Managing the Politics of Innovation and sustainability

Question: Discuss about the Managing the Politics of Innovation and sustainability. Answer: The interface has incorporated unique methods of innovations in the designing process to achieve goals and make closed loop products. The methods they use include biomimicry, life cycle assessment, and dematerialization. By employing such methods as the biomimicry a methods which have been utilized to come up with manageable solutions and the interface formerly had got two successful innovations. Life cycle assessment generally evaluates the impacts of a product and process of manufacture from a raw material, production, packaging, use and finally disposal. Each stage is monitored, and the results allow the Interface identify areas with most significant effects. The interface also uses the same material more efficiently to manufacture their products to reduce material and extraction costs (Schepers, 2014, pp. 91-100). These paper will look into details how to manage sustainability with the interfaces in the current ever changing world. The interface has the interest of people at heart. It acknowledges and human rights and believes in human dignity and freedom. It also respects the laws put in place in regarding human rights in countries it operates. The interface also follows to the latter the labor standards that are put in place. It equally condemns child labor and in that matter does not employ children. Employees have freedom of association, and there is no discrimination. Interface subscribes to the sound ethical practices and business conducts set by the government. The culture of the company is defined by the employees galvanized by a shared vision of sustainability. A mission dubbed "Mission Zero" was initiated by employees, and they are working to change the business and the local community (Crane, Matten, 2016). References Crane, A., Matten, D. (2016).Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press. Schepers, . (2014). Managing the politics of innovation and sustainability. Journal of public affairs 15(1), 91-100.

International Business †Superdry in India and China

Introduction Super Group Plc is a UK based retailing firm constituting of three brands; Superdry, 77 Breed and Surf Co California. The Super Group apparel takes its inspiration from the Japanese culture of designs and vintage American for its styling and thus provides a very unique manufacture that is targeted to wide demographics.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Business – Superdry in India and China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company further provides shoes, accessories and bags. The brand was formed in 1985 in London by Julian Dunkerton and started operations as a cult store in Cheltenham (The Telegraph 2011). It gained popularity with the celebrity endorsement by David Beckham and since then has expanded its operations in terms of standalone stores, cult and concessions, UK wholesale and e-commerce. It has expanded internationally through franchising and license in 40 countries including Japan, Belgium, France, USA and Australia and in 85 stores through its online operations. It has a total of 39 outlets in the UK and Ireland and has 60 concessions and standalone stores in the House of Fraser throughout the country. It is also listed in the London Stock Exchange (Superdry Group Plc 2011). Evaluation of Country Information The two countries chosen for an evaluation based on further expansion of Super Dry are India and China as both of these countries are emerging in terms of economics and the textile industry is significant contributor to the GDP in both the countries (Emme 2006). In case of India, the textile industry is the major sector of the economy; it accounts for 14% of the total industrial production and contributes 20% to the total exports and 5% to the GDP. It is also one of the largest employers of the economy, employing 38 million people in the country hence there is great potential in the Indian industry for further growth and development as it is one of the emerging economies (Balasubramanyam 2005). Although the Indian industry is plagued with bureaucracy and obsolete infrastructure in many cases and the investment is still limited to meet a global retail demand. However, the textile industry has evolved over time to become one of the most efficient industries in the world today, offering shorter production cycles, greater flexibility, greater value addition and a greater customization (Balasubramanyam 2005). The sourcing agents and the retailers have a greater propensity and willingness to invest. The country is inclined towards more efficient use of information technology and business process outsourcing making its supply chains more integrated and coordinated. It offers a complete vertical integration of the apparel manufacturing process, from the growing cotton and final tailoring of the ready garments.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More India a has a population of 1.1 billion with a large segment of young population with purchasing power and an acceptance for new western trends and fashion styles. At the same time, there exists a cultural diversity in India whereby there are 15 different national languages and the dialect varies from state to state. This presents a complex market situatin where the target market is fragmented and thus a consolidated expansion may not be the most appropriate answer. Organized retailing in India accounts for only 3% of the market, although this is lower than that of China at 20% but it represents under capacity utilization which means there is room for further development in this sector. There are 100 shopping malls in India today, as per the data of 2006 (Teck-Yong 2010). China is the leading exporter of textiles with the market share of more than 10% whereas India is third largest exporter with the market share of 4%. China’s population is on a de creasing trend owing to its one child policy thus it does not have a young population as large as India’s (Balasubramanyam 2005). The introduction of market system in China in 1970’s has changed the economic structure of the Chinese markets and industries; textile and apparel industry provides a similar example of these changes. â€Å"It has the largest apparel industry in the world which employs more than 3.9 million of the workforce and had 47,000 establishments in the year 1995. Chinese apparel production amounted to 9.685 billion garments (in units) and total apparel exports stood at a value of approximately US$24billion† (Gu 1999). Textile exports in china accounted for 29.38% of the total Chinese exports in 1994, soon after the economic reforms were implementing. This suggests the importance this sector receives. Although this number has reduced over time as China has expanded its markets incorporating a greater amount of electronic and other household ite ms, textile and apparel industries continue to be important in bringing foreign currency into the country. As per the 2008 data, Chinese textile industry valued 65.406 billion USD, an increase of 16.6% from the year 2007. However, the textile exports have shown a relative decline despite the tax rebates that were adjusted twice after the second half of 2008 (Gu 1999). A major chunk of this production accounts for foreign exports and thus made from imported fabric and cloth. Aimed at a mass a mass market, it has relatively less product differentiation and offers low prices. However, it has strategically divided its operations in production of high quality, high fashion international brands.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Business – Superdry in India and China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It thus has an extensive and advanced distribution systems and outsourcing agents. 80% of U.S. impor ts from china are transported through the use of intermediary trade. Apart from being a characteristic of immense significance, this also poses a threat to the Chinese export market as it hampers the accurate assessment impossible (Emme 2006). Furthermore, the sewing industry also experiences external economies of scale as much of it is concentrated along the coastal region making it easier for transportation and communication from its international markets hence it provides infrastructure to facilitate rapidly increasing international trade in apparel. However, on the other hand, the labour costs in China are increasing as well as the currency appreciation poses an inflationary pressure on the raw material procurement. These rising costs have resulted in a more dispersed sewing and apparel industry whereby many of the producers have moved to inland locations to benefit from cheap labor and raw material. This makes it a less attractive market for further expansion of Super Dry as co mpared to India where the labour costs are extremely low facilitated by a cheaper currency (International Labor Organization 1996-2011). Thus based on the above data evaluation, India is a more promising industry for further expansion and should be evaluated further. This is because although China is more developed in its operations, intermediaries and supportive infrastructure, it enjoys economies of scale but India still has a gap that can be filled with external investments. This vacuum can be filled with similar international expansions as it has the capacity to produce further, promoting the strategic aims of our expansion. PESTLE Analysis of India and China as possible markets for expansion Based on Michael Porter’s Pestle framework, we will now deduce the key external factors that we will have to consider to support the decision of further expansion of Superdry. Following are the most important factors, affecting this particular strategy: Political and Legal The Indian government introduced the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) in India that aimed to increase India’s Global textile market share. It has invested more than $11billion from 2000 to 2005 to increase the cotton production by 57% over five years. Further, Vision 2010, aimed to achieve export value of $50 billion for textiles growth in the economy. These steps have enabled it to promote investment and growth in this sector (Jing 2010). So if Superdry is to expand in India, it will benefit from favorable government policies and regulations.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, Chinese textile industry also receives political and government support, but has experienced a persistent decline after the financial year 2008. The government passed the Revitalization Plans for the Textile Industry in 2009 which aimed at supporting the recovery of the textile industry from a downfall which imitated in 2008. Export rebates have also been increased and adjusted several times to stimulate the industry (Jing 2010). Economic The textile industry in India is operating below its capacity at 3% thus has room for further growth. There are fewer barriers to entry as the industry does not benefit from external economies of scale as does the Chinese apparel and textile industry. The increasing population and purchasing power in India is also a positive indicator of Superdry expansion. The Indian government in injecting significant amounts of money and providing support programmes for the industry growth. The tax rates are lower and so are the wages. The ava ilability of cheap labor is the most significant advantage Superdry will benefit from in India and the abundance of cotton resources makes it a feasible location (Jing 2010). Social The Indian society is rapidly adapting the western culture; the spread of western style clothing including jeans and t-shirts is common. English enjoys the importance as of the official language. The Indian lifestyle has evolved itself, creating more opportunities for international brand expansion. The population constitutes mostly of youth and Superdry is mostly targeted to that demographics. Youth is more prone to adaptation of western lifestyles and luxury consumption. Also, research shows that luxury consumption has increased in India since 2001; the extended family structure in India provides individuals with greater purchasing power as compared to china where members of the households usually earn for themselves and immediate family only. The Indian consumers are at the â€Å"show-off† stage of consuming international brands thus acquiring apparel from international brand is a status boost for average Indian consumer. Although Superdry, unlike other competitors like French Connection does not have a catchy logo, instead its logo is the unique prprostion as it is flexible in terms of writing, yet Indian society still likes to acquire international brands a sign of prestige (Teck-Yong 2010). Environmental Both India and China are amongst the emerging economies highly dependent on high- carbon fossil fuels and thus carbon emission in these two countries is considerably high. These â€Å"energy giants† require substantial energy to fuel a growing populations as well as a rapidly developing economy. The Chinese electricity consumption is expected to grow further and Beijing is heavily dependent on coal energy resources. It will incur very high fixed costs to expand Superdry in China as it would require a major structural change in order to introduce an environmentall y friendly production method of production while on the other hand, India has a vacuum and less production levels, it does not enjoy economies of scale yet. Thus these changes can be introduced with less costs incurred (Frauke 2009). SWOT Analysis of Chinese and Indian Textile Industry Based on the external environmental audit, the following opportunities and threats have been identified while the company analysis has enabled to identify the following strengths and weaknesses, useful in decision making for international expansion. SWOT Analysis of Chinese Textile Industry STRENGTHS Government has extended its fullest support to the industry by lower taxes, providing credit and easy access to foreign markets. Country has ample human and labour resources. Coordination between industry and financial institutions has allowed the industry to see great potential over the years. Worldwide acceptance of textile products produced by China. THREATS Restrictions under certain clauses of WTO still can be a threat to the Chinese textile products. Competition from developing countries such as Cambodia, India, Vietnam etc. could have adverse affect on the demand for Chinese products. WEAKNESSES There is a lack of strict intellectual property rights. Small and medium enterprises face difficulties to make entry into highly competitive market. The industry is still considered to be fragmented and much more effort is required. Technology being used in the industry requires revamping and high levels of investment may be required which could be difficult to achieve as the global economic conditions are uncertain. OPPORTUNITIES Textile liberation and expected abolition of export quotas can help the Chinese Textile industry. Foreign investment and cooperation will continue to play an important role in the Chinese textile industry as more and more brands and companies are shifting their production houses to China. financial institutions has allowed the industry to see great po tential over the years. Worldwide acceptance of textile products produced by China. Figure 1: SWOT Analysis of Chinese Textile Industry SWOT Analysis of Indian Textile Industry STRENGTHS Strong cotton base Cheap Labor Strong entrepreneurial class Flexibility in production and design Presence of intermediaries to serve as third party logistics Ability to handle value additions, embellishments etc. Good â€Å"cultural† comfort with US and Europe. Growing market for fashionable Western apparel Increased population Growing use of information technology THREATS Trade blocs and partnerships at the exclusion of India Location disadvantage: long transit time to key markets. Projected to have increased carbon emission by 2020, decreasing its popularity as a key investment opportunity Enhances competition from other countries similarly constrained by quotas Pricing pressure, following opening up of quotas. WEAKNESSES Poor work practices resulting in higher labor cost component i n many staple garments, in spite of low labor costs. Rigid government labor policy and lack rationalization of duties in MMF. High transaction and power cost. Too much emphasis on cotton, synthetic fiber base not equally developed. Fabric/processing still to gear up to meet international standards. Technological obsolescence and lower efficiencies. Lack of strong linkages between raw material supplier and the apparel manufacturer. Highly fragmented markets, unit production capacities very low in international standards. OPPORTUNITIES Quotas carried on in China after 2005. Good political equation with EU and US. Improvements in infrastructure and regulations Research and product development Buyers preferences for India, after China Understanding buyer needs because of language advantage Figure 2: SWOT Analysis of Indian Textile Industry India has significantly lower raw material costs, wastage costs and labor costs when compared to other countries as estimated India’s labo r costs to be amongst the lowest as $3 a day (www.labour.nic.in) whereas in China its $18 a day (International Labor Organization 1996-2011). India can offer flexibility in manufacturing as it is largely a fragmented market with average scale of operations smaller than that of China, meaning India has greater capacity to offer variations and postponement in design at the later stages of production. This facilitates mass customization as well helps to bridge the gap between mass customization and repetitive methods of production. India has fully developed textile value chain extending from fiber to fabric to garment exports. The capability across the entire value chain within the country is an advantage as it reduces the lead-time for production and cuts down the intermediate shipping time, which means a shorter through put and hence loyal clientele (Balasubramanyam 2005). India has large growing domestic market, as the disposable income level is increasing as well as consumer awaren ess and propensity to spend. General consumer mindset is changing that led to increased consumption of personal care and lifestyle products that again offer great growth opportunities for companies across various sectors including textiles. Further, the increasing preference for Western style apparel, including silhetous and leather jackets etc will make the market very receptive to the new brand (Teck-Yong 2010). India has built adequate infrastructure throughout the various stages in textile development, that is, design, sourcing, merchandising and production that enable companies for quality product design and development (Emme 2006). Despite a large and growing market, the presence of large number of small-scale players makes the Indian textile industry highly competitive. The high level of competition in the textile industry makes the firm to work efficiently by increasing productivity and innovation which results in manufacturers focusing on quality improvements, cost reductio n and high productivity. Quality can be ensured at all levels of production through a trained and motivated workforce. While at the same time, external pressures of environmental controls is likely to result in its conformance with the environmental regulations, which will also precisely mean a reduced popularity of Indian market as an investment opportunity (Balasubramanyam 2005). Porter’s Diamond Analysis for Chinese Textile Market China supports lucrative affairs. China has advanced international relations, expanding economy and effective government reforms, and these all factors support the textile companies to expand their businesses in China. The Chinese Textile Industry promotes structure adjustments and actively upgrade international and domestic markets and resources to provide a rapid and constant growth. The textile industry of China has always been one of the conventional pillar industries of the country. According to Chinese Council of International Trade,  "The outputs of Chinese cotton yarn, cotton cloth, woolen cloth, silk, chemical fiber and clothing have topped the world, and the export of clothing has been holding the first ranking in the world for many years†(CCPIT 2007). Porter’s Diamond Analysis for Indian Textile Industry Figure 3: Porter’s Diamond Analysis Indian textile industry Textile industry is a strong base for Superdry expansion as it has abundant cotton resources, cheap labor; wage rates are considerably lower than in the rest of the world and most importantly, the communicating is easy as most of the population is familiar and fluent with the use of English (Teck-Yong 2010). The industry is strengthened by government policies that allow greater opportunities in domestic and international market. Abundant raw material availability helps industry to control costs and reduce the lead-time across the operation. Low cost and skilled manpower availability provides competitive advantage to industry. L arge varieties of cotton fiber are available in large quantities and have a fast growing synthetic fiber industry. Government subsidies and export promotions in the industry create high growth potential and would provide Superdry incentives to enter and grow in India market. Hence there are fewer barriers to entry, as government promotes investments in this sector through extended credit terms and a subsidy of 10% with reimbursements of 5% as shown in the figure above (Emme 2006). India is also amongst the greatest users of information technology and benefits from an efficient flow of information throughout its production processes, making its supply chains integrated and coordinated. India’s strong performance and growth in the textiles sector is aided by several key advantages that the country enjoys, in terms of easy availability of labor and material, afloat and large market demand, presence of supporting industries and supporting policy initiatives from the government. T he textile industry is undergoing a major reorientation towards non-clothing applications of textiles such â€Å"as technical textiles like thermal protection and blood-absorbing materials, seatbelts, adhesive tape and multiple other specialized products and applications† (Kasturi 2010). Key Strategic Organizational Issues The form of business for Superdry would be a private limited company and the company will have a divisional structure of hierarchy. This division will be by geographic reach. Figure 4: Proposed Organizational Chart As shown in the organizational chart above, Superdry has many divisions and thus follows a multidivisional structure. Thus the span of control can be altered but the flow of information will be hindered because of a vast structure and hierarchy. Apart from this, operations concerns may also exist in the Indian division as just in time production methods may be difficult to employ. Firm must decide if it wants its supply chain to be responsive or efficient and will have to employ infrastructure to facilitate the strategic goals. Political risks and location of major markets will also be a concern for the firm (Kasturi 2010). Human resource issues include assessing the staffing needs and costs for adopting alternative strategies, motivating employees and developing a strategy supportive culture which would induce employees to support Superdry’s strategic goals. Research and development issues include hiring the trained and qualified employees to shorten the product life cycles by technological improvements in the products. It is a challenge to implement a well formulated RD plan. However, as the information technology is taking an up surge in India, this process is likely to be less difficult (Kasturi 2010). Information collection and retrieval is of immense importance for the firms and can be a determining factor for firms to gain competitive advantage. Efficient flow of information not only develops a coordinated an d integrated distribution networks and supply chains but also considerably reduces inventory costs and enhanced quality (Paul 2001). Recommendations Superdry must implement strategies from an environmental perspective as India is amongst the top countries emitting the highest carbon foot prints. Hence it could conduct regular environmental audits, offer bonuses for favorable environmental results, and provide environmental training to the employees and managers. It should invest in cross training for its employees in order to gain a competitive edge over its rivals in the form of better operations management. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) should be introduced in the Indian division, to motivate the employees in developing a strategy supportive culture. The employees will be more inclined towards maintaining the quality standards and performance benchmarks of Superdry Group Plc. The RD should be centralized in the head quarter in order to align the business activities more closely to the organizational objectives and in order to mitigate the conflict that may arise between different departments or divisions. Information systems should encourage direct communication between all production agents. PDA’s, retrieval systems, material requirement planning should all be used to gain efficiency in inventory management, cross docking and management. The organization should be relatively flat, allowing for a two way communication between the employees and the top management. This will facilitate a better understanding of the workforce culture in a new country that will further. List of References Balasubramanyam, N.V., 2005. Textiles and Clothing Exports from India and China: A Comparative Analysis. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies. 3(1), pp. 23-37. Emme, Kozloff P., 2006. India’s Textile Industry; Asia’s Second Sleeping Giant. Bernstien Research. Frauke, Urban., 2009. Climate- Change Mitigation Revisited: Carbon Energy T ransmissions for China and India. Development Policy Review. 693-715. Gu, Qingliang, 1999. The Development of China Apparel Industry. Harvard Centre of Textile and Apparel Research. International Labour Organization., 2011. Statistics and Databases. Web. Jing, Ma., 2010. On Trade Barriers to China’s Textile Industry.International Journal of Business and Management. Kasturi, Das., 2010. Prospects and Challenges of Geographical Indications in India. The Journal of World Intellectual Property. 13, pp. 148-201. Paul, Joyce., 2001. Strategic Management. Great Britain: Bookcraft (CPI Group). Superdry Group Plc., Super Group Plc. 2011. Web. Teck-Yong, Eng., 2010. Psychological and Cultural Insights into Consumption of luxury Western Brands in India. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 9 (1), pp. 55-75. The Telegraph., August 27, 2011. How Superdry became 2010’s  £1bn fashion success story. Web. Appendix: Reflection The research has allowed the researcher to explore different asp ects of evaluating a business decision to expand in the international market. Selecting a target country requires a detailed and comprehensive investigation of the conditions prevailing in that market and what factors could determine the faith of the future of the project that is being considered for expansion. Different models and strategies have been developed and their detailed discussions are available in different books, articles and published reports. These models include PESTEL, SWOT, and Porter Diamond Model which have been used in this report. These models provide an opportunity to explore the target market by carrying out micro and macro level analysis. By considering external factors prevailing in the industry and evaluating company’s own capabilities and challenges to deal with these factors, these models thus provide a good way of understanding the market mechanism. The information to be collected for completion of these models and their analysis can come from di fferent sources including primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are more appropriate where the company aims to acquire first hand information which is not available through any other already existing source. However, this requires careful planning and investment to ensure that the purpose of primary research is achieved in the best possible manner over a period of time. Most of the academic business reports including the one presented above make use of secondary sources which could include books, journals, articles, reports, websites, and published research papers etc. Various secondary sources have been explored for acquiring information for completion of different parts of this report. Overall, the report writing project has been a challenging one which did require a significant amount of reading and then summarizing the findings in the most appropriate to form a case for India being more suitable for the expansion, as it has abundant cotton resources, cheap labor; wage r ates are considerably lower than in the rest of the world. An expansion of Superdry in India more profitable as apparel industry requires a greater level of customization in terms of color, size and fit as the nature of the business is variable and diversified. Further, India’s cheap currency will make it a profitable place for Super Dry to expand its operations as its exports will become cheaper and the cost of production will also be cheaper as compared to the Chinese Yuan. So Super Dry can have exposure to a more diversified set of capabilities and skills in terms of diligent workforce and an aggressive increase in the thrust for investments. This report on International Business – Superdry in India and China was written and submitted by user Noelle Vance to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Erich Maria Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front essays

Erich Maria Remarque All Quiet on the Western Front essays The famous novel All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque relates the terrible experience of the First World War, its disasters and cruelty, from the perspective of a nineteen year old soldier, called Paul Bamer, who fights on the front accompanied by his former schoolmates. The war is described in all its absurdity, as a crashing experience for a human being and the very title of the novel speaks about the most terrible aspect of the war- human life itself is the target of the war and thus, it becomes meaningless. The death and the lives of the thousands of people that fight in the war are unimportant in the face of the political conflict. The war is seen as a trespassing against human condition itself because the experience is unendurable and devastating for all of its participants. Almost all the characters of novel whom we become acquainted with die, but death is not the only absurdity of the war. First of all, as the characters discuss it themselves the war is absurd as a strategy for resolving a political conflict, since the people that actually die on the front in the savage experience are, for their most part, ordinary people that do not have the chance to give their opinion or take part in the conflict, and also because of fact that the war is usually the absurd and exaggerated result of a misunderstanding caused by the different politics of two nations, of which neither is completely right: Apart from its absurd causes the war has even more absurd consequences on the lives of all those involved. As the terrible experiences of Paul and his comrades are presented, all the friends of Paul, and at the end he himself die, but this is not the only consequence. The novel is intentionally related from the subjective point of view of one character, instead of merely presenting objectively the series of deaths and slaughters that take place on the western front. Seeing through the eyes of Paul we ...

The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss

The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss The Protruding and Dominant Meanings of Boss By Mark Nichol Boss has two distinct meanings, and though one might seem to be able to draw a connection between them- they both refer to something that stands out among others- they have different etymological origins. The earlier, and less prevalent, meaning is â€Å"protuberance,† from a Latin word of uncertain origin by way of the Old French term boce, meaning â€Å"swelling.† The word usually pertains to the protruding central component of a shield, which helped the bearer ward off blows from an opponent. The derived verb emboss and adjective embossed, formed by the attachment of a prefix meaning â€Å"in† or â€Å"into,† refers to raised ornamentation or inscription in general. Boss also refers to the hub of a propeller, a projecting stone block in a wall or other architectural element, a similar naturally occurring feature in geology, or a pad used in some crafty endeavors such as ceramics and glassmaking. Interestingly, bocle, a variation of the Old French precursor, is also the source of buckle, both a word referring to a ring of metal (or other material) used for fastening or the act of fastening something to it and a word meaning â€Å"bend out of shape,† and buckler, the name of a small, round shield (and the resulting term swashbuckler, referring to a literary genre involving feats of derring-do; the term is perhaps inspired by the image of a buckler-wielding hero). The dominant meaning of boss, that of â€Å"supervisor,† is from the Dutch word baas, meaning â€Å"master† (and possibly originally meaning â€Å"uncle†). The term was used to refer to the person in charge of a Dutch ship. (In English, the technically correct word is master, though it has been largely supplanted by captain.) The adoption of the Dutch term into English may be influenced by the assimilation of Dutch colonies in North America into the British colonies in the 1600s, with the attendant infiltration of Dutch vocabulary into American English, but it also may reflect an effort among Americans after the Revolutionary War to distance themselves from a term used by the English, and later from one that slave owners expected their slaves to use (though some slaves addressed their owners as â€Å"boss† as well). Boss also entered the language as a slang adjective meaning â€Å"excellent.† This first occurred in the late 1800s, but it returned to use in the 1950s and again in the 1970s, in similar usage as a synonym for cool. Another adjectival form is bossy, originally from the sense of â€Å"swelling† and meaning â€Å"projecting† or â€Å"decorated with bosses† but subsequently assigned to the later meaning, referring to someone who is domineering. And although the plodding, stubborn, mooing behavior of cattle may be interpreted as being bossy, that word as an endearing proper name for a cow is unrelated; that term stems from the Latin word bos, meaning â€Å"cow,† from which beef and bovine are derived. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"10 Techniques for More Precise Writing"Wracking" or "Racking" Your Brain?

The cost of shortselling (finance) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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Why is Gun Control a necessary tool to reduce the levels of violence Essay

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Tourism And Economic Growth Of Sri Lanka Tourism Essay 1. Tourism is a good business in modern world to attract foreign currencies and it gives a large number of occupations to the people. Modern tourist industry develops with various requirement or purposes of tourists like pleasure, business, education requirement, research and many some more other visit foreign countries during their vacations or winter seasons of their native countries. Because they expect to reduce their expenses and difficulties due to seasonal changes. 2. Thailand, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Maldives and Indonesia are the most famous tourist destinations in modern world. Sri Lanka is also a world famous tourist destination and known as a Paradise Island in the world. Country size, geographical variation, climatic condition, cultural and heritage sites, natural environment and tourists expenses are the key facts to attract tourists to the country. 3. But this paradise Island suffered with a thirty years conflict situation and during that time tourist industry collapsed. Tourists rejected this Island with conflict environment because there have been many explosions in Colombo and suburban areas. As well most states labeled this country as non tourism destination for safer visits. As a result most tourists were attracted to other destinations like Fuket Island, Maldives and Thailand. 4. Tourist industry of Sri Lanka regenerated after the end of crisis environment of the country and started a new economic development programme since 2009. Giant infrastructure resources invested to boost the economy of the country. This miracle was started after the dawn under sustainable peace and political environment of the country. Foreign money is very important for these developments because economy development highly expects to attract foreign currencies under many ways like Foreign Direct investments, Aid, foreign occupations, tourism and loan facilities. 5. Sri Lanka is expecting to develop this country as a major tourist destination in Asia. Sri Lanka has various opportunities to achieve that goal like pleasure tourism, eco tourism, cultural and heritage sites, religious base tourism, business, education and facilitator as a centre of international transportations. But tourism sector need wide range resources and facilities to develop that as the main economic sector contributor. Present infrastructure development programme concerns to develop tourist sector requirements like international standard roads, hotels, urban areas, aviation and harbor sector developments. 6. International tourism is a giant business because it consists with large number of services and requirements. Tourists visit to take new experiences and pleasure from their visits. They do not expect complex legal procedures and restrictions from their destination places. In contrast tourist industry gains some big troubles to host country as sexually transmitted diseases, illegal drugs and social challenges. Therefore Sri Lanka needs to concern balance economic development through tourism in the future. AIM 7. The aim of this paper is to discuss the development of tourism industry and its contribution to develop the economy of Sri Lanka. IMPORTANCE AS A TOURIST DESTINATION 8. Tourist destination needs stronger opportunities to attract tourism easily because tourists expect different environments than their home or states. Natural splendour, scenic beauty, tropical climatic condition and historical sites increased the value of this island to tourists in all over the world. Also they can travel from different climatic conditions within 3 to 4 hours travel from any part of the country with the geographical size of the island. These factors are gaining additional value to their tours and to Sri Lanka to improvise tourism and countrys development. NATURAL VALUES OF SRI LANKA 9. Sri Lanka is a humid tropical island lying in the South Asian region to southwest of the Indian peninsula in the Indian Ocean. When considering the geography and topography of the island three height levels or erosion levels are recognized by their height and slope features. The first level is the largest of the three and extends from sea level to 270m above mean sea level. The Uplands or the second level extends from 270m to 900m above mean sea level and the Highlands or third level at 900 to 2420m. These height levels illustrated very valuable scenic beauty and climatic difference to the country. Most tourists attract this variation and they enjoying with these values during their visits. 10. The island has also been divided into four climatic zones based on rainfall. The Dry zone occupies less 60 per cent of the total land area of the country. Its annual rainfall is between 1250-1900 mm and its mean annual temperature ranges 27 to 30Â °C. It is characterized by monsoon forests and thorn scrublands. The Wet zone which covers approximately 23 per cent of the total land area, receives a rainfall of 2500-5000 mm per year. It consists of lowland evergreen forests, montane rain forests and semi evergreen rain forests. 11. The transition zone between the above two zones is known as the Intermediate zone where the annual rainfall varies between 1900-2500 mm. The two semi-arid zones in the South-east and North-west receive less than 1250 mm of rainfall per year. Climatic difference made wider environmental difference in the country. Therefore tourists can visit various natural environments with high variation of biodiversities. 12. Another most important natural value for tourism industry development is land portion of Sri Lanka because our motherland is small in size with only 65,610 square kilometers of land. Its significant variation in climate, topography and soil properties has given rise to a striking variety of forest types. It provide habitats for a wide diversity of faunal and floral species. In fact Sri Lanka is one of the eight Hottest Hotspots out of the 25 Biodiversity Hotspots of international significance and is ranked among the highest in Asia in terms of biodiversity per unit area. Tourist can visit through these environments because Sri Lanka provides enough facilities to watch sanctuaries, wildlife parks and forest reservoir areas after taking appropriate permissions to visits. This is a big experience for tourists because they can take most natural experiences from this tiny island. 13. Fifteen floristic regions have been recognized within the country and these diverse habitats have given rise to a corresponding wide range of natural vegetations including forests like Tropical wet evergreen forests, Tropical moist semi-evergreen forests, Tropical dry mixed evergreen forests, Tropical thorn forests, Savannahs, Riverine forests, Tropical lower Montana forests and Tropical Montana or cloud forests, grasslands, Dry Montana grasslands, Lowland grasslands, Wet villu grasslands, inland wetlands and coastal and marine habitats. Such natural values enhance the value of the country and this island world famous as one of the natural treasure of the world. HERITAGE VALUES 14. Sri Lanka is a rich country with heritage values with over 2500 years modern history and millions of years pre historic era. Most cultural and heritage values developed in the country with the influence of Buddhism and Hinduism. Sri Lanka consisted with big treasure of heritage sites and ancient constructions like Load Buddhas statues, stupas, tanks, other statues, wall paintings, cave paintings, stone carvings and religious places. Sri Lanka provides facilities to visit these heritage sites and tourists can take interesting experiences from these tours. 15. Tourists can visit ancient kingdoms like Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Sigiriya and Kandy. As well Sri Lanka has number of colonial era constructions and architecture in various places and they can also see indigenous groups and their life styles if they travel to Dambana areas. Sri Pada or Adams peak, Anuradhapura Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi and Temple of Tooth relic are most important religious places of Sri Lanka and tourists can visits all these places with their interests. CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL VALUES 16. Sri Lanka is a multi ethnic country and world most popular religious groups are living in the country. Therefore they can take experiences about the cultural and traditional differences of these communities. They can take experiences about customary food of Sri Lankans like rice and curry, hoppers, milk rice, roti, string hoppers, pittu, and kottu. They can take these experiences much easily because most local restaurants, hotels and smaller hotels provide wide range food for everyone. Furthermore tourist can buy any other cuisine from most tourist restaurants and hotels with their interests. 17. Sri Lankans celebrate various religious and cultural festivals throughout the year therefore tourists can take these experiences with seasonal celebrations like Sinhala and tamil new year, Wesak, posson and Esala festival, Christmas and new year celebrations when they visit to Sri Lanka. Esala procession and various other processions can be seen in Sri Lanka and it gains good experience for tourists because they can watch these cultural and traditional events without any payments. OTHER ENTERTAINMENTS 18. Visit to Sri Lanka provide various entertainment opportunities to tourists. They can enjoy their holidays with various attractive things like beach parties, club parties, music, bright sunshine, sea bathing and Ayurvedic treatments. Furthermore they can visit to watch whales, corals, diving events, boat trips, elephant orphanage, zoological and botanical garden. Tourist can visit to local shopping and they have opportunities to buy various attractive things like gems, handicrafts, dresses, duty free equipments and most local market items like fresh fruits, meats, fish, instant food and packet items. TOURIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES AND EFFECTIVENESS TO ECONOMIC GROWTH 19. Tourism industry is still developing after crisis environment. But large number of tourists attracted to this country after the crisis environment in 2009. Therefore tourist industry is boosted again with high potential in income ways and infrastructure development ways. Tourism sector development helped to develop countrys economy and economic development rate and it represents as a major foreign currency earning way of the country. a. Earn Foreign Money. Tourism sector directly helps to flow foreign money into the country. Tourism industry is a giant foreign income way because we can earn foreign money through providing tourist sector services to the guests and sale other type of goods and services to them. Sri Lanka earned over 213 million US dollars in 2001 from direct tourist sector services and it increase as 350 million US dollars in 2009 and 575 million US dollars income in 2010 and 645 million US dollars income in 2011. b. Develop Local Business and Tourist Sector Facilities. Tourist sector facilities also developed after the war. Large number of hotels and restaurants were closed and others depended with very low incomes during past two decades. Sri Lankan tourist sector survived in 2001 with 414 accommodations places included with 13,626 room facilities. This environment increased up to 783 accommodations with 14,714 rooms in 2010. This development helped to boost countrys economy as well we could provide food, spa services and other essential facilities to tourists through this industry and developed all these sectors during past few years. c. Attract Foreign Direct Investments. From the end of 2008 Sri Lankan economy displayed some positive attitudes again after few years. The FDIs inflow to the country in 2010 reveals that about 59 percent came into infrastructure development projects, manufacturing sector attracted 30.9 percent, service sector attracted 8.6 percent included with 2.7 for tourist sector and agriculture sector attracted 1.3 percent. China invest a large amount of financial in Sri Lankan land in tourism sector and Sri Lanka expects US dollor1.5 billion foreign direct investments through its first tourist city project. d. New Job Opportunities. Tourist industry consisted of wider job opportunities to Sri Lanka as direct and indirect job opportunities. This sector includes hotel field job opportunities, spa and saloon, guide and field services and transport sector job opportunities. Employment in tourist industry is represented 80,904 persons in 2001 and it increased up to 134,250 in 2011. Category 2001 2010 2011 Accommodations for Tourist 414 783 824 Employment of tourist Industry 80 904 132 055 134 250 Gross Tourist receipts (US dollars Million) 213 575 645 Annual room occupation rate (per cent) 42.1 70.1 71.8 Table 1: Tourism sector development 2001 to 2011. Source: Annual report 2011, Central Bank of Sri Lanka. TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AT PRESENT 20. Tourist industry has re-emerged after two decades under peaceful environment. Now most countries have removed their barriers for their citizens to visit Sri Lanka and they accept the present environment in Sri Lanka as an ideal country for tourism. Most tourist sector magazines and websites guaranteed our security environment and tourist sector services. As a result 654,476 tourists visited Sri Lanka during the year 2010 and it increased up to 855,975 arrivals in 2011. The tourist arrival has increased by 30.8 percent in 2011 than year 2010. 21. Nearly 85,874 tourists have visited in January 2012 and this trend continued until April 2012. Large numbers of tourists have arrived to Sri Lanka from European nations. They have been elected this country for their seasonal vacations after a very long time. Most of them highly appreciate about our hospitality, accommodations, our charges and new innovations in the industry. Sri Lanka could earn 830.3 million US dollar income through tourism industry in year 2012 and expect to increase tourist arrivals up to 1 million in this year. 22. Around 78.9 per cent of tourists arrived Sri Lanka to spend their holidays and most of them represent the middle income earners. Therefore, they spend little for additional purposes than their major purposes. Nearly 12.7 per cent visited Sri Lanka for business requirements and 5.4 per cent visited to met their relations and pals. Most tourists visit Sri Lanka to take more opportunities in visiting sites and engage in entertainments under effective budget. They have been attracted by our Ayurvedic treatments and spa services because they have to pay large amount in their countries for such services. Item 2001 2005 2010 2011 Tourist arrival for pleasure 300,545 382,321 516,538 Tourist arrival for business 22, 677 92,879 83,270 Tourist arrivals for other 13,572 74,108 54,668 Total Tourist arrivals 336,794 549,308 654,476 855,975 Table2: Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka from 2001-2011. Source: Annual report 2011, Central Bank of Sri Lanka. GOVERNMENT EFFORT 23. Sri Lankan government has identified the requirements of tourist sector developments and has given priority to develop this country as a tourist destination. Under this programme the government has provided various facilities to tourists, tourist sector entrepreneurs and employees. Government has given much stronger support to these programme because it can use as major income of the country. a. Government has arranged giant hotel development programmes and attracted world largest hotel sector entrepreneurs to the country. b. Introduced new tourist destinations like Nilaweli, Arugam bay, Mirissa and reopened Kumana and other sanctuaries to tourists. c. Conducted international level promotion campaign to give publicity about Sri Lanka. This program conducted through diplomatic relationships. This programme was named as Visit Sri Lanka. d. Government has launched urban development programmes to construct major cities of the country to enhance tourism. These projects enhance the infrastructure facilities, tourist information premises, standard accommodations, leisure areas and important places of the each region. 24. Sri Lanka Tourist Board and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority are operating under the authority of Ministry of Tourism and these organizations helped to develop tourism in the country. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority was formed under Section 2 of the Tourism ACT. SLTDA has provided several facilities to develop tourism in Sri Lanka. Ministry of tourism organized programmes to protect tourist industry and national values of the country with: a. All tourist sector services registered under the Tourist board and arranged limitations and standardization methods to enhance accommodations, restaurant, transportation and tourist guide facilities of the country. b. Manage and maintain tourist development programmes with the support of ministry of cultural and heritage. c. Banned illegal drugs, prostitutions and some alcohols in the environment of tourism industry. Sri Lanka police provide essential service and support to this program. Sri Lanka police has established special police unit to handle tourism related cases of the country. d. Tourist Board and Municipal Councils maintain Tourist information centers in all major cities of the island. 25. Sri Lanka expects to enhance tourism industry as the main contributor of our economy. Therefore we expect to attract 2.5 million tourists in 2016 and it will use to develop the economy of the country. Most infrastructures development projects help to enhance tourism sector of the country. Today our road network upgraded as international levels and local aviation systems also started to provide good service to tourists. Sri Lanka Air force and civil aviation authority provide good service to boost this programme. CHALLENGES AND THREATS FOR FUTURE TOURISM 26. Tourist industry of the country is developing with a rapid growth rate at present. Most accommodation and restaurant facilities comprehensively renewed to enhance tourism of the country. But we have been faced several issues in this sector with higher tourists arrivals. Comfortable accommodations and tourist board approved restaurants are not enough to handle the capacity of tourist sector. Number of new hotels and motels are constructing in everywhere of the country but we cant reach the goal in 2016 without expedited programmes in this sector. Our economic development goals are illustrated through these objectives, therefore we should be needed to catch these goals in correct time. 27. New tourist destinations need more accommodations, sanitations and restaurant facilities. Accommodations and restaurant facilities are very poor in northern region and new constructions are going under way. Therefore foreigners still do not visit to these areas. Sri Lanka is a maritime nation and most tourists like to spend in beach areas but our lifeguard services are not enough to provide good security to tourists who use our beaches and sea areas. As well Sri Lanka has beautiful inland water reservoirs but these resources cannot be used by anyone under lack of trainee personalities around those areas. 28. Prostitution and drug usage are other key issues in Sri Lanka. As well some tourists find sexual pleasure during their tours therefore these businesses are secretly arranged in Sri Lankan environment. Gay sexual participation is higher than female prostitutions because this method can be used without major problems under present legal process. Over 40,000 prostitutes and around 150,000 secrete prostitution members engage in this business. 29. Tourism industry is widely spread in most countries and numbers of regional countries provide remarkable facilities to foreigners. Thailand, Maldives, Singapore, Vietnam and India are key competitors in this region and they provide prostitution services to tourists and they have given relatively low cost packages to visitors. But we have faced big issues in this matter because Sri Lankan law enforcement, social environment, religious environment and health environment do not allow for prostitution in this country. Especially HIV infection is widely spread with prostitution, therefore this matter is a big challenge to the Sri Lankan environment. Sexual transmitted diseases and gambling have wide spreaded in tourist destinations and it will expand with new tourist destinations too. 30. Large number of persons engage to this massive business as Tourist guides or transport agents. But most of them engage in this giant industry without any professional qualification and it affected to gain many adverse results to Sri Lanka. This industry need professional persons in many fields like multiple language users, professional chefs, waiters, tourist lecturers and musicians to develop tourism in Sri Lanka. We can earn additional income through our cultural events and Ayurvedic treatments but the problem is most of these sector professionals are very rare in modern environment. SUMMARY 31. Sri Lanka is a great tourism destination and it is popular among Europeans since 12 Century. This industry developed in this country with three key factors like Sri Lanka is an authentic tourist destination, the country is a compact Island of 65610km and biodiversity and heritage spread is in a very widen range than other countries. As well this country is situated in a key position in international naval trade route and it can use to develop tourism industry. 32. Sri Lankan people, culture, spices food, gems, handcrafts, festival features, religious environments and adventure events increase the value for real tourism sector development. Sri Lanka is a key maritime nation and now we need to develop this country as economically developed country. Therefore we need to find suitable income ways and tourism industry is very important for that. Tourists highly interest to visit this island therefore we need to provide essential facilities and effective packages to enhance tourism industry. 33. Past dark years conflict environment adversely affected to tourism industry and it vigorously affected to decline economic development of the country. Sri Lanka survived with agriculture Corps since ancient history but now we need to develop with much stronger economic strategies. Therefore Sri Lanka needs to enhance tourism sector development with proper government mediations. 34. Over 800,000 tourist visited this country in 2011 and it continued in first quarter of 2012. In 2011 Sri Lanka earned 830.3 million US dollars through tourism and government expect to increase up to 1 million tourists visits in 2012. With the current accommodation facilities we can manage this target and now we need suitable expedited programmes to enhance tourist industry infrastructure developments in next two or three years. RECOMMANDATIONS 35. Government should be needed to mediate to solve tourism sector issues, especially in Sri Lanka tourism sector need large number of professionals in each fields. Therefore government should be needed to implement training and development programmes or standardization method to categories tourism sector employees as standard level. 36. Tourist Board can implement training programmes for tourist guides who work as beach boys or guides at present. This programme should be included registration system and need to issue standard identity card for them. This process is helping to increase talented job opportunities and it is effective to enhance the economy of the country. 37. Sri Lanka expects to earn foreign currencies through tourism therefore we need to standardize tourism sector price ranges and service values because tourists expect effective service during their visits. a. We can introduce proper billing method for accommodations. Under this we can implement suitable range of prices for each hotel classes. b. We can introduce proper local taxi services and tourist transport process to enhance countrys transport facilities for tourists. c. Ayurvedi spa services and medical facilities should be need to categories with proper ways. 38. Sri Lanka need 40,000 to 50,000 accommodation facilities to enhance tourism in next few years. Therefore government should be needed to provide additional facilities to attract new local and foreign investment to his sector. 39. Harbor and airport development programmes directly support to enhance our economy but we can earn additional foreign income with the development of tourism industry. Most international mariners and aviation industry professionals need accommodation facilities during their journeys therefore we can develop new tourism environment among these people. 40. Sri Lanka needs new law enforcement to develop tourism industry because most tourists visit this country for pleasure or joining with various entertaining events. We should be needed to provide some essential services like gambling and some alcohols to tourist under new formations. 41. Sri Lanka has a beautiful natural environment therefore we can market this resources through eco tourism development. Most foreigners are interested in spending their leisure with the natural environment. 42. Ayurvedic medicines and treatments are very important to enhance tourist attraction. Therefore we should be needed to introduce proper framework to provide correct ayurvedic treatments to tourists. B M A N V GUNATHILAKA CR Lieutenant Student Officer