Application of Communication Theory to Nursing Essay

Application of Communication Theory to Nursing - Essay Example Communication is one of the major assets that make human beings knowledgeable. Knowledgeable as the number of ways humans interact are much more superior to any other living being’s methodologies to communicate. Forms of communication may include message transfer through voice, letters, e-mails, sign language etc). (Haslett, 1987) Communication was present right from the time of man’s civilization however what changed are the methods in which the process is carried out. More effective forms of expressing are evolving with experience so that the communication as such becomes efficient. Comparing with the pre historic times, definitely the pace at which information is exchanged has tremendously changed. The advent of science and technology had a huge impact on the way communication processes are carried out. Today sitting in the remote corner of the room at any part of the world we can convey our information and carry out communication any time any where through telephoni c calls, e-mails etc. (Barker, 2002) Now-a-days the computer science revolution had brought major renovations to the traditional systems of placing calls by introducing video conference that allows voice as well as the real life picture to be transmitted as message that obviously upgrades the level of communication. Mobile phones and other cellular devices have made the world very small, that it can fit in our pockets. Coming to personal aspects and importance of communication, the basic purpose of communication is for interdependence and satisfying needs. Every person wants to be heard, appreciated and also shares his thoughts and feelings. It is the exchange of thoughts and feelings from one person to another that determines the efficiency of communication. Getting into the roots of communication, it basically has three dimensions namely. (Barker, 2002) As shown in the figure, the communication may

Request for Proposal Essay Example for Free

Request for Proposal Essay Introduction/General Overview of the RFP The Proposal will be aimed at inviting trainers to submit a proposal for the opportunity to train our staff on the use of Microsoft Office through a competitive and rigorous bidding process. Bidding has proved to be the best way to get the best vendors for this form of training since it will leverage the company’s purchasing power and negotiating ability with suppliers (Porter-Roth, 2001). Farmers Insurance Group is the company requesting the proposals. The company is looking for trainers to properly train new employees on the use of Microsoft office Applications proficiently which include Word, Excel, and Power Point Applications. The training will also require some basic training on software and the computers. Organizational Overview For more than eight decades, Farmers has been helping Americans get back where they belong after lifes unexpected events. Our story began with the simple goal of insuring the vehicles of rural farmers, but as the world changed, so did we. Our co-founder John C. Tyler once said, â€Å"The measure of our worth is not what we have done for ourselves, but what we have done for others.† Farmer’s agents, district managers and employees make up what we call the Farmers Family, and as a family we’re proud to give back to our communities. (Farmers.com) Course Description The course will include the basic training of employee’s and staff on the use of Microsoft office programs. Before training the employee’s will take training for the basics on computer software and hardware as well as the basics for computer operations such as hardware maintenance and software installation. Requirements for the Project The project is basically gong to involve the training of new consulting agents in the use of Microsoft Office Programs. The requirements for the course are divided in these units. Introduction to Computer Operations This section will introduce the general operations and concepts in order to make the staff proficient in the use of computers. It will also introduce the staff to general software and hardware. Microsoft Word Proficiency This part of the training will train on the concepts of word processing and finally get into Microsoft Word, which is efficient and effective word processing software. A tutorial may be needed for the students to follow before and after class. The tutorial will include practice exercises, remedial strategies, as well as revision questions. A clear voicing system will also be required for the students to properly communicate well with their instructors (Bott, 1996). Microsoft Excel Proficiency In this unit of training the students will learn the concepts of spreadsheet management with an emphasis on Microsoft Excel. It will also include the software for insurance sales management. There will be a number of assessment test and final examination at the end of the training. There will be a number of practical exercises to help with the mastery of the concepts in the package. Power Point Proficiency This unit of the course will help to equip the students with presentation skills with an emphasis on Microsoft Power Point. The training will include micro-projects for the students to take, which will be aimed at the various aspects of the software. These micro-projects will form the major part of the continuous assessment, with the final examination forming a much smaller percentage (Bott, 1996). Examination and Testing At the end of the training the students will be examined and tested on each course to establish their mastery of the program. Although the Power Point unit will require a digital projector for the final examination. Electronic Reference Library The library will serve as a reference after the training has been completed. The library will include a word search capability and hypertext. User Documentation This section will explain and provide information on use and maintenance, applications and programs, and installation. This will be for the maintenance and installation for the application package suite and the operating system. Proposal Submission Deadline All proposals should be received no later than August 1, 2012. Any proposal received after this date will not be considered. Submission Instructions The proposal should also include a technical section and a time cost section. The time cost section should include the vendor’s time table to have the project completed. The technical section should include information such as required staff, timelines, and schedules to have the project completed.

A Generic Supervisory Of ICT Agriculture Information Technology Essay

A Generic Supervisory Of ICT Agriculture Information Technology Essay Agriculture is the most assured engine of development and a reliable key to industrialisation (Ajibola, 2007). It is the basis of development, especially in Africa and other developing countries. Increased in agricultural production is the best way of assessing that development. However, adoption of agricultural technologies is the tool of measuring the levels of achievement and production potentials. Thus, reliable means of improving the living conditions of the farmers. Priorities are therefore attached to the ways of exposing the farmers to current agricultural practices (Mando, 2002). High population increase and excessive competition on limited agricultural and related technologies, mandated various stakeholders to devise the ways of utilising agricultural resources effectively. The appropriate means of achieving that and increase productivity are through involving farmers to various decision making processes, and make them realise the ways of manipulating and combining various techniques that involved both scientific and indigenous knowledge. The use of desirable information technology that enhance horizontal and vertical exchange of ideas among farmers and other related components becomes instrumental towards increased agricultural production and improve the living conditions of the rural people. (Michiels, 2001) have defined ICT as a range of electronic technologies which when converged in new configurations are flexible, adaptable, enabling and capable of transforming organisations and redefining social relations. In related development, (Greenidge, 2003) defined ICT as those technologies that can be used to interlink information technology devices, such as personal computers with communication technologies, such as telephones and their communications . The definitions above, stresses on the need for integrating modern communication technologies with conventional ones, aimed at devising more diversified means of exchanging and sharing of ideas among individuals. However, failed to consider the printed materials, group meetings and workshops, and question and answer service as ICTs that are used frequently, conveniently filled the gaps of impersonal communication and enhances the feedback mechanisms. According to Joseph Schumpter, innovation is simply the doing of new things or the doing of things that are already being done in a new way. A definition that is more appropriate is the application of technological, institutional and human resources and discoveries to productive processes, resulting in new practices, products, markets, institutions and organisation that are improved and efficiency enhancing. (Nigel, 2006).The two generic sources of innovation in agriculture are informal system of experimentation and selection, and formal systems of research and development. These two systems are connected to national and international sector organisations. The bottom line is how to consider the two (2) approaches to innovations, i.e. central and multiple source models. The central source model emphasise on the theoretical and rhetoric concepts of formal agricultural research and extension institutions, where major technical, institutional and social innovations evolved from the syste matic work of international research centres. While the multiple sources of innovation model embrace natural and farmer selections, and considered agricultural research and diffusion processes within various political, economical, institutional and historical context through which technological changes occur. Thus, innovations evolved from various sources of farmers, international centres, extension staff, national research system and non-governmental organisations (Biggs, ). Information and communication technology is an example of private sector innovation of high priority. Agricultural extension/education considered ICT issues as the most important topics for quite a long time. (Poole, 2000) examined the conventional ICTs like radio and television as the most important means of establishing a strong link between the farmers and their respective market demands, which are their major area of interest. And the information gap among the farmers and other beneficiaries are bridged up through providing additional sources by the modern ICTs like satellite, computer, internet service providers and telephone systems. Both ICTs are used for addressing developmental issues and reducing poverty, and are adopted by target audience. Agricultural knowledge sharing created by information flow helps in developing different agricultural sectors. However, there is a significant difference in sharing of information between rural areas and agricultural knowledge centres. Accessibility of information by the targeted audiences are the responsibilities of some stakeholders and intermediary organisations(Stienen, 2007). In earlier and closely related observations by (Kenny, 2000)the accessibility of ICTs by rural people assist in devising a multi-dimensional approaches to technological uptake, poverty eradication and other related developmental issues. While (Skuse, 2001)argued that the use of ICT in addressing such issues, especially poverty eradication, depends to a greater extent on the desirable information content and infrastructural facilities. It is important to appreciate the earlier perceptions of (Chambers, 1997), that, individuals use of information and the reasons for using that information supercedes the infor mation context. He further emphasised that, in rural areas, priorities are attached to policy and decision makers than the end users. Rural areas are therefore deprived by appropriate information, which is important for initiating developmental activities. There is the need to bridge the gap in knowledge and solve some problems through information acquisition. In considering the roles of ICTs in adoption of innovation, it is absolutely necessary to examine the differences in the needs of the rural and urban people, and the benefits derived. ICT uses could be more inclined to rural areas, mainly because of the contributions they provide towards agricultural developments. The roles therefore, provided by ICT in rural areas towards improving their livelihoods are unparallel to other areas. The roles of ICT in adoption of innovation in Nigeria is related to provision of agricultural support services, improving market efficiency and weather forecast, through the use of internet and Global Service Mobile (GSM) phones, which improve farmers production potentials successfully, and reduces social isolation(Pickernell, 2004). Modern ICTs like internet, computer and mobile phones that improves rural banking systems and accessibility to credit facilities were encouraged and approved in Nigeria by the World Summit Information Society (WSIS), 2003 2005 as tools for developing rural communities (Stienen et al., 2007). The applications of ICT in Nigeria are considered vital for revolutionary role in diversification of scientific and indigenous technology. ICT abridged the gap created by geographical and cultural barriers, which are detrimental to agricultural production. Thus, information are shared effectively in post harvest technology, databases, market prices and other related information for immediate and future use, which is achieved by internet, email and world wide web to facilitate communication (Obayelu, 2010). The roles of ICT in adoption of innovation are suppose to first be considered from the integrated point of view, before addressing the roles of individual ICTs. This is particularly important due to the differences in the socio-economic status of the rural people, and the need for encouraging the participatory action community approach, which is user-driven in nature. It is important however, to appreciate the uses of combination of conventional and modern ICTs in adoption processes. To this effect, therefore, the benefits derived from the Telecentres in Nigeria and other developing countries towards exposing the rural people to more diversified ICTs need to be discussed. Kiplang at 2001, defined Telecentre as community-based centre that accommodate ICTs, including fax, telephone, computer based system with internet connection and photocopying. A few telecentres provide additional services such as postal facilities, selling of telephone cards, newspaper and refreshment. The main objectives of establishing telecentres in the rural areas is to eradicate poverty and capacity building among the rural people. Telecentres are used for sharing knowledge among the rural people. It expose the farmers to various agricultural technologies and makes them to adopt the most desirable innovation. Telecentres are widely used in Africa and other developing countries. According to Synman, 2002, South Africa established fifty-six (56) telecentres in the year, 2002 out of the projected one hundred (100) through Universal Service Agency. The average visiting clients were 140 per day, and the clients are from different areas of community-based services, like agricultural extension workers, farmers, teachers and students and health workers. Telecentres are widespread in Uganda, Senegal and Kenya, owned by Governmental and Non-governmental organisations. While some are managed by agricultural research institute, like Ugunja Communication Research Centres in Kenya (Oguya, 2001). Oke-Ogun community development network (OCDN), located in Oyo-State -Nigeria and Fantsuan Foundation ICT in North-Central are two telecentres established in the years, 2003 and 2000 respectively, by the people of those communities, provided only four (40) computers to Ago-Are town, mainly used for training rural people, without telephone services. With the intervention of Pam Mclean from the United Kingdom, internet service provider was installed through internet connection in 2004. Information about agricultural innovations becomes readily available to the farmers in the area. Pam Mclean and Carole utilised the centres, with extensive web site on solar cooking information, which is rich information source, and introduced solar cooking video project which was widely adopted in the area. Participatory action research approach was the research method used. The technology is particularly relevant in minimising deforestation and other environmental problems caused by mining, and excessiv e farming activities on forested lands in Nigeria (Carole, 2005). As earlier emphasised, agricultural information in Nigeria and other developing countries are targeted to rural areas where the farmers lives, so that, their social and economic conditions are favourably improved. To achieve this, Emerald Publishing Group of the United Kingdom established a broad band service knowledge centre in Nigeria in Ihala village of Anambra State, which had a projected population of 20,000 people. The project took up in 2007 mainly for exchange of agricultural ideas among the farmers, aided by volunteer students. Computers with internet services and customised website were installed and monitored. Social interactions, mutual exchange of ideas and information retrieval were enhanced in the village. The project was successful, with up to 61% of the participants utilising the knowledge centre website for socialisation and discussions with farmers. Participatory community approach was effectively used(Ha, 2008). The serious problem facing all the telecentres in Nigeria is poor electricity supply and lack of stability in internet services. This problem is particularly not only in the rural areas, but in the urban counterparts. The unreliable internet connection reduces the efficiency of such telecentres, especially when users are eagerly anticipating urgent response to the ways of combating a disease/pest infestation and immediate call for directions of use for newly introduced package. Farmers in Nigeria have different backgrounds, speak various languages. Standardised ICT usage cannot be applicable to all of them. The variation in the language of communication, coupled with low understanding of English, inhibits effective utilisation of ICTs. It is therefore, recommended that, software translators should be developed for proper ICT use. Linkages of such centre with universities and research institutions are not highly intensified. Only one of the available telecentre in Nigeria (OCDN) is linked through ICT with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the university of Ibadan for certain project implementations. Combining socialisation and research activities in the same spot, makes the people to inclined more to social related activities than research. Radio is still the frequently used ICTs for adoption of innovation in Nigeria. This can be attributed to its availability than any other conventional or modern ICTs. Various adoption of innovation were successful in Nigeria through the use of radio. Combination of radio, posters, video and global system mobile (GSM) were used, with core extension programs for extending Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) technology in Nigeria and other West African countries. The project realised that, accessibility of the rural people in Nigeria to television was very low, mainly due to inadequate supply of electricity. Radio messages were used during various events of sensitisation, demonstration, follow-up and open the bag. There was a great difference in the adoption rates between villages with and without PICS radio messages. Thus, radio messages had significantly influenced the adoption of PICS sacks in Kano and other Northern states of Nigeria (Moussa, 2009). Posters were also distributed to various stakeholders that are involved in the adoption of PICS technology, which revealed the various stages that can be used for optimal utilisation of PICS technology . A video sketch on the use of the technology in the languages that are easily comprehended by rural people in Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Faso (Hausa and French ) were transferred to the GSM phones through Bluetooth to augment the demonstrations performed in various villages. The use of GSM phones was due to the realisation of the project of the expanded use of those phones in rural areas of Nigeria and other African countries (Moussa, 2009). Integrated ICTs (Radio, posters, video and mobile phones) were used in this project and tremendously increased the rate of adoption of this technology (PICS), thereby increase in the income level of the adopters, when sold the cowpea during lean period, and more importantly improved the health conditions of the people. Radio is the most persistently used conventional/traditional communication medium that is capable of transmitting various information to different set of people(FAO., 2004). According to (Chapman, 2003), radio has the capabilities of reaching farmers, regardless of their educational status and provide relevant information in the language they can understand. They emphasised that, radio is the cheapest means of providing information with exceptional power of linking the modern and conventional technologies for improving the livelihoods of the rural people. (Okwu, 2007) argued that, radio is the most widely appropriate medium used by all research and extension systems to extend messages to rural people, with little intellectualism to reach the remote places that could not be reach by the extension workers. The sensitive assessment of great impact of radio in Nigeria is related to the findings of Iro, 2006 that, radio is the most preferred means of educating pastoral Fulani, which they found portable, even when herding. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) utilises radio and television to introduce educational and enlighten programmes to Fulani. Educational status of Fulani is still low, despite the programmes aired for educating them, the enrolment pattern of their children in Nomadic schools is very low when compared with children of farmers in the same schools. The possible explanation to this is the nature of their movements from one place to another, which could affect the reception of the radio in some areas. It can also be attributed to lack of clear information about the time when the programmes are to be broadcasted and the content of the language. With all little things taken care of, and increasing level of awareness, educational and enlighten programmes would reduce the Fulani/farmer conflict that is persistently affect agricultural production in Nigeria. However, with all the benefits of radio as conventional ICT in Nigeria, the current status of telecommunication system after the sector has been reformed, is the emergence of many private radio stations. Those radio stations are profit-oriented, attached exorbitant charges to programmes sponsored by Non-governmental organisations, with little or no consideration to agricultural related programmes. While the public radio stations are producer-driven, inclined more to programmes that are satisfying the interest of the government. Television and Video: Are important communication tools, ideals for demonstration of various techniques for easily understanding. They have an additional value of displaying motion pictures, essential for teaching and learning processes. Many farmers are reached and stimulated about the new ideas(Ifran, 2006). When appropriately used, it is a source of reliable information, but most people considered it more as entertainment tools (Kari, 2007). According to (Omotayo, 2005), video has the potentials of using undistorted messages to reach large number of farmers, since it doesnt depend on any reception/coverage patterns. Video could be use to inspire individuals to involve in various planning and implementation stages of agricultural activities. It allows farmers and extension agents to edit and document important events like agricultural shows. Telephone: There was remarkable increased in telephone lines in Nigeria when GSM was introduced in 2001. GSM lines were then 450,000, raised to over 38 million lines in 2007. The teledensity increased accordingly from 0.4 to 24 g/cm3 (Adeyinka, 2009). Telephones are available in either fixed or mobile form. Telephones are the rapidly spread ICT that cover large area in exchange of messages across various agricultural components of farmers, research and extension. According to (Shaibu, 2008) telephones are used by famers to access the agricultural markets conveniently. This helps in having knowledge about real situations in various markets, so as to enhance market efficiency and consistency. It can be integrated with computer for internet connectivity. Telephones are used by farmers to seek for immediate attention of extension agents during disease outbreak or other consultations which are prevented by geographical barriers. Nomadic Fulani are relating efficiently with veterinary assistants through mobile phones as long as there are network coverage. Computers : For agricultural information to be sufficient through web technology, established connection is needed between computers and internet service providers. Such connection is useful for generation, compilation, dissemination and exchange of agricultural information (Zaman, 2002). Internet is therefore used by farmers to realise appropriate agricultural information that can be useful to adopt and utilise various innovations.(Munyau, 2000) explained that, world wide web (www) is used as important tool for creating awareness and providing agricultural information to farmers, while email services complements the www function , through establishing interactive linkages and effective feedback mechanism. High cost of computer hard and soft wares and lack of computer literacy prevent rural people from using computer and other internet services effectively in evaluating relevant information about current technological advancements. THE WAYS ICT HELP RESEARCH AND EXTENSION IN OVERCOMING THE CONSTRAINTS OF ADOPTION OF INNOVATION IN NIGERIA: The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has divided its agricultural research institutes into five (5) agro-ecological zones, and these zones are liable for effective linkages between research and extension components. There are various senders and receivers of agricultural innovations and ideas that are involved in the communication of agricultural technologies to rural communities. Such communication sources are considered obnoxious when sent to the farmers at a later stage of agricultural production (Obayelu, 2010). There are eighteen (18) agricultural research centres in Nigeria that are solely responsible for improving the local crop varieties and developing new ones that are conducive to the existing farming situations, like rice, sugarcane, cassava, banana, soyabean to mentioned but a few.(Faturoti, 2006). Research and extension components have distinctive functions in agricultural development. The research component is responsible for providing science-based innovations, which is significant for creating the much needed change to agricultural productivity. While the extension components conveyed the innovations to the farmers for adoption, and in turn communicate the results, expectations and problems of the farmers to research component. For the roles of these components to be effective, there should be well coordinated linkage between them, which will enable each component to realise its potentials. In an effort to develop and strengthen these linkages, the FGN established various systems, like On-Farm Adaptive Research (OFAR), Farming System Research (FSR), Small Plot Adoption Techniques (SPAT) and Research- Extension Farmer- Input Linkage system (REFILS). Although, the systems are relevant in providing much needed interaction, the FGN failed to support the linkages financially. There is the need to provide effective means with less cost and highly satisfactory result. This could only be achieved through integrating ICT for reinforcing the linkages (Lawal-Adebowale, 2008). The roles of ICT in augmenting the services of agricultural research are considered significant in adoption of innovation. This can be achieved through ways in which the results of some findings generated by research institutions can be extended to farmers, which is associated with changing agricultural information systems, such that the information about new agricultural innovations can be assessed by farmers through the web-based information systems. This helps in providing access to relevant publications directly. Efficiency of agricultural research could be enhanced by making soft wares that are related to agriculture more readily available. Accessibility of research soft ware is highly intensified in International Agricultural Research Centres. It is particularly important to involve various stakeholders, so that high interactive sessions for improving information generation and utilisation among farmers can be achieved successfully. Agricultural development and improving the quality of peoples life in Nigeria and other developing countries depends to a greater extent on the viability of the nations agricultural research and extension systems (NARES). Investment in NAREs, by the FGN becomes necessary for achieving the much needed progress in agricultural development. World Bank provides sufficient loans to Nigerias agriculture, specifically to Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) and research institutions for effective performance. Nigerian Agricultural extension system passed through various stages of development from commodity focus to professional services which have vision for farmers production potentials. ADPs are available in all States, still the most dignified extension service delivery in Nigeria, involving Local Government staff for carrying out various tasks. REFILS provides the desirable linkages for various stakeholders to interact in generating appropriate technology, assigning responsibilities to the actors involved and strategise the effectiveness of the modified training and visit extension system. Farmers and private sector involvement is still low in technological development and planning of the programme, with strengthen linkage mechanism. NARES and private sector (commercial and NGOs) provides specialised roles in the linkages, while the former is responsible for technological development, the later is engaged in the provision of essential inputs and supply services of credit and marketing. The major partners in REFILS are the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the project coordinating unit (PCU). Non-Governmental organisations i.e. profit and non-profit oriented, joined extension services in Nigeria. The non profit oriented are providing extension services in a participatory inclined approach and weak linkages to NARS and public extension services. (NAERLS., 2002) ascertained that, in Nigeria, extension agents are the most effective means through which farmers have information about innovation. Until the intervention of State-wide ADP in 1980, the ratio of extension agent to farmer was 1: 2000, sometimes 1: 3000. They further realised that, the ratio ranges from 1: 848 in South Western zone to 1: 1,650 in North Western zone, with more wider range when it involves women extension agents. The ratio failed to meet the recommendation of FAO of 1:500. This therefore calls of integrating ICTs for cost effective and wider coverage of extension services that can complement the existing usage of ICTs in research and extension to overcome the problems of adoption of innovation. The inclusion of modern ICTs to complement the existing conventional ICTs becomes imperative for making the farmers more knowledgeable about the current agricultural practices for increased in productivity. According to (Arokoyo, 2002), the roles of ICT in research and extension is traced after the establishment of ADP as World Bank assisted project. The strategy utilised the T V extension services in developing effective communication system. It was achieved through the use of mobile cinema vans, moving from one rural area to another, with extension publications that are printed in the languages easily understood by the people. Successful implementation of which led to additional ICTs like radio, video and television in the mobile vans, when the bank increased the assistance. ADPs in various states extends its extension messages through radio and television programmes. National Agricultural Technology Support Project (NATSP) was established by ADP, as one of its second developmental phase in 1996, with Development Support Commission (DSC) units, which increased the viewing facilities. Through NATSP, more radio listening clubs were formed. (NAERLS., 2002) examined that, in the year, 2002, 70% of the states ADPs utilised one or more radio programs to broadcast agricultural information to farmers in their local languages that enhance proper understanding. The findings further revealed that, more than 48% of the ADPs broadcasts are relevant agricultural programmes in the television. The CTA-supported Questions and Answers service in Nigeria used by NAERLS and nine (9) collaborative institution popularly known as Nigerian Question and Answer Service (NAQAS) has revolutionalised the ICT in research and extension. Users of NAQAS are provided with information required through references, factional information referral and advisory services. In a similar development, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Communication for Change (CFC), NAERLS and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, established the Information and Communication Support (ICS) for agricultural growth in Nigeria, with aim of strengthen capacity of farmer assistance organisations to package and disseminate information to farmers, thus, enhancing information flow(Ogunyinka, 2002). The project was started in eight ADPs states. (Ogunyinka, 2002) emphasised that, the networking in the project involves all the stakeholders and farmer association. The major activity of ICS is establishment of farmer resource centre in each of the eight states. The centres are supposed to have and utilised the following ICTs; Radio and Television, Camera and Video, Computer with internet facilities, Telephone and Fax, Scanner, Photocopier and Printer, Cassette recorder/player, Generator and Lamination and Spiral binding machine. The NAQAS and ICS are established to use ICTs in improve horizontal exchange of ideas among the farmers, thus improving extension services. The information flow focus on the end-users (user-driven), in order to satisfy their needs. Establishing integrated ICTs like NAQAS, ICS and other telecentres are exceptionally significant towards providing a relevant and reliable information to the farmers living in rural areas. It is important to note that, any sustainable information development that entails using modern and conventional ICTs that is not encouraging a strong linkage between research/extension and the farmers should not have a significant impact in agricultural development. In Nigeria, the linkages between extension and farmers is highly intensified, while that, between research and farmers is relatively weak. This can be attributed to the low level of literacy for assessing information easily, on part of the farmers and weak contacts to the farmers, depending on extension component to disseminate information and more emphasis on the managerial activities. The constraints the NAQAS and ICS may likely face is the domination of accessibility of such centres by researchers and other literate individuals in t he communities. The centres are supposed to provide intensive trainings to farmers for proper utilisation of the resources. The sustainability of this and other related projects that are funded by international organisations, tend to terminates if such funding terminates. The Local, State and Federal Governments are expected to consistently monitor and evaluate the activities of such centres for achieving the desired objectives. The status of ICT in agricultural research and extension organisations in South Western Nigeria was assessed by Lawal-A., 2008, analysed that, all the eight agricultural research institutes and six extension organisations except, Osun State ADP, had computers, internet facilities and telephone system. Telex/fax machines were available in four research institutes, and two extension organisations. The result however, shows that, the ICTs were only found in some offices at the headquarters. The research and extension personnel with whom the field works are assigned have little access to such facilities. Adequate ICT infrastructure is necessary for agricultural development and the effect of such development could not be felt with the marginal improvement in ICTs infrastructural facilities (Institute., 2005). Kano State ADP is currently using mobile telephones to call for meetings, workshops and other important information to farmer groups. More than 12,000 farmer groups were formed, each group comprises of 25 members. Focus group discussion and use of existing traditional groups were the techniques used in forming the groups. Each group has a leader possessing a functional mobile phone through which the head of extension unit of the ADP contact them for important messages that deserve immediate attention. Thus, the use of mobile phones facilitates communication and established reliable linkages between the extension and rural farmers. From the discussions, it was observed that, research and extension in Nigeria are currently using integrated ICTs in motivating farmers to adopt various innovations. However, the use of effective individual ICTs are relevant for extending messages to fa

indias safest cars :: essays research papers

How often do you wake up to the news of a road accident that killed a few people in some part of the country? Almost everyday, right? Then you quickly browse through the other news and life goes on. Every year, over 80,000 people die on Indian roads; every five road accidents leave one dead. Yet, it's just a statistic, which hardly changes our apathy towards road safety. Yes, road safety is an unpleasant, boring subject, but remember, it affects us all. How safe is the car you are driving or about to buy? How does one rate safety and who does it? We have compiled some information on a handful of cars that are available across the world and are also on sale in India, and their safety features and test results. We think you have the right to know. First, a little backgrounder. By law, all cars have to be tested and have to meet certain standards to be street legal. New Car Assessment Programmes (NCAPs) are carried out by various testing agencies in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia amongst other countries. The European NCAP carries out the most stringent crash tests, as well as pedestrian and child safety tests vis-Ã  -vis other assessment programmes. Euro NCAP is a collaboration between governmental and automotive associations and is overseen by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile). The money for these expensive tests comes from the EU, by which the widest possible range of models can be assessed. Euro NCAP carries out frontal offset, side impact and pole test and has a simple rating system that awards stars out of five. This rating system makes it easy to interpret safety standards in cars before people go out to buy them. Over and above this, manufacturers can go ahead and carry out further tests that are not required by legislation and choose to incorporate these additional safety features. Let's then see how the cars have fared now. The Hyundai Accent GLS got an adult occupant rating of 2.5 stars and a pedestrian test rating of 2 stars. The levels of chest injury in adult occupants was exceptionally high, and hence the Accent missed out a full third star. Moreover, this car was fitted with a driver side airbag. For cars sold in Europe, side airbags come as an option. Accents are also equipped with Isofix anchorages and are electronically assisted by ABS and EBD.

Freud and Tillich Essay

S. Freud’s The Future Illusion and P. Tillich’s Religion as a Dimension in Man’s Spiritual Life carry on about an important question of what religion really is, what is its meaning in a cultural, psychological and scientific aspect and how it relates to a society and an individual. In this paper I will try to prove through an analysis and comparison of both texts that although their approach to the subject is different they both regard religion as an important aspect of human life. Freud in Illusion touches on things that to some may be an unquestionable truths; a meaning of life, a reason to be a good citizen – a good human being. Freud strips religion of its â€Å"holiness† but not of its power over a culture and a human life. He argues that religion in its essence is nothing more than an illusion – a wishful thinking based on a subconscious hope for a reward (the afterlife). According to Freud, religion is an aspect of culture – civilization, defending us against nature and each other. Civilization is a necessity that was socially constructed in order to explain and control the unknown and scary forces of the world but more importantly to cage our primal desires of: incest, murder, cannibalism which lay deeply in our unconscious. Therefore, to save humanity civilization created laws. At first the forces of nature were given human characteristics to make the assimilation easier and simpler to comprehend. The so called totemism was clear and understandable serving a purpose of control and protection from the environment and ourselves. But who would obey the laws if there was no fear of punishment for doing wrong and a reward for doing good. That is when religion came in handy. Now the gods have been replaced by science and a singular God (a father), who became more sophisticated than his predecessors, promising compensation for all the hard aches. Freud claims, that religion isn’t the essence of morality, that society didn’t adapt to the Ten Commandments but the other way around. It served as a tool supporting the reasonable laws of civilization, making living in society more bearable seen through perspective of fulfillment in the afterlife. Therefore, its function plays a crucial role in sustaining society and preventing civilization from destruction by individuals acting on their animalistic instincts. If a person is being left to his own devices without laws, regulations and fear of punishment he will act egocentrically causing chaos and destruction for the entire population. However, the more educated the society becomes, the more it expects from religion. Its promises are less reliable than scientific evidence and once the fruit of knowledge becomes accessible to masses the trust in religious explanation declines. This may cause danger and a cultural collapse if people’s belief in God fails, it threatens not only religion but the original source of common law – civilization. They realize there is no need to be afraid of punishment any longer, therefore, who or what would stop them? What may seem as a law of God is actually in the best interest of human social existence, otherwise civilization would not have survived. The creation of rational attitude of not killing got ascribed to God, despite rationalizing it as a purely human creation that relates to all rights and cultural institutions. Freud claims, that people will not need religion when they realize that those rules were not created to rule them but to serve in their best interest. Men act under the influence of impulses and desires, therefore, rational explanation is not powerful enough, nevertheless, Freud thinks that with the progress of science there will be less demand for the illusion and eventually no religion at all. Tillich on the other hand has a more romanticized view on the aspect of religion. He admits that the word itself gets misinterpreted and abused in many ways, therefore, decides to call it the ultimate concern. For Tillich religion is something much more personal, intimate, it is a sphere in human spiritual life (inner) that is being filled accordingly to ones needs. He doesn’t insist that the ultimate concern must relate directly to God, on the contrary it can be anything as long as it is: ultimate, infinite and unconditional. He says that there is more to a human being than flesh and blood, to be fully satisfied one must find and nurture his faith. The spiritual life, the inner needs are equally as important as satisfying human physiology. Tillich despises theologians who stay faithful to the approach that religion is a gift from God, something sacred and pure because it was not created by any mortal but God himself, that religion is not a matter of choice. He also disagrees with the scientific approach regarding religion as nothing more than a stage in human development, socially constructed based on rituals and tradition. According to Tillich, dimension of man’s spiritual life is something uniquely human that it is inherent, and we can not get rid off because it’s already within us, it is a part of who we are. Therefore, religion as an ultimate experience can not be ascribed to one particular realm of human life; knowledge, aesthetic, morality and most importantly emotion all express the ultimate concern. Therefore, the ultimate concern isn’t something one could grasp and reassemble to pieces in order to understand it better. The task of religion is to fulfill our inner needs in all four aspects, as any human can not survive without food, water and shelter. We can not be fulfilled as humans if our spiritual life isn’t satisfied, therefore, no man can be happy without religion. As easy as one may think that finding out what the ultimate concern is it is actually quite complicated. Because for those who truly believe and don’t deny the existence of God it is even harder to rich that fulfillment than for those who strive for answers. The ultimate concern is simply a human’s true nature, it is a part of you that can not be forgotten, diminished or simplified into an institutional religion and its doctrines, the ultimate concern fulfills your spirit making a man’s life meaningful. Both Freud and Tillich discuss the matter of religion as an important aspect of human life. Freud claims that religion is an illusion, nothing more than a fairytale for kids who long for a happy ending, a compensation for the crappy life we all have to deal with . Where Tillich approach differs from Freudian perspective like day to night. Nevertheless, both scholars claim the necessity for religious experience as long as according to Tillich an individual fulfills his inner spiritual needs and according to Freud if it guards societies from killing each other.

What is Reflective Essay Essay Example

What is Reflective Essay Essay Example What is Reflective Essay Essay What is Reflective Essay Essay Essay Topic: Reflective What is Reflective Essay This reflective essay presents my thoughts and responses to the widely known works on personality theories. Guided by the lecture materials provided, I was able to have a strong starting point to explore further on the crucial components for evaluating ones personality. Even though I became interested in this area, I must accept that it is quite demanding and complicated to come up with new ideas to consequently understand and predict human behaviour as stated by Dr Bellak in Psychoanalytic theory of personality. Before I started learning this area, I normally thought that behaviour was only unique and that genetics played a role only on the phenotype of an individual. However, most theories prove that heredity has a significant role in a persons personality. This has been illustrated by theorists such as Buss and Plomin in the Temperament theory (Schultz, 2012), Cattell in Behavioural genetics and others. I found that Cattells factor-analytic theory on personality is an interesting as well as a realistic approach to analyse an individuals behaviour, however, complex; since it considers very many factors. Cattell states that personality is ones behaviour when subjected to a particular situation. He further explains that traits build up personality whereby they are basically an individuals permanent reaction tendencies. In my opinion, the motive of the theory stands out as an ideal way to determine behaviour since it entails not to change ones behaviour but rather study it. On the other hand, Freuds psychoanalytic theory of personality states that ones personality can be determined from analysing the past. The Psychoanalytic theory also borrows much from doctors whereby doctors depend on a patients history so as to diagnose their illness. While I was exploring the various theories and assessing my current personality in relation to my previous situations, I see that the people I have interacted with and my response to certain environmental stimuli have greatly actualised my personality. As explained by McCrae and Costa, the stability of the factors is inevitable if done over a particular period. This explains my current extroversive behaviour, which started soon after removing my braces. Furthermore, I second McCrae and Costas emotional correlates because ever since extroversive developed in me, my stress levels no longer hit sky levels as they did. I always keep my friends and parents close for support in such times who normally remind me that everything is/will be fine. However, I think their Big Five Factor model is greatly generalised therefore more research has to be done to further break the factors for a comprehensive list of factors for understanding human personality. In the case of cultural influence to an individuals personality, I believe that personality development is certainly environmental rather than heredity. The Big five factors by McCrae and Costa present that the factors are cross-cultural depending on where you are. They illustrate this theory using findings from different countries around the world where those who resided in these environments scored higher on factors being promoted by the societal culture.;Cattell also explains that behaviour can be moulded by environmental factors in his classification of traits, which as you should remember, are basic units of our personality. Because of my exploration of such theories, I developed the notion of fully understanding why some behaviour are tolerable in certain cultures while intolerable in other cultures. Freuds perception of human personality really stood out in understanding my personality. However, this was the result of deeply going through his many theories since the word about him was popular although I did not understand his notion. In my case, I understand that my Id is responsible for my midnight crisps snack which satisfies my want at that but then my superego kicks-in making me feel bad for having a snack at that hour. Nonetheless, my ego has plays a crucial role in making my life instances in sync. I also came to the realisation that irrational behaviour is attributed by an over-indulgent Id seeking pleasures, both positive and negative. Thus, I think I understand why models strain themselves on a diet; it is because their Id is out of control. ;;;;;;;;;;;The exploration of the psychological factors of human personality has also brought me in the light of how psychological defence mechanisms are responsible for maintaining our emotional homoeostasis. I have also realised that without these mechanisms, our conscious mind will be vulnerable to negative emotional stimuli like the ones emanated from sadness and anxiety. My psychological mechanism when someone I love, or have a crush on, breaks my heart, I usually apply disassociation until I get over them. It is a perfect way to defend the negative emotional input I get. Ultimately, I found that this tactic had been already been suggested various personality theorists such as Freud (1894/1964), Allen and Lolafaye (1995), Vaillant (1977) and others. Vaillant (1977) described dissociation as a psychological mechanism that allows the ego to change the internal state, therefore, making the pain of conflict seem irrelevant. My mechanism to emotional conflict is in the form of emotio nal numbing. However, disassociation can take numerous forms such as depersonalisation and derealisation, absorption and imaginative involvement, identity defragmentation, and amnesia. In a professional setting, this approach is used by those working in emergency situations since failure to do so will interfere with their work operations. I found the topic on psychological defence mechanisms by Bowin (2004) interest as I read it and assessed it on my behaviour as well as that of my peers and others. The cognitive distortion mechanism was a fine topic that made me understand why and how humans cognitively make negative emotional input seem positive despite its reality. Bowin (2004) classifies cognitive distortion mechanisms into three defence categories whereby mature defences are presented by middle-age persons. Kaplan et al. (1994) state that mature defence mechanisms consist of sublimation and humour where humour makes a threateningly disturbing scenario seem light. In deed, this mechanism is usually exhibited by most people before they go on to solving the cause. Other defence mechanisms include neurotic/intermediate defence mechanisms such as rationalisation and immature defences such as projection, somatisation and hypochondriasis. Nonetheless, my reasoning on the psychological defence mechanisms is similar to th at of Trijsburg et al. (2000) who suggest that the defence mechanisms should be perceived as levels of maturity. At my current age, I am used to particular negative input and sometimes put some humour into it or simply act rationally on it. Position in family constellation influences lifestyle is an exciting personality theory that made me relate it totally to my behaviour and recap my experiences growing up as a first born in our family of four. The theory by Alfred Adler is based on a family setting that is not large enough where the first born and the following siblings may strive for their parents attention. Adler (1937) explains that it is possible for a first born to grow and be either good or the following siblings bad, or vice versa. Adler also discusses the challenges of growing up as an only child and the youngest child. The theory depicts how the eldest child fears to be dethrone hence does all possibilities to stay in his position and as the second child comes of age, he or she will take up the alternate trait not acquired by the eldest son. My opinion and a hypothesis on this theory is that it the dethroning effect may be present in a family when same gender children are brought up. To defend my point, the sibling after me and I have maintained good manners, however, our third born, being the same gender as our second born, grew to have bad traits. Though, mine is just a hypothesis based on our family structure. Adler also explains the challenges of an only child, which have convinced me. He argues that an only child usually grows to be spoilt and dependant. In deed, this may be the case since an only child usually gets all he or she wants because they are at a position to enjoy much of the parent(s) budget on the extras. Also, Adler narrates of how an only child is more vulnerable to acquiring homosexual traits. Although his narration so as to bring out his point is convincing, I would feel more satisfied if the theory was formulated empirically. This reflective essay has comprehensively documented my reflection of the existing works of theories pertaining human personality. It took into consideration my personality based on my experiences hence my developed personality and also the personal differences of other people and myself. The essay starts with theories aimed at personality development. The Factor-analysis theories focus on studying an individuals behaviour when subjected to a particular situation, rather than the classical approaches which aimed at changing an individuals behaviour. I found out that personality development is mostly related to heredity while environmental factors only shape a persons character. On the other hand, psychological defence mechanism theories also play a huge role in presenting behaviour. They are theories that suggest methods by which negative emotional inputs are handled by different people. I found out that these theories were not comprehensive where they lacked an answer to the question: are they environmentally or hereditarily acquired. Generally, I found this exercise ideal to understand what milestones have been already moved and which ones are yet to be moved. I look forward to coming up with a profound hypothesis to look into based on the facts I have presented above.;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Compromise Is the Key essays

Compromise Is the Key essays Laws are designed to protect all citizens, even though they are not clear when it comes to deciding on what happens to couples embryos. The judge, in the fact pattern case, is torn because the parents want different decisions. He also has to remember that he will be setting a legal precedent for which other cases will be based on. The decision will be ridiculed no matter the outcome. The embryos should not be destroyed because every living thing has the right to life, there are numerous loving couples who can not have children on their own, and children are still desired by one parent. An embryo is the young of something in an early stage of development. Although, it is not recognizable, two people conceived the embryo in question. Therefore, the fetus should have the same right to life that all existing creatures possess. No one person should be allowed to destroy something already in the process of living. The decision of destroying any living being should be left in the hands of the being, and in this case that is impossible. We have to wait until the child is old enough to ask her. Many couples, who can not have children of their own, want to adopt new born babies. If the embryo is allowed to live nothing but good will happen for it, because of the demand for newborn babies in the adoption market. The child would not end up in a foster home because the mother has feelings for it, and would see the baby is well taken care of. Adoptive parents are known to be loving and caring begetters, because they try hard to bring children into their lives. Consequently, the judge should at least allow another couple to make good use of the embryos. The lady in the fact pattern still has the desire for children. She gave her eggs fully expecting to use them when the time is right. The husband obviously wants nothing to do with the embryos, but the wife could make an agreement to take full responsibility. The ...

How does Seamus Heaney use language to create a rural Irish scene in digging Essays

How does Seamus Heaney use language to create a rural Irish scene in digging Essays How does Seamus Heaney use language to create a rural Irish scene in digging Paper How does Seamus Heaney use language to create a rural Irish scene in digging Paper Essay Topic: Literature Seamus Heaney does a number of things to create the rural Irish scene. Some of the rhyming that he used would not rhyme unless done with an Irish accent, such as sound, ground and down. These are very special northern Irish sounds that have to be used. Also he is dispassionate during the poem like using the word rump instead of a nice word such as lower back. Also the farming aspect creates the typical Irish farmer vision, through generations and generations they are farming. Also he alliterates with buried the bright edge deep using allied consonants. Snug as a gun is assonance because snug and gun are very similar words. Seamus also reminisces about his father and his grandfather. The word lug is a very Irish word and is not commonly used in mainland English. Lug means the straight top part of the spade. Seamus describes how he is digging metaphorically with his pen, for his future generations to come. It is his equivalent of the families spade. Seamus avoids using euphemisms during his poem to produce the harsh reality of what is really there. Squelch and slap is an onomatopoeia meaning a word that sounds likes what it means. There is no regular rhyming pattern throughout the poem. Heaneys father has great skill when it comes to digging, levered firmly and By God, the old man could handle a spade. This shows the reader that country life is not all easy, and even to work on a farm, you need to have quite a lot of skill. The images produced by these words are very effective because they give the reader a picture of a man who is not only digging, but also doing it with immense skill, which is not something, which we usually associate with a job like that. This poem is also about the admiration and respect, which Heaney shows towards his father. The words such as straining show that Heaneys father was working very hard, as he did not break very often because he stooped in rhythm. It is these words, which conjure up such image of Heaneys father never stopping unless he has finished a job, so the images produced, are very effective, because they help us to understand the young boys admiration for his father. Country life is therefore seen as difficult, but there is also the family element too. Heaney wants to be like his father, but the difference between this poem and Follower is that Heaney realises that he has no spade to follow men like them. The continuation of farming from Heaneys grandfather, to Heaneys father, the old man could handle a spade. Just like his old man shows the reader that country life is very family orientated, and professions are often carried down from father to son. The images of Heaneys father being taught to dig by his father are very powerful and effective, because they show the reader the strong bonds between people on a farm, and in country life generally. The last line, The squat pen rests. Ill dig with it. show that in the country, it is often expected that people like Heaney will follow in their fathers footsteps, but Heaney is seen here to choose to be a writer. The images of Heaney digging out his memories with pen are very effective because the reader can visualise the likeness between poetry and farming. However, the image is also a surprise, because Heaney says in Follower that he wants to be like his father, but here he has changed his mind. There are three time stages throughout the poem. He talks about himself in the present tense. He speaks of himself in a poetic style. He talks about his father in both the past and present tense. For the present it is very poetic and skilled poetry he unromantically describes him as a straining rump but when he is talking of his father in the past tense it is a heroic, tense relationship. It is a vision of a small boy looking up at his father. The phrase bury the bright edge deep is like a scene out a gladiator in a battle. He talks about it very descriptively nicking and sticking going down and down. This poem consists of a free-flowing memory. It begins with him seeing his father in the present digging in flowerbeds, which then flows to the potato digging that, was done when he was a child, which flows to his grandfather digging up peat. This is like a self-justification of himself at the end of the poem, when he metaphorically digs with his pen like his forefathers did with a spade.

Macro economics short answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macro economics short answers - Essay Example (15 points) Some institutions and institutional arrangements boost economic growth. Institutional arrangements outline the formal and informal rules of the game that direct how people interact. These arrangements form incentives and outline expected and tolerable forms of behavior in social interaction. The institutions that boost economic growth include: Productivity is referred to as the ratio between the output quantity and the quantity of inputs. It determines how well production inputs, like labor and capital, are being employed in an economy to create a specified level of output. Factors that lead to increases in productivity include capital accumulation, more access to natural resources, technological innovation, transformation in labor processes like division and specialization, improvements in business practices and transformation in patterns of trade. Great depression was as result of crash of the stock market. Once the stock market plunged, fearful that banks would fail, people started to withdraw their money. Almost overnight, they put thousands of banks under threat. The more money people withdrew, the more banks failed, and the more banks failed, the more money people withdrew. By 1933, nearly 11,000 of the nation’s 25,000 banks had fallen. In order to boost economic activities the Fed was to put in place policy measures geared toward increasing money supply in the economy but it did not do that in time leading to economic

Quanttitative Social Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quanttitative Social - Research Paper Example Marijuana legalization is a big issue where society is supporting or arguing against it. When the driver smokes marijuana, the THC goes into the blood rapidly and the smoker remains high for an hour or so (Jones, Holmgren & Kugelberg, 2008, pp. 452-461). When the driver mixes marijuana with food it takes a long time for it to be digested and absorbed into the blood. Consequently, the user remains high for approximately twelve hours. Clearing the user's blood of THC takes one month. Additionally, marijuana has been ranked fourth after caffeine, alcohol and nicotine as the world's most widely used. Most people believe that the bad effects of marijuana outnumber its benefits. According to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), 1.5 percent of drivers who were surveyed in the Road Safety Monitor of 2002 had used marijuana two hours prior to taking the wheel (Kelly, Darke & Ross, 2009, pp. 319-344). The survey discovered that young men are the most likely to drive after using marijuana and other illegal drugs. A third of those who admitted to driving after using marijuana had also been involved in drinking. ... 38-52). Furthermore, 20 percent reported to have driven within an hour after using marijuana (Bingham et al, 2007, pp. 23-37). Limitations of the tool for answering your research question Time and level of study restraints played an important role when considering the scope of the research. These were two factors of particular importance when setting the parameters in regards to the breadth and depth of the work to be presented. For that reason, this study did not attempt to present all the researched material in detail but rather to provide a concise, yet thorough overview of the chosen material. The analysis of practical considerations such as economics or logistics or the discussion of opposing points of views was not taken up in this study. Part B Introduction and overview of the proposal While marijuana remains illegal, it is now classified with barbiturates and amphetamines rather than heroin. The advisory council responsible for recommending this change stressed that marijuana is undeniably harmful and was anxious that the drivers be informed of the dangers associated using it. While responding to recommendations made by a special committee on illegal drugs, the US government is not close to decriminalizing possession of marijuana. Drivers can be charged if impaired by marijuana. Criminal charges can be laid if a driver is high on marijuana. The likelihood of a crash when a driver is high is known to increase substantially depending on how much THC is in the blood. Proposed participants A study showed that marijuana raises the danger by 10 times of non-lymphoblastic leukemia in children of mothers who used marijuana just before or during pregnancy. Leukemia was not increased by other drugs such as alcohol

Virtual Team success Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Virtual Team success - Term Paper Example Virtual teams have objectives similar to the traditional teams, however they use different infrastructure as compared to traditional project teams. In this scenario, they perform their tasks without having the limitations of time, organizational boundaries and geographical locations associated with communication technologies. (Casey & Richardson, 2006) define virtual team as â€Å"a team whose associates make use of the technologies such as the Intranet, Intranets, Extranets and a wide variety of other networks to coordinate, communicate and collaborate with each other on work tasks and projects even if they can carry out their tasks in different geographical regions as well as away from organizations.† Thus, the virtual team is considered as contradictory from the traditional team due to the fact that its members are located across geographical regions. Additionally, virtual teams are normally implemented and managed in multilingual and multicultural surroundings, which can b e away from organizational boundaries (Casey & Richardson, 2006; Gould, 2006; DeRosa & Lepsinger, 2010). In addition, a virtual team is normally composed of people who work from home or any other location however this is not for all time the case. Virtual team associates can work in offices also. There are a numerous reasons why virtual teams are turning out to be so popular these days. The basic reason is the reality that we live in the information age, as different to the industrial age. In view of the fact that the information travels at the speed of light, and those who have access to the most modern and fastest communication and collaboration technologies are capable to send data quickly. The capability to transmit data and information at fast speeds, combined with the power of the web, has caused the formation of "virtual corporations." However, the most influential aspect of the virtual team is that it is not limited to their physical location (Exforsys Inc., 2009). This paper presents an overview of virtual teams. The basic purpose of this research is to analyze some of the impo rtant aspects that are associated with virtual teams such as working, communication, collaboration, operational model, performance enhancement aspects and so on. Why Virtual Teams are Effective? Information technology (IT) has presented a wonderful support required to deal with the advancement of new organizational forms. The concept of a virtual team is a practical example of such organizational form. A virtual team can transform and modernize the infrastructure of the place of work as well as provide the organization with extraordinary levels of power and awareness. In view of the

Rights of the Unborn in the UK and EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Rights of the Unborn in the UK and EU - Essay Example is that continuing with the pregnancy involves a greater risk to the physical or mental health of the woman, or her existing children, than having a termination. Abortion of up to 24 weeks is allowed if there is a substantial risk that the child when born would suffer "such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. The second condition is that an abortion must be agreed by two doctors and carried out by a doctor in a government-approved hospital or clinic. The right to life of the unborn was historically protected by British laws on abortion. The English common law did not prosecute for abortions performed before quickening. In 1803, with Lord Ellenboroughs Act, Parliament enacted statutes overriding this relatively lenient stance (Potts Diggory, and Peel 1977). In 1861 Parliament passed the Offences against the Person Act. Section 58 of the Act made abortion a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment from three years to life even when performed for medical reasons. Two laws, the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 and Abortion Act of 1967 provided the exceptions to this 1861 Act. In 1929, the Infant Life Preservation Act amended the law stating it would no longer be regarded as a felony if abortion was carried out in good faith for the sole purpose of preserving the life of the mother. The Act made it illegal to kill a child capable of being born alive, and enshrined 28 weeks as the age at which a fetus is presumed to be viable. Th e Act allowed a doctor to perform an abortion legally if he/she was satisfied that the continuance of the pregnancy was liable to endanger the health of the expectant mother. In 1938, the Bourne case unfolded. The Bourne case concerned a young woman was gang raped by a group of soldiers and became pregnant. Dr Alec Bourne agreed to perform an abortion for her and was subsequently prosecuted. The judge agreed that forcing her to continue with the pregnancy would have been tantamount to wrecking her life. This

Context and process IP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Context and process IP - Essay Example Beaufort and Longest (2006) note that knowledge of the external environment enables better collection, analysis, and organization of data. This assists in the development of strategies, based on risk assessment and needs analysis carried out by the body developing the policy. Data in this case may be collected from stakeholders by holding ad-hoc meetings or through the media. The data collected will then act as the foundation from which policies are developed. The involvement of the external environment in the policymaking process leads to the development of impartial and just policies. Beaufort and Longest (2006) note that policy making involve many phases of consultation and thus require specific modes of communication. For this reason, the participation of external parties will ensure that policies developed do not favor one party while marginalizing others. Data will be collected in relation to different stakeholders and their interests especially those of the shareholders, creditors, sponsors, society and the organization itself. Once all the views and interests of the stakeholders have been established, the policymakers will then have to assume a position of compromise so that no group is discriminated (Cizek, 1999). The number of laws regulating business activities has grown over the past years. In this regard, the government regulates the private sectors by ensuring that the policies adopted are for the good of the society. In this case, it limits the private sectors from adopting policies that in its view may cause harm to other organizations, individuals, and groups during the course of conducting business. The regulation will lead to adoption of policies that allows for a free market competition. It also reduces instances of adopting policies that may give control to one business over others resulting in monopoly. This will ensure that every business, individuals, and the society at large benefits from the policies adopted (Cizek,

Managing for results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing for results - Essay Example The present day mangers believe in acting as a guide cum leader for the employees; they not just assist the subordinates to perform their task but also help them to move ahead in the career. Therefore, the managers must keep themselves updated with the activities taking place within the organisation. Apart from the internal factors, they also have to understand the external environment that is the economic condition, the government policies in the local as well as in other nations, changes taking place in customer’s behaviour and technology. The growing competition in the business sector demands high degree of efficiency from the managers; thus the company also motivates the mangers to update themselves by participating in different trainings sessions (seminars, conferences and off-job training). In the given project at first role of the manager in the prevailing globalised world will be discussed. Later on, different approaches will be discussed that needs to be followed by t he managers in achieving the organisational goal. Some real life examples will also be drawn to further explain different approaches followed by the managers in their organisations. ... Figure: The Managerial Grid by Blake & Mouton Source: Egner, 2009, p.10 According to Blake & Mouton, the manager’s attitude can be measured on basis of two distinct factors. These are concern for people and concern for production. Generally, the functional mangers (floor managers) are more concerned about the production; whereas the top level managers who have to manage group of highly efficient and self sufficient subordinates are more concerned about the people. The managers who are neither concerned about the people nor about the productions are considered as the inefficient one. Similarly, the one who is high in both the factors is the most effective one. Such a manager maintain close association with the subordinates and assist them to develop themselves (Miller, 2008, p.46-47). The attitude followed by the manager is influences by several factors. These can be summarised as the organisational culture, the leadership style of the top management, the nature of the subordin ates, the social norms of the society were the organisation is operating and finally the personality of the manager. Therefore, all these factors should be taken into consideration by the manager to modify his or her attitude so that organisational goal can be achieved. Role of a manager in the organisation In general, the role of a manger comprises of planning, organising, scheduling, and assisting the employees to accompany their task and evaluating the operations (Rothwell, 2001, p.7). All of these functions are quite essential and managers have to be careful while conducting them. The process of management starts with planning. At first the manager has to analyse the external as well as internal environment and then a plan should be developed that will guide the subordinates in

Rights of the Unborn in the UK and EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Rights of the Unborn in the UK and EU - Essay Example is that continuing with the pregnancy involves a greater risk to the physical or mental health of the woman, or her existing children, than having a termination. Abortion of up to 24 weeks is allowed if there is a substantial risk that the child when born would suffer "such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. The second condition is that an abortion must be agreed by two doctors and carried out by a doctor in a government-approved hospital or clinic. The right to life of the unborn was historically protected by British laws on abortion. The English common law did not prosecute for abortions performed before quickening. In 1803, with Lord Ellenboroughs Act, Parliament enacted statutes overriding this relatively lenient stance (Potts Diggory, and Peel 1977). In 1861 Parliament passed the Offences against the Person Act. Section 58 of the Act made abortion a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment from three years to life even when performed for medical reasons. Two laws, the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929 and Abortion Act of 1967 provided the exceptions to this 1861 Act. In 1929, the Infant Life Preservation Act amended the law stating it would no longer be regarded as a felony if abortion was carried out in good faith for the sole purpose of preserving the life of the mother. The Act made it illegal to kill a child capable of being born alive, and enshrined 28 weeks as the age at which a fetus is presumed to be viable. Th e Act allowed a doctor to perform an abortion legally if he/she was satisfied that the continuance of the pregnancy was liable to endanger the health of the expectant mother. In 1938, the Bourne case unfolded. The Bourne case concerned a young woman was gang raped by a group of soldiers and became pregnant. Dr Alec Bourne agreed to perform an abortion for her and was subsequently prosecuted. The judge agreed that forcing her to continue with the pregnancy would have been tantamount to wrecking her life. This

Managing for results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing for results - Essay Example The present day mangers believe in acting as a guide cum leader for the employees; they not just assist the subordinates to perform their task but also help them to move ahead in the career. Therefore, the managers must keep themselves updated with the activities taking place within the organisation. Apart from the internal factors, they also have to understand the external environment that is the economic condition, the government policies in the local as well as in other nations, changes taking place in customer’s behaviour and technology. The growing competition in the business sector demands high degree of efficiency from the managers; thus the company also motivates the mangers to update themselves by participating in different trainings sessions (seminars, conferences and off-job training). In the given project at first role of the manager in the prevailing globalised world will be discussed. Later on, different approaches will be discussed that needs to be followed by t he managers in achieving the organisational goal. Some real life examples will also be drawn to further explain different approaches followed by the managers in their organisations. ... Figure: The Managerial Grid by Blake & Mouton Source: Egner, 2009, p.10 According to Blake & Mouton, the manager’s attitude can be measured on basis of two distinct factors. These are concern for people and concern for production. Generally, the functional mangers (floor managers) are more concerned about the production; whereas the top level managers who have to manage group of highly efficient and self sufficient subordinates are more concerned about the people. The managers who are neither concerned about the people nor about the productions are considered as the inefficient one. Similarly, the one who is high in both the factors is the most effective one. Such a manager maintain close association with the subordinates and assist them to develop themselves (Miller, 2008, p.46-47). The attitude followed by the manager is influences by several factors. These can be summarised as the organisational culture, the leadership style of the top management, the nature of the subordin ates, the social norms of the society were the organisation is operating and finally the personality of the manager. Therefore, all these factors should be taken into consideration by the manager to modify his or her attitude so that organisational goal can be achieved. Role of a manager in the organisation In general, the role of a manger comprises of planning, organising, scheduling, and assisting the employees to accompany their task and evaluating the operations (Rothwell, 2001, p.7). All of these functions are quite essential and managers have to be careful while conducting them. The process of management starts with planning. At first the manager has to analyse the external as well as internal environment and then a plan should be developed that will guide the subordinates in

Motivating Employees in an Organisation Essay Example for Free

Motivating Employees in an Organisation Essay Motivating Employees in an Organization S Santosh Contents Chapter 12 Chapter 25 Chapter 310 Chapter 415 Chapter 1 Motivation: Concepts and Theories Defining motivation The word motivation comes from the Latin word movere to move. And managers often view motivation in exactly those terms (I need to get my people moving! ). Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action. General motivation is concerned with effort towards any goal, whereas effort towards Organizational goals reflects work-related behavior. Many contemporary authors have also defined the concept of motivation. Motivation has been defined as: the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction (Kreitner, 1995); a predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs (Buford, Bedeian, Lindner, 1995); an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need (Higgins, 1994); and the will to achieve (Bedeian, 1993). For this paper, motivation is operationally defined as the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish personal and organizational goals. We mainly deal with the motivating employees in an organization towards the organizational goal for the benefit of both the organization and the employee. Understanding what motivates employees and how they are motivated was the focus of many researchers following the publication of the Hawthorne Study results (Terpstra, 1979). Motivation Theories and concepts While there are many theories on motivation, the seven major approaches that have led to our understanding of motivation are the following: †¢ According to Maslow, employees have five levels of needs (Maslow, 1943): physiological, safety, social, ego, and self- actualizing. Maslow argued that lower level needs had to be satisfied before the next higher level need would motivate employees. †¢ Herzbergs work categorized motivation into two factors: motivators and hygiene (Herzberg, Mausner, ; Snyderman, 1959). Motivator or intrinsic factors, such as achievement and recognition, produce job satisfaction. Hygiene or extrinsic factors, such as pay and job security, produce job dissatisfaction. †¢ McClelland’s Theory of Needs which focuses on three needs, namely need for Achievement, Need for power, Need for affiliation.

Motivation Of Volunteer Tourists And Leisure Traveling Decisions Tourism Essay

Motivation Of Volunteer Tourists And Leisure Traveling Decisions Tourism Essay Travel experience is, restrictedly, perceived as seeking relaxation including sun, beaches, shopping and freedom. However, volunteering could actually be happened during a vacation or become the main reason of the trip which highly involved in the local culture (Maureen, 2006). According to the Tourism 2020 Vision report made by the United Nation World Tourism Organization, which normally abbreviated as UNWTO, international tourism will possibly encounter a 4.1% increment of annual growth rate on average from 1995 to 2020 meaning to around 1.56 billion visitors. However, travel promotes not only world peace and friendship, but economic inequalities, cultural and environmental deteriorations (Poelzl, 2002). Figure 1: Conceptual map of alternative tourism (Mieczkowski, 1995, p459) Mass tourism mainly consists of purchasing standardized products and visiting those prevailed and well-developed tourism destinations (Robinson Novelli, 2005). Having more leisure time and higher purchasing power triggered the desire to have different experiences (Hall Weiler, 1992). Nowadays people are looking for unique, novel and meaningful travel experience to satisfy themselves (Robinson Novelli, 2005). Due to globalization, nations become closer neighbours, and unveiling each others problems. Closeness helps the less fortunate and raises the environmental awareness (Uriely, Reichel Ron, 2003). It gives raise of alternative tourism, which including a diversity of tourism forms into niche markets such as nature and special interest tourism which is abbreviated as SIT. SIT offers customized leisure and travel experience according to increasing needs from the individuals (Derrett, 2001). For instance, several projects related to volunteer tourism and ecotourism have been actively promoted mainly in developing countries while conservation projects have been executed in developed countries (Britton, 1977; Saglio, 1979; Wearing, 2001). SIT travellers involve in cultural and leisure activities developing their special interests, gained insights and satisfied themselves by fulfilling the higher level of needs namely self-esteem, belonging and self-actualization (Neulinger, 1982; Henderson, 1984; Hall Weiler, 1992; Wearing, 2001, 2004). Volunteer tourism is a potential profitable market as the majority of this segment are higher educated and more sensitive to the environmental and social costs they brought (Hall Weiler, 1992; Lynne, 1993). Volunteer tourism and ecotourism both offer an alternative tourism experience and their underlying focus is sustainability in order to ensure the impacts on destination are minimized (Sofield, 1991, Wearing, 2001). Both forms are aiming to balance development to meet present needs without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generation (Mieczkowski, 1995; Wearing, 2001). This can be found by the fact that volunteer tourism pays special attention to the environmental and social carrying capacity, coinciding with the aims of sustainability (Colton, 1987; Wearing, 2001). 1.2 The Global Development of Volunteer Tourism Since 1915, the phenomenon of overseas travelling of international volunteers, existed and is supported by a range of organizations and groups around the globe (Gillette, 1968; Clark, 1978; Beigbeder, 1991; Wearing, 2004). However, it was not being regarded as a tourism form. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which is abbreviated as OECD, estimated over 33,000 overseas volunteers engaged during 1990 (Beigbeder, 1991; Wearing, 2001, 2004). Furthermore, the renowned guidebook, Mcmlillon, noted there were 75 organizations in 1987 (Campbell, 1999), with contrast to 275 in 2003. In addition, there are other sources also suggesting the significant growth in volunteer-based organizations (Holder, 2002; Brown Morrison, 2003; Brown, 2005). Based on a survey of over 300 volunteer tourism organizations worldwide, it is estimated overall market has grown to 1.6 million volunteer tourists a year, with a total market value of between GBP 832 million and GBP 1.3 billion (Association for Tourism Leisure Education, 2008). The most substantial growth in the sector has taken place since 1990 (Association for Tourism Leisure Education, 2008). These figures show a rapid growth in volunteer tourism. The popularity of alternative tourism has increased significantly such as volunteer tourism and ecotourism (Wearing, 2001, 2002; Mustonen, 2005). This is further witnessed by leisure travellers desiring to connect with locals and their culture in order to stimulate and fulfil their need of cultural immersion by combining travel, adventure and service (Brown Morrison, 2003; Hall Raymond, 2008). Several reports indicated 77% of organizations are non-government such as Youth Challenge International and Earth-watch, while 13% are commercial such as i-to-i, 5% are government ran such as Volunteer Service Aboard New Zealand, and 3% are operated by universities like University of Californias University Research Expeditions Programme (Ellis, 2003; Board, 2003; Coghlam, 2008). 1.3 The development of SIT and volunteer tourism in Hong Kong SIT is still developing in its infancy stage in Hong Kong. Despite the fact that little Hong Kong residents thoroughly know about SIT, a number of volunteer travel service suppliers do exist in Hong Kong. For-profit tour operators such as Hong Kong Study Tours Centre (Hong Kong Study Tours Centre, 2007) organize conservation volunteer tours to Australis and New Zealand for students. Other volunteer travel opportunities are usually provided by non-profit organizations. For instance, International Youth Culture Exchange Association (H.K.) Ltd. occasionally provides volunteer tours for secondary students and undergraduates. These volunteers will usually be involved in teaching English and simple hygiene knowledge in China (International Youth Cultural Exchange Association (H.K.) Ltd., 2007). Global Neighbor Network is dedicated to promoting volunteer tourism in Hong Kong by organizing volunteer tours regularly to different needy communities such as Sri Lanka, Kenya and Jordan (Global Ne ighbour Network, 2006). It has also worked with local universities such as medical students from The University of Hong Kong to provide basic medical care and treatment for patients in Indonesia. Besides, volunteers in Global Neighbour Network will partner with international volunteers in Global Hope Network to participate in different volunteer tours. Other non-profit organizations involved in volunteer tourism include Yellow House, Volunteer Space and LoveFaithHope Charitable Foundation. Due to insufficient awareness of the general public, volunteer tourism is still not very well-known in Hong Kong and the number of participants is limited, yet it has been gaining popularity in these few years. Both secondary school and undergraduate students are given more opportunities to give back to the needy community in China, although they may only do voluntary work for one or two days of the entire tour and engage in cultural exchange activities for the rest of the tour. In addition to students, religious groups make up most of the volunteer travellers in Hong Kong. They will visit various impoverished places on mission travel, with some of the time spent on volunteering. In general, they will provide education and development aid in the needy communities. 1.4 Problem Statement Volunteer tourism is a relatively recent phenomenon around the world. Though there has been increasing research on the motivational factors of volunteer tourists, little of such research has been done in the Asia-Pacific context, let alone within the Hong Kong context. It is of paramount importance to understand the travel motivation of volunteer tourists because it is the driving force behind their behaviors (Schiffan, Bednall, OCass, Paladino Kanuk, 2005). In addition, studying their perceived value of the volunteer trips will help to determine their intentions to recommend and repurchase the volunteer travel opportunities (Petrick, 2004a; 2004b). This research is designed to explore why Hong Kong residents participate in volunteer tours, what motivates them and what their perceived values towards their volunteer trips are. With a better understanding of the aforementioned issues, tourism marketers and professionals and potential service providers such as travel agencies will be a ble to identify if there is any market potential to organize more volunteer tours and diversify the tourism products in Hong Kong. The results of this study will help non-profit organizations to better understand why people choose to volunteer overseas, then they will be able to segment and target the markets, create tailor-made volunteer tours to recruit more warm-hearted people to become volunteers, as well as develop appropriate marketing strategies to promote volunteer tourism in Hong Kong. 1.5 Objectives To examine the motivational factors behind Hong Kong residents towards volunteer travel. To examine the perceived constraints of repeat participation among volunteer tourism among participants. To examine the influence of a volunteer tourism experience on future leisure travel decisions. Chapter 2 Literature Review This chapter offers a review of the literature with reference to the theme and research purposes of this study. There are four sections in this chapter. The first section will define volunteering and volunteer tourism. Second, tourism motivation, development of motivational theories and volunteer motivation is reviewed, followed by a summary of previous related research on volunteer tourism. The concept of perceived value an individual holds when evaluating travel experience is then discussed. The summary section will provide a conclusion of this chapter. 2.1 Volunteering vs. Volunteer Tourism Volunteer tourism, or also known as Voluntourism or volunteer vacation, actually combined two major elements which obviously are volunteering and travelling. More accurately, it contains the motivations of both volunteering and travelling sides and shows how they pertain to and interplay with each other. 2.1.1 Volunteering Volunteering is widely perceived and defined as freely chosen and generally providing aids and services for the host community simultaneously without any incentive to gain any financial rewards from them (Beighbeder, 1991; Van Til, 1979 cited in Stebbins, 1982). Supposedly volunteering or voluntary service is both beneficial to the community and the well-being of the volunteers (Cnaan et al., 1996; Stebbins, 1982) since it could build up a social network and develop a mutual understanding, friendship and adventurousness between each other (Gillette, 1968; Wearing, 2001, 2004). Volunteering may benefit volunteers in acquiring skills such as communication skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills which would absolutely be useful for their career (Broad, 2003; Brown Lehto, 2005). It provokes participants contemplation, encourages their concerns for others, offers them with an opportunity to develop an interest and creates a sense of deep personal fulfillment (Stebbins Graham, 2004). S tebbins (1992) also suggests that volunteering may achieve volunteers self-actualization, recreation or renewal of self and feelings of accomplishment. The volunteer is the one who gains mutual learning, friendship and adventure (Gillette, 1968). Volunteers from all age groups will most likely feel happier and less depressed. Neulinger (1982) and Henderson (1984) both noted that volunteerism and leisure fulfil higher level needs such as self-esteem, belonging and self-actualization. 2.1.2 Volunteer Tourism Volunteer tourism is slightly like an expansion of volunteering. Undoubtedly it includes the motivation of volunteering and, meanwhile, involves desires or incentives of travel. The term volunteer tourism intends to the tourists who organize to provide voluntary service during their vacations which is described by Wearing (2001): aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments, or research into aspects of society or environment In fact, the definition of volunteer tourism has become gradually ambiguous since a large number of individuals, who are willing to spend most of the time during vacation on volunteering, may not perceive themselves as volunteer tourists. However, there is a conceptual framework of volunteer tourism developed to classify volunteer tourists into different classes (Callanan Thomas, 2005). The framework was drawn on another framework related to ecology (Sylvan, 1985 cited in Callanan Thomas, 2005, pp. 196-197). It mainly divided volunteer tourists into shallow, intermediate and deep class based on the duration of their trips, their required skills or qualifications, degree of both passive and active involvement, level of contribution to the host communities and focus of the experience. Another way to classify the volunteer tourists basically depends on their mindsets. Volunteer tourists should be further divided into two types. Some of them may be willing to spend most of or even all of their holidays on volunteering, they, therefore, are identified as volunteer-minded tourists. The other type of volunteer tourists are identified as vacation-minded tourists who will possibly just treat volunteering as a short-term, may be only a half-day or up to three days out of a trip, activity during their vacation. (Brown Morrison, 2003; Brown Lehto, 2005, p. 480). 2.2 Motivation As motivation is a very significant variable in the contribution of explaining peoples travel behavior, this section aims at providing a comprehensive literature review on tourism motivation and volunteer motivation. The definitions of motivation and tourism motivation will first be given, followed by a description of the development of motivational theories. 2.2.1 Travel Motivation To understand travel motivation, a variety of scales and theories have been proposed and empirically tested in the tourism literature. Many researchers have used motivational theory to try to interpret the motivations of tourists. Wahab (1975) argued that travel motivation is so basic, essential and fundamental while doing tourism studies or tourism development. Generally, motivation is usually defined as the driving force behind all actions (Crompton, 1979; Fodness, 1994). At the meantime, motivation would be a key factor influencing ones travel decisions and be closely related to their psychological needs to explore something they have never met in their home countries. Travel motivations will probably be affected by any changes occurred in ones life stages. However, travellers may commonly be influenced by a certain number of motivators other than just one. (Swarbrooke and Horner, 2003). 2.2.2 Tourism Motivation Theories A few definitions have been developed for tourism motivation. Dann (1981 cited in Snepenger et al., 2006, p.140) stated that tourism motivation is: a meaningful state of mind which adequately disposes an actor or a group of actors to travel, and which is subsequently interpretable by others as a valid explanation for such a decision Crompton and McKay (1997) built their definition of tourism motivation on those suggested by Crompton (1979) and Iso-Ahola (1989 cited in Crompton McKay, 1997). Crompton and McKay (1997, p.427) which included the concept of optimal arousal level. For example, homeostasis (Snepenger et al., 2006) helped describe tourism motivation as: a dynamic process of internal psychological factors that generate a state of tension or disequilibrium within individuals. Moreover, Fodness (1994) and Crompton (1979) agreed and suggested that more knowledge of tourism motivation were necessary to assist tourism marketers in understanding individuals travel patterns so that they could develop and promote tourism products according to customers needs and wants. Over the years, a myriad of tourism motivational theories have been developed. There are some prominent theories which contribute to a better understanding of why individuals choose to travel. 2.2.3 Motivation Theory Maslows Hierarchy of Needs When discussing motivation theory, Maslows five-stage hierarchy of needs ought to be of the utmost importance. It emphazizes human needs could be differentiated into five different levels from extrinsic to intrinsic needs. These five levels are also in hierarchical order of increasing motivational importance. From the least to the most importance, they are physiological, safety, social, self-esteem and self-actualization need (Maslow, 1970). This hierarchy could be highly related to the travel industry since it mentioned individuals will less likely be interested in high-level needs if they cannot meet their physiological and safety needs. It implies the individuals will less likely be interested in travel. Additionally, Self-actualization could be considered the end or goal of leisure (Mill Morrison, 2002). Analyzing all five stages can derive some potential hints and clues to help understand the motivation of volunteer tourism. 2.2.4 Motivation Theory Travel Career Ladder (TCL) TCL is actually partly based on the Maslows Hierarchy of needs. According to TCL, tourists who own more experience would more probably seek satisfaction of higher needs (Pearce, 1991; Ryan, 1998). It reflects travel motives are changing according to life span and accumulated travel experience (Ryan, 1998; Schewe, 1988) and describes travellers motivation as consisting of five different levels, respectively they are relaxation, safety or security, relationship, self-esteem and development and self-actualization or fulfillment need. Normally travelers are not dominated by only a level of need but a set of needs. They will not always remain in the same stage and will probably descend as well as ascend on the ladder. 2.2.5 Push and Pull Factors Except the two hierarchical needs of human mentioned above, there is a two-tiered scheme of motivational factors, push and pull factors. Several theories also refer to these two factors to carry out, for example, Iso-Ahola personal interpersonal motives. Push factors mean all social-psychological motives which push individuals to go travelling. They are intangible and more like intrinsic desires of individuals, for instance, relaxation and exploration. On the other hand, pull factors mean those external forces which affect or attract individuals to travel to fulfill their identified wants. Any tangible things including the architectures, historical resources and the intangible elements including local culture, the attractiveness of the destination itself can also arouse travellers interest (Andreu, Bigne Copper, 2000). However, a travel is normally occurred based on the reason why individuals would like to leave their home country rather than the appeal of the destination which lure the travellers to visit. Travellers motives and behavior are markedly self-oriented (Witt Wright, 1992). Obviously, the push and pull factors may not be perceived appropriate to understand the motivation of volunteer tourism because 2.2.6 Motivation of volunteers being engaged in voluntary services Altruism (Bussell Forbes, 2002; Callanan Thomas, 2005) and doing something meaningful (Cnaan Goldberg-Glen, 1991 cited in Ryan, Kaplan Grese, 2001) are believed to be the central motives for individuals to participate in volunteer work. Individuals who desire to assist others are more likely to become volunteers. However, egoism may probably be included in the motivation of volunteers as well (Bussell Forbes, 2002; Ryan, Kaplan Grese, 2001). Participating in voluntary work can actually provide individuals with change to satisfy their social and psychological needs (Cnaan Goldberg-Glen, 1991 cited in Bussell Forbes, 2002). The first self-interested motivation is social which involves volunteering together with ones family members and old friends to strengthen kinship and friendship (Bruyere Rappe, 2007; Ryan, Kaplan Grese, 2001) as well as meeting new people with similar interests. The next motivation is learning and career. Volunteers may learn deeper about the natural environment (Bruyere Rappe, 2007); develop new skills and abilities which may be useful with ones career (Broad, 2003); obtain job-related experience and explore career opportunities which may aid future employment or career advancement (Bruyere Rappe, 2007; Riecken, Babakus Yavas, 1994 cited in Bussell Forbes, 2002) Another prominent motivation of volunteer is values and esteem. Volunteers can share their core values and thoughts with other people (Bruyere Rappe, 2007; Clary Snyder, 1999); gain a sense of self-worth as well as boosting self-esteem (Bruyere Rappe, 2007; Bussell Forbes, 2002). Some of the less obvious reasons for people to volunteer may include a desire to wear uniforms which symbolize authority, mixing with celebrities, travel opportunities (Wilson Pimm, 1996) and religious involvement (Mattis et al., 2000). 2.3 Previous Related Research on Volunteer Tourism Having looked at travel motivation and volunteer motivation individually, it is necessary to review the previous studies on volunteer tourism. A very similar research on the motives and benefits of volunteer vacationers in the United States was done by Brown and Lehto (2005). They employed focus group and in-depth personal interviews as their data collection methods to gain a deeper understanding of this rarely researched phenomenon. The results showed that there were four main motives of why people volunteer while taking a leisure trip. First, travellers were motivated to volunteer because they would have precious opportunities to interact with local people and immerse oneself in the local culture and community (Brown Lehto, 2005, p.487) Second, volunteer tourism was seen as a way to give back and make a difference in others lives, especially the less unfortunate. Third, travellers sought camaraderie on volunteer vacation trips. They were motivated by the fact that they would be ab le to make friends with people with common interests, values and minds. Fourth, volunteer tourism was perceived as an educational opportunity for children. It was believed that the volunteer experience would instil the value of giving to the younger generation in their lives. Another related motive was the opportunity to build a better bonding between parents and children. The major benefits of participating in volunteer tourism found in this research were greater satisfaction with the overall travel experience, self-fulfilment, opportunities to directly interact with the local community, the meaningful experience and wonderful memories, personal growth and enhancement of family relationships, Among the aforementioned benefits, self-fulfilment and personal growth were believed to have an enduring effect on individuals after the volunteer vacation trips. A case study conducted by Broad (2003) investigated the relationship between volunteers, their volunteering and the outcomes and impacts at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project (GRP) in Phuket. Four categories of motivation were identified in this study using qualitative method. Volunteers participated in the GRP because they wanted to travel to a different country and learn something about the country. They would like to obtain experience with reference to their studies and future career plans and they support conservation based on altruism. (Broad, 2003, pp.66-67). Their self-interested motivation was related to meeting like-minded people or developing their personalities. Her findings supported Gazleys (2001, cited in Broad, 2003) claim that both volunteer motivation and tourism motivation may apply to volunteer tourism. Similarly, it was found in Broads (2003) study that the volunteer travel experience had inspired some changes in the participants and their life. The experience was a life turning point for some of the volunteers, for instance, finding a career direction or entering into relationships with the locals. Other volunteers indicated that they had gained more confidence, knowledge and skills, and learned more about themselves. They had also developed a different view of life and the world. 2.4 Chapter Summary Chapter 3 Methodology The purpose of this research is to explore the motivations, constraints and how volunteer travel experiences influence travel decision among volunteer travellers. Since little academic research had been conducted in this area, especially in the Asia-Pacific context, no confirmed theories or methods were available to be adopted for this study (Brown Lehto, 2005). An exploratory study thereby seems appropriate to offer a better understanding of this research topic. The methodological issues were discussed in four sections: (1) research design, (2) data collection, (3) data analysis and, (4) limitations. 3.1 Research Design This is an exploratory research which is inductive in nature. The study used a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews (Brown Lehto, 2005). Qualitative research approach helped to gain more knowledge as to how individuals gave meaning to their volunteer vacation experiences (Halpenny Caisse, 2003). Simultaneously in-depth interviews provoked interviewees to express their thoughts which were neglected by marketers before so they can actually cater to the potential needs. (Patton, 1990; Jenning, 2001). The data gathered were helpful to reveal the what. how and, more importantly, explore the why for individuals to participate in volunteer travel (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 2007). The value of the knowledge is largely based on the context and the use of the knowledge. (Steinar, 1996) It can, for example, be used to examine travellers attitude towards volunteer travel, and the knowledge gained used to motivate leisure travellers to join volunteer travel. In addition, the interviews embraced different kinds of interview questions so as to deeply examine why potential travellers in Hong Kong are motivated to join the volunteer travel. Introducing questions were used since such open-ended questions may 3.2 Data collection Since it was improbable to identify and interview all volunteer travellers in Hong Kong, the interviewees were chosen from a population of Hong Kong residents who had participated in any volunteer travel before. Snowball sampling technique was used to collect the data until the required sample size was reached (Jenning, 2001). There were 8 desirable interviewees invited to participate in the individual interview which fitted the required sample size determined by theoretical sampling principle (Glaser, 1992). Furthermore, the interview process lasted till the theoretical saturation, where no new ideas or themes could be developed. 3.3 Data Analysis The personal interviews were transcribed word for word immediately. Owing to the time limit, the researcher translated the Cantonese discussions directly into written English. The transcripts 3.4 Limitations Fundamentally people, time and place would be the major limitation of the research. Finding appropriate interviewees was the first to be concerned so the researcher kept asking referrals from friends. After finding the right people, the researcher needed to make respective appointments with all interviewees in terms of Secondary data were so limited that could not sufficiently cater to the needs of this research, detailed and in-depth data and descriptions were therefore required (Geertz, 1973; Jenning, 2001). However, secondary data sourced from newspapers, academic journals, websites and books were so useful to provide understandings of initial concepts. Chapter 4 Research Findings Development of volunteer tourism in Hong Kong is still in its infancy at this stage. Hence, the aims of this chapter are to look into and have a better understanding of the motivation and constraints of repeat volunteer travellers. In addition to exploring how the experience influence their leisure travel decisions. Findings of aforementioned eight in-depth interviews were concluded in terms of three research objectives. Original statements of the interviewees were used as evidence to support each concept. 4.1 Motivations of repeated participation in volunteer travel All of the interviewees showed that they are very likely to attend volunteer travel again. There were six major motivational factors found which can be dissected by and highly related to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1970). Altruism and broadening personal horizons can be defined as self-actualization, which is of the highest level of the hierarchy. Furthermore, changes of self-image can be defined as self-esteem, which is positioned in the second highest level whilst desire for escaping from daily bustling life and enhancement of social life belong to belongingness and love, which is of the middle level of the hierarchy. Apart from those could be analysed by the Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, previous experience can either be one of the motives for taking volunteer travel again. 4.1.1 Altruism Personal altruistic desire for providing others with assistance and sympathy was stated by the interviewees as an important factor motivating them to partake in volunteer travel. Five interviewees considered it their first priority whilst other three interviewees considered it the second motivation. They volunteered, for example, to teach the local students, to provide necessities, to take care of the elderly and children, to bring happiness, to show love, and to encourage people to live under a stern environment. Three interviewees shared that it helped the organization to further understand the genuine needs amongst the locals, so more effective assistance could be provided in the future. I can help others or bring them (the local) caring and happiness to them. (Interviewee F) Most of their parents left them (local children) and work in other provinces, come back only one or two a year only. Theyre lack of parental love. (Interviewee A) One of the interviewee was eager to raise public awareness of the poverty gap between Mainland China communities and Hong Kong people. the number of participant is just 30, but if I spread the idea and my experience it would be many times than the number of participants. Perhaps, they know more after hearing from me, they are more interested in, and know the suffering of others in the world. Because I have my personal experience, it is more persuasive than the related TV episodes. (Interviewee E) So i think the children living in Hong Kong are having luxury lives. (Interviewee D) Similar concepts shared by all interviewees were meaningful because they felt happy with contributing to help and thus enhanced their sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment. The word meaningful was mentioned at least once by each interviewee and three of them even emphasized this word for up to five times. It showed that participants looked for a meaningful experience in volunteer travel. I feel I gradually become kinder after volunteering every time as I am willing to help others even though I may not have contributed to the society a lot. Anyway, I learnt how to return the society rather than taking advantages from it. (Interviewee A) You can feel more satisfied with partaking in a volunteer trip and benefit much more from it than from ordinary travel., I