Investigating radioactive decay using coins Essay Example

Investigating radioactive decay using coins Essay Research question: Does our radioactive modeling with coins illustrate radioactive decay? Hypothesis: I believe that it is possible to illustrate radioactive decay by trying to model it using coins. Radioactive decay is a random process and is not affected by external conditions. This means that there is no way of knowing whether or not a nucleus is going to decay within a certain period of time. However, due to the large numbers of atoms involved we can make some accurate predictions. For example, if we start with a given number of atoms then we can expect a certain number to decay in the next minute. If there were more atoms in the sample, we would expect the number decaying to be larger. As a result the rate of decay of a sample is directly proportional to the number of atoms in the sample. This proportionality means that radioactive decay is an exponential process. As a result, I believe that we can model radioactive decay using coins because by chance we should get half of the coins left each time which is exactly what half-life is. We will write a custom essay sample on Investigating radioactive decay using coins specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Investigating radioactive decay using coins specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Investigating radioactive decay using coins specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Variables: Independent variable: I am not sure about this one because I dont really think there is an independent variable in this investigation because we arent changing anything other than the number of parent coins every time we throw them. Dependant variable: Similarly, there is no real dependant variable due to the fact that there is no independent variable. Controlled Variables: Despite the fact that we cannot really identify any independent and dependant variables there are several variables that we should control. First of all, the drop height must be kept the same in all experiments and this can be done by using a rule to measure the height each time. Also the type of coins and the surface which the coins hit must be kept the same. Method of experiment: 1. Find a place where there is plenty of area so that the coins can bounce off freely. (Remember the surface must be kept the same). 2. Drop the 32 coins of the one type (lets call them parent coins) on a flat surface. 3. Count and remove all of the parent coins which are head-side up- these have decayed, 4. Replace the head-side up coins with the same number of the other type of coin ( lets call them the daughter coins) you are using. 5. Record the number of parent and daughter coins you have onto a chart and repeat the process until no parent coin is left. Method of Collecting Data: 1. In order to get accurate results do your experiment about three times and then do an average. Data Collection and Processing Data collection: Tables showing the number of parent and daughter coins at each step (Trial 1) Data presentation: Now in order to answer my research question it is vital that we draw a graph because if the graph illustrates an exponential decay curve then it would support my theory that you can in fact model radioactive decay but if it doesnt illustrate an exponential curve then it wouldnt support my theory. Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: In essence, the results support my theory that it is possible to model radioactive decay using coins. From the first graph we can clearly see that we have an exponential graph which is what radioactive decay is due to the fact that the rate of decay of a sample is directly proportional to the number of atoms in the sample. The other graph serves to illustrate that as the decay of the radioactive parent nuclei occurs, there is an increase in the stable daughter nuclei. Speaking about errors in this modeling exercise is very hard because this isnt really an experiment. All we are really doing is throwing coins onto a flat surface and looking at the outcome i. e. the number of head-side up parent coins. Systematic errors couldnt have occurred because we arent using any instruments to measure anything. The only random error that could have occurred would be us missing one of the head-side up coins and not removing it when we had to. Evaluation: Again because this isnt an experiment in which we have a definite independent variable and a dependant variable, there are no real weaknesses or limitations that occurred. The only weakness I can think of is that this modeling exercise relies a lot on chance. In other words, it just might have been so that not approximately half of the coins were taken of each time. It would have been a total mess if for example the first few tries only 1 coin is head-side up and then after lets say the 5th try all of them come up as head-side up. That would totally mess all the results and wouldnt support the theory of radioactivity. Other than that I cannot think of any weaknesses. Improvements: Thinking of realistic improvement for this modeling exercise isnt possible because it is a modeling exercise and not an experiment. However, it never hurts to take more trial perhaps- 10 trials and then taking averages. This would give more accurate results but then again because this experiment relies too much on chance, doing 10 trials might make the results even worse. Another improvement can be is to use much more coins, for example a hundred coins. This gives a greater possibility to monitor radioactive decay. I am sorry that I couldnt do all experiments but as you know we- the chemists- also had to do chemistry investigations and therefore we didnt have enough time to do all the experiments.

The Story of Two Knights essays

The Story of Two Knights essays There once were two very strong knights. They were the best two knights the world has ever seen. They were also best of friends and when together, nothing could stand in their way. One of them was named Bob. Bob was a great knight. He feared nothing. His fighting techniques and sword wielding is truly amazing. He once took on an army of 100 men with just one hand. Many of the lower-class knights looked up to Bob, mainly because he was the leader, but mostly because of his incredible bravery. But there was one thing that troubled Bob, and that was the death of his beloved wife, Mary. She died from an evil witch that poisoned her in her sleep. People say they saw the witch go inside their house but when Bob arrived there he was too late. Now Bob wants to avenge his wife by doing whatever it takes. The other knight was named Jack; Jack was also a great knight. He saved a whole village from intruders by himself with only a frying pan. Jack was exactly very much like Bob. He also feared nothing and let nothing get in his way. But Jack was a little different from Bob. He was shy and he really loved beautiful women. As famous as he was around the village and castle, he just couldnt find a way talk to beautiful women. It is a hot sunny and peaceful afternoon. Bob and Jack were doing their usual training at the barracks with the other knights. Then all of a sudden Jack sees the king running towards them. The king comes in and calls for Bob and Jack. He said something terrible has happened and he needs their help. It appears that the Princess Elizabeth has been kidnapped. Jack knew the princess really well and was outraged when he heard what happened. So Bob and Jack gathered up all their weapons and went on a journey to find the princess. After asking around town about the whereabouts of Princess Elizabeth, both of them finally found where she was located. It appears that she is in some house in the middle of the forest. ...

Essay What Causes Love at First Sight

Essay What Causes Love at First Sight Essay: What Causes Love at First Sight? The concept of love at first sight is one that continues to be a debatable topic, because of the many controversial issues about love in the present day. A good source of primary information on factors that cause someone to fall in love at first sight is those who profess to have fallen in love with their significant other upon meeting them for the first time. One of the issues these individuals may state is when they first came into their significant others presence, they felt a tingling effect all over their bodies that made them excited to be at the same place as the person they were attracted to and had fallen in love with. The difference with the excitement of falling in love at first sight is that the sensation is stronger than they had experienced before, when they were infatuated with another individual. The whole feeling of falling in love is highly emotional, because couples that have reported falling in love report having a strong emotional connection with their significant other. These couples also report getting to know more about the person they fell in love with in a shorter amount of time than when they got to know their other friends. Falling in love makes people want to know more about a significant other than those who they have spent a very long time knowing. One other interesting thing about falling in love at first sight is the feeling that one gets makes him or her want to profess their love to that individual the very first time they meet. The unwritten rule of love emphasizes that one should profess one’s loves to the other individual after a couple of dates, as well as after both parties feel they have known the other individual enough to be very comfortable around one another. Love at first sight; however, makes one feel like saying he or she loves the other individual even before really getting to know the other individual. When one falls in love at first sight, one gets preoccupied with the other individual just hours after meeting the individual and always wants to spend a significant amount of time with that individual. One may also feel like telling the other individual everything about themselves. When one falls in love with another individual, the relationship with the other individual seems very easy to pursue and one finds it very easy to put up with the individual’s weaknesses. Those who fall in love quickly usually state they get worried or are deeply concerned about their significant other shortly after they have met that individual for the first time. At you can have a great opportunity to fill in the order form and to get a custom essay written from scratch!

Partitioned views Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Partitioned views - Research Paper Example The tables that take part in the partitioned view have either the same or extremely alike structures as far as the names of the column, the types of data, the precision and scale are concerned. These needs to be similar if one wishes to have a read-only view or they must be the same if one wishes to allow updates in the course of the view (Views- Partitioned, 2012). In this organization, each of the servers that take part in the partitioned view are required to be linked as servers on the servers present locally where the view is identified. Portions of the entire set of data are contained in the tables on each of the servers. Thus a table can be split horizontally through the use of partitioned views enabling the achievement of the most advantageous performance. Partitioning column is referred to the column that performs the task of splitting the larger table into the smaller ones. The partitioned views are put into practice all the way through remote that is distributed queries (Views- Partitioned, 2012). â€Å"Partitioning  enables you to decompose very large tables and indexes into smaller and more manageable pieces called  partitions. Each partition is an independent object with its own name and optionally its own storage characteristics† (Partitions, Views, and Other Schema Objects, 2011). With the use of a partitioned view, partitioned data that are arranged horizontally are joined from a set of member tables transversely one or more servers, making it appear as if the data comes from a single table.  Federation of database servers, referring to the group of servers controlled autonomously, is capable of being implemented through the use of distributed partitioned views (Creating a Partitioned View, 2012). The advantages of partitioned views can be understood as follows (Partitioned Tables and Indexes, 2002): Data management operations are enabled through partitioned views. These include data loads, index creation and rebuilding. This also

Online Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Online Learning - Essay Example It is therefore, the responsibility of the instructors to ensure that classroom learning is as exciting and resourceful as the online learning. Various features, which result in successful classroom learning can be applied to online learning for effective educational outcomes. It is possible for online and classroom learning to result in positive educational outcomes, despite their different modes of presentation, only if instructors in both learning modes identify the learning needs of the students, and address them, while creating the best learning environment for students. According to Hirschy and Wilson (2002), online learning is not a new phenomenon today. However, this is infiltrating the educational system at a higher rate today compared to the past. Many policy makers in the education sector support online learning for a number of reasons. Most importantly, this mode of learning is quite cheap, compared to classroom learning. Since most learning institutions operate on strict budgets and look for ways of minimizing their expenditure, online learning would be more appropriate for them. Additionally, this is convenient for students, as they can learn from different regions without having to attend a class physically. Online learning started in the early 20th Century. Since then, this has been advancing slowly taking root in society (Moore, Dickson-Deane, & Galyen, 2011). Today, approximately 1.5 million schools in the US have adopted online learning. Online learning utilizes the internet, instead of a physical environment, and this can be adopted partially or wholly (Bakia, et al 2012). Instructor presence and interaction is paramount in classroom learning. If the instructor is present but does not interact with learners, it is impossible for learning to be successful (Mandernach, Gonzales & Garrett, 2006). Therefore, instructor interaction is a prerequisite for successful classroom learning. This also translates to the online learning, where both the pre sence of the instructor and instructor interaction need to be felt by the online learners for successful learning. These determine the nature of classroom setting in both online and classroom learning. The type of classroom setting is an important determinant of successful learning. In the online class however, it is more challenging to set a classroom environment (Mandernach, Gonzales & Garrett, 2006). This is because of the delivery mode involved, as it is based on technology, and not personal dynamics. Therefore, online instructors have the responsibility of ensuring that they meet this challenge, and develop a classroom setting in their online delivery. Instructors in online learning achieve this through engaging with the students more, either through online dialogs, discussions, and consultations. This inspires and motivates learners to work harder. Instructor presence and interaction has made online learning to be more successful in the recent past, compared to classroom learn ing. The US Department of Education acknowledges this in New York iSchool, where the approach has worked effectively (Bakia, et al 2012). Instructors in both online and classroom learning should engage their students in active learning. This guarantees them successful educational outcomes. In the classroom, an instructor should spare considerable time for the students to engage in discussions, group work, and various assessments. This allows for deeper learning for the

Herzberg S Two Factor Theory Tourism Essay

Herzberg S Two Factor Theory Tourism Essay It is commonly known that all Human Beings have needs. Daft (2008) defines needs as things that individuals want and work for to achieve. Kotler (2005) points out that an unsatisfied need creates tension which kindle the desire to achieve an outcome that seems to be attractive. Herzbergs Two-Factor Theory shows that there is a huge gap between the things that create dissatisfaction and the things that pertain satisfaction (Daft 2008). Furthermore, Herzberg found that satisfaction is not the opposite of dissatisfaction, but no satisfaction (Kotler, 2005). The Hygiene Factors are things that are expected by a human being and influence the level of dissatisfaction. If those factors are poor or absent, a human being is dissatisfied (Herzberg 1968 in Mead 2005). If those factors are good, on the other hand, they remove the dissatisfaction but do not create satisfaction. The Motivators however, create satisfaction if they are good, but do not create dissatisfaction when they are poor. The level that lies between the Hygiene Factors and the Motivators creates neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction (Herzberg 1968 in Daft 2008). Applied to the Tourism Industry Hygiene Factors could be a safe environment, a clean Hotel room, friendly staff etc., whereas Motivators could be an unexpected upgrade, free wireless lan and over average security and safety precautions. Abraham H. Maslow first published his Theory of Needs in 1954. He points out that there are multiple needs that motivate human beings and they exist in a hierarchical order, from the least to the most pressing (Kotler et. al, 2006). He categorized needs in five categories which are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Those needs act as motivators in order to drive humans (Eckermann). The physiological needs include the needs for food, water, rest and oxygen (Daft 2008) whereas the safety needs represents the need for security in the physical and emotional environment, protection from physical and emotional harm as well as the freedom from threats (Robbins DeCenzo, 2005). Social needs, however, are the needs for giving and receiving love, belong somewhere, and get affection. Daft (2008) adds that people need to be accepted by others, have friendships and relationships, and to be part of a group. Furthermore, the Esteems needs, which are also called as Ego Needs, include self-respect and the esteem from others. Additionally, there is need for attention, a positive self-image, recognition and appreciation from others (Daft 2005). The need for Self-Actualization is the need for achieving challenging tasks and to be creative (Halepota, Eckermann ). A human desires to develop its full potential, increase competence, and to become and be a better person (Daft 2008). Cartwright (2000) suggests a sixth need level which he calls the unattainable. It is an unreachable needs that individuals strive for but can never reach and therefore, they can never be fully and entirely satisfied (in Mead 2005). The lower level needs are called biogenetic needs (Schiffmann and Kanuk) or as Mead (2005) calls them the basic needs or deficiency needs (Daft 2008). Those needs are satisfied through external factors such as food, money, and praise from others. They are comparable with the Hiygiene Factors of Herzbergs Theory. The higher-level needs are the psychogenic (Schiffmann and Kanuk) or ego and self-actualization needs (Mead 2005) which are, unlike the basic needs, satisfied by internal outcomes e.g. sense of achievement and competence. Robbins and DeCenzo (2005) have pointed out that each level has to be satisfied before an individual moves up to the next level and another needs becomes relevant. If one need is satisfied, it is no longer motivating and needs are satisfied progressively (Mead 2005). Since for this work, mainly the safety needs are of relevance, the author will mainly emphasize on only those needs. However, also the physiological needs for shelter are important to consider. The Tourism Industry has to be very familiar with and understand those needs thoroughly. Fulfilling the biogenetic needs of customers will give the company a competitive advantage, since fulfilling those basic needs will motivate the consumer to strive for higher needs (psychogenic needs) and thus satisfy them more. Therefore, the Tourism Industry has to provide a safe environment for their tourists. Equity Theory Daft Hofstede Culture Definition Hofstede (1984)cited in Mead (2005): Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from anotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Culture, in this sense, includes systems of values; and values are among the building blocks of culture (p. 8). Out of this definition it can be concluded that culture is learned, and passed on from generation to generation, first from parents and families and then by institutions and members, and includes systems of values. According to Hofstede (1984) in Mead (2005) values are assumptions about how members within a culture group should behave. Those values are more intensively learned in young age as children learn more unconsciously and therefore, the learned values are deep-rooted. Furthermore, Mead (2005) points out that each social group has its unique culture that is different from the culture of other social groups, and they respond differently to similar situations. Furthermore, different culture groups have c onflicting and different expectations from their environment. Several Culture Models have been established over the years, e.g. the Kluckholm and Strotbeck Model in 1961 in Mead (2005), where they compared different cultures on the basis of the different orientations they have. The model of Hall (1976) in Mead (2005) distinguishes between low-context cultures that emphasizes on the verbal way of communicating and whose members need rather facts than interpretations and non-verbal communication such as in high-context cultures. Due to space limitations, in this work however, it will only be focused on Hofstedes Model as it fits the best for this topic because it includes the dimension of uncertainty avoidance which can be applied best to the needs for safety and security. The Hofstede Model has five Dimensions with which it distinguishes cultures. Those five Dimensions are Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Feminity, and Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation (Hofstede 2001). Power Distance is the distance between individuals from one level of the hierarchy to the other and the extent to which individuals accept or tolerate that power is not distributed equally. In cultures where the power distance is high, there is a big gap e.g. between a manager and his employees, and everybody knows their role and accepts it. In a low power distance culture, however, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Uncertainty avoidance represent the need to avoid uncertainties in the future or to be risk-taking. Cultures in which the need for uncertainty avoidance is high, are more anxious about the future, stabilize greater relationships and put a lot of energy into making plans for the future. In culture where the need for uncertainty avoidance is low, however, individuals are more willing to take risks and to change. Individualism versus collectivism shows if individuals have deep relationships with each other or rather not have emotional connections with others. In individualist cultures the individual identity is stressed and competition is expected. In collectivist cultures, on the other side, the group interest is more important that the individual interest and individuals are very loyal to group members. Masculinity versus Femininity is how the roles and values in a society are divided. In masculine cultures there is a big difference between sex roles. Those cultures are very competitive and career oriented. In feminine cultures, however, relationships and human contacts are very important. Long-term versus short-term orientation represents a temporal orientation towards life. Long-term oriented cultures value persistence and relationships are clearly ordered according to the status of individuals. Short-term oriented cultures value personal steadiness and stability, respect tradition, and exchange greetings, favors, and gifts. Diagram Perception of risks Perception Sirgy (1982) defines perception as the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world (in Kotler et. al, p. 213). Human Beings collect information through the five senses which are sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. People act differently based on their perception due to the fact that each person receives, organizes, and then interprets the incoming information in an individual way. That different people have different perceptions of the same object, situation etc., is because of the three perceptual processes. Selective Attention means that due to the massive amount of stimuli a person is exposed to every day, some stimuli will simply been screened out. Therefore, managers have to make their products noticeable to the consumers, by relating a stimuli to the current need, create stimuli that consumers anticipate, and establish high deviations compared to the normal size of the stimuli. Selective Distortion is the twisting of information into personal meaning so that it fits the preconceptions. Selective Retention happens when people only retain information that reinforce ones attitudes and beliefs and forget the rest (Kotler et. al, 2006). Glaesser (2003) defines risk as the term expected damage. It is calculated by the size of the damage times the probability that something will occur. If the tourist receives as risk as too much that it exceeds the tolerance level, the consumer will use risk reduction techniques (Kreilkamp, 1998; in Glaesser). This tolerance level is determined by the degree of credibility appearance of the tourism organization, the speed of its actions as well as the number of times a negative event occurred repetitiously (Kroeber-Riel, 1992; in Glaesser, 2003). It also has to be taken in account, that personal factors highly influence perception, which leads to a subjective risk assessment which includes quantitative risk factors, qualitative risk factors, and individual risk factors (Jungermann, 1991; in Glaesser, 2003). Quantitative risk factors influence a persons perception and increases if a negative event that has occurred in the past is remembered or can be imagined Differences Although these two factors are very important by talking about risk perception, the author will focus only on the individual risk factors, as those are more relevant for the work. Several personal determinants influence a persons perception such as age, gender, and education. The WTO (1994) states that female tourists have a higher risk perceptions than men. Young tourists between 18 and 24 years of age, however, perceive risk while travelling as less than older tourists (in Glaesser, 2003). Another important factor that has to be considered is the cultural aspect. Tourists from different cultural backgrounds have different risk perceptions, which could be explained due to different social, behavioral and development forms (Kemp, 1993; Sà ¶nmez and Graefe, 1998; in Glaesser, 2003). Hofstede !!!!!! Gee and Gain (1986) point out that tourists perceive risk more if a negative incident in the past has coincidentally affected someone out of their own culture/country. Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that terrorism in general does not lead to a decline in tourism demand. If the terrorism attacks, however, are directed direcly against tourists that lead to injuries and deaths, they would choose another destination (Wilkinson, 1993; Sà ¶nmez, 1998; in Glaesser, 2003). Usually higher than the real risk/danger that exists (Brayshaw) Risk Perception is usually not logical, because it is influenced through the media. (Santana) Amateur videos or colorful pictures. Higher change of being violated or having an accident at home than during the holiday/vacation. (Santana) Spill-over effect: association of one incident with the whole region or country (Santana) Tourism industry: Sectors within are interrelated and dependent (transportation, exchange rates, political and social structure, weather, etc. If one varies or changes negatively, it affects the others. (Santana) Since tourism destinations heavily depend on tourists, they have to address the heavily fluctuating demand that arises due to the changing perception of the riskiness of the destination (Meheux Parker, 2006). Destinations that are perceived as a threat to their safety or well-being of the travelers, will be avoided (Beirman, 2003). Holden (2008) stresses this further by saying that perceived risks can be so powerful that tourists would even prevent going to a destination and choosing another destination instead that appears to be more pleasant and safe (Henderson, 2007). Timothy (2006) points out an exception by saying that some tourists deliberately travel to risky destinations out of curiosity. Furthermore, it is said that most tourists are not primarily concerned with being caught in a disaster, especially if a long time has passed since the last disaster or incident. Summing up, it can be said that tourists are prepared and willing to accept a certain amount of risk. However, if the risk perception exceeds the tolerance level, the destination will be substituted. RM According to van Waldbeck à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾[r]isk assessment is a key stage in planning for crisis, involving the anticipation of what might go wrong and identification of the reasons for divergences from expectations (2005 cited in Henderson, 2007: p. 3). As a tool, marketers can continuously promote the safety in risky destinations, as this can make the tourist neglecting the threat (Henderson, 2007). Hudson (2008) suggests a hurricane guarantee that allows the tourists to rebook their vacation. Huan et. al (2004) on the other side argue that instead of building confidence, stressing the safety of a destination and safety plans have a negative impact on the tourists image of a destination and could negatively impact the buying decision. Concerning the question, how big the time span between an incident and a restart of marketing the destination, the WTO WMO (1998) suggest that this decision has to be made responsively concerning the safety instead of the profit-making (in Henderson, 2007). Definition of Crisis . (Glaesser) Definition of Crisis Management Crisis Management includes changes of tasks as response to a crisis. (Glaesser) When thinking of Tourism, one most commonly thinks of enjoyment, relaxation, and safety. On the other side, however, disasters bring about fear, stress, anxiety, trauma, and panic (Santana, 2003). Those two sides go hand in hand because crisis have always been and always will be part of tourism operations. Thus, it affects all parties that are part of the Tourism System e.g. the tourist, destination, communities, tourism companies, regulators, promoters (Santana, 2003). Faulkner defines a disaster as [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] where an enterprise is confronted with sudden unpredictable catastrophic changes over which it has little control (Faulkner, 2001: p. 136, cited in Ritchie, 2004). According to Glaesser (2003) , a crisis is an unusual and unwanted situation that demands an immediate response due to it seriousness. Differences between disasters and crisis Crisis describes a situation where the root cause of the event lies internal of an organization and is due to unskilled or ineffective management practices and the inability or unwillingness to adapt to an ongoing change (Faulkner, 2001). E.g. Chernobyl, A crisis could be to some extent prevented, but standard procedures often redefine the abnormal as normal and therefore, not adapt to change (Booth, 1993). A crisis, however, can also bring positive things as it acts as a turning point for better or for worse (Fink, 1986, in Faulkner, 2001). Pos. outcomes: innovation, recognition of new markets), totally new and more effective configuration might emerge. (Chaos Theory) A disaster on the other side is a situation or event that is unpredictable and over which organizations or enterprises has little control (Faulkner, 2001). E.g. eathquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis. Unfortunately, some warning signals of disasters that are about to happen are ignored -> leave communities unprepared (Faulkner, 2001). Burton et al. (1978) in Faulkner (2001): To sum up, the global toll of natural disaster rises at least as fast as the increase in population and material wealth, and probably faster. We live in an increasingly complex world and this has contributed to making us more crisis or disaster prone (Richardson, 1994) Daft (2008) points out that an organization is confronted with small crises on a daily basis such as data loss, a fire etc. Bigger crises of intentional evil such as bombings and kidnappings, or natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes continue to increase. Henderson (2007) states that disasters such as storms, floods, and droughts, will increase in its frequency due to extreme weather conditions, because of the ongoing climate change. This statement is supported by EM-DATs (2010) natural disaster trend which shows clearly that disasters have occurred more frequently since the beginning of 1900. This lets assume, that disasters will even increase more in the future. Graphic EM-DAT Community responses to crisis include the shock state, where individuals feel helpless and disoriented; the denial and defensive retreat (to reach back to already established safety solutions or to go somewhere else); the acknowledgement state whereby the change is accepted; and the adaption stage in which the community copes with the crisis and learns from it for the future. (Arnold, 1980, in Booth, 1993, in Faulkner, 2001) Degree to which companies work together and break down institutional barriers !!!! (because of inadequate resources -> collaboration; has to be planned before (Granot, 1997)) Fig Faulkner crisis and disasters Although there is no generally accepted definition of crisis management in the literature (Santana, 2003), it can be said that in order to respond to a crisis, organizations have to take actions accordingly by changing their tasks and processes (Glaesser, 2003). Since it can never be known in advance if and what type of crisis will occur, Organizations have to be prepared through planning for the worst case. According to Santana, this should be done through proper advance planning and establishing frameworks, because only then it is possible to cope with uncertainties. Brownwell (1990) stresses that there is even a bigger need for a good crisis management in the tourism industry since it is one of the most vulnerable industries. Fink (1986): the media plays an important role during the disaster management strategies and it has the power make the difference between whether or not a difficult situation evolves into a disaster (Fink, 1986). The media can be very useful by informing the community about warnings and to provide information during the recovery stage. However, the media often spreads false information and thus, can hinder the emergency operations by distracting the emergency personnel. In addition, the media also exaggerates in order to create panic and bring people to spend money e.g. in the form of panic buys before a possible hurricane. Due to the exaggeration and rumors of the media, the impact of a disaster in the tourism industry on the market has an unproportional impact to the actual natural disruptive effect (Cassedy, 1991; Murphy Bayley, 1989; Drabek, 1992). Drabek (1995) analyzed that tourists and tourist destinations in general are more vulnerable to disaster than other people/industries/etc. A reason for this could be that the most appealing and popular tourist destinations are tropical places where hurricanes, avalanches or volcanic eruptions are usual (Murphey and Bayley 1989). Since common targets for terrorists, such as embassies, are made less attractive due to increased safety measure, tourists became the new targets (Lehrman, 1986). Furthermore, during a disaster, tourists are always more independent and vulnerable than the community, as they are not as familiar with the local dangers (Burby and Wagner 1996). Cassedy (1991) states that only a few companies have actual disaster emergency plans in their business plans, and in case they do so it is just made for one type of hazard (Drabek, 1995). In general, one can say that the bigger tourism enterprises are better prepared than smaller enterprises (Faulkner). According to Beirman (2003), the principles of Crisis Management are coordination, collaboration, communication, and commitment. Those principles are a good attempt, however, they are not sufficient, as during an unpredictable disaster there is no time for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Stages Faulkner Preparation Kotler et. al (2006) state that if there are precautions in place, negative events can be diminished or prevented from occurring. Therefore, possible crisis that have a chance of occurring should be determined and develop plans and worst case scenarios. These plans have to be communicated to all employees so that everybody knows their tasks and expected behavior in case of emergency. cascaded strategic priority profile'(CSPP) (Heath, 1995, in Faulkner, 2001) Questionable, because an organizations usual activities and policies are not applicable during the situation of a crisis. (Huque, 1998, in Faulkner, 2001) e.g. companies with high chain of command would have a too long response rate but need to react much faster in crisis situations. Other restrictions are bureaucratic structures and low empowerment. Other problems: communication failures, lack of available resources (Heath, 1995, in Faulkner, 2001) Kotler et. al (2006) suggest that a good crisis management focuses more on the communication and less on the crisis. During training sessions, managers should be asked a set of possible challenging questions that they may have to answer by guests or the media. Prevention It is very important to implement early and warning systems, and thus, create awareness in the tourists mind of potential danger. Ritchie argues that more importance should be given to reduction and readiness than to response and recovery, and tourists rely on the Tour Operator to provide them with the necessary information (which is very important as tourists do not have the knowledge about hazard issues, as they are in an unfamiliar place (Johnston et. al (2007 $). Therefore, a proactive management is necessary, in order to provide the tourists beforehand with the necessary information and precautions (Henderson, 2007), so that tourists know the dangers that exists and adjust their behaviors accordingly ( Ritchie Crouch, 1997; in Glaesser, 2003). It is not possible to eliminate every danger or threat; this is especially the case with natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes. Coburn (1992), however, states that the destruction can be diminished by building hotels etc. in a more solid way which make them more resistant but also require a higher investment. Warning Signals Warning signals could be of any kind. Kotler et. al (2006) suggests that customer complaints, or strangers that walk around the property should be reported by employees to the security in order to prevent risks and crimes. Furthermore, in the internet a manager can read in chats or forums what former customers say and think about their property and thus, erase the failures. Damage Limitation As mentioned above, communication is very important for a good crisis management. It can also reduce the negative publicity, if there is a good communication with the press in place (Kotler et. al 2006). A spokesperson should be chosen who should communicate the facts to the media, give timely updates, and thus keep the press updated. It is pointed out, that by talking to the media, the spokesperson or manager should never use the term no comment as it creates suspicion. According to Daft (2008), leaders should develop four communication skills. First of all, they need to stay calm and listen harder, by absorbing peoples fears and uncertainties. They should give comfort, inspiration, and hope by showing optimism. Secondly, they should be visible in order to show that someone is in control. They need to step out immediately and respond to followers and public concerns. Furthermore, it is very important that the spokesperson always tells the truth and, thus, only communicates facts. As a result of this, rumors will be reduced as well. Last but not least, a vision for the future has to be communicated so that people do not lose hope, keep going and the rebuilding process is faster. Recovery stage In order for a destination to recover, appropriate equipment, time and monetary strength is needed. Especially during natural catastrophes, a region is unable to help itself, and therefore, needs interregional or international help and assistance in form of machinery and donations (Glaesser, 2006). Furthermore, it has to be decided who has to invest financially in rebuilding the destinations additionally to the donations. In some cases, the government pays and burdens the expenses in form of taxes on the community, stakeholders are made responsible, the insurance, or the suppliers of the tourism industry. (?) Another question is, what will be restored first. Most stakeholders demand that they are helped first, however, it is more important to rebuild the infrastructure first and this will benefit the community and the tourism industry, and thus, generate revenue which will be needed again for further reparations (Faulkner and Vikulov, 2001; Huang and Min, 2002, in Sharpley, R. 2005). The time a destination needs in order to recover and bring services back to normal depends on how well the market communication had been integrated (Faulkner, 2001) but is always influenced by the interest of the stakeholder concerning the speed of the recreation, the character of a destination, and how sever the devastation is. Learning Stage To sum up, by having a proper Crisis/ Disaster Management System in place, many hazards could either be avoided or minimize their impacts (Faulkner, 2001).

Easter Island’s End

2013-04-16 ENGL 102 Essay #1 Longer summery In the article, â€Å"Easter Island’s End† by Jared Diamond, he states that the overpopulation and overusing the natural resources can affect and destroy our environment. Easter Island can be used as a warning that cultural and environmental dangers exist due to overexploitation. Although, civilizations have vanished from the island it still has a remaining mystery and history to its untouched landscape. Easter Island was formed out of an ancient volcanic eruption; the island is only sixty-four square miles with habitable land and subtropical weather that makes the soil fertile.Easter Island is famous for its tight-lipped statues that stand across the island, which were erected by the native Rapa Nui people. These are ancient wonders of the world that are still being studied to get a full understanding of how and why these statues were created. From written history, the explorer’s first impression of the island was that it has nothing but a sand island, there were nothing left on the island except for hundreds of the Rapa Nui statues. According to Diamond, the climate and location of the Easter Island should create abundance of trees, soils and other natural resources.Many questions have arisen to Easter Island’s current existence. After many years of research, scientists and sociologists have come to a conclusion that the natural resources of the island were used by the islanders to survive their daily life, they cut down woods to transport those Rapa Nui statues and build canoes in order to find food. As time goes by, the population of Easter Island increased rapidly, and these islanders started to utilize all the natural resources abusively until the last tree was cut down.With today’s rising population around the world, we have been exhausting our limited natural resources, if we do not learn to conserve all the limited natural resources, we will have nothing left for our future generations. Longer summery reflection I was very interested in the Easter Island topic when I first saw the title of the article. I have always seen pictures of the statues on Easter Island and wanted to visit there someday. I thought this would be good information to know about, so I started to read the article â€Å"Easter Island’s End† by Jared Diamond.After I finished reading it the first time, I think I understood most of the article. But I still didn’t understand how the islanders collapsed the Easter Island. So I went on google and did some research. I found a Ted talk by Jared Diamond about how human collapsed the natural and civilization. After watching the video, it helped me a lot in understanding how human are slowly destroying our own planet, similar to what happened on Easter Island. After viewing the video, I went back to read the article again, and started to write down notes.I divided my long summery into five sections, the first section consis ting of the main idea of the article, over population and over using the natural resources lead Easter Island to an end. The second section is about the history of Easter Island, and what was on the island before it was destroyed. The third section is about the condition of Easter Island after it was destroyed. The fourth section is the conclusion of the summery, we can see that Easter Island is the miniature version of our earth, if we don’t stop over using our limited natural resources, our earth will end up like Easter Island. Shorter SummeryIn the article, â€Å"Easter Island’s End† by Jared Diamond, he states that the overpopulation and overusing the natural resources can affect and destroy our environment. Easter Island can be used as a warning that cultural and environmental dangers exist due to overexploitation of natural resources. The local inhabitants of Easter Island over-utilized the island's natural resources to the point of a complete extinction o f those very resources that were sustaining them. Easter Island can be thought of as a small scale model of the earth, and what could hypothetically happen if we do not exercise natural resource sustainability and management.Shorter summery reflection I found that writing a short summery is much harder than writing a longer summery, especially on keeping it under 100 words. At the beginning, I didn’t know how to start with the shorter summery, but I thought a good way to do it is to condense my longer summery and make it into 100 words. So I start with filtering out the least important information from the longer summery. First thing I took out was the history and introduction of Easter Island. Then I filtered out the information about the gigantic statues. Finally, I deleted the example of how they waste the natural resources.After I have the edited version of the summery, I read it again, and thought that the most important part is the author’s thesis, which is †Å"he states that the overpopulation and overusing the natural resources can affect and destroy our environment. † So I decided to keep the same sentence. In the article, the author clearly illustrate that the cause of the ending of the Easter Island is because of the islanders didn’t use their resources wisely. He wants to warn us that the Easter Island is a lesson for us and if we don’t want to end up like the islanders, we should stop abusing our limited natural resources.I expanded the information what I think I have learned from the article, and then make them into a academic form. This is how I put my shorter summery together. Critique and essay In â€Å"Easter Island’s End†, published by Discover Magazine in 1995, written by Jared Diamond, a professor of geography and physiology at UCLA, has shown us the beginning till the end of the former heaven, the Easter Island. In the article, Diamond illustrates that overpopulating and overusing natural resources will result in destroying our natural environment. Easter Island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.When the European explorers reached the island in 1722 they found a desolate landscape with less than 2,000 people existing there. They noticed that the islanders lived in caves and had a very limited supply of food. And they also found these gigantic statues that were carved out of stone. Those were evidence which proves that refined civilization once existed in Easter Island. Because of the unique location of the Easter Island, it has very good climate that creates abundance of natural resources. â€Å"In theory, this combination of blessings should have made Easter a miniature paradise, remote from problems that beset the rest of the world. (165) However, when explorers discovered Easter Island, it was a completely opposite of the â€Å"paradise†. It makes us wonder what happened in this Island. The first hypothesis the researchers considered was the fo rest was lost because of climate change, but evidence quickly pointed to the hypothesis that the people had gradually destroyed their own island. Researchers predicted that the trees provided wood, building material for houses and canoes, fruit to eat, fiber for clothing. Most importantly, lots of woods were used as the first resource to move the stone statues.These statues are 33 feet tall, and weighed up to 99 tons. Some of them are very far from where they were constructed in the quarries to the coastal sites where they were positioned. With the trees slowly been cutting down, rain would have eroded the soil away. Population raised rapidly over generations, people started to unmanageably use the limited natural resources on the overpopulated island. As a result the islanders turned against one another because of the shortage of food. â€Å"Gradually trees become fewer, smaller, and less important.By the time the last fruit-bearing adult palm tree was cut, palms had long since ce ased to be of economic significance. †(173)The life of paradise Easter Island has come to an end. In the article, Diamond has point out that we can consider our planet as a large version of the Easter Island. We have a potentially non-sustainable eco system. If we look at our progression over the last 300 years that we have inhabited North America, we will notice that we have removed many natural resources. Such as Trees in the Northwest, plains in the Midwest, the marshes of Florida, all of which have been devastated by humans in the past centuries.Our great grandparents did not notice the destruction, nor will I ever be able to actually notice some of it myself. We must learn from the lesson of the Easter Island and start to use our natural resources wisely. If we don’t preserve our environment by recycling, saving trees, and protecting land, we will be forced to face the same ending as the islanders. Natural resources are important and limited, if we don’t pro tect them, the nature will pay back to us and there will be nothing left for our future generation. Citation Diamond, Jared. â€Å"Easter Island's End. † Science and Society (2007): 164-74. Print.