The Cold War Essays (1279 words) - , Term Papers

The Cold War Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world disarmament - and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them to do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitude - as individuals and as a Nation - for our attitude is as essential as theirs. And every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward - by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace, toward the Soviet Union, toward the course of the cold war and toward freedom and peace here at home. President John F. Kennedy, American University Speech, June 10, 1963 The Cold War was a time in American History during the twentieth century where the Communist nations were fighting against the non-Communist nations. However, the main countries involved, or the ones leading the two sides were the United States and Russia. The United States led the fight against Communist nations, like Russia. But these intense rivalries didn't just go on in the type of government that should be used or in who could develop the most advanced and most powerful nuclear weapon of the time. This rivalry went into the culture of American societies. The Russians were always being viewed as the toughest rival and the team to beat according to the US. It is similar to how teams think of the defending champions in a sport. The team playing the defending champions wants to come out hyped up and with their ?A-game? every time they are competing with them. Another impact it had on the American society was how people started acting and thinking. In many of the movies and televisi on shows of the time, most people wouldn't have noticed, but the directors and producers were hiding subliminal messages in them. Some of them depicting how awful the Russians were or how supreme the Americans were. But was American society affected by the Cold War, or was America just trying to make their society better to show it off to the other countries? Basically, did America's way of life and economy during the cold war improve because they wanted it to show it off or was it a necessity? The Cold War did affect the American's way of life. America was a young nation and it was just beginning to develop into a dominant country. It first really just established itself as a world power during the two world wars. Therefore, the cold war was a time in which Americans were trying to get a name for themselves by showing how great, life in their country was. Shows like Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best portrayed the stereotypical American families. Even though everyone knows that there is no such thing as a perfect family, people still enjoyed watching these types of shows. Commercials, or shows like I Love Lucy, showing the stereotypical woman or housewife in the kitchen were another way of showing things off. It is really very difficult to always own the latest models of things coming out. So a woman in a kitchen with all the new appliances is really unlikely. This was another way of showing off to other countries how life was or wasn't. However, the show I Love Lucy , mainly showed how much freedom a woman had when her husband wasn't home. Lucy constantly did foolish things that weren't exactly the ways women were supposed to have been behaving. Once again, the United States was portraying how great life was in America compared to other countries. The majority of the television shows during the 1950s showed no poverty, death, ethnic mixing, or racial tension. It just presented the ?perfect world.? Juxtaposed, it could be argued that the Cold War didn't help shape the American society. American life could have just formed like how it was supposed to happen; like human nature. When the men all came back from World War II, many women lost their jobs and weren't as active as they were during

Free Essays on Hamlet And Revenge

Hamlet and Revenge In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, revenge takes its foothold on the main character, Hamlet as he tries to avenge his father’s death. Revenge is a kind of wild justice which man’s typical nature runs toward (ERH). â€Å"The most tolerable sort of revenge is for those wrongs for which a law has not been set forth to remedy: but then let a man take heed the revenge be such, as there is no law to punish: else, a man’s enemy is still beforehand, and it is two for one (Bacon).† In all tragedies, a crime is committed and for various reasons laws and justice are unable to punish the one who committed the crime. Thus, the individual who is the main character, namely Hamlet, goes through with the vengeful act in spite of the dire consequences assured to come. Firstly, Hamlet is approached by the ghost of his deceased father. He learns that his uncle has murdered his father. His mother is also consumed in the tragedy, in that she remarries to Hamlet’s uncle in a rather brief period of time after the King’s death. The incestuous relationship between his mother and his uncle also adds to Hamlet’s mounting fury. The apparition then, is that from which Hamlet’s revenge springs forth. The first in Hamlet’s series of changes is one of doubt. He somewhat doubts the apparition and therefore, devises a plan in which to prove whether his uncle is the true murderer. Hamlet puts on a play, †The Mousetrap† for the new King and Queen. In this play, Hamlet reenacts the way in which the apparition says he was killed. In the midst of the play, the King stands and walks out torn by rage. Hamlet no longer needs proofthe King’s unsettled heart made the play unbearable; thus, Hamlet knew then the source from which his revenge stemmed. Once the period of doubt had been passed by, Hamlet then entered a state seen by many as madness. He ranted incessantly about things which no one could conjure sense from. T... Free Essays on Hamlet And Revenge Free Essays on Hamlet And Revenge Hamlet and Revenge In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, revenge takes its foothold on the main character, Hamlet as he tries to avenge his father’s death. Revenge is a kind of wild justice which man’s typical nature runs toward (ERH). â€Å"The most tolerable sort of revenge is for those wrongs for which a law has not been set forth to remedy: but then let a man take heed the revenge be such, as there is no law to punish: else, a man’s enemy is still beforehand, and it is two for one (Bacon).† In all tragedies, a crime is committed and for various reasons laws and justice are unable to punish the one who committed the crime. Thus, the individual who is the main character, namely Hamlet, goes through with the vengeful act in spite of the dire consequences assured to come. Firstly, Hamlet is approached by the ghost of his deceased father. He learns that his uncle has murdered his father. His mother is also consumed in the tragedy, in that she remarries to Hamlet’s uncle in a rather brief period of time after the King’s death. The incestuous relationship between his mother and his uncle also adds to Hamlet’s mounting fury. The apparition then, is that from which Hamlet’s revenge springs forth. The first in Hamlet’s series of changes is one of doubt. He somewhat doubts the apparition and therefore, devises a plan in which to prove whether his uncle is the true murderer. Hamlet puts on a play, †The Mousetrap† for the new King and Queen. In this play, Hamlet reenacts the way in which the apparition says he was killed. In the midst of the play, the King stands and walks out torn by rage. Hamlet no longer needs proofthe King’s unsettled heart made the play unbearable; thus, Hamlet knew then the source from which his revenge stemmed. Once the period of doubt had been passed by, Hamlet then entered a state seen by many as madness. He ranted incessantly about things which no one could conjure sense from. T...

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - Questions

'The Orphan Train' by Christina Baker Kline - Questions The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modern-day foster care system. As such, book clubs that read this book have the opportunity to discuss American history, foster care issues or the relationships between characters in this particular novel. Choose among these discussion questions as you decide which threads are most interesting for your group to discuss more deeply. Spoiler Warning: Some of these questions reveal details from the end of the novel. Finish the book before reading on. Questions AboutThe Orphan Train The prolog gives away many of the details of Vivians life, such as when her parents died and the fact that her true love would die when she was 23. Did you remember these details as you read the novel? Do you think the prolog adds something important to the story?In many ways, the main story in this book is Vivians; however, the novels opening and closing chapters are in Spring Harbor in 2011 and contain Mollys story. Why do you think the author chose to frame the novel with Mollys experience?Were you more connected to one thread of the story the past or present, Vivians or Mollys? Do you think moving back and forth between time and the two stories added something to the novel that would have been missing if it was one linear story? Or do you think it detracted from the main narrative?Had you heard of the orphan trains before reading this novel? Do you think there were benefits to the system? What were the downsides that the novel highlighted?Compare and contrast Vivians experiences with Mollys. What are some ways that the current foster care system still needs to improve? Do you think any system could deal with the hole provided when a child loses his or her parents (either through death or neglect)? Molly and Vivian each held on to a necklace linking them to their cultural heritage even though their early experiences within those cultures were not entirely positive. Discuss why you think heritage is (or is not) important to personal identity.Does molly complete a portage project for school answering the questions, What did you choose to bring with you to the next place? What did you leave behind? What insights did you gain about whats important? (131). Take some time as a group to share your own experiences moving and how you would answer these questions personally.Did you think Vivian and Mollys relationship was believable?Why do you think Vivian chose to give up her baby? Vivian says of herself, I was a coward. I was selfish and afraid (251). Do you think thats true?Why do you think Vivian eventually takes Molly up on her offer to help her reconnect with her daughter? Do you think that learning the truth about Maisie had an impact on her decision?Why do you think Vivians story helps Molly experience more peace and closure with her own? Rate The Orphan Train on a scale of 1 to 5. The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was published in April 2013Publisher: William Morrow288 Pages

English Composition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

English Composition - Essay Example They are country people who are happy living on the edge of the country which is shown when a cow pokes around the backyard. Maggie is content with the idea that she will be marrying an unattractive but dependable man who she doesn’t really love but who she is comfortable with. He also lives in their small town so she won’t need to move too far away from her mother. When she was little, she was trapped in a fire that caused scarring on her arms and legs. Her own ugliness makes her shy and withdrawn. This idea is carried through the story as Maggie seems to only hover around the edges of her sister’s visit. In her interests and activities, Maggie is more like her uneducated mother. Although she tries to read to her mother in the evenings like Dee did, â€Å"she stumbles along good-naturedly but can’t see well. She knows she is not bright.† She is used to doing things the same way her ancestors did which is made clear when it’s mentioned that s he understood the â€Å"small sinks; you could see where thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood† of the butter churn’s dasher. While she values the family’s cultural treasures, she values them on a number of levels. Maggie enjoys her heritage from a lived experience. Dee, on the other hand, is known for her good looks, her outgoing charm and her ‘refusal to be denied.’ Her mother talks about how she’s had a charmed childhood. She was always able to get her way with other people. She had and still has natural charm and good looks. She is also intelligent which made it possible for her to reach a higher level of education than the rest of her family. Although her mother doesn’t know whether or not Dee’s married to the man she travels, but Mama is afraid to ask. Overall, Dee’s attitude is very much like a middle class urban woman. This life doesn’t seem to be completely satisfying though since she spends her visit desperately

Service blueprint for Coyote LocoServices marketing Essay

Service blueprint for Coyote LocoServices marketing - Essay Example The lines of visibility refer to the management decision on what a customer should see and which waiters will be in contact with customers. The decision of the manager is to keep resources such as the chef out of sight so that the customer will believe that the staff are working hard. The internal interaction consists of the interaction between the marketing staff and the restaurant assistants, the relationship between the kitchen staff and the chef, the janitorial crew and the kitchen helpers. The company recently retrained its staff to reduce flight delays and improve interaction with customers. The result was more passengers and the continued profitability of the company The five tangible cues or indicators of quality from the customer's perspective are these: a.) tangibles - which refers to the physical facilities, equipment and the appearance of personnel; b.) reliability -which refers to the ability to perform the promised service accurately; c.) assurance - which refers to the willingness to help the customers to provided excellent service; c.) responsiveness - which refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust in the customer; and d.) empathy- which refers to the caring and individualized attention the restaurant p[provides to its customers. All the steps in the process are necessary to attain a high quality of service.Standardization is possible and advisable throughout the process for as long as quality, reliability an d responsiveness are observed by all the employees.The potential fail points are located in the waiting time and the transaction time. Waiting time is incurred in the preparation of the menu and the drinks which may result in lower customer satisfaction. The possibilities to reduce the perceived time is by providing cable television for the customers to watch, magazines and newspapers in the area, offering of free drinks and engaging banter with the customer.They could be designed out of the process, or what service recovery procedures could be introducedThe potential measures of performance are as follows: excellent technical quality, right image of the restaurant based on the promise of service provided by advertising and market communications and excellent functional quality. The technical quality knowledge giver is expected to know the offering in depth and detail so that information about its utility and application can be provided on demand. He or she must also be technically competent to deliver the service expected, adapting as needed to varied or changing customer need. The first service is provided by the chef and his kitchen staff. The second level of skill pertains to functional quality which is also known as customer relationship. Here it is often as simple as whether the service -giver treats the customer as a unique and important individual to be served. The waiters and service managers carry out the second type of service which consists of welcoming the customer, providing them the menu cards and collecting their bill. Service with a smile is easy to propose, difficult to impose. Smiling is

Adventure Tourism Consumer Motivation

Adventure Tourism Consumer Motivation In this second chapter of the literature review, the theoretical background of motivation is explained. This chapter will align major factors like the importance of motivation, what motivate individual to engage in adventure tourism, specially the baby boomers, and how motivation could help in the decision making process. 3.1. Motivation The theory of motivation was first developed during the Post-World War II, more precisely during the 50s and 60s (Zehrer and Siller, 2007). The term Motivation is originated from the Latin word Movere, and this means to move (Wing, 2011). Motivation can be defined as the process by which an individual will be determined to take action or behave in a certain manner (Decrop, 2006). Motivation is known to be one of the fundamental reasons to understand and explain why does behavior happened. (Snepenger, King, Marshall, and Uysal, 2006) in (Phan, 2010). Moreover, Solomon (2004) described motivation as a driving force that pushes individuals to action. Motivation is all about a state of need and desire to do and achieve something (Moutinho, 2000) in (Esichaikul, 2012). 3.2. Motivation in the tourism context Understanding the concept of motivation in tourism is to understand the basic motives and reasons for tourists to travel (Trang, 2011). Several studies have been undertaken on tourism motivations, it includes Plog (1974), Crompton (1979), Hudman (1980); Dann (1981); IsoAhola (1982); Beard and Ragheb (1983); Pearce and Caltabiano (1983); Mansfeld (1992); Uysal and Hagan (1993); Fodness (1994); Gibson and Yiannakis (2002); Kozak (2002); Horner andSwarbrooke (2004); Kurzman and Zauhar(2005); Decrop (2006); Zehrer and Siller (2007); Devonish and Jonsoon (2008); Romando (2008); Esichaikul (2012). Lots of research has been undertaken on tourist motivation to travel to a particular destination but little has been done on motivation of tourists to participate in leisure or adventure activities. Few have been analyzed as part of research and most commonly and recent ones well known are from Hudson (2003); Pomfret (2004); Phan (2010); Smerek (2010); Reynolds and Hritz (2012). Referring to Leipers philosophy, understanding tourists consumer behavior is an essential tool for successful tourism planning and marketing activity (Choibamrong, 2005). It is obvious that consumers behavior is by no means easy and is influenced by so many factors principally in globalization era 3.3. Adventure, baby boomers and Motivation Sung et al (1997) in Sung et al (2004) stated thatin adventure travel it is significant to understand the main motives of people to engage in specific activities, analyzing the travelers characteristics such as demographic information, psychographics like main needs and wants and their principle expectation (Weber, 2001). Studies have demonstrated that older tourists perceived adventure tourism more tempting and want to adventure themselves to gain a personal satisfaction (Gibson and Singleton, 2011). Some older people have the desire to get away from stress and boredom of daily routine. They want to enjoy their holidays with a range of exciting and new physically challenging activities and meet new people to build up relationships (Camden and Mccoll-Kennedy, 1990; Kludge, 2005).To understand motivation in leisure activities is to understand what encouraged tourists to choose a certain activity (PhanThi Kim Lien, 2010). Empirical studies have shown that the Travel Career Ladder (TCL) model was an adequate instrument in understanding travel motivation (Kim, 1997; Lee, 1998; Loker-Murphy, 1995; Mills, 1985; Pearce, 1988, 2005; Teichmann and Zins, 2009). The TCL model is the most probableapplication for the design of motivational research for special markets such as eco tourists for instance (Pearce, 2005). From this statement, we deduct that the model is thus observed to be a suitable tool for adventure tourism. The concept of the TCL model was initiated by Pearce (1988)and updated in his publication in 2005, The Tourist Behavior: Themes and Conceptual Schemes (McNeil and Williams, 2011). Adapted from Maslows (1970), Pearce adopt the five hierarchical categories of influencing the tourist motivation (Teichmann and Zins, 2009). This includes Biological needs (Relaxation needs), safety and security needs (or level of stimulation), Relationship development and extension needs, self-esteem and development needs and Self-actualization and fulfillment needs. The TCL presumed that tourists when gaining more travel experience will go up the ladder towards high-level needs. Figure 2 demonstrate the hierarchy of Pearce Travel career ladder:This includes Fulfillment level, Self-esteem and development, relationship, stimulation and relaxation. http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0160738398000449-gr1.gif Figure 2: Hierarchy of Pearce Travel Career ladder Source: Ryan (1998) According to the TCL model and diverse tourist motivation and experience, people may start at different level of the ladder; this may varies with some up warding the ladder and some others down warding it (McNeil and Williams, 2011). For instance, a new tourist in adventure might wish to start with a soft activity like bird-watching or horse-riding, an activity that demand less physical efforts, low in risk and experience peace and harmony. Moreover considering the security and safety needs, one must wish an activity low from risk while the other one seeking for adrenaline might want an activity high in risk. As per Phan (2010), someone might have a greater need for achievement rather than a need foraffiliation, power, or uniqueness. This can involve participating in an activity or doing something all alone isolating themselves from others so as to satisfy main needs and desires. Additionally, such individuals like to set personal goals that are neither too low in a way for it to be achievable nor too high that would be impossible. It is significant to point out that similar to Maslows hierarchy of needs, the TCL coincide with the theoretical framework, because it clearly shows that as people acquire more experiences, their motivation tend to change (Ryan, 1998). Moreover, Ryan (1998) notes that those traveling for the first time might prefer to book a package tour for more security butin time and with more experience will opt for a more self-arranged travel itinerary (McNeil and Williams, 2011). Similarly, Crompton (1979) came out with seven dimensions of motivation as an influence to leisure this include escapism; relaxation; prestige; exploration and self-evaluation; regression; kinship relationships enhancement and facilitation of social interaction. It is further observed that motives for social interaction, enhancement of human relations and pleasure seeking has repetitively been observed and analyzed as major motivating factor in different studies (Beard and Ragheb, 1983; Kim and Chalip, 2004; Kozak, 200 2; Wann, Ensor and Bilyeu 2001; Zhang and Lam, 1999), cited in (Regan and Carlson, 2009). Another tool, well known in evaluating tourist motivation is the leisure motivation scale of Beard and Ragheb (1980; 1983). This is found to be a suitable tool in measuring leisure motivation factor since it encompassesintellectual, social, mastery/competence, and stimulus avoidance motives. The intellectual elements mean that people participating in leisure activities are in quest of discovery, increase their knowledge. The second factor is the social motive; this implies a personal motive that will satisfy human relationship with others, a sense of belonging, and respect from others (Maslows hierarchy, 1943). The third motivational factor is competence/mastery motive. This stimulates individuals engaging in leisure physical activities to achieve, master, challenge and compete. The last motive is the stimulus-avoidance motive, which is about escapism from the monotonous routine, stress and tension, or to refresh and have rest in a new environment (Phan, 2010; Niemela, 2010). 3.4. Segmentation based on motivation According to Schiffman and Kanuk (2004: 158), Market Segmentation can be defined as the process of dividing a market into distinct subsets of consumers with common needs or characteristics and selecting one or more segments to target with a distinct market mix.When talking about motivation, it is important to consider the aspect of segmentation. The baby boomers could be considered as one segment of new or future retirees but their motives are diverse (Phan, 2010). Categorizing the motives into different characteristics will help researchers and marketers to benefit from profound and useful information. It has been observed that the expansion of adventure tourism is principally due to a demographic, personal, socio-economic, political and technological change (Swarbrookeet al. 2003). It is true that changes are not constant and keep updating, but such trends are known to be basis of forecasts for several researchers. One of the most important influences of tourist motivation is the demographic characteristics (Rose and Kahle, 1998; Muso, Hall and Higham, 2004; Bonera, 2008). Demographics element consists of gender, age category, family patterns, nationality (Swarbrookeet al. 2003; Bonera, 2008; Devonish and Jonsson, 2008). Many women have few children or have already adult children living on their own and as part of family and household structure; there are more single-parent families and childless couples (Swarbrooke et al. 2003). Another aspect which is gaining more persuasion on the tourist motivation is age (Bonera, 2008). Gibson and Yiannakis (2002) have studied this theory, underlying the tourism reason through a life cycle. This explains that those baby boomers aged from 47 to 50 are more motivated to travel and engage in activities due to superior economic benefit. This additionally led to a desire to show off their status reached, in quest of challenge and adrenaline or simply a desire to experience something new completely different from their usual routine. While those aged between 50 and 55 years old, and those over 65 are more involved in soft activities that demand less effort and where security is mended. On the other hand other research has found that gender and age are factors affecting the perceived image and choice for particular leisure areas (Baloglu, 1997; Baloglu and McCleary, 1999; Chen and Kerstetter, 1999; Walmsley and Jenkins, 1993).In opposition, Andreu, Kozac, Avci and Cifter (2005) found that age of someone do not have any striking influence on the motivation. The authors assessed that females had stronger motivations to travel than males where male tourists had a preference for more demanding recreational activities, asking for actionswhile female tourists had a stronger need for relaxation and escape-based motives (Devonish and Jonsson, 2008). As mentioned earlier, nationality as well as culture can influence the tourist choice in engaging in adventure activities (Swarbrooke et al.2003). This includes tourists from cold areas traveling in warm areas or vice versa, choosing a destination where the climate might be more adequate and better to practice a particular activity than would have been in their country. This can include tourists from European market coming to exotic destination to do water sport activities like whitewater rafting, kite surfing, or wind surfing such activities being more suitable for exotic destination having the sea, good wind conditions and deep waves. These demographic trends are a result of a change in social advancement and more financial power; moreover there are socio-economic factors. Socio-economic trends include income and time disposable, changing attitudes to ageing, lifelong education, Health and fitness. In todays world, baby boomers have the time, tendency to travel and experience new activities but more importantly have the money to enjoy all the privilege of recreational activities (Patterson, 2006). It is observed that in nearly all developed countries, those people being 55 or above benefit from better discretionary income having all investments and debts cleared for the house, having adult children no longer dependent on them (Chon and Singh, 1995). As seen previously, baby boomers tend to be more educated than their predecessors (Patterson, 2006). Mintel (2000b) state leisure is perceived as a personal growth since individuals turn out to be more full-grown and more educated. As a result, these people are more interested to engage in adventure for self-development and to improve lifelong education (Swarbrookeet al .2003). Moreover, an increase in healthier way of life is an indication of more baby boomers participation in adventure activities. A modernization in technology has result in an impressive increase in adventure participation. This has improved the ease of access to many adventure recreation sites. Subsequently, technological improvements have brought some facilities to the skill of the participant primarily while engaging in dangerous proceedings or environments. There is also progression in clothing and equipment, for example climbing ropes (Ewert and Hollenhorst, 1997). Baby boomers are really concerned about safety and security aspects and such measures being taken by adventure operators has encourage further participation. In addition, due to the technological advancement, baby boomers are now arranging their own trip arrangement through direct reservation on the internet, looking on their own for discounted prices rather than going to tour operators. Parr (2012) identified this trend and argue that internet booking has known a rapid growth since 7years. In 2005, they used to book their holidays through dire ct travel agency but in 2012, this has dropped down and more baby boomers are now finding it easier and cheaper to book on the internet. 3.5. Push and Pull Factors The key to comprehend tourism motives in any tourism literature is often categorized into the terms push and pull forces (Crouch et al, 2004). Dann (1977) was the first researcher to propose these two dimensions, other researchers relied on the theory as well (Crompton, 1979; Mannel and Iso-Ahola, 1987; Bandura, 1987; Yuan and Donald, 1990; Andreu, Bigne and Cooper, 2000; Kozak, 2002; Swarbrooke et al, 2003; Woodside and Martin, 2008). 3.5.1. Push factors Push factors can be defined as intangible factors that push a tourist away from his home, while Pull factors are tangible factors pulling tourists towards a destination (Andreu, Bignr and Cooper, 2000) in (mo 44). Push factors are often related to inner motives such a desire for novelty and escapism (mo 29) and pull factors similar to outer motives like the attractiveness of a particular destination or activity (mo 29). Conventionally, push motives were considered as functional to elucidate the reasons for travelling, in this study engaging in the activities while pull motives is observed as practical to give explanation to the actual destination or activities choice (mo 27). Push factors are principally known to be socio-psychological motives that affect the tourist consumer decision, whilst pull factors are those stimuli that pulled someone to try the experience (Mo 37). Crompton (1979) in partial agreement with Dann (1977) considers seven push factors include escapism from the daily routine, examination and evaluation of self-development and progress, in quest of new friendship and social relationship. The pull motives involve novelty and education (mo 47), (mo 6). Baby boomers are mostly pushed in adventure tourism for fun (Hudson, 2003). Baby boomers are in quest of latest and exciting adventure experiences, test their physical abilities and continue to be more active. Swarbrooke et al (2003) (Mo 1). Patterson (2006) points out that some are really seeking bigger change, diversity, challenge to escape the monotony of everyday routine. On the other hand, Muller and OCass (2001) put forward the notion of subjective age as foremost motive for baby boomers to take on adventure travel. Older people have this desire and nostalgia to feel younger and their trip and choice preferences are frequently similar to younger people (Patterson, 2006). There is nowadays an increasing consideration and need for personal development, this was principally due to higher education, professional development and excellence and thanks to globalization that such demand and motives have been popularized (Swarbrooke et al.,2003). 3.5.2 Pull factors Pull factors are also known as outer motivations (Robinson et al, 2011), where individuals is pulled or enticed by other factors to engage in something while the decision has already been made (Lam and Hsu, 2006). On the other hand, Jang and Cai (2002, p.114) state that pull elements is what influence someone in its decision, this encompass the When, Where and How to do things. In the context of Adventure Tourism, destination is one element of pull factors that play a vital role in the motivation of individuals (Ewert, 1985; Millington et al., 2001, p.77). This could be choosing a destination because of the beauty that comprise its natural surrounding, for instance taking the decision to go for Safari in Kenya or going for mountaineering in the Himalayas. Moreover, the pull factor could be due to a favorable weather condition (Pomfret, 2004).For example, to enjoy from a good weather conditions for kite surfing in Mauritius, one should participate in it during the winter season, starting from June to November. These periods are suitable since the island is under the South East Trade winds influence. In addition, the natural environment in which the activity is occurred can be studied all the way through the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (Pomfret, 2004). The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum can be defined as the availability of the choice to participate in a preferred recreation activity within a preferred setting and to enjoy the desired experience (The British Columbia Resources Inventory Committee, 1998, p. Iv). This encompasses a range of setting prior to the physical environment including majorly access, remoteness, naturalness as well as the countryside and topography (Clarke and Stankey, 1979). This natural setting in adventure tourism could be seen as an influential factor. For instance, a baby boomer might prefer a natural landscape where access is not so easy, requiring a minimum level of risk, being totally primitive and one with nature. On the contrary, another can be looking for a site where access is easy, easy-doing activities and where they could benefit from som e facilities on-site. Therefore, it is to be noted that the decision to participate in the activity was already made; nevertheless the characteristics of the location could act as a dominant feature in the individuals choice. Finally, there are the marketing elements acting as basic stimuli as part of pull factor. This include the marketing mix which is product, place, price, promotion (Kotleret al., 2008), followed by promotional and advertising aspects (Goosens, 2000). Though through brochures, travel books and internet, individuals are persuaded or stimulated to engage in a particular activity.

Plantation agriculture Essay

Plantation agriculture is a kind of commercial arable farming in the world. It is especially important in humid tropics with luxuriant growth of vegetation. Its economic effectiveness is always emphasized, bringing both positive and negative impacts. In recent decades, crop diversification is introduced and the ecological balance of the natural environment is greatly conserved. Plantation agriculture refers to the growing of cash crops on large foreign owned estates in countries of tropical environment. It is usually practiced in a large scale with monoculture, in which only a certain type of plant is dominant. Take Papua New Guinea as an example, in the area, cacao, coffee and rubber are mainly grown in the region for export to other countries. Under this kind of farming, there are positive impacts to the economy. Firstly, due to its large scale of operation and being export-oriented in Papua New Guinea, the supply of products is regular and of uniformly high quality. With high demand for the products, this attracts large amount of investment of capital from the foreign countries, such as Europe and North America, thus allowing the farmers being financially able to provide the expensive machinery capable of turning out a high grade product. Benefiting from economies of scale, this enables both the transportation cost and production cost to be lowered. Secondly, plantations are also able to undertake greater scientific research and the eradication of pests and diseases. For example, one large sugar company in the former British colony of Guyana was able to employ a large research staff to produce a strain of sugar cane resistant to leaf-scald disease. Besides, government assistance has brought improved crop varieties, scientific research, new pesticides and fertilizers and effective marketing, The government of Papua New Guinea launched The Cape Hoskins Oil Palm Scheme to solve land disputes of many small holdings, strengthening national self-reliance. With increasing demand for the plantation, the employment rate of Papua New Guinea is greatly increased as there are more needs for personnel to manage crop growing and researching. Some crop processing and manufacturing industries are set up to satisfy the demand for crops. The farm productivity is increased as well. As people can earn more income from this kind of farming, this stimulates the rate of urbanization, hence the development of infrastructure and improvement of public facilities, such as roads, railways, ports, towns, schools, hospitals and the supply of electricity and water. As a result, the living standard of the labour is greatly improved. Despite the economic benefits, plantation farming somehow brings negative impacts to Papua New Guinea. First is the reliance upon the protected markets in Australia. At present, about one-third of the copra, 40 percent of the coffee, most of the cocoa and rubber is exported to Australia, which is assigned to admit duty free. In return, Papua New Guinea has to pay taxes for any imports. This leads to outflow of capital to foreign countries because this kind of farming is highly export-oriented. Second is the problem of labour. Plantations require large amount of cheap labour, but the wage rate is progressively higher because of the rising living standard and commercialization of the country. This increases the cost of production and thus reduces the competitiveness among other countries for the same kind of farming. Apart from this, the risk of crop failure is an important factor for consideration. As plantation agriculture is highly specialized. People highly rely on monoculture to earn a living. When the price of cash crops falls drastically or there is a sudden of crop failure, the income of farmers will fall as well. As a result, the earning of farmers tend to be unstable and badly affected the national income of Papua New Guinea. Besides, people have to import other necessities from other countries instead of planting within their own country, self-sufficiency cannot be achieved. In this way, there is no other source to safeguard the return of farmers. To overcome the negative impacts, crop diversification is a good method to reduce the over-reliance on certain types of cash crops. Ecologically, this method can also be beneficial to the environment. Since different types of crops are grown, the risk of crop failure decreases. This can stop the spread of diseases and pests for a particular type of crops. The population of pests decreases. This in turn reduces the use of pesticides. Hence, the chance of stream pollution is smaller, the sea organisms will not be poisoned or suffocated so easily, the nutrient flow can be more stable. There will be greater diversity of species of biomass, so the ecosystem will be more stable. Furthermore, diversification of crops increases the vegetation cover. There will be less surface runoff and soil erosion, yet infiltration increases. The nutrients of the soil can be preserved. Crop diversification also reduces the exhaustion of certain type of nutrients, fertility can be maintained and thus the use of fertilizer will be less common as well. Climatically, because of less crop failures, the amount of biomass increases. The evapotranspiration rate and wind speed can be more stable, so the microclimate can be maintained constant, the risk of global warming will not be getting serious so fast. In conclusion, plantation of cash crops is significant in Papua New Guinea for economic development. Though crop diversification may not be as profitable as plantation agriculture, ecological environment should not be ignored. In long-term, diversification of crops is a good way to safeguard the natural environment and brings more stable income to the farmers as well.