An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay

An Analysis Of The Tui Group Tourism Essay TUI a leading international leisure travel group which has over 200 different tourism brands around the world. The business activities of the TUI Group were attributed to the tourism, logistics and the former industry divisions. Objective of this report is to analyse the strategic position of TUI by applying various tools such as PESTLE, Five forces framework, SWOT and analyse and predict the future implications of its strategic capabilities using Generic strategy and Ansoffs matrix to the case study. Limitations of the tool applied are discussed with the analysis. 2.0 BACKGROUND TUI group earlier known as Hapag Touristik Union of Preussag launched itself in tourism market at the end of 1997 with the purchase of Hapag-Lloyd AG. TUI expended its business using the expansion strategy through acquisition, mergers, and investment through joint ventures all over Europe. TUI AG was spread in three sectors TUI Travel (tour operating, airlines and incoming agencies),  TUI Hotels Resorts  and the cruise ship business form the World of TUI. TUI AG holds, in addition, a financial investment in the container shipping industry. TUI in 2005 was the tour leaders with 3500 travel agencies in 17 countries with 37 incoming agencies. TUI owned more than 100 aircrafts and was the largest Hotelier in Europe with 285 hotels (Case study). Currently, the group owns 43,3 percent stake in Hapag-Lloyd AG. In  the 2008 financial year  TUI AG returned a revenue of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬24.9 billion with total earnings (underlying EBITA) of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬759 million. As at 31 December 2008 the Group had 70,200 employees (TUI group, company profile). 3.0 ENVIRONEMNTAL ANALYSIS: To understand and apply the Environmental analysis on TUI it is essential to perform an internal and an external analysis. External analysis on an industry is further sub-divided in two environment macro-environment and micro-environment. In order to understand the likely impact of these environments on the tourism industry PESTEL analysis and Porters five forces is under taken for possible impacts on the industry competitive strength and advantage over competitors. 3.1 PESTLE ANALYSIS 3.1(a) POLITICAL Political factors have a moderate impact on the performance and the growth on tourism industry. Where Political instability generates negative publicity and the risk perception influences the tourists decisions which results in an unavoidable decrease in tourist arrivals (Hall and O Sullivan, 1996). On the other side Terrorism has led serious tourism crisis, and has been affecting the financial condition significantly in recent periods (Sonmez et al 1999). Terrorist attacks, the Iraq war has reflected a decline of approximately 6.6% in TUIs tourism turnover from the first six months of 2002 to the first six months of 2003 (excluding turnover contributed by Nouvelles Frontiers, which we acquired later in 2002). Health Crisis like SARS in 2003 has also had a traumatic effect on international travel (Case study). 3.1(b) ECONOMICAL Tourism is one of the growing industries, fuelling the growth and employment and has become a critical component of the world of economy. Due to Recession, a downward momentum was seen because most of the tourism operators were handicapped by the high level of fixed assets and less able to manage their airlines and hotel industry(case study). Fluctuations in fuel costs, Exchange rates and currency fluctuations, The Growth of low cost airlines has lead to economic risk in tourism industry. 3.1(c) SOCIO-CULTURE: Change in lifestyle has changed the demands of consumer; they have become more price sensitive and has increased its demand for new experiences. Consumer has developed a new attitude of WAIT AND SEE ATTITUDE (Reisinger 2009) facilitated by last minute purchase resulting in late bookings. As tourism involve movement of people to different locations which calls for cultural clashes. Tourism has also Led to commercialization of local culture, standardization of destinations and adaptation to tourist demands (coastlearn.org) 3.1(d) TECHNOLOGY Use of information technology gave a boost to tourism business for reservations and administrative operations. With the advent of the internet, tour operators can now spread out their activities and make available appropriate information, conquering new customers (Wyner, 2000). With launch of touropa.com in Germany, TUI captured a top position in European market in 2005 with a turnover of 2.6bn euro (Case study). Similarly in Island locations high-tech venue networking was adopted to attract new visitors and to communicate to tourists (The Daily Business Buzz, Nov. 2/09) 3.1(f) LEGAL Air Travel Organizers License ATOL Regulations were imposed on any person who advertises or sells air-inclusive holidays in the United Kingdom,granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. A number of TUIs businesses operating in the United Kingdom, including Thomson Holidays and Lunn Poly, hold ATOLs. There were many European and national restrictions on airline ownership which could loss of airline operating and route licenses and cause other adverse effects on tourism business. TUIs hotels and destination agencies are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the countries in which they operate and, on a periodic basis, must obtain various licenses and permits. They are subject to a broad range of labour, environmental and health and safety regulations in each jurisdiction in which they operate (Listing Memorandum, TUI group). 3.1(g) ENVIRONMENTAL: International tourism can play the role of both victim and villain when it comes to climate change(Holmes 2007 BBC news). To attain sustainability TUI is continuously improving on environmental performance, TUI focuses on ISO 14001 environmental standards. Hence TUI strongly supports the environmental protection policies like, species protection, nature protection and landscape protection. TUIs main area of concern is the efficient use of energy and climate protection. (TUI Group, environment management) 3.2 PORTERS FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK: A firm needs to neutralise as many as possible of the five forcers in order to create competitive advantage.(Porter 1998) Porter defines five forces impacting a firms competitiveness- threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants in the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of customers, and the intensity of competition within the industry. Understanding the nature of each of these forces gives organizations the necessary insights to enable them to create the appropriate  strategies  to be successful in their market (Thurlby, 1998) . 3.2(a) Threat of New Entrants (Medium) For a new company to launch itself in the tourism industry needs a high investment and innovative ideas to sustain its presence in the highly competitive tourism market. The existing company have the capabilities of providing tailored deals on cheap prices because of their established brands and long chains of tour operator. TUI being the market leaders of tourism industry does not have much effect of threats developed by new entrants. 3.2(b) Bargaining Power of Buyers (High)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tourism industry fluctuates with the buyers changing needs. With increase in competition, buyers have a wider range of services to choose from hence the tourism industry are forced to comply with changing demands and needs of customers. As the switching cost is not too high Brand loyalty is low and with increase in purchasing power of a buyer the likelihood of travelling also increases. Buyers even eliminate the tour operators and prefer make a direct sale from suppliers (hotels, airlines ect). 3.3(c) Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Low)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TUI uses backward integration which means it has its own suppliers; in fact TUI itself acts as its own suppliers. 3.3(d) Threat of Substitutes (High)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With the growing world of tourism there is a demand for strategic differentiation. Customers are looking for new experiences, diversified attractions around the world. The wide spread of TUI in Europe increases the threat of substitute due to growth of tourism industry in other parts of world. 3.3(e) Competitive Rivalry (medium) Tourism industry involves many competitors with an approach of performing better than the other. The competition level increases because of distribution of market based on the regional operators, privately owned, highly fragmented, and geographically marketed. Even though there was a moderate level of service differentiation, TUI has sustained the competition because of its brand and leadership in market 4.0 TUIS CURRENT POSITION AND STRATEGY: TUIs strategic goal is to create superior shareholder value by being a global leading leisure travel group providing customers with a wide choice of differentiated and flexible travel experiences to meet their changing needs. TUIs five strategic priorities for sustainable development are Embedding, Climate Change, Destinations, Our People and Our Customers (TUI Travel PLC, Strategy) . Since 1998 to 2005 main focus of TUI was on achieving cost control and differentiating its product in market. This was achieved by adopting Hybrid strategy which is a combination of differentiation, price and cost control (Campbell 2002) refer to Appendix (A). TUI creates enhancing margin quality through product differentiation by creating unique travel experiences for its customers which helps them achieve brand loyalty and competitive advantage. With controlled distribution process the cost of acquisition can be reduced and flexibility is achieved. The five key elements of TUI strategy: Expand our core tourism business Exploit synergies and cost efficiencies across our markets and products Leverage the benefits of our vertically integrated tourism model and our wide distribution network Identify new trends and exploit developments in the tourism industry Continue to grow our container shipping business Over the years TUI has maintained its position as the market leaders of tourism industry by covering all the stages of tourism value chain by owning its own travel agencies, hotels, incoming agencies, airlines and cruises (Business week 2009). It has positioned itself to be its own supplies, buyers and travel services and had become a strong example of vertical integration. Vertical growth can be accomplished by forward and backward integration. Though the vertical integration does not give 100 percent success guarantee in complete value chain, TUI has successfully build its business with selection of travel agencies in European market by having Thomas cook airlines with 100 aircrafts and owning more than 3000 travel agencies (case study). Vertical integration also helps in attracting more customers, differentiate its product and gain more power in market and gain economies of scale by reducing the coordination cost and reducing the profit margins of intermediaries (Enz 2009). Other advantages and disadvantages can be referred in Appendix (B). Major strengths on which TUI had built its leadership and its weaknesses which empowered them to overcome and maintain its position. 4.1 STRENGTHS: TUIs greatest strength is its brand recognition and fully integrated business model with wide spread distribution network to provide operational advantages. TUIs confidence is based on (i) ability to recover increases in input costs, (ii) flexible business model, (iii) delivery of merger synergies, and (iv) diversity of the Groups businesses(TUI Travel Plc, third quarter report). Appropriate strategic choices with the diverse work force and economic of scale in competitive marketing and efficient distribution has proved to be its core competence. TUIs global presence provides wide variety of holiday services and has successful container shipping business. 4.2WEAKNESS TUI Travels existing shareholder loan amounts to approximately  £900 million is the major drawback for TUI (financial times 2009). The consumers are increasingly holding off on booking holidays in order to save money in recession. Whereas limited bookings transparency (growing trend toward short-term travel bookings; uncertain earnings performance) has also effected the revenue growth of TUI. Another factor is the impact of seasonality on sustained growth and performance of nature based tourism. 5.0 CHANGING TRENDS AND TUIs FUTURE: 5.1 Key Drivers of change Beside PESTLE (Appendix (C)) it is important to identify the number of key drivers of changes which are forces likely to affect the structure of a business (Johnson et al 2005). To understand the drivers of changes in tourism industry it is required to analyse the change in consumers behaviour, lifestyle and priorities. In years to come the demographic shifts (ageing population), technology penetration, changes in work pattern, time pressure and changing modes of consumption (further destinations, greater expectations, more specialization) will make heavy impact on travel and tourism industry(Lockwood and Medlik 2002). According to Peter Long, chief executive of TUI Travel (sustainable development report 2008), Sustainability is one of the four key drivers for growth in TUI, the four main drivers for a sustainability programme for TUI Travel: Aviation and climate change Protecting destinations from the impact of climate change Protecting destinations from the impact of tourism Shifting demographics and consumer trends These aspects will analyse progress of TUI which is made towards providing holidays that cause minimal environmental impact, respect the culture and people of destinations, and offer real economic benefit to local communities. 5.2 Ansoffs Matrix According to Johnson et al. (2008) Ansoff Product/market growth can be used to analyse the implications of corporate strategy applied to look for the opportunities open to the industry. This matrix consists of four quadrants which are used to evaluate four types of strategic decision(Appendix (D)). It allows marketers to consider ways to develop the business via existing and/or new products, in existing and/or new markets. With an initial start in tourism business from end of 1997 to 1999 TUI saw a real scope of penetration of its business in German market with its existing products and aim to increase its market share. With a vision of new opportunities TUI expanded its horizons by stepping into European market in 2000 with complete dominance and strong market share with existing products in new markets by taking over Thomson travel group, Nouvelles Frontieres(France) and Fritidsresor(Scandinavia) developing its market. With time TUI focused on Product development and introduced low-cost travel airlines in 2003, setting up TUI china and then increased its cash flow by signing joint ventures in Russia. In 2005 with launch of a virtual tour operator, TUI captured the top position in tourism industry and was able to develop a successful brand Image. In 2005 TUI penetrated in most of the Europe, tourism division was subdivided into the five sectors Central Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe, destinat ions and other tourism activities. TUI was diversifying geographically and that has helped to compensate the ups and downs of individual countries, which can be due to any macroeconomic factor. TUI has diversified geographically in Europe, India and China. They have also diversified in their business segments in logistics of container shipping department in order to achieve economies of scale. TUI opted consolidation for long term growth and global brand development to ensure cash flow from developed market in economic downturn hence TUI considered consolidation has one of their product and market strategy suggested by Johnson et al.(2008). 5.3 EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS OPPOURTUNITES Changes in emerging and fragmented markets provide greater opportunity for growth in TUI, acquisition and joint ventures can provide a platform to build stronger product portfolio. Improving TUIs local business, improving in marketing, sales and distribution can support growing demands for specialist holidays. Tour operators still have scope for consolidation by easing geopolitical tensions. Refer to Appendix (E) for more information about the opportunities and TUIs approach towards it. THREATS Protracted economic downturn has been a major threat to the tourism industry. Geopolitical uncertainties (terrorist attacks and natural calamities), operators relatively high debts, limited earning transparency of some companies and seasonal-led volatile earnings performances are some other setbacks for tourism industry. Less attention towards environment and global warming may cause a devastating impact on travel business. 6.0 LIMITATIONS OF TOOLS 6.1 PESTEL FACTORS PESTLE analysis is done to simplify the decision making process while following a strategy. PESTLE factors helps in identifying the past trend of an organisation on which future trends are identified. Practically PESTLE analysis makes it difficult for a company to analyse the entire macro-economic factor as it can be very time consuming and costly. In this fast changing environment, capturing adequate data might be difficult and capturing too much of data can cause Paralysis by analysis this predicted data might not be accurate. PESTLE does not help is finding out the level of uncertainty in an organisation. For effective results this process needs to be undertaken on regular basis. (Cipd, 2008). 6.2 PORTERS FIVE FORCE Porters five forces model works on relatively static market structure because of which it cannot explain or analyze todays dynamic changes (Recklies 2001). This model equally imply to all the competitors in an industry and this model cannot be applied in isolation where porter accepted that outcome by applying his framework were only relevant while the macro environment remained constant (Campbell et al., 2002). Five force analyses takes into consideration industry as a whole but it does not segregate different segments. The individual analysis of each of the segment can be of much assistance than industry as a whole. It even assumes that relationships with competitors, buyers and suppliers are adversarial. It oversimplifies industry value chains (Grundy, 2006) and It ignores the human resource aspect of the strategy 6.3 SWOT The SWOT analysis gives an overview of the subject but doesnt help to get the details. The categorization of some aspects as strengths or weaknesses, or as opportunities and threats is to some extent subjective. From the case study numerous strength and weaknesses were identified, but those all were a snapshot of the success and failure on TUI over all business performance. According to Mintzberg (1990) the assessment of strengths and weaknesses may be unreliable, being bound up with aspirations, biases and hopes. Moreover, Frost (2003) describes SWOTs downsides from a managers point of view as it would be difficult for a manager to identify strengths than things they see as wrong with the organization and managers tend to describe an effect as a weakness and do not get to the causes. (Zarkos et al., 2007) states, an opportunity can also be a threat for a company; hence the same problem appears in the distinction of strengths and weaknesses. 6.4 ANSOFFS MATRIX Ansoffs matrix is only focussed on growth of a company it focuses on the tangible aspects of products and services and very little attention is paid to intangible aspect like brand. Another weakness of the Ansoff Matrix approach is that it doesnt really address the issue of brand elasticity as a part of the strategic decision-making process.( pringle and field, 2008). the use of Ansoff matrix as a marketing tool may not be really useful as the matrix is critical for analysing the strategic path that the brand may be following, and does not essentially identify marketing options(Macmillan et al., 2000). 7.0 CONCLUSION In this report the strategic analysis is carried out on TUI tourism industry using various tools. Firstly, macro-environment was analysed to understand the possible impacts on the industry competitive strength and advantage over competitors and develop an appropriate strategy. On a corporate level hybrid strategy and vertical integration was discussed in support to TUIs success. Next segment of internal analysis described TUIs core competences and focussed on future trends of TUI. The analysis of this case study concluded high level of sustainable development which is inimitable. 8.0 REFERENCE LIST Campbell, D., Stonehouse, G. and Houston, B. (2002), Business Strategy: an introduction, 2nd Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann publication, Oxford, UK. Enz, A. C., (2009), Hospitality Strategic Management: Concept and Cases, 2nd Edition,    Haboken, New Jersey. Frost, A. (2003), The Use of Strategic Tools by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: an Australasian study, Strategic Change, Volume. 12, Page: 49-62. Grundy, T. (2006), Rethinking and reinventing Michael Porters five forces model, Strategic Change, Volume. 15, Page: 213-229. Hall, C. And OSullivan, V. (1996), Tourism political stability and violence in Wahab, S. and Christopher P. C.,(2001), Tourism in the age of globalization , pp-234, Routledge. Johnsons, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2005), Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th Edition, Prentice Hall, UK. Johnsons, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2008), Exploring Corporate Strategy, 8th Edition, Prentice Hall, UK. Lockwood, A. and Medlik, S., (2002), Tourism and Hospitality in the 21st Century, Butterworth Heinemann Macmillan, H. and Tampoe, M. (2000), Strategic Management, Oxford University Press. Available at: http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/ansoff.htm, Access on: 21st Oct 2009, 17.23pm. Mintzberg, H. (1990), The Design School: Reconsidering the Basic Premises of Strategic Management, Strategic Management Journal, Volume. 11, Page: 171-195. Porter, M. E,. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. The Free Press Pringle, H. And Field, P., (2008), Brand immorality how brands can live long and prosper, Kogan page, IPA Recklies, D. (2001), Five Competitive Force (porter), Available at http://www.12manage.com/methods_porter_five_forces.html, Assessed on: 28th Oct 2009, 8.45pm. Reisinger, Y., (2009),International Tourism: Cultures and Behaviour Elsevire Ltd. Sà ¶nmez, F. S., Tarlow, P.,(1999) Tourism in Crisis: Managing the Effects of Terrorism Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 38, No. 1, 13-18 Thurlby, B., (1998), Competitive forces are also subject to change, Management Decision London Zarkos, S., Morgan, R. E. and Kouropalatis, Y. (2007), Real Options and Real Strategies, Strategic Change, Volume: 16, Page: 315-325. http://www.cipd.co.uk, (2008), PESTLE analysis, CIPD, Accessed on 3rd Nov 2009 at 15.56pm http://www.tui-group.com/uuid/68045be7dc26a80404db1d381be42f4b TUI Group Listing Memorandum, Accessed on 1st Nov 2009 at 19.24pm http://www.scribd.com/doc/17015152/TUI-Environmental-ReportTUI TUI Group Environmental report, Accessed on 5th Nov 2009 at 12.03am http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot_article.asp?ric=TUIGn.DE Business week 2009 , TUI AG(Consumer Directory sector, hotels restaurants and leisure) Accessed on 8th Nov 2009 at 13.33pm http://www.dailybusinessbuzz.ca/2009/11/02/pe-cutting-edge-technology-to-boost-tourism/ Daily business buzz, Cutting -edge technology to boost tourism 8th Nov 2009 at 22.54pm http://www.coastlearn.org/tourism/why_socioimpacts.html Coast learn, Sustainable Tourism : Socio-Culture Impact, Accessed on 6th Nov 2009 at 16.22 pm http://www.tui-group.com/en/sustainability/env_management TUI Group , Environment management and ecological sustainability, Accessed on 29th Oct 2009 at 16.16pm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7094559.stm Holmes, S., 2007 How to make tourism greener , BBC news, Accessed on 8th Nov 2009 at 23.08pm http://www.tui-group.com/en/company/profile TUI Group, company profile Accessed on 30th Oct 2009 at 09.52am www.tuitravelplc.com/tui/uploads//TUITravelQ3Results.pdf TUI Travel Plc, third quarter report 2008, Accessed on 25th Nov 2009 at 11.52am http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/258da2ca-acd0-11de-91dc-00144feabdc0.html Yuk, K. P., 2009 TUI Travel takes steps to refinance loan, Accessed on 7th Nov 2009 at 22.14pm http://sd2008.tuitravelplc.com/tui-sd/pages/aboutthisreport/datamaterialityTUI Group, sustainability report 2008, Accessed on 28th Oct 2009 at 20.22pm 9.0 APPENDIX: APPENDIX (A) Market price responsiveness Price insensitivity Price sensitivity Cost-based Strategy Differentiation Strategy Stuck in the middle strategy Hybrid strategies Appropriate strategic approach Adopted form David Campbell, George Stonehouse andBill Houuston , Business Strategy (2000), 2nd edition. APPENDIX (B) Advantages and Disadvantages of vertical Integration Advantages Disadvantages Can eliminate steps and reduce duplication 1)need for overheads to coordinate vertical integration Avoid time consuming tasks and negotiate contracts Burden of excess capacity if not at all output is used. Improve marketing or technological intelligence Obsolete process may be penetrated Can create differentiation through coordination process Reduce strategic flexibility due to being locked in a business Provide superior control of firms market environment May link to an unprofitable adjacent business Offers an increased ability to create credibility for new products. May not be potential for synergy Adopted from Enz, A. C., (2009), Hospitality Strategic Management: Concept and Cases, 2nd Edition. Appendix (C) FACTORS REASONS POLITICAL/LEGAL Political instability of developing countries Government regulations and regulatory reforms. High taxation policies of developed countries. labour, environmental and health and safety regulations ECONOMICAL Rise in disposable income in developing countries Currency fluctuation. Rise in fuel cost Emerging market. SOCIAL Changing priorities of consumers Health and safety concerns Urbanisation. Disposal income in consumer level TECHNOLOGY Use of information technologies systems for reservations Use of internet Implementation of new sales and distribution channels Enhanced flexibility ENVIRONMENT Natural calamities Global warming limitation on carbon emission Appendix D STRATEGIC DIRECTION ANSOFF MATRIX Existing Product New Product A Market Penetration Consolidation B Product Development C Market Development D Diversification Existing Market New Market Adapted from H. Ansoff, Corporate Strategy, Penguin, 1988, Chapter 6 Appendix (E) Opportunity Our goal Embedding into our core business Ensure our business decisions take into account sustainable development principles Operational impacts Minimise the negative sustainability impacts (particularly on climate change) of our day-to-day operations Supply chain management Support our supply chain in managing their sustainability impacts Choice editing Edit out the holiday options that do not meet our minimum sustainability standards Choice influencing Make it easy for customers to choose a more sustainable holiday Awareness raising Help customers appreciate the sustainability impacts of tourism, driving demand for more sustainable holidays Changing behaviour   Encourage customers to change their actions in a way that maximises the positive and minimises the negative impacts of their holiday Innovation and product development   Develop new, more sustainable experiences in response to demand   Collaborating with our industry   Share best practice with others in the tourism industry where our competitiveness is not affected   Advocacy   Use our influence responsibly and in line with our commitment to sustainable development   Putting something back   Put something back into the environment or community wherever we cannot avoid a negative impact   http://sd2008.tuitravelplc.com/tui-sd/pages/ourapproach/ourstrategy?whoareyou=addstudent=truesubmit=Submit Threat of new Entrant Innovative ideas Wide range of holiday packages Threat of substitute Worldwide tourism attractions

Putting A Price on Students :: essays research papers

Putting A Price On Students Summary  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The state has taken on the obligation of providing budget funds for the education of each individual student at an institute of higher learning if he or she has passed the unified state exam. Russia continues to experiment with its educational system. Five Russian regions used unified state exams last year. Two Russian regions decided to continue the experiment by introducing state-issued vouchers (GIFO) this year. Reformers who tend to modernize Russian education believe that both experiments are necessary to produce the right effect. If everything is more or less clear with the unified state exam, the GIFO is still a mysterious and unknown phenomenon. The only thing that is known about the GIFO is that it comes from the state budget.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reasoning behind the vouchers is a better education chance for all. Now students will be able to control their debt which will be owed at the end of their matriculation. Educational Impact  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The funding of Russian institutes of higher learning could, without exaggeration, be called equalizing. Today, each university or institute draws up an estimate according to which it receives its share of state funds. In doing so, no one takes into account the category of the particular institution, whether it is prestigious, strong or weak, what kind of experts and specialists it actually trains. In other words, there is no incentive to improve the quality of education. Fifty-one percent of first-year students who were admitted to institutions of higher learning last year had to pay for their education. Secondly, parents spend about one billion dollars to prepare their children for university exams and to ensure their admission to institutes and universities. Most of this money circulates in the shadow sector of the Russian education system. The Russian Education Ministry believes that this situation reveals the inefficiency of financing Russia n education. A state that increases spending on education, including higher education, could expect maximum efficiency and the best performance. Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I support the idea of the GIFO because it seems to give every student an equal opportunity for education. But I wonder how many times can a student take the unified exam since your amount of state support depends on your score. And I also wonder if you can take the exam more than once will your support increase? The plans sound good on paper but I wonder if only the gifted or upwardly mobile students will be the only ones who are helped by these vouchers. Putting A Price on Students :: essays research papers Putting A Price On Students Summary  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The state has taken on the obligation of providing budget funds for the education of each individual student at an institute of higher learning if he or she has passed the unified state exam. Russia continues to experiment with its educational system. Five Russian regions used unified state exams last year. Two Russian regions decided to continue the experiment by introducing state-issued vouchers (GIFO) this year. Reformers who tend to modernize Russian education believe that both experiments are necessary to produce the right effect. If everything is more or less clear with the unified state exam, the GIFO is still a mysterious and unknown phenomenon. The only thing that is known about the GIFO is that it comes from the state budget.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reasoning behind the vouchers is a better education chance for all. Now students will be able to control their debt which will be owed at the end of their matriculation. Educational Impact  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The funding of Russian institutes of higher learning could, without exaggeration, be called equalizing. Today, each university or institute draws up an estimate according to which it receives its share of state funds. In doing so, no one takes into account the category of the particular institution, whether it is prestigious, strong or weak, what kind of experts and specialists it actually trains. In other words, there is no incentive to improve the quality of education. Fifty-one percent of first-year students who were admitted to institutions of higher learning last year had to pay for their education. Secondly, parents spend about one billion dollars to prepare their children for university exams and to ensure their admission to institutes and universities. Most of this money circulates in the shadow sector of the Russian education system. The Russian Education Ministry believes that this situation reveals the inefficiency of financing Russia n education. A state that increases spending on education, including higher education, could expect maximum efficiency and the best performance. Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I support the idea of the GIFO because it seems to give every student an equal opportunity for education. But I wonder how many times can a student take the unified exam since your amount of state support depends on your score. And I also wonder if you can take the exam more than once will your support increase? The plans sound good on paper but I wonder if only the gifted or upwardly mobile students will be the only ones who are helped by these vouchers.

Pelayo and Elisenda were dazed

One of the popular works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez which used the principle of Magical Realism was the short story entitled A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. In magical realism, the merging of myth and reality can be seen.Marquez, in his stories, used magical realism to describe certain realities. For this particular short story, he was trying to state realities about Catholicism.Pelayo and Elisenda were dazed when they saw the rubbish, old man on their courtyard. Pelayo even thought he was in a nightmare. However, when they saw the man’s wings, he instantly became â€Å"familiar† to them. Angels were always portrayed by the Church as someone who has wings.The wings would look like from a hawk or a dove. If the wings were similar to a bat’s, he could be perceived as the Devil himself. This occurrence of having an angel on earth did not appear to cause panic in the story. Like the stories in the Bible, miracles, visions of angels or symbols from God seem to happ en naturally without question.Unlike an angel which the Church would describe as young, innocent and magnificently dressed in white clothes, the man in the courtyard was, as Marquez illustrated, â€Å"like a ragpicker†.He was a very old man lying face down on the mud and his wings all dirty and half-plucked (Marquez 1). This not so angelic stature was reason enough for the neighbor to conclude that he was a â€Å"fugitive† from heaven and Pelayo should club him to death.The suggestion as to how the angel should die was very cruel especially for someone who was once worthy to stand before God and be His messenger. The Church teaches the same fate for all sinners. They are said to be banished from Heaven and will forever suffer in the fires of Hell.Pelayo was not able to bring himself to kill him. He, instead, dragged him to the chicken coop. If he looked like someone as majestic as an angel, many would not settle him along with the hens. Some would offer him the entire house with the softest pillows and warm mattresses. The Church may even build an altar or a church for him.In the morning, the newborn child who had been feverish before the angel came was well and eating. Pelayo and Elisenda decided to dispose the angel by placing him on a raft with three-day supply of fresh water and provisions. It may have occurred to them that the angel was sent by God for a purpose.He may have been sent to heal the child or to take the child’s soul and end his suffering. But now that the child had recovered completely, they did not see the use of the angel anymore. This is common for some religious people.They only seek divine guidance when in dire need of something. If an intense obstacle comes their way, they pray fervently or go to church often. Some also go to the church just to show to people that they are indeed religious. But when all is well, some tend to forget or do not see it necessary to pray or to go to church.The plan of disposing the angel forever did not push through after seeing the whole neighborhood gathered in front of the chicken coop, amused with the angel. More were coming every day.Elisenda decided to take advantage of the many curious people coming to see the angel. She began charging five cents for anybody who would like to view the angel.This is a similar reality in the Church. When apparitions or miracles are reported to happen in a certain location, there are some people who take advantage by soliciting financial donations or by distributing money envelopes through which donors are promised to be included in the prayers and will consequently be blessed.Most of the people who came to the courtyard wanted to verify the rumor about an angel. Upon seeing him as not meeting their physical expectations of an angel, they started to provoke him to prove himself that he does pass the standards of an angel. He was, however, non-responsive.He did not take offense of the things that were thrown to him. He only reac ted once teary-eyed when people burned his side with an iron for branding steers. He was not able to communicate with the people as he spoke in a language that they did not understand. The people, on the other hand, did not care to find any other means to communicate with him.They continued to be rude and started giving him names. If something appears to be out of the norms of the society like in how they dress or behave, they are most likely to experience maltreatment. The Church in the olden times displayed such behavior.For individuals who strayed away from the beliefs of the Church or who attempted to defy them, they were declared as excommunicates. Excommunicates were treated like people of lower stature, as outcasts or as criminals.A representative of the Church, Father Gonzaga, tried to identify him if he was really an angel. He tried to speak to him in Latin, the official language of God. But the angel did not seem to understand and spoke in a different dialect.Father Gonzag a instantly suspected an impostor upon noticing that he did not speak and understand Latin. Up close, he also saw him as much more human-like. He had the outdoor smell and his wings had been infested with parasites. He did not see him as an angel at all. Instead he said to the people, this may be a trick from the Devil.This, again, refers to the standard description of the Church on how a heavenly being was supposed to be. Just because the angel was not able to comprehend the so-called official language of God, he was concluded as not a person coming from God. He was instead declared to possibly come from somewhere else. There was no deeper investigation initiated as to what kind of dialect he was using.He was also judged based on how he smelled and his physical appearance. For someone who had been living with the chickens, there was no doubt as to how he could have acquired such characteristics. Anybody would not be able to maintain his magnificence under such conditions.To prove i f the angel was an impostor or not, Father Gonzaga had to write a letter to his bishop who would, in turn, write a letter to the Supreme Pontiff then the verdict will be obtained from the higher courts (Marquez 1). This set-up indicates that those from the lower ladder like Father Gonzaga do not have the power to judge what is religiously true as the ones above him.He would have to seek for the judgment elsewhere, perhaps from a place far away from where he was. Not being in the proximity of the event in question, there is a possibility for facts to be distorted or to be judged subjectively.The exchange of letters asking verifying questions would take time and not much urgency will come out from it. The answers given for these questions may be subjective or opinionated and may affect the final verdict altogether.As an angel, he was expected to have healing powers. A number of invalids and people who had health problems came to the courtyard. But the outcome became a comedy and peopl e branded the angel as someone with a mental disorder.A blind man seeking for sight grew three new teeth, a paralytic wanting to walk almost won the lottery and a leper sprouted sunflowers instead of sores (Marquez 1).Adding to the many other disproving evidence, Father Gonzaga and the people had finally settled to the fact that they have an impostor not an angel. He was then abandoned and forgotten entirely. The woman in the carnival who turned into a tarantula became more interesting and more worthy of their attention.Though nobody seemed to have gained interest anymore with the angel, Pelayo and Elisenda benefited so much from the admission fees they had collected. They were able to rebuild their house and bought new clothes. Though the angel had brought them so much, he was still left to live in the pen. Some people, though declaring themselves as religious, do not always return to others the blessings they had received.The angel became more of a nuisance. It was only the child who seemed to understand him and played with him. They did not realize or even cared that he was running a fever at night and singing chants under the stars. When he left, all they felt was relief that he was gone.  Marquez had left the interpretation of his use of magical realism to his readers. The story may look like a story for children but looking deeply, he was actually portraying reality.References:Marquez, Gabriel, Garcia. â€Å"A Very Old Man with Enromous Wings.† Short Story Classics. 2004. 29 March 2008. http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/garciamarquezoldman.html.Moore, Lindsay. â€Å"Magical Realism.† 1998. 29 March 2008. http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html.

Review of Monique and the Mango Rains

Review of Monique and the Mango Rains Monique and the Mango Rains is a memoir about a friendship that develops between Kris Holloway, and a midwife in the village of Nampossela, Mali. Kris Holloway served in the Peace Corps and was assigned for 2 years to be stationed in Mali. Kris was trained to â€Å"give health demonstrations, repair wells, build fuel-conserving stoves, plant trees, and protect the shoots from the ever hungry mouths of goats† (11). Kris meets and assists Monique Dembele in her struggle to improve health care for the women of this village and surrounding areas.Monique, having apprenticed for two years as a midwife, and studied for nine months in a health services program, is the only health worker in the village. She performs prenatal consultations, gives health demonstrations, births babies, administers vaccinations, solves the health problems she can treat and is forced to accept the fate of those who suffer from more serious illnesses and have no access t o further medical care. But not only is Kris helping Monique, they develop a relationship that becomes a very real friendship as their lives intertwine and Monique brings Kris into the circle of her family.Despite all the things that might make it difficult, these two women create a partnership as they both try to better the lives of the women and children in the village. Women of Mali In Mali, the women’s role is to be confined to her home and yard. A Malian woman is first and foremost valued in her roles of spouse and mother. Placement into these family roles starts early; young girls are expected to help with housework and look after younger siblings. The women of Mali have arranged marriages from an early age.And even though they are arranged, the husbands are usually married to other women also. Irreconcilable differences like lack of communication, spousal incompatibility, and unhappiness between marriage partners are some of the things Monique complains about. She has more education than her husband Franois, she speaks a different language than he, and came from a much different city than the one he grew up in. As Kris gets to know Monique better, she learns of her friend's deep unhappiness with her marriage.Monique also reveals that she's having an affair with the man she would have married, had the cultural practice of arranged marriage not existed. The village of Nampossela has a clinic and birthing house. Monique was able to help the mother’s in the prenatal stages and the birthing process, teach them how to clean water, make baby food and wash their hands to stay clean and prevent the spreading of germs. She weighted the babies to show the mothers if their children were in a healthy weight range or if they were in the dangers of being malnourished.She could provide some vaccinations and administer first aid to wounds. Women of Mali faced many health risks. Since women were to have many children they were at danger during childbirth. à ¢â‚¬Å"I knew that Mali had one of the highest rates of maternal death in the world. I’d read a sobering statistic that placed a Malian women’s lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth around one in twelve, compared to a women’s risk of one in over three thousand† (8). Excessive bleeding, straining after pregnancies, unsanitary conditions are some of the risks for women.Female genital cutting (FGC), was common amongst the women in Mali. At a young age they experience the cutting of their genital area, because they are not to experience pleasure during intercourse. This process is painful. It causes problems with childbirth, urinating, sitting comfortably and even death. It is often used with an instrument that is not sanitized and can cause the spread of diseases. The most troubling threat to the women was spousal abuse. â€Å"The lantern light was dim, but I could see that one side was swollen, her eye half closed with puffy tissue.She met my st are, lowered her gaze, and quickly draped the scarf back over† (51). The practice of arranged marriage usually led to close-knit families in Nampossela, but Korotun's defiance by marrying against her family's wishes left her stranded without any relatives to turn to in her time of need. Another danger to women that existed was rape. â€Å"He forced you? Yes, she shrugged. It was painful and then it was over† (130). Holloway finds it difficult to tell her friend of her own similar memory.Despite the difference in the ways these two address this subject of rape, it is heartbreaking that women from two completely different worlds are able to find a common ground in the act of rape. All of these risks to the women of Mali happen to the women in America as well. And shows that even from two different worlds, it seems things are not so different. Cultural Relativism No culture is superior or inferior to any other. Kris had to accept the differences about Mali without judging them or believing that her culture was the right way things should be done.Kris knew it was wrong and against women’s basic human rights to have their genital’s cut. Monique couldn’t believe that Kris hadn’t had her genitals cut. â€Å"I have never met a women like you, who has not gone through koloboli. I thought every woman had it† (114). She did not think it was right that the women of Mali were victims of domestic violence, physical violence or of rape. She felt that all children should be receiving adequate health care and that women should have the right to take contraceptives to not want to have anymore children. But this was apart of their culture.And it was up to them to change these problems. And that was what Monique wanted and was trying to do. Conclusion I really like this book. It is a personal story in an international setting about women who inspire and succeed. Kris Holloway's book is easy to read and has a perfect blend of her ref lections of her Peace Corps experience, her romance, Malian village life, Monique's individual life, and the care of women in the village of Nampossela. This book has funny moments that made me laugh, moments where I felt sorrow, and stories of the goodness in people that made me hopeful for humanity.Holloway's friendship with Monique is at the heart of this book and it is tender, inspirational, educational and heartbreaking. It is because of the relationship of these two women, who are from very different backgrounds, and have become such good friends that this book works. I feel like I get to see Monique through Holloway's book and can see how selfless, giving, strong, smart, and funny she was. I would recommend this book for anyone who is wanting to know about the culture in different parts of the world.

Snowdrops by Leslie Norris Essays

Snowdrops by Leslie Norris Essays Snowdrops by Leslie Norris Paper Snowdrops by Leslie Norris Paper Essay Topic: Literature In Snowdrops, the author, Leslie Norris, present a childs of the world around him and the way that adults can protect children from sad and upsetting experiences. The story appears to be about a boy and his day at primary school. His teacher, Miss Webster promised the class that they could all go outside and look at the Snowdrops. Whilst they are looking, a funeral procession passes the school, one which the boys parents were discussing the tragic death of a motorcyclist. The author refers indirectly by using hints and clues to the fact that the motorcyclist was in love with the boys teacher. The boy learns that his teacher is, along with the Snowdrops, not what they are made out to be. He has great expectations of the Snowdrops however, when he does see them he realises that they are not anything special. He notices that Miss Webster appears to be hard on the outside, however, soft in the middle appearing to be tough to every one else but revealing that she really does have feelings. We know this because the boy notices how brave Miss Webster was when she trapped her hand in the cupboard door he is amazed that she did not cry. He then notices that at her boyfriends funeral procession that she was very brave yet again. The author uses child like language to shape the story and its meaning: For example, when the boy was describing how his brother was eating the porridge Norris used language that sounded as though it were coming from the tongue of a child itself a form of a list, as in: Then he did this, then he did that and so on, like a young child would do when they were describing something to an adult around them. There are a lot of direct or vivid sentences, those that are simple and easy for a child to understand. For example: The Boy Nodded. Line 186 and The Boy Drew A Robin Line 103. Miss Webster describes the Snowdrops as being asleep throughout the summer, underneath the ground! The boy believes that this is the key to understanding the world around him. It also symbolises the renewal of life that comes in the spring. The story has a main symbol in it: The snowdrop symbolising an emblem of new life. Throughout the story the boy builds up an excitement and suspense as he waits to see the snowdrops, and it is finally rewarded when he actually sees the flowers. (When this happens the boy has a climax of mixed emotions: i. e. he sees them as both resilient and fragile. This also represents how things are portrayed differently through the eyes of a child and how emotions are magnified or amplified, in effect. ) The boy notices that the snowdrops bend and survive even the most bitter winter weather, and they come back every year, burning with life, ready for the spring. All of this represents the determination and willpower that some humans actually have, and how they can bounce back after being knocked off their feet. This is exactly what the boy sees Miss Webster do she makes her hand bleed by shutting it in the door and she had to have a bandage but she did not cry. He also sees how brave she was when she was watching the funeral procession we suspect that he is amazed at how she can shrug off the things that weigh her down, in effect. The end of the story is very significant as Miss Webster reveals her emotions by crying out loud in front of the children: Miss Webster continued to cry aloud in the midst of the frightened children This proves, in effect, the boys theory of that his teacher is hard on the outside an soft in the middle as she finally shows her emotions to her dead boyfriends funeral procession, and so proves to the world that children portray things differently and not everyone, including life, is what its made out to be.

Rite of Passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rite of Passage - Essay Example Ceremonies are very important during rites of passage as they help in the preparing an individual on how to adjust to different changes in their life. Besides the rites of passage being marked by the four stages of human life, it also takes the form of professional progress in life. This is indicated by graduation ceremonies that mark the end of educational progress in order to get into the job market. During the rites of passage, marriage is one of human life stages that mark a remarkable change in human life. This is because it involves making a choice of getting into a family commitment. Many societies across the globe celebrate marriage ceremonies. One of the societies that adore marriage is the Hinduism. This is depicted by the harmonious ceremonies they perform. Hindu marriage is understood as a rite of passage in which separation from the previous stage is marked by transition. The ceremony is accompanied by rituals in which integration into new roles of the social world is ma rked symbolically by a ring. Hindu marriage Hindus believe that life is sacred thus every step of their life from childhood to adulthood is marked by traditional ceremonies. Their ceremonies performed during the rites of passage are called the samskara. This marks ending point of one stage of life to the other. ... Samskara ceremony is mostly performed in the church where the couples and the people attending the ceremony surround the Homa fire. In the occasion, the couples are allowed to make a lifetime vows. In addition, they also make seven steps before God in order to be consecrated as a holy union (Das 5). Turner's model of the ritual process Turner was an anthropologist who noted that virtually every society in the world uses ceremonies to mark the transition in social status of people. The rites of passage are meant to validate chances in the individual status. This helps in the transformation of events that ranges from birth, adolescence, parenthood and finally death. He discovered that rites of passage from different societies across the world share similar characteristics. He considers a rite of passage as an activity symbolizing the crossing from old threshold of life into a new social world. Van Gennep, on the other hand, observed the rite of passage as a change in the social positio n which increases with an individual’s age. He identifies that every rite of passage is marked by separation, transition and reintegration (Das 5). Separation is the phase that is identified by symbolic behaviors of people in the society. It indicates how people detach themselves from their earlier fixed state of social structure or cultural diversity. Liminality, on the other hand, is characterized by the ambiguity of the ritual subject in the society. Individuals pass through a culture that has no attribute to the past and the future generation. In addition, reaggregation is the rite of passage that is consummated. In this phase,

Issues Surrounding the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor Research Paper

Issues Surrounding the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor - Research Paper Example This paper explores the issues surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was to deprive America of its naval strength so that Japan could easily expand into China and the Dutch East Indies. The nature of attack When the interests of a country are threatened, its government and military forces can go to any lengths to take measures to neutralize those threats. Same happened with Japan whose expansion in China was threatened by the placement of the oil embargo upon her by America. The US Military essentially served as a threat for Japan’s interests, and so Japan acted to neutralize them. History provides evidence that America herself has acted in similar ways to expand. For example, the Mexican people and the indigenous people of America were eradicated from the land so that the Americans could achieve their manifest destiny. Although the assassination of the American servicemen in the Pearl Harbor attack is tragic, yet the Pearl Harb or attack by Japan seems justified from an impartial standpoint. Lack of war declaration One argument that is consistently raised against Japan on the Pearl Harbor attack is that the attack was undeclared. Japan made a sneak attack rather than declaring a war formally simply because she wanted to win. It was not a kind of war in which Japan wanted to show its power or uplift its ego that she would feel the need to challenge America upfront. Instead, all Japan wanted was to oust a country that was intruding into her plans of expansion, and Japan would choose any way to achieve that because accomplishment of her plans mattered the most. Saying that the attack was illegal does not make sense because law and war are two terms that do not go with each other. Anticipation of war Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was meant directed at the neutralization of the US Pacific Fleet, so that Japan’s advancement into the Dutch East Indies and Malaya that would provide Japan with access to a range of natural resources including rubber and oil could be ensured. Both America and Japan were aware of the possibility of war because of the growing tensions between the two countries since 1920s, though the invasion of Manchuria by Japan in 1931 marked the beginning of the most complicated terms between America and Japan. â€Å"The U.S. did not want to take military action in China, but it attempted to influence the foreign powers to take a strong stand against Japan† (Perkins, 1997, p. 111). During the 1930s, Japan’s continued expansion into China led to the commencement of war between Japan and China in 1937. The attack Nanking Massacre caused by Japan and her attack on the USS Panay increased the fear of Japanese expansion in the West and sharply turned the people of the West against Japan. As a result of the growing pressure from the people, the UK, France, and America resolved to provide China with loan assistance for the supply contracts related to war . In 1940, Japan tried to control the supplies that reached China by invading French Indochina (Gin, 2004, p. 651), but the shipment of machine tools, airplanes, aviation gasoline, and parts were halted by America. Japan understandably thought of it as an unfriendly act by America. However, to dilute the perceived unfriendliness by Japan, America continued to export oil to Japan. This was done, in part, because stopping oil export was perceived as an extreme step in Washington and was enough to provoke Japan. The ideological affinity between Britain and America was unquestionable in 1939, but large swathes of the American media and public were