Violence in Society Essay Example for Free

Violence in Society Essay Every evening we turn on the news only to see that mankind has developed new and inventive ways of killing each other. Violence has become commonplace in many areas throughout the world. However there is still hope that one day mankind will learn to live together in peace. Violence is caused by a combination of genetics, fear, ignorance, emotional outburst, and prejudice. Most of these causes can be cured by education. However the capacity for violence may always be hard wired into our genes. (www. Yale. du) By educating people as to what causes violence and how to effectively deal with the emotions that lead to violence, I believe that we can eliminate approximately 90% of the violence in the world. However, I do not feel that mankind will ever completely remove violence from society due to the fact that violence is integrated into our genetic structure. Before we can stop violence in our society we must first learn to take responsibility for our actions and for our children. Today we are having children at a younger age than ever before. When children are born to parents who have not reached the emotional maturity necessary to properly raise children then mistakes are made and the proper values are not taught correctly or at all. This problem can be resolved for the most part by teaching our children the consequences of their actions. For example, we need to teach our children that as much fun as sex can be, sex has some very real consequences. These consequences can only be handled correctly be those people who have had the life experience and have the emotional maturity to know how to properly deal with these consequences. Adolescence is a difficult time for most young people, a time of confusion and unstable emotions. The added pressure of parenthood on top of the normal pressure of adolescence is almost unbearable of some young parents. (kidshealth. org) Today’s children are surrounded by images of violence in the media. Parents should take responsibility for what their children of are exposed to. Kidshealth. org offers A Parent’s Guide to Surviving Adolescence which says, â€Å"Television shows, magazines and books, the Internet kids have access to tons of information. Be aware of what your child is watching and reading. Know what your child is learning from the media so you can explain whats being said or clear up mistakes. † By knowing what your child is watching parents can prevent their children from making the assumption that violence is the correct way to handle a situation. Besides taking responsibility for our children we also have to learn to take responsibility for our own actions. People today have a tendency to rationalize whatever action that they feel will benefit them personally. For example, there have been reports in the news about people who have been killed over little more than the change in their pockets. A need for wealth and power can lead some people to rationalize the murder of another person if it would benefit them in some way. In The United States people have been increasingly asking the government to regulate several aspects of our lives, including everything from which video games are allowed to be sold to telling us what our children should be allowed to watch. I am not against a rating system for movies, however I do feel that this rating system should be used only as a guide and the parents should be ultimately be responsible for which television shows or movies that children are allowed to watch. We should be responsible for our own actions. We should not rely on the government or anyone else to tell us how to behave. Millions of years ago when mankind first appeared on this planet we developed the â€Å"fight or flight† response to danger. This response is instinct and takes place on a subconscious level. The â€Å"fight or flight† response was developed to help keep us alive. When faced with danger such as a predator this instinct helps us to determine quickly if we should run for safety or stand our ground and fight. Over time as mankind has evolved and learned to develop the technological marvels we are so accustomed to today this instinct has become almost obsolete. The average person today lives in a well constructed home not a cave or teepee. We have learned to avoid danger in almost every aspect of our lives. There are many ways that we have learned to protect ourselves, from safety equipment to the warning labels on the side of an over the counter medication package. All of these safety measures that have become a part of our everyday lives have all but eliminated the need for the â€Å"fight or flight† response. Although we have virtually eliminated the need for this instinct we have not learned to deal with the emotional impact that fear has on us. This can lead to people making rash and unreasonable decisions during the times that this instinct is in effect. By educating people from a young age about the â€Å"fight or flight† response and the strong emotions that it produces we can learn to control our fear and to have more control over our actions during these times of heightened emotion. Religion has been used to justify violence in places like the Middle East, where people have been killing each other for generations simply because they do not agree with the others religion. There have been several religious conflicts over areas where important religious events have taken place. Anger over another religious group claiming these holy lands have lead to generations of fear and hatred between these religious groups. By educating the children of these religious groups to be tolerant of religions and cultures these groups can learn to compromise, and find nonviolent solutions to these problems. Have you ever been so angry that you wanted to hurt someone? Emotional outbursts are also sometimes used to justify violence. Anger, jealousy, even greed have been known to be motivating factors in violent crimes. Being human we have powerful emotions that can overwhelm us if we do not know how to properly control them. At one point or another we have all felt justified in hurting another person, either through anger, jealousy, fear, or any one of dozens of emotions. At least part of, the key to controlling these emotions is realizing that there is no shame in feeling these emotions. It is only how we choose to act on these emotions that can be wrong. By giving in to emotion and choosing to injure another person we only continue the cycle of violence. Methods such as meditation, counting to ten, and just simply talking to someone can be used to control anger. Fear can usually be resolved through education. A fear of snakes for example can usually be overcome by learning about snakes and how to handle them. Greed is more difficult to control. The desire for wealth and power can lead people to do things that most people would never dream of doing. However, by teaching our children to value life and the lives of others over wealth and material possessions we should be able to all but eliminate greed from our society. Another factor that can lead to violence is stereotypes. Stereotypes are dangerous because they can lead to fear and prejudice. Humans have a tendency to fear that which we don’t understand. Generalized assumptions about a group of people can only lead to unreasonable fear of that group which in turn can lead to violence against that group of people. For example, if I said that all black people believe that all white people are ignorant rednecks, that would be a stereotype, and may result in some white people being angry with black people for thinking that all white people are ignorant rednecks, even though most black people do not actually believe that all white people are all ignorant rednecks. By educating our children in how to deal with emotions such as anger, hate, and prejudice we can make great strides in eliminating violence from our society. (Anger management violence in society) Children in today’s society are constantly struggling with emotions that they have no idea how to deal with properly. Sometimes when overwhelmed by emotions that they do not understand these children lash out violently. When parents help their children to learn how to properly handle their emotions, children are far less likely to react violently to these emotions. Violence is caused by many factors. Although we may never fully eliminate violence from our society, by educating ourselves about these factors we can greatly reduce the amount of violence in our society. Violence is â€Å"wired† into our genes, but, we can learn to use good judgment to help us overcome the outdated responses we have developed as we have evolved. The best defense against the many factors that cause violence is education.

SWOT analysis of ananda himalayas

SWOT analysis of ananda himalayas Ananda Himalayas is a trend setting concept in both business and luxurious spa.ananda Himalayas is a part of IHHR Hospitality owened by Mr Ashok Khanna.It is a luxurious spa situated in the tranquil Himalayan foothills,nested on a 100 acres estate surrounded by graceful Sal forests overlooking the river Ganges,close to the towns of Rishikesh Haridwar. Ananda Himalayas was established in 2000 its Indias first destination spa.it is a pathway to the ultimate,discovered through the union of body,mind soul.it provides a breathless redefine lifestyles with the well-known traditional Indian wellness regime of Ayurveda,yoga and Vedanta. IT is considered to be one of the best spa in the world and also rated no.1 destination spa in the world by most of the travel agent as well as newspapers magazines(Travel and leisure). Ranked by top new hotels of 2008by Conde nest traveller,76 hot spasacross globe by travel leisure and 26 best business hotels in South ASIA. Swot analysis Strengths:- Location- situated in the green lush of Himalayas with natural flora and fauna. Heritage property Spa- the only hotel with 21,000sq feet spa and first spa hotel in the country. Cuisine-food prepared is different from routine preparation and individually designed as per the body type and cooked without oil. Weakness:- Cost- rooms are extremely expensive and not suited to domestic traveller. Limitations-hotel mainly offers spa and wellness packages ,limited to a less part of the society. Opportunities:- Govt support- attract tourists with new promotional schemes which results in higher outbound tourists. Common wealth games- as games to be held in 2010,will be a boom for the industry. Aviation hospitality- both with joint venture helps in increasing travellers by offering cheap packages. Threats:- Recession Competitors-many small hotels opened near about with cheap yoga n spa packages and it can reduce the rate of visitors to ananda. Natural hazards-like fire,flood etc. Cheap airlines packages-customer want to go international after international air fair falls down. Political issues-like service tax,labour union policies etc. Key-findings for Ananda Himalayas:- biggest strength of Ananda Himalayas right now is its brand reputation being only spa in India(which is 50%)although it has to improve on weaknesses and less productivity than its competitors. At the same time,can increase the sale or mkt share with an increase in number of people who want relaxation and better health(as it is health and wellness industry). Mission and Vision Statement Mission:- to create a unique design product offer world class hospitality with a distinctive warmth and humility improve and innovate constantly to crate exceptional value for people,their individuality and to their growth VISION:- to be a world-class hospitality chain in India benchmark in spa industry to have a world-class spa institute in India expending capacity of existing property as well as expending with more new properties. Ethos:- E-empathy T-teamwork H-honesty O-ownership S-selflessness Corporate objectives:- Increasing revenue from 500 m to 550.75 m. Reaching to 100% customer satisfaction instead of 8.3 to 9.3%. Targeting profit from 45.64 to 58.42 Taking gross profit ratio to 12-15%. Mktg Objectives :- Increasing revenue from 50% to 100% Achieving customer satisfaction and quality standards to 100% Increasing profit from 80% to 100% Increasing growth profit ratio from 12% to 15%(CIRRUS 01 SEP 2008). Mkt segmentation:- Market Segmentation broadly identifies the potential markets from a general population for further refining and targeting. The market segmentation for ananda Himalayas will be done on the two bases. 1.geographic segmentation (it will contain both international and domestic markets) 2.demographic segmentation. Geographical Segmentation Country of Origin of Guests in Rishikesh star hotels COMPOSITION Five Star Deluxe and Five Star hotel % ASEAN 2.4 Australia 2.1 Canada 1.6 Carribbean 0.6 China 3.4 France 2.0 Germany 6.6 Japan 3.2 Middle East 2.5 Other European 1.4 Russia 1.2 SAARC 1.0 South Africa 1.4 UK 8.4 USA 24.8 Other 37.4 Total 100 (FHRAI, Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2008-2009) The table above shows the percentages of people from different origin that prefer staying in the five star deluxe and five star hotels in Rishikesh. According to this survey done by FHRAI, the number of tourists from US(24.8%) is the maximum which is followed by UK(8.4%) and Germany(6.6%) which have a marginal difference between them. These statistics clearly show us that there is a decent amount of tourists from The US for which we already have a good market. Therefore, there is a scope for targeting more people from UK and Germany. Though, we still cannot target a specific market with these statistics alone which will be done in the later parts Demographic Segmentation Foreign tourist arrival in India on the bases of gender (FHRAI, Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2008-2009) For the year 2006, the percentage of foreign male tourists was 57% against the female tourists which comprises of 36%. Whereas, there are 7% of the tourists which did not report and are missing from the stats. Similar is the case for the domestic tourists as well. The percentage of men travelling is slightly high than that of females all over India. Therefore, by evaluating all the data given above, we have chosen a differentiation market segment method to specify the target markets. Our specific target market will be; Foreign business travellers from UK and Germany Domestic tourists- leisure with high income (4.9% in all of India) Meeting Participants Target Market:- Corporate:- as this hotel is situated in a religious tourist place. Leisure:- this can be the major target market as it is basically a health and wellness spa. it attracts tourists who wants to rejuvenate. Groups:- groups improves sales as well as provides hotels a good market reputation and also capture major share of market. Positioning:- Market Positionining Perceptual Mapping; Foreign Business Travellers Expensive High Moderate Service Ista . Less Expensive (naresh k.malhotra(marketing research p-700) Domestic Tourists Expensive High Moderate Service Service Ista . Less Expensive (naresh k.malhotra(marketing research p-700) Key-findings for market positioning:- If we take price and customer satisfaction ratio into consideration, Ananda has lower price than its competitors and a good customer satisfaction but not the highest. If factors like brand reputation and value for money is considered than it has got the highest brand name. Corporate marketing strategy:- objectives Strategic tactics Implementation period revenue 500 m to 550.75m Tie-up with the travel agencies. Air-line packages Corporate rates Group rates Should start from april Should start through out the year Customer relationship 8.3m to 9.3m Set-up of various information centres Start from april and should continue through out the year. Total profit 45.64m to 58.42m Cutting down all unnecessary spendings Through out the years Profit percentage 12-15% Add-on services with packages Start from april Marketing strategy:- As per the product our hotel is offering,most of the facilities are delivered directly.to make it more successful we need to promote our product in market to increase market share.this can be done through various channels of advertising(travel agency,media advertising). As our target market is corporate and foreign clients so for this we need to tie up with prospective business to enhance the sale.hotel is in the growth level as per product life cycle,but due to recession the market share percentage has gone down.to come out of this,we are going to use the differentiationmarketing strategy.in this,the focus will be on different market segment with competitive price and product with quality service. Another reason is our target market is divided into small segmentations so,can easily increase our market share through these segmentations.our brand strategy is to provide high level of services and customer satisfaction with low rates and first objective is to increase the market share. The marketing mix strategy is based upon the two ps factors.we consider price and product.our aim is to provide different experience than other hotels and increase market share by establishing the brand value with in the customers. Markets Ansoffs Matrix Existing New Products Products 3.product development 1.Market Penetration Existing Markets 4.diversification 2. Market Development New The Ansoffs Matrix shows four different ways of marketing. It is basically a combination of four similar but different things. Existing Products and new products ,and, existing markets and new markets. In the case of the hotel ananda, we are going to follow the two methods that are Market Penetration and Market Development as shown in the figure above. We already have a product with us and we do not plan to create or add something new to our product line. Our plan is to enter further into the markets that we are already in. As explained earlier, we plan to increase our market share within the same market and try to reach the customers who fall in the same category but different profiles. The second plan is to create new markets with our existing product to offer the customers. In this case we have planned to create a new target market in the form of the domestic tourist which comes for purpose of leisure and holidaying. This is being done because according to the research that we have done in the beginning it shows us the scope of the domestic tourists. Another reason that supports this strategy is that we also have the right kind of product offering for this market. Budget:- Financial Report Percentage of Revenue (2008-2009): Hotels ananda Grand hyatt sheratons Vivanta(taj) Occupied Rooms Hotel 33,699 22,206 38,729 39,828 Occupancy percentage 55.4% 63.4% 66.7% 65.7% Rate per room $209.59 $220.09 $203 $186.59 Room Revenue 65.20% 66.8% 63.9% 55.7% F B Revenue 23.5% 20.8% 26.3% 31.4% Banquet conferences 6.6% 9.2% 2.0% 9.7% other 4% 2% 7% 3% Total 100% 100% 100% 100% Imp:- subject to further research Evaluation of marketing plan for ananda Himalayas:- Objective: Increasing customer satisfaction level from 6.2 7.5 Key Performance Indicator: Customer Satisfaction Surveys Frequency of Evaluation: Monthly Objective: Increasing Revenue from 500m 550.75m. Escalating profit from 45.64m 58.42m Key Performance Indicator: Revenue Report, Financial Audit Frequency of Evaluation: Annually Objective: Growing profit ratio 12.00% 15% Key Performance Indicator: Monthly Revenue reports, Cash flow Frequency of Evaluation: Monthly Note: (subject to further research) Contingency plan:- In the event that suggested marketing plan measures prove to be ineffective or below threshold following measures are suggestedency plan:- 1. PRICE+PROMOTION: Cruise liners+ vacations for students. 2. PRODUCT +PLACE : cant change the product services. 3. PROCESS+PEOPLE: Can stick to same old training methods) only to 10% of stock per store. 4. Cost cutting and cost management regards to budgeting and investment plans. The product offer: Ananda, Himalayas offers a comfortable and contemporary rooms with a beautiful view of landscape grounds.this hotel has 21,000 square feet spa(only one in India).all rooms are designed with a high level of comfort and as per the need of guests. Along with rooms this hotel offers a range of packages that includes scheduled aerobics,hiking trips in the foothills of Himalayas,meditation and yoga classes,wellness and treatment packages,cooking classes etc.this hotel has 75 deluxe rooms,5 suites and 3 villas.all rooms are equipped with all modern amenities. Pricing strategies:- Pricing needs to be decided as plays a very vital role in hotel growth.every hotel has a set target and goal,due to recession prices have come down. rate rationalization is the biggest change after recession. Penetrating pricing strategies: following this strategies would help ananda hotel to capture more portion of market share. In this strategy ananda hotel would be offering guests competitive rates with best standards of service which could be given in same class of hotel. Following penetrating pricing strategies would help ananda strengthening its position in market and establishing its brand name among customers. Penetrating pricing strategies would give elasticity to demand. Competition based pricing strategies: Keeping an close eye on every step of your competitor is very essential, specially pricing strategies. Price is the only factor which would play prime role in attracting customers. Competition based pricing basically means pricing according to your competitors and try giving better or something unique to them which would be our unique selling point of business. Competition based pricing will help ananda to fight competition and establish its market. Promotion:- Corporate and commercial rates Air-lines packages Corporate packages Group discounted rates Off-season special packages On-line deals Promotional spa packages Ananda place in tourism system:- Ananda is a hospitality service provider in destination. Destination is composed of different elements that together make up a destination mix. Basic components of destination mix are facilities, attraction, infrastructure, transportation and hospitality service provider commonly used as acronym FAITH (Weaver Lauton 2005). Ananda is an established name in hospitality service sector, just because of rescission it lost its market share and profit started declining. To revive from the situation of rescission ananda need to establish cordial relation with other component of Destination Mix. It has seen that hospitality service provider cant alone make tourist experience better of visiting place. The hospitality service provider needs to work in coordination with other component so that tourist can get better services and he is satisfied with hospitality given to him. For example:- Guest comes from united kinghdom to attend seminar or companys meeting when he would arrive airport first thing he would require would be transportation to hotel, after reaching hotel he would require facilities that would support his travel purpose. If guest would be getting all these facilities without hassle he would be a satisfied guest and repeat guest in future or guest commercially important person for hotel(CIP) for hotel who could give more business to hotel in near future. We would suggest ananda to apply push strategy. This strategy involves pushing the product through distribution channel to final consumer. Push strategy will induce distribution channel to put more effort for selling the hotels room and service as they would be having personal motive or interest that is profit or commission from hotel by doing so. Using push strategy will help ananda hotel to increase scope of capturing more market because by choosing distribution channel we could widen scope of advertisement and promotion of our products. For example hotel ananda could give lucrative offers to travel agent like 10% of room cost as commission in addition to their normal commission for booking. A push strategy provides an incentive for channel member to promote product to their customer or push product through distribution channel (Kotler, Bowen., Makens2006 pg 561). People:- Orientation Culture Change Internal marketing Process:- Process ananda hotel is using is based on technology and e-marketing. Physical evidence:- Brand image related to vision position. Environment:- The situation analysis that can be done for the hotel will include all the external factors which have an effect on the working of the hotel. These external factors can be studied by the help of PESTEL (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal) analysis and how these factors affect the working of the hotel. It is a strategic planning technique that provides a useful framework for analyzing the environmental pressures on a team or an organization. (Edmonstone, Havergal, 1999). Political Environment: this includes all the government policies, the laws in which the hotel has to deal and the pressure groups which affect the hotel performance. The Political instability such as tax rates and other matters like the policies and rules with which the hotel is concerned. The hotel has to be in the parameters of govt policies and have to follow all the rules and regulations. Economic Environment: This environment mainly deals with the money capacity of the consumer.this plays a vital role in deciding the promotion or downfall of the hotel business.The economic meltdowns lead to a downfall in the tourism sector, leading to a drop in the business of the hotel. The economy has started to improve and the international corporate travelers who form the major part of the target market of the hotel have once again started to come to the hotel. The economy will need some time to improve and this time can be utilized to make new marketing strategies which will attract more such travelers and suits their needs as well. Socio-Cultural Environment: It includes behaviors, perceptions, choices and the values of various individuals who constitute the society. This part includes both the employees and the society in which the hotel is working. The hotel needs to keep proper care of its employees and their needs in order to achieve high standards of work. The hotel also has some social responsibilities. The hotel can social events, the earnings of which can go for charity, it can also have an effective disposal system for garbage, water and gases which may help in maintaining a healthy environment for the society around it. Technological Environment: These factors act as the facilities in the hotels and are also the main aspects which help in the differentiation of one property to another. The ananda hotel has all the modern technologies being used forthe spas compared to other hotels. The hotel can always come up with some innovative ideas to place itself at a better position than its competitors. Natural Environment: The natural environment does not have much effect on the business of the hotel as anada,Himalayas situated in the beautiful landscape of Himalayas with natural and pollution free environment. This factor effects only when the marketers can use it for the promotion of the hotel. Legal Environment: This part includes the various rules and the policies that the hotel needs to follow in order to run the operations efficiently. These legal issues include the payment of taxes, giving proper remuneration to the staff, following of the legal government policies and others. Tax paid by tourists in India is the highest in the world, Indian hotels charge about 40% taxes compared to other Asian countries where it varies between 3% and 6%. (World travel and tourism council, 2010). Such factors as mentioned above shows the different legal requirements that are expected to be fulfilled by the hotel. Proposed Environmental Scanning System for anada,Himalayas hotel: Environmental Factor Source of Information Person Responsible Frequency Competitors Newspapers Staff/ Management Daily Guests Staff Daily Magazines Management Weekly Internet Staff/ Management Weekly Annual Reports Management Yearly Customers Customer feedback Staff Daily Staff Management Weekly Travel agents Management Monthly Regular guests Staff/ Management Monthly Internet Staff/ Management Weekly Economic Economic newsletters Management Weekly News papers Management Weekly Internet Management Weekly Average room rates Accountant/ Management Daily Balance sheets Accountant/ Management Yearly Internet Management Monthly Technologies Trade magazines Management/ Department heads Monthly Trade shows Accountant/ Management Yearly Internet Management Monthly Newspapers Management Weekly Television Management Daily The above mentioned three key areas need to be followed for the purpose of the environmental scanning. The hotel became one of the top rated hotels in the rishikesh, but due to the recession in late 2008 most of the business was lost. The above mentioned SWOT and PESTEL analysis, if followed properly, will help the business to reach high levels of business and market share. Service Concept/productivity:- Anada,Himalayas could get competitive advantage if, they properly plan and implement their supporting products. They must meet customers needs and expectation, to overbeat their competitors (Hertneneky, B,P.2006. p.g 281). In this critical stage of reviving from rescission, ananda hotel should not only concentrate on providing core product or basic product that would be food, shelter, and safety of guest. They should look upon providing augmented or supporting products, which are very important for delivering quality service and meeting expectation of guest. The augmented product includes accessibility, atmosphere, customer interaction with service organization, customers participation and customer interaction with each other (Kotler, Bowen., Makens2006 pg 307). Augmented product is important to be understood because it tells what is delivered and how is to be delivered. ananda hotel have to work seriously upon this service concept of augmented product because these product have huge impact on guest and will help to capture major portion of markets, by customer satisfaction which is key element in hospitality industry. Facilities we are providing are:- Wi-Fi internet access   ananda hotel can provide Wi-Fi anytime anywhere, whether in-room, by the pool or in other public areas sleep comfort   ananda hotel can provide ergonomically designed beds and a pillow menu with a wide range of comfort pillows. Business Centre   High speed internet access and board room style meeting rooms. Spa   21,000 square feet spa with all the required equipments. Pool Fitness Centre   ananda hotel is giving temperature controlled swimming pool for all seasons, state of the art gymnasium with personal trainers. Tailor-made food-ananda provides food as per the customer body type and famous for cooking without oil.food is inspired by ancient times and prepared with natural ingredients. Organisation:- The best part about anand,Himalayas is its staff as all staff is between the age of 21 to 35,customer oriented,friendly,well versed with the knowledge of therapies.they should have this kind of staff only as customer should feel at home and comfortable only than they will be able to enjoy the treatment. strategy:- Advertisement: it is one of the major promotional tools which can be used by hotel anada,Himalayas for promotion of their products and services. Advertisement could be one the very successful tool which can be used for increasing market share. If advertisement is well positioned and planned it could help to overcome competition and help to revive from recession (Jhon,L.2009.p.g 6). Various form of advertisement which is used for promoting its products and services could be: 1.Internet: This is one of the most widely used medium through which hotels can promote its product and services. It could be very effective in promoting products and services. 2.Printed Media: For example: magazine, journals and news papers. This is very useful because it would help promoting product among corporate clients and corporate employee. 3.Visual Media: For example: television, this is said to be very effective as it gives both visual and audio effect to guest. They can actually feel the product or services. 4.Sales promotion: They attract consumer attention and provide information that may lead the consumer to buy the product. Ananda can use sales promotion tool as to get quicker and stronger response from consumer. Various sales promotion tools which can be used could be: 5.Promotional letters to existing guests: ananda hotel can send promotional letter which includes lucrative discount offers, and various packages at discounted rates. This strategy would help ananda from recovering from recession and capturing more shares in market. Distributional Strategy: Distributional strategies which can be used by hotel ananda for capturing market share and overcome competitors could be:- 1.Trade Show: This could be very effective in distributing of products and service because trade shows are being attended by various travel agents and travel tour operator. This would help them to build cordial relation with them, in return of that we could business from them. 2.Exhibitions: these are very important in distribution of the hotels product and services as during exhibition hotel managers could get chance to interact with other hotel managers and managers of other companies to whom they could explain their product or service which could help in increasing sales revenue. 3.Airlines: magazines in airlines and airline companies could be important source for distribution of product and services of hotel. 4.Corporate Companies: Relation with corporate companies and advertisement in corporate magazine could help in promoting hotels product services.

Public Expenditure on Education in India

Public Expenditure on Education in India Abstract Prioritizing amongst the competing ends for the government treasury is a big challenge for a developing country like India. Poverty eradication, health and other crucial social needs compete with education and create fiscal pressures. But an investment in education is considered inevitable. This research paper compares public expenditure on education in India in 2005-06 and 2010-11. As observed, government spent more on revenue account than capital account. Share of the State and Union territories in public expenditure on education was more than that of the Centre. States/UTs spending were highest for Non-plan expenditure across all categories of public expenditure on education. Spending was almost double in 2010-11 as compared to 2005-06 in absolute terms but the relative shares between categories hardly changed. Share of expenditure on education was highest for elementary education followed by secondary education, university education higher education, technical education and then adult education. Key words Public expenditure, education, plan, non-plan, revenue, capital, India INTRODUCTION There are primarily three sources of financing the education in India i.e. financing through central government, state government and non-government sector (including parents, non-government organizations, banks, philanthropic contributions and as a part of corporate social responsibility activities amongst others). Government is expected to shoulder greater responsibility in providing for education due to the social returns associated with education. The central and state financing is further bifurcated in Revenue account and capital account and Plan and Non-plan expenditure. Expenditures on capital account are long-term in nature. They are used for acquiring fixed assets such as land, building, machinery and equipment. Other items that also fall under this category include loans and advances sanctioned by the Centre to the State governments, union territories and public sector undertakings. However, expenditures incurred for the routine functioning of the government departments and various other services, largely not associated with acquisition of assets such as subsidies, salaries, interest, etc. incurred by the government are referred to as revenue expenditure. Plan expenditure refers to the expenditure devoted towards the funding of the plans by the government. On the other hand, non-plan expenditure refers to the expenditures other than those devoted for the plans of government. Plan and non-plan expenditure are incurred on capital and revenue accounts. The objective of this paper is to analyze in detail the contributions made by the Centre and the State governments towards expenditure on education in 2005-06 and 2010-11 and observe the changes thereby. The selected years were chosen due to the availability of comparable data. Data for actual expenditure, revised estimates of budgeted expenditure and budgeted estimates were available, but for the purpose of analysis the data related to actual expenditure incurred was only considered. Henceforth State would refer to State and Union territories combine, CAPITAL AND REVENUE EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION In absolute terms the budgeted expenditure on education and other departments by Central and State governments in 2005-06 accounted for INR 1,14,389 crores out of which the expenditure on revenue account was about INR 1,13,229 crores (98.99%), on capital account was about INR 1,143 crores (1%) and on loans and advances was about INR 17 crores (0.01%). Similarly for 2010-11 the total expenditure accounted for INR 2,97,311 crores out of which the expenditure on revenue account was about INR 2,93,478 crores (98.71%), on capital account was about INR 3,776 crores (1.27%) and on loans and advances was about INR 57 crores (0.02%). While the absolute budgeted expenditure on education almost increased 2.5 times over the period of five years, the relative share of revenue account, capital account and loans and advances almost remained same. There was just a shift of 0.27% from revenue to capital account. It was further observed that the entire contribution on capital account came from the Sta tes with no share at all from the Centre. As can be observed the share of revenue account left almost negligible share for capital account and loans and advances from the total expenditure. Since capital expenditures are incurred on procurement of fixed assets, the data indicated that lesser expenditure was incurred in acquiring land, building, machinery and equipment. Growth in education would be difficult if it was not duly supported by a growth in acquisition of assets. It can also be observed that the contribution for expenditure on salaries, subsidies and interest payments through revenue account was high. PLAN AND NON-PLAN EXPENDITURE While plan and non-plan expenditure were also incurred on capital account, the amount being comparatively meager, plan and non-plan expenditure on revenue account only had been analyzed. The total budgeted Plan and Non-plan expenditure by education and other departments on revenue account were INR 1,13,229 in 2005-06 and INR 2,93,478 in 2010-11 as suggested in the previous section. In 2005-06 Plan expenditure accounted for 27.9% and Non-plan expenditure accounted for 72.1% of the total budgeted expenditure on revenue account. Similarly in 2010-11 Plan expenditure accounted for 33.2% and Non-plan expenditure accounted for 66.8% of the total budgeted expenditure on revenue account. Therefore over a period of five years about 5% of the share of Non-plan expenditure was shifted to Plan expenditure. For 2005-06 and 2010-11 the Plan expenditure for Center was more and Non-plan expenditure of State was more. Across the total budgeted Plan and Non-plan revenue expenditure the highest share was of Non-plan expenditure by States. The Non-plan expenditure by States accounted for 67% of the total revenue expenditure in 2005-06 and 59% in 2010-11 respectively as can be seen in figure 1. Figure 1: Budgeted Plan and Non Plan Expenditure on Revenue account for Center and State for 2005-06 and 2010-11 Source: MHRD (2008, 2014) Hence it can be concluded that the budgeted expenditure on education was incurred most on the revenue account and of the revenue account the contribution of the non-plan expenditure by the State was highest. EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION AS A PERCENTAGE OF GDP Expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP is a globally accepted criterion which is widely used for international comparisons of financing of education. Figure 2 depicts public expenditure on various sectors of education namely elementary, secondary, university higher, technical education as a percentage of GDP. Expenditure of Adult education was nominal and so has not been included. Public expenditure included the expenditure incurred by education department and other departments and ministries respectively for various sectors. India being a developing nation highest public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was incurred on elementary education in 2005-06 (1.61) and in 2010-11 (1.7). It was followed by expenditure on secondary education, university and higher education and technical education for 2005-06 as well as 2009-10. In comparison with 2005-06 public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was incurred more in 2010-11 across all levels of education. Expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP by states was highest for elementary education followed by secondary education, university higher education and technical education for 2005-06 and 2010-11. But the expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP by Centre was highest for elementary education, and was followed by university and higher education, technical education instead of secondary education, that got the least share. Compared to 2005-06 in 2010-11 the commitment by the Centre increased for university higher education and technical education with little left for secondary education. The contribution by the Centre almost doubled for university and higher education and more than doubled for technical education. For secondary education there was a fall in the public expenditure on education from 0.7% to 0.1% of the GDP from 20 05-06 to 2010-11. It can be further observed that the contribution of state for all levels of education was more than that for Centre for both the years 2005-06 to 2010-11 as can be observed in figure 3. While not much change could be observed in the share of State and Centre as a percentage of GDP in 2005-06 and 2010-11 for elementary and secondary education, a dramatic rise in the share of the Centre as compared to State could be observed for university higher education and technical education for the same period. Figure 3: Sector-wise share of State and Centre in Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP for 2005-06 and 2010-11 Source: MHRD (2008, 2014) The share of State (76.4%) and Centre (23.6%) for elementary education in 2005-06 almost remained stagnant as observed for State (74.7%) and Centre’s share (25.3%) in the GDP in 2009-10. Similarly the share of State (92.2%) and Centre (7.8%) for secondary education in 2005-06 was almost the same for State (89.9%) and Centre (10.1%) in 2009-10. Share of Centre for university and higher education in public expenditure as a percentage of GDP increased from 23.9% to 38.4% and that of the States decreased from 76.1% to 61.6%. Likewise the share of Centre for technical education increased from 33.3% to 50% and that of the States decreased from 66.7% to 50% from 2005-06 to 2010-11. Therefore the shift from the Centre to State in the share of university and higher education was to the tune of about 15% and for technical education it was about 17%. CONCLUSION The present scenario calls for serious action in support of financing the higher education access in India. A bigger financial commitment surpassing the inflationary conditions both by the central and the state government is warranted. A larger share as a percentage of GDP should be allocated for the expenditure on education to enhance the access to education. Higher funds would be required to address the expenditures on revenue account, like that for filling the vacant faculty positions. On the other side, the expenditure on capital account like raising the qualitative learning infrastructure would be obligatory to achieve a higher rate of enrolments. Access to equitable and qualitative higher education is the need of the hour for a country like India aspiring to excel in the economic growth and development. The commitment from government and private sector towards the investments in developing human capital will determine if the demographic advantage will be a dividend or a liability. Governments today increasingly face the limitation to raise means owing to the fiscal pressures, increased demand for access to education, rising costs, expectations for improvement in infrastructure, increasing the resources, enhancing, quality and competing prioritized demands on the government treasury. For a developing country like India, it is difficult to assume that government alone would be able to achieve the mammoth task of assuring access to education for the masses. Higher efficiencies can be achieved by the allocation of the funds on the criterion of ‘performance based funding’. Increased accountability should be accompanie d by increased autonomy to raise funds at the institutional level, with wisdom to assure the opportunity of access to quality education for anyone willing to pursue the same. The government through necessary regulatory changes should incentivize philanthropic and alumni contributions by allowing tax rebates on incurring such expenditures by individuals. Income generated through consultancies, research and development and providing training workshops in the area of expertise should be appreciated and encouraged. Considering the present and future demand for higher education in India, it cannot be denied that financing remains a serious challenge. To achieve this mammoth task, all possible sources of funding will have to be explored to assure a qualitative and equitable access to higher education.

Puerto Rican Music in the United States Essay example -- Culture cultu

Puerto Rican Music in the United States Music has always been a pervasive symbol of identity. It is a mode of expression that crosses gender, ethnicity and age. One need not understand the lyrics to identify with a musical genre; identification can be found through rhythm, tone of music, as well as other techniques in the music, unrelated to words. For example, most operas are in Italian and obviously everyone that attends an opera, does not speak or understand Italian. However, the audience is moved by the emotion conveyed through tone, facial expressions, and beat of the music. I believe this is relevant to the situation of Puerto Rican forms of music, and its success when Puerto Rican musicians migrated to the United States. Original forms had to be adopted to become popular in the United States, often assuming a heavier dance beat, but when the songs and musicians did become popular, it was not because a majority of Americans understood the lyrics in Spanish. For Americans, it was because the music provided lively back ground entertainment. However, for the Puerto Ricans, it meant much more. The music symbolized their background and struggles, what it means to be Puerto Rican. In New York, Puerto Rican musical traditions evolved in accordance with societal change. This was necessary in a society, as Glasser describes â€Å"where Puerto Ricans lived among a constellation of constantly changing ethnic groups within a protean social environment†(Glasser, 7). In Puerto Rico there are diverse groups, with different traditions of politics, economics, and music. When Puerto Ricans migrate to the United States, they unite under an identity as â€Å"Puerto Ricans† but there is still diversity within. Furthermore, I believe it is the Ameri... ... difficult as Americans commercialized the entire profession and employment became near obsolete for those trained musicians. In the U.S. music serves as a representation of the identity of the Puerto Rican, just as it does for other cultures. Puerto Ricans became disillusioned at the prospect of remaining in Puerto Rico as Rafael Hernà ¡ndez sang- â€Å"Piensa remediar la situacià ³n/del hogar, que es toda una ilusià ³n.† (Glasser, 165) Music provides a socially acceptable way to express disgust and disillusionment with the status quo and communicate one's identity. Bibliography Glasser, Ruth, My Music is My Flag: Puerto Rican Musicians in New York and their Communities, 1917-1940. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996). Oct. 29: Puerto Rican Music Between Rafael Hernandez and Rafael Cortijo. Guest Lecture by Prof. Lise Waxer, Music Dept., Trinity College

Copyright and the Internet Essay -- Copyright, Internet,

Copyright came about in the fifteenth century in Britain, sometime after the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. â€Å"The printing press represented a supreme threat to the clergy’s monopoly on idea dissemination; moveable type was the fifteenth century version of Napster† (Copyright Website). Copyright laws were instated to protect authors of various intellectual properties, (literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, architectural) and give credit to the proper author. Over the years copyright laws have changed dramatically, because of the development of the internet. Before the internet in order to be caught plagiarizing someone would have to read through all sorts of literary works, to know exactly where the information came from. These days a person can just type what they are looking for into search engine sites like â€Å"Google† and fine exactly what they were looking for. With information accessed with such ease it makes it almost effortl ess to plagiarize (the act of stealing others ideas, and passing them off as your own), other peoples work without the author having any idea. "The Internet has been characterized as the largest threat to copyright since its inception. The Internet is awash in information, a lot of it with varying degrees of copyright protection. Copyrighted works on the Net include news stories, software, novels, screenplays, graphics, pictures, Usenet messages and even email. In fact, the frightening reality is that almost everything on the Net is protected by copyright law. That can pose problems for the hapless surfer† (Copyright Website). The electronic environment does not change the ways we consider ownership, it does however change the ways in which we use and distribute intellectual propert... ...ze. However the internet is also good in the sense that it can be used for advertisement and giving previews to different types of intellectual property. Internet copyright laws will always be different than regular copyright laws, because they must always be changing in order to keep up with the always changing technology. If you are placing any type of intellectual property on the internet you should register your work so that it is under more strict usage laws and so that you have say in how your work is used. No one wants to put hours of hard work into a creative work only to have someone else take these ideas and pass them off as their own work, this is the main and most important reason for copyright. Without copyright laws you might say the world would be quite a bit more chaotic. Work Cited Copyright Website http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

Mercedes-Benz Case Study Essay

Introduction Mercedes-Benz is a multinational division of the manufacturer Daimler AG from German and the brand is used for luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz’s headquarter is in Stuttgart, Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg, Germany. The brand first appeared in 1926 under Daimler Benz which originally from Daimler’s 1901 Mercedes and from Karl Benz’s 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, widely remarked as the first automobile. The following report is to engage the readers how a Mercedes-Benz automobile is being produced and the process strategy that the company had developed in order to become top selling car in the world. It also reveals the critical dimensions of the product quality for the Mercedes-Benz automobile products. Product Design and Development Process The process of making a Mercedes-Benz vehicle usually takes around three years from the initial drawing to final approval of the model. During these three years, the new Mercedes-Benz passes through development stages in which the designer team works together to produce the final vehicle. The team converts the initial drawings (modular design) into the next generation of Mercedes-Benz vehicle. The following process is the steps to produce a finished automobile: 1. Drawing/Rendering: the designer team initially draws a hand-sketched on a piece of paper, or on a screen. 2. Digital/Package: a virtual image of the automobile is created on a computer (CAD system). Source: www.carbodydesign.com Source: www.carbodydesign.com 3. 1:4 clay models: the next step is to create a clay model of every variant of a new automobile. The designers will then decide whether their drafts create the desired effect in three dimensions, too. At the same time virtual models are created on the computer. 4. Model selection: With the help of scanning and milling machines the first full-size model are made. The final form of the new automobile is chosen in order to be formally examined in a 1:1 scale. Source: www.carbodydesign.com Source: www.carbodydesign.com 5. 1:1 model: all the individual details of the new model are handmade. In this step, a real-looking model is created and it reveals all the characteristic features of the new automobile. 6. Interior sketches: in this step, the designers sketch for the design of the interior. This is where the driver seat designs are created. Source: www.carbodydesign.com Source: www.carbodydesign.com 7. Interior clay model: all the details are created until a desired top-quality feeling is created. Three alternative choices of interiors are built for a decision to be made. 8. Colour & trim / operating and display concept (control and display system): the material and colour for the automobile interior are chosen from hundreds of fabric and leather samples as well as a virtually endless colour spectrum. All the control and display elements are designed and developed too. 9. Interior data control model: all the materials and colours are tested and checked for effect on producing 1:1 interior models under â€Å"real-life conditions†. Every material and every colour is allocated a code and specified. 10. Final model: the exterior and the interior with all their details are combined together to create a model and the future Mercedes-Benz model becomes tangible. 11. Model approval: finally, the design process has to obtain approval by the Board of Management. If this is successful, the production of the new Mercedes-Benz is released. Manufacturing Process and Process Strategy Mercedes-Benz automobiles are mainly manufactured in Sindelfingen, Germany assembly plant. This is where all the important functions like sales record, design and development; pre-production and production-planning worldwide have been integrated at one site. In early 1994, the foundations for the plant and the production system for Mercedes-Benz US International Inc. (MBUSI) were set up and it was not far away from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The site mainly manufactured the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, GL-Class and R-Class SUVs. In 2011 the plant produced more than 148,000 vehicles and employed approximately 2,800 people by year’s end. This report is focusing on the production of Mercedes-Benz automobiles factory in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Source: www.automotivetraveler.com Source: www.automotivetraveler.com The production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, it involves six production cornerstones of the vehicle’s assembly process. The employees are encouraged to work toward developing improvements and emphasized on the cleanliness and safety. First of all, the factory has a large office area where all the materials and parts that are ordered from suppliers which are mainly come from North American suppliers and others. The production teams will then set a production date and create a barcode including the VIN and other specifications. Mercedes-Benz does not stock up a lot of parts. In fact, they adopt â€Å"just-in-time† method and maintain only two to three hours of inventory on the line. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz does not stamp out its own metal body parts. Source: www.automotivetraveler.com Source: www.automotivetraveler.com The body shop has hundreds of German-made (KUKA) welding machines that assembly materials and parts together. The plant itself has approximately 800 machines and 600 of them are in the body shop. To ensure safety in this area, a flexible screen is used to cover the flying sparks. The employees inspect critical welds to identify dimensional accuracy and after the welding is complete, another inspection is conducted to ensure the exterior body is ready for paint. After the body shop production, the second-floor paint shop at the Tuscaloosa plant is a super clean environment where a proper suit and headgear are required to prevent unwanted dirt or particles. In this area, the vehicles go through the six steps process such as, a pre-cleaning, a phosphate dip, and the application of an electrically charged e-coat, primer, colour coat, and finally the top coat. Every vehicle goes through for more than three miles on conveyor belts as it travels through the painting process and curing ovens. After inspections, the vehicles return back to the assembly shop for the installation of the interior parts and engine. This section of plant includes: 1. six â€Å"trim lines† 2. four â€Å"final lines† 3. â€Å"door line† 4. â€Å"engine/chassis line† 5. â€Å"off-line quality test† 6. Source: www.automotivetraveler.com Source: www.automotivetraveler.com repair area The employees and the machines are working together side by side, applying their advanced and various skills to the vehicles as they move slowly along the assembly lines. If any deviation is detected, one of the employees will pull a rope that creates a short melodic tune. Each line has its own melody and every employee is able to recognize â€Å"their song†. Repair area usually takes a short period of time and quickly most vehicles continued one. In the engine/chassis assembly line, the major parts of the engine are united and numerous machines work together in this section. Usually all the engines come from either Berlin or Stuttgart. Source: www.automotivetraveler.com Source: www.automotivetraveler.com Then the vehicles will go through the off-line quality checks. This involves some rattles test such as, driving over rollers that imitate the bumpy road situations while an employee inspects for any rattling sounds. There is also another quality check station that inspects the vehicles to ensure proper sealing by using high-pressure hoses to replicate the pounding rainstorms and flooded roads. After all the vehicles have passes through the final inspections, the vehicles will be prepared to transport to the dealers or be shipped for the international orders. As we can see from the manufacturing process of the Mercedes-Benz automobiles, the company adopts the process strategy of repetitive focus. They have standardized modules that assembly materials and parts together and the facilities are organized as assembly lines. Hence, the production of Mercedes-Benz automobiles are efficient and usually having medium volumes of outputs. The company adopts repetitive focus strategy as it also has machines that help in the assembly lines of the production as well as skilled and trained employees that work in the factory. Five Critical Dimensions of Product Quality Taking example of Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV, there are some critical dimensions of its product quality. In this report, each dimension delivers two examples of its product quality. * Performance Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV is equipped with the special engine called â€Å"handcrafted AMG 5.5L biturbo V-8.† It is a high-tech powerhouse with a thunderous 550hp at 5,250-5750 rpm and 560 lb-ft of torque at 2,000-5,000 rpm. This engine improves the efficiency and emissions. Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com The vehicle is also equipped with another engine which is called â€Å"7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT transmission.† It features three driving modes that can be selected via a console-mounted button called â€Å"Controlled Efficiency†, it functions as a fuel-saving ECO Start/Stop function. * Features Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com One of the features that GL-Class SUV has is the â€Å"PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist.† This feature helps the driver to size up parallel-parking spaces as most drivers have difficulty in parallel-parking. Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com Another feature will be the â€Å"ATTENTION ASSIST driver-drowsiness monitor.† This system will monitor the different parameters of driving behaviour and automatically alert the driver with both visual and warnings if the system detects any signs of drowsiness. * Conformance In the U.S. and Europe, large of quantity of vehicles have use no gasoline and produce zero tailpipe emissions are already in use. Mercedes-Benz vehicles are also adopting the zero-emission driving concept. For generations, Mercedes-Benz has been ground-breaking fuel-cell car to help preserve the earth for future generations. Hence, Mercedes-Benz is collaborating with Clean Diesel, a leading non-profit to help sustaining the environment. Therefore, Mercedes-Benz produces a BlueTEC Clean Diesel, a small engine yet delivers powerful mpg and low emissions. It is also known as the world’s cleanest and most advanced diesel. * Aesthetics Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com The design of the vehicle is one of the aspects to consider when customers choose and purchase the vehicle. Hence, the â€Å"Refined cabin styling† of the GL-Class is delivering a first-class design of the driver seat and seating rows. Source: www.mbusa.com Source: www.mbusa.com Another unique design that GL-Class has is the â€Å"21-inch AMG twin 5-spoke wheels†. It features the five twin spokes and a brilliant silver touch. The feature itself has the confident on the wet-road performance and a composed ride quality. * Serviceability Source: www.mercedes-benz.com.sg Source: www.mercedes-benz.com.sg There is a Mercedes-Benz centre in Singapore where the vehicles will enjoy five-star treatment. The centre provides new servicing and repair facilities as well as the Diagnostic Assistance System which is linked directly to Germany for up-to-the-second technical data. It also can quickly assess any vehicle. With trained and skilled technicians, customers could enjoy professional service from the Mercedes-Benz service centre whereby it is located at 301 Alexandra Road Singapore 159968. References: Mercedes-Benz: design philosophy. (2012). Retrieved January 14, 2013 from http://www.carbodydesign.com/2012/05/mercedes-benz-design-philosophy/ 125 years of visionary design: Automobile Design – Made by Mercedes-Benz. (2010). Retrieved January 14, 2013 from http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/0-921-1262677-1-1347994-1-0-0-0-0-0-11701-854934-0-1-0-0-0-0-0.html Dorofte, A. L. (2012). The new Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: Development and production – Digital worlds in real vehicles. Retrieved January 14, 2013 from http://mercedes-benz-blog.blogspot.sg/2012/08/the-new-mercedes-benz-gl-class_ 28.html Lander, B. (2010). Touring the Mercedes-Benz Factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Retrieved January 15, 2013 from http://www.automotivetraveler.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=994:touring-the-mercedes-benz-factory-in-tuscaloosa-alabama&catid=122:bimmer-dreamer&Itemid=315 Mercedes-Benz & The Environment. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2013 from http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/green GL63 AMG SUV features. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2013 from http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/model/class-GL/model-GL63#design Mercedes-Benz Centre – Level 1, Service Center & Vehicle Delivery. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2013 from http://www.mercedes-benz.com.sg/content/singapore/mpc/mpc_singapore_website/enng/home_mpc/passengercars/home/world/mercedes-benz_center/level_1.0002.html

Helping English Language Learners in the Classroom Essay

Learners from different background and surroundings have different perceptions towards learning English. Their surroundings contribute to their more or less of understanding of towards English language learning. From urban to rural settings, most schools are in charge for educating English language to students. In relation to that matter, teachers of English language in schools are also facing several difficulties in teaching English in the classroom. The first issue is age. In general, the older the student the more difficult it is for them to learn the second language naturally. It is advisable to enroll the child in the beginning levels so he/she hears a combination of English and his native language. Learners who are still young are like a white paper they can grasp and understand the rules and regulations of English grammar easily as they are not yet influenced by the other language. Teaching communication for them is also easy as they can absorb the new things and comprehend the language with teacher guidance. Whereas older students or learners are exposed to many new things and they were influence from what they see, read and hear so the process of teaching English language is a little affected because of their prior knowledge. Older students need more support to encourage them to work hard in their studies, hence helping them to learn English language. The second issue is native language. Sometimes, native language plays a big role in influencing the learners to the new language. t can sometimes confuse them as some word in the first language has the spelling as the new language. So, the educator needs to be focus and consistent in explaining them. Hence, fluent in their native language is considered an extra credit too. A student who is good in his/her rules and regulations of his/her native language and also fluent in his first language is often considered as lucky. As such it is an advantage when they are learning English. The proximity of speech sound for oral communication and whether or not the first language uses Roman letter for writing are also considered as an important factor in English proficiency. When there are some similarities of first language and English language the teaching of the target will be easier. The teachers and learners can both use their first language knowledge to be adopt and adapt in the learning of English language. Lastly, the third issue is literacy of parents. Parents who are not concerned with their children learning often have some effects to their children’s learning. This is same as parents who are not educated in school cannot help their children at home. So, the teaching and learning of English language in classroom at school will a little hard for the unexposed students. The level of literacy of a student’s parents may also affect the acquisition of written language. In average, the more fluent the parent the more fluent the child is. As it is mention earlier, the fluency of a learner in the native language promotes acquisition of English. Teachers need to know about their students’ cultures, it can help teachers to communicate to theirs students well. By doing this, it shows that teacher value their heritage and it will also allow teacher to connect academic content to a student’s set of experiences and knowledge about the world. Eventually, students of target language whose native culture is valued have a greater sense of self-worth and higher academic achievement.