Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Example for Free

Adoption Of ICT In The Tourism And Hospitality Industry Essay Abstract Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have revolutionised the travel industry in the last decade. eTourism reflects the digitalisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. It emerges as a term describing the entire range of applications of ICTs on tourism and the implications for the tourism value chain. Major opportunities and challenges have emerged and need to be addressed by all industry players. However, the level of eTourism developments varies between regions, countries and continents. The tourism sector is experiencing an acceptance of ecommerce to the extend that the whole industry structure is changing .The web is used not only for information gathering but also for ordering services .A new type of user is emerging one who acts as his or her own travel agent and build a personalised travel package .This research focuses on evaluating the current status of Meikles Hotel Zimbabwe in order to study the adoption of ecommerce applications on the hospitality sector. 1. Introduction Mathieson and Wall (1982) created a good working definition of tourism as the temporary movement of people to destinations outside their normal places of work and residence, the activities undertaken during their stay in those destinations, and the facilities created to cater to their needs. The tourism industry requires a diverse range of information and lends itself well to the support offered by developing multimedia, communication technologies and information systems .The internet provides an extra ordinary connectivity and the ability to communicate efficiently and effectively directly with customers at a reasonable cost .Its potential to generate more revenue is not questionable but is acknowledged as something the tourism industry in developing countries needs. According to the World Tourism Organization 2002, Tourism in many developing and least developed countries is the most viable and sustainable economic development option, and in some countries, the main source of foreig n exchange earnings. Implications of the Internet and other growing interactive multimedia platforms for tourism promotion are far reaching and alter the structure of the industry. This research aimed to explore the impact of ICTs and the  Internet in particular for the future competitiveness of the tourism and hospitality industry. This paper explores the current state of eTourism development and examines the use of the Internet in the sector. The rapid development and commercialization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the travel and tourism industry has prompted hotels and other enterprises in this sector to increasingly adopt these technologies. This is based on the expectation that the new ICT based technologies and processes would lead to an improvement in their operating efficiencies and customer service levels. Buhalis, D. (2003: 77). The ICT based products and processes help the hotels to enhance the operating efficiency, improve the service experience as well as provide a means to access markets on a global basis. Brussels, 2005. Says ‘The use of ICTs is a relevant opportunity for growing and strengthening a local tourism industry, and for the development of destinations economies overall. Specifically ICTs have the potential to increase destination incomes for financing economic and social development’. While ICTs were used in the hotel industry from the late seventies in the f orm of Computerized Reservation systems and Global distribution systems, it was only in the 90s that the ICTs began to make a difference in the hospitality sector. Nowadays the internet has turned into an informative channel providing both individuals and organisations with different types of information making them aware of new tourism and old travel opportunities and offers enabling them to compare the offers, have online purchases and provide feedback. It has also turned into a source for travel agencies and organisations to promote their services and products to their potential customers. As the internet is being used worldwide it was important for Meikles hotel to implement hence the creation of its web site www.meikles.com Meikles Hotel Meikles Hotel is situated in the heart of Harare and overlooks the historic landmark and colourful flower gardens of Africa Unity Square. According to Experience Zimbabwe, Meikles is consistently voted as one of the best hotels in Zimbabwe, Meikles Hotel is a proud member of The Leading Hotels of the World, a prestigious hospitality organisation which represents some of the worlds most acclaimed hotels, spas and resorts. Established in 1928, the organisation exists to meet the needs of discerning travellers and for a  hotel to be recognised by this body, it needs to exceed every expectation and achieve exacting standards of excellence. Executive chairman Mr Onias Makamba says ‘Meikles Hotel has won the prestigious Association of Zimbabwean Travel Agents (AZTA) award for Best City Hotel in Zimbabwe for an astonishing 15 consecutive years’. This award is voted on by AZTA members and is based on feedback given to travel agents by their many clients across the world. Probl em Definition There have been a lot of changes in the rapid growing world of technology. Changes in the technological world have made organizations to change the way they conduct their day to day business in order to provide satisfactory services delivery. Effective delivery of service is defined by Martin (2004) as providing products and services that bring utility to users and customers. E-tourism is offering significant benefits for organizations that integrate the technology into their organizational information systems. This versatile technology improves information quality and accessibility, increases operational efficiency (service delivery) and enhances effective management (Maamar, 2006). Despite these highly perceived benefits of e-tourism its adoption has been relatively slow in Zimbabwe. Currently, there are no studies which have been carried out in Zimbabwe to identify the benefits and challenges of adopting ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hence it is the ideal time to ca rry out an investigation on the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry. Objectives The key objective of this research has been to examine the Adoption of ICT in the tourism industry mainly looking at Meikles Hotel in Zimbabwe .In particular the research examines the level of ICT diffusion in tourism enterprises. Another objective is to Identify the factors affecting E-tourism in Zimbabwe The paper also assesses how eTourism concepts and techniques can contribute towards the improvement of the Zimbabwe tourism competitiveness. RESEARCH QUESTIONS I. At what rate is ICT being adopted in the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe? II. What factors are encouraging or discouraging the adoption of ICT in the tourism and hospitality industry of Zimbabwe. 2. Literature  review Literature review is a â€Å"systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and interpreting the existing body of recorded work produced by other scholars† (Khan, 2008, p.41). The literature review focuses on the impacts of ICTs on tourism and the eCommerce developments in Zimbabwe. It also includes a brief section on Tourism in Zimbabwe which provides the contextual environment that determines the requirements for eTourism in the country. 2.1 ICT Developments and eCommerce in Zimbabwe There are various factors that have affected the adoption of ecommerce in Zimbabwe, these include : Software development tools are still evolving .It is difficult to integrate Internet and e-commerce software with some existing (especially legacy) applications and databases .Special web servers are needed in addition to the network servers, which add to the cost of ecommerce. The Standard June 5, 2011 says the adoption of the multiple currency system in 2009 presented a strong opportunity for the growth of e-commerce in Zimbabwe. It said Zimbabwe now had a chance to catch up with the rest of the world if the financial and retail sectors took the lead. Internet accessibility is still expensive and or inconvenient .Powertel Communications, a government owned internet provider, is one of the 12 POTRAZ licensed Internet Access Providers in Zimbabwe. In June 2014 Powertel mobile broadband price were $50/month .The price of the modem $45.Every Zimbabwean cannot afford these prices. The Fin ancial Gazette 3 Oct 2013 states Despite the growth of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector in the country, which has seen internet penetration rising from five to 47 percent in the past five years, the cost of accessing the internet still remains high. The improved internet penetration is largely credited to the ICT Strategic Plan crafted by the then ministry of ICT under Nelson Chamisa. Customers’ attitudes towards online shopping remain skeptical, mainly because of worries about product quality, product delivery, and security and privacy issues (Ghazali et al., 2006; Scott Scott, 2008). People do not yet  sufficiently trust paperless, faceless transactions .Payment security and privacy concerns are one of the major non technological barriers that prevent consumers from completing transactions online Lack of trust in e-commerce and in unknown sellers hinders buying. Online fraud is also increasing. Some customers like to feel and touch products. They are afraid that if they purchase without actually touching the products they might not get exactly what they ordered. Also, customers are resistant to the change from shopping at a brick-and-mortar store to a virtual store. The lack of stand ­ards in technology and its applications eventually increases the cost of system integration for effective and efficient management in distribution, operation and communication worldwide. Large hospitality corporations have invested to transform their systems into a total netware system; however, small and medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMEs) struggle to integrate the systems due to a shortage of financial sources Factors Determining the Adoption of ICTs In Zimbabwean Hotels There are a number of factors that affect the adoption of ICT in hotels these will be discussed below. In the hotel industry, the geographic location of a hotel has a major impact on its operations and profitability. The geographical location of a hotel would greatly determine the profile of its visitors, the size of its market and the level of competition that it has to face. A hotel will therefore be more inclined to adopt ICTs if it expects the ICT based facilities to either provide greater competitive advantage or to blunt the advantage enjoyed by its competitors considering the characteristics of its customer profile, its market size and the intensity of competition that it has to face. Thus based on the profile of a hotel’s visitors, the size of the market, or the intensity of competition, hotels may differ in their levels of ICT adoption propensity. The market size, in terms of the number of tourists who visit the location, will also be a significant factor that affects ICT adoption , since hotels  in smaller underdeveloped destinations may need to use the internet and other ICT based technologies to a greater degree to reach out to the global population than hotels located in developed destinations. According to Bajaj and Nag (2005) a range of advanced ICT systems such as Decision Support System (DSS) can be applied to gain substantial benefits on practical levels not only by large organisations, but also by small and medium-sized business organisations as well. Bajaj and Nag (2005) argue that DSS integration by small and medium-sized organisations can assist management by generating a set of alternative solution options to management problems of various levels complexities The competition level among the hotels in a location, can also influence the adoption of ICTs. The general occupancy rate in the location is an indicator of the competitive intensity among the hotels in a location. High levels of occupancy rate at a location imply that the competition is low, and the hotels can expect to get their rooms filled with relative ease while low levels of occupancy point towards higher levels of competition to attract customers between the hotels in the location. High levels of competition may prompt the hotels to aggressively use ICT based technologies both for attracting customers as well as to increase the efficiency of its operations. The size of the hotel has an important effect on ICT adoption. Effective adoption of several ICT technologies requires a substantial investment of resources. Lack of resources may affect the inclination of small hotels to adopt costly ICTs and therefore large hotels can be expected to be more inclined to ICTs. Further the risky nature of investing in new technologies may prompt small hotels to wait till the technology has stabilized before investing in it. Another aspect of the hotel size that can influence adoption of ICTs is the inclination to change within the organization. Large hotels have been found to be more resistant to change than small firms. This fact tends to suggest that large hotels are less inclined to adopt ICTs than small hotels as long as the investment required is not a consideration. The scope of activities that the hotel is engaged in can also influence adoption of ICTs. Since ICTs enable an effective integration of activities of an organization, hotels with varied lines of activities would find more use in the adoption of ICTs than hotels with a relatively lesser span of activities. 2.2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Tourism sector The internet has become a key application in the tourism industry. Tourism providers have been using the internet to communicate, distribute and market their products to potential customers worldwide in a cost- and time-efficient way. In fact, the individual company website had become the most important platform for e-commerce, followed by electronic markets. The main focus of e-business processes in the tourism industry has been on customer facing activities and services, i.e. primarily e-marketing and e-sales. Online booking and reservation services were widely accepted among consumers and business travell ers already in 2005. Similarly, online purchasing had become a relatively well-used application in the tourism sector. Parsons and Oja (2013) mention online reservations systems as one of the greatest impacts of ICT on tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism has closely been connected to progress of ICTs for over 30 years. The establishments of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRSs) in the 1970s, Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) in the late 1980s and the Internet in the late 1990s have transformed operational and strate ­gic practices dramatically in tourism .The tourism indus ­try at first focused on utilizing computerized systems (e.g., CRS, GDS) to increase efficiency in processing of internal information and managing distribution. Nowadays, the Internet and ICTs are relevant on all operative, structural, strategic and marketing levels to facilitate global interaction among suppliers, intermediaries and consumers around the world. In this section, we will provide the concepts and definitions of the key terms related to the Internet and ICTs. 2.2.1 Electronic tourism (e-tourism) It is the application of ICTs on the tourism industry (Buhalis, 2003). Buhalis (2003) suggests that e-tourism reflects the digitisation of all processes and value chains in the tourism, travel, hospitality and catering industries. At the tactical level, it includes e-com ­merce and applies ICTs for maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the tourism  organi ­sation. At the strategic level, e-tourism revolutionises all business processes, the entire value chain as well as the strategic relationships of tourism organisations with all their stakeholders. E-tourism determines the competitiveness of the organisation by taking advantage of intranets for reorganising internal processes, extranets for developing transactions with trusted partners and the Internet for interacting with all its stakeholders and customers. The e-tourism concept includes all business functions (i.e., e-commerce, e-marketing, e-finance and e-accounting, eHRM, e-procurement, e-production) as well as e-strategy, e-planning and e-management for all sectors of the tourism industry, including tourism, travel, transport, leisure, hospitality, principals, intermediaries and public sector organisations. Hence, e-tourism bundles together three distinctive disciplines: business management, information systems and management, and tourism. II.2.2 Computer reservation system (CRS) The 1989 CRS Regulation51 defined a computerized reservation system as a system for reserving and booking seats on commercial flights electronically, as well as storage and retrieval of itineraries. Several airlines own and market such systems, which are used by travel agents. A few include: Sabre (produced by American Airlines), Amadeus, and Worldspan. It is a database which enables a tourism organisation to manage its inventory and make it accessible to its partners. Principals utilise CRSs to manage their inventory and distribute their capacity as well as to manage the drastic expansion of global tourism. CRSs often charge competitive commission rates while enabling flexible pricing and capacity alterations, to adjust supply to demand fluctuations. Airlines pioneered this technology, although hotel chains and tour operators followed by developing centralised reservation systems. CRSs can be characterised as the â€Å"circulation system† of the tourism product. II.2.3 Global distribution systems (GDSs) The business dictionary defines a global distribution system as a worldwide computerized reservation network used as a single point of access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related  items by travel agents, online reservation sites, and large corporations. The premier global distribution systems are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups. Also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).Since the mid 1980s, airline CRSs developed into GDSs by gradually expanding their geographical coverage as well as by integrating both horizontally, with other airline systems, and vertically by incorporating the entire range of principals, such as accommodation, car rentals, train and ferry ticketing, entertainment and other provisions. In the early 1990s, GDSs emerged as the major driver of ICTs, as well as the back bone of the tourism industry and the single most important facilitator of ICTs globalisation (Sheldon, 1993). In essence, GDSs matured from their original development as airline CRSs to travel supermar ­kets. Since the late 1990s GDSs have emerged as business in their own right, specialising in travel distribution. 2.2.4 Intermediaries Intermediaries (brokers) play an important role in commerce by providing value-added activities and services to buyers and sellers. The most well-known intermediaries in the physical world are wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, intermediaries of the travel industry have been outbound and inbound travel agencies and tour operators. However, the Internet restructured the entire touristic value chain, forcing the existing intermediaries to take up the new medium and to develop corresponding business models. 2.2.5 e-Travel agencies ICTs are irreplaceable tools for travel agencies as they provide information and reservation facilities and support the intermediation between consumers and principals. Andreas Papatheodorou – (2006) Travel agencies operate various reservation systems, which mainly enable them to check availability and make reservations for tourism products. Until recently GDSs have been critical for business travel agencies to access information and make reservations on scheduled airlines, hotel chains, car rentals and a variety of ancillary services. GDSs help construct complicated itineraries, while  they provide up-to-date schedules, prices and availability information, as well as an effective reservation method. In addition, they offered internal management modules integrating the â€Å"back office† (accounting, commission monitor, personnel) and â€Å"front office† (customers’ history, itinerary construction, ticketing and communication with suppliers). Multiple tr avel agencies in particular experience more benefits by achieving better coordination and control between their remote branches and headquarters. Transactions can provide invaluable data for financial and operational control as well as for marketing research, which can analyze the market fluc ­tuations and improve tactical decisions Hotels use ICTs in order to improve their operations, manage their inventory and maximise their profitability. Their systems facilitate both in-house management and distribution through electronic media. ‘Property management systems (PMSs)’ coordinate front office, sales, planning and operational functions by administrating reservations and managing the hotel inventory. Moreover, PMSs integrate the â€Å"back† and â€Å"front† of the house management and improve general administration functions such as accounting and finance; marketing research and planning; forecasting and yield management; payroll and personnel; and purchasing. Understandably, hotel chains gain more benefits from PMSs, as they can introduce a unified system for planning, budgeting and controlling and coordinating their properties centrally. Hotels also utilise ICTs and the Internet extensively for their distribution and marketing func ­tions. Global presence is essential in order to enable both individual customers and the travel trade to access accurate information on availability and to provide easy, efficient, inexpensive and reliable ways of making and confirming reservations. Although Central Reservation Offices (CROs) introduced central reservations in the 1970s, it was not until the expansion of airline CRSs and the recent ICT developments that forced hotels to develop hotel CRSs in order to expand their distribution, improve efficiency, facilitate control, empower yield management, reduce labour costs and enable rapid response time to both customers and management re ­quests. Following the development of hotel CRSs by most chains, the issue of interconnectivity with other CRSs and the Internet emerged.This reduces both set-up and reservation costs, whilst facilitates res ­ervations through several distribution channels 2.3 Tourism in Zimbabwe In the past, tourism contributed significantly to the GDP of Zimbabwe, and created many employment and business opportunities for locals in the 1990s. But it has faced a great decline since 2000. A number of Zimbabwean tourist attractions are marketed online by South African companies and they have created an impression to some international tourists that they are located in South Africa. E-tourism has always seemed like a no-brainer for Zimbabwe, as money can be paid direct to hotels and suppliers. But obstacles like the lack of access to communication in remote areas, uncertain electricity availability, high cost of bandwidth, the lack of integrated, real-time reservation systems and local online payment gateways have thus far stymied progress. However, with the arrival of voice and data-oriented telecommunications in some remote tourist areas, there is more access to information via websites by foreign tourists looking for a good holiday resort. In other parts of Africa, arrival o f cheaper bandwidth has lessened the barriers to communication and the world’s Online Travel Agencies like Expedia are showing a real interest in the continent. Ten years ago no-one was talking about online tourism. The tourism trade tended to focus on going to big trade events like World Tourism Markets, with brochures and doing support advertising in key markets. The travel agents tended to suggest where people went and to some extent picked the destinations. As a result, a great deal of the revenues went to large, international hotel chains and not much of the money was retained locally. According to The Zimbabwean (22 June 2011) 56% of travel globally is booked online and the rise of the Online Travel Agents has been unstoppable. These OTAs, as they are known in the trade, include Expedia, Travelocity, Lastminute.com and Bookings.com who have significant market share in Africa. Expedia has actually opened an office to focus on Africa. It goes on to say In 2005, less than 2% of tourism revenues in Africa came from online booking. In 2010, buoyed by the World Cup, that percentage rose to 5% and looks set to go to somewhere between 15-20% by 2016. The World Cup may have been a one-off boost but it accelerated the growth of online tourism in South Africa. 50% of Americans read an online review before booking internationally and that’s usually  either Trip Advisor or Facebook. (Trip Advisor is now owned by Expedia). Most internatio nal travellers have credit cards and increasingly expect to be able to book online for anything from the smallest travel lodge to the largest hotel chain. So what are the barriers? The missing piece was e-commerce. There used to be no route for doing online transactions in other countries in Africa including Zimbabwe. Online distribution by the OTAs requires a reservation system that offers real-time availability. OTAs won’t do business with you unless you have that. In Zimbabwe there are few tourist resorts offering e-commerce reservation and booking services. Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls offer online booking and payment services, which have attracted a large number of tourists over the years. The second missing piece was the ability and tools to do online marketing. The companies needed marketing skills, especially with social media. Today’s tourist wants to hear from other travellers (through Facebook and Trip Advisor) and are not that interested in what the hotel has to say. For example, hotel chains Africa Sun and Cresta Hotels have invested in websites and Facebook groups where reviews are easily accessible to prospective tourists. Now that the data oriented communication and cheaper bandwidth is slowly becoming available throughout the country, telcos and ISPs need to focus specifically on those industry sectors that are most likely to make the online transition fastest. It must be possible in the near future for a herita ge site in Binga to be marketed online to the world and attract visitors. 3. Research Methodology To fulfil the objectives of this research a number of methods were used. Both primary and secondary data were therefore essential. Given the dynamic nature of the subject area, multiple primary research approaches were adopted, including both qualitative and quantitative methods (Phillip, 1998). Bryman (1998) explains that the two methods are complementary rather than competing, especially for exploratory research. The researcher made use of the internet and some library books to carry out the research and establish the solutions to the research objectives .First a qualitative approach was adopted in order to enable the appreciation of all aspects of the subject and to develop a set of the most critical variables  to be included afterwards into a questionnaire. The main objective was to objectively establish the level of eCommerce and the on-line representation of Zimbabwean tourism. The second stage involved semi-structured interviews aimed to elicit critical issues and to explore the key factors that determine the development of eTourism in Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews are considered as the most appropriate method to obtain information about perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. Judgmental sampling was employed and interviewees were selected as pioneers in eTourism in Zimbabwe, as determined by their online presence assessed in the previous phase of the research. Owners and marketing managers of organisations that run innovative web sites, as demonstrated by the methods used to interact with their clientele, were targeted and an interview was requested. The sample was chosen to include interviewees who would be informed, reflecting their particular experience and outlook on the research area. Twenty five telephone contacts were made and 28 interviews were finally conducted, which resulted in a 51% response rate .The reasearcher also made use of the questionnaires. The questionnaires designed by the researcher had both open ended questions thus allowing a respondent to fully express the answer and closed questions which only provided simple choice of answer such as yes or no. Questionnaires were used by the researcher because they saved time and they were an inexpensive way of surveying a cross section of people. Questionnaires allowed the researcher to guide the respondent along the lines regarding the topic under study and responses obtained from closed ended questions are easy to analyze. Questionnaires allowed the respondents to give freely the confidential information since the respondents were not required to disclose their identity. The researcher favoured the use of questionnaires because the analysis of data from close-ended question was easy. However data collection through the use of questionnaires required a significant commitment, expertise, time and material resources. The researcher also noted that questionnaires were highly inflexible as they gave no room to rephrase questions, furthermore, some questions remained unanswered and it affected the research findings. The researcher used simple wording in the questionnaires so that the respondents would not fail to understand the questions, that is, the researcher used simple wording to elaborate the meanings of what was being asked and required. The researcher also used face to face interviews. The researcher employed structured interviews to obtain detailed and specific information from the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Mr Mzembi. The questions presented to the Minister sought to determine the factors affecting adoption of ICTs in Zimbabwean hotel and also how far Zimbabwean hotels are in terms of adoption of ICTs. The interview also sought to discover challenges to implementing ICTs and compliance at different hotels. The interview process proved time consuming and required persistence since the honourable Minister was a busy person and he was not easily available. The actual interview session had a length of 15 minutes due to the Minister’s busy schedule. To avoid inconveniences, an appointment via e-mail and telephone call prior to interviewing visit was made. Goodman (2003) states that certain biases exist due to the tendency by the interviewer to ask wrong questions and be supplied with answers he expects to get. The researcher eliminated such errors by avoiding leading questions and taking a listener approach instead of providing suggestions. Probing was only applied as a means of seeking clarifications. This technique was used because interviews are highly flexible and the researcher was able to rephrase the questions to make the respondent understand better. Dennis (2003), states that an interview is whereby the researcher and the respondents discuss verbally with each other either face to face, over the phone or over the internet. Interviews allow probing on open ended questions, clarifications on ambiguous questions and sequencing of questions is easily changed. However, the researcher noted that interviews were costly to run in terms of money and they are time consuming because the interviewee was a busy person hence the need of an appointment and the need of a telephone call reminding the interviewee about the appointment before the  time. The researcher also noted that the interview failed to give anonymity to the respondent, hence, there was a greater chance of being given biased information. RESULTS Eight hotels participated in the survey Meikles hotel, Holiday inn (Bulawayo), Victoria falls, Regency Fairmile, Kadoma hotel, Midlands hotel. At the outset the author quotes from a number of previous reports, which indicate that ICT has not been implemented effectively in the hospitality industry Evidence from the literature review has shown that there are a number of factors, which affect technology adoption. These factors include organisational readiness, external pressure, internal expertise, support of owner or manager, user participation, efficient and effective use of any external expertise. The barriers which were uncovered by the research: IT management training, dependency on outside experts and size and scale of enterprise are all directly related to the ‘other’ factors which influence ICT adoption. The level of significance of these barriers varies between the tourism sub-sectors surveyed. This study has added new knowledge in terms of the significance of a n umber of further barriers to ICT adoption. They include peripheral or rural location, security concerns, cost issues, lack of capital, and personal background of the owner manager. A closer analysis of findings has revealed that although technology is available, some of it is obsolete or not necessarily functional. Hotels possessed various outdated versions of software packages which did not seem to serve them well. . The mode of Internet bookings is an important determinant of their success. A lot of Internet booking systems generates a booking in email format rather than integrating into the hotel’s reservation system online. This obviously limits the usefulness of these systems. DISCUSSION The adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast; this was noted by the stakeholder preparedness to harness it. Meikles hotel being a  five star hotel recognised internationally, this pushes them to move along with technological changes. Meikles hotel is interested in improving in their service provision through the use of e-commerce, and the results of this study show that this is being done at a fast pace. The top management at Meikles hotel are quite literate hence the adoption of ICT is faster compared to other hotels .The C.E.O is a holder of an honours degree in Computer science .Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. Meikles hotel has a website developed and maintained by an inhouse programmer .Their website is user friendly and they have all the information that one needs about the hotel. Meikles hotel started offering wireless network services to guest in 2006.They use Fidelio management system which integrates all the information from the reservations, banqueting, finance departments and the restaurants. They use point of sale systems. CONCLUSION It can be noted that the adoption of ICTs at Meikles Hotel is proving to be growing fast and it has been done to a very large extent. Although the use of ICTs has not yet revolutionalised Meikles Hotel’s service delivery; it has changed how some services such as bookings are being done. References Buhalis, D (1998), â€Å"Strategic Use of Information Technologies in the Tourism Industry†, Tourism Management, Vol.19, pp.409-421. Connolly D. J and Olsen M. D(2000) â€Å"An Environmental Assessment of How Technology is reshaping the Hospitality Sector†, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol.3 (1), pp.73 to93. Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilbert, D and Wanhill, S (1998) Tourism Principles and Practice, Pearson, Essex. Hoontrakul and Sahadev (2005*) â€Å"Determinants of E-commerce Usage in the Hotel Buhalis, D. (1997) Information technologies as a strategic tool for economic, cultural and environmental benefits enhancement of tourism at destination regions. Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3 (1), 71-93. Buhalis, D. (2003). eTourism: Information Technology for Strategic Tourism Management. London, UK: Pearson (Financial Times/Prentice Hall). Morrison, A., Taylor, S., Morrison, A., and Morrison, A. (1999) Marketing small hotels on the world web 2 (2), 97–113. O’Connor, P. (2000) Using Computers in Hospitality, 2nd edition. London: Cassell. Peacock, M. (1995) Information Technology in Hospitality. London: Cassell. O’Connor, P. and Frew, A. (2000) Evaluating electronic channels of distribution in the hotel sector: a Delphi study. Information Technology and Tourism, 3 (3/4), 177–193. O’Connor, P. and Horan, P. (1999) An analysis of web reservations facilities in the top 50 international hotel chains. International Journal of Hospitality Information Technology, 1 (1), 77–87.

Lack of parental interaction

Lack of parental interaction Zafi is the eldest child and he has two younger siblings. He was an average student in primary school with no discipline problems. When he was 11 years old, his father passed away. After the death of his father, his mother holds two jobs to make ends meet. His mother relies on him to take care of his two younger siblings as she is always not at home. Currently in secondary two, his academic result is very poor. In class, he would keep to himself and would shy away from classroom activities. He would sometimes cheat in tests and exams. The reasons he gave for cheating are, not having the ability to do it and he does not want his classmates to think that he is stupid. His form teacher tried many times to meet his mother to discuss about his cheating behaviour and poor academic performance but she is always busy with her work. After school, Zafi would meet up with his neighbourhood friends. Most of them are drop outs. They constantly told him to quit school and to enjoy life just like t hem. Zafi enjoys spending time with them as he thought they understand him best. They would also smoke and drink alcohol. He would only return home very late at night or not at all. Zafis father had passed away and his mother is too busy working to support the family. There is almost no interaction between Zafi and his mother and there is no other important adult to supervise him at home. In short, the parental involvement is almost non-existent. Using Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Theory and Baumrind Parenting Style Theory, I would relate how Zafis parental interactions and parenting style affects his context of development. Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Theory According to Bronfenbrenner, the lack of parental interaction is the most destructive force to a childs development. [1] Urie Bronfenbrenner says that there are two environmental conditions that are necessary for human development. The first is that one or more adults must love the child unconditionally; the second is that the adults must encourage the child and spend time doing joint activities with the child in and out of the home environment. [2] Zafis mother loves him unconditionally but she is too busy to show it and she is also unable to spend time with any of her children. Therefore, the two important conditions are not met. Bronfenbrenner also developed a Bioecological Theory to explain how the childs environments can significantly influence his cognitive development and his growth. The theory consists of 4 systems nested around each other with the child being in the innermost. The 4 systems developed by Bronfenbrenner are: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. [3] The microsystem is where a child has direct interactions with parents, teachers, peers and others. In Zafis case, he has very little interaction with his mother and he spends most of his time with his neighbourhood friends. Too little interactions with his mother causes a break down in his microsystem and the bad influence he is getting from his neighbourhood friends is not helping in his positive growth and development. The second level is the mesosystem. Mesosystem are linkages between microsystems such as between a childs teacher and his parents, and relationships between students and peers. His teacher tried many times to c reate a linkage with his mother but failed due to her busy work schedule. This contributes to a break down in his mesosystem. The third level is the exosystem. Exosystem are external experiences in which a child does not have an active role but still influence the childs developments. In this case, his mothers busy work schedule is the exosystem. Her two jobs require her to work long hours and irregular shifts. This resulted in her having very little face time with her children. The last level is the macrosystem. Macrosystem consists of things that influence and sometimes support the child such as cultures, norms, and laws. The break down in his microsystem will affect the other systems as it disabled him to explore other parts of his environment. Without the presence of proper supervision or love, Zafi will try looking for attention in inappropriate places. These behaviours will give rise to problems such as little self discipline and no self direction. Neglectful Parenting According to Diana Baumrind, parenting styles come in three main forms; authoritarian parenting, authoritative parenting, and indulgent parenting. Eleanor Maccoby and John Martin expanded BaumrindHYPERLINK http://www.law-of-attraction-parenting.com/baumrind-parenting-style.htmlHYPERLINK http://www.law-of-attraction-parenting.com/baumrind-parenting-style.htmls research and added another parenting style, Neglectful or Uninvolved Parenting (Maccoby Martin, 1983). [4] The degree of supervision and discipline shown by Zafis mother is minimal, and there is no consequence for unacceptable behaviour. She does not deliberately encourage Zafi to self regulate his behaviour and there is very little communication between them. These are the characteristics of neglectful parenting. Even though she fulfills her children basic needs such as food and clothing, sadly, she is detached from their life. She is also psychologically unavailable to her children. Neglectful parenting style rank lowest acro ss all life domains. Children with neglectful parents tend to lack self-control, have low self-esteem and are less competent than their peers. They often engage in high-risk behaviours and are vulnerable to substance abuse. [5] Interventions Bronfenbrenner said that to ensure healthy child development, one or more adults must love the child unconditionally and they must spend time doing joint activities with the child in and out of the home environment. However, in Zafis case, this is not possible for his mother. What she could have done to increase the level of interaction with her son is by communicating with him more through the phone. During her short breaks at work, she could have called her son to ask about his day at school, find out whether he has eaten and to also provide psychological and emotional support in case his son is upset over a school event such as a failed test. This way, the child knows his mother cares for him and he can also feel his mothers love and affection. She should also try to take at least a day off weekly to spend valuable face time with her children. If it is not possible, she should ask her parents for help in taking care of her children while she is at work. There must be at least one adult present at home so that the child would not feel neglected. As for the teacher, he needs to be flexible to adjust to the parents inflexible work schedule. If meeting with the parent in person is not possible, he should at least keep in close contact with the parent through the phone and to update her about her sons learning progress and behaviour. In doing so, he is successful in creating a linkage with the parent. Once there is a linkage, it will be much easier for both teacher and parent to work together to ensure the childs healthy development. The teacher can also educate parents about the developmental needs of children. Research indicates that family involvement in schools increases student achievement (Henderson Berla, 1994). [6] The benefits of parent and family involvement include higher test scores and grades, better attendance, more completion of homework and more positive attitudes and behavior. Next, I would relate how Zafis parental interactions and parenting style affects his self and identity development. Self-Esteem Children look to parents and other important adults for evidence that theyre smart, capable, etc. This evidence may be in the form of encouragement, praise for accomplishments, awards, etc. If the evidence is not present, low self-esteem develops. [7] This explains why neglectful parenting results in children with low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can have a big negative impact on academic performance. Once a child does poorly in school, he will start to think poorly of himself and it may cause him to underachieve or make him give up completely. Children with low self-esteem tend to be lonely in school as they find it hard to make new friends. They would shy away from classroom activities as they do not want to appear incompetent. Resisting negative pressures would also seem difficult for these children. [8] Looking at Zafis case, it is obvious that he is suffering from low self-esteem. He is doing very poorly in school and at home he never gets the encouragement he needs to make him feel better. He is also not motivated to study as no matter how well he performs, his mother is not there to praise or acknowledge his accomplishments. In class, he is afraid to get involve in classroom activities and he constantly keeps to himself. He is also not able to resist negative pressures from his neighbourhood friends. As he spends more time with them, he developed a sense of belonging towards them and this sense makes him want to be like them. Interventions It is important that teachers look out for and help students who are suffering from low self-esteem as it can affect their academic performance and also their overall well-being. Teachers should be paying more attention to students like Zafi. They tend to have low self-esteem due to the lack of attention, love and affection. Students with low self-esteem will say things like, I know that I will fail or I hate myself. They tend to avoid getting involved in new activities and would have trouble making new friends and mixing around. Stresses faced at home such as parents arguing a lot and difficult lessons can have a negative impact on a childs self esteem. Some of the things that teachers can do to improve students self-esteem are, to always accentuate the positive, avoid criticism, set realistic expectations for the students and give them the opportunity to tell the class things they like about themselves. Those with very low self-esteem will have problem with even saying two things t hey like about themselves therefore, the teacher have to provide prompts for these students. Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory Erik Erikson highlighted the importance of relationships with others in the formation of ones own identity. He believed that personality develops through eight stages of life. He suggested that at each stage of life an individual is confronted by a crisis (Erikson, 1950). At this age, Zafi is going through stage 5 crisis of Eriksons Psychosocial Development Theory which is Identity versus Role Confusion. In this stage, adolescents struggle to resolve the question of Who am I? They move from their parents to peers as a point of references. They strive to clarify their own personalities. They are often observed to imitate the attitudes and actions of others they admire. In Zafis case, his neighbourhood friends are his only point of reference. As he respects and admires them, he chose to imitate their attitudes and actions. He would smoke and drink alcohol with them till late at night. Interventions In Identity versus Role Confusion stage, adolescents will move to peers as a point of reference. As Zafi is not close to anyone else in school, he is left with no choice but to see his neighbourhood friends as references. What can be done by the teacher is to introduce buddy system to pair up low self-esteem student such as Zafi with a higher self-esteem one. The higher self-esteem student may be able to help Zafi with his studies and thus increasing his confidence and self-esteem. Zafi may look up to his buddy as his role model and thus imitate him instead of his neighbourhood peers. The teacher should also provide plenty of opportunities for students to explore identity issues as they relate to understanding who they are as individuals. An activity such as making a collage about themselves or writing their autobiography is a good way for them to explore themselves. The teacher can also enhance students self esteem by encouraging the students to substitute negative self-statements with a positive one. Lastly, I would relate how Zafis parenting style affects his moral development. His mother neglectful parenting style resulted in him lacking self-control, having low self-esteem and feeling less competent compared to his peers. His low self-esteem caused him to have low self-confidence which led him to believe that he does not have the ability to pass his examinations. As he does not want his classmates to think that he is stupid, he decided to cheat in his tests and examinations. Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development The reason why Zafi cheated is based on self-interests. From his reasoning, his moral development is in Level 1: Preconventional Reasoning; Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience, of Kohlbergs stages of moral development. His reasoning is characterised by a focus on the consequence experienced by him as a result of his actions. Interventions To minimize cheating, teachers should clearly spell out the consequences of cheating and to consistently follow through with these when cheating does occur. Teachers can also help students overcome the need to cheat by providing the student with extra help and reducing student anxiety. Student anxiety can be reduced by emphasizing that mistakes are okay and a part of learning.

The Case of Chilli Pepper Value Chain

The Case of Chilli Pepper Value Chain With the emergence of globalization and internationalization of trade, development agencies in development cooperation increasingly aim at a sustainable, growth-oriented integration of developing countries into the world economy. Value chain development has received more emphasis especially in development projects and programmes. Improvements in the productivity of subsistent farmers are pre-requisites to the achievement of full contributions of agriculture to overall growth and development. Recent global policies propose that farmers can get out of poverty by being better linked to markets. Markets in recent times are changing fast and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. If businesses aspire to stay in the market, they need to make sure that their products and services meet continuously changing market requirements and demand conditions (Matthias et al. 2009). millions of subsistent farmers and rural communities especially in Africa are working to improve their livelihoods in an environment with low or little government support for producers, processing companies and supermarkets within agricultural markets (Renà ©, 2006; Martin, 2006). While access to markets remains an important medium for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there remain low levels of investment in agriculture, poor infrastructure, as well as limited access to technological innovation, Business Development Services (BDS), and market information and weak commodity value chains still inhibit smallholder farmers full access to markets (Aldonas, 2009). Ghana is currently running an agrarian economy and agriculture by no doubt the largest sector. The rate of the countrys economic growth seems to fall on the performance of the agricultural sector. The agriculture sector employs at least 50.6 percent of the working population, and most of them are small-scale farmers in developing countries. This rises to above 75 percent in the rural areas (Brempong 2003). More than 35 percent of Ghanas Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from agriculture (FASDEP 11, 2007). Market orientation among producers and processors still remains a stumbling block. For value chains and marketing systems in agriculture, there exist mutual benefits where farmers are hooked-up to the needs of consumers, working closely with suppliers and processors to produce the specific goods consumers demand (Roduner, 2007). Similarly, consumers are link-up to the needs of farmers via information flows. Development and promotion of value chains in agriculture is often about improving access to markets and ensuring a more efficient flow of products with the assurance that all actors in the chain benefit. Government and Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) promoting value chain development have made it a core responsibility to supporting farmers to sell their products via value chains. But the question which needs deeper investigation is: do emphases on value chain development bring about an improvement in market access and income to farmers? The development of the value chain concept does not automatically result in benefits for smallholder farmers. The value chain concept is yet to assume its full potential in its intervention strategy among the chilli pepper farmers in the Tolon Kumbungu District. Value chains development can only overcome the cycle of poverty if they are deliberately designed to improve farmer livelihoods, so they need to be pro-poor (Gertan, 2009: p 2). As a new concept among development practioners, there is the tendency of selection of inappropriate value chain instruments that is not responsive to the needs of the smallholder farmers. Market in this context refers to the total supply and demand for a particular product farm products in both locally and internationally markets. The process of marketing must be customer oriented and provide profit for farmers, transporters, traders and processors otherwise they will not be able to stay in business. Value chains in this context refer to all the steps that a product takes, from its point of origin farm to the consumer. A value chain represents a specific type of supply chain where the chain actors actively seek to support each other so they can increase their efficiency and competitiveness. The actors invest in money, effort and time and build relationships with one another to reach a common goal of meeting and satisfying the needs of consumers hence, they can maximize their profits. Value chain development in agribusiness treats production as a chain of activities, each of which adds value and cost to the final product. As the product makes it way via the value chains, the value of the product increases. Actors are the specific players involved in producing, processing, trading or consuming a particular agricultural product. They include direct actors producers, traders, retailers and consumers which are commercially involved in the chain and indirect actors which provide financial or non-financial support services, such as; business service providers; bankers, credit agencies, researchers and government. The German Technical Cooperation of the Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (GTZ/MOAP), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and Savanna Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) are currently focusing on employment-oriented private sector development and agriculture. The value chain development concept has been adopted by these organizations as part of their core development strategies especially in the chilli pepper industry in the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern region of Ghana since the year 2005. Their main aim of the intervention in the chilli pepper business is to reduce poverty and to stimulate the growth of the local economy by fostering sustainable relationships among actors, thereby bringing about their competitiveness in domestic, regional and export markets (MOAP, 2005). While these seem laudable, the problem of market access still exists. As a tropical crop, chilli pepper can survived in both tropical and temperate climates. In 2005 the global production amounted to 27.5 million tons (AVRDC, 2005). Considering developing countries in particular, chilli pepper is considered the most popular vegetable crop, being grown on an area of 0.73 million hectares in sub-Saharan Africa in 2005 (AVRDC, 2005). Chilli pepper is a common agricultural product produced and consumed in Ghana. The crop is used in nearly all Ghanaian dishes. The annual demand for chilli pepper is estimated at Ghc 27,000 and accounts for about 9.6% of total food expenditure in Ghana (GLSS IV, 2000), while consumption is expected to rise with increasing population. The crop is ranked the fifth most important crop in the Northern Region of Ghana. Quite a number of households and individuals are involved in its production in the region. It is estimated that about 41.3% of households in the Northern region engaged in chilli pepper production, making the region second only to the Brong-Ahafo as the region producing significant quantities of chilli pepper in the Northern sector of the country (Nsiah-Gyabaah, K. 2002). Therefore, any poverty alleviation program that includes the promotion of the crop as part of its strategies could have high potential for achieving greater impact, as chilli pepper has become an important cash crop for the majority of the people cultivating and trading in it. However, due to the effects of globalization, liberalization and increasing competition in agriculture markets, it is apparent that strategies aiming at reducing rural poverty need to move beyond a focus on increasing productivity. 1.1 Problem Statement Millions of subsistent farmers in developing countries and for that matter Ghana are working to improve their livelihoods with limited government support for producers, processing companies and supermarkets within agricultural markets (Renà ©, 2006; Martin, 2006). While access to markets remains an important medium for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there remain several factors including weak commodity value chains still hinders smallholder farmers to access markets (Aldonas, 2009). The main concern in development cooperation is how to reduce poverty. Many development organizations believe that agriculture value chain development is a strategic means of bringing about market access and income to farmers. Vibrant value chains are said to be more efficient in bringing products to all actors including small-scale producers and poor consumers should at least benefit from value chain development. Competitiveness in agribusiness in both local and international markets is noted to be one of the most commonly quoted objectives of value chain development. But this seems not to hit its full potential with the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. Chilli pepper farmers are still faced with an enormous marketing constraint of having to find credible buyers after harvest. They remain price takers and face the risk and uncertainties of fluctuating markets. The farmers feel highly vulnerable and unable to withstand the risks and achieve sufficient production to participate in value chain (Mitchell et al. 2009). Against this background, chilli pepper farmers in the study area still grapple with unassured markets for their raw materials and see themselves as price takers thinking that they have no control over prices and have to accept whatever is offered. Lack of economic equity among actors endangers the chilli pepper value chain intervention in the study district. Value chain development needs to priorities the constraints described above if they are to work for poorer farmers. As a contribution to understanding and solving these problems, an empirical research is needed to investigate into why chilli pepper farmers in the Tolon-Kumbungu district are not being paid sufficiently for their produce. 1.2 Research Questions 1.2.1 Main research question: What are the prospects and challenges of chilli pepper value chain development in the Tolon-Kumbungu District? . 1.2.2 Sub Questions 1. Does value chain development bring about an improvement in market access and income to farmers? 2 What are the entry barriers faced by farmers in the value chain marketing system? 3. What support do farmers need to function as active players of the value chain? 4. What strategies can be adopted to upgrade value chains in terms of product, process, and functions? 1.3 Research Objectives 1.3.1 Main Objective The general objective is to assess the prospects and challenges of the chilli pepper value chain development in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. 1.3.2 Sub Objectives 1. To find-out ways by which value chain development can lead to market access and income 2. To identify the entry barriers faced by farmers in the value chain marketing system. 3. To identify the requisite support required by farmers to function as active players of the value chain. 4. To identify strategies for upgrading of value chains in terms of product, process and functions. 1.4 Significance of the Study Pro-poor growth approach in recent times has become one of the key concerns of development organizations especially in developing countries. The matter with this approach lies in the promotion of economic potentials of the smallholder farmer and the disadvantaged (Altenburg, 2007). Nearly 35% of Ghanaians fall below the poverty line and a majority of these people reside in deprive communities where agriculture is the main source of livelihood. The introduction of the value chain as a development intervention tool is not only timely, but it is also appropriate. The value chain concept has gained more and more recognition in development projects and programmes with the primary aim of reduction in economic inequality by improvement in market access and income of all actors along the chain. Well functioning value chains should create a platform for efficient and mutual benefits of all actors including small scale producers and poor consumers, should benefit from value chain development. However, as a new concept among development practioners, it is likely to be engulfed with many critical operationalization problems. Hence, efforts should be stemmed up to facilitate the efficiency of the value chain development concept to aid in the attainment of the UN number one Millennium Development Goal eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. One surest way of doing this is to unearth the challenges and prospects of the value chain development concept as an intervention tool in agribusiness development among smallholder farmers, hence the study. The study is also expected to bring to bear the challenges and prospects of the chilli pepper value chain and how it can be improved to make it more pro-poor. The findings will also be useful to value chain practioners. Last but not the least, the result of the research could also serve as a basis for further research on the chilli pepper industry in the Northern Region of Ghana. 1.5 Scope of the Study The study will be organized into five chapters. Chapter one will cover the background of the study, problem statement, the research questions, the objectives of carrying out the study and significance of the study. Chapter two will explore the pertinent conceptual and empirical literature on the topic under consideration. Also, chapter three will consider the research methodology with regard to the study design, sampling method, data sources, study instruments and analytical tools and techniques. Chapter five will present the study results. Chapter five will present the discussions of the research findings while chapter six will offer the summary, the conclusion and recommendation thereof. Figure 1.1 Conceptual Frame Work Tolon-Kumbungu Chilli Pepper Value Chain Analysis 1. PRODUCERS Grow Harvest Dry 3. WHOLESALERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powdered Chilli pepper 4. TRADERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powder chilli pepper CHALLENGES PROSPECTS OF CHILLI PEPPER VALUE CHAIN IN THE TOLON-KUMBUNGU DISTRICT 2. INPUT PROVIDERS Availability of Equipment Seed Fertilizers Value chain Supporters: research extension, financial service providers, government, regulatory bodies, trust and power relations etc 6. CONSUMERS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper Powdered pepper 5. PROCESSORS Fresh chilli pepper Dried chilli pepper 1.4.1 Conceptual Frame Work The conceptual framework portrays linkages of the main actors of the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu District that may influence the efficiency of the chain. The framework demonstrates that for chilli pepper value chain to maintain a functional level that will make it efficient and sustainable, input providers, producers, transporters, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers must work and coordinate effectively. Producers of chilli pepper are the most essential actors of the chain but face the most constraints and need preferential treatment though the entire actors involved in the chain must equally function well which among others include: input providers, transporters, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. Value chain supporters service providers (research and extension, rural banks, regional etc), National, district, community administrations, regulatory bodies, legislations, infrastructure and Socio-cultural factors influencing business attitudes, trust and power relations all influence the efficiency and sustainability of the chain. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter is essentially a review of past works that have been done in the field of value chain with special emphasis on value chains in agribusiness. To this extent, both published and unpublished literatures will be reviewed. Gaps in some theories and concepts will be identified, amendments done and acknowledgement made. Value addition processes Value addition consists of activities that tend to improve products with the intension to increase returns for operators in the value chain. Cramer and Jensen (1994) consider value addition in commodity marketing to consist of those efforts that affect transfer of ownership and create time, place and form utility to commodities. Time utility is created through storage, to make commodity available over time. Place satisfaction is through transportation services, making the commodity available to those wanting it. Finally, form utility is added to a commodity through the processing function. Will (2006) on the other hand identified two possibilities for Value addition: (1) Value Capturing and (2) Value Creation. Value capture is described as the process of improving current production, processing and trading structures/processes. Value creation is however seen as the process of innovation in a new product. To create value, it is necessary to identify the promising market opportunities and assess production and marketing risk. What these fails to capture is to whether smallholder farmers can position themselves to be able to meet consumer demands and be able to at least have assured markets. Value addition as preached by development organizations stresses the need for its application at every stage of the production line. No efforts is been made to find-out the possibility of participation by low income and disadvantage farmers to actual stand-up to the task. Also, development organizations operationalizing value chain intervention models need to be questioned on the successes and the way-forward regarding their methods of intervention especially among smallholder farmers. This study is geared towards addressing these gabs, and will propose strategies for value chain intervention in agribusiness among smallholder farmers. Five value addition processes have identified for horticulture especially chilli pepper (Figure 1.0 below). Chilli pepper traders, through marketing activities create, time, space and forming utilities, by buying, and/or sorting before selling fresh to capture value or create value by drying before sales (Schipmann, 2006). Indeed, the transformation processes that take places in the chilli pepper value chain include grinding of fresh pepper into a hot pepper paste, or drying to obtain a dried chilli pepper which is also the intermediary product for powdered chilli pepper when milled. The powdered chilli pepper is also used for producing Shito, a local pepper source, when cooked with other ingredients. All the transformational activities of the chilli pepper crop were rudimentarily carried-out before the introduction of the value chain intervention and even in recent times. Output from functional process by smallholders may probably not meet EuroGAP and GlobalGAP requirements hence, lacks the competitiveness for both local and international markets. Mainstreaming smallholder farmers in value chains implies the preparedness to play a facilitating and linkage roles by development organizations through the provision and maintenances of equipments for the low income farmers. Even though, the transformational change is mainly carry-out by traders and processors in and outside the district, helping the farmers to add value through minimal processing (functional upgrading) has the possibility of increasing their profit margins. What level of processing should be prescribed for producers to make them competitive and increase their profit margins? The study will unearth the possible avenues for increasing in the profit margins of the chilli pepper farmers. Figure 1.0: Value Addition Processes in the chilli pepper Chain. PRODUCTION PROCESSING PRODUCT Fresh Chilli pepper None/Sorting Fresh Chilli Pepper Chilli pepper paste Grinding Dried Chilli Pepper Drying Powdered Chilli pepper Milling Shitto Cooking Adapted from Schipmann, 2006 Smallholders all over the world are faced with increasing imperative to integrate themselves into the market to generate cash income in other to improve their livelihoods. The development of the chilli pepper value chain in the Tolon-Kumbungu district of the Northern region of Ghana is therefore seen as a means to improve the crops potential for improving the livelihoods of the population who depend on it for their livelihoods. Improving agricultural productivity through the promotion of market oriented agricultural development program is seen as a catalyst for growth and development in rural communities. For, the integration of rural population into the national and international markets is seen as one of the best options for successful poverty reduction (Stamm, 2004; OXFAM, 2002). Indeed, the development and realization of the value chain development strategy is expected to contribute to achieving a better competitiveness in the local, regional and international markets. By so doing smallholders will be empowered to be capable of managing and maintaining connections with diversified and growing markets. This, it is hoped, will also translate into increased income for all operators along the commodity chain, the creation of employment and consequently the improvement of the livelihood in rural and urban areas (Will, 2006). Although, recent economic growth in Ghana has had limited impact in reducing high poverty rates, particularly in rural areas, the emergence of value chain as a tool for development intervention in the chilli pepper sector will present a new prospects for promoting agriculture and rural development in Ghana, and expanding opportunities for inclusion of resource poor farmers in a dynamic and high value markets. The growth in chilli pepper production however poses new challenges for public policy, particularly if policy markers are concerned about integrating smallholder farmers into the export markets. Literature is currently being reviewed on the following thematic areas and would be incorporated in the final thesis document. They include but not limited to; Standardization in agribusiness in developing countries, Horticulture marketing in developing countries, FBO development, and contract farming. CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter is devoted to the study design, methods and tools of the research. 3.2 Study Design This study will be descriptive and cross sectional in the sense that, data will be systematically collected at a particular point in time, analysed and presented to give a clear picture about the state of the value chain intervention strategy in the Tolon-Kumbungu District. 3.3 Profile of the study area: 3.3.1 Location and size The Tolon-Kumbungu District is one of the 45 districts created by the erstwhile Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) Law 2007 in 1988 with Tolon as the capital. It lies between latitude 9 ° 16 and 9 ° 34 North and latitudes 0 ° 36 and 0 ° 57 West. It shares common boundaries with Savelugu/Nanton District to the North, Tamale Metropolis to the East and Central Gonja District to the South (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). The district covers an area of about 2, 741 square kilometers with a population of 132,338 (female, 66,269, male, 66,069) (PHC, 2000). The current (2006) population is estimated as 145, 876 with the growth rate of 3%. Population density is approximately around 50 inhabitants per Kilometer Square. The District lies between latitude 10-20 north and longitude 10-50 west, shares border with West Mamprusi District in the west and south and the east with Savelugu/Nanton District and the Tamale Municipal Assembly (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assemb ly, 2001). . The major vegetable crops grown in the area are chilli pepper, tomatoes, onion, okra and garden eggs. Chilli pepper actors are among the few people to have received support services from development agencies operating in the district and outside the district (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly, 2001). Source: Encyclopedia of the Earth 3.2.2 Topography and Drainage The District is located 180 meters above sea level and the topography is generally undulating with shallow valley that serves as stream courses and isolated hills. This District is among the few Districts in the Northern region on which the White Volta tress passes. Other major natural water systems in the metropolis include; Dalun, Bontanga, Golinga, Jaagbo dam and Tolon dams. However, many smaller dams are also dotted around (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). 3.2.3 Climate and Vegetation There is a unimodal rainfall pattern with a mean annual rainfall of 1100mm in the District between April/May to September/October. As a result staple crop farming is highly restricted by the short rainfall duration. The mean dry temperature range from 33 ° C to 39 ° C with mean night temperature ranging from 0 ° C to 22 ° C. The mean annual day sunshine is approximately 7.5 hours. The District exhibits both short and tall grass interspersed with drought resistant trees such as shea trees Neem, Dawadawa and Mahogany. During the rainy seasons the Distrct becomes green and making the vegetation more luxuriant. In the dry seasons, however water becomes scarce as a result of poor vegetation cover. The grasses dry up and the accompanying bushfires destroy the soil nutrients and expose the soils to serious erosion (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001). 3.2.4 Soil The types of soil that can be found in District include sandstone, mudstone and shale. These soil types are inadequately protected resulting in serious erosion during rain seasons. 3.2.5 Food security and environment The main crops cultivated per households are cereals 99.8 percent, legumes 88.3 percent, tubers 80.6 percent, vegetables 35.7 percent and 15.3 percent cultivates fruits. The major crops currently grown in the District are maize, groundnuts, yam, cassava, sorghum, rice, cowpea, millet, pegion pea, and soya-beans. Others are chilli pepper, tomatoes, onion, okra, and garden eggs. Industrial crops grown are cotton, tobacco (grown as cash crop but also for local consumption), groundnuts, cashew, sheanuts, and soya-beans (Tolon-Kumbungu District Assembly profile, 2001).. The main problem facing crop production is the hazardous environment for crop farming reflected in perennial flooding of farmlands. Unfavorable weather conditions (drought), erratic rainfall, perennial bush fires and declining soil fertility. Some of these problems are however due to poor environmental management relating to inefficient farming practices and hunting for fuel wood. 3.2.6 Agriculture potential in the District Despite the challenges facing agriculture production, the District is endowed with numerous potentials which when exploited will help transform agriculture in the district. Among these potentials are; Land potential resources which is readily available, Irrigation facilities-Bontanga and Golinga for all year cropping, Research Institutions SARI, ARI and UDS, Availability of farm labour, Research Extension Farmer Linkage- to create effective technology transfer and adoption. Others include; commercial production of legumes (soya-bean) and vegetables (chilli pepper), commercial production of roots and tubers (yam and cassava), small and large ruminant production and Industrial cash crop production. 3.2.5 Ethnicity and Cultural Values Apart from Nyankpala community in the District which is ethnic diversity, almost all people in the villages are Dagombas. Towns in the district are; Tolon, Kumbungu, Nyankpala, Dalun, Wantugu, Tali, Kasulyili, Yoggu, Gbulahagu, Kpendua, Tibung, Lungbunga, Gbullung, Grimani, Chirifoyilli, Zangbalung, Voggu, Yepeligu, Tingoli and Gundaa. 3.2.6 Religion According to the 2000 Population and Housing Census, Islam is the predominant religion in the District with 65% of the population affiliated to it. 3.2.7 Land Tenure System Land tenure systems in the District include free hold/inheritance and negotiations/temporary use. 3.2.9 Occupation The economy of the Tolon-District Assembly is dominated by agriculture, commerce and trade and services. Until the 1995s over 90% of all indigenous people in the District were farmers (PHC, 2000). 3. 4 Research Approach Research methodology is an important component of any study and provides the framework upon which the whole process is dependent (Brown, 1996). It is recommended that the methodology is conducted thoroughly to efficiently produce accurate and precise data in order to achieve the research goals and objectives. I intend to give an-in-depth explanation of the research approach and process, methods of data collection, sampling procedure, size and methods, background of study area and scope, and data analysis. The choice in using a particular research approach would depend on a number of factors: the purpose of the research, its sub-research objectives, practicability and validity, available financial resources, time, the skill of the researcher in data analysis and interpretation and social organization among others. 3.5 Sampling Method Two main sampling techniques prominently used in various research studies will be adopted and applied for the study. These are probability and non-probability sampling (Twumasi, 2001). Probability sampling gives every item in the universe an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Under this method, the simple random sampling technique will be used to select respondents from the nine chilli pepper farmer groups in the study area. This is to make sure that each chilli pepper farmer within the nine farmer groups has an equal chance of being included. Non-probability sampling such as purposive sampling procedures will also be used (Bernard, 1998). According to Preston (2002), applying purposive sampling can yield insights and in-depth understanding rather than empirical generalizations In this sampling procedure, the researcher purposively choose the particular units of the universe to constitute the sample on the basis that the small mass that they so select out of a huge one will be typical of the whole (Yin, 1993). The judgment of the researcher plays an important part in this sampling technique. The importance of adopting this design is the relative advantage of time and money inherent in the sampling. In light of the above, the snowball or chain sampling strategy will be used, because I will be dealing with chilli pepper farmers who are beneficiaries of the value chain development concept and belong to the nine chilli pepper farmer groups and are in a best position to respond to questions. Group members will serve as linkages by recommending persons who are members of the group to be interviewed. Accordingly, it is useful for the researcher to use more than one method in data collection. The methods are selected to complement each other and to allow for triangulation. Triangulation r

Portrait of a Cartographer :: Creative Writing Essays

Portrait of a Cartographer Someone must decide how to color maps. Where to put the pale yellow, coral pink, the olive green, burnt orange, magenta. Where to put the darkest shades of blue. The lightest. There is something of symmetry, of composition. There is topography to consider. Demographics. The vast expanse of open land, open water, the sensuous curves of coastline, of mountain ranges, of rivers with their writhing bodies and forked tongues. The color of the ocean is according to its depth. In terms of Indonesia, of Nova Scotia, of Sudan, colors are arbitrary. They reject symbolism, existing only to say look here, I am this and not the other. Differentiation, identity within borders. To imagine each color as a body, each convex to the concave of another, like spoons stacked, like lovers in bed, like the earthen layers of sedimentary rock. Pages of a history book warped from moisture. In the skies of the northern hemisphere, I have learned to trust Orion. His delicate belt of three hanging sensuously off-center, suggesting contraposto. I imagine he must look much like stone, marble perhaps. Michelangelo's David. Head of frozen curls, rippled abdomen, arms to the side, large curled hands like leaves. A summer sky in Africa, I could not find him so I trusted the Southern Cross. Four stars are one more than three. I am the space between stars. In stellar cartography, you will know me as such. Smothered by darkest nebula, clusters of blue-white giants. Orphaned objects in deep sky, brilliant for the taking, I push them apart with my palms. I could swallow them whole but my throat is too small, my belly distended and blue like an infant. And that is the way I cry. There in my narrow boat cutting across a black sea, no moss. Carina the keel, Vela the sail. Flapping of white light across my face. Carry me from this world of names, of butterflies asphyxiated, pinned down across blue velvet. Each wing goes unremembered in this sky, this world of moon stations. The phoenix was remembered too late. She needed room to breath; she has choked on ash. No one heard her cry out, but I felt the earth, the night sky quake. The Pleiades are seven sisters, a young and hot open cluster of stars. Daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Violet beauties, a core of white heat.

Journey to the Harlem Renaissance Essay -- Harlem Renaissance African

Journey to the Harlem Renaissance As America moves into a more cultural and diversified era, more people are taking the time to learn about the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the foremost form of freedom for African Americans. It showed blacks that they were becoming equals in American society. The talents of African Americans soared in art, music, literature and especially poetry. The main writers embodying the Harlem Renaissance were Claude McKay, Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. Claude was born in Jamaica, in 1898. He got his education from his older brother, who â€Å"possessed a library of English novels, poetry and scientific texts.† (Callahan, 784) Claude was a little older when he created his first piece of literary work. He published a book called Songs of Jamaica. It was a â€Å"record of his impressions of black life in Jamaica.† (Callahan,783) In 1912, he finally got to America, where he wrote Harlem Shadows; â€Å"his most important book of poetry.† (Callahan 784) While there, he attended the Tuskegee Institute. In 1914 he moved to Harlem, â€Å"the center of black culture in the U.S.† (Anderson, 704) He later published two sonnets, â€Å"The Harlem Dancer† and â€Å"Invocation†, in 1917. He â€Å"would later use the same poetic form to record his reactionary views on the injustices of black life in America.† (Callahan, 785) In addition to social and political concerns, McKay wrote on a vari ety of subjects, â€Å"from his Jamaican homeland to romantic love, with a use of passionate language.† (Callahan, 785) During the twenties he developed an interest in Communism, so he visited Russia to meet the architects of Russian Communism, Lenin and Trotsky. He also lived in France. When he came back to the U.S., he moved back ... ...hree for the new millennium? Bibliography: Works Cited Anderson, Robert, et al. â€Å"Langston Hughes: 1902-1967.† Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, 1989. 706 Callahan, John F. â€Å"A Long Way From Home†: The Art and Protest of Claude McKay and James Baldwin.† Contemporary Literature 34.4 (1993): 783-785. Countee Cullen. 7 Feb. 2002 http://members.aol.com/hynews/cullen.htm. Hampson, Thomas. I Hear America Singing. 7 Feb. 2002 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/poets/hughes.html. Jackson, Steven. Father of Jazz. 14 Feb. 2002 http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html. Johnson, James Weldon, ed. The Book of American Negro Poetry. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1992; BoondocksNet edition, 2001. Reuben, Paul P. â€Å"Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance-Langston Hughes† http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/hughes.html

Glengarry Glen Ross Essay

The majority of David Mamet’s critics give great focus or attention on the negative concepts and views of power, such as repression and exploitation. Mainly, this occurs in the analysis of the associations of power in the business world in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† (1983). A perspective that will be considered in this paper is the investigation of the positivity of exercises of power. More particularly, it will deal on human relationships which are present and crucial in David Mamet’s play. Foucauldian analytics of power comprehensively marks the â€Å"American dream† and the intricacy of function of power as well as the productive effects of power in Mametian business world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the fact that David Mamet started writing plays after the year 1970, he was able to gain an influential and significant position in American literary. David Mamet’s success can be greatly attributed to several influences that honed his skills. When David Mamet was at the age of sixteen, he admired Bob Sickinger. Sickinger intensely influenced his ideas of dramaturgy. However, Bob Sickinger who was believed to be the pioneer of â€Å"Chicago theatre† was not the only one who had influenced David Mamet. When David Mamet attended school at the Goddard College in Vermont, he studied and trained in acting under the tutelage of Sanford Meisner. Meisner influenced David Mamet’s acting as well as his philosophy, by infusing into him the idea of practical and outward techniques, instead of the usual technique of internalization. After college, David Mamet was able to perform several unglamorous jobs in real life. He experienced driving a taxi, working at a truck factory, and cleaning offices for a living. By the year 1969, he got another job. This time, he was assigned as an office manager, particularly at a real estate sales office. Consequently, it can be observed that nearly all characters in David Mamet’s plays belong to social classes exclusive of the high-class. In addition to this, nearly all the sites of his plays and literary works are set generally in marginal places. For example, in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross†, the play is set in a real-estate office. The scenes at the beginning of the play in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† create the â€Å"dangerous, ego-threatening world that its salesmen inhabit† (McDonough, 1963). The main characters, Aaronow, Moss, Lingk, Roma, Williamson and Levene, participate in degrading schemes needed for them to maintain jobs. An older salesman, Shelley Levene, who was unsuccessful in attaining good revenues, â€Å"cajoles, bullies, pleads and finally bribes his boss to grant him better leads† (McDonough, 2006). Then, a discontented salesman, Dave Moss, campaigns to raid the sales office and acquire the leads by maneuvering the gullible George Aaronow to do the actual break-in. Lastly, top salesman Richard Roma astonishes and influences the trusting James Link into buying material goods in exchange for Roma’s imaginary companionship. In David Mamet’s play, these salesmen effect their sales by giving a fictive structure. A measly house becomes a remedy to needs that go beyond than that for shelter. The irony is that, for all their skepticism, they are most energetic in their individual performances. They are also most sensitive about human need when they create the fictions intended to capitalize on that need. (Bercovitch et al., 1994). These salesmen seek to ensnare their customers in language but are no less its victims themselves. In a particular scene in the play, Moss asks Aaronow if he is â€Å"in or out†, and further says that â€Å"you tell me, you’re out you take the consequences† (Mamet, 1983). When Aaronow asked â€Å"and why is that?†, Moss capriciously responds â€Å"because you listened† (Mamet, 1983). From the conversation, one of them accuses his supposed friend of complicity because he â€Å"listened† (Bercovitch et al., 1994). In addition to this, irony exists because these salesmen must first understand those they would deceive before they can succeed. As such, these salesmen become hypersensitive, like a confidence trickster who masquerades as a psychic. They also become compellingly precise because they are conscious of the desperation, the fear and the need that coerce their clients into their hands. Somehow, that shared knowledge starts to grant the material desires of their clients. In a discernible disagreement, â€Å"those who can best connect two isolated people are those who deploy the falsities of fiction† (Bercovitch et al., 1994). The salesmen in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† are charged for their deceptions. Deceptions of which they, too, are victims, but held close for their knowledge of an existing desire for trust and connection. However, the salesmen remain unaware of the consequences because of the disparities in the language they use in the business world. In addition to this, they continue to be ignorant because of reality that is diminished by deceptions (Bercovitch et al., 1994). Once again, in contrary to the image which is sought by these salesmen to identify themselves, the image of women is introduced. In a particular scene, Levene advises Williamson at one point, â€Å"a man’s his job† (Mamet, 1983). The apparent point is that doing a job is what makes a man; it gives a man identity. Moreover, Levene stresses that if â€Å"you don’t have the balls† to do the job then â€Å"you’re a secretary† (Mamet, 1983). Traditionally, secretarial jobs are performed by women. Or, as Roma exclaim to Williamson when the latter blows up a transaction, â€Å"where did you learn your trade, you stupid fucking cunt† (Mamet, 1983). Then further says â€Å"you idiot, who ever told you you could work with men?† (Mamet, 1983). If the identity of man is identified based on his performance at work, then failures classify a worker as woman. In particular, it is the differentiation of these two closely prescriptive positions that suggests any sense of identity for these salesmen. And feminine is agreed a negative position. According to McDonough , â€Å"it (feminine) is set up as the failure and lack that a man must overcome in order to establish and maintain his identity as a man† (1963). On the contrary, this construct of male identity stays exceedingly questionable and is continuously exposed by the same antagonism that is thought to create it. The prevailing need of David Mamet’s male characters is for confirmation of their identity, for understanding, comfort, love and friendship. However, this need is neglected because of the fear that needing anything is a sign of weakness and it is unmanly to be insecure in one’s identity. Distrust of the world which the characters live produces this fear. Fear of infidelity in sexual relationships, friendship and business transactions results in distrust among everybody. In addition to this, distrust and fear lies in one’s lack of confidence within the self (McDonough, 2996). To support this, Stephen Shapiro in his study of masculinity argues that, â€Å"male self- mistrust is caused by narcissism and reinforced by male silence, emotional inhibition and puerile attitudes and behavior† (1984). He also adds that â€Å"the division inside men, in the male psyche, has the drastic social consequence of weakening trust in all other relationships† (Shapiro, 1984). Moreover, that â€Å"weakening of the bonds of trust in these relationships causes still further decay in male self-trust† (Shapiro, 1984). In Shapiro’s view, it can be deduced that the characters Edmond, Bernie, Fox and Levene, are motivated by frantic uncertainty or lack of confidence regarding their manhood. According to McDonough, â€Å"this is a sense of powerlessness that they seek to over-compensate for† (1997). She also adds that â€Å"it is a need to establish their manhood in the face of real or imagined challenges to it† (McDonough, 1987). Most of the time, these challenges are personal, internal insecurities. Moreover, they are regularly protected onto the outside world; oftentimes, onto women or else onto fellow salesmen, workers or friends. Above all, David Mamet’s characters assume they have something to verify about themselves through competition with others. As a result, they are imprisoned in a vicious belief of antagonism that they cannot escape.   Within Mamet’s plays, antagonism shows the standards of masculinity. Roma states: â€Å"I swear it’s not a world of men. Machine, it’s a world of clock watchers, bureaucrats, officeholders. It’s a fucked up world. There’s no adventure to it. Dying breed. Yes it is. We are the members of a dying breed† (Mamet, 1983). Masculinity can observed all throughout the play where salesmen refer to themselves as â€Å"men†.   However, it should be noted that they are not referring to themselves of gender. Rather, it can be deduced that the salesmen are a select order of people. As Roma reiterates that they are â€Å"a dying breed†. On the contrary, the â€Å"clock watchers, bureaucrats, officeholders† do not refer to true men. These â€Å"machines† take orders. The personality which these people have does not strongly reflect their work. This can be observed in the likes of Williamson and Shelley â€Å"Machine† Levine. Williamson is a non-salesman while Levene is, according to Kane, more despicable than the arrogant top salesman† (2004). They are considered to be â€Å"despicable company men† who serve simply as cogs in the corporate machine. Levine’s former success is frequently associated with inhumanity. David Mamet implies Levene determined his own destiny but did so mechanically. In some ways, â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† seems like a modernized and more mordant version of Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† (1996). Shelley Levene in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross†, just like Willy Loman in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† is in the last stages of falling apart. He continues living in a largely inhuman world, one unreceptive to any but the majority of aggressive personalities. A product of this world is Levene, who has been an aggressor. However, now he’s old, out of luck and he’s being shown up in the competition. It starts to appear that perhaps he was never all that good anyway. As George affirms, â€Å"he (Levene) has no money, very little pride left (and) his confidence is shattered† (1994). Conceivably the most distinguished fictional salesman is Willy Loman, whose frustrated dreams ultimately divide his family and ruins him. His unyielding quest for success, together with an idealistic view of the world, results in his being â€Å"done in† largely due to the capitalist system. He ignores his emotional life in the certainty that the one purpose of the real-estate business was to generate money. Although he finds that success does not bring him the contentment he seeks. Willy Loman can be considered an archetypal salesman in literature, an unusual combination of both victim and oppressor whose demise is brought about by self-delusion and societal pressure (Dean, 1990). In â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, the American dream may be Willy Loman’s vision of a house and successful children with families of their own. And like Willy, the salesmen in David Mamet’s play all have their American dreams, though it may be different. However, these salesmen don’t dream of grand houses or successful children. Instead, they dream of the rich customer who will enable them to stop working for those who exploit them. They also dream continually of success. Though similarly, as a whole, both Arthur Miller and David Mamet point out the disappointments and failures of the American dream myth and the vindictiveness in capitalistic society. For numerous cohorts of writers who have assessed the American Dream, the salesman has been a symbol of its shortcomings. Indeed, being a salesman can lead to great wealth and that it is the means for a common man to make good by complete hard work. On the other contrary, this is not the characteristic that such writers choose to accentuate. To these people, as Dean affirms, is â€Å"a society that advocates this kind of self-improvement is a consumer society based on materialism† (Dean, 1990). It has, at its heart, an worthlessness that can never be assuaged by yet additional money in the bank. The salesmen gain enthusiasm from the promise of happiness and gratification in return for material success. Their clients too are as much a part of the capitalist hegemony where their purchase is their symbol of material success. The salesmen invest these purchases with remarkable, life-enhancing properties that embrace the guarantee of a better future. However, the truth is not the same. In the same way as the salesmen’s endless quest for unauthentic success is basically a chimera. The goods which they sell are quite insignificant. For that reason, the salesmen are taking advantage of those who, like them, must dream and think of a brighter future (Dean, 1990). Stafford in â€Å"Visions of a Promised Land† stops short of an allegorical reading of â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross†. Though, he does present the thought-provoking question that Aaronow, Levene and Moss are older Jewish men who may possibly be celebrated with Old Testament figures. Stafford also proposes that they have been paying attention to the real estate business partly by their personal searches for a â€Å"promised land† (1996). â€Å"Ricky Roma, Mitch and Murray are more likely to be gentiles† (Stafford, 1996) associated both with conquering Rome (in Roma’s case) and latter-day Christian entrepreneurial types. On the other hand, the frequent allusions to Old Testament figures and the motif of land for sale imply, Stafford believes, that â€Å"the division of the conflict into old versus new, age versus youth beliefs, gives a sense of historical perspective† (1996). Moreover, â€Å"these ancient traditions have been replaced with a modern day religion based on greed, deceit and spiritual bankruptcy† (Stafford, 1996). Similarly, in â€Å"Weasels and Wisemen†, Leslie Kane concurs that the playwright utilizes allusions to archetypal biblical characters such as the Levites, Moses and Aaron. She adds that there is â€Å"as a link between ancient and modern worlds, values, aspirations and spirituality† (Kane, 1999). Yet it is apparent that insensitive business corporation has, in a sense, changed ancient Judaic ideas of moral and social responsibilities. As a result, the characters in Mamet’s play are caught in a moral predicament. They are rapped between their craving to acquire the land or achieve from its sale and their longing for old value systems. David Mamet’s job is to create a closed moral universe and to leave an evaluation of the characters’ behavior to the audience. He means the evaluation to be difficult rather than easy and for the audience to squirm on the hook. As Mamet has said in â€Å"Decay: Some Thoughts for Actors†, â€Å"we need not fall victim to the liberal fallacy of assuming that because we can perceive a problem we are, de factor, not part of the problem† (1986). According to an interview made by David Savran with David Mamet, Savran asks â€Å"why the subtext is always about power, buying and selling† (1988). Mamet responds â€Å"why not?† and defends it by saying â€Å"I guess most American literature, the American literature that I love, that I grew up on, is about business (and) that’s what America is about† (Savran, 1988). In the point of view of David Mamet, the American Society is composed of human life based on business. When Mamet proposed the delineation of the difficult business world, he â€Å"demonstrated the import of human community as well as the inevitability of conflicts among people† (Wan-Ling, 2000). Whereas, the myth of the American Dream aims to persuade the audience or the salesmen that everybody has an equal opportunity to attain his success, on top of all material success. On the other hand, David Mamet aimed to â€Å"expose the reality that part of such myth brings not only a possibility of the conflict on benefits among people but also that of the blur of boundaries between businessmanship and friendship† (Wan-Ling, 2000). In â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross†, the functions and effects of power due to the needs and interests of its characters are carefully revealed. Instead of simply presenting his observations on the exercise of power, David Mamet also indicated a reflection of the ruthlessness and gracelessness of the business world. More specifically, as an American playwright, David Mamet manifested in his play the realistic and materialistic American business world. Through Foucauldian analytics of power, it can be realized that the salesmen in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† are not, in the essence, destined to be repressed by the capitalistic system, nor by their colleagues. They have the choice and the ability to resist, which would dominantly bring them to a higher hierarchy in the business world. In essence, David Mamet adduces the business world in â€Å"Glengarry Glen Ross† â€Å"for highlighting the distortion of relationships in human community† (Wan-Ling, 2000). Hence, it can be deduced that it is the characters who trap themselves. Moreover, it is the human beings who cause this distortion. And for this reason, David Mamet achieves his purpose of reminding the actualities of human relationships to his readers. References Bercovitch, S., Carswell, C. H., & Patell, C. R. K. (1999). The Cambridge History of American Literature. United Kingdom: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. Bigsby, C. W. E. (2004). The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet. United Kingdom: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. Dean, A. (1990). David Mamet: Language as Dramatic Action. New Jersey: Associated University Presses. George, K. (1994). Playwriting: The First Workshop. USA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Kane, L. (1999). Weasels and Wisemen: Ethics and Ethnicity in the Works of David Mamet. New York: St. Martin’s. Kane, L. (2004). The Art of Crime: The Plays and Films of Harold Pinter and David Mamet. New York: Routledge. King, K. (2001). Modern Dramatists. New York: Routledge. Mamet, D. (1983). Glengarry Glen Ross: A Play. New York: Grove Press. Mamet, D. (1986). Decay: Some Thoughts for Actions. New York: Viking. McDonough, C. J. (1963). Staging Masculinity: Male Identity in Contemporary American Drama. North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers. Miller, A. (1996). Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Classics. Savran, D. (1988). In Their Own Words: Contemporary American Playwrights. New York: Theatre Communications Groups. Shapiro, S. A. (1984). Manhood: A New Definition. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Stafford, T. J. (1996). David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross: Text and Performances. New York: Garland. Wan-Ling, C. (2000). Theatre of Power. Taiwan: National Sun Yat-Sen University.   

Sociolgical Imagination

Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination can be defined as the ability to notice a difference in people due to their social circumstances, how their â€Å"social norms,† influence their lives. Sometimes these situations can lead to an outcome and it gives you an understanding as to why things happen the way they do. You understand what causes led to that specific outcome. Basically, you understand peoples lives because you can see how the outcome effects their lives and the people around them.Having an understanding of sociological imagination helps in the field of sociology because it alps you have a different perspective on peoples lives. I started dating a guy at the beginning of my senior year of high school. Not long after, we become inseparable. It didn't take very long for me to think I was in love. When I felt like it was the right time, we decided to have sex. I never thought that I would get pregnant the first time because we were safe, and I was on birth co ntrol. Fortunately, I didn't. As the months went on we would risk not using protection and I was still not getting pregnant.Stupidly, I thought well maybe I Just can not get pregnant since it has not happened to me yet. After about a year of dating, I missed my birth control for a week. About eight weeks after that I get really sick and can not keep any food down. My grandmother takes me to the doctor and I will never forget that moment when the doctor came back in and said the words I thought I would never hear. I was pregnant. My sister had gotten pregnant while she was still in high school, so my mother really depended on me to be the daughter that finished college and then started a life of my own. She was so disappointed in me.But the rest of my family viewed it as normal that I had gotten pregnant at 18. Many of my cousins started a family instead of going to college. 9 out of 11 of my cousins were teen parents. Along with the younger generation, my grandparents, aunts, and un cles also started their families very early. While I did not purposely try to start a family at my age, my family did not see it as a bad thing. My boyfriend stepped up in this situation and decided early on that he was not going to be like every other young dad and run off. He has changed every part of his life to give our baby the best life possible.A long time ago getting married at a very young age was socially acceptable, now it is morally wrong in many ultras. Since girls were married at a young age, teen pregnancy was accepted, also. In this generation teen pregnancy is still Just as common as it was then, but without the girls being married or even in a relationship. â€Å"1 . 3 in 10 teen American girls will get pregnant at least once before ago 20. That's nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year. 3. Less than 2 percent of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30. 5. The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the western industrialized world. 10.Al most fifty percent of teens have never considered how pregnancy would affect their lives. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy) Due to teen pregnancy rates being so high, Americans have to learn to accept and adapt to this being a new custom. â€Å"Based on a teen survey his organization conducted in 2009, a vast majority (eighty-seven percent) of teens who watched the MAT show 16 and Pregnant reported that they felt the show helped demonstrate to them the true hardships that teenage pregnancy can bring to both girls and boys. In contrast, very few (seventeen percent) felt the show actually glorified teen pregnancy. (Silvers) These shows help to show the struggles that all he young girls starring in them face. By putting their stories out there they are helping to reduce teen pregnancy rates. Even though there are shows to help try to reduce teen pregnancy, there are also movies and shows that make being sexually active teens look â€Å"cool,† or â €Å"popular. † Many movies show the virgin being made fun of for not being sexually active. Making sex look fun or cool results in teens having sex, which may lead to teen pregnancy. The social norm for young people is to graduate high school, go to college, get a career, and start a life of their own.