The USSR Under Stalin Essay Example for Free

The USSR Under Stalin Essay 1)a) Evidence in Source D that suggests that Stalins motive for the mass arrests of the late 1930s was to obtain slave labor is that â€Å"the mass arrest of the late 1930s may have been carried out to satisfy Stalins desire for slave labor,† and â€Å"more prison laborers were urgently needed.† b) In Source D, â€Å"absurd inefficiency† means that the overpopulation of the prison laborers in the camps made them disorganized and made it difficult for the camp commanders to be able handle them all. 2) In both Sources B and E, Stalins view of industrialization as a war economy is expressed as: Both sources share the view that the purpose of industrialization was for the making of a war economy, â€Å"to prepare for war against the capitalist enemies abroad.† However, for Source B, the view for the Five Year Plans is that, â€Å"Essentially the Plan was a huge propaganda project, aimed at convincing the Soviet people that they were engaged in a great industrial enterprise of their own making.† It was a propaganda project promoting industrialization for the purpose of war, but the Soviet people werent aware of the â€Å"war† part, only the industrialization. In Source E, since it is a poster that is used for the purpose of propaganda, it instead puts the Five Year Plan in a better light, showing that the Five Year Plan will be successful in the future, that it will surely benefit the U.S.S.R. in the future, and that the U.S.S.R. will be prepared to defeat its enemies abroad (the capitalist enemies) in case of future wars. 3) The origin of Source A is that its a speech by Stalin, 1st March 1927, to workers in the Stalin workshops of the October Railway. The purpose of this speech is to spread his view of the U.S.S.R. being able to industrialize on its own to the workers of the workshops, saying it with confidence. Filling the workers up with confidence will give them the will to work more for the sake of the industry. The value of this speech is that this is a primary source and its a speech by Stalin himself, so it clearly expresses his views on the U.S.S.R. industrializing on its own. The limitations of this speech is that it only shows Stalins perspective and it doesnt show the views of the public or of the workers on his view on industrialization. He was trying to express his idea in a confident way to the workers to convince them that this is to solely benefit the U.S.S.R. The origin of Source C is its an extract from Women in Soviet Society: Equality, Development, and Social Change by Gail Warshofsky Lapidus, Berkeley, 1978. The purpose of this extract is to tell of the reason for the increased employment of women. It was necessary to hire women to work because of the rapid expansion of the economy, so there was a need for more workers. It wasnt for the purpose of economic equality. The value of this is that it shows us that eventually everyone in the society, including women, were required to work to follow Stalins Five Years Plan. It shows us the economic status of women during this time period. The limitation of this source is that we dont know the publics opinion or a womans view on the increased employment of women. It is a secondary source since it is an extract from a book that was written after the time of Stalin Russia. 4) Stalins methods for a â€Å"change-over from a peasant country to an industrial one† include: In Source A, he expresses his view in that the U.S.S.R., unlike other countries like Great Britain and Germany, can industrialize on its own. He says it in a confident tone to instill that confidence in the workers in the Stalin workshops so that they will be convinced that industrialization for the means of production is beneficial for the U.S.S.R. as a whole. In Source B, Stalin declared that â€Å"he was promoting a war on the inefficiences of Russias past, a war on the class enemies within, and as preparation for the capitalist enemies abroad.† The U.S.S.R. â€Å"adopted a similar industrial pattern in its drive toward modernization,† but it would â€Å"take the path of socialism† instead of capitalism. The Plan itself â€Å"was a huge propaganda project, aimed at convincing the Soviet people that they were engaged in a great industrial enterprise of their own making.† In Source C, due to the rapid urban development in the U.S.S.R., â€Å"A new perspective emerged in official documents, one that viewed the increased employment of women not in terms of its effects on women but as essential to the fulfillment of the economic plans.† The purpose was to â€Å"ensure the fulfillment of the production program of the Five Year Plan, it was necessary to draw more wives of workers into production.† In Source D, it says that â€Å"the mass arrests of the late 1930s may have been carried out to satisfy Stalins desire for slave labor† because â€Å"more prison laborers were urgently needed.† There were camps where mass number of slave laborers were kept. The more the slave laborers, the more the work, and the faster the Five Year Plans goals would be achieved. In Source E, the poster is for the purpose of propaganda, showing Stalins idea in a â€Å"good light† to the Soviet public by showing the people that the Five Year Plan would be successful in the future, that the U.S.S.R. would be powerful in terms of military due to the mass industrialization, so that it could defeat its enemies abroad in future wars. Other methods that Stalin used to change the U.S.S.R. from a â€Å"peasant country into an industrial one† that werent mentioned in the Sources were: Stalin made all industry and services nationalized, managers were given predetermined output quotas by central planners, and trade unions were converted into mechanisms for increasing worker productivity. Many new industrial centers were developed and thousands of new plants were built throughout the country. Stalin, a pro-Socialist, used collectivization to improve agricultural productivity so that the surplus would be sufficiently large enough to feed the growing urban labor force, all for the sake of industrialization. Collectivization was also expected to free many peasants so that they would go into industrial work. However, Stalins forcefulness on collectivization on the peasants (who fiercely resisted) resulted in a disruption in agricultural productivity, but it still helped achieve Stalins goal of rapid industrialization.

The functional organisation of the visual system

The functional organisation of the visual system The aim of this essay is to describe the organisation of the visual system in relation to its specific functions. In order to perform essential functions, the visual system is faced with many computational problems needing to be solved in order to maintain effective visual perception. This essay aims to describe one such computational problem the visual system must solve; colour constancy. If light coming down from the sky changes colour, the perceived colour of objects should also change, however this is not the case. The nervous system is highly involved in the process of maintaining effective colour constancy and this essay aims to look into how colour constancy is achieved in the nervous system. The first part of this essay will outline the functional organisation of the visual system, focusing on the general anatomical organisation, the retina, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), organisation of the cortex and parallel and hierarchal processing. Focus will then be on the chosen co mputational problem of colour constancy and the importance of the visual system maintaining successful constancy of colour. The next issue will be to assess how colour constancy is achieved within the human nervous system, focusing on the functional specialisation of the cortex, cone receptors and retinal involvement in attempt to understand how colour constancy is maintained in the nervous system. The visual system is part of the central nervous system and includes the eyes, connecting pathways to the visual cortex and different parts of the brain that collectively allow for sight. The visual system must convert patterns of light that fall onto the retina into perception. Initial visual processing takes place within the retina, with the preliminary aim to convert information about luminance into information about contrast (Kuffler, 1953). All in all the visual system works by the rule of relative qualities, i.e the luminance of an object in relation the luminance of its surrounds. These relative qualities and comparisons take place within the retina. The retina contains two kinds of photoreceptors (rods and cones) that absorb light and send signals to bipolar cells, which are connected to ganglion cells that send information to the LGN. The LGN has six layers; four parvo-cellular layers and two magno-cellular layers. Ventral to each of these layers is a thin kinocellular layer. Parvo-cellular cells and kinocellular cells play a role in colour vision. Therefore, initial colour vision takes place within the retina, with cone photoreceptors being specialised for colour processing. It has been found that there are three types of cone receptors within the retina which are sensitive to different wavelengths of light; short wave length light (blue light), medium wavelength light (green light) and long wavelength light (red light). Colour detection is perceived largely by the relative activation of the short, medium and long wavelength cones. The trichromatic theory of colour vision proposed by Young-Helmholtz (1800/1867) is a predominan t theory into colour perception. Cone cell receptors contain light-sensitive photo pigments which allow them to respond to light and create colour vision. Young-Helmholtz theory proposed that we have one cone type most sensitive to short wavelength light (blue), one most sensitive to medium wavelength light (yellow/green) and finally one most sensitive to long wavelength light (red). It is the relative activation of each cone type that results in the perception of colour. Another dominant theory into colour processing has come from Herings (1878) opponent processing theory. Hering argued that there are three types of opponent processes within the visual system that account for colour perception. One opponent process results in the perception of red at one extreme and green at the other extreme. Another type results in perception of yellow at one extreme and blue at the other. The final opponent process results in perception of black at one extreme and white at the other. Hering argu ed that it is the ratio of activation along these opponent processes that accounts for colour perception. Opponent cells have been found within the LGN, which provides functional evidence for the involvement of the LGN in colour vision. There are red/green colour coded cells and yellow/blue colour coded cells within the LGN which are essential for colour processing and colour constancy. However in essence the function of the LGN is to pass signals from the retina to the cortex rather than to process them. Another important functional part of the visual system is the visual cortex, which contains cells that respond to wavelengths coming from an object in relation or comparison to wavelengths coming from surrounding objects. This comparison is essential in the analysis of colour. The visual cortex contains many layers of cells, with colour, form, movement and disparity being dealt with by separate groups of cells. It is divided into sub-layers; IVA, IVB, IVCÃŽÂ ± and IVCÃŽÂ ². Cells in the parvo-cellular layers of the LGN, dealing with colour, project to layers IVCÃŽÂ ² and IVA, thus showing the functional organisation of the cortex. In the secondary visual cortex (V2), cells dealing with colour, form and disparity are also kept separate. V2 processes properties such as colour and brightness. V4 deals particularly with colour and form. The visual cortex is organised into a columnar form. The similar properties of the cells within the cortical column are most likely due to the arrangement of anatomical connections. There have been found to be columns dominant for colour and orientation of edges. According to Zeki (1977) within area V4 there are separate columns for red, green and blue perception. Thus showing the visual cortex is organised on the basis of functions. One factor that has been made clear is that different features of a visual stimulus are dealt with in parallel processes within the visual system. The features of colour are kept separate through at least three levels of processing; V1, V2 and V4. However it has been found that within these parallel processes, hierarchal processing occurs. Dew (1984), has provided clear evidence for a hierarchy of cells types within the colour system. Photoreceptors join onto opponent colour cells which respond to some wavelengths and not to others. The visual system is functionally organised to overcome many computational problems, one of which is colour constancy. Colour constancy is a tendency for a surface or object to appear to have the same colour when there is a change in wavelength contained in the illuminant. (Eysenk, 5th edition). The phenomenon of colour constancy indicates that colour vision does not depend only on the wave length of reflected light. The problem involved in colour constancy is to assign colour to a scene in the ambient light (spectral reflectance) (Maloney, 1985). Spectral reflectance is the percentage of light at each wavelength a specific surface reflects. As the illuminant power varies, the light reaching the eye also varies. However the percentage of light a surface reflects (due to its physical properties) does not change. The function of colour constancy is to discount the illuminant and recover information about surface spectral reflectance. Marr (1982) claimed that there must be an extra leve l of perception and processing. Light is reflected off objects with a fixed percentage of energy at each wavelength (surface spectral reflectance) and some of it enters the eye of the observer where is it selectively absorbed by cone receptors. The maintenance of colour constancy is achieved in the nervous system in various ways. The functional specialisation of the cortex is one way in which colour constancy is achieved. Zeki (1992, 1993) argued that different parts of the cortex have different and specialised functions. V1 and V2 have been found to have inputs in early stages of visual perception. Both cortical areas contain specialised cells responsive to colour and form which process these properties and relay signals to specialised visual areas, (Zeki, 1992, p47). V3 and V3A have been found to be responsive to form and shape but have no input in colour processing. V4 however has been found to be responsive to colour and combines connections from temporal and parietal cortex, (Baizer, Underleider and Desimone, 1991). Zekis critical assumption was that colour and motion are processed in anatomically distinct parts of the visual cortex. Lueck et al (1989) have provided supporting experimental evidence of the anatomically distinct processing of colour. They presented coloured or grey squares to observers. PET scans showed 13% more blood flow within area V4 when presented with coloured stimuli, other areas were found to be unaffected. On the other hand Wade, Bewer, Rieger and Wandell (2002) used FMRI and found areas V1 and V2 were also actively involved in colour perception. Zeki (1983) has provided evidence for the involvement of V4 in promoting colour constancy. Zeki found that within monkeys, certain cells in area V4 responded strongly to a red patch in a multicoloured display illuminated predominantly by red light. These cells did not respond when the red patch was replaced by green, white or blue patches, even though the dominant reflected wavelength was red. Therefore these cells respond to the actual colour rather than the wavelength reflected from it and has a role in the process of colour constancy. Lesions in area V4 have been found to impair colour constancy while other aspects of colour vi sion are unaffected, (Heywood and Cowey 1999). The cortical area of V4 has argued to be able to distinguish differences between surface colour and colour of the illuminant thus being important in achieving colour constancy. Land (1977) retinex theory argues that both the retina and the cortex are involved in visual processing. The basic assumption of this theory is that we decide the colour of a surface by comparing its ability to reflect short, medium and long wavelengths against adjacent surfaces. When comparisons cannot be made, colour constancy does not occur. The three types of photoreceptors in the retina absorb light; each level of activation within each cone receptor is compared to that of others. Kraft and Brainard (1999) conducted a visual experiment in a box which included a tube wrapped in tin foil, a pyramid and a cube as well as a Mondrian stimulus. When all objects were visible, colour constancy was high (83%), even with changes in illumination. Progressively removing the cues decreased colour constancy. The most important factor in maintaining colour constancy was local contrast, involving the comparison of retinal cone responses from the target surface with that of the immediate backgro und. Colour constancy dropped to 53% when local contrast information was not available. Also global contrast was important; the retinal cone responses from the target surface are compared to the cone responses of the whole visual scene. When observers could not use global contrast colour constancy dropped from 53% to 39%. This therefore indicates that we need to know about lots of different stimuli in the visual scene if we are to calculate what the illuminant is like, discount it and achieve colour constancy. Photoreceptors have therefore been shown to be heavily involved in colour constancy which provides evidence for the involvement of the nervous system. Young-Helmholtz (1800/1867) trichromatic theory of colour vision and Herings (1878) opponent process theory outlined previously in this essay provide evidence that photoreceptor cone cells within the retina are heavily involved in colour perception and constancy. Shepard (1990) stated that the trichromacy of human colour vision is a reflection of the three phases of natural light/illumination; light-dark light, red-green light (low sun) and yellow-blue light (poor illumination and sky light). To achieve colour constancy on the basis of their surface reflectances, the visual system must discount perceptually for the three types of variation in illumination. Shepard (1990) and Maloney and Wandell (1986) argued that trichromacy of the visual system allows for colour constancy. In conclusion it has been shown that the visual system is highly organised on a functional basis. The visual system is faced with many computational problems which it must solve. Evidence that functional specialisation of cortical areas, cone receptors and the retina are methods for which the nervous system uses to overcome the problem of colour constancy. Word Count: 1992. Baizer, Ungerkeider and Desimone, (1991). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, (pp.38). Psychology Press. Carlson, (7th edition). Physiology of Behaviour. pp184-186. Pearson Education Company. Daw, (1984). The psychology and physiology of colour vision. Trends in Neurosciences. Pp 330-336. E. Thompson (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. (pp80-105). New York: Routledge Eysenck M. Keane M (2005). Cognitive Psychology, 5th edition p.33-54. Psychology Press. Eysenck M. And Keane M. Cognitive Psychology, 5th edition p.49. Psychology Press. Gross, R, (2005) Psychology the science of mind and behaviour, (5th edition) p.89-91.Hodder Arnold. Hering (1878). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology. pp 50. Psychology Press. Hering (1878). In Gross, R, Psychology the science of mind and behaviour, 5th edition p.89 Heywood and Cowey, (1999). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, pp.53. Psychology Press. Kraft and Brainard, (1999). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, (pp.53). Psychology Press. Kuffler, S. W. (1953). Discharge patterns and functional organisation of mammalian retina. Journal of Neuropsychology, 16, pp37-68. Land (1977). In Thompson. E, (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. (pp81-90). New York: Routledge. Land, (1977, 1982). In E. Thompson (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. (pp81-86). New York: Routledge. Land (1977). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, (pp.52-53). Psychology Press. Luek et al. (1989). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, (pp 39). Psychology Press. Maloney, (1985). In E. Thompson (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. pp43. New York: Routledge. Maloney, (1985). In Thompson. E, (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. pp81. New York: Routledge. Maloney and Wandell (1986), In Thompson. E, (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. pp194-195. New York: Routledge. Marr, (1982). In E. Thompson (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. (pp42) New York: Routledge. Shepard, (1990). In Thompson. E, (first edition). Colour Vision. A study in Cognitive Science and the Philosophy of Perception. (pp190-195). New York: Routledge. Snowden, Thompson and Troscianko, (2006). Basic Vision, an introduction to visual perception. (pp159-163). Oxford: University Press. Wade, Brewer, Rieger and Wandell, (2002). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, (pp 39). Psychology Press. West, G. (1979). Colour Perception and Limits of Colour Constancy. Journal of Mathematical Biology. 8, 47-53. Young-Helmholtz (1800/1867). In Gross, R, (2005). Psychology the science of mind and behaviour, 5th edition p.90. Hodder Arnold. Zeki (1992, 1993). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, pp.37-42. Psychology Press. Zeki (1983). In Eysenck M. And Keane M (5th edition). Cognitive Psychology, pp.53. Psychology Press. Zeki, (1977). Colour Coding in the Superior temporal sulcus of the rhesus monkey visual cortex. Proceeding of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences. Pp195-223.

Sources Of Competitive Advantage Tourism Essay

Sources Of Competitive Advantage Tourism Essay Abu Dhabi is the capital city and largest out of the seven emirates of the UAE; it constitutes for 85 of the UAEs total land mass. It is home to just over 613,000 people. However, it is the second largest city after Dubai. Over the recent years, Abu Dhabi has evolved into an international conurbation. It is the epicenter of the UAEs political and industrial activities. The city is also home to prime officials, such as the royal Emir Family and the United Arab Emirates central, federal government. Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the worlds largest producers of oil and a pantheon for regional commerce. Abu Dhabi has been recently putting in tremendous effort to actively diversify it economy through multiple investments in financial services as well as the tourism sector. From the tourism perspective, Abu Dhabi is considered to be one of the worlds most fastest growing tourism destinations. Also, it is deemed to be a city that offers its visitors an opportunity to experience a comb ination of culture-rich tradition, modernity, adventure, and utter relaxation. Alongside that, Abu Dhabi is also a place where people can experience aesthetic beauty both in terms of the natural landscapes and contemporary architectural designs. In addition, the Abu Dhabi International Airport has also been ranked among the best airports in the Middle East region. Given its blissful beaches, luxurious hotels, and all-embracing shopping experience, Abu Dhabi is an ideal destination for tourists and visitors. Destination Mission: Abu Dhabi has set long-term goals with respect to its tourism plans and priorities. Bearing in mind its initial plans of development and sustainability, the tourism sector in Abu Dhabi plans to achieve certain key strategic goals over the next year. According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ABTA), they are aiming to collectively building a world class tourism destination (http://www.abudhabitourism.ae, 2012) via developing an extensive range of products that fulfill the needs of their target markets, and by developing some form of awareness with regards to their target market and by creating the necessary level of proficiency in the marketplace. From our standpoint, our mission is to create a marketing plan that will promote Abu Dhabi as an exceptional and globally recognized tourism destination. Abu Dhabis Competitive advantage: As Abu Dhabi continues its growth, it has managed to gain competitive advantage a customer base as well as on a product/service base and that is through enhancing the citys infrastructure to reduce traffic, build a more environment friendly city (Masdar City), and the biggest yet to come, the metro. Abu Dhabi reflects a relaxed yet sophisticated lifestyle. Its a busy city and a very important business hub but yet maintains a quiet life unlike Dubai which is the city that never sleeps. And it is all in line with Abu Dhabis vision. It has become the perfect holiday getaway along with pleasure with business where now a business trip can also mean a good time for the family as well. Sources of competitive advantage: Etihad airways UAEs second national carrier and one of the leading award winning airline, offering the best services for their customers and projecting Abu Dhabis true hospitality. Having top notch services in the aviation industry gives tourist their first best experience in Abu Dhabi as soon as they choose them as a way to get there. Experience: For these seeking a unique thriving experience these are some of the thing to do while in Abu Dhabi: Yas Island: just an hour and a half away from Dubai hosting state of the art hotels, F1 races in Yas Marina Circuit, residential area by the beach, and fun family time in Ferrari World. Get the chance to ride the track in Yas Marina Circuit. Abu Dhabi islands: Saadiyat Island if relaxation and resorts is what you need, and Sir Bani Yas to explore UAEs natural preserve and largest island, as well as Delma Island, holding the Gulfs most important pearl diving centers. Desert balloon expeditions Helicopter tours Cruise tours Sports and Recreation: Sports lovers will have a great share of excitement in Abu Dhabi with some out of many of activities for them to do such as: Golf Water sports and sailing Motor Sports and karting Off-road driving Shooting Fishing Diving Horse riding Tennis; with Mubadalas World tennis championship. Shopping: Shopping lovers and fashionistas will indeed have a great shopping experience in Abu Dhabi and these are some of the places and goods they can shop for: Best buys and bargaining Shopping malls Carpets Art Arabian and local souvenirs (Sougha) Luxury retail Traditional markets and souks Gold jewelry Culture and Heritage: A famous quote is exchanged between people in the middle east and to be specific within the Arabian Gulf region: one who doesnt have a past, doesnt not have a future, and from there we take on the words of our late leaders and visionaries to illustrate how the Emirates and Abu Dhabi to be exact takes its steps in growing and blooming. Hence, Abu Dhabis heritage villages theme park, and archeological sites in Sir Bani Yas illustrate the UAEs rich culture and heritage. Other Amazing Must-See Sites: Masdar City and Masdar institute: a place on almost everyones destinations list to see the completely sustainable building and environment friendly city. The Grand Mosque: one of the largest mosques featuring amazing Islamic architecture. The grand mosque has the capacity to host 41,000 worshippers, 82 domes, over 1000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the worlds largest hand knotted carpet. Emirates Palace Al Ain Zoo Arabian Wildlife park in Sir Bani Yas island Course Project Focus: In the course project focus we would like to move away from the clichà © of Abu Dhabi being a business hub only and home of embassies and consulates, and go beyond that. Abu Dhabi is indeed much more than that. Its a vacation destination everywhere you look around beginning with Abu Dhabis cornice to Al Ains Oasis city, and not to mention the western region of the Empty Quarter desert in Al Gharbia for the adventure seekers  [1]  . We will construct a marketing plan to change our audience perception of Abu Dhabi and gain more attention and tourism attractiveness and shape tourism in Abu Dhabi, as well as to meet the goal of Abu Dhabis Economic growth vision in 2030. Section 3: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS Industry Analysis: For the UAE as a whole, the tourism sector had another good year in 2011, although annual growth in foreign tourists slowed slightly to an estimated 11.0%. BMI anticipates a slowdown in the sector over the short term, with growth in arrivals forecast at about8% in 2012 (raised slightly this quarter). Growth in visitors from Europe to Dubai has been weak in recent years. Continuing favorable opportunities exist for the UAE to exploit regional tourism growth, such as from Saudi Arabia. The tourism industry has also become a notable bright spot for the construction sector. The most recent figures for Abu Dhabi for January-July show the emirate welcomed 1.37mn hotel guests, an 11% increase over the corresponding period in 2011. The already burgeoning tourism sector appears to have benefited from the Arab Spring, with tourists attracted away from other locations in the region. Given the ongoing instability, there is potential for the industry to benefit further in this regard. Annual tourist visits is expected to rise from 1.8 million visitors in 2010 to 2.7 million by 2013 and to 7.5 million by 2030. Every aspect of the strategy works towards showcasing Abu Dhabi as an exclusive, high-end tourist destination where visitors can engage in world-class business and relax. SWOT Analysis: TOURISM IN ABU DHABI ENVIRONMENT EVALUATION INTERNAL STRENGTHS Base to a large number of leading corporations in the world Presence of leading luxury hotels Easy access worldwide due to close proximity of Abu Dhabi Intl Airport Well laid out and congestion-free streets Wide array of destinations and events for a family holiday WEAKNESSES Lacks the luster and glamour of neighboring Dubai Development and implementation of projects is slow Does not cater much towards young single adults. EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES Rising global position of the region Presence of natural resources (petroleum) Ever expanding globalization THREATS Rise of other oil states like Qatar and Kuwait Disturbances in the region Overview of SWOT Analysis: The SWOT analysis sums up the strengths and weaknesses of the tourism industry of Abu Dhabi. The above table shows us that the tourism industry in Abu Dhabi has the potential to grow and become one of the largest in the region. Being the Capital of the United Arab Emirates has made Abu Dhabi home to most of the head offices of leading global corporations in the region. The large number of luxury hotels makes Abu Dhabi a prime location to host business events and conventions. Abu Dhabi caters to families also by having a variety of cultural destinations as well as those that cater to fun. The Ferrari world in Abu Dhabi, The upcoming Yas Waterpark, The Grand Prix and rock concerts such as Creamfields is an attraction that pulls in lots of fun seeking crowds. Abu Dhabi unlike Dubai lacks certain glamour, with tourism and business not being the prime source of income, the implementation of projects is quite slow. Dubai and other oil states in the MENA region are therefore a competition t o Abu Dhabi that cannot be ignored. Competition: Competition for tourism in Abu Dhabi involves both local and international level competition. At the local level, it faces tough competition mainly from its sibling Dubai the Las Vegas of the middle east. Abu Dhabi has announced new ambitious tourism targets, complemented by a US$30 million marketing budget and huge infrastructure projects, and it is opening up representative offices around the world and attending world travel fairs. The emirates ambitions would appear identical to Dubais but this sibling wants to be different. However the end product differs from Dubai, Abu Dhabi is now throwing impressive figures into the mix in a bid to attract an estimated U$11 billion in tourism projects by 2015. Ultimately Abu Dhabi may develop a superior tourism product to Dubai, buts its path to achieve this will follow Dubais development example, which has shown what you can achieve with a well-coordinated and funded marketing approach. On the other hand, Abu Dhabi faces solid competition from the other metropolitan cities around the world and renown for tourism. Abu Dhabi has still not turned out to be a popular word among the people around the world and this is what Abu Dhabi needs to aim at. With strong marketing strategies and effective implementation along with determination, Abu Dhabi can definitely reach this goal with top rankings in the worlds best destinations. Customer Analysis: The customers in a tourism industry are nothing but the tourists. These tourists visit a county for either of the two purposes Business or Leisure. Abu Dhabi, being a place which was known for standing up during the recession period and still booming in the market at a good rate with a lot of upcoming projects proves to be a good attraction to business entrepreneurs around the world. Abu Dhabi should definitely focus more on attracting customers who visit for business purposes. At the same time, families and other people who need to take a trip for fun could satisfy themselves in Abu Dhabi with the numerous attractions. Abu Dhabi has attractions for all the age groups and if people know more about the attractions and events in Abu Dhabi, theyll definitely not miss out on these. People nowadays are becoming more aware of and interested in tours and Abu Dhabi has very good potential to cater to the interests of all age groups. Abu Dhabi has enough to serve both the types of customers very well and this is what that makes it an effective place for tourism. Section 4: SEGEMENTATION, TARGETING, AND POSITIONING (STP) Market Segmentation: When it comes to tourism planning and strategy formulation, it is of utmost importance to segment the market prior pursuing a course of action or marketing plan. Market segmentation refers to breaking down or classifying the market at hand into submarkets or segments based on certain characteristics or aspects. Such characteristics (demographics and psychographics) may include age, purpose of travel, and opportunities available to them. In our case, promoting Abu Dhabi as the next big tourism destination, the tourism market can be broken down into several segments. The first main segment is families, which consist of parents and children- perhaps also young adults within the household- and even senior members like grandparents. This segment can be further divided into different age groups. For example, this classification can be done as follows: toddlers and children ranging from the age of 5 to 12, teenagers and young adults starting from 13 years of age up to 19, a youth category w hich encompasses the younger generation (i.e. 20 to 29 years old), and lastly the adults or seniors which are mainly above the age of 30. The second main market segment would be the business travelers. As mentioned earlier in the project, Abu Dhabi is a regional hotspot for business opportunities and investments. Thus, it can attract potential businesspeople. As a result, it is important to consider professionals as a segment within that particular market. Lastly, a third possible segment could be individual/pair travelers such as bachelors, singles, newlyweds (honeymooners), couples without children, and finally, retired or senior couples. Target Market Identification: To target a particular segment, a particular destination must prove what is has to offer to be of value to the targeted market. In this case, we believe the predominant target market would be families. There are many reasons why Abu Dhabi would consider promoting itself to families, and conversely, there are many reasons why families might consider Abu Dhabi for their next vacation spot. When firms are marketing a certain product or service, the consumer must understand what the product or service uniquely offers to them compared to that of its competitor and what added value it provides. Similarly, a tourism destination must offer its tourists a unique experience in every regard. It is easy for a family to pick a destination that has amazing parks, state of the art resorts, and large shopping malls, but the question is, what is so different about a beach in Salalah, Oman, a resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and a shopping mall in Dubai, with what Abu Dhabi has to offer? What is it e xactly that pushes a family to visit one place over another? The answer is value and experience. The experience and joyful memory is what stays with a person, especially after a trip or vacation. Abu Dhabi is home to many things that a vacationing family would be on the lookout for. There are many activities that one can do both indoors and outdoors. A business man flying to Abu Dhabi to close some deals can worry no more about leaving his family back home. While hes busy during the day his wife can take away the kids to Ferrari World, or if theyre a couple with no kids, the wife can go out shopping or enjoying a relaxing spa day in Saadiyat island resort. Nevertheless, business and pleasure has become a very do-able thing in Abu Dhabi where business partners can take a cruise along the sea, golf, or competing on the tennis course while discussing work. What makes Abu Dhabi different is that the visitors do not have to worry about getting stuck in traffic while getting from one place to another. The activities venues are very spread out all over Abu Dhabi beginning with Yas Island, just an hour and a half away from Dubai, to Al Gharbia the western region of the Empty Quarter desert. Additionally, Abu Dhabi has beautiful natural preserves and natural islands where the family can enjoy kayaking along and enjoy the natural beauty, and archeological specimens that reveals the rich heritage and culture of the UAE. Abu Dhabi is the destination where modernity and heritage meets, and greet its visitors with warm welcoming Arabian hospitality and traditions were inherited along the years and are carried on from one generation to the next, therefore the special treatment is always given away wherever you go about Abu Dhabi. Worry no more about what can your family can do à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ because theres fun for everyone in Abu Dhabi. Positioning A quote from His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general of ADTA regarding Abu Dhabis positioning in the tourism industry says the following: Abu Dhabi is seeking to attract discerning tourists who will be attracted by a diversified product base of beach, nature, culture, sports, adventure and business tourism. Our mandate is to position Abu Dhabi as an international city of wealth and culture, while maintaining a balanced approach between development and environmental preservation and sustainability. In our five-year strategic plan, 2008-2012, we have prioritized wider international marketing of this destination and we envisage that by the end of this year we will have ADTA representative offices in Australia, Italy and China joining our existing overseas office network which serves our primary markets of the UK, Germany and France.  [2]  Thus, Abu Dhabi seeks growth in the tourism industry and position itself within the market using product characteristics and customer benefits as a positioning strategy. Section 5: MARKETING MIX MARKETING STRATEGY Marketing Mix: The proposed marketing mix for the betterment of the tourism industry of Abu Dhabi consists of four main elements: Product formulation, Pricing, Promotion and Place. Product Formulation: Product in the tourism industry is any benefits or quality of experience that meets the needs and wants of the customer. Abu Dhabi needs to ensure that the tourism experience that it provides its guests meets their needs. This can be done by ensuring top performance in four aspects of its product. Designed Characteristics: The tourism in Abu Dhabi can be given a boost by attracting more customers, this can be done by clubbing together different aspects of its tourism like cultural sites, hotels, leisure activities into single deals and promotions. Service Component: All tourism staff should undergo special training for interaction with customers. There should be a uniform form of administration for all tourism organizations within the emirate. When customers notice the same uniforms and procedures within different tourist spots within the country, it instills a form of familiarity within them. Branding/Ambience: Abu Dhabi should create a brand for itself as a top end tourist destination. The brand should consist of a catch phrase as well as a logo. The catch phrase should project in the mind of the traveler an image of the destination and a feel of the people and culture. The logo can include prominent structures of the emirate (eg. Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi). Having a brand and its consequent promotion around the world will give a boost to the tourism industry in the emirate. Price: Pricing is a very important marketing strategy as it helps control the sales volume. Abu Dhabi has over 125 hotels, where many of these are five star hotels. The published prices of these hotels tend to be very high and do not attract a lot of customers. The tourism industry could create deals that club together hotels and different leisure activities and charge a promotional price. This way, the customer perceives more value for the cost they are paying. Abu Dhabi could also create seasonal pricing strategies that can cater a specific tourism season. Promotion: Promotion is perhaps the most visible of the four marketing mixes and perhaps what Abu Dhabi lacks the most. As a tourist destination, Abu Dhabi needs to send a global message that they are now ready to enter the tourism market. This can be done through hosting tourism exhibitions and signing contracts with international hotel groups and airlines for promotional prices. Publishing magazines and brochures as well as a more interactive advertising in travel websites can help make the consumers more aware of Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination. Place: In tourism, place does not refer to the destination alone, rather all points of sale for the destination. This includes travel agents, online booking as well as convenience of access. Abu Dhabi should start a tourism office in major cities around the world offering deals at promotional prices. Etihad Airways already connects Abu Dhabi to different parts of the world, ensuring ease of access to the city. Marketing Strategy: A well-developed efficient marketing strategy for the targeted segments is very trivial for growth of the product. This can be achieved by the following means: Sector Regulation: Work with industry sector stakeholders to enhance overall tourism sector standards. Develop and implement sector licensing and classification. Visitor Experience: Improved and consistent visitor experiences founded on unique culture character. Visitor services program Advocacy with other departments and agencies to meet the travelers needs. Accessibility: Significantly improved access to and within Abu Dhabi. Stakeholder Collaboration: Champion the development of the tourism industry with stakeholders. Tourism Product Development: Foster leisure and business tourism attractions and events. Promote Abu Dhabi: Promotion of Abu Dhabi as an international destination. Produce a steady stream of innovative event and concepts which are aligned to, and reinforce brand Abu Dhabi. Job Creation: Increase in skilled tourism employment and generate greater levels of Emirati participation. Organization Excellence: Increase the organizations effectiveness by operating with a streamlined structure, well-defined and documented processes and using the latest available technology tools. Workforce Development: Increase the organizations effectiveness and efficiencies by recruiting and retaining skilled employees and empowering them to the highest levels of professionalism with a customer focus attitude. Sustainable Tourism: Promote development of a sustainable tourism sector adding value to the local community.

Enviromental Influence in Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

The environment that someone is in can greatly affect his or her actions, decisions, and way of life. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Huck is faced with many tough decisions. Huck is a young, white boy, raised in the south. His father is a drunk, and doesn’t teach Huck good morals. As we continue in the book, Huck is faced with the decision, to free a runaway slave, or not. Growing up in the south, he was taught that whites were always better than Negros. But Huck goes against his teachings and continues to help Jim escape to freedom. Huck’s father was an abusive drunk, so legal custody of Huck was switched over to Widow Douglas, who had a slave named Jim. Living with Mrs. Watson, Huck was taught good morals, values, and manners and was forced to go to school. However, he did not live there very long. Huck’s father went on a drunken rampage and kidnapped Huck from Mrs. Watson, and locked him up in his cabin. However, Huck enjoyed living with his father for a while, because he didn’t have to act civilized. Huck eventually figures a way out of the cabin, so he fakes his death so his father doesn’t think he ran away, and then escapes. Huck runs away to Jackson Island, because it is remote and no one lives there. Wandering around the island, Huck runs into Jim, who then explains to him that he ran away because he thought Huck was dead. Jim and Huck converse for a while, till Jim explains that he wants to buy his family back from slavery. Huck then agrees to help Jim escape to freedom by ge tting to Cairo and finding the Ohio River. The time period and location that Huck was living in was very prejudice toward black people. Huck and Jim can only travel down the Mississippi River by raft at night, because Huck fears that people living along the river will think that Jim is a runaway slave and attempt to capture him and turn him into authorities. Huck and Jim have to stop every now and then to pick up necessary supplies, (i.e. food, water, tools) and Huck gets many questions from locals, as to what he’s doing with a black man. The constant questioning annoys Huck and eventually, he reflects on his decision to free Jim. First he writes to Mrs.

Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight :: essays research papers

Response on â€Å" Diary of Mrs. Amelia Stewart Knight† When I finished this article I started to realize that the life of pioneers was not just one big adventure, but they had to face some really difficult problems like dangerous river crossing, bad weather, different kinds of accidents and diseases along the way without any chance for medical treatment. But first of all I had make a research to answer one question before all the problems along the way. It is how much did pioneers traveling west needed and how long did they have to safe money to be able to support their trip. It took roughly $800-$1,000 to obtain a proper outfit (wagon, food, clothing, etc.) and enough supplies to live a whole year without planting or harvesting a crop. Some families saved for three to five years before being able to begin their trip to west. From mine point of view they had to be very patient and live more or less in poverty to be able to save such a big amount of money. That means that most of people had a lot of problems even before they started they â€Å"trip† to west. Another great surprise for me was that most people walked and made the entire 2,000-mile journey on foot because most emigrants grossly overloaded their wagons and that is why only few could ride inside the wagons. Most of emigrants who could ride inside were children and women. To ride in a wagon sounds really better than walking all 2000 mile on foot, but another problem which they had to face was that the emigrant wagons didn't have any safety features. If someone fell under the massive wagon wheels, death was instant. Many lost their lives this way and as I mentioned above most often, the victims were children. Farther more the river crossings, which were necessary to get to their point, were a constant source of distress for all members of the group. Hundreds drowned trying to get wagons, cattle and another stuff to the other shore. Perhaps the biggest problem on the Trail was a deadly disease with no cure at that time, called cholera. This disease was a really big threat, not only for an individual, but also for the whole group. First of all it’s very contagious and secondly the sick person would slow down the whole caravan. Sometimes they received a proper burial, but often, the sick would be abandoned, in their beds, on the side of the trail and die alone.

Professional Products Essay

Case Study 1 1. How does Accenture People site help Accenture better serve its customers? a. It helps in the sense that it makes the other people who are working in other countries to help with getting information easier. They are able to share information easily of different projects and are able to communicate directly rather than waiting. This will help consumers with their output and they will receive things on time or even early. 2. How successful do you think Accenture will be at getting its employees to create their profiles? b. I think Accenture will be very successful in getting their employees to create their profiles. This social network will be an easy use for all employees and will play a major role in communication between all the employees in all the different countries. 3. Can you see any drawbacks related to employees creating their own profiles? c. One drawback that I see with employees creating profiles is lack of time. They will spend a lot of time just like people spend on Facebook and that can take time away from doing important things. This can delay production and projects. Case Study 2 1. How would you describe Professional Products’ growth strategy? a. I think that there strategy is very good. They hire enough people to get the job done and don’t have to deal with the hardship of laying people off. They work enough so they don’t overwork their employees. 2. Why would Professional Products’ commit to no layoffs in its expansion? Is this a positive move, or could it be detrimental to the company? b. Because if the company is expanding in other countries then there needs to be workers that can look after the work of those workers and make sure the work is being done right. It will not be detrimental to the company because if they layoff employees and they are loaded with more work then they will let go of experienced employees which can be harmful to them 3. In addition to training employees for other jobs, what other HR strategies might the firm employ to maintain its relationship with its domestic employees? c. They might try and send trained employees from the U.S.A. to the other countries; outsource them and work with them to make domestic employees more comfortable at what they do and need to be doing. They can also try holding annual meetings at a center location and doing focus groups in order for all the employees around the world communicate with one another and learn everything together.

Problems why Students fail? Essay

Do you know the problems students face during their college? Does it affect every inch of you when it comes to different aspects of being in student’s college life? Have you ever notice these problems and what do you do in order to cope up with it? Can you give the problems college students’ face? Are you already aware of it or not? Starting college is a difficult decision to be made. But after finishing it, all of the problems we faced will worth it. Being in college can bring much anxiety in the heart of a new college student because of all the unknowns and hidden things behind. â€Å"What should my major and course be? Will I meet good friends of mine? How will I find time in all of my lessons? What are the things I should be aware with?† College life is a practice to those students who wants to be successful in their lives in the future. Academics and extra-curricular activities should be managed well. That is why students should be shaped and taught about being aware of opportunities. There are lots of challenges a college student might face but in order to survive, he must first learn to sacrifice. There are problems we may encounter during these years tat is why we should embrace all the things that may arise. Students must be brave and strong enough to face those challenges that will come ahead. This book focuses on The Different Problems of College Students. It contains ten (10) chapters which are presented on the table of contents. Being a college student is a stepping stone in reaching and getting what you want in life afterwards. If we compare our Pre-school, Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary levels of studying. It is the Tertiary level or the college level that plays very important, amazing and hardworking tasks in accomplishing our goals. Acknowledgement This book gives information to all college students who experience different problems in their study. The authors of this book are also a student that is why it became easier for them to write a book like this. But not all the credit is for the authors, there are people behind the success of this book. The authors of this research would like to thank different people who had been part of this book. First of all, the authors would like to thank Mrs. Evangeline Leonardo who encourage the researchers to make it finish despite of difficulties in preparing it, different problems happened while starting this book, but Mrs. Leonardo became an inspiration to the researcher she said â€Å"When you start something make sure that you will finish it†, this message from her became the motivator to the researcher to finish this book. Secondly, the authors would like to thank their parents for always  understanding that writing a book like this is a difficult one, their parents became more supportive to them. Having supportive parents became an advantage to finish this book. To BSA-102, authors would like to acknowledge their section Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, 102 who became an inspiration to them to make recognition for their course and to make their section be proud of what they had done in this book. And lastly, the Lord and God who gave this group especially the leader the strength and guidance in order to be successful on this project. About the Authors Balmores, Donabelle – is a 17 year-old girl who graduated at Taà ±ong High school. She was born on February 15, 1996. She lives in Industrial Valley Complex, Marikina City. She wants to be a professional Accountant and Architect someday. She is kind, loving, understanding, serious, funny and awesome. She loves to travel a lot with the ones she love. She has many dreams but she plans it to be one step at a time. Her parents are Leonora Japson and Jefferson Japson. Padua, Julie Ann L. – is a 16 year-old girl who graduated at Antipolo National Highschool who wants to be a Fashion designer someday. She is small but intelligent, industrious, jolly and friendly, transparent, cute and thoughtful. She was born on July 4, 1996. Her parents are Gracia Padua and Louie Padua. Cruz, Jenny Ann C. – is a 17 year-old girl from Malanday, Marikina City. She was born on November 29, 1995 and graduated at Malanday National High school. She wants to be a CPA someday. She is a simple person, talkative and prayerful. Before she closed her eyes, she always prays to God to give him strength and guidance. Her parents are Jennifer Cruz and Efren Cruz. Edillor, Monna V. – is a 16 year-old girl who graduated at Silangan National High school. She lives in Tierra Monte, Silangan San Mateo. She wants to have a better future and to be a CPA someday. She was born on June 20, 1996. She is a simple girl, sometimes naughty, caring, loves to eat footlong and spaghetti. She is also a very jealous person and quick tempered. Her parents are Rosie Edillor and Ramon Edillor. Eroles, Melanie R. – is an 18 year-old girl from Ampid I, San Mateo Rizal born on January 21, 1995. She finished 1st year-3rd year high school at Sta. Cruz Institute, Marinduque. She graduated at St. Mary Integrated Learning School. She wants to achieve her goals and to be a CPA someday. She is simple, serious, and funny at times, quick tempered, loves playing and eating burger. Garcia, Beverly O. – is a 16 year-old girl who graduated at Fortune High school. She wants to be a programmer and encoder. She loves being polite and obedient. She was born on May 8, 1996. Her parents are Cherry Garcia and Pedro Garcia. Letada, Jessa Lynel N.- is a 17 year-old girl from Farmers 2 Tumana, Marikina City. She graduated at Central for Positive Futures and wants to be happy and successful enough according to my goals. She is tall, serious and happy person.Her parents are Lilibeth Letada and Arnel Letada. Macaraeg,Ara Mia Julian C. – is a 17 year-old girl born on December 5,1995 who graduated at Taà ±ong Highschool and lives in Taà ±ong, Marikina City. He wants to be a CPA someday. She is serious, moody, sometimes funny, simple and kind. She doesn’t care about what people might tell her but it doesn’t mean she has nothing to say in return. Her parents are Almira Macaraeg and Aaron Macaraeg. Medina,Jr., Maximino F. – a 16 year-old boy who is studying in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina. He was born on May 13, 1996. She is a typical college students who is not smart but can absorb ehat the proctor teaches. He is sometimes a lazy student. His parents are Maximino Medina Sr. and Ma. Corazon F. Medina. Boredom in school has different causes that make a student do badly in their learning habit. Its causes could be a simple disinterest. Its effects would either make their school life not so good or their career not so productive. However, this study topic about boredom might not be too interesting to some students. But this would let them know that simple things like boredom could affect their lives. CAUSES OF BOREDOM There are many causes of boredom that a student acquires. There are also such simple factors of becoming bored because of little bit complicated causes that are not popularly known. It is important to have knowledge of a cause of a specific matter. That knowledge would give an idea on how to prevent being bored. Less enjoyable things and topics Topics or lack of challenge can cause boredom. Students become bored if they already know the topic being covered in class. Gifted student, for example grasp concepts easily and quickly and exhibit skill proficiency beyond their grade level. Boredom in school is also caused by lack of application of knowledge and some students might think that subjects or topics they are learning are not relevant to their lives and future careers. Atmosphere and weather The atmosphere and weather are also factors of being bored. For example, for the month of March, students could feel the summer heat; therefore, they cannot focus more on the topic in their class. Thus, it makes them bored once they’ve realized that they cannot cope up with the lessons. Impaired ability of a student to actively focus One more cause of boredom is the impaired ability of a student. Some examples are: Non verbal Learning Disorder (NLD) that impairs a person’s ability to solve problems, think critically or creatively, form concepts and reasons. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) are similar diseases that rob students of the ability to pay attention in class and complete assignments. DISADVANTAGES OF GETTING BORED Effects of boredom would never have any advantages. Unless being on a fantasy-like situation. Boredom makes students do things that is unnecessary for a student to do. Boredom also redirects the students’ attention or focus away from the lectures. Low test scores Boredom may lead students to fail in class by having low test scores. Low test score may be the effect of not being interested in class or not paying attention at all. Poor stability and retention of material Poor retention of materials used in lectures is also a factor of having low grades. Understanding a book or any materials that is used in lectures is important. Those who are too lazy to read the material or cannot cope up with the topic in the book would surely feel bored. Of course, listening to the teacher while reading cannot help you to follow on the discussions properly. Drop-outs Drop-outs may occur if the students are not willing to participate or focus on their learning. However, dissatisfaction with the variety of classes offered, lack of application of knowledge, and disinterest in classes were more common among those who drops their school. EFFECTS TO STUDENTS Most of the students would normally care less about the reason of being bored. However, they are pretty much aware of the effects of it to them. Declination to contribute in country’s productivity Effects of boredom may come to the point that in the future after they graduate, they would not be contributing to the productivity of their country. Failure to reveal skills to succeed in work place Boredom also prevents them to acquire the skills they need to advance in their work that causes poor job performance. Without the skills they need, their workplace, school works, or anything that requires focus will make it hard for the students to finish it without mistakes. Failure to apply themselves in class However, being a student or an employee, boredom surely causes them to fail to apply themselves in their class or workplace. For a student, being so much bored that they are not focusing on the lessons because they are no more interested in it, they cannot participate in recitations and activities. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO HELP STUDENTS Possible solutions that students does to avoid boredom are: reading books unrelated to class, do homework for other class or subject, and chat with their peers. Some could just grab a book; do productive things that could at least satisfy their being bored state. Read books unrelated to class to satisfy yourself Reading is a hobby for many because people lose themselves in an imaginary world as they read. Reading is a good discipline. Reading books that catches your interest surely gets rid of your boredom. Do home works for other classes Home work relieves boredom because it exercises brain capacity and keeps you busy. Doing homework when bored is a good thing to do. Create an artwork Try painting and other recreations to be entertained. Make a collage of your photos or cut-outs from magazines. Draw a sketch. Use watercolors or crayons for your masterpiece. It’s your time to get creative. CHAPTER 9: LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE Lack of Self Confidence is having an overall negative view of you, judging oneself or placing a negative value on oneself as a person. A student’s self confidence has a revealing in everything that she/he does. Because of the lack of self confidence, a student can’t have a good academic performance and there’s a possibility that it can lessen a student’s passion to learn and their ability to focus and their willingness to take a risks. A student can have a low self confidence if she/he experience different problems. For example, Accommodations unnecessarily on negative occasions such as failures and disappointments, instead of using the event as a learning experience she/ he choose to think the negative side and also the fear of failure. There are many reasons why a student can’t develop their self confidence. CAUSES OF LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE There are many reasons why students lack self confidence. They are based on the experiences you’ve had in life, and the messages that these experiences have given you is the kind of person you are. If your experiences have been negative, your beliefs about yourself are likely to be negative too. These three causes that are prepared is one of those reason why the students has a low self esteem. Setting of unrealistic goal Some students think of the thing which doesn’t really exist or happened. Sometimes they just came up on realizing that it is just an imagination and untruthful. For example, you are the student ad you have your final examination tomorrow but unfortunately you don’t want to review your notes and you’re trying to expect you would pass your exam. As we can see, this can’t be happened unless you are a genius student who doesn’t need any materials because of your stocked knowledge. Another example is when your goal is to become a CEO of a company but you have no experience yet, this goal is not realistic because before you became a CEO you need to have lot of experiences first. Lost of a family member Secondly is the lost of family member, maybe experiencing very traumatic incident may cause decrease in self esteem. For example, after witnessing the death of a mother knowing that they are very close can lead to a feeling of being alone. This can cause hard feelings to a child because she felt like everybody can’t understand her feelings so as a result, her motivation to studies does not go strong. Past experience of failure Third and last is Past experience of failure in a exam, if a student experience that, it can cause a low self esteem. For example, every time that he takes an exam he always gets a failed grade and because of that his confidence is goes down. This is the common reason why students get tired in their studies. This is also can cause a lack of confidence because of the reason that he encounters especially during taking of exams. We all feel afraid some times or the other. At times, because of fear of failure, we do not master courage to try out new things. People generally challenge their own potential to avoid facing any larger failure in life. Failure is generally synonymous with lack of confidence in your own abilities. A lot of people go through this feeling of fear of failure. CLUES TO KNOW IF YOU LACK SELF-CONFIDENCE Self-confidence is the specific drive that brings students in greater heights. People, who are not blessed with those skills, are able to get to the top because they feel and believe that they can do it. Self-confidence is an invisible motivational drive that will make things happen and turn the impossible into a possibility. Self-confidence empowers people beyond their expectations, and if you lack self-confidence, then you are taking away your chance to go the distance. People see you as defensive Some student is become defensive if there’s a thing questioning to them. It can cause a bad or a good reason depending on the answers. Being defensive is also a reason why the self esteem of a student is goes down because sometimes being defensive is not good characteristic to achieve your self esteem. Sometimes student use the defensive way to cover something what is real and too much of being defensive is not good unless things are not real. You give reason for your action unnecessarily You can do other way, you can use explanation and this is a good example. If you think your action is good and others think it is bad try to explain to them to understand it. Explanations are better than being defensive. WAYS TO HELP YOU ENHANCE YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE To develop the self confidence of a student, you need to focus on the things that can help to improve your self confidence. Improving your self confidence increases your confidence and it is a first step towards finding happiness and a better life. Look at your strength and not your weaknesses Look at your strength and not your weaknesses every time you encounter different problems. Think positively about yourself to counteract it and do the things that give you a good and inspirational feeling. Focus on the positive way not the negative to achieve your goals and dreams in life. Make the decision carefully and do it right. Start thinking positively about yourself Start thinking positively about yourself and make a list of all your positive traits that can help to you develop yourself. You can also ask your friends about your positive traits and this will be helpful to you because it gives to you more idea on what to do and it will help you gain confidence. And you’ll be positively surprised at how many good traits that you have. Act as if you’re confident Don’t be harsh to your decision because being harsh is a wrong move and it gives to you a stress feeling. You can also ask your friend for a suggestion about yourself and to be a more confident student you can express your feelings to others, study your lesson, having fun, and try to become friendly to others. Always think that every trials and hindrances came there has a solution. Like others say, problem is exists because they have a solution. NATURAL REMEDIES Life coaching Life coaching is one of the best tools to improve your self confidence and your set realistic goals. Life coaching is best for the students who have a low self confidence why? Because life coaching helps you to become more proud to your self and it gives to you different ideas to resolve your problems. It is also different from consulting, mentoring, advice, and therapy or counseling. The coaching is a process addresses to a specific personal projects, studies successes, general conditions and transitions in the student life, relationship or profession by examining what is going on right now, discovering what your obstacle or challenges might be and choosing a course of action to make your life be what you want it be. CHAPTER 10: LACK OF MOTIVATION One of the most common problems students face in college includes lack of motivation. As we all know, college life is different from high school and elementary levels. In here, students are free to do what they want. They can get away from their parents, live in dormitories, drink freely and hang out with friends. But aside from that, college students can also experience different frustrations and pressures in studies. There are times when they also feel so bored, tired and weak. This is due to lack of motivation. Motivation is the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal. CAUSES OF LACK OF MOTIVATION Because of the different factors that affect students in focusing in their studies they continuously undergo to lack of motivation. Sometimes due to their friends, they are being influenced not to make their tasks. Among the causes of lack of motivations are depression, fear of failure, low self-esteem, lack of interest, and stress. Depression Depression is a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest. It affects how the person feels, behaves and thinks. Usually it is being experienced by college students especially when they are far away from home. They tend to feel alone and homesick. Others get depressed because of financial problems, relationships and studies. People with depression find it hard to go about their day-to-day activities. Sometimes they might also feel that life is not worth living. One of the most common symptoms of depression is called anhedonia, or the lack of interest in activities, especially ones that once used to be pleasurable. Depression can wreak havoc on academic and professional success. Treating the depression generally has a very positive effect on motivation and productivity. Fear of failure Some people have a character of being a perfectionist. It means they always want things to be perfect. For them mistakes are failures. This develops an inherent fear of failure, which is presented by avoiding work. Instead, people who are afraid of failing avoid the goal feels safer than trying and not succeeding. This attitude must be change because it will lead to taking things for granted. Students feel the pressure when there are tasks assign to them. They feel nervous whenever the deadline comes. Because of fear to fail in their fields they just simply make things easily in a sense that they do it quickly. This results to unsightly work. Furthermore, there are also students that because of fear to fail did not want to engage in any works. They don’t want to try before quit. Therefore they inclined to lost interest and also lost motivation. Low self-esteem Another cause of lack of motivation is self-esteem. People who have low self-esteem tend to believe that they are not capable of succeeding and often self-sabotage. They will miss deadlines, procrastinate, double-book or put in minimal effort so that the project or task is not perfectly complete, there is something else to blame. Aside from that, low self-esteem decreases a person’s self-confidence. Deflecting personal responsibility helps preserve a delicate sense of self that comes with low self-esteem. Lack of interest Some tasks are uninteresting and that makes them difficult to engage in. Students require frequent rewards and if the school subject or project is not interesting enough, it is natural to not participate in it. This becomes especially problematic when students are involved in major, class or career that is uninteresting. Their attention will be diverted elsewhere, resulting in poor grades or low performance at work. Stress Stress takes up a significant amount of cognitive and emotional bandwidth. Some people cope with stress and feeling overwhelmed by avoiding deadlines or finding triggers to engage in substance use again. Lack of sleep due to stress or overwhelm can also make it difficult to feel motivated. While a person is stress they cannot focus on their works and lose a chance to do their task properly. Students mostly college students are prone to this kind of problem. This is because they are busy in their studies, projects, home works and other activities that can generate stress. In fact, students who are stress-out might also be depressed due to frustration. To avoid being stress you need to give yourself some time to rest and have enough sleep everyday. TECHNIQUES TO HELP YOURSELF GAIN MOTIVATION From our previous lessons we discussed about the different causes why students lack on motivation. For us to overcome this problem we must follow some techniques to help you gain motivation. Develop a primary goal It is important for a student to build or set up a primary goal. This will help them to get motivated and develop themselves. The most common mistake that we make is that we try to take on too many goals at once. One example of this is my experience. At times I always set up too many goals to achieve. I always say to myself that I can do all of this but later I find myself stuck up and finish nothing. I realized that I cannot maintain energy and focus in the goals that I want to accomplish. So it is really necessary for us especially to students to choose one goal and concentrate on it. This will help you to make things always on the line and help you do other goals. Meditation Based on my experience it is really hard to change your habits. It requires great effort in order to get motivated. As students we should always keep our mind fresh for us to have a good outlook in life. Meditation can be a great way to relax and de-stress, as well as to create emotional and spiritual well being. If you’re a person who loves studying or workaholic, you probably don’t have much energy left to feel motivated. If that’s the case, you need to slow yourself down and let your mind relaxes so you can rejuvenate and reenergize your body. Meditation helps you do both of these things. It gives you the opportunity to let your stress and anxiety seep out of your body and allows you to decompress and find the energy to reach the goals you have set for yourself. So, take a few minutes and just breathe. Let out the negative and let in the positive. If you want to stay motivated, you have to work at it. And if you follow this activity, your mind will make motivational thinking a habit. Before you know it, your dreams will be a reality. Fortunately, meditation may help you overcome these same scarcity conversations in your head. Now if you could just start meditating you will also be able to find inner peace. Be physically fit Even though students are busy in their studies and other activities, they should not forget to take care of themselves. They must stay strong, healthy and physically fit. A person who is physically has much higher energy than those who does not engage in physical activities. Exercising is a good example of making your body glowing. It is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size. Surely, exercise improves your health but it has even greater benefits for your energy, mood, and brain power. In addition, eating plenty of vegetables and drinking 8-10 glasses of water will contribute to your body’s growth and development. This will help you gets motivated in every action that you obtain. Conclusion Every student should acquire or should know the proper applying of decision making in able for them to assess their expected outcomes. Decision making can make your life easier and full of happiness if you just practice controlling and managing your decisions wisely. Every problem in college life has its own solution, the only thing we need to do is to know and find it. The tips and advices in this book can help you to your problem as a college student but the only one who can really solve your problem is your own self. Money Management is a very effective way to make your budget last up to last day of the month. Although it is difficult to achieve, you’ll start making hard decisions, cannot go to all of your barkada’s hang-outs, but like all other things, we just need practice and be mindful of wherever our money goes. Money Management is very useful especially for students if they only know how to use it appropriately and it can help them to become smart in handling financial figures. It is only a problem when there is a shortage of money and an inappropriate use of allowances. The recommended tips on this book can help students to be guided in managing money. If it can’t really solve money shortage immediately, it can still become a basis for a college student in their first step in keeping their money in the right place. Our wallets may not have a stomach but it is always better if it is full. When we think on the positive side of pressure on studies, we  can definitely tell that it helps us to be matured and take the challenges we faced by encouraging yourself not to give up easily. Remember that when there is a problem there will always answer for that. Just take time and not decide urgent because when you decide when you’re under pressure you can think for the consequences of your decisions that you made. When you’re under pressure, take that as challenge for you to grow up. Pressure helps you to work hard on your work so be thankful. We can attain the things that we want to if we just strive hard. But also remember when there is positive, there is negative Peer pressure can be good or bad but it depends on the person that thinks about it. He can use it for the betterment of his future career or future life. It really plays a very big factor when it comes to the development stage mostly of the teenagers. Peer pressure is a part of every teenager’s life, this is where they find themselves and discover what kind of personality they have. Being a college student, having a relationship or falling in love to the opposite sex is an unavoidable thing. Relationship is good in the fact that this gives you a better determination in studying, somehow makes you feel better to school every day and to impress during class the one you love. But fails to know their limits lead to a very complicated situation which somehow leads to the destruction of your dreams. So it is always good to think a hundred times before engaging to those activities which is not yet ready or not yet allowed for both of you to engage with. Remember that when reality fails, nothing you could do in order to correct those wrongs you have done. Relationships are good, but sometimes it can be a problem. There are times in every relationship where a couple will have a disagreement or an issue. Disagreements between couples can distract students from their school work and add to already high stress levels. Break-ups can drive some students even further into depression. Depression is a distressing experience but there are many kinds of help available. Sadly, you may not always get the help you need, sometimes because you may feel too hopeless about your situation to ask. It can change lots of things in one’s personality, especially colleges. I think students should know their limits to handle the things that made them stress. Depression doesn’t have any positive outcome to us but sometimes we need to take the problems seriously, and treat them as a nature of every man. Think on the positive ways to solve it. Being bored is a choice that you make when the first thing or second you think of to do is unavailable to you. You’re left with things that you considered less enjoyable, and thus you’re bored. When I was in this situation, the solution to that problem was easy. I opened new doors. I looked for new things to do. Lack of Self confidence is one of the biggest problems of a student because being some students possesses and acquires this. There are many reason why students self confidence goes down. But in order to boost and develop your self esteem, you need the help of this book. Students need to develop their selves in acquiring confidence to achieve good grades and a better life in future. Everyone holds opinions about the type of person they are but keep in mind that these opinions are at the heart of self-esteem and it will affect how you feel about and value yourself. Self-esteem fixed your beliefs about yourself and it can change throughout your life as a result of circumstance and experience. If you have low self-esteem, these beliefs will often be negative. You may not focus on what you feel to your weaknesses and mistakes that you have made but to those strengths. Learned that Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can be a vicious circle: People who lack self-confidence can find it difficult to become successful. Lack of motivation is the last topic that is discussed in this book. We know that we cannot avoid being lazy or having lack of interest in our works at times. It is normal, but making this a habit is not good. As a student we always have to be motivated in every action we do so that we can come up to a great work. Behind every goal that we desire to achieve motivation has been the influence behind it. Motivation is the force of life, and the drive of all actions. In order to succeed we have to push ourselves and take a lot of effort to motivate ourselves. 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