Planning functions

Planning functions Planning is a decision making process. It helps one to decide on what to do and how to do it. There are six steps to follow when planning. First and foremost, one has to analyze the situation. Two constraints are very important at this stage and they are time and resources. Gathering of information and interpreting is done at this stage. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Planning functions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Also, a summary of all the relevant information is done. Identification and diagnosing planning assumptions is done. In addition issues and problems are identified. The second step is having alternative goals and plans. Alternative goals that can be implemented later are provided. It also gives plans used to implement the goals. Thirdly, evaluation of goals and plans is done. Advantages and disadvantages on alternative goals and plans are evaluated. Also, the possible effects of the goals and plans are evaluated at this stage. Fourthly, selection of the goals and plans is carried out. The most appropriate and feasible goals and plans are selected. Right judgment is crucial at this stage. In the fifth step, implementation of the designed plans takes place. This helps one to achieve the set goals. To implement a plan, the manager must understand it well. Also, resources to implement the plan must be available. Finally, monitoring and controlling are important. These help one to know whether his/ her plan is succeeding. Continuous monitoring of the actual performance against unit’s goal should be done. Implementation is the most important step in planning. The reason behind this is that implementation of plans helps in achieving the set goals (Darlkir, 7). There are three types of plans that can be used in different organizations. These include, single used plans, standing plan, and contingency plan. Singles of standing plans are policies, a procedure and rules (Ingram, p ara.4). Contingency plans are meant for specific situations. This is incase things don’t move as expected. Contingency planning involves flexibility and adaptation. Also, mastery is needed due to the changing conditions. They include planning for marketing. The reason behind is to get support from the stakeholders. In addition, they allow for understanding from the stakeholders (Ingram, para.5). In our organization we usually use standing plan. The reason behind is that we usually deal with activities that need much time before completion. Also, in our organization we have many different departments where this kind of planning is more applicable. From the above literature, I have been able to learn that planning is one of the key aspects in any organization. Implementation of a plan is one of the most important steps in any planning. Implementation helps in achieving the already set goals. Without the implementation of a plan, the other work done during the planning process will be of no importance. Different plans can be applied in different organizations. The kind of plan to be used depends on the type of activities taking places in an organization. Darlkir, Kimiz. Knowledge management in theory and practice. New York: Technology partner. 2011. Print. Ingram, David. Define single use, contingency standing plans for business. January 26, 2011. April 22, 2011.

Regional Coordination for Tourism Planning Research Paper

Regional Coordination for Tourism Planning - Research Paper Example The growing global concern about environment has contributed to the concept of sustainable ‘ecotourism’ from which some regions like Maldives, Kenya and Belize have taken advantage by maintaining their natural resources to target tourism market (Moutinho 2000). This paper in particular, will discuss the point that regional coordination is essential in tourism planning in order to attain the policy objectives at their anticipated levels. To illustrate, a plan that aims tourism development of a particular region has to be comprised of socio-economic, legal, environmental, and religious components. As the initial stages of development, the tourism policy must focus on providing adequate facilities to accommodate and entertain the visitors. Moreover such places must be equipped with all basic facilities like water, telephone, banking; currency exchange etc. transport is another important area which needs special attention. All modes of transportations whether air, water or road have their own roles in the sustainability of tourism industry. All the above factors can be assimilated only through the coordination of local governments, stakeholders, and the residents of the locality. Tourism planning is neither top-down nor bottom-up process; instead, it is an interactive or collaborative approach that involves the various processes like governess between organisations and stakeholders, and interaction between various levels of organisation (Bramwell & Lane 2000, p.146). However, what kind of development plan is required depends on the geographical feature of an area. In general sense, developmental initiatives and strategic concerns come within the following areas. Environmental issues have grown to be one of the major concerns of tourism planning all over the world. Hence, all policies including infrastructure developmental strategies should ensure the conservation of the environment

Gender and History in Modern South Asia Term Paper - 1

Gender and History in Modern South Asia - Term Paper Example It is worth considering what other people perceive as being Chinese citizenship as opposed to the perspective of the Chinese themselves. Some of the ancient practices by Chinese people have faced stiff rejection especially over the course of the twentieth century by citizens who are believed to be from China. During the empire rulings, traditional rituals and practices were common among Chinese communities but cultural erosion has been greatly evident especially during the first half of the twentieth century. In the nineteenth century, Chinese were seen to uphold and respect their cultural practices such as marriage and burial rituals. However, things have significantly changed during the twentieth century where traditions have been greatly rejected by the Chinese. Instead, they are turning to modern life by abandoning indigenous ways of dressing and practices for the modern way of life. Chinese people have encountered a number of challenges as they try to transform from imperialism to modern way of life but by the help of educated people in the society, effective techniques have been used to liberate China from imperialism. The nation of China was a long time ago composited of small communities until when transformation took place over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The kind of leadership that was in place was quite different from the current one since centralization was in practice as opposed to decentralized leadership practiced today. The ruler of the state was an emperor the Son of Heaven who held the central position of cosmos (Harrison 2). Besides the emperor, there existed a bureaucracy education which, had characteristics that clearly portrayed the existence of modern China. However, it is worth noting the emperor was then perceived as a world but not as a country. Nevertheless, this did not mean that the Qing courts did not recognize the presence of other nations since they could have a negotiation with foreigners only that the negotiations could never be allowed to erase Chinese culture.  

Religious Diffusion in The Early Medieval Era Assignment

Religious Diffusion in The Early Medieval Era - Assignment Example Religious diffusion is a well-attested phenomenon that is scholarly considered controversial. Baghdad grew speedily into the â€Å"world’s navel† when caliph al-Mansur of the Muslims was established as the Abbasid Dynasty’s capital city. The spread of the Islamic religion gives us an excellent example of how both the empire and the religion intertwined to develop the foundation of modern social geography in the world. On the other hand, Chinese Buddhism or Christianity for which most empires acted as the major expansion drive; Islamic itself is the religion, which led to formation of many empires . The Islamic ascent from Arabia unified all the territories, which were between the other universal religions (Christianity and Buddhism) and unified the world in unpredictable forms. The only empire that resisted these universalizing faiths was the Tang Empire. Both Christianity and Buddhism resembled one another in important ways. Christianity could emphasize on how things of these earth are not essential, urging people to concentrate on their spiritual destiny as well as focusing on the divinity. It served as a major cultural revolution in the entire history of the west. Unsurprisingly, Christianity just like Buddhism brought essential monastic movement whereby people especially the holy ones decided to live in a spiritual manner as well as serving their religion . In essence, Buddhism teachings exemplarily show cultural diffusion took place in the medieval world history.

E-Business and e-Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

E-Business and e-Marketing - Essay Example The whole world has become a small place because of internet. Everyone can have all the information pertaining to any field or subject using internet. There have been significant advancements in technology over the years and it had a significant impact and changes on the people's way of leaving. It has brought about changes in the way people access different kinds of information online and the ways in which they communicate with each other. World Wide Web is also having its significant impact on the ways through which businesses are now being conducted in different organisations all over the world. The term e-business can be referred to as the utilisation of internet technology for the improvement in efficiency of business processes conducted by various organisations. It has also resulted in the establishments of different new kinds of business models. E-Business is believed to have emerged during the mid 1990s (Maruyama). It was mostly concerned about bringing enterprise systems tha t existed then to the internet audience in general through internet or World Wide Web. E-Business now can be found at the mainstream of most of the organisations. E-Business helps in the improvement of business performances through the use of information technology and thereby facilitates connection between customers and suppliers at every step in the value chain. Hence it could result in significant shift or changes in the field of technology, business and the society as a whole along with the changes in interactions between them. As regards technology, information technology has been revolutionised over the past years. It has its impact in almost all the economic sectors and in every sphere of our lives. The processing power relative to the digital technologies is expected to have a rapid increase because of decline in the cost associated with the advancements of technology in future (The Levin Institute). As a result of new technological advancements, most of the business transac tions are expected to be done over internet which would lead to the reduction in the transaction costs as well. The job structure is also expected to change and more people can use internet sitting back at home and performing their business tasks. More and more people would shift towards jobs offered online which could be done at their convenient place and flexible work timings for the employees as well. With the growing expansion of World Wide Web, different new technologies like location-based technologies and radio frequency identification (RFID) are expected to lead to the development of innovative applications resulting in the evolution of networks which can be termed as "Internet of Things" (OECD). In the longer run, small sized wireless sensor devices which are embedded in different objects, facilities and equipments are most likely to get integrated with internet with the help of wireless networks. This would enable interconnectivity anytime and anywhere. The future capaciti es and uses of technologies which bridge the virtual worlds with the physical world are supposed to result in significant societal changes as well as bring about increased economic benefits. Economic activity is becoming faster, cheaper and efficient as a result of World Wide Web.

Mauritius Islands As A Destination

Mauritius Islands As A Destination The destination marketing plan will be based on a small island, which is not even visible on the world map, called Mauritius. It is a volcanic island of lagoons and beaches in the Indian Ocean, it is known for its stability and racial harmony among its blend of population. It is an island situated at about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar and about 3,943 kilometres south-west of India. (Blunt 2005) It has more that 150 kilometres of beaches and the lagoon is protected by the worlds third largest coral reef. Its population is estimated to 1,2 million which forms a blend of cultures from India, Africa, Europe and China. Mauritius was discovered by a Portuguese sailor, Don Pedro Mascarenhas. It was occupied by the Dutch (1598 1710), French (1715 1810) and British (1810 1968). It gained its independence on the 12th March 1968 and its Republic status on 12th March 1992. It has a democracy based on the British democracy. The currency used there is the Mauritian Rupee, made up of 100cents and its capital city is Port Louis. The Mauritian economy is dependent upon the textile, tourism and sugar industry. Currently the destination is attracting tourist mainly from European Countries and the destinations current mission to keep its loyal customer and promote in countries where people are not aware of Mauritius as a tourist destination. They want to maintain the image of Mauritius as being a paradise to their current markets. The Destination would want to regain the French market following the chikunguya disease, to attract more tourists from American countries and become the number one tourist destination in the Indian Ocean. Jobber (2004:210) defines segmentation as the identification of individuals or organizations with similar characteristics that have significant implications for the determination of marketing strategy. In other words it means dividing a segment into sub-segments because customers differ in tastes, needs, attitudes, lifestyles, family size and composition. Identifying these submarkets will help the destination to serve its customers with similar requirements efficiently and effectively. The more a destination knows about its customers the better they will be able to satisfy their needs. A segment is identified by dividing them according to the purpose of travel, the buyers need/motivations and benefits sought, the buyers behaviour, their psychographic profile, the price of the ticket and the demographic, economic and geographic profile. The identified segments for Mauritius were people aged 25 and upwards with a medium to high income per year, because the price of a ticket for the destination is around  £600  £700 and the life cycle identified was newly married couples, full nest II, empty nest I and empty nest II. It has been found that it is mostly leisure tourists that come to the destinations and their motivation honeymoon, young married couple seeking paradise for their honeymoons, looking for a quiet place, this applies to retired people, families willing to escape the European winter and seeking sea and beach holiday, individuals seeking for water- sports and tourist coming for cultural interest. Most of the tourists coming to Mauritius are Loyal and spend a lot during their stay. Regarding price, tourists are quite sensitive to this variable when the price is high less tourist travel to the destination when the price is reduced more tourists travel. Price is also an indicator of the perceived quality, s o when playing with the price variable one should be careful of the quality that it is going to reflect. Market Positioning Position is about the perceived image of the destination by customers compared to other nearby destinations. Customers has this perceived image of Mauritius being paradise when they look at the brochure and see the white sandy beaches and the turquoise ocean. This perceived image would help to make the island the number one destination in the Indian Ocean. Marketing Mix/branding image The marketing mix is defined as a combination of controllable variables that can be used to achieve the desired levels of sales in target markets. This combination is known as the 4 Ps, which includes product, price, place and promotion. Product In terms of the tourism industry, the product covers the complete experience from the time a tourist reaches their destination to the time he/she leaves. Therefore the tourism product is a mixture of attraction and facilities at the destination, facility and destination. The role of marketing is to increase awareness of the product, improve their presentation and their delivery to customers. One has to bear in mind that when a customer buys a tourism product they are actually buying the expectation of benefits; it is the benefits that are the product. Thus the product should match customers needs. The tourism product comprises of five components: Destination attractions and environment Destination facilities and services Accessibility of the destination Images of the destination Price to the consumer (Middleton 1994) The destinations approach to the product mix will be doing a market research to see what customer perceptions of the product are and used the information meet their needs. It can also be done on non-users to see what attraction or facilities the destination will need to build up. To attract more customers the destination will introduce packages made by tour operators such as when tourists staying in certain hotels they will have free admission at certain attraction. This type of package will particularly suit families. Extending the usage of the products will help to achieve this strategy as well, such as offering one free night to customers if they are staying for a weekend. The destination could also introduce an airline, like Ryanair in Europe, which would do flights in the Indian Ocean only, such as flights from Mauritius to other island in the Indian Ocean at a low price. Price Tourism businesses deal with different segments at the same time and they frequently use different price for the different segments. Pricing is a very complex decision due to the high degree of competition and the inaccuracy in forecasting levels of demand. It may vary not only because of the industrys characteristics but also due to other factors such as weather, terrorism and strikes. There exists no universal way of pricing, price will always vary. Pricing acts as an indicator of quality, thus it can be used to assess quality before purchase. The characteristics that affect pricing are the following: Perishability: Intensive capital investment Cost of intensive staff employed Customers characteristics Regarding pricing the destination will use a low pricing strategy at the beginning to encourage long-run demands, capture market share from competitors and discourage any potential new entrant to enter the market. If it is observed that there is a high proportion frequent customer, this means that the customers are satisfied with the product and customer loyalty has been created. Then price could be raised at a reasonable level to maximise profits. The price could also be lowered during off-peak season to attract customer and non-users as well that could try the destination. Special price could be given to newly married couples for their honeymoon, if they did like the destination by word of mouth they will tell it to their other friends who might use the destination for their honeymoons. (Ernie 1992) Place Place is the element of the marketing mix which includes channel of distribution and physical distribution. Channel distribution includes tour operators, retailers and travel agents. Channels should be chosen according to the other the other three marketing mix. Choice of location, which is the point of sale, should be well located to increase the flow of customers (Ernie 1992) Since we already know who our target markets are the destination will choose tour operators which specialize in their target market and travel agencies that are located where their target market are. For instance if the destination is targeting at families they will choose a travel agent that is specialize in that market and located in area where families live. Since the destination is aiming at non- users they will have to find an operator in these countries. Promotion Promotion mix consists of four elements: advertising, personal selling, publicity and sales promotion. They are designed to create excitement and interest about the destination. These elements should communicate similar, consistent and non-conflicting messages to each of their target markets. (Ernie 1992) The aim of the destination is to increase advertising in targets market countries and in non-users countries as well. Mass media advertising and aggressive advertising will be used to send the message that Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and that heaven was copied after Mauritius. This message will be sent through the use of televisions, radios, newspapers and billboards. Market research could be use here to see what image our target markets have of the destination and use it for the advertising. The destination will advertise in trade magazines to reach tour operators and travel agents. The destination will use travel agents as an intermediary for personal selling and they could also be used as a way of promoting the destination. Using sales promotion would help to achieve the objectives mentioned earlier, the destination will use price promotion, special merchandise use to promote the destination and familiarization tours for travel agents. Price promotion could be used w hen there is festival going on at the destination, such as the Independence Day, which would include discount on attractions, restaurants and hotels. Selling merchandise such as T-shirts, key chains and souvenirs will help to promote the destination by word of mouth when tourists go back to their countries, this might encourage prospective customers to visit the destination. Familiarization tours are free trips for travel agents to let them experience the tourist destination before the customers. This would be for travel agents operating in an area where there non-users of the destination, the travel agents would be able advise non-users on the destination. Promotional impact can be managed by carefully managing the four elements of the promotion mix. TALC Tourism Area life Cycle Tourism Area Life cycle a framework concept by Buttler (1980) highlights the tourism attractions and resources of a particular country. It mainly involves according to Butler (1980) a six stage evolution of tourism namely exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation and post stagnation. . Mauritius Island can be classified between a Development stage and stagnation in the TALC (buttler 1980) more people are reaching Mauritius (see tourist Arrival stats) by years, more people discover the destination, and the word spreads about its attractions and the amenities which are increased and improved ( development) with the approach of the carrying capacity* (define below next content) stagnation rise with the social and environmental limits. Buttler (1980) mentioned that a rise from Exploration to Stagnation happens very rapidly, as implied by the exponential nature of the growth curve. As this is the case for Mauritius in a rise of infrastructure, development in Technologies, improving services for quality customers. For Instance carrying capacity clearly explains the rest of the situation. Carrying Capacity Definition of carrying capacity Carrying capacity can be defined as the maximum number of people who can use a site without an unacceptable decline in the quality of experience gained by visitors (karma;2001 65) .Lime(1976) points to a substantial expansion of the meaning of carrying capacity from a focus on numbers of visitors to the entire topic of how to plan and manage a particular recreation resource . Findings in Carrying capacity Carrying capacities are usually determined for the planning area involving features of key attractions, development sites and even the tourist transit point. The carrying capacity analysis implying the institution of upper limits on development in other words, the number of tourists in terms of days, feedbacks and market forecasts, Moreover, carrying capacities can be established both for the developing as well as developed tourist destination.( Kamra;2001:68) he also argues that carrying capacity analyse most the number of tourist arrivals to the number of inhabitants in the destination area, in a result they found to be genuinely measuring the elements of socio-cultural environment and physical. More elements such as economical and infrastructure issues are to be seen as a part of the carrying capacity. A source of pollution can be a source of major problem in an environmental aspect, for example the beaches in Mauritius are well preserved by the government and by the hotels themselves, pollution (land) might affect the tourism industry, if not taken into consideration it might result to a decrease in tourist arrivals in the destination, this one major issue can be classified as being a physical more on that is the preservation of wild life animals, the animals in Mauritius Island such as the kestrel and the Mauritian Parakeet are unique in the species, preservation of those natural resources have large impacts on tourism industry. Economical benefits are mostly crucial for the government of Mauritius, as this is tourism industry is being as a major source of income, tourism industry also bring employment for the local communities for example hotel resorts have been built in the coastal areas. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT SWOT, is a tool use to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the destination. The aim of SWOT is to isolate the key environmental factors that are important to the destination. Strengths: Distinctive and exotic environment Mauritius is known for its exotic environment and its natural park. The opening up of new hotels Lately in Mauritius there a lot of new hotels opening up, this is an advantage for the island because now they accommodate more tourists than before. High purchasing power for tourists  £1 = Rs 63.6447, which means that with  £1 UK tourist could more things in Mauritius than in their country. (Anon 2006) Excellent service provided by hotels The tropical island is not also known for its physical asset but also for the high quality service provided by hotels. (Anon 2005) Weaknesses: Diseases Lately in Mauritius there has been a disease, chikunguya, which is caused by mosquito bites and because of this the number of French tourist has declined. Language Barrier Although the official language is English, not all Mauritian speak English and It is hard for tourist to communicate since most of the tourists are English speaking. Long haul flights The flights to Mauritius from Europe, America and Asian countries is a 12hr flight, which is very tiring. Opportunities: Exploit Golf tourist market It has notice that golf tourist spend a lot when they come to Mauritius, thereby Mauritius try to attract more golf tourist to maximise their revenues. Growth in Spa tourism New air routes such as flight to Russia has been open thus creating a new market and if exploited wisely could bring in more revenues for the island. Increase in the number of flight to Mauritius There are now two new airlines doing the flights to Mauritius, TUIfly Nordic and Corsairfly. (Chateau 2006) Threats: Competition Future competition from the surrounding islands might be an issue; Mauritius will have to find a way of gaining the competitive advantage over them. Tsunamis Following the tsunami that hit Indonesia in December there were some minor effects felt in Mauritius. Since that time there are still some tourists that feel it is unsafe to visit the island. (Anonb 2006) Recommendations: Mauritius Island has the best possible ability to become the pioneer in Tourism industry in the Indian Ocean , The Government of Mauritius understand very well the importance of Tourists for the Economy, the improvement of the Hotels infrastructure is to be made ( now in process 2008-2010 project) , the preservation of the wildlife park such as the rare animals and rare plants species, the introduction of a new airport also under future planning of the Government, the size of tourists arrivals is increasing with years and several discounts on Air Fares are available. 2665 words

Iron Increases Heart Disease :: essays research papers

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) has afflicted man throughout history. Diet and hereditary factors obviously are the key components in developing this condition. Foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats are often implicated in hastening or aggravating heart disease. Many disease states such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension have also been shown to increase a persons chances for CAD. Heart disease usually affects persons over age 60, but can be seen in people who are much younger for various reasons. This disease remains the number one cause of hospitalization and death in the adult population in western society (McCance and Huether, 1994). The purpose of this literature review is to investigate research dealing with the subject of increased serum iron levels and the prevalence of CAD. Medical journals were primarily used for research data due to the nature of the subject and the need for in-depth analysis. While it has the highest prevalence of any disease, women experience only 30-50% of the coronary artery disease incidence and mortality of age-matched men (Meyers, 1996). Many feel that this may be due to the protective effect that estrogen has on the blood vessels of females. There may actually be a direct correlation to reduced serum iron levels due to menses. Whereas men " build-up" iron in the blood, women cleanse themselves of iron buildup on the monthly basis. Meyers (1996) also states that oxidation, the process in which an atom increases its positive charges (Miller and Keane, 1992), of low density lipoprotein cholesterol is important in atherosclerosis, and since oxidation is catalyzed by iron, it has been hypothesized that the lower iron stores of women reduce their risk of CAD through lessened lipid peroxide, a by-product of oxidation. Numerous studies have been conducted to actually see if a relationship between serum iron or serum transferrin, (serum iron concentration divided by total iron-binding capacity), and heart disease or myocardial infarction, (heart attacks) exists. Sempos and Looker, (1994) used a total of 4518 men and women to conduct the first study of its kind on the subject of iron and CAD. Frequent serum iron levels, collected from 1971-74, and followed up through 1987, showed the risk of CAD was not related to serum transferrin levels in white men or women. Indeed, an inverse association of total body iron stores and overall mortality was shown, that is moderate to high serum transferrin associated with lower mortality.