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Compare and Contrast Essay

            The plot of ‘A man with enormous wings’ by Gabriel Garca Mrquez begins with Pelayo and his wife Elisenda, who find an old man with big wings lying in their courtyard after a rain storm. They try to communicate unsuccessfully with the bald winged man but after consulting with the neighbor, she identifies him as an angel. Pelayo later drags and locks the angel in a chicken coop. The following day a huge crowd gathers to see the angel, first to mock then to seek miracles. The local priest, Father Gonzaga, soon arrives and tries to establish the truth behind saga. Elisenda decides to charge the crowd to view the angel and after some time they raise enough to build a mansion. Later on, the crowd deserts Pelayo’s courtyard after a carnival boasting a spider girl arrives town. She appeals more to the masses because she is more interactive that the priest. They neglect the angel prevent their child from viewing the angel. The story ends with the angel flying in disbelief of Elisend (García).

Whereas the plot of ‘A pair of tickets’ by Amy Tan plot based upon a woman named June May who is on journey through China, her native country. From June’s background, we learn that she was raised in San Francisco, California. However, after the death of her mother she embarks on a journey to rediscover her Chinese roots. During her journey, she encounters her other siblings including her twin stepsisters who she never met before. The narrator utilizes symbolism to illustrate the theme that June is ‘becoming Chinese’ into each part of the story (Booth, 2006). Through her journey, she learns and embraces her mothers’ life long dream giving her a feeling of satisfaction she never had.

The main theme of Mrquez story is based on human reception of the supernatural. The two main supernatural incidences are the old man with wings and the spider-girl from the town carnival. The characters in the story despise the old man and treat him as an oddity, more of freak than a heavenly creature. The old man’s appearance, frail and old, subjects him to criticism and his heavenliness is questioned. This is illustrated by father Gonzaga who disputes the old man being angel because of his squalid condition. Nevertheless, the old man is very patient despite the harsh treatment. The spider girl incident is a contrast of the above. She is an instant crowd puller despite the vagueness of her story. However, nobody contests her story this further demonstrates the gullible nature of humans in accepting supernatural reasoning’s for moral tales whereas we vilify the same for complex tales (García).

For the case of Amy Tan, her works explores the mysteries of personal identity and self-awareness. The physical journey symbolically represents the cultural experience of self-enlightenment. She acknowledges the fact we must come to terms with our own past, family past, in order to rediscover our selves. This is illustrated when she said, “Someday you will see…It’s in your blood, waiting to be let go.” A clear understanding of our individuality boosts our foundation on which we build our future. Her journey to her roots Guangzhou was a journey to her past to bond with her family members (Booth, 2006). An understanding of our cultural heritage assists us in defining our selves since we are product of our past.

In comparison, both stories dwell on the nature of humans not to appreciate or cherish what we have. As of Marquez, his emphasis is on showing the ungrateful human nature we poses. These lines clearly outline the state the authors massage, “She kept watching him even when she was through cutting the onions and she kept watching until it was no longer possible for her to see him, because then he was no longer an annoyance in her life but an imaginary dot on the horizon of the sea.” Elisenda does not appreciate the contribution the angel had in her life, in terms of wealth, security and health, she is however relieved to see him go. This also explores the unwillingness of human beings to foresee the value of what we have. In “A Pair of Tickets” when June is exploring her home China, she faces the internal conflict of misconceptions about her homeland. This remark, “I am in China, I remind myself” further illustrates the mental anguish the narrator is going through to come with terms with her home (Booth, 2006).

Both stories use the external setting to assist the narrator convey the internal message to the audience. In the story “A pair of Tickets”, the theme grows naturally from setting. June’s symbolic journey to China represents both self-actualizations. On discovering China, her homeland, she discovers herself. She exclaims, “I am becoming Chinese.” China becomes a psychological mirror linking both her mothers past and her personal past. Through her experience, she discovers herself by discovering the rich cultural heritage of China. For the case of ‘A man with enormous wings’ the sleeping of the old man in a chicken coop exemplifies humility in his part and the ungratefulness of Pelayo and Elisenda. In addition, the setting of the spider-girl in the town carnival is intended to show the absurdness’s of accepting her story without questioning it (Kennedy, 2007.

Both artists have used symbolism as an artistic device to narrate their story. In Amy Tan’s fable, she has used the journey to China to symbolize June’s pursuit to self-awareness and identification. The journey symbolizes June’s systematic activities that lead to her establishing her self-identity. This activities range from her meeting her siblings, relieving her past and families past and accepting her Chinese roots all merged in one (Kennedy, 2007). For the case of Marquez, he used the tale of the spider girl to show how superstitious humans are when it comes to simple moral issues. The winged old man symbolizes the good things that we have but we take them for granted. Despite his positive contributions the lives of Pelayo and Elisenda, Elisenda shows no remorse when she sees him fly away.

 

Works Cited

Booth, A., Hunter, J. P., & Mays, K. J. (2006). The Norton introduction to literature. New York u.a: Norton.

García, M. G. (n.d.). Very old man with enormous wings.

Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2007). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. New York: Pearson Longman.

 

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The Four Loves by C.S Lewis

Philosophy is a subject that is involved in studies related to general knowledge about life issues and questions about the existence and purposes of man. Philosophy in Greek means the love of wisdom and, therefore, philosophy is about wisdom relating to the problems about life and the existence of man (Lewis, 4). The ‘Four Loves’ is a summary of loves shown by humans towards other humans (Lewis, 7). The four loves include love for God or charity in the society, friendship among people, erotic love among lovers and affection. All the outlined loves have a vital role to play in the development of the human life and affect people their relations with other people. God’s love is shown by the charity work in society such that the less fortunate receive love. His mercies are a blessing to the world and the existence of humankind, which is a clear indication of love. Without love in the world, countries and people would live in hatred and war. Without love, the presence of man would be diminished. For instance lack of romance in a relationship means that there would be no children borne out of such relationships. The four loves are necessary in the field of philosophy because they facilitate the existence of man (Lewis, 28).

Affection is ranked, as the first of the four loves (Lewis, 14). Affection is a love that amounts to more than friendship between people. Affection is a delicate love among people, as it requires time to develop such kind of love. It is based on familiarity among people especially members of a family. It comes naturally as a human instinct because it is natural, as the individual loves the other because they have not been forced to be love. It is also described as causing emotions because the individuals are fond of each other. Such fondness creates a bond, which is almost unbreakable making it necessary to philosophy given it creates a sense of belonging in a human being. Affection is because of a good relationship among people. People who are shown affection in any family or relationship feel appreciated and hence they feel happy and enjoy their existence.

It is deemed as one of the most valuable loves because it lacks measurable aspects, as it is typified by sacrifice and admiration. People are told to expect the presence of affection in relationships that are regarded as firm because they are built on familiarity, which creates a sense of security to those in the relationships. This kind of love is vital in the existence of humans because all people have personal relationships that are based familiarity. Bonds created among people because of familiarity especially in a family setting illustrate the importance of having a family to provide the love that is vital for leading a healthy and satisfactory life. In philosophy, the presence of happiness is because of having comfort, security and the existence of family members who are a source of encouragement in difficult times. However, in some aspects being affectionate does not really mean that the person showing the affection to another person loves the person. It could be a gesture that the person is showing affection for showing remorse or pity on a person. Affection can be out of respect for a person because of their deeds towards another, which could be a sign of repaying a debt owed to him. Man is an intellectual being and thus he relates to people in his life in differently depending on the respect and trust that has been developed because of familiarity. Hence, without affection man cannot feel appreciated to conduct his daily duties with ease and enable him to live in happiness.

Charity refers to unconditional and unlimited love towards others especially those that are considered as familiar. Charity is regarded as the most important love of all because there are no conditions for such love to be received or to given to people. God is regarded as the creator of the world and everything in it especially and who is the only intellectual being in the world. God gives to humans both love as a gift a love as a need. Gift love or gift of love is due to the existence of man as being made in his image. In his image, God made man such that he is able to act on extraordinary settings. God shows his gift of love to men in the world in different ways. God has equipped man with love in his nature such that he is able bring love into the world on his own by benevolent acts towards unfortunate people in the society. Charity is not about benevolent acts or behavior. Just as man is given freely by God his conscience guides him into giving back via numerous ways. In addition, receiving from God should evoke benevolence in the mind of man such that he gives without expecting to be given back which is a true altruistic act. The wisdom of helping others and the initiative to help the less fortunate is part of the reason of existence of people from different backgrounds, to help those who cannot help themselves

It considers unconditional love towards others in the society. It entails love for others ort r nigh boras without consideration of the qualities that would be desired for the subject to be considered as lovable. It is considered as the greatest love off all because it does consider man’s defects as a person but his attributes. Charity is the gift of God which humankind receives through his mercies and grace owing to the deep love he has for humankind. His love for what he created is reflected by the love he shows to man. He relegates of taking care of the world to humankind and instills a nature of caring into us such that man is able to take care of what God created out natural instinct. However all the efforts of protecting and saving humanity is a tall order. Thus, man supports God’s word by ensuring that his creation is taken of by man, this is also a way of showing gratitude to God. We as humanity express gratitude to God in so many ways that we deem fit. Love of God is stronger than love one that is provided by man, thus it is greater in every aspect such that all those who believe in him should live fulfilling lives

Eros is a main feature in the outlined loves it can be interpreted as romance or erotic love as suggested by the word ‘Eros’  which the word erotic derives its meaning from . Eros can also be defined as state of an individual falling in love (Soble, 25). Sexuality has a strong definition in the definition of Eros. Thus, Eros has both sexual and non-sexual definitions People who lie together are usually in a state of Eros (Krausser & Michael, 14). Eros however was not a reason or marriages in the early periods. From a Christian perspective, people got married without other ill-natured desires, which has entirely changed in a period characterized by the presence of divorces due to adulterers. Without e presence of sexuality in marriage people would not continue the purpose of populating the world. Eros has contributed to love among people, which later ends in marriage. Marriage is a sacred institution in God’s eyes, which shows the clear definition of being married. Married couples how love in different ways both verbal and non-verbal. This can be attributed to the presence of love that only exists amongst lovers or married people, which fulfils the reason as to why God made both man and woman. Their presence in the world is to complete each other via means of marriage. Marriage without love has no foundation because none of the partners considers the other as importance in their lives.

The effect of romance is courtship and maybe then marriage. Thus the married couples are able to experience the presence of love in their midst which makes them love each other more. Courtship enables people to understand their partners before marriage and to get to know if they are fit for each other. Romance is part of god’s gift to man. In addition, romance brings happiness amongst two people. Love among couples without the presence of romance would not be sufficient to sustain the relationship (Lewis, 38).

However, most of the society in the modern world experience sexual contact without the presence of any kind of love or attraction. Lack of love has also contributed to the presence of infidelity in marriages because most of the marriage partners are involved in some form of infidelity. However, such beliefs are based on morals, in philosophy what draws the most satisfaction and happiness is considered to good. Therefore, queries arise as to what is good for man. A man might feel gratified by having multiple lovers or sexual partners, which might result in high self-esteem or happiness (Krausser& Michael, 24). Because of such, Eros does not rule out love because of morals on those involved in the love. Continues the existence of man by new generations which are as a result of romantic relationships

Philia is also a predominant kind of love and is fundamental to the existence of man in the world. Philia is described as the friendship among people (Fimiani, 11). Such people could have known each other or could have just met and forged a good friendship based on trust, respect and common issues affecting them. Philia affects how an individual relates with others like him in the world. Friendship is responsible for the formation of happiness in the life of a human being. Happiness is attributed to better relations among people in the society. Philia leaves out relationships with non-living elements, which cannot communicate. Thus, philia enables communication between people who have strong bond (Lewis, 48).

Success among people can also be attributed to philia. The brotherly love helps people to share ideas for leading a successful; life in any field that they please. Different types of philia are present in the world. Friendships of utility are forged without the regard for the other person’s needs or feelings. They are regarded as selfish because they lean to helping one person in the relationships that consist of two people. Friendships of pleasure are formed by the happiness produced by the company of the friends. These kinds of friendships are usually formed by the presence of a similar activity or hobby that the friends enjoy doing together. This is a genuine love for the friends because there are no selfish interests in the friendship and the friendship is founded on true brotherly love. Brotherly love is the source of people co-existence between people regardless of their tribes, thus the presence of such love is truly a gift of God to Man to enable him to live with others in peace and happiness.

However, the lack of the unifying activity can lead to the collapse of such friendships, thus they cannot be described as insincere because each of the friends bases their friendships on the joy they experience form the company of others. Philia is a vital aspect in the existence of man among his peers and other people in the world and society. A good friendship or philia can be described as where friends enjoy just the simple company of each other’s presence. This is aided by presence of similar character traits enabling them to associate with each other with ease. The existence of man can be attributed to how he relates with his species in his society. This influences his existence and determines if he grows as an individual or the whole society benefits from such friendships (Soble, 32). Without philia among people, it would be difficult to exist peacefully.

In conclusion, without love in life, existence of man would be cold or further still, man would not be in existence because love revolves around the existence of man. The grace of God is the sole reason for the existence of man. The purpose of man is to make the world habitable for his species, other animals also made by God and other humans to come in the future and for maintaining it because he is made in God’s image. It becomes difficult to distinguish between the two loves Eros and Philia. Both are intertwined such that for successful romantic relationship, it starts with friendship, which then possibly leads to a romantic relationship. In Eros, a relationship between two can be beneficial to only on partner who is selfish and wants only his needs addressed in the relationship. In addition, a relationship between two friends can lead to one taking the advantage of the other. Thus, the presence of both Eros and Philia enables man to continue in existence and facilitates happiness in his life brought about by loved ones and friends.

Work Cited

Fimiani, Mariapaola. Philia. Napoli: Città del sole, 2001. Print.

Krausser, Helmut, and Michael Mitchell. Eros. New York: Europe, 2008. Print.

Lewis, C S. The Four Loves. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1960. Print.

Soble, Alan. Eros, Agape, and Philia: Readings in the Philosophy of Love. New York, N.Y: Paragon House, 1989. Print.

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How to Increase a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is a priority of everyone. Healthy diet is achieved through feeding on food products that are nutritious and rich in specific diets.  Many people feed on different food diets and believe that they get a balanced diet or rather eat healthy. This might not be true as, healthy diet requires feeding on selective food products and in the recommended quantities. The subsequent discussed delve on ways of increasing a healthy diet.

A healthy diet can be increased by first examining or monitoring closely what one eats BBC-World Service (2009, para. 2). Monitoring will allow an individual to review the types or kinds of food that one eats and determine or evaluate whether they contribute to the healthy diet that is required or not. Monitoring will also help in evaluating whether the food accomplish the required level of nutrients and have been recommended. A healthy diet can also be improved by individuals avoiding switching off to western imported foods. These foods contain a lot of fats which increases health risks upon their consumption (BBC-World Service, 2009, para. 3).  Fats are not conducive for our health and therefore, their inclusion in our diet should not be recommended. However, fruits and vegetables should be consumed more as they are healthy to our bodies (BBC-World Service, 2009, para. 4).

In case you have an opportunity to buy or choose the foods you eat, it is advisable to be biased on foods such as potatoes, cereals, rice, vegetables, and fruits. Foods like potatoes contain fibers that help the body in producing energy while fruits and vegetable are rich in vitamins that help to build the immunity of our bodies hence contributing to healthy lives (BBC-World Service, 2009, para. 5).

Healthy diets can also be attained by varying the methods that food is cooked (Helpgide.org, 2012, para. 5). It has been established through research that certain methods of cocking food destroys the level of nutrient while others are positive and preferred. To reduce the amount of fats in foods, boiling of vegetables and other foods should be preferred compared to frying. Introduction of fresh vegetables and fruit can also be introduced in the diet to improve it.

Advice from specialist and nutritionists is also a leeway or a platform to attaining a healthy diet (BBC-World Service, 2009, para. 5). These specialists posses knowledge on the best diets that individuals are required to feed on in various circumstances. It is important to note that diets vary from circumstances to another and therefore, by seeking the service of these people, correct guidance will be provided. For instance, a diet that is recommended for a person suffering from heart attack is different from a person suffering from blood pressure, leukemia or any other disease.  For instance, a person suffering from heart attacks should minimize on fatty foods and foods that have high percentage of cholesterol (Helpgide.org, 2012, para. 9). The advice from experts will also help in minimizing the amount of chemicals or toxics that are eaten from vegetables and other products.

Healthy diet can also be increased by individuals acknowledging the fact that vegetables and fruits are important in achieving good health. Therefore, to ensure that supply of the fruits and vegetable is in good supply, individual have no obligation but to intensify on the growing of new fruits and vegetables. Such initiatives will allow more production of fruits hence promoting positive health in the society.

Salt is also another area of concern that people need to take precautionary measures. Many people use salt with low or lack of iodine which threatens their health. Foods that have a lot of salt without enough iodine posses a health threat to its users. Furthermore, eating food with raw salt presents a negative impact to the users. To quell these unnecessary hazards, people should always eat cooked salt and salt that is reach in iodine to avoid deficiencies. This will assist in promoting healthy living among people in society.

A healthy diet is also increased by avoiding foods that are rich in oil and animal fats. If relinquishing this kind of food is not possible; it is recommended that users reduce on their intake. For instance, fats or oil should not be used in cooking of vegetable but excluded in the diet.

Women still in the category of bearing children should endeavor to avoid contracting anemia that usually increases the risks in terms of complications before and after birth. This is therefore, an issue that oscillates on the nutrition and diet that is appropriate.  Women in this status are advised to feed on iron alongside with foods that are rich in vitamin C. The iron inhibitors should also be monitored closely (Brackenbury, 2000, p.2). They should not be adapted as they pose healthy risk to its clients. Example of such food includes tea.  According to Hesson (2006), achieving a healthy body composition consists of reducing the amount of body mass (p.13). This body mass can be reduced through exercise but important thing to do is to check on the kind of diet that is feed. However, those that want to gain their weights of muscle should eat balanced diets foods with high quality foods such as food with high amounts of calories of around 500 to 1000 calories in a day (BBC-World Service, 2009, para. 7). Such diets should be eaten in small quantities but often.

According to Lo, Chang, Lee, & Wahlqvist (2009), economic status has to great heights hindered many people from choosing or feeding on the right diets. Prices of essential or health foods are skyrocketing making it difficult for people to access proper diet (Lo, Chang, Lee, & Wahlqvist, 2009, p. 2). This is a drawback. However, people go for affordable food products that contain similar nutrients to help improve their healthy diets.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) (2011), there are a number of tips for healthy eating and diet.  The diet that people are given should met their needs. Different age groups have different diet needs. For example, a child or an infant requires different diet or nutrition from that of a teenager of an elderly person. Likewise, the diet of nutrition on a pregnant woman is different from those of an elderly woman. Nevertheless, regardless of these differences, in general, a healthy diet is increased by people feeding on calcium rich foods. Examples of calcium rich foods include low-fat/fat-free milk, dairy products like cheese and yoghurt. Others include, leafy vegetables, beans, dark green among others (National Institute of Health (NIH) 2011, para. 4).  Variety of fruits and vegetable should also be eaten more often among many other foods that are healthy to our body.

Therefore, it is apparent that good diet is important to our health. Many people are not aware of how to select proper foods that are rich in nutrients appropriate for their good health. Even though, factors such as education/ lack of awareness and economic factors deter many from a healthy diet, it is important that people try as much as they can to improve their health by feeding on healthy diet. Poor diet causes disease such as heart failures leading to death. People should seek relevant information or education from specialized health personnel to be advised on proper food diets. Healthy diet can be improved by avoiding fatty foods, foods that have high calories and by consuming more fruits and vegetables.

 

 

References

Brackenbury, W.  (2000). Be healthy is a priority, Business Times [Kuala Lumpur] 08 Sep 2000:   12.

BBC-World Service (2009). Healthy Living: How to improve your diet. Retrieved 03 March,       2012, from             http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/sci_tech/features/health/healthyliving/dietstop.shtml

Helpgide.org. (2012). Heart Healthy Diet tips\Eating to prevent heart disease and boost heart       health. Retrieved 03 March, 2012, from             http://helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_heart_disease_stroke.htm

Hesson, J. (2006). Weight training for life, New York: Brooks Cole

Lo, Y., Chang, Y., Lee M., & Wahlqvist, M. (2009). Health and nutrition economics: Diet costs   are associated with diet quality. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 18 (4): 598-  604.

National Institute of Health (NIH) (2011). Diet and Nutrition. Retrieved 03 March, 2012, from

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/diet_and_nutrition.cfm

 

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Contrast and Comparison

            In the two works, “anyone lived in a pretty how town” and “Harrison Bergerron” have a theme in common but portrayed in different aspects as well as setting and time. “Anyone lived in a pretty how town” is a poem by Cummings talking about ‘Anyone’ as a person who is not noticed by others since they are too busy with their work other people. On the other hand, “Harrison Bergeron” is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut. It is written in futuristic tone where the main character escapes from jail and finds that order has changed where everybody is regarded equally by the law and competition is not allowed where the above normal are handicapped by the government. Just like ‘anyone’ Harrison has the will to live freely without being constrained by government rules. Both of these works have shown the importance of living a free, fulfilling life.

The two texts have other different themes, but some of the common themes are portrayed in many different ways that also bring about other themes. However, the main theme is the will in a person to live life according to their wish without considering what others might have to say. It also suggests taking courage to defy laws that are dehumanizing in order to live freely. In the poem, people are subjected to working all the time, and do not notice anything going on around them. Even when they do, it is just for a moment. On the other hand, in the Harrison story, people do not realize the dangers posed to the society for eliminating competition. When Harrison does, they think he is not normal, and should be handicapped to be in the same level with the rest. The whole society does not live free since they are not even allowed to think. Only Harrison achieves what nobody else has achieved. Within both communities in the two works, the people are not living out of their free will.

In the poem, the poet says that “he sang his didn’t he danced his did,” (Cummings, 2012), meaning that ‘anyone’ always celebrated what he has done. It also meant that most of the time he is living his life well through deeds that one can dance to. Saying that he danced his did mean that he did not hold back to enjoying what he had done in life. On the other hand, the other group of people, ‘someones’ and ‘everyones’ had not time to dance to their deeds, meaning that they only lived a moderated life without enjoyment, except doing a lot of work all the time. Finally, when ‘someones and everyones’ grow old and die, we find that only ‘anyone and noone’ enjoyed life of great lovers, meaning that those who are not afraid of doing what they feel is right for them enjoy life (Marks 2012). Again, the theme of living without caring much about what others say or living in fear is shown by Harrison. Despite going to jail, Harrison manages to escape and through his will, he believes that he can overthrow the government and becomes what he wants to become. He is not worried about the government stopping him from doing what he want or living like a normal human being. After escaping jail, he goes to the radio station where there were dancers and declares himself the emperor. ‘‘Even as I stand here—crippled, hobbled, and sickened—I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!” (Vonnegut, 1961) He then chooses one of the dancers as his empress and together they dance and defy the laws of government as well as laws of nature as they reap 30ft high and remain suspended in air as they kiss before they are shot. Unlike others who choose to be weighed down by the handicaps, Harrison was able to live a full life for a few moments before dying, which was an accomplishment out of the will to live to the fullest. This illustrates the will of living freely without subjection to what others believe, just like ‘anyone and noone’ lived freely.

In the poem, ‘anyone’ looks ignored by all the other people, making him look like he lived life alone with his loved one, ‘noone’. However, looking closely at the poem, one can realize that this is a couple that lived their life to the fullest, exploiting every moment they had by doing what they wanted to do. This poem narrates three different kinds of people and their different life styles. ‘Anyone’ and ‘noone’ are lovers, whom even children that are so innocent can guess they love each other. On the hand, in the story of “Harrison Bergerron,” Harrison, at an age of fourteen years, he is seven feet tall and handsome as well as strong. He is not considered as a normal person. People of this kind are not allowed by the government to use their intellect despite being intelligent. Rather, the government makes all people equal by handicapping such people with weights around the neck and headphones with a radio that play disturbing music every 20 seconds to disrupt their thinking.

The other theme in the two stories is societal conformity where the poem is concerned with people fitting in the society, where ‘anyone’ and ‘noone’ are seen not to conform to the society’s norm. They live a life that is quite different from other people. The people think that anyone does not conform to the society. However, in the real sense, he seems to be living a more fulfilling life that is more joyous than the rest. On the other hand, Harrison is seen not to be conforming to the societal norms out of his intelligence and looks as well as strength in a country during a time when being better than anybody is illegal, including having better looks than others. However, he is very normal but according to the government he should restricted from thinking and end up in jail. In reality, he is the one who is normal and willing to fight for his rights to live like a normal man, while the government is the one not conforming to the society. According to the government, normal people with intelligence are considered the abnormal, while those without competence and intelligence or subnormal are considered the normal people. It is clear that the government is not conforming to the society in the right way, carrying everybody along with it, which ends up making the society full of disturbed people (Vonnegut, 1961). On the other hand, the people in the poem think they conform to the society, while the reality is that they are living a life of subjection to their work where there is no fulfillment.

In conclusion, one can see that ‘Anyone’ lives a better life than the rest, but the people do not realize it since they are too occupied by their work. The same way, Harrison is able to live a free life for few minutes before he dies out of his courage to live freely. In addition, in the short story, others believe Harrison is not normal while it is the opposite. Beliefs and attitudes of these two communities within which the two works relate to are distorted, with people in the poem living unfulfilled lives while in the short story they are oppressed by the social norms agreed by government.

 

 

Work cited

Cummings, E.E. anyone lived in a pretty how town. poets.org, 2012. Web. March 2, 2012.

Marks, Barry. English 10. blogspot.com, 2011. Web. March 2, 2012.

Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. tnellen.com, 1961. Web. March 2, 2012.

 

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Training Plan on Recognizing, Reporting, and Preventing Child Abuse in Daycare

The primary aim of daycare services is to keep children in the daycare from injury and illness or any other possible harm. Child abuse can be defined as the mental and physical degradation of the child by means of inflicting injury or harm on the child. Professionals enhance their skills in providing better services to the children (Saks& Hancoun, 2007).. Abuse against children affects how they behave and relate with their peers and the rest of the society when they grow older. The presence of a well-trained individual in providing the basic nurturing to the children results in responsible and well-mannered individuals in the society. Child abuse has been shown to be a major influence on how children shape their lives. Majority of the individuals who are engaged in crimes, prostitution and other societal indecencies m have been molested or abused at one point in their childhood. The training is designed to keep the professionals skills relevant in a changing environment where the needs of the children are evolving with each passing day such that there are bale to develop their careers as well. In addition, it also aims at helping the childcare professionals to conform to the national regulations (American Society for Training and Development, 1991).

Child abuse has several indicators both mental and physical, all of which are reflected by behavioral changes. Physical indicators are usually predominant in physical abuse against children because they are defenseless. Physical abuse is characterized by the presence of injuries on the affected children. Because of physical abuse, the children are traumatized by such events. This has a great impact on how their social relations shape up.

Training and development can be described as the equipping with skills of an employee to meet the market demands at the same time develops the individuals standing in the market. Training and development is usually outlined as strategy for ease of execution or implementation. Training is aimed at helping an individual acquire the necessary skills to improve his or her level of output at the current employment whereas development helps the individual get the necessary skills, which can assist him or her in growing the career options because of the skills acquired through training (Saks& Hancoun, 2007). Training as a process has a many levels that enable the trainer the specified results needed. It begins by identifying the needs for conducting the training. The second part consists of ensuring the employee readiness for training purposes to ensure that the employee is willing to learn from the training process to achieve the goals. The third part consists of ensuring transfer of training knowledge from the trainer to the trainee. This can be achieved y choosing the relevant evaluation program to ascertain that the employee has achieved sufficiently from the training process.

Needs assessment can be described as the process of establishing the needs and wants of the individuals and the desired levels of training. Assessment of the needs helps the individual get the best level of training from the educator or trainer who is already conversant with the level of training needed. The difference between the desired results and the current results is the need for the training. Need assessment is made up of several steps to come up with the specifics needed for training the professionals. The first step involves the confirmation of the issues beforehand and the audience available.

The next step and second step involves the formation of a planning team to conduct the assessment followed by the clarification of the goals and objectives of need assessment. The fourth step involves the characterization of the audience such that the trainers have an idea of the trainees need and what they prefer. The fifth step is vital as it involves the conduct of searches for information regarding the audience and their needs. The sixth step, data collection methods are identified such that they are relevant to the search for the needs. The data collection methods enable the formation of a sampling technique that is fair to the search to come up with relevant data(Training and development, 2008).. The data collected is analyzed for relevance, managed and synthesized to come up with a report that is detailed and ready for use, which has all the relevant needs for the training process. This enables the formation of a fair view on the needs of the trainees as their needs are all sampled to come up with the most prevalent needs, which need to be addressed in the training process.

Training needs assessment incorporates the organizational analysis, the task analysis and personal analysis to have a three-pronged frontier in confronting the needs of the trainees.

Training needs assessment by organizational analysis involves the support of the managers and peers of the trainees who have already undergone similar training process(Saks& Hancoun, 2007).. The needs assessment incorporates the organizational, regulatory body and the training resources available. In addition, training form a Training assessment can also be done on personal level to get a clearer perspective of the needs of the trainees .This involves the identification of personal characteristics and their performance at the job. It also involves evaluation of the impact of the training on the trainee from a personal perspective and the response to the training. This enables the trainer to get an insight as to how they can improve the training process for the benefit of the trainees. The third phase involves task analysis. This is whereby the trainees are assigned tasks to judge their performance (Training and development, 2008).The skills are graded according to their levels of complexity and the individuals are assigned the tasks based on their levels of capabilities. This is a very important aspect of the need assessment phase as it gives a clear view of the needs based on the performance of the individuals on the task.

For a successful training process, there is need for preparing the trainee for the training process .Employee readiness influences the trainees’ reception to the training process, which can be either positive or negative. Preparing a trainee can be an easy as well be a daunting task .The aim of enhancing the readiness of the employee is to improve the impact of the training program on the trainees. This can be achieved through motivation by emphasizing the effects the program has on the self-efficacy of the trainee in his or her field of work. The trainers should insist on the positive effect of the program. The trainers can also enlighten the trainees on the benefits of the program. Benefits accrued to the program include new career dimension after training because of the credits gained from the training (Training and development, 2008). The training management should ensure that the trainees understand the impact of the training on the interests in the careers and their long life goals in the protection of the children in their care. Emphasis should be put on the need for the training such that the trainees comprehend the need for the program because of the rapid changes in the childcare environment. To prepare the employees for training the trainers must be aware of the basic skills that the trainees poses in order to know the level of training required for them.

Creating a conducive environment for learning is vital for getting the benefits of the training. The conditions for learning include specification of the objectives of the training program. This helps in getting a clear aim for the program to avoid any deviations. In addition, meaningful training content, this is relevant in a changing childcare environment marred by the presence of rampant child abuse in day care programs. Criterion for producing a good learning environment involves identification of objectives of the training program, establishment of relevant content (Saks& Hancoun, 2007). It should also involve equal opportunities and provide for practice sessions with their peers. It should also provide for recall of the projects and the recall of the projects such that they get to understand their training. The training should focus on the current employment by providing more skills to equip them better in handling young children at their care (Julian et al.,2002). Trainee development occurs for the betterment of the futures of the trainees. This enables the trainees to have a better chance of success in the job market after training and to be become equipped in nurturing the children in their care in day care settings.

Plan for transfer of training should have a favorable transfer environment to enable the trainees has a chance of reaping the maximum benefits from the training program. Transfer of training should provide support from the peers of the trainees and the management of the organization such that they have a chance to get knowledge from the experience of the peers and the management .Transfer should enable the opportunity to work in practice to gain adequate experience for later use in the relevant field of work. It should incorporate technology in a revolutionized world that has been influenced by technology and provide for self-management skills such that all the trainees are able to manage their programs without interference (Rae.2000).

The corporations should provide adequate resources for smooth running of the program. The gains from the program should reflect on the overall productivity of the trainees after completion of the training program. Evaluation of the plan should incorporate the evaluation levels of Kirkpatrick, which are namely reaction, learning, behavior and results. Reaction of the trainees should be positive in order for them to experience the maximum benefits of the program. The children in the care of the trained professionals get to experience professional care from these dedicated professionals.

 

 

Reference

American Society for Training and Development. (1991). Training & development. Alexandria, VA: American Society for Training and Development.

Saks, A. M., & Haccoun, R. R. (2007). Managing performance through training and development. Toronto: Thomson Nelson.

Training and development. (2008). Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

Julian, S. ., Shari, J., Hale, J., Stolovitch, H. D., Keeps, E. J., & Keller Graduate School of Management. (2002). Training and development. New York: Wiley Custom Services.

Rae, L. (2000). Effective planning in training and development. London: Kogan Page.

 

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Accounting major- Audit

Accounting as an umbrella body encompasses various sub branches that a person that majors in accounting is able to pursue and specialize. These sub branches include managerial, consulting, tax, governmental accountancy and audit. All these sub branches are important and are related in one way or another. As an accounting major, I would like to be an auditor by engaging in duties that are in line with auditing.

The reasons behind my decision to pursue this line in accountancy are divergent.  The motivation to pursue this line of accountancy is to instill integrity and honesty in the operations of business. Many businesses are not upholding to business ethics but rather opting to fraudulent methods geared at falsifying their books of account to conceal important information. Such malpractices are not in the spirit of uplifting and fostering growth and development of the country.  If such business organizations are left unchecked such economic crimes and frauds may easily cripple the world economy. Audit will help me bring sanity in the way business transactions are done.   As an auditor, my duty will be to ensure that such crimes are not executed as they may bring negative repercussions to the performance of the economy at large. Many of the scandals that have be involved big companies have resulted from falsifying of companies books of account geared at concealing vital information on the actual position or performance of the business. A good example of such company is Enron. Therefore, to avoid such re-occurrence there is a need to put in place effective monitoring tools to ensure that such does not repeat again.

As an auditor I believe that I will assist in reducing fraud and its devastating effects that has come to be known as an economic global crisis that continues to cripple the world economy around the world. Business people and investors are losing hope in making investments in certain venture because of fear of perceived malpractices. By practicing audit, I have an objective and the will to restore their confidence when making their investment.

I also opted for this branch to help with establishing and testing of the internal controls of organizations/business to help prevent fraud. These internal controls such as intelligence policies, procedures and guidelines should be well practiced and followed to safeguard entities assets and fostering achievement of set goals.

Most managers may not posses enough knowledge and experience on the operations of internal controls. Therefore, my aim of coming into this field of auditing is to assist the managers in designing process, implementation and in maintaining of the internal control systems in the business. I am conversant with the field of auditing more compared to other fields.

One of the roles of an auditor is to carry out training programmes to the managers to acquaint them with the required skills and knowledge that can help in achieving the set objectives in their business operations. I find satisfaction by impacting new knowledge to my colleagues that can be of helpful in ensuring that malpractices are managed.  Businesses with weak internal controls suffer from unnecessary losses that fraudsters capitalize on to siphon money from them. Therefore, the audit field will help me to practice my auditing skills with passion and vigor.

The modern technology has opened room for more advanced methods of fraudsters. Most frauds are now practiced through the computer where by information is altered to reflect the balance that is not true. I can help in identifying these current or modern technology facilitated frauds. My wish is to bring new skills and knowledge in the field of auditing to curb and reduce the level of frauds that companies perpetrate.

By becoming an auditor, I will develop my competencies in the field of accountancy.  This will provide me with an opportunity to evaluate company’s financial information systems; their management procedures to ensure that proper /accurate records are kept. Companies need to comply with corporate policies and procedures and the government regulations.   Fraud cases can dwindle if all businesses remain complaisant with the required standards for operating a business. Specializing in the field of audit will therefore assist in helping the government in instituting good business practices that may help; in stimulating the number of investors through me. There are no investors that are willing to invest in a business of a company that does not guarantee safety custody of their resources.

Auditors have been always perceived to be the most corrupt people following a number of reported frauds and scandals that have been committed in the eyes of credible audit companies. This is unprofessionalism. Therefore, my joining audit is to help in changing the already formed perception by the public that auditors are part and parcel of the fraudsters since they participate in the process. Therefore, I do believe that I will be an agent of change by agitating or reforming the field of audit.

I am therefore compelled that audit is my field in accounting. I will get gratification and satisfaction by practicing it.  It will further provide me with the opportunity to raise my concerns and help change the perceptions of the public about auditing.

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Pepsi Organizational Analysis, Part 1

Nature of the Organization

Pepsi Co. is the second largest company of its kind. It deals with the production and distribution of beverages and snack food. It has approximately 285,000 employees across the world. Pepsi has a divisional organizational structure (Capparell, 2007). This is because of the various offices that are dispersed in different geographical regions. Apart from this, the different divisions have hierarchical systems. This means that the different human resource offices in Pepsi, are organized in different levels and the highest level is that of the Chief Executive Officer, Indra Nooyi. The orders of the company find their genesis in the top most management and the implementation is done by the lower levels in the hierarchy. The company has adapted a work culture that protects the interest of the employees.

In relation to its structure, Pepsi faces many human resource challenges. One of the biggest challenges is communication between employees. The structure does not encourage communication among the different divisions. Although the CEO exercises authority over the different levels in the hierarchy, she barely communicates with her divisional managers let alone the other employees (Capparell, 2007). This communication break in the communication process may be at the expense of the employees’ motivation. Another challenge that the Pepsi Company faces is that of excess workload on the mangers. This is because of the structure that demands that they handle most of the decision-making processes in the different divisions. This then slows down the implementation process of company goals.

Legal Concerns

One of the legal concerns of Pepsi is protecting the health of its consumer. In the past, the company was sued for manufacturing products that contains harmful substances. This can be detrimental to the company’s image. The allegation was that the company produced beverages that contained benzene. Benzene is a cancer-causing agent (Capparell, 2007). This is in line with the consumer protection laws. The best approach that the company can take to curb is subjecting their products to thorough tests. This will help in protecting the health of the consumers and it will maintain the integrity of the company.

A potential legal concern for the company could be protection of their employees. This is a major legal concern for many multinational corporations. It is important that the health and welfare of employees is fully protected. This is especially in the case of the workers in the manufacturing sector. It is the responsibility of the management to comply with the labor laws. These laws seek to protect the health of workers. This will include providing hazardous free working conditions for the employees. The management is required by the law to set up occupational health and safety management systems.

Human Resource Issues

There are many challenges that face multinational corporations. Some of these challenges also affect the human resource of these companies. The expansion of Pepsi in the international market will see the company experience more of these challenges. One of these challenges is the issue of convergence and divergence. This is to imply that the human resource practices will be similar across the different outlets of the company or each outlet will have a unique human resource management style. A centralized system has been popular in many large companies. This is where the central office dictates the path to be followed. However, research has shown the benefits of allowing the different offices of the company are autonomous.

Another potential issue is that of the diversity of the employees. Expansion of the company in the international market would mean introduction of different practices and culture into the company. This may be a challenge when trying to come up with human resource management strategies. Various conflicts may arise due to the multiplicity of culture. These differences may arise in the area of power relation. There are particular communities that uphold a greater power distance while others believe that power is a concept that should be shared equally. Another area that may cause of friction is that of masculinity and femininity. There are communities that prefer a relational approach to work while others prefer the masculine approach that tends to be assertive.

The approach that should be used in tackling these issues should be employee-based. The approach should focus on the needs and preferences of the employees to motivate the performance and boost the morale of the employees. The management should look for strategies that are advantageous to their workers. The human resource department is the most important resource of the company. Pepsi should incorporate both convergence and divergence techniques when coming up with the resource management methods. In tackling the issue of employee diversity, the management should use a standardized work culture that is unique to Pepsi. This will give the employees a focal point of focus.

Recommendations

Human resource motivation is important for the company’s success (Dessler, 2000). Pepsi must look for measures that will ensure that their employees are constantly motivated. This can be through employee appraisals. The management of Pepsi can also provide equal employee promotion opportunities. This will help in giving motivating to the employees. Pepsi is already giving annual bonuses to those employees who have shown great productivity in their work. These kinds of measures give the employees morale to work harder.

The company should also work on training the employees (Dessler, 2000). This will ensure that they remain competent in their areas of expertise. Moreover it shall ensure that the Subsequently, the competence of the employees will give the company a competing edge. The company should also give the employees regular leave from work. This will give the employees a sense of rejuvenation that will increase their productivity.

 

Reference List

Capparell, S. (2007). The real Pepsi challenge: The inspirational story of breaking the color barrier in American business. New York: Free Press.

Dessler, G. (2000). Human resource management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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International Tourism

Introduction

Over the years, different countries have recorded a significant increase in the number of tourists. In many cases countries, especially those in the same region, find that they have the same products and services to offer the tourists. This has increased the competition among all the countries. Although the tourism industry has grown over the years, only ten countries hold the majority share of the tourism market. It is estimated that 70% of international tourists visit ten countries (Lee et al., 2011). This means that the remaining countries have to fight for the other 30% of the visitors. Competition is therefore stiff and countries aim to diversify their markets and attract more people. In order to maintain a large market share, various destinations are now using some marketing techniques, which are often used in the marketing of commercial products. They are viewing and treating destinations as commercial brands. This means that they have to look for ways through which they can position their brands in the international markets so that they can get more tourists. Although many countries have diverse products and services on offer, they often have a distinguishing factor, which makes them stand out from the rest. Some tourists associate the country with the specific brand. Some countries have chosen to specialize on a specific brand, and ascribe to a specific personality. They ascribe human personalities such as spirited and creative to the destinations. The destinations with such descriptions strive and work hard to maintain their personalities. Brand positioning and brand personality are important elements and techniques that are used in tourism planning and development, because they give a country a competitive edge when they are applied well.

Brand Positioning

Brand positioning and destination branding are interrelated. Destination branding is one of the strategic elements of brand positioning. Positioning involves finding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and the threats facing the destination. A positioning statement should be honest and emotive. A provider should be honest about the destination, and present the real image to the tourists (Carter, 2009). It contains the attributes of the destination, emotive expression, and the brand personality. The tourism suppliers or provides have to find out what makes their destination attractive to the tourists. They should then enhance and improve these strengths. Identifying the weaknesses involves finding out what contributes to the dissatisfaction of the tourists. The providers need to find out what makes the tourists not to choose them as a destination of choice. Having a clear idea of the weaknesses is essential, as it will enable the tourists to know how they can get rid of the weaknesses. Providers need to take advantage of the opportunities since they could be a potential for growth. There are numerous threats in the tourism industry because of the uncertain nature of the industry. They range from natural threats such as the weather and climatic conditions, to the political instabilities of countries. Threats decrease the tourism potential of a destination and should be avoided where possible or dealt with once they appear.

Providers can use the Porter’s positioning strategies, which include the variety-based positioning, needs-based positioning, or access-based positioning. Variety-based positioning includes focusing on promoting the services and products, which helps in differentiating a destination from the competitors. Needs-based positioning includes satisfying the needs of the different market segments. Access-based positioning enables the target from the same market to access their needs (Kozak & Baloglu, 2010). Threats, opportunities, weaknesses and opportunities are essential elements that should be considered when positioning a brand. Tourism suppliers have to position the destination in a way that the consumers will first think about it when they are choosing their preferred destinations. Good brand positioning has the essential elements of image creation, presentation of the benefits, differentiation and delivery (Vanhove, 2010).

Image creation is an important element of brand positioning. The creation of an image involves the cooperation of both the tourism providers and the community. An effective image must be used often so that it can stick to people’s minds. It should be simple and believable, appealing, distinctive and valid (Last, 2008). The providers should not enforce an image on the community, which does not reflect who they are. Before settling on the image to use, the tourism providers should seek to find out the kind of image that the tourists have of their destination (Murphy & Beckendorff, 2007). They can enhance the existing image, if it is positive and reflects the true aspects of the destination. If the tourists do not have a positive image of the destination, the people charged with creating the image can change it. They then need to do a lot of marketing in terms of promotions and advertisements so that they can present the new image to the consumers. Just like the products and services offered by the tourism providers, the image created should be unique. This adds to the differentiation and ensures a competitive advantage. A strong image is an asset to the community and the tourism providers. It creates a lasting image and sticks to the minds of the consumers, in this case the tourist, and this achieves the goal of brand positioning.

Suppliers have to position their destinations in such a way that they are able to beat the competition. They should consider the market requirements, which include making sure that they have the right cost. Tourists should get value for their money. Sometimes, high costs can create low volumes and low costs can create high volumes. This is not a guarantee, and most of the times, it depends on the quality being offered. Suppliers must be conscious and responsive of the market trends and consumer preferences. The suppliers must identify ways through which their consumers will benefit the most. One of the key elements in brand positioning is differentiation. This is enhanced and emphasized by branding and advertising. Effective positioning enables suppliers to differentiate their products and set it on the minds of their target markets. Suppliers should ensure that they offer unique products, which cannot be substituted easily. The suppliers must identify their competitors, and learn about the products and services they offer. This will assist them in identifying how they can make their products unique from those of the competitors.

A brand’s position is built on its domain, heritage, values, assets, personality and reflection (Lee, et al., 2011). These elements help in enhancing the differential advantage and therefore create a competitive advantage. The target market is important when determining the brand’s position. Suppliers should ensure that they target the right market for their products. Suppliers can use independent or national surveys to determine their market segments. Surveys reveal the trends and interests of various markets. Awareness is important in ensuring that the tourism market has been positioned well. The culture and history of a brand can affect the way it is positioned in the market. When deciding on the positioning, it is imperative that the supplier should consider the core values and the characteristics of the brand. Positioning is relevant and useful when creating the brand personality. The suppliers have to decide on the most relevant and suitable image to use for their brand when they are implementing the position they want.

Consumers are devoted to the brand when they recognize its position. Suppliers looking for the best way to position their markets should be aware that their decision will affect many people. They should consult with the communities that will be affected by their decision. The process of positioning can be time consuming, costly and involving. Before repositioning, the stakeholders should first assess their current positions so that they can know what needs to change. They should then select their desired position. They should design the strategy to use so that they can achieve the desired position. This step is especially important because it involves the community. The process is time consuming and can take a long time before the position is achieved. It is costly because there are many people involved, and there is much work to be done. The final step is the implementation of the strategy (Last, 2008).

Brand positioning has several challenges, and these challenges should be dealt with before settling on the position. There are many uncertainties in the tourism market, and the suppliers should be aware and ready to deal with any issues that may arise. Many stakeholders are affected by the decision to position the brand in a specific place. They may not always agree and this can cause conflict. The affected community might feel that they are being pressurized to do something they had not anticipated. They may want to use their resources for other things and they might not be interested in the tourism industry. They may feel that the tourism suppliers are there to exploit their resources and reap from them. For the brand positioning to work, the community and the tourism providers should work together. The providers should involve the community in all the phases of the brand positioning. They should consul them and ask their opinion before making any decision.

Destination Personalities

Destination personalities refer to the views and perceptions that people have about a place that is reflected in the minds of the tourists. Some suppliers tend to rely too much on trademark such as a logo or symbol, that they forget that destination personality is more than that. Suppliers should strive to ensure that the consumer has a lasting image of the destination because of the experience that he or she will have. Various destinations advertise their brands using the positive and favorable components of the destination Tourism is different from other products in the sense that it is not tangible. Providers should aim to create a destination that has an emotional appeal to the tourists (Kozak & Baloglu, 2010). Tourists seek to maximize their experience when they travel to various destinations. Destination personality refers to the feelings that people have about a place, and the image they have when they think or hear about it. Destination personalities are more than the image of the destination (Hosany et al., 2007).

Tourists ascribe certain personalities such as spirited or stylish to different destinations. Destination personalities are important because they enhance the understanding of a destination, they help in differentiating a brand especially where the destinations are substituted easily, and they are a communicative tool (Kozan & Baloglu, 2010). Many countries, which earn a high income from tourism, are keen on identifying a specific personality that will best suit their country. They promote this brand, just as they would do for any other product (Pitt et al., 2007). The destination brand personality has to deliver what it promises. It should embody the core values of that destination. These values are the essential elements that are communicated to the consumers. Suppliers have to be careful concerning and honest about the brand’s values. Some people support the view that destination brand personality affects the consumers’ behavior. Although research has advanced this concept, the evidence obtained from different research suggests that visitors do not associate destinations with brand personality (Sirakaya-Turk, et al., 2011).

Creating a successful brand requires the proper selection of the right selection strategies. Promoters of the brand need to advertise and promote the brand constantly. They need to embed it on people’s minds. Jennifer Aaker developed the framework for the brand personalities and came up with the brand personality scale, which has five dimensions. The dimensions include sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Each of the dimensions has specific facets. A destination that is described as sincere can be described as down to earth, honest, wholesome or cheerful. A destination that is full of excitement has different attributes including daring, spirited, imaginative and up to date. A competent destination is reliable, intelligent, secure, and successful. Attributes of a sophisticated destination are glamorous, good looking, charming and upper class. A rugged destination is tough and outdoorsy. Other than the brand personality scale, the best-worst scale can also be used to measure brand personality. It uses dimensions such as trendy, sophisticated, likeable, lively, genuine and peaceful (Lee et al., 2011).

Destination branding has several challenges, some of which can be costly for the suppliers. Sometimes the concept fails when the involved parties fail to agree on the type of personality to ascribe to a particular brand. Brands that may seem favorable to the suppliers may backfire once they are presented to the intended audience. Thus, the suppliers should be careful before settling on a brand. Tourism suppliers cannot maintain their brand without the cooperation of the people. The inhabitants of the branded destination will be affected by the personality ascribed to it. . Inhabitants are sometimes angered or displeased by the suppliers’ idea to use a specific brand personality on their destination. This is especially the case when they have not been consulted. They feel that the brand they are associated with do not actually represent who they truly are as a people. In some cases, they might feel pressured to maintain the branded personality. Suppliers are faced with budget limitations (Last, 2008). They spend a lot of money and time, before they come up with the ideal personality. Destinations advertise their brand personalities in channels with a global presence such as international television channels, their tourism websites and other electronic sites. They then spend more resources trying to manage and maintain the brand personality.

Destination positioning and brand personalities are interrelated and similar in different ways. They require the providers and suppliers to understand the various perceptions that tourists have about their destinations. Image creation is the core factor of creating the required brand personality and it is a core value of positioning. Tourists form their image from different sources. This includes word of mouth from people who have visited the destination, the internet, news channels and other media. The issue has become more sensitive with the advancement of the internet. The internet has made it easier for anybody to learn more about a destination. People have more knowledge about a destination even before they visit. This has made it more challenging for providers to maintain a positive image of the destination. Any bad news such as war or natural disasters is quickly spread on the internet, and this affects the image of the destination. Television programs, movies, and other forms of electronic entertainment act as a source of information. They create awareness, and they enable potential tourists to know more about the image of the country and the culture of the people. The created image has to be in line with the true aspect of the destination. It has to present the destination in its real form.

Positioning and destination personality have to be communicated to the local and the international market. This will involve a lot of marketing through promotions and advertising. The community is a crucial factor in tourism development and management. The tourism providers should involve the community in making marketing strategies decisions. Cooperation is important in ensuring that brand succeeds in the market. Tourism providers can change their image after a review and feedback of its effectiveness. Tourism trends and consumer preferences change often. This requires the providers to change their image. They should re-evaluate their brand position. Some tourism destinations have changed over time, and this has changed their personalities.

The creation and development of brands is not only important for conventional products. It is clear that the tourism industry has benefited from applying positioning and redefining their brands. Many countries have realized the potential of tourism. In the past, some countries have benefited from the tourism industry without putting in much effort on marketing. The information age, which has advanced because of the internet, has increased people’s awareness. Tourists now realize that there are many markets offering the same products. They are now more willing to explore their options. This has changed the way tourism providers develop and use their marketing strategies. The concept of positioning in the tourism is not new to the tourism industry. Some countries have however not advanced the concept, and they have failed to reap the benefits it offers. Countries that are still developing their tourism destinations can benefit if they position the destinations effectively. Some tourists are looking for new destinations, which will provide something new. Positioning destinations in the right way will ensure that the tourism providers in these destinations attract potential tourists (Gertner, 2011).

Destination personality branding is a relatively new strategy that is being used in the tourism industry. Tourism suppliers and the inhabitants of various tourist destinations have different perspectives concerning destination personalities. People have tended to associate a destination with certain human personalities for a long time, but the concept of brand personalities in the tourism industry is relatively new. Suppliers and tourism managers have begun to enhance the concept of brand personalities to attract more people. The concept of brand marketing is important, and it should be taken seriously since it can heavily influence the tourism industry in the country. Some people are opposed to personality branding because the brands do not represent the destination as it really is. Destinations have to deliver what they brand Attributing a human personality to a destination takes a long time. Some cities have used branding for a long time. For instance, people have regarded Paris as the city of romance for a long time. Destination personalities develop after observing the characteristics of the people, the physical attributes of the destination, such as the architecture, and the culture of the people (Cerovic & Batic, 2008).

Conclusion

Destination positioning and personalities are important elements of brand marketing strategies in tourism. One of the most important elements used in both strategies is the concept of image creation. Image is important in tourism, and it can determine the views that the tourists have about a particular destination. Information access has made it easy for people to learn more about a destination. Visitors do not have to depend on what the tourism providers say about a place. They can research the information on the internet. Credibility is important in the tourism industry and providers should provide honest information about their destinations. This enhances their credibility, and they will be able to attract more people. Positioning and creating personalities for different destinations cannot succeed without the full cooperation of all the stakeholders involved. Involving the community is therefore fundamental. Providers can change their positioning after reevaluation. They have to consider whether the position they have decided on is relevant, and whether it is achieving the results intended. It is not easy for the providers to change the personality of the destination. They should therefore be careful before settling on a destination. The providers have to communicate the brand position so that it can be embedded on people’s minds. Although providers can promote the destination personalities, most tourists have a preset idea of the personality they ascribe to a place. If this idea is negative, the providers have to work hard to change the tourists’ minds. The tourism industry has changed and the competition has become stiff, and therefore the providers have to change their marketing strategies.

 

 

References:

Carter, C. (2009). Positioning for tourism marketing. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/cooksoncarter/positioning-for-tourism-marketing

Cerovic, S., & Batic, S. (2008). Competitiveness and positioning in tourism. Economics and Organizations, 5 (2), 133-141

Gertner, K. R. (2011). Nation brand personality: Student’s perceptions of tourism and study abroad destinations. International Review of Business Research Papers, 7 (6), 115-127

Hosany, S., Ekinci, Y., & Uysal, M. (2007). Destination image and destination personality. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1 (1), 62-81

Kozak, M., & Baloglu, S. (2010). Managing and marketing tourist destinations: Strategies to gain a competitive edge. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis

Last, N. (2008). Destination positioning, branding & image development. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/Annie05/destination-positioning-branding-and-image-management-presentation

Lee, J., Soutar, G., & Quitall, V. (2011). Destination personality: Cross country comparisons. Retrieved from anzmac2010.org/proceedings/pdf/anzmac10Final00497.pdf

Murphy, L., Moscardo, G., & Benckendorff, P. (2007). Using brand personality to differentiate regional tourism destinations. Journal of Travel Research, 46 (1), 5-14

Pitt, F. L., Opuku, R., Hultman, M., Abratt, R., & Spyropoulou, S. (2007). What I say about myself: communication of brand personality by African countries. Tourism Management, 28 (3), 835-844

Sirakaya_Turk, E. (2011). Research methods for leisure, recreation and tourism. United Kingdom, CABI

Vanhove, N. (2010). The economics of tourism destinations. New York, NY: Routledge

 

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Leadership and Management

Question One

Conflicts happen every day. One good example of a conflict that I experienced recently is at home when I had an argument with my neighbor about his dog destroying my lawn. At first, the man did not want to talk to me. He once shut the door on my face when I told him about the dog. Additionally, he constantly boasted of his dog’s good behavior. The problem is that he is the only one who has a dog in the neighborhood. This clearly proves that it was his dog. As a result, we did not talk for a while but the issue had to be resolved.

At first, I avoided talking to him because I wanted to avoid the confrontation, but eventually I decided to talk to him so that we could come to a lasting solution. He told me that his dog likes playing around that is why he lets it loose in the neighborhood. However, he did not believe that his dog could do such a thing because the dog does not damage their lawn. Therefore, he found this hard to believe. We agreed that he would always take his dog out for walks rather than set it loose, as it would destroy other people’s lawns. Since he started walking his dog, the lawn has been clean.

In this case, I applied my style of collaboration. This is where I had to go and confront my neighbor, despite the fear of conflict, to find a solution. In this case, I had to collaborate with him and show him the reality of the situation so that we can collaborate and find a solution to stop this menace. According to the collaboration style, people often have to come together and find solutions that will suite all the parties affected.

Question Two

Many scholars have described the win-win style as the best method to use while resolving a conflict. They unilaterally agree that in this style, everybody emerges a winner. In the conflict, of a buyer and a seller, the seller can sell his or her commodities at a cheap price while maintaining the profits. In this case, the seller is not losing anything because he or she gets their profits, while the buyer is enjoying goods or services at an affordable price. This shows that the win-win style is best for conflict resolution.

However, I do not believe that there can always be a situation where there is a win-win situation for everybody in a conflict. This is because there are certain conflicts where one party has to compromise in order to allow the other party to win. For instance, when there is a conflict between the employees and the management in relations to salary, one party has to win and the other has to lose. If the company is making losses, it would be impossible to offer a salary increment to the employees, instead they would be forced to reduce them. On the other hand, if the company is making profits, they will be forced to increase the salary of their employees. Therefore, there is no situation where both parties are going to win.

Question Three

True collaboration can be described where two parties share something equally for their own benefits. Additionally, it is when people share something equally to resolve a conflict between them. A good example is emulated in the African nations where different leaders share powers after political disputes. I like collaborating very much because it solves conflicts without the need of using force. Collaboration is advantageous because it reduces violence by enhancing peace in a conflict. Additionally, it is like a win-win situation, where both parties benefits from the conflicts.

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Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart is a story built on Okonkwo- a man who is respected in the Igbo tribe in the days that white men were making their first appearances in the African countries.  The novel is simple and tells of how Okonkwo went through the ups and downs of life at the end losing his life by committing   suicide.   The book further delineates the cultural values and beliefs that African people upheld, and how the appearance of the Christian missionary tainted these beliefs and customs (Booker 96). The essay systematical describes episodes that portray how the things fell apart.

Okonkwo, while a child dreamt of being a great man and a man that would command respect in the village and it neighborhood. He worked extra hard towards his goals and achieved most of them. He is a man of strength; he worked hard to achieve fame and amassed a lot of wealth. Even though, he managed to achieve his goals at an early age, his life began to fall when tragic episodes befall him (Nnoromele 268). His first fall is when a captive that stayed with him Ikemefuna is killed.   Ikemefuna was seen by Okonkwo as his own son and his killing saddened him. This episode caused a lot of trauma on Okonkwo making him not to catch a sleep for three consecutive days. The man also decided to begin drinking as away to reduce the emotions. This showed that indeed Okonkwo was depressed because of the death. The death also arose suspicion among the family members who perceived that Okonkwo was behind the death of Ikemefuna. He therefore, loses faith from his family members in this turn of event. Likewise, Okonkwo lose faith in his father whom he views as the force behind the ordeal that befell on him. Hence, how things fall apart is demonstrated.

An episode whereby Okonkwo is thrown outside of his clan for a number of years shows that things were falling apart for him. His hopes of becoming populous and rich were diminishing.  The punishment meant that he could not be near his farm and animals which made a great percentage of his riches. The isolation also contributed to loss of faith with his friends. His friends lost faith in him crippling his reputation hence an indication of things falling apart.

Another episode that shows how things fall apart is when Nwoye, the oldest and favorite son decided to convert to Christianity (Samatar 60). Okonkwo had bestowed a lot of expectation from his son and the news of the conversion was upsetting and an indication that his life has been affected. The white men came with different cultures that were far from what the community was practicing and this was going to be a blow to the continuity of the community traditions.

Another episode of things falling apart is in the introduction or coming of the white men with their new Christian values. These new values were to replace the traditional and beliefs and values of the society.  For instance, the people believed in Gods of wood and stone and believed in superstitious belief. Therefore, the coming of Christianity shows the fall of African culture and values.

By pinpointing at Okonkwo life in the story, it is clear that the title of the book is in tandem with the ordeal that he was caught into.  When Ikemefuna died, the episode elicited debate, resulting to depression, family squabbles making the life of Okonkwo to drift. Furthermore, when he was thrown out of the clan he lost ties with his friend and his ambition to become rich was crippled.  Coming of Christianity and conversion of his favorite son- Nwoye to the new beliefs indicates that indeed things were falling apart. Therefore, the book is a clear demonstration and elucidation of how things fall apart.

 

Works Cited

Booker, Keith. “Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart.” Critical Insights: Things Fall Apart, 2010:96-123. Print.

Nnoromele, Patrick. “The Plight of a Hero in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.” Critical Insights:          Things Fall Apart, 2010: 268-282.Print.

Samatar, Sofia. “Charting the Constellation: Past and Present in Things Fall Apart.” Research in   African Literatures, 42.2(2010):60-71.Print.

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