Hospitality Management Essay Example for Free

Hospitality Management Essay Introduction The tourism industry is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing and successful industries, with revenue of recorded 693 million international tourist arrivals in 2001, reported by World Tourism Organization (WTO), nevertheless its definition cannot be agreed on. Youell (1998; pg.9) presents a definition given by WTO in 1993 defining tourism as â€Å"activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and other purposes.† During the nineteen century, there was a surge of mass tourism due to the advancement of all types of transportation as well as the development of seaside resorts. Society had greater income and more time for leisure (Urry, 2002; pg 16). Although tourism industry continued to grow, there was a shift in the tourism behaviour, WTO justifies this behaviour stating that society had become more aware of the environment and developed the sudden interest in different activities and opportunities involving local culture. Fennel describes alternative tourism as â€Å"small scale†; â€Å"locally-oriented†, tourists became more aware of local communities and with the environment. This theory is supported by WTO adding that consumers are now looking for â€Å"special, high quality, unforgettable experiences in which they can be active participants†. Furthermore it is added that special interest tourism is an extra motivation to tourist interest in engaging in more specific activities. Focusing solely on this topic, the author is to write a report on the grounds of special interest tourism. In order to achieve this, the author has chosen to analyze the surroundings of ecotourism in Amazon, Brazil. Therefore the report should offer the reader, provided with a justification, a sight full reportage based on one only special interest tourism, highlighting its history, size of market, market segmentation and examples of products available for the chosen special interest tourism. A review of models of motivation and tourism motivation enabling a study of different characteristics of the participants in the chosen special interest tourism should be included on the second section the report. The third section provides the reader an evaluation and profile of ecotourism identifying key organizations, agencies, communities, and businesses involved in the development of ecotourism in Brazil. Finally the last section incorporates an appropriate conclusion and recommendation which should include approaches that could provide a greater opportunity for the development and promotion of the ecotourism in the Amazon. Descriptive profile of the Special Interest Tourism activity The author had a chance to consider all options of research and carefully chosen to undertake a research and write a report concerning ecotourism in the Amazon. This topic was chosen as this is a new concept of special interest tourism and is in constant growth. Also this gives the author a chance to inform herself about ecotourism and its significance to the environment. As for the destination, Amazon was chosen because of its size, as it is the biggest tropical rainforest in the world and biggest biodiversity. Ecotourism activities have had a significant growth over the years due to â€Å"consumer concern about the environment† (WTO, 2002). United Nations decided to make 2002 the International Year of Ecotourism, focusing their reason to â€Å"bring together governments, international agencies, NGOs, tourism enterprises, representatives of local and indigenous communities and identify some agreed principles and priorities for the future development and management of ecotour ism† (Butcher, 2007, cited in CNEP/ WTO 2002a:7). Although 2002 was awarded as the International Year of Ecotourism by the United Nations, there is a general uncertainty concerning its history and meaning. Fennel (1995, pg. 25) defines ecotourism relating to nature, stating it is â€Å" a sustainable form of natural, resource-base tourism that focuses primarily on experiencing and learning about nature† connoting that such activity should occur in natural areas, contributing to the preservation of this. Opposing to this, WTO gives an alternative meaning to ecotourism, also based on the grounds of nature as â€Å"form of tourism in which the main motivation of the tourists is the observation and appreciation of nature† (WTO, 2002) Further to this, WTO views ecotourism as a form of tourism with 5 characteristics: 1. Tourists’ motivation should be nature-based involving observation and appreciation of nature as well as  preserving it. 2. It should contain educational features. 3. It should be organized by specialized tour operators for small groups. 4. It should minimize the negative impacts of the environment. 5. It should support the maintenance of natural areas by generating beneficial income to local communities, organisations and authorities responsible for the conservation of ecotourism areas. In contrast to the above definitions, based on nature, the International Ecotourism Society (ITES) offers a more profound meaning relating nature to local communities, â€Å"is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people† (ITES). It is agreed that both organisations have the same principles regarding the maintenance of ecotourism areas, where tourists should respect the environment, provide financial benefits and empowerment to local communities. Although there is a general disagreement on the exact meaning of ecotourism, all researchers agree that involves the environment and local communities; however it appears that there is an uncertainty about its origin. Research shows that ecotourism can be traced back to the late 1970s, this supported by Fennel (1999.pg 18) who presents reasonable arguments from studies demonstrating the origin of ecotourism. He describes how ecotourism emerged through tourists searching for environmental travelling surrounding nature and wildlife. In accordance with WTO (2002) ecotourism is a small niche market with a big potential for growth and economic advancement, one that if well managed can be used in conservation and preservation of nature and of the environment. Following their research based on the most popular countries for ecotourism, WTO has identified the market segmentation for ecotourists, which shows that: †¢ The majority is aged between 30 and 50 years old †¢ Mostly women †¢ Preferred activities were wildlife viewing, being in wilderness areas followed by seeing rare species. †¢ The top five preferred destinations for ecotourists were United kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America Estimated as the biggest and richest ecosystems in the world, the state of Amazon in Brazil comprises of nine countries in South America all together, occupying almost half of the whole country. The state of Amazon is approximately 5million square kilometres, home to 200 mammal species, 950 bird species, 2,500 fish species and 300 reptiles’ species, making the Amazon the largest tropical rainforest in the world. In addition, the Amazon River, which cuts right through the state, is the second biggest river in the world after the Nile. Boats and ships are the best way of transportation as the Amazon is covered in forest. Amazon got its name after the Portuguese explorers started expeditions along the river for a lost city known as ‘Eldorado’ in the hope of uncovering a city made of gold, before the British, French and Spanish explorers found it. Eldorado could never be found, but the name remained the same. Amazon is not only the habitat of thousands of species but also home to indigenous tribes who live off the land just like their ancestors did depending on the ecosystem for their food, shelter and livelihoods. Although ecotourism is a new concept, it is rapidly becoming a fast growing economic factor in the Amazon as it attracts major tourists for its attractions. On the other hand, it is also in danger due to deforestation, logging and forest cleaning, which presents a threat to the Amazon (www.amazon-rainforest.org). As a form of special interest tourism, it is important to have products available for this, which represents the nature preserving its natural habitat. With this in mind, there are many activities disposable for tourism as ecotourism is growing in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). With the growth of ecotourism in the Amazon, many ecological crosswalks activities are provided to tourists wanting contact with the largest biodiversity of the world. The National Park of Pico da Neblina and the national Park of Jaà º are two of the most popular locations for crosswalks in the Amazon (www.embratur.gov.br). Another popular product available to tourists is cave tourism otherwise known as espeleotourism, consisting of exploring the inside of caves and studying their formations. Within the Amazon, Mato Grosso is the most visited cave  (www.embratur.gov.br). Floatation is an additional form of ecotourism activity, consisting of light diving with the use of a snorkel and a mask allowing the diver to be enchanted by the beauty underneath the water. Mato Grosso is the most popular and sought after location for this in the State of Amazon. Fauna watching is popular for those mostly interested in wildlife. National Parks in the Amazon grants visitors with thousands of different species, experiencing nature at its best. Bird watching has become reasonably popular to numerous tourists who travel specifically to Amazon for its biodiversity in search of all types of endangered species. Considered as the most sophisticated city on the planet and an important location for ecological tourism, Manaus the capital of Amazon forest is home to almost 1.5 million inhabitants. The city attracts tourists for its natural beauty, ecological parks and a diverse of over 15 attractions (www.embratur.gov.br). These include: âž ¢ Paricatuba Waterfall located in the bank of Negro river formed by sediment and surrounded by vegetation. âž ¢ Love cascade situated at Guedes bayou and filled with cold and crystal clear water. âž ¢ Parque do Mindà º, one of the last resorts housing endangered species. âž ¢ Grove of the National Research Institute of Amazonia (INPA) âž ¢ Zoo of the Forest War Instruction Center (CIGS) which house 300 species of animals, among monkeys, jaguars, ariranhas (Brazilian otters), snakes, alligators, macaws, tapirs and land turtles. âž ¢ Tupà © Beach whose only access is by riverboat It is clear that tourists travel to Brazil for its raw beauty, especially to Amazon which is rich in biodiversity. Ecobrasil has published statistics on international ecotourism to which shows that 39% of tourists visit Brazil for its natural beauty, this being their main motivation for doing so, while 7% visit Amazon as their main source for ecotourism (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Ecobrasil has also demonstrated results carried by Embratur Domestic market study carried in 2005/2006 in which shows that 6% of tourists view ecotourism as a motivation for travel, confirming that only four million tourists are interested in ecotourism. Profile of the evidence of the motivation and satisfaction of SIT Above the author mentioned the statistics for tourists that visit Brazil and their motivation for such. However some researchers have identified other motives for motivation which explain reasons to choose a specific ecotourism location. Maslow generated a hierarchy of needs based on what motivates individuals when deciding where to go on holidays and what activities to pursue. This hierarchy of needs is based on a series of levels, starting on the lowest level and terminating on the upper level once all levels of achievement are satisfied. The hierarchy of needs is displayed as a pyramid and at the lowest level, this for physiological needs, where individuals have the needs to satisfy their most basic needs such as eating and clothing. Once this need is achieved, Maslow identifies the individuals desire to carry on achieving the remaining needs until all levels of the pyramid are satisfied (Mullins, 2007, p.258). On the contrary to this view, Ryan (1997) has argued that the tourist behaviour is behind the motivation of the traveller leading to a certain type of holidays, focusing on the social motivation rather than needs. He identifies how two tourists from different backgrounds can have different attitudes to holidays but have similar motivation for such stating â€Å"both sets of behaviour arise from the need to be with others†. Ryan also recognizes theoretical models of motivation by classifying theories and their researchers. One of these the concept identified by Pearce who argued travel motivation through the concept of travel career ladder, this corresponding to â€Å"learning through tourist experience† (Ryan, 1997, p.37). The travel career ladder is characterised by different forms of motivations, with relaxation at the bottom of the ladder, followed by stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development and fulfilment, and it should be by order of travel experience, the more experience they are, more interest they start developing and their motivation to travel start to increase. This meaning that a tourist on their first holiday is looking for relaxation however the more they travel, motivation starts to change as they become more concerned with learning about history and culture, and in time, the tourists will rich the upper level of the ladder, searching to get more involved in the province (Ryan, 1997). Other analyses have emerged with the expectancy of encountering tourists’ motivation for choosing this type of special interest tourism. Thus Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified researchers who have studied motivations for specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (1992) have identified research made by Crompton in which he noted that tourist were in a cultural and educational travel motivations. This can be said it is closed linked to what was later interpreted by Read (1980) in which he admits what motivates tourists is the need for authenticity and uniqueness as well as educational. With this he emerged with the idea of REAL tourism, translating that travelling should be rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and a learning experience for the tourist. Hall and Weiler have created a table identifying tourists motivations associated with the specific special interest tourism and they have concluded that tourists may have various motivators related to the special interest activity. Therefore, it is said that the motivations for the participants in ecotourism are apart from learning is to be in contact with the nature or indigenous civilians. A further argument into the motivations of tourists has emerged, as Page and Dowling (2002) presented two sides of ecotourism: hard and soft tourism. Hard tourism refers when the participant are environmentalist who take sustainability quite serious and is purely interest in the nature and being in contact with the wilderness, taking a prolonged trip in almost undisturbed location, while soft tourism refers to tourists in short term trip, have little contact with nature and are not strongly committed environmentalists. However, motivations are not the only factors tourists take into account when deciding on the special interest tourism. The type of product and expertise by those involved promoting this specific special interest tourism. Hall and Weiler (2002) argue that experienced professionals play an important role on the tourists’ selection of destination. Professionals such as Specialty Travel Index offer a multitude of travel opportunities worldwide (http://www.spectrav.com/index.shtml). Evaluation of the development of a named SIT within an identified destination area Butcher (2007) views community participation as an important step to the development of ecotourism, as decisions made concerning ecotourism affects the community and their lives. Butcher adds that this initiative is also supported by World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) in which they state communities should have a high level of control on the development of ecotourism. Additionally communities should be intensely in all decision-making concerning the growth of the landscape â€Å" tourism should therefore respect and value local knowledge and experience, maximise benefits to communities, and recruit, train and employ local people at all levels (Butcher, p.67). Ecotourism should be beneficent local communities, conservation of the environment and provide financial contribution to the upkeep of a conservation project. In addition local communities’ involvement in the development of ecotourism â€Å"improves the tourist experience† (Page and Dowling, 2002). Alternative Travel Group (ATL) is an example of the above, in which they work effectively with local communities. Founded in 1979 is an organisation based upon sustainability http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php) ATL collaborates with local communities, listening and acting on what was suggested. This allows communities to express their concern about the conservation of their habitat (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). Profits go towards construction of infrastructures and conservation projects in the most necessitated areas. They incentive individuals to present their ideas and providing they are sustainable to which they can invest on. Hence they have various projects ongoing worldwide which benefit local communities and preserve the environment (http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php). It is not only local communities that play a vital role in the making and development of ecotourism, many organisations, agencies and small businesses have an important and constant involvement in the successful and promoting of this growing form of special interest tourism. World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) is the largest non-governmental organisation in the world. Based in over fifty-two offices and active in over ninety countries, it has over five million supporters worldwide, many volunteers (Butcher, p. 42). WWF has three main missions that represent their work: safeguarding the natural world, tackling climate change and changing the way residents live. Consequently they have generated a program designed to protect the environment. Amongst other projects, WWF is working in ensuring the ecosystem in the Amazon maintains its environmental and cultural contribution to local people (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). WWF main objectives regarding the Amazon as a whole are: âž ¢ Tackling deforestation âž ¢ Encouraging responsible agriculture and production âž ¢ Helping create protected forest âž ¢ Ensuring free-flowing rivers and forest-friendly roads Moreover WWF has enlisted the help of Sky TV in promoting the safeguarding of rainforest in Amazon. Both work with local communities offering them with economical help to look after millions of hectares of forest, combating illegal logging and forest deforestation (http://www.wwf.org.uk/). Additionally WWF closely works with two UN bodies, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). WWF has written guidelines highlighting a community-based ecotourism in which the organisation directly works with communities in conserving and preserving the environment and provide advice on how to deal with issues surrounding their landscape. One of their project is based in Manaus, capital of Amazon, a community –based initiative, the Silves Association for Environmental and Cultural Preservation, this aims at protecting the fishing lakes at this site. On top pf this, WWF opened an ecolodge in the same region run by local people, 20% of all profits go towards the management of preservation of the site. In addition, WWF has created a programme in Brazil solely based on raising awareness about forms of ecotourism that should be practiced based on its principles (http://www.icrtourism.org/Publications/WWF1eng.pdf). The international ecotourism society (TIES) is a non-governmental organisation funded in 1990 with the objectives of aiding the development of ecotourism, helping communities, organisations to promote and practice the principles of ecotourism. TIES have clear aims concerning ecotourism which consists of bringing together individuals, institutions and tourism industries in the interest of ecotourism, educating tourist and professionals on ecotourism and influencing organisations on practicing all principles regarding ecotourism. Working in partnership with other NGOs such as Planeterra and yourtravelchoice.org, all three organisations provide tourists with opportunities to get involved in ecotourism activities, help local communities, work together in inform tourists on how to conserve the nature. Furthermore, they offer their own input on eco-destinations, allowing individuals to get some relevant information on ecotourism and its issues (www.ecotourism.org) Although Planeterra is more involved with community, they still remain concerned with the environment. This non-governmental organisation organises community based projects worldwide in order to help local people live in a more environmental safe surroundings (http://www.planeterra.org/). The Brazilian Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Trade Association (ABETA) is an association that closely works on the development of ecotourism activities in Brazil. Their goal is to promote the conservation and preservation of Brazil’s cultural and historical heritage (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). ABETA promotes amongst adventure tourism, ecotourism activities such as bird watching, caving, safari and wildlife. Thus in partnership with the Tourism ministry, Brazilian tourism board (Embratur) and BBECO which is administered by ABETA, all have the same common aspiration: promote Brazil as one of the top destinations for ecotourism while keeping it environmentally safe (http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php). Embratur, a Brazilian Tourism Board is an organisation responsible for providing policies in tourism related activities, including ecotourism activities such as hiking, cave tourism, floatation, bird watching and fauna watching (www.embratur.gov.br) Ecobrasil, a Brazilian ecotourism Association  is a NGO founded in 1993 whose primarily focus is on ecotourism. Whilst incorporate a clear mission in which they want to promote Brazil as a â€Å"reliable destination for ecotourism†, their vision is to â€Å"forward ecotourism and sustainable tourism through building knowledge networks and participate in and/or develop projects that helped advance the knowledge about good ecotourism practices and planning in Brazil†. Hence their objectives is to create a network of data solely on ecotourism, commitment in minimising the impact of tourism on the environment, acknowledge statistics on ecotourism and represent ecotourism on a worldwide level (www.ecobrasil.org.br). Proecotur Programa de Desenvolvimento do Ecoturismo na Amazà ´nia Legal (programme of ecotourism development at the Legal Amazon) recognises that ecotourism has a huge potential to be converted into the biggest source of income on the Amazon, predicting up to three million ecotourist annually. Therefore they have generated new strategies to guarantee that Amazon becomes the most popular state for ecotourism. They believe the creation of a sustainable environment does not require greater investments, rather intelligent strategies for transportation. With this to attract tourists they agree that there is a need for improvement in the transportation and improvement of the quality of services available to tourists plus there should be a cre ation of more sustainable products (http://www.faunabrasil.com.br). Conclusion Although tourism is not a new concept, ecotourism is. This emerged with the individuals growing concern with the environment. There is a general disagreement when defining ecotourism but many researchers and organisations agree that is a form of activity in which participants want to be in touch with the nature and with the environment and this should follow principles set by organisations for the safekeeping of the environment and also benefiting local communities. Various researchers have attempted to clarify the motivations for tourist choice of destinations and specials type of interest, and with this it was concluded that none could have a general agreement on these except that  tourist could have common attitude when selecting destinations. They could be educational and cultural; however the idea of tourist wanting new, unique and untouched surroundings gave away to the new concept of Real travel: rewarding, enriching, adventuresome and learning. Ecotourism is a growing and prosperous form of special interest tourism and the activities incorporated for this are increasingly generating income to those involved in promoting ecotourism and to local communities who should be involved in the decision-making concerning the development of ecotourism. The author during the research into organisations involved in the promotion of ecotourism has come across the fact that most organisations are non-governmental organisations that depend on volunteers. Also the majority of these organisations are interrelated having common objectives when it comes to ecotourism: promoting all ecotourism activities, safeguarding the environment and preserving the nature. Recommendations Although organisations are interlinked with one another, it appears that it is not enough, as the market segmentation show, only a certain type of individuals practice ecotourism and ecotourism related activities. Brazil is popular with tourist for its beauty therefore NGOs, agencies and business should do more to promote ecotourism in Brazil, speciality in Amazon, which is a huge area with a lot to offer to all types of tourists. Hence all organisations should work together not only in the safeguarding of the environment but advertise Brazil as the best country for ecotourism, enhancing its beauty and reasons to visit as well as promoting ecotourism activities in a way that appeals to all age groups and gender. Additionally NGOs, agencies and business should stress the need to practice the imposed regulations in protected areas in order to preserve the nature for tomorrow. Another recommendation would be to look how other forms of special interest tourism could be useful in providing aid in the development of ecotourism. An example of this would be religious tourism. For this type of special  interest tourism there is an online religious organisation which incentives spiritualists to include faith in their living. They relate religion and faith with the environment believing that there are simple steps that individuals could do to help recreate the earth preserving the environment, it also emphasises the need to care for nature. Therefore this initiative could be adopted in order to lure tourists into caring and investing more in ecotourism. Words: 4,017 References: †¢ Abeta (2008) Brazil: land of nature and adventure. [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.brazilnature.travel/index.php [Accessed 30 November]. †¢ Amazon rain forest (2004) Save the Amazon rainforest [Internet]. Available from: http://www.amazon-rainforest.org/ [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ ATG Oxford (1979) ATG: Quality value [Internet], Oxford, Available from : http://www.atg-oxford.co.uk/index.php [Accessed 3rd December 2009]. †¢ Butcher, J. ed (2007) Ecotourism, NGOs and development: a critical analysis. Oxon, Routledge. †¢ Fauna Brasil (2005) O portal da fauna brasileira. [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.faunabrasil.com.br/sistema/ [ Accessed 13 December 2009]. †¢ Fennell, D. (1999) Ecotourism.2ed. Oxon, Routledge. †¢ Instituto Ecobrasil (1993) Instituto Ecobrasil: ecoturism-turismo sustentavel [Internet], Brazil. Available from: www.ecobrasil.org.br [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ Ministerio do turismo (2005) Brasil [Internet], Brazil, Available from: http://www.embratur.gov.br/site/gb/home/index.php [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ Mullins, L. (2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour.8ed. England, Pearce Education Limited. †¢ Page, S.J Dowling, R. Ed (2002) Ecotourism. Essex, Pearson Education Limited †¢ Planeterra (2003) Planeterra. [Internet],Available from: http://www.planeterra.org/ [Accessed 27 November 2009]. †¢ Specialty Travel Index (1980) Adventure Special Interest Travel [Internet], San Anselmo, Available from: http://www.spectrav.com/index.shtml [Accessed 2nd December 2009]. †¢ The International Ecotourism Society (1990) International Ecotourism Society. Washington. Available from: http://www.ecotourism.org/site/c.orLQKXPCLmF/b.4832143/k.BD87/Home.htm [Accessed 27 September 2009]. †¢ Urry, J. (2002) The Tourist gaze.2ed. London, Sage Publications LTD. †¢ Youell, R. (1998) Tourism: an introduction.2ed.Essex, Addison Wesley Longman Limited. †¢ Weiler, B Hall, C.M, Ed (1992) Special Interest tourism. London, Belhaven Press. †¢ World Tourism Organisation (2002) World overview tourism topics. Madrid, world tourism organisation. †¢ WWF (1961) WWF for a living planet [Internet], Surrey, Available from: http://www.wwf.org.uk/ [Accessed 3rd December 2009]. †¢ WWF (2001) Guidelines for Community-based ecotourism development. WWF International.

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay

Literacy Practices Contain Elements English Language Essay In this essay I will attempt to give some of my own examples of literary practices and why I consider them to be creative, linking them to examples from the study material and where relevant build on my knowledge of Carter and make reference to a few of his ideas and theories and weigh them out in said discussion. I shall start off by first explaining what literacy practices are and where we can find them and conclude by giving some examples of my own personal experience. Literacy practices is the way in which people interact with texts and the meanings these hold for them and how these are tied up with individual identity, personal relationships, community membership, religious practices and political manoeuvring. They are influenced by affordances and constraints with technological and socio-historical/cultural factors. These will change and shift as part of technological advances and changes in the social world e.g. in the recognition of social space in households (Cruickshank 2001). Some examples of literacy domains are home, work and social networks and examples of literacy practices are letter reading, filing, writing, diary writing, list making, newspaper reading and even filling a lottery slip. A further relevant term named multiple literacy i.e. is a diverse range of competences which include text literacy, media literacy, information literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, multicultural literacy, emotional literacy, etc. The essay will also show that creativity is dependent and emergent from the creative literacy practices through which texts are constructed and that the way such a text is read is also considered creativity. There are several examples of literary creativity in everyday life. However I shall mostly be using my own examples and explaining why I find them literary and/or creative. An autobiography is something that most of us think of as creative writing because it is a memory of somebodys past life. One writes about these memories perhaps first by writing letters, then a short story until eventually it emerges into a fully fledge book of its own. But literacy doesnt necessarily have to be a word; it might as well be a sign that we associate something with, like a McDonalds or restaurant sign which children will instantly associate it with. This so-called understanding of environmental print is recognised by children long before individual letters are known, so a child will recognize a McDonalds burger bar sign much earlier before it can actually read the word as a whole. This phenomenon is called emergent literacy and children will notice words, colours, signs, and numbers and gradually begin to recognise their true meaning and start to experiment by copying or trying to describe them on a piece of paper with coloured pens, etc. Carter (1999) identified three models of literariness: The inherency model, which embeds particular properties of language. Literary language is regarded distinct from more practical uses of language which highlights language itself. The socio-cultural model views literariness as socially and culturally determined, e.g. drawing attention that conceptions of literature will vary historically and culturally. Eagleton (1996) There is nothing distinctive about literary language; any text can be seen as literature if it is defined as such. And finally, the cognitive model, which relates literary language to mental processes. Linguistic repetition derives from a basic human drive to repeat and is a kind of cognitive argument, (Tannen 1989) whereas Cook (1994:4) believes that literary texts have an effect on the mind and help us to think in new ways and refresh and change our representations of the world. Gibbs (1994) states human language and human understanding often are metaphorical and that literary metaphor will carry on and extend everyday metaphorical notions. Carter believes creativity is commonly regarded as a process that will result in solution or identification of problems, usually a result of a process of divergent and innovative thinking. (Carter, 2008. p.48) The answer to where we find creativity in language is a broad expression in my opinion, because there are so many places where we would find language creativity in everyday context. However for the sake of example I have decided to give the example of language creativity made by young children because they are still learning how to use language properly and by doing so come up with expressions which really could be considered creative. So to answer where we find creative language we do not have to look far, we simply have to speak with small children because as they are still learning the rules of correct language grammar, they tend to invent new forms of grammar or more correctly, adopt and transmit it into their sentences. For example using flyed instead of flew or biccik instead of biscuit. This is a term I picked up from my younger cousin when he was around 2 years old. Creativity will nearly always depend on the intentions and inferences of the participants is a statement from Carter. (Carter, 2008) Further he feels that creative language use cannot be described as being evaluated by wholly formalistic definitions and depends on elements such as relationships, nature of external task, changing social contexts and speech genres. (Carter, p.167, 2008) He also suggests creativity is seen as a social and interactional act as much as it is a distinctive individual act. (p.44) Furthermore there is also the proposal that repetition is a resource by which conversationalists together create a discourse, a relationship and a world (cited in Carter, 2008, p.101) and it is suggested that spoken language use may be more closely connected with expressions of feeling and identity, than written text. (Carter, 2008, p.112) According to Carter it is important to recognize creativity in context. He feels that while creativity in language can occur in the most situations, it will still remain probabilistic because a brochure may be informal but it can also be creative. (Carter 2008) The above has illustrated two points of view from two different people. One of them is Cooks view and the other is Carters view; and at this stage I will attempt to discuss these ideas and try to demonstrate them in my answer. To recapitulate, Cook sees language creativity as a tool for survival whereas Carter sees it as a process of problem solving. There are 3 areas of language play: Pragmatic Function, Linguistic and Semantic. Pragmatic is the effect of language choice e.g. solidarity, enjoyment, Linguistic is the look or the sound of words e.g. patterning, repetition and Semantic carries inversion of meaning like puns. Literacy activities are a non-specialist way to simply refer to peoples interactions with texts. Even today we relate to people who are able to read and write as literate. Literacy events are social interactions where literacy plays an important role, e.g. discussing a letter from a tax office, reading a bedtime story or helping a friend with a crossword puzzle. They are ways in which people use and interact with texts in particular context and the meaning it holds for them like the frequent email circulation of jokes among groups of friends and the importance of this for the people involved, for example writing Open University assignments plus the meaning and significance of the activity for the student doing the writing. Why are we creative with language? This is not a straightforward question because there may be various reasons why we are creative with our language, it will depend wholly on the situation we find ourselves in, whether it is among close friends and family or in a work environment or even in our free time. And throughout the years we have come up with new words for certain activities like the word texting or tweeting. In a sense this can also be seen as language creativity and a literacy practice because up to a few years ago there was no Twitter and text messaging has only recently become as normal as the email which cant be thought out of our everyday lives anymore. But as everything can be considered as creative, what can be considered literary? Literary language can sometimes be axiomatic and may carry forms of moral injunctions even though it may not direct us to form certain constative speech acts in response to the text. Carter showed two examples in his book, the first being an instructional handbook for motor car repair and the second taken from a well-known novel published in the 1950s in Britain. In the instruction manual medium dependence is not a common characteristic of common literary language even though there may be special cases to the rule. This concludes why we are creative with language; so that firstly we can get along with other people that may not be as articulate or creative with language as we are and as mentioned earlier in the essay, so that the language evolves. Even though some people might argue that language is a god given ability which must be treasured, we cannot argue that throughout our history as many cultures and the outlook of life have changed, so has our language. Take the example of the English language: from becoming a Germanic dialect which came from the Scandinavians at around 1066 which eventually developed into Old English and eventually to the language we speak now, a lot of creativity has been changing ideas which make up the modern English language. In fact English as it is spoken today did not even come close to sounding the way that is sounds now. One could even say it was incomprehensible. And on top of that, next to sounding completely different it also had a completely different alphabet with letters that are no longer used today a rune-like alphabet with extra letters in order to illustrate certain sounds like sh. As we have seen, it is mainly because of creativity that we speak the language we speak today. From the moment we are born we are bombarded with literacy and the correct form of speaking the way that is considered by society to be literary. I have shown some examples of language creativity in young children and given some of my own personal examples and linked them to the question. I have also tried to link the ideas to Carter and how they fit in with his theories and have given some examples of new literacy activities which have become a part of everyday life in the 21st century, such as tweeting. Facebook and Twitter have in that sense become new literacy tools for this age and time. And in the age of the tablet, our literacy practices have made another step to the future. Tablets have made some of the commonest everyday things redundant, like newspapers. Instead of holding a traditional newspaper in our hands which we will eventually put in the paper bin at the end of the day, we can read it on our tablet. And news updates are certainly swifter because instead of having to print it, one types it on the computer and when its done, uploads it directly to the internet for everybody accessible to a computer and Wi-Fi can read. It is very possible that there will be new forms of literacy which will find their way into our everyday lives like the email, Facebook or Twitter. What that may be I, nor anybody else can tell yet but we will recognize it when it comes. We may not immediately recognize it as a new form of literacy but Rome was not build in one day. Give it some time and i n a few years it will become the most normal thing in the world. This essay has shown some of my own examples of literary practices from my personal experience and whether they fit in with the ideas of Cook and other theorists. I have shown how literacy has changed from printed newspapers to being read on tablet devices and how young children become literate by inventing seemingly correct grammar and vocabulary forms in order to express their thoughts. In conclusion it can be viewed that there are many literacy practices which are worthy to be considered creative. Whether it is a childs recognition of a restaurant sign or the creativity of new words in the process of becoming a literate person and even the solving of a crossword puzzle, all of them require us to have at least some knowledge of literacy. By continuously practicing these activities, there is a chance that it will survive for the use of later generations. If we teach our children to be inspired by these activities then we can have a little hope that literacy shall be passed down for the future generations to come. Required word count for essay: 2.000 words Complete word count of essay: 2.036 words

‘Sub-Roman’ Britain? Essay -- British history, Imperial Rome Rule

The term ‘sub-Roman’ Britain is traditionally the name that refers to the period of British history that loosely charts from the end of Imperial Roman rule in AD 410 to the arrival of Saint Augustine and his Christian missionaries in AD 597. However, the date for the definitive end of the period is arbitrary as sub-Roman culture continued to develop in the country that would subsequently be known as Wales and similarly in the west of England in areas such as Cornwall and Cumbria. The term ‘sub-Roman’ has become synonymous with this period due to the classification of pottery from this era by archaeologists as degenerate forms of Roman craftsmanship. However, To say that sub-Roman Britain was simply Roman Britain in decay is to overlook both its achievements (monasticism, penitentials) and the continuity with its Roman (Latin education, Mediterranean trade) and Celtic (La Tà ¨ne jewelry, the bardic tradition) past. The Focus of this essay shall be to assess the period to understand and consider the legitimacy of the term â€Å"Sub-Roman† Britain. Several terms to describe Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries have had a popular and reinforced usage throughout the history of scholarship. Apart from being known as objectively as two centuries between the end of Roman Imperial rule and the return of christianity, the period may also be considered a part of the early Middle Ages, if continuity with the following periods is stressed. Popular (and occasionally some academic) works use a range of more dramatic names for the period: the Dark Ages, the Brythonic Age, the Age of Tyrants, or the Age of Arthur. The term â€Å"Post-Roman† is emerging as the preferred form of classifying this confusing and enigmatic time as it is more sensitive to the... ...lyn. Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications Moorhead, S.,; Stuttard, D., (2012). The Romans who Shaped Britain. London, Thames & Hudson. Morris, J. (1973) The Age of Arthur, a history of the British Isles from 350 to 650, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Reece, R. ( Jun. 1980) â€Å"Town and Country: The End of Roman Britain† in World Archaeology, Vol. 12, No. 1, Classical Archaeology, Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Snyder, C. (1997) â€Å"Sub-Roman Britain, an Introduction† on Vortigern Studies.org.uk http://www.vortigernstudies.org.uk/artgue/snyder.htm [accessed 02/01/14] (1996). Sub-Roman Britain (AD 400-600): A Gazetteer of Sites. British Archaeological Reports (BAR) British Series No. 247. Oxford: Tempvs Reparatvm Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (Third ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press Thomas, C. (1981) Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500 London: Batsford

The Versatile, and Loved Cherry Tree :: Botany

The Versatile, and Loved Cherry Tree People all across the world enjoy cherries for their sweet flavor in pies, candies, and pastries. They have become one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world. As reported by the Columbia Encyclopedia Online (2000), they can be found in home orchards all across the country. However, the cherry tree has many uses. Some varieties are valued for their beautiful flowers, others for the wood that can be made into high quality furniture. Whatever the variety or use, the cherry tree is an important plant in today's society. The cherry tree traces its origins back to the east. The earliest signs of cherry trees come from the area around Asia Minor, Persia, and Transcaucasia (www.botany.com, 2000). To this area of the world, the cherry tree has become almost a sacred plant, with many varieties of flowering cherry trees being cultivated into various forms all valued for their flowers. This has become so popular in the east that in Japan they have even instituted a national holiday around the time that the trees begin to blossom (The Columbia Encyclopedia Online, 2000). Cherry trees were introduced to Europe through both natural processes and human interaction. By 73 BC, the cherry tree had been introduced to most of southern and central Europe with the help of the Romans. Soon after, the plants started to appear in Great Britain, where they were able to flourish (MS Encarta Online, 2000). Now there are species of cherry trees all over the Northern Hemisphere with species and varieties that have adapted so well to the different environments that today you can find varieties of cherry tree in almost any region, from California to Japan, that have developed unique and prized characteristics (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1999). Cherry trees, like many fruit bearing trees, are members of the rose family. The scientific name for the family is Rosaceae. Cherries are in the genus Prunus along with apricots, peaches, and plums (The Columbia Encyclopedia Online, 2000). Cherry trees come in hundreds of varieties, but are derived from only a few species. There are two main species valued for their fruit, a couple of species are known for producing high quality wood or are grown as ornamentals. All species of cherry tree have varieties that are prized for their beautiful and aromatic flowers (www.botany.com, 2000). One of the cherries that bear edible fruit is known scientifically as Prunus avium.

Nothingness :: Creative Writing Short Stories

Nothingness The wall appears to be chiseled from one large block of marble. As if the Gods themselves found a piece of black marble large enough to cover an area apparently the size of Kansas. In fact the Gods themselves did, for this is the wall of Asgaard, realm of the Gods. Seated amidst mountains of mist and covering fully half of existence, the city of the Norse dead is surrounded by this towering wall of rough black marble. From the mountains, a stone paved path winds down to the foot of the wall. On the path a group of figures are descending its flagstones, working their way to the foot of an immense silver gate, that stands ajar, opening the way for any travelers. The gate is a delicate appearing mesh of shining sliver; if closed, even Thor could not force it open. He has tried. It must be that strong, it guards the only path between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Approximately forty souls are approaching the gate; one leads. She is a large woman, with long blonde hair braided down her back. Her white robes flow around her, giving the appearance of reality and solidity, an odd sight in the spirit world. Turning to those who follow her she focuses her gaze on each in turn,  ³No matter what happens, do not go through the gate. Only the Seekers may go through. You are not prepared for what will be on the other side. ² Her followers do not react, those whose eyes are open are more interested in the terrain. The majority of the people appear to be sleeping, their faces are relaxed and their eyes are closed. Of those whose eyes are open, only a few are awake and alert. Two are especially noteworthy. One is a tall youth with shoulder length blonde hair, the other is sightly shorter, with long curly dark brown hair. He is wearing a kilt and a short, ceremonial sword at his belt. The blonde lad is standing still, absorbing his surroundings with a passion. He seems to be looking for something.

Yahoo CEO

Daniel Loeb, a New York hedge fund manager and who owns a 5. Per cent stake In Yahoo, came out In open to share his view against the company and Scott Thompson. However, Dan Lyons at The Dally Beast supported Thompson. Yahoo was quick to call the mistake an â€Å"inadvertent errÐ’Â « but after increasing pressure the board hired an outside counsel for the investigation (Epitome J, 2012). Thompson, later on sent a memo to the employees apologizing for the scandal (Goldman D, & Epitome J, 2012) Was it appropriate for a giant like Yahoo to call the mistake an â€Å"inadvertent error†?I believe No. If you produce a zero error on your balance sheets, and In the internet services you provide o your customers then this reasoning would simply be a blunder. COOS actions were ethically irresponsible because he was breaching the trust of board of directors who had hired him, in this case, without verifying his credentials on resume. Also, socially irresponsible because there are inv estors, people who trust CEO and any such incident on his part does send a bad signal to them.There are two things to debate upon – Should Yahoo have fired Scott Thompson the moment they found out that he lied on his resume? & Was It ethical on the part of Scott Thompson, considering the session he was In, to falsely claim the degree he never received? I would particularly like to be aggressive on each of the two questions. Yes, Yahoo should have immediately fired Scott Thompson the moment the allegations were verified. In doing so, the company would have set good example of holding good morals.The CEO is the top most level in any corporate the employees look up to, in terms of role model and as a leader. Any allegations on him could set a bad tone down the ladder In the company. Falling to fire him could have sent a bad signal at the lower order of getting way with the things and who knows many more such cases might show up in the near future. According to the consequentiali ty model, the only thing that matters is the consequence of your act. The act, whether right or wrong, decides the fate of the person and of the other people who should also bear the consequences (Moldavia, M).The consequentiality model in this case did not apply to the Coo's actions. The outburst of his lie cost him his Job and also put the reputation of Yahoo at stake, however on some level It could be argued that he was trying to Improve the existing condition of Yahoo, but not for too long. Also, that did not prove positive to any of the person in the company considering his short tenure. The share prices collapsed and the company was In the limelight for the wrong reason.Also, it is not ethical on the part of any CEO to make false claims in his resume. Had Scott rectified his resume and removed the Computer Science degree from It, exactly the same way have been much different now for Yahoo. Scott, during his short tenure at Yahoo took some crucial steps of laying off 14% of the employees (Lied, M, 2012) in an effort to improve the financial condition of the company. Had he been there for a longer period, he might have raised the company's financial position and the situation would have been completely different.However, his small act of not removing the false claim from his resume proved too costly for him and in turn for Yahoo. Communitarian's theory of moral reasoning also has no application with Scott Thompson. The theory states to be true to your contracts, whether implicit or explicit, in which you willfully enter (Moldavia, M). However, in this case Scott Thompson signs in the annual report right below the line that says â€Å"This report does not contain NY untrue statement of a material fact. † (Epitome J, 2012, Pl 73) This is complete contradiction to the theory of Communitarian's.Another thing to notice is that Scott Thompson did not feel to resign from his position. Instead he sent an apology memo to all the employees (Goldman D, & Epito me J, 2012). Who knows, Yahoo might have not even accepted his resignation, owing to his future productive plans, similar to the case of Bausch & Lomb CEO Ronald Carmella, who placed his resignation, on account of false degree claims in his resume, to the board only to be later rejected and then e served another six years before retiring in 2008.

Euthyphro

Analysis of Euthyphro Nikon121 PHI 200 Bob Harris October 15, 2012 Analysis of Euthyphro Socrates was put to death in Athens for subverting the youth of the city. He was indicted by Meletus and awaiting his trail on the porch of the King of Archon when he met Euthyphro. It was at this point he engaged in a debate about piety. In this paper, I will examine that debate and present my own conclusion about its purpose as well as my own definition of piety. Holiness, or piousness, is the center of the conversation between Socrates and Euthyphro.Both of the men met on the porch of the King to deal with a legal matter; Socrates the defendant and Euthyphro the plaintiff. Socrates was being charged with impiety, and Euthyphro was bringing charges against his father for murdering a servant. When Socrates heard of the nature of Euthyphro’s case, he concluded that Euthyphro must have understood the nature of impiety and piety. Since Socrates was being persecuted for a lack of piety, he be gan a conversation to understand the nature of piety and impiety. In the dialogue, six different definitions of piety were given and refuted by Socrates through Socratic questioning.Socratic questioning has three main goals: to challenge assumptions and self-proclaimed experts, discover a deeper understanding, and apply rational standards critically. Each of the six definitions failed to stand up to the Socratic questioning, and in the end we are left even more confused about what piety really is. The first definition of piety given by Euthyphro was that it was doing what he was doing, and any other similar acts (Plato & Jowett). This was easily refuted by Socrates as he had asked for a clear standard from which to judge all acts, and Euthyphro had given examples only.Piety is that which is dear to the gods, and impiety is that which is not dear to them is the next definition given by Euthyphro (Plato & Jowett). Piety and impiety are clear opposites, so one act cannot be both. Howev er, by this definition, since there were many gods, it is possible for an act to be both pious and impious. The gods often disagreed in many old stories, so if one god held an act to be dear it was possible another would hate it. This would make an act pious and impious, which is a contradiction.After his above point was refuted, Euthyphro modified his point to read that holiness is what all the gods love and the opposite was hated by all of them (Plato & Jowett). This definition is a bit harder to refute, but it definitely falls short of giving a clear standard from which to judge all acts. This definition fails to show the nature of piety. It says the gods love piety but it does not clearly explain why. There has to be a reason that the gods love piety, and without that reason piety seems to become relativist concept. I think this definition just gives a characteristic of piety.The next definition given is that holiness is part of justice that is concentrated on by the gods (Plato & Jowett). Socrates uses examples of people attending to lesser beings for the sake of improving them, and shows that this is impossible with gods since they are beings above us. The word attending defeats this definition. This leads to another unclear definition that suggests that people somehow improve the gods, which we know from the concept of a god is impossible: holiness is that part of justice devoted to service or ministration to the gods; it is learning how to please them with words or deeds (Plato & Jowett).The last definition given by Euthyphro, before he runs off leaving more questions than answers, is piety is the art or science that gods and men use to do business with each other (Plato & Jowett). This definition falls short in that it does not clearly show the benefit gained by the gods in this perceived business deal. It only seems to suggest that they find the act pleasing, which seems to lead back to the third definition. This definition commits a common fallacy t ermed Begging the Question. It defines pious as being pious because it is pious, which is not much of an answer.Socrates goal in this conversation is to understand piety, so that he can defend himself in his hearing. However, I believe that this piece has a deeper goal that belonged to Plato. It seemed that he wished to expose piety for the sham that it is to shame those that executed Socrates. I believe this because before Socrates was executed he asked that a goat be sacrificed to the god of medicine. I believe this showed that he believed in an afterlife, which indicates belief in the gods. I believe that this dialogue did not actually happen and was simply written by Plato after the death of his teacher.I think this is shown through the nature of the character of Euthyphro. He was a self-proclaimed expert on piety, as most piety experts are, and he failed to have an intelligent response to any question posed by Socrates. After failing miserably to give a satisfactory answer, he ran off. I believe this demonstrates that Plato was using this piece to put piety itself on trial. I am not a very stout believer in holiness so I can only think of a way to modify one of Euthyphro’s existing definitions to explain it.I believe a clear explanation of piety would have been to say that the gods’ love makes acts pious. This gives an explanation of why certain acts are pious, but it still does not give the nature of piousness. Socrates may have questioned why the gods loved the acts, as the reason the gods loved them would be a clearer answer than the fact that the gods’ love made the acts pious. If that answer is missing this definition also seems the follow the last definition of Euthyphro. It would seem to say that pious acts are pious because the gods love them, which is baseless and arbitrary.I believe no one thinks that moral claims are baseless so this definition would also fall short of Socrates expectations. There is no definition about why acts are pious, because pious acts are determined by men and attributed to God. Men have created God and said that he has given out certain principles, but the real reason that these acts were determined right or wrong are lost in the annuals of time. At some point, some community labeled certain acts right and wrong; perhaps nature built it into us, but nature is accepting of killing one’s own kind so this also falls short as an explanation.The reality is that the concepts of what are right and wrong were decided by early humans and adopted by society as a whole. The concept of religion furthered those beliefs of right and wrong until they became widespread. These beliefs today have become such an integral part of what we are that we fail to realize that these morals may not be right. If early humans had decided differently, and early religion adopted those views, we would have an entirely different set of morally right and wrong concepts.We would also view those concepts a s being undeniably right, and view the opposites as impossibly incorrect. However, killing one’s own kind is something that happens in nature with very little impact, so our moral code is still very open for debate as is piousness and its origins. References Mosser, K. (2010). Philosophy: A concise introduction. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Plato, & Jowett, B. (n. d. ). Euthyphro. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved from http://www. gutenberg. org/ebooks/1642