The Treatment of College Athletes - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1978 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/06/10 Category Career Essay Level High school Tags: Should College Athletes Be Paid Essay Did you like this example? What is the actual purpose for college sports? Although college has always been considered a stepping stone on an individual’s path to achieving their full potential, the question of just how to make the time itself in college useful is rarely asked. College athletes are currently attend university with their attention torn between both their academic life and their sports career. Students could be part of 24 possible programs, from their football team, field hockey, water polo, all the way to gymnastics. The number of student athletes registered with the NCAA is currently 460000. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Treatment of College Athletes" essay for you Create order In this paper we hope to verbalize the increasing costs of being a college athlete, and the relative pay as a result. Even with athletes on a scholarship receive an education valued at 60,000 a year and is constantly increasing, Scholarships have slowly become commodity products, often having an actual value that is heavily dependent on the activities of the student and is not equivalent to receiving a cash value equal to the value of their scholarship. College students need to live a very different lifestyle from the average student. Whether or not the actual college athlete is actually on scholarship, the university system is not taking the proper steps to educate their athletes on what they are signing up for. Between the psychological pressure that can be felt from students and alumni on their performance, efforts to be a professional, or the limitations on other activities, students that are athletes need extra warning from the university about what they are giving up. The psychological warfare of sports is something that is not talked about at either the professional or the college level. It is now something that the population takes for granted as a given. In some ways it is, if you are going to be in the public eye, then you are going to take public scrutiny. In no other public activity is an individual constantly being watched than public sports. There are more statistics, and coverage for the individual members of the NFL than there is for members of congress. Aside from the position of President of the United States, these athletes take on an extreme amount of pressure, and they start on this path in college as young as 18. Taking an individual that is less in a sport that might not be properly appreciated by the public, they are still under pressure from their fellow athletes. They are competing to maintain a quality of performance that allows them to continue to play their activity. The amount of effort that they put in over what is really their entire life can be squandered by an injury, or by being overshadowed by another player. The sheer competition between their teammates is at a high level, independent of the social pressure between players to also work together as a team. A player at any sport has to deal with these problems, but these are enough to consume the thoughts, cause restless nights thinking through the problems, or emotional stress from worrying about that freshman behind you wanting your scholarship. A student that will have even more pressure under them is the student that participates in mainstream sports such as football, basketball, or soccer. These students all have a chance at being professional athletes as division 1 athletes. If the students are in a lower division, they will still feel the pressure of the alumni that are subsidizing their scholarships, the students, and the weight of representing their school. Every game is a memory that you will have to live with, and the amount of â€Å"what ifs?† can increase more rapidly than one can believe. Their stats will be posted everywhere, and the pro scouts will know of every own goal, fumble, or free throw percentage you keep in your 4 long years at school. The last group of student athletes are not on the same plain as normal students at all. This is not because they are much different, but the mood, hope, and fan base rely on them for results. Some of these players are the main 7 of a basketball teams, the lead wide receivers, safeties, running backs, and quarterback of the football team, and the start forward, midfield, defender, and goalkeeper of the soccer team. Many of these players names are in the minds of students for their tenure at the school, as well as alumni and for some, ESPN broadcasters. These are the athletes that bring in money for the university and are under immense pressure to do so. The difference between the change in a school between having a top 25 program, and missing the mark, has an impact on attendance numbers as well as the students on campus. These athletes are under scrutiny from people all over the country, and are sometimes, such as the recent bowl game season, the number one thing in America to watch. Football players will be talked about for the entire fall semester, and social media pressures are no help. Student athletes are merely expected to ignore the calls for replacements, the insults because of missed kicks, passes, or turnovers. The hostility that an athlete is susceptible to is above and beyond that of an amateur, despite NCAA claims. With all of that in mind, take one of the players on the teams of the March Madness Tournament. They are 5 games from the 2nd most prestigious award in the game. What exactly is the probability that they are focused on their Calculus II class? All of the players are being watched, talked about and scrutinized for a month straight. It is as it is called, absolute madness. Sports media covers all of the games in depth, and if they happen to not get to one of the 64 teams, there is a large population of alumni and current students watching. Student athletes are being put under such a large amount of pressure, the amateur argument used by the NCAA is proven less true year after year. With all of this in mind, the practice schedule on top of all of this psychological stress and the traveling necessary to be part of college sports is time consuming and takes away what little study time they would be able to achieve if they were able to look past the pressure. One of the most important things for a college student is not only completing their academic program at a high level, but experimenting with their interests and their mind. Students should be set to not to step off the assembly line of diploma receiving students with just a piece of paper, but a more developed and unique mind. These athletes are likely foregoing internships for summer practice, and trips abroad for them in-school practice requirements. If they start falling behind in any way, they could lose the spot they worked all their lives to earn. The students work for 4 years in these programs, and generate revenue for the university. Two sports generate large amounts of revenue, football and men’s basketball. Other sports such as women’s basketball,men’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s soccer, can generate small amounts of revenue, but are minuscule compared to men’s basketball and football. Professional sports organizations, schools, the NCAA, and sports conferences all benefit from the profit after scholarships for these athletes. Universities also receive large amounts of funding for their school through donations from alumni, many of which donate towards these sports teams. The NCAA’s claim that these students are amateur athletes might be true for the non-revenue generating athletes, but there are certain sports that can generate large sources of profit for these â€Å"non-profit† entities. Some of these students come from the most difficult circumstances. Although scholarship money is very beneficial for their financial future, the quality of their education is diminished by their sport. This can even be seen in pop-culture with specials on how these athletes train constantly, and academic study is far from first on their priority list. Only the best athletes in the most lucrative sports move on to a professional league. The financial benefits of sacrificing attention on the athlete’s education is an illogical conclusion from a financial perspective. Another important factor to consider is the risk of injury. In professional sports, there is a requirement that a player must play in a developmental or college league upon entering the professional sports league of their respective sport. What if a player suffers a career ending injury during the year of playing college sports? What about the millions of dollars he was guaranteed in the pros? This has also played a role in shaping the controversy of whether or not these players should be compensated, due to risk of injury and ultimately never reaping the the financial benefits that you plan to recieve after bringing in immense revenue for a specific school and sports program. Now that there is an understanding of the financial pros and cons of the â€Å"pay-to- play† controversy that has been amidst our nation, it is important to analyze some possible solutions. The first solution entails listing college athletes, similar to any other job, based on their fair market value. This would mean superior athletes that are expected to be professional athletes will be listed for higher prices, while the less known, mediocre players will be listed for a lesser salary. Although this could potentially prove to be beneficial, it brings about too many risks. By enlisting athletes for their fair market value based upon the coverage and revenue that player or team brings to the university, it would bring about many disparities in income. Firstly, men sports programs would be compensated much greater, due to their popularity among the rest of the population and how much revenue events like March Madness and the Rose Bowl bring in. Not only would there be an immense wage gap between men and women college athletes, there would also be major disparities between the different sports programs. Due to media coverage and popularity, football, basketball, and baseball are without question the programs that bring in the most revenue, so their players would be compensated much greater than players on the rowing or gymnastics team. After careful analyzation of this controversy and some financial barriers that the NCAA must overcome, our group came up with a opinion on how to potentially solve this problem within the United States. Although this may arise controversy, a potentially amicable solution would be to pool a percentage of all the revenue gained from all of the sports programs within the college. After the percentage is pooled, one solution could be to invest the funds into low-risk portfolios that would create a gain and then have dividends issued to the players. Another potential solution would be instead of investing the funds, create trust fund accounts of equal value for all student athletes, that can be accessed upon graduation or one year in the college sports pro gram. Although this compensation wouldnt be too large due to it being equally distributed across athletes, it provides some financial protection and incentive to these athletes who ultimately are the ones making the NCAA a billion dollar industry. Ultimately, the current state of the NCAA demands change. Change that will take into consideration not only the physiological commitments these student athletes faced, but as well as the immense revenues these sports programs bring in without the athletes seeing a dollar of it. If we want to provide an environment that will act as a transition from the college sports leagues to the professionals, there must be solutions made to contribute to the financial protection and psychological protection of these young athletes. Works Cited Student-Athletes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes Chait, J. (2018, March 31). How to Pay College Athletes Without Ruining NCAA Sports. Retrieved from https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/03/how-to-pay-college-athletes-without-ruining-ncaa-sports.html

Global Warming, Fact Or Fiction What Is The Evidence For...

Assignment #1- Global Warming, fact or fiction? What is the evidence for or against? Global warming is a constant topic that is frequently discussed throughout the world. Many people including environmentalist, study this topic to determine the seriousness and world impact. The typical understanding of this concept â€Å"global warming† is known to be the total long-term intensification in the temperature present in the atmosphere (3). When discussing this topic, it is still important to consider the fact if Global Warming is actually fact or fiction. In order to evaluate this controversial issue, one would need to discuss evidence for or against the idea of global warming. To further discuss this topic, one should evaluate valid sources that can support one’s conclusions. I believe that Global warming is in fact true and that the evidence that we see in regards to the temperature change and environmental change does defend my perspective. Studies have shown that global surface temperature has increased about 0.74 °C within the last century. The glob al surface temperature is also expected to increase by another 3–5 °C in 100 years to come (5). Even though this relatively small number may seem insignificant to many people, it has caused many changes to the overall atmosphere that can be further discussed. Changes that are associated with the atmosphere and also the climate change have an influence on the biosphere and human environment (1). The warming of earthsShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming: Fact or Fiction1089 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal Warming: Fact or Fiction Lower Capstone – Unit 3 Independent Project Rozlynn Mundy American InterContinental University Online July 4, 2010 Title: Global Warming: Fact or Fiction Abstract Introduction I. Overview of Global Warming A. Signs of global warming a. Support b. Skepticism II. Effects of Global Warming A. Contributors to global a. Manmade b. 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There is no way of knowing if other civilisations would even welcome contact with us. It would be completely reasonable to suggest that maybe they are lying low, hoping we don’t ever notice them. After all, we could be hostile and a threat to them for all they know. Once we have located them, they may feel that it is possible we could come to visit, bring advanced weaponry and possibly even diseasesRead MoreAncient Nuclear Weapons (Indus Valley)7132 Words   |  29 Pages Ancient Atom Bombs Fact, Fraud, and the Myth of Prehistoric Nuclear Warfare Contents I. The Myth of Ancient Atomic Warfare 1 II. The First Ancient Atomic Bomb Theories 4 III. The Tesla Death Ray 13 IV. Big Theories, No Evidence 16 V. What It All Means 20 Works Cited 24 ANCIENT ATOM BOMBS? ââ€"  1 I. The Myth of Ancient Atomic Warfare I N FEBRUARY 2008, GLOBAL DIGNITARIES gathered to inaugurate the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a repository

Math Lab Evaluation Paper Free Essays

The Math lab evaluation Have you ever been to a place that is depressing, gloomy, and absolutely apathetic? If not then by all means make a point to go by and visit the math lab. As a student of the University of South Alabama I have been asked to evaluate the math lab by my supervisor. My supervisor had received various complaints by students, for that reason I have been asked to observe the math lab record what I saw and write down any suggestions for change. We will write a custom essay sample on Math Lab Evaluation Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now During this evaluation I will discuss the pros and cons of the environment in the math lab. This evaluation will serve a purpose for both present and future math students. As you enter the fifteen hundred square foot room the first thing you will see is approximately fifty computers on your right against the wall and in the center of the room there are ten round tables with six computers on each one, some of which are designated for testing only as for the others they are used for classes. There are a total of one hundred and fifty computers. The room has several spaces separated by temporary partition walls that do very little to block sounds and serve very little purpose. There are student workers walking around that tutor the students as needed. There are also many students throughout the room at their individual computer station. At the time of my observation there were no classes in progress and all the professors were in their office, which are located at the far end of the lab. The math labs hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from nine am to nine pm and nine am to five pm on Friday they are closed on Saturday but open again on Sunday from three pm to nine pm. Although there is not a class in session you will still see students working to fulfill their required minutes in the math lab that has been assigned every week by their professor. Tutors and instructors are available during all operating hours to assist students. Students appear to be unable to focus due to various distractions like the constant noise of some of the math tutors joking with one another and the lights flickering throughout the room is also very distracting. The computers are located only a foot or so apart so if anyone were to sit next to you and make any type of movement like simply erase something or write, shakes the whole table. The sound of students that are coming and going throughout my observation because it is a work at your pace type of curriculum. The temperature in the lab was sixty five degrees which for a cold nature person would be uncomfortable making it difficult to study comfortably for a long period of time. Some of the rules that are enforced within the math lab are as follows no cell phones, no eating, no drinking, and no music. I would make the following changes in the math lab to make it a more productive and studious environment. Starting with the noise level of the room I would make the tutors aware of the complaints because of their actions and the effect on students they have caused. Secondly I would space the computers further apart that are against the walls. I would also add individual partition walls between each computer therefor blocking routine noises made by working students. This also provides privacy when trying to concentrate and study making the students more comfortable and able to work quietly. I would raise the temperature in the room to seventy two degrees which is an ideal temperature. Although rules are very necessary It is a fact that music can help students retain and comprehend knowledge for that reason I would change the rule and allow students to listen to music but only with individual ear buds. The suggestions were implemented and students agreed that the privacy of the individual spaces made it a much more enjoyable learning environment; they were able to get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. The tutors were more respectful and worked hard to be very helpful to the best of their ability. Allowing the students to listen to music helped them to focus and not to feel so stressed when working. The temperature was set at seventy two degrees. Students and faculty both agree that it was an ideal temperature. The lights were fixed and no longer flicker furthermore they do not cause any more distractions. The room is no longer a gloomy dreadful place nor is it apathetic but now the atmosphere is enjoyable. Students no longer dread going to the math lab and their grade averages have continued to go up. So overall I would have given it a C minus before any changes were implemented but after I would give it an A after seeing the positive results. How to cite Math Lab Evaluation Paper, Papers

Christmas Carol High School Fish Eyes, Ghosts, and Friendship free essay sample

Snap! Crash! Shh! Those aren’t the sounds you would typically hear from the wings of a stage, but they were heard from the wings of the stage at Living Faith Church in December of 2017. The play, Christmas Carol HighSchool, didn’t quite go off without a hitch. With each rehearsal, something exciting would occur that distracted us from other problems that arose. However, we always kept a smile on our faces and continued on. The play was the story of A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens. The difference was that it was set in a high school rather than in London. I played the role of one of the two ghosts Christmas past.Our lead actress was participating in two plays at once, Cinderellawhich was at her high school and ours. Often times, she would have to miss rehearsals for Christmas Carol High Schoolin order to attend Cinderellarehearsals. Her absence made our own rehearsals extremely difficult to accomplish. Although this was a difficult obstacle to overcome, we did and continued to have a wonderful time putting on the play.Our first incident that helped distract us from the many mishaps we endured, was the Caesar salad scare. Just across the street from our church is an Aldi store. After church, but before rehearsals, many of us in the cast and crew would make the quick trek over and buy something to eat. On one of these Sundays, my friend, Abby, decided that it would be a good idea to buy a Caesar salad kit for her lunch. Upon returning to the church, five of us girls sat at a table and began to eat our lunches. â€Å"What are all those little black dots?† Abby asked, turning to our friend, Lizzy, who sat beside her. Lizzy looked over to see Abby pointing at the small, black dots that rested in her Caesar salad dressing.â€Å"I don’t know. Look at the ingredients.† Lizzy replied.Abby checked the salad bag for the ingredients in her dressing. â€Å"It’s fis h eyes!† She exclaimed with a high-pitched voice and wide eyes. â€Å"I am never eating this stuff again.† She declared to the four of us sitting with her.â€Å"They’re not fish eyes.† Lizzy told her with her typical, evil-looking straight face.â€Å"It says right here.† Abby held up the bag and pointed to where it read â€Å"anchovy paste†.Lizzy took the bag and read the list of ingredients to herself. â€Å"I don’t think that they’re fish eyes, hon.†I took the bag from Lizzy and read the list myself. I didn’t know there was anchovy paste in Caesar salad. It was possible that those little black dots were, in fact, fish eyes. I couldn’t say that to Abby. The list had black pepper on it as well. That’s what it must be. â€Å"Honey, I think those dots are just black pepper.† I passed the bag over to Lydia so that she could state her opinion next.â€Å"Yeah, Abby. It’s just black pepper.â €  Lizzy repeated.â€Å"I’m still not eating it. They’re probably fish eyes.† Abby told us and that was the end of the discussion.As rehearsals progressed, my friend, Carter, and I had a difficult time trying to portray two 1950s cheerleaders, also known as the ghosts of Christmas past. We learned quite a few crazy cheers and poses that were eventually performed on stage.â€Å"Haha!† I laugh quietly backstage. Carter had a scratchy, red pom pom on top of his head like hair. Another was stuck in front of his chin. He had got red hair and a beard! â€Å"It’s time for curtain call. I dare you to go out there like that.† I whisper. It’s only rehearsal. No one will mind.â€Å"Fine.† He replies with his own small laugh.We line up to take our bows, holding back laughter. Then his red beard fell off as we headed to the center of the stage. Unfortunately, it was unable to be fixed in time for anyone to see.During the final performanc e of the play, one mishap stood out above every other thing that had happened during the course of the play. One of the stage wings is on the far corner of the stage and hidden only by a black sheet draped over an incredibly unstable structure. It constantly smelled of nervous sweat and the stage smoke that was used as a special effect whenever a ghost made their appearance on stage. Any noise made in that wing is audible to the audience.While the small group of the three ghosts of Christmas past and present and Anna, who played a version of Marley’s ghost, sat quietly in the makeshift wing. Then a small, yet heavy, box fell to the floor with a loud crash. Nervous, we all jumped to pick it up and, in the process, accidentally rattled the chains that Anna carried around. Trying to calm down after that scare, I sat on a stool, my feet resting tiredly on one of the bars beneath it, forgetting that this was, unfortunately, the broken stool. None of the bars connected to any two o f the legs. My feet pressed down heavily on the flimsy wooden dowel. It snapped. A loud crack sounded through the auditorium as the dowel fell off, and my feet hit the floor. All of us backstage froze. Our director would most definitely have our heads now. We were done for. The play continued on and we remained as silent as ever in our wing. After the performance ended, Lizzy came up to me and told me about the sound they’d heard in her wing on the opposite side of the stage. â€Å"It was so loud! We heard it all the way downstairs!†Embarrassed, I explained myself. â€Å"That was me. I broke a stool. But it was already broken!†I, and the rest of the cast who had been present, were terribly afraid of the director who had been sitting in the back of the auditorium for the performance. Surprisingly, and to our horror, she said nothing to any of us.Finally, I gathered enough courage to confront her. â€Å"You didn’t hear anything from backstage, did you?â₠¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"No, I didn’t! Why?† She replied with a smile.â€Å"No reason. I was just wondering.† My eyes were wide as I turned away. She hadn’t heard. What a wonderful day!Our church Christmas play was not one that you would typically expect to see. It was different and had far more mistakes and mishaps than there should have been. It was also a time of making new friendships, learning from our mistakes, and growing closer to old friends in the oddest possible ways. In some ways, you could even say that it was a good thing that all our mishaps occurred. Without some of them, our friendships wouldn’t have gotten stronger and none of us would have connected through a common fear: the director. This was the best Christmas gifts I could have received, and it lasted all season long.

Athletes Salaries Essays - Student Athlete, , Term Papers

Athletes Salaries As you sit at the stadium or in your home and watch college football, basketball, or even baseball, do you ever wonder where the money goes from all the ticket sales? Colleges make a lot of money from their athletics. I feel that the profit that is made should partly go back to the student athlete. College athletes should be paid for their participation in sports, since sports make a lot of money for the college. A student athlete's schedule is very hectic. There are many activities that have to be attended daily. A student athlete is expected to go to class every day, and later in, the day they are expected to meet at practice, no matter what the sport. After practice, the student athlete must eat dinner. Then, the person has to go home to their dorm to do homework, which can last for hours. There is very little time during the day, to allow the student athlete to get a job. Most of the time coaches will not allow the students to work, due to schedule conflict, and it is also hard on the student's studies. If the coach doesn't allow a job and there is no time for one, where does the student get money? Student finances are very limited. Most of the money that students have is from parents or student loans. Students need money for food, gas and laundry. If a student eats three meals a day, it would usually cost then about fifteen dollars. For a five-day week it would be around seventy-five dollars. Usually, the student athletes do not travel much, so gas expenses would be minimal. However there are those occasional trips home to see family. The student also needs money for laundry. Laundry runs around five or six dollars per week. Years ago, student athletes at colleges and universities were given laundry money, which was twenty-five to thirty dollars a week. The money could be spent freely. It was like an allowance that your parents would give you every week. I feel that this little support would at least help the student when money is hard to come by at home. With the financial help of the college, a student athlete would only have to supply around fifty dollars per week instead of seventy- or eighty-five A student would have less financial troubles if they were compensated for athletics. If athletes were paid, they could have a better start out of college. For instance, if the student athlete has to get a loan during college because he or she has no money for necessities, that student athlete has started to dig a financial hole. That hole will be a burden to the student athlete when her or she graduates from college. Also, the student athlete's parents will not be financially troubled when the student graduates from college. It would make it easier on student athletes and their parents mentally and physically if student athletes were paid. Mentally, the parents would not have to worry about paying the bills when tuition is due. Physically, the parents and students would not have to break their back to work overtime, or to have a job while in school, and play athletics as well. I feel that student athletes have a lot to worry about. One is their grades; two is their performance in games. I feel the last thing a student athlete should worry about is how they are going to make money to pay for necessities, since the student plays a sport that makes money for the college. Student athletes should be compensated for their participation in athletics while attending college.

Using Command-Line Arguments in Java

Using Command-Line Arguments in Java Command-line arguments can be a way of specifying configuration properties for an application, and Java is no different. Instead of clicking on an application icon from the operating system, you can run the Java application  from a terminal window. Along with the application name, a number of arguments can follow which are then passed to the applications starting point (i.e., the main method, in the case of Java). For example, NetBeans has a number of startup parameters that can be passed to the application when it is run from a terminal window (e.g., specifies a version of the JDK to be used instead of the default JDK associated with the NetBeans application). The Main Method Lets examine the main method  to see where the arguments passed to an application appear: The command-line arguments can be found in the called For example, lets consider an application called whose only action is to print out the command-line arguments passed to it: public class CommandLineArgs {   Ã‚  Ã‚  public static void main(String[] args) {//check to see if the String array is emptyif (args.length 0){System.out.println(There were no commandline arguments passed!);}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  //For each String in the String array//print out the String.for(String argument: args){System.out.println(argument);}}}   Syntax of Command Line Arguments The Java Runtime Engine (JRE) expects arguments to be passed following a particular syntax, like so: java ProgramName value1 value2 Above, java invokes the JRE, which is followed by the name of the program you are calling. These are followed by any arguments to the program. There is no limit to the number of arguments a program can take, but the order is critical. The JRE passes the arguments in the order in which they appear on the command line.  For example, consider this code snippet from above: public class CommandLineArgs2 {​   Ã‚  Ã‚  public static void main(String[] args) {if (args.length 0){System.out.println(There were no commandline arguments passed!);} When arguments are passed to a Java program, args[0] is the first element of the array (value1 above), args[1] is the second element (value2), and so on. The code args.length() defines the length of the array. Passing Command-Line Arguments In NetBeans, we can pass command-line arguments without having to build the application and run it from a terminal window. To specify the command-line arguments: Right-click on the project folder in the Projects window.Choose the Properties option to  open  Project Properties window.  In the Categories list on the right-hand side, choose RunIn the Arguments textbox that appears, specify the command-line arguments you want to pass to the application. For example, if we enter Apple Banana Carrot in the Arguments textbox and run the CommandLineArgs program listed above, we will get the output: Parsing the Command-Line Arguments Typically, a command line argument is passed with some information about what to do with the value being passed. The argument informing the application what the argument is for typically has a hyphen or two before its name. For example, the NetBeans example for the startup parameter specifying the JDK path is This means youll need to parse the command-line arguments to figure out what to do with the values. There are several Java command-line frameworks for parsing command-line arguments. Or you could write a simple command-line parser if the arguments you need to pass are not that many: The code above either prints the arguments or add them together if they are integers. For example, this command line argument would add the numbers: java CommandLineArgs -addnumbers 11 22 33 44

The Business of Business Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Business of Business - Literature review Example There are three different schools of thought or approaches on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility. They can be classified as Neoliberal approach Neo-Keynesian Radical Political Economy In the Neoliberal approach, Corporate Social Responsibility is defined as the basic and fundamental set of policies, codes or guidelines which drives the basic running of a business (Lockwood, 2012). It is mainly based on the viewpoint articulated by Friedman that the main social responsibility of a business is to effectively use its resources and employ those activities which increase the profits of the business as long as it engages in free and open competition without any deceptive and fraudulent activities (The Guardian, 2009). In an article, a neoliberal journalist, Ahaner (2012) rightly pointed out that the main flaw of Corporate Social Responsibility is that the businesses justify their existence by acting on higher moral grounds. According to Riley (2011), the main idea of the pursuit of pro fit not being associated with public good simply does not match up. Adam Smith had rightly said that â€Å"it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest†. Although most of the neoliberal advocates agree that Corporate Social Responsibility hinders the achievement of the primary purpose of the business, they agree that it will be profitable for the companies in the long run if they adopt Corporate Social Responsibility in their policies (Jedrzei, 2007, pp. 669-681). Furthermore, Yuan (2011, pp. 75-92) adds that even if Corporate Social Responsibility hinders the businesses profit-making, it is imperative to note that it can be used as an important insurance strategy to lower the risks of adverse media campaigns, consumer backlash to corporate behavior and government intervention. On the other hand, Cai (2011) defends that the advocates of Neo-Keynesian have a wider approach by recognizing the active role of the business stakeholders. However, there is no general definition of Corporate Social Responsibility and it is mainly construed as having no formal and external set of regulations by both the stakeholders and the state. The Neo-Keynesian theory is different from that of the neoliberal perspective is many ways. The main difference is that the Neo-Keynesian recognizes that market failures or lack of corporate awareness can have negative impacts on corporate behavior (Thomsen, 2010, pp.139-142). Advocates of neo-Keynesian are mostly concerned with the corporate environmental policies, regulations, and policies related to workplace and mainly the environmental and economic consequences of business activity. Marquez and Fombrun (2005, pg. 304) explain that advocates also entertain the thought of a positive role of the state in enforcing regulations and policies of Corporate Social Responsibility. The third school of thought, The Radical political economy h as a skeptical stance on Corporate Social Responsibility by following a different viewpoint on the existence and the abuse of corporate power in terms of both global and local economies.

The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom Essay

The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom - Essay Example Seibert’ book presents a number of interesting people and unsung heroes before it readers. Among all of them, one person that particular catches the interest is Calvin Fairbank. Fairbank lived in an affluent family that was 'assigned' with two slaves. As these slaves did all the housework, once he got the opportunity to listen to the slave-woman's tale of sorrow, which kindled anger in Fairbank. Once when he was in charge of a raft of lumber, he saw a woodsman who was going to be a slave very soon. Fairbank took him on the raft and helped him. Along with o an old slave woman with 7 children, he helped this man escape by taking them to a secure location on his raft. However, this met with a lot of issues because Fairbank was charged with helping the slaves help and was sent to the penitentiary. Before he was released, the Fugitive Slave law was passed, but this did not prove to be a deterrent to his ideas. According to him, 'I resisted its execution whenever and wherever possib le'. He continued to help the slaves escape. This landed him in the prison again and he spent more than 17 years of his life in the prison, where some phases were filled with physical and mental torture. Through his strategy of using disguises and helping people hide, he played pivotal part in making the life better for many slaves. One of the very interesting events in the book is about how the disguise was used as a very effective technique to help the slaves escape quietly without the threat of being caught.... Fairbank lived in an affluent family that was 'assigned' with two slaves. As these slaves did all the housework, once he got the opportunity to listen to the slave-woman's tale of sorrow, which kindled anger in Fairbank. Once when he was in charge of a raft of lumber, he saw a woodsman who was going to be a slave very soon. Fairbank took him on the raft and helped him. Along with o an old slave woman with 7 children, he helped this man escape by taking them to a secure location on his raft. However, this met with a lot of issues because Fairbank was charged with helping the slaves help and was sent to the penitentiary. Before he was released, the Fugitive Slave law was passed, but this did not prove to be a deterrent to his ideas. According to him, 'I resisted its execution whenever and wherever possible' (Siebert, 1898, p. 159). He continued to help the slaves escape. This landed him in the prison again and he spent more than 17 years of his life in the prison, where some phases wer e filled with physical and mental torture. Through his strategy of using disguises and helping people hide, he played pivotal part in making the life better for many slaves. One of the very interesting events in the book is about how the disguise was used as a very effective technique to help the slaves escape quietly without the threat of being caught. Mr. Sidney Speed of Crawfordsville narrates the incident when a mulatto girl was about 20 years of age reached their home. As the level of vigilance was very high, they could not move her despite many efforts. The owners of this slave were searching for her all across the place. When they got the right opportunity, she was taken to a coloured man's house to devise a plan of escape. There, she was disguised in a dress of silks and

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example Whenever the missionaries fail to adapt or coagulate with the foreign culture, repatriation becomes a necessity. The organization recalls the missionaries back to the home country, and this reduces the risks of losing foreign ventures entirely (Anderson, 2005:57). The use of technology in the recruitment process established by Callaghan and Thompson relate all activities closer to the employee activities. The point is that, the management must establish the communication medium that will effectively relay information within the organization. Secondly, employees are the point of consideration in telemarketing. Whenever a customer makes a call, the employee should answer the questions with the utmost degree of concern to solve an issue rather than turn emotional and furious. The management may consider evaluating the work relations among employees in a communication service oriented firm. The best employee should bear technicality in handling tasks, be of a good personality, easy to communicate, and always exhibit competence in performance of tasks (Callaghan and Thompson, 2002:35). The third article analyzes human resource management on the diversity posed in different nations in the globe. The political stature prevailing in every economy affects the businesses and labor relations accordingly. Communists’ states implement practices that tend to utilize labor for the country’s benefit and not for the sole worker. On the contrary, capitalist states ensure that employee work to earn the agreed amount of money as they deliver services to the organization. Most of the countries emphasize on interviewing a prospective employee prior to employment. The firms must outline the various qualifications that the employee holds in relation to the job. It is advisable for the management to establish the cultures comprised in the organizations, from one geographical region to another (Chapman and Webster,

Recommendations For Teenage Drug Addiction Social Essay

Recommendations For Teenage Drug Addiction Social Essay Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them. Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction-that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their producti ve lives. People who are suffering emotionally use drugs, not so much for the rush, but to escape from their problems. They are trying to self-medicate themselves out of loneliness, low self-esteem, unhappy relationships, or stress.    This is a pattern that too often leads to drug abuse and addiction. Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society. Drug awareness and drug testing are two of the most powerful deterrents in identifying and preventing teen drug abuse. These are the three criteria to consider when there is a problem of drug abuse in teens. Awareness/Identification Prevention Eradication Awareness/ Identification: Clear communication by parents about the negative physical, emotional, and functional effects of drugs, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use have been found to significantly decrease substance abuse in teens. Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to drug use in youth. Specifically, parents knowing how, where, and with whom adolescents socialize, as well as limiting their childrens access to substances that can be abused have been associated with less teenage drug use. Limiting the amount of alcohol, cleaning solutions (inhalants), prescription, and over-the-counter medications that are kept in the home to amounts that can be closely monitored and accounted for has also been found to decrease substance abuse by teens. How can you tell if your child is using drugs or alcohol? It is difficult because changes in mood or attitudes, unusual temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits and changes in hobbies or other interests are common in teens. What should you look for?    You can also look for signs of depression, withdrawal, carelessness with grooming or hostility. Also ask yourself, is your child doing well in school, getting along with friends, taking part in sports or other activities? These changes often signal that something harmful is going on-and often that involves alcohol or drugs. You may want to take your child to the doctor and ask him or her about screening your child for drugs and alcohol. This may involve the health professional asking your child a simple question, or it may involve a urine or blood drug screen. However, some of these signs also indicate there may be a deeper problem with depression, gang involvement, or suicide. Be on the watch for these signs so that you can spot trouble before it goes too far. In order for a parent to get their teen to be aware of the drug usage and identifying if their teen is involved in this matter, they have to do the following: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Have The Talk Let Them Know You Know You should sit down and talk with your child. Be sure to have the conversation when you are all calm and have plenty of time. This isnt an easy task-your feelings may range from anger to guilt that you have failed because your kid is using drugs. This isnt true-by staying involved you can help his/her stop using and make choices that will make a positive difference in his/her life. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Be Specific about Your Concerns Tell your child what you see and how you feel about it. Be specific about the things you have observed that cause concern. Explain exactly how his/her behavior or appearance (bloodshot eyes, different clothing) has changed and why that worries you. Tell his/her that drug and alcohol use is dangerous and its your job to keep his/her away from things that put his/her in danger. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Dont Make Excuses Although its natural for parents to make excuses for their child, youre not helping him/her if you make excuses when he/she misses school or family functions when you suspect something else is at play. Take the next step: Talk to your child and get more information. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Try to Remain Calm and Connect With Him/Her Have this discussion without getting mad or accusing your child of being stupid or bad or an embarrassment to the family. Be firm but loving with your tone and try not to get hooked into an argument. Knowing that kids are naturally private about their lives, try to find out whats going on in your childs life. Try not to make the discussion an inquisition; simply try to connect with your teen and find out why he/she may be making bad choices. Find out if friends or others offered your child drugs at a party or school. Did he/she try it just out of curiosity, or did he/she use marijuana or alcohol for some other reason? That alone will be a signal to your child that you care and that you are going to be the parent exercising your rights. Prevention: Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Results from a research have shown that prevention programs that involve families, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse. Although many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. It is necessary, therefore, to help youth and the general public to understand the risks of drug abuse, and for teachers, parents, and healthcare professionals to keep sending the message that drug addiction can be prevented if a person never abuses drugs. Drug prevention generally begins in the following places and programs: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Schools where drug education programs are initiated to children. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Family focused abuse-prevention programs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Multifamily educational intervention (MFE) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rehabilitation centers Many programs lead to the scare tactic approach which usually does not work; it only leads to youth to wanting to try them anyway. New programs should be created which are more focused on speaking with the kids on their terms, not ours. Many of the speakers involved in the programs are former addicts themselves. They give a detailed account of their past experience with drugs leaving the child to form their own opinion of what drugs are like instead of telling them to just say no. Through these programs they will found out reasons why kids decide to quit using drugs (for those who are already using them), why they change their minds to not try or use drugs and why they believe so strongly to not use or try drugs. The programs also use a more appropriate amount of humor in their presentations. They found that children respond better to the light-heartedness of the issue, although they still know what a serious issue it is. Prevention of drug use is a hard issue to face. There are several programs out there geared towards children and young adults to help them make the right decision on using or trying drugs. Family focused abuse-prevention programs have produced reductions in adolescent drug abuse. Those who strongly identify with their communities and cultures have been found to be less likely to experience risk factors for using drugs compared to their peers who are less connected to their communities and cultures. Therefore, incorporation of a cultural component to drug abuse prevention programs may enhance the effectiveness of those programs. Moreover, teens 15 to 16 years old who use religion to cope with stress tend to use drugs significantly less often than their peers who do not use religion to cope. The Institutes of Drug Abuse recommends that treatment of substance abuse: be readily available when the addicted person is ready to enroll; be tailored to the complex, multiple and changing needs (for example medical, mental health, social, legal, and family) of each individual; and consider the use of medication treatment when appropriate and include random drug testing. There are numerous individual treatments for drug addiction in teens. Relapse prevention uses methods for recognizing and amending problem behaviors. Individualized drug counseling specifically emphasizes short-term behavioral goals in an attempt to help the individual reduce or stop the use of drugs altogether. Some such programs include drug testing. Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous are individualized drug-counseling methods. Motivational enhancement therapy encourages the teen to increase their desire to participate in therapy. Stimulus control refers to a treatment method that teaches the person to stay away from situations that are associated with substance abuse and to replace those situations with activities that are contrary to using drugs. Urge control is an approach to changing patterns that lead to drug use. Social control involves family members and other significant others of the addict in treatment. Family interventions for drug addiction that tend to be effective for teens include multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), group therapy, and multifamily educational intervention (MFE). MDFT has been found to be quite effective. Longer-term residential treatment of three to five months that addresses peer relationships, educational problems, and family issues is often used in treating substance abuse in teens. When one enters a drug rehab center many factors go into determining which program is right for you. A trained health professional, generally a doctor specializing in addiction medicine, makes a diagnosis to prescribe which treatment program is best for you. Programs usually include inpatient, residential, outpatient, and/or short-stay options. There is a slight difference between inpatient and residential programs. The inpatient services are provided by a licensed hospital, while the residential services are less meticulous in their medical care standards. The length of stay in the center depends and varies on the severity of the disease and the stage the person is in at the time. Recovery of drug abuse is a hard situation to deal with because every person is different in their degree of dependency, their attitude towards their abuse, their health at the time of entry to a center and their willingness to change their old ways and accept help for ways to live their life differently and better. Recovery is an ongoing process. Once a person leaves a center or treatment area, they must apply the skills they have learned into their everyday lifestyle. This can be extremely hard for some. However, some treatment centers do offer follow-up programs to ensure and monitor the process of ones recovery. The hardest part is realizing you have a problem and making the choice to enter a treatment facility. Eradication: You can begin to more closely monitor your childs activities. Have a few conversations. Ask: Who? What? Where? When? Reflect with your child on why he/she is using drugs and try to understand the reasons why so that you can help solve the problem. When you get a better idea of the situation, then you can decide next steps. These could include setting new rules and consequences that are reasonable and enforceable such as a new curfew, no cell phone or computer privileges for a period of time, or less time hanging out with friends. You may want to get them involved in pro-social activities that will keep them busy and help them meet new people Limiting their childrens access to substances that can be abused have been associated with less teenage drug use. Limiting the amount of alcohol, cleaning solutions (inhalants), prescription, and over-the-counter medications that are kept in the home to amounts that can be closely monitored and accounted for has also been found to decrease substance abuse by teens A community based program for the prevention of the drug usage should be developed. In order to rid communities of drug abuse and crimes related to drugs, we must put drug dealers out of business. Since drug trafficking and the sale of drugs are so profitable, it has become big business. The only way to put any business out of business is to decrease the demand for the product or service. To accomplish this, each community must provide preventive interventions in their small part of the world. Collectively, we can have a long-term impact on ridding the world of illicit drug use and drug abuse. Creating a substance abuse prevention program will change the lives of residents in your community. Drugs and crimes related to drugs are in every community. It does not matter if it is a wealthy community or the poorest of the poor. This is why it is so important that every community creates a program for substance abuse prevention. Accordingly, a powerful program for substance abuse prevention incorporates drug education with community mobilization, youth development, and community action. Yes, the community must get involved.* The law enforcement should be able to locate where the drugs are being brought in, they should find out the roots its coming from and destroy it there only. They should keep a watch on the people who bring it in and who are the people who get the stuff to come in the cities. The law enforcement is expected to keep the places clean and out of drugs so the young generation will not come in contact with these different substances that are being sold in the market. There should be brutal punishments for the sellers when they are caught selling these drugs to the teens or anyone. Short and Long Term Effects of Drug Abuse Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse Short-Term Effects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rush à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Depressed respiration à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clouded mental functioning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Nausea and vomiting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Suppression of pain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Spontaneous abortion Long-Term Effects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Collapsed veins à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Bacterial infections à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Abscesses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Infection of heart lining and valves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems Summary: In order to solve the drug addiction in teens, the above listed criteria play a big role because it is a must to identify is someone that you care about is on drugs. They should be well aware of the consequences and the effects of the drug they are using. When they know the right information and someone is to take them seriously and help them from getting out of this addiction will solve this crucial matter. Even if you have to get to the depth of it by finding out where is the supply coming from and getting those drug dealers in the right place where they belong which is prison will also eradicate the drug usage of your closed one. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a persons self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addictions powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patients drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse. Recommendations: Based on the results and solutions to solve this problem of increasing the number of teens in drug addiction, I recommend: All the parents should make their kids well aware of the facts and effects of the drug usage and what could be the consequences of the usage of these drugs. Only the parents friendly behavior and necessarily restrictions can keep their kid away from using these substances. It is only the loved ones whom you care for can help the drug addicts get rid of this problem and put themselves in some rehabilitation centers if necessary. Also there should be more care given in rehab centers and more programs can be established to finish of this matter for good. Material Cited: 1. http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/drugs.html 2. http://www.medicinenet.com/teen_drug_abuse/article.html 3. Drug Addiction by John Hicks, Millbrook Press (August 1, 1997)

Major Features of the Vedic Religion :: Papers

Major Features of the Vedic Religion The Vedic Religion is based on the teachings of the Vedas, which signifies the way of living a sin free life. The Vedas are the teachings of the religion Hinduism. There are different types of Vedas, each signifying different facts and opinions about the religion. The main text of the Vedic religion is the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda itself contains some 1,028 hymns of praise to a predominantly male group of deities who seem to personify various powers of nature such as fire, sky and rain. The fact that the hymns demonstrated a strong relationship with the presence of nature illustrates the Aryan feeling towards nature. The Rig Veda mainly concentrates on symbolism rather than mythology. Although the hymns are based on symbolism, it is sometimes possible to gather various mythical themes. Another aspect that is mentioned in the Vedas is the 'panch mahabhutas'. These are the five constituents which makeup life on this planet, they are: * Aakash (sky), * Vayu (air), * Agni (fire), * Jal (Water), * Prithvi (earth). Although the Vedas are very much alike except in their content of hymns, they all have the same principle, all Hindus should lead a sin free life. Within the Vedic religion, Hindus believe in many gods and goddesses. Some of them are human (e.g. Krishna, Rama , some animals (e.g. fish, monkey, rat, snake), (some animal-humans as in the case of Ganesh who has the head of elephant with trunk and the body of a human), and some others are natural phenomena (e.g. dawn, fire, sun). Their number is generally believed to be 330 million. According to Hindu belief, god incarnates and for example takes the form of human being and other animals and appears in this earth in that form. Gods and goddesses were born like human beings and had wives and children. No god possesses absolute power; some of the gods are weaker than each

Are All Adolescents at High Risk for Drug Addiction?

‘Psychological characteristics’ is the reason behind the involvement of the young adults to the use of drugs. This is what the authors who investigated the children in Woodlawn have found.   The study of Kellam, Branch, Agrawal and Ensminger regarding the investigation of how the use of drugs has been present in the childhood antecedents traced how the group of urban children from 6 to 7 years old developed.In this study, the authors found that after a decade, when the children aged 16 and 17, they have been using drugs. Also, children who began going to school have already varied ways into young adulthood. (Kellam, Branch, Agrawal, & Ensminger, 1975; Kellam, Brown, Rubin, & Ensminger, 1983)There was also this study of Jeanne and Jack Block about the children at the San Francisco Bay area, whom since nursery have experienced cases with which psychological characteristics has also been the cause.If in Woodlawn study, children involved are those aged 16 and 17, in this s tudy, they have found out that children, at the age of 14, has already committed to drugs and the crimes and cases with its involvement, which is quite alarming.  (J. H. Block & J. Block, 1980)The study required the authors to call the government’s attention in mitigating the cases committed by young adults. But aside from the government’s efforts in conducting programs and actions, the study also eyes for the parents to take actions regarding the issue. In terms of the responsibility, it has been the parents who are always on the position to take care of the psychological and emotional development of the children.These studies also included the whole range of conference later subsumed by the California Child Q-sort and the California Adult Q-sort that was designed to give permission to the clinicians in providing the in-depth, wide-ranging psychological descriptions. It was intend to gather information that is full of all psychological terms to talk about the concer ns of the clinical and to give information to the efforts of intervention. (Smith, G. M., & Fogg, C. P. (1978).Earlier investigators to this case have assumed nonstop relationships between the measures of psychological disturbances and the level of drug usage. It is because the approach assumes that the infrequent experimentation with the drugs has been problematic in terms of psychology, because of the tendency and the pressure to the adolescents for the regular use of drugs and for it becomes good to them (drugs are found to be good when the user is under the influence of it).Nonetheless, most of the adolescents in the United States have experiments in the use of marijuana most of the time, and the huge majority of these adolescents do not latterly become abusers of drugs because there is found â€Å"adjustment in the psychosocial† to those young adults who have experiments the use of drugs occasionally and of those young adults who totally avoided drugs. (Johnston et al., 1986; Johnston, Bachman, & O'Malley, 1981 a, 1981 b; Miller et al., 1983; NIDA, 1986)Certainly, occasional use of drugs is what has been suggested by most of the researchers for the adolescents to understand the manifestation of the developmentally appropriate experimentation.   One of them has observed those behaviors, personalities and the attitudes of the young adults before they choose a path to in their own choice.It is an expedition for or the organization of self-rule and independently personality and performance. This may be believed a normative attitude among the adolescents of the America from a developmental mission of outlook and in conditions of incidence.In their study, the subject was one hundred and one children. There are forty nine boys and the fifty two remaining are girls. All ages 18 years old. They came from the preliminary preview of one hundred and thirty respondents in a study of the development of ego and mentality. They were at first employed into the ex periment at their age of three. They were attending their nursery then, assessed by their parents.  The children have been measured on an extensive successions of psychological methods at ages three, four, five, eleven, fourteen and eighteen. Because there are just few of the subjects were lost over many of years, there can still be an amount of degree of difference of the slow destruction.In the interview, it has been those with the age of eighteen are being collected of the information about drugs. These interviews were conducted by the skilled and knowledgeable deficiency experts and the interviews varied over a selection of topics together with the works in school, relationship with the classmates and friends, the dynamics of the family and the personal interests.  The respondents were given questions about if they smoked pot or if they are using it in another form. The response goes with answers like if they never used marijuana, used it one time or two, more than two, one time in a month, one time in a week; twice or thrice in a week and the daily usage.The result of the study reveals that thirty seven percent of the respondents have reportedly trying cocaine and those who tried hallucinogens have been about twenty five percent. It was about ten percent of them found to be trying inhalants, barbiturates, amphetamines and even tranquilizers. There was also one of them has found to have used the heroin.  Those who tried marijuana also have the largest count, which is about sixty-eight percent. Before this, it was researched that four years earlier, it was fifty one percent only of the research have been using marijuana. Of the sixty eight percent of the category, thirty nine percent has found to be using marijuana once or more within a month, while twenty one percent of it has found to be using it in a week or about more than a week.These data point out that in a no selected delayed young adult example, irregular study with the marijuana is not destr uctive in terms of personal and societal.This insight is held up by studies of the penalties of drug usage, as well as with the research in the background and associative of drug usage and by with the truth that most of the young adults in America have tested marijuana but have not consequently turn to be abusers of drugs.The obvious contradiction between medical awareness and the found facts by the study, on the other hand, have been resulted when it has been documented that the individuals who in attendance themselves for drug treatment are not courier of the broad population of the young adults.For them, the study with the drugs is extremely unhelpful because drugs effortlessly become an element of a wider pathological disease. For the young adults more in general, some of the study in drugs is obviously does not have the appalling repercussion in the psychology.The Institute of Criminal Justice and Criminology made an evaluation of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE). It examines the DARE if it functions well or bad, and if its reaction to the incidents of drugs is being competent.They compared three hundred forty one fifth grader DARE students to those students who are not under the DARE. There were found major differences in the anticipated track for the usage of alcohol in the previous year, trust in the non anti-society standards, involvement with the group of friends who uses drugs, productive involvement in a group, approach to the police or military, conduct trick, liking and enthusiasm to the school, behaviors that are close to to material usage, and rudenessThere were no distinctions found on the vice materials such as tobacco, cigarettes, and or marijuana usage last year, incidence of any use of drugs in the previous month. All have been the same, just some changes in terms of number figure, but in the total picture of it, nothing has changed.CONCLUSION  There have been a lot of books, references, studies and publications that are being made by the experts for the benefit of research and information to identify the causes and effects of the drug addiction issues worldwide. Almost every man in the world knows that the use of drugs is illegal, as it has been imposed by the government that drug use is prohibited because of its negative effects and disadvantages.The reason why there is a high risk for the adolescents in drug addiction is mostly because of the psychological attributes. The quality of guidance and assistance of the parents to their children is proven to be the major cause on why young adults are getting involved into drug addiction.It has been the parents who are being responsible on why the kids grow out of the path and without proper orientation of what life must be when they get into the matured age.Young adults are very prone in the addiction to drugs for their vulnerability stage. They are in the most curious stage of their lives in which no one can not stop them of being probing of everything new t o them. The temptation to do everything they want because they are curious about it is very active at their age. So they are really at the high risk of drug addiction.

Inflecting OK

Inflecting OK Inflecting OK Inflecting OK By Maeve Maddox A reader stumbled on the word OKing in the following: Owners of eight rooftop clubs abutting Wrigley Field sued to overturn city approval of the $375 million plan to rebuild the aging ballpark, saying the city broke its own rules in OKing the plan and effectively deprived them of their property rights without due process. After a moment, the reader figured out that OKing was the present participle inflection of OK. NOTE: an inflection is a variation in the spelling of a word to indicate a change in case, gender, number, tense, person, mood, voice, or comparison. OK is inflected as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, OK is used in the plural as well as in the singular. As a verb, it is inflected to show person, number, and tense. A glance at usage in various publications quickly shows disagreement as to how to spell and inflect this indispensable word: Noun: Judge gives her preliminary  OK Is it Okay for My Cat to Have Milk? Get the estimates, then notify the receivers for  their OKs. We soon had inspectors come and give the house all of  their ok’s  and ratings. Verb (Past Tense): Highlights of gun  bill OK’d  by Massachusetts House   Bill delaying plans to move disabled from institutions OKed by NJ Assembly Cyber Bill okayed by US Senate committee; faces uphill struggle Verb (Present Participle): U.S. heading toward OKing more ‘Roundup-Ready’ genetically engineered farm acreage EPA rules on sulfur in gasoline, okaying guns in Indiana school parking lots What help do the authorities offer? The Chicago Manual of Style does not include a rule in any of its numbered sections for spelling or inflecting OK, but it does use the spelling OK in some of its examples. And in its question and answer feature, an editor declares that okay is a standard â€Å"equal variant† of OK. Three of my dictionaries–the OED, Merriam-Webster (M-W), and the Australian Concise Oxford (OA)–show OK as the preferred spelling and okay as an acceptable alternative. My Oxford Canadian Current English (OCC) gives okay as the main entry and OK as an alternative spelling. Here is their take on the inflections of OK as a verb: OED: Present participle OKing or OKing; past tense and past participle OKed, OK-ed, OKed. M-W: OKd or okayed; OKd or okayed; OKing or okaying; OKs or okays OA: OK’s, OK’d, OK’ing OCC: okays or OK’s, okayed or OK’d, okaying or OK’ing Finally, The AP Stylebook does not mess about with alternatives. Here’s the AP rule on inflections for the verb OK: OK, OK’d, OK’ing, OKs. Do not use okay. Bottom line: If you have a stylebook, follow it. If you have a choice, choose the inflected forms that make the most sense to you. Having made your choice, be consistent. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsWhat's a Male Mistress?Honorary vs. Honourary

Teacher Wellness essay

Teacher Wellness essay Teacher Wellness essay Teacher Wellness essayThere are many teacher wellness programs exist. The profession of a teacher has a huge social implication and that is why it is so important to maintain their mental, physical and emotional health. Because of stress and other reasons related to health, many teachers leave this profession. This paper explores one published article that report on resultsof the TeachWell worksite wellness program.Resnicow et al. (1998) in the article â€Å"Results of the TeachWell worksite wellness program†examined whether providing a school-based teacher wellness program makes an influenceon thelevel of health of teachersor improves cognitive, behavioral, and physiological condition (Resnicow et al., 1998).In Resnicow et al. (1998) article reviewing study based on two different groups. Thirty-two elementary schools were randomly dividedinto experimental and comparison groups. Comparison group schools received the Gimme-5 program, a curriculum designed to increase fourth and fifth graders consumption of fruits and vegetables. Experimental group schools received Gimme-5 and the teacher wellness program. Teacher wellness program included 54 workshops over 2 years and several schoolwide health activities. At the end of this experiment, physiological, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes were assessed in teachers and students (Resnicow et al., 1998).Scientists suggested that teachers who place greater value on health promotion and practice more healthenhancing behaviors may be effective student role models. They are also more likely to implement different health care programs for their students. As we can see, it is important to take care of heath condition of teachers in order to increase health condition of students. The TeachWell studied not just an impact of certain well program on teachers.It also showed the impact of this program on students as well.Results fromthe Gimme-5 indicated significantfavorable changes in fruit intake, fruit andvegetable knowl edge, and fruit preferencesamong intervention participants. Intervention group schools received the Gimme-5 curriculum and the teacherwellness program. TeachWellwas based onthe Johnson and Johnson Live for Lifeprogram. It includes different promotionalprinted materials about health importanceand interactive health workshops. In the first year of the experiment, teachers were offered 36 healthworkshops (about 1 per week). It covered such topics as weight loss, blood pressurecontrol and stress management.Data collection was completed only by 74% of teachers, who participated.TheTeachWell intervention did not appreciably affect any of the student orteacher. The reasons are the following: inadequate statistical power, inadequate implementation of theGimme-5 curriculum, inadequate participation in the teacher wellness program, absence of selective or differential attrition etc. Inadequate teacherparticipation in the wellness program, among all other reasons, can be explained by that fact that teachers were required to have their wellness activities after their workday. Some private companies allowemployees to attend wellness activities duringthe workday or have flex-time options,which are often not possible in the schoolsetting. The TeachWell was also insufficient because not only teachers, who volunteered, participatedin the wellness program. Some of the participants were obliged to do that. The effectiveness was low due to the lack of motivation.Despite the low efficiency of the TeachWell, no one can deny that those teacher wellness programs are very effective and have a huge impact on educational system. It positively affects productivity and efficiency of teacher’s work and helps to create a positive role model for a student.It is important to remember that the strength and education of the next generation depends on teachers. The society needs to cherish all representatives of this profession and make them healthy by developing diversified teacher welln ess programs. In order to gain a complete understanding of the nature of wellness programs, it is necessary to conduct a study that examines all methods of such programs.

Importance of the Reformation in Europe Research Paper

Importance of the Reformation in Europe - Research Paper Example This paper analyses the importance of the Reformation in the context of its theological foundations, historical background and influence on the subsequent development of mankind. The first chapter deals with cultural and historical context and background of the Reformation, since it allows better understanding of the nature of changes which took place during and after the Reformation. The second chapter gives a brief characteristic of the essence of religious reform. Chapters three and four analyze most important changes in the concepts of morality, freedom and reason. Chapter five describes political and social meaning of the Reformation and its influence of the further historical development. Conclusion summarizes main arguments given in the paper. Selected bibliography offers a wide range of books and periodicals on the topic of the paper. Thesis The Reformation is usually considered as a widespread anti-Catholic movement for the renewal of Christianity in Europe in the 16th centu ry, the founders and leaders of which were Martin Luther (1483-1546) and Jean Calvin (1509-1564). But the Reformation was not simply a religious renewal; it was a profound transformation of the Christian culture. The result of this transformation was not only a new version of Christianity – Protestantism, but also a new type of man with a new attitude to life and himself. It was this type of man that appeared to be the driving force of the rapid development of western civilization. Introduction The Reformation changed the conceptual world of Christianity and laid the foundations of a new type of Christian culture. In this updated culture, as Max Weber assumed in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, a supramundane Christian spirituality acted as a semantic foundation of the new work ethic and became an inspirational force of rational and practical transformation of the world. The Reformation was a spiritual reply to the challenge for the human spirit cre ated by socio-economic and cultural situation of the 16th century. Therefore, it would be rational first to describe the context in which the roots of a new culture got implanted. Cultural and Historical Context and Background of the Reformation Catholic culture of Western European Middle Ages was a sort of compromise between the sinful conditions of the â€Å"world† and supramundane maximalism of the Spirit. The life of a layman was full of daily cares of the world, and did not have any relation with the salvation of soul. However, it was believed that the Church—due to religious merit of its saints—accumulated more divine grace than it was necessary for the salvation of recognized righteous men. This excess amount of grace was given by Church to the laity, but not to all, only to those who in their worldly life held religious rules and supported the efforts of the church to save the world. As a matter of fact, in real life it appeared that support of the Churc h’s efforts did not necessarily require high personal morality. Divine grace and salvation could be â€Å"earned† by a pilgrimage, participation in the crusade, or just property or cash donations to the needs of the church. In

Gardens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gardens - Essay Example Many gardeners have forgotten what each row contains, since not many gardeners plan their gardens on paper. By using a classification with only three categories, gardeners only have to remember the type of plant sowed in one third of their garden. Root plants would consist of carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes, and other plants that are harvested for their roots. Top plants could be corn, blackberries, and other plants that are harvested above ground. Vine plants would be watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers tomatoes, grapes, and other plants grown on a vine. By planting root plants first, top plants second, and vine plants third gardeners could easily know what they are harvesting. Root plans like carrots and onions have a distinct top. All a gardener needs to do is find an onion plant to know what third of the garden was allotted to root plants. Top plants like corn also have distinct stalks which would help the gardener know what third of the garden is for top plants. Vine plants grow on vines, so this part of the garden would be easy to spot. Classifying a garden will help gardeners harvest their crops more easily. By using the classification of root plants, top plants, and vine plants, a gardener could easily identify what is being

Language development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Language development - Essay Example The next stage the infant goes through usually takes place between seven months of age and one year. This stage is when the child is learning to recognize his/her name, will listen when spoken to, recognizes that certain words have certain meanings (ie; ball, food etc.), and responds to requests like "come here". The toddler is also beginning to learn the vocabulary and concepts necessary for reading. This stage is when the infant uses one and two words at a time and attempts to communicate more with non-crying responses (ie; words) than in earlier stages of development. Just as there are varying times in an individual child's life for each stage, there are also many factors that affect their language development. These factors can include; other skills the child is working on, how parents respond to the child's attempt to communicate and the amount and kind of speaking the child hears on a consistent basis (http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/lang_lit.htm). Other factors can be whether the child is hearing more than one language in the household. The next factor to consider is when a parent responds to a child's attempts to communicate with indifference. The child can respond in kind, quickly learning to become indifferent himself.

Watersheds from Anacostia River in Washington DC to Chesapeake Bay Essay Example for Free

Watersheds from Anacostia River in Washington DC to Chesapeake Bay Essay Among many watersheds in Maryland District, the following are the noted ones which flow from Anacostia river in Washington DC to the Chesapeake Bay: Anacostia River Watershed, Mattawoman Creek Watershed, Potomac River, Middle Lower Tide Watershed, Piscataway Creek Watershed, Nanjemay Creek Watershed, Gilbert Swamp Watershed, Port Tobaco River Watershed, Zekiah Swamp Watershed, Wicomico River Watershed, Breton Bay Watershed, St. Marys River Watershed Anacostia River Watershed The Anacostia River watershed comprises of the Northease Branch, the Northwest Branch, and the Tidal River and is 176 square miles in area. Also it has 13 sub-watersheds in southeast Washington DC, Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties. The tidal Anacostia River flows 8. 4 miles through Washington, DC to join the Potomac River at Hains Point. The Anacostia Watershed is home to over 800,000 residents of Maryland and Washington, DC. Anacostia River water suffers from Wetland loss, deforestation, and urbanization. About 23 percent of the watershed area is impervious. Urbanization is dense on the east and west banks of the tidal river in Washington, DC, where more than 70 percent of the land is covered by impervious surfaces. Anacostia Watershed Restoration Committee (AWRC) is responsible for the ecological and economic importance of the river. All water runs downhill. Charles County is located in eight different watersheds including Nanjemoy Creek, Gilbert Run Swamp, Mattawoman Creek, Patuxent River, Port Tobacco River, Potomac River, Wicomico River and Zekiah Swamp. Mattawoman Creek Watershed Mattawoman Creek Watershed is a shallow tributary of Lower Potomac located in Prince Georges and Charles Counties. The total non-water area of this watershed is 60,300 acres. The Mattawoman Creek watershed is protected by forested lands. It supports a world class fishing industry. Mattawoman watershed contributes to biodiversity. About 5,900 acres are protected land and park land. A portion of the watershed is listed as impaired for nutrients and sediments. Piscataway Creek Watershed Piscataway Creek is a tidal tributary of the Middle Potomac River. The total non-water area of this watershed is 43, 579 acres. The drainage area is 39. 5 acres. Piscataway creek enters the Potomac river at Fort Washington. Piscataway Creek originates in the west and east of Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) in the vicinity of Camp Springs, Clinton, and Woodyard. On the southwest side of Andrews AFB, two branches join to form Tinkers Creek, a major tributary to Piscataway Creek. Surface water flows into Tinkers Creek, to Piscataway Creek, and eventually to the Potomac River. The watershed can be characterized as residential and forested. The density of population is high in the northern region. The source of potential microbial loading is from failing septic systems. The southern region is much more forested and agricultural than the northern region, with encroachment of rural development. Nanjemay Creek Watershed The Nanjemay Creek Watershed is a Tributary of Lower Potomac River. The total non-water area of this watershed is 46, 603 acres. The Nanjemoy Creek watershed is mostly of forest with 90% forested area within 100 meters of streams. About 10% of land in Charles County is cropland with approximately 2% harvested for corn or sorghum. The extent of potential atrazine exposure to riparian areas of Nanjemoy Creek is minimal. The types of riparian areas in the Nanjemoy Creek watershed are not sensitive to atrazine exposure. Therefore, the potential effects to riparian areas and dwarf wedge mussels are insignificant. Gilbert Swamp Watershed The Gilbert Swamp Watershed is a tributary of Lower Potomac River. The total non-water area of this watershed is 27551 acres. Port Tobacco River Watershed Port Tobacco River is a tributary of Lower Potomac. The total non-water area of this watershed is 28076 acres. The Port Tobacco River is approximately eight and a half miles long, originating from St. Charles City and joins the Potomac River. The river has navigable waters rich in fish and wildlife, and safe to visitors who come for swimming, water sports, hunting and fishing. The river is of historic importance because it provided access and residence to the first Maryland settlers. Port Tobacco River Watershed is home to bald eagles, blue and gray herons, osprey, deer, etc and other wildlife. The Port Tobacco River has excessive nutrients and suspended sediments. The water is murky and sub aquatic vegetation is disappearing. Also the shellfish population is greatly reduced. The ecological problems are serious, however the biological condition of the River is considered much worse. Significant toxic algae blooms and fish kills were observed in 2002 and 2003. It was a potential public health hazard due to the water and sediments of the river and its watershed. Potomac River Middle Lower Tide Watershed The Potomac River estuary extends for 117 miles from its mouth. Lookout on the Maryland side and Smith Point on the Virginia side, to its head-of-tide located approximately 0. 4 miles upstream of Chain Bridge in the District of Columbia. The surface area of all tidal waters, including Potomac River and the tidal Anacostia River, is about 434 mi2. The Lower Tidal watershed is impaired by nutrients, sediments, toxics, bacteria, and it impacts the biological communities. The Potomac River Middle Tidal watershed is impaired by nutrients, sediments, toxics, metals, Copper, and Lead, and it impacts the biological communities. Zekiah Swamp Watershed The Zekiah Swamp watershed is located in the central Maryland region of the Potomac River tidal estuary. The total non-water area of this watershed is 69,770 acres. The watershed drains south from southern Prince George’s County in Zekiah Swamp Run until it discharges into the Wicomico River at Allens Fresh. The Zekiah Swamp is non-tidal except for the southern-most portion of the watershed near the discharge to the tidal Wicomico River. Zekiah Swamp is impaired by nutrients, suspended sediments, copper, lead, selenium, zinc, and it impacts the biological communities. However, the waters of the Zekiah Swamp watershed has no signs of toxic impairments due to the nutrients. Wicomico River Watershed Wicomico River Watershed is a tributary of Lower Potomac. The total non-water land covered within this watershed is 69,770 acres. The Wicomico River watershed in Charles and St. Marys counties drains into the Potomac River and on to the Chesapeake Bay. The Wicomico enjoys good water quality and provides healthy finfish and oyster, and fishery for the local economy. The challenge lies in accommodating growth and change while protecting the traditional lifestyles for the farmers and foresters dependent on the watersheds natural assets. The Wicomico watershed is also home to the Zekiah Swamp, 104 miles of hardwood wetland, viewed as one of the most important ecological areas on the East coast. Breton Bay Watershed Breton Bay watershed is located in Potomac River basin. It has a non-water total area of 34,933 acres. The Breton bay watershed has problems with fecal coliform bacteria, nutrients and sediment. So far no human health issues due to water quality have been reported. Breton Bay watershed is 60% forested, 25% agriculture and 14% developed land. Much of the Breton Bay watershed is covered with intact forest, providing habitat for many forest interior dwelling species. It has sub-watersheds: Dirict Drainage Breton Bay, Lower MeIntosh River, Glebe Run, Headwaters McIntosh Brooks Run and Brunt Mill Creek St. Marys River Watershed Wicomico River Watershed is a tributary of Lower Potomac. The total non-water land covered within this watershed is 45,198 acres. The river is an earth fill embankment 38 feet high and 1670 feet long. The flood discharge facilities for the dam consist of the principal spillway comprised of a drop inlet spillway and two manually operated sluice gates, and a 300-feet wide emergency spillway located adjacent to the right abutment of the dam. Conclusion Water from all the above watersheds like Zekiah Swamp, Mattawoman Creek, Port Tobacco River, Potomac River as well as many others eventually enters into Chesapeake Bay carrying with it whatever it picks up along the way. References Anacostia Watershed Society (1998).Watershed Info. Retrieved April 5, 2009, from http://www. anacostiaws. org/About/watershedinfo. html Maryland Department of Natural Resources (2009). Watershed Profiles. Retrived April 5, 2009 from http://mddnr. chesapeakebay. net/wsprofiles/surf/prof/prof. html United States Environmental Protection Agency (2007, September 20). Decision Rationale Total Maximum Daily Loads of Fecal Bacteria for the Non-Tidal Piscataway Creek Basin in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Retrieved April 5, 2009, from http://www. google. com/search? hl=enq=UNITED+STATES+ENVIRONMENTAL+PROTECTION+AGENCYbtnG=Search

Agritourism Development In Sri Lanka Tourism Essay

Agritourism Development In Sri Lanka Tourism Essay Sri Lanka is an agricultural country and agriculture plays a vital role in the economy of the country contributing 12 GDP and 38 employment opportunities (Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2010). Majority of the population of the country is in rural areas and the livelihood of most of these people is directly or indirectly related with agriculture. However, agriculture now has reached a relatively stagnation situation due to many problems in the sector such as high cost of production, low productivity of farm lands, poor marketing and processing facilities for agricultural products. Because of these problems, most of the people are moving out of agriculture and migrating for urban places finding jobs. This creates many socio-economic problems in rural as well as urban areas. Hence, adding extra income generating activities either through new enterprises on the farm or off-farm employment to sustain the field of agriculture would certainly enhance the economy of rural people. One of these ac tivities is agritourism that can help to find extra income, employment, and economic stability on their existing assets in a sustainable way. Agriculture is the most familiar industry for the rural people in the country and also barriers to entry the agritourism are fairly low as in comes under Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs). Small-scale farms already have many of the assets that visitors seek. It can absorb the extra labour available in rural areas. When these factors are concerned, agritourism is highly suitable for Sri Lanka. 5.3.1 Agritourism development in Sri Lanka Looking at the current situation in Sri Lanka, it is not specifically recognized for agritourism as a part of the tours. The government promotion of the field is relatively very low compare to other tourism sectors. Focusing to currently available agritourism  options in Sri Lanka, some of the major attractions are the privately owned farms such as CIC Farm (Windsor park) in Hingurakgoda, Paradise Farm Kitulgala, New Zealand Farm Nuwara-Eliya, Ceylinco Fruit Farm Midigama are the famous ones. Few local Community-based agro tourism and Individual Operations are also in practiced in a small scale (Malkanthi and Routray, 2012). However, in the country, the potential for agritourism is high. There is a good agriculture sector in the country with attractive rural landscape. Also variety in agricultural climate helping to cultivate different crops in different parts of the country, the countrys complex paddy-cultivation system, tea, rubber, coconut, fruit farming and horticulture are some examples of this diverse agritourism potential (Malkanthi and Routray, 2012). The country has an agricultural heritage which is 2,500 years old. Visitors not only learn about modern agricultural processes but also appreciate traditional methods employed many centuries ago. The ancient irrigation systems comprise more than 25,000 tanks ranging from small water bodies to those that are colossal, such as the Parakrama Samudra in Polonnaruwa. The opportunity to intertwine agritourism with heritage tourism will definitely add more flavour to the niche-market experience. (Galappatti, 2012). http://lmd.lk/2012/01/01/sustainable-tourism-3/ With the end of the war, provision of basic infrastructure such as road facilities, clean water, and electricity for many rural areas is now going on successfully by the government. Country is economically and political stable and now peaceful. Furthermore, a large number of local and foreign visitors travel across the country annually. Most of these visitors can be easily attracted if the operations are managed well. Resources rich culture and cultural diversity, geographical characteristics, and socio-cultural entities, smiling faces, visitor friendly behavioural pattern, and delicious culinary would essentially be helpful in promoting agritourism in rural Sri Lanka (Senanayaka an Wimalaratana, 2010). Hence, there is a possibility to give the tourists a wider choice in Agritourism in the country. 5.4 Tourism policies in Sri Lanka Tourism is a vital area in the policy framework of a country. The present government has identified tourism as an effective driving force in the countrys socio economic development. The programs vision for the tourism sector is to make Sri Lanka the foremost leisure destination in the South Asian Region (Ministry of economic Development, 2010). The program believes that the human resources, natural and cultural endowments values and ethos will be fundamental in transforming Sri Lanka into a centre of excellence and offer tourists the highest values of authentic experiences in its unique setting. http://www.sltda.gov.lk/ Tourism policy in Sri Lanka has a quite long history. At the early stage (1960-1980) the policies were formulated focusing the development of mass tourism in the country. Since it was a big investment to run a tourist operation with lots of facilities, ordinary people couldnt do it and so, most of the benefits of tourism in this period had gone to the affluent society such as main hotel owners and tour operators. But, with the introduction of sustainable tourism concept in 1980s, a turning point of the tourism policies of the country took placed. As a result of it, rural tourism, ecotourism, nature tourism like niche tourism operations were initiated making the opportunity to engage in tourism by the local community and get some benefits. The Development Policy Framework of the Government of Sri Lanka is committed to a sustainable Tourism Development Strategy. Protection of the environment and distribution of economic benefits to the larger cross section of the society are key components of this overall vision. It aims at positioning Sri Lanka as a model tourist destination benefiting from the countrys natural advantages of having the highest biodiversity in Asia backed by a strong culture, historical artefacts, exotic beaches, green environment and friendly people all of which are solid building blocks for tourism development. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board was the primary agency of charge in promotional and organizational responsibilities of the tourist industry in Sri Lanka until 2005. It was the main regulatory and administrative authority of tourism facility development and activates in Sri Lanka as per the Tourism Development Act No.14 of 1968. Under this Act, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board approves registers and license all tourist establishments and proposed developments. In the year 2005, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) was established under Section 2 of the tourism Act No. 38, as the apex body for Sri Lanka Tourism, replacing the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. Currently, Sri Lank Tourism Development Authority is dedicated towards converting Sri Lanka to be Asias leading tourism destination by developing diverse, unique and quality tourism services and products that would make Sri Lanka as a unique destination in the world. Recognizing and developing tourist specific, unique products and servic es, preparing and executing Tourism Development Guidelines, and assisting and implementing the legal and executive process for new services and products development are the main responsibilities of it (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2010). Exiting plans for the development of tourism industry in the country are; Tourism Master Plan, Sri Lanka in 1993, Southwest Coast tourism and community infrastructure development study in 2000, Ecotourism Development Strategy of Sri Lanka in 2003 and Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, Northwest Coast Sri Lanka in 2006-2007 (Government of Sri Lanka, 2007). The Tourism Development Strategy 2010-2016, the Future-Development Policy Framework is implementing in the country successfully. The government believes the multiplier effect of tourism development in formation of employment opportunities and distribution of wealth through a variety of economic activities predominantly in the SME sector, taking the advantage of SMEs being able to link micro enterprises from one side and large scale corporate sector on the other side. The tourism sector has been identified as one of the key sectors propelling the countrys economic growth. According to the core philosophy of the present master plan for tourism development, the ultimate beneficiaries of tourism development strategy should be the people of the country: the farmers who supply rice, vegetables and fruit, the fishermen who deliver the catch of the day, the craftsmen who produce souvenirs, the guides who escort the visitors and the young men and women serving in the industry with the unique Sri Lankan hospitality. 5.4.2 Strategies involved There is a great scope for promoting tourism particularly within the region due to historic and cultural ties of Sri Lanka with the South Asia, Middle-East and Far-East. Sri Lanka is part of a region which includes already industrialized economies such as Japan, Korea, and Singapore and rapidly emerging economies such as India and China which are capable of altering the economic landscape of the world during the next few decades. Sri Lanka also with its unique geographical location, diversity, quality human resources, peace and stability has all the ingredients in place to play a key role in the regional development as a fast emerging market economy in Asia (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2010). The Tourism Development Strategy 2010-2020 is addressing the wider important issues related to the industry including the government policy, capacity and manpower build-up requirements, infrastructure development, improving service standards, marketing and promotions, regulations, guidelines, public relations, tourist safety and improvements to domestic tourism (Table 5.4). In this ten year master plan, several important strategies that are going to be covered are creating an environment conducive for tourism, attracting the right type of tourists to the country, ensuring that departing tourists are happy, improving domestic tourism and contributing towards improving the global image of Sri Lanka (Tourism Development strategy in Sri Lanka, 2010). Table 5.4 Summary of Tourism Policy strategies and targets Source: The Department of National Planning of Sri Lanka, 2010 5.4.3 Policy Framework to Support Investors and the Industry The government has addressed several policy related issues that are affecting the industry such as, (a) the restoration of a simple tax regime to obtain benefits for the stakeholder (b) simplification of licensing procedures to make easy and quick procedure of getting license (c) reduction of the high electricity tariffs to overcome to cost of tourism operations (d) unification of the regulatory environment and creating a single authority for tourism promotion to make efficient and effective management mechanism,(e) creating opportunities to promote shopping of internationally reputed branded products and entertainment to enhance the quality standards, (f) simplification of the investment approval process by setting up of a One Stop Shop for tourism related investments to motivate the investors, (g) streamlining the process of alienating government land for tourism development projects to overcome the space problem, (h) attracting internationally reputed tourist hotels to enhance the standard of the industry and, above all (i) environmentally friendly, clean-city concept for urban development to make cities attractive for the visitors, (http://srilanka.travel/catalog/view/theme/default/image/pdf/English.pdf, 2012) 5.4.4 Ecotourism policy in Sri Lanka There is no separate policy for agritourism or rural tourism. They are still under the ecotourism policy guidelines. Ecotourism policy was formalized in the recent past and therefore, it has a very short history. With the expansion of the ecotourism sector and the related institutions, in year 2003 government has taken the initial step to develop the ecotourism sector with the help of the Norwegian Technical Assistance program and prepared the document ecotourism policy guidelines. It is a detailed document and all policy aspects regarding ecotourism have been explained clearly. The main features of the policies have been summarized in the table 5.5. This national ecotourism policy outlines the principles, objectives and actions that necessary to facilitate the development of a sustainable tourism industry that contributes to resource conservation while optimizing economic benefits for the current and future generations of the country. The regulations have been compiled as to help al l those involved in tourism in Sri Lanka to ensure that the industry is developed, managed, and regulated in a sustainable manner, to appropriate standards. By highlighting the core requirements of ecotourism, it is intended that the regulations will enable planning bodies to make fair and informal assessment of proposed ecotourism development, activities and facilities (Sri Lanka Tourist Board, 2003) . 5.4.5 Need for Agritourism policy As mentioned before, agritourism is similar to ecotourism in several ways. Both are rural tourism sectors and niche tourism operations. They have very close links with local residents, natural environment, rural development and local governments. So that, most of the aspects of agritourism development such as establishment, management, can be handled by the ecotourism policy in the country. However, when agritourism is concerned, it has a strong forward and backward links with one of the big sectors agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of Sri Lanka. The ecotourism policy is unable to handle the agricultural side of agritourism such as agricultural land management, loans and credits, training and education, quality control of farm products, marketing of agricultural goods and services etc. As per the present statistics and future estimations of visitors in the country in the chapter 6.3, there will be a good demand for agritourism in near future. Moreover, as explai ned in the chapter 6.2, the present visitors are not satisfied with many attributes of agritourism operations due to poor levels. Furthermore, according to the chapter 6.3 regarding the local residents perception on the contribution of agritourism for the local development is not so high. In this context in order to have a better satiation, it is important to have a separate set of policy for agritourism development. Fortunately, the current government has realized the importance of agritourism and it has been included in the future development agenda (Ministry of Finance and Planning, 2010). Therefore, it is timely important to pay attention on important policies by now to motivate the agritourism development in the country Table 5.4: Ecotourism Policy in Sri Lanka Aspect Description Principles of Ecotourism 1. Minimize alleviate negative environmental, social cultural impacts. 2. Optimize revenues for industry and for re-invest in conservation. 3. Optimize the active involvement of equitable distribution of economic benefits to local communities. 4. Educate visitors and citizens about the importance of conserving Sri Lankas natural cultural heritages. 5. Promote ethical behaviour responsibilities towards the nature cultural environment. 6. Manage operations such that there are long term benefits to the resource, industry and the local community. 7. Deliver a high quality, value-for-money, enlighten and participatory natural resource and culture-based experience for visitors. 8. Encourage travel in a spirit of humanity, respect and learning about local hosts, their culture and the natural environment. Objectives of ecotourism 1. to promote facilitate the development of ecotourism sites, activities and facilities in a manner that is consistent with the principles of ecotourism. 2. to educate all stakeholders about the concept of ecotourism, the economic opportunities that it offers and the actions that are required to develop a successful industry in Sri Lanka. 3. to expand the range of ecotourism products, services and facilities available in Sri Lanka. 4. to increase the number of Sri Lankans involved in ecotourism and facilitate the development of community-owned and managed ecotourism enterprises. 5. to contribute to and influence a more sustainable form of tourism in Sri Lanka, through a diverse range of measures: incentives, education, guidelines, regulations and marketing. 6. to contribute to conservation of natural eco-systems. Ecotourism policy interventions 1. In the planning and regulation of the ecotourism sector. 2. In developing, managing and operating ecotourism facilities and activities. 3. In ecotourism at natural and cultural heritage sites. 4. In Community/local economic development. 5. In conservation, education and awareness and 6. In Ecotourism implementation. Source: Ministry of Tourism, Sri Lanka, 2008 5.4.6 Agritourism Policies in Other Countries The development of agritourism raises substantial policy issues. Two reasons for this are that agritourism may generate significant externalities and that it is of considerable economic importance as an activity. Development policies are decisions taken by the government for the improvement of particular sector/aspect of a country and agritourism development policies are decisions drawn by the government for the improvement of the agritourism sector of a country. Many countries that are conducting agritourism have developed agritourism development policies according to their own context. Many government agencies have introduced policies and programs with the aim of encouraging agritourism development. A wide variety of government laws and regulations are essential for the smooth functioning of agritourism Operations and sustainable development in future. After reviewing the many policies and programs aimed at agritourisrm development, support can be categorized into three areas: fina ncial aids, technical information and marketing strategies. These broad strategies tend to promote agritourism development by affecting either supply or demand. Financial Aids Incentive policies and programs directed at increasing agritourism development have been launched in many countries (Hjalager, 1996; Frater, 1983). In Britain, the Farm Diversification Grant Scheme came into effect in 1987 and provided financial assistance to farm operators wishing to set up an ancillary business on or adjacent to their farm (Gasson, 1988). This policy was aimed at maintaining the farmers income while the government reduced support prices for agriculture products. Unfortunately, the policy did not prove to be successful, since many farm operators chose not to participate in the program (Ilbery, 1992; Gasson, 1988; Winter, 1987). Financial assistance for agritourism development continues to be provided throughout many parts of Europe (Williams, 1996; Greffe, 1994; Frater, 1985). In France, farmers can obtain grants or loans to finance the conversion of farm buildings (Greffe, 1994). In West Germany, financial aid is available for agritourism facility development withi n the context of village renewal and regional development programs (Williams, 1996). Authorities in Portugal, Belgium, Spain and ltaly also provide financial assistance for rural development. The Irish government created the Operational Programme for Rural Development as a mechanism to diversify the rural economy (Williams, 1996). Initially this policy met with limited success, until it was modified in 1991 to expand its financial support and accept a wider range of participants (Williams, 1996; Reid et al., 1993 Technical Information Another type of action taken by authorities is the provision of technical information and consultation services to farm operators. In the United States, the Small Business Administration organized advisory and training services (Greffe, 1994). Workshops are devoted to such subjects as retail trade, home-based businesses, promotion of tourist products and managing businesses in the hospitality sector (Gustafson, 1997). In particular, the state of New York has developed several publications on how to open and operate a farm based bed and breakfast business. Authorities in this state have also initiated conferences for agritourism fanners. These sessions focused on issues such as promoting and merchandising your business, insurance and legalities, making your business multi-seasonal and thinking like a tourist(Williarns, 1996). In certain European countries, the systematic labeling of agritourism businesses has become a primary objective for some authorities. Onicials in France, Germany and Austria have developed a national system to ensure high standards amongst al1 agritourism operators (Williams, 1996; Greffe, 1994). The guidelines used by authorities are very detailed and are strongly enforced. Many countries have organized information through training sessions. The Nordic countries have responded to the needs of agricultural universities by providing courses through universities and colleges (Greffe, 1994). In Austria, the Farm Holiday Association provides training sessions on tourism trends, marketing and sales, investments and public relations. These services are provided for both the farm operators as well as staff members (Embacher, 1994). German officials offer training sessions to local farm operators which focus on the needs of paying guests (Williams, 1996). In Wales, a specific program has been set up, Getting into Rural Tourism, which is intended to train people in the management of paying guests (Greffe, 1994). Marketing Strategies In many parts of the world, government agencies are trying to bridge the gap between agritourism businesses and their potential customers by offering marketing support. Promotion could include such strategies as the development of brochures and also participation in tourism trade shows. In Belgium, it is the Office de Promotion Touristique that assumes this marketing role (Greffe, 1994). It is the Austrian Farm Holiday Association that promotes agritourism in Austria. This association is a w-operative marketing organization which links individual farm businesses on a regional, provincial and federal level (Embacher, 1994; Bramwell, 1994). In France, the Gites De France Services, Logis de France Service and the WF Tourisme were al1 created for advertising and marketing purposes (Greffe, 1994). The federal and state governments in Germany are instrumental in promoting farm-based accommodations, especially for the small and medium-size farms. (Oppermann, 1996). The Australian State Tour ism Industry Association plays an intricate role in marketing and promoting host farms (AFACT, 1997). Finally, in New York State, the promotion and marketing of host farms is accomplished through Farm Tour brochures (Hilchey, 1993). 5.4.7 Issues and Challenges of the Agritourism sector in Sri Lanka Firstly, strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of agritourism were analyzed the operators point of view. After that, these factors were also discussed with key informants and local government officers of the area to examine them in different point of views to get a complete picture of it (Table 5.5). Finally main challenges (weaknesses and threats) were clearly identified. Table 5.5: SWOT Analysis for policy related issues of agritourism using Operators, Key Informants and Local Government Officers Strengths Availability of farm land/s for the operators. Use of traditional knowledge and skills in farming and agritourism activities. Ability to use family labour Ability to integrate with other tourism sectors and arts and crafts industry. Positive attitude and enthusiasm of the operators Weaknesses Mostly small size farms Problems on ownership of some farm lands Less variety in supply of agritourism Lack of knowledge on foreign languages (especially English) of operators Lack of necessary skills Poor level of processing of farm products Problems with quality control of goods and services Limited scope for direct sales of the produce Poor publicity and promotion of operations Opportunities Natural scenic beauty, clean environment and attractive climate in farming areas Availability of human resource (labour) for farm and tourism work. Some support form government and some NGOs for the operations (credit facilities/ training programs). Support from local people (community participation). Since agritourism is getting popular in the world, raising demand and potential for expansion. Up coming supportive infrastructure development initiatives at national and provincial levels. Threats Lack of organization, a responsible authority for development, marketing, facilitation and regulation. Unavailability of a common agritourism development fund at local level Competition among agritourism operations Lack of systematic taxation for agritourism operations Weak management of negative impacts. Poor distribution of positive impacts Tourism development by operators merely focused on income generation. Poor level of infrastructure facilities. Insufficient government intervention Monopoly of tour operators. Lack of stakeholder collaboration. Political influences Low number of visitors Lack of community participation and participation readiness due to low socio-economic conditions. Insufficient capacity of local community to take part in agritourism development successfully. Unavailability of insurance policy for many destinations Lack of research in agritourism There are significant challenges facing by the agritourism sector at present. This requires designation management approach to come up with solutions resulted from a clear strategic thinking process. Further, to fully realize the opportunities assuring mutual benefits through tourism, capitalize on strengths, understanding shared responsibility of industry stakeholders and communicates it appropriately expecting strategic commitment from the industry. 5.4.8 Policy Suggestions for Agritourism Development in Sri Lanka Policy formulation is a systematic process. Identification of policy goal, formulation of policy objectives based on the policy goals, understanding of policy action for each policy objectives and identification of strategy for each and every policy action is the general procedure. When a policy is formulated, it is very important to follow all the steps of the process to have accurate policies. The policy goal of this study was to reach the agritourism development in the country. According to the SWOT analysis, a number of challenges (weaknesses and threats) of agritourism development were identified. In order to overcome these challenges, three broad policy objectives were drawn as agritourism development, visitor satisfaction and community development. Under each policy objective, relevant problems, suitable policy suggestions and policy strategy for each and every policy suggestion were formed. Several discussions with university lecturers were conducted in this regards. Results are present in the (Table 5.6). 5.4.8.1 Broad Policy Objectives of the Development of Agritourism Sector a. Agritourism Development in the Country Agritourism will be able to bring some support for life and prosperity of the country that is capable of sound economic prospects facilitating integrated development. It may require minimal additional investment and may utilize excess capacity of labour, capital, land, and natural resources. There are potential benefits of agritourism for local agriculture and rural communities. Tourists bring in money to local communities that keep rural communities alive and prosperous. Partnering of tourism and the green industry will help create and strengthen rural economics. b. Visitor Satisfaction in Agritourism Tourist satisfaction primarily reflected the service quality and is crucial to the continued viability of any service business, including agritourism businesses. Therefore, consideration on the aspect is important to successful destination marketing because it influences the choice of destination, the consumption of products and services, and the decision to return. Consideration should be on local and non local visitor satisfaction. It is vital to understand the areas such as how do visitors assess their satisfaction with tourist attractions as well as the factors influencing visitor satisfaction. c. Community Development and Agritourism It is obvious that the diverse communities that involve in agritourism seek fair rewards for their involvement, commitment, and resources deployed for development. The proposed agritourism development should focus on this aspect and be reasonable for delivering such rewards for the communities who actively take part in every aspect of agritourism from planning and development to operations. Table 5.6: Policy Goals and Respective Policy Suggestions and Strategies Policy objective Issues and challenges Policy suggestion/s (at different government levels) Relevant Policy Strategies Policy objective 1 Agritourism development Farm lands are small in size Provision of lands for needy agritourism operators by the national government Distribution or long term leasing of government lands Provision of access to public lands around the destination Introduction of Community-based agritourism for the farmers Networking of small scale agritourism operators Problems in the ownership of some farm lands Provision of ownership to the operators by the national government Provision of real ownership or user right. Avoid land disputes. Lack of capital for agritourism development Promotion of financial support systems by the national government Loans at concession rate for medium and scale farmers Loans at normal interest rate for large-scale operators Lack of knowledge and skills on agribusiness management Provision of required education and training, information technology and related extension services for relevant personnel by the provincial governments Workshops, seminars, awareness programs, lectures on agritourism development and marketing should be conducted in suitable time durations Unavailability of a responsible authority for development, facilitation and regulation of agritourism Formation of an Agritourism Management Group for relevant provinces by the provincial governments Agritourism management group should include representatives of all the categories of stakeholders and it should be the responsible body for coordinating, development, marketing, facilitation and regulation of agritourism activities. Low number of visitors due to poor level of promotion and marketing of agritourism Formation of marketing strategies by the Agritourism Management Group of the Province National government supported advertising and promotions Marketing via websites , face book, at