ASCE Raising the Bar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ASCE Raising the Bar - Essay Example The ASCE wants to have standards for the engineering to be global as well having security breaches and terrorism concerns as far as the professional practices is concerned. At the same time the infrastructure should be able to use materials which has costing for life cycle. The people should be automated and the transportation should be good. The basic infrastructure should be accessible equitably by all of its members. There should also be green and smart infrastructure. On the environmental issues, the ASCE wanted to have a balance between the environmental demands and the economy. This was supposed to be achieved by the engineers. It was also wanted to have trends, which are macro globally across the national borders. There was also need for earning a social license. It wanted to solve the government and the non government conflicts, which were on the rise among the engineering arena. It also wanted a population that was burgeoning. The ASCE was expecting to be seeing civil engine ers who will be attracting leaders in their field of professionalism. The civil engineers were also supposed to be greater investors in the development as well as in the research field. They were supposed to have new and up to date methods of projects’ finances and have a command in managements of the risks. In the infrastructures, the managers were supposed to demonstrate professionalism with holistic visions as well as persons who masters ethics and integrity. In the environment, they were to demonstrate sustainability with leading cross cultural and managing teams, which are of cross discipline. Their niche was supposed to connect firmly across the globe. They were also the need for having a professional society of practicing civil engineers. The ASCE were also considering the civil engineers as providing guidance which were clear and critical for determining the policies of the public as well as defining the agendas of the research. There was also need for standardization of international codes that were to be performance based as far as the civil engineers are concerned. The projects that seemed to be basic infrastructure were deemed fit to include the have-nots participation in them hence giving the ASCE reason to propose changes. There was also need to incorporate some interdisciplinary which are of technological value, these included the nanotechnology, remote sensing, and the bioengineering among others. There was also need for having a more applied and proactive development and research of the civil engineering. The other reason was because of the need to have a no political, cultural and geographical boundaries as far as the civil engineering is concerned. There was also need to have the literacy in the technology as the poverty level was increasing and the world population was on the decrease, this called for the technology workers who were seen to take the balance. The other reason was as the result of the widening of the gap between the ha ves and the have-nots, which was rising tremendously. It was also seen that there might be competition of the resources that are scarce and they include the natural resources, the money factors as well as the people who are trained technologically. It was also noticed that the technology innovation rate may results to inability of the users to assimilate it efficiently. There was also some urge on the

Industrial Peace in Canada Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Industrial Peace in Canada - Research Paper Example Either is sometimes painful and destructive. The right of laborers to organize themselves into an association or union is warranted in Canada by its laws on labor. One exceptional character present in the trade union environment in the country is the so-called Rand formula named after its creator, Justice Ivan Rand of the Supreme Court of Canada. The principle arose in the midst of a labor strike against the Ford Motor company. Under it, all workers are obliged to pay union dues on the justification that they are benefited from the efforts which the union undertakes in their favor. In order to make sure that union dues are collected, the employer concerned is authorized by the union to deduct the same from the payroll money of the laborers. (A History of Labor Unions in Canada. registered-nurse-canada.com. [internet]). It is worth to note that on some reasonable grounds, like in the case of religious or faith orientations that do not allow followers to participate in a labor union or movement, a worker or employee may not be f orced to join the union or bargaining representative. In that case, an agency fee equivalent to the sum of the union dues has still to be paid by the worker or employee who does not wish to so join. For around forty years, union membership population in Canada has fared better than in the United States. Post-depression figures show that only about thirteen percent of workers in the U.S. have stayed as union members from the old average of thirty per cent. On the other hand, the statistics in Canada has remained strong and steady at thirty one per cent for non-agriculture manpower. For the whole public and private sectors, union membership in Canada is twice as much than the U.S. counterparts. (How "anti-union" laws saved Canadian labour: certification and striker replacements in post-war industrial relations. Industrial Relations (Canadian). GOLIATH. BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE ON DEMAND. [internet]) There are now more than four million Canadians in the list of union members. Organized labor in plants and other workplaces has its advantages. Honest and sincere union leaders can very well link the rank and file workers with management such that problems of each side are immediately addressed. Rapport is enhanced when the union and the management are in constant communication. Labor-management cooperation boosts the morale of the workers and therefore increases productivity. On another note, labor unions which are duly certified bargaining representatives have certain rights under the law. If collective bargaining negotiations bog down, the certified union can petition or apply an application to go on strike. In such a deadlock, management can also declare a lockout but it will do more harm than good to the company which has a lot of capital, investments and resources to lose during the shutdown. Industrial relations in Canada Historically, strikes usually were resorted to when laborers tried to organize in order to achieve union recognition. This was so

A Social Commentary On Contemporary Social Issues

A Social Commentary On Contemporary Social Issues If popular, a pictured parody of controversial issues of a society is the most effective approach that target various dilemmas within a society without offending anyone belief, notion, religion, gender and lifestyle. Although satire is usually produced to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using jocularity as a weapon. The Simpsons series, as a very popular show worldwide, looms to be a brilliant epitomic example of paradoxical events in the American society. The main purpose of the current assay is to delineate the reflectiveness of The Simpsons show, representing the contemporary social issues of the American society. Introduction The main scope of the current essay is to show that to what extent the American series The Simpsons serve as a social commentary on contemporary social issues. To this end, different aspects of The Simpsons series will be discussed. Needless to say that media, in any kind, has gigantic impacts on social behavior casting cultural reorientation and documenting events. It is a double-blade sword, creating true or even false conceptualizations/notions that may lead a target society into one particular direction. That is why it is considered as one of the most pivotal tools for soft-impelling of habits. As a result, many merits can be transposed to something new even though the nature of human behavior is sometimes unpredictable. Speaking of cultures, inherently, is a controversial issue and no one can image all aspects of such intricate matte. While movies and premier series may influence social traditions, they are also projection and/or articulation of customs showing transitional changes of people deeds. In fact, in contemporary times, media represent transition/development of cultures within societies and even organizations ranging from the oil fields of Dallas to the law firm in L.A. Law to Al Bundys shoe shop in Married (Rhodes 2001). Nonetheless, the question is how precise is such exemplification? And, to be specific, how insightful and reflective would be a television series (e.g., The Simpsons for American culture or EastEnders for British culture, picturing reality of ordinary lifespans, cultures and organizations within a society? Presumably, American animated series called The Simpsons produced by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company is the best paradigm that shows ironic parody lifestyle of an ordinary middle-class American family, whose day-by-day endeavors are the main leitmotif of the series. The stars are not real, but their travesty actions appear to ironically entertainingly magnifying the existing cultural issues, taboos and dilemmas. Hence, having harnessed various published articles and books, the main objective of the current article is to investigate the mirror image of The Simpsons reflecting the lifestyle of an American middle-class family from social, educational, political, religious, and economical viewpoints. Since its first debut on December 17, 1989, The Simpsons series broadcasted more than 500 episodes. As a one of the most popular series, it has been announced as the longest-running American sitcom that has been awarded in various festivals, such as Primetime Emmy Awards, Anni e Awards, and Peabody Award. In 2000, it has also been elected as the 20th centurys best television series by the Time magazine and also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Simpsons family The Simpsons are epitomized by its family including Homer the father, Marge the mother, Bart the brother, Lisa the older sister and Maggie the younger sister. The show is set in an illusory city of Springfield where, there exist various icons such as Springfield Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP), Church, School and Club, etc in part as parodies of American society. In fact, different episodes picture various aspects of the society, in which each of the characters (i.e., Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson) aims to confer a message as a sketch comedy program. Each ironic mockery exaggerative persona embellishes one aspect of society to highlight the issue no matter what! While the Simpsons are rather dysfunctional and many observers of the series confer somewhat detestation feelings, literally, it appears that ultimately there is much popularity of the show. Paradoxically, most families love it as deriving force for a hidden solidarity within families. Considering some archness of the show (e.g., frequent action of Homer when he struggles Bart up to the stage till Barts eyes protrude out of his head), it may be considered as an immoral epitome. Marge is the dedicated wife of Homer and mother of three kids. She is an orthodox archetype who represents diligent American moms, trying to keep the family united on the track. In fact, Marges aim is to fascinate the family toward some kind of unanimity, yet keeping the individuality of each member of the family. She is the core and soul of the Simpson family. Unlike her husband, Marge does not have enough time to socialize with others since she is too busy taking care of her family. The lumbering fool Homer spends plethora of time with his friends at club boozing, and often makes clumsy mistakes! Lack of intellectuality is part of his personality, keeping Homer as paradoxical husband and father who enigmatically acts weird full of provocation and conciliation without thought. Although Homer is not always fully loyal to his family because of selfishness and recklessness, still he is popular as he eventually does the right thing, at which the spirit of an American father is expressed (Rhodes 2001; Scanlan and Feinberg 2000; Todd 2002). The free spirited Bart, who is the oldest child, represents an epitomic mischievous kid provoking troubles everywhere he goes. However, similar to his fathers cases, the story brings about a redemptive moral lesson of life. Unlike Bart, Lisa, the second child, epitomizes a wise kid with future and great expectations. Lisa plays as central wisdom of the Simpson family with acts of clear consciousness of concomitant events. She is a curious grille characteri zing new generation of American girls whose desire is to explore as seen for Lisa when she discovers and follows Buddhism and also become vegetarian. Despite being the youngest member of the Simpsons family, Baby Maggie sparks on the family issues by sucking her pacifier. She always show some wisdom and awareness as a baby girl (Rhodes 2001; Scanlan and Feinberg 2000; Todd 2002). Homer Homer works at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, while Marge is a caring housewife who loves her hapless blundering cumbersome husband. Homers character is and admixture of clumsiness and provocativeness, who acts without thinking or even based upon weird thoughts. Edward de Bono has articulated six-steps of technical thinking skills as different hats (De Bono 1973), while Homer hat of wisdom is always the same, a yellow hat of transitional shallow benefits. Perhaps, he is the one who has the greatest influence on society culture, so that the catchword Doh!, which is interjectionally used bt Homers, has been adopted into the English language. Marge Homers wife, Marge with distinctive blue beehive hairstyle, appears to be a well-meaning and extremely patient matron who cares and have great passion and astuteness, but it seems that she sacrifices herself for her family as a stereotypical mother. Bart The only son of Homer and Marge is Bart, ten years old teenage, who is the eldest child in family with rebellious attitude. Bart looms to be very good at floundering. He represents special character of disobedient boy with sarcastic bittering actions no matter what! Having such persona, he has been casted as a bad role model for children. The terminology of I am Bart Simpson, who the hell are you? means Bart doesnt not care no rules, no regulations, no jurisdiction (Ott 2003). Lisa Lisa Marie Simpson, as older daughter of the family, is eight years old second child of Homer and Marge. Lisa is extremely intelligent, who breaks the boundaries to discover new entities. Lisa plays the baritone saxophone, and has been casted as a vegetarian (season 7), a Buddhist (season 13). Her advocacies for a variety of political events (e.g., Tibetan independence movement) make her as the intellect of family and the series, but as other intelligent individual she suffers from loneliness even inside the family (Simpson 1998). Inexplicable Admixture as a Family Avaricious and sometimes covetous Homer the father with caring Marge the mother in combination with the rancorous behaviors of Bart and wisdom of Lisa along with reticent persona of Magi provide such an admixture that needs to be carefully analyzed. Speaking of The Simpsons episodes, one should agree that many controversial topics (e.g., gay marriage and religion in public schools) are the subject of the series and it seems that nothing is considered as taboo (Bonne 2002). Homers relationship with his Dad, Abraham Simpson (also called as Grampa) shows loss of traditional lifestyle. Intriguingly, Marge Simpsons older twin sisters, hold a strong dislike for their brother-in-law, Homer. These twins work at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles (SDMV). In terms of personality, the two minutes elder sister Selma seems to possess a strong desire for esprit de corps, while Patty happens to be the feminist sister who pliably likes to be a lesbian. Marge sisters relationship conveys another level of Santas Little Helper (dog) and Snowball (cat) also bring about some hidden aspects of their lifestyles. An Avenue for Nation Views Inherently, the fact is that Springfield is nowhere, but it could be any state, representing whole nation. It is the same for all caricature stars of the show. Homer Simpson or Lisa Simpson could be anyone. This revolutionized series, despite being set in an unknown state, signposts unity of the nation and is fabulous effort to reflect American society overall in each episode. Such representation has attracted many viewers from all over the country. It should be highlighted that the taste of the TV shows may differ in different cities or cultures. While, the viewers in the New York like to follow a how like Sex and the City, a show like The Simpsons with its unidentified setting can appeal to all Americans (Gray 2007). The Simpsons series is a trajectory of not only American society but also arc of the world federation cultural transitions. Citizenship, democracy and political apathy The Simpsons series also exhibit different levels of citizenships. Four main types of complementary citizenships can be recognized in The Simpsons series (Lund 2006), as follw: Party-based public life that can be exemplified by Homer Simpsons Trust-based public life that can be exemplified by Marge Simpsons Knowledge-based public life that can be exemplified by Lisa Simpsons Right-based public life that can be exemplified by Bart Simpsons These categorizations happen to be successive in time, nonetheless not mutually exclusive, that is to say that none of these four types have entirely subsumed the others though the impression of viewers of the series may differ. It should be evoked that other types of citizenships have been presented during different episodes. Above all is religion-based public life that can be exemplified by Ned Flanders who is a descent well-meaning good-natured person as one of the few in Springfield town. In fact, such diverse epitomes of citizenships appear to be good representatives of American society that can be considered as symbolic model of democracy which is held in a family yet is a reflection of the whole society. The show combines various viewpoints within a family and also among members of different parties. The show targets political apathy though a self-deprecation method together with a refusal to take subjects seriously. Following are some examples of such transverse articulations : An election!? Thats one of those deals where they close the bars isnt it?, said Barney Gumbel. Uh, Lisa, the whole reason we have elected officials is so we dont have to think all the time. Just like that rainforest scare a few years back: our officials saw there was a problem and they fixed it, didnt they?, said Homer Simpson. Lisa, if you dont like your job, you dont strike: you just go in every day and do it really half assed. Thats the American way., said Homer Simpson. I wish we lived in a place more like the America of yesteryear that only exists in the brains of us Republicans., said Ned Flanders. Presumably, one the most hilarious, yet mirthful, articulation was on Ned Flanders delineation when he was asked by his son Todd Flanders: Daddy, what do taxes pay for? Ned Flanders: Oh, why, everything! Policemen, trees, sunshine! And lets not forget the folks who just dont feel like working, God bless em! In short, politics is a common part of The Simpsons show, which literally exhibits some boundaries of the polarized American politics, even though there exist some voiced oppositions to the show per se. For example, the former Republican President of USA, Mr. George H. W. Bush condemned the show at the Annual Convention of the National Religious Broadcasters by articulating we need a nation closer to The Waltons than The Simpsons, an America that rejects the incivility, the tide of incivility, and the tide of intolerance (Armstrong 2005; Turner 2004). In fact, upon a liberal slant of the show, this was joked about in the episode The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular, in which reference was made to hundreds of radical right-wing messages inserted into every show by creator Matt Groening. It worth to remind that the 138th Episode Spectacular, written by Jon Vitti and directed by David Silverman, was a parody of the communal preparation among live-action series to produce clip shows. T his episode, as the most watched episodes of the season, has received positive reviews with a Nielsen (viewer/audience measurement system) rating of 9.5 and a Nielsen rank of 48. Education Several reviews and books have been published on The Simpsons series and education (Luccasen and Thomas 2010; Gray 2005). It seems It has been stated that The Simpsons is a carrier for creating discourse in particular among young undergraduate students. While three levels of jokes happen to be presented on the show as: a) elite humor, b) nonelite humor, and c) obscure references, the breadth of scholarship on the looms to be indicative of the shows place in popular culture (White and Holman 2011). The multiplicity of the fans proves that The Simpsons typifies the universal appeal of satire. Accordingly, its followers include political elites and ordinary people from vastly different backgrounds. For example, Tony Blair is a big fan of the show, and guest starred as himself in an episode while a sitting head-of-state (Woodcock 2008). Conservative constitutional scholar Harvey Mansfield has supported the show by articulating that The Simpsons is the best thing on television. Hence, The Simpsons series appear to be able to connect to the elites representing various issues of scholar world mainly by Lisa Simpson. The Simpsons: Hunger Games or Against It Whether we like it or not, Homer Simpson explains our postmodern identity crisis (Bybee and Overbeck 2001). The Simpsons show (Roberts 2010). Like the Hunger Games, with loss of identity we will just survive and eventually will realize the transitional reorientation/modification of the society. Having used the militant irony or sarcasm, The Simpsons show often professes to approve of (or at least accept as natural) the very things that are target for the attack. While the Hunger Game may happen within the societies for many reasons, the state of satires in a given show such as The Simpsons may reflect the state of civil liberties and human rights. Needless to say to fight the illiteracy in any kind that may lead society toward Huger Games, in which any criticism of a political/religious system is suppressed, satires will provide an open door for clarification. The Simpsons and Religion The Simpsons series critically show the contemporary religious issue in the American society (Bowler 1996; Satkin 2002; Lewis 2002). For example, the episode, The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star, Springfields only known pastor, makes a Unitarian reference when Homer Simpson asks if he needs to wail on a few Unitarians to become Catholic. Speaking of religious issues in the show, the most religious characters happen to be Ned Flanders and Reverend Lovejoy. In fact, Flanders appears to be the most conservative Christian with little tolerance to other believes (e.g., pagans, Jews, Hindus and homosexuals), expressing that the other believers are all epicureans and whoever pursue such notions will directly go to the Hell. On the other hand, Reverend Timothy Tim Lovejoy, who is the preacher of the Western Branch of American Reform Presbylutheranism church that almost everyone in Springfield attends, represents different character. The show makes ironies on almost all religions, but the Islam and Muslims seem not to be the target of the show! For example, in one of the episodes, the Hindu god Vishnu is shown as sitting in the center of the earth and controlling the world with different controlling devices, likewise it is the same for the Hindu god Ganesh, mostly by Homer when interacting with Apu. Social Commentary on Controversial Issues The Simpsons show seems to be also a gay-friendly animated sitcom (Padva 2008). Given the fact that a truly subversive gay representational practice must contest not only the gay subjects experience of heterosexist persecution but also their experience of patriarchal privilege, Jackson discussed that certain gay male cultural practices that transvalue deviance as a positive mode of self-identià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation contain at least an implicit critique of the normative male ideal (and the dominant heterosexual sex/gender system) from which the gay male deviates (Jackson Jr 1993). However, The Simpsons series happened to flash the gay marriage and thus spark outrage among conservative groups in America, who are against it. In a long-running show, the show embarked on some gay marriages despite the fact that Brent Bozell III, the president of the Parents Television Council, blasted that at a time when the public mood is overwhelmingly against gay marriage, any show that promotes gay marriage is deliberately bucking the public mood (Block 2007). Controversial Storylines: an Example In a study, in order to test the effectiveness of using an episode of The Simpsons in an introductory sociology classes, students attitudes (N=176) have been tested toward lesbians and gay men before and after viewing the episode titled Homers Phobia. The participating students were asked to identify stereotypes about gay men and lesbians. It was found that viewing the problems encountered by Homer Simpsons negative approaches toward a gay character on the show augmented acceptance of homosexuals amongst freshmen students. In fact, the use of the episode of the cartoon happened to generate a greater depth of discussion about the consequences of homophobia and discrimination of lesbians and gay men (Miller and Thornton 2009). Concluding Remarks In the history of mankind, presumably, there has always been a conflict between engagement and disengagement on controversial issues of societies. To highlight social/political issues, yet avoiding disconceptuality and vagueness, some artists capitalize on the grotesque parody and jest with teasing. The Simpsons series is epitomic stereotype that targets controversial issues of the American society to show hurdles as satire. The spectrum of the show differs in terms of degrees of biting as ranging from satire proper at the hot-end, and kidding at the violet-end. Given that teasing is the reactionary side of the comic, The Simpsons may not be taken seriously as it limits itself to a shallow parody of caricature appearance. But, The Simpsons series exploits satire to go against untouchable issues such as gay marriage. Having subversive characteristics, the show seems to carry a deep moral dimension targeting various issues to bring about possible loos of identity in a humored buffooner y manner with little censor/exclusion. This side of the show should be highlighted by TV critiques.

Biography of Guy de Maupassant :: essays research papers

Biography on Guy de Maupassant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 at Chateau de Miromesnil in France. He was a descendent of a very old French family. As a boy, Maupassant went to school at Yvetot in Normandy, and then attended Lycee at Rouen. During his childhood and youth in Normandy, he picked up a great deal of experiences that he later put to use in many of his writings. When Maupassant was eleven years old, his parents got separated. This was probably the most significant events in his life in that his mother retained custody of him. His mother was the sister of a close friend of Flaubert, one of the most famous nineteenth- century writers. She turned to Flaubert for advice on him. Flaubert began tutoring him on various subjects, mainly writing. Maupassant's association with Flaubert brought him into the French literary circles. Even though Maupassant was often a member of gatherings which included such famous writers such as Flaubert, Turgenev, Zola, and Daudet, he had little interest at the time for a career of writing for himself. As an adolescent he was much more interested in sports than writing, especially rowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maupassants education was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served as a member of the French army. After the war was finished, he entered the French civil service. He first served with the Ministry of Navy and later with the Ministry of Public Institution. During the between 1873 and 1880 he also served as a literary apprentice under Flaubert. At this time, Maupassant realized his weakness as a poet and concentrated on developing his skills as a writer of prose fiction. Maupassant wrote a collection of short stories that were published with a writers such as Bola, and Huysmans. Maupassant work outshone all the others by far. This is Maupassant became recognized as a writer. He became one of the most famous and well paid French Biography of Guy de Maupassant :: essays research papers Biography on Guy de Maupassant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guy de Maupassant was born on August 5, 1850 at Chateau de Miromesnil in France. He was a descendent of a very old French family. As a boy, Maupassant went to school at Yvetot in Normandy, and then attended Lycee at Rouen. During his childhood and youth in Normandy, he picked up a great deal of experiences that he later put to use in many of his writings. When Maupassant was eleven years old, his parents got separated. This was probably the most significant events in his life in that his mother retained custody of him. His mother was the sister of a close friend of Flaubert, one of the most famous nineteenth- century writers. She turned to Flaubert for advice on him. Flaubert began tutoring him on various subjects, mainly writing. Maupassant's association with Flaubert brought him into the French literary circles. Even though Maupassant was often a member of gatherings which included such famous writers such as Flaubert, Turgenev, Zola, and Daudet, he had little interest at the time for a career of writing for himself. As an adolescent he was much more interested in sports than writing, especially rowing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maupassants education was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War, in which he served as a member of the French army. After the war was finished, he entered the French civil service. He first served with the Ministry of Navy and later with the Ministry of Public Institution. During the between 1873 and 1880 he also served as a literary apprentice under Flaubert. At this time, Maupassant realized his weakness as a poet and concentrated on developing his skills as a writer of prose fiction. Maupassant wrote a collection of short stories that were published with a writers such as Bola, and Huysmans. Maupassant work outshone all the others by far. This is Maupassant became recognized as a writer. He became one of the most famous and well paid French

Famous Quotes for Teachers Essay

I often wonder about teachers who educated famous people such as Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, and the like. Were these teachers specially qualified to inspire their students to achieve fame and success? Or were these teachers Just plain lucky to have exceptionally talented students? Do some teachers have the rare quality of turning dust into gold? The answer may not be easy to find. Andy Rooney Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives. Haim G. Ginott Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task. Anonymous Leading a child to learning’s treasures, gives a teacher untold pleasures Teachers don’t impact for a year, but for a lifetime. Chinese proverb Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself. Bill Muse I think a secure profession for young people is history teacher, because in the future, there will be so much more of it to teach. Howard Lester I have been maturing as a teacher. New experiences bring new sensitivities and flexibility†¦ Hippocrates I swear†¦ to hold my teacher in this art equal to my own parents; to make him partner in my livelihood; when he is in need of money to share mine with him; to consider his family as my own brothers and to teach them this art, if they want to learn it, without fee or indenture. Edward Blishen Life is amazing: and the teacher had better prepare himself to be a medium for that amazement.

Finance 3301 questions Essay

Tom has a DSO of 20 days. The company’s average daily sales are $20,000. What is the level of its accounts receivable? (365 days in a year) DSO=Receivables/(Annual sales/365)=20 days So, Receivables/($20,000/365days)=20 days Receivables/54. 79=20, Receivables=$1095. 89 A company has a profit margin of 10% and an equity multi-plier of 2. 0. Its sales are $100 million and it has total assets of $50 million. What is its ROE? () Answer: B A, 10% B, 40% C, 20% D, 25% The Total assets turnover = Sales/TA=$100/$50=2 ROE= (profit margin)(equity multi-plier)(Total assets turnover)=10%*2*2=40% Chapter 9 When the firm’s sales growth rate going higher, and its payout ratio will () Answer: C A, Same B, Lower C, Higher Broussard Skateboard’s sales are expected to increase by 15% from $8 million in 2012 to $9. 2 million in 2013. Its assets totaled $5 million at the end of 2012. Broussard is already at full capacity, so its assets must grow at the same rate as projected sales. At the end of 2012, current liabilities were $1. 4 million, consisting of $450,000 of accounts payable, $500,000 of notes payable, and $450,000 of accruals. The after-tax profit margin is forecasted to be 6%, and the forecasted payout ratio is 40%. Use the AFN equation to forecast Brous- sard’s additional funds needed for the coming year. Required increase in assets – Increase in spontaneous liabilities – Increase in retained earnings = AFN AFN=($5/$8)*$1. 2 – ($1. 4/$8)*$1. 2-$9. 2*6%*(1-40%)=0. 75 – 0. 21 – 0. 33=21% Chapter 10 Tony Company’s balance sheet shows $300 million in debt, $50 million in preferred stock, and $250 million in total common equity. Tony Company`s tax rate is 40%, rd =6%,rPS =5%,andrs =10%. If Tony Company get capital structure of 30% debt, 5% preferred stock, and 65% common stock, what is its WACC? Wd=30% ; Wps=5%; Ws=65% WACC=Wd*rd*(1-T)+Wps*rps+ws*rs=30%*6%(1-40%)+5%*5%+65%*10%=0. 0108+0. 000125+0. 065=7. 59% What kinds of the T-bonds is the best proxy for the risk-free rate is the yield on? Answer: A A, long-term B, short-term C, No one Chapter 11 A company creates value when the spread between EROIC and WACC is positive—that is, when Answer: B A, EROIC ? WACC = 0 B, EROIC ? WACC > 0; C, EROIC ? WACC

Boisterous Badgers Getting To Big For T Essays

Boisterous Badgers Getting To Big For T Essays Boisterous Badgers Getting To Big For T Essays Boisterous Badgers getting to Big for their Boots You lounge lazily at your desk watching the clock hands taunt you as they cluelessly crawl from number to number. All you want is to go home to your inviting, warm, cosy home with a thick juicy steak waiting for your arrival. Once the steak is demolished you can take the weight off your feet by relaxing on your soft sofa with a nice, hot cup of tea. Nevertheless; with tens of thousands of cows dyeing every year due to tuberculosis this may soon not be a reality. Tuberculosis- otherwise known as TB is a bacterial infection being rapidly spread by badgers to cattle and even humans. How can we prevent this you may wonder? The simple solution is Badger culling. Badger culling is a method used in parts of the country to reduce the number of badgers in aid of trying to control the serious spread of the deadly disease tuberculosis. There are many people against the idea of ‘culling badgers’ but the way I see it is that cows give us milk and meat which is produce we can buy, sell, eat and drink while badgers do absolutely nothing for society or the industry; in fact the only thing they appear to be good at is destroying my bleeding garden. Most families drink at least three to four gallons per week, some having there’s delivered to their door while others do the dreaded weekly shop to the stressful supermarket, but at the end of the day the milk all comes from the same place; you’ve got it Sherlock it’s from our cows. The farmer makes his money to support himself and his family by rearing up cattle to either slaughter for meat or use to produce milk. If all it takes is to kill the boring badgers helping us in no way whatsoever why would we sacrifice our cows. Another thing we must think about is if all the cows do die then the fearful farmers will not be making any money consequently he or she will be out of a job, which may lead to them selling their house and moving to the city to come for all of our jobs. Following on from that point; if they do unfortunately lose their home, the council will be coming for all of our money by raising the tax to support them. Is this what you really want for you and your

Essay Sample on Trans-Atlantic Counterterrorism Policies

Essay Sample on Trans-Atlantic Counterterrorism Policies Advances in Trans-Atlantic Counterterrorism In his remarks opening a meeting of the House Subcommittee on Europe, Representative Elton Gallegly stated, â€Å"since September 11th, our partnership with Europe has become even more vital as we seek common strategies and solutions for the plague of global terrorism.† Although this could be said for many U.S. allies in its Global War on Terrorism, the Trans-Atlantic partnership is of particular importance. The similar and parallel foreign policies of the U.S. and many European countries in the past demonstrate that the commonality of combating terrorism is yet another area of cooperation for these two world powers. It is the very definition of counterterrorist (CT) referring to offensive measures taken to prevent, deter, and respond to terrorist acts (including sanctuary denial, hostage rescue, and other terrorist suppression) that requires cooperation to pursue its goals. The history of U.S.-European CT efforts displays the cooperation involved in such missions. Some of the earlier examples of CT cooperation include the decades-old military exchange between United States CT forces and British CT forces, and the co-basing of the U.S. hostage rescue team with British CT forces in Egypt. These events surrounding the Iran Hostage Rescue Mission were the very birth of the United States CT capability. Such cooperation has continued since the early 1980s and strengthened after September 11, 2001. Additionally, due to the nature of the world’s modern financial infrastructure, international cooperation is essential to combating terrorist financing. Just as the U.S. and its allies froze Iranian assets during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, the international community, and Europe in particular, performed similar actions after September 11, 2001. According to Senator John Kerry, â€Å"until October 2001, we did more damage to bin Laden and his terrorist enterprise by destroying his money laundering efforts than we did by firing missiles at tents in the desert.† Since recent events, Europe has acted in line with U.S. policy by cutting down the options terrorists use to finance their operations. Finally, despite the current Trans-Atlantic rift concerning U.S. policy in Iraq, the bonds formed from effective cooperation in the area of counterterrorism could surpass the frustrations of this delicate aspect of Middle East policy. Indeed, due to the necessary counterterrorist operations involved in rebuilding Iraq, it might be those cooperative efforts which could form coalitions and strengthen ties. The essence of this reinforced counterterrorism relationship could be the unwavering foundation for lasting democratic peace despite the current Trans-Atlantic rift over policy in Iraq. If you need custom essay, research paper, thesis or term paper on Politics or Sociology feel free to contact our professional custom writing service.

Boys vs Girls

Guys vs. Girls Vive always been the kind of person who has more guy friends than girl friends. Girls tend to cause unnecessary drama, pick people apart and run their mouths. In truth, guys make better friends because they are lenient, arent as Judgmental and know how to be straightforward. Its always enjoyable spending time with people who are laid-back and relaxed. When hanging out with guys its about having a good time no matter how you look or what youre doing. Girls on the other hand are always checking to see if they look Kay and try to attract the most attention. Secondly, when it comes to disagreements guys argue and move on whereas girls hold grudges for months. More specifically, girls overbalance everything and get offended very easily. For this reason, it is preferable to have guy friends because guys dont take anything to heart. When theres a difference of opinions guys state their point of view and let it go whereas girls will bicker to tears and start unnecessary drama. Lastly, girls beat around the bush and sugarcoat the truth. When wanting an onset opinion guys arent afraid to say it like it is and tell you what they truly think. Girls tell you what you want to hear to attempt at saving your feelings even if it meaner telling a white lie. As a result guys make better companions because they dont avoid the truth and make situations easier to work out and communicate. Ultimately, when looking for a loyal, fun and honest friend choosing a guy over a girl is a better choice because you can be yourself, confide in them and have a drama-free friendship that lasts a lifetime.

My Leadership Action Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

My Leadership Action Plan - Essay Example Do you love the work you do? Are you driven by your purpose? Is there a connection to your top priorities and your leadership approaches? Do you enjoy your time in helping others be successful? What is your legacy to the world? My main purpose as a Leader: My main purpose as a leader is leading as well as developing the process team at the same time taking total accountability for the quality as well as delivering accomplished by the team. I am also responsible for assisting and guiding development of proposals consisting complex pricing as well as contractual dealings. My last significant role involves liaising and communicating with customers (Poscente, 2004). My areas to strengthen and grow: In need to improve my understanding and knowledge about the organization, I require to improve my skills and my ability to communicate effectively to the team members of the organization. I require improving team work with other people since I cannot work alone. Moreover, I require providing a vision for the organization’s future. I require taking risks in New ideas and be innovative. Lastly, I require valuing others through recognizing and encouraging them (Poscente, 2004).

Business 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business 4 - Essay Example The article also notes that key to using all the above powers is by sing them ethnically. This means that carefully applicability of powers where is does not oppress the powerless is welcome. Similarly, the article notes that personal power is negative while social power is positive. This implies that exercising individual power does not do good to serve the interest of the followers but instead portray those in power as authoritative and serving self-interest. Hence, those who best enjoy the power are those with social power. It works in favor of the followers contrary to satisfying the individual interest. The negativity of the personal power comes because it serves the interest of the holder at the expense of the majority. Because of all these, the article notes that power has a role to play in aligning the followers towards the mission they are expected to accomplish. Hence, the functional power sources includes control of critical resources as well as strategic contingencies. Moreover, the article shows that recognizing the symbols of both power and powerless is essential in diagnostic skills for managers. As a manager, one is expected to pay attentive to the subordinate or the followers by understanding their needs. This is important because it eases the administration duties and leading the mass. Similarly, recognizing followers and understanding their needs helps in building political skills that a leader or the person in power can use towards influencing them. Additionally, most organizations striving to excel have organizational politics that have become part of work life. Some portray political behaviors, which comprises of actions not sanctioned to influence others for personal goals. Therefore, it is the duty of a manager-to-manage organizational politics so that it does not derail the good work done by others who are focused and

Theory of Dispute Resolution - Dispute between Shylock and Antonio Essay

Theory of Dispute Resolution - Dispute between Shylock and Antonio (Merchant of Venice) - Essay Example 1 The play does not only have an entire scene depicting a courtroom trial that had been the prime source of dispute resolution in that era and this method is also known as â€Å"litigation†, but play has also paved way for legal analysis and â€Å"Alternative Dispute Resolution†. The term â€Å"Alternative Dispute Resolution† or â€Å"ADR† refers to a repertoire of mechanism that can substitute court trials and litigation efforts to resolve a dispute; they largely entail discussions between the disputant parties. 2 ADR is further subdivided into negotiation, mediation, arbitration or adjudication and ombudsmen schemes; these methods are also known as â€Å"out-of-court settlements† and often entail the involvement of a third party to assess the situation and give their unbiased opinions on the matter. Although, ADR methods cannot substitute courtroom trials or litigations in all matters but they are cost-effective and are less time consuming. ADR me thods actually aim to eradicate the root or the main cause of dispute that enables the disputant parties to resolve their issue as healthily as possible without having any detrimental repercussions on any of the parties involved. It is important to understand that the procedures followed by each of the ADR methods is essentially the same, the only difference lies in the implementation of the final verdicts. Hence, the decisions in a dispute are non-binding if they are made through â€Å"mediation† and â€Å"negotiations†3. On the other hand, all decisions can either be binding or non-binding if they are made through arbitration and adjudication, respectively. It largely depends upon the agreement made with the third party. Arbitration is binding, the verdict is implemented whether the decision is approved by either parties or not; whereas, adjudication is non-binding and if the verdicts are not approved by the parties then it is nullified and the parties can actually a pproach the court for a resolution. Thus, it can be deduced that for ADR methods to work, the entire process is largely contingent upon the willingness of the parties to establish a truce. In case, ADR fails to find a solution to the problem then litigation serves as a last resort method to aid the individuals in reaching an agreement. Adjudication or arbitration is often referred to as a private version of a courtroom trial but is a much more formal process than a court hearing. All of ADR methods parallel each other in many ways but there are certain differences that stem from how binding the verdict is and the degree of involvement of the third party in aiding the communication between the disputant individuals or groups. 4 For instance even mediation is a parallel of litigation in every way but there some very substantial differences in the way how things are assessed in a dispute. Unlike litigation that is usually implemented in accordance with a legal principle, the guiding pr inciples in mediation can be legal, moral or religious and it is up to the disputant parties to choose a method that fulfil the parties’ needs. Justice is brought about through two aspects; the rudiments and the process through which those rudiments or standards are applied. It is apparent that adjudicative measures in resolving issues can result in a bias in the case and the justice arising from it is established using a specific line of thinking

Othello and the lady with the dog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Othello and the lady with the dog - Essay Example Yet he quickly shows that he is capable of believing that his wife is unfaithful with the slightest bit of evidence and insinuation and proceeds to commit vicious murders in order to avenge himself. Desdemona demonstrates love, honesty, and sincerity while in contrast Iago displays hate, jealousy, and malice and Othello starts at one end of the spectrum and swiftly moves to the other. Dmitry Gurov is the main character in Chekhov’s story and is described by himself and the author as a man with contradictory actions and beliefs. He is outwardly a good and honest father and husband while he secretly runs around on his wife and considers all women to be part of â€Å"the lower race† (Part I). Anna is seemingly embarrassed and ashamed of her feelings and actions towards Dmitry yet she openly denounces her husband and admits that she is unhappy in her life with him. Presentation is only one facet of these character’s lives while their actions and beliefs are another. While Iago is the essence of evil, he strives to portray himself otherwise in order to achieve the ends he desires, no matter the cost. He openly admits is dual nature to Roderigo: â€Å"In following him, I follow but myself; / Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, / But seeming so, for my peculiar end; / For when my outward action doth demonstrate / The native act and figure of my heart / In compliment extern, ‘tis not long after / But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at. I am not what I am† (I. i. 58-65). Iago is fully aware of his true feelings and his ability to manipulate others and lie in order to achieve whatever he wants. He admits that he is not who he seems to be and that he is purposeful in being so. He successfully convinces Othello that he was not the one to tell Brabantio of Othello’s relationship with his daughter Desdemona and that in fact Roderigo â€Å"spoke such

The Turning Point of Tet 1968 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Turning Point of Tet 1968 - Essay Example Startled at such an unexpected idea, I felt uncomfortable and I began thinking of declining the proposed agreement to appoint me for the post yet seeing that it would be an awkward moment to do so and that the majority are not quite drawn to encourage someone else for it, I gave in. In the process, however, I discovered that the type of work assigned to me allowed flexibility that if I knew how to manage time and energy wisely, I could adjust my level of productivity within a range of efficiencies depending on the work amount, my available relevant skills, as well as my ability to delegate tasks to others. This is the point at which I recognized having the capacity to think strategically. Even with my current non-military organization, knowing that everybody is focused on individual assignments and that my fellow teammates normally maintain a passive attitude in examining my activities, I gain the leverage of controlling my behavior toward workload. By ‘strategic thinking’, I could execute around the essentials of concentrating my efforts on situations that call for my knowledge and capability at the optimum so that the fulfilment I earn would serve as my drive for the next projects. In this manner, I often yield the chance of being able to reserve time and energy on human relations which enable me to address general interests and win the confidence of many to whom I have been able to delegate some jobs. Due to the bond of trust established, it becomes much easier to communicate with people and have them naturally seek grounds for understanding schemes for the committee which I carry out under my own terms. Moreover, I could detect strategic thinking in the course of spontaneously developing the trait of ignoring negative impressions attached with temporary unpleasant acts or intentions. With your own understanding of what cooperation and support you need from others involved, what do you need from others in their roles to accomplish your own work

Theory of Dispute Resolution - Dispute between Shylock and Antonio Essay

Theory of Dispute Resolution - Dispute between Shylock and Antonio (Merchant of Venice) - Essay Example 1 The play does not only have an entire scene depicting a courtroom trial that had been the prime source of dispute resolution in that era and this method is also known as â€Å"litigation†, but play has also paved way for legal analysis and â€Å"Alternative Dispute Resolution†. The term â€Å"Alternative Dispute Resolution† or â€Å"ADR† refers to a repertoire of mechanism that can substitute court trials and litigation efforts to resolve a dispute; they largely entail discussions between the disputant parties. 2 ADR is further subdivided into negotiation, mediation, arbitration or adjudication and ombudsmen schemes; these methods are also known as â€Å"out-of-court settlements† and often entail the involvement of a third party to assess the situation and give their unbiased opinions on the matter. Although, ADR methods cannot substitute courtroom trials or litigations in all matters but they are cost-effective and are less time consuming. ADR me thods actually aim to eradicate the root or the main cause of dispute that enables the disputant parties to resolve their issue as healthily as possible without having any detrimental repercussions on any of the parties involved. It is important to understand that the procedures followed by each of the ADR methods is essentially the same, the only difference lies in the implementation of the final verdicts. Hence, the decisions in a dispute are non-binding if they are made through â€Å"mediation† and â€Å"negotiations†3. On the other hand, all decisions can either be binding or non-binding if they are made through arbitration and adjudication, respectively. It largely depends upon the agreement made with the third party. Arbitration is binding, the verdict is implemented whether the decision is approved by either parties or not; whereas, adjudication is non-binding and if the verdicts are not approved by the parties then it is nullified and the parties can actually a pproach the court for a resolution. Thus, it can be deduced that for ADR methods to work, the entire process is largely contingent upon the willingness of the parties to establish a truce. In case, ADR fails to find a solution to the problem then litigation serves as a last resort method to aid the individuals in reaching an agreement. Adjudication or arbitration is often referred to as a private version of a courtroom trial but is a much more formal process than a court hearing. All of ADR methods parallel each other in many ways but there are certain differences that stem from how binding the verdict is and the degree of involvement of the third party in aiding the communication between the disputant individuals or groups. 4 For instance even mediation is a parallel of litigation in every way but there some very substantial differences in the way how things are assessed in a dispute. Unlike litigation that is usually implemented in accordance with a legal principle, the guiding pr inciples in mediation can be legal, moral or religious and it is up to the disputant parties to choose a method that fulfil the parties’ needs. Justice is brought about through two aspects; the rudiments and the process through which those rudiments or standards are applied. It is apparent that adjudicative measures in resolving issues can result in a bias in the case and the justice arising from it is established using a specific line of thinking

The Turning Point of Tet 1968 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Turning Point of Tet 1968 - Essay Example Startled at such an unexpected idea, I felt uncomfortable and I began thinking of declining the proposed agreement to appoint me for the post yet seeing that it would be an awkward moment to do so and that the majority are not quite drawn to encourage someone else for it, I gave in. In the process, however, I discovered that the type of work assigned to me allowed flexibility that if I knew how to manage time and energy wisely, I could adjust my level of productivity within a range of efficiencies depending on the work amount, my available relevant skills, as well as my ability to delegate tasks to others. This is the point at which I recognized having the capacity to think strategically. Even with my current non-military organization, knowing that everybody is focused on individual assignments and that my fellow teammates normally maintain a passive attitude in examining my activities, I gain the leverage of controlling my behavior toward workload. By ‘strategic thinking’, I could execute around the essentials of concentrating my efforts on situations that call for my knowledge and capability at the optimum so that the fulfilment I earn would serve as my drive for the next projects. In this manner, I often yield the chance of being able to reserve time and energy on human relations which enable me to address general interests and win the confidence of many to whom I have been able to delegate some jobs. Due to the bond of trust established, it becomes much easier to communicate with people and have them naturally seek grounds for understanding schemes for the committee which I carry out under my own terms. Moreover, I could detect strategic thinking in the course of spontaneously developing the trait of ignoring negative impressions attached with temporary unpleasant acts or intentions. With your own understanding of what cooperation and support you need from others involved, what do you need from others in their roles to accomplish your own work

The Benefits of Microcredit to Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of Microcredit to Bangladesh Essay Bangladesh, with a population of more than 140 million, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Almost half of the total population is still living below the poverty line earning less than $1 a day. The various dimensions of the country’s poverty are manifested in terms of inequality in income distribution (in favor of urban areas), wage differentials between the formal and informal sectors, dramatic increases in the cost of living, unemployment and internal migration. However, progress on a range of social indicators in Bangladesh over the last fifteen years has been striking in certain areas, and these have been endorsed largely to the mix of public and private service provision, including the pioneering approach of microfinance institutions (MFIs). The government of Bangladesh faces an enormous challenge in reducing its poverty. However, the government cannot act alone as it cannot command all the resources and personnel to maintain progress in poverty alleviation. The MFIs have taken a key role in poverty improvement efforts and have been providing credit to these poor people who lack savings and capital but want jobs in the farm and non-farm sectors. The banking sector in Bangladesh is dominated by the four state- owned commercial banks, but in addition there are five government owned specialized banks, 30 domestic private banks, and 12 foreign banks. A few of these banks do lend extensively to rural areas most don’t even look at the rural areas of the country for lending money. But the poor people do not get access to formal financial institutions due to the lack of physical collateral. Unlike other countries, Bangladesh does not a have a proper substructure of small banks operating at a local level, and thus a strong structure NGO microfinance sector had been developed in Bangladesh. These MFIs have been able to reach the poor with collateral-free loans at affordable costs and can thus help the poor become self-employed. The micro-finance sector in Bangladesh is one of the worlds largest. Bangladeshi MFIs are best known for their groundbreaking, large-scale provision of microfinance services, principally tiny collateral-free loans to poor women. Microcredit programs in Bangladesh are implemented by NGOs, Grameen Bank, state-owned commercial banks, private commercial banks, and specialized programs of some ministries of Bangladesh government. In the microfinance sector total loan outstanding is around TK 200 billion and savings TK140 billion that have been rendering among 30 poor people which help them to be self-employed that accelerates overall economic development process of the country. Through the financial services of microcredit, these poor people are engaging themselves in various income-generating activities and around 30 million poor people are directly benefited from microcredit programs. Credit services of this sector can be categorized into six broad groups: 1. General microcredit for small-scale self employment based activities, 2. Microenterprise loans, 3. Loans for ultra poor, 4. Agricultural loans, 5. Seasonal loans, and 6. Loans for disaster management. Loan amounts up to BDT 30,000 are generally considered as microcredit; loans above this amount are considered as microenterprise loans. The Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), established by the government in August 2006, received applications from more than 5000 private institutions (NGO-MFIs). But, around 1000 applications of them were found to be very small organizations that had fewer than 1000 borrowers or less than the USD 58,000 in outstanding loans that is generally considered as the minimum initial operating portfolio of a single branched MFI to be sustainable. However, till June 2010 the MRA had approved licenses in favor of 552 NGOs and 2910 have been rejected due to not meeting licensing criteria, such as non-existence of operations at field, inappropriate registration as an NGO, inadequate financial information, and so on. Size and growth: According to the size of institutions in terms of the number of borrowers served, MRA categorizes MFIs into five major types: very large, large, medium, small and very small. There are only two very large MFIs, viz., BRAC ASA, each serving over four million borrowers. Table-2 shows year-wise number and percentage of the total number of institutions under these five categories for the last four years. Currently there are only 21 medium, 16 large and 2 very large MFIs operating in Bangladesh, together they constitute only 8 percent of the total. 92 percent NGO-MFIs are still either small or very small covering not more than 17 percent share of the market in terms of outreach and operations. Challenges: Despite certain success in reaching the poorer groups of households, it has been estimated that certain groups of extreme poor households do not take part in microcredit program. Geographical coverage of microcredit operation varies, with coverage thinnest in the poorer, more remote and less populous districts of the country’s north and southwest. Considering the geographical coverage of the MFIs in Bangladesh, more than 80 percent of the MF-NGOs have less than 5 branch offices and about half of them do not have any branch office at all. In recent years, there have been some efforts in reaching these households by offering more flexible repayment schedules with a smaller loan sizes. Several studies also show that 15-30 percent of microcredit members are from ‘non-target’ groups as also measured by householder’s land size. The success of microcredit programs depends on the following challenges: 1. Enhancing the Resources versus Reaching the Poor Client 2. Smaller versus Larger loan sizes 3. Increase in client-base versus Sustainability of MFIs Achievements: Women empowerment: Women are given equal access to the Grameen schemes as a result; they have raised their status, lessened their dependency on their husbands and improved their homes and nutritional standards of their children. 90% of women who used begging as a means of survival now have roof over their heads and can support themselves. Group Savings: Group Savings have proven successful as group lending. Group savings have reached 698 million taka (US $ 23 Million approx), out of which 570 million taka 9US 419 million) are saved by women. The bank requires its borrowers to save. Each borrower saves one taka (2-5 cents) each week. As of today Grameen bank has collected so much money that they can collectively buy the largest enterprise in the country. The poorest of the poor in the country are entering the coterie of the elites. Shift in the occupational pattern: There has been a shift in the occupational graph from agricultural waged labor considered socially inferior to self- employed petty trader. Micro-credit has succeeded in graduating the poor from poverty level to a self sustained position. Builds Trust among Poor: Grameen has put trust back into the picture. The working of the Grameen is largely through trust. It believes in the enormous potential of each and every human being given enabling environment, even the poorest of the poor can peel off doubts and start exploring their abilities to find a life with full human dignity. Spurs social change: Micro credit had done what billions of dollars worth of AWACS (Air Borne Warnings and Control System) and Patriot missiles cannot, for decades the west has tried to defeat fanatical extremists militarily, this has been bloody, costly and highly unsuccessful, but quietly every day, the attraction of the militant Islam is being blunted at the ballot box and in the people’s hearts and minds, than to the economic development of the poor. Micro credit helps solve a host of intractable, long-term social ills related to poverty. In Bangladesh the use of contraception is one of the first behaviors to change. In fact formation of groups of women to meet regularly helps in discussing new ideas and sharing information, this serves as a potent factor in bringing about broad based social change, otherwise women are isolated. In Bangladesh micro-credit has led to an increase in participation of people in the mainstream economic and political process of society, and overall human development . Very low default rate: The default rate is astonishingly low compared to what Bangladesh commercial banks suffer. It is about 2% as compared to about 70% for agricultural loans and 90% for industrial loans. Yunus Says† The difference lies in the psychology of the borrowers. The rich can evade the consequences of non- payment, the poor cannot. They value loan sharks so much; that they are only too grateful for once aims a lifetime opportunity to improve them†. Micro credit has graduated the rural poor from the informal capital market controlled by the moneylender and local elite to institutionalized banking. Positive impact on the families: Independent studies show that micro credit has a host of positive impacts on the families that receive it. A recent world bank study by Shahid Khondkar (2003) show that micro-credit programs operating in Bangladesh over a long period of time have produced a greater impact on extreme poverty than on moderate poverty.† The results of this study indicate that micro credit not only affects the welfare of participants and non-participants, but also the aggregate welfare at the village level. In fact even in disaster situations and post conflict areas, it has helped rebuild economic activities and livelihoods. Hence acting as the coping mechanisms of the poor. This was successfully demonstrated during the floods in Bangladesh in 1998 Problems and constraints: 1. How to expand the outreach of micro credit. 2. Lack of funds. 3. Lack of initiative in creating financing institutions. 4. Absence of legal framework for creating micro credit institutions. 5. Lack of conceptual clarity 6. Absence of regulatory framework United Nations response: United Nations: General Assembly Resolution 52/194. The report of the Secretary-General on the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996) and the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), recognizes that people living in poverty are innately capable of working their way out of poverty with dignity, and they demonstrate creative potential to improve their situation when an enabling environment and the right opportunities exist. Noting that in many countries of the world, micro credit programmes, by providing access to small loans to people living in poverty, have succeeded in generating productive self-employment. Freeing the people from the bondage of poverty leading to their increasing participation in the mainstream economic and political processes of the society. The UN recognizes that micro credit programmers, in addition to their role in the eradication of poverty, have also been a contributing factor to the social and human development. Conclusion: Strengthening local government is one of the most desired institutional changes needed for poverty reduction. Decentralization and participation are the buzzwords. SHARE and ASA and GBUP in India, Nirdhan and SBP in Nepal, KASHF in Pakistan-All these are the leading replicas of Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. The question to be asked is why is it that the success rate of these institutions is not the same as that of its model i.e. the Grameen Bank? This needs to be looked into. The need of the hour is greater awareness and consciousness among the populace of the third world about the feasibility and the importance of the use of micro credit in their respective countries. GRAMEEN BANK†¦ The system of this bank is based on the idea that the poor have skills that are under-utilized. A group-based credit approach is applied which utilizes the peer pressure within the group to ensure the borrowers follow through and use caution in conducting their financial affairs with strict discipline, ensuring repayment eventually and allowing the borrowers to develop good credit standing. The bank also accepts deposits, provides other services, and runs several development-oriented businesses including fabric, telephone and energy companies. Another distinctive feature of the banks credit program is that the overwhelming majority (98%) of its borrowers are women. Grameen Bank continued to expand its outreach in Bangladesh in 2009 to bring new areas and new members within its operational fold. During the year, the bank opened 23 new branches bringing the total number of branches to 2,562 that dot the length and breadth of rural Bangladesh. Bank’s network40 Zonal, 268 Area and 2,562 branch level officesnow encompasses 83,458 or over 99% of the country’s nearly 84,000 villages located in 479 upazilas or sub-districts in all 64 districts of Bangladesh. A fresh batch of 300,413 people joined the Grameen family in 2009, swelling the aggregate number to a staggering 7.97 million members.

Outdoor Recreation And Leisure Tourism Essay

Outdoor Recreation And Leisure Tourism Essay Outdoor recreation and leisure is very present in the Mauritian context. Being an island, Mauritians as well as tourists try to benefit the most from the unique environment and climate which is ideal for leisure activities (Badat, 2009). As the island offers a wide range of prospects in terms of outdoor recreation, such as trekking, kayaking, snorkeling amongst others, it is a must to experience at least one among them (MTPA, 2011). In this respect, the study selects a particular outdoor recreation and studies the various aspects which are involved within. Aim of study An in depth analysis of Yemaya Adventures Objectives of study To identify the activities provided and its impacts. To identify the marketing strategies of the organization. To find out to which extend the organisation is sustainable To participate in an activity provided by the organization. Methodology With regards to our outdoor recreation project, all start with contacting several leisure providers like Dive Sail Travel, Cap Soleil, Ican Tropic , Yemaya Adventures and so forth. At first, it was quite difficult to contact those companies as it was time consuming, the person in charge was unable to provide us with clear and accurate information and the prices that are charged for those activities were too expensive. Finally, we contacted Yemaya and while dealing with the person we noticed that there was effective communication compared to other organizations and the prices were cheaper. Thus, we decided to go for Yemaya Adventures. Moreover, for our methodology participant observation and interview were used as our research instruments. Participant observation is a very commonly used observation technique (REF ) and in this method, one needs to participate in order to obtain data. Through participant observation one can obtain first-hand data as well as in depth information about the leisure provider. However, it is very time consuming. We also interviewed the manager of Yemaya Adventures, Mr Patrick Haberland and this enables us to know about the organisations other activities that they provide, how they market their organization and what is more crucial is to what extent the activities of the organization is sustainable. Overview of Yemaya Adventures Literature review Definitions and Concept of Leisure, recreation and tourism   Leisure, recreation and tourism are generally viewed as key components in peoples lives (Lynch and Veal (1996). Outdoor recreation brings happiness to people as it gives recreational opportunities to them.   Leisure means various things to different people and therefore it consists of many definitions given by many researchers.   For instance, Fava (1964) stated that leisure is the time which an individual has free from work or other responsibilities and which may be used for the purpose of relaxation, diversion, or personal development.   In contrast, according to Godbey (1999), a leading researcher in the field of leisure education said that leisure is typically related with spare time or situations in which people have the luxury of choice.   Sylvester (1999) stated that, we must not neglect the fact that in ancient time, leisure was considered as a luxury and was affordable by affluent people only.   Recreation   The term recreation is originated from the Latin word of recreation and recreate which means to refresh and to restore (Edginton et al 1995). Examples of outdoor recreation involve: Visiting parks and natural areas. Visiting historical and archaeological sites. Outdoor concerts and festival. Golf and kite flying   Forest activities like wildlife safari, camping and tree climbing. Importance of Outdoor Recreation   Research has shown that outdoor recreation activities undoubtedly contribute positively to one health as well as well-being (Boniface, 2000; Dickson, Gray and Mann, 2008).   Through recreation activities, people get the opportunity to enjoy the natural environment if they are doing adventure activities, interact with other people (Berman and Davis-Berman, 2000). Moreover, study has illustrated that the way life alters with the loss of link which inevitably result to poor lifestyles (Godbey, Caldwell, Floyd and Payne 2005).   Nowadays, the new generation mainly children are more likely to be at risks than their parents.   Children currently have more possibilities of health problems, such as asthma, obesity, vitamin D deficiency since they have inactive lifestyle as well as lack of physical exercises (REFERENCE). Consequently, it may lead to cardiovascular, pulmonary and mental health problems in adulthood (REFRENCE).   Children from poor backgrounds are more likely to be away from green space as they have built environment such as bad housing condition, traffic congestion and so forth (REFERENCE). Today the world is connected with technological gadgets and children tends to stay more in front of their computers, television, playing video games and after school hours they need to complete their homework therefore youngsters miss the contact with the natural setting, they also miss the chance for stress reduction, healthy development, physical activity and restoration (REFERENCE). Benefits of Outdoor Recreation Economic benefits: Outdoor recreation economically benefits a country. For example, among all activities, bicycles are viewed as more sustainable compared to other activities and it brings over $ 81 billion into the American economy annually (Knight, 2012). Moreover, he also stated that bicycling also provide 770,000 direct jobs for people. Social Benefits Australian and International research stated that the notion of outdoor recreation participation is considered as an important facilitator of personal and community development. According to one Australian researcher, he said that outdoor recreation as a search for personally meaningful involvement (McIntyre 1992, p. 70). Lynch and Veal (1996), assert that outdoor recreation is highly beneficial to the local communities as it promotes physical health, psycho-social well-being, self-actualization, spirituality, family bonding, child development, self-identity, social skill development and environmental education. Social and psychological is beneficial in two ways. At first, during participation, people are more likely to experience the enjoyment with the activities that they have chosen its locality, its passion and personal satisfaction. Finally, after participation there is a change in the persons state of mind (Shreyer Driver 1990). For instance, there might be an increase in social responsibility through having a feeling of belonging to an outdoor recreation community and it also reduces stress. Environmental Benefits Those people involved in outdoor recreation tend to be more willing to preserve and conserve the environment, for example, they provide management strategies to reduce the negative environmental impacts. Participants who are motivated to help in conservation initiatives on a particular place which they love and feel attached. By doing so, this will surely establishes the environment and contributes to the environmental sustainability. Motivation for outdoor recreation   According to Iso-Ahola (1980), individuals are encouraged through defined objectives as well as rewards which can be either extrinsic or intrinsic.   When a particular activity is occupied in to acquire compensation, it is known as extrinsically motivated.   In contrast, intrinsically motivated is when a person is self motivated to achieve something or engaged in the activity for its own sake.  Ã‚   Moreover, Iso-Ahola thinks that leisure behavior is mainly caused by intrinsic aspects which are linked to self-expression, competence as well as agreement which implies freedom of choice.   Nevertheless, recreation choice should not be regarded as unlimited.   The ability for individual to choose from a range of recreational activities cannot be compromised due to the fact that individuals motivation to be indulged in a given outdoor recreation is projected in the selection made from various outdoor activities. Furthermore, choice is encircled by many pitfalls such as physical capability, affordability, awareness, time restrictions and family obligations.   These limitations differ among people and the demographic, socio-economic and other groups. Demand and Participation   Demand is an economic term used in order to illustrate the link that exists between the quantities of a good that people will buy as well as the prices that they will have to pay.   In other words, it refers to the ability and willingness to pay for a particular product.   The elements of demands are as follows:  Ã‚   1. Effective, expressed or actual demand is the actual number of participants, for instance it reflects the number of people that participate in countryside recreation. The number of people involved in such activity might be expressed per day or per year.  Ã‚   2. Latent or suppressed demand refers to unfulfilled demand.   Therefore, it is where an individuals desire to participate has not been fulfilled due to some reason.   But if the situation alters such a desire may ultimately become effective demand. However, such demand is not easy to quantify as it relies on peoples wishes and desires as well. When taking into account suppressed demand it can be emphasized that the latter gives rise to two elements namely: deferred demand and potential demand.   When reference is being made to deferred demand refers to demand that is unfulfilled due to a lack of amenities, for example, if a large number of people wish to go to the swimming pool but the problem is that if there is no swimming available then this want will be unfulfilled and demand will be postponed until a swimming pool is provided.   In contrast, potential demand is demand that is unfulfilled simply because there is a shortage of personal resources such as income or mobility. But, if there is an improvement in terms of personal situation it can undoubtedly be fulfilled in the future. 3. Lastly it can be said that there will be people who will surely prefer not to involve in recreational activities and this is known as no demand.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Factors affecting demand for outdoor recreation can be classified into : > Demographic characteristics   > Socio-economic characteristics   > Situational characteristics   Demographic Characteristics   In terms of demographic characteristics there are several factors that affect the recreation preference and it includes age, sex, marital status and family diversity.   Research has shown that young male who are single are more likely to involve in outdoor recreation and even if they are married they are unwilling to have children (Booth, 1989; Genet 2001; Booth Peebles, 1995).   These participants are really interested in their education and they inevitably want to get well paid jobs. Socio -economic characteristics   Price   From an economists perspective, price is considered to be a key factor in determining price as customers decision but the price of leisure is complicated with regards to many other products.   For example, a normal product consists of a single price but while comparing it to the price of leisure activities it is different as it consists of separate elements such as the valid nature of the leisure, other price like costs of transport, parking, equipment, clothing and accommodation might be charged.  Ã‚   Economists stated that as leisure involves time, therefore the opportunity cost of that time in terms of its possible earning power should also be included in the list mentioned above.   According to Gratton and Taylor (1985) he argued that the price of a product affects demand in two different ways.   First and foremost, the average cost of participation which involves all types of costs such as entrance fee, equipment and so forth might affect demand in terms of decision making to involve in the activity.   Thus, the higher the average cost, the lower the participate rate.   Secondly, marginal cost is the cost that has an impact on the frequency of participation.   For example, in association with leisure activities there may be fixed costs involved like membership fee, buying of equipment and so on.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income   Income can be viewed as a feature that enables people to buy a leisure product.   Research has shown that in the second half of the nineteenth century there has been a drastic change with regards to income growth. It was then that the development of mass leisure started and simultaneously there was a constant increase of income and this has definitely an impact on growth of leisure. Affluent people have always enjoyed their leisure; therefore it can be made crystal clear as income increases people will surely have more leisure. Situational characteristics   Time   Self-employed people generally have better control concerning their time plan and these people are more likely to have more leisure time.   Mobility   Car ownership has increased dramatically because the income of people has risen and cars are more affordable to buy and run.   If a person does not possess a vehicle, therefore he or she might be disadvantaged in terms of site, journey, timing and duration of the trip.  Ã‚   External factors affecting demand for outdoor recreation are: Recreational opportunity is highly dependent upon availability and accessibility of recreation sites.   Thus, the nature of recreation sites as well as availability will surely rely upon several things such as carrying capacity, ownership, distribution, quality, access and degree of development.   These reflect three important elements which consist of economic, behavioral and political.   Hence, it helps both private and public sectors in terms of good decision making with regards to recreation provision. While making decision to visit any particular recreational sites, accessibility is considered to be a key element in influencing participation.   Moreover, how crucial it is, as an element in decision making in influencing the what and where of recreation involvement is explained by Chubb and Chubb (1981:153) :   People participation will increase if all other external and personal factors support participants, however if the site is not accessible it might certainly be a problem. Recreation travel behavior   While going to any particular site for recreation, distance is really important and for most movement, a distance-decay effect can be known so that the power of interaction diminishes as distance increases.   In this context, if a recreational site consists of greater distance and involve more effort and time, might not be supported by participants.   But, not all activities are time consuming as it relies on the types of activities that one is taking part in.   The impact of longer distances will be negative to some extent as the more a person travel, he or might be tired and found it to be unpleasant.   On the other hand, such effect may be encouraging in situation where a person is travelling by cruise.   The latter may enjoy and the longer the distance the greater the desire to extend it. Recreation choice behavior Forecasting of recreation behavior would have been taken into account if more was known with regards to factors influencing decision-making to attitudes, motivations and perceptions.   This would be very helpful as it would explain: 1. Why some sites and activities are suitable;   2. Why some recreational firms are failures while others are satisfied by participants; 3. Why and how alternative recreation are ranked. The recreation alternative process is influenced by peoples perceptions of what recreational opportunities are available.  Ã‚   Natural environments as recreation settings   Driver et al. (1987) demonstrates that natural surroundings are really crucial in attaining the preferred result from leisure. Research conducted in Colorado have shown that participants like to enjoy mostly in nature, therefore, natural environment plays an integral role in achieving the result as well as satisfaction required from involvement in certain forms of recreation.   According to Kaplan and Kaplan (1989), participants satisfaction is associated with natural settings through integration mind and body in the leisure activity.   Hence, environmental aspect beyond doubt is considered to have a dominant influence on recreation behavior and this has first derived from gurus like Schreyer et al. (1985), he propose that the most helpful demonstration of the environment for the explanation of behavioral choice is considered as important.   They also stated that people are more likely to explore the natural environment location which will undoubtedly allow them to behave in the ways they wish and consequently this will enable them to achieve a desired cognitive state.   Thus, the theory that recreation experiences are closely linked to recreation location is fundamental with regards to the notion of the recreation opportunity spectrum. Outdoor recreation constraints: Since the past few decades, much research has been made on the constraints of outdoor recreation. Constraints are factors that limit peoples participation in leisure activities, peoples use of leisure services, or peoples enjoyment of current activities (Jackson Scott, 1999). As per Crawford, Jackson and Godbey (1993), there are three major types of constraints namely intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural. Intrapersonal constraints consist of the psychological characteristics of an individual that interact with personal preferences, thus the constraints that will affect personal preferences. For example, the self-esteem that an individual has or the perceived physical skills that he/she has. As for interpersonal constraints, they are the constraints which involve the interaction and relationship among individuals. For example, access to friends or relatives company for a particular recreation. Finally, structural constraints are those constraints that affect the participation of an individual in a particular leisure activity. Structural constraints intervene between the personal preferences of a person and that persons participation in the recreation activity. For example, the cost of participating in a leisure activity or the problems involved with the facilities for an outdoor recreation. Moreover as per the hierarchical model developed by Crawford, Jackson and Godbey (1993), more importance is assigned to the intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints and the structural constraints are considered as less important. This is so because people, while going through the participation decision-making process; there are constraints which will interact with motivations and preferences and thus shape the level of participation in the recreation or leisure activity. But however there are ways of negotiating through the constraints whereby people manage to participate in the recreation activities. Among the various constraints that exist, Jackson (1993), found that time was amongst the most important constraints as well as cost. As per the other researches made, it has also been noted that lack of money, transportation, and other structural items were factors contributing to constraint (Coyle Kinney, 1990; Kay Jackson, 1991; Samdahl Jekubovich, 1997; Williams Fidgeon, 2000). As for Walker and Virden (2004), they noted that constraints on time are the strongest ones, and the ones that are the most common in the various researches made. More recently, Jackson (2005) stressed the importance of understanding structural constraints, opining that no constraint or type of constraint is experienced with equal intensity by everyone, although time-related and cost-related constraints rank along with the most generally and strongly experienced inhibitors of the achievement of leisure goals and a balanced lifestyle Jackson (2005) also discussed the importance of recognizing that constraints may vary greatly across the different subgroups of the population, and across individuals. Most of the relevant studies (Alexandris Carroll, 1997; Jackson, 2005; Horna, 1989; Jackson Henderson, 1995) have come to the common conclusion that women face more intense leisure constraints than men, and this result mainly from lack of time. They tend to suggest that womens place within society, womens roles and responsibilities, often limit womens freedom of choice. Furthermore, lack of technical skills, private transportation and of financial resources are also experienced by women more intensely than men (Harahoussou, 1996; Harrington Dawson, 1995). Types of outdoor recreational activities Recreational activities fall under different categories which are mountain activities, forest activities, beach and sea activities and some more such as fresh water activities, aero activities, desert activities, family activities and cultural and historical activities. This is due to the fact that there are thousands of outdoor locations and different types of activities that can be done at different sites. Under each of these above mentioned categories there are different recreational activities that can be undertaken : * Mountain activities- trekking, rock climbing, mountain biking, motorbike expedition, skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing and canyoning * Forest activities- wildlife safari, camping, bird watching, elephant safari and tree climbing * Beach and sea activities- snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, boat fishing, wind surfing and water sports * Fresh water activities- angling, canoeing, white water rafting, water sports and sea kayaking * Aero activities- gliding and ballooning * Desert activities- camel safari and desert jeep safari * Family activities- theme park and safari park * Cultural and historical activities- indigenous culture, museum and metal detecting All these activities mentioned here, cannot be practiced everywhere. It depends on the destination if it can provide for such environment. There are activities which may fall under more than one category. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum: A recreation opportunity as the name implies, is the choice to participate in a preferred recreation activity within a preferred setting and to enjoy the desired experience. The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) which was developed in the United States (Clark Stankey, 1979), is first of all a tool which is used to plan outdoor recreation so as to identify in which categories the activities fall. It is also a framework for recreational planning whereby the opportunities present for recreation are defined. The objective is to provide diverse recreational experiences and manage them simultaneously in conjunction with other needs for land use (Yamaki and Shoji, 2004).   The recreation opportunity spectrum that considers the diversity of recreation experience (Brown 1978, Buist 1982, Clark 1979, Driver 1978) will improve the utilization plan in this respect.   For instance, in Japan, the provision of people with recreational opportunities in a natural setting will add to the conservation of the natural landscape (Yamaki and Shoji, 2004). The recreational opportunity spectrum is important so as to be able to make provision for different types of activities in different types of settings for people with different tastes. There are three types of settings in the recreation opportunity spectrum namely: managerial, physical and social. The ROS Inventory characterizes and represents recreation opportunities as mixes or combinations of settings and probable experience opportunities arranged along a continuum or spectrum of ROS classes. The spectrum is set out in terms of seven ROS classes as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Primitive (P); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roaded Modified (RM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Semi-primitive Non-Motorized (SPNM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rural (R); and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Semi-primitive Motorized (SPM); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Urban (U). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Roaded Natural (RN);2 The classes that make up this spectrum are differentiated from each other in terms of differing degrees or types of remoteness, naturalness and social experience as shown below. Water and Land Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (WALROS) The WALROS is an improvement of the Water Recreation Opportunity Spectrum which itself is sourced from the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum. The WALROS is also a tool which helps planners to make better decisions but it lays much emphasis on water resources such as reservoirs, lakes, rivers, bays, estuaries, wetlands, major springs, coastal zones, and protected marine areas.As our recreation activity was kayaking, the WALROS is more appropriate than the ROS. The WALROS unlike the ROS has only six classes which are namely: Primitive Semi primitive Rural natural Rural developed Suburban Urban Primitive setting: A primitive WALROS area is a large expanse of natural resources far from development and settlement. Human activity is rare and seldom. The water resources and shorelines appear natural, showing little evidence of past human use. Management relies on visitor cooperation and stewardship, and management activities often focus on resource protection, restoration, and monitoring. A sense of remoteness, wildness, solitude, and self-reliance is dominant among visitors. Visitor comforts, conveniences, and concentrations are not appropriate to a primitive setting. Examples of primitive settings are large expanses of lands and waters that are miles from development and settlement. The settings are commonly designated as wild and scenic Rivers, backcountry lakes, headwaters, marine reserves or other types of protected areas. Semiprimitive setting: A semiprimitive WALROS area is a large expanse of natural resources that is far from any city or metropolitan area and a considerable distance from small communities or developments. Natural resources dominate the landscape. Development is minor, and human activity can merely be sensed. However, a semiprimitive setting may include evidence of human activity such as distant farming operations, powerlines, livestock, small buildings, old roadways, historic structures, and historic logging or mining. These water resources are often within large expanses of public lands and waters. Management, in the form of patrols, facilities, and signage, is seldom noticeable and the visitors are expected to have their own equipment and skills enabling navigation and enjoyment of this setting. Visitors desire a sense of tranquility and an escape from their daily routine. Facilities are rural and blend well into the setting. Resource protection is highly important. The opportunit y for visitors to sense nature is widespread. Visitors sense solitude and remoteness. Examples of semiprimitive settings are large expanses of State lands and waters that are commonly designated as wild and scenic rivers. Rural natural setting: A rural natural WALROS area is a considerable distance from metropolitan areas and communities. Natural features are predominant on the landscape, and the presence of development is occasional or infrequent. Agriculture, tourism, and outdoor recreation are often primary industries. Many rural natural areas are large enclaves of public lands and waters. Natural resources dominate the landscape. The sights, sounds, and smells of development are infrequent. Natural-looking settings border the water resources. Water controls or other structures are occasional along the shoreline. Management is occasionally noticeable in the form of patrols, facilities, signage and full services. Visitors desire a sense of tranquility and escape from their daily routine. Opportunity for visitors to sense nature is prevalent as are occasions to enjoy periods of solitude. Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are periodic and occa sional. Examples of rural natural areas include unincorporated rural areas with secondary and unpaved roads, single residences, farms and ranches, rural county, small stores and fuel services stations, and areas bordering or surrounded by large expanses of public lands and waters. Rural developed setting: A rural developed WALROS area is beyond a metropolitan area and the suburban ring of development. Rural developed areas may contain working farms, ranches, and towns. In this setting, primary road networks are common. Although development will be prevalent and common, the setting has a rural sense because of a scattering of forests, water resources, hills, valleys, wetlands, open spaces, and agricultural lands. Naturally appearing shoreline edges are common, although various water controls or other structures are also common. Recreation management is prevalent and common but not as extensive as in an urban setting (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, signs, services, conveniences, security). Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are less common than in a developed suburban or urban setting. The sights, sounds, and smells of recreation and non-recreation use are common, yet interspersed with locations and times when the urbanized visitor may experience a sense of tranquility and escape from everyday challenges. Examples of rural developed areas include areas with country estates, second homes and cabins, dams, power stations, primary and secondary roads, communication lines, resorts, marinas, small communities, full service campgrounds, farms and small commercial and industrial establishments. Suburban setting: A suburban WALROS area is on the fringe of the urban area. The sights of development and built structures are widespread. The built environment tends to be commercial and residential. The sights of commerce and everyday living are very obvious and prevalent. Natural-appearing settings can be found in community parks, greenways, trails, open space, natural areas and tidal marshes. The water resources tend to be highly channelized or altered to contain large fluctuations in water flow and for the protection of public safety and property. Recreation management is prevalent (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, signs, services, conveniences, security). Recreation use, diversity, socialization, concentration, sense of security, and conveniences are also prevalent and obvious. The sights, sounds, and smells of recreation and non-recreation use (e.g., municipal, industrial, residential) are obvious but not dominant in a suburban setting. Examples of suburban WALROS areas ca n be found on the outer edges of most metropolitan areas in the United States and include parks, and trail systems. Urban setting: An urban WALROS area can be found in extensively developed and populated cities and metropolitan spaces where virtually the entire landscape contains manmade structures. Municipal, industrial, commercial, and residential land uses dominate, and the sights are typical of a city environment. Natural features may be found in small neighborhood parks, commercial courtyards, streetscapes, residential gardens, or landscaping. The water resources tend to be highly channelized, manipulated, or altered to contain large fluctuations in water flow and to protect public safety and property. Management presence is common and obvious (e.g., personnel, rules, facilities, sig