Explain the Relationship Between Karma, Dependent Origination

Karma, dependent origination and rebecoming are all big parts of the Buddhist religion and link quite closely – dependent origination basically teaches that everything is connected, which corresponds with karma, the teaching that good behaviours will have good consequences and bad behaviours will have bad consequences, and generating bad karma will result in being trapped in samsara, the process of rebecoming that is structured by suffering or dukkha – another concept dependent origination explains.Dependent origination or the principle of conditionality (paticca samuppada) is the principle that nothing exists independently of anything else. Everything depends on something else in order for it to exist, and is part of a web of conditions whereby when the conditions one thing relies on cease to exist, it does too. These conditioned states define us as we constantly change whilst we are in samsara, however they cause dukkha to arise as they are impermanent and caused by c raving or tanha. Karma is within dependent origination.The literal meaning is ‘volitional (willed) action’ or ‘volitional actions have consequences’. Good or skilful actions, kusala, generate good merit, punna, and bad pr unskilful actions, akusala, generate bad merit, apunna. The general understanding of karma is that if you do something bad then the universe will cause something bad to happen to you. In Buddhism it is believed that karma is carried through the process of samsara, be it good or bad karma, and it shapes who we are – as the Dhammapada says, ‘our life is shaped by our mind, we become what we think’.It is often likened to a seed (bija) as it is stored in the unconscious mind, and it will ripen (vipaka) and produce fruit (phala) when under the right conditions, caused by positive karmic action. It does not necessarily mean that if you cause something bad to happen to someone or something then you will generate bad karma â₠¬â€œ the nature of the karma relies on the intention of an action rather than the outcome. Punna can also come about as the result of auspicious actions.These include supporting the sangha (Buddhist community), providing help to those in need (for example giving food and shelter or donating to charities), empathising with another person’s auspicious deeds. Karma helps to develop wisdom and mindfulness, as we become more aware of the consequences of our actions and therefore are more careful. It also emphasises the importance of freewill, as it helps to explain that we make our own destiny and we cannot always refer to fate as the reason behind happenings. Karma is very relevant to the cycle of rebecoming as karma is passed on through each life – in Buddhism there is no soul, only karma.Rebirth can occur in different realms displayed in the Tibetan wheel of life – the Heaven Realm, where the fruits of previous positive karmic actions are enjoyed but beings forget that they must still strive for enlightenment; the Titan Realm, where warlike beings are constantly conflicting and have also forgotten the might strive for enlightenment; the Animal Realm, where the only concern is for the basic physical needs of food, sex and sleep and beings are lacking in education and culture; the Hell Realm, where torture and hatred is constantly present; the Hungry Ghost Realm, where nothing is satisfying and everything turns to fire; and the Human Realm, where pleasure and pain are both present and enlightenment is most easily attainable. These realms are not exactly literal but more in reference to different states of mind. The ultimate goal is to exclude oneself from the ongoing cycle of pain and suffering by becoming enlightened. To achieve this, ignorance (avidya) must be tackled in order to recognise the consequences of actions (karma) and avoid suffering caused by impermanence (anicca) and no self (anatta).

The Cvs Web Strategy: an Evaluation of the Challenges and Advantages

THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: INTEGRATION OF AN ONLINE PHARMACY THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION OF THE CHALLENGES AND ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATING AN ONLINE PHARMACY By Leah Bouk Wingate University 1 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY ABSTRACT This paper discusses the considerations surrounding CVS Pharmacy’s initiative to become a part of the virtual drugstore industry. Specifically, the organizational structure, fundamental design of the autonomous innovation, and strategic positioning of CVS. com were considered in evaluating the drug store’s ability to react to the disruptive technology.This paper serves to evaluate the effective initiatives, problems, and possible solutions to the considerations outlined above. As a result of this analysis, one can deduce that acquiring the web company Soma. com, instead of creating its own online component, was a successful strategy for the autonomous innovation. Shortfalls include not executing a strategy to circumvent the MerckMedco mail order dilem ma. Ultimately, a recommendation is that CVS. com differentiate itself by personalizing customer home pages and by fostering relationships with prescribing healthcare providers. THE CVS WEB STRATEGY TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 Landscape†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Organizational Structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Autonomous Innovation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Strategic Positioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 3 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION OF THE INTEGRATION OF AN ONLINE PHARMACY INTRODUCTIONStrict regulation throughout the healthcare and pharmaceu tical industries arguably slows the advancement in technological innovation, especially when compared to the computer and automobile industries. Therefore, innovation in a multiproduct, integrated and hierarchical organization, like CVS Pharmacy, can be slow moving or non-existent. Nevertheless, the healthcare industry is a money-making giant and companies like CVS, which was rated number 47 on CNN’s Most Profitable Companies in 2011, help justify this point (cnn. oney. com). This paper discusses the considerations surrounding CVS Pharmacy’s initiative to cope with the disruptive technology created by the virtual drugstore industry. Specifically, I will discuss the organizational structure by virtue of the autonomous innovation and the strategic positioning of CVS. com. This paper serves to evaluate the effective initiatives, problems and possible solutions to the issues surrounding the onboarding of CVS. com. 4 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY LANDSCAPEIt is important to understa nd the complexity of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry at the time the CVS drugstore chain was exploring the idea of acquiring an online option for its customers in 1999. The process of diagnosing, prescribing, dispensing and delivery was, and still is, extremely regulated. As an example, only licensed physicians have the capability to prescribe medications and only licensed retailers are able to dispense them. In addition, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have already monopolized the management of drug prescribing and dispensing by1999.PBMs put together formularies, through negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies, the retail pharmacies and the employers’ Managed Care Organization (MCO), that mandated which drug could be prescribed for a certain disease. Furthermore, many PBMs require that all 30 day supply prescriptions for chronic diseases be dispensed through mail order and many of the PBMs acquire their own distribution centers to provide this service. Thu s, the Managed Care Organizations, physicians, retail pharmacies and the patient all rely on PBMs to ensure the lowest cost and best care for all involved (Reinke, 2009).Like PBMs, retail pharmacies also enjoy the market power they generate. The paper CVS: The Web Strategy describes the impact of the retail pharmacy by relating that two thirds of all prescriptions filled at retail were filled by drugstores in 1999, which made up a 100 billion dollar market In 1998, CVS was second to Walgreen bringing in 15. 2 billion dollars (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2001, p. 11). 5 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY â€Å"Pure-play† online drugstores and non-prescription health care sites made their debut in the first quarter of 1999 and CVS followed suit by purchasing Soma. om to leverage a â€Å"clicks and mortar† operation that would combine a physical presence with a web presence. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Although it may seem atypical of a multi-product, integrated, hierarchical firm to look exte rnally for innovation, the relationship was a win-win for both CVS pharmacy and the virtual firm Soma. com. This idea is revealed in the essay CVS: The Web Strategy, which states, â€Å"CVS hoped to offer CVS. com the benefits of its buying power, advertising strength, brand name and access to 280 million prescriptions, while retaining the entrepreneurial spirit of the organization† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2001, p. ). After thorough examination of both options, CVS decided to acquire the start-up company, since it would be quick to implement (only 3 to 4 months), it would bring intangible assets, and it shared the culture and views of CVS. The intangible tacit knowledge that Soma. com would bring to CVS included experienced employees with mail order prescription backgrounds and an understanding of the west coast market, since CVS stores were concentrated in the northeast and Soma. com’s headquarters were on the west coast.This national coverage provided for a larger sc ope that the online store would be able to take advantage of. Moreover, CVS was able to acquire 100% ownership of soma. com, which would allow for vertical integration within CVS. Merging with CVS made sense to soma. com as well. The virtual company was able to benefit from the economies of scale, as the cost of the web division could be spread across increasing units of production or in serving CVS’s growing customer base. Teece describes the benefit of an alliance between virtual and competent manufactures by saying that â€Å"if [virtual 6 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY irms] do indeed establish a strong alliance with a competent manufacturer, they may also have the capacity to be first to market, despite the absence of the requisite internal capabilities† (Teece, 2009, p. 59). Both soma. com and the PBMs, with which CVS works to get reimbursed for medications, would benefit from becoming a part, or affiliated with, CVS due to the company’s strong branding. John M. Gal laugher iterates this point in saying that â€Å"a firm’s brand is the symbolic embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service, and a strong brand can also be an exceptionally powerful resource for competitive advantage. Adding a website component will also enhance an already prominent brand. â€Å"Tech can play a critical role in rapidly and cost-effectively strengthening a brand† (Gallaugher, 2008, p. 6). While there were many advantages for CVS in acquiring Soma. com, CVS experienced the disadvantages of not owning the complementary asset, Merck-Medco, who refused to reimburse CVS. com for 30 day supply prescriptions. The issue surrounded the fact that MerckMedco already provided a mail order delivery for 30 day supply prescriptions and was not going to relinquish this opportunity to CVS. com.As previously outlined, PBMs were an integral complementary asset to the prescription drug industry in 1999 and served a large majority of CVS’s customers. Teece reveals that â€Å"when the services of complementary assets are required for new technology to yield value to the consumer, they can play an important role in the competitive advantage equation† (Teece, 2009, p25). Furthermore, Teece relates that â€Å"competitive advantage can be gained or lost on how expertly the strategy for gaining access is executed† (Teece, 2009, p25). Further research reveals that in shortly after CVS. om was launched, Merck-Medco and CVS formed an alliance so that CVS customers could purchase their prescriptions on the Merck-Medco site (Conlin, 1999). 7 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY AUTONOMOUS INNOVATION Since CVS was a highly integrated company, incorporating the online pharmacy throughout the rest of the company, or systemic innovation, would be extremely costly and might discourage further innovation. This is what happened to General Motors when the automobile industry switched from drum brakes to disc brakes. Because GM had investe d a great deal of time and money to produce drum brakes, it was slow to move towards producing disc brakes.GM’s competitors, however, who outsourced and relied on outside relationships were forced to make the switch and gained a better position in the industry (Teece, 2003, p. 192). Thus, CVS was smart to opt for an autonomous organizational approach by creating a separate website team managed by Soma. com. This team could react to the changing environment quickly and make recommendations against initiatives that would be time consuming and costly, as they did when the Vice President of Marketing for CVS, Helena Foulkes, argued that all products sold in stores should be available for purchase on the website.Foulkes was focused on learning about the customer through their online activities. Large, integrated companies also tend to focus on customers for innovation, which is not always the best angle. The paper, CVS: The Web Strategy, reveals that the CVS merchandising departme nt spent a lot of time and energy on the internal and external benchmarks, relying on customer activities when making decisions about marketing, promotion, pricing and merchandising. They would then send this codified information to the CVS. com online team (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. ). Clayton Christenson, an expert in the field of technological innovation, discusses the problem that arises when too much emphasis is placed on the customer. Christenson relates that â€Å"the highest-performing companies†¦have well developed systems for killing ideas that their customers don’t want. As a result, these companies find it very 8 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY difficult to invest adequate resources in disruptive technologies—lower-margin opportunities that their customers don’t want—until their customers want them† (Christensen, 1997). STRATEGIC POSITIONINGAs previously outlined, the initiative to integrate an online pharmacy was not a new concept to t he industry. Therefore, it was important that CVS. com respond to the disruptive technology by differentiating itself from the other online drugstores. CVS. com would offer online patient counseling through a virtual pharmacist, which was available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Tom Pigott, founder of Soma. com relates about the significance of providing this service, â€Å"we had pharmacists, which created an inherent barrier to entry. Anyone can start a vitamin shop, all you need are a ebsite and a supplier† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. 6). Another feature of CVS. com that set it apart was the â€Å"clicks and mortar† delivery options. This term refers to an operation that combines a physical presence with a web presence. Helena Foulkes describes a personal testimony of the convenience of the â€Å"clicks and mortar† operation. â€Å"For someone like me who works and has children and doesn’t think about getting to a store till 11’o clock at n ight, it would be extremely convenient to hop online and place an order and pick up that much-needed prescription on the way home† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. ). Despite the attempts of CVS. com to differentiate from other online pharmacies, the company’s myopic views were a source of several missed opportunities to leverage competitive advantage. First, CVS. com should have better integrated the Xtra! Frequent Shopper Program, in which customers gained points that turned in rewards, so that consumers could benefit from prescriptions ordered online. Second, CVS. com could have created a more personalized home 9 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY age that, not only stored a customer’s order history, but provided information about side effects and related diseases when a customer entered a prescription. The secure personal homepage could potentially even keep track of doctor’s appointments for the customer, creating a reminder that would be emailed to the customer a day before the visit. The more data CVS. com could capture about their customers, the stronger the switching cost would be. Switching costs exist when consumers incur an expense, money or time, to move from one product or service to another (Gallaugher, 2008, p. ). Thomas Reinke reveals this concept in a peer reviewed journal explaining the reason why companies do not want to switch to other PBMs, â€Å"employers are reluctant to switch vendors because of the work and cost involved and-more importantly-because of the hassle it creates for employees in learning the rules and procedures of a new company† (Reinke, 2009, p. 5). Thus, the more capabilities the customer has on one website, the more data they will enter and the least likely they will be willing to switch to another pharmacy.Finally, competitive advantage could be gained by marketing to physicians who use electronic prescription relay. CVS. com could create an interface just for physicians, easier to use than other s ystems and with added capabilities, such as pop-up restrictions from a patient’s insurance company or current promotions at the point a prescription was entered. Again, if physicians found this service useful, they would not want to learn a new system, sustaining the competitive advantage of CVS. com. SUMMARYThe issues surrounding the quest of CVS to successfully respond to the disruptive technology in a way that would create a sustainable competitive advantage in the drug store industry are examined. By evaluating the organizational structure of CVS. com, one can deduce 10 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY that fully acquiring the web company Soma. com, instead of creating its own online component, was a successful strategy in autonomous innovation that would benefit the company in the long run. In contrast, not executing a strategy to circumvent the Merck-Medco mail order dilemma may have contributed to CVS. com’s slow start in September of 1999.Because the PBM will likely not ag ree to be acquired by CVS, the best solution to this problem is to form an alliance with Merck-Medco, especially considering the market power of both CVS and Merck-Medco. Ultimately, in order to sustain a competitive advantage against companies who offer similar services, CVS. com must differentiate itself by capitalizing on the ability to personalize customer home pages and by fostering relationships with prescribing healthcare providers. 11 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY REFERENCES Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail.Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press. Conlin, R. (1999, October 6). CVS To Fill Online Orders For Merck-Medco. E-Commerce Times: E-Business Means Business. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://www. ecommercetimes. com/story/1380. html Fortune 500 2011: Top Performers – Most Profitable Companies: Profits. (n. d. ). CNNMoney Business, financial and personal finance news. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/performers/companies/profits/ Reinke, T. (2009, October). Large PBMs Transform Old Business Models. Managed Care, 1-4.Shah, A. (1999). CVS: The Web Strategy. Harvard Business School Publishing, 1(1), 1-17. Retrieved June 5, 2012, from the Harvard Business School Publishing database. Teece, D. J. , & Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). When is Virtual Virtuous? Organizing for Innovation. Essays in technology management and policy (pp. 189-197). River Edge: World Scientific Publishing Co. Teece, D. J. (2009). Governance Modes and Technological Innovation. Managing intellectual capital: organizational, strategic, and policy dimensions (p. 64). Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 2000) 12

Gothic a Revival of Culture

The Gothic, through the motif of the double explores the struggle between the good and evil within man† To what extent are Poe's short stories, Coleridge's Christabel and R. L Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde explorations of the duality of man. The gothic, as a fictional genre, came about as a result ot cultural changes in the eighteenth century; these cultural changes began to form through the renaissance. This transitional period between the Medieval Era and the modern world changed the way of thinking. The word itself means â€Å"revival† or â€Å"rebirth†.Moving further away rom religious devotion it allowed new ideas to form, thus the development of the gothic. â€Å"Hlstorlcally, the Goths were one of several Germanic tribes Instrumental In the fall of the Roman Empire†¦ [they] left no literature or art of their own, [and were] remembered only as the invaders and destroyers of the great Roman civilization. † 1 This historical aspect allowed the development of the new boundary pushing form of literature, Introducing elements of horror and romance Into newly formed gothic texts.The first gothic novel published was The Castle of Otranto, subtitled as â€Å"A Gothic Story† written by the English author Horace Walpole. This new style of writing was imitated both through prose fiction and theatrical drama through the texts; Coleridge's poem Christabel, many of Edgar Allan Poes short stories and R. L Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Through time the interpretations of a gothic text changes, allowing the readers to challenge what they read. All three texts were published in the 19th century, except the first edition of Christabel (published 1797).This time period was primarily based around religion and Biblical Interpretations. And so, these new strange ideas may have angered the audiences due to the lack of religious devotion from the authors onto the characters, The ‘double', otherwise known as the ‘Doppelga nger,' was defined by Federick S. Frank as â€Å"a second self or alternate Identity, sometimes, but not always, a physical twin. The Doppelganger in demonic form can be a reciprocal or lower bestial self†2 The double motif suggests that we are burdened with a dual, for example, Dr.Jekyll and his evil double Mr. Hyde are contrasted to represent the battle between the rational, intellectual self (Jekyll) and the irrational, foul selt (Hyde). The double characters featured In texts are often paired within common relationships, such as family relations, hero/villain, creator/creature, etc. R. L. Stevenson's novel. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde expresses the idea of the duality of human nature; however this motif did not arise fully until the last few chapters, when the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Is revealed.We have already witnessed Hyde's overriding violence and have seen the contrasting gentle and honorable Dr. Jekyll, One of the main themes of the double is physic al appearance as Hyde is portrayed in animalistic erms: â€Å"short†, â€Å"hairy, and like a â€Å"troglodyte† with â€Å"gnarled hands† and a â€Å"horrific face†. But, In contrast, Jekyll Is described In the most elegant manner – â€Å"tall†, â€Å"refined†, â€Å"polite,† with â€Å"long elegant fingers† and a â€Å"handsome appearance†. This suggests Jekyll's experiment reduces his being to its most basic form, allowing evil to run freely, ignoring the unwritten rules of society.Stevenson explains the motif of duality toys uslng tne cnaracter 0T Jekyll as ne claims, â€Å"Man Is not truly one, out truly two,† as every soul contains traits of both good and evil, but one is always empowering. This novel is perhaps one of the most renowned examples of literature using the doppelganger idea; another theme stemming from the duplication of man is the psychoanalytical interpretation and the presentation of F reud's theory of the id and superego. Dr. Jekyll represents the superego and Mr. Hyde the id. It is in fact his mind that is the ego, bringing him back and forth between the two characters but Dr.Jekyll acknowledges and does what is morally best. The ego, hidden in his unconscious, is constantly debating between the superego and the ‘d, it's the good vs. evil and conscious vs. unconscious. The term ‘unconscious' is similar to that of the unknown, leading to a scary factor of a ‘double' as the living being is simply unaware of their instincts and desires, making them equally unaware of their capabilities. Sigmund Freud developed the theory of mental life called psychoanalysis, emphasising the psychodynamics of the mind.His most important assumption was the force driving a person's mental life, affecting their behaviour operating at an unconscious level; in one part of the personality call the id. The id works primarily on the pleasure principle bound up in self-grat ification and uncaring to others- again perating entirely at an unconscious level. Two other types of personality were assumed: ego and superego. The ego functions the reality principle, while the superego represents the person's ideal self, presenting the moral standards of society.The Juxtaposed types of personality; id and the ego are initially the two results we are left with when a character has a ‘double'. Similarly, In Coleridge's Christabel, the character of Geraldine becomes Christabel's evil double- arguably her id. The cause of â€Å"a shudder in [his] blood† from Dr. Jekyll in the presence of Mr. Hyde is not simply one characteristic of his nature. It is the combination of evil and disability. â€Å"Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish; he gave an impression of deformity†¦ a sort of murderous mixture† the realisation of obtaining â€Å"murderous mixture† expands Freudian theories of evil, the id, taking over the person.This uneven ratio of perso nalities causes such malevolence ideas of murder to form. Likewise, the perception of the divided self is also presented in Coleridge's Christabel. In this poem, the character of Geraldine becomes Christabel's evil double. Arguably, the poem explores the, â€Å"struggle of evil and innocence, [and] the manner in hich evil works upon and transforms innocence,†3 as in the extended poem we see Geraldine attempts to use Christabel's innocent image as an advantage: clearly demonstrating the divide between good and evil within the two female characters.The same sex double is equally shown within the two male characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The idea of a same sex double, accentuates the concept of similarities between the actual self and the duplication. The same psychoanalytical approach, as used to interpret Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's doubling, can also be used to argue many concepts, from Coleridge's poetry. The poem, the Kubla Khan, according to Coleridge, he claimed the v isions highlighted in the poem, occurred to him in a dream demonstrating -Freud's hypothesis of the unconscious, as the development of dreams is prominent in the unconscious region of the mind..Setting is also, a very important aspect of Gothic literature. The Garden of Eden is often used as a symbol in western literature; to show life before sin and corruption, the serpent and its temptatlons towards Eve, explore tne corruptlon 0T tne Innocent, temptatlons ana evil. This religious interpretation of the setting featured in Christabel differs to that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As Stevenson describes Dr. Jekyll's laboratory as, â€Å"a certain sinister block of building†¦ [This] bore in every feature the marks of profound and sordid negligence. With its decaying disguise and air of neglect, the laboratory quite neatly symbolizes the corrupt and perverse Hyde. The idea of the â€Å"laboratory' indicates the influence of the renaissance and the new science interpretations being made, unlike the religious, Garden of Eden imagery. The city of London itself is also represented in contrasting terms, as â€Å"both a foggy', â€Å"dreary', as a â€Å"nightmarish place†, and a â€Å"well-kept†, â€Å"bustling centre of commerce. Just as the characters Jekyll and Hyde and Christabel and Geraldine, have both positive and negative qualities, so does society.Doubling is yet again present in the second part of the poem of Christabel, whereby the dove being strangled by â€Å"the bright green snake† presents the spell casted from Geraldine onto Christabel, to mute Christabel's true speech and emotions. The image of the white dove shows Christabel's innocence, which had lost the battle between the envious serpent (Geraldine). The imagery of the serpent emphasises how religion was a prominent influential factor towards this poem, ymbolizing the Biblical translation of the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve.

Unemployment in France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Unemployment in France - Essay Example Unemployment in France Unemployment has taken the centre stage in past political campaigns, with leaders making promises on lowering the unemployment rate. It was evident with former president Nicolas Sarkozy before his election in 2007, and was atop agenda in the 2012 May elections between him and the current president, Francois Holland. As the second largest economy in the Eurozone, France’s trend in unemployment seemed to have staggered in the last one decade, but is highly escalating, especially since the end of 2011. France was among the nations’ worst hit by the global recession in 2008, which left its economy struggling. The nation sunk deep into crisis and had to be bailed out by the international monetary fund (IMF), to try position the economy into balance. France contributes a great share of unemployment in the entire EU economy. As of May, France marked the 24th month of growing unemployment, with 5.1 million people unemployed, as the president struggled to revive the economy that was already in a recession in the first quarter of the year 2013. Unemployment figures for 2012 and 2013 indicate more than 10 % growth, which has begun to cause tension among the citizens. Occurring in France, it is clear that unemployment is a problem affecting even the nations with considerable industrial activity. The youths are the majority, and besides having an impact on the economy, joblessness continues to be a personal and social problem. In the past 3 years, some quarters recorded zero growth rate of unemployment, and though the awaited hope after the elections, numerous companies have announced a substantial number of layoffs, which is actually an indication of a worsening situation in the labour industry. (BBC, 2012). (France Unemployment, n.d.) Many blame the former government, but much has to be done in the current leadership to reverse the situation, and at least keep the rate below a figure of 3 million. This paper focuses on the issue of unemployment in France, with a bias on the youth and the government strategies in place to counter the problem. Unemployment has merged with other economical problems to influence the performance of the general economy , causing quandary within households, social settings, organizations, and the authority in one way or the other. France is no different and has various socio-economic structures that cause unemployment; hence, the demand and supply of labour in its economic organization would guide in understanding the insufficiency and scarcity of jobs in the labour market. Youth unemployment has been the highest in France, as more skilled personnel have increased in the labour market. This adds to the frictional unemployment that the government has been juggling with, in the economy. 2.0 Discussion on the Economic Problem/Issue Causes of France’s High Rate of Unemployment Inflexible labour markets: It is not surprising that a powerful and industrialized country, such as France has always had a higher average unemployment rate than most of its competitors. France, though small in population, has been recording an increasing and constantly higher rate of unemployment than the US economy. Fran ce has had quite a rigid labour market, which has its benefits and shortfalls with the changes in the internal and global economy. It is one of the European countries termed to be inflexible in its labour market policies and institutions that hinder its economic efficiency, full productivity, and competition. During the last global recession, the risks and benefits of labour market rigidity and flexibility came out clearly. France’s rate of unemployment rose by 1.5 percent, compared to the US 5 percent over the course of the

Write about a single special needs area mine is ( ADHD). research that Essay

Write about a single special needs area mine is ( ADHD). research that special needs area - Essay Example What once was dubbed as an immaturity is now classified as a disorder.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a mental condition that is characterized by age-inappropriate features of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity (Heward, 2006). The DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria focuses on a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity or both, with emphasis on the frequency and severity than is typical among individuals of the same age. Inattention is defined failure to focus attention on those elements of the environment that are most relevant to the task at hand. On the other hand, hyperactivity is the excessive psychomotor activity which is out of proportion to the situation while impulsivity is the tendency to act suddenly without giving it much thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has a wide array of symptoms that could very well mimic those of other conditions. This warrants a thorough assessment process by developmental pediatricians, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to rule out other disorders. This entails complete medical examination, review of medications, dietary habits and living conditions. ADHD can be classified as predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or a combined type (Heward, 2006). ADHD combined type has both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity for the past 6 months while ADHD predominantly inattentive type has only inattention for the past 6 months. Subsequently, ADHD hyperactivity-impulsivity has only hyperactive and impulsive symptoms prevalent for the past 6 months.   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common neurobehavioral disorder among school-age children (Antai-Otong, 2003). It is estimated that 3-5% of all school-age children have ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, as cited in Heward, 2006). This translates

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission Essay

Trade and Lending Act Violation Class Rescission - Essay Example The families now want to rescind their mortgages. The clinic has already sent a letter to LFB on behalf of all the families. The KF cannot afford individual lawyers and must sue as a class, requesting rescission of the mortgages. LFB has refused to rescind the mortgages, because the three day right of rescission period had passed. Probably. Class action rescissions under the TILA will likely be permissible because while the KF may not be successful in arguing that the plain language of the TILA included class rescissions, the KF will like prevail because of the Congressional intent in protecting consumers along with the KF seeking a judgment as a class in order to then individually seek rescission justify class rescissions under the TILA. The KF will also likely prevail because their particular situation can only be remedied by class rescissions. The TILA was enacted in 1968 to ensure that creditors provide a meaningful disclosure of credit terms giving the consumer the ability to easily compare the various credit terms available to them and avoid uniform uses of credit. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601 (1995). Creditors must clearly and conspicuously disclose certain key terms such as annual percentage rates, finance charges, and the total number of loan payments due before consummating a credit transaction. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 84 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The TILA allows the consumer a right to rescind a transaction for non-purchase money home-secured loans if a creditor fails to make specific disclosures for up to three years. Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635(f) (1995). Rescission voids the security interest in the home and eliminates the obligation to pay interest or other finance charges or closing costs. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 99 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). Courts have not accepted the TILA class actions lawsuits lightly. Williams v. Empire Funding Corp., 183 F.R.D. 428, 435 (1998). The TILA does create a right for debtors to rescind their contracts under 15 U.S.C.A. 1635, while the TILA addresses class action damages under 15 U.S.C.A. 1640, Truth and Lending Act, 15 U.S.C. 1635, 1640 (1995). It does not address class action suits for rescission explicitly. There is no controlling precedent on this issue; consequently, courts appear divided on this matter. Some courts say that class rescissions are inappropriate, while other courts have relied on carefully drafted complaints to assist in deciding on granting rescission. Elizabeth Renuart, Stop Predatory Lending 106 (National Consumer Law Center) (2002). The factors courts consider are considered in this memo: (1) the plain language of the

Resersal of fortune by Patrick R. Keefe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Resersal of fortune by Patrick R. Keefe - Essay Example Whereas a discussion of the legal engagement and litigation would have been a none too interesting approach, the author instead able to utilize foreshadowing, a representation of the back story and flash forwarding as a means of engaging interest and promoting the action itself where it might otherwise be a boring or ignored. As a function of this particular level of analysis, the author will discuss some of the core strengths and weaknesses of the article in question, â€Å"Reversal of Fortune†, as well as analyzing what aspects could have made the story more effective and powerful to the reader. Similarly, the author also utilizes rhetorical mode and arrangement as a way of highlighting the argument. Ultimately, many critics of this particular article may point to its excessive length as a primary shortfall with regards the interest of the reader might share. However, this link is only the result of the fact that the writer takes a nuanced and differentiated view of the subject matter at hand. Rather than merely delving into the issue and explain both sides, the representation of the back story and a firm and thorough discussion of the data that supports the case is represented. Furthermore, by arranging the topic in terms of a simulant to the way in which a defendant and a prosecution might operate, the author is able to represent the manner through which the case itself is indicative of the lawsuit and legal entanglements that are so effective in understanding what actually occurred. By allowing the reader to make a determination for themselves, rather than for speeding f acts and opinions, the author is able to present a nuanced case that can be understood and appreciated by all individuals that reader; regardless of their political or socioeconomic affiliation/understanding of South American politics and the means

Project Management - planning, conduct, administering, and closing Essay

Project Management - planning, conduct, administering, and closing supply chains [sap5] - Essay Example There are companies that successfully manage internal aspects of their supply chain plan. However, external issues create a greater problem, specifically for  small businesses (Kouvelis, Chambers and Wang, 2006). Small firms have smaller network of  suppliers by building relationships and increasing efficiency hence lowering risk. Ordinarily, certain industries experience higher  supply chain  risks. For instance, pharmaceutical and food companies have strong foundation and understanding of strategy for safeguarding against supply chain problems and interruptions. Effective strategies on supply chain management improve aspects of business like operations and customer service. Code of Conduct Responsibility for people and the environment affects supply chain operations. The role of supply chain includes verifying compliance, making demands, and creating long-term relationships with suppliers (Tyndall, 2004). Moreover, it has to support efforts for sustainable improvements. Cod e of Conduct forms the fundamentals of efforts for improving work environment and working conditions for manufactured products. The code comprises demands pertaining environmental impacts and human rights targeting operations, suppliers and manufacturers. The Code of conduct requirements are derived from the Rights of the Child and the UN Declaration on Human Rights. All manufacturers and suppliers should ratify the Code of Conduct so as to be part of the supply chain. The responsibility of Suppliers is in ensuring that their own manufacturers and suppliers adhere to the Code (Kouvelis, Chambers and Wang, 2006). Manufacturers and Suppliers who cannot or will not sign the Code or live up to organizational needs may not be allowed business. The Code requirements include prohibition of child or forced labour, non discrimination based on personal characteristics or beliefs. Workplace health and safety should be prioritized alongside safe and correct handling of waste and hazardous subst ances. Ultimately, the working conditions must be acceptable. Administering Supply Chain Administering supply chain requires performance of cost-to-serve analysis and regular demand. Fundamentals of segmentation are based on profitability of customers, products and demand dynamics. This analysis gives the required information meant to tailor supply chain policies and service concessions meant to raise the overall profitability of the portfolio. The change in the dynamics of demand and profitability in today's quickly changing business landscape has institutionalized a standard cadence. In the recent past, demand has been regarded as a single requirement to reactions of supply chain. Today, demand signals emanates from forecasts, orders, and safety stock coming from different channels such as Web, retail, enterprise and distributors (Kouvelis, Chambers and Wang, 2006). Furthermore, demand signals originate from different customer types where large, highly profitably customers are com pared to small, unprofitable customers. Besides, diverse customers have different fulfilling relationships depending on the service needed, the customer volume and profitability, and customer support channels. One of the problems facing supply chain managers is the dynamics of supply chain cost structures. There is a greater fluctuation on fuel costs, labor costs, and currency exchange rates for low-cost countries. Profitable sourcing strategies will change to

Fidel Castro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fidel Castro - Essay Example Castro chose law as his field and entered the University of Havana for his degree in law. It was in this university that he became involved in politics. In 1947 he entered the group of Eduardo Chibas known as Partido Ortodoxo which was involved in the process of explaining the corruption that was prevalent in Cuba and it stress upon developing independence in Cuba from foreign intervention in the issues of the country particularly the involvement of the United States. Though Chibas was not successful in his mission and he shot himself because of his failure to win elections, Castro was inspired by him and worked on his principles. Castro got married in 1948 to Mirta Diaz Balart who belonged to a very rich family. Though, he received an exposure to the elite and political figures through this marriage but it did not prove to be a successful marriage and he separated from his wife in 1955. Castro completed his education in 1950 and started practicing law and at the same time became politically active. He had very high hopes of achievement in the upcoming elections and expected himself to be elected in the parliament in 1952. But events took a different turn when General Fulgencio Batista formed a coup against Carlos Prà ­o Socarrà ¡s who was the then ruling president and took over and suspended the upcoming elections. Batista was very influential. He legalized his actions with the United States with the help of his sources and started dictating the land of Cuba. Castro stopped his law practice and directed himself entirely towards politics. Fidel Castro and other members of the Partido Ortodoxo party who were looking forward to elections were disappointed with this action. This group revolted against the government by attacking Moncada Barracks on July 26 1953 but they were unsuccessful. Most of them were killed and Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro were given sentences of 15 years of imprisonment. Castro was released two years later only. Castro was

Film Critique on the Movie Takers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Film Critique on the Movie Takers - Essay Example Takers is a film released in August 27, 2010, which details crime life today (Takers, 2010). It is directed by John Luessenhop and is adopted from a story and screenplay written by Luessenhop, Gabriel Casseus, Peter Allen, John Rogers, and Avery Duff (Dudley, 1984). The film is a narrative that follows up a gang of bank robbers who carry out spectacular robberies. One of their former crew member forces them into an elaborate heist, but the inside ring members contact is far from being trustworthy. In their grilled occupation, they have one job to accomplish, which seems to be more rewarding than any other. However, this turns out to be a death trap when they are pulled into this last mission by their recently paroled cohort T. I, but unfortunately they are encountered by a hardened detective (matt Dillon) and his counterpart Jay Hernandez (Matt, 2010). The detective wont rest until he gets the thieves and brings them to justice, and through out the film, his preparation brings a mix of good and bad as the viewer remains with blurred opinion on the two sides. Tanker is a film whose plot is linear, starting at a point where there is one member who is not with them. The member is Ghost (T.I), who was arrested and jailed in a previous robbery five years ago. Ghost is released, and he plots for a mission on their behalf. He persuades his gang members to undertake this mission, which is a $20 million dollar project, but they are intercepted by detectives (Scott, 2010). The mission fails, and the gang is defeated with Ghost being the last member to be gunned by detectives Welles and Gordon. As the movie ends, we are left to wonder whether Gordon or Welles survives the injuries they sustained in the gun ensue. There are many conflicts in this movie starting with the first created when Jesse meets with the rest of the crew at a hotel where they discuss the shooting of Detective Hatcher. During this meeting, Russian gangsters storm the meeting and try to shoot everyone p resents apart from Ghost. This is a conflict between characters where it turns out that ghost had decided to double cross his friends and cut a deal with the gangsters to kill the whole crew for the exchange of $10 million dollars (Scott, 2010). The formerly cold, but well calculated conflict between Ghost and his friends includes the Russian gangster and Ghost’s colleagues. This creates a conflict, but it is resolved when Jake kills the Russian. The second conflict is created when Jake and Jesse go home, and find that jakes girlfriend Lilly had been murdered and immediately they realize that police surrounded them. This is the last conflict where Ghost is out to double cross them and escape with the stolen money, and they embark on two missions: to rescue their money from their lead gangster Ghost and to escape the police attacks (Matt, 2010). This being the last hour and the highest point in the film, the police detectives are well prepared to resolve every other conflict b y terminating the gang ring and they succeeded. The main conflict is resolved when all members of the gang are killed and the detectives get hold of the stolen money. The two detectives in the film are symbolic of the forces of justice, which inhere in a society where crime is rife. The fact that they are only two out of the whole police force in the country symbolizes the mighty power of justice and good against big evil. Secondly, there is some ironic twists in the story when Ghost, the leader of the gang turns out

Analysis of The Transcription of Kenyon Universitys Commencement Essay - 23

Analysis of The Transcription of Kenyon Universitys Commencement Address Article - Essay Example The example of fish and the story of ‘the atheist and the religious person’ are interesting narratives that emphatically put across the salient thoughts of the writer. He says that when students become responsible adults, they get so wrapped up in their own individual pursuit of their ambitions in life that they forget to apply their basic human trait that calls for understanding and compassion for others. In the speech, he says that the academic degree gives us the necessary skills to move forward in our professional and private life but unfortunately it does not teach us to be aware of small things that make us happy. ‘Education is not so much about filling you up with knowledge as it is about quote teaching you how to think’ is one of the most profound parts of the speech. Wallace has touched the core of the education system and has made a direct hit. He says that academia gives us knowledge and a knowledge-based capacity to think. But unfortunately, it does not give one confidence to justifiably apply the wider perspectives of those informed choices on our day to day life! We are afraid to look at the different perspectives because that may not conform with our present aims and objectives. We, therefore, end up with a hard paced robotic life where ‘my and mine’ becomes omnipotent. He exhorts the students to become more flexible in their outlook and look beyond the fast-paced life of professionalism. He says that like an atheist, who refuses to acknowledge the two Eskimos as answers to his prayers, we are also deluding ourselves with our make-believe successes and unrealistic goals.

Comparative Education Essay Example for Free

Comparative Education Essay France has a highly organized educational system, which is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary (college) education. Primary and secondary education is usually imparted at public schools although a strong network of private schools also exists. All educational programs in France are regulated by the Ministry of National Education. Schooling in France is mandatory as of age 6, the first year of primary school while secondary education consists of college for the first four years after primary school and the lycee for the next three years. The baccalaureat is the end-of-lycee diploma that students must attain and is comparable to British A-Levels and American SATs. Students have a choice of sitting for the baccalaureat general which is divided into 3 streams of study, the baccalaureat technologique or baccalaureat professionnel. Higher education is funded by the state and fees are very low. Students from low-income families can also apply for scholarships. Academic councils called academies are responsible for supervising all aspects of University education in a given region. ANALYSING TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION THROUGH THE CURRICULAR EVOLUTION AND THE INVESTIGATION THEMES France Twenty years ago, many of them started with this new concept: introducing technology education (TE) in our curriculum. From this point, we developed many project implementing this new subject area and we built progressively meaningful to this area. The aim of this paper is to present this evolution from the French viewpoint with some interest to compare with foreign experiences. We present this evolution through two perspectives: the curricular evolution and the place ofinvestigation. Briefly, we can observe through the French national curriculum a phase of Epistemological delimitation, followed by a phase of activities definitions, arriving, recently, to a phase of activities defined as applied sciences without poor link to the initial epistemological definition. Over these factual dimensions, we can analyze this evolution as the weakness of the knowledge meaningful expressed in the national curriculum, weakness that reinforce the weakness of the TE in front of other subjects as math, literature, foreign language†¦ Many works tried to analyse this particular approach but their audience never really get out the little sphere of TE investigators. A birthday is more the occasion to open perspective and project some ideas and the experience taught us that the position of TE is more a question of social positioning through the knowledge than a question of purposed activities’ interest. 1. CURRICULUM EVOLUTION IN FRANCE The aim of this paper is to present you some aspects about Technology Education in the French school. French schooling has two levels. Primary school starts at the age of three and lasts until the age of eleven, in three cycles: the initial learning cycle (children three to five years old), the basic learning cycle (five to eight years), and the fundamental learning cycle (eight to eleven). Secondary school is divided into two main cycles: middle school (ages eleven to fifteen) and high school (fifteen to eighteen for general education or fifteen to nineteen for vocational training). Technology education was implemented at each of these two levels in the early eighties. 1. 1 THE FIRST CURRICULUM 1. 1. 1 Some elements about the general background The main idea of French schooling is the progressive elaboration of the different school subjects. Understanding the world of children goes hand in hand with organizing that world in different knowledge areas, from the general view to the particular description given by the different subjects. Technology education, like that of science, history, or geography, appears as a school subject specific to the middle school level (Ginestie, 2001a). The second idea of French schooling is the concept of project pedagogy. The introduction of this pedagogy in the Eighties was a departure from a traditional idea that the academic and dogmatic transmission of knowledge is the sole approach to teaching. Under the pressure of a massive rise in number pupils in middle and high schools, project pedagogy was presented as a possible solution to meeting the needs of the diversity of pupils, addressing their individual needs, and developing pupil autonomy (Ginestie, 2002). It was in this context, in 1985, that technology education was introduced in France as a part of science and technology education in elementary schools, as a new subject for all pupils in middle schools and as an optional subject in high schools. We can note four stages of organization of technology education between 1985 and today. 1. 1. 2 1985-1991: the implementation of the first curriculum Technology education was conceived of as a new subject and took the place of MTE (manual and technical education) in terms of hours, classrooms, and teachers. The curriculum emphasized the industrial environment, leaving little room for home economics and craftsmanship (COPRET, 1984). It had two different elements that made these references plain. On the one hand, the general part of the course described the overall goals, context, and aims of technology education in France. The aims were in terms of pupils attitudes towards technology (as related in many papers, e. g. de Vries, 1994; Jones, 1997; Compton Jones, 1998; Gardner Hill, 1999; Dugger, 2000) and in terms of the social and professional world of industrial production (this idea can also be found in many papers all over the world, e. g. Kantola et al. , 1999). It offered a broad perspective to prepare pupils for professional training. At that time, the middle school became the intermediate cycle where pupils had to make their own personal plan for school, and technology education was responsible for indicating possible career choices. On the other hand, general goals were broken down into concepts and skills. This second element of the curriculum described the organization of concepts based on four domains of reference: mechanical construction, electrical construction, and economics management and computer science. Clearly, the chosen references oriented technology education in Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education the world of industry towards electro-mechanical production, to the exclusion of other possibilities (Ginestie, 2001b). The main problem in introducing the TE curriculum has been to link the general aims to the specific fields (Sanders, 1999; Ginestie, 2004). These difficulties appeared with in-service teacher training programs. Earlier, the French Ministry of Education strongly affirmed the principle that TE was not a compendium of a little mechanics, a little electronics, and a business management with different aspects of computer science as a binder. To link these subjects together, teachers have had to connect general aims and specific concepts into an overall pedagogical project (Ginestie, 2005). Many in-service teacher training programs develop this orientation rather than aiming simply for the acquisition of specific knowledge. The implementation of technology education has not been reduced to the simple substitution of cooking or handicraft lessons by lessons in mechanics, but the true construction of a new world (Ginestie, 2003). Many original curriculum experiments were conducted at the same time to develop new teaching approaches (differential pedagogy, autonomous work, cooperative work, personal projects, etc. ) and to integrate the new references to industry, the market economy, and new labor organizations by taking into account the needs, design, production, marketing, use, and rationale of industrial methods. The major plan was to combine the pedagogical project with a theoretical industrial project method (IPM). We can note comparable initiatives in the UK at the same time (e. g. Hennessy Murphy 1999). 1. 2 THE CURRICULUM EVOLUTIONS 1. 2. 1 1992-1999: Introduction of the Industrial Project Method (IPM) At the beginning of the Nineties, IPM appeared to be a good solution for implementing TE in the middle schools. Certainly, IPM has taken an overwhelming place in TE leaving no other alternatives for organizing technology education courses. This position was made official with different additions and modifications to the initial curriculum. The main decision to use IPM was published in 1992 by the French Ministry of Education. This method allows for the simultaneous definition of content and method for organizing the teaching learning process in TE. Everything was done so that each TE teacher plans and organizes a new project each year for each group of pupils. 1. 2. 2 1999-2004: The second curriculum Three problems arose that reduced the role of the project in TE. First, projects were mainly single production projects without any real progression from one year to the next. Secondly, the teachers profile evolved considerably during this period, with a large increase in new graduates from the advanced technological universities. Thirdly, the union of industrial science and technique, with teachers exerting pressure to open the curriculum to new technologies and new patterns of labor organization. The implementation of the new curriculum took four years, from 1996 until 1999. These changes tried to organize the relationship between the respective roles of the project and the concepts. For the first three years of middle school, pupils have to make different modules of the whole project, but they do not have to make all of it. The teachers task is to focus the attention of the pupils on specific points. During the last year, the pupils have to do a complete project (Ginestie, 2001c). The IPM is always a very strong frame of reference for TE in middle school (Ginestie, 2002). 1. 2. 3 2005: And so long, another change. There is actually a new phase of curriculum change. The Ministry of Education wants to promote the pupils individual choices about their future and by consequences the study they have to do. We can observe a real reduction of the TE as general and Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 3 cultural subject. The general aspects are more and more developed as applications of sciences; the general method is not the process of design and technology but more and more the process of observation and experimentation (as we can find it in sciences education). The main knowledge properly identified as technological knowledge is banished and the first draft of this new curriculum promote the links with the scientific knowledge. The IPM is still a reference but it is more an object to study more than a method to use with pupils. 2. CONDITIONS OF STUDY IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION As we can see briefly, the TE curriculum is unstable as we can note through these major changes since the first writing. These changes are not linked with the technological evolution but mainly due to the lack of understanding about the place of TE in the general systems and to the misunderstanding about the aims of this subject and the knowledge taught. This lack of knowledge’s definition is patent when we observe the structure of the curriculum. This question of knowledge is not so easy to solve. Entry through analysing the conditions of study about TE’s knowledge supposes, in terms of questions for research, a strong agreement with two points: o There is some thing to study in technology education; o There would be multiple study conditions, perhaps different. These two points don’t make evidence. A majority of opinion is that TE is simply a kind of mix between handicraft activities and elements to highlight vocational training choices (Ginestie, 2000; Chatoney, 2003; Brandt-Pomares, 2003). In this posture, all the knowledge comes from sciences and TE is only a question of activities or applications. Evidently, this kind of entry weakens the position of TE as school subject and the recent French evolutions must be understood like this. It is the radical opposite we choose to work in our laboratory. First orientation we choose is to understand the significance of the anthropological approach. 2. 1 THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACH The anthropological approach allows registering knowledge in a theory of the activity and in a social field identified. The articulation between task and activity is incomplete if we do not speak about the manner to make. The manner to make relieves of the technique employed by the person to realise the task, that it is appointed by the situation or by him. The articulation between the task and the technique defines a know-how that expresses the manner to realise a determined task type (Ginestie, 1995). To get off this private organization either to account for the activity, or to clarify the manner to make, supposes the utilisation of language mediation. To tell the manner to make necessitate proceeding to an extraction of the individual praxis to elaborate a praxeological organisation, significant of the manner to realise the type of tasks and the context in which these tasks are registered. In fact, it concerns to give the senses in the typical articulation between tasks and techniques by elaborating a field of meaning in connection with a technology, perhaps with a theory. It is this elaboration of meanings on the practice that defines, in the anthropological perspective, knowledge. This approach allows rendering account organisations of knowledge as relationships between praxis, taken in the senses of the activity oriented to finality, and a field of significations that allows referring practice to a technology and/or to a theory (Ginestie, 2001c). The epistemological entry is interested in the nature of knowledge (well obviously in the evoked anthropological perspective above) and to the demarcation of a field of reference (Ginestie, 1997). Some articulations allow thinking these fields, objects to know that are fastened there and the manner of which they are or been able being, taken into account in the framework of a technology education: i. The world of technical objects, their mode of existence and social organizations by and in order that these objects exist so as to register the technological education in the human and social activity field; ii. The articulations between functioning, function, structure, form in the senses of a lighting of interdependences and the different manners to describe an object; iii. The articulation design, production, utilisation notably for marks given on process put at stake in each of terms, but equally, of a more global manner, either in a specific approach on an object, or from an evolutionist viewpoint, in a perspective of an history of technical activities; iv. The articulation object, activity, language in an ergonomic inscription (from the thing to the object, the object to the tool, the tool to the instrument) as revealers of the bonds between gestures and techniques, techniques and technologies. The report to techniques is thought in this framework as a demarcation; the report to languages notices the elaboration of symbols (in a relationship meaning, meant) but equally tools to think the world of technical objects and to act in this world. Well obviously, this qualification of fields is a bit coarse, it needs to be specified, notably if we want to be able to read existent curricular organisations, perhaps to propose evolution of these organizations. The curricular approach is one way to understand the knowledge’s organizations for teaching purposes. The problem is not the transposition of praxis but the transposition of praxeological organizations. It is not difficult to ask to pupils making something, but it is difficult allowing them to construct the meaningful on what they make. Certainly, the important instability of our curriculum is based on this difficulty to elaborate this meaningful. Furthermore, the curricular entry is envisaged here as one of the stages of the didactic transposition process: that the placement in text of teaching objects in an prescriptive aimed that has to organize the teaching activity, to the breadth of the production of these teaching objects in the framework of the class to elaborate some objects of study for pupils, objects of study that are going to determine activities of pupils. This placement in text defines the matter to teach and induces the manner to teach it. 2. 2 SCHOOL INSTITUTIONALIZATION We can thus notice the specification and identification work that operates in this process of scholastic institutionalisation. School institution is characterized as the placement of interactions, surely tensions, between three poles: the pupil, the professor and the knowledge. As soon as we wish to describe these interactions, we are confronted with a problem of methodology, methodology that derives of course the framework in which place our study. Thus, analysing the conditions of the study is going to concern us in what the school institution puts to the study and the manner that’s this study functions. This crossing of analysis rests on the articulation between task and activity: o The task is significant to the knowledge put at stake in the elaborated situation by the teacher in the framework that is fixed (curricular organizations, conditions of exercises, particular constraints, etc. ); o The activity is significant to the work undertaken by the pupil to progress in the task that is appointed it by the teacher and representative of the knowledge’s learning process. Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 5 It concerns to define a framework of analysis that allows looking the functioning of a teaching situation (Ginestie, 1992). The initial framework, elaborated by these analyses method, does not prejudge of: o Knowledge put at stake, their presence or not and their school form; o Organizations elaborated by the teacher so as to organize conditions of the study of these knowledge; o Activities developed by the pupil that are induced by the organization put in game for this study. These two cross analyses, task and activity, characterize the interactions between three complementary existing logics but that can also appear as rival: the logic of subject, the logic of teaching and the logic of learning. The first one follows from knowledge organisation and requires an epistemological study; the second one takes in account the professional activity of the teacher considering his organisation, his style, his manner to do, the professional gestures he develops; the last one can be highlight by the learning theories, specifically the viewpoint of socio-constructivism theories. Many works have shown the incidence of these logics on the school situations and how they are inscribed in different references and different temporality. In fact, stressing these three logics in a school institution can be looked of different manners. But, for ourselves, we are really interested by what it happens in a class; specifically, we try to analyze the effects produced by this placement in tension (Ginestie, 1996). On the one hand, this approach allows the identification of the organisational and structural elements that act and interact in the process of teaching-learning. In this perspective, the task appears as the preferential expression of the teaching’s logic. It express simultaneously what is at stake, the context in which it is situated, what it is waited and what it is necessary that the pupil makes to achieve the task. In this senses, the task is a concentrated expression of a totality of values, models, elements of theories, knowledge that base the subject’s references and that identify the teacher in a teaching population. The analysis of the task is therefore significant how curriculum is implemented, in the particular intimacy of a specific class. It is equally significant activities that it induced at pupils. It is also characteristic of the epistemological, curricular, didactical or pedagogical presupposition (Ginestie, Brandt-Pomares, 1998). On the other hand, the passage to the real supposes to put in stake an analysis of the activity of the pupil. His perusal of the task, the manner he has to organize its activity and to orient its actions, what it takes in consideration and what it does not see even, allow characterising his learning process. In this perspective, we can notice difficulties that he meets, the manner whose he processes them, adopted strategies and the planning of his different actions (Ginestie, Andreucci, 1999). Reading activity through the description of the task allows proceeding pupil’s activity with some precise characteristic elements of the task. We can value difficulties met by the pupil and identify which are relevant to the context (the formulation of the task, the organization of conditions of the study, the use of models, materials, etc.) and which notices obstacles to the learning (Amigues, Ginestie, 1991). 3. SCHOOL ORGANISATION AND PUPIL’S WORK Organizations implemented at school, in the classroom and by the teacher have a direct influence on the work of the pupil and on the result of this work. Concerning the technology education (but it is not specific for these subject), it is important to specify and to define what is waited from the pupil, recourses he disposes to get there, the manner whose he gets there. Therefore, we have to understand the evaluation the Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 6 nature of the goal, the manner to get there but also the breach of the goal; everything that allows to bring in front understanding about the process of knowledge’s transmission-appropriation. From this point, we are not in a curricular approach that has for object to define contents of teaching and to determine goals to reach; we discuss goals fixed by the institution, their institutional pertinence, their coherence in a scholastic organization datum. Of course, the temptation is great to believe that we could have act on prescription as to reduce these gaps. The evolution of curriculum shows that this kind of actions is limited because it enters in social negotiations that the research can illuminate to defect to inspire them, even to affect them. 3. 1 TASK ANALYSE Our entry by the situations is an analytic viewpoint to render real situations of classify or in a prospective perspective to think possible evolution. For that, the crossed analysis task-activity presents a good framework. The task’s analyze gives some understanding about the placement in text (or the placement in word) of the object of study. This placement in text constitutes one of the last stages of the didactical transposition, stage in the course of which the teacher anticipates and executes the production of the object of study that it makes return in its class. Many indicators allow characterising some ingredients of the organisation that it counts to put in place: o The nature of knowledge that he exhibits,  o The display of the result expected at the end of the sequence, o The spatial and temporal organization type that he puts in act, o The strategies that he gives to orchestrate the activity of pupils, o The different levels of evaluation on which he counts to lean (evaluation his activity, the progress of his sequence, the activity of pupils, the breach of results), o The devices of mediation and remediation that he envisages, o etc. Others indicators allow to notice explicit or implicit models that he uses for the organization of this production: o model of the logic of pupil learning organized around acquisition of competence noticed to the breadth of significant observable behaviours versus a constructivist approach based on the elaboration of knowledge; o Model of the activity of pupils according to a logic of smooth away difficulties versus a logic of confrontation to obstacles; o Model of the teaching organisation according to a logic of guidance of the action of the pupil versus a logic of problem-solving; o Model of the organization of knowledge references that one can caricature in a binary alternative: in technology education, there is nothing to know versus there is only knowledge. The construction of these models supposes the elaboration of a strong theoretical reference by which we can predict the appearance of the objects of study and how they become into school organisations. Of course, we front three different viability risks: one is an instant risk about what’s happen with the course that is going to unfold here, at this hour, in this  classroom, with this teacher and these pupils; second is a progression risk about what happen in the duration of the class, the articulation of the different sessions and their succession; third is durability risk about the permanency of a teaching at such level, in such class, in such context, according to evolution, development, interaction with the other subjects as a kind of general educational ecology. Jacques Ginestie Analyzing Technology Education Page 7 . 3. 2 ACTIVITY ANALYSE The analyse of the activity, as for it, tries to understand the logic of pupils in their evolution to achieve the task that is confided them and the manner of which they adapt conditions organised by the teacher. Retained indicators refer directly to theories of the apprenticeship, notably through: o The strategy they adopt, o The manner to organize their actions, o The manner to notice and to anticipate difficulties and to overcome them or to avoid them,  o The manner to notice or not constraints imposed by the situation and to take into account them or no, o etc. Analysing the activity of pupils is a powerful tool that allows to notice, to qualify and to valorise gaps between what the teacher waits them, what they obtain really and the manner that they use to reach this result. It concerns, on the one hand, to give indicators of efficiency of a device concerning learning and, on the other hand, indicators on the manner to conceive plan. To adopt a criterion of efficiency of plan put in place by teachers is not easy. That supposes to place the question of the acquisition of knowledge by pupils to the heart of the educational act, what is not without consequences in TE. This challenge is important if we want to reinforce the position and the role of the TE as a general education subject. Through our French experience, but also through some related experiences in different countries, we have change of period. The first time of innovation and implementation is definitively done. Many countries know a decrease period with disaffection for TE: decrease of budget, reduction of school time devoted to the subject. At the same time, more and more teams develop investigation in TE. May be, we have to diffuse the results of these investigations and to develop the support that we can provide to the teacher but also to the curriculum designers, this is our challenge to bring our contribution to TE. ICT and Education in Indonesia Harina Yuhetty I. Introduction  In the beginning globalization is fully believed to be able to lead to greater economic development in the sense of greater market scale, which in turn will increase the gross national product. So people believed that poor countries or third world countries will develop faster, thus the economic gap between the rich developed countries and the third world countries will diminished. However, facts show the contrary. It is true that the gross national product of countries will increase, but the gap between the income of the rich and poor countries is also getting wider. The main reason for this gap is the extra-ordinary growth of information as a result of the development of communications and information technologies in northern developed countries which have full control of these technologies. This information boom enables multinational companies to compete with changes in market demands, new products and new technologies, which in turn can boost the economy of a country, increase its efficiency and win global dominance. On the other hand, in third world countries which are also known as southern hemisphere countries, they have difficulties to seek, to receive, to process and to produce information. The lack of appropriate information at the right time will result in low productivity, low quality research works, and waste of time to pursue information and even to do research which actually had been done by others or in other countries. Indonesia as a third world country has a great concern over this deficiency and believe that the digital divide should be reduced so that there will be an economic recovery. The Indonesian government is determined to utilize the information technology effectively to support efforts to increase the national competitiveness. This aspiration is reflected in the Indonesian Presidential Decree Number 50 year 2000 about the establishment of the Coordination Team of Telemathics of Indonesia. This team consists of all the ministers in the cabinet including the Minister of Education. Its tasks are among others to define the government policy in the area of telemathics; to decide the phases and priorities of development in the area of telemathics and its uses in Indonesia; to monitor and control the implementation of telemathics in Indonesia; and to report the development of telemathics in Indonesia to the President. The government realizes that the success of the development and utilization of telemathics depends mostly on the infrastructure which can provide easy access, and also ensure availability of information and subjects. To meet these three provisions, a competent human resources is a necessity. That is why the preparation of qualified human resources is given priority, because it requires hard work and takes time. Meanwhile, we also know that scarcity of and low quality human resources in the area of Information and Communications Technologies can delay mastery of communication and information technology. As such, the government through the Minister of Efficiency of State Apparatus as Head of the Coordination Team of Telemathics of Indonesia in his letter number 133/M. PAN/5/2001 had drawn up a Five-Year Action Plan for the Development and Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Indonesia. This plan among others includes a plan for the implementation of the use of telemathics in the area of education starting from 2001 until 2005, which includes: * Develop collaboration between ICT industry and ICT educational institutions through training and R D collaboration, and found a network for skill and capacity development * Develop and implement Curricula of ICT. * Use ICTs as an essential part of the curricula and learning tools in schools/universities and training centers * Establish distance education programs including participation in Global Development Learning and other networks * Facilitate the use of internet for more efficient teaching and learning From this action plan we can see that the emphasis of human resources quality improvement is especially geared on the provision and expansion of education of human resources in ICT area. Besides that, utilization of ICT for education and learning purposes, as an effort to fill digital divide, which in turn is hoped to be able to improve the national competitiveness to revive the economy is another emphase. II. ICT in Indonesia As mentioned above, the success of utilization of ICT is among others depends on the infrastructure which includes the telecommunication network, the availability of internet facilities and the use of internet. In general the development of ICT in Indonesia nowadays is less encouraging compared to the developed countries, or even compared to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and others. To give a general picture of the ICT condition in Indonesia let us consider the data quoted from the Center for Research and Application of Information and Electronic Technologies of the Office for the Research and Application of Technologies, 2001 as follows. A. Public Telephone Lines for 203,456,005 populace 1. The number of Telephone kiosks 228,862 2. The number of Telephone booths 345,307 3. Telephone patrons 6,304,798 B. Internet 1. Internet Service Providers 40 2. General Access Speed rate of ISPs 15 KBPS 3. Patrons of ISPs 511,000 with 1,980,000 users ( 1% of Indonesian population).

Future professional of tourism

Future professional of tourism Introduction New tourism is an important subject for future professional of tourism. To work in this sector we have to be aware of new form, new tendency and new destinations. Travel sellers have to know supply and demand in this field. Our file is a glimpse of some new ways of travel and new destinations. We need to keep watching on this new form of tourism because it is very competitive sector. Thats why we have chosen to describe two new destinations and two new form of tourism. In one part we explain couchsurfing that is a new form of tourism based on people exchanges. It is almost a way of life with values and aspirations. Une phrase sur la partie de reb. In a second part, we show two new destinations. First Bulgaria, its number of visitors has increased by 4000000 in 8 years. This country with a coast on Black sea is more and more visited especially by Europeans. Phrase sur partie de Reb. Tourism evolves and new forms are created Couch surfing CouchSurfings definition Couchsurfing is a new way of travelling based on sharing. An organization based on Internet (www.couchsurfing.com) manages the connections between people. CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. A couch or a bedroom is offered to a visitor by a local for his stay. Since 2004, members have been using this system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding. Our mission as an organization is to create inspiring experiences: cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging, and illuminating. These experiences take many forms. CouchSurfings initial focus was on hosting and surfing (staying with a local as a guest in their home). Alongside these core experiences, we now also facilitate a growing array of activities and events.[1] CouchSurfing members share hospitality with one another. These exchanges are a uniquely rich form of cultural interaction. Hosts have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. Surfers, or travelers, are able to participate in the local life of the places they visit. The CouchSurfing community continues to expand its horizons. Members are always finding more ways to connect and learn about each other. Every day, people across the world share coffee, camping trips, meetings, language exchanges, discussions and all sorts of other experiences. Who and how runs CouchSurfing? Casey Fenton launched the site on Jan 1, 2003 with co-founders : Dan Hoffer, Sebastien LeTuan, and Leonardo Bassani de Silveira. Casey continues to help CouchSurfing as Executive Director of the organization. The CouchSurfing organization has no physical location. Instead, it exists in the collaborations of diverse people from around the world. The strategic direction of the Couchsurfing organization is composed by a Board of Director and a Strategy Team. Each member of these two groups brings different specialized skills. Members of strategy team: Casey Fenton, co-founder and Executive Director; Mattthew Brauer, General Manager; Jim Stone, Chief Operations Officer; Weston Hankins, Chief Technological Officer; Cameron Mills, Project Portfolio Manager. There also some full-time employees and contractors. They have a variety of roles from building and maintaining the website to organizing finances. Finally, some part time volunteers help them to manage the organization. They are Couchsurfing members and they greet new members, report website bugs and answer member questions. CouchSurfing is a non-profit organization, funded entirely by the donations of members. According to the web site, every month, thousands of CouchSurfers choose to support the community by getting verified, an identity check that includes a donation. Other members choose to make independent or additional donations. Contributions help to pay for the costs of running the website, like server hosting, storage, database maintenance, mapping software, and many other costs[2]. Each positive experience between members costs 24 ¢ USD in CouchSurfing operating costs. The goal of CouchSurfing has never been about money, and using the site is free to all members. CouchSurfings non-profit status legally means that all resources must be spent directly on achieving the mission rather than creating profit for private interests. Few statistics 1775916 Couchserfers are travelling sharing homes in the worlds. There are 236 countries represented and 70637 cities for 318 languages spoken. The 10 countries most visited are United States with 395657 visitors that represent 22,3 % of couchsurfers, Germany with 168807 visitors (9,5 %), France with 150939 visitors (8,5%), United Kingdom 85587 visitors (4,8%), Canada 85544 visitors (4,8%), Australia 50821 visitors (2,9 %), Italy 50652 visitors (2,9%), Spain 48858 visitors (2,8%), Brazil 48503 visitors (2,7%) and Netherland 35661 visitors (2 %). We note that almost all continent are represented in the top-ten, except Asia but China just come in 12th position. Regarding the most visited cities Paris is on first position, then London and Berlin comes on third position. The average age of surfers is 28 and 85 % of surfers have between 18 and 35. Our opinion Couchsurfing is a meaningful new way of travelling. It creates connections between cultures and can enrich lives of everybody. It is more than a way of travelling it is a way of living with many values like exchange without profit. We think that couchsurfing is a door to experience new point of view and new culture by travelling or welcoming. It is also a tool to travel more especially for young people. Indeed, even if it could be less comfortable than hotel room, it is free. Travels help to built mind and this way of travelling permit to travel more, further and better. Partie de Reb New destination appears Bulgaria Bulgaria is a small country in south-eastern Europe. It have frontiers with Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. This country owns coasts on Black sea. The climate and the relief permit to develop a large number of touristic products. In 2000 the number of visitors were 2100000, it increase and there were 6000000 tourists in 2008. Bulgarias assets The natural landscape is one of the most important assets. First, mountains and high peak are attractive for ski tourism. Most of the 44 ski resorts are located in western country around Sofia, the capital city. The most famous are: Aleko ski center on Vitosha mountain at 22 km of Sofias city center with 29km of ski runs, Borovets ski resort on Rila mountains that is a high class resort with luxury hotels, Bansko in Pirin mountain, thats one of the new ski resort in Bulgaria with 56 km of ski runs and a great off piste skiing, Pamporovo ski resort in the heart of Rodopa Mountain is the southernmost resort in Europe. Then, we can find the Black Sea Coast famous for its fine sanded beaches, and perfect temperatures of water and air. The northern and the southern coast are different. On the north tourists can find clean and calm sea surrounded beaches with fine grain golden sands. The most famous and the most frequented sea side resort are Golden Sand, Albena, Roussalka, Riviera, Slanchev Den (Sunny Day), St.Konstantin and Elena. On the south, picturesque bays and steep rocks coexist with spacious beaches and sand dune. The coast provides wonderful nature and modern constructions on holiday villages like Elenite, Sunny beach, Nessebur, Sopozol Rural tourism is another form present in Bulgaria but less significant. An unconventional form of tourism Health tourism is a great part of tourism in Bulgaria. With over 600 mineral springs with temperature between 10 °C and 120 °C, Bulgaria is a thermal destination. Pavel Banya, Hisar, Velingrad, Narechen, Vurshets, Kyustendil and Momin Prohod, near Kostenets are the most famous of the health resort. They treat different diseases like bronchial asthma, disturbances of locomotors system, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders Another Health or medical tourism exists in many forms. People travel in Bulgaria for medical, dental or surgery care, especially from United States and developed country where medical treatment are more and more expensive. Health Tourism is a combination of wellness and healthcare coupled with leisure and relaxation. Diet Center: Some tourists travel to lose weight and the most famous clinic is located in the sea side resort of St-Konstantin and Elena. A stay in the clinic last between 10 and 20 days and cost between 500 and 2000 Euros including catering in hotel, a medical consultation, medical exams and a diet program for each patient. Plastic surgery: It attracts tourists because of the low price and the quality of services. In the middle of 90s a lot of clinics have opened and a high competition appear. The clinics directors had to invest in high technology and high qualified staff. As example a breast augmentation cost on average 6000 Euros in France, England or Germany and only 2500 Euros in Bulgaria. Tooth care: The prices are cheaper than in Western Europe because they are align on Bulgarian standard of living. We can find a lot of good clinics in big cities like Sofia, Burgas, Varna and Plovdiv. Some tour operator offer medical trip to their customers, they organize the whole stay. Global medical travel in USA and BGmedical travel in Bulgaria are specialized on medical travel. Our opinion According to us, it could be interesting to travel abroad for surgery or medical care. Indeed, in many occidental countries a lot of people are underinsured or uninsured. It means that many people have to pay for their medical care. According to a Harvard study, in USA half of personal bankruptcies are related to medical expenses. We think that its sometimes the only solution to cure decay. People have to be careful. First of all, they must check the procedure and compare with their expectations, inquire about follow-up care needed, time required for recovery, physical therapy etc Then, they have to select the hospital by considering its accreditation, awards and recognitions, facility and equipments and statistics like success rates. Finally, its essential to heck the certifications, training and repute of the surgeon. www.couchsurfing.com Attached document n °1: Couchsurfing International,Inc. Income and Expense statement 2008 These statistics are generated on March, 31th 2010 at 5:37 am.

Impact of e-commerce

Impact of e-commerce E-commerce is the process of managing online financial transactions by individuals and companies. This includes business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-government (B2G) transactions. The focus of e-commerce is on the systems and procedures whereby financial documents and information of all types are exchanged. This includes online credit card transactions, e-cash, e-billing, e-cheques, electronic invoices, purchase order and financial statements. E-commerce is particularly concerned with the technologies that enable EDI-type functionality on the Internet. To be done an internationally agreed working definition of e-commerce it was accepted the need for three dimensions to be spelt out as part of the definition process. These dimensions relate to the: Networks over which the relevant activities are carried out; Processes that ought to be included within the general domain of electronic commerce; and Actors involved in the transactions. Networks are specified through broad and narrow definitions. The broad definition considers an electronic transaction to be the sale or purchase of goods or services, whether between businesses, households, individuals, Governments, and other public or private organizations, conducted over computer mediated networks. The goods and services are ordered over those networks, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the good or service may be conducted on- or offline. The narrow definition considers an Internet transaction to be the sale or purchase of goods or services, whether between businesses, households, individuals, Governments, and other public or private organizations, conducted over the Internet. The goods and services are ordered over the Internet, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the good or service may be conducted on-or offline. Concerning the processes that ought to be included many countries want to restrict the definition to the purchasing and selling aspect incorporated in the above definitions, many others want to include other types of business processes, such as marketing and advertising. Developing countries will also favour a definition that includes business activities that go beyond purchasing and selling, given the restrictions that some of those countries face in conducting online payments. E-commerce is often described as being one of three varieties business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-government (B2G). Much of the interest and the literature has focused on B2B and B2C electronic commerce and most of the statistical indicators have also been in respect of these two forms. About 80 per cent of the total value of electronic commerce in the world today are accounted for by B2B e-commerce. It provides also the greatest potential benefits in terms of productivity gains. B2C e-commerce has the potential to substantially affect the way in which people live and interact with each other and is therefore a key aspect for statistical measurement. Only a small number of countries have so far undertaken much work with respect to the measurement of B2G e-commerce. E-commerce today is very much a business-to business affair. Enterprises in developing countries should not let themselves be fooled by the much higher visibility of the business-to-consumer dotcoms. Those enterprises in developing countries that make goods or deliver services that are necessary for the productive process of other enterprises are the ones that should first consider incorporating the Internet (which does not necessary mean the web) as an instrument to enhance their opportunities to complete and grow. Due to the lack of reliable and internationally comparable e-commerce statistics, numerous national statistical offices have started to collect data on e-commerce and, generally, the use of ICT and the Internet. They have the advantage of guaranteeing the confidentiality of the collected data, having a more neutral position when it comes to collecting and interpreting the data and being able to use their existing methodologies and infrastructure for data collection, processing and analysis. Some countries are already benefiting from the results: they are now in a position to benchmark their economies with competitors internationally; they are able to identify the number of qualified people needed to advance their countrys information economy or to calculate the amount of investments needed to provide business with access to the Internet. There are several important steps involved in collecting e-commerce-related data. First, a country needs to decide what kind of data it wants to measure, reflecting the level of its e-commerce activity. Most developing countries would be probably focus on collecting readiness indicators, such as the number of businesses with computers and access to the Internet, and intensity indicators, such as the number of businesses the receive orders over the Internet and the value of those orders. But how does one define these indicators? The member States of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have agreed on the above-mentioned working definition of e-commerce that could be used in the measuring process. The definition includes the network over which e-commerce is carried out (Internet or other), the specific business processes related to e-commerce and the different actors involved (business, households or Governments). On the basis of this definition, a set of priority indicators for e-commerce has been established by a number of internationa l and national bodies. Examining the e-commerce important question is what impact ICT and the Internet have had on the productivity growth. It reduces transaction costs; allocates recourses better; increases economies of scale; improves the competitiveness of business in general; increases efficiency; generates important changes in the management and production processes of business. Acceleration of the growth of productivity is notified but the reason for this is rather controversial. However the UNCTAD secretariat agrees that there are reasons to believe that much of the acceleration of productivity growth is structural and attributable to changes induced by ICT and the Internet, through improvements in all aspects of corporate organization, production, finance, marketing and logistics. Although the speed at which companies in several advanced countries invest in ICT has decreased in the past few months, in the medium term there are several reasons to expect that ICT will continue to support rapid productivity growth. First, the cost of computing power is predicted to keep falling at a steep rate for several years. Secondly, most enterprises are still learning how to reorganize themselves in order to benefit fully from the Internet. Finally, in many countries there is a lot of catching up to do in the application of ICT to business. As firms in other developed economies and, most importantly, in developing countries engage in e-business, global productivity growth should accelerate. We should have a look at the process of moving from traditional to online payment. Online versions of nearly all-existing payment methods are appearing rapidly. Conventional financial instruments with online analogues include cash, money orders, giro transfer, cheques, drafts, notes and bills of exchange. The existing modes of third-party protection against the risks of non-payment and non-performance, including documentary credit, credit insurance, bonding, factoring and forfeiting, are also rapidly developing their online equivalents. The same applies to wholesale payment systems, including so-called automated clearing house (ACH) networks, wire transfers for large-volume payments and interbank payments networks. Credit and debit cards are principal payments instrument in B2B and B2C e-commerce. The move from cards with magnetic strips to smart cards with multifunctional chips that include security features is the next Internet-centered stage in the development of the payments cards industry. In parallel, Internet technologies to provide security in online payments have been evolving. Still the most widely accepted standard, is the Secure Socket Layer (SSL), a set of built-in browser protocols designed initially by Netscape to protect card-based financial transactions on the Internet. A more secure and complex bank-centered Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) software is being used more and more by online payments providers. In the field of Internet banking ACH debits and credits, as well as domestic and international wire transfers became possible with systems such as the Bank Internet Payment System (BIPS). The Society for Worldwide Inter-Bank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) also started its move to the open Internet platform. Banks and financial services companies in the developing countries will need to adopt online payment systems and practices that will meet their clients new needs arising from a shift to e-commerce. They will need to adopt systems that address the key issue of concern to users, namely security, confidentiality, identification of sellers and buyers, verification of buyers solvency guarantee of delivery. To obtain e-trade finance and equity investment, companies from developing countries need to be registered in local, regional and global Internet-based commercial risk database. For that, company registries, public courts, accountancy and audit, and other business-related services should undergo substantial enhancements. Non-bank financial services such as credit information, credit insurance, factoring and leasing should develop. Local banks should adapt to e-banking and move online their customer credit risk databases, and their individual and corporate customer payment services and financing, including trade finance instruments. Tourism and its Internet incarnation, often called etourism, is regularly cited as one of the fastest growing e-commerce sectors. Considering the importance of the tourism economy for Bulgaria and many other developing countries, and in particular its role as an employer and earner of foreign currency, the need to maintain and increase competitiveness through adopting e-commerce best practice is acute. The main actors in the tourism industry include Governments, tour operators, distributors and wholesalers, hotels, airlines and other transport operators, and most important of all, the tourists themselves. Each of these actors has a stake in the development of the electronic market and will be affected in different ways by electronic commerce. Tourism is an interesting sector for appreciating the potential of electronic commerce for the economies of developing countries in several respects. Tourism is a sector in which a significant number of developing countries have established competitive advantages over the years and it has remained largely a traditional service activity in which, until recently, buyers, sellers and intermediaries were well defined. Tourism producers and destination organizations in developing countries that adopt the Internet and e-commerce best practice have a chance to improve their competitiveness by producing better products, with greater tailoring to clients, more efficiently, faster to market with less waste and fewer inputs, and at better prices. Infomediaries in developing countries should develop their e-business strategy having in mind the technical capacities of their national or regional tourism producers for using Internet technologies. Solutions must be appropriate for both consumers and producers. The fundamental challenge is to take the traditional tourism product, delineate its information from its physical components, and selectively manage them using Internet and e-commerce technologies. The winner in the competitive etourism game will be the company that inspires consumer confidence, through quality data and physical product performance, and is able to offer a comprehensive yet tailor-made product. While Internet and e-commerce technologies offer unprecedented possibilities for interactivity and dialogue, traditional surveying and gauging tools estimating customer preferences and satisfaction are still very relevant. Footwork and face-to-face interviewing may be a necessary starting point for building a B2B network or business web. Market research, whatever the technology or even without technology, is a hugely important activity. A fundamental factor for success is to speak the language of the prospective customers. A successful etourism strategy must assess the linguistic origins of its major client groups and replicate Internet content in their languages. Understanding their Internet habits and ways of learning, openness to on-line dialogue and attitudes towards privacy, as well as the underlying legal system. Online payment facilities for retail clients using credit cards are an absolutely fundamental business toll that must be made available to the national tourism sector. Destination marketing organizations (DMOs), be they government bodies or business associations, can favourably contribute to modernizing the tourism industries of developing countries. DMOs can provide a voice to the fragmented industry producers in promoting their requests to the financial authorities and banks to provide them with online payment. When online payment is in place DMOs may, on behalf of the entire tourism industry, negotiate with domestic banks better terms and conditions for online payment than particular tourism companies would manage on their own. DMOs may be instrumental in informing their tourism industry about secure transactions and risk management techniques. Most of the above actions cannot be implemented without empowering and enabling people to take advantage of new Internet and e-commerce technologies. E-commerce and Internet technology can improve communication and can make doing business easier. The ability of people at both ends of the message or transaction to use these technologies is a precondition for their wide adoption and impact. In conclusion, it is expected that in the few years the productivity gap between the European countries and the United States (leader in e-commerce activities) will close rapidly as European productivity growth increases faster than that of the United States. This process is known as convergence in productivity. Convergence in productivity takes place when the countries that lag behind the technological frontier grow more rapidly in productivity than the leading countries. The same could be true for developing countries, with a reasonable degree of readiness. The impact of e-commerce on developing countries could be even stronger than that on developed countries because the scope for reducing inefficiencies and increasing productivity is much larger in the developing countries. To summarize, by cutting costs, increasing efficiency and reducing time and distance, e-commerce could become an important tool for development. Impact of E-Commerce Impact of E-Commerce Jay Kybert   As the retail industry develops, more services are introduced to entice customers to use their shops. There are varieties of services that are being used by companies to attract attention and make it easier for customers to use their websites, in the hope of increased revenue. Services like Next-Day Delivery tempt customers to purchase their item sooner, since it will arrive the following day. This makes increased profits for the company by charging for the service. These services essentially persuade the customer to buy the product at a higher price but with (usually) a faster delivery, tracked item, etc. Since E-Commerce is becoming increasingly popular, traditional retail businesses are losing money since fewer customers shop in stores. Larger companies have the resources and money to create optimised websites that allow their customers to shop on the internet. This leads to a negative economic impact for smaller businesses but, as an entire society, a richer economy as there are new ways to shop. Also, socially, fewer people will be shopping in stores. This could lead to retail shops closing from a lack of revenue, especially in smaller businesses that cannot support themselves with a lack of funds. Bricks and Clicks is a new approach to commerce in its entirety. The name Bricks and Clicks refers to physical retail stores (Bricks) and online shopping (Clicks). As E-Commerce grew in popularity, businesses realised they can make a greater profit from online shopping; this is called Bricks and Clicks because they have both physical stores as well as an online store. There are benefits and drawbacks to both approaches (Physical vs Digital), but having both increases the range of the potential audience. This is because physical stores may attract people who are simply walking past the shop or people who are regular customers. Having a digital store on top of this targets (potentially) every person with an internet connection. Companies can increase traffic to their website by advertisements on popular websites, directly increasing awareness of the brand. One of the main benefits for customers using E-Commerce is the availability. Physically shopping requires going to the nearest shopping centre, looking for the specific shop and finding the wanted item within it. Online shopping provides an easy alternative available whenever. Being able to access the website whenever (unless it is down for maintenance) makes it easier for anyone wanting to buy a specific item, as they dont have to consider the closing time for the shop. In addition, people who have unusual work hours at their job may struggle with physical stores as they close in the evening. Therefore, having the option to buy from a store whenever using the internet provides an easier alternative. Online shopping isnt perfect; there are problems with the financial side, especially whether companies can be trusted. After a customer enters their information (Name, address, credit/debit card, etc.) the company has a responsibility to protect that information from unauthorised sources, the most common being hackers. There is always the possibility, and it has occurred, that major corporations have been hacked and their customers information has been released to the public or sold. However, as hacking becomes increasingly common, internet security is improved to prevent it. Internet shoppers shouldnt just worry about the website being untrustworthy, malware and other viruses could steal the information from the computer, the most common being a Keylogger. As the name suggests, it is either a physical hardware component installed into the computer or a program that logs all of the keystrokes on the computer. This is one way that information can be stolen not directly from the websit e. E-Commerce has, and will continue, to have an effect on employment. If people start to only shop online, store workers may lose their jobs because of financial difficulties. However, delivery services will have to hire more employees to keep up with the demand of online shopping. In addition, since companies require websites for online shopping, website developers, network administrators and a variety of server-related jobs are needed. Therefore, people working in retail stores may lose their jobs if people continue to isolate themselves from physical shopping and choose online shopping. However, more job opportunities open up relating to technology. The social divide is becoming more important as technology progresses. People with little income focus on essentials before purchasing luxuries. Therefore, it would be difficult for people with little income to purchase a computer or another electronic device capable of online shopping. However, since the majority of people can afford, and use their electronic devices for shopping, companies target these people since they make up the majority. This affects the companys decisions, for instance, they may begin to close down retail stores and instead focus on E-Commerce. This doesnt affect people who have enough disposable income to purchases these devices, but it does affect people with little income. This leads to these people struggling to shop, since they cant afford the platform needed for online shopping. Therefore, leading to a social divide between people with little disposable income and people with greater disposable income.