Summary of Thoughts Essay Example for Free

Summary of Thoughts Essay The purpose of tourism planning Tourism has grown through the years to become the single largest industry in the world. Tourism may not be considered as a discipline or an industry considering that it is multidimensional and leverages on several disciples in satisfying functional, aesthetic and financial needs of individuals, communities, businesses and government at different levels. In this vein, it is essential to create plans and planning tools that integrate the interest of these various stakeholders without compromising the integrity of the limited resources and ensuring they are preserved for use of future generations. In carrying out tourism planning, it is essential to reconcile the various actors involved in creating plans for harnessing and use of environmental resources in the development process. These are the business sector which primary aim for planning is profit and returns; public sector with a joint aim of regulation, marketing and promotion towards economic improvement; the non-profit sector involved in creating plans that generate revenue not for investment returns but to be plowed-back for operational and capital costs; and last of all professional consultants a group that provides the most effective assistance in accomplishing better and unbiased tourism planning. Four goals which should guide the tourism development planning process in order to achieve an all-encompassing success are: the user-oriented planning policy aimed at provision of user (visitor) satisfaction; an environmental sustainability approach towards ensuring increased economic and business returns on investment; sustainable use of resources; integration of tourism into the social and economic life of communities. For successful tourism planning, plans at three scales of on site, destination zone and regional scale should be synchronised without any being considered in isolation from the others. The tourism planning process is incomplete in the absence of individual input as well as cooperation and collaboration from the affected communities. The economic benefit of tourism is very crucial especially as its development is often the bane of some destinations. However, policies on tourism development are made by a government in order to ensure a sense of control and coordination in the overall tourism development planning process as well as a sane implementation. All three players i.e. public, market and government need to cooperate, collaborate and coordinate to avoid haphazard development of the tourism planning process. The changing dimensions of tourism planning. Tourism has continued is not static and has responded to the dynamic environment and market forces due to evolving change in values, demands and challenges of the various stakeholders associated with the industry. These changes also have translated to problems in the planning of tourism, which has been associated with (but not limited to): Non-human factors (physical environmental responses), globalisation, political paradigm shift, social and planning changes, increase in knowledge and perceptive responses. The tourism policy agenda has also changed since the upward turn of growth post World War II, which resulted in reduced government control and deregulation of the process. This transformation can be captured through five distinct phases as follows: 1945-55 institutional dismantle and streamlining; 1 955-70 government involvement in economic tourism; 1970-85 government involvement in infrastructure and regional development; 1985-2000 continued government regional development and community/individual participation; and 2000- present cooperative and collaborative planning, environmental consciousness and resource orientation. The influence of the UNWTO cannot be overemphasised through some of these phases of change and evolution. Five broad approaches have been adopted through the evolution of tourism planning with each one having its distinct functional focus. These are: Boosterism – the seeming vastness of cultural and natural resources generated exploitation of the same for the sake of tourism development Economic/industry approach – characterised by economic growth, competition, market forces and returns in examination of social and environmental issues. Physical/spatial approach – emphasis on minimising the negative impacts of tourism on the physical environment Community oriented approach – partnership and local community participation in planning and decision making process and the process itself; a bottom-up form of planning. This approach has been identified as a difficult one in the face of government control and decisions being made for the communities without recourse to communal opinion or say so. Sustainable tourism approach – coordinative, iterative, integrative and strategic incorporation of economic, community and spatial approaches for sustainable development of tourism, while relying on government for regulation. Finally, to achieve sustainable tourism planning, five key mechanisms are expedient – cooperative and integrated control system; industry coordination; increased consumer awareness; increased producer awareness; and yielding of conventional planning to strategic planning. Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City Ebenezer Howard identified the need to carry out planning of cities considering the appalling state of the cities and urban areas in the late 1800s subsequent to the industrial revolution taking place across Europe. He recognised the importance of the preparing and implementing plans while giving much consideration to the influence of liberal democracy every step on the way i.e. the success of the planning process was very much dependent its reconciliation of the social and political ramifications within the target environment. Four democratic disjoints were identified and considered and a balance created between in his attempt at creating some semblance of structure in the urban development process of his garden cities. Inclusiveness vs decisiveness Central vs local control Rights vs utility Equality vs liberty In resolving the opposing inclusiveness and decisiveness, by portending that given the right conditions, a compromise will be reached towards making appropriate and timely decisions subsequent to the adoption of community and individual participation as well as cooperation in the planning process. Local interest although very essential in planning for and with members of the community, the need for concession to interests outside the immediate community and that of a central governing body is of critical importance for success to be achieved; thus bringing a balance between central and local control. A way towards reconciling between rights and utility, included adoption of collaboration between market utility, community utility and democratically established rights, at the local level. This involved upholding utility towards the ‘greater good’ of the community while not neglecting the importance of individual rights. Finally, Howard’s ideal required for individual interest and liberty to co-exist; such that personal freedom and collective responsibility were key factors in resolving the conflict between equality and liberty. Yet land was to be seen as a collective property demanding equality of ownership. Conclusion All three materials agree on imminent salient points in the planning process whether this is for a community, city, region and activities there within such as tourism. Howard’s idea of urban planning integrates social, economic and political (government) factors as essential towards a successful attainment of an ideal city while placing high importance on the need to involve members of the community in making decisions that concern the land around them. Tourism planning is not an end in itself, rather with adequate management it leads to the attainment of individual, community, corporate and governmental goals. In this vein, collective action by all stakeholders is imminent for the continued success of the process and survival of the resources on which tourism is based while yielding returns for continued growth of tourist destinations. REFERENCES March A. (2004). Democratic dilemmas, planning and Ebenezer Howard’s Garden city. Planning Perspectives. 19, 409-433. Gunn C. and Var T. (2002). Tourism planning: basics, concepts and cases. 4th ed. Routledge, New York. Hall C. M. and Lew A.A. (2009). Understanding and managing tourism impacts: an integrated approach. 1st ed. Routledge, New York Mason P. (2012). Tourism Impacts, planning and management. 1st ed. Routledge, New York The changing dimentions of tourism planning. Extract lecture note Fall 2012-2013 for course delivered by Dr. Habib Alipour

Creative People Essay -- Analysis, Dahlén

Dahlà ©n (2008) illustrates creative people as being distinguished by five paradoxes. These paradoxes states that: creative people are characterized by a large measure of conventionality and rebelliousness; creative people make extensive use of both divergent and convergent thinking; creative people are characterized by the fact that they have both abundant energy and a great need for relaxation; creative people is the combination of humility and pride; and creative people are to a great extent both introverted and extroverted (Dahlà ©n, 2008). Change and the accompanying uncertainty throw off ones equilibrium, yet it is these fluctuations, disturbances, and imbalances that are the primary sources of creativity. When considering the paradoxes presented by Dahlà ©n (2008) this writer is a creative person. Creativity is an aspect of human personality and a component of human development. This writer is very interested in coming up with new ideas or enhancing processes that are no longer effective. For example, this writer was recently asked by a manager in the organization, to look at ways the reporting process for the division could be enhanced to reduce the amount of time a State has to wait for a final report after an audit has been conducted. The normal timeframes were taking up to 18 months to produce a final audit report. By being a divergent thinker, this writer was able to look at all the factors and individuals involved in the report writing process and connect them to the end product to reduce the timeframe to 184 days. Dahlà ©n (2008) considers only one half of creative thinking as changing one’s thought process, and the other half is trying to combine ideas into creative results (p. 98). Creativity is the driving ... ...igh (Saednejad, 2008). In an educational organization thinking inside the box is the first step to creative thinking. In an educational setting it is critical to teach a child to think inside the box to avoid them from becoming critical of everything they encounter. It is important for children to learn the facts before they form their own opinion. Conclusion In conclusion, creative thinking is important for innovation. Creative thinking in business is widely viewed as a way to solve complex problems for the benefit of the organization. Change and the accompanying uncertainty throw off ones equilibrium, yet it is these fluctuations, disturbances, and imbalances that are the primary sources of creativity. Investment in creativity gives a company considerably more security than, for example, its assets, age, liquidity, growth or financial strategy.

American Spanish war in 1898, Spain Loses Colonies

It is quite difficult to make a conclusion on the particular incident that lost 258 American sailors on board the battleship USS Maine, not because of the complexity of the incident but because of the lack of sufficient findings of the case. Even some writers address the incident as â€Å"The USS Maine mysteriously blew up. † The USS Maine was sent to Havana harbor with a mission to protect US citizens in Cuba. According to Phillip Oppenheim â€Å"The Spanish immediately apologized† but â€Å"what evidence there was pointed to an accidental explosion in the Ship’s magazine† (p.  101).The findings however was, the cause of the tragedy was an accidental explosion as a result of spontaneous combustion in the coalbunker near the powder magazine. This finding was particularly concluded by Hyman G. Rickover, a US Navy Admiral and a scientist, published in 1976. Hyman’s findings may be convincing, but then Reckover’s findings according to a wikipe dia article have been disputed by US Naval History Center (Wikipedia).My conclusion on the Cuba incident was the USS Maine was intentionally blown up either by some pro Spanish group such as the â€Å"Spanish Voluntarios† or by Cuban independence fighter in order to spark the war between the United State and Spain. Citing Captain Sigsbee, the commanding officer of the Maine, Evelina Gleaves Cohen pointed out Captain Sigbee’s message reporting that the USS Maine was destroyed by a Mine. Sigbee’s message stated, â€Å"I surmise that her berth was one planted previous to her arrival, perhaps long ago† (Cohen, p. 63).It would be reasonable to believe in the survivor’s account as they have witnessed in detail what exactly had happened. It was intentional as the mine could not be there if it was not planted for that purpose. The only thing that maybe difficult to establish was who were behind this incident. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose. The Origin of the War The origin of Spanish American war cannot be attributed to the so called â€Å"Cuba incident† as the USS Maine were sent to protect US citizens from the hostilities that were orchestrated by pro Spanish Voluntarios which gave the United States a basis to launch in the warship USS Maine.According to Wikipedia article, the war started after Spain rejected the American demand to resolve peacefully the Cuban struggle for independence. The explosion of the USS Maine may have ignited the already smoking conflict but it was the interest of the United States on Spain’s overseas territories that led to them to participate in the Cuban political struggles (Wikipedia). The USS Maine According to Oppenheim the USS Maine â€Å"sailed provocatively into Havana harbor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 101).An internet article entitled Increasing Spanish-Cuban tensions: Late 19th Century, mentioned that when the conflict broke out in Cuba in 1895, Spain sent 200,000 troops under the infam ous general Weyler, also known as â€Å"the Butcher,† to squash the insurrection. Weyler imprisoned large number in concentration camps under the harsh and inhuman condition causing prisoners rapid death especially from disease. This outraged portions of the US public that called out for immediate action which the provoked the US to issue an ultimatum to the Spanish authorities.With Spain’s refusal to oblige, the US congress passed a declaration of was against Spain prior to the destruction of the USS Maine (The Spanish American War 1898-1901). Consequences of the Confrontation The consequences of the confrontations on the Spanish authorities were enormous as most of their remaining ships were destroyed aside from many lives that were lost in the battle. But most importantly, Spain losses all its overseas colonies including their most treasured possession, Cuba. It also marked the collapsed of Spain’s power.However, the consequences of war on the United States w ere rather positive. The United States became a world power after it acquired the Spanish colonies (Spanish American War). What loosing Cuba meant for Spain? Basically, it seemed that politically and economically Cuba does not really have such importance for Spain than any of their colonies in Asia and all other part of the world. Perhaps the importance of Cuba for Spain was that it was during the Cuban rebellion that led to war against the United States, which eventually led to the loss of the remaining overseas colonies of Spain.Cuba was the last image of Spanish greatness and pride thus Spain was determined to keep the country under their control despite pressure from the United States to grant independence to the beleaguered colony. What other Colonies were lost by Spain The American victory against Spain enables the United States to acquire Spanish colonies such as the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The Philippines was acquired by the United States after the Spanish forces in the Philippines surrendered manila to Admiral George Dewey in battle of Manila Bay (Spanish American War).The American forces needed the support of Filipino rebels particularly of Emilio Aguinaldo before finally subduing the Spanish forces in the Philippines. After American victory in the Philippines, Spain lost Guam to the United States with out a fight. Spanish Authorities in Guam According to the internet article Spanish American War were unaware that the war had started until American warship arrived in Guam on June 20, surprised; the authorities surrendered the island without a fight. Another colony that Spain lost to the United States due to their defeat in the war was Puerto Rico.According to the article, the invasion of Puerto Rico began on afternoon of July 21 from the Guantanamo bay. The invasion was spearheaded by battleship Massachusetts, Dixie, Gloucester, Colunbia and Yale, under the command of Captain of Frances J. Higginson with 3,500 U. S Army troops. Although t he US Army encountered pierce resistance but they subsequently over power the Spanish Forces depending the country. Other colonies lost by Spain through treaty and sale to the United States were Hawaiian Islands, The Guantanamo Bay, the Virgin Islands, and part of the Samoan Archipelago. ConclusionThe Spanish American war was the classic encounter between the declining super and the rising world power. The war seemed to be that turned over of power by the exiting world power to the United States as the emerging world power. But the lesson that the war may have taught Spain, and the United States was that war was not only a means for settling disputes, but it was also an expression of unsatisfied cravings for more. The Spanish American War (1898-1901) tp://www. sparknotes. com/history/american/spanishamerican/section1. html Spanish American war http://www. conservapedia. com/Spanish-American_War

Biggest Problems Facing the Maritime and Shipping Industry Free Essay Example, 2250 words

It is really quite essential to state that the conference systems are considered as a tool or instrument that helps to stabilize inherently unstable rates in the maritime shipping industry, particularly when there are considerable deviations in market demand and supply of vessel capacity (Ebora 2014). Thus, by stabilizing rates, maritime exporters are provided with protection from unpredictable shifts in price and are assured of regular provision of shipping services. It enables maritime companies to compete, not on basis of the price charged, but on the level of service provision (Sodik, 2009). States have adopted varied provisions of law relating to safety passed in international conventions. For instance, the SOLAS Convention, adopted in 1914, relates to global treaties concerning the safety of merchant vessels (Vorbach, 2001). Mainly, the SOLAS convention helped to specify acceptable standards for the construction, operation and observance of the set safety standards (Luoma, 200 9). In this case, Flag States are accountable for making sure that vessels under their flag adhere to its requirements. The other convention on safety of vessels is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), adopted in 1973.We will write a custom essay sample on Biggest Problems Facing the Maritime and Shipping Industry or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Thus, the Convention aimed at prescribing minimum standards relating to not only to certification but also to training for seafarers which states are obliged to satisfy.