further because they do not find each other attractive in the experimenting stage After five years, they meet in the airport and take same plane. At this time, Harry is going to get married and Sally is in a relationship. When Harry asked Sally, she refuses to have dinner with him. Another five years later, they meet in the book store. Both of them are not in the relationship anymore. As they share the news, their relationship starts in the experimenting stage again. At this time, they are really getting closer and  their relationship proceeds further. Self-disclosure plays a major role in the development of their relationship. When they met at the airport, Sally did not want to talk to him. However, when they met in the bookstore, they disclosed their intimate information, Sally’s breakup with her boyfriend and Harry’s separation, to each other. They could understand each other as they shared their feelings and wounded hearts. From this point of view, Self-disclosure really helped their relationship to develop further. However, their relationship jumps around to avoiding stage because they misunderstand their feelings toward each other. At New Year’s Eve party, Harry dances with Sally. Until this point, they are really good friends to each other. Eventually, they find out themselves in a relationship mood. However, being a good friend to each other makes them hesitant as they do not want to lose each other. Later the movie, Sally asks Harry to come over her house because her previous boyfriend is getting married. They suddenly have unexpected sex and they feel uncomfortable. Sally does not want to spend time with him anymore as sex part really gets in the way and it is hard for them to be friends again. Sally keeps trying to avoid him afterward. Finally, their relationship develops to the bonding stage. Harry goes through difficult times as Sally tries to avoid him. During this hardship, Harry realizes that he loves her. He reveals his feelings at the New Year’s Eve party, and Sally accepts him. Their relationship becomes official as they get married. Overall, it was hard for me to exactly identify the Knapp’s stages of interpersonal communication fro m Harry and Sally’s relationship throughout the movie. Since their relationship does not develop in a typical manner, going back and forth, it also does not follow the Knapp’s stages of interpersonal communication. Nonetheless, I really think that the film is very well made because it clearly shows how man and woman have different perspectives. After watching this movie, I personally think that being honest is the answer for any relationship.