Sunday, January 26, 2020

Tourism Product Analysis And Tourism Operations Management Tourism Essay

Tourism Product Analysis And Tourism Operations Management Tourism Essay My business has been created on the basis of knowing that Scotland is one of the most internationally known countries for its culture and beautiful scenery. Its based on a coaching holiday for 5 nights, 6 days that will be suitable for people who enjoy scenery, touring, culture and heritage. It will be run by a medium sized company located in Edinburgh that is called Saltire Tours and will be aimed at European tourists. Reasons for setting the business in Edinburgh are that its the capital of Scotland and has some fantastic history for all to see. This report will be a tourism product analysis of what the business has to offer and what factors will affect the operational side of things. PEST analysis, Competitors and Consumers are all important and will be explained thoroughly as to what and how they will affect the business. This research report will look into the factors that could affect demand for coaching holidays to Scotland from the European Market. It is based on a coaching holiday run by a medium sized company based in Edinburgh that is called Saltire Tours. On completion, the report will be an analysis of the external environment and a product analysis to identify and justify the key features of the product in which the product will operate. Factors being analysed will include Political, Environmental, Social and Technological (PEST) and will show how they impact both positively and negatively on the Coach Tour Company succeeding. A competitor analysis will also be carried out to evaluate and discuss what kind of threat (if any) that may pose to the tour/programme. Another part of this report will include findings for a consumer analysis to determine the Market overall for the Coach Tour Company. The product itself will be given in detail to explain the key features and why it should be introdu ced in the tourism industry. Pest Analysis Factors that may affect Demand for coach holidays in Scotland involve: Political Environmental Social Technological Political factors that may affect coach tours could be recent terrorist attacks in Britain, which occurred in Glasgow Airport the 30th June 2007 and London 7th June 2005. Author Chris Greenwood (2008) wrote about the man who was behind the attacks Abdulla realised his mission had failed, he dressed in a red and white headscarf for the final suicide attack on Glasgow Airport. Another problem was the Icelandic Volcanic episode in April which closed European airspace. These incidents could put people off travelling to the UK, which would affect Scottish Coach Tours as they are based in Scotland. Higher levels of security and regulations are now put in place at airports, which is more time consuming for travellers, and its more inconvenient causing people to be impatient when travelling. Also inflation rates in the UK are pushing up prices for visitors such as fuel costs and 17.5% VAT which would affect Coach Tours as they use Coaches for taking their tourists around Scotland. The Coach Company will be a member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme as it will help encourage the tourism business to be environmentally friendly. The Coach tour will benefit from this as it will have a positive effect on visitors booking up for tour packages as visitors are now very conscious of the environment and will appeal to eco-conscious visitors especially. Social factors could involve the fact that European visitors find touring holidays very popular in the category of different holidays (see appendix 1) which is beneficial to the company as we specialise in Coach Tours in Scotland. Also another social factor could be the outbreak of Swine Flu that has hit Scotland and various other places throughout the UK, this may put people off travelling causing the tourism industry to suffer. A positive social factor could be that Scotland has a lot of historic and cultural attractions that people overseas would love to visit; this will encourage more people to visit Scotland meaning a possible increase of consumers for Saltire Tours as we specialise in culture tours. Technological factors could affect Saltire Tours due to the Internet now making it possible to book directly with tour operators which will be a positive as it saves paying the Travel Agent commission. Saltire Tours will have their own website and E brochures. Also there are new developments in aircraft technology, which cuts down travelling time being a positive for the International visitors coming to Scotland for a Culture Tour of Scotland. There are more comfortable coaches for touring these days with TVs, toilets, and internet facilities on board the coaches which we will take on board and provide our visitors with luxury coaches during their time with us. Competitor Analysis Benchmarking We have looked at two other Tour Companies that are in the similar market. The Analysis of each company compared to ours will help us find out the positives and negatives of our business and what we can do to improve the Culture Coach Tour through other competitors. Haggis Adventures Their tours include an adventure with like-minded travellers; transport and a tour guide. Saltire Tours will include Transport, Blue Badge Guides, and Accommodation, Food, Excellent Customer service and First class attractions as a package. Haggis Adventures dont organise everything for your tour, you have to make your own accommodation arrangements, where to eat and you might not visit some of Scotlands finest attractions. This is definitely a chance for our business to introduce a bigger and better package for tourists that want to relax and have a great time knowing that everything is going to run smoothly and there wont be any stress as everything is arranged. Also Haggis Adventures are more for the younger generation and since the highest proportion of holidaymakers visiting Scotland are in the 20 to 60-age range they would enjoy Saltire Tours better as our tour is suitable for that age category. Saltire Tours will also specialise in Tours whereas Haggis Adventures doesnt, this will be a strength to Saltire Tours. However, a weakness for Saltire Tours is that Haggis Adventures have been running for 5 years and have experience in this field of tourism whereas Saltire Tour is just starting up as a brand new product. Moray Tours Moray Tours in Scotland offer quality, flexible culture tours for up to six people. Whereas Saltire Tours will offer quality culture tours for up to 20 people which is a strength in the tourism Industry as Saltire Tours can offer much more to the Tourists in a way smaller tour companies cant. Their tours only start in Elgin whereas Saltire Tours will be very flexible and can pick visitors up from wherever the tour group suits which is another strength for Saltire Tours. A strength that both Moray and Saltire Tours share is the quality of the tour guides on their coaches and the comfortable coaches they both use. A threat to Saltire Tours could be that Moray Tours is well known and this could affect Saltire Tours business. Also on their website, there is no mention of a price for Moray Tours whereas Saltire Tours gives a package price for the whole tour making it stress free throughout the holiday. Consumer Analysis The market size for our business will be relatively big as we will be aiming our tours at the whole of Europe. It has been found that specifically German and Italian tourists will be interested in our tours as Germany is the highest ranked in terms of trips, bed nights and expenditure, where its  £187million figure is double the next ranked: Italy (Visit Scotland). Factsheets on these countries will be sourced at the end of the report (see appendices 23) Notice our target market (overseas) In June 2010 to August 2010, the seasonally adjusted number of visits by overseas residents to the UK increased by 6 per cent to 7.6 million, when compared with the previous three months. Associated spending by overseas residents on visits to the UK increased by 7 per cent to  £4.4 billion (National statistics). Our coach tour company will focus on these months on advertising to attract large numbers of tourists seeing as these are the most popular months for our target market. Visits from Europe have increased from 16.1 million in 2000 (a 37 per cent increase) and are now approximately the same as in 2000. (Office for national Statistics 2009) Also 22.1 million of the total 29.9 million visits to the UK in 2009 were made by air. (Office for national Statistics 2009) Therefore our consumers will be travelling mostly by air to Scotland which will be included in the package price. This will be beneficial to Saltire Tours as we will be able to use SGIT fare block on a basis, which will be the ideal scheduled airline for Saltire Tours visitors to fly with, as its a flexible duration of 5 nights, which SGIT caters for. Product Analysis Description of basic product offering and product features Our Coach Tour Company has constructed a 5 nights, 6 days Tour suitable for people who enjoy scenery, touring, culture and heritage. Scotland has been one of the most internationally known countries for its culture. As our country has developed over the many hundreds of years, it has developed a culture that is both interesting and fascinating. Saltire Tours have taken time to develop a coach tour suitable for the International visitors that will meet all their holiday needs. They will enjoy living in some top class hotels, these include: The Balmoral Hotel, Thistle Hotel, Stirling Highland Hotel, Royal George Hotel and Poppies Hotel. Visit Scotland (2010) studies show that Hotels remain the preferred accommodation for international tourists. The places they will visit on this 6-day tour of Scotland will include two of the major cities: Edinburgh and Glasgow. Also Stirling, Crieff and Callander will be included in the tour. They will experience our way of life whilst living in a tenement building, to visiting some of our fine art galleries. We have also included in the tours some of our fine whisky distilleries to experience Scotlands famous drink and whilst they are having fun during the day, they will also experience Scottish entertainment at its best! This will include Scottish pipe music, Celidh, Poetry and a concert involving Accordions and fiddles. Whilst the International tourists will be entertained by Scotlands well-known attractions such as Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Sir Walter Scotts House and Stirling Castle, they will be able to luxuriate in Scottish cuisine throughout their stay and find out how it feels to be Scottish! The hotels they will be staying in will be no less than 3 stars and they will be situated in the areas of interest to suit the tours to make them run as smoothly as possible. This complies with the Green Tourism Business Scheme, which is the national sustainable tourism certification scheme for the UK. All the hotels are members of this scheme. Justification of why this product should be produced This product should be produced as Scotland doesnt have a company like Saltire Tours. There is certainly Coach Tours available but none are specifically tailored down to fine detail like our business will produce. Our consumers will experience everything there is to love about Scotland from experiencing the food, scenery, culture; they will certainly know what its like to feel like a true Scot by the end of their holiday. Another reason is that not many companies offer a carefree holiday in Scotland where all their needs are met and international tourists will not know where to start on experiencing Scotland. Saltire Tours will organise everything from accommodation, transport, attractions, wining and dining to evening entertainment as a package holiday price making sure what is included is only the best and relevant to international tourists that wish to experience Scottish Culture.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Understanding Sensory Loss

Unit 4222-393 Understanding Sensory Loss O 1-1 A range of factors can impact on individuals with sensory loss. We gather so much information from our sight and hearing. Talking, listening & reading are all things we do in everyday life, we rely on our senses to understand and process what is going on around us and to carry out our everyday living skills, so to lose any of these will have a massive impact. Decreased vision and/or hearing can lead to a breakdown in communication, as we depend so much on non-verbal communications.Being blind or partially sighted means losing the ability to see facial expressions and gestures making it difficult for the person to understand what is being communicated. Not being able to read information can put the individual at risk, for instance the information on medication packets, if this can’t be seen clearly or not at all it could lead to the individual under dosing, overdosing or taking the wrong medication which could lead to other health problems.Everyday tasks other people take for granted can become increasingly difficult for a person, the reading of labels on food packets where oven temperatures and times are written, the setting of the oven or microwave are examples of how hard things can become, not being able to read letters or bank statements and having to get others to do this can have an effect on maintaining confidentiality. Sighted people can go straight to a wardrobe or draw and grab the clothes they want to wear that day but being blind or partially sighted can make it really difficult and you may have to become reliant on somebody else to do this for you.Mobility can also be affected especially in unfamiliar surroundings the individual may become disoriented and be at risk by not seeing objects, people or hazards. Deafness also has a range of factors that can impact on individuals again communication becomes really difficult. We use our hearing to gather allsorts of information and not hearing what is being said can also lead to misunderstandings, sounds may be muffled and difficult to understand.They could be in hospital or at the doctors and miss important information that is being said or have difficulty following a conversation, making and receiving phone calls is increasingly difficult and sometimes this is the only way of having contact with someone. Conversations with family and friends can become difficult making the person feel isolated, as can things like being in a social setting that is noisy making it awkward to hear the voices of those talking to you.Having a dual sensory loss means you can’t look for different clues when communicating, it may become almost impossible to go out on your own and to carry out daily living tasks without somebody there to help. All these can impact greatly on gathering information and making informed choices, it can lead to individuals feeling isolated and depressed, they may become withdrawn which may lead to loneliness and it ma y have a detrimental effect on their health and well being. Unit 4222-393 Understanding Sensory Loss O1-2Hearing and sight loss aren’t an obvious disability so people may not be aware that the individual has this difficulty and may judge them wrongly. A lack of knowledge can lead people to be prejudice and discriminate against the individual. Sometimes people talk down to them as if they are stupid or talk to the person they are with which can make them feel ignored and worthless. It can also have the opposite effect where people want to everything for the person because they think they can’t do things for themselves taking away the individuals independence and right of choice.When out in community people don’t think of the consequences or hazards their actions may mean to someone with sensory loss, for example leaving wheelie bins in the middle of pavements can become a real hazard for someone blind or partially sighted, this may lead to them not feeling safe t o go out so their freedom is restricted and they may become isolated and reliant on others. It’s not always taken into consideration that the individual’s communication needs are different and other forms of gaining information may be needed such as Braille or interrupters (with the individuals consent)O1-3 Person centred approaches have changed the way services are provided, individuals now have choice rather them being told what is best for them. They can now work out a support plan based on what they can do for themselves and what areas they need support with. A range of specialist communication methods are available so the individual is included in decision making and a range of support can be offered so the individual has equal opportunities. People now have a better understanding of sensory loss due to training programmes raising awareness.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Lord of the Flies: The Evil of Human Nature Essay

â€Å"However Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick(Golding 128). This quote from William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies, effectively suggests that human beings are evil; which is also the main theme of the novel. In the novel, the major characters at the ending reinforce Goldings negative view of human nature. Golding provides his view of human nature very early in the novel. The island on which the boys land is described as a paradise with a variety of flora and fauna. Upon the boys landing, the tube carrying the boys causes a scar on the island. The intensity of the destruction caused by the scar is described: All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat(Golding 11). However, the destruction does not stop there. Later, the boys burn down a large part of the island as a result of their carelessness. Here, Golding shows that humans cause destruction even if they did not mean to. He is almost suggesting that causing destruction is second nature to us humans. At the end of the novel, the destruction comes full circle when Jacks tribe burns down the entire island. The presence of the boys has completely changed the island from a beautiful paradise to a charred wreckage. Goldings pessimistic view of human nature is further expanded with the issue of hunting. As the novel progresses, Jacks level of obsession with hunting continues to escalate until the very end of the novel. It is interesting to note that although the island has an abundance of fruits and the boys can easily catch fish and crabs at the beach, Jack insists on hunting to get meat. Later on, he enjoys hunting as if it were a sport:His mind was crowded with memories; memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a satisfying drink(Golding 88). Jack hunts not with the sole intention to get meat, but he particularly enjoy exercising power over living creatures while hunting. This shows how much Jack enjoys having power; the power to control other beings. Throughout the novel, Jack does everything he can to gain the respect of the boys; to gain  support for power. Later when he most of the boys join his tribe, Jack takes one last step to secure his position as chief of his tribe. He goes as far as to order his tribe to hunt and kill Ralph to eliminate the last threat to his position. Here, we can see that Jack has moved from hunting pigs to hunting humans. Thus, this shows how savage and evil man can be as he hunts even his own kin. Besides, these examples also show that humans have an unquenchable thirst for power that if not controlled, will blind us and take over our soul. In the novel, Golding uses Jack and his tribe to illustrate the effects of complete freedom to man. After Jacks tribe is formed, the members are no longer referred to as boys but as savages with Jack as their Chief. This is a direct reference to the boys regression into a primitive state of being. Jacks tribe also performs several primitive practices that are usually attributed as savage. First of all, they paint their faces and bodies to conceal themselves while hunting pigs. Next, they perform brutal killing of pigs:Roger found a lodgment point and began to push till he was leaning with his whole weight. The spear moved forward inch by inch and the terrifying squealing became a high-pitched scream. Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands(Golding 168,169). Last of all, they give an offering, the pigs head, to the beast hoping it would not harm them. Thus, this shows that the boys do not understand the true nature of the beast. Their situation is similar to primitive man, who gave offerings to gods and idols to protect their own well-being from natural disasters they did not understand. It is during the presentation of the offering that Jack said: Sharpen a stick at both ends (Golding 169). Obediently, Roger sharpens a stick and Jack skewers the pigs head on one end of the stick and places the other into the ground. This statement is repeated again at the end of the novel. When Ralph asks Samneric of what Jacks tribe plan to with him once he was captured one of them replied, Roger sharpened a stick at both ends(Golding234). Although Ralph would hardly understand what the phrase means, the terrible truth becomes clear to the reader. Jacks tribe plans to behead Ralph and skewer his head on a stick sharpened at both ends as another offering to the beast. It is, by far, the  most brutal display of human savagery. Without the eye of watchful adults, Jack and his tribe are uncontrollable; and Jack as their leader, has absolute power. Golding has written Lord of the Flies based on his experience in war. He realizes that war is the greatest act of human evil, for it takes the lives of innocent people and causes nothing but destruction. Therefore, it is fitting for Golding to highlight the effects of war in the novel to reinforce his pessimistic view of human nature. At the end of the novel, Golding leaves the reader with an image of a war ship, which is one of the many traces of war in the novel. If the reader examines the opening of the story, there are references to a war going on in the world, such as Piggys mention of the atomic bomb: Not them. Didnt you hear what the pilot said? About the atomic bomb? Theyre all dead(Golding 20). The reader discovers that the boys are stranded on the island because of the war. Besides that, another trace of the war is the dead parachutist. The boys mistake the dead parachutist for the beast. Ironically, the dead parachutist is the beast in the sense that he is connected to the war going on in the world outside and the beast is attributed to the evil in human nature. Even the boys have their very own war on the island. Therefore, the island could represent a microcosm of the outside world. Now, we return to the image of the war ship. The arrival of the ship allows the boys to be rescued. However, the ship only serves to remind the reader that although the boys are rescued, they are taken back to a war-torn world. After experiencing one war, the boys are being taken to another. The circle of destruction continues. To sum everything up, Golding effectively uses the main characters, especially at the ending, to prove that humans are more evil than good. The last page of the novel has one last scene of Ralph which summarizes the main themes of the novel. From his experience on the island, he is no longer an innocent child as he has been exposed to the evil nature of human beings and human savagery:And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy(Golding 248). Works cited Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. London: Faber and Faber, 1996.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Funny Thanksgiving Quotes

Thanksgiving celebrations make for great memories. Its not just the food; the atmosphere of warmth, fun, and humor adds to the festivity and contributes to the family legacy. Grandparents have anecdotes to share about their Thanksgiving holidays, and you can create a trove of memories to pass on to the next generation and create a tradition around values such as love, sharing, generosity, and fun. Serve Humor for Thanksgiving One such tradition could be to make Thanksgiving a day of laughter. Encourage your guests to share funny anecdotes, jokes, and quotes after dinner. These funny Thanksgiving quotes are great for a side dish of humor: Alice B. Toklas: American writer What is sauce for the goose may be sauce for the gander but is not necessarily sauce for the chicken, the duck, the turkey, or the guinea hen. George Carlin: American comedian Were having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, were having a swan. You get more stuffing. Mitch Hedberg: American comedian If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There’s turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastrami. Someone needs to tell the turkey, ‘Man, just be yourself. Ambrose Bierce: American writer, journalist (The Devils Dictionary) Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries, has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude. Ellen Orleans: American author I have strong doubts that the first Thanksgiving even remotely resembled the ‘history’ I was told in second grade. But considering that (when it comes to holidays) mainstream America’s traditions tend to be overeating, shopping, or getting drunk, I suppose it’s a miracle that the concept of giving thanks even surfaces at all. Kin Hubbard: American cartoonist, journalist A lot of Thanksgiving days have been ruined by not carving the turkey in the kitchen. Erma Bombeck: American humorist, columnist (No One Diets on Thanksgiving) What were really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? Cornelius Plantinga Jr.: American theologist It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in the institution seems to be thankful in general. Its very strange. Its a little like being married in general. Alton Brown: TV personality, author Thats the ultimate goal of most turkey recipes: to create a great skin and stuffing to hide the fact that turkey meat, in its cooked state, is dry and flavorless. Does it have to be that way? No. We just have to focus on what the turkey is and what the turkey needs. Ted Nugent: American rock musician If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed—like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canada geese. Russell Baker: American humor columnist It was dramatic to watch my grandmother decapitate a turkey with an ax the day before Thanksgiving. Nowadays the expense of hiring grandmothers for the ax work would probably qualify all turkeys so honored with gourmet status. Jim Davis: American cartoonist Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. Jon Stewart: American comedian, commentator I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. Johnny Carson: American comedian, talk show host Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. Anonymous May your stuffing be tastyMay your turkey be plump,May your potatoes and gravyHave nary a lump.May your yams be deliciousAnd your pies take the prize,And may your Thanksgiving dinnerStay off your thighs!