Economics, Winning Bolivias Drug War :: essays research papers

Economics is Winning Bolivia’s Drug War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A 1998 article from the New York Times reported that Bolivia was winning its war against drugs as a result of two factors that influence the market for coca, which is used to make cocaine. First, Bolivian soldiers raided a number of coca plantations and destroyed the crops. Second, Colombians began growing more of their own coca and, as a result, now buy less from Bolivia than in the past. I am proposing that the basic principles of supply and demand are what helped to solve the drug problem. The following paragraphs will support my argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Figure 1 shows the supply and demand curves before and after the changes occurred in Bolivia. As you can see, after the coca plantations were raided, the supply of cocaine was cut short, thus shifting the supply curve to the left. Also, because Colombians began growing their own coca, demand decreased for the cocaine from Bolivia, shifting the demand curve to the left also. To sum up, supply decreased from S to S1, because of the raids, and demand decreased from D to D1 because Colombians began to grow their own coca and didn’t need to rely as much on Bolivia. The diagram clearly shows that the quantity sold at P* decreased from Q* to Q** due to these two changes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the article in the New York Times, the Bolivian government hopes these changes in the coca market will motivate coca growers to switch to a substitute crop such as pineapple. This is a possibility if the price of coca falls. If the price of coca falls, supply will also decrease because it won’t be as profitable to farm coca as it was before. The falling price would then trigger farmers to switch to another crop such as pineapple.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bolivian government, hoping to eliminate the cocaine problem, indirectly turned to economics for a solution. That solution is a simple tale of cutting supply in a way that leads to a decrease in demand. That decrease came because Colombians couldn’t get the supply they wanted at the price they wanted to pay so they grew their own and helped eliminate coca growth within Bolivia. They can further solve the problem by perhaps raising the price paid for other crops so farmers will switch from growing coca to growing something else for a bigger profit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although farms in other South American countries grow acres and acres of coca plants, the raw material from which cocaine is made, today, Columbia is the leading Economics, Winning Bolivias Drug War :: essays research papers Economics is Winning Bolivia’s Drug War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A 1998 article from the New York Times reported that Bolivia was winning its war against drugs as a result of two factors that influence the market for coca, which is used to make cocaine. First, Bolivian soldiers raided a number of coca plantations and destroyed the crops. Second, Colombians began growing more of their own coca and, as a result, now buy less from Bolivia than in the past. I am proposing that the basic principles of supply and demand are what helped to solve the drug problem. The following paragraphs will support my argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Figure 1 shows the supply and demand curves before and after the changes occurred in Bolivia. As you can see, after the coca plantations were raided, the supply of cocaine was cut short, thus shifting the supply curve to the left. Also, because Colombians began growing their own coca, demand decreased for the cocaine from Bolivia, shifting the demand curve to the left also. To sum up, supply decreased from S to S1, because of the raids, and demand decreased from D to D1 because Colombians began to grow their own coca and didn’t need to rely as much on Bolivia. The diagram clearly shows that the quantity sold at P* decreased from Q* to Q** due to these two changes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the article in the New York Times, the Bolivian government hopes these changes in the coca market will motivate coca growers to switch to a substitute crop such as pineapple. This is a possibility if the price of coca falls. If the price of coca falls, supply will also decrease because it won’t be as profitable to farm coca as it was before. The falling price would then trigger farmers to switch to another crop such as pineapple.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bolivian government, hoping to eliminate the cocaine problem, indirectly turned to economics for a solution. That solution is a simple tale of cutting supply in a way that leads to a decrease in demand. That decrease came because Colombians couldn’t get the supply they wanted at the price they wanted to pay so they grew their own and helped eliminate coca growth within Bolivia. They can further solve the problem by perhaps raising the price paid for other crops so farmers will switch from growing coca to growing something else for a bigger profit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although farms in other South American countries grow acres and acres of coca plants, the raw material from which cocaine is made, today, Columbia is the leading

Permanent Change In An Individuals Knowledge Or Behaviour

Learning can be ocular, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, lingual, logical, realistic, religious and moral, and, consequentially, scholars have really differing degrees of intelligence in these different sorts of larning. It is per se of import for instructors to hold a on the job cognition of how different pupils learn because of this fact that non all pupils learn in the same manner. An educators occupation is to ease acquisition for a pupil, and hence must be adaptable to these assorted acquisition manners in order to adequately supply for them, and this can non be done without an apprehension of different larning theories and manners. A pupil who is kinesthetic or visually intelligent is non traveling to profit from certain manners of learning every bit much as a pupil who is a logical scholar, presuming the pedagogue is merely learning in a logical manner. Therefore it is necessary for pedagogues to understand the differing sorts of larning so that they can pro vide for multiple intelligences within their lessons, both by admiting their being and leting pupils the chance to larn in different ways every bit good as developing pupils abilities to interact with intelligences that they might otherwise be non as accustomed to. Equally good as different intelligences there are different worldviews on how learning occurs, whether it is inactive or active, whether it is societal or personal, and these theories straight affect the teaching method embraced by the instructor keeping them. Therefore the acquisition theories will needfully order the types of intelligences most supported by the acquisition that is taking topographic point, and it is up to the pedagogue to understand these learning theories so that they may use them in a manner to outdo explore all of the multiple intelligences and give their pupils the best opportunity of making a higher order apprehension of any capable affair. Behaviourism is a theory that operates upon an ‘action-reaction ‘ or ‘stimulus-response ‘ construct of larning. At its kernel this worldview places the scholar in the place of being a ‘blank slate ‘ , an empty vas or ‘tabula rasa ‘ , which is so filled with the coveted cognition or acquisition. Behaviourism assumes that the scholar is inactive and that they respond to any and all environmental stimulations that they are exposed to. The environment acts on the scholar, non the scholar on the environment. Behaviorism can be broken down into two possible signifiers of conditioning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, the late of which was founded by B. F. Skinner and is one of the most outstanding larning theory places. Skinner ‘s operant conditioning position is non-dualistic, it denies that the head is a separate thing to the organic structure, alternatively situating ideas to be private behaviors, analysable in the same manner that public behaviors are. Essentially learners learn to ‘operate ‘ on the environment. Functionally, operant conditioning plants on a footing of support and penalty. Reinforcement is a procedure by which a targeted behavior is caused to happen with greater frequence and penalty a lesser frequence. Both these effects have positive and negative fluctuations, by positive and negative we refer to their linear or subtractive qualities, non their moral deductions. Positive support is when a rewarding stimulation is to happen following a desirable behavior, therefore increasing its frequence. Negative support occurs when an unwanted stimulation is removed after a desirable behavior, besides increasing its frequence. Positive penalty is the happening of a penalty or negative stimulation following an unwanted behavior, diminishing its likelihood, while negative penalty is the remotion of a positive or honoring stimulation following a unsought behavior, besides diminishing the opportunity of reoccurrence. In contrast to behaviorism, constructivism positions the scholar as an active participant in the acquisition procedure. The scholar is an â€Å" information builder †[ 3 ], one of the basic premises behind constructivism is that â€Å" people are active scholars and must build cognition for themselves. †[ 4 ]This base premise is that the scholar is a â€Å" alone person with alone demands and backgrounds. †[ 5 ] Learning is a constructive, contextualized and active procedure by which the scholar is engaged in actively making a subjective reading of an otherwise nonsubjective world. One of the cardinal differences between constructivism and behaviorism is that the scholar is seen as conveying past experience and cognition to the acquisition, and that it is this past experience that is the specifying factor in the defining and constructing of new cognition. This construct at work postulates that people generate their appreciation on cognition through an interaction between their thoughts and experiences. Furthermore the scholar acts upon the environment, interacting with it to make significance, instead so being acted upon. Constructivism, nevertheless, is non a incorporate theory. Under the streamer of constructivism subsists three chief positions dubbed the exogenic position, the endogenous position and the dialectical position. An exogenic constructivism â€Å" position posits a strong influence of the external universe on cognition building, such as by experiences, instruction, and exposure to theoretical accounts. Knowledge is accurate to the extent it reflects that world. †[ 6 ]On the other manus, endogenous constructivism provinces that cognition is derived from earlier mental constructions and focal points on a coordination of â€Å" cognitive actions †[ 7 ], while dialectical constructivism is a blend of the two, situating that cognition is non wholly construed from the external universe, nor is it entirely of the head but instead is the consequence of interactions between the scholar and the environment. – Schunk, Dale H. ( 2008 ) Constructivist Theory ( Chapter 6 ) . In Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective. 5th Edition. ( pp.234-277 ) . Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall. ISBN 9780132435659 pg 239 A behaviorist schoolroom places the scholar in a inactive function, as earlier mentioned, they are ‘tabula rasa ‘[ 8 ]. As a consequence the pedagogue is positioned in an active function, basically ‘acting ‘ on the scholar to instil cognition. This can take to a schoolroom where the scholar is non needfully encouraged to prosecute with the cognition presented to them, but instead to basically digest it, taking the cognition in to regurgitate ‘as is ‘ when needed. There is nil incorrect with this type of acquisition, so for certain topics and certain countries of topics it is arguably the most efficient signifier of acquisition. However a failing nowadays within the behaviorist theory is that it does non let the scholar to come on much further so the ‘applying ‘ phase in the new blooms taxonomy. It may be wrong to state that it does non ‘allow ‘ , but it surely does non promote the scholar to come on farther into the analysin g, measuring and making phases of the theoretical account without proper motion into determining the scholars behaviour. Even though they may acquire their ain their ain, the attack does non supply scaffolding to back up the scholar to these more advanced interactions with the cognition. This is because the scholar is non forced to prosecute with the cognition in an active manner, they do non hold to do it their ain, alternatively expected to be able to retrace what the instructor has presented to them, demoing an ability to retrieve and reproduce, but non needfully to grok on a meaningful degree. On the other manus a constructivist attack efforts to guarantee that the scholar interacts on a degree that allows them to prosecute in making from the footing of the cognition conveyed, hence promoting higher order thought. However In a behaviorist schoolroom the instructor will be actively seeking to place behavior to be changed, and, one time identified, they will be after specific intercessions to change that behavior in a coveted manner utilizing ancestors and effects. The instructor invariably accumulates informations on the consequences of these intercessions and modifies their attack to more efficaciously ‘shape ‘ the pupils behaviour. Praise, although contingent upon the behavior of the pupil, will strategically and often be given out to reenforce coveted behaviors. Each lesson will hold clear and precises ends in footings of cognition, attitudes and accomplishments to be transferred to the pupils, and cues and prompts will be utilized in order to put up behavioral forms and determine the pupils into the coveted acquisition form. This would so be scheduled with uninterrupted regular support to get down with, followed by more intermittent and sporadic support to ease the pupil into ego regula ted acquisition. This defining is necessary because a rigorous behaviorist attack is merely utile for a short period of clip, determining is required to foster the pupils larning. In an English schoolroom it would be expected that the instructor would be actively reenforcing the battle of pupils in category treatment with prima and directed oppugning accompanied with congratulations for engagement. The teacher*/*** As a instructor it is of import to gain that behaviorism does work, it is a important portion of any instruction and has a really effectual and functional intent but that it is non all of the image. As with the demand to be various in learning to cover the multiple intelligences, so excessively do we hold to be various in the theories we use in our pattern. While behaviorism is a really of import tool we can utilize, and basically covers a big part of the behaviour direction and positive forms we can put in the category, we still need constructivism in order to ease * Piaget posited four phases that all human existences go through in the procedure of ripening. The sensorimotor phase is that phase â€Å" from birth to age 2. Children experience the universe through motion and senses ( utilize five senses to research the universe ) † -Santrock, John W.. Children. 9. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1998. The preoperational phase consists of kids from ages two to seven and consists of egoism and begins to see the universe symbolically, so the kids begin to believe logically and travel into the concrete operational phase between ages seven and twelve and eventually from age 12 onwards reach the formal operation phase and develop abstract logical thinking. â€Å" the fact that many of the voluntary responses of animate beings and worlds are strengthened when they are reinforced ( followed by a desirable effect ) and weakened when they are either neglected or punished. † â€Å" †¦ organisms learn new behaviors and when to exhibit them and E »unlearnE? bing behaviors. † â€Å" †¦ all behaviors are accompanied by certain effects, and these effects strongly influence whether these behaviors are repeated and at what degree of strength. † â€Å" Positive interactions between instructor and pupils can bring forth successful acquisition results in the presence of complex kineticss of individuals, conditions and results. † Snowman et Al. ( 2009 ) . Chapter 7. â€Å" Behavioural Learning Theory: Operant Conditioning † . In Psychology Applied to Teaching. 1st Australian Edition. Milton, QLD: John Wiley & A ; Sons Australia Ltd. Bibliography

Moral Degradation of Modern Society or Moral Evolution? Author: Unpretentious Diva

â€Å"I fully subscribe to the judgment of those writers who maintain that of all the difference between man and the lower animals, the moral sense or conscience is by far the most important† Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man. Is it the phase of moral degradation of society? To even attempt answering this question we have to first arrive at a definition of morality. The first question is are we clear as to what it is?In the study of ethics morality has been defined from two perspectives, personal morality which is what you feel from your conscious as right and social morality which is what the society as a whole feels to be right. While the origin of personal morals are very simple and pure dictated by only one basic dictum that is innate nobility of the human soul. A person may be a criminal but he will always know from deep with that he is wrong unless he is a psycho. Social morals however are not so, they evolved for the singular reason that is to control man, to tame him so as to allow sustenance of society.In its essence it too is noble, for society too is a need of humanity. We wouldn’t have evolved to this juncture without this structured organisation called society. If I am sitting here and typing this, it is because someone else is cooking for me. Not everybody can be thinker and scientist, but they all in their own ways help in sustenance of the society and evolution of mankind as a whole. It is however difficult to conclude from here that social morality is right in all its perspectives.The sad part of the society is that it was not formed best logic of will full cooperation and subordination, with reverence to human soul and its spirit. For most part of the history it has been dominated by mystiques and brutes, the purpose of the society was to serve mankind as a whole but it ended up serving a few who had the power and intellect to manipulate the rest. It is for these lacunae in social morality that I consider personal morality as a far more superior guideline to judge whether you are right or wrong.There are many such arbitration in the social code of morality that has no logical support to its stance except some vague religious dictums or traditions that a society has been following from time immemorial. This article Honour Killings†¦. the Ultimate Price Women pay for the False Male Ego is an apt example of how unjust and harsh these codes of socio-religious morality can become. Of the many such debatable issues of conflicting personal and social morality I would like to discuss here the issue of sexual morality.The sexual liberation of the modern times has been largely viewed as a serious moral degradation of the society at large. On the issue of sexuality and our sexual needs, first question is whether it is our need or of the society. I believe that all of us would agree that we have sex not just to produce kids, to refurbish the human resource. We have it because we need it, nature made us so. I have a deep reverence for nature, for I believe that any need that nature instilled in us has a purpose and is innately good.The society in its primitive from had put in a lot of restriction on sex. The first reason was If sexuality is liberated it would have killed the institution of marriage and therefore the society. Models of these societies were all very authoritarian/ tyrannical where men were expected to have a very high quotient of obedience. As we evolved we slowly moved on into more democratic and cooperative models of society where the quotient of personal responsibility and maturity and free volition outweighed any kind of socio-religious adherence or obedience.Many a moral codes of conduct however were just borrowed from the old model of society which obviously has no space for these individual freedom and volition The new world order as was dreamt by philosophers and intellectuals is slowly coming to reality. It is for sure that if you refer to the old book of social moral s we would find ourselves morally degraded, but if we believe that at least now we are living in a free world free society, then society must start existing for man rather than vice versa.We need to rework on our studies of ethics and come up with better a moral code which cater for needs of a man and gives him/ her freedom to seek what they desire as long as they are not harming the society at large. A society that respects man as an entity, his rationales his intellect and his judgement and the innate goodness in him. There used to be a time when it was moral to burn wives down alive on their husband’s pyre (Sati). Is it today moral? Will all of us call our change in perspective as moral degradation?How can those women think of another man? What is wrong in free sexuality, if it is forced, it is a rape then it is wrong because you are violating the will and independence of another person. Is homosexuality wrong? I think no, not at all because it is volition of individuals, it is what they need what they desire. It is thus I feel that we need to rework on our books of ethics, make our moral codes more humane and Man friendly. And that actually is Moral Evolution. (Rudra)

A Theory in Crisis Essay

People are naturally selfish, greedy and will always think about themselves especially during difficult times. That is even scientifically proven by Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – Natural Selection, â€Å"Natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time. † It is the only way to survive. And yet there are still a few good men who would go out of their comfort zones to bring justice onto the table. Willie Stark had enjoyed his fair share of both the good and the bad. â€Å"Guilty of dishonest practices, as bribery; without integrity; crooked† (Stein, 1975, p. 302). Corruption can be a politician’s worst nightmare or his best friend. Sometimes, you do it against your will. But in the end, you are consumed by it, just like any other power hungry crazed individual, believing that they can make a difference. Willie Stark believed in it too. Willie was just like any ordinary farmer’s son. He grew up in the South and is employed as Mason City’s county treasurer. He wanted to make a difference by giving light into a controversy. He set out a campaign against an alleged county schoolhouse construction contract. He was working for Dolph Pillsbury, the County sheriff, who happened to favor the bid of a certain J. H. Moore over all the others. The fact that J. H. Moore did not have the lowest bid only brought more suspicion as to why he was chosen. Willie fought this, as he was on the side of Jeffers Construction, the one having placed the lowest bid. Eventually, the County sheriff got what he wanted and J. H. Moore won the contract, Willie lost his job. But he stood by his conviction and he was rewarded. Years later, the schoolhouse met a tragic fate due to the low quality construction materials that was used by J. H. Moore. The building collapsed, killing three and injuring several others. I believe this moment was one of the turning points of the story. It shows that when you stood by what you tried to fight for until the very end, the people would know of this and you will gain their sympathy. Hence, he ran for governor as planned by existing political figures. Although he did not win, this became his driving force to study law, and later to run again for the same position. Willie Stark’s character in Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men is that of a governor surrounded by all the people mixed in a perfect concoction to produce the dictionary meaning of political differences powered by blackmail, alliances and corruption. I believe that a person’s morality is gravely affected by circumstances of everyday living. One day you believe in the political system, the next day you probably would not. Maybe you encountered a bully police officer, a person trying to blackmail you, or a pickpocket. A person can be as hard as a rock when he or she stands by his/her moral and ethical principles. But even the strongest rocks are destroyed especially by secrets that are meant to damage your public image and meant to shake the very foundation of your moral beliefs. I believe that Willie Stark was corrupted by the political system. And I would like to point out three reasons why. As I have mentioned, Willie wanted to correct what he thought was wrong with the schoolhouse bid event when he stood up for the Jeffers Construction. Unknown to him, the County sheriff will still be the one to call the shots since he has authority over every single thing that happens. I believe this showed how much Willie was not in favor of set-ups in the political hierarchy, and an honest man would accept losing his job rather than sticking up to the misdoings of his superior. Another circumstance pointing to the righteousness of Willie was when he gave his support to his opponent Sam MacMurfee during his first time to run for governor. He found out the plan when Sadie Burke revealed it to him and to the dismay of all those who worked for his campaign, he announced his support to his rival on his big speech. Lastly, his efforts to build a free-for-all hospital sum up his desire to help the needy. What I see is a person who believes in the morality of things but is just caught up in the immorality and corruption that is inevitable in politics. Right from the start he was good, and he never stopped being good even if he has to do bad to be good. References AllAboutScience. org. (2002). Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – A Theory in Crisis. Retrieved December 22, 2007, from http://darwins-theory-of-evolution. com Stein, J. (Ed. ). (1975). The Random House College Dictionary. New York: Random House, Inc.

Creation of New Markets by Diversity

From the beginning of this world we have seen or to put it more correctly heard of God creation of this world. This demonstrates the immense power of imagination possessed by God. His imagination is unequal to anything we can think of and he has managed and maintained everything up to this day. We are all given a small amount of this God given creative power. Some of us just happened to never see pass our limitations and allow our imagination power to grow freely. Persons that have good imagination or creative ideas are needed in today†s business world of fast changing demands and supply. Business calls for managers and employees with quick minds that know how to solves problems quickly and their imagination are not limited. Being creative provides numerous benefits for companies and that the management level it should be replicated down to the levels of employees level. What precisely is creativity, one might ask? Basically it is that processes of generating new ideas. It does not matter what that idea might be once it is a bit different from what was their already it†s a creative idea. Sometimes creativity is confused with innovation, which is about planning and implementing ideas. By being creative with in companies and businesses the amount of benefits increases. Not being creative set back companies to the classic school of management, which does not produce much growth for cutting edge businesses that wish to excel. Creation of new markets by diversity is a benefit that creativity brings about. As it can be seen in 3M case on page 35 of the Management organization textbook. This small mining company 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) was nearly bankrupt but due to the quick reaction by management things were quickly turned around from heading down hill. Seeing that thing were failing in the mining venture they made a key decision to turn from that and focus on the mine†s output- abrasive grit. This carried them off into focusing on sandpaper and grinding wheels. These areas were also somewhat difficult. Over time the company continued to experiment with a Varity of products ideas. Many of there ideas came from its employees and customers. In this we can see that they implemented more recent schools of management theories such as behavioral, system, and contingency. Management listened to its employees and customers. Which does not happen in the classical school. New ideas helped this saved this company but most importantly of all was that willingness to accept and implement these ideas by management. With creativity skills business are able to use or see new ways of satisfying their customers needs. Managers should know that the survival and profitability of their organization are directly linked to meeting or exceeding customers needs and expectations. They satisfy customers by guaranteeing that all individual efforts and their results posses guilty. This can be demonstrated in the automotive industry. From the early ages of this automotive industry it can be seen that different ideas in creative design have lead to some of the most successful automotive companies. Toyota by using new fuel-efficient technology produces cares that run longer distances with the same amount of fuel. This attracts customers because they can use the some amount of fuel and increase mileage of their travel. Hereby we see that the ultimate goal is achieved increased revenue by the creative power of new idea and innovation in technology. Increased revenue is usually the goal of many business companies and by implementing new ideas and new and more efficient way of carrying on business organizations can move forward. In the 21st century without managers and employees who do not think that they are creative need to really â€Å"check if they still want to have jobs†. As given in the hand out there are basically 3 saying which limit persons thinking they are 1. I†m not creative. 2. I don†t know how to be creative. 3. It†s not ok to e creative around there. We need to overcome these limits and release our minds from these mental blocks. The creative powers are instilled in each of us as children but because of lack of use or prohibition of use. Some of use grow up thinking so logical (lift side brain thinking) that we need to practice to be creative. The (right side brain thinking) the creative side need to be use along side the left side to create the most fantastic results. It is the managers position to instill and encourage creativity at all levels of management. First line or operating management level will have to be more creative than that top and middle management. This is because they are the supervisor team leaders. Who over see the work of non-management people. Organizations or businesses can do a wide Varity of thing to increase creativity. The simple structured techniques like brain storming and mind mapping are good places to start. Some other methods used to access creative potentials are storytelling, dance, mask work, visualization, poetry, painting, sculpting and metaphor. It is also important to note that some methods will work will with certain organizations and others will not. Creativity as seen is an essential core requirement to the survival in the business world. More and more person and organizations are realizing this and taping into this natural skill and reaping the benefits. Therefore as student†s teachers, workers and managers we should all encourage and promote these creative powers.

A Leader in On-Line Travel Services Essay Example for Free

A Leader in On-Line Travel Services Essay ? The travel industry is billion dollar a year business. Year round people from all walks fill the roads and departing plane seats in search of travel success. There is no doubt that the travel industry will continue to be in demand, however, while vacationers, business travelers and everyone in between anticipate spending a good chunk of change to get from point a to point b, no person wants to part with their hard earned money. Thankfully, some genius out there understood this. Along with the evolution of the technological advances came a miraculous source for locating the best deals in travel, from flights to hotels to car rental. Based on the number of travel websites available, no longer do discounted travel options belong solely to commissioned travel agents. Today, everyone from housewives to grandpas to beer-guzzling football fanatics have the capability of obtaining their own travel deals. Parented by Expedia, Inc and based in Washington State, Expedia. com revolutionized the way people travel the world, and as time continues, its services only get better. With a bit of research, a pen and some paper, soon-to-be travelers are able to decide what airline or hotel best suits their needs (and their wallets) all with just a few clicks of the mouse. While competitors such as Travelocity and Priceline offer much of the same services, Expedia. com continues to be a leader in the travel industry (PR Newswire, p. 1). Thousands of hotels, airlines and other travel accommodators have joined in to vie for the traveler’s business, and the wooing has resulted in deep discounts and sometimes little extras, such as free hotel nights. Expedia. om’s early days were a bit primitive, but as the demand for travel options increased, the business flourished. Expedia. com has become a household name among travelers and will continue to be a source for deal seekers around the world. Expedia. com’s big break came in 1996 when Richard Barton, who, at the time, was responsible for creating CD-ROMS for Microsoft, presented the idea of offering travel options on-line (NetIndustries, p. 1). Microsoft Network1 reluctantly began assisting in web exposure in order to generate business for the experimental company (NetIndustries, p. ). While discounted airline tickets were the only product Expedia was offering at the time, the investment Microsoft placed in technological innovations for the company greatly expanded the number of people coming across Expedia. com’s website. A few short years would prove that Expedia. com was not just some fly-by-night ‘dot-com’. In 1999, Microsoft Network spun off a portion of their interest in Expedia for public availability; a move that increased Expedia. com’s worth within hours (NetIndustries, p. 1). With success under their belt, Microsoft opted to sell its entire interest in Expedia. com to USA Networks, Inc. 2. Led by CEO Erik Blachford, Expedia. com is wholly owned by InterActiveCorp (PBM, p. 1). Teaming up with Classic Custom Vacations, Expedia Corporate Travel and Travelscape. com, Inc. , Expedia. com found itself in the perfect position to expand the types of travel services offered, and could continue fulfilling their mission of utilizing electronic sourcing in order to provide the best travel options to its users (About Expedia. com, p. 1). Services available through Expedia. com include discounted flights, hotel accommodations, auto rental, cruises and even vacation packages, all for domestic and international destinations. Additionally, the company offers guidance to travelers who are unsure of the type of travel they are seeking. By clicking the ‘activities’ tab on the website, destination seekers are able to view events taking place all over the world (Expedia. com, p7). Additional services include printable maps, an easy 1. Microsoft Network, a major software developer, assisted Expedia. om by providing technological resources, to include premium web exposure, which played a major role in Expedia. com’s growth. 2. USA Networks, a media based operator, changed its name to USA Interactive upon completing its purchase of Expedia. com. USA Interactive also owns Expedia. com competitor Hotels. com (SJP, 2002). to maneuver website and 24/7 customer service. Along with success, Expedia. com endured its share of struggles. In early operations, Expedia faced several lawsuits, including one from competitor Priceline. om for infringing on a patented â€Å"name your price† service. Other competitors, such as Travelocity. com were heating things up by adding new features and services to their websites. Expedia. com’s defense was to play-up the features and services they already used by launching a major marketing campaign using tags like â⠂¬Å"Don’t just travel. Travel right,† and â€Å"Where do you want to go today? † (NetIndustries, p. 1). While the marketing campaign was a success, profit success was short-lived when some airlines stopped paying commissions to on-line travel agents, including Expedia. om. While competitors such as Priceline. com tagged on hefty $10. 00 surcharges to customers using airlines who didn’t pay commissions, Expedia was able to negotiate with several airlines in order to avoid charging additional fees to customers, while continuing to offer those airlines’ services without feeling too much of a punch (NetIndustries, . 1). Overcoming these challenges, Expedia continues its success by utilizing a product line pricing strategy, which entails offering a variety of products at ranged pricing, or bundling packages and charging accordingly. A mere 11 years old, Expedia. com has become established nationally as well as internationally. Today, Expedia. com’s success continues. It employs 1,758 people, and averages sales at an estimated $590 million (NetIndustries, p. 1). The future includes focusing on the business traveler, whose needs are being met by providing the widest range of products possible, and offering little comforts such as the Expedia. com Cafe3. Cornering the market with the best deals, Expedia. com will continue to lead the on-line travel industry without missing a beat. A Leader in On-Line Travel Services. (2017, Feb 26).

Communication Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Communication Issues - Essay Example People from the different culture may have different rules of exchanging signals and therefore, there is inherent uncertainty in exchanging information. Expansion of our business to China means dealing with the Chinese Government, the local businesses, the distributors and various other important entities. All of these parties communicate using their own language, Chinese. They feel pride in speaking their own language and most of them do not know English. Basically, the culture affects the thinking process of human behavior. It affects the thinking pattern, values and therefore eventually influences the communication processes. Therefore, in coming paragraphs, I will be discussing the various differences between the culture of China and the U.K. and the possible hindrance that may occur due to these differences in the communication process while I will also mention the solution to these issues wherever possible. The main dissimilarity that I have found is the vast contextual difference between UK’s and China’s culture. China is a high-context culture while U.K. is relatively low context culture. In high context cultures, messages are less spelled out explicitly and communicated more implicitly or in indirect ways(Differences in Cultures, n.d.). However, in a low context culture, the emphasis is given to exchanging of information in an explicit manner. Many things are left unsaid in high context cultures which are expected to be implicitly understood(High and Low Context, n.d.). Due to this high-context culture, Chinese use a great deal of non-verbal communication during their work. Their facial expressions, postures, the tone of voice, gestures and other expressions show what they are feeling. However, I feel necessary here to mention that there is both positive and negative effect of adapting to a new culture. The positive outcomes include gains in language competence, self-esteem, awareness, self-confidence, good interpersonal relationships, the development of multicultural identities etc. The negative outcomes include psychological and psychosomatic concerns, emotional distress, dysfunctional communication, culture shock, depression and anxiety. In short, we need to understand the culture of China in order to make the communication process effective.