Fractional-reserve Banking and Reserves Loans Loan

BU204/02 Unit 8 June 14, 2011 ? Question: In Westlandia, the public holds 50% of M1 in the form of currency, and the required reserve ratio is 20%. 1. Estimate how much the money supply will increase in response to a new cash deposit of $500 by completing the accompanying table. (Hint: The first row shows that the bank must hold $100 in minimum reserves—20% of the $500 deposit—against this deposit, leaving $400 in excess reserves that can be loaned out. However, since the public wants to hold 50% of the loan in currency, only $400 ? 0. = $200 of the loan will be deposited in round 2 from the loan granted in round 1. ) RoundDepositsRequired reservesExcess reservesLoansLoan proceeds held as currencyLoan proceeds deposited 1$500. 00$100. 00$400. 00$400. 00$200. 00$200. 00 2$200. 00$40. 00 $160. 00 $160. 00 $80. 00$80. 00 3$580. 00 $116. 00$464. 00$464. 00 $232. 00 $232. 00 4$232. 00 totals$1512. 00 $256. 00 $1024. 00 $1024. 00 $512. 00 $512. 00 2. How does your answer comp are to an economy in which the total amount of the loan is deposited in the banking system and the public doesn’t hold any of the loans in currency? Hint: Do another table with none of the loan proceeds held in currency. ) RoundDepositsRequired reservesExcess reservesLoansLoan proceeds held as currencyLoan proceeds deposited 1$500. 00$100. 00$400. 00$400. 00 2$200. 00$40. 00 $160. 00 $160. 00 3 $660. 00$132. 00 $528. 00 $528. 00 totals $1360. 00$272. 00 $1088. 00 $1088. 00 3. What does this imply about the relationship between the public’s desire for holding currency and the money multiplier? It implies that if the public holds on to their money there would be more money in circulation and less in banks reverse and then the multiplier would be less.

Exam 1 human resource management

1. | | | According to the right of privacy, employers can conceal the nature of the job before hiring an employee. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| False | False| | | | 2. | | | The concept of â€Å"human resource management† implies that employees are interchangeable, easily replaced assets that must be managed like any other physical asset. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| False | False| | | | 3. | | | Currently, no federal laws outline how to use employee databases in order to protect employees' privacy while also meeting employers' and society's concerns for security. | |Student Response| Correct Answer| True | True| | | | 4. | | | The role of HR generalist is limited to recruitment and selection. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| False | False| | | | 5. | | | Which of the following is NOT a necessary quality of human resources? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Human resources are valuable. |    | B. | Human resources are not imitable. |    | C. | Human resources are easily retainable. |    | D. | Human resources have no good substitute. |    | | | | 6. | | | Why has the job trend shifted to broadly defined jobs? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer|A. | Emphasis on innovation and quality|    | B. | Demand for low skilled workers|    | C. | Increased focus on simplifying jobs|    | D. | Lack of competition|    | | | | 7. | | | Job design is: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires. |    | B. | the process of getting detailed information about jobs. |    | C. | the process by which the organization attempts to identify suitable employees. |    | D. | the planned effort to enable employees to learn job-related knowledge, skills, and behavior. |    | | | 8. | | | Organizational development and change are areas where HR professionals generally play only a supporting role. | | Student Response| Correct Ans wer| False | False| | | | 9. | | | As a type of resource, human capital refers to: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | the wages, benefits, and other costs incurred in support of HR functions within an organization. |    | B. | executive talent within an organization. |    | C. | the tax-deferred value of an employee's 401(k) plan. |    | D. | employee characteristics that add economic value to the organization. |    | | | | 10. | | According to the Gallup survey, which aspect of their jobs are most workers largely satisfied with? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Health insurance benefits|    | B. | Retirement plans|    | C. | Relations with coworkers|    | D. | Amount of money earned|    | | | | 11. | | | The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that about one-tenth of employed individuals work in alternative employment arrangements. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | True| | | | 12. | | | The U. S. workforce is predicted to become mor e diverse in terms of ethnicity and racial background. | |Student Response| Correct Answer| True | True| | | | 13. | | | An HRIS can be used to perform primarily all of the following EXCEPT: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | support strategic decision-making. |    | B. | avoid litigation. |    | C. | evaluate programs and policies. |    | D. | motivate employees. |    | | | | 14. | | | When an organization undertakes a complete review of its critical work processes to make them more efficient and to be able to deliver higher quality, it is engaging in: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | outsourcing. |    | B. | high-performance work system design. |    |C. | total quality management. |    | D. | reengineering. |    | | | | 15. | | | What effect has the use of employee empowerment had upon recruiting? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | It has created an international labor market. |    | B. | It has substantially enhanced employment op portunities for women and minorities. |    | C. | It has shifted the focus away from technical skills to general cognitive and interpersonal skills. |    | D. | It has significantly reduced recruiting costs. |    | | | | 16. | | | How does e-HRM affect analysis and design of work? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. Online simulations, including tests and e-mail, can measure job candidates' ability to deal with real-life business challenges. |    | B. | Employees can review salary and bonus information and seek information about and enroll in benefit plans. |    | C. | Employees in geographically dispersed locations can work together in virtual teams using video, e-mail, and the Internet. |    | D. | Online learning can bring training to employees anywhere, anytime. |    | | | | 17. | | | Privacy, as an important issue in e-HRM, might best be addressed by which one of the following technologies? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer|A. | A website|    | B. | An intranet|    | C. | A high-performance work system|    | D. | A shared service center|    | | | | 18. | | | When two companies join forces and become one entity, it is termed a: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | partnership. |    | B. | consolidation. |    | C. | merger. |    | D. | joint venture. |    | | | | 19. | | | Independent contractors are: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | persons who work for an organization only when they are needed. |    | B. | self-employed individuals with multiple clients. |    | C. | employed by a temporary agency. |    | D. employed directly by a company for a specific time. |    | | | | 20. | | | Which one of the following technologies lets a company rent space on a remote computer system and use the system's software to manage its HR activities, including security and upgrades? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Application service providers|    | B. | Internet portals|    | C. | Shared service centers|    | D. | Business intelligence|    | | | | 21. | | | Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to all organizations that employ 20 or more persons working 20 or more weeks a year and that are involved in interstate commerce. | Student Response| Correct Answer| False | False| | | | 22. | | | The Civil Rights Act of 1991: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | limits damage claims to lost benefits and attorney's fees and costs. |    | B. | requires violators to pay punitive damages that cover emotional pain and suffering. |    | C. | requires violators to pay compensatory damages, an amount beyond actual loss. |    | D. | limits the maximum punitive damages allowed, depending on the size of the organization. |    | | | | 23. | | | The EEOC is NOT the enforcement agency for the: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. |    | B. | Rehabilitation Act of 1973. |    | C. | Equal Pay Act of 1963 . |    | D. | Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. |    | | | | 24. | | | Which legislative/regulatory actions are under the direct control of the President? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Constitutional amendments|    | B. | Judicial decisions|    | C. | Legislation|    | D. | Executive orders|    | | | | 25. | | | Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals based on all of the following EXCEPT: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer|A. | age. |    | B. | race. |    | C. | religion. |    | D. | national origin. |    | | | | 26. | | | Under disparate impact, the plaintiff must prove that the employer intended to discriminate. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | False| | | | 27. | | | Which of the following cases would most likely be subject to a lawsuit filed under the disparate treatment theory of discrimination? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | A group of females ar e laid off due to a downturn in business. |    | B. | Black applicants are being disproportionately rejected on the basis of a psychological test. |    | C. A black applicant is turned down for a job based on a handwriting analysis. |    | D. | A woman with school-aged children is rejected on the assumption that she will frequently be absent from work. |    | | | | 28. | | | An individual wishing to file a complaint with the EEOC or a similar state agency must file the complaint within _____ days of the incident. | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | 30|    | B. | 60|    | C. | 90|    | D. | 180|    | | | | 29. | | | The three basic components of an affirmative action plan include all of the following EXCEPT: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. utilization analysis. |    | B. | measurement tools. |    | C. | goals and timetables. |    | D. | action steps. |    | | | | 30. | | | When an individual is promised a positive outcome for submission to sex, or threatened with a negative outcome for failure to submit to sex, this is referred to as: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | disparate treatment. |    | B. | disparate impact. |    | C. | reverse discrimination. |    | D. | quid pro quo harassment. |    | | | | 31. | | | In terms of the Job Characteristics Model, the degree to which a job requires completing a â€Å"whole† piece of work from beginning to end is: | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | autonomy. |    | B. | skill variety. |    | C. | task significance. |    | D. | task identity. |    | | | | 32. | | | For which of the following occupations is it easiest to implement telework? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Production technician|    | B. | Quality management|    | C. | Machine operator|    | D. | Graphic designer|    | | | | 33. | | | In contrast to tasks, duties, and responsibilities, KSAOs are characteristics about people and are not directly observabl e. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | True| | | | 34. | | What is the SBAR method? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Standardizing information at handoff points by describing the situation, giving the context, evaluation of the condition, and recommending action. |    | B. | Reducing the complexity of the work, making it so simple that almost anyone can be trained quickly and easily to perform the job. |    | C. | The study of the interface between individuals' physiology and the characteristics of the physical work environment. |    | D. | Enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks.    | | | | 35. | | | In which of the following scenarios will workers be less motivated to perform the job? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | When the job requires a variety of skills to be performed. |    | B. | When the job requires completing the whole piece of work from beginning to end. |    | C. | When the job has minor impact on the lives of other people. |    | D. | When the job allows individuals to make decisions about the job. |    | | | | 36. | | | Which of the following would qualify as a compressed workweek? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. Employees are required to be at work from 10:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. and can choose additional hours before/after this period. |    | B. | Two part-time employees work in different shifts and share the tasks of a specific job. |    | C. | Employees are permitted to work 10 hours a day, Monday through Thursday. |    | D. | Employees can choose to work away from a centrally located work area. |    | | | | 37. | | | When job analysis information is used to judge the relative worth of different jobs within an organization, the HR activity is termed: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. performance evaluation. |    | B. | training and development. |    | C. | job evaluation. |    | D. | work redesign. |    | | | | 38. | | | Which of the following arrangements would qualify as job rotation? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | A receptionist is required to perform the jobs of file clerk and typist. |    | B. | Team members assemble components and also pack products into cases. |    | C. | Team members make decisions regarding how to resolve problems with customers. |    | D. | A manager participating in a meeting while on vacation with his family. |    | | | | 39. | | Which one of the following would be most appropriate when gathering information about clerical and technical job duties? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | A job analyst visits the workplace and watches/videotapes an employee performing the job. |    | B. | A manager/supervisor imagines what a well-done job would look like. |    | C. | A job analyst questions the peers about a particular job. |    | D. | A job analyst visits the workplace and asks employees to show what the job entail s. |    | | | | 40. | | | The Fleishman Job Analysis System provides an accurate picture of the ability requirements of a job. | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | True| | | | 41. | | | Which of the following is NOT true of outsourcing? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Outsourcing is a logical choice when firms lack experience in an area. |    | B. | Outsourcing often involves ventures with foreign companies. |    | C. | Outsourcing is currently restricted to manufacturing and low-skilled jobs. |    | D. | Outsourcing is driven by economies of scale. |    | | | | 42. | | | Several forces are drawing out older workers' careers. Which of the following is NOT one of them? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. The improved health of older people, combined with the decreased physical labor required by many jobs, makes working longer a viable option. |    | B. | The acute shortage of qualified younger workers has resulted in employers offering increased incentives to older workers to remain on the job. |    | C. | Age discrimination laws and the outlawing of mandatory retirement ages have limited organizations' ability to induce older workers to retire. |    | D. | Many workers fear Social Security will be cut, and they do not have adequate employer-sponsored pensions to cover anticipated costs. |    | | | | 43. | | How do organizations determine labor supply? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Analyzing where the need for people with the necessary skills and experience will increase or decrease. |    | B. | Analyzing job categories held in one period and the proportion of employees in each of those job categories in a future period. |    | C. | Indicating a specific figure about what should happen with the job category or skill area and a specific timetable for when the results should be achieved. |    | D. | Planning elimination of large numbers of personnel with the goal of enhancing the organization's comp etitiveness.    | | | | 44. | | | According to research on recruitment, it is clear that recruiting sources are more important than characteristics of the vacancy for predicting job choice. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | False| | | | 45. | | | Job applicants find companies with employment-at-will practices more attractive than companies with due-process policies. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| True | False| | | | 46. | | | The largest share of new employees hired come from which external source? | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | Career fairs|    | B. | Referrals|    |C. | College recruiting|    | D. | Advertisements|    | | | | 47. | | | In a survey of large well-known businesses, about one-third of open job positions were filled by: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | insiders. |    | B. | referrals. |    | C. | on campus recruitment. |    | D. | direct applicants. |    | | | | 48. | | | Overtime is most suited for short-te rm labor shortages. | | Student Response| Correct Answer| False | True| | | | 49. | | | Research demonstrates that realistic job previews significantly reduce employee turnover. | | Student Response| Correct Answer|True | False| | | | 50. | | | An organization's core competency is: | | | Student Response| Correct Answer| A. | a clear analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization's existing internal labor force. |    | B. | decisions about how an organization will carry out human resource management, including how it will fill job vacancies. |    | C. | a set of knowledge and skills that make the organization superior to competitors and create value for customers. |    | D. | a forecast of the proportion of employees who are members of various protected groups. |    | | | |

My Clothes

Clothes can tell a lot about a person. As we all know that clothes are very important thing which can describe our personality. In order to describe ourselves we always make sure that our clothes are perfect. The are a lot of examples can tell about someone judging from the clothes he or she wears. Let’s say for example, when you are going to job interview and wear t-shirt with jeans, this would make a bad impression about you. For job interview you should be wearing something formal like a black suit. Take, for instance the colors of clothes.The colors is very important thing because each color have meaning. To be more clear, the black color is the most misunderstood color. A black tie dinner is very formal and elegant. Women can wear that â€Å"must have little black dress† to the black tie dinner. Also the color white the color of purity. Brides wear white in many countries, because white symbolizes a virgin. White means kindness. In some cultures white is worn at fu nerals. A final example is that in every place or event you must be careful about what you are wearing.For instance, when you want to go to consolation you shouldn’t be wearing something with brightly colors or wearing a lot of jewelry, you can do that things you are going to party or to celebrates with friends. We must be careful to choose the clothes that really represents us and that sometimes or some places have a different type of clothes which you should be wearing. Finally, always make sure that you wear the perfect thing because people will judge you from your clothes.

Crime Causation and Diversion Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime Causation and Diversion - Research Paper Example In general, these programs try to alleviate crime and recidivism, alter the juvenile offender’s attitudes and behaviors, target reduction of cost in the juvenile justice system and provide protection of a juvenile’s criminal record (Delta County, 2012). Major goals, objectives and beliefs Cognitive-behavioral programming aims to ensure that the young adults under this program should be able to learn important life skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, critical thinking and reasoning skills (Denver District Attorney’s Office, 2012). In other words, this program is generally all about life skills training in which it seeks to give the best opportunity for juveniles to learn the most essential things in life rather than committing crimes and other related unlawful activities. Community service on the other hand usually exposes the clients or youths to activities such as graffiti removal, trash pick-up, providing help to food banks, homeless shelters and comm unity events upon request (Denver District Attorney’s Office, 2012). ... For example, graffiti removal, a simple activity from a straightforward unlawful act, will substantially help the clients understand the value of being responsible for certain things in life. In other words, community service is believed to substantially divert the youth’s attention to things that would make them become responsible citizen with a high sense of purpose in life. How do these programs work Cognitive-behavioral programming would substantially help reduce crime because young people would basically learn to maximize their potential which in the long run would make them productive individuals in the society. Juveniles are known to be potentially able to commit crimes because the bottom line is that they might have different perceptions about the world which can make them become likely to pose certain dangers (Champion, 2010). This can be basically illustrated on their actual behaviors which at some point would result to vandalism, theft, and other bloody or heinous c rimes such as rape, murder, robbery and the list goes on. In other words, young people can become so serious and even pose a significant potential threat to the society because the crimes they committed could speak about how their minds could become so violent and harmful at some point. Thus, cognitive-behavioral programming would actually make sense because this program substantially diverts the cognitive capability of young adults to things that would help them develop their skills, reasoning and mental ability instead of giving focus on things that could lead them to creating detestable matters under the law. Community service on the other hand, as a community program for juveniles to divert their attention to productive things, ensures that juveniles should become more responsible citizen

Briefly elaborate what this expressionist form consists of and how it Essay

Briefly elaborate what this expressionist form consists of and how it reflects the movement as a whole. Then relate these genera - Essay Example Moreover, it is depicted as choosing the subject matter of spiritual reclamation and using an oratorical tone. In reality, expressionism combined realist and symbolist objects and its transcendental instruments provided an intuition into the social and historical elements (Bronner & Kellner, 4). Expressionism has often been characterized based on the analytical and abstract proclamations of expressionist artists and literarians. In truth, the novel and modernistic art movements that prospered in Europe resulted in various confused ideas and beliefs that had been associated with the movement but had nothing to do with the art. Expressionism gained a significant artistic revolution after it rationalized its importance by proclaiming its profound unconventionality. The movement was further promoted by expressionist artists, literati, and publicists. It soon gained recognition due to its abstract writing and legitimating theories. Geoffrey Perkins also describes these as being the reason s for its demise. The â€Å"two Expressionisms† theory developed by Wolfgang Paulsen divides expressionism into two stages. It explains the distinction of each stage, the first one being detracting and extremely creative and the second one being unsophisticated, vocal and politically active stage. However, there are various contradictory trends in the movement which make it difficult to place them into distinct stages for example, â€Å"naive† and â€Å"sophisticated†, â€Å"rhetorical† and â€Å"formal†, and â€Å"artistic† and â€Å"political† (Bronner & Kellner, 5). The presence of the two extreme tendencies of artistic and political, and rhetorical and formal in the same works makes the segregation of expressionism into two categories unattainable. Expressionism has an inconsistent culture. The lack of homogeneity of expressionist rebellions allows inaccurate assumptions to be made. Despite difficulties in defining expressionism, this art movement has been influenced by the social conditions and the cultural traditions that existed in Germany during that time. Nietzsche’s powerful significance in Germany had a great impact on expressionism. Expressionist art was also influenced by romanticism, gothic, and baroque styles of painting (Bronner & Kellner, 7). The zeal and dissatisfaction of expressionist spurred them to demand novel forms of expressions thereby resulting in modernization. Expressionism is therefore a crucial source of knowledge illustrating subjectivity through its paradoxical attempts (Bronner & Kellner, 31). The film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari was written by two authors, Hans Janowitz ad Carl Mayer. The story was influenced by an event Janowitz experienced before World War I near Holstenwall. In trying to find an inspiration, he followed the path of a girl’s laugh which seemed to taper off behind a shrubbery. Few minutes later a dark bourgeois man passed him and the next day a murder in Holstenwall made the headlines (Kracauer, 1). The story of the film is therefore located in Holstenwall where a fair moves. It is also important to note that Janowitz had served as an officer in the regiment during World War I and had returned developing a sense of hatred for the authority that resulted in the deaths of millions of people. After both the authors had written the manuscript they were stuck at the name of the

Organisations Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations Law - Essay Example The legal aspects of managing a farm touch on areas, namely: biodiversity, chemical, management, occupational health and safety, livestock management, soil management, waste management, water management, and animal management. In most parts of the world, the commercialization of animal products such as milk remain increasingly subjected to food safety regulations that demand approval for facilities for processing such as pasteurization plants. As consumers increasingly focused on quality and safety attributes, the regulatory frameworks have become widespread, stringent and employed more frequently and rigorously. As such, is critical that the client is aware of the present food safety legislation that affects the proposed activities (Fortin, 2009). Daily processing business translates to an enterprise or activity in which dairy products entail milk, liquid milk products; cream and thickened cream; butter, butter concentrate, buttermilk; ice-cream and ice-cream mix; cultured milk and yoghurt; casein, and cheese; whey, whey cream, and concentrated whey cream. Bella Ridge Farm will manufacture homemade cheeses, yoghurt, and cream. The distinctiveness of goat milk, yoghurt, and cheeses has contributed significantly in driving the demand for goat milk. Bella Ridge Goat Farm will be located in New South Wales region of Australia. The demand for goat’s milk products has risen, mainly driven by people suffering from allergies and lactose intolerance. The goat industry is a niche market and the planned herd of 300 goats in the farm’s 75 acres. The aim of the business is to build the flock to 700 goats. The property on which Bella Ridge Farm sits was previously a certified organic goat dairy featuring a large cheese making facility on farm. The goat dairy and cheese factory are purpose-built and less than 5 years old. Other key facilities include plant and

Critically Discuss the View That Women's Careers Are Not The Result of Assignment

Critically Discuss the View That Women's Careers Are Not The Result of Free Choice - Assignment Example Women were seen making selective career decisions, acquiring professional education, enhancing their skills and eagerly working to support their families along with their husbands. Gradually with the passage of time, women were observed participating actively in different fields. According to United States Department of Labor, around 74 percent of women are working full time in different part of States. However, we cannot ignore that opting for a particular career is solely a woman’s decision but a woman’s career choice could be an outcome of the influence of different social factors. Childhood Socialization and Family influence: Gender roles and expectations of the society start establishing even before the child can actually understand his/her identity or learn about his/her personality. From early childhood, females are dressed in gender specific colors (pink) and they are given gender specific toys (dolls) to play with. This is a clear example of how our society beh aves and discriminate children on the basis of their gender from an early childhood stage. We know that social play an important role in developing a girl’s view of her identity and her future role in the society as a home maker. From an early childhood, girls are either intentionally or unintentionally forced by the families to be polite and soft, to have motherly nature and to spend more of their time in servicing other people. Perhaps, this is one of the main reasons that these girls are encouraged to pursue careers such as teaching, nurses, secretary or enter in other humanitarian services. However, the limit to this discrimination doesn’t end here. Even in schools, girls who opt for science and mathematics as their subjects of interests are often ridiculed by their peers. It is a common thought in our society that girls are weaker in science and mathematics and hence, these subjects are not â€Å"made† for them to study with keen interest (Mendoza, 2011). T o abide by all the rules and principles set by the society according to gender roles in sometimes harsh to follow. As a result, it has been observed that majority of the girls are found weaker in subjects like science and mathematics and when they enter high school, their command on these subjects is weaker than their male peers. Therefore, these girls find it hard to obtain a degree or pursue a career based on such subjects. On the other hand, recently different schools and teachers have stressed upon girls to break the traditional approach in making a career choice for themselves and by developing their interest in subjects like mathematics and science. Traditional Role Models: In the past, women were given limited career choices which resulted in limited approach in their future generations about the women with outstanding careers. It has been observed that women are more likely to get influenced by other successful women in traditional pink collar jobs. Such influence encourages these women to select and excel in the same career. Therefore, instead of creating a different career path for themselves; these women follow the footsteps of other successful women and adopt the traditional career choice. As a result, society has greatly diminished the role and contributions of those women who adopted their careers on the basis of science and mathematics. With the passage of time, girls started perceiving that they would be more successful in adopting traditional pink

Costs and Benefits Associated with ERP Systems - Advanced Accounting Essay

Costs and Benefits Associated with ERP Systems - Advanced Accounting Information systems - Essay Example P.Regardless of the reason that has contributed to need of searching a new ERP, the fundamental question to be kept in mind is how the ERP will cost (Busco et al., 2007). The cost of an ERP varies depending on different factors. These factors include the size of the company; type of solution needed for instance the more specialized the solution is the pricier the ERP will be. The needed resources also contributes to the decision to be made regarding the ERP.The more external resources are the more costlier the ERP is.The level of customization is also an a factor determining the cost of an ERP (Nixon, 2012). There is the purchase cost and the licensing cost. When an ERP is purchased, licenses for the Database Management System need to be bought separately. Often, the licenses are excluded in purchase price of the software since it is distinct product developed by a different company. There are two types of users’ license in the ERP; the named user and parallel operator. Respective worker has to require an authorization to be able to use the software in the named user licensing. In a parallel user licensing, there has to be a password available to each connected user (Li, 2011). There are also infrastructure related costs. The infrastructure cost incorporates all the required hardware to ride the ERP. However, this will fluctuate for each company, but the following should be included irrespective of the company. Firstly, there is server infrastructure cost, the cost of storage, the cost of backups and new desktop computers, or the computers that require upgrading. The infrastructure costs are responsible for about ten to twenty of an ERP implementation project (Li, 2011). There are also human resources. Human resources accounts for the greatest ERP implementation budget. Consultant costs and the employees’ wages consume more than fifty percent of the total ERP cost. Internal resources cost is also a cost related to ERP. The wages of employees should cater

John Locke and His Influence on the American Revolution Essay

John Locke and His Influence on the American Revolution - Essay Example At the core of his ideology is the principle that people are, by nature, equal. There is no one who is above others in terms of economic, political, and cultural power. Because of this, no one also has the right to harm other people. In Two Treatises on Government, he wrote that people a natural state â€Å"do not have to ask permission to act or depend on the will of others to arrange matters on their behalf† (Locke 70). Apparently, such theory introduces concept that challenges the validity or the relevance of the government and laws. In line with his concept of individual freedoms in relation to the laws and the government, Locke also has a critical view on taxes imposed on the people. For him, taxes are similar to stealing a portion of the fruits of one’s labor. However, despite his expositions that greatly diminished the relevance of the state’s existence, Locke never went to the extent of calling for its abolition. Nevertheless, his ideas inspired other thi nkers of his time and after to develop the concept of modern democracy. Among these is the concept that democracy’s core is the will of the people. ... These were reformist in essence. These aimed to appeal to the rulers’ conscience in the hope that they mend their ways of governing. Locke, however, was not a reformist in his views. He went to criticize the roots of oppression and tyranny, the doctrine of divine right of kings. For him, it is not the king or the ruler as a person that is the problem but the principles that upholds, defends, and promotes his existence in human society. What makes this political principle radical is that it strikes at the roots of the problem of oppression which is the concept that monarchs are chosen by God and that, therefore, their authority cannot be questioned. Locke, of course, did not directly confront the English throne himself. However, by presenting his radical views to the public through his written works, particularly Two Treatises on Government, he laid the foundation of the belief that the struggles against oppressive social structures are not only justified but also legitimate un der the laws of nature. Locke’s ideas were definitely revolutionary when these are appreciated in the historical context of his time. When he questioned the validity and the legitimacy of the rule of kings and other monarchs, a great majority of the world’s nations were ruled by royal families and absolutist regimes. These basically violate the essence of the individual freedom that Locke advocated. His concept that essentially calls for the downfall of such rulers is undoubtedly revolutionary. However, it must be pointed out that the â€Å"Lockean notion of revolution is certainly a form of mass political participation, but it is an activity that derives its moral authority from an irreducibly

Individual essay on my team experience Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual on my team experience - Essay Example However, considering the team’s organisation, delegation of duties and communication, Person B can be said to be the team leader. Her leadership traits emerged in the first group meeting, where she coordinated the activities and played the lead role in setting the team’s goals and objectives. Person B ensured that every team member participated in the all the team’s activities and ascertained that we all knew our roles and contributions to the team. She set the team’s activities in motion, facilitated communication within the team and helped in defining clear goals for the team.3 Even though all the team members were equals, she had a certain influence on the group that helped to set the team’s activities in motion. She was leading a group of peers and successfully maintained influence on us without leading into disagreements. This paper will discuss some of the leadership traits and skills that Person B possessed and the manner in which they influenced the whole team. It is difficult to manage a diverse team, especially one that is composed of individuals who bear equal authority. This means that a single individual cannot domineer or assert authority over the others.4 However, one individual can rise above the rest and influence the others by motivating them, facilitating activities, encouraging the team members, enhancing effective communication and maintaining trust, therefore, playing a leadership role in the team. 5 This was the case with our MG100 team. Person B showed leadership skills and helped the team to achieve its goals. We were all held accountable for the team’s performance, meaning that she was not responsible for the team’s output. As team members, we did not report to her but she facilitated the group’s activities because she had great organisational skills, which allowed every team member to trust her with the leadership role.6 We did not conduct a formal selection to instil her as our leader, but the value

Not a fix topic, you can choose any topics Lab Report

Not a fix topic, you can choose any topics - Lab Report Example (Solomon, 3-6; Engel et al. 4-5) The present paper puts its focus on analyzing consuming behavior in the area of tourism. Tourism is considered to be a very important product or service. Consumer’s decision making process regarding tourism is, however, very complex as the decision making process in this case goes through a number of complicated stages. There exists a number of literatures which discusses the consumers’ decision making method involved in choosing a travel destination. The next section of the present paper of will present the finding regarding consumer behavior in tourism from the existing literatures, both theoretical, and empirical. After the completion of a rigorous literature review, the paper will present my own experience regarding choosing a travel destination. Once my own experiences is discussed, the next section will makes an attempt to compare my own findings with what have already been documented in the existing literature. Finally in the last part of this paper, the paper w ill summarize the findings and try to provide some marketing strategies that those tourists’ spot needs to apply for attracting consumers. Consumers make their travel decision by taking into account a lot of factors. The selection of a tourist spot is not at all random. A lot of researches are done by a consumer before choosing a particular place as his/her travel destination. Hence, while marketing for tourism, one should ensure that a correct image of the travel spot is being displayed to the consumers. Tourist’s decision making is dependent on a number of psychological, social, economical factors. Some of these factors are internal to the tourists while some factors are external. Among the internal factors that influence a tourist’s decision include options that are available to the tourists, perception regarding a holiday spot, attitude and personality of the individual, the tourist’s life style, existing

Indigenous Peoples and Tourism Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Peoples and Tourism Essay Theobald (1994) suggested that etymologically, the word tour is derived from the Latin, tornare and the Greek, tornos, meaning a lathe or circle; the movement around a central point or axis. This meaning changed in modern english to represent ones turn. The suffix –ism is defined as an action or process; typical behavior or quality, while the suffix, –ist denotes one that performs a given action. When the word tour and the suffixes–ism and –ist are combined, they suggest the action of movement around a circle. One can argue that a circle represents a starting point, which ultimately returns back to its beginning. Therefore, like a circle, a tour represents a journey in that it is a round-trip, an activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes. In 1941, Hunziker and Krapf defined tourism as people who travel the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity. y these definitions, the tourism industry is inevitable since travelling is always a part of a person’s everyday life. Tourism can be seen as major consideration for both developed and developing countries in terms of adding up value to their potential tourism assets. Today, variety of tourism activities has evolved and is continually practice worldwide. There are also different themes or purposes why people travel from their country origin to their preferred destinations, these are visiting friends and relatives tourism, medical, health and retirement tourism, nature and adventure tourism, nautical or cruise tourism, sun and beach tourism, MICE, Leisure and Entertainment and Shopping Tourism, educational tourism, and lastly, cultural or indigenous tourism. The Indigenous Tourism This kind of tourism has a variety of components and relationships. And each indigenous tourism experience is unique in terms of time, space and participants. In 1966, a frameworks was been presented by Hinch and Butler, which highlights some of the key components of indigenous tourism. However, it was of limited value terms of identifying relationships between these components. The tourism system was been influenced by a variety of sources such as the basic geographic dimension of Leiper’s tourism system (1990), and the important role of the media which was highlighted by Ryan and Trauer, (2005). One of the distinguishing figures of an indigenous tourism system in general is the emphasis on the culture. In the indigenous tourism, where cultural overlay can be found, is much more encompassing compared to the tangible manifestation in a culturally based attraction. Basic values and principles, which were infused in the way an enterprise is operated, also reflect. The final component of this tourism system is the broader environmental context. This component also reflects the reality that tourism is not a closed system. But the main intent of the host (indigenous people), is to have income using the destination and also to export positive images of the destination and themselves. Economic Environment The strong performance of the economic aspects will result in higher levels of discretionary spending for travel and more trips, especially if it’s done in tourist market areas. On the other hand, the weak performance of the economic aspects often results in tourism actively supported as an alternative to struggling primary or secondary industries. Oftentimes, communal approach is a successful liaison with traditional indigenous communities but being questioned in places like Australia by Schmiechena and Boyle, Editor’s Note. Private entrepreneurial approaches are being pursued in indigenous communities (Wuttunee, 1992; Altman and Finlayson, 1993). The growing corporatization of the global economy may reflect in such trends in combination with evolving generational differences and changing socio-political structures and programs that can be seen in indigenous communities. Social Environment. One of the shared features of indigenous people is the â€Å"cultural poverty† in which they live (Frideres, 1988). Poverty means there is an insufficiency in participating effectively in society, not having enough to feed and clothe a family, neither a clinic nor a school to go to, or even own a land or a job to earn one’s living, and not having access to credit. It is not very surprising that the constraints and results of the development goals of indigenous people often vary from the goals of non-indigenous communities. Political Environment. Despite the substantial constraints that the indigenous people face, they become increasingly aware and active, as well as informed of their legal and political rights and have increasingly exercised them. There has been a major increase in land claim settlements which resulted in financial gain and increased resource management roles (Hinch, 2001). The internal politics of indigenous groups has political differences as one of the significant aspects which is not surprising that it is very rare to hear a unified voice speaking on their behalf. In Indigenous communities, there are two levels of governance, one imposed by the dominant culture and one embedded in the traditional practices of the community. Also, the reality of dual governing structures; one of them is an elected body while the other looks to the traditional guidance of elders, whose gonna be taking account valued communal and kinship bonds, build and process consensus in the community. And there are two levels of governance in indigenous communities: first is imposed by the dominant culture and secondly, embedded in the community’s traditional practice. Natural Environment The widespread destruction of natural areas throughout the world, actually increases the value of most traditional indigenous lands (Stevens, 1997). Most of the traditional indigenous lands has been lost due to expropriation and been the cause for the displacement of the indigenous people to peripheral places. The traditional relationship of the indigenous people to their homeland compared to non-indigenous people to their own land is also distinct (Notzke, 2006). Because most of the indigenous people believes that they are unconditionally conjugated or inseparable with the nature, unlike with the non-indigenous people who tend to see the land as a resource for human pleasure (Gary, 1991; Hollinshead, 1992). Given the importance of the environment to the indigenous people, any changes in the environment, have significance on the practice of the indigenous tourism (Gardner and Nelson, 1988). Host- Guest Relationshop and the Socio-Cultural Impacts of tourism It’s been the subject of much debate and research in a variety of disciplines such as anthropology and ethnography, as well as tourism studies. Disassociating the impacts of tourism from the boarder context of social and cultural development, is difficult in many ways. Most of the models cited with impact analysis are considered as less useful as tourists proliferate and destinations diversify. Two best-known models perhaps were (Butler’s Lifecycle Model, 1980 and Doxey’s Irridex, 1975). These models allow us to visualize the progression (more often, regression) of many global destinations, though they are by no means universal. In the past few years, the regeneration or rejuvenation of destination has become a more widespread phenomenon. Many products have been upgraded; some were diversified into new forms of tourism, and are targeting higher spending visitors. Though it is uncommon for tourist to be confined to â€Å"enclaves’ where contact with local residents is minimal. This kind of relationship allows for little spontaneity, but worth questioning how far host-guest relations have ever been truly authentic given the contrived nature and typically short duration of the average holiday. Acculturation, Cultural Drift and the Commodificaiton of Culture The fact of tourism is inevitable that the cultural changes primarily seen to the traditions of indigenous society, customs and values rather than to those of the tourist. Although tourism in some destinations, may be intermittent and seasonal. The level of visitation is constant and can have considerable impact on the social and cultural fabric of the host society. Instead of acculturation, cultural drift take place and is a kind of cultural change that appear within the society. (Mathieson and Wall 1992), states that cultural drift is a phenotypic change to the behavior of the host which take place only when they are in contact with tourists, but when tourists leave, it can go back to normal. The Genotypic behavior is a more permanent phenomenon where cultural changes are handed down from one generation to another. The fears of the culture and identity of the host can be assimilated into more dominant or persuasive culture of the tourist. Homogenization of culture is often exacerbated by tourist whose behaviors are sometimes adapted by local residents. This may simply mean to local people, that they are obliged to learn the language of the tourist in order to communicate well, but can also mean the consumption of non-local food or drink, the wearing of non-traditional fashions, and the desire to indulge in the same forms of entertainment as tourists. The majority of tourists tend to crave Western-style amenities. Not only this create economic leakages, but it also threatens the production of local goods, especially if local people develops and prefer Western-style products as well. Authenticity also becomes a key issue esp. when performing rituals in isolation from their traditional context. Staged authenticity in the form of displaced ceremonies, activities and events has become widespread. Although it is somehow important, the authenticity of tourist experience, it is more crucial to ensure that local communities with their role as performers and entertainers must feel comfortable in any ways. And of course, it should be understood as well that some religious or spiritual cultural practices, for tourists gaze, might not be appropriate spectacles. Measuring the socio-cultural impacts of tourism Culture is dynamic and it changes from time to time irrespective of human development: First, distinguishing the impacts of tourism from those of other social or economic developments is difficult. Second, in measuring socio-cultural impacts, only few reliable tools exist, and assessment is oftentimes used to gather quantifiable data. Cooper and et al (1998) suggests to use a number of techniques in measuring sociocultural impacts of tourism, but usually filtering other influences is impossible. The following list suggests some of the indicators that can used to identify socio-cultural impacts: †¢ Ratio of tourist to locals †¢ Nature of interaction between hosts and guests †¢ Local perceptions of tourism †¢ Concentration of tourism in certain locations †¢ Degree of usage of local products and facilities †¢ Extent and nature of local employment †¢ Degree of commercialization of local culture †¢ Changes in family relationships and the role of women †¢ Demonstration effects †¢ Increased social problems (e. g. drug usage, alcohol abuse, gambling, prostitution). †¢ Rises in crimes Cultural Tourism as a positive development option Cultural tourism can often provide an attractive socio-economic development option for many societies. It can also raise the profile of a destination, attracting the interest of both investors and visitors. There are a number of benefits derived from tourism and have been well documented in tourism literature and may include the creation of employment, the receipt of foreign exchange, the expansion of other economic sectors, and infrastructural developments. Some are intangible benefits including the renewal of cultural pride, revitalization of customs and traditions, and opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and integration. One of the major problems with tourism development is the government of those countries, who perceives tourism as a â€Å"quick fix† solution to the economic problems. As suggested by Lanfant and et al. (1995), it is often perceived as the last chance for countries to propel themselves on to the world of stage and to compete in the global arena. International and non-local investment becomes an attractive prospect, esp. in poverty-stricken countries where there are many local entrepreneurs who are able to afford the inflated land and property prices. However, restriction of the government in the extent of outside investment is needed, as this might lead inevitably to ownership and management of facilities and services o f the non-locals and high economic leakages. Another economic difficulty is for the destinations or countries who were not able to meet demands of their tourism industry with their own local products. Other economic sectors such as fishing or agriculture can be strengthened; supply is unlikely to meet demand if tourism increases rapidly. In cases of small island economies, it might be possible to strengthen inter-island linkages, but there is still the need to import goods and still experience the inevitable economic leakages. Although most tourists do shop and buy local handcrafted goods, it is still difficult to insist the consumption of local cuisine. The need for local and tourist education is being recognized. Tour operators, airlines and Western tourism agencies were encouraged to provide info and codes of conduct for visitors. Codes of conduct may be necessary in areas where the environment of local culture is fragile or sensitive. The final point is the marketing of the destination. Most destination practice selective marketing to ensure that tourism development remains small-scale and appropriate. However, this is a delicate balance since many of the tourists may not be the most cultural sensitive. There are certain forms of tourism that are being developed in accordance with these changing trends, which are more environmentally friendly and culturally sensitive. Indigenous Cultural Tourism. According to Smith (2003), The Indigenous Cultural Tourism is used as an overarching terms for together ethnic and tribal tourism, and any form of tourism that involves contact with the indigenous people and their culture. They usually involve visiting native and indigenous people, such as tribal groups or ethnic minorities. An area that is designated cultural landscape, national park, a jungle, a dessert or a mountainous region. Foreign Studies Tourism Industry Tourism is seen as a labor intensive, seven-day-a-week industry, growing at a rate faster than any sector. It is widely accepted that tourism is gaining more and more importance with the end of 20 th century and especially with the beginning of 21 st century regarding to the changing trends. In the study â€Å"Developing Alternative Modes of Tourism† (Berne Tuzcan, 2007), World Tourism Organization has taken the concept of tourism beyond holiday-making and officially defined it as follows: â€Å"Tourism comprises the activities carried out by people during their holidays and their visit to places different from their usual environment or residence, for a consecutive period of time less than a year, with leisure, business or other purposes. † (McIntosh, Goeldner and Ritchie 1995:11). Accordingly â€Å"Tourism refers to all activities of visitors including both overnight visitors and same day visitors† (Lickorish and Jenkins, 1997: 36). Moreover, it may also be defined as â€Å"the sum of relationships arising from the interaction of tourists, business suppliers, host government, and host communities in the process of attracting and hosting these tourist and other visitors (McIntosh, Goeldner and Ritchie 1995: 9-10). † On the other hand tourists can be defined as people who are visiting a particular place for sightseeing, visiting their friends and relatives, taking a vacation, and having a good time. Indigenous Tourism Indigenous tourism is a „special interest? tourism; its essential components are: first hand, authentic and usually intimate contact with Indigenous peoples whose ethnic and cultural backgrounds are different from those of tourists (Weiler and Harron 84). Indigenous tourism affairs are location-specific, or rather, culture-specific; the history has shown that various Indigenous groups have reacted to tourism in various ways. The approaches of Indigenous communities towards tourism are influenced by a number of factors such as: former experiences with Western world, size of Indigenous population, sedentary or mobile lifestyle, diversity of Indigenous languages in an area, etc. ( Martina Horakova, 2003) Naturally, the overall analysis of Indigenous tourism would require a holistic approach; all the aspects of life in Indigenous communities are influenced by tourism and are interwoven: economic and educational issues, marketing and preservation, land ownership and traditional lifestyles. Indigenous People Indigenous communities are very diverse and specific. No matter where they live, groups from various parts of the world or clans occupying two neighboring regions, all of them are unique and their distinctiveness should be recognized and respected. Thus, to generalize insensitively and refer to all Indigenous peoples as a homogeneous group would be an immense mistake. In Australia, there are more than 700 different nations (Nielsen 213) and as quoted in the said study, â€Å"different groups are responding to tourism in different ways†. In the thesis entitled â€Å"Tourism and its Impact on Traditional Culture: A case study of Sirubari village, Nepal† by Tilak Prasad Kandel (2011) discussed the boom of tourism on indigenous people in the village tourism being practiced by the Gurung people in the Sirubari village of Syangja. For several decades now, this study recognizes the tourism industry as major source of revenue for countries, especially in the Third World. For ethnic tribes such as the Gurung people, Tourism is like a gift. They were given opportunities for employment other than hunting and fishing. Their children was given the benefits for education and they were informed of what it is like outside of their community as they interact with tourists who visited their place. They were proud of their culture but did not deny the fact, that they have the rights for changes and development if choose to. Another study, â€Å"The Impacts of Ethnic Tourism on Hill Tribes in Thailand† (Kayoko Ishii, 2011) stated the economic bene? ts of ethnic tourism for tribal households that affect the division of labor and gender dynamics in the local minority community engaged in the tourism industry. Furthermore, â€Å"Indigenous Tourism in Australia† (Martina Horakova, 2003) deals in analyzing both the positive and negative impacts of tourism in Aboriginal communities in Australia. The thesis shows that no one could really conclude that the overall effect of indigenous tourism on Aboriginal communities is either bad or good. This thesis intends to present that even though there are negative impacts, the positive ones could actually eliminate those and that indigenous tourism could give Aboriginal peoples the opportunity to re-create and state their identities through the interaction and exposure to tourists. The communication between tourists and Aboriginal peoples is productive in many aspects. It provides tourists with information that cannot be obtained elsewhere, and it helps to restore Aboriginal peoples? self-esteem and pride in their cultural heritage. Consequently, they are more willing to share their knowledge with the outer world. And, by telling their stories, they contribute greatly to the reconciliation. Thus, it could be concluded that Indigenous tourism becomes â€Å"reconciliation tourism† (Higgins-Desbiolles 223), when operated sensitively and carefully. Local Literature The Philippine Tourism According to Etravel Philippines (2000), The Philippines, Pearl of the Orient Seas, is very rich in natural resources. Filipinos are by nature creative and intelligent. The richness of the environment is an advantage for their livelihood. Around 15 million hectares, or almost half of the Philippines total land area, are classified as timberland. Most of the land here was densely forested before the 1900s. However, the following century saw the loss of half of Philippine forests. Statistics show that deforestation claimed 204,000 hectares per year from 1950 to 1978. From 1989 to 1995, only 116,332 hectares were vanishing annually. Environmentalist groups are trying to protect Philippine forests, but a lot needs to be done in the campaign for reforestation as well as the fight against illegal logging. Philippine forests produce timber for local consumption and for export. Hardwood products coming from these timbers are globally known for their distinct appearance and high quality, which makes them appropriate as home furnishings. Wooden furniture, such as tables and chairs, are usually made of hardwood, popularly known as narra. Most Philippine forests are of the tropical rainforest type. Besides extensive reserves of tropical evergreen hardwoods, the country also has considerable areas of pine in the mountainous regions of Northern Luzon. With a coastal ecosystem stretching almost 20,000 km, the Philippines is likely to become one of the earliest victims of rising ocean temperatures and levels. Centuries-old coral reefs are dying almost overnight, and the destruction is being witnessed not only by divers in remote spots. Regional marine science studies estimated in the middle of 1999 that the Philippines magnificent underwater world would be gone by around 2100. Reports say that increased sea temperatures were causing mass coral bleaching events in the worlds best coral reefs. Something has to be done to reduce global warming caused by the burning of oil, coal, and gas. The Philippines has extensive but small river systems and streams, which are mostly depicted by the mountain ranges. The fluvial system of Luzon is made up of (1) Rio Grande de Cagayan and its tributaries (a stream that flows into a larger body of water), which drain the Cagayan Valley; (2) the Agno Grande which drains Benguet and the valleys of Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Tarlac; (3) the Abra River system, which receives its tributaries from the Cordillera and drains Lepanto, Bontoc, and the Abra; and (4) the Rio Grande de Pampanga and its tributaries, which drain the fertile valfeys of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Bulacan. Schoolmeester (2004), expound that most of the islands in the Philippines are very small. Many of these small islands as well as the bigger islands, have a lot to offer to tourists. There are many possibilities for typical sun, sea and beach holidays and for specific adventure holidays. You can even meet the whale sharks and swim close to them. For tourists who want to discover geographically interesting landscapes or who want to meet mountain tribes, the Philippines has it all! As an archipelagic island, the Philippines offers countless attractions to see, such as the famous white sand beaches of Boracay, big shopping centers of Metro Manila, rice terraces of Ifugao, diving sites of Palawan, lush forests of Bohol, heritage houses in Vigan, and the cultural attractions of Manila. Metro Manila, the national capital region of the country, is known for being one of the best shopping destinations in Asia; its wide collection of shopping centers offer a range of local and international shops. Numerous shopping malls can be found around the metropolis, especially in the business and financial districts of Ortigas Center and Bonifacio Global City, while high-end shopping centers are mostly located at the Ayala Center in Makati. Despite the rise of modern shopping centers, traditional Filipino shopping areas still remain around the metropolis. Located just approximately 315 km (196 mi) south of Manila is Boracay; it is known for its white sand beaches and has been a favorite island destination for local and foreign visitors. In 2012, Boracay received the best island award from the international travel magazine Travel + Leisure. Boracay was also named as the second best beach in the world. Aside from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also known for being a popular destination for relaxation, tranquility and for an exciting nightlife (Malig, 2012). Mindanao, the southernmost island of the Philippines is home to the countrys tallest mountain, Mount Apo. The mountain features a wide range of flora and fauna and is home to over 272 bird species, 111 of which are endemic to the area. Mount Apo is also home to the countrys national bird, the Philippine Eagle. Mount Apo is a popular destination for hiking and mountain activities. The Indigenous People in the Philippines Jocano (1998) said that the earliest known attempt of classifying Filipinos into specific racial groupings were based mainly on anthropometric measurements and ocular inspections of skeletal remains as well as the physical appearances of living populations. The inhabitants of the country could be divided into: (1) Negritos – the small, dark-skinned group, which included the Negrito of Bataan, Ata of Luzon, and Mamanwa of Mindanao; (2) Malays – the brown-skinned group, which included the inhabitants of Bicol, Bisayas, and southern Luzon (Montano suspected the Malays to have Chinese, Indonesian, and Arabic blood); (3) Indonesian group – the group similar to the Malays in complexion, which included the Samal, Bagobo, Guianga, Ata, Tagakaolo, Tagbanua, Manubo, Mandaya, and Bilaan. Group 2 and 3 were said to have reached the Philippines in two waves of migration. The Indonesians were the first to come, followed by the Malays. The Aetas in the Philippines Of the scores of indigenous communities that comprise roughly 14 per cent of the Filipino people, the Agta are unquestionably the most widely distributed geographically. Popularly regarded as aboriginal, they are variously known as Mamanua in Surigao, Ata Manobo in Davao, Ati in Panay, Ata and Ati in Negros, Batak in North Central Palawan, Ayta and Ita in Central Luzon, Ata in Western Cagayan, and Agta or Aggay along the Sierra Madre Mountain Range facing the Pacific Ocean or more accurately the Philippine Sea from Palaui Island off San Vicente in Santa Ana, Cagayan south or northern Isabela Province. Farther south of the range, in Aurora and Quezon provinces, they are called Dumagat (Galang, 2006). The Aeta live in the northern part of the Philippines on the island of Luzon. Historians and Anthropologists debate precisely when and how they migrated here, the consensus being that they crossed from the island of Borneo between 20 and 30 thousand years ago, using a land bridge that was partially covered by water around 5,000 years ago – the remaining part of which is now part of Palawan. Whatever the migration path was, they are without doubt among the first – if not the first – inhabitants of the Philippines. One area of that country where the Aetas had lived for thousands of years was Mount Pinatubo (Waddington, 2002). Aetas are known to be one of the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Philippines. They previously occupied the outlying areas near the coastline and riverbeds, but were forced to resettle in the mountains by the coming of the migrants. Belonging to the ethnic group, Negrito, these mountain dwellers are classified and identified as Aytas or Aetas small stature, kinky hair, dark brown skin, and big brown eyes (Hiromu Shimizu, 1989). The small body of Aetas is nicely proportioned of strong, hardy stock, muscular and able to endure hardship of their life, such as going with little food for several days; they also have high forehead, prominent cheek bones, flat nose, round black eyes and scanty beard. They have highly trained and keen sense of hearing and sight since one of their sources of living is hunting. They also have bright, inquisitive minds and an extensive knowledge of woodcraft but they lack of abstract ideas and can hardly count beyond 4 or 5. Though their happiness is like a child’s happiness, they smile and laugh even if they are worried; they are kind and peaceful little folks and very devoted to their relatives, friends and with high moral standard like honesty (Wilson, 1953) The Pinatubo Aytas (Aytas in Zambales). Studies of cultural change following the occurrence of the natural hazards like volcanic eruptions usually focuses on the propensity of the stricken society to suffer from damage caused by an event, they stress the vulnerability or the condition of a society which makes it possible for a hazard to become a disaster (Canoon, 1994). According to Shimizu (1992), In the early years following the awakening of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, there was a generalized fear that the eruption might turn into a cultural disaster for the Aeta ethnic minority of Central Luzon which was expected to be in a crisis of survival. A decade after the disaster, a certain level of cultural change has indeed been observed in the indigenous society. prior to the eruption, the Aeta in Zambales occupied only the slopes of the Mt. Pinatubo and, in particular, the tablelands stretching from the volcano to the coast range between Botolan and San Marcelino. In April 2001, Banzon-Bautista with the initial signs of the restlessness of the volcano, almost all of the Aetas communities were immediately evacuated. However, an unknown number of Aetas refused to leave their homes and perished during the eruption. According to oral accounts, a score of Aeta found shelter in caves that were eventually buried by pyroclastic flowers. According to Gaillard (2006), All the Aeta communities located on the upper flanks of Mt. Pinatubo prior to the eruption had to abandon their small villages which had been buried under these thick, hot pyroclastic and ash fall deposits, which prevent the immediate reoccupation of the settlements. Most of these Aeta have been relocated in the government resettlement sites, either on the lower slopes of the volcano or on the foothills. Today, these resettlement sites are the largest Aeta settlements. All these settlements are nowadays concentrated on the lower flanks of Mt. Pinatubo in the immediate proximity of lowland villages and towns occupied by Kapampangan people, the dominant ethnic group of the Southwestern part of the Central Plain of Luzon. Henceforth, there are no Aeta communities left isolated on the upper flanks of Mt. Pinatubo. All have established regular contact with the lowlanders. According to 1973 census, the Pinatubo Aytas covers almost majority of the 20,000 population of the Negrito groups. Pinatubo Aytas declined to accept and entertain the influence of the outside forces or the lowlanders and continually preserve their distinct culture and tradition until the Mount Pinatubo eruption in 1996 when they were forced to go down the plains and mountains and lived in the resettlement areas together with the lowlanders. These endanger their culture and tradition because they learned to adapt the ways of the lowlanders (Tubera, 2006). In line with this, they no longer possess their original language instead they adopted the lowlanders’ language called Sambal Language, thus, the acceptance of the jurisdiction of the municipal government which opened them further to the culture of the lowlanders whom they called as bawbanowa (town people). They have not just acquired the Sambal Language but also their techniques and rituals in agriculture; and their concepts of spirits, curing rituals, and burial customs. However, the Aytas assimilated only those cultural elements suitable to their social reality. This selective assimilation contributed to the stability and continuity of the Aytas’ culture. The feeling of antagonism towards the lowlanders made them preserve their own cultural heritage. Despite of being aware of the changing environment and society downhill they insisted to not to adopt and or develop a well integrated sociopolitical system beyond the family groupings and the village order. Hence, without the presence of the integrated system their history is not detailed, only those eve.

Food Processing in Agricultural Regions

Food Processing in Agricultural Regions Agricultural regions in any country, including the United Kingdom, have historically been seen as poorer neighbours to the more industrialised areas of any particular country (Pierpont 1997). This position has been brought about mainly as a result of the fact that pay, employment opportunity and economic output tends to be lower than other areas of industry. The logistical problem in terms of transport and flexibility of workforce is also a contributory factor. Consequently, many agricultural regions have seen a significant decline in fortunes and employment during the course of the past three decades. In an effort to these problems, governments at local, national and regional levels have been seeking to produce a range of strategies that will support and regenerate agricultural, the results of which have met with mixed levels of success. Irrespective of the help afforded to them, many agricultural areas still remain relatively weak. Where improvements are achieved, often it is at the expense of the agricultural industry itself. For example, promotion of cultural tourism, whilst it may benefit some agricultural communities, does not address the core issues, namely improving the indigenous industry and food production chain. However, recent studies carried out have suggested that there may be another way to approach the issue. This research, as reported by Peter Pierpont (1997), suggests that if the development of food processing is encouraged within an agricultural area, it can result in an increased level of prosperity, producing subsequent improvements in employment, economic output and the GDP per head (Pierpont 1997). Aims and Objectives The aim of this paper is to evaluate the hypothesis set by Peter Pierpont (1997) and to ascertain if the development of food processing in agricultural areas can provide a route to prosperity. To assist with the analysis for this purpose the UK agricultural regions of Cornwall and Wales will be used as case studies, with other agricultural regions within the UK and Europe being used for comparative purposes. Concentrating on the UK in particular, to enable the goals of this research to be achieved it is intended to focus the paper upon the following objectives: Provide an analysis of the historical development of the agricultural industry, paying particular attention to this sector within the United Kingdom. To provide a detailed analysis of the two selected agricultural areas, which will include the past and present economic and employment positions. Analyse and evaluate the impact that the development of food processing has upon selected agricultural regions. Evaluate the synergy that is said to exist between the agricultural and food processing industries. Overview of the research Following this introduction, chapter two provides a brief background of the development of both the agricultural and food processing industries. This is followed by a critical literary review within chapter three. Chapter four provides details of the methods used for the research required for this paper, with the findings from resulted from the research are analysed and discussed in full in chapter five. The conclusion of this study, together with any recommendations that are considered appropriate, are outlined in chapter six. Chapter 2 Background Following the advances in technology over the course of the past three decades, there have been significant changes witnessed both within the agricultural and food processing, as they exist in the UK. UK Agricultural Industry Following WWII, the concentration upon the economic value of British agriculture came a poor last place to other industries as the UK sought to rebuild its economic position. Thus agriculture was basically left to fend for itself as it sought to compete with an increasing level of food products being imported from overseas markets (Greer 2005, p.86). In line with the general industry trends, in both of the selected areas there has been a decline in the agriculture economy during the course of the past three decades, despite the fact that the rural areas have historically relied upon this industry to maintain their local communities. In the UK the rural farming decline has been exacerbated by the concentration of farming methods undertaken by large corporations together with the increasing levels of imported produce, which can be purchased at prices that the UK farmers cannot compete. Similarly, the pressure from retailers for lower pricing has reduced the competitiveness of the local farms. Evidence of these events can be seen from the following (figure 1). This table shows how, during the past decade the agricultural industry contribution to the UK economy has fallen to nearly half of its 1996 value and the GDP by two thirds. Furthermore, whilst our exports in this area have remained relatively static, imports have increased by nearly 40%, which has affected the country’s self-sufficiency levels. Similarly, although net farm incomes have steadily increased since 1999, the total income from farming has halved, which indicates the size of the agricultural resources that have been lost since the turn of the century. The concentration of farming into bigger units has been more pronounced in the UK, with an average farm size of 66.7 hectares, than most other areas of Europe, as is evidenced from the following table(figure 2). Even in countries such as France and Germany farm sizes are significantly smaller. Figure 2 Farm Sizes At the same time as the above results were being witnessed, there was also a significant drop in employment within the industry. This was partially due to the economic position of Agriculture, but at the same time the historical tradition of offspring following their parents onto the farms was also being broken, with less enthusiasm being shown for taken over the role of farmers due to the long hours of work required for relatively low levels of return. Figure 2 shows how severe this decline was in the five years to 2000, with a loss of over sixty thousand employees in that period representing nearly ten present of the previous workforce. The loss of skilled workers resulting from persons leaving the industry served to exacerbated the economic problems that it was experiencing. Figure 3 Fall in workforce In the case of Cornwall, much of this decline has also been fuelled by the increasing concentration upon the tourism attraction of the area. For example, due to the economic benefits, many traditional farmers have transferred the usage of parts of their agricultural landform food production to activities that will capture a share of the tourist market, such as campsites and caravan parks. The position in Wales has become even more extreme than Cornwall. Central Wales is a more remote location than its Cornish counterpart, with a low internal level of infrastructure and a less developed transportation systems, which makes it less accessible for business and consumers alike. As a result, local businesses and services such as health care have closed or transferred their services to towns and cities, and much of the rural population has followed. This situation, together with the economic decline in agriculture as previously outlined, has led to many farms in the area becoming economically unviable. UK Food Processing Industry Food processing is defined as being any method or technique that issued to transform the raw product, being meat, vegetable, cereals another food products, to an edible dish for the average human. Without this part of the supply chain our diets would be more limited than they are today, with less variety to choose from and a more seasonal aspect to the food we purchase. Therefore any process, from the preparation of meat at the Butchers to the preparation of ready-made meals for consumer consumption on sale in supermarkets is a part of this process. Food processing also increases the durability of the product, increasing the shelf and use life, which has the effect of reducing waste whilst at the same time increasing the quantity of supply. Indeed, as the BNF (Factsheet 2000) rightly observe, â€Å"without food processing it would not be possible to sustain the needs of modern urban populations. Prior to the advent of new industrialisation methods, mass production and the new technology area, the majority of the food processing system was conducted at a local level. However, subsequent to these events, the food processing systems and organisations became centralised into the more industrialised areas of the country. The major contributory factors behind this evolution of the food processing industry away from local to a central location was partially dictated by the increased access to labour, which due to its proximity to the workplace was in plentiful supply at a lower cost, together with the advent of the mass production process. In addition, such areas of the country and region enjoyed easier access to the national and international transport network. All of these advantages meant that the businesses involved could reduce costs and increase the speed of the production process. The centralisation of the food-processing sector of the supply chain was also driven by changes in consumer demands and expectations. As supplies became more plentiful and the retail supermarket phenomena expanded throughout the country the consumer demanded lower prices in the food sector. To deliver this supermarkets needed to reduce their own costs, which could only be achieved by them having access to centralised purchasing outlets, rather than the previously diverse and expensive distribution network. One abnormality that has arisen from this development is that often products harvested locally are often transported out of their local area to be processed and then returned to the shops within the same locality for sale through stores. For example, the raw milk product could be collected from the dairy farmer, transported to a processing plant a distance away from that farm and then, once it has been processed into the carton that we see on supermarket shelves, re-transported back to the local supermarket in the same area. Chapter 3 Literature Review Agricultural industry Much has been written about the UK agricultural industry over the years and regarding the way it has developed, and there are a variety of views regarding the way it should develop in the future. Hector(1969) believes that in essence the industry has developed on the basis of an internal colony, with each area being a part of, but in essence operating as a separate unit from the whole. Indeed, if one looks at the UK just after the war, when â€Å"home gardens and allotments used to be vital sources of food† (Petty 2002, p.185), it is easy to see how this insular and separate attitude can develop. In the first half of the twentieth century the British people had a very independent manner and were set in their ways. This contributes to the reason why, despite advances that have been made in agriculture over the years, in earlier section of his research Petty (2002, p.72) discovered that, in the main, the processes used to produce food on modern farms is still very conventional. Despite the fact that the agricultural industry as an element of the National economy has become significantly less important over the years, there are still certain areas where it is considered to have an essential impact on the local community in terms of the revenue it contributes (Greer 2005, p.74 and p.77). These include such regions as Wales, with its unique hill farming industry, East Anglia for the cereal output and, to some extent, Cornwall for its wheat and grain. In Wales for example, over a wide area of the country agriculture is still the industry that is central to the regions community and economy. However, despite this fact the area has still witness a reduction in the number of people employed in agriculture (Jones 1999, p.185 andp.309). As has been noted earlier, most other agricultural regions, including Cornwall have experienced a similar decline in the employment base. Nevertheless, in terms of preserving the countryside and agricultural industry, there is still somewhere in the region of eighteen million hectares of land in the United Kingdom that is used for agricultural purpose (Petty 2002, p.30), for which an effective management strategy has needed to be developed over the years. Certainly, if the UK wishes to halt the decline in the levels of self-sufficiency However, as has been widely recorded, efforts to revitalise the industry have been thwarted by several events that have had an adverse effect upon the industry. For example, in early 2001, as noted by Agriculture (2007), the decline was exacerbated by a serious outbreak of foot and mouth within the animal population and this, followed by health risks from BSE and swine fever, severely curtailed the agricultural industry’s ability to expand within both the home and international market places. Following these events, and in an effort to reposition the importance of agriculture within the economy, the NFU , one of the most active representative bodies for the industry campaigned for the government and the EU to create an innovative plan in an effort â€Å"to restore public confidence in home produced food† (Greer 2005, p.40). Similarly, farmers in Wales in the late part of the last century engaged in a series of active protests, which were aimed mainly at reducing the effect that subsidised imports In response to these concerns and also as a result of the initiatives set in place by the European Union, DEFRA has produced and discussed a number of strategies over recent years. With the central focus of these being action required nationally to seek a restructure of the agricultural industry into a more efficient sector (Greer 2005, p.129),the organisation’s purpose is to restore the former prosperity of the regions. Whilst maintaining the unified approach, development plans have been set in place for â€Å"England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland† (Greer 2005, p.41). However, it has been recognised that to prosper, agriculture has to seek new and innovative ways to add value to its industry, which entailed a certain level of diversity from traditional methods and approaches if the industry was to achieve recovery and become competitive nationally and internationally. Initially some areas, such as Cornwall, have taken the â€Å"colonial â€Å"approach discussed within Hector (1969) and sought other ways of increasing their individual incomes and prosperity. As has already been mentioned, in this particular region, many turned to tourism for this result. However, with the advent of â€Å"cheap† flights and travel, even this opportunity is now in decline. Thus the industry needs to look for more sustainable options. To this end Peter Pierpont (1997) suggested research shows that combining the development of food processing within the agricultural regions may provide a positive option. Food Processing As with any are of industry, a range of supplementary operations has grown around agriculture. These indirectly include such organisations as financial institutions, equipment manufacturers and suppliers and the chemical and biotechnology organisations. However, the most directly linked ancillary industry to agriculture is food processing (Greer 2005, p.49). It is totally apparent that the two industries and inter-dependent. From the food producers to the processing and packaging operations and then on to the retailers, all of these areas are an integral part of the food supply chain. As has been previously noted, in the past the agricultural industry and regions have tended to remain separate from the rest of the food supply chain. The perceived advantage of this approach was seen to be that farmers felt comfortable and confident within their own business environment and, as long as they were producing the required levels of products, saw this as their main income generator. However, the disadvantage was that, as the retail industry became more organised and, with the development of supermarkets and other price conscious outlets, so they began to have more influence upon the agricultural industry, forcing down prices and demanding higher yields and quality, all of which added to the economic difficulties being experience within the agricultural regions. However, European Union regional data strongly suggests that agricultural regions that have taken it upon themselves to develop the food processing industry at a local level have seen increased value-added to the industry itself (Pierpont 1997) although, in his study he suggests that the structure of the French farming industry has given it an advantage in this area over their Cornish counterparts, despite the geographical and socio-economic similarities. Nevertheless, in Cornwall and other agricultural areas of the UK, those within the agricultural industry are beginning to take notice of the agro-food approach. For example, a group of growers and farmers from the southwest regions of Cornwall across to Hampshire have formed their own â€Å"organic marketing co-op,† (Petty 2002, p.112) which provides a better value basis for the sale of products to the retail market. Similarly, in Wales certain regions have created action plans for their agricultural industries which includes integrating more of the food processing and supply aspect of the food chain within their region, thus enabling them to benefit from the added-value of a resource that had previously not been available to them (Greer 2005, p.194). It is argued by researches that creating a more localised food processing sector within the agricultural regions, where farmers and producers can be more directly involved with other areas of the food chain, including preparation, distribution and marketing, will produce positive results in terms of the financial stability and growth within the farming and rural communities. Summary It is clear from the research that has been carried out into agriculture, that there is a need to address the decline within the industry, which as can be seen from figure 1 (page 7 of this report)has fallen by ten present in the last decade. The majority of this research shows that the last three decades have seen a consistent decline in the fortunes of the industry, both in terms of its economic value to the UK economy as a whole, and in relation to employment statistics. Some researchers see developing the food processing industry within the agricultural regions as the way forward and the route to prosperity. The question is whether this theory is supported by the facts within the areas being used as a case study in this paper. Chapter 4 Research Methodology Research objective Within the introduction section of this study, the four key objectives for the research were outlined. The research into how the agricultural industry has developed, particularly in relation to United Kingdom provides essential background information, which will assist in understanding why these areas have become of such concern to government and non-governmental organisations over recent decades. The choice of Cornwall and Wales for the case study is appropriate because in the case of the former, much attention over recent decades has been concentrated upon developing the tourism attraction, rather than agricultural needs of the area. Wales provides a much larger agricultural environment, which has to compete with small pockets of heavily industrialised regions, specifically on coastal areas. Food processing, up until the last decade, has been seen mainly as an industrial activity and therefore it is important to understand how the transfer of this activity to agricultural regions has both evolved and to what extent the case study areas have benefited from this latest development. Similarly, as an integral part of this area of research, the relevant synergies will provide a better understanding of the basis for accuracy of the hypothesis. Choice of research approach Due to the nature of the area being research, it is felt that the qualitative method or research, which uses primary data as its basis(Collis and Hussey 2003, p.53), would not have been appropriate. The questionnaire and research based approach, whilst useful, would not have provided the necessary detailed research information that is required for the purpose of adding to the understanding of the issue of food processing development in agricultural regions, apart from giving some indication as to how the various stakeholders, specifically those who operate within the respective industries, have reacted to this evolution. The significant level of research and statistical data required for this study led the author to believe that the quantitative research approach would be a more productive approach. In an endeavour to ensure the reliability of the data researched, a wide and diverse range of sources has been used for this study (Collis and Hussey 2003. p.71). This situation provided the author with the ability to cross-refer and check the accuracy, impartiality and validity of the information gathered, which enables the highest possible level of objectivity to be attached to the conclusions and recommendations reached. Industry Data With regards to the data relating to the agricultural and food processing industries, this has been acquired from a variety of sources, which includes UK and EU government departments and other industry associations and observers. Included within this data is the relevant statistical information from UK and EU surveys. Additional data was obtained from Internet sources, books, journals and other industry and economic sources. Wherever possible prime sources have been used for data gathering, particularly in relation to the strategies and policies that have been suggested and implemented by teak and EU governments. This data includes current and suggested policy documents. Selected areas case study In keeping with the advices given by researchers such as Collis and Hussey (2003), a substantial amount of time has been expended in digesting all of the material available in relation to the agriculture industry in Cornwall and Wales, to make sure that the chosen material was apposite to the objectives and questions being sought. Furthermore, data from organizations active within the two selected areas was also used. These sources, together with others, were used to obtain past and future strategic information as well as for outlining the current position of the agricultural and food processing industries in both of these regions of the country. To provide objectivity in regards to this data, industry reports and independent research carried out bother experts in the respective industries were also reviewed. The reason for the choice of these two areas is that, whilst there are similarities in terms of their agricultural heritage, they differ in terms of economic and political development and evolution. Politically Cornwall is still an integral part of the UK political structure, whereas Wales has a degree of devolved power. Economically Cornwall has attracted a wider diversity of activities and services, particularly within the tourism sector, whereas this has impacted upon Wales to lesser extent. In order to achieve a comparative benchmark for the case study, the areas selected have been assessed against similar regions within other member states of the European Union. In this instance, information from the EU itself and various sources within the selected nation states, have been used. Chapter 5 Findings, Analysis and Discussion To enable an analysis of the hypothesis that was set at the commencement of this paper, it was decided to use two distinct Agricultural regions, these being Cornwall and Wales for the reasons that have been outlined previously. Agricultural regions – Cornwall Cornwall is set in the South West of the UK. Although it is traditionally an agricultural region, it has perhaps become better known since the Second World War as a tourist area. Nevertheless, it still has a significant agricultural base within its economy, which is still seen as one of the primary industries for the county (Cornwall County Council 2007), with a growth in the number of holdings during the period from 1997 to 2001 (see figure 4), which compares favourably with the movement in England as a whole. However, the industry has seen significant reduction in the areas committed to the raising of cattle and sheep livestock, which reflects the overall difficulties that have been generally experienced in this area as a result of disease epidemics such as BSE and also the inroads being made by foreign imports. Despite recent declines, it is seen as one of the foundations for strong rural communities, but the industry can only retain this position by increasing employment, which through current agricultural methods and strategies is not happening. Figure 4 Farming in Cornwall However, despite the apparent improvement seen above, this has not translated itself into improvements on the employment issue. As can be seen from the following table (figure 5), the numbers of people employed within the agricultural industry are continuing to fall. Despite the fact that in comparison to England, Cornwall has suffered less, the Cornwall County Council (2007) do not see this downward trending their region being reversed in the immediate future, with the majority of the remaining workforce consisting of owners and tenants(Cornwall County Council 2007, 3.38). Figure 5 Agricultural employment Cornwall Agricultural regions – Wales Agriculture in Wales, because of the internal terrain, is most known for its Hill Farming element. It has a substantially higher level of holdings than Cornwall, spread over a greater land mass (see figure 6). Figure 6 Farms in Wales In terms of employment the region, like Cornwall, has seen a consistent decline in the numbers during the past decade, although as the following table shows, there was a slight improvement in the figures during 2004 (see figure 7). Figure 7 Agricultural employment in Wales Causes of Agricultural decline Some of the responsibility for the current position and trends has been levelled at the â€Å"cost-price squeeze† effect that is currently taking place within the food chain, with consumers consistently demanding lower retail prices. Whilst it is true that this has had significant impact on the industry, it is not the sole cause of the current position. Three other significant factors have also had an adverse effect. Æ’Â   Disease. The perceived lack of safety in British foods following the incidences of foot and mouth, BSE, swine fever and, more recently, outbreaks of avian flu (Haynes 2007) has also had a significant impact upon consumer’s and buyer’s both confidence in the UK and abroad. The fact that these have occurred within a relatively short period of each other has done little to improve the recovery position of the industry as a whole, the timescale of which has been extended as a result of these events. Æ’Â   Technology usage. Apart from the larger corporate farm holdings the use of modern technological advances within agriculture within the smaller holdings has not been taken advantage of to the extent that other industries have respond to this area of business to the same extent. This is presumably due to the older age demographics of the older owners and tenants, together with the time constraints that they experience as a result of low levels of employment. Based upon the lack of profitability of many small farms, another contributory factor tithe lack of new technology resources in use results from the limited financial resources available to purchase the equipment and training necessary for such innovations. Æ’Â   Finally, the local â€Å"colony† attitude as indicated by Hector (1969)is still in evidence in many rural and farming areas. The psychological position of a large element of the agricultural community is resistant to change, a situation that makes impr ovements for greater efficiency difficult to implement. National and Regional Strategies There have been a number of initiatives instigated with regard to the agricultural industry, particularly from the European Union, although these and those that have come from the UK authorities, have not been met with unanimous approval. In the case of the EU strategies there Isa body of opinion that this limits national action. As Alan Greer(2005) states in the introduction to his study on the agricultural industry, â€Å"there is a widespread assumption that the existence of a CAP across the European Union undermines the capacity of states to construct their own national policies.† To a certain extent the comment made by Greer is true. As will be seen within this section of the paper, a large proportion of the strategies and policies relating tithe UK agricultural industry have in fact come into existence as a result of EU discussions and directives. Irrespective of these comments, it is important to remember that the European Union as a whole commits in excess of forty-five billion dollars each year in support of farmers throughout the member states. Therefore it is fair to state, as Cardwell (2004, p.8) does that â€Å"Agriculture enjoys numerous advantages in the operation of the Legislative process and bureaucracy.† Whilst it may be true that the major part of these funds are utilised in the purchasing and storage of surplus products such as beef, wheat, milk and butter, before selling it to other nations, usually within the developing and third world(Gardner 1996, p.3), this still represents a significant level of state aid. The Common Agricultural Policy seeks to achieve fairness of competition within the EU, whilst at the same time providing aid. The potential drawbacks of this policy is that it still leaves farmers vulnerable to policy changes and increases in costs that are not fully reflected within the subsidies. For example in Wales, which benefits from CAP, the increases in prosperity that it has brought to the hill farmers in the area could disappear if policies change and the EU or local authorities felt that this was providing the area with an unfair advantage, or changed the conditions in relation to eligibility (Jones1999, p.320 and Cardwell 2004, p.227). In terms of cost increases, during the reform of the CAP system it has already been noted that these increases had an adverse effect upon the UK arable industry as awhile (Gardner 1996, p.148). Thus it would be true to say that such policies only remain appropriate should all other factors remain the same. In the UK in 2002, the government commissioned a report on the future of farming and food (Curry 2002) in an attempt to define strategy, which would led to a more sustainable for the future of agriculture and those who work within the industry. One of the main conclusions of this report (Curry 2002, p.109) was that farming had â€Å"become detached from the rest of the economy and the environment.† There port also suggests that this position has been reached partly as a result of the substantial subsidies, which its authors believed should be ended (Curry 2002, p.110). To address this position the report suggests that new research bodies, comprising of representatives from all the industry stakeholders, including the consumer, should be set, which will include within its remit, the setting up of â€Å"demonstration farms† to be used as models of economic success in farming. One comment within th