NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION - Essay Example This strategy will look useful when it is evident to one party that there are specific laws regarding the matter. In addition, it is clear that the other party is not willing to accommodate the interests of the party. Thus, if it is seen that the cost and time involved in litigation are worth putting in considering the issue, the party may resort to litigation. For example, a serious breach of contract often calls for litigation in the form of a lawsuit. On the other hand, mediation is rather voluntary in nature and hence, it has no binding impact on the parties involved. Mediation requires the help of an impartial third party acceptable to all the parties involved. The benefit is that the decision is quick, and satisfactory to all the parties involved. This helps save cost and time. As is seen, the benefit of mediation is that the parties control the outcome unlike arbitration and litigation. So, it is highly useful in areas like renegotiating the various aspects of an existing agre ement. The fact is that there is no point in dragging such an issue to a court or litigator causing unnecessary delay and complexity. Both the parties fully understand the fact that the interests of the other party should also be accommodated in order to continue the agreement. In such situations, it is seen that the parties will use negotiation as the best strategy. Similarly, it is sometimes necessary to negotiate an agreement when two parties come together to form a new business venture. In such a situation, there is no point in depending on litigation and arbitration. In order to reach a solution which satisfies the interests of all the parties involved, the best strategy adopted is mediation. Arbitration involves solving a dispute with the help of a knowledgeable third party. This is binding on the parties, and most of the time, the decisions will not be reviewed by a court. That means the parties are surrendering their right for resolution through courts when they resort to ar bitration. The bright side of arbitration is that there are no formal pleading rules, and it is easier to communicate industry practices and complex damage models to a knowledgeable arbitrator than to a jury. In addition, it helps save time and cost involved in litigation and consequent appeal. It is seen that arbitration is the most effective strategy when the issues are consumer-related or industry-internal subjects. The mere fact is that when there is a dispute between a business and a consumer, there is no point in resorting to mediation if the parties feel that the interests of the other parties in the dispute do not need to be entertained. In such cases, the issue is better handled by an arbitrator who is knowledgeable in the area. Admittedly, this is useful when the issue can only be solved by a person or a board with knowledge in the industry. 2. I would like to have two-step dispute resolution clauses included in the agreement. It seems necessary to have mediation or negoti ation as the step before arbitration because they are less time consuming and more effective. Also, this gives both the parties a chance to listen to the position of the other party, and may give valuable insight about the weakness in ones own position. Anyway, as Friedland (2007, Ch 7) points out, it is necessary to have negotiation regarding the acceptability of mediators, negotiator, the binding nature

The Berlin Wall-Why did it come up Why did it go down Research Paper

The Berlin Wall-Why did it come up Why did it go down - Research Paper Example During the pre-war period, Eastern bloc’s authoritarian systems and erosion of political powers in pro-Soviet governments led to circumventing and defection of 3.5 million East Germans into the West where they could travel to other areas and neighboring countries. As a result, to strengthen the Eastern bloc emigration and defection restrictions; where legal migrations was in most cases meant to reunite families or when members of the minority groups were to return to their homelands (Mur, p.7), led to the construction of the Berlin Wall. The wall was intended to restrict movement which together with the Inner German Border, which was more separate and longer, help in implementing the emigration policy between the Eastern Block and West Europe. Reasons for Construction After the World War II, Germany was divided in to four occupation zones which were based on different social and economic ideologies from four allied powers such as United States France, United Kingdom and the So viet Union; whose ideological differences led to further political divisions in the economy. For instance, the Soviet Union expected to undermine the British position within their occupation zones with an aim of directly influencing the United States to withdraw from their positions to a point that nothing would stand along their communist rule. This would later be followed by establishment of Marxism-Leninism system with the major communism party required to channel down Soviet orders down the administrative apparatus; leading to nationalization of property and industries in East Germany Zone, and this led to internal wrangles within the zone and those of the allied powers (Major, p.2). This led to massive emigration of people from East Germany to the west; with creation of an elaborate police force and administration that was to oversee indoctrination of Marxism systems which were introduced in the school curricula and close surveillance of the implementation. In case of violation of the stated communism lines, punishments such as imprisonments, torture and death would apply and reprimands for the persons outside the public attention; which instigated the need to control movement of the people out of East Germany, and to protect the interests of the new communism establishment (Maltz, p.7), the wall had to be created. This was also influenced by the 1950’s Soviet approach of controlling the emigration and national movements; which presented a quandary for some Eastern blocs that were more economically advanced and those that were liberalized, which led to many citizens escaping the East for the West. By 1961, German Democratic Republic wanted to de-Nazify their occupation zone and to promote socialism system as means of public policy and development, which could only be achieved by restricting movement of people with different ideologies in to the zone and thus the construction. In addition, emigrants seemed young and well educated and the East German y officials feared â€Å"brain drain†; leaving for political reasons of communism at the expense of economic expectations by the East Germany would ruin their socialism agenda thus they needed to be controlled. Contraventions by the Soviet Union in and other allied powers in a bid to take full control of East Germany such as the closure of the Inner German Border and

Coursebook And Materials Evaluation English Language Essay

Coursebook And Materials Evaluation English Language Essay Introduction English language holds a great significance in Pakistan. It is the second language of our country yet enjoys the status of first language. It is the medium of instruction in the institutions of higher education and is widely used on radio and television in the country. Several newspapers, periodicals and books on different subjects are published in English. It is the official language of all the government departments and private organizations in Pakistan. Most importantly, our body of law is codified in English and the knowledge of English is considered to be essential for getting good jobs as exams and interviews for civil services, armed forces and other attractive posts are conducted in this language. The inevitability of English, not only in Pakistan but in the whole world, lies in its dominance in the three major areas of development: science, humanities and trade. Keeping in view the importance and the need to learn this language, Cunningsworth (1984:5) highlights three main perspectives on English Language Teaching as follows: The students need to learn the language to use it for communicative purposes It needs to be taught as a system of grammar and vocabulary in structural perspective The learners need to develop their four basic skills-reading, writing, listening and speaking in this language ELT materials play a very important role in many language classrooms but in recent years there has been a lot of debate on the actual role of materials in teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language. A successful course book requires a working balance between the three perspectives mentioned above. Arguments about the textbooks include both the advantages and the limitations of materials for students as well as the needs and preferences of teachers who are using them. Other modern issues regarding material evaluation include textbook design and practicality, methodological validity, the role of textbooks in innovation, the authenticity and the appropriateness of subject matter, and cultural components. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that we establish and apply a wide variety of relevant and contextually appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbooks that we use in our language classrooms. This paper aims at an analytical study of a published ELT course book (Stepping Forward) with regards to its underpinning approach and methodological principles to be drawn through an external as well internal evaluation of the book. LITERATURE REVIEW 1- Importance of Textbooks in ELT context: English language instruction has many important components but the essential constituents of many ESL/EFL classrooms and programs are the textbooks and instructional materials that are often used by language instructors. As in their argument to prove textbooks affective agents of change, Hutchinson and Torres (1994) suggest: The textbook is an almost universal element of teachingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦No teaching-learning situation, it seems, is complete until it has its relevant textbook. (p. 315). Many other theorists agree with this observation as Sheldon (1988) states that textbooks not only represent the visible heart of any ELT program (p.237) but also offer considerable advantages for both the student and the teacher when they are being used in the ESL/EFL classroom. Moreover, he believes that published materials are more reliable for the students because they have more credibility than teacher-generated or in-house materials. Textbooks yield a respectable practicality as they are relatively inexpensive and involve low lesson preparation time, whereas teacher-generated materials can be ineffective in terms of time, cost and quality. In this way, textbooks can reduce professional workload and allow teachers the opportunity to spend more time in concentrating on the material available instead of arranging for a new one every time. As Hutchinson and Torres (1994) point out that textbooks play a pivotal role in innovation and support teachers in potentially disturbing and threatening change processes, for they demonstrate new methodologies, introduce change gradually, and create a framework upon which teachers can build a more creative methodology of their own. 2- Reasons for Textbook Evaluation: Since the 1970s there has been a movement to make learners the center of language instruction and it is probably best to view textbooks as resources in achieving aims and objectives that have already been set in terms of learner needs. Therefore, we must make every effort to establish and apply a wide variety of relevant and contextually appropriate criteria for the evaluation of the textbooks that we use in our language classrooms. We should also ensure that careful selection is made, and that the materials selected closely reflect the aims, methods, and values of the teaching program. (Cunningsworth, 1995:7). Another reason for textbook evaluation is the fact that it can be very useful in teacher development and professional growth. Cunningsworth (1995) states that textbook evaluation helps teachers to acquire useful, accurate, systematic, and contextual insights into the overall nature of textbook material. Sheldon (1988) offers justification through several other reasons for textbook evaluation. He suggests that the selection of an ELT textbook often signals an important administrative and educational decision with considerable financial investment. A thorough evaluation, therefore, would enable the management and teaching staff of a specific institution to choose amongst all of the available textbooks in the market. Moreover, it would provide a sense of familiarity with a books content assisting the educators to compare it with the strengths and weaknesses in textbooks already in use. Textbook evaluation, therefore, can potentially be a means of conducting research as well as a form of professional empowerment and improvement. 3- Methods of Evaluating Textbooks: On the subject of textbook evaluation various researchers have suggested ways of helping teachers to be more systematic in their evaluative approach, by presenting evaluation checklists based on general criteria that can be used by both teachers and students in many different situations. Although Sheldon (1988) suggests that no general list of criteria can ever really be applied to all teaching and learning contexts without considerable modification. Thats why, almost all the educational theorists agree that evaluation checklists should be having some criteria pertaining to the physical characteristics of textbooks such as layout, organizational, usable and logistical characteristics. Thus, in this regard, the evaluative criteria presented by McDonough and Shaw (1997), is most suitable and applicable in any ELT context. The model of evaluation offered by McDonough and Shaw (1997) consists of two stages: (A) External evaluation and (B) Internal evaluation. They believe that the teachers should perform an external evaluation first of all in order to gain an overview of the organizational principles involved. After this they should move onto a detailed internal evaluation of the materials to see how far the materials in question match up to what the author claims as well as to the aims and objectives of a given teaching program. Thus, the next section of this paper will present an external as well as internal analysis of an ELT course book (Stepping Forward) based on McDonough and Shaws (1997) model of evaluation. TEXTBOOK ANALYSIS: AN EVALUATIVE STUDY 1- Key Facts about the Book-Authors and Publishers: One of the most useful starting points in any textbook evaluation is an analysis of the authors and publishers details. The authors of Stepping Forward are Heather Jones and Robyn Mann and the publisher is a well-established company based in Singapore, EPB Pan Pacific publishers, a trademark of Times Publishing Limited. Ample information about the publishing company such as the contact address, telephone and fax numbers can be found on the inside front cover. Moreover, information about the authors formal education, amounts and types of teaching, administration, and curriculum/syllabus and materials development experience is also given which presents a clear picture of the authors having a recognized standing in the field of education and a strong reputation for producing innovative materials. 2- Target Audience and Proficiency Level: Stepping Forward by Heather Jones and Robyn Mann comprises a series of textbooks. The book under analysis has been designed for the students of grade six belonging to an age group of around eleven years. The book includes challenging topics, chosen especially for the interest level of the target students. The topics like My Family, Growing Up, Dinosaurs, Tourism, and Science Fiction etc are highly attractive and motivating for the learners. 3- Cost Effectiveness: Another important factor that relates to the choice of a textbook is cost. Some might feel that price is not necessarily an important factor in textbook evaluation, but the fact that most ESL/EFL textbooks are published and manufactured in wealthy English-speaking nations such as England and the United States but used in many less-developed nations like Pakistan suggests that price should play a pertinent role in textbook selection. This is particularly the case in countries in which the economic conditions are somewhat less than desirable and many students with limited incomes are required to purchase the books for language courses. In this case, Stepping Forward is also a little expensive as it costs Rs.365/-, however, the printing standard and paper quality worth the price. 4- Accessibility and Availability: Some additional concerns regarding external evaluation are accessibility and availability. In order to be purchasable for a textbook, it must be currently in print and readily available. Moreover, the publisher should be accessible for additional information, teaching demonstrations, and order requests. At first glance it would seem that Stepping Forward meets many of these requirements for it is a relatively new book that was most recently published in 1995 and then reprinted every year till 2007. Moreover, representatives from the publisher (EPB Pan Pacific) can be easily contacted for ordering information and assistance. 5- Audio-Visual Aids and Supplementary Materials: The book contains several charts, models, and photographs that help clarify and contextualize information. The presence of real life pictures portrays a friendly and motivating atmosphere. The pictures are not merely added for a cosmetic effect, they are rather of an integrative value that they help explaining the theme to the learners. In addition, Stepping Forward contains an excellent package of supplementary materials including items such as classroom tape cassettes or CDs, a student workbook, and a teachers guide. More specifically, the teachers guide includes useful page-by-page instructions, teaching suggestions and instructional input, lesson notes, optional tasks and alternatives, classroom management advice, language notes, general notes about the task and cultural data, expansion activities and game ideas, tests, answer keys, transcripts for listening activities, and opportunities for teacher reflection. The student workbook, on the other hand, provides review exercises an d a variety of practice exercises that help the development of students proficiency in grammar, reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary, and speaking and has enormous potential for classroom use or for home assignments. 6- Overall Organization of Textbook: The layout and design of a textbook refers to its organization and presentation of language items and activities. In Stepping Forward, for instance, the learning objectives are clear and concise and a detailed overview of the topics, functions, structures/grammar, and skills within each unit can be found in the introductory table of contents. The book follows a thematic/modular format as the course components are effectively and clearly organized in six thematic sections: Personal relations, Nature, Community and Nation, Imagination, Science and Technology and Other people. Four sections contain three units each and two include two units each, which makes it a sum total of sixteen units. 7- Authors Claims- the Methodological Principles underpinning the Book: One of the most important and essential criterion that pertains to the overall textbook evaluation is the authors approach to teaching methodology. Brown (1995) and Cunningsworth (1995) suggest that it is absolutely essential in evaluating any textbook to determine whether or not its inherent methodology matches the aims and objectives and conforms to the classroom context. The simplest and quickest way for initially discovering a textbooks theoretical premises and methodological underpinnings is to examine its back cover (the blurb). So, a closer examination of Stepping Forwards back cover reveals that the authors (Heather Jones and Robyn Mann) claim to adhere to the Communicative Approach and the textbook contains a multi-skills curriculum and follows a topical/functional format. The book also tends to focus on both accurate and fluent communication emphasizing linguistic as well as communicative value of the topics. The promotion of integrated language-skills practice and the incl usion of topical themes, grammatical structures and functions, as well as lexical development are focused. Particular emphasis is placed on meaningful and authentic communication with the goal of establishing communicative competence in production and comprehension as the authors state in the blurb, students as well as teachers will find Stepping Forward an exciting and stimulating language learning experience, one that will result in the learners being competent and confident users of the English language. Moreover, many of the pair and group activities such as role-playing and information-gap tasks are claimed to facilitate learning through genuine interaction and the language skills and sub-skills are presented and practiced through the use of both inductive and deductive approaches. 8- Cultural Biases: The book under analysis, Stepping Forward, can be termed as culturally biased or specific in some regards, for the names of people and places as well as pictures are mostly taken from the Singaporean culture. For example, the travel brochure given on page 131-133 in the textbook, particularly informs about places in Singapore and Malaysia. Similarly, on page 130 the listening activity talks about Hotel Mirimar in Singapore. Moreover, the writing task on page 135 requires drawing the map of Singapore and the pictures shown on page 129 and 149 have also been taken from real life situations in Singapore. 9- Universal Context: Nevertheless, in spite of certain cultural specific data, Stepping Forward, has a universal appeal and generates in a world-wide context. Because the activities and tasks designed around this culturally bound material are not confined to any geographical boundary. Thus, they can be carried out in any context throughout the world. (B) INTERNAL EVALUATION-Units 8 and 9: Since the external evaluation displays a positive image of the book, therefore, an internal evaluation needs to be executed further. The following discussion is going to evaluate the book internally with particular reference to the units 8 and 9. 1- Grading and Sequencing of Materials: The materials in Stepping Forward are organized in a linear sequence within the units of the book. Every unit begins with a Preview of the topic for eliciting the learners background knowledge and activating their schemata. Then, the four language skills are presented and practised in a systematic manner moving from listening to speaking and then reading to writing with grammar and vocabulary coming between the reading and writing activities. The authors truly claimed in the blurb that the book follows a communicative approach which is achieved through task-based learning (TBL). Such an approach creates a need for learners to acquire new language through the setting of tasks that require them to carry out and struggle through a communicative task, before going on to focus on specific language items that the students find difficult or problematic. The communicative tasks such as (in units 8 and 9) working on persuasive travel brochures, completing the crosswords, playing grammar-games, filling in the tables, making cards or using thesaurus and library tend to stimulate interaction as well as require the use of language items. These tasks not only intended to introduce language forms through authentic material but also engage the learners in truly meaningful and effective communication such as negotiation of meaning and ideas. 2- Presentation of the Language Skills: Stepping Forward is a multi-skills syllabus and therefore covers and integrates both productive (speaking and writing) and receptive skills (listening and reading). The authors advocate an integrated, multi-skills syllabus because it considers and incorporates several categories of both meaning and form. A more positive characteristic of the integrated syllabus within Stepping Forward is the fact that the linguistic elements of the textbook such as grammar and vocabulary items are closely connected to the skills-base. So, as the grammar element and the vocabulary base become more demanding, the skills work also gets more challenging. An internal evaluation of the book reveals that material used for each skill becomes more complex as the units progress. An in-depth analysis of the treatment of language skills in units 8 and 9 is presented below. (i) Listening: Listening activities are designed in Stepping Forward for practicing such sub-skills as making predictions, extracting specific items (scanning/listening for detail), acquiring general information (skimming/listening for gist), extracting detailed information, recognizing function and discourse patterns/markers, and for inferring meaning from context. Every unit in the book deals with a different sub-skill in listening. For instance, in unit 8 the learners are supposed to listen for making inferences about the speakers statements as being persuasive or not. However, in unit 9 the students are made to listen for specific information in order to clarify meaning and make corrections. (ii) Speaking: Speaking practice, in this book, is integrated with other language skills. Every time after presenting a Preview of the topic the learners are given discussion questions for the activation of schemata. Then they are required to talk about the information they gather while listening activities. For example, on page 130, the description of the listening task ends on the note: Be prepared to argue your opinion later!. Moreover, after or while doing most of the reading and writing tasks, the learners are required to discuss the information in pairs or groups. For instance, in unit 8 (page 140) after reading a poem the learners are moved on to a speaking task of verse speaking in groups. Similarly, in unit 9 (page 160), the students are required to perform a role-play after reading a dialogue and on page 166 questions for class discussion are given within a writing activity of creating cards. Such tasks match the authors claim in the blurb: Stepping Forward provides numerous activities to enable students to work individually, in pairs, groups as well as class discussion. This provides scope for creative thinking and critical discussion. Speaking tasks and discussions are intended to involve the students in active information sharing, freer cooperative group tasks, and other types of exercises designed to encourage communication skills as they allow the students to extend, refine, and personalize the material they have practised in each unit. (iii) Reading: Reading activities in Stepping Forward are designed to practise sub-skills such as reading for detail or for skimming, scanning, inferring etc. In every unit, reading tasks are divided into two sections: Fiction and Non-fiction. In unit 8, the section of non-fiction contains activities around a travel brochure and the fiction section deals with reading a poem. While in unit 9, non-fiction reading is designed around a feature article and fiction reading presents a dramatic play script. Moreover, in order to expose the learners to the reading material beyond the course book, they are also asked to use thesaurus and library (pg 143, 164, 165). These tasks provide a practice of reading for detail, for meaning and for ideas. Reading activities in every unit follow the practice on grammar and vocabulary further leading to the writing tasks. (iv) Writing: Writing activities in Stepping Forward typically ask students to perform tasks of various kinds such as descriptions, narratives, postcards, reviews, letters etc. It can be suggested, therefore, that the writing skills in Stepping Forward are based on both product and process approaches. Essentially, a product-oriented approach centers on the end-result of writing, whereas a process-oriented approach centers on the process of writing itself. In addition, product-oriented approaches typically engage learners in imitating, copying and transforming models of correct language texts while process-oriented approaches emphasize brainstorming, planning, drafting, revision, and editing. The writing task given in unit 8 (pg 145-146) is based on process approach in which the learners have to write a travel brochure by gathering and organizing information and then revising and editing the first draft. However, in unit 9, the writing activity is designed around the product approach in which the students will be working towards an end-product-the greeting card that they have to create. Despite their differences, both approaches to the teaching of writing skills have their advantages. Product writing, for example, emphasizes sentence structure and grammar and is often utilized as an excellent means of preparing students for written examinations. The process approach, on the other hand, prepares them for the complex procedure involved in writing compositions. For these reasons, the authors of Stepping Forward have included activities that incorporate both product and process approaches of writing in this particular textbook. 3- Different Learning Styles-Self-study: Another interesting feature of this book is the website (www.panpaceducation.com) that has been designed to accompany the textbook. The integration of the personal computer and information technology to language learning is becoming increasingly commonplace in many institutions and it seems as though the authors and publishers of Stepping Forward are well aware of this growing phenomenon. In this particular case the publishers have developed an accompanying web-site that teachers can use to find Internet links to professional articles and that students can use to gain additional practice with the material covered in the textbook. This web-site can be used as a useful teaching and learning tool as it provides teachers with assistance in professional development and also provides students with an opportunity to become increasingly self-reliant and less teacher-dependent. Moreover, the promotion of student self-directed study is integral in allowing students to become increasingly aware of their own abilities to remember, learn, and solve problems and more strategic and reflective in their learning, thinking, and problem solving. 4- Language Type and Content: Language type and content refers to whether the language included in the materials is realistic and authentic and what type of linguistic items are evident in the book. In terms of grammatical structures and functions, Stepping Forward places much emphasis on grammatical accuracy and repetition of structures and functions. Grammar and vocabulary are organized into separate sections in each unit. In unit 8, grammar section deals with pronouns and in unit 9 it provides a practice of simple present and present perfect tense. The section of vocabulary also includes thesaurus use in every unit, so that the students can build on new vocabulary on their own. A fair weightage given to grammar and vocabulary in the book justifies the authors claims as it is stated on the back cover of the book: a wide range of grammar and vocabulary exercises are especially designed to help students acquire the necessary language skills and vocabulary to discuss and write on the topic in each unit. The author s believe that correct knowledge of grammar and functions are an essential aspect of communicative competence and they have adopted the task-based learning technique as a means of accomplishing their objectives. Since the introduction of the Communicative Approach to language teaching in the 1970s and 80s, there has been a growing school of thought that says that authentic reading, speaking, listening, writing, and grammatical language models should be used to teach English language skills as long as the activities or tasks associated with them are also authentic and suitably graded to the level of the students with whom they are being used. Whereas, many researchers belonging to another school of thought believe that authentic content can often create a number of difficulties and problems for students who are lacking in the proper cultural background knowledge or schemata to properly comprehend a messages meaning and content. Moreover, the selection of authentic texts is frequently quite difficult and challenging and a students inability to understand a text can be extremely demoralizing and de-motivating in some instances. Thats why, Stepping Forward presents a combination of both authenti c and inauthentic/scripted materials to ensure the success of the book. CONCLUSION The preceding analysis shows that Stepping Forward is a relatively modern addition to ELT supermarket. The external and internal evaluation traces out a number of notable and worthwhile characteristics of the book. For example, the entire textbook package is well conceived and it contains a wide variety of useful supplementary materials. The book is also very attractive and organized in a clear, logical, and coherent manner. This organization reflects a topic-based (thematic) structural-functional syllabus that is designed with the goal of facilitating communicative competence which is the underpinning objective of the book. In addition, Stepping Forward reflects a multi-skills syllabus, and manages to integrate the four language skills without neglecting other important aspects of ELT such as grammar and vocabulary development which is aimed at integrating the communicative and structural approaches of language teaching. In addition, receptive and productive skills are covered throu gh a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies such as top-down and bottom-up listening and reading exercises and both product and process oriented approaches to writing skills. According to the evaluative model presented by McDonough and Shaw (1997), a successful external evaluation moves onto the internal study and satisfactory results of the internal evaluation further lead towards the adoption/selection of the book. Thus, the positive outcomes of both types of evaluation, validity of the authors claims and its suitability to the learners needs make Stepping Forward a fairly recommendable product for an effective instruction in the dynamic field of English Language Teaching. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦far from being a problem, the textbook is an important means of satisfying the range of needs that emerge from the classroom and its wider context. Education is a complex and messy matter, what a textbook does is to create a degree of order within potential chaosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦around which many forces and demands of teaching-learning process can cohereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦for purposeful action in the classroom.

Homework :: Teaching Education

Homework Is it not amazing that in today’s society students must not only spend seven hours in school doing work, but then they must go home to spend another five or six hours doing homework? Their grades are not improving enough to make a difference, and they are becoming extremely unhealthy. Not only does the average student suffer from sleep deprivation but many times malnutrition and emotional breakdowns. These are all caused by the over assigning of homework outside of school. How much homework is there really? Some say that for every hour spent in class a high school student should spend at least and hour doing homework and studying for that particular class. Well considering that a student would have to wake up by 6 a.m. and does not get home until around 2:30 p.m. there just are not enough hours in a day. Seven hours of school would be seven more hours out of school this would mean that if the students came home from school, they would have to works non stop from 2:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. every day. This may not seem bad until a person realizes that in today’s world, the average student has at least one or two activities a week. The students may not be home until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening, if not later and then would be required to stay up until 1:00 a.m. doing homework. This is ridiculous. This homework causes sleep deprivation; without sleep it is almost impossible for the body to function. A student could easily become ill. With only five hours of sleep, a student is less likely to wake up in the morning, causing many tardies in school. If the students become sick they will miss even more school and the makeup homework will begin to pile up. This makeup work adds hours to the regular work. Eventually the student will become so tired and ill that the stress will become unbearable. The average teenager in the year 2000 is already subject to extreme stress. This stress exemplifies with sleep deprivation and illness. Stress is an amazingly powerful thing. Any student can become stressed but with more and more homework begin added into everyday schedules, the stress factor can increase severely, causing students to become tired, irritable, ill, depressed, and even to have emotional breakdowns.

Hawk Roosting Critical Essay

Hawk Roosting: Critical Essay Kieran Mooney Task: Choose a poem which is a specific poetic form. Show how the particular form helped your appreciation of the ideas and/or feelings which the poem explores. In your answer you must refer closely to the text and at least two of; form, theme, imagery, or any other appropriate features. â€Å"Hawk Roosting† is a poem by Ted Hughes. The poem helps the reader appreciate the ideas and feelings which are explored throughout the poem. This is skilfully done through form, imagery and word choice over the course of the poem. The poem is about a hawk resting high up in a tree. Through a monologue, the poem reveals the hawk to be a steady-minded, rational and believable character. In the first stanza, the poet begins to hint to the reader what sort of personality the hawk has. He does this in the first line if the poem: â€Å"I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed† This suggests to the reader that the hawk has no fear. This is shown by the words ‘eyes closed’. The word ‘top’ signifies that the hawk is the top in the forest and that he rules the forest, and that there is nobody above, or more powerful than him. The hawk is again referred to being powerful in the line: â€Å"Between my hooked head and hooked feet† In this line the alliteration of ‘h’ together with the assonance in ‘oo’ makes the reader drag out the word ‘hooked’, which emphasises the word and the hard harsh sound contained in it. This portrays a dangerous and rugged view of the hawk. Stanza two shows the reader that the hawk believes the elements that are there are ‘of advantage’ to him: The air’s buoyance and the sun’s ray, Are of advantage to me† This shows the hawk feels everything is there to assist him, and that he is the reason all the elements exist. The poet uses personification to describe the ‘air’ and the ‘sun’, this tells the reader the hawk feels they are on his side and he rules them, like a general inspecting his troops. This idea is continued in stanza three with: â€Å"And the earth’s face upwards for my inspection† This again makes the reader aware of the hawk’s superiority and reminds them that the hawk is not going to give up his position without a fight. The hawk goes on to tell the reader: â€Å"It took the whole of Creation to produce my foot, my each feather. Now I hold creation in my foot† This shows the hawk is a well-designed creature, and is perfectly adapted for living in the woods. The quote also shows the hawk to be arrogant and obnoxious, as he feels he is better that his Creator, God, as having exceeded him. In Stanza four the idea of superiority is shown present once again: â€Å"I kill where I please because it is all mine† This clearly states where the hawk believes he stands, and shows that he has no remorse for any of the other creatures. The idea that the hawk is a ruthless killer, and he kills his prey without a second thought, culpability or being beleaguered by his integrity. The hawk again shows his power: â€Å"There is no sophistry in my body. My manners are tearing off heads† This show to the reader that the hawk to be lethal and vicious. It also shows that because he is on top, the hawk does not need to be polite, respectful or sophisticated, and that he feels no empathy for their pain or suffering, and has no regard to killing them. This further shows his merciless nature. The fifth stanza is the hawk describing his home as ‘the allotment of death’. This shows the reader the hawk has total power and control over everything and reinforces the fact that he feels he can kill what and where he likes without any consideration. It also tells us: â€Å"For the one path of m flight is direct, through the bones of the living† This gives the reader an extremely gruesome and graphic image of the hawk killing its prey, and shows us the reality of his predator behaviour. It also links back to ‘no sophistry’ and ‘tearing off head’ to strengthen the fact that he is a powerful cold blooded killer. We are told: â€Å"No arguments assert my right† This demonstrates that the hawk is indeed the top predator in the forest and that nobody dares to challenge him for his position. In the final stanza, stanza six, we are given a haughty, self-flattering closing statement from the hawk: â€Å"Nothing has changed since I began. My eye has permitted no change. I am going to keep thing like this† This shows us the hawk is well aware of the effect he has on the environment and is instinctive in his actions. He is content with the way things have turned out and are not going to let them change easily, especially as the odds are in his favour. he is going to try keep things running his way as changing things would upset the natural rhythm of life. In conclusion, â€Å"Hawk Roosting† is a poem which helps the reader appreciate the ideas and feelings which are explored throughout the poem, through the poets use of imagery and word choice throughout the poem. [900 words]

Travel and Tourism component industries and their organisations Essay

Types of Tourism There are three types of tourism: domestic, outbound and inbound. Domestic tourism is when you travel within the country normally for a day trip; for example, someone traveling from London to Brighton for the day would be a domestic tourist. An outbound tourist is when someone travels outside the country. So someone travelling from the UK to France would be an outbound tourist to the UK. An Inbound tourist is when someone travels to another country; for example, someone travelling to Spain from France would be an inbound tourist to France. However these three categories have been split further into another three sub-categories stating the purposes for travel, these are: leisure, business and visiting friends and relatives (VFR). Someone travelling for holiday, cultural events, recreation, sport, religion and study would be classed as travelling for leisure. Someone travelling for business would be if they were meeting with an overseas client, meetings, conferences and exhibitions. Vi siting friends and family accounts for many trips especially within the UK. Accommodation Accommodation can be both serviced: your meals are on offer and you room is cleaned, or non-serviced: you look after yourself which includes cleaning, shopping and cooking. Hotels Hotels can be both independently owned or chain owned. The chain hotels tend to have the same layout and offer the same facilities no matter where you are because they are more impersonal but provide high quality consistently around the world, such as the Mercure Hotel in London and Paris. Also, hotels tend to cater for both business and leisure customers with a large range of products, such as a conference room for the business tourists, and activities for the leisure customers. Domestic tourism tends to be better independently owned hotels as the tourists will probably be visiting family and friends or staying for a limited time so they don’t need a wide range of facilities available, just the basics. However a chain hotel may also be used such as a travel lodge as this may be cheap and it offers the minimum products. Except for if the tourist is travelling for business purposes, as  it is most likely that the company will be paying for the hotel so the person may upgrade themselves and stay in luxury rather than a travel lodge. Inbound tourism is better for hotels that are part of a large chain as they will be well known to people from other countries; most of the time, whether the tourist is travelling for leisure or business, they will want to stay in a luxury hotel over a hotel with less available to them. Independently owned hotels usually reflect the countries own style whereas chain owned hotels look the same in every country and make the customers feel more at home. Outbound tourism tends to benefit independently owned hotels within the home country as some tourists stay over in a hotel near the airport so that they don’t have to travel far the next day or get up as early as some tourist’s class this as their holiday starting early. As they are staying there for normally 1 night they will just stay at an independent hotel as it will normally be cheaper but sometimes a chain hotel such as a travel lodge or a premier inn will be cheaper. Guest accommodation Guest accommodation is normally extra space that homeowners have and want to earn money for; this includes guesthouses, farmhouses and bed and breakfast accommodation. Moreover, there is also the option for self-catering, this normally occurs when people rent out there apartments or holiday cottages however this is also available at holiday parks. Kitchens and appliances are provided for the self-catering option. Many tourists consider guest accommodation as it is seen as charming and an opportunity to experience local culture. Domestic tourists enjoy guest accommodation as it gives them the opportunity to experience local culture within the town they are visiting, and most of the time they will probably be eating out at restaurants or pubs so they won’t need to be given 3 meals a day at their accommodation. Bed and breakfasts are a good option for domestic tourists as they won’t have to go out for breakfast but it gives them the chance to look around the town, eat out and enjoy their time. Inbound tourists may stay at guest accommodation if they are staying in a small town or village and want to see what the local culture is like. This would give them the opportunity to experience more than if they were to stay in a hotel as hotels can be quite impersonal, so by staying in guest accommodation they will feel more included and like they are getting a one-to-one experience with the staff of  the accommodation. Outbound tourists may stay at guest accommodation if they are traveling to the airport as it can be cheaper than a hotel. They would also not need the set meal times like you get at a hotel as they would probably be leaving early and would only be there for one meal. By this logic it would seem more appropriate if outbound tourists stayed at a bed and breakfast the day befor e travelling to a different country. Transport-road Cars Most cars in the UK are privately owned and are used for domestic day trip travel. This allows people to travel at their own pace and take their own route than if they were to take a coach or train. In addition, many people choose to hire a car when abroad, leading to the growth in the hire-car sector. Popular hire- car groups in UK include Hertz, Avis and Europcar have all expanded overseas and now have international operations. As the car-hire sector grows, the technology along with it does too. This means that it has now become easier and more convenient for customers as you can now pre-book by telephone or on-line. You also have the option for airport pick-up and drop-off and you also don’t need to drop it off at the same place that you picked it up (one way rental). There is also a wide range of vehicles available to suit a range of people and all insurances are included within a fixed price meaning that there are no hidden costs. Domestic tourists are most likely to use their own private car for travel as they will most likely be taking day trips and don’t want to have to limit themselves to what they can do because they have to be somewhere at a certain time to get home. Moreover, if they are spending longer in one place, for example a week, then they would also want their own private car so that they can go and do what they want and aren’t restricted to certain times due to public travel. Inbound tourists would hire a car if they wanted to travel and take small day trips during their visit to certain places and didn’t want to have to change bus or train to get to where they are going and take more time out of their day travelling rather than doing the things they want to. They may have brought their own car over from their home country if they travelled by ferry, such as from France. People travelling for business purposes might hire a car as their company would pay for it and they wouldn’t have to wait  for public transport or a taxi. Outbound tourists may use their own car if they are travelling by ferry and want to use a private car rather than use coaches with other people. However they may also use a hire car when travelling to the airport as they could drop it off at the car centre and won’t have to pay for their own car to be kept in the car park whilst they are away. Coaches Coaches today are very luxurious as they now can come with comfortable toilets, refreshments and DVD facilities. They have also adapted to meet customers changing needs, for example, a fly-coach option is now available so as to reduce the initial journey time, but have the benefit of coach travel for touring. There are several coach networks all over the UK for people to travel to different towns and cities and also into Europe; National express is a good example of this. By travelling by coach customers have the opportunity to see places that wouldn’t have seen if they travelling within a private car. Domestic tourists may use this option if they are not able to drive (pensioners) or unable to afford to drive (students). A coach option can be relatively cheap and you may not want to use your car whilst you are visiting another town so by travelling by coach you would spend less than if you were to travel by train, however it will take longer to travel by coach. Inbound tourists may use a coach so that they can go on tours and see more of the country or town that you are visiting. They may also use a coach to travel to their hotel or accommodation as this will be cheaper than taking a taxi. Moreover, they would also get more information about where they are staying and the places that they see than if you were to travel in a private hire-car. Outbound tourists would use a coach when travelling to the airport or their port that they are leaving by ferry as this means that they would not have to pay for their car to stay in a car park whilst they are away. They would also not have to pay for diesel or petrol bringing down their costs of travel even more. This would appeal to more people that lived far away from their travelling destination. Transport- rail The national network rail is own and run by Network Rail whose job it is to maintain the train lines and lay new tracks when needed. There are 29 Train-operating systems (TOCs) in the UK who lease their trains from rolling-stock companies and who compete for franchises to run each passenger service. The department of transport issues the franchises and also monitors the TOCs to make sure that everything is running well and that passengers are safe; they are also able to fine the TOCs if they don’t meet the agreed standards. TOCs are commercial companies and aim to make a profit such as Virgin Trains and South West Trains. However they do still receive grants from the government. Other aspects of the rail system are the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and the Eurostar. Eurostar operates from St Pancras International in London and Ashford in Kent to Paris, Lille and Brussels transporting passengers through the channel tunnel. Eurostar is owned by London and Continental Railways, and run by a management company. Domestic tourists use the railway service when travelling either to a place quite far away as the train is the quickest land public transportation or when travelling through densely populated areas such as London as the streets can be too busy to use the roads and there is a congestion charge when using your car within central London. Travelling by train is a good option if you want to spend a day trip somewhere and it will take a while to get to if you uses the roads. Depending on where in the country you take the train and at what time (peak times) the price will vary so it can be relatively cheap if travelling from somewhere such as North Devon to Exeter on a Saturday morning, but quite expensive if travelling from London to Liverpool at 5 o’clock on a weekday. However the time it takes to travel by train is a lot less than by road so this option does appeal to people despite the price. Inbound tourists will not usually have a car or bus pass so the next option is to travel by train. If inbound tourists are travelling around somewhere like London, they have the option of travelling to almost anywhere in central and greater London. During the day prices can be quite cheap and a day ticket to use the London Underground for an adult is  £8.80, this relatively cheap to be able to travel at any time as many times needed in one day. Outbound tourists might use the rail service when travelling to the airport as it is the quickest way to travel there by land, this would decrease the initial travel time as travelling by road takes longer. There are many trains travelling all over the country making it easy for anyone to get to anywhere they need by taking multiple train lines, this makes it  easier for people that are travelling from quite far to reach the airport or ship port. Outbound tourists from the UK may also use the Eurostar to travel from London to France as it is cheaper than flying. The Eurostar is quite luxurious as there are comfy chairs, a bar to get food and drink and comfortable toilets seats. Travel-sea The UK is an island surrounded by water so transport by sea as always been an important art of the travel and tourism industry. Ferries The English Channel used to be the main mode of transport to the continent cross the sea; however 50% of the market was taken by the channel tunnel, but passenger ferries have also had some of the market taken by low-cost airlines offering cheap fares. It is often cheaper to fly and hire a car rather than taking your own vehicle. Dover is the biggest port in the UK and in 1997 over 21 million passengers passed through it; however, by 2003 numbers had declined to just under 15 million and have not since increased. Other ferry operators within the Channel include Sea France and Brittany Ferries. Brittany Ferries operates on longer routes to France and Spain, for example Poole to Cherbourg, Plymouth to Santander and Portsmouth to Caen, St Malo or Cherbourg. Ferries also travel to the Channel Islands, for example Jersey and Guernsey. One of the main companies offering transport across the Channel is P&O, as some operators such as Hoverspeed and Speedferries have ceased operating. Not all ferry travel is across the Channel, some other are: Stranraer to Belfast Fleetwood to Larne Fishguard to Rosslare Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire Hull to Zeebrugge Hull to Rotterdam Holyhead to Dublin Pemboke to Rosslare Douglas to Liverpool Ryde to Portsmouth Domestic tourists would use ferries when travelling within their own country,  for example if you live within the UK you may take a ferry from St Mawes to Falmouth or Liverpool to London. A ferry may be used as it can be quicker than travelling by car and you have the option of taking your vehicle with you. Ferries are a good way to travel if taking a day trip if you are travelling to a small island off the coast. They can also be a way of cutting time off of your travel if you are travelling by car as you may need to get from one end of the coast to another and the mouth of a river is in the way, for example if you are travelling from Falmouth to St Mawes. Inbond tourists might use ferries as a way of travelling around the country when travelling close to water. They could also be used when giving tours, for example: if an inbound tourists visiting the UK wanted to go on a tour of london and see some of the sights, they might take a ferry as this would give a tour of all of the attractions by the river Thames; this is considered a scenic route as you wouldn’t have to worry about the congestion on the roads. Outbound touristsmight use ferries to travel to a different country; such as someone travelling from the UK to France, they would use the channel ferry to travel from the country. A ferry might also be used by outbound tourists when travelling to the airport or dock to leave the country. This would mostly be used by people who are travelling by public transport in areas surrounded by water as this would not be applicable to someone who lived in greater London travelling to heathrow airport, however this would be an option for someone who lived on an island or across a large river, for example: if you live on the isle of wight. Cruises The cruise industry is enjoying steady growth and as a result of this companies are investing in new liners. Some of the new ships include the Azura, Queen Elizabethand Seabourn Odyssey introduced in 2010. May cruise companiesyou may have heard of are P&O Cruises, Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Princess. In 2008 the number of Europeans taking cruise holiday reached an all-time high, with the UK topping the list with the greatest number of cruise passengers, reaching 1.5 million.Cruise companies are doing their best to reach new markets, such as families and younger people, rather than just the older age groups who traditionally take cruises. If there is a business failure then the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) provides finanicial protection to their customers. River cruises are also growing in  popularity especially those on the rivers Rhine, Moselle, Danube and the Nile. Domestic tourists may use cruises when travelling around their own country and wanting to see other places along the coast. This would seem a more appealing option than travelling by coach or car as they would have activities to do on board whilst traveling to the next destination rather than being stuck in one position, they would also have somewhere to sleep on board whilst still travelling rather thyan having to stop at night and finding somewhere to stay. This would also cut time off of the trip as a whole. Inbound tourists may use a cruise when visiting another country to visit more places during their trip rather than staying in one place. This would be a good option for anyone who wants to see lots of different sights and visit different places. Cruises will also allow people to relax whilst travelling usually by a swimming pool or doing activities, this is a good option for families as sometimes the children want to just play rather than looking around a town, so it is a good way for families to have the option. Outbound tourist may use a cruise when leaving the country to travel to another country. People will travel to a dockland around the UK such as in Portsmouth, Liverpool or Dover and pick up a cruise ship to start their journey. They would visit different countries and leave those countries on the ship, most of the tourists time would be spent on the ship as all of their possessions are on the ship as well as a room and catering. However when visiting another country a day or two would be spent exploring the towns and experiencing the local culture and then returing to the ship at a certain time I order to leave and visit the next destination. Transport-Air Airports The major organisation in airport ownership in the UK is the British Airport Authority (BAA); it is owned by Airport Development and Investment (ADI) Limited. BAA owns the airports at: London Heathrow London Stansted Glasgow Edinburgh Aberdeen Southampton Naples (65% stake) Over 140 million people travel through the six BAA airports every year in the UK. They also have stakes in other airports outside the UK, plus retail management contracts at two airports in the USA. Regional airports have grown in popularitywith airports such as Leeds Bradford and East Midlands offering many short-haul flights. An airport provides products and services to various groups of people and businesses, this can be complex but profitable. Some examples of the products and services provided by an airport are: Airlines are provided with the space and services to operate their flights. Customers are provided facilites such as restaurants and shops. Other businesses are provided with a location in which they can operate, for example, car hire,retailing or groung handling. The airports work hard to keep all of its groups and customers happy whilst earning revenue. Domestic tourists may use an airport when wanting to travel to a different destination by using a range of airlines, coach, bus or train. There are a range of travel options from an airport as they all interlink to make travelling easier for tourists, this is because airports are one of the most popular destinations within a country where tourists from the same country and internationally meet making it the perfect place to have a range of travelling options available at the tourists’ disposal. Inbound tourists use an airport when entering another country; this is where they gain entry to that country by going through immergration and having their passports checked. There is also the option for partaking in some duty free shopping, having something to eat or continuing on the tourists’ travels. There is the option for joining a conecting flight, taking a train, hiring a car or using another form of transport. Outbound tourists may use an airport when traveling out of the country by airplane. Here they are checked in with their chosen airline and have the opportunity to do some duty free shopping just like if you were travelling from Heathrow airport from terminal 5. Here, the customer would have access to over 40 stores with duty free shopping along with a selection of restaurants and cafes before boarding their British Airways flight to wherever they are travelling to. Airlines All UK airlines are privately owned. British Airways (BA) is one of the most famous airlines in the world and is the largestin the UK and in terms of  international scheduled services. It flies to more than 200 worldwide , however, in 2009 its passenger numbers had fallen by 4.3% due to the recession. British Airways main bases are at the London airports Gatwick and Heathrow terminal 5. The airline’s products include four different types of cabin service ranging from Economy to Club World. Other major UK airlines include British Midland and Virgin Atlantic, these are scheduled airlines; there are also many charter airlines such as Monarch and Thompson, however, Monarch also operates a a sechuled service. Hundreds of other airlines from all over the world fly in and out of UK airports, paying for the services they use. Domestic tourists may use airlines if they want to travel within the same country but want a fast alternative to driving. Such as traveling within the UK from london to Edingburgh with Virgin Atlantic from  £90 return ticket. By travelling by plane the use of a vehicle to travel to their destination would not be needed. With the cost of petrol/deisel to travel by car, plus food and other neccessities when travelling this would cost almost the same as flying, therefore if someone wants to spend more time in edingburgh for their trip rather then travelling then this is a good option. Inbound tourists would use an airline when entering another country by plane. They would have had the option to purchase food or products on the plane when flying to their destination. They would of also received a good level of customer service when flying to the country to make sure that the customer has had the best experience possible and will hopefully fly again with that airline. Outbound tourists would use an airline when leaving a country to visit another. The first point of contact for them would be at check-in inside the airport, they would not have contact with that airline staff again until boarding where they will take their seats on the plane. A safety presentation will be given to the passengers on board the plane, they will then be offered food and products to purchase on the aircraft. The whole time they have contact with any of the staff from the airline they will be judging them on their customer service skills and their overall experience flying with that company, this will determine if the airline gets repeat customers or not, how popular they are to consumers and their market share within the airline industry. Low-cost airlines The idea behind low-cost airlines is too keep costs as low as possible, with  few or no ‘extras’ on offer to the customer without further charge, this is so the low-cost operators can offer cheap flights. The low-cost airlines are scheduled airlines, for example easyjet and Ryanair. Domestic tourists may use a low-cost airline if they are taking a short-haul flight as they wouldn’t need any extras, eliminating most or all hidden costs. Most of the time holdall baggage would not be needed cutting down the time spent at the airport. This is a good option for people travelling for business purposes as it is quicker with less hassle to claim baggage when entering arrivals at the customers destination. Inbound tourists would use a low-cost airline if they wanted to pay less for flights. By doing this more money can be spent on accommodation or used for spending on their trip. Also with less baggage in the holdall there will be less people trying to get their bags at baggage claim making it easier for inbound tourists to get their bags and leave. Outbound tourist may use a low-cost airline as they would spend less time at the airport as the airline want to keep costs down. This means that the waiting time to board the plane would be cut down resulting in the travel time being cut down. Regulation of air travel Te Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is an independent statutory body who regulates the UK aviation sector. The Air Travel Users Council (AUC) is the UK’s consumer council for air travellers; it recieves its funding from the CAA. Its job is to act as the independent representative for air passengers and aims to assist the CAA in helping the interests of passengers. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) is responsible for air traffic control. It is a public/private partnership owned by the government and looks after the UK airspace, but also the eastern part of the North Atlantic. NATS handles more than 2 million flights a yea, carrying over 220 million passengers. The major air traffic control centres are at Swanick in Hampshire and Prestwick in Ayrshire, but there are also contrl services at the country’s major airports. Domestic tourists, inbound tourists and domestic tourists would all be interested with the AUC as they look out for air passengers and make sure that the CAA are keeping an interest with their assengers no matter where they are traveling from or visiting. Attractions The UK officially has 6500 visitor attractions which are important to both the domestic tourism market and the inbound tourism market. There are hundreds of different types of attractions, however they can be divided as follows. Natural Attractions These include beaches, lakes and landscapes; in order to protect them some are designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), National Parks or Heritage Coasts. Domestic tourists visit these natural attractions as day trips because it is a cheap way to have a day out. These attractions are a good way to spend time with the family as you would only need to pay for petrol/deisel and food whereas with other attractions you have to pay for entry, food, drinks and travel. It is also a way to experience nature at its best as when living in a city or town natural attractions are hard to come by. Inbound tourists may visit natural attractions as a way to experience the culture, countryside and the nature at a low cost. Outbound tourists wuld not visit a natural attraction if they were leaving the country, however they might visit one before they leave the country. Heritage Attractions In the UK there is a range of historic houses, often cared for by the National Trust or English Heritage. There are also museums and galleries such as Tate Britain and Tate Modern, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National History Museum in London and the National Media Museum in Bradford. Domestic tourists visit heritage attractions as a way to see the history within their own country. Most museums are free and are a great learner resource for schools and people who have an interest within a certain subject matter. Inbound tourists would visit heritage attractions to learn about that countries history and culture. Most are free or charge a small fee but it is a great day out and is a popular option for most tourists. Domestic tourists would only visit a heritage attraction before they left to travel to a different country. Purpose-built Attractions Purpose-built attractions can be historic also, such as museums as most are purpose-built. Some popular purpose-built attractions include theme parks, for example the theme park Thorpe Park. Domestic tourists may visit a theme park for a day out with friends and family as a treat as some can be really expensive to visit. However, most theme parks give you special deals such as a child under a certain age/height can enter for free, for example, thorpe park offers you a bounce back pass where you visit the park one day at full price but can purchase a pass to get to in the following day at a reduced rate. They also offer you the chance to purchase a merlin pass that can get you into a range of attractions around the UK for free when you purchase the pass. Inbound may visit a theme park for a day trip with children a a special day ouut. However some people visit a country just to go to a theme park such as Disney World or Disney Land. These holidays can cost a lot but are a good source of income for the parks. Outbound tourists may visit a purpose-built attraction before they leave a country to visit another. Events Events such as the Edingburgh Festival and the Notting Hill Carnivalnattract many visitors. There are events in the business tourism sector too, such as the World Travel Market. Domestic tourists visit festivals and carnivals as they enjoy the atmosphere that surrounds the event and is a great day out. Some events are a great way to raise money to a certain cause or even to produce revenue. The Notting Hill Carnival is very famous for bringing together lots of different ethnicities to one event as celebrating how diverse London is, this attracts many tourists both Domestic and Inbound. Domestic tourists may visit an event before leaving the country. Associations The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) was founded in 1936, it is non-profit-making whose role is to represent the interests of owners, managers, suppliers and developers in the UK’s commercialleisure parks, piers, zoosand static attractions sector. The international Association of Amusements Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) is a similar organisation to BALPPA, but it is an international association and has members all over the world. The association promotes safe operations, global development, proffesional growth and commercial success in the amusement industry. Domestic, Inbound and Outbound tourists would all be interested in the IAAPA as this effects attractions all over the world, but only tourists who visit attractions in the UK would be interested with the BALPPA. Tour Operators The role of tour operator is to put together all the different components that make up a holiday and sell them to the consumer as package deals. They make contracts with hoteliers, airlines and other transport companies to produce these package deals, these are then described in a brochure which is distributed either to travel agents or directly to customers. Mass-market tour operators Mass-market tour operators dominated the outbound market for years, these include: Thomson, First Choice and Thomas Cook. Thomson and First Choice both belong t the parent company TUI. These major tour operators were considered to be mass-market tour operators as they sold similar holidays in packages that appealed to the majority of holidaymakers. However, specialist tour opperators sold more individually tailored holidays or specialised in one destination or activity, but today, many large tour operators also offer many specialist products. TUI AG is the largest travel group in the world, which does not just include tour operators. Thomson, for example, is also a travel agency brand and an airline; First Choice has a major travel agent in its portfolio and its own branded airline. First choice offers holidays in destinations such as Majorca, Menorca, the Canaries, Spain, Turkey, Greece and the Caribbean. Winter sports destinations include France, Austria, Italy, Andorra, Bulgaria a nd Switzerland. Thomas Cook also has travel agencies, airlines and hotels as well as tour operator brands. Tour perators that offer air-inclusive packages are required by law to have Air Travel Organisers’ Licence (ATOL). This scheme protects air travellers and package holiday makers from losing money or being stranded abroad if air travel firms go out of business. When a tourist books a holiday the cost of this financial protection is included in the price. Any package firm that includes a flight should by law hold a licence. Domestic tourists may use a tour operator when visiting a part of their own country that they have never seen before. They could then have a guided tour around an area that they want to visit and know more about. Inbound tourists may use a tour operator to help with their arrival to a new country, helping them to settle into their accommodation. They would also be given a tour of the local sights giving tourists an idea of things to do during their visit. Outbound  tourists may use tour operators when travelling to their destination to leave the country as they would not have to find their own travel to the airport or docklands. Specialist tour operators Some tour operators specialise in particular destination, or a product, such as a diving holiday. Specialist tour operators respond well to the trend for tailor-made holidays with their specialist products. Some tour operators specialise in a certain destination, for example, Anatolian Sky specialises in holidays in Turkey. Inbound tour operators cater for the needs of overseas visitors to the UK, an example is British Tours Ltd, which claims to be the longest-established inbound operator. It offers tours for different group sizes and has a ide variety of products icluding a Harry Potter tour. These tours are available in many languages. Domestic tour operators specialise in holidays within the UK for Uk residents, they include coach companies which place advertisments in the local newspapers. Similar to outbound operators they offer beach, city, touring and special-interest holidays. Tour operators association UKinbound is the trade body which represents tour operators and tourism suppliers to the UK. It was founded in 1977 to represent the commercial and political interests of incoming tour operators and suppliers to British inbound tourism industry. It is a non-profit-making body governed by an elected council and funded by its members and from revenue-generating activities. The Assocciation of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) is an organisation which represents 160 of the UK’s specialist tour operators. AITO members are independent companies, most of which are owner-managed, specialising in particular destinations or types of holiday. The Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) is an organisation for outbound tour operators, its aim is to ensure the long term success of the air-inclusive holiday. Members pay annual subscribtion based on the size of their organisation. The FTO produces health and safty guidelines for tour operators. The FTO has always worked very closely with ABTA and the two organisation merged in 2008 to become ABTA- The Travel Association. Travel agents The role of a travel agent is to give advice and information to sell bookings  for a number of tour operators. They also sell flights, ferry bookings, car hire, insurance and accommodation as separate products. Travel agents may operate through: Retail shops Business shops A call centre The internet Most travel agents are part of a multiple chain and these dominate the market. Chains such as Thomson and Thomas Cook are linked to tour operators and may try to prioritise their own company’s products. ABTA- The travel assocciation has operators as members, in 3009 it had over 900 members and represented over 5000 travel agencies. There has been a reduction in the amount of agency branches in the past few years as customers choose to buy travel and tourism products through other means, particularly through travel websites. Business travel agents Business travel agents specialise in the business market, they aim to handle all travel arrangements for large companies. ‘Implants’ are travel agents located within another business, they set up office within a company so that they are on hand to deal with travel arrangements for the company’s personnel. Doomestic, inbound and outbound tourists would only use a business travel agent if their was one within the company that they worked for and they were travelling for business needs. Call centres More and more customers are booking holidays over the telephone or online rather than bu visiting a travel agent. Call centres are normaly in out-of-town areas where the rent and labour is cheaper, some companies have relocated to India to take advantage of the low costs.Some call centres are operator or airline owned and sell on behalf of that company only, others are specialist call centres and handle calls and bookings for many companies. Call centres rely on high staff productivity to be successful, they motivate staff through incentives such as bonuses on sales targets reached. Call answering time, call durations, sales and complaints ratios are carefully monitored. Domestic, Inbound and Outbound tourists would all use a call centre when booking a holiday as it can be less hassle then going  into a travel agents centre. On-line travel agents Websites are the most up-to-date means of distributing travel and tourism products and services. Domestic, Inbound aand Outbound tourists would all use on-line travel agents as, similar to call centres, it can be less hassle than going into travel agents centre. It is also easier to compare prices and deals. Tourism development and promotion The development and promotion of tourism in the UK is mostly undertaken by organisations in the public sector such as VisitBritain and VisitWales. Within the public sector in the UK, the Developmet for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is responsible for supporting the tourism industry at a national level. The Department for Transport looks after avition, railways, roads and the London Underground. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has responsibility for sector skills councils and training organisations. The department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is responsible for issues affecting the countryside, wildlife and waterways. The UK has four tourist boards: VisitBritain, VisitScotland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and VisitWales. VisitBritain reports to the DCMS; VisitWales reports to the National Assembly for Wales and VisitScotland reports to the Scottish Executive. The NITB reports to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The overseas offices work closely with British diplomatic and cultural staff, the local travel trade and media, to stimulate interest in the UK. Another example of the role of VisitBritain is its campaign to persuade high-spending tourists to come to the UK, it is imortant that inbound tourists spend money and boost the UK economy. Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) RDA’s have responsibility for tourism in their regions and usually work closely with Regional Delivery Partners (RDPs). There are nine RDAs in England; an RDA has a regional economic and regional economic and regional tourism strategy. RDPs are responsible for delivering the strategies, sometime the partners are tourists boards with a different name to explain what they do. An example is VisitManchester, an organisation that looks  after tourism development, business tourism, leisure touriism and isitor services in Manchester. The government replaced RDAs with local economic partnerships (LEPs), this happened in March 2012 with the LEPsto cover smaller areas than the RDAs. Local Authority tourism development Local Authorities play an important part in supporting the tourism industry because tourism is a major contributor towards the economy. Most towns have have a Tourist Inormation Centre (TIC) subsidised by the local council. The TIC provies a full information service for both residents and visitors, it gives information on visitor attractions and on accommodations. It usually provides a booking service for accommodation and often incorporates a shop selling localy made crafts and gifts, as well as books of local interest. The shop is a way of generating funds for the local community. Trade associations and regulatory bodies The Association of Independent Tour Operations (AITO), and other trade associations and regulatory bodies have a role to play in development and promotion. They represent the interests of their members and help them operate successfully in business. Ancillary services This term refers to organisations that do not have a direct role in travel and tourism, but play a supporting role. Examples include insurance companies that offer travel insurance and car parks operators that provide parking facilities at airports as well as in other locations.