Rationale For Tourism Development In India Tourism Essay Essay Example

Rationale For Tourism Development In India Tourism Essay Essay Part 1: Tourism Development Before traveling deep into assignment there are some footings which we have to take into consideration. Footings are explained below- Tourism TourismA isA travelA forA recreational, A leisureA orA businessA intents. TheA World Tourism OrganizationA definesA touristsA as people who travel to and remain in topographic points outside their usual environment for more than 24 ( 24 ) hours and non more than one back-to-back twelvemonth for leisure, concern and other intents non related to the exercising of an activity remunerated from within the topographic point visited. We will write a custom essay sample on Rationale For Tourism Development In India Tourism Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rationale For Tourism Development In India Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rationale For Tourism Development In India Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Tourist- Tourist is individual who travels from his residential topographic point to non-residential topographic point for pleasance, concern or personal grounds, the continuance of the stay is non more than six month at non residential topographic point of the traveller. What is rational development? Rational development normally relates to the fortunes that causes development to any finish or topographic point. ( Badjatia, 2008 ) Chosen finish? As per the outlook of the assignment India has been chosen as a finish for the same. Rational for touristry development in India Socio-economic development of countries Tourism conferred considerable socio-economic benefits to the: Community thereby elating the quality of life. It can farther further development even in countries where other economic activities would be hard to prolong. Increasing employment chances Tourism industry generates employment straight and indirectly, for about 13-14 million people. Employment chances should be at least two-base hit of the present degree before the bend of the century. Developing domestic touristry particularly for the budget class Domestic tourers form the majority of universe tourer traffic. In India besides, installations for domestic tourers will be improved and expanded peculiarly the budget class so as to guarantee an low-cost vacation for them effects of touristry on civilization and the environment in India. Development of international touristry and optimisation of foreign exchange net incomes. International touristry contributes well to foreign exchange net incomes and maintaining in position the state s demands, touristry lament be so developed that foreign exchange net incomes addition from Rs. 2440 crores to Rs. 10,000 crores by the terminal of the century ( US $ 813 to 3,333 million @ Rs.30 per US S ) . Diversification of the touristry merchandise While retaining the traditional image of cultural touristry that India enjoys, variegation of the touristry merchandise would go on, peculiarly the field of leisure, escapade, convention and incentive touristry, thereby reacting to the altering consumer demands. Addition in India s portion in universe touristry Soon the foreign tourer reachings in India constitute merely approximately 0.4 per cent of the entire foreign tourers motion all over the universe. One of the aims of the action program would be to increase India s portion to 1 per cent within the following five old ages ( unesdoc.unesco.org ) Preservation of national heritage and environment Tourism would be developed in a mode that our cultural look and heritage are presented in all its manifestations including support to humanistic disciplines and trades. Preservation and enrichment of environment should besides organize an built-in portion of touristry development. Stakeholders Person, A group, or organisation that has direct or indirect stakeA in an organisation because it can impact or be affected by theA organizationsA actions, A objectives, andA policies. Key stakeholders in aA businessA organisation includeA creditors, clients, A managers, A employees, A governmentA ( and its bureaus ) , A ownersA ( stockholders ) , A providers, A brotherhoods, and theA communityA from which the concern draws its resources. ( www.businessdictionary.com ) Stakeholders in India Creditors Tourists Tourism organisations Government organisations Foreign currency Investors Stakeholders profiting from touristry in India Geting capital to put in development of tourer finish. Foreign currency In the state increases ensuing into direct development. Coevals of employment Better life manner of the people in the place state. A UNWTO proficient manual: Collection of Tourism Expenditure Statistics A ( PDF ) . World Tourism Organization. 1995. p. 14. Badjatia, K. ( 2008 ) . The Rational Development ( 2 ed. ) . Indore: A.K. Publishers. hypertext transfer protocol: //unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001216/121600eo.pdf hypertext transfer protocol: //www.businessdictionary.com/definition/stakeholder.html

Writing a Historical Novel

Writing a Historical Novel Historical novels are becoming more popular in recent years and that has got many writers wanting in on the action. It is not for the faint of heart, though. It typically takes three times as long to write a historical novel as it does to write a novel set in modern times, because of the amount of research that is involved.Having said that, there has been so much written about how difficult it is to author a historical novel that you can easily discourage yourself from writing one altogether if you arent careful. My hope is that you will stop reading articles about writing a historical novel (after you read this one, of course) and get to work on writing yours.A few weeks ago, I watched the Nova documentary  entitled The Ghosts of Machu Picchu. It was not until I sat down to write this article, however, that I realized its relevance to writing historical fiction.Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city in Peru. It was built in the 15th century, high on a mountain. The fact that the mo untain is prone to frequent avalanches, sits on not one but two fault lines, and receives torrential rains of approximately 76 inches per year only added to the wonder of how the city has survived the centuries.As one discovers upon closer observation, the Incan builders took special care to ensure the citys longevity. They started at the base of the mountain, and built terraces all the way to the top to sure up the mountain. Then, as excavations have shown, they created a foundation for the city some 9 feet deep below the surface, with over 100 drains installed to control rain runoff. It is estimated that 60% of the work that went into building Machu Picchu is underground and concealed from the naked eye.Writing historical fiction is much like building Machu Picchu. You want your novel to stand the test of time and that means doing the historical research to sure it up. But you dont want your research to be flaunted before your readers any more than the builders of the city wanted us to stand in awe of their foundation. The research has to be there but it is your creative work, your story, that you want the reader to stand in awe of; not your research.To write a good historical novel, you will need the same skills that any good novelist would need:you need to be able to tell a good story.You need to know how to build a good plot.You will need to have the final chapter in your mind and write toward that end.Some say you need to capture the readers attention in the first 5 pages, but modern readers are even more flippant than readers of past decades. If you dont have their attention in the first 5 paragraphs, you may have lost them.What sets historical writing apart from novels with a modern environment is that the writer cannot rely on his or her common knowledge to describe sights, smells, tastes, or even the motives of their characters. Like any novelist, you need to understand people well enough to guess at their motives and logic. But unlike a modern novel ist, you have to divorce yourself from modern ideals of what is socially acceptable and entertain motives and logic that may not be acceptable in our time. When you write about polar explorers, for example, you will have to accept that they killed and ate their sled dogs and fed the scraps to their remaining dogs, without judging them for it, or painting your hero with modern sensibilities that are ahead of their times. After all, it is the faults of heroes and heroines, and it is your ability to make the reader sympathize, despite them, that makes memorable characters for your story.I cannot leave this point without sounding a word of caution, however, that there are social paradigms you may wish to overlook in order to make your characters more palatable, while remaining honest with the historicity of the character. If Thomas Jefferson is a character you want your readers to sympathize with, for example, you may not want to over-emphasize the fact that he owned hundreds of slaves, unless it is relevant to your plot. I say this because you have to be honest with that truth if you address it. You cannot then have him telling his slaves to have a glass of lemonade while he finishes their duties.This leads me to another important point. It requires more skill for you to avoid things that you dont know about or are unimportant to the development of your story than it does to flaunt your knowledge of the time period. Again, if your readers wanted a history lesson, they would have picked up a textbook and not a novel. They want to escape into another time and, for a moment, get lost in the person of that period that you have created for them.There is a trust that a reader gives the author when they pick up the book to read; a trust that you know the period about which you are writing. They have not picked up the book to judge that knowledge, but if you betray that trust through poor research, they can be most unforgiving. If you use terms that were not in use in th e time, or refer to technology that did not exist at the time, a knowledgeable reader will likely be through with you.One may presume that candles were in use in the time of King David, because translations refer to candlesticks but readers well versed in the time will know that it means lamp-stand and that candles had not been invented yet.One would assume that the builders of Machu Picchu used carts to move their stones, but they had not yet discovered the wheel.One would assume the climate of England in the 1600s if they did not take into consideration the little ice age. In other words, you are traveling into another world and can take nothing for granted.Historical novelist, Elizabeth Crook, has written on her website about her creative process. She advises that you be willing to do many revisions and Dump the Ballast or cut out those interesting factoids that dont support your plot. She also warns against succumbing to the temptation to write in first person. When readers here someone speak on and on, describing themselves and their actions in minute detail, it makes the narrator sound self-absorbed and less likable.When it comes to research, the foundation of your Machu Picchu, Elizabeth Crook notes, writing historical fiction is like trying to get to San Marcos when you have no car, you dont know where the road is, and you have never in your life harnessed a half-lame mule to a flatbed wagon. Assume it is going to be a while before you arrive.By now you are probably thinking, I thought this article was going to encourage me to get writing. If so, here is the good news:You dont need a university education to write historical fiction. You just have to love research. Digging into past times and cultures can be very exciting. If you dont think so, stick to writing in modern settings. In fact, getting caught up in overdoing the research is often the greatest problem with those who write in this genre (I know I am guilty).Doing the research has never been ea sier. You can travel to your location for inspiration; use the Internet, local libraries and museums; or even pick up the phone and call an expert in the culture or time with an intelligent list of questions to get them talking.More good news: your storyline is already there in history. This is a huge part of the novelists creative process that has already been done for you by Father Time. All you have to do is look at the history, create a timeline for your story, and use your creativity to fill in the gaps.In summary, your readers trust you enough to step into your time machine and have you as their tour guide.  You need to know your world – how it smells, looks, feels, tastes – better than they do without touting it. But dont let the research bog you down. Write. You may include facts that may later prove irrelevant to your story. You may skip over relevant technology until you can research it more. That is what revision is for.Eventually, you have to stop using r esearch as an excuse and get writing. Use Machu Picchu as your guide: 60% foundation and 40% city; 60% research and 40% you.

Research Paper Topic Ideas

Research Paper Topic Ideas Research Paper Topic Ideas Research Paper Topic Ideas While writing research paper, you should remember that it must be based an original controversial topic. Research paper writing requires exploration of  some problem (for example, terrorism, abortion, genetically modified food). The topic shouldn't be too general. If you are interested in investigating the topic you care about, you should read as much literature as you can find. It help you not only to narrow your research paper topic but also to know more about the chosen topic. For example, the topic 'Abortion' is too general, but you may investigate one side of this problem while writing academic research paper. The narrow one will be 'Induced abortion as an independent risk factor for breast cancer' . While writing research paper on this very topic, you should give general information in the introduction about the problem of the abortion in the modern world. A thesis statement should also be presented at the end of the research paper writing introduction. You should write po ssible pros and cons in the body of your research paper. It'll be a good idea to present data which support your arguments; otherwise you will end with opinion paper, not research paper. The body paragraphs should explain your chosen position on the topic supported with the evidence. Finally, research paper conclusion is a last step where you should include concluding remarks. Research Paper Help If you have some uncertainty how to write a research paper, this part of the article will give you helpful information for research paper writing (referencing secondary sources): Use secondary sources while writing research paper. It means that your research may come across the other writer who quotes or discusses another book or author. In this case, you must cite on the reference page the source where you have found this reference to another book. However, the original sources may not be included in your reference page of the research paper. However, you obviously must include source where you have found the reference. Besides, you must tell the reader the name of the author whose work was paraphrased or quoted. For example: Anderson (as cited in Jackson, 1998, p. 71) the professor of linguistic reports that...   If necessary, you need to add appendix page. If you have appendix, mark it as Appendix in the center at the top of the research paper page. If you have two, three, four etc. use capital letters beginning with the first one (Appendix A, Appendix B etc.). The appendix shouldn't be placed on the reference page. Custom Written Research Paper If the above information is not enough for you to write a research paper, you can always rely on our assistance.   is available 24/7 to assist you with research paper writing on any topic.   We provide free plagiarism report and guarantee authenticity of every delivered custom written research paper.

How do you define Academic Freedom and Academic Duty. How might these Essay

How do you define Academic Freedom and Academic Duty. How might these concepts contrast and what are some of the dilemmas that may arise as a result - Essay Example Academic freedom is the liberty to disseminate information or teach as someone deems fit, to do research in any of the area of choice of the researcher without any restraint and to ascertain and disseminate novel ideas irrespective of their controversial nature (Kennedy, 1997, Page 1, Line 3-6). As in other types of conventional freedoms, governments, individuals and authorities are required to permit the researchers to work with complete freedom and ensure that freedom in such work is not hindered.In fact, academic freedom requires the society to provide such an environment which nourishes novel notions and allows the scholars to freely express them. Historically, the world has seen quite a number of examples which depict the importance of academic freedom. Many famous intellectuals and researchers were sentenced to death or life imprisonment for preaching their novel ideas. For instance Socrates had to see the face of gallows for preaching and corrupting Athens’s youth. Similarly, Galileo advocated Solar System’s Copernican view and was thus imprisoned for life. Descartes had to restrain himself from writing controversial notes to avoid trouble. Many teachers had to lose their jobs for teaching Darwin’s theory to their students. Although ideas of these great scholars and researchers were able to survive, it is not known that how many ideas were not allowed to ne promulgated due to lack of academic freedom(Robinson & Moulton, 2002, Page 1, Line 7-12). The practice of inhibiting academic freedom can also be seen in the modern history. In 1950s, anti-communist sentiment broke and universities were pressurized by Wil ­liam Jenner and Joseph McCarthy in the house and senate respectively to fire teachers whose ideas were considered sympathetic towards aims of the communists. The authorities and governments of those times variedly reacted to the situation however, this pressurization led to the universities to protect the academic freedom of

Building Watson Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Building Watson - Case Study Example It would be advisable to further the research in order to achieve the benefits in that future. Although able to process information much faster, innately, than a human being it would be perceived to have an advantage, and yet it gave a completely inaccurate answer to a question posed, which means that there is still something lacking in the decision making skills as to when to answer. If a human being is not certain of an answer they would likely decline to offer an answer; however, Watson opted to answer and the answer delivered with low artificial intellectual certainty was absolutely wrong. Ultimately, Watson sets precedent and encourages the further study and investment in the research and development of these technologies. The unpredictability and sense of choice that human beings possess is still something that cannot be achieved synthetically (Shih, 2012). Computers possess none of the emotional motivations of humanity, at least not in this case or technology level, these infl uences create the ethical, logical, and moral uses of our knowledge and thought. There is a dynamic nature to human thought, organic thought, which has yet to be captured within the programming of artificial intelligence and computer technologies. ... on is a sophisticated computer and computers are beneficial for their ability to compute, calculate, retrieve, and analyze data at incredible speeds, far faster than a human brain (Shih, 2012).A trivia challenge of, both, common knowledge and specialized knowledge should be an ideal task for a computer to do decidedly well, ideally, better than any human opponent. However, there are a number of personality and psychological traits possessed by human beings that are completely irrelevant to computer intelligence, including compulsive liars to truth tellers and fair players and misdirecting ones. These traits are just a few, of what are easily, thousands of possible emotional, mental, and behavioral responses attributable to human beings; none of which are shared by artificial intelligence (Shih, 2012).Given these parameters, can a computer win a match of not only knowledge but, also, of strategy and skilled game play? Although, throughout the course of the game, Watson did quite well at answering many questions correctly, however when it gave one particular inaccurate answer that was not just wrong, it was unbelievably wrong. When asked to name the U.S. state had their largest airport named after a WWII hero and their largest city named after a WWII battle, Watson answered, â€Å"Toronto† (Shih, 2012). Toronto is not a U.S. city, in the United States at all, and has absolutely nothing to do with the questions involving WWII namesakes; the degree of wrong was surprising to designers and proved that greater study will need to be done to determine why it chose an answer so obviously incorrect and then choosing to share that answer with any â€Å"programming† common sense that allowed to think that the answer could be correct would be extremely important. Watson was

The Bhagavad Gita Essay Example for Free

The Bhagavad Gita Essay is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. As an episode in Indias great epic, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita now ranks as one of the three principal texts that define and capture the essence of Hinduism; the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras. Though this work contains much theology, its kernel is ethical and its teaching is set in the context of an ethical problem. The teaching of The Bhagavad Gita is summed up in the maxim your business is with the deed and not with the result. When Arjuna, the third son of king Pandu (dynasty name: Pandavas) is about to begin a war that became inevitable once his one hundred cousins belonging to the Kaurava dynasty refused to return even a few villages to the five Pandava brothers after their return from enforced exile, he looks at his cousins, uncles and friends standing on the other side of the battlefield and wonders whether he is morally prepared and justified in killing his blood relations even though it was he, along with his brother Bhima, who had courageously prepared for this war. Arjuna is certain that he would be victorious in this war since he has Lord Krishna (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) on his side. He is able to visualize the scene at the end of the battle; the dead bodies of his cousins lying on the battlefield, motionless and incapable of vengeance. It is then that he looses his nerve to fight. The necessity for the arose because the one hundred cousins of the Panadavas refused to return the kingdom to the Pandavas as they had originally promised. The eldest of the Pandav brothers, Yudhisthir, had lost his entire kingdom fourteen years ago to the crafty Kaurava brothers in a game of dice, and was ordered by his cousins to go on a fourteen-year exile. The conflict between the Pandavas and the Kauravas brewed gradually when the Kauravas refused to return the kingdom to the Panadavas and honor the agreement after the fourteen-year exile, and escalated to a full scale war when the Kauravas refused to even grant Yudhisthirs reduced demand for a f ew villages instead of the entire kingdom. As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna, himself an acclaimed warrior, wonders how he could kill his own blood relatives with whom he had grown up as a child. He puts the battle on hold and begins a conversation with Krishna, one of the ten but most important incarnations of the Universal Hindu God, Vishnu. The Bhagavad Gita begins here and ends with Krishna convincing Arjuna that in the grand scheme of things, he is only a  pawn. The best he could do is do his duty and not question Gods will. It was his duty to fight. In convincing Arjuna, the Lord Krishna provides a philosophy of life and restores Arjunas nerve to begin the battle a battle that had been stalled because the protagonist had lost his nerve and needed time to reexamine his moral values. Even though The Bhagavad Gita (hereafter referred to as the Gita) is one of the three principal texts that define the essence of Hinduism, and since all over the world Hindus chant from the Gita during most of their religious ceremonies, strictly speaking the Gita is not one of the Hindu scriptures. In light of its inseparable links to one of the two great Hindu epics (Mahabharata and Ramayana) which most Indians hold very dear to their hearts, and because Krishna, the most venerated and popular of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, figur es so prominently in it, the Gita over the years has not only become very popular but has ascended to spiritual heights that are afforded only to the Vedas (and the subsequent reinterpretive philosophies that followed them) and the Upanishads in the ancient Indian literature. The concept and symbol of God were extremely complicated issues (see below) in the ancient Hindu religious literature prior to the writing of the Gita. The notion of God and the paths to salvation are integral parts of all religions. The manner in which Hinduism originally dealt with these two fundamental issues was very complex and appeared to be too speculative at times. This was one of the reasons for which Buddhism branched out as a separate religion. When Buddhism was beginning to grow in popularity, Hinduism met with its first challenge: To provide a clear-cut, easy-to-worship symbol of God to its followers. For a variety of reasons, Lord Krishna was the obvious choice. Many have even suggested that it was one of the most pivotal choices ever made by ancient scholars to `humanize the concept of God in the Hindu religion. Molded in the original image of Lord Vishnu, Krishna is an affable Avatar (reincarnation of God) which for the first time provided concrete guidelines for living to all mortals. The average Hindu might not know much about Brahma, but every one knows who Lord Krishna is. Mahatma Gandhi read the Gita often when he was in seclusion and in prison. But, the universal popularity of the Gita has not detracted Indian scholars from deviating from the fundamental truth about Hinduism. The Gita is not the Hindu scripture even though the literal translation of Bhagavad Gita is The Song of God. The Nobel laureate Indian poet, Rabindra Nath Tagore, rarely quoted from the Gita in his philosophical writings; instead, he chose to refer to the Upanishads, to quote from it, and to use its teachings in his own works. Of course, the teachings of the Upanishads are included in the Gita; they are visible in multiple chapters of the Gita. The kinetic concepts of karma and yoga, which appeared for the first time in the Upanishads (explained below), appear repeatedly in the Gita, often in disguised forms. As with almost every religious Indian text, it is difficult to pinpoint when exactly the Gita was written. Without a doubt, it was written over a period of centuries by many writers. From the contents of the Gita, it is abundantly clear that both the principal teachings of the Upanishads and of early Buddhism were familiar to the writers of the Gita. So, it has been approximated that the Gita was written during the period 500-200 BCE. Even though India is one of the few nations which h as a continuous documented history, very few Indian religious texts exists for which the exact date of publication is established without controversy. Despite its universal appeal, the Gita is replete with contradictions both at the fundamental level and at the highest level of philosophical discourse. To the discerning eye, it would seem that what has been said in the previous chapter, is contradicted in the very next chapter. This is the fundamental complaint against the Gita, and this fact would appear to be ironic given the fact that the Gita was originally written to reconcile the differences between two of the six major ancient Indian philosophies (Darshans) that evolved over the early years of Hinduism and became integral parts of ancient Indian religious literature. The irony disappears however when one understands what the Gita purported to achieve at the level of philosophical and religious discourse. This fact is crucial not only for the understanding of the principal themes of the Gita but also to locate the essence of the Gita in the overall picture of ancient Indian doctrines. The Gita attempted, for the first time, to reconcile the teachings of two very abstract Indian religious doctrines into one whole. The task was a formidable one. The Gita tried to include the fundamentals of two ancient Indian philosophies into one document and reconcile the principal differences between them. At the outset, one must note that the two doctrines (Darshans) were often extremely difficult to understand. Hence the inevitable contradictions or duality of interpretation. The Six Darshans  of ancient India were actually of differing origin and purpose, but all were brought into the scheme by being recognized as viable ways of salvation. They were divided into three groups of two complementary schools of thought (Darshans) or doctrines: Nyaya and Vaisesika; Sankhyya and Yoga; and Mimamsha and Vedanta. The Bhagavad Gita attempted to reconcile the Sankhyya philosophy with those of the Vedanta doctrine. One must note in passing that the Sankhyya school of thought led to Buddhism while the Vedanta philosophy is at the root of modern Hinduism. In this article, we are only going to discuss briefly the two Darshans the Sankhyya and the Vedanta the Gita attempted to reconcile. The Sankhyya is the oldest of the six Darshans while the Vedanta is the most important of the six systems. The various subsystems of the Vedanta doctrine has led to the emergence of modern intellectual Hinduism. The primary text of the Vedanta system is the Brahma Sutras, and its doctrines were derived in great part from the Upanishads, which marked the beginning of Hinduism as is understood and practiced today. Even though the Vedas are Indias ancient sacred texts, modern Hinduism begins with the Vedanta (end of Vedas) and attains its zenith with the Brahma Sutras. The Sankhyya philosophy traces the origins of ev erything to the interplay of Prakriti (nature) and Purusha (the Self, to be differentiated from the concept of the soul in the latter Indian philosophies). These two separate entities have always existed and their interplay is at the root of all reality. The concept of God is conspicuous by its absence. There is no direct mention of God but only a passing reference as to how one should liberate himself to attain the realization of Is war (a heavenly entity). A very significant feature of Sankhyya is the doctrine of the three constituent qualities (gunas), causing virtue (sattva), passion (rajas), and dullness (tamas). On the other hand, the Vedanta school of thought deals with the concept of Brahman the ultimate reality that is beyond all logic and encompasses not only the concepts of being and non-being but also all the phases in between. It is one of the most difficult concepts in the entire Indian philosophy. At the highest level of truth, the entire universe of phenomena, including the gods themselves, was unreal the world was Maya, illusion, a dream, a mirage, a fragment of the imagination. The only reality is Brahman. One can see quite clearly the sources for the Gitas contradictions. It was dealing with not only two widely-differing Darshans  but also with two of the most abstract philosophical systems. We know that the Gita was written long after the emergence of modern Hinduism. So it was able to draw on a wide variety of phi losophical themes both ancient and relatively modern by comparison, and often opposing still present in modern Hinduism. Yet, to consolidate the two schools of thoughts proved to be an extremely difficult task a fact which the lyricism of the Gita, in the words of Lord Krishna himself, could not camaflouge. Any serious reader would arrive at the conclusion that even though the Gita mentions the Sankhyya, it more or less elaborates on ideas that originated with the Upanishads. The fundamental tenets of Hinduism took shape during the period 800-500 BCE. They were set down in a series of treaties called the Upanishads. The Upanishads arise at the end of the Vedas, which earns it the name Veda-anta, which literally means end (anta) of the Vedas. Almost all philosophy and religion in India rests upon the wealth of speculation contained in these works. The Upanishads center on the inner realms of the spirit. Encompassing the meaning of spiritual unity, the Upanishads point directly to the Divine Unity which pervades all of nature and is identical to the self. There are four kinetic ideas ideas that involve action or motion that represent the core of Indian spirituality. The ultimate objective is control of the passions and to realize a state of void a concept very similar to that of Buddhism. The four kinetic ideas are karma, maya, nirvana, and yoga and they appear in the Gita. But one must remember that they appeared for the first time in the Upanishads. A brief summary of the four ideas are provided below. Karma: The law of universal causality, which connects man with the cosmos and condemns him to transmigrate to move from one body to another after death indefinitely. In the Gita, Krishna makes an allusion to the eternal soul that moves from body to body as it ascends or descends the ladder of a given hierarchy, conditioned on the nature of ones own karma work of life or life deeds. Maya: refers to cosmic illusion; the mysterious process that gives rise to phenomena and maintains the cosmos. According to this idea, the world is not simply what is seems to the human senses a view with which the 20th century western scientists wholly agree. Absolute reality, situated somewhere beyond the cosmic illusion woven by maya and beyond human  experience as conditioned by karma. Both Tagore, the renowned Indian poet and Albert Einstein, the famous scientist, agreed on this conclusion. Absolute reality, in their minds, was beyond human perception. Nirvana: The state of absolute blessedness, characterized by release from the cycle of reincarnations; freedom from the pain and care of the external world; bliss. Union with God or Atman. Hindus call such mystical union with ultimate reality as Samandhi or Moksha. Yoga: implies integration; bringing all the faculties of the psyche under the control of the self. Essentially, the object of various types of yoga is mind control, and the system lays down the effectual techniques of gaining liberation and achieving divine union. The word yoga is loosely applied to any program or technique which leads toward the union with God or Atman. There are five principal kinds of yoga: Hatha(physical), jnana (the way of knowledge), bhakti (the way of love), karma (the way of work), and rajah (mystical experience). The Western worlds interest in The Bhagavad Gita began around the end of the eighteenth century when the first English translation of the Gita was published. All religious texts of ancient India were written in Sanskrit. In November 1784, the first direct translation of a Sanskrit work into English was completed by Charles Wilkins. The book that was translated was The Bhagavad Gita. Friedreich Max Mueller (1823-1900), the German Sanskritist who spent most of his working life as Professor of Comparative Philology at Oxford University, served as the chief editor of the Sacred Books of the East. (Oxford University Press). The Gita was included in this famous collection. Since then, the Gita has become one of the most widely-read texts of the world. True, there are unexplained contradictions and paradoxes in this brief book, but its wide-ranging implications based on the two ancient Darshans of India and its allegorical meanings are still being examined and reinterpreted.

Tirant lo Blanc :: Essays Papers

Tirant lo Blanc Tirant lo Blanc is considered to be the best novel of its kind. A chivalric romance filled with the usual hunts, battles, banquets, romantic conquests, duels, and knights. Tirant lo Blanc started a flood of chivalric tales after its publication. The stories that followed, however, were full of fantasy, filled with enchantments, dragons, sorcerers and the like. Tirant greatly differed from these books that followed it. Its highly praised for its realistic, down to earth story line, and characters similar to real Catalans in the late 15th century. It is a satirical look at chivalric doings of the time. Another novel of this kind would not follow for another hundred years, when Miguel de Cervantes would write Don Quixote. While Don Quixote has been praised for its literary excellence, Cervantes himself claims that "it's the best book of its kind in the world," and goes so far as to mention that fact in his own satirical comedy. Despite its literary value, the book has remained relatively unknown. This has been attributed to many factors, from controversy over the author(s) to passages that were considered to be racy during the time it was published. It is generally held that Joanot Martorell wrote most, if not all, of Tirant lo Blanc. Martorell was the son of the kings chamberlain in Valencia. He started Tirant in 1460, and the controversy ensues over whether he was able to finish the unpublished work upon his death in 1468. Little is known about Marti Joan de Galba, who claims to have written the last fourth of the novel. He also dies before the book the book is finally published in the 1490s, and the matter is still debated today. The main argument against the idea that de Galba wrote the latter portion of the novel is that there is no substantial difference in either vocabulary and style through out the novel. This implies it is the work of solely one author. Another controversy surrounding the authors of the book deals with the fact that Martorell calls his story a translation, first from English, then to Portuguese, and finally into Catalan. Many problems surround this statement. The first being that no earlier manuscripts or even references to these supposed earlier translations can be found.

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Practices and the Performance of a Nigerian Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME).

Introduction The contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the economic growth and development has been enormous. This contribution is significant for both the developed and developing world. Many governments acknowledge the fact that SMEs play a significant role in the growth and development of their economies. Consequently, a number of government investment projects are geared towards fostering the growth and development of local SMEs. The institution of policies geared towards the facilitation and empowerment of SMEs as well as improving the performance of SMEs remains a major objective of many economic policy makers and governments. In addition, international economic and financial bodies such as the IMF, World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the International Financial Corporation (IFC) have invested heavily in making SMEs robust and vibrant in developing countries. Furthermore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in developing countries such as Nigeria have employed advocacy and capacity-building campaigns to promote the growth of SMEs. Despite the importance accorded to SMEs as well as their contribution to economic growth, Onugu (2005) argues that the performance of SMEs in Nigeria has been below expectations. Unlike SMEs in other countries, the contribution of Nigerian SMEs to economic growth has not been very impressive (Onogu, 2005). Following from its independence, the Federal government of Nigeria has invested significant sums of money to promote entrepreneurial and small business development projects (Mambula, 1997, 2002). However, results from these projects have not been very impressive. In order words, most of these projects have often been unable to yield their expected returns. Despite the country’s endowment with raw materials and other natural resources, there has been little progress towards the development of the manufacturing sector, which could have increased the production of value added products thereby substituting imports, increasing exports and increasing employment (Mambula, 1997, 2002). Business failure often comes as a result of a number of factors. This could be as a result of poor customer service, poor management and poor human resource management. While the poor performance of SMEs in Nigeria can be attributed to a number of factors, human resource management could be a major factor in determining this poor performance. Human resources are a principal source of economic growth. Like other resources, human resources require effective and efficient utilisation so as to ensure maximum contribution is achieved from them. Approximately 50 per cent of people work in small and medium sized enterprises. Despite this high proportion of human resources in SMEs, most studies that study human resource management have focused on large corporations with very limited attention to SMEs. Moreover, most studies on the practices of human resource management have been carried out in the developed world with very limited attention paid to developing countries like Nigeria. This study is one of the few studies that focus on the management of human resources in SMEs in a developing country. The country that has been chosen for the study is Nigeria. The paper examines the factors that affect the practices of human resource management in an SME in Nigeria and how these practices can affect the performance of the SME in particular and its contribution to the overall growth of the economy as a whole.Objectives of the Study The objective of the study is to examine the SHRM practices of an SME in Nigeria. The study will also examine how those practices affect the performance of the SME and provide polic y implications of the findings for future strategy development.Research QuestionsThe paper will be providing answers to the following questions: What are the Strategic human resource management practices of the SME How do these practices affect the performance of the SME What are the implications for future development of strategic human resource management practices at the SMEResearch OutlineThe paper is going to follow the following areas: Section one will cover the introduction; section 2 will be dealing with the literature review; section 3 will be discussing the methodology and describing the data; section 4 will provide the results and analysis; and section 5 will present conclusions and recommendations. Literature Review Strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices refer to those activities that are specifically developed, executed and implemented on a deliberate alignment to a firm’s strategy (Huselid et al., 1997). The phrase â€Å"strategic human resource management is an indication that people in the firm are regarded as strategic resources (i.e human capital) that must be managed and leveraged when implementing and executing the strategy of the firm. In early years, efforts made to develop a conceptual framework on strategic human resource management were based on the assumption that in order to promote human behaviour that would fulfil the strategic objectives of the firm, the firm had to implement specific human resource management practices (Fisher, 1989; Schuler and Jackson, 1989; Snell, 1992). A strategic approach to human resource management is an approach that links the human resource management policies with the strategic objectives of the firm. There has been significant debate over the term SHRM as has been the case for human resource management (HRM). Many researchers argue that SHRM lacks conceptual clarity (e.g., Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). Three competing frameworks on SHRM have emerged: the contingency, universal and configurational perspectives (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackson, 1987; Delery and Doty, 1996; Pfeffer, 1998; Youndt et al., 1996; Boxall and Purcell, 2000, 2008). According to the universal perspective, all HR practices in all firms have a positive impact on firm performance (Delery and Doty, 1996). The configurational perspective suggests that firm performance depends on unique HR practices while the contingency perspective suggests that a firm’s HR practices are a function of its strategy (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackso n, 1987). A number of studies have tested the different frameworks and found contradictory results. For example, Youndt et al. (1996); and Chang and Huang (2005) argue in favour of the contingency perspective while Tackeuchi et al. (2003) favour the configurational perspective. The frameworks suggested above are mostly relevant for large organisations. Little effort has been devoted towards the development of SHRM in SMEs. For example, Saini and Budhwar (2008) in a study of SHRM practices in SMEs in India argue that bounded rationality tends to constrain the willingness to implement innovative HR practices in SMEs in India because most owners of SMEs tend to believe that they are doing their utmost best. Barber et al (1999) observe that HRM practices that work well in large organisations do not work properly in small firms. As a result, Heneman and Tansky (2002) stresses the need to develop different HRM models for SMEs rather than simply extending existing models that are suitable for large organisations to SMEs. The literature on Human resource management in SMEs suggests that a strategic approach to HRM in SMEs is yet to be developed. Conceptual models that relate human resource management practices in SMEs to the strategic capabilities of these organisa tions need to be developed in order to enable SMEs achieve the full benefits of their human resources. As can be observed, most of the studies of HRM practices in SMEs have been limited to SMEs in Western Europe, U.S.A and India with very limited attention given to Africa in general and Nigeria in particular. In the light of the above limitations, this study aims at contributing to the literature by studying the SHRM practices of SMEs in Nigeria. The study does not intend to test any hypothesis. Rather it intends to focus on providing an in-depth analysis and discussion of the HRM practices of a Nigerian SME. Research Methods and Data Research Methods are the approaches taken to achieve the objectives of a research project (Saunders et al., 2009). There are two main approaches to research including the inductive and deductive approaches. The inductive approach is an approach that aims at developing testable hypotheses while the deductive approach focuses on testing existing hypotheses. The inductive approach can use a single case study to multiple case studies while the deductive approach depends on the use of multiple cases. Moreover, the inductive approach can use either qualitative or quantitative methods whereas the deductive approach relies heavily on the use of large data sets and quantitative research methods. The inductive approach is advantageous over the deductive approach in that it does not generalise its results to all cases. It aims at providing an in-depth analysis of a small number of cases. Therefore, it is the approach that will be used in this study. In other to achieve the objective of this study, this paper will use a case study approach. In order to do this, a Nigerian-based SME will be selected. An in-depth analysis of its SHRM practices will be examined and related to its performance. In order to gain detailed understanding of the approaches, the â€Å"Interpretative phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be used to gain an in-depth analysis of the HRM practices of the SME. The Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an experimental qualitative approach to research in psychology and the human, health and social sciences (Smith et al., 2009). The human resource practices that will be investigated include recruitment, selection, training, remuneration, leave of absence, interpersonal communication, sick pay, and promotion. The practices of these variables will be analysed and an evaluation of how they affect the performance of the SME will be conducted. The performance measures that will be used include profitability , liquidity, management efficiency and leverage ratios. The ratios will be analysed in relation to the SHRM practices identified along with the Nigerian economic environment in which the SME is based. Data The research will use both primary and secondary data. Data for the SHRM practices will mainly be primary data. This data will be collected using survey questionnaires issued to the employees of the SME and interviews conducted with key management staff. Performance data will be collected from the financial records of the SME. Data on the performance measures will be gathered from the financial records of the SME. References Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2000). Strategic human resource management: Where have we come from and where should we be goingInternational Journal of Management Reviews, 2(2), 183?203. Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2008). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Chang,W. J. A., & Huang, T. C. (2005). Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance: A contingency perspective. International Journal of Manpower, 26(5), 434?449. Delery, J. E., & Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802?835. Huselid, M.A., S.E. Jackson, and R.S. Schuler. 1997. â€Å"Technical and Strategic Human Resource Management Effectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance,† Academy of Management Journal 40(199), 171-188. Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1984). Designing strategic human resources systems. Organizational Dynamics, 13(1), 36?52. Schuler, R.S. and S.A. Jackson. 1989. â€Å"Determinants of Human Resource Management Priorities and Implications for Industrial Relations,† Journal of Management 15(1): 89-99. Snell, S.A. 1992. â€Å"Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information,† Academy of Management, Journal 35(2), 292-327. Schuler, R. S., & Jackson, S. E. (1987). Linking competitive strategies with human resource management practices. Academy of Management Executive, 1(3), 207?219. Pfeffer, J. (1998). Seven practices of successful organizations. California Management Review, 40(2), 96?124. Onugu, B. A. N. (2005) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects, St. Clements University Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., Larkin, M. (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research, Sage Publications. Heneman, R. L., & Tansky, J. W. (2002). Human resource management models for entrepreneurial opportunity: Existing knowledge and new directions. In J. Katz, & T. M. Welbourne (Eds.), Managing people in entrepreneurial organizations, vol. 5 (pp. 55–82). Amsterdam: JAI Press. Barber, A. E., Wesson, M. J., Roberson, Q. M., & Taylor, M. S. (1999). A tale of two job markets: Organizational size and its effects on hiring practices and job search behavior. Personnel Psychology, 52, 841–867. Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (2009) Research Methods for Business Studies, 5th edition, Prentice Hall FT Harlow Saini, D. S., Budhwar, P. S. (2008) Managing the human resource in Indian SMEs: The role of indigenous realities, Journal of World Business, Volume 43, No. 4, Pages 417-434 Takeuchi, N., Wakabayashi, M., & Chen, Z. (2003). The strategic HRM configuration for competitive advantage: Evidence from Japanese firms in China and Taiwan, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 20(4), 447?480.

Mental Health & The Workplace

Participants were randomly selected from an electronic version of the white pages and were sent informational letters regarding the study to their home. A total of 2790 participants were obtained; 1390 female and 1396 male, all over the age of 18 at time 1; 2009. Time 2 (2010) consisted of participants from Time 1 who agreed to a follow-up and there was a 74% response rate (N=2024; 927 female and 1147 male). All dependent variables were measured using accredited questionnaires. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9).This questionnaire is a nine item scale constructed from the DSM-lVs diagnostic past month, how often were you bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless? † Responses were measured with frequency ranging from O (not at all) and 3 (nearly every day) and severity O (no depression) and 27 (severe/clinical). Sickness absence and presenteeism were measured using the WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. The questionnaires recorded the number of days that were missed due to being sick physically and or mentally and the employees weekly work hours.Bullying was measured by having an operational definition provided for the participants and then being asked to report if they ever felt subjected to those behaviors. Job strain was measured using the Job Content Questionnaire asking on a four point Likert scale (1 †strongly disagree to 4=strongly agree) inquiring about how taxing their Job was. Table 1 depicts that individuals with mild depression show a doubling in estimated productivity costs, 1040$, when it has to do with annual sickness absence. For sickness absence this number is tripled compared to the employee without depression at 1616$.The annual costs for presenteeism followed similar trends showing that there is not much of an increase from moderately severe depressed employed and severe. The effects of depression on the individual ranges in the thousands of dollars annually compared to the employee who does not suffer from depression. Table 2 illustrates the costs that organizations face nationally. The majority of the costs can be traced back to the individuals who are suffering from mild depression despite severely depressed workers costing more individually.The total costs of depression nationally are under 8 billion. Table 3 (PAR=Population Attributable Risk, OR†odd Ratios) shows that bullying is a significant predictor for depression (6% 0 2. 54 OR). Job strain without bullying had no significant effects. Regardless, the impact of the significant results of Job strain, Job strain and bullying, and bullying that is attributed to depression cost around 693 million. Lerner et al. (2010) also investigated the impact of depression on work performance and impact stressors. Like the previous study, Lerner et al. akes into consideration how stressful work place behaviors can either create or enhance depression. Much of this research is based on the Job demand-contr ol-support framework which indicates that work involving high psychologic demands will be harmful to health, whereas work involving control and/or social support will be protective (Lerner et al. , 2010, p. 205). Using a longitudinal cohort study surveys were distributed at 6,12, and 18 months. There were a total of 14,268 participants between the ages of 18-62 years; 286 of them being depressed and 193 of them being controls.

Health Decisions and the Biopsychosocial Model Essay Example

Health Decisions and the Biopsychosocial Model Essay Example Health Decisions and the Biopsychosocial Model Essay Health Decisions and the Biopsychosocial Model Essay Cardiovascular disease and hypertension Is heredity In my family. Last year I had a chance to experience how biological factors Influenced my decision to have a complete checkup because of preventive care. This Included a complete blood work up and physical assessment. The outcome from the tests revealed that my cholesterol was elevated and my blood pressure as well. For some unknown reason, I put off seeing the doctor long as possible due to the possible risk of these diseases. The doctor provided me with education material on these diseases, and how to monitor the conditions. Also he recommended that I eat healthier. The positive decision to get a complete checkup has made me aware; that I can live a normal healthy life by maintaining a healthy diet and exercising as prescribed. Based on my decision to seek medical advice was a psychological factor that influenced the turning point in my life. I had emotional problems about accepting the Ruth, if the outcome was positive. I delayed the checkup because I did not want to face the possible risk of cardiovascular and hypertension. It seemed that I blocked it out of my mind due to my mom suffering and dying with the same diseases. I felt depressed and angry because I did not want to be diagnosed with the disease. But, on the other hand I wanted to be healthy, physical and mental. Learning to deal with the outcome has helped me to adjust my feelings, and has motivated my decision to cake care of my health. Social factors can definitely have an influence in one decision to stay healthy. For example, I have struggled with being overweight since I had my daughter. About six months ago I started to cut back on what I ate and stop eating out. I met a new friend and he constantly wanted to dine out before I knew it, I had started to gain the weight back. I am happy that I was able to re-evaluate and gain control of my life to eat healthier.

Asthma as a Relatively Common Lung Disease

Asthma as a Relatively Common Lung Disease Asthma is a relatively common lung disease which causes the airways to become inflamed and, in turn, swell. This causes shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, and wheezing and/or coughing when attempting to breathe. The severity is solely dependent on the case at hand; some people only experience slight discomfort, while others experience extremely painful attacks (Chen, 2015). Attacks are usually triggered by inhaling a certain substance that reacts with the bronchial muscles. Developing a better understanding of the nature of asthma, its effects, contributing factors, and who it affects have contributed to the process of treating asthma. To fully understand the disease, one must understand exactly what it does to the body. With asthma, when a certain substance is inhaled, it will cause the bronchial muscles in the airways to become inflamed. This restricts the amount of air that makes its way to the lungs, causing discomfort and difficulty breathing. The amount of mucus produced may also rise, which can worsen the conditions by making the airways even more narrow. This can become fatal if the airways become completely closed. The exact cause of asthma is currently unknown, though it is believed by researchers that one large contributor for the development of the disease is simply genetics. Like most diseases, if there is a family history of asthma within your kin, you are at risk of the disease as well. Shumaker (2013) believes â€Å"Asthma can also develop due to certain types of respiratory complications during early childhood.† Exposure to certain toxins in the air has also been ruled in as one of the possible factors. This chronic disease can affect anyone at any age, though the majority of cases develop during childhood. This disease can be managed with the help of your doctor. Asthma medicine is typically self-administered through a device called an inhaler. The most popular type of inhaler is known as the beta-agonist bronchodilator. Beta-agonist drugs are used to provide quick relief for the coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness associated with an asthma attack. They work by smoothing the bronchial muscle in the airways that have become inflamed, allowing air to travel to the lungs with considerably more ease. One or two puffs from the inhaler can be taken every four to six hours to safely ensure that the symptoms subside and all discomfort ceases. If the inhaler fails to do its intended job and symptoms continue or worsen, it is very strongly recommended to take a trip to the hospital. In conclusion, asthma is a disease that affects the lungs. For most people, symptoms may be brought on by exposure to things like pollen, pet dander, or large amounts of dust. Exercise and cold air have also been known to be common triggers (Bennett, 2016). Attacks or symptoms of asthma can be avoided by avoiding trigger substances. For the average modern person, coping with asthma is easy and safe with the proper knowledge and precautions.

Discuss the importance of soil in the environment Essay

Discuss the importance of soil in the environment - Essay Example The three most imperative components of soil encompass clay, silt and sand. Texture of the soil depends on the composition of these components in various proportion. These components together with various chemical elements are responsible for supporting plant growth. Various minerals such as Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) are also present in the soil. Appropriate and balanced composition of these minerals defines soil fertility. Too high concentration of nitrogen retards the growth, while high concentration of phosphorus is responsible for reduced water absorption. High bulk of phosphate is responsible for binding with zinc and also hinder sulfur availability. High load of potassium curtails the availability of boron which is required for conversion of nitrogen and also for the transfer of starch from leaves to storage tissues such as fruits. Excessive potassium brings blockage of manganese uptake (Web: "Soil Fertility For Specific Crops"). Similarly poor concentratio n of NPK retards plant growth. The components of soil are responsible for its texture, various tests are being carried out to understand the nature of the soil. One such test is ribbon test where moist soil is rolled into long thin shape followed by squeezing it between forefinger and thumb in order to form longest and thinnest ribbon. Larger percentage of clay is responsible for longer ribbon while greater silt content tends to flake and does not form ribbon (Web: "Soil Texture