Pestel Anlysis Children Clothing

Report on environmental analysis & industry consolidations Introduction This report is about the importance of environmental analysis for the companies operating in the UK alcohol industry and what kind of tools is available for analysis. Also report will highlight the industry consolidation in the light of Greene King experience.Importance of environmental analysis This analysis is used to measure the internal (Strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats) environment factors which affect companies in future and also help to make a strategy to compete environment influences. (J&S) If companies do not analyse their internal and external environment then it would affect the company’s growth and others will have a chance to get competitive advantages. â€Å"Boiled frog syndrome† is a good example for understanding the importance of environmental analysis. Lecture notes 1, 28. 09. 2005) Procedure There are three models for analysing the environment: (J &S) †¢ PESTEL analysis †¢ Industry life cycle †¢ Porter’s five forces frame work But in this report only two models will be used for scanning the environment. PESTEL analysis recognises the opportunities & threats for companies from internal or external environment and Porter’s Five Forces model recognises the source of competitor. Firstly this report will look at the PESTEL analysis and how could companies use this model for analysing the environment.PESTEL analysis is used to see the future impact of environmental factors. There are six categories of environmental factors in PESTEL analysis i. e. Political, Economical, Socio–cultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal. (J&S) Secondly this report will look at the Porter’s five forces model for identifying the source of competitors in an industry. (J&S) Findings PESTEL analysis for environmental scanning Political factors †¢ Government stability †¢ Taxation policy †¢ For eign trade regulations †¢ Social welfare policies (Adapted from J&S)Report will show how these political concerns influence alcohol industry. According to Philip Webster and David Rose (The Times, 27. 10. 2005) â€Å"smoking has been banned in all pubs in Scotland and Northern Ireland and now Government is concerning to put a ban on smoking in pubs that serve food in England and Wales†. This new threat will affect the industry’s profitability as it has mentioned in Greene King case study. It will also affect the Government stability. Government is also planning to reduce the consumption of alcohol by putting more taxes on alcoholic drinks.Again it will affect the alcohol industry and prices of alcoholic drinks will rise. If the Government decide to put more tax on alcohol industry then they have to change the policies for tax-free product and also they have to control the black market that offers cheap cigarettes and alcohol. Otherwise new law will not be affectiv e. Therefore companies need to analyse the Government regulations that could jeopardise the profitability and plan for future strategies in order to compete those influences which they could have direct impact on company’s performance.Economical factors †¢ Inflation †¢ Interest rate †¢ Currency fluctuation and exchange rate †¢ Unemployment †¢ Disposal income †¢ Money supply (Adapted from J&S) Companies need to analyse economical factors that affect alcohol industry. For instant if the Government decide to increase the taxes on alcohol industry in order to the alcohol consumption then it will increase the prices of alcoholic drinks. Public’s health is major concerned from the Government prospective but it will affect the companies profitability and their share value.Because high inflation reduces the consumer’s spending power. (According to Greene King case) High interest rate also affects the disposal income. Because it reduces the investment in business and consumer spending power. So it is very important for companies to analyse the economic factors which they could influence the company’s profitability or growth. Socio-cultural factors †¢ Change in lifestyle †¢ Social mobility †¢ Demographic changes †¢ Distribution of income †¢ Education and health (Adapted from J&S) Socio-cultural is another important factor. It needs to analyse continuously.Consumer lifestyle provides opportunities and threats to companies. But it depends how they will tackle them as a valuable opportunity and threat for future strategy. Unequal income distribution also affects the consumer power. So companies need to analyse different level of income and then make their strategy accordingly. Public’s health is an important concern for alcohol industry. Therefore, they need to analyse Government policies on the industry that affect the public’s health. For example in Greene King case Governmen t is more concerned about public health and safety.This is the reason they are planning to increase the taxes in order to reduce the consumption. Another social concern is increased drinking hours that could cause violence and noise. Therefore companies need to analyse those factors to make their future strategies accordingly. Technological factors †¢ Government spending on research †¢ Speed of technology transfer †¢ New development †¢ Government and industry focus on technological effort (Adapted from J&S) The technology factor can influence the companies.It is necessary for companies to make a continuous effort to develop their technologies. It has a direct impact on companies’ performance and could jeopardise the profitability. Companies’ need to analyse external environment for updated their technologies for its future strategies. Sam Smith’s, an owner of chain of pubs, is using CCTV technology. According to company’s spokesman â⠂¬Å"it is much easier to watch every single floor at a same time†. (Greene King case) Environmental factors †¢ Environmental protection law †¢ Waste disposal †¢ Energy consumption (Adapted from J&S)Environmental factors also affect the companies’ reputation and performance. Companies’ should analyse the new environmental law regarding wastage and energy consumption. There are two obvious reasons, public health and environment for government. According to The World Health Organisation â€Å"alcohol is the third- biggest threat to public health† (Greene King case). Resent survey shows that â€Å"10% increase in alcohol prices would cut the alcohol related deaths by 28. 8% for men and 37. 4% for women†. (Greene King case) Legal factors †¢ Monopolies legislation Heath and safety law †¢ Employment law †¢ Product safety (Adapted from J&S) Government is planning to introduce a complete ban on smoking publicly or in social plac es. An industry magazine reports that 42,000 pubs serve food and about 65 per cent of their customers smoke (Webster, P and Rose, D, The Times, 27. 10. 2005). If they continue to serve food then the new regulation could affect their earnings. Greene King’s annual report shows that they are planning to increase the amount of no-smoking floor in their pubs and making out-door areas for smokers.The British Beer and Pub association wants to increase drinking hours. If the Government decided to increase drinking hours, then extra safety and security measure will be required (Greene king case). People will require frequent public transport after social hours to get their destination safely. Government proposal to extant drinking hours will affect employees as well. Its mean they will have to work long hours. Some times new legislation brings new competitors in the market which changed the company’s monopoly in an industry. Porter’s five forces model for environmental scanningThere are five parts of this model. 1. Threat of entry 2. Threat of substitute 3. The power of buyer 4. The power of supplier 5. Competitive rivalry (See appendices for figure 1) Threat of entry â€Å"Threat of entry will depend on the extent to which there are barriers to entry. These are factors that need to be overcome by new entrant if they are to compete successfully†. These barriers include: legislation, economies of scale, capital requirement, distribution channel, experience and relationship with supplier & customers. (J&S, page 113 to 115)In order to compete successfully companies’ need to analyse following barriers: †¢ Cost of capital to enter in an industry with regards to technology and economies of scale †¢ Strong relationship of exiting company with supplier and customer could be costly for new entry †¢ Product differentiation or high quality services could give competitive advantage or barrier †¢ Existing high experienced comp anies could take an advantage in terms of cost, customers and supplier loyalty †¢ Threats of Government policies †¢ Changes in technology would affect the competitive advantage (Source adapted from J&S page 113 to 115)Threat of substitutes â€Å"Substitution reduces demand for particular ‘class’ of product as customer switch to the alternatives. † (J&S, page 115) Threats of substitutes work when other companies provide the same product with more benefits and value. Therefore companies need to develop their products by analysing their environment. A Victorian style of pub is a good example where customers can have smoking and non-smoking floor separately. The power of buyers Buyers power likely to be high when customers could get same product at low price from different suppliers.Buyer will have more bargaining power when switching cost from one supplier to another is low. In order to reduce the buyer’s power company’s needed to develop the ir products. So they could offer more benefits and value. (Adapted from J&S) For example if Government decided to increase tax on alcoholic drinks in order to reduce the crime and consumption rates then this impact reduce the company’s sales. Longer drinking hours will increase the buyer’s power in terms of alternative. It’s necessary for companies’ to analyse those factors so they can reduce bargaining power. The power of supplier Supplier power likely to be high when: Limited sources and suppliers are available †¢ High switching cost from one supplier to another †¢ Different quality or services from alternative †¢ Powerful brand of supplier (Adapted from J&S) Analysis of these factors can increase bargaining power with supplier. I. e. change in tax policy could affect the supplier’s power. In other word if Government increased the taxes on alcoholic drinks then whole production cost will change. Because supplier will charged extra and as result prices of alcoholic drinks will raise. Competitive rivalry â€Å"Competitive rivals are organisation with similar product and services aimed at same customer group†. Adapted from J&S, page 118) Factors affecting competitive rivalry †¢ High fixed cost of products may increase price war †¢ Customer could switch to other competitor if products are undifferentiated. †¢ High exit barriers could lead to increased in competition because of high investment in non-transferable fixed assets or high redundancy cost †¢ Competitors are in balance-roughly equal size – lead to higher rivalry (Adapted from lecture note 2, 5. 10. 2005 and J&S) Therefore companies need to analyse those factors which are affecting on competitive rivalry. If they do not keep an eye on them then growth of company will be affected.Industry consolidation in light of the Greene King experience Industry consolidation in the light of Greene king experience is very successful. A ccording to the case study, Greene king is the British pubs and brewery group based in Suffolk. Since 1996 they have acquired 1,600 pubs (See appendices figure 2 for Greene king’s acquisitions experience). Now they are taking over Scotland’s oldest brewery company ‘Belhaven’ and Essex based brewery & pubs group ‘Ridley’. Greene King has an opportunity to enter in a competitive market and expend their operations across UK.Greene king has a large distribution channel, 2,064 owned pubs which can sell their own brewed drinks. Industry consolidation reduces per unit cost of product because of the mass production and increases the profitability. Consolidation also reduces the supplier power and increase the bargaining power with supplier. It also increases the wealth of shareholders. Small company has got benefit from being part of large company and has a chance to sale their drinks in new market. It’s a good step for small companies to devel op their businesses for the future. Consolidation reduces the competition in an industry and creates more jobs. Greene king case) Conclusion Environmental analysis gives better understanding for decision making and help to make positive strong future strategies. In order to competing environmental influences companies’ need to analyse their environment on continuous basis. Consolidation of industry is cost effective and has wide horizon of competitive market. It also increases the interest of stakeholders. Recommendation Companies need to analyse their internal or external environment on regular basis. This report highly recommends the PESTEL analysis and Porter’s five forces model for environmental analysis. These models help in decision making and company’s future growth.References †¢ Greene King annual report 2004 & 2005, access date: 20. 10. 2005 and 01. 11. 2005. www. greeneking. co. uk †¢ Johnson, G and scholes, k (2002), Exploring Corporate Stra tegy 6th ed UK: Prentice Hall. †¢ Webster, P and Rose, D (2005) â€Å"Pubs will call time on food to keep smokers† in The Times newspaper, 27. 10. 2005, page 1 and 9. †¢ Wiscarson, G, Strategic Environment, Lecture notes 1, 28. 09. 2005. †¢ Wiscarson, G, Strategic Environment, Lecture notes 2, 05. 10. 2005.

Article About Love Essay

Country, Location, & Flag : The name of my country that I am researching is Poland. Poland is located in the heart of Europe, on the North European Plain. It is bordered by the Baltic sea to the North and Northwest. By Germany to the West, by Ukraine, Belarus. Russia and Lithuania to the east and northeast and by Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south. In general, Poland mountainous in the south with the terrain becoming increasingly flatter toward the north. The flag is just two colors. White on top and red on the bottom. Climate: The climate in Poland is determined mainly by the country’s geographical location. Poland is in the temperate latitudes. The average annual temperature in Poland is about 8’C/46’F and varies for the regions of Poland depending on height above sea level and distance from the Baltic Sea. In the summer, for instance, temperatures are lower in northern Poland because of the Baltic Sea. The lowest temperatures are in the mountains and the highest are in the western and central Poland. Poland sees an average annual rainfall of 600 millimeters. The highest precipitation is in the mountains and uplands and the lowest occurs in the central, lowland areas of Poland. On the average, precipitation in summer is twice that in the winter. In the summer months of June, July and August, showers alternate with dry, sunny weather and the temperature averages about 18’C/64’F; the maximum summer temperature is 40’C/104’F. Early autumn is generally sunny and warm before a period of rainy, colder weather in November begins the transition into winter. Winter, which may last one to three months, is cold and cloudy and brings frequent snowstorms but relatively low total precipitation. The average temperature in January is about -4’C/25’F but it can fall as low as -35’C/-31’F.pring arrives slowly in April, bringing mainly sunny days. Read more:Â  Essay About Love Economic & Political System : Poland has a free market economy. As for the politician system, Poland is a country with a republican political system in which power is concentrated in the citizen’s hands. Poland is a parliamentary democracy which means that all citizens can participate in ruling the state and have a constitutionally guaranteed influence on it’s fate. They also enjoy equal rights. Major Trading Partners : Major trading partners would have to be, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, & Czech Republic. Unique Characteristic and Natural Recourses: Well Poland has beautiful mountains, and one really unique thing I like is that the weddings last about three days. Natural resources of Poland are coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, salt, etc. Custom & Cultural Info: When greeting someone a good handshake, direct eye contact, a smile and the appropriate greeting for that time of day will suffice. Do not use first names until invited to. Moving from the use of formal to the informal names is such an important step. When it comes to eating most meals are served family-style, and always try a bit of everything. Alcohol is also usually poured in a small glass. Quality Of life Compare To U.S : I don’t really see a big difference. In both countries people work, go to school, and do the usual. Currency & Language & Exchange Rate v USD: The currency is zloty and the exchange rate is 0.31 US dollar. National Foods & How To Say Hello: Most popular dish in Poland would have to be pierogi which is my all time favorite! Bigos, kielbasa, golabki are also very popular and yummy as well! Anyways to say hello in polish you simply say, czesc! Educational Opportunities ,Current unemployment Rate ,Life Expectancy & GDP: Education is a little different then here in the US. You start off with kindergarten and it goes all the way up to 8th grade and you stay with your class all 8 years, so you never have new kids in your classes. Then from 8th grade you go to a different school to start high school which is 4 years and once you have your class in 9th you stay with them till 12th. It’s a bit confusing but still pretty simple. As for unemployment rate, the currency is 14%! Life expectancy is 76.25 years and the GDP is 514.5 billion USD. Major Sports & Famous People/ Inventions: They play different sports like basketball and volleyball but of course the major one is SOCCER! My favorite(: As for inventions the bulletproof vest was in fact created by a Polish inventor called Jan Szczepanik in 1901. The vest was made of multiple layers of silk that were specifically woven so that they could stop bullets. The invention turned out be quite successful and the cloth used in the vest passed the practical test when it prevented the assassination of the Spanish king Alfonso XIII. Family Life: They usually just live like we would in the US. Once you are married you go off with your husband and if you have kids then you just stay in a home with them obviously! Not really anything different or unusual! Foreign Trade/ Exports & Imports : I’m not sure if Poland has more exports or imports because It kind of balances out. Most of Poland’s imports are capital goods needed for industrial retooling and manufacturing inputs like machinery. Poland exports fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.

The Department of Homeland Security

In September 11, 2001, the United States experienced terrorist attacks which changed the way the country plans and organizes to protect itself from such acts of terrorism. In such efforts, the United States government established the Department of Homeland Security, the objectives of which would be â€Å"to secure borders, synthesize and analyze intelligence on terrorist threats, work with state and local authorities in threat preparedness, protect the public from weapons of mass destruction, help train and equip first responders, and manage emergencies† (Sloan, 2002, p. 20).The Department of Homeland Security thus leads a national effort to protect the country from acts of terrorism and became an important counterterrorism arm of the United States. This paper is an effort to look into the agencies working with the Department of Homeland Security in its efforts in dealing with and mitigating acts of terrorism. These agencies are also herein described as to their primary functi ons and responsibilities so as to have an understanding on how they help in protecting the United States from domestic and foreign terrorism.According to the Department of National Homeland Security, more than 87,000 different government jurisdictions at the federal, state and local level have homeland security responsibilities. However, there are only a lesser number which comprises the major components, government agencies and offices that currently make up and help the department in attaining its counterterrorism goals and objectives.These agencies, as they are herein considered, are of such importance to the counterterrorism measures of the DHS because they belong to the four areas where the department is focusing on to fight and curb terrorism. These four areas concerned are composed of the border and transportation security; the emergency preparedness and responses; the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear countermeasures; and information analysis. Counterterrorism page_#2 Border and Transportation SecurityThe Department of Homeland Security ensures safe and secure borders and by doing so protects the United States from entry of possible threats to national peace and security, and provides an effective counterterrorism measures against foreign and international terrorists. In that domestic terrorists are equally dangerous as international terrorists, the DHS also employ methods of securing the safety of the United States from terrorists already based in the country. These counterterrorism measures can be done by focusing on the border and transportation security of the nation.The agencies under the Department of Homeland Security that are responsible for curbing terrorism in these areas are: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) protects the country from current and possible terrorist attacks by ensuring that the country’s transportation system, a vulnerable area of attack by t errorists, is safe and well protected from suicide bombers or those whose tactics are to plant explosives in public transportation systems.The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) works in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration to prevent the entry of international threats to the borders of the United States while ensuring a free movement of people and commerce. Its counterterrorism responsibility is accomplished by guarding the nation’s borders against entry of terrorists and terrorist weapons that can disrupt national peace and security. The United States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard protects the country in the same manner that the United States Customs and Border Protection does: it protects the country from current and potential terrorist attacks by guarding the nation’s borders against entry of terrorists and terrorist weapons. Its area of responsibility, however, is specific in that its counterterrorism responsibility Counterterrorism page_#3 is accomplished by protecting the nation in â€Å"the nation’s ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security† (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2006). Emergency Preparedness and Responses In order to fight terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security ensures that the country is equipped and prepared to protect itself from acts and possible threats of terrorism. It also ensures that should acts of terrorism occur, there are sufficient responses so as to mitigate the impacts of terrorism. Thus, the DHS has focus on emergency preparedness and responses. The agencies under the DHS that are responsible for curbing terrorism in these areas are: The Directorate for PreparednessThe Directorate for Preparedness works with state, local, and private sector partners to identify threats, determine vulnerabilitie s, and target resources where risk is greatest and by doing so safeguards the national borders, seaports, bridges and highways, and critical information systems (U. S. Department of Homeland Security, 2006). Its counterterrorism responsibility is accomplished through several of its components among which include the Infrastructure Protection which is responsible in identifying threats to the country’s physical and informational structure.Another equally important and useful component of the Directorate is the Cyber and Telecommunications which is responsible in preventing and mitigating a modern form of terrorism: cyberterrorism. The Cyber and Telecommunications arm of the Directorate for Preparedness protects the country against cyberterrorism by disseminating cyber threat warning information and coming up with the necessary responses to cyber attacks.In cases of cyber attacks, it coordinates with other agencies including the law enforcement and intelligence community so as to capture and convict those who are responsible for the occurrences. It is also helpful in providing information to investigators who are working on electronic crime cases. Counterterrorism page_#4 The Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Directorate The Federal Emergency Management Directorate declares that it â€Å"prepares the nation for hazards, manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident†.It is also an important counterterrorism agency working with the Department of Homeland Security in that it is responsible for the dissemination of information regarding terrorism including the kinds of acts the US government considers as acts of terrorism and the high risk target areas of terrorist attacks. The FEMA therefore helps protect the country from current and potential terrorist attacks by equipping the citizens with the basic knowledge about acts of terrorism and giving them the necessary know how so as for them to be able to protect themselv es should such attacks occur.This will mitigate the impact of terrorist acts and the number of casualties during such incidents. The function of FEMA is well described in the role it played when the World Trade Center (WTC) was attacked on September 11, 2001. After the attack, FEMA moved immediately into its response mode to help with long-term repair, restoration, and rebuilding of the damaged and lost infrastructure (Howard & Buck, 2002). The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons are among the most dangerous and deadliest that can be possibly employed by terrorists.While there may be vaccines for these weapons, they have too many side effects and it is quite impossible to vaccinate an entire population The best way to protect the people of the United States from these weapons of mass destruction is therefore safeguarding them from it and, on the part of the Department of Homeland Security, to have a f ocus in the areas of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear countermeasures. Thus, several agencies are responsible for safeguarding the nation from these weapons of mass destructions. The agencies responsible in this counterterrorism measure include:Counterterrorism page_#5 The Directorate for Science and Technology The Directorate for Science and Technology is an important arm of the DHS which works to provide the necessary technology and capabilities so as to protect the United States from terrorists attacks. The Directorate for Science and Technology is responsible for protecting the country from terrorist attacks by developing the latest and a highly capable system that can prevent, detect and mitigate the effects of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive attacks.The Directorate is also responsible in building up on the technological capacities of the country so as to be able to anticipate emerging threats, enable preparedness and provide emergency r esponder technologies. It further implements its counterterrorism responsibilities by working on for the detection, mitigation and response to potentially dangerous and explosive device such as bombs and weapons of mass destructions that can be improvised or assembled by terrorists.It is also responsible to developing a system of treating and minimizing the exposure of victims to biological or chemical attacks. The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) is responsible in improving the country’s ability to detect and report unauthorized attempts to import, possess, store, develop, or transport nuclear or radiological material for use against the Nation, and to further enhance this capability over time (U. S. Department of Homeland Security, 2006).The DNDO protects the country from current and potential terrorist attacks by working on transformational research and development programs to improve the country’s ability to detect nucl ear threats. It is also responsible for establishing methods that will ensure timely and effective response actions to detected nuclear threats. Counterterrorism page_#6 Informational Analysis An important aspect in counterterrorism measures is the ability to gather and synthesize information as information is an important tool in determining the appropriate response and counteraction to a threat.An appropriate interpretation of gathered information will not only make counterterrorism measures more effective but can also help save lives and mitigate the impacts of terrorism. Thus, the Department of Homeland Security ensures that it has focus on informational analysis. The agencies that are responsible for curbing terrorism through intelligence gathering and synthesis are: The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative branch of the Department of Homeland Security which was created af ter the September 11 attack so as to have a more effective enforcement of immigration and customs law of the United States which form efforts of protecting the country against terrorism. The ICE countermeasures against foreign terrorism involve targeting illegal immigrants: the people, money and materials that support terrorism and other criminal activities (U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2006).The organization implements its counterterrorism measures by investigating on illegal export of US munitions and similar technologies; investigating on employers who employ illegal workers in critical and vulnerable infrastructure worksites like nuclear plants and airports such that employing unauthorized workers at sensitive sites may pose serious homeland security threats; destroying the systems through which criminal organizations move and store their funds; and ensuring the removal of fugitive aliens in the country (U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2006). Counterterr orism page_#7The United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service is responsible for protecting the President and other high-level officials of the country. It is also valuable in fighting against many forms of terrorism such that it investigates on different activities that can be possibly utilized for acts of terrorism. Among its responsibilities are to investigate counterfeiting and other financial crimes, including financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on the nation’s financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.The responsibilities of the United States Secret Service is to protect the country from threats oftentimes employed by terrorists which include the creation of fear among the public such as when the public experiences computer based attacks or some forms of cyberterrorism; and trying to convince citizens that their government is powerless in preventing terrorist attacks such as what may ha ppen when financial crimes occur. The Office of Operations CoordinationThe Office of Operations Coordination is responsible for providing the necessary monitoring of the security of United States against terrorism by fusing different information from different sources so as to point out possible threats of terrorist attacks. These sources, as the organization refers are the â€Å" intelligence side† responsible for focusing on highly classified intelligence and assessment of information with regards to current threat picture of a specific area; and the â€Å"law enforcement side† responsible for different enforcement activities across the country that may have a terrorist nexus (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2006). Through its National Operations Center, information sharing is coordinated to help deter, detect, and prevent terrorist acts. Counterterrorism page_#8 Conclusion In the effort of United States to protect itself from acts of terrorism such as what hav e occurred in September 2001, it has established a department that will be an important and leading arm in its counterterrorism measures.This department is the Department of the National Homeland Security whose efforts, according to Sloan, are to secure borders, synthesize and analyze intelligence on terrorist threats, work with state and local authorities in threat preparedness, protect the public from weapons of mass destruction, help train and equip first responders, and manage emergencies.While there are more than 87,000 different government jurisdictions at the federal, state and local level that have homeland security responsibilities, there are major components, government agencies and offices that currently make up and help the department in attaining its goals and objectives considered of importance because they belong to the four areas where the department is focusing on to fight and curb terrorism.These four areas are composed of the border and transportation security com prising the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) ,United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the United States Coast Guard; the emergency preparedness and responses comprising the Directorate for Preparedness and the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Directorate; the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear countermeasures comprising the Science and Technology Directorate and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office; and information analysis comprising the United States Secret Service, the Office of Operations Coordination The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). . References Howard, M. M. , & Buck, R. A. (2002). World Trade Center Recovery: A Challenge to Traditional Disaster Management.The Public Manager, 31(1), 47+. Retrieved November 16, 2006, from Questia database: http://questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5000794189 Sloan, S. (2002, October). The Case for a Department of Homeland Security – the Bush Administration and Congress Face the Challenge of Reorganizing the Nation's Security to Fight the War on Terrorism. World and I, 17, 20. Retrieved November 16, 2006, from Questia database: http://questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5002523187 US Department of Homeland Security (2006). â€Å"Department Subcomponents and Agencies†. Retrieved November 16, 2006, from Department of Homeland Security Website: http://www. dhs. gov/xabout/structure/#1 The Department of Homeland Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an agency created to secure and protect the homeland. It is established primarily to protect the people and the country against attacks from terrorists. Since 2001, 22 separate agencies were merged into a one single cohesive unit which makes up the Department of Homeland Security. Although the primary purpose and very reason of DHS existent is securing the homeland, DHS is also in the forefront in providing assistance to people during natural calamities and disasters (Vieira, 2005). The agency also administers and monitors the country’s immigration status and system, thus protecting American people from migrating citizens entering the nation, which are bent on spreading fear and terror.As a result of monitoring the migrating patterns, entry of illegal drugs are prevented as they are stop before crossing American Borders. Thus, by merging the 22 various agencies into single more powerful and cohesive team, coordination and efficiency in performing tasks is achieved. It is no secret that in order to perform such huge missions, unity must be achieve across all government levels all over the nation.With the huge effort and major help the agency has provided and will provide in the near future it is important to understand the plan and strategic actions DHS and the federal government has adapted in protecting our nation. It was a dream come true in creating DHS, since it is a single department built in the primary principle in protecting the people and the nation. The administration has allotted a bigger budget of 11 billion dollars to support state preparedness (Vieira, 2005).The increase in budget will further solidify and strengthen aviation security, border security activities, purchase of necessary medical equipments and would provide an effective mode of managing a new human resource system that will enable hiring of â€Å"cream of the crop† personnel. With larger budget at hand DHS can now secure adva nce equipments and devices manufactured by the advent of technology.For instance, in order to secure the nation’s borders, ports and transportation systems from various criminal elements, an effective method that would screen goods and people is necessary. Use of advance information is also vital in managing the risk of guarding the nation’s borders that stretches across 7500 miles of land. Thus, a program that relies in the use of advance information to identify potential high risk shipments and cargo is being build on.The idea is to prevent cargo and shipments from reaching U.S. territory. Pre-screening of cargo and shipments in 20 main foreign ports around the world provides DHS a major assistance in intercepting dangerous people and goods before reaching shores. The process which focuses on the pre-screening tests is known as the Container Security Initiative. On the other hand, ports are made safer by deploying large number of coast guards and strict implementatio ns of maritime security standards for coastal activities and waterway system.Together with the Transportation Security Administration, DHS provide aid to the field of aviation by making of air craft flight safer. Advance screening devices that keep dangerous weapon off the airplanes are provided by the joint efforts. Field air marshals are also called and deployed to protect passengers. Pilots are also trained as last line of defense.DHS also provide assistance to people during disasters and natural calamities. Chaos is not only brought about by people, terrorist and biological warfare. Bigger destructions are brought by disasters and catastrophic accidents generated by the environment such as hurricane, forest fire, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In order to response to such incident and other terrorist attacks preparedness is important (Baldwin, 2005). Today, DHS is working on it’s readiness to response on those various emergencies. On top of its agenda is to better pr epare and coordinate the Nation’s capabilities to improve speed and efficiency of delivering services to our people.Another major assistance the organization provides to the people is information dissemination. With the creation of DHS, warning systems have become more effective and public warning has been enhanced (Baldwin, 2005). With the improved warning systems, cyber and terrorist threats are easily identified, as a result people are warned in advanced. With threats known, countermeasure and contingency plans can then be generated.With a single agency dedicated in providing security to the American people, works are carried out more efficiently and at faster rate, as information is made centralized and securing of documents, which eat ample amount of time, in order to coordinate with other agency which has jurisdiction in certain case is not necessary. Time is conserved and as a result DHS functions more effectively. The agency then is able to generate necessary counterm easures.Also, by merging the different agencies and forming one immense organization strength and skills are then concentrated and focused much better. Resources are also conserved and man power is utilized more efficiently. Furthermore, confusion into which jurisdiction the different cases will fall not arise, since operations are all sanctioned by the department. Leakage of information can also be controlled, since there is no need for the DHS to inform other agency, thus a more controlled surrounding which is manageable is attained.However, creating a single agency which handles affairs that provides protection to the homeland poses several critical issues. The scope of DHS mission is broad which encompasses terrorist affairs, natural calamities and entry of illegal drugs. With the merging of different agencies to form the DHS, special agencies and units which are created for specific functions are also merged with the homeland department.Although by merging, it has become a part of a new organization, it has also become a regular unit which receives general orders unlike before when they are called for special situations and specialize in performing specific functions. Also, the budget the department needs balloons every year as several agendas are needed to be tended. Since, DHS is the organization which functions and executes actions with all matters related and concerning about security and protection of our people and homeland, the organization requires large financial assistance and grants.After the 2001 attack, the lives and the way our people live had change. For instance, the creation of DHS as a sole organization that would provide security and protection to the people and homeland are actions that are generated by the attacks. In an effort to strengthen intelligence reports and ability to combat and fight terrorists affairs, various agencies have joined hands and merged to prevent incidents that lead to the September 11 attacks.The end result is an agency that promises to protect the people by controlling the borders, provide protection and support to aviation and port security, increase preparedness in emergency response and counter act the affairs of different elements that threatens the peace and security of the people. From the organization’s mission we can infer that they are logically tied together as they all sought for stoppage of criminal and terrorists acts that are detrimental to the nation and the people. They are measures and strategic actions that are carried out in order to safe guard the people and allow them to live their everyday lives free from fear uncertainties.As various elements continue to threaten the nation and its people, DHS will continue to be at the forefront of the war against them. With the advent of new technology and new devices and equipments being invented, preventions and countermeasures to terrorist and criminal attacks are not impossible to achieve. Furthermore that administrati on had greatly supported the organization and had generously provided it with a â€Å"generous† amount for its budget.There is no doubt about the importance of the organization and its value to our citizen. From anticipation and early forecast of warning of threats discovered that the public are about to encounter up to operations and countermeasures and emergency response after attacks and disaster, the department’s unwavering efforts would be evident and as long as there are elements that are trying to cross the American borders, spreading fear and terror to our people, DHS will live to its promise and expectations and provide our people with the much needed services.ReferencesBaldwin, Craig. (2000). Catastrophe Preparation and Prevention for Law Enforcement Professionals New York, NY: McGraw HillVieira, Edwin Jr. (2005). â€Å"Homeland Security† — For What and For Whom? News With Views.   

Racism - Malcolm X - Black History Month Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Racism - Malcolm X - Black History Month - Essay Example He felt the pain of segregation but unlike most people, he strongly desired for a change in his community. He knew that something had to be done, and he knew that he could do something about the segregation. Malcolm emerged to be a very significant force for change that could awaken both those who lived and those that were to come. Racism in the United States went through construction and experience during this period. One of such experiences is the one Malcolm x experienced of how the blacks in the society of America were mistreated and neglected. Through the experiences of Malcolm x, it showed that the blacks could be perceived and treated like second-rate human beings. Malcolm redefined the geographical terrain and the tenor of the black politics. He redefined the governance system in America as a better and bigger form of segregation and harmful to the rights of the blacks. Malcolm x change the way people interpreted the civil rights act by affecting their existing definitions and interpretations. Malcolm x succeeded in making people unites so as to gain a racial pride through fighting for their

File Sharing and Burning CDs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

File Sharing and Burning CDs - Essay Example He is now known as the media man. All the videos and movies in our circle of friends come from him. He writes freeware software for us, whenever we need any and then posts them to us. He has all the latest movies and videos that we could want. He however became very possessive about his computer system and didn’t allow others to enter without his permission. Once I tried to log on to his computer without his permission and there was an outbreak from him. He was really upset and called it ‘invasion of privacy’. I however apologized and explained that it was totally unintentional. This experienced opened up a new world of computers for me. Prior to this experience I had always considered computers as a tool which was used to perform work. The closeness that my cousin felt towards his computer created intrigue towards this feeling. I wanted to learn and understand this feeling. The first step was setting up a personal computer which was similar to my cousin’s, only less powerful. Using a fast internet connection I downloaded some movie and share them using torrents. It was indeed a magical experience. There were thousands of people who downloaded from my link and gave thank you notes. Some of them went ahead and asked for other movies which they really wanted to watch. I was flattered this experience gave me an insight into the personal side of file sharing. This practice does not only give you sense of purpose but also gives great joy. The reason for people to engage in this practice is indeed different for different people. Some share file just to earn money through advertisement. This is a hefty amount and many take it up as a full time job. Others however find it joyful to be of service to other and to be liked. It all depends on the psychological contract of individuals. The feeling of sharing and finding a connection with thousands of people all around the world is indeed priceless. Many people find it

Criminology research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Criminology research paper - Essay Example The killer could achieve their gratification through posing the body in different ways as well as propping the body in diverse ways and in insertion of objects into the victim’s bodily openings. Such murderers are usually viewed as sadistic sexual psychopaths. The classification of the murder related to lust is done according to the crime scene mostly with regard to psychopathology of the scene. Moreover, a homosexual or heterosexual orientation could also be involved in lust murders. The organized offender could be identified if the murderer tortures and kills to gain sexual gratification, which can also be categorized as prototype serial killer. The disorganized lust killers also exhibit similar behaviors although the difference between the two murderers is the inability of the disorganized felon to escape and avoid being caught. These individuals are usually arrested while committing the crime or shortly afterwards. On the other hand, the organized felon is categorized as a bove average with regard to intelligence. This is because they undertake crimes that are well thought out and planned carefully. The criminal mostly undertakes the crime away from their areas of residence or employment. The organized felon travels a long distance before identifying the place to commit the crime as compared to the disorganized felon. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHCCK.SDKLHJSNFLNJKLkdldncmcmkdjfherpojfvv m,

Opera houset promotion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opera houset promotion - Assignment Example The company should create a compelling advert that convinces the customers that the service at Opera Houset Company is the best. Adverts should deliver a proper message to the people, enhance the company’s image, draw more people to the business while holding and keeping the existing customers (Belch and Belch 12). Promotion should be done in different ways, this will include the print media, electronic media and digital media. Print media, which include magazines and newspapers to advertise (MacRury 8). The magazines and newspaper should provide information about the company’s location, its service, and the cost of their tickets. It should bring out the company as the best in providing service. The advert should be placed in the newspapers like the New York Times. Opera Houset Company should involve in promotion through electronic media, which include the use of televisions and radios to advertise on their information (Clow and Baack 11). This media is considered the best as it can reach targeted groups like teenagers. This will involve advertisement for about 30 seconds about Opera Houset Company. Advertisement through television will be the best as it creates impact on the viewer through sight of the opera company their quality halls, dinning, and best services. Trade paper advertisement will be through publishing of information about Opera Houset Company in business papers. This business books are of better production quality, high prices and large (Belch and Belch 15). They put advertisement adds on them to promote Opera Houset Company. Opera Houset Company needs to incorporate this system to obtain more customers. Digital media advertisement includes methods like social Medias, social networking, and social sites to promote information should also be used. This is a modern way of advertising information and it provides a platform to interact with customers as it advertises (Lin 16). Information from digital media is from

Business Code of Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Code of Ethics - Coursework Example PhD., â€Å"Ethical Issues†). During the last staff meeting, my staff supervisor takes me aside in order to report that she caught four of our regularly employed on site caregivers gossiping about their wards inability to control their bladder and bowel functions and how they hated havign to clean up their wards and that they could not help but scold them for making such a mess of themselves at their ages. They bragged about often getting away with holding snacks, meals, and desserts from their ward in order to â€Å"teach them a lesson† . A closer investigation using surveillance video on the supervisors part shows that these particular employees regularly verbally abuse and indirectly physically assault their patients. As the owner and president of this company. It is my duty to ensure that my geriatric residents are treated properly and fairly. More importantly, I must guard against any abuses of their rights and privileges as a human being. Knowing fully well that there are state and national laws against such abuses, my license will now be on the line and could be taken away from me at any given time should any of my employees be caught in the act of abusing a patient. It is up to me to put an end to the abuse before a relative of the resident discovers the situation and takes legal action against the employee and my company. I must therefore take our company Code of Ethics into consideration when deciding as to how to deal with the erring caregivers. After all, a violation of a company code of ethics should be grounds for immediate dismissal. I understand that all of my employees shall come to me with a theoretical and practical knowledge of how to care for senior residents. However, not all of them will have the psychology training that is required for this type of specialized care. Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to provide them with the guidelines pertaining to proper

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Research Paper

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act - Research Paper Example They formed movements through which they spoke in one voice about the evils that were going on in their lives. Quite a number of acts were proposed, including the â€Å"Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act† but they did not see the light of day. The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) was officially enacted in 1984. It was later â€Å"reauthorized and amended† in 2010. The act can be regarded as a life-saving financial measure driven by an objective to offer emotional support to the victims2. The main idea behind such programs is to effectively secure mental stability and safety of the respective victims in addition to preventing incidences of violence in future. The act was focussed on providing the necessary awareness and prevention of domestic violence. It should be noted that this act is the sole source of funding that is meant to support life-saving initiatives through domestic violence programs. These programs include hotlines, counselling , emergency shelters and relevant legal services3. The act has made tremendous steps in relation to curbing sexual and domestic violence. Consequently, increased awareness of the above mentioned crimes and a developed justice system have led to swelling demand for the services. In the United States alone, up to 2 million children and women succumb to domestic violence save for approximately 15 million children who are exposed to physical abuse and torture by their parents/guardians.4 The effects of the current state of the economy are being felt by victim service agencies as they try to handle the ever increasing demand by the American population. It is evident how the existing resources are being stretched to the limit. Situations of job loss and eviction cases of either the victim or the abuser have been factors that have contributed to the increasing demand for the respective services5. FVPSA is important in the sense that it is at the forefront of sustaining or rather maintainin g crisis hotlines, effective safety planning, appropriate preventive education to victims, counselling and emergency asylums.6 This act is necessary to bridge the gap between the limited available resources and the ever increasing demand for these services. Many regard this act as the heart and soul of the country’s response to pertinent issues of domestic violence, thus its importance. The act ensures that community resources are well coordinated and distributed through effective and comprehensive programs. In relation to the impact of this legislation, the funding has been able to assist many victims despite the limited resources. Many lives have been saved through various programs. A typical example of this scenario was in September 2008 where up to 60,800 victims benefited from the respective program. In essence, when a victim is provided with shelter it means that he or she is at a safer place far away from the abuser, thus a life-saving initiative. Another impact of the act is that the demand for these services has significantly increased. The government has, in turn, realised that closer attention should be paid especially in the area of funding so that more people can benefit from the program. The act has created significant awareness about what it can do so that in the event of an incident like an emergency, the victims know where to turn to for

Read the sources and summarize them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Read the sources and summarize them - Essay Example They contributed much towards ending hereditary monarchy and presented the separation of the state and church to end theocracy which were both outstanding achievements during their time (Korten, 2014). The author explains how the original constitution protected the elite bodies of a plutocracy, which is a structure of affluence that precisely endorsed captivity and gave no rights to women, people of color, or Native Americans. He expounds on his theory on plutocracy by showing how the United States is as an empire ruled as a plutocracy not willing to recognize demands by average people of their rights to life freedom and they search for their happiness in a violent manner (Korten, 2014). The article the US constitution authors had acted without considering the right of every individual to life, freedom, and justice for all by giving us governing institutions that represent uppermost face of these democratic principles. The author explains the relationship of the current economy in plutocracy and how the current day economy has influenced the rule experienced by the United States. Plutocracy has been able to combine with the word economy to result to "plutonomy" that shows that income progression is confined to those at the peak of the affluence pyramid. It shows how marketing consultants and investment advisors describe our current economy. The article is by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The article is used to show how the US military used some bullets made with depleted uranium (DU) when attacking their enemies who used armored vehicles and its amplified usage in the 1990-1991 Gulf war. It further expresses the health dangers it posed on those who were exposed to its chemical toxicity, which equal the chemical toxicity of natural uranium but with a radioactivity of 40 percent or less. It explains ways in which DU can be hazardous to those who had been in a war zone during the period which include penetration of DU

Centered Approach Essay Example for Free

Centered Approach Essay Family-Centered Approach ECE 313 Collaboration with Parents Community Kathleen Thomas October 10, 2011 Instructor Cindy Hopper The economy has hit an all time low and has caused two parent households and single parent households into the workforce. As a result of this the parents are looking for childcare centers for their children. The main concern of these parents is will the centers help with the behavior and development of their children. These parents are looking for a place that is going to help with the development of their children’s self-help skills, empowerment, pro-social skills, self-esteem and attachment. These are behaviors that are not easily controlled and because the children spend the majority of their time in the centers the parents are hoping that together they can help develop desired behavior. That is why they are looking for a center that uses the family-centered approach. As the educator you have to develop a relationship with the children and their parents, the parents have to feel that they are going to be involved in everything that goes on in the center and that concerns their child. The educator has to sit down and learn about the child from the parent so that the educator will know what the parent expects from the educator and the center. The educator has to spend time with the child so that they can start to form a relationship. Family-centered has been defined as: Focus on the children within their families. The program includes the family as an integral, inseparable, part of the children’s education and socialization. Families along with their children are the program. (Gonzalez-Mena) p. . It is very important to acknowledge the children within their families because this way, you remember that you can not do anything without involving both of them. It is important that the educators know what the parents expectations are, Teaching children desired behavior may not be easy even when the educator and the parent are using the same methods. Potty training may require the educator and the parent using the same procedure which might be putting the child on the potty several times a day. If either of them changes the procedure this might cause the child to become confused and it may take longer to train her. To encourage desired behavior from children, parents and teachers need to have a strong relationship with the children. A warm affectionate bond and a positive emotional tone in the home and center will convince the children that their teachers and parents are on the same team and promote a spirit of cooperation and understanding. (Neifert, Marianne, MD) Helping a child develop self-esteem takes a lot of work because you can not do it by saying things that are not realistic. You can not say you are the prettiest girl in the world and think that this will help her self-esteem, as a parent you have to promote self assurances, self-help, competence and being â€Å"special. † Self-esteem rises if the individual is proud to perceive herself as being in possession of these traits. (Gonzalez-Mena) p. 205. Self-esteem has four dimensions: significance, competence, power and virtue. Teaching a child about self-esteem would be difficult because hopefully the child would feel loved and cared for by her parents and she would need to feel that you loved and cared for her too. However, if the child did not feel that she was important this is not something that you can make happen. You can try by showing her that you do care about her and that she is important. You could compliment her when she has achieved a goal that was set for her but you should not over praise her. To promote self-esteem you should never have a critical attitude, label a child or use name calling. Use encouragement instead of always praising them. When they have done something better than the last time make a comparison about how much better it was this time. Never compare your child’s performance to another child’s. Children will fail at some of the things that they try to do but this will be an experience for them. Have realistic expectations; be certain that your expectations for the children’s behavior match their age and developmental abilities. You have to be prepared to show them what it is that you want them to do. Practice the skills with them so that they will be able to do them alone. It is not impossible for a two year old to put on their coats but this two year old might not be ready, you will have to practice this over and over until the child is able to do it themselves. Competence, power and virtue are a part of self-esteem and these things might be easier to teach, being competent means that you have skills that you are very good at. If you were doing these skills on a daily basis you would someday be extremely good at that skill. Power is believing that you are in charge of something other than the paper clips and that you have control over the things that happen in your life. Virtue is being a good person and knowing right from wrong. Educators can take these four dimensions and use them to help a child learn how to feel good about themselves. Teaching pro-social skills you can model the children yourself, you have to set limits and tell them why you are setting the limits. The reason is because you don’t want them to get hurt. Have children work and play together so that they will cooperate better. When children are involved in a conflict it is your responsibility to resolve it with a solving approach. Always avoid punishment as a way of discipline. There are other things that you can do when trying to teach pro-social skills; as an educator you should sincerely acknowledge children’s pro-social behavior by recognizing when they are doing things together (ex: two children have started cleaning up the art area) your response could be â€Å"that is real cooperation†. You should explain reasons for rules and help the children understand the effects of their behavior on others. This type of inductive discipline seems to encourage child to be kind and helpful. (Berman, K. L. , M. M. Torres, C. E. Domitrovich, J. A. An educator can encourage good behavior by using a reward system. Choose a behavior you would like to change. There might be a child in your classroom who will not sit still in his seat; you can tell him that if he sits still that you will reward him for staying in his seat. You can tell him that he has to earn five tokens by staying in his seat when you are teaching the class and that five tokens will get him ice cream at lunchtime. It does not have to be tokens; you might have a chart with everyone’s name on it and at the end of the week if they have receive a star for everyday they will receive extra cookies at snack time. Share your reward system with the parents and see if that helps them out with behavior problems at home.

Why did the Cold War start Essay Example for Free

Why did the Cold War start Essay The event of Cold War was shocking and controversial event which is still being discussed today. It is necessary to examine the many reasons why it started and how. While the why of what happened is still being argued, the what is fairly clear. The beginning of the Cold War was a basis of deep ideological differences as well as a series of misunderstandings or actions taken during WWII. The two immense powers USA and the USSR were showing some extreme behavior against each other. The conflict of Communism vs. Capitalism soon became grew importance. The beginning of the Cold War is not easy to set up. Although Winston Churchills Iron Curtain Speech in 1946 may seem like the start of the war but it is considered not to be one. Even though being a hero of World War II, Winston Churchill, as the ex-Prime Minister of England, held no official political stand anymore. His speech was a great response to Russias actions of gathering satellite nations to defend itself from Western aggression. The speechs most known quote which summarizes the whole speech was, From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Unfortunately it could only be taken as a ones opinion rather than a nations viewpoint, yet he was the first person to stop pretending to be friends with Russia. The Truman Doctrine of 1947 is believed to be the start of the Cold War. It stated that America would help any non-communist nation to resist communist force. It was simply a promise and was not in any case responsible of dividing Europe into two. Where the Truman Doctrine was the decision, the Marshall Plan was the action which seemed to bring the two nations (USA and Russia) more towards the Cold War than ever. In the summer of 1947 American general named George Marshall decided that America should give out $17 billion for aiding Europe. He reckoned that Europe was so poor that it is in danger of falling into Communism. It was said that it was up to the countries to decide whether to accept the help or not. The USSR hated that plan and was enraged by USAs anti-communist move. Stalin used his power to strike back by forbidding Communist countries to ask for money. The countries led by Britain and France met in Paris, and did ask for economic  aid and were not fallen into the Communist trap. The Marshall Aid seems to be the only time in history in which the needed results were achieved simply by throwing money at it. In 1948, a year after the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, the cold war was starting to face its first serious crisis. It evolved out of disagreements over the treatment of Germany. It was agreed to divide Germany into four zones. Whereas Stalin being convinced that Germany owed them for the damage that was done, was draining its resources away to Russia. It developed a great contrast between the Western zones and the Russian zone. While the hostility had already started way before 1949All three events had qualities that may count to mark the beginning of the Cold War but none of them can be the definite start point. The closest to mark the start of the war may possibly be the Marshall Plan. It was the most obvious attack against Communism ever made after World War II. As a result, the Cold War was founded on mistrust and concrete hostile policies and actions originated by two superpowers not being able to negotiate their way through it peacefully.

Perspectives Of Moral Development

Perspectives Of Moral Development Morality has different principal meanings. In its first, descriptive usage, morality means a code of conduct or belief which is held to be authoritative in matters of right and wrong. Morals are created and defined by society, philosophy, religion, and/or individual conscience. Morality is also synonymous with ethics. Ethics is the philosophical study of the moral domain. Ethics seeks to address questions such as how a moral outcome can be achieved in a specific situation, how moral values should be determined, and what morals people actually abide by. This paper and presentation will discuss morality as it relates to the learning and cognitive perspectives in psychology, with the primary goal of discovering which perspective is stronger and why. There are many different theories of moral development, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. Perspectives, such as the competing learning and cognitive perspectives in this paper, try to explain why morality exists amongst humans. In this paper, we will discuss several important learning and cognitive theories of moral development and their associated critiques. More specifically, from the learning perspective, we will discuss Banduras social learning theory of moral development, Kohlbergs stages of moral development and Gillians expanded research on Kohlbergs stages of moral development. In particular, the cognitive perspective also shows to be particularly convincing in presenting morality in its light. The cognitive perspective brings many things to the table, such as, how evolutionary adaptive selfishness and never feeling anonymous can create ethical behavior and morality. The cognitive perspective ventures to say morality is only understood when seen in collections of people seeking their own self interest. Included in this paper is a study that supports this selfish tendency of humans. Morality can also been seen as an interplay of emotions and cognition. Lastly, through the cognitive perspective, cause and effect and brain structures are used to help explain morality. Learning Perspectives Social Learning Perspective Social learning is the acquisition of new behavior from watching others demonstration actions (children see, children do) (Bandura, 1969). It is important to note that just because you learn an observable behavior from someone else does not mean that you fully imitate that behavior. When discussing morality, people may pick up only certain pieces from observing others moral action, emulating to achieve the same goal, not imitating the exact motor functions. This is prevalent when discussing how we develop our morality. Most moral development theories state that acquisition of morality often occurs during childhood, as explained later on. One of the most important theories of moral development is Banduras social learning theory of moral development. According to social learning, a childs acquisition of adult moral standards is a gradual process of imitating the observable values and behavior of others. In this theory, moral development is learned through modeling (Bandura, 1969). Bandura believed that direct reinforcement does not account for all learning and intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal reward, such as pride, satisfaction, and sense of accomplishment (Wagoner). Modeling teaches new behaviors, influences the frequency of previously learned behaviors, encourages previously forbidden behaviors, and increases the frequency of similar behaviors (Bandura, 1969). In order for modeling to work accurately, a person must be paying attention to the observable behavior, retain knowledge of the behavior, be able to replicate it, and have motivation of intrinsic-positive reinforcement. Modeling can be seen in the variety of ways people acquire their personal moral behavior. Primary attainment of morality is derived from immediate family. As a child your parents teach you their perspective of right and wrong through both contingencies and observational learning. For example the parents donate their clothes to the Salvation Army as an act of good will; by the child observing this behavior, he learns to be charitable and donate his clothes as well. Religion also heavily influences moral development by teaching a child to believe and ask for help from a higher power or creator. If a child were to go to church every Sunday growing up they would learn to have similar morals as the congregation such as helping others, living for the higher power, and differentiating between good and evil. Another important influence on childrens moral development is their education. In school, if a child sees another child get in trouble for cheating, that child will view the punishment a nd choose not to pick up the unmoral behavior of the other student. Other moral inspirations can include, but are not limited to media, peers, mentors, and positive role models. Overall, this model is the most frequently used when discussing moral development, but no theory comes without critiques. Our evaluation of this theory leads us to believe that this theory does not take into account that everyone has different ideas of morality. Therefore, what may be seen as just in ones life may not be for another. Another issue is whether morality develops out of intention or behavior. For example, if a person knows that his married friends husband is cheating of her, and tells her with the good intention of helping their marriage and it actually causes a murder, even though the friends intention was moral, the end result is not. This theory does not account for such ambiguities. Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development Another important theory is Kohlbergs stages of Moral development. He based his theory on research and interviews that he conducted with children at younger ages. Kohlbergs theory consisted of six stages, and he was not so interested in the yes or no answers he received, but more on the logic behind the response (Jorgenson, 2006). The six stages included obedience and punishment orientation, individualism and exchange, good interpersonal relationships, maintaining the social order, social contract and individual rights, and universal principles (Jorgenson, 2006). Along with these six stages were three levels: pre-conventional morality, conventional morality, and post-conventional morality. Through the stages and levels the children begin to see that there is not just one authority, and there are different sides to all situations (Jorgenson, 2006). They also emphasize on being a good person, obeying laws, and concentrate on values that will make for a good society. Pre-conventional le vel holds stages one and two, and is when the child focuses on external consequences of a certain action (Jorgenson, 2006). At the conventional level the person is concerned with right or wrong and obeys laws rules and societys norms without consequences, and contains stages three and four (Jorgenson, 2006). Last the post-conventional level which composes stages five and six allows the person to realize to live by their own principles and definition of right and wrong (Jorgenson, 2006). Is it right or wrong to take something that is desperately needed if you have been turned down to receiving it? In one of Kohlbergs examples a women has a deadly disease and needs some rare medicine that the town druggist makes and sells for way too much. The husband of the women gathers some money, but not enough and asks the druggist for to give him the drug for what money he does have. The druggist of course says no, and later that night the husband breaks into the store and takes the medicine, so his wife does not have to suffer (Jorgenson, 2006). There are many different answers to this question, but your morals would be justified with your response. As any other theory Kohlbergs had critiques as well. The major dilemma with this particular theory is that some psychologists found it sexist. The six stages were more directed towards men than women (Jorgenson, 2006). Another problem with Kohlbergs theory is that is limited to morals and excludes moral values such as caring, and that there is an overlap between some of the stages. Critics also state that Kohlberg overemphasizes justice when making a moral decision. One last critique that seems to be an issue is the difference in knowing what we need to do and actually doing it. Gilligans Perspective of Moral Development Expanding on Kohlbergs theory, Carol Gilligan complained against male-centered psychology including Kohlbergs theory of moral development. Gilligan proposed stages of moral development for women. Her theory is very similar to Kohlbergs stages in that there is a preconvention, conventional, and post conventional stage, but what she discovered through her years of work with women is that when women make monumental moral decisions they are more concerned with caring than the rules of the game (Jorgenson, 2006). For Gilligan, the transitions between the stages are fueled by changes in the sense of self rather than in changes in cognitive capability (Jorgenson, 2006). With that in mind, Gilligan explained that the goal of the first stage is individual survival, transitioning from selfishness to responsibility for others. The second stages goal is to learn that self-sacrifice is goodness and a person transition is from goodness into truth that you are a person. Followed by the third, post conventional stage, where the goal is learning the principle of non-violence. (Jorgenson, 2006) Cognitive Perspectives Adaptation From the cognitive perspective, one way of explaining morality is by using evolution. From this viewpoint it is argued that more altruistic behavior was (in our ancestry) more beneficial than selfish behavior, which increased fitness for the non-selfish competing homo-sapiens. This would indeed allow more success than selfish behavior (Gintis, Henrich, Bowles, Boyd, Fehr, 2008). When it comes to surviving, it is of course easier to work as a group. This goes along well with the discussion that took place in Intro to Cognition class about whether or not there is truly a genuine altruistic act. In this particular case, the homo-sapiens that are less selfish are more altruistic, however, they are acting in their best interest. So it really depends on how one defines altruism. If altruism is defined by a person receiving zero benefit from a selfless act, then defending true altruism is quite difficult. It could be argued that a seemingly selfless act always provides a reward to an organ ism, whether it is internal or external. If the reward is not material, then it could be in the form of, for lack of better terms, a warm cozy feeling. Anonymity Discounting morality as an adaptation, Price explains being charitable to strangers as a carry over from our Pleistocene ancestors. In the past we encountered few strangers and our Pleistocene brains confused strangers with acquaintances and even kin. Furthermore, Price believes we act ethically under anonymous conditions, because anonymity was rare in our hunter-gatherer times. With anonymity being so rare, our stone-age brains never really act as if we are not being closely watched and socially evaluated (as cited in Gintis, Henrich, Bowles, Boyd, Fehr, 2008). It seems that we always think we are on stage even though we are not. Group survival One may argue that genuine altruism exists, but consider that an altruistic act, which may be costly to an individual may benefit the survival of a group (Gintis, Henrich, Bowles, Boyd, Fehr, 2008). Benefiting the group also benefits the individual that acted altruistically. So is this true altruism? Could our morality be based off of cognitive processes that are just a long run of our own self interest (Dawkins, 1989)? This further highlights the evolutionary advantages of morality. Taking the perspective that humans are purely survival machines, it is clear that ones self-interest is best preserved when being a team player. As R.D. Alexander put it in The Biology of Moral Systems, ethics, morality, human conduct, and the human psyche are to be understood only if societies are seen as collections of individuals seeking their own self-interest (as cited in, Gintis, Henrich, Bowles, Boyd, Fehr, 2008). Saving yourself vs. others To further show the evolutionary ingrained self-interest to act morally, a study by Moore, Clark, and Kane (2008), accurately predicted that killing to save oneself and other people would be more acceptable than killing to save only other people. When the situation called for inflicting harm to save only others, the harm was considered especially inappropriate. However, when the situation called for saving themselves and others, the harm was particularly appropriate. Factors such as personal or impersonal nature of inflicted harm, the benefit to the agent, the inevitability of victims deaths, and individual differences in Working-Memory-Capacity were all factors taken into account with this study. Emotion and Cognition Both emotion and cognition are at play with moral judgment, but it is still unclear as to how they interact. One view suggests that even though emotion and cognition operate together, they are dependent on largely separable neural systems. This is best seen when looking at difficult moral decisions associated with response conflict, leading to a competition between the limbic (emotional) and cognitive brain regions. In this scenario, automatic emotional responses must be suppressed by rational (cognitive) top-down processes so that better decisions can be made (Moll, de Oliveira-Souza, Zahn, 2008). Cause and Effect A way to look at the cognitive perspective of morality is based off of influence and consequence. People tend to make decisions based on the nature of the effect their actions will have on them. Moral judgment is said to be a cognitive process which is developed naturally. Cognitive scientists believe that the mind functions by means of heuristics-fast and frugal procedures for forming beliefs, reaching decisions, and performing actions (W. Armstrong, 14). Piaget states that morality is acquired through construction-actively thinking about multiple aspects of situations in which social conflicts arise and deriving new moral understandings. According to Lawrence Kohlberg, a strong follower of Piaget, the center of moral choice and feelings are based on the outcome of personal well being (Garcia, Solis p. 349). Kohlberg lays out six stages of moral development. In his book, Theories of Development, W.C. Crain summarizes Kohlbergs stages well. Collectively, in the six stages, a child co nceives right and wrong according to his authorities, then notices differentiating sides to issues and decides to pursue his own interest. As the child develops, he begins to absorb the societys values and expectations, and finally decides to adhere to the morals he thinks are accurate. This coincides with the beliefs that morality is both a learned and mental process. Brain Structures Morality is also said to be connected with brain structures and chemical reactions within the brain. These findings are mainly the result of the analysis and study of patients with changes in their social and moral behavior as a consequence of acquired brain injuries, as well as the study of normal and pathologic behaviors with structural and functional neuroimaging (Garcia, Solis p. 352). Lets go to the case of Phineas Gage. Gage was a railroad worker who had an accident on the job resulting in a rod piercing his brain and destroying his frontal lobes. Prior to his accident, Gage was well balanced, intelligent, and respectful. Afterwards, his friends described him as fitful, irreverent, and grossly profane, showing little deference for his fellows (Macmillan). The frontal lobe is believed to be the motor house for morality and cognition. According to researchers, any dysfunction in the frontal lobes of the brain shows a disassociation between social cognition and moral knowledge. Th e person no longer understands what morals are and how they affect his behavior. Research done by scientists at Harvard, Caltech, and the University of California concluded that there is a direct link between the neuro-anatomy of emotion and moral judgment. According to F. A. Von Hayek, humans do not directly perceive and respond. Instead, human perceptions, thoughts and actions are the result of internal transformations and computations that follow from processes repeatedly carried out by our minds (E. Gick). This belief associates with the dual process theory of moral judgment. Hayek supposes that we as individuals live in two worlds, a substantial one and phenomenal one. In our bodies, our minds are always processing new information. Our neurotransmitters, when excited by a stimuli, will send messages to our brain, which will in turn elicit a certain response. At times, a person can react one way when enticed by a stimulus, and a completely different way when enticed by that same stimuli in a different environment. Conclusion Both the learning and cognitive perspectives bring great arguments to the table; however, our group believes that the cognitive perspective wins out with more supporting scientific evidence. There is an obvious interplay between both perspectives. You must have a predisposing for moral development but you also must have an aspect of social learning involved. We have reasoned that people act morally by socially learning from their family, peers and other environmental factors, nevertheless, morality is ingrained in our brain. There are no morals without a place to put them. With that in mind, organisms have evolved into moral beings because it is beneficial to the person; making altruistic acts nonexistent. Another reason we believe the cognitive perspective to be stronger is because of the anatomy of the brain. Damage to the frontal lobes will change cognition, specifically moral cognition. Also, in general moral development is a cognitive process, led by the idea of heuristics. The social learning theory may explain morality in one aspect, but the organism still has to choose what they think (cognition) is moral behavior. Therefore, choosing the learning perspective as the strongest argument would be understandable and debatable, but without the cognitive backbone, morality would not exist.

Cosquer Cave :: Anthropology Research Papers

Cosquer Cave Around 27,000 years ago it is believed that large glaciers were spread across the Alps. These glaciers were so large and held such a large quantity of water that the sea level of the Mediterranean dropped some 100 meters. When the opening of the cave was revealed, men entered the cave and drew amazing paintings and drawings along the walls. When the earth became warm again the glaciers melted, and the sea level rose. The cave entrance was once again covered up by 37 meters of water. (Time Travellers†¦) This cave was hidden for thousands of years until 1985, when scuba diver Henri Cosquer discovered the cave entrance. It is some 110 feet below sea level on Cabo Morgiou, which is near Marseille, in the southern part of France. It led him through a 450 feet long sloping tunnel to a large air-filled chamber. When Henri returned in 1991 to the dark chamber, he noticed a handprint on the cave wall. Soon he noticed many handprints. When Henri returned with other explorers, they searched and found artwork and many pictograph and petroglyphs. (Dawn of Prehistoric.) After doing radiocarbon dating, explorers discovered that the first handprint Cosquer found was 27,000 years old. At the time, it was the oldest date for a cave painting known anywhere. With more searching, charcoal was found and dated as being 27,870 to 26,360 years old. The gap in the dating leads explorers to believe that the cave was in disuse during the gap between the dates. (Dawn of Prehistoric†¦) Radiocarbon dating done on the paintings and drawings of the animals has lead prehistorians to believe these works are between 18,500 and 19,000 years old. Of the hundred animal images, horses are nearly one-third of the drawings. Many of the horses only show the heads, while some represent the entire body of the animal. Other animal paintings include ibexes, chamois and some bison. (The Cosquer Cave) A surprise to many of the explorers were the paintings of sea animals. Although sea level was around 360 feet lower then the cave entrance, and the cave entrance was only a couple kilometers from shore. Jean Clottes and Jean Courtin, two prehistorians, said: ‘One of the most delightful surprises of the Cosquer cave was its depiction of sea animals. A few paintings and engravings of saltwater fish are known in Upper Paleolithic cave art, but drawings that look like seals had so far only been recorded in two cave, at La Pileta and at Nerja in Andalusia.

The History Of The Industrial Workers of the World :: The History Of The IWW

The Industrial Workers of the World is an ample union who are commonly known as the IWW and the Wobbles. During the time period between 1900 and 1930 the United States focused their attention and was occupied with the Labor Union Movement, which started in the late 1800’s and also World War I which began a later. The IWW stood strong throughout and never gave up for what they were fighting for. This can be seen through their slogan, â€Å"An injury to one is an injury to all.† Their messages were effective and drew a plethora of heads. The IWW accomplished certain goals and acquired a reputation in society during that time even though straight from the start, United States government was not on their side. Founded in 1905 by men with bitter experiences in the labor struggle, the Industrial Workers of the World held their headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were based solely on the fact that workers should be united within a single union and the wage system should be abolished as stated in the preamble to their constitution. "The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth. ... Instead of the conservative motto, 'A fair day's wage for a fair day's work', we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system'.† The IWW proclaimed a challenge to existing unions and social order that was dominated by the rise of copious monopolies. The History Of The Industrial Workers of the World :: The History Of The IWW The Industrial Workers of the World is an ample union who are commonly known as the IWW and the Wobbles. During the time period between 1900 and 1930 the United States focused their attention and was occupied with the Labor Union Movement, which started in the late 1800’s and also World War I which began a later. The IWW stood strong throughout and never gave up for what they were fighting for. This can be seen through their slogan, â€Å"An injury to one is an injury to all.† Their messages were effective and drew a plethora of heads. The IWW accomplished certain goals and acquired a reputation in society during that time even though straight from the start, United States government was not on their side. Founded in 1905 by men with bitter experiences in the labor struggle, the Industrial Workers of the World held their headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were based solely on the fact that workers should be united within a single union and the wage system should be abolished as stated in the preamble to their constitution. "The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth. ... Instead of the conservative motto, 'A fair day's wage for a fair day's work', we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, 'Abolition of the wage system'.† The IWW proclaimed a challenge to existing unions and social order that was dominated by the rise of copious monopolies.

The Americanization of Canada Essay -- American Culture Canadian Cultu

â€Å"Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once compared liking next to the United States to sleeping with an elephant. He said, ‘You cannot help but be aware of its every movement.’†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.pbs.org/pioneerliving/segments/Americanization.htm The issue of American culture and its globalization has raised a lot of controversy. â€Å"The era of globalization† is becoming the preferred term to describe the current times. The term Americanization has been around for years. It was first used when the United States was being heavily immigrated into. The new Americans began to enjoy the freedoms associate with our country and gradually began to act less like a foreigner and more like a real American. Today we are able to witness an essence of American culture almost everywhere around the world by what we call cultural icons of our times. Sneakers, blue jeans, burgers, Hollywood blockbusters are only a few. To many, globalization is synonymous with Nike, Levi's and MTV. In fact, the most visible sign of globalization seems to be the spread of American burgers and cola to nearly every country on earth. It crowns the United States the king of pop culture. Globalization does more than allow businesses to operate in countries all around the globe. In addition to global commerce, globalization allows for social activism, journalists, academics, and many others to work on a global stage. According to Keith Porter, a co-host and executive producer of a nationally syndicated radio program on world affairs globalization can be both a good and bad thing. He quotes, Thomas Friedman in saying â€Å"Globalization can be incredibly empowering and incredibly coercive. It can democratize opportunity and democratize panic. It makes the whales bigger and the minnows stronger. It leaves you behind faster and faster, and it catches up to you faster and faster. While it is homogenizing cultures, it is also enabling people to share their unique individuality farther and wider." Without the role of globalization it is not possible to speak of a term called American dominant culture. The dramatic effect of globalization has and will be strengthening this term. People around the world have become less like themselves and more like each other. The most common name that puts this in front of our eyes is McDonald’s. When a McDonald’s restaurant opens in a f... ...ogies that have made transcontinental communications possible has ensured that the world slightly conform and make very different cultures mesh into various ones that more resemble each other. As communication techonolgy continues to become better and more powerful it will be interesting to see the changes that it will lead to. Perhaps in ten years college students will no longer be writing about the topics of globalization and Americanization. Instead they will write about the time when cultures were so very different from each other. Works Cited Cantor, Paul A. Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization, Rowman and Littlefield Thussu, Daya Kishan. "International Communication: Continuity and Change" Hodder Arnold Publishing Sources Cited http://www.pbs.org/pioneerliving/segments/Americanization.htm http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchpool.asp?target=@DOCTITLE%20Americanization http://globalization.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm? http://www.usemb.nl/051800.htm http://www.infocan.gc.ca/facts/index_e.html http://www.tv.cbc.ca/national/pgminfo/border/filmfact.html http://www.rice.edu/projects/topics/globalization/movies-germany.htm

Motivation Theory: Explaining Tourist Behavior

Motivation theory â€Å"Crompton (1979) notes it is possible to describe the who, when, where, and how of tourism, together with the social and economic characteristics of tourist, but not to answer the question â€Å"why,† the most interesting question of all tourist behaviour. † (Fodness 1994, p. 556) While motivation is only one of many variables in explaining tourist behaviour, it is nonetheless   a very critical one, as it constitutes the driving force behind all behaviour (Fodness 1994).Motivation sets the stage for forming people's goals (Mansfeld 2000) and is reflected in both travel choice and behaviour; as such it influences people's expectations, which in turn determine the perception of experiences. Motivation is therefore a factor in satisfaction formation (Gnoth 1997). Basic motivation theory suggests a dynamic process of internal psychological factors (needs, wants and goals), causing an uncomfortable level of tension within individuals’ minds an d bodies, resulting in actions aimed at releasing that tension and satisfying these needs (Fodness 1994).Motives, implying such an action, require the awareness of needs, as well as objectives, promising to satisfy these now conscious needs in order to create wants and move people to buy (Goosens 2000). Objectives or goals are presented in the form of products and services, it is therefore the role of marketing to create awareness of needs and suggest appropriate objectives, promising the satisfaction of these (Mill and Morrison 1985). Several authors suggest (Dumazedier 1967, Krippendorf 1987, Parker 1983) that in the Western World free time and holidays are connected to the concept of self-actualisation or self-realisation.The latter defined by Grunow-Lutter (1983. p. 76) as â€Å"a person's dynamic relationship between the real and the ideal self, constituting a process of decreasing the distance between these two cognitive systems, themselves subject to continuous change. † It is the individual's aim to achieve a state of stability, or homeostasis (Goosens 2000), which is disrupted when the person becomes aware of the gap between real and ideal self, or as Goosens calls it a need deficiency. The resulting need to self-actualise represents the motive, which under the constraints of the situation sets the stage for the process of motivation (Gnoth 1997).But to what extent does tourism satisfy the intrinsic need for self-actualisation? Tinsley and Eldredge (1995) summarise 15 years of research into psychological needs, satisfied by leisure activities, and proposed leisure activities clusters such as novelty, sensual enjoyment, cognitive stimulation, self-expression, creativity, vicarious competition, relaxation, agency, belongingness and service. It is questioned however; whether these superficial needs are intrinsically motivated (Goosens 2000, p. 303), suggesting that these motivations are merely culturally learned stereotypes or explanations for lei sure behaviour.As Fodness (1994) states, a widely accepted integrated theory for needs and goals behind motivation is lacking. The question is of course why this is the case. Research into motivation can be distinguished into two categories, the behaviourist and the cognivist approach (Gnoth 1997). The discussion has therefore traditionally revolved around either push or pull factors influencing tourist behaviour (Crompton 1979). Push factors represent lasting dispositions, as they are internally generated drives. The individual, energised by such drives, will then search objects for the promise of drive reduction and develop a motive (Gnoth 1997).The behaviourist view thus emphasises the emotional parameter of decision-making, while the cognivist approach focuses on situational parameters in which motives are expressed, consequently encompassing a certain knowledge which the tourist holds about goal attributes as well as a rational weighing up of situational constraints (Gnoth 1997 ). This cognitive process results in motivations, which are more object specific than motives, as these only imply a class of objects and may result in a range of different behaviours, depending on the situation.This unidimensional approach has been criticised however (Pearce 1993, Parinello 1993), as push and pull factors influence the consumer simultaneously (Hirschman and Holbrook 1986), integrated by the concept of involvement, an unobservable state of motivation, arousal, or interest (Goosens 2000), which is evoked by stimulus or situations. This is the case, since pull factors such as marketing stimuli as well as the destination's and service's attributes respond to and reinforce push factors.Consequently research increasingly seeks to integrate emotions and cognition in the individual's decision-making process (Hartmann 1982, Pearce and Caltabiano 1983, Braun 1989, Gnoth 1997), indicating a more holistic approach. As a result it became evident that people's intrinsic needs ar e influenced by external factors. Rojek (1990) asserts that in post-modern society the superstructure of advertising, television, fashion, lifestyle magazines and designer values increasingly take the role of forming knowledge and beliefs.People's needs are neutral (Heckhausen 1989), as motives however, they require an object towards which the need is directed, and when linked to actual situations, cultural and social impacts are also applied (Gnoth 1997). Situations raise motives to the level of values, as such they are evaluations based on learned behaviour and perception (Lewin 1942, Vroom 1964). If a drive is reduced satisfactorily the individual is likely to remember the behaviour and employ the same behaviour again, thus acquiring habits (Hull 1943).Tourism experiences may therefore become learned behaviour and acquire the role of habit enforcers. Cognivists argue that knowledge and beliefs in future rewards, anticipatory in nature (Vroom 1964), are equally a product of former ly encountered situations (Murray 1938), and external formation. It may be concluded that motives merely represent learned behaviour, which are influenced by offered objects or tourism activities, while motivations represent knowledge and beliefs formed by society and culture or tourism marketers.The psychogenic need for self-actualisation, abstract in nature, is therefore operationalised in a learned and practical manner and expressed in values, which are learned strategies to either adapt one's environment to one's needs or adapt one's self to a given environment (Kahle 1983). Such values equally include effects of enculturation and socialisation (Fodness 1994). Furthermore the perceived gap between real and ideal self, may indicate both externally and internally controlled evaluations (Gnoth 1997).McCabe therefore asks what researchers can expect to know about individuals' drives, by asking them about their motivations and needs as these may not be available to individuals as par t of their consciousness (2000a, p. 215). Iso-Ahola (1982) states that â€Å"people do not walk around with numerous leisure needs in their minds and do not rationalise specific causes of participation if their involvement is intrinsically motivated† (cited in Goosens 2000, p. 303). Hence it may be assumed that needs are suggested by mmediate social peers, and the wider context of particular social realities as well as the influence of the media (McCabe 2000a). Yet as Weissinger and Bandalos (1995) stress, intrinsic leisure motivation, which is a global disposition and describes a tendency to seek intrinsic rewards, is characterised by self-determination, an awareness of internal needs and a strong desire to make free choices based on these needs. While self-actualisation may be accepted as a need intrinsic to all individuals, society exercises a great deal of influence on the formation of the ideal self and thus perceived needs.However the notion of authentic or true self, d etermined by way of experience, offers a solution to the predicament. According to Waterman (1984), individualism symbolises four psychological qualities, the first one is a sense of individual identity, based on the knowledge of who one is and what one's goals and values are, as such it is related to the philosophical concept of true self, which indicates what an individual reckons personally expressive and what it is to be actualised (p. 30).The second is Maslow's self-actualisation, which is the driving to be one's true self. The third quality is Rotter's (1966) internal locus of control, which reflects a willingness to accept personal responsibility for one’s life, and finally prinicipled (postconventional), moral reasoning (Kohlberg 1969), which involves consistency with general abstract principles (cited in Kim and Lee 2000, p. 156). Consequently, only if   tourists become more autonomous and thus aware of intrinsic needs and motives are they able to self-actualise.As McIntosh and Goeldner (1990) explained, order is becoming less important in Western society and a desire for disorder in the tourism experience is becoming more important. Kim and Lee point out that â€Å"opportunities for unplanned action and freedom from institutionalised regulations are distinctive of Western tourists† (2000, p. 157). This indicates that tourists exhibit a certain desire to liberate their identities. According to Krippendorf (1984), in order for tourists to cease being just users of holidays, they must come to know themselves, their motives and other cultures.It may therefore be assumed that self-actualisation is an intrinsic need, characteristic of any tourist, but must be understood in terms of true self as opposed to ideal self and as such is independent of societal pressures and involves the transcendence of habitual behaviours and mindstates. This proposition requires further elaboration and must be viewed in the context of modernity, which hinders t his process but at the same time brought about its awareness.