Popular Culture and Gender Equality

Popular culture continually mutates and occurs uniquely in place and time. It represents a complex of equally interdependent points of view and values that influence society and its organizations. It also influences people in various ways: this is important because it creates balance between certain societies in our everyday lives, but can also have a negative impact as it creates inequality which may lead to conflict. A good example of this is gender inequality in decision-making at all levels. Despite the widespread movement towards democratization in most countries, women are largely underrepresented at most levels of government. They have made little advancement in reaching political power over the years or in achieving the target certified by the Economic and Social Council of having 30 percent women in positions at decision-making levels by 1995 (image 1). Inequality in the public can often begin within the family when power relations between men and women are unbalanced with unfair attitudes and activities (image 2). The unequal division of labour and responsibilities within households based on unequal power relations also limits women's potential to find the time and develop the skills required for participation in decision-making in wider public environments. Power and knowledge is not the same thing, however they are both very dependent on one another. Therefore without knowledge, power cannot be initiated. Feminists theorize that it is man that holds the key to knowledge in society today; therefore, power naturally follows. As for the entertainment world, the opinions of screenwriters and producers become implanted into our culture and present a base for gender roles. Traditional female roles are still being presented in the mass media, and as feminism takes the spotlight, more viewers are taking notice and little films are presenting equality. A good example of this is Sandra Bullock in the movie called Miss Congeniality (image 3). As a woman with many masculine qualities, (image 4) Gracie somehow becomes the last resort for a F. B. I. assignment as undercover Miss New Jersey in the Miss United States Pageant. Gracie follows the path to a cuter, mannered woman, but still keeps many characteristics of her masculine personalities by the end of the film. Another common area of popular culture where gender inequality takes place is the PC gaming world. The awful sexist plot of Starcraft 2 is not at all a secret: it is widely mocked and insulted (image 5). The single-player campaign storyline for one of 2010?s best-selling PC games stands between bad writing and extreme social politics as it comes across to be very offensive. Not many people like it, although in the testosterone-filled world of hardcore PC gaming, most people haven’t taken too seriously just how sexist it is. In everyday life, people are forced to deal with gender equality in their workplaces (image 6). Some believe that gender inequality persists in the modern world because men and women are different in behavior and preferences in so many ways. Social institutions know that, and some try to work around it in ways that don’t disadvantage women unreasonably. That is why most employers don’t pay women less than men for the same occupations, but acknowledges that women choose different occupations than men, usually occupations paying less (image 7). One of my favourite examples of promoting change in society is the song called Cant Hold Us Down by pop artist Christina Aguilera in which she creates a female empowerment anthem, expressing her disgust with the double standards of society (image 8 and 9). She feels that male stars are respected and worshipped for bragging about their wild sex lives, but when women like Aguilera try to express their sexuality, they get labeled as whores. Although it may sometimes be challenging to live in a world filled with inequality, it is important we realize that nothing in life is easy and woman all need to stand together in order to change the society in positive ways that promotes complete equality.

Positive Effects Can Come From a Lower Birth Rate Essay

In the not-so-distant past, there was a world wide effort to create zero population growth. The environmental uproar in the 1970s had scientists convinced that with 4 billion or so people on that planet, Earth had reached her carrying capacity. The basic premises was that there wasn’t enough room for all the people being born and that there definitely would not be enough room when we reached 2050 and a project population of 11 billion (Cohen, 1). Though the global warming predicts had not begun yet, there were huge concerns that the planet could not produce enough food for 11 billion people and that we would be consuming resources at such an alarming rate that world would die from too many people. Flash forward thirty years and now, industrialized countries across the world are expressing concern that they may have been too hasty in their condemnation of population growth. In fact, many are downright worried about their population declines or very slow population growth. They express concern that the economy will collapse as the burden of the elderly is too great for the younger generation to support and care for. Labor leaders claim there will not be enough people to do the work that needs done and others decry the trend as the true end of the British Empire and the dominance of Western Civilization as those are the countries with declining birth rates. The simple truth is that a low birth rate can be a positive choice for the industrialized world, if considered in the right light. This paper will look at some of the factors contributing to the declining population and the effects that are likely because of a population decline. To understand how this situation developed, it is interesting to review the last 900 years of human sexuality. In his essay â€Å"Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West†, Phillippe Aries argues that since the Middle Ages, the shift in societal norms had lead to the declining birth rate. The Church enticed people to a moral stance against pre-marital sex and as the economy evolved from largely agrarian to industrial and even retail based, the large family was no longer an economic necessity (646).   In an agrarian society, children were a source of cheap labor and a financial boon to their parents. The cost of feeding and clothing them was more than made up for by their assistance in earning the family sustenance. But as societies moved away from the farm, children became an expense. Indeed, Aries writes, the trend to significantly smaller families began in the Middle Ages and continued unabated until the Baby Boom after the end of World War II (647). The trend toward smaller families was also a sign of planning and forethought. It was assumed that a smaller family could even be considered a measure of self-control and â€Å"The fewer the children, the more care and attention that could be devoted to each† (Aries, 647) As society became more mobile and people were no longer trapper in the social class that they were born in, people chose smaller families with the idea that they could provide more opportunities for that smaller family and their children would have greater economic opportunity that they did (648). In addition, in the mid-1970s concerns about overpopulation ran rampant. By the mid 1990s, they were in crisis mode.   In Science magazine in 1995, JE Cohen wrote, â€Å"Earth’s capacity to support people is determined both by natural constraints and by human choices concerning economics, environment, culture (including values and politics), and demography. Human carrying capacity is therefore dynamic and uncertain.†Ã‚   (341). Though scientists argued about what that carrying capacity might be, they warned rabidly that if the exponential population growth were not stopped the capacity would be reached in our children’s lifetime if not our own. Further complicating things was an environmental movement   that claimed deforestation to turn the land into agricultural production as causing soil erosion and pollution faster than we could imagine. If the world growth continued unabated, the population would reach that carrying capacity much sooner because the Earth would be too polluted to sustain life. Even now, in An Inconvenient Truth Nobel Prize winner Al Gore points out that trees cut down to provide grazing land for cattle are contributing to global warming because the living trees would have cut carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Though Gore does not make the leap, it is there to behold. Too many people means more land devoted to food production which means fewer trees and faster global warming. With all that in place, it is no wonder then that people chose to have smaller families or no families at all. And that is where the new scientific debate and political nightmare began. The United Nations reports that 75 percent of the industrialized nations of the world have reached zero population growth including the United States and most of Western Europe. The population of Britain is still growing at a very slow rate, largely due to immigration, but in Germany and Japan the total population has begun to decline. This has thrown social scientists into a tizzy. They complain that there will not be enough workers to take all the jobs that are needed; they claim the workers will no longer be able to meet the tax demands of their nations; and they claim that a declining number of young people will mean that there is no one around to care for the Baby Boomers as they get older.   Not surprisingly, many of these doom and gloom predictions are written by Baby Boomers. Instead, it might be nice to focus on the positive benefits of population control. A smaller population will mean simple things, like less congestion on the highways and fewer people in the one open checkout line at the grocery store. But those are the incidental effects of a lower population growth. The key benefits of a smaller population are: better access to education, less pollution and therefore less global warming, and more job opportunities. For a decade or so, Americans have been decrying overcrowding in the school systems as a factor in school performance.   In 2003, CNN reported that overcrowding was causing a boom in the temporary classroom business and states across the nation were taking steps to reduce overcrowding (CNN, 1).   With a declining birth rate in the industrialized nations, fewer children will need to be educated and the student to teacher ratio will decrease. That will lead to more individualized attention for each student and better learning opportunities. In addition, as those children get older, instead of being able to raise prices and keep students from going to college, colleges and universities will be forced to compete for students. The reality is that smaller class size throughout the educational process will mean that all students are getting a better education, not just the ones who can afford private school or the ones lucky enough to be talented an attract a teacher’s interest. Furthermore, as the population seeking a college degree decreases second-class universities with questionable accreditation will be driven out of business and the top academic talent will mass in good schools providing good educations. As simple as it sounds, another advantage of a smaller population will be less pollution. Gore’s movie and other studies of global warming indicate that one of the significant contributors to greenhouse gases are personal vehicles. If there are fewer people, there will by simple logic be fewer cars and fewer cars mean that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted. And, fewer people means less need for food, so some farmland could be returned to forest or converted from vast corporate farms to sustainable small farms which produce healthier food and fewer pollutants. The rain forest of the Amazon River Basin could be left as rain forest with no need for more cattle to feed the world’s desire for beef consumption and the demand for electricity would fall as there were fewer people using it. As the demand for electricity falls, older, fossil fuel burning electric plants could be shut down or replaced with newer, cleaner burning generation facilities. The ultimate proof of the effect that the population has on the environment can be observed today in India. â€Å"Environmental pollution is one of the serious problems faced by the people in the country. Rapid population growth, industrialization and urbanization in country are adversely affecting the environment. (Nagdeve, 2).   India has polluted its sacred rivers and begun poisoning itself, creating a severe lack of potable water because of its overpopulation.   Many of the pollution problems come quite simply from human excrement. There are insufficient sewage facilities and the sewage contaminants the ground water, leading to environmental collapse. With 1.1 billion people, India is the second most populous nation in the world and is being destroyed by its high birth rate (Nagdeve, 33). In China, the world’s largest population has become the primary source of greenhouse gases and is polluting the world at an alarming rate. Though they have instituted some population control measures, the population is so large now that until some of it dies off or moves to other areas, overcrowding and pollution, as well as poor access to resources will continue to be their plight. By far the most concerning aspect of the low-birth rate to most the industrialization nations is the impact it is likely to have on the economy. Naysayers claim the smaller populace will be unable to meet the needs of the elderly population, will be unable to meet the tax burden placed on them by their parents and grandparents and will not be able to meet the employment needs of the country.   The arguments are complicated and may have a grain of truth in them, but are not the forgone conclusion that they are assumed to be. First, there is the issue of meeting the needs of the elderly populace. This is in many ways a self-serving argument of the Baby Boom generation the reality is that in the United States, a third of the workforce is now over the age of 55. â€Å"Because of an aging population and declining growth of the labor force, human resource policies are changing. Companies are offering incentives to keep older workers working past retirement age. Older workers can sometimes replace the lack of younger employees. Opportunities like flextime, part-time, temp work, job sharing, and extended vacations are becoming more common for employees of all ages. Businesses are learning that people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colors, and backgrounds can be good workers† (Johnson, 1) Many of the Baby Boomers are living to ripe old ages and will need long term care, but it also means they are staying in the workforce longer.   And, they are better able to care for themselves than any previous generation of retirees. In addition, society has seen this short-term boom in the elderly population coming and ahs planned for it. Retirement communities and apartment complexes make care for the elderly much easier than in previous generations. Since they are all located in one area instead of being spread out in various private homes, the number of people needed to care for the elderly is greatly reduced. Second, there is the question of the tax burden, again a selfish notion of the elderly that the younger generation should have to support their Social Security needs even though it is an unrealistic expectation.   Unfortunately, instead of working as Franklin Roosevelt had planned and being a supplement to a personal retirement plan, Social Security has become the only retirement plan for many Americans and the government has continued to bail out failed retirement plan after failed retirement plan, usually due to poor fiscal planning or malfeasance on the part of those overseeing the plan. The simple reality is that the elderly cannot continue to rely on the government to meet all their needs and it is likely that in choosing to have fewer children they chose not to have the financial support of a younger generation. Aries argued that they shouldn’t need the financial support family or the government because of their decision not to have a large family.   He argued that with the money people saved by not having a family, they should be able to pay for help when they reach retirement age (Aries, 629). While this inability to deal with the tax burden is a valid concern, it can also be viewed as a great opportunity. Many people complain that the current government system is messed up and the tax plan unfair, but no one seems to be able to do anything about it.   Though a collapse of the economic structure is an extreme way to bring about change, it is a valid way and one that may have to be considered in the near future. Finally, the argument against low-birth rates is that the there will be insufficient people to work the jobs that need doing. This is perhaps the weakest argument of all. Do we really need a Starbucks on every corner and a McDonald’s two doors down?   The reality is that the economic market will correct itself.   Fewer people available to do the jobs will mean that high school and college students are able to find part-time work again and it will mean that the unemployment rate will drop. Regardless of the opportunity, there will always be some degree of unemployment either voluntary or temporary, but with greater opportunities available, more people will have better economic opportunities. Yes, some low-paying jobs may go unfilled. If that happens, the need will equate to the job growth. Like the tax issue, it will probably mean a restructuring of societal values. If more people are need in the medical field to care for the elderly and society places a higher value on that then serving coffee or flipping burgers, society will adjust to the loss of mass market coffee and fast food. After all, less than fifty years ago, fast food was barely thought of. Fast food and poor paying retail jobs were not always a vital part of the American economy and if there is a labor shortage, they might be gone again. If there is a shortage of labor, society will adjust and fill the positions that it most needs. Some economists have argued that with a smaller labor force, economies could collapse as the total productivity level of a nation is decreased, but historical analysis shows us that this too may be a made up fear and an irrational prediction. In an essay regarding the impact low birth rates will have on the economy, William H. Reid, writing for the Journal on Extension said that history shows that our most productive times in history were when the population was smaller. For example, he said, right after the Black Plague productivity in Europe skyrocketed (Reid, 1). The idea behind the increase was that people had something to work for and out of necessity worked hard to get it. He further argued that while overall productivity might be down, wages will be up as employers compete for qualified staff. That will mean that the economy will be booming. The simple truth is that zero population growth was a good idea twenty years ago and that has not changed.   The great majority of opposition to it in Europe and North America is in fact a form of xenophobia, a fear that if other parts of the world outbreed the locals, the local way of life will be destroyed. If analysts were honest and admitted to this fear, there might be more action taken on it. By hiding their fears in other â€Å"concerns†, they miss a chance for honest discourse on the effect that a huge Indian and Chinese population will have on the world. They miss the opportunity to take real action to address the overpopulation concerns of India.   Allowing more people to emigrate from overcrowded areas to less crowded areas will cut down on the demands on the resources of individual nations and improve the quality of life around the globe. However, so many areas are insular and afraid to share their land or way of life with anyone of a different culture. If the industrialized countries were at least willing to admit that, there arguments might have more standing in the world’s eyes. The reasons why the birth rate in the industrialized world is dropping are numerous and debatable.   Aries suggested that another reason why the birth rate is declining is that people no longer see a way to make the world a better place for their descendants. Whether it is a fear of nuclear annihilation or global warming, many people are concerned that the world will not be a great place for the next generation and have decided against having children (469). Others have decided to keep the money for their own happiness instead of spending it on a child and some simply wait longer than they meant to and find they unable to have children. Whatever the reasons for the declining birth rate, it is a fact of life in Europe and North America. Those nations can simply decide how to live with the consequences or, as they have in parts of Europe, take extreme action to reverse the course. In Japan and Germany where the population is already beginning to decline, the smaller population had coincided with an economic growth period. Whether this is simply coincidental is hard to tell at this point, but history seems to tell us that the chances are good that a deckling birth rate does not spell doom and gloom and the end of the world. Instead, it will like lead to a period of greater education for the average person, a cleaner environment and a booming economy. It may also lead to revolutionary thinking as the countries that have always had plenty of people to do their menial tasks have to consider other alternatives, such as an open border with Mexico so that there are more workers, or allowing a mass immigration from India, to relieve overcrowding there. Whatever the solution, it will require scientific and political minds meeting together and honestly discussing the wants and fears of Europe and North America and their desire to change them. In the end, the best consequence of a declining birth rate might be a further globalization of the world. Areas in the Far East and the Indian subcontinent with population problems will need to find more space and Europe and North America will have to find more workers. If the struggle be worked through and the prejudices and fears overcome, then the best thing that could come from a lower birth rate would be an international melting pot with everyone working together for a better planet, better economy and a better life. WORKS CITED Aries, Phillippe.†Two Successive Motivations for the Declining Birth Rate in the West† Population and Development Review > Vol. 6, No. 4 (Dec., 1980), pp. 645-650   November 20, 2007. Cohen, JE â€Å"Population growth and earth’s human carrying capacity† Science Vol.269, Issue 5222, Summer, 1995, p. 341-46. â€Å"Ending overcrowding in California Schools†Ã‚   Policylink < http://www.policylink.org/Research/SchoolOvercrowding/> November 20, 2007. Johnson, Kelly. â€Å"The Effects of a Declining Birth Rate on the Labor Force† < http://cber.cba.ua.edu/rbriefs/ab_jan98.html> November 20, 2007. Martin, Steve P. â€Å"Diverging Fertility among U.S. Women Who Delay Childbearing Past Age 30† Demography , Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 2000), pp. 523-533 November 20,2007. Nagdeve,   Dewaram. â€Å"Environment and Health in India†Ã‚   presented to Asian Context at Bangkok, Thailand, June 10, 2002. < http://www.iussp.org/Bangkok2002/S09Nagdeve.pdf> November 20, 2007. â€Å"Overcrowding Fuel Boom† CNN.com < http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/06/02/classsize.portables.ap/index.html> November 20, 2007. Reid, Walter H. â€Å"Will Declining Birt Rates creates a Crisis?† Journal of Extension (Summer 1988), Vol. 26, No. 2 , November 20, 2007.   

E-marketing in the library of Birmingham Report Essay

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Features of Gothic Literature in Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Essay

Features of Gothic Literature in Shirley Jackson's 'The Haunting of Hill House' - Essay Example Shirley Jackson’s book â€Å"The Haunting of Hill House† is easily characterized as a Gothic novel based on the presence of many of these characteristics within its pages. The story is basically that of a young woman who goes insane as a result of supernatural influences when she is invited to stay for a summer at a castle-like home located far from the next nearest seat of civilization in a dark and gloomy portion of the country. To explore how â€Å"The Haunting of Hill House† can be considered a Gothic novel, and thus begin to understand the concepts of Gothic literature itself, three elements of Gothic literature will be examined as they apply to the novel. The discovery of how the novel uses the concepts of the sublime, the castle and the Gothic psychomachy will reveal much about the common elements of Gothic literature. The idea of the sublime is not unique to Gothic literature, but the way in which it is applied often can be. The sublime refers to the presence of something that isn’t there, something intangible that is nevertheless felt. While often used in other texts to refer to something that is beneficial and ‘Godlike’, this concept also lends itself strongly to the Gothic novel. This is because the idea of the sublime can be heavenly as easily as it can be founded on the concepts of hell. With the Gothic novel’s concentration on the supernatural and the idea of ghosts, the sublime translates into the novel as the sense of an otherworldly presence that might or might not be discernable to the characters. Within Jackson’s novel, the idea of the sublime is pushed to its ultimate level without losing its meaning. This is particularly evident in the many instances that Jackson allows something to happen that remains forever unknown to the reader and to many of the other characters as well. During their stay at Hill House, all four of the primary characters begin to

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Prejudice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Prejudice - Assignment Example The book Sky Burial is indeed a captivating novel of all time, considering the manner in which the story of Wen develops. After just a few months of marriage, Wen’s husband is taken by the Chinese army into Tibet in an urge to unify the Tibet and China. Information later comes that Wen’s husband had been killed, but little details is given on the same. Wen is then forced to go to Tibet in search of her husband after joining the army. However, she is later separated from the regiment, a point in which she wanders in trying to find her way out, with the only help coming from a group of nomads. With the assistance of the nomads, Wen journeys from place to another until she finally comes to discovering the whole truth surrounding the death of her husband. Xinran in writing the book; recreates the journey that Wen underwent, incorporating the instances of emptiness and silence that Wen underwent in an urge to find her love. It is based on such a perspective that the book has been assigned in comparing the real story and how Xinran develops it in the

Module 4 - Assessing Competences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Module 4 - Assessing Competences - Essay Example The reason is that student’s use the same tools as specialists do. The shift in teaching methods from teacher centered to student centered is widely acknowledged as students play an active role in their learning process. Traditional learning was teacher centered, and most of the time the teacher played an active role of lecturing while students took a passive role of watching and listening (Afflerbach, 2007). Cooperative learning entails students working in teams on projects and problems under conditions that guarantee positive interactions and personal responsibility. Active learning is when students answer questions, debate, ask questions and brainstorm during class time. Inductive learning entails presenting challenges to students, who then learn the course materials in the milieu of addressing the challenges presented. Some inductive learning methods include just in time teaching, discovery learning, case studies inquiry based learning, and project based learning. Student centered assessments include essays, group progress reports, presentations, outlines, instructor student meetings, reflections, problem solutions and essays. The main assessment strategies to assess knowledge, competencies and skills are feedback, the class structure, the syllabus and the assignments. Class structure The structure of the class is another strategy to assess learners’ skills and competencies. In order to assess knowledge and skills, the tutor employs the case content to cover learning skills and to foster student’s self awareness for learning. The tutor also uses short activities from time to time to teach students on how to use supplementary materials, learn how to read and summarize texts (Heritage, 2007). Under the class structure, the tutor helps students to form small groups, which the students use in learning groups and team skills. The small groups can be for learning inside or outside classroom. Usually, learners do not have the skills and compet encies to work effectively in groups. Facilitating small groups prompts students to be familiar with problems that can happen when working in groups. Facilitating small student groups also helps students to have ideas on how to address group conflicts (Ensino, nd). Small groups are essentially noteworthy in helping students to prepare for the work environment as they will work in teams in an organizational setting. Assignments Assignments are a core factor used to assess learners’ skills and competencies. Well designed assignments engage students in authentic learning tasks. Assignments may be in different forms such as paperless assignments, written assignments, practical assignments where students pursuing technical courses like music may participate in live singing and concerts. Assignments build up study initiatives in students. Assignments also create a sense of responsibility related to completing their homework (Ensino, nd). Assignments also help students to develop sk ills of time management. The assignments are designed for a specific period of time and students must comply with the assignment deadline. As students learn to do things on their own, they learn how to utilize time effectively, which encourages self discipline and autonomy (Heritage, 2007). Feedback Feedback is the key area to influence the degree to which evaluation practices are developmental, rather than exclusively judgmental. Feedback is at the centre of the

Position Paper Contrarian's Guide to Leadership Essay

Position Paper Contrarian's Guide to Leadership - Essay Example Traditionally, leaders have been evaluated on the basis of their charisma, attitude, and ability. That is the "boxed-in", prevailing mindset society harbors when quantifying leadership. However, more contemporary views see leadership as the end result of a dynamic interaction between leader and follower, a "collaborative endeavor" between those embroiled in the process (Rost, 1993:12) However we may define leadership, what is infinitely clear is the fact that society has these preconceived notions about what a "good" leader should be. There are some though, who offer a differing perspective on the concept of leadership. In "The Contrarian's Guide To Leadership", Steven Sample argues that leadership is not necessarily measured in black and white. Better known as the current president of the University of Southern California, Sample dissects traditional leadership "values" and professes that leadership is a dynamic, unpredictable entity that is context-dependent and evolving. In line with today's rapidly changing times, leadership can no longer be limited to the predictability and rigidity of the past. Not to detract anything from past leaders of historical lore, but just because one was successful in a different era does not necessarily translate into success in the current one. The dictates of contemporary society need leaders who are flexible, and are not bound by a certain mode of thinking. These are the individuals who will react to situations objectively and creatively, and will use original ideas in asserting their independence en route to solving relevant problems and issues. The aforementioned constitute the hallmarks of the aptly termed "contrarian" perspective of leadership. According to Sample (2002), the contrarian perspective "doesn't mean counter to all conventional wisdom. Indeed, much of it is true. But, you can't become an effective leader by trying to mimic a famous leader of the past. So, you can't develop your full leadership potential, or even fully appreciate the art of leadership by slavishly adhering to conventional wisdom. The key is to break free, if only fleetingly" (p.1) Adopting a contrarian approach ensures that one is looking at things from a fresh and highly adaptable point of view, one that will bode well for the challenges of today. At the forefront of the contrarian framework lies the concept of "thinking gray". Leaders who adopt this maintain their independence by "thinking free" and refusing to think like the people surrounding them. For instance, conventional wisdom dictates that good, efficient leaders make rash, impulsive, and hopefully brilliant decisions. On the other hand, contrarian wisdom offers that leaders should deliberately weigh all sides to an issue, hence arriving at a highly objective, thorough and carefully thought out decision. By nature, people would usually look at things in binary terms - black and white, right or wrong, true or false, et. al. It must be put into consideration though that there will always be "gray" areas somewhere along the point of contention. Nothing can be truly quantified as being absolutely true or absolutely false; there is always something that can be further perused and dissected in order to

Technology and Law Enforcement Essay Example for Free

Technology and Law Enforcement Essay This system provides rapid collect and retrieval of data about wanted fugitives, locating stolen property, locating missing people and protecting law enforcement and the public (Siegel amp; Worrall, 2012). The FBI maintains the host computer that provide telecommunication network to the CJIS Systems Agency in every official state (Mass. gov website). Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Automated Fingerprint Identification System is a type of biometric system that uses a digital imaging to capture a fingerprint that can be compared to a database records to determine a person identity (webopedia). The use of AFIS is growing in the United States This system can classify fingerprints and identify 250 characteristics of the print. AFIS use high speed silicon chips to plot each and every detail and count the number of ridges in a person’s fingers and palm (Siegel amp; Worrall, 2012 pg. 195). I fingerprints 25 to 35 inmates a day on AFIS and it a wonderful tool because with a couple of minute their fingerprint will be sent to Washington D. C and I can identify the person and have their whole entire criminal history. Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) In the late 1980s, the federal government laid the groundwork for a system of national, state, and local DNA databases for the storage and exchange of DNA profiles. This system, called the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). CODIS is a computerized database that allows deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) obtained at a crime scene to be searched electronically to find matches among sample taken from convicted offenders and crime scenes (Siegel amp; Worrall, 2012 pg. 97). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, states began passing laws requiring offenders convicted of certain offenses to provide DNA samples. Currently all 50 states and the federal government have laws requiring that DNA samples be collected from some categories of offenders (justice. gov). Since 2011, my agency started collecting DNA from inmate that was arrested for crimes New Technology 3 against a person such as; rape, homicide, aggravated battery and aggravated assault etc. But now FDLE had added Burglary, grand theft and trespassing. When we reach 2020, no matter what category that an offender in e every offender will have to summit a DNA sample for their crime. Once CODIS make their improvements, DNA evidence will help solve and may even prevent some of the Nation’s most serious violent crimes.

Benefits of Tourism in Singapore

Benefits of Tourism in Singapore 1.0Â  Introduction 1.1Definition of Tourism industry Tourism refers to the movement of people from different social and cultural background travelling out of their usual environment staying in a different place for business, personal, or professional reasons. These people are commonly referred to as tourist. Their actions in the country they visit affects the local economic market as they carry out their activities, as most of which may require them to spend money thus increasing the expenditure in the local markets which in turns boosts the GDP of the respective country (Media.unwto.org, 2014b). Therefore the tourism industry is formed to cater to the needs and demands of locals and tourists in terms of products and services and is defined as such in this report. 1.2 What does the tourism industry mean to Singapore? As Singapore lacks natural resources, the tourism industry serves as an integral factor that acts as a crucial pillar for the economy of Singapore. It contributes an estimated 4% to the gross domestic product of Singapore and also provides jobs to about 160,000 people. The tourism industry serves to reaffirm Singapore’s position as a global cosmopolitan city that is dynamic, able to cater to the locals’ and tourists’ demands for leisure, entertainment, giving consumers enhanced quality and diversity in terms of leisure creating a wider range of options creating a vibrant living environment that Singaporeans can proudly call home (Stb.gov.sg, 2014). 2.0Â  Economic Impact Analysis Four types of Economic Impacts that Tourism have on the economy 1-Direct contributions Tourism’s direct contributions are results of revenue earned from tourists’ expenditure by businesses like hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, transportation services, cultural / sports and recreational services. 2-Indirect contributions Some of the indirect contributions derive from investment spending from the businesses of the travel and tourism, Government expenditure in the form of investment to improve or enhance the industries. 3-Induced contributions The direct and indirect employees involved in this sector then in turn contributes to the consumption by spending their wages on food and beverages, recreational activities, clothes, housing and household goods. 4-Total contributions Therefore the total contributions from the direct, indirect and induced contributions will in turn affect the GDP and the employment rate as they affect various factors of the GDP equation which also affects the production rate thus increasing the GDP and employment rate in a situation when there is an increase in revenue and demand from tourist and with certis paribus assumed. 2.1 Contributions to Singapore’s GDP The latest press release by UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, shows that expenditure receipts international visitors spent on food and beverages, services, entertainment, accommodations and much more totaled up to an estimated SGD$ 1,455 billion during 2013. And that the growth rate of receipts experienced a 5% increase from 1035 million during 2012 to 1087 million during 2013(Media.unwto.org, 2014a). According to an economic report by Singapore’s Travel and Tourism Economic Impact report 2014, in 2013 travel and tourism’s direct contribution to Singapore’s GDP was SGD$ 19.1 billion (5.3% of total GDP) Singapore’s GDP. Its GDP contributions in 2014 is expected to experience a 5.8% increase, and also to experience a 3.4% increase per annum, as of 2014-2024, to SGDS$ 28.3 billion as of totaling a 5.3% of the total GDP in 2024 (World Travel and Tourism Council, 2014). The abovementioned news and report serves as macroeconomic examples that shows how tourism is able to increase consumption of goods through expenditure internationally and in a country. It also shows that tourism’s contributions to a nation’s GDP shows positive signs of growth thereby explaining why Singapore’s government is showing increased interest in the economic impacts that tourism presents on national and local levels. 2.2 Supports Job and Induces Investments The tourism industry serves to support employment indirectly by providing 295,620 job positions which makes up 8.7% of the total employment in Singapore. Currently, there is a SGD$ 16.2 billion worth of investment in the tourism industry which contributes to 19.7% of total investment which also expects to experience a 5.5% increase this 2014 (Singapore Business Review, 2014b). Therefore if the tourism industry booms and experiences an increase in demand for goods and services, relevant services and manufacturing companies that indirectly contributes to the tourism industry may experience shortage of manpower as a result also creating increased job opportunities for the people in Singapore. Purchases from suppliers may also experience an increase as more products are needed to cater to the demands of the people. Also due to increased numbers and demands from tourists, the government of Singapore would therefore have increased reasons to further invest in the travel and tourism industry which will eventually contribute to the GDP equation. 2.3 Increase in Tax revenues The Singapore government imposes a ‘sin’ tax on alcohol and tobacco goods on all business. These taxes are paid by firms when importing such goods. Tourists that consume such products while in Singapore increases the demand for such goods which makes businesses increase their imports to meet the demand, allowing the government to collect more ‘sin’ taxes increasing tax revenues of the government. Given the recent news of a 25% increase in liquor taxes, the potential revenue that can be earned when tourist or locals consume such products provides substantial reasons for the Singapore government to be interested in investing in tourism sectors in an attempt to attract more tourists, increasing the demand and consumption for liquor to generate more tax revenues (Straitstimes.com, 2014d). 2.4 Attractions and events Major events like the Singapore F1 Grand Prix serves to turbo charge economies by attracting tourists from all over the world to Singapore. A 12.6% increase in advance bookings of flights show how such events contribute directly to the tourism industry, not to mention the increase consumption of other services and products like restaurants, hotel accommodations and other necessities (AsiaOne, 2014). Tourist attractions like gardens by the bay, marine life park, river safari and national art gallery also serve to provide a wider range of activities for tourists to engage in thus increasing the population of tourists affecting the demand of goods and services and further generating revenues for local businesses(Singapore Business Review, 2014a). Coupled with the Casinos in Marina Bay Sands and resort world makes Singapore attractive to tourists. 3.0 Demand Analysis 3.1 Changi Airport plans for Terminal 4 Changi Airport is planning to build a fourth terminal that costs $985 million that is expected to be completed in 2017. The new terminal is expected to allow Changi Airport to cater to 16 million travelers annually (Straitstimes.com, 2014a). A new multi-story car park will also allow it to provide about 1500 parking lots. Coupled with the fact that Changi airport won Skytrax’s title for being the best airport, the planned terminal 4 would be able to increase the overall service quality making it a preferred airport resulting in increased demand as preferences is one of the main factors that result in a change of demand (Straitstimes.com, 2014b). The increased population of tourists also causes the demand for goods and services to experience an increase as it corresponds to the population factor regarding change in demand. 3.2 Gastronomic Tourism Gastronomic tourism is an emerging type of tourism that is being developed and packaged into a new tourism trend. This is due to the fact that 1/3 of a tourists’ expenditure is spent on food and beverages which is a necessity. Gastronomic tourists make experiential trips to countries to visit producers of food, food fairs and gastronomic festivals some of which may even try to learn how to cook the local dishes (World Tourism Organisation 2014, 2014). When Singapore organizes food fairs or events like the Food Hotel Asia 2014 and Wine Spirits Asia at Singapore Expo which ended on 11th April 2014, the demand of such gastronomic tourists to travel to Singapore would experience a significant increase. The events was host to a record of 64,826 international trade attendees from more than a hundred countries and regions which was also a 5.8% increase from 2012 (Foodnhotelasia.com, 2014). Thus showing how events like these are able to affect the numbers and type of tourists increasing the demand of goods and services. 3.3 Medical Tourism Latest reports from RNCOS, predicts Singapore’s medical tourism to experience a compound annual growth of 30% within the forecasted period of 2013 to 2017. Singapore is emerging to become a leader in the medical tourism market as it prides itself on its highly skilled healthcare professionals and world class medical infrastructure. The expected growth of medical tourism is also attributed to the fact that Singapore has state of art medical facilities and costs that are affordable in relation to quality(Digitaljournal.com, 2014). Being a preferred location for medical procedures increases the numbers of such tourists. Singapore is increasingly able to attract growing numbers of patients from lesser developed countries like Mongolia and Cambodia along with the current majority of medical tourists from developed or developing countries like Indonesia and Malaysia and the occasional patients from China and India (Mfa.gov.sg, 2014). Patients of such medical tourism also serves to i ncrease the consumption of other services and goods as depending on the respective medical procedures, their stay may take days, weeks or even months. 4.0 Environmental Analysis 4.1 Safety and security Singapore recently ranked 2nd out of 99 in a law study. It also ranks top ten in terms of its civil justice systems (WJP Rule of Law Index, 2014). The republic has praised by the World Justice Project for having low crime rates, political violence and high confidence in its law enforcers. This gives tourists a sense of safety and security when they are in Singapore which will further increase the popularity and preference of Singapore as a tourist location giving rise in the numbers of tourist who will contribute to increase consumption of goods and services in the country. 4.2 Clean and Green City Singapore is globally renowned to be a clean and green metropolitan city that is known to be of low pollution levels. Also attractions like Gardens by the Bay strives to attract more people to choose Singapore as a tourist location by attempting to create a city surrounded by gardens capturing the essence of a tropical garden city Singapore in an attempts to attract and increase the numbers of eco-tourists(Gardens by the Bay, 2014). 5.0 Conclusion The positive contributions and economic impacts of tourism supports and maintain many jobs and is also expected to create more jobs and further contribute to the country’s GDP in future, therefore Singapore’s government should implement policies and take a more proactive approach to boost the tourism industry. Actions should be taken to spruce up bridges like the Cavanagh Bridge which is part of Singapore River’s historical structures (Zaccheus, 2014). They should also continue their efforts to organize events like the F1 Grand Prix, constantly improving the facilities of the Changi airport while making plans to capture and become a first class cruise tourism market by ensuring swift completion of the Marina Bay Cruise Centre as that market is expected to see a growth of up to 3.8 million passenger by the year 2020 (Kaur, 2014). Lastly further efforts and investments to improve medical facilities in Health City Novena should also be taken in order to attract more medical tourists and also benefit the locals (Straitstimes.com, 2014c). Once these recommendations are implemented, Singapore should be able to attract more tourist and experience the positive economic impacts that the tourism industry can offer.