Blood Diamond Essay

The makers of â€Å"Blood Diamond,† an exceptionally thriller starring a most excellent Leonardo DiCaprio, want you to know there may be blood on your hands, specifically your wedding finger. The story involves so-called conflict diamonds, illicitly mined stones that have been used to finance some of the most vicious wars in Africa. If films were judged solely by their good intentions, this one would be best in show. Instead, gilded in money and dripping with sanctimony, confused and mindlessly contradictory, the film is a textbook example of how easily commercialism can trump do-goodism, particularly in Hollywood. The 2006 movie (Blood Diamond) was recently seen by me, this is an American political war thriller film produced and directed by Edward Zwick, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in African war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies across the world. During Sierra Leone Civil War in 1996–2001, the film shows a country torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebels. It also portrays many of the atrocities of that war, including the rebels’ amputation of people’s hands to discourage them from voting in upcoming elections. The film’s ending, in which a conference is held concerning blood diamonds, is in reference to an actual meeting that took place in Kimberley, South Africa in 2000 and led to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which seeks to certify the origin of rough diamonds in order to curb the trade in conflict diamonds. In the face of the evidence, it is impossible to list any benefits for blood diamonds. They have been condemned by the United Nations. The sheer scale of the civil war in Sierra Leone they helped to fund, in which an estimated 120,000 people were killed from 1991 to 2001, proves that these illegitimate diamonds do nothing but cause human suffering. In February 2011, Charles Taylor’s trial before the Special Court for Sierra Leone heard that he received â€Å"mayonnaise jars† full of blood diamonds from the Revolutionary United Front, providing them with the arms they needed in return. The U. S. appens to be the largest consumer of conflict diamonds, purchasing over $33. 7 billion dollars’ worth of the rocks in 2005. Wondering what conflict diamonds are? I’m no fawning fan of DiCaprio, but the film â€Å"Blood Diamond† is nowhere near as fictional as we’d like it to be. Conflict diamonds involve abuse, corruption and death. There goes that gorgeous, shimmery, sparkling stone set in platinum I’ve been dreaming about. This movie and together with some other researches I did has made me to come into a conclusion and a question if I would ever wear a diamond. Here are important reasons, We’ve been conditioned to want a diamond. Who isn’t tired of the advertising and marketing ploys used to brainwash us into believing our value as women rests on the size of our†¦gem? (Toss that in with measurements and marital status and we’ve got an endless supply of not-good-enough. ) Marketers have thrown us a giant, glittering bone, and watched the profits pile up as we’ve chased, fetched and rolled over in order to conform to what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the only acceptable standard. Diamond prices have been artificially inflated by the diamond cartel. The average diamond sold in the U. S. has been over-graded in quality by 2 grades, and the average U. S. couple pays twice what they should for an engagement ring. Do i really want to enter into a lifelong commitment with a man who’s willing to waste his hard-earned cash on a diamond, especially when said diamond is ridiculously overpriced? Diamond mines damage the environment. This is important, even though it’s true of all types of mining, not just diamond mining. Mines are dangerous for workers (including children) and threaten our planet, too. I wish there were a way to dig that deep without so much damage. A diamond is not forever. Nothing is forever. Engagements, marriages, jobs, you name it. If they happen to last a long time, then you are indeed a very lucky person. Why do we kid ourselves into believing that a sparkling rock, delivered to us on the backs of the abused, purchased for more than it’s worth, marketed for more than it means and obtained at the expense of our own dear planet will keep love alive?.

Social Media Marketing

Evaluate the Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing on Hotels Jennie Russell 1. Abstract Purpose; The internet has forced companies to transform themselves to be more interactive, innovative and efficient as the online consumer is more active, demanding and in control; if unhappy about a service the hotel’s reputation c an be damaged as negative information posted online is instant and public; sharing their opinion with hundreds of thousands of potential customers. However, savvy marketers are increasingly using social media to let guests sell their hotels, which is authentic marketing at its best.Marketers need to implement dedication, time and resources in social media marketing to be successful and stay ahead of their competitors; most hotels lack the resources required to effectively implement social marketing strategies. Methodology; This paper integrates triangulation to ensure all views of social media marketing are portrayed; three hotel marketing managers were questi oned, consumers on PollDaddy answered polls and the role of the practitioner research was undertaken to analyse Cedar Court’s Facebook campaign.Secondary research was used to develop recommendations for the effective use of social media marketing. Findings; This paper presents the results of an exploratory study on the different perspectives of social media marketing. It was found that some hotels have more developed social media marketing strategies than others but all are willing to learn and develop. Consumers had mixed opinions on social media marketing which lead to calls for recommendations to be derived from secondary research for the effective use of social media marketing.Research Limitations; More time was needed to research and analyse the Facebook campaign and a payable account was needed on PollDaddy to increase the exposure of the polls. Value; Social media marketing is a fairly new trend; it will be a key factor in the future of marketing; Large hotels like Hil ton and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts have fully integrated social media into their marketing strategy, but for most hotels the difficulty is not only where to begin, but who to use and what to do; this paper will significantly impact how hotels market on social media sites.Keywords; Social Media, Marketing, Hotels, Effective, Participation, Interaction 1|Page 2. Context & Objectives Long before the Internet, people shared their opinions of products with friends and family through word of mouth; ‘a happy guest tells five others; an unhappy guest tells 9-10 others. ’ (Kennedy, 2009) Nowadays, consumers are spending more and more time on social network sites where they can broadcast their experiences directly online via social media sharing their opinion with hundreds of thousands of potential customers; hotel marketers need to reach these communities and interact with them to stay competitive.TIG Global (2009) describes how the internet has changed marketing; ‘what was once an efficient one way communication tool has evolved into an interactive two way communication device. ’ The internet is forcing companies to transform themselves to be more interactive, innovative and efficient. Kozinets (1999, p254) discussed that ‘online consumers are not merely passive recipients of consumption information but active creators’; consumers are now in control. The information the consumers post is instant and public; giving them the opportunity to be heard in large numbers.Marketers need to form alliances with these online consumer communities as it is the dawn of customer engagement; ‘Engaged customers spend more money and come back more often. ’ (Mclean, 2008) Social media marketing requires participation, interaction and dedication (Raza, 2006); time, commitment and resources are essential for the efficient use of social media marketing; however most hotels lack the resources required to effectively implement social mark eting strategies.Most hotels either don't do social media marketing or they don't do it efficiently; W eber (2009) understands that marketers have to be aggregators not broadcasters; they have to be part of the consumer’s conversation, not bombarding them with constant sales pitches. (Evans, 2009) Marketers have to ensure their content is beneficial to the hotel and their consumers; they should not perceive the hotels presence to be a nuisance.Large hotels like Hilton, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and MGM Grand have fully integrated social media into their marketing strategy, but for most hotels the difficulty is not only where to begin, but who to use and what to do. Is it detrimental for a hotel not to use social media sites? Can it be detrimental if social media sites are used but not appropriately? The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of social media in hotel marketing. The objectives of this study are to; ? Evaluate how the internet has changed hotel marketing. |Page ? ? ? Assess the key activities involved in social media marketing. Evaluate the role of social media marketing within hotel marketing strategies. Develop recommendations for the effective use of social media marketing in hotels. 3. Literature Review Marketing Raza (2005, p 2) defines marketing as an ‘ongoing process comprising various co-ordinated activities a company must perform to develop and/or wanted product, bring it to the market, maintain it there and maximize the customers benefit. The customer is an integral part of the marketing process; marketers need to focus on their customer’s needs, wants and expectations which will reflect in their services and result in a successful hotel. ‘For many years hospitality firms have believed that the goal of marketing is to create as many new customers as possible. ’ (Shoemaker & Lewis, 1999, p345) They believed it was important to satisf y the guests while they were on the property, but the real goal w as to continue to find new customers; their interest in getting new customers dominated the task of keeping customers.Nowadays, companies have realized that both aspects are vital; finding n ew customers and keeping current customers; Chen et al (2009) suggest that companies exploit the internet to become more innovative and effective at this task. Marketing using traditional methods used interruption techniques which consumers accepted as they classed them as necessary ‘happenings’; the marketers were in control. But the internet forced marketers to transform themselves; Chen et al (2009) discovered that marketers were no longer in control; the balance of power had shifted to the consumer.The existence of united groups of online consumers interacting shifts knowledge and power from marketers to consumers; Kozinets (1999, p258) supports this; ‘The more online consumption members communicate with one another through the internet, the more bold they feel about chall enging marketers and marketing claims. ’ Scott (2009) & Tuten (2008) realized that the ‘old rules’ of marketing were ineffective in a web 2. 0 world; (consumer generated content) marketers have to work harder as consumers control their media content.Saugestad (2009) reinforces this; ‘research shows that there is a growing proclivity among web users to tune out ‘corporate speak’. ’ Miguens, Baggio & Costa (2008) clarify that the internet is no longer just a static page, but a dynamic platform which allows consumers to independently generate their own content; sharing with other users and passing on their own experience. Marketers need to realize that online consumers are much more ‘active, participative, resistant, activist, loquacious, social and communitarian. ’ (Kozinets, 1999, p261) Social Medias 3|PageIt is important to ensure social media is explained to avoid confusion; ‘Social media is about sharing information and experiences with acquaintances in your networks. ’ (TIG Global, 2009) Weber (2009) noted that social networks are places where people with a common interest or concern, meet and express themselves, their opinions and ‘vent’. There are different social media channels depending on the desired goals; Table 1; Authors Analysis of Social Media Sites Type of Description Statistics Social Media Facebook Facebook is a social networking website that Facebook reports was originally designed for students, but is n average of now open to anyone 13 years of age or older. 250,000 new Facebook users can create and customize registrations per their own profiles with photos, videos, and day since January information about themselves. Friends can 2007. (Scott, 2009, browse the profiles of other friends and write p229) messages on their profiles. Twitter Twitter is an online service that allows you to There are a share updates with other users by answering reported 3 million on e simple question: â€Å"What are you doing? † tweets posted per Twitter is a free social networking and micro- day. (Social Media blogging service that enables its users toStatistics, 2008) send and read other users' updates known as tweets. TripAdvisor TripAdvisor is a free travel guide and 90% of online research website that hosts reviews from consumers trust users and other information designed to help recommendations plan a vacation. from reviews (Mclean, 2008) YouTube YouTube is a video sharing service that ‘Videos posted on allows users to watch videos posted by other You tube attract users and upload videos of their own. The more than 40 slogan of the YouTube website is â€Å"Broadcast million visitors Yourself. † This implies the YouTube service monthly. ’ (Weber, s designed primarily for ordinary people who 2009 p4) want to publish videos they have created. ‘Social networking continues to grow and shape the way people communicate. ’ (Hotelworld, 2010) There are hundreds of active social networking websites, but the social media sites listed in table 1 are relevant to this project as hotels are currently using them to market themselves. The internet is becoming one big social networking site; ‘Over 44% of all internet users are active in social media’ (TIG Global, 2009) Saugestad (2009) & Miguens, Baggio & Costa (2008) argue that social media sites are the most 4|Page opular sites on the internet due to the fact it is available 24/7, giving potential online customers the opportunity to access information at their own convenience. Starkov & Mechoso (2010) acknowledges that internet users spend 17% of their surfing time on social network and blogging sites, nearly triple the percentage of time spent on sites than a year ago which is beneficial to marketers if they use social media effectively, as they are reaching a growing audience. Using Social Media Effectively Many authors agree that social media marketing needs to be fully integrated in the hotel’s marketing process.Marketer’s need a solid internet strategy; merging social media marketing into their marketing plan and the hotels brand; integrating videos, images and blogs to increase exposure and improve online positioning. (Davis, 2009, Raza, 2005, Tikkanen et al, 2009) Social media gives marketers an incredibly inexpensive way to build brand awareness, while doing it in a way that makes the hotel seem simultaneously hip, down to earth and fun. Hotels (2009) explain how savvy marketers are increasingly using social media to let guests sell their hotels, which is authentic marketing at its best.Kennedy (2009) found that guests who have had extremely positive experiences do often feel motivated to post their positive feedback on the internet. Successful word of mouth marketing isn’t about what the hotel thinks it represents; it’s what the consumers choose to talk about; ‘Word of mouth hinges on real consumers spreading the word for you. ’ (Mclean, 2008) It’s the best marketing tool; with high credibility as it comes from previous customers and there is no cost to the hotel.However, if consumers have a bad experience it can be unfavourable for the hotels reputation; ‘a single negative online guest review can cause significant damage by scaring off future potential guests. ’ (Kennedy, 2009) The scope of internet marketing is huge; numbers could be in the realms of tens of thousands of potential guests scared off from one bad review on the internet. Hotels reputations are at stake; consumers are going to be talking about how they were treated for better or for worse.Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has set the bar for social media customers service care; a guest went on twitter whilst staying at the Biltmore Four Seasons Resort to make a criticism about the hotels music, to her surprise she received a bottle of wine and a note from the general mana ger apologizing. Another situation at Four Seasons Bangkok, where a guest complained on twitter about the lack of appealing movies on TV that night; management were notified and the guest was informed about the hotels in-house DVD library. Kirby, 2009) These situations show the effective engagement and participation required with social media marketing that results in high customer satisfaction. Interaction, Participation and Authenticity Social media is all about forming relationships, trust and building an online reputation. The main focus in social media marketing is to keep consumers informed and not to fool them. TIG Global (2009) explain that social media users 5|Page will likely be appreciative of hotel marketers updates and more inclined to pass them along to their networks of friends and family, if they feel the updates are authentic and useful.The main purpose of social media is social interaction and networking with other users; hotel marketers need to enhance their socia l interactions to be successful; ‘the speed of the response is a significant factor in interactivity. ’ (Tikkanen et al, 2009, p1371) The stronger a hotel’s genuine interactivity on social media sites, the stronger their social media brand will be. Starkov & Mechoso (2010) reveal that if a hotel enhances its social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, it can create a buzz around the property and contribute to increased awareness and booking considerations.Engaging and dynamic content can enhance a hotels presence and generate continuous interest; ‘the online social media process is all about the ‘word of mouse’. ’ (Parsippany, 2009) Social media sites are all about customer engagement; companies who focus on engagement rather than selling will see success. (Mclean, 2007, Tikkanen et al, 2009) By incorporating value, interactivity and engagement; hotel marketers could thrive with social media marketing. Valuable Content Evans (2009) ad vises marketers to ensure they have significant cont ent on their social media sites otherwise they will lose consumers and search engine rankings.Consumers aren’t afraid to tell hotel marketers if their content is rubbish but at least social media offers the ability to make instant adjustments in case they need to change detrimental content. ‘Marketers have to provide customers with value to have a better chance of engaging their customers in their marketing activities. ’ (Parsons et al, 1998 cited from Tikkanen et al, 2009, p1369) Value is one of the most important things to keep in mind when creating great social media content that will persuade consumers to interact and engage with marketers.Armstrong (2001) understands that marketers are sceptical about social media marketing but tries to convince them to use the internet as a sales and marketing tool; he summarizes that the issue is not only how to engage the consumer, but also how first to attract the cons umer to the website and then to retain them; however this book is dated with basic knowledge of the internet and limited reference to social media marketing. Saugestad (2009) argued that successful social media marketing requires meaningful participation, authenticity and real engagement.Social media is a continual process of evolving and updating to ensure exciting and lively content; ‘Involvement in (and success with) social media takes time and commitment. ’ (TIG Global, 2009) Future of Marketing Hotels (2009) predicts social media will become firmly entrenched as a marketing channel in 2010. Savvy marketers will continue to shift marketing funds to online channels at the expense of traditional marketing methods which Starkov & Mechoso (2010) reinforce ‘social media and mobile marketing are quickly becoming the mainstream in the hospitality industry. Accelerating technological 6|Page developments are evolving as a new generation of opportunity and challenge for the marketer. The issue with social media marketing isn’t whether to use it or not but to ensure the time, commitment and resources are spent developing it effectively. There is a lot of literature around social media marketing but no distinct recommendations for effective usage. 4. Method of InvestigationAn exploratory research approach will be used to gather information; a mixture of deductive and inductive; deductive as I want to find if hotel marketing managers find social media marketing useful, also want to find if the level of communication on social networking can gain loyalty from consumers or discover if social me dia marketing is beneficial to a hotel or detrimental to their image. Inductive secondary research will develop recommendations for the use of social media marketing. Triangulation refers to the use of different data collection techniques in ne study in order to ensure the data is correct and precise. (Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill, 2005) Triangulation will be used in this project as it will provide better opportunities to gather all perspectives on social media marketing and will allow effective evaluation of the findings. A mixed method research approach will be undertaken and data will be analyzed throughout the process; Tashakkori & Teddie (2003) quoted in Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill, (2005, p 146) argue that ‘multiple methods are useful if they provide better opportunities for you to answer your research question. The role of practitioner researcher will be undertaken as I designed a Facebook page for Cedar Court Hotel Wakefield when I worked for them on my placement which I now manage. I plan to add 1 event and 3-4 status updates per week as well as requesting at least 40 friends. I understand it will be time consuming; I’m a full time student so all my time is spent on university work which does not allow me to be fully immersed in the daily events at Cedar Court.Therefore familiarity may affect the research as I don ’t have any up to date information to enable me to frequently update the status with current issues; I have overcome this problem by asking the sales manager to keep me informed. I will analyse the campaign for 3 months to observe the impact and responses from the hotel’s social media activities. Structured questionnaires will be conducted using purposive sampling (typical case) with three hotel marketing managers that are currently using Facebook to market their hotel in order to explore their opinions of social media marketing.The questionnaires will be conducted through email so the managers can complete the questionnaire at a time and place convenient to them. The delphi technique will be used to ensure the key issues are addressed; when all the data is collected I will distribute it to the marketing managers to see if they agree with 7|Page the findings and to ensure all the important issues have been illustrated. All three managers will answer the same set of que stions to ensure reliable data. From these questionnaires I will develop polls to ask the general ublic their opinions on social media marketing using PollDaddy as the sampling frame ‘The larger your sample size the lower the likely error in generalising to the population. ’ (Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill, 2005, pg. 210) Poll Daddy has 500,000 users around the world (PollDaddy, 2009) which should generate a good response rate; I am aiming for at least 100 answers to each question to generate findings that are representative of people who are interested in social networking. There is no limit to the amount of questions I can post as PollDaddy provides interactive polling, which I thought was relevant to this project.I will post the questions in November and 3 months later I will gather the quantitative data which allows easy comparison. As well as primary data, documentary secondary data will be gathered from literature on the internet; journals and articles from websites s uch as e. hotelier. com/caterersearch. com will be used to develop recommendations for a hotel marketer to efficiently use social media marketing. Secondary data is unobtrusive; it will aid the project’s objectives and will enable triangulation.An external ethics committee is not required for this research; none of the participants will be vulnerable and social media marketing is a neutral subject. Participant error, bias or observer error shouldn’t occur as triangulation should yield consistent, reliable findings. For this project written consent will be implemented, if participants do not want to participate then they simply do not have to answer the questions. Participants will be volunteers and will be adequately informed of the research; they will be free to withdraw at any time and if necessary the findings can be anonymous.I will monitor Facebook and PollDaddy 4 times a week to ensure the activity is sincere and will re evaluate the validity if I feel it’ s being compromised. 8|Page 4. 1 Research Agenda From the literature review the key issues were highlighted and incorporated into the table below; these issues will form the basis of the questionnaires and polls. Table 2; Table of Issues Issues Reference The more online consumption members communicate with one another through the internet, the bolder they feel about challenging marketers and marketing claims. KOZINETS, Robert, V. (1999) E-Tribalized Marketing? The strategic Implications Of Virtual Communities of Consumption. European Management Journal. 17 (3) 252–264. Online social networking sites are the most popular sites on the internet. MIGUENS, J. , BAGGIO, R. , COSTA, C. (2008) Social Media and Tourism Destinations; TripAdvisor Case Study. Advances in Tourism Research 2008. Aveiro. Portugal RAZA, Ivo. (2005) Heads In Beds; Hospitality & Tourism Marketing. 1st Edition. United States of America. Pearson Prentice Hall. DAVIS, John. (2009) Social Media; Marketing Magic or Madness. [online] 16 July. Article from Hotel Online; News for The HospitalityExecutive. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: www. hotel- It is virtually impossible to compete in today’s marketplace without a solid internet strategy. Hotels need to merge social media marketing into the brand and the marketing plan; integrating videos, images and blogs to increase exposure and improve online Question derived from issue Do you find that online consumers are much more active, participative, resistant and more demanding? What types of social media marketing do you use and how do you use it? Do you have an internet marketing strategy? How important is social media marketing in your arketing plan? Is it fully integrated? 9|Page positioning. online. com/News/PR2009_3 rd/Jul09_SocialMediaMagic. html Engaging and dynamic PARSIPPANY, NJ. (2009) content can generate Introducing: CoMMingle continuous interest; ‘the Social Media Marketing online social media Agency for Hospitality. process is all about the [online] 21 September. ‘word of mouse’. ’ Article from Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October at: http://www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_3 rd/Sep09_CoMMingle. html Successful social media SAUGESTAD, Stephen. marketing requires 2009) Social Media and the meaningful participation, Hospitality Industry. [online] authenticity and real 23 September. Article from engagement. ehotelier. com; the one stop website for hoteliers. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: http://ehotelier. com/hospitali tynews/item. php? id=P17166_ 0_11_0_C Four Seasons Hotels & KIRBY, Adam. (2010) MGM Resorts has set the bar Grand Billboard Takes for social media Twitter to Masses. [online] 4 customers service care; January. Article from Hotels; a guest went on twitter The Magazine of the whilst staying at the Worldwide Hotel Industry.Biltmore Four Seasons Last accessed on 6 January Resort to make a 2010 at: criticism about the http://www. hotelsmag. com/b hotels music, to her log/Musings_Miscellany/296 surprise she received a 91bottle of wine and a note MGM_Grand_Billboard_Tak from the general es_Twitter_To_Masses. php manager apologizing. 1. Does your social media site incorporate engaging and dynamic content for your consumer? 2. How often do you update your content on your social media sites? 1. Successful social media marketing requires meaningful participation, value and real engagement do you feel you give this and how? 2.How often do you check/interact on your social media sites? 1. If you find a negative comment online what do you do? 2. Can you give me 3 examples of how social media marketing has worked well for you and what was the impact? 10 | P a g e 5. Findings & Analysis 5. 1 Facebook Research The impact and responses from Cedar Court’s social media activities on Facebook were recorded. Every week Cedar Court’s status was updated 3 times, a new event was added and an average of 40 friends were requested; the campaign was analysed for 3 months to investigate positive and negative reactions of the consumers.It can be immediately seen from column 2 that Cedar Court’s friends have consistently increased, doubling the amount of friends it started off with from 323 on 24. 11. 09 to 692 on 19. 02. 10. The number of people adding Cedar Court to be their friend (column 5) also consistently increased, in the first month Cedar Court had 0-1 people requesting to be their friend but towards the end of the campaign an average of 6 people were requesting to be their friend with a maximum of 8 people on 19. 02. 10.The popularity of Cedar Court definitely increased; at the start only 1 person ‘liked’ the status, then only 1 person commented on the second status, gradually throughout the weeks more people started to ‘like’ and comment on the statuses. Towards the end of the campaign an average of 30 people were ‘liking’ the sta tus and an average of 3 people were commenting; the Valentine’s Day status (15. 02. 10) had 70 friends ‘like’ it and 3 comments which is significant. Generally, the popularity of Cedar Court’s profile did increase however there was a decrease of 7 friends on 24. 2. 09 which could be due to the fact 4 events were sent out the previous time or it could have been due to festive pessimism, after this incident I ensured I would only send 1 event out each week to ensure I didn’t annoy any more of Cedar Court’s friends. The number of people accepting Cedar Court to be their friend and adding Cedar Court to be their friend consistently increased, which could be due to the fact that more consumers are accepting companies presence on social media sites owever consumers tended to ‘like’ and comment on the personal status update; not the sales pitch status es, which goes against companies objectives to use social media as a marketing tool. A ll the comments were positive which is encouraging; this shows a positive impact as consumers enjoy participating in the personal statuses; they take pleasure in the engagement and interactment with the hotel’s day to day activities; birthday’s, promotions, new employees etc. 11 | P a g e 5. 2 Questionnaires with Marketing Managers Questionnaires were emailed to the marketing managers of Hilton, Marriott and Malmaison.They were given 1 month to reply; giving as much detail as possible. To analyse these questionnaires, themes have been derived to allow ease of comparison between the hotels. Marketing the Hotels At the moment all three hotels use a variety of sources to market their hotels; social media, emails, newspapers, tradeshows, search engines, word of mouth and leaflet dropping. All three also have an internet marketing strategy; Hilton explained their marketing team works together with their PR and promotions to shape this strategy.Social media is important in t he hotels marketing plans; Marriott have only been using social media for around 6 months and hopes to be fully integrated by the end of the year. Hilton acknowledges social media is a ‘new space’ and have integrated it through PR and partnerships/promotions. All three hotel’s use Facebook, plus another social media form, however they all use them in slightly different ways. Malmaison started using social media marketing after attending a ‘future of hospitality’ course and uses Twitter and Facebook to update promotions and news etc.Hilton recognised that conversation about their brand were taking place on Facebook and Twitter whether they were participating or not; they use the same sites as Malmaison as ‘additional channels’ for brand news and giveaways. Marriott started in response to their sister hotel having used it for several months and uses Facebook and LinkedIn. Opinions on Social Media Marketing Malmaison’s opinions are m ixed; they believe it is the way forward because it has many benefits but understand there are negatives and that hotels should be careful.However Marriott is not in favour of it; ‘using sites that are not necessarily business focused as a marketing tool can cheapen your product and portray the wrong image. ’ Hilton understands the need for a sound strategy, time and commitment before adopting it; ‘social media marketing should never be used in place of traditional marketing tactics. ’ 12 | P a g e All three hotels agree that social media marketing is useful; Malmaison finds it easy to a point, ‘its quick, reaches a mass audience, builds relationships and is relatively cost effective. ’ Marriott thinks it is cost effective and likes the ‘speed to market. Hilton states that it is ‘extremely helpful in building buzz for our brand , sharing news quickly. ’ Occurrence of Content Updates and Interactions All three hotels interact on their social media sites however there are different levels; Hilton is the highest and checks theirs frequently throughout each day whereas Marriott only check theirs once a week; hotels on social media sites should be giving instant information; a week is far too long. Malmaison checks theirs as ‘often as they can’; but this is a loose term and could range from Hiltons highest level to Marriott’s lowest level of interaction.Again, with content update the rankings were the same; Hilton was the leader as they ‘post multiple messages to Twitter each day and add content to Facebook regularly’, Marriott only update their content on average once a month which is insufficient and Malmaison were vague with ‘as often as we can. ’ Participation, Engagement and Valuable Content Malmaison follows up on complaints and says thank you for good comments, they offer incentives and promotions their customers would appreciate.Hilton talks with their â €˜fans’ rather than ‘at’ them, they try to provide content that has real value, rather than simply ‘pushing marketing messages. ’ Whereas Marriott acknowledges that they are not giving the ‘appropriate level of participation’ however this year they do hope to overcome this and build their online profi le. Malmaison believes that their site incorporates engaging and dynamic content for their consumers; Hilton always ‘tries to provide information that is valuable to our audience. ’ Marriott is drawing up plans to address their ‘limited’ content.Champions and Time Spent with Social Media Marketing All three hotels understand the importance of assigning a dedicated social media marketer; Hilton has ‘an agency team and three internal team members’; Malmaison has 1 person from each hotel responsible and Marriott has nominated six people for their social media activities. Marriott only spends a couple o f hours per week on social media marketing whilst Malmaison spends ‘as much time as we can’ which is again vague but sounds keen! Hilton understands that ‘time investment is considerable and necessary. Attracting the Active and Demanding Online Consumer Malmaison attracts online consumers to their social media sites through exclusive offers and competitions; Hilton has integrated their Facebook and Twitter with their official brand site and other microsites; they also rely heavily on 13 | P a g e word of mouth from their current ‘fans’ and use giveaways. In the near future Marriott will be adding their social media addresses to their traditional ‘collateral’ that they hand to clients. Malmaison agrees with the statement that ‘online consumers are more active, participative, resistant and demanding. Hilton thinks it varies; ‘most followers are honest and enjoy travel so their posts and comments are positive’ but Hiltons social media channels are ‘not intended to be a guest assistance centre. ’ Which I disagree with; guests should be able to have their p roblems resolved through social media, I do understand that it’s an international company but strategies should be in place for these encounters. Marriott said ‘we will only really begin to see this in the coming months as our exposure grows. ’ Analysis of Social Media MarketingMalmaison analyses their social media marketing at the end of every week using tools such as ‘trendistic, tweetbeep, twittercounter, twitpwr. ’ Hilton receives weekly reports from an agency that ‘tracks major topics. ’ However Marriot t’s focus is ‘bringing our profile to a level where it actually merits tracking. ’ TripAdvisor Reviews Malmaison and Marriott both stated that they use TripAdvisor reviews but didn’t say how they used them. Hilton encourages its hotels to monitor consumer revie ws as ‘they are a great way to understand what is and is not working for a particular property. ’ Negative CommentsIf Malmaison finds a negative comment then they ‘address and investigate the situation, if a contact number/email address is left then the matter will be dealt with in private. ’ Hilton does their best to resolve the issue; ‘just as we do at our hotels when a guest complains. ’ Until this year Marriott only acted on feedback without replying to the customer; but now they use the ‘Manageme nt Response’ function to post replies to both negative and positive comments. Hilton doesn’t believe social media can necessarily go wrong, but negative posts about customer’s experiences at their hotels is ‘disheartening. Malmaison stated that they seem to be doing ok and Marriott said ‘this remains to be seen. ’ Social Media Working W ell All three hotels have had positive experiences with social med ia; Malmaison has had positive feedback from its ‘fans’, the events they advertised have had favourable responses and offers have been well received. Hilton asked ‘Tweeters’ to cheer for the film premier ‘Up in the Air’ for a chance to win various prizes; this was mutually beneficial and increased the hotel’s profile; reporters often post stories from Hiltons Twitter or Facebook.Marriott use Facebook to advertise charity events and to drive exposure of their Christmas party packages. 14 | P a g e Recommendations Malmaison and Marriott are welcoming of recommendations ‘that are tailored for our product and the market we are in. ’ Hilton are ‘always looking for suggestions that we can use at the brand level and share with our hotels. ’ Social media is a continual process of evolving and updating that takes time and commitment, even though Hilton are the most advanced in social media, the willingness for suggestion s shows true commitment and is an important attribute.Hilton are the most savvy in social media marketing; Marriott is fairly new in this concept and need more time to extend their strategies. Malmaison is well developed but not up to Hiltons standards however Hilton is a multi-national company which is hard to compete with. Unfortunately some managers did not answer in as much depth as I would have liked; none would disclose any financial information which is understandable but disappointing as it would have been interesting to compare the financial implications and set a guideline amount in the recommendations.One manager took 3 months to fill out the questionnaire and only replied when I used Facebook to prompt them to fill it in. 5. 3 PollDaddy Results Polls were developed on PollDaddy to ask the general public their opinions on social media marketing. Originally I had problems with the response rate as I only had a free account, if I had a paid account I would have received mor e responses and more exposure, but I overcame this by using Facebook to link my questions from PollDaddy and the responses increased rapidly; reinforcing the argument that social media is effective.Table 3; Key Points from PollDaddy 1. 87% think that social media marketing isn’t just a trend. 2. 50% think that marketers abuse social media marketing. 3. 48% think there should be rules for the appropriate usage of social media marketing. 31% think marketing on social media is innovative. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 60% find it easier to challenge marketer’s claims through social media marketing. 30% use Facebook and 27% use Twitter as their main social media forms. 36% think companies on social media are demonstrating meaningful participation, authenticity and real engagement. 2% engage in social media if they see it as beneficial. 15 | P a g e 9. 57% think social media marketing is a convenient and efficient way of finding information and interacting with an organisation Source; Aut hor’s Analysis of Poll Daddy Results 1. This is a significant percentage of people who think social media marketing isn’t just a trend; they believe it will be around permanently so hotels should take up this information and use this to their advantage through marketing. 2.Half who answered thought that marketers ‘just don’t get’ social media marketing; people felt that marketers could make more of the opportunities they have; the ‘recommendations’ may help marketers use social media marketing more effectively. 3. This point reinforces the need for marketers to effectively use social media marketing; it is a fairly new concept and marketers need to develop their strategies if they want to succeed. 4. 31% think marketing on social media is innovative which is encouraging for marketers; 32% of people don’t mind social media marketing as long as it isn’t excessive. 5.Online consumer aren’t afraid to challenge marketers claims; they are more assertive which strengthens Chen et al (2009) and Kozinets (1999) argument that the balance of power has shifted away from the marketer to the online consumer. 6. Most people who answered used some form of social media marketing, from Facebook to LinkedIn; companies should begin marketing on Facebook and then develop their strategies from there. 7. 36% thought that social media marketing shows companies commitment to engagement and interaction; however the polls were very close with some people being suspicious of social media marketing and the marketing ploys. . Social media sites are all about customer engagement with beneficial content this point reinforces Mclean (2007) and Tikkanen et al (2009); companies who focus on engagement rather than selling will see success. 9. This supports TIG Global’s (2009) point that social media users will likely be appreciative of hotel marketers updates and more inclined to pass them along to their networks of frien ds and family, if they feel the updates are authentic and useful.All questions answered had different response rates ranging from 97 to 497. Even though some of the percentages are fairly inconclusive, social media 16 | P a g e marketing is a growing trend and it would be interesting to see the results in a year’s time. 5. 4 Recommendations The dynamic growth and popularity of social media sites has created new opportunities for hotels; I have created recommendations to ensure proper usage of social media marketing and eliminate the risks involved for hotels. 6. ConclusionThe purpose of this project was to evaluate social media in hotel marketing; this project aims to help hotel marketers assess the key activities involved in social media marketing and evaluate the impact on a hotels marketing strategies and their image. Literature Review The internet has forced companies to transform themselves to be more interactive, innovative and efficient as the online consumer is more a ctive, demanding and in control; if unhappy about a service the hotel’s reputation can be damaged as negative online information posted is instant and public; sharing their opinion with hundreds of thousands of potential customers.The more online consumers communicate with one another, the bolder they feel about challenging marketers and marketing claims. Social media marketing requires participation, interaction and dedication; time, commitment and resources are essential for the efficient use of social media marketing; it is a highly engaging and innovative marketing method. Engaging and dynamic content can enhance a hotels presence and generate continuous interest; it needs to be focused on the consumer, it’s not what the hotel wants to talk about it’s about what the consumers want to talk about.If a hotel enhances its social media presence, it can create a buzz around the property and contribute to increased awareness and booking considerations. Savvy market ers are increasingly using social media to let guests sell their hotels, which is authentic marketing at its best. Findings By analysing the impact of social media marketing through different mediums the research was able to demonstrate the impact of social media marketing. More time was needed to analyse the Facebook campaign and a payable account was needed on PollDaddy to increase the exposure of the polls.Despite the limitations there are a number of important points that came from the research; more consumers are accepting companies presence on social media sites like Facebook however consumers prefer personal status updates; not 17 | P a g e sales pitch statuses. The company profile needs a personality in order for engagement to be fulfilled. Social media is a continual process of evolving, updating and developing; hotels should be consistent in regularly usage on social media sites; instant information is needed to be given; a week is far too long to interact and deliver thei r message effectively.Hotels should implement weekly analysis of their social media marketing strategies to ensure effective usage. All three marketing managers have positive experiences with social media marketing with Hilton stating ‘social media marketing can’t necessarily go wrong. ’ PollDaddy consumers don’t mind social media marketing as long as it isn’t excessive; it shows companies commitment to engagement and interaction; however the polls found some people being suspicious of social media marketing and the marketing ploys.Consumers thought that marketers ‘just don’t get’ social media marketing; they felt that marketers could make more of the opportunities they have; the ‘recommendations’ may help marketers use social media marketing more effectively. Recommendations have been derived through secondary research for the effective use of social media marketing. A dedicated and committed employee needs designat ing to monitor and interact on the social media sites.Marketers should establish themselves as credible members of the community and legitimate experts in their field by sharing knowledge and useful links. To Conclude Social media marketing is a fairly new trend; marketers should intensify their efforts to develop and expand their social media marketing strate gies to improve their online positioning. There are positives and negatives to any new venture but overall if social media is effectively used the positives out weight the negatives.It is virtually impossible to compete in today’s marketplace without a solid internet strategy and hotels need to merge social media marketing into their brand and their marketing plan. Social media will soon be the norm in marketing and marketers need to implement dedication, time and resources to be successful and stay ahead of their competitors; most hotels lack the resources required to effectively implement social marketing strategies s o this paper should significantly impact how hotels market on social media sites.Social media marketing is a free marketing tool and if used effectively can be beneficial to the hotel with high returns, however if hotels use social media but not effectively then this can be detrimental to their image; online consumers will perceive them as a nuisance and their online reputation will be ruined. Referring back to the questions asked at the start of this paper; ‘is it detrimental for a hotel not to use social media sites? ’ and ‘can it be detrimental if social media sites are used but not appropriately? I think it can be both detrimental to a hotel to not use social media, as they are missing out on a mass online market, who will be 18 | P a g e discussing their brand whether they are participating or not, however it can also be detrimental if social media is used but not appropriately. By incorporating value, interactivity and engagement; hotel marketers could thriv e with social media marketing. Future research from this paper should look into the long term benefits of social media marketing.Some of the percentages were inconclusive from PolDaddy, it would be interesting to see the results in a year’s time to discover how opinions had changed. 8. Bibliography ARMSTRONG, Steven. (2001) Advertising On The Internet; How to Get Your Message Across On The World Wide Web. 2nd Edition. Wales. Kogan Page. CHEN, Wei, et al (2009) Strategic Management: Undergraduate Programme in Service Sector Management. Essex. Pearson Education. DAVIS, John. (2009) Social Media; Marketing Magic or Madness. [online] 16 July.Article from Hotel Online; News for The Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_3rd/Jul09_SocialMediaMagic. html DELUZAIN BARRY, Susan. (2009) Ten Reasons to Use Social Media for Launching a Hotel. [online] June 2009. Article from Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last acce ssed on 19 October at: http://www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_2nd/Jun09_TenReasons. html EVANS, Liana. (2009) Your Social Media Content Must Be Valuable. [online. ] 9 November. Article from search engine watch. com.Last accessed on 10 November 2009 at: http://searchenginewatch. com/3635597 HOTELS. (2009) ‘Twend’: Social Media Evolving Into Social Marketing. [online] 30 November. Article from Hotels; The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry. Last accessed on 5 December 2009 at: http://www. hotelsmag. com/article/409358_Twend_Social_Media_Evolving_Into_Social_Marketing. php? q=twend%3B+soci al+media+evolving+into+social+marketing HOTELWORLD (2010) Fairmont Launches Social Networking Website for Guests. [online] Last accessed on 20 February 2010 at: http://www. hotelworldnetwork. om/social-networking/fairmont-launches-socialnetworking-website-guests-7305 19 | P a g e IBM (2009) IBM Social Computing Guidelines. [online] Last accessed on 8 January 2010 at: http://www. ibm. com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines. html KENNEDY, Doug. (2009) Hotel Hospitality Training Tips For The Era Of Social Networking. [online] Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. 16 October. Last accessed 19 October 2009 at: http://www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_4th/Oct09_SocialTips. html KIRBY, Adam. (2009) The Greatest Twitter Hotel Service Story Yet. [online] 17 December.Article from Hotels; The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry. Last accessed on 20 December 2009 at: http://www. hotelsmag. com/blog/Musings_Miscellany/29418The_Greatest_Twitter_Hotel_Service_Story_Yet. php KIRBY, Adam. (2010) MGM Grand Billboard Takes Twitter to Masses. [online] 4 January. Article from Hotels; The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry. Last accessed on 6 January 2010 at: http://www. hotelsmag. com/blog/Musings_Miscellany/29691MGM_Grand_Billboard_Takes_Twitter_To_Masses. php KOTLER, Philip, et al (2005) Principles of Marketing. th European Edition. Spain. Pearson Education. KOZINE TS, Robert, V. (1999) E-Tribalized Marketing? ; The Strategic Implications Of Virtual Communities of Consumption. European Management Journal. 17 (3) 252–264. MCLEAN, VA (2007) Report Predicts Dramatic Changes in Hotel Marketing Discipline as Result of Consumers Use of Social Media; The Cost to Use these Tools is Low and the Impact is High. [online] 4 September. Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2007_3rd/Sept07_SocialMedia. tml MCLEAN, VA (2008) Changes in Communication, the Social Media Revolution, and Evolving Search Engine Optimization Forcing Marketers to Rethink How They Market Destinations and Hotels; Recap HSMAI-CHA Conference. [online] In Caribbean Sales & Marketing Strategy Conference, San Juan. 13-14 December. Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2008_1st/Jan08_RecapCHA. html MIGUENS, J. , BAGGIO, R. , COSTA , C. (2008) Social Media and Tourism Destinations; TripAdvisor Case Study. Advances in Tourism Research 2008. Aveiro.Portugal 20 | P a g e PARSIPPANY, NJ. (2009) Introducing: CoMMingle Social Media Marketing Agency for Hospitality. [online] 21 September. Article from Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October at: http://www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_3rd/Sep09_CoMMingle. html POLLDADDY. (2009) The PollDaddy Platform. [online] Last accessed on 15th January at: http://polldaddy. com/about/ RAZA, Ivo. (2005) Heads In Beds; Hospitality & Tourism Marketing. 1st Edition. United States of America. Pearson Prentice Hall. SALERNO, Neil. (2009) What is Your Hotel’s Online Market Share? online] October 2009. Article from Hotel Online; News for the Hospitality Executive. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: http://www. hotelonline. com/News/PR2009_4th/Oct09_MarketShareOnline. html SAUGESTAD, Stephen. (2009) Social Media and the Hospitality Industry. [online] 23 September. Article from ehotelier. com; the one stop website for hoteliers. Last accessed on 19 October 2009 at: http://ehotelier. com/hospitalitynews/item. php? id=P17166_0_11_0_C SAUNDERS, Mark, LEWIS, Philip, THORNHILL, Adrian. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. 4th Edition. Spain.Pearson Education. SCOTT, David M. (2009) The New Rules of Marketing & PR; How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly. Canada. John Wiley & Sons. SHOEMAKER, Stowe, LEWIS, Robert, C. (1999) Customer Loyalty; The Future Of Hospitality Marketing. Hospitality Management. 18. 345-370. Social Media Statistics. (2008) Twitter. [online] Last accessed on 20 January 2010 at: http://socialmediastatistics. wikidot. com/twitter STARKOV, Max, MECHOSO, Marina. (2010) 2010 Top Ten Internet Marketing Resolutions. [online] 4 January.Article from Hotels; The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry. Last accessed on 6 January 2010 at: http:/ /www. hotelsmag. com/article/4424032010_Top_Ten_Internet_Marketing_Resolutions. php? rssid=20620=2010+top +ten+internet+marketing+resolutions TIKKANEN, Henrikki, et al (2009) Exploring virtual worlds: success factors in virtual world marketing. Management Decision. 47 (8) 1357-1381. TIG GLOBAL (2009) Why All Travel Pros Must Use Social Media. [online] 17 November. Article from Hotels; The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry. 21 | P a g e Last accessed 18 November 2009 at:

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Epiphenomenalism a retrospective analysis - Essay Example It suggests that mental events are caused by physical events in the brain, but in turn, the mental event has no effects upon the physical events. Epiphenomenalists argue that behaviour is a result of muscular activity resultant from neural impulses and that these impulses are triggered by other impulses that are inputs from the senses. Thus the mind has no role to play in human behavior. Huxley himself compared the mental events to the steam horns that are fitted on a steam locomotive. He said that they play no vital role on the functioning of the steam engine. Mental phenomena according to him cannot create anymore impact on the physical plain anymore than a shadow can create impacts on the footsteps of the person. All mental events can be broadly divided in to two categories according to their nature. The first one comprises of phenomenal experiences such as pain, qualia after images and tastes etc. The second kind of mental events comprises of occurent propositional attitudes such as beliefs and desires. Arguments on epiphenomenalism can concern both types of mental events and one cannot give solid evidence to its sanctity on both levels. The two types of mental events can be connected provided we assume that we have our qualia. Thus if we assume that pains have no physical effects, we could infer that (i) pains do not cause the belief that we are in pain and (ii) beliefs that we are in pain is epiphenomenal. Since if we believe that we are in pain and it leads us to some response (even indirectly) having an effect on the physical plane, then we would have to affirm that the whole proposition of epiphenomena is nothing but absurd because according to the theory, the feeling that we are in pain should have no consequence to events in our physical world. The logic though lies in the premise that events in the physical world have sufficient causes in the physical world and if men tal events were real and separate from physical events, then it would require a violation of physical law. The interactionist model proposed that the pineal gland undergoes changes according to mental events and brings about physical changes. But epiphenomena denies the involvement of any mental events and hence such physical changes of the pineal gland should have to be explained by events in the physical plane. It explicitly states that there will be no such change in the gland until a physical force would cause it to change. This is where epiphenomena disappoint us once more. Its rigidity and lack of accommodative capacity for new findings leave us with no option, but to sideline it and look for a better theory. Other arguments that are contrary to the standing of epiphenomena include the theory of natural selection. For that theory to stand, it should explain the development of consciousness. But a property by which a selection can occur in a species is relevant only when particular thoughts have effects upon specific behavior patterns. Therefore it is imperative that the conscious and the qualia should alter the course of behaviour in the physical world - quite contrary to what epiphenomenalism states. We all know that natural selection is a reality whether we like it or not and hence as a consequence epiphenomenalism fails to stand ground. It also contradicts the existence of other minds. But we do know that

Analysis of SEEK Limited, Telstra Limited and Ansell Limited Essay

Analysis of SEEK Limited, Telstra Limited and Ansell Limited - Essay Example Another importance why I used the 10 year period data is that if the period is too short, there may be just the data for bull market, for instance from 201-2015. Moreover, a short time period data may result in inadequate information which in turn may result in misinterpretation. Therefore, I used the longer time period to select stock of the three companies to forecast the upcoming rates in order that legitimate forecasts of stocks may be possible. The data used for the chosen three companies: SEEK Limited, Telstra Corporation and Ansell were for the period of 2005-2015 to assess as well as make projections 3. COMPANY EVALUATION 3.1.SEEK Limited: Business Summary   SEEK Limited manages internet/web employment markets inside Brazil, Hong Kong, Australia, China, New Zealand, Malaysia Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and globally. The corporation links employers and job hunters with job openings and equivalent overhauls online and delivers as well as offers holiday education and uni versity courses. Also, it provides online job marketing functions. The corporation was formed during 1997 and its headquarters are in Australia, Melbourne state (Australian Broadcasting Corporation & Nelvana. 3.1.1.Choice of sampling frequency In calculating SEEK Limited’ standard deviation and expected a return, I used monthly sampling size which is the optimal allowance sampling frequency founded considerations of cost, and a single sample every month gathered at about similar moment of the month in 10 sample design.

Strategic Management Individual Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic Management Individual - Assignment Example ith their operational strategy so as to render enhanced services to the community and to promote consistent growth of the business (McKellar, 2010, p.136). To support and execute sustainable development in its broader sense, it is necessary for the management to achieve some strategic changes in terms of decision making processes, project cycle, and organisational culture (Business strategies for sustainable development, 1992). This could be attained through the implementation of a strategic environmental analysis system. This paper will discuss what a strategic environmental analysis system is and the essential analysis frameworks in the external and organisational environments. According to Kessler, â€Å"Strategic Environmental Analysis (SEAN) is a structured, participatory process to analyse environmental problems and opportunities for development, to identify main actors, and to define strategic goals at early stages.† (Kessler, 2000, p.136). The most notable feature of this system is that it tries to address the inter-relationship between environmental concerns and socio-economic development concerns (Erdmenger, et al, 2000, p.80). The SEAN considers the elements of different conceptual and environmental assessment backgrounds, such as strategic environmental assessment. Another potential feature of this framework is that it tends to be proactive by acting on the early stages of decision making instead of being reactive or defensive (Segnestam et al, 2003). Since SEAN is a potential framework to identify the areas of overlap between environmental and socio-economic development issues, it can better assist the organisation to develop effective bu t achievable sustainable development goals. SEAN is an effective way to set strategic priorities because it can minimise the complexities and uncertainties involved in the strategic planning process while at the same ensuring that critical issues do not go unaddressed (Dalal-Clayton & Sadler, 1999, p.na). A

Female circumcision Essay Example for Free

Female circumcision Essay Female circumcision, also referred to as female genital mutilation, is a traditional practice dating back to ancient times in many African and Middle Eastern countries. It is a procedure that involves the cutting, burning or removal of the clitoris, labia and sexual tissues; the specifics of the procedure vary by region and culture. Female circumcision is performed on young girls usually between the ages of five and twelve years old. Many of the girls are tricked or forced into the procedure, which is performed by a woman in the village with knowledge of the tradition but no medical education or training. While it is considered a rite of passage for girls in these cultures, female circumcision has no valid medical purpose. The practice of female genital circumcision is a medically unnecessary one that leaves women with permanent physical, mental and emotional pain and scarring. Female genital mutilation procedures are done differently in various parts of the world. In some cases, the clitoris is cut from the body. In others, the clitoris and labia, the sexual tissues that are external to the vaginal opening, are cut away and the vaginal opening is stitched shut. According to Anika Rahman, there are, â€Å"numerous other procedures that have been documented, such as pricking, piercing, stretching or burning of the clitoris and/or surrounding tissues† (8). The procedure is usually done by a woman of the village or tribe designated for just this task. It is usually performed with knives or razor blades that are not sterile in unsanitary environments and conditions, increasing the risk for infection and complications. Performing such an intricate medical procedure outside of a hospital and without trained medical personnel can result in a variety of complications, including urinary tract infections, pelvic infections and anemia from excess bleeding. One of the most common long-term complications from female circumcision is pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse. Adding to this common problem is the fact that many women whose vaginal openings are stitched closed are forced to stay that way until their first sexual experience with their predetermined husband, which can lead to tearing, bleeding and further tissue damage or scarring. There are emotional and mental scars that accompany female genital mutilation along with the physical ones. In Tears of the Desert, Halima Bashir describes her experiences at eight years old in which a girl is made to feel special without being told what specifically will be done to her: â€Å"In our tradition circumcision is supposed to mark the passage from girlhood to womanhood, and so I was treated almost as if I were getting married† (55). She describes being held down by her own grandmother while a village woman cuts her with a razor blade and that, â€Å"I knew that somewhere deep in my lost womanhood there was a burning heart of agony, but I had removed my mind to a place where it couldn’t be hurt anymore† (57). These words sound like those of a trauma victim in shock rather than those of a girl that has undergone a traditional rite of passage, providing an example of the emotions that can be experienced by a girl forced into female circumcision with no prior knowledge of the procedure. In an interview with Alice Walker, another woman described how she was kidnapped by friends of her family and circumcised: â€Å"†¦her mother had told her they were going to a place where there were many bananas. She loved bananas. When they arrived, she was captured by women she’d never seen before, pinned down by them, circumcised, and kept secluded for two weeks† (Walker 42). Numerous accounts reflect memories of searing physical pain, tearing, bleeding, and fainting. The realization that this is done to a girl when she is as young as five years old makes the procedure seem even more brutal. The actual process of female circumcision is different in each country that practices it and so are the reasons behind it. There are no valid medical reasons for the procedure, and most countries that practice female circumcision hold it as a cultural tradition or rite of passage rather than a religious rite. Rahman states, â€Å"It is important to note that female circumcision is a cultural, not a religious practice. The practice predates the arrival of Christianity and Islam in Africa and is not a requirement of either religion† (6). In these countries, most women are considered the property of their families until they are given away to the husbands their parents has chosen for them to marry, and it is considered vital to go to marriage sexually pure and a virgin. It is believed in these cultures that female circumcision is one way to suppress sexual urges, to prevent sexual activity, and to ensure that a girl’s virginity is kept intact. A girl that isn’t circumcised is considered dirty, impure, and sexually deviant. Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes how, during her childhood in Somalia, â€Å"†¦little girls were made ‘pure’ by having their genitals cut out†¦I was a Somali woman, and therefore my sexuality belonged to the owner of my family, my father or my uncles†¦the place between my legs†¦would be broken only by my husband† (Ali 31, 72). This attitude is a commonly accepted one in countries that practice female circumcision, leading mothers to subject their daughters to the same practice that was done to them and often deceive them in order to force them to submit to tradition. Many girls are taught that they will be physically unclean and unsuitable for any man to want to marry and will therefore bring shame and dishonour to their families if they are not circumcised to keep them pure until marriage. Rheman states, â€Å"Refusing to undergo female circumcision may jeopardize a woman’s family relations, her social life or her ability to find a spouse† (25). Since most of these girls remain in their home villages their entire lives, the concept that not all women undergo this procedure is often unthinkable to them. Halima Bashir relates how, when she went away to college and encountered girls her age that hadn’t been forced to undergo circumcision, â€Å"At first I didn’t believe it. I had just presumed that all girls went through their cutting time† (145). Though it may be tradition, there is proof that female circumcision violates women’s human rights and should be illegal. The international treaty known as the Women’s Convention defends women against human rights violation and sexual discrimination. According to the convention, states Rheman, â€Å"female circumcision must meet two principal criteria. One, it must be a distinction based on sex and two, it must have the effect or purpose of impairing the equal enjoyment of rights by women. Female circumcision fits within this definition of gender discrimination† (21). Female circumcision is intended to stop women from experiencing physical pleasure during sex or even being able to have sex outside of their sanctioned marriage, making it a form of gender discrimination. Female circumcision deserves to be recognized as a tradition in the African and Middle Eastern countries in which it has been practiced. However, its recognition does not warrant the continued abuse and violation of human rights of the women in these countries. These women are subjected to years of physical pain, sexual problems, infections and childbearing complications. These procedures are inflicted upon them without their consent and without informing them of the health risks or alternatives. It represents an antiquated view of women in which they are undervalued and treated as property instead of free-thinking individuals with equal rights and voices. Female circumcision might be tradition, but it’s one that needs to be outlawed for the health and safety of women and in the name of upholding the human rights of all people. Works Cited Bashir, Halima. Tears of the Desert. New York: Ballantine, 2008. Hirsi Ali, Ayaan. Infidel. New York: Free Press, 2007. Rahman, Anika, ed. Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide. New York: Zed Books, 2001. Walker, Alice and Prathiba Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women. New York: Harvest Books, 1993.

Responce To Working Life Of A Waitress English Language Essay

Responce To Working Life Of A Waitress English Language Essay The article Working Life of a waitress, written by an author called Mike Rose, is a talk about a mother who took the leading role of a waitress. Based on my perspective of this story the protagonist was fascinated and thankful by the work of his mother even though he knew the hardships and struggles the mother had to go through in her daily job. The narrator tells us of how the mother can in fact deal with so many people and not forgetting the cutlery and at the same time with a composure and knowledge of what she is doing. After reading and understanding the story, any one who wanted to pursue the carrier of a waitress and has had a passion for it could actually relate to this story, this story could get them many pointers which the narrator discussed in the article. This article not only illustrates the work of a mother as a waitress in a busy restraint but also describes ones passion of work and its art. While the narrator described how the waiters and waitress should be in their work place, it shows us of the sacrifice essence they had to their jobs. The narrator now understands and is more aware of things that encircle the mother in a well bred manner, through the justification of his mother; the readers can see that the narrators mother is doing a good job despite the fact that she is a woman in a mans territory. This other article that is written by Barbara Enrich called Nickel and Dimed, she places interests on some of the difficulties people have when they are employed in jobs that pay low wages not exempting the hidden costs which included food and shelter. She primarily attacks the idea that the low-wage jobs need the unskilled labor, The author who is a journalist found that manual labor is degrading, taxing and uninteresting she says that the job required fast learning, quick thinking, focus and good memory, if there is repeated movements or constant, it would create a risk of repetitive stress injury. She also points facts on some persons in the management who mainly served to interfere with the workers output, they force the workers to take pointless tasks just to make the work experience more miserable. She argues about the one low wage job is usually not sufficient to support one person and his family, many of the workers named in this book exist by living in their cars, with relat ives or even persons of the same position, She concludes by saying one day the low waged workers will rise up and rise and insist to be treated fairly and everyone will be better of when that day comes. The article Santa land diaries by Sedaris, he talks about how he was discovered in 1977 in a Chicago club by a radio host, Sedaris later says that he owes everything to Ira, the radio presenter, because his life changed completely like a wave of a magic wand, his movie Santa Land diaries was a success with the radio listeners. This article according to me talks about luck, an how some individuals out there get jobs through luck, something that you have never even thought of just comes your way and changes your life forever, In the article of Daniel Levine called the myth of the sexual athlete, it talks about how the entertainment industry degrades women. Its talks about giving the girls equal class attention, he mainly talks about how women in general are treated in the industry and that they are not given equal opportunities as men and that this should be re considered since what men can do women can also do. All these four articles have a common ground when it comes to work, it talks of hard work, discipline, fair and unfair working grounds, and also the passion of your work, all these aspects are seen in the four articles and they share each one of them. Amy Tan is a writer, of the book language of discretion, she is an American born in China, and she says that different languages come with different ways of thinking, in her article she says that ones view of the world and its functions depends entirely on the language that is used. Language is not only a communication tool but also a culture carrier, in a society where one culture dominates the other, language is then used to enforce the dominant one, she also argues that something enormous is usually lost during translation and something sinister seeps in the gaps and especially when amateur linguists go on in comparing one-for-one language differences and then put forward the notions wide open to misinterpretation. Richard Rodriguez is an author of the book Public and Private Language, he is an American boy whose parents are Spanish, he went to school and he then considered Spanish to be a private language, and his parents used to talk in Spanish, he also talks of the challenges he faced as an individual in class because he couldnt speak English well, he referred English as a public language he says that they dont realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private personality by being assimilated into the public society, such assimilation makes public individuality achievable. He says that the bilingualists that a student should be reminded of his difference from other people in the society, and his heritage but this equates more separateness with individuality, the truth is that only in private (with intimates) is the separation from a crowd a qualification fro individuality an intimate separates me, tell me that I am unique in public by distinction the fullness of an individual is achieved ironically by the ones who consider themselves members of a crowd. Caffilene Allen is an author of the book First change my name, she grew up speaking the English of the an early century, in this article there is a lot of contrast in the proper English and the culture language, in school teachers took to themselves to change her name from Caffilene to Kathleen, this was a bit extreme she thought, because of the pronunciation and spelling of how it may sound, she was exited by her new name until she found out that she was not the only Kathleen in school, though in high school she was able to get her name back, throughout this article there is a lot of controversy between the author and her mother, racial discrimination and sexist language, In fourth grade the author was ashamed of her mother and also despised her behavior and speech, she says that each culture, group or nationality have their own language and there is a place and time to show it, they way we relate and talk to our friends and family, we talk in a manner that is understood by them, th e author says that now after many years is when she is beginning to regain the sense of pride and heritage towards their culture. These authors have experiences which they have in common like they being of a different culture though since they are living in America, they have to learn English and the hard way, Richard Rodriguez had to learn it through being embarrassed in class, not being able to have sufficient and ending talks with his parents, Amy Tan on the other hand had to learn and speak English with her fellow Chinese men since if she were to speak in their language they would expect her to be more submissive since she is a woman, Caffilene Allen also says that she had to change her name at some point because of the pronunciation and was taught ,to have her culture and mother and to like her English teacher. Language enforces the culture behind it completely, people who live in a certain social order, which is dominated by definite culture and have to adjust to that dominant language. And to not only to know how to speak it but they also have to speak it in a certain way in order to be accepted and be s uccessful.

History And Contributions Of Helicopters History Essay

History And Contributions Of Helicopters History Essay The helicopter has earned a stout reputation as a workhorse for the myriad of tasks that they can perform. The ability of rotary wing aircraft to be able to not just fly in forward and reverse but to remain stationary in flight has helped American aviation in both the civilian and military realms. Tasks that would have previously required many more resources to complete or put additional workers at an increased risk have now been placed in the helicopters lap. Rotary wing aviation may be young in practical applications but the technology is not new. American aviation would be augmented not by space age marvels but from technology based off of an ancient toy. History Ge Hong It is thought that the first instance of a man-made rotary wing device dates back to ancient China. Around 400BC a man by the name of Ge Hong had noticed how a sycamore seed fell to the ground in a circular fashion. Using the sycamore seed as inspiration he built a toy called the bamboo dragonfly. It was a crude rotor system that featured feathers attached to a center stick. When spun in the hand the wings would lift the toy up and out of the users hands (Gibbs-Smith, 1962; Samuels, 2006). Leonardo da Vinci The next major instance of rotary wing design comes from the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. In 1483 da Vinci had designed what was called the aerial screw (Samuels, 2006). Though it is not believed to have been built, the design for this crude helicopter did incorporate an onboard power unit (Gibbs-Smith, 1962). Some of his writings would go on to highlight the importance of some of the aspects of modern aerodynamics we understand today: center of gravity, center of pressure, and streamlining (Aerospace: The Flight of Discovery, 1992). Sir George Cayley Sir George Cayley, known as the father of modern aerodynamics, had also studied the design of helicopters. Cayley had designed and built an unpowered helicopter glider that did fly, albeit only a few feet (Tucker, 2010). This was done using a design based upon an earlier helicopter toy created by Frenchmen Launoy and Bienvenu which took their design ultimately from those ancient Chinese toys (Gibbs-Smith, 1962). He felt that the original design could be perfected. His new designs would feature counter-rotating blades to help with the torque produced by a single rotor (Seddon, Newman, Seddon, 2011) Sir George Cayley has been credited as stating To be of ordinary use, they [flying machines] must be capable of landing at any place where there is space to receive them, and of ascending again from that point (Gibbs-Smith, 1962). This would sum up precisely what helicopters should and would do. Igor Sikorsky Next we jump ahead to the 1930s with Russian immigrant Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky had already established himself in aircraft design and construction through the S-38 clipper seaplane used extensively by Pan American Airlines as well as various other designs (Ingram Stansell, 2010). He had dreamed for a long time of creating a rotary wing aircraft and had studied Leonardo da Vincis designs (Turner, 2000). A German designer had created the first manned powered helicopter but it would be Sikorsky that would make the first mass produced design (Seddon, Newman, Seddon, 2011). His VS-300 would be the first of Sikorskys helicopters and through military support would become the R-4, a design using a single main rotor and a single tail rotor (Turner, 2000; Aerospace: The Flight of Discovery, 1992). Designs previous to this had two main rotors in tandem in order to counteract torque generated by a single rotor (Ingram Stansell, 2010). The Sikorsky R-4 would be one of the first designs to be u tilized in a theater of war. The U.S. Army and British Army would use them towards the end of WWII for rescue of downed aircrew in the Burma theater (Turner, 2000; Tucker, 2010). Civilian Applications We have seen how the modern design of helicopters progressed from simple toy to complex flying machine. The genie was out of the bottle and the capabilities were not lost on civil aviation in the U.S. The civilian populace has seen the helicopter used from rescue to construction work and agricultural use. It has helped to save countless lives and increase companies profits alike. Medical and Lifesaving The medical field has used the helicopter extensively in life-saving ambulance duties. With the introduction of helicopters first responders could now reach the scene of an accident in less time than a ground based ambulance. It would also allow rescuers to access areas that are either too remote or too distant (Chandrakanth Bangalore, 2011). A good example of this would be medical rescues from offshore oil rigs (Ozdamar, 2011). These air ambulances would carry all necessary lifesaving equipment to treat trauma patients enroute to the hospital for further care. Over the last few decades the number of helicopters being utilized for civilian air ambulance has increased to nearly 900 (Chandrakanth Bangalore, 2011). This increase in response time allows more lives saved through rapid treatment during what is known as the golden hour (Chandrakanth Bangalore, 2011). This is the critical time for a trauma patient to receive advanced care and surgical intervention to prevent long-term dam age to vital organs (Golden hour, 2009). Besides carrying patients onboard the helicopter, it can also be utilized to carry supplies for disaster relief on an external cargo hook. This can allow a greater amount of needed supplies, such as vaccines, to reach those in need than a ground vehicle can. This is especially true if the roads to access the disaster area are impassable (Ozdamar, 2011). Cargo Lifting It is from this external cargo capability where civilian aviation gains great use. Construction firms have used helicopters to aid in building construction where cranes might not be optimum or even possible. Igor Sikorsky again saw the potential of the helicopter in the cargo lifting role and designed what would become the crane helicopter or Skycrane (McKenna). During a dissertation Sikorsky would mention the need for a helicopter of this particular type to transport items that when preassembled were too bulky to transport by other means. His aim was to be able to deliver items that were preassembled and ready to use thereby cutting down the overall construction time required (McKenna). One incident that showcases the need for helicopters, as well as those with cargo capabilities, would be in December of 1967. A Chevron offshore oil rig experienced an emergency and required a replacement 8,000 pound hydraulic pump be delivered to restart operations. At the time the weather was foul and would not permit normal sea-bound delivery (which on a normal day could take up to 26 hours). Within 22 minutes a Skycrane had delivered the much needed pump and restored operations which in turn saved Chevron financially (McKenna). Utility Companies The electrical utility industry would utilize the unique capabilities of the helicopter but not for its cargo capability. Electric companies would seize the helicopter to perform daunting maintenance on high-power lines. The Tennessee Valley Authority, which contains a seven-state service territory and over 17,000 miles of power lines, has used helicopters for electrical line maintenance and inspection, setting poles, and stringing wire (Herring Feerst, 2005). This availability helps to reduce maintenance times and costs using minimal crew. This is critical especially in times of severe weather when needing to inspect and repair power lines. The TVA can get maintenance teams, with tools, to any spot on the line in quicker time than a truck and give the electrician a more stable platform to work from at height (Herring Feerst, 2005). Agriculture Farmers have used aircraft from an early start to help control their crops. Through the use of crop dusting farmers were able to keep pests from consuming crops and destroying a valuable source of income. Crop dusting would also be used to fertilize crops. Aviation had been seen as a time saver in that an airplane could cover a greater area in less time than a traditional machine. Helicopters would enable farmers to have even greater and more even coverage when spraying crops thanks to the ability to hover and enter tight, confined areas (Aerospace: The Flight of Discovery, 1992). The downwash created by a helicopters rotor system would be the key to an even distribution of chemicals. With this the chemicals would be dispersed more evenly to include the underside of plant leaves. Another of the advantages given a helicopter over an airplane is that a helicopter can refill at the farm without having to make a return trip to an airfield, thus saving time (Aerospace: The Flight of Disco very, 1992). Military Applications The U.S. military has always looked for what the next great weapon can be. The helicopter was certainly one of those. Almost as soon as Igor Sikorsky produced the R-4 in quantity the U.S. military has found ways to implement them to great success. Much like their civilian counterparts the military helicopter has been used in lifesaving, transportation of personnel and cargo, but also with a new combat role. The helicopter gunship has become an indispensable tool in the U.S. militarys arsenal. Medical Evacuation Before weapon technology advanced and military planners knew what helicopters really could accomplish they were being used as a rescue platform. Towards the end of WWII the U.S. used the Sikorsky R-4 to rescue flyers that were downed in the water or in other hard to reach areas in the Burma theater (Turner, 2000). This was normally accomplished through the use of PBY-4 Catalina seaplanes. The R-4 helicopter could get to those pilots that were in the dense jungle or near a coastline. This capability would decrease the amount of time that both the downed flyer and the rescue aircraft were subject to engagement or capture by the enemy. Also in 1944 an R-4 (belonging to the Coast Guard) helped to deliver blood plasma to sailors wounded during an explosion aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer (Seddon, Newman, Seddon, 2011). From these moments in the waning days of WWII the helicopter would always be seen as a method of saving lives on the battlefield. During the Korean War a Bell design would earn the moniker of Angel of Mercy. The Bell H13 (Bell 47) was utilized extensively to rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield and deliver them to Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (Seddon, Newman, Seddon, 2011; Driscoll, 2001). Thanks largely to the use of helicopters the mortality rate during the Korean War was 2.4%, the lowest to date for any major war (Driscoll, 2001). From the WWII, to present day conflicts helicopters are still widely used by the U.S. military for medical evacuation contributing to continued low mortality rates. The Bell H13 would be replaced by the Bell UH-1 Huey and eventually the Sikorsky H-60 series. Cargo and Utility Helicopters The Korean War was the first war where the U.S. military found widespread use for the helicopter. The helicopter would be used for artillery spotting and observation giving the observer a better view of the battlefield for calling in artillery support. Unlike the fixed wing counterpart the helicopter could loiter for longer and operate from bases closer to the frontline (Samuels, 2006; Tucker, 2010). Ground based combat units would come to utilize helicopters to transport not only personnel but much needed equipment by helicopter. With the use of helicopters ground commanders could reach areas previously unreachable through ground transportation or at least risk to lose valuable resources in effort. Helicopters could airlift artillery pieces to hilltops to quickly aid in ground support from high ground or deliver troops far behind enemy lines (Samuels, 2006). The war in Vietnam would become largely known as a helicopter war due to the extensive use of helicopters to wage war. It was from this war that much of modern rotary wing warfare doctrine was derived. Though the U.S. Marine Corps had first pioneered airmobile helicopter warfare during the Korean War it wouldnt be until the Vietnam War that this practice was employed in a wide spread fashion (Tucker, 2010). Cargo would follow closely behind. Helicopters that were designed with cargo transport as a primary mission were entering the scene for much the same reason. In order to deliver crucial supplies to remote locations in substantial quantity the U.S. would use helicopters such as the CH-54 Tarhe (Sikorsky Skycrane), UH-34 Choctaw, SH-3 Sea King, CH-47 Chinook, and its smaller cousin the CH-46 Sea Knight (Tucker, 2010; Polmar, 2012). The CH-54 had a payload capacity of upwards of 20,000 pounds depending on the model (McKenna). Heavy lift helicopters could deliver artillery, light tank s, or even bridges to the frontlines. Very little was beyond the capability of the CH-54 (McKenna). To demonstrate the versatility of cargo aircraft the U.S. Navy utilized first the UH-34 then later the SH-3 for retrieval of crewmembers from the ocean as well as retrieval of NASAs Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space capsules after re-entry and splashdown (Polmar, 2012). Gunship The Vietnam War also saw the first uses of the gunship in combat. In previous wars the close combat support role was left to low flying propeller airplanes. The U.S. military found that helicopters could be a weapons platform given the ability to hover or operate in confined spaces without needing an improved airfield to conduct operations. Initially the U.S. military would use existing airframes such as the Bell UH-1 and attach offensive armament such as rockets and grenade launchers. Though crude it proved the gunships worth and would lead to development of more advanced purpose built gunships such as the Bell AH-1 Cobra, the first attack helicopter (Tucker, 2010). So important and versatile was the AH-1 Cobra that the U.S. Marine Corps still utilizes the Cobra today. It has gone through several avionics upgrades to meet current military aviation demands (Update on Cobra-Huey upgrade program, 1996). As technology advanced, with it too was the gunship. Using lessons learned from Vietnam the military looked for a new attack helicopter with even more capabilities. One of the early designs was the AH-56 Cheyenne. It could fly over 200 knots while carrying TOW anti-tank rockets and a 30mm cannon. It would also utilize advanced targeting systems. Ultimately this program would be cancelled in part to budget constraints (Prouty Yackle, 1992). The next gunship to be developed and used to this day would be the Boeing AH-64 Apache. It can fly 180mph, up to 1,100 miles in range, and carry 2.75 inch rockets, Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and a 30mm cannon (Aerospace: The Flight of Discovery, 1992). This airframe would become a flying tank killer. Presidential mission and the Osprey One mission that showcases how important rotary wing aviation has become to the U.S. was the decision to use helicopters to transport the President of the United States, the First family, and other members of government. The U.S. Marine Corps squadron HMX-1 has largely used the VH-60N, and the VH-3D (Corps unveils new presidential helicopter, 2005). Both of these were modified from existing airframes in service in the military to serve in Very Important Person missions. The U.S. Marine Corps has looked into replacing their current fleet of presidential helicopters with the MV-22 Osprey (Sanborn, 2011). The Osprey is already currently in use with the U.S. Marine Corps. This new airframe blurs the line between airplane and helicopter through use of large tilting engines and rotors. The MV-22 can start as a helicopter with the engines rotated vertically and mid-flight rotate the engines horizontal to fly as an airplane. This allows the Osprey great versatility in regards to areas of operation and mission types (Hanifen, 1995). The U.S. Marine Corps can use this airframe to transport cargo and equipment much like an airplane or cargo helicopter or insert a larger number of troops compared to the modernized UH-1 still in use by the U.S. Marines (Hanifen, 1995; Update on Cobra-Huey upgrade program, 1996). The U.S. Air Force has kept an eye on the Osprey as a contender for use as a combat search and rescue platform as part of its CSAR-X program thanks to its capabilities (Rotorcraft report, 2009). Summary and Conclusion Helicopter design started with humble beginnings as a toy in ancient China. Through the ages it has progressed to be a vital part of both civil and military applications. It has served in as many roles as the pioneers of the field can think of them. Countless lives have been saved by use of helicopters. Stranded mountain climbers and hikers or even people stranded due to natural disasters have come to expect rescue as a norm when before helicopters they would have been left to their own for survival. The U.S. military has seen helicopters as a vital tool to bring the war to the enemy regardless of terrain. With them the military can press the attack from a closer distance bearing powerful weaponry and just as easily ensure wounded receive critical care in a timely manner. Mortality rates are at their lowest thanks in part to the ability to transport wounded quickly from the battle to the hospital. Next on the horizon are unmanned aircraft to do those missions deemed dull, dirty, or dangerous. The hover capability of unmanned helicopters lends itself to observation, attack, or resupply missions without exposing crews to unnecessary risk. Same can be said for any utility companies that join in the project. Use of unmanned helicopters for wire inspection or even police duties would decrease the work hour cost while maintaining the same workload.