American Wasteland

American Wasteland American Wasteland Food wastage is a common phenomenon in the United States. In the book American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom explores the economic, as well as environmental, impacts of food wastage. In an extensive way, Bloom shows how much unused food is thrown away and what reasons are behind the large production of never eaten food, discovering the supply chain from field to the fridge in details. Indeed, the book is intriguing and shocking, especially to people, who never allow food wastage. The concepts in the book come as a warning to the psychological point of view, as most people take it for granted that food is always available. It acts as a wakeup call to reality from the general insensitiveness to food as a resource. Therefore, Bloom uses this riveting book to boost individual and collective responsibility in becoming more food conscious. As a big nation with high population, America tries to produce enough food in order to ensure food security of its citizens. The United States produces nearly 590 billion pounds of food annually. This amount is enough to feed the country sufficiently in that same year. However, it is shocking that approximately 160 billion pounds of food go to waste annually, because of peoples insensitivity. The figures come from the striking fact that nearly all disposed food is edible at the disposal time. The figures show the significance of individual contribution to the overall wastage. Indeed, on average, an individual discards edible food of approximately 197 pounds annually. What is worrying is the notable increase in the food disposal over the years. The Industrial Revolution and change in the lifestyle of the Americans over the past years have influenced food conservation and consciousness negatively. People migration away from the rural to urban areas is a substantial change in their lifestyle. Life in a rural area involves farming and production of ones own food. The urban movement, therefore, drew people from the agricultural life into a life of buying and eating final products. Today, many people are not conscious of the food value and the efforts that are made during the process of its production. Secondly, the hustle and bustle of life barely gives time for cooking and having meals at home. Eating out means that any food left in the house for some time spoils every day. Though the technology enables food storage, most people are quick to consider stored food bad, just according to the smell of the nose, which can often deceive. The increase in literacy and health awareness have also made many people too sensitive to food s poilage, because of the fact that it can be more pathogenic and cause diseases. The oversensitivity, therefore, means that an individual finds it more justifiable to throw food away. In contrast to increased food spoilage and food wastage, people should have become more conscious of a possibility when the supplier of food can become unreliable; hence, this will increase food preservation. The unavoidable food loss in the chain from food production to food consumption is understandable. Number of circumstances help to distinguish and define the responsibility of individuals in reducing food wastage; for example, natural food catastrophes, like harsh weather, disease outbreaks, or insect invasion. In other instances, some foodstuffs, such as banana, spoil easily after ripening, hence, become inedible. Other foods contain unusable parts, like peels, covers, bones, shells that are usually discarded because of inedibility. All the mentioned scenarios are a natural loss of food but not wastage. Effort to reduce unforeseen calamities in the production of food is welcome. This underscores the relevance of modern scientific researches and support to providing alternative plants that are more resistant and more stable to changing weathers. Introducing innovation in converting most parts of products that would have otherwise gone to waste will also increase the overall rate of p roducts utilization. Peoples lifestyle and mindset, as indicated earlier, are the contributory factors for the food wastage. Many foodstuffs, fit for consumption, go to waste in most homes, hotels, and groceries across the country today. This wastage stems from personal decisions of people, from the farmer to the final consumer, basing on their ethics (32). Notably, food will spoil if left for a long time, as spoilage is possible even in refrigerated food. Therefore, appliances, such as fridges, never should become dumping places. It is necessary to eat up all of the stored food instead of buying excessive amount of food and throwing it away latter. If eating out is unavoidable, it is reasonable to order clear and GMO free food. On the other hand, food stores or groceries should not be obsessed with ensuring fresh items in their shelves. Instead of discarding foodstuff from shelves to create space for fresh items, groceries can instead reduce the prices of edible though not very fresh items. This concept goes hand in hand with the psychological change that stayed food may be perfectly healthy and nutritious for consumption. The consequences of food wastage may not be easily noticeable, yet they play a crucial role in the environmental and economic influence. Most food types also go bad easily. For example, if a person eats half a banana and leaves it behind until evening, the banana spoils, and the person has to dispose it. The act of disposing of wasted food is particularly common, as the litter is common in most streets. This means that individuals have less time and pay less attention to perceive the effects of disposing food, such as foul smell. Rooting foodstuffs contribute considerable greenhouse gases, which pollutes the environment. Since, individuals buy foodstuffs, food wastage amounts to wasteful expenditure. Bloom explains (25) that the money spent on food, which end up in litterbin, would better be in a bank account. The trend of food insensitivity will cause imbalance in the future. As the population increases, the ratio of resources and food per person diminishes, leading to harmful level s, as Bloom warns. In conclusion, people should learn to avoid food wastage, since wastage has different negative effects. Food wastage is an expensive habit that has environmental effects. Therefore, it is essential that people learn to avoid throwing food. Foods in the fridges should be taken before they go rancid instead of going for eat out. It is also crucial to buy enough food, but not excess food left behind later. Stores that sell foodstuffs should not be too customer oriented to concentrate solely on fresh products. They should find means of reducing wastage of foodstuffs. These measures coupled with personal sensitiveness on the matter will eventually transform the nation into a non-food-wasting one.

Emmy Noether, Mathematician

Emmy Noether, Mathematician Born in Germany and named Amalie Emmy Noether, she was known as Emmy. Her father was a mathematics professor at the University of Erlangen and her mother was from a wealthy family. Emmy Noether studied arithmetic and languages but was not permitted as a girl to enroll in the college preparatory school, the gymnasium. Her graduation qualified her to teach French and English in girls schools, apparently her career intention but then she changed her mind and decided she wanted to study mathematics at the university level. Known for: work in abstract algebra, especially ring theory Dates:  March 23, 1882 - April 14, 1935 Also known as:  Amalie Noether, Emily Noether, Amelie Noether University of Erlangen To enroll in a university, she had to get the permission of the professors to take an entrance exam she did and she passed, after sitting in on mathematics lectures at the University of Erlangen. She was then allowed to audit courses first at the University of Erlangen and then the University of Gà ¶ttingen, neither of which would permit a woman to attend classes for credit. Finally, in 1904, the University of Erlangen decided to permit women to enroll as regular students, and Emmy Noether returned there. Her dissertation in algebraic math earned her a doctorate  summa cum laude  in 1908. For seven years, Noether worked at the University of Erlangen without any salary, sometimes acting as a substitute lecturer for her father when he was ill. In 1908 she was invited to join the Circolo Matematico di Palermo and in 1909 to join the German Mathematical Society but she still could not obtain a paying position at a University in Germany. Gà ¶ttingen In 1915, Emmy Noethers mentors, Felix Klein and David Hilbert, invited her to join them at the Mathematical Institute in Gà ¶ttingen, again without compensation. There, she pursued important mathematical work that confirmed key parts of the general theory of relativity. Hilbert continued to work to get Noether accepted as a faculty member at Gà ¶ttingen, but he was unsuccessful against the cultural and official biases against women scholars. He was able to allow her to lecture in his own courses, and without salary. In 1919 she won the right to be a privatdozent   she could teach students, and they would pay her directly, but the university did not pay her anything. In 1922, the University gave her a position as an adjunct professor with a small salary and no tenure or benefits. Emmy Noether was a popular teacher with the students. She was seen as warm and enthusiastic. Her lectures were participatory, demanding that students help work out the mathematics being studied. Emmy Noethers work in the 1920s on ring theory and ideals was foundational in abstract algebra. Her work earned her enough recognition that she was invited as a visiting professor in 1928-1929 at the University of Moscow and in 1930 at the University of Frankfurt. America Though she was never able to gain a regular faculty position at Gà ¶ttingen, she was one of many Jewish faculty members who was purged by the Nazis in 1933. In America, the Emergency Committee to Aid Displaced German Scholars obtained for Emmy Noether an offer of a professorship at Bryn Mawr College in America, and they paid, with the Rockefeller Foundation, her first years salary. The grant was renewed for two more years in 1934. This was the first time that Emmy Noether was paid a full professors salary and accepted as a full faculty member. But her success was not to last long. In 1935, she developed complications from an operation to remove a uterine tumor, and she died shortly after, on April 14. After World War II ended, the University of Erlangen honored her memory, and in that city, a co-ed gymnasium specializing in math was named for her. Her ashes are buried near Bryn Mawrs Library. Quote If one proves the equality of two numbers a and b by showing first that a is less than or equal to b and then a is greater than or equal to b, it is unfair, one should instead show that they are really equal by disclosing the inner ground for their equality. About Emmy Noether, by Lee Smolin: The connection between symmetries and conservation laws is one of the great discoveries of twentieth century physics . But I think very few non-experts will have heard either of it or its maker - Emily Noether, a great German mathematician. But it is as essential to twentieth century physics as famous ideas like the impossibility of exceeding the speed of light.It is not difficult to teach Noethers theorem, as it is called; there is a beautiful and intuitive idea behind it. Ive explained it every time Ive taught introductory physics. But no textbook at this level mentions it. And without it one does not really understand why the world is such that riding a bicycle is safe. Print Bibliography Dick, Auguste.Emmy Noether: 1882-1935. 1980.  ISBN: 0817605193

Apple Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Apple Inc - Research Paper Example This pricing strategy has allowed the company to rule over the Smartphone and the Tablet industry for a long period of time. The company offers high end devices and fast gadgets to customers, and this is why Apple is able to charge premium prices from its customers. The company has not yet been required to change its static pricing strategy because of its strong and dominant position in the market. The company is also able to charge higher prices because over the years, it has established a loyal clientele base. Customers of Apple products are loyal to the company and they wait keenly for company’s products. This is an indication of the loyalty of Apple customers, and this is why Apple is able to follow premium static pricing strategy. Many of Apple customers are repeat customers, and therefore the company is audacious in its pricing strategy. Apple does not have to worry much about attracting new consumers because it already enjoys a loyal clientele. Customers will buy Apple product without taking into consideration its high prices because they are just used to Apple products. Apple faces strong competition from companies like Samsung, Google, Microsoft, Blackberry, HTC, and Sony. All these companies, especially Samsung, have been rapidly gaining grounds by introducing new and innovative products (Chen, 2013). For a long period of time, Apple enjoyed monopoly power in the Smartphone and Tablet industry, but the tables are turning. Google’s android operating system has also garnered customer attention. Android based apps have flooded the market which shows the popularity of this operating system. The above mentioned companies are also producing cheaper Smartphones and Tablets which have also made life difficult for Apple, at least to a certain extent. The company, although, is not falling behind its competitors, to a great extent, because of its first movers advantage and extensive

Statistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Statistics - Research Paper Example However, in 2008-2009 during the global economic contagion, the housing sector reported a significant decline in demand and sales, a crisis that was described by economic expert as â€Å"housing bubble† (Baker, 2007). The demand for housing and residential property significantly declined and this was followed a drastic fall in the real estate investments during the same period. After the global economic recovery in late 2009 and early 2010, housing sector posted a boost in returns. This raises the question on the effects of the GDP on the real estate investments and the sales of the houses in the United States. Although empirical studies early conducted by professional indicate that these two variables are related, such findings are insufficient in addressing the effects of predictable change in the GDP on sales and demand of house, particularly in the U.S. This research paper therefore aims at establishing the relationships between the changes in the GDP and house sales. In d etermining such relationships, this research paper will focus on literature material and the statistical inferences. The link between GDP and the change in the sales of the housing and real estate units is evidenced by the data on the performance if these two variable over time. The data from the department of labor and economics show that these two variables have a strong positive relationship. This is evidenced by the great global economic and financial crisis of 2009 that negatively affected the housing and real estate sector through the housing bubbles. These changes in the GDP and the general economic performance had an adverse effect on the volume of sales in the housing sector. A research study by Baker (2007) established that a predicted decline in GDP is reflected in the housing sector by a fall in the volume of house sales. This explained by the fact a fall the GDP is characterized a significant fall the marginal propensity to invests or save out of any

Explain the four sociological perspectives Functionalist, Conflict Essay

Explain the four sociological perspectives Functionalist, Conflict theory, interactionism and feminism. In addition briefly report how each of these theories wo - Essay Example Functionalism also asserts that functional requirements have to be met in society for its existence. This means that functions such as reproduction have to exist for the society to survive. Problems that randomly occur in life perform a function in this perspective. Like when death occurs, world population decreases. . The Conflict Theory holds the belief societies, groups and individuals function to benefit themselves or their groups. There are four basic beliefs for this theory; competition, structural inequality, revoloution and war. Competition is the basic function for all social activity, such as monetary, love, power and even leisure activities. All societies have structural inequality from the US income classes to Communist countries that have political classes. Competition and structural inequality lead to revoloution and war. Revoloution unites people behind a common cause, then war unifys the both winners and losers into a new society. History is an example of this theory from Nazi Germany to English colonies to Iraq today. This perspective represents the vicious cycle that has existed since the beginning of society. Interactionism is basically the perspective that people react toward things based on the meaning that the thing has for them. These meanings are influenced by social interaction, then changed by the person’s interpretation. For example, a child reacts to a loving mother positively, but interprets the mother’s actions uniquely. Feminism as a sociological perspective is focused on how male dominance has shape the world socially. All societies have the problem of how male dominance has affected it. One example is Saudi Arabia. Male dominance shapes every social aspect of a Saudi’s life, from politics to marriage. Even in America, male superiority can be found, like in sports. Wrestling is a male sport, even though some

Importance of Authenticity in Tourism

Importance of Authenticity in Tourism How important is authenticity in tourism? Introduction The purpose of this study record is to explore the theme of authenticity as expounded by different authors. The record will provide an overview of my reading during the course of the year, and will present an examination of the different approaches to the topic by the selected authors, and present these approaches in the wider context of writing on the importance of authenticity in tourism. Daniel Boorstin (1964, 1985) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. 2nd ed. New York: Athenaeum Boorstin writes about the demise of the traveller who seeks authentic experiences and the rise of mass tourism. For Boorstin, real travel belonged to a golden age that was now lost where whatever the traveller saw â€Å"was apt to be what really went on there†. Whereas contemporary travel was a pseudo-event made up of â€Å"specimens collected and embalmed especially for him, or attractions specifically staged for him† (1961:102). Boorstin was adamant that the tourist no longer wanted authenticity, even going so far as to argue that a French singer singing in accented English was more appealing to the Anglophone tourist than the singer singing in her native language. Similarly, says Boorstin (1961: 106), the American visiting Japan is not looking for authentic Japanese culture but rather â€Å"what is Japenesey†. These contrived experiences had four characteristics, said Boorstin, they are not spontaneous or natural, they are designed to be reproduced, the relationship between the event and reality is ambiguous, and the contrived event becomes normal over time as it becomes perceived as being authentic. The theme in Boorstin’s book is that mass tourism is an impediment to experiencing other cultures and that the masses do not want to experience authentic culture anyway, preferring the contrived to the authentic. In reading Boorstin, his scepticism comes through very clearly but also you are left with a lingering sense of the author’s arrogance. True authentic experiences could only be encountered in the golden age when none but the truly wealthy could afford to travel. For Boorstin, the opening of the leisure market to a wider range of social classes ruined the authenticity of the experience for the privileged and the educated and gave access to travel to people who couldn’t possibly understand the experience except at the most base and contrived level. Boorstin’s approach was taken forward by MacCannell who disputed that tourists wanted pseudo-events and it is McCannell’s work we shall consider next. Dean MacCannell (1989) A new theory of the leisure class. 2nd ed. University of California Press. This book was first published in 1976 and appears to be cited widely in books and articles on authenticity in tourism. MacCannell writes from the perspective that progressiveness has failed people and people use tourism to give their lives greater sense and meaning, and in seeking sense and meaning in other cultures people are highlighting that they feel isolated and alienated in their own culture. Tourists’ disillusionment with the nature of work in industrial society drives them to travel and to travel further, as they try to penetrate the ‘back’ of life where truth and authenticity can be found. This notion of life having a ‘front’, ‘back’ and ‘outside’came out of the work of Goffman (1959) who used the metaphor of the stage to examine the perceptions of the individual to the performance. The front stage is the official perspective, while the backstage is presented as being more honest as the individual has an awareness of the disputes and difficulties that are occurring. The outside represents segregation where the individual is unable to gain access to what is going on on stage. Authenticity in tourism, says MacCannell, comes from an awareness of what is going on behind the scenes where all is not sanitised for public consumption. MacCannell highlights the falseness of the distinction between mass tourist, researcher, travel writer and authentic traveller and puts forward the view that the mass tourist is as much in search of authenticity as the researcher or travel writer. MacCannell notes â€Å"longstanding touristic attitude, a pronounced dislike, bordering on hatred, for other tourists, in a they are the tourists I am not equation† (1989: 602). MacCannell’s perspective particularly resonated with me as when travelling I have noticed people, including myself, wanting to distinguish themselves as separate from the masses, somehow being more distinguished or more credible as independent travellers rather than mass tourists. As well as noting the views of those who think that tourism will ultimately destroy itself[1], I’m also starting to recognise the irony of my travelling to seek an authentic travel experience while at the same time willingly participating in the growth of tourism. Howe ver, while MacCannell’s perspective does resonate, I would suggest that MacCannell’s position is on one sense just as polarised as Boorstin’s. From Boorstin (1985), we get the perspective that all that tourists want is a superficial and contrived experience, whilst MacCannell proposes that all tourists are in pursuit of the real ‘back’ and authentic experience but are denied this by being presented with inauthenticity. In reality, it seems likely that the truth would be some where in between. Erik Cohen (1995) Contemporary Tourism-Trends and Challenges: Sustainable Authenticity or Contrived Post-Modernity?, in Change in Tourism: People, Places, Processes, edited by Richard Butler and Douglas Pearce. London: Routledge. Cohen has written extensively on authenticity in tourism across several decades and as well as challenging existing ideas, it is clear that he has enjoyed conducting fieldwork and written a substantial amount on tourism development in developing countries. Cohen notes that while tourism has hugely benefited the country in terms of economic development there are significant downsides including the growth of Thailand’s sex trade and related criminal activities. Cohen breaks Thailand’s tourism development down into four areas of change. The first is what he terms the massification of the industry which denotes the huge rise in the numbers of tourists entering the country. The second is the dispersion of tourism, from Bangkok and its environs across the country from Phuket in the south to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Tourism is continuing to spread in Thailand, with tourists venturing into the Golden Triangle in the north and into areas such as Krabi in the south. The t hird change identified by Cohen in that of heterogenisation, which is the process in which the nationalities of the tourists and the variety of attractions and amenities become more similar. Finally, says Cohen, there is regionalization at work. This can be seen by Thailand’s positioning of itself at the heart of an emerging regional tourism industry in Southeast Asia which includes Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. As the tourism industry in Thailand develops, the Thai government is trying to encourage international tourism – due to its greater revenue generating potential – but is also trying to encourage domestic tourism. The reason for this is that domestic tourism minimizes foreign exchange leakage from the economy. The growth in tourism leads to continuing expansion into new areas and the further diversification of tourist activities, including the development of both natural and ‘contrived’ activities. How these activities will balance out depends on dependent the Thai tourist economy depends on Europe, as Cohen notes that European tourists generally prefer contrived attractions such as shopping, theme parks and entertainment facilities. There will also be an increasing discrepancy between the tourist image of an idyllic location and the increasing pollution and urban development of Thailand’s beach towns. The increasing development of Thailand has led so me to argue that there should be a greater focus on authentic tourism and ecotourism is particularly promoted by some writers (Bottrill and Pearce, 1995; Honey, 1998). Cohen, however, argues that ecotourism principles are applicable to any type of tourism and that stringent or exclusive definitions of ecotourism are unnecessarily restrictive. From Cohen’s perspective, most tourists engage in mass tourist activities as well as alternative activities. The desire for authenticity can be measured by the tourist’s willingness to forgo comforts such as comfort itself, familiarity and convenience in order to achieve what they perceive is a more authentic experience. Mass tourism and authentic tourism are not alternatives but a spectrum or continuum where the search for authenticity can be observed and measured. The importance of Cohen’s work is in how it has continued to challenge and develop our understanding of authenticity. As we saw earlier, McCannell’s (1976) scholarship focused on the concepts of alienation and authenticity but Cohen took this further. Cohen broadened McCannell’s conceptions and applied them to tourists’ perceptions of authenticity. Cohen has also developed the work of Boorstin[2]. As has been noted, Boorstin was very pessimistic about authenticity and his approach remained that of a sceptic. For Cohen, however, the idea of a universal authenticity was questioned and challenged. Cohen comes to the conclusion that authenticity means different things to different people and therefore what appears authentic to one tourist (or host) will not appear authentic to another. Building on this, we can see that the importance of authenticity can also be determined to be socially constructed, and its importance variable depending on the perceptions of the person considering the issue. This appears similar to the theoretical perspectives of the social constructivists where meaning is seen to emerge and is constantly changing. This view appears to have gained some following in tourism research with writers including Dearden and Mitchell (1997) and Sharpley and Sharpley (1997) sharing this perspective. Auliana Poon (1993) Tourism, Technology and Competitive Strategies. Oxford: CAB International. Poon writes about alternative tourism and puts forward the view that alternative tourism is more exclusive than mass tourism and is diametrically opposed to mass tourism in terms of consumers, production, technology and management. Poon argues that mass tourism comprises rigidly packaged and inflexible holidays when deviation from the package is rejected because of the cost implications that deviation would incur. There is also a mass replication of identical rooms or apartments to allow the operators to reap the benefits of economies of scale, and there is mass (undifferentiated) marketing again with hotel and holiday branding for reasons of economies of scale. Finally, according to Poon, mass tourism features mass consumption with little regard for the cultures of the tourist destinations. The alternative, according to Poon is a form of tourism that embraces flexibility and specialisation which provides a more personalised form of tourism. The alternative scenario also gives greater consideration to the tourist destination and actively considers culture and environment. The sustainability of alternative tourist destinations are therefore paramount under alternative tourism and attempts are made to pursue development in a culturally and environmentally sensitive and considered way. The motivation for tour companies to pursue alternative tourism can be seen in the potential it provides to differentiate itself in the marketplace. Mass tourism has saturated the market and to stand out to the consumer the travel companies must offer something different and authenticity is this difference. Having considered the work of Boorstin and MacCannell, and also Cohen, it becomes more difficult to accept a further attempt to present authenticity as a pure and exclusive form. It is easy to see that the concept of authenticity is useful in an academic sense, as a key component in a model, or a concept in which to frame a debate, but more difficult to see its existence in a pure form. In addition to considering authenticity as the polar opposite of mass tourism, there is another perspective: that mass tourism has merely reinvented itself into a more socially acceptable form. Fernandes (1994: 4) points out, â€Å"the mainstream tourism industry has merely tried to invent a new legitimation for itself, the ‘sustainable’ use of the environment including the preservation of nature as an amenity for the already advantaged†. John Urry (1990) The Tourist Gaze.London: Sage Urry notes the rapid development of tourism and uses a metaphor of an omnivorous creature to highlight what he sees as tourists devouring the planet in their ‘consuming’ of destinations. Urry (1990:1) states that when we travel â€Å"we gaze† and â€Å"the gaze is socially constructed†. The gaze is not a single gaze regardless of nationality or social class, but emerges from who we are and goes on to shape us and well as that gazed upon. Urry charts the development of the tourist industry in the UK and looks at the rise of mass tourism in Victorian Britain the development of the British coastal resorts, the mass tourism provided by holiday camps, and the introduction of a new flexibility from the 1960s onwards as people travelled to European destinations. Mass marketing provided representative images which gave tourists an understanding of the destinations available and these are duplicated in the destinations themselves and in place promotion. Urry urges the development of the post-mass marketing tourist or what he calls that post-tourist who seeks to find authenticity and shirk the artificial and staged events offered by the tourism operators. This builds on Cohen’s work which argued that the local culture becomes a contrived commodity and, without people’s consent, operators take local culture and renders it meaningless. Urry’s work has come under criticism with some arguing that he has over-stated the decline of mass tourism. Indeed, package holidays to Orlando and Phuket appear to have a great deal in common in terms of fun and pleasure seeking as the mass tourism in Blackpool of earlier generations. Urry’s ‘gaze’ has been criticised as being inadequate; Prentice (2001) puts forward the need to look at the subjective mental state felt by individuals while Ooi (2002) argues that the subjective nature of experience means that as well as being multi-faceted, â€Å"experiences are embodies in people† and can â€Å"only be expressed to and not felt by other people†. Ning Wang (2000) Tourism and Modernity: A Sociological Analysis. Tourism Social Science Series. Oxford: Pergamon. Having read perspectives from the objectivists Boorstin and MacCannell, and the social constructivist perspectives, it was interesting to see how Wang appeared to bring these perspectives together with a postmodernist perspective, based on the work of Baudrillard and others. Wang argues that authenticity should be broken down into authenticity of object and authenticity of experience. Authenticity of object refers to the authenticity of what is being observed, and this is further broken down into objective, constructive and post modern forms with the post modern form rejecting authenticity completely, while authenticity of experience refers to a person’s own personal experiences. Wang puts forward the view that authenticity is not inherent and identified characteristics that can be attributed to the constructivist conceptions of authenticity, namely that there is no fixed origin of authenticity, that what we consider original and authentic can be contested, notions of authenticity are pluralistic, and that authenticity is often declared when something conforms to tourist expectations. Wang also put forward the idea that inauthentic experiences can become authentic over time. This process, which Wang terms ‘emergent authenticity’ was also put forward by Cohen and promotes the primacy of the tourist perception of the experience and, as Picard and Robinson remind us, â€Å"all events were once created† and that ranking authenticity is â€Å"highly questionable† (2006: 134). Wang’s focus on a person’s own experiences is interesting as so much of the debate on the importance of authenticity has been about the authenticity of the objects being seen. Wang notes that tourists are â€Å"in search of their authentic selves with the aid of activities or toured objects† (2000:360). This search for our authentic selves can be liberating, a desire for experiences that are outside of our daily lives, but can also be restricted by itineraries and other constraints. The importance of authenticity in tourism is, for Wang, a feeling or perceiving of authenticity rather than its fixed existence in cultural objects. Conclusions From this study record we can see that many writers have highlighted the importance of authenticity but there is inconsistency about what authenticity entails. For Boorstin, mass tourism ruined any chance of experiencing authenticity and authenticity that not something that the masses sought even if it were attainable. MacCannell considered that authenticity could be equally sought by the mass tourist or researcher but held that the tourism industry was denying the people an authentic experience. Cohen offered a perspective on authenticity that incorporated both the tourist and the host but offered the possibility that one party might consider an experience authentic while the other did not; Poon considered authenticity and mass tourism to be diametrically opposed, while Urry built on Cohen’s work and presented the view that culture had become such a contrived commodity that it had been rendered meaningless. Finally, Wang presented what is almost a capstone perspective, bringi ng in the earlier objective and constructivist perspectives to present a broader representation of the importance of authenticity as an existential experience. References Boorstin, DJ (1985) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. 2nd ed. New York: Atheneum Bottrill, C and D Pearce (1995) Ecotourism: towards a key elements approach to operationalising the concept. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 3, 1, 45-54. Cohen, E (1995) Contemporary Tourism-Trends and Challenges: Sustainable Authenticity or Contrived Post-Modernity?, in Change in Tourism: People, Places, Processes, ed. Richard Butler and Douglas Pearce. London: Routledge. Dearden, P and B Mitchell (1997) Environmental Change and Challenge. Oxford University Press. Fernandes, D (1994) The shaky ground of sustainable tourism. Quarterly Environmental Journal, 2, 4, October-December, 4-38. Goffman, E (1959) Presentation of self in everyday life. Penguin Books. Honey, M (1998) Where’s the eco in ecotourism? Connection to the Americas, 15, 2, March, 1-7. MacCannell, D. (1999) The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class. University of California Press McKercher, B (1993) The unrecognized threat to tourism: can tourism survive sustainability. Tourism Management, 14, 4, 131-136. Ooi, C-S (2002) Cultural Tourism and Tourism Cultures: The Business of Mediating Experiences in Copenhagen and Singapore. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press. Picard, D and M Robinson (2006) Festivals, Tourism and Social Change. Channel View Publications. Poon, A (1993) Tourism, technology and competitive strategies. Oxford: CAB International. Prentice, R (2001) Experiential Cultural Tourism. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Queen Margaret College Sharpley, R and J Sharpley (1997) Sustainability and Consumption of Tourism, in MJ Stabler (ed) Tourism and Sustainability. Oxford: CAB International, 231-244. Urry, J. (1990) The Tourist Gaze, London: Sage. Wang, N (1999) Rethinking Authenticity in Tourism Experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26, 2, 349-70. Wang, N (2000) Tourism and Modernity: A Sociological Analysis. Tourism Social Science Series. Oxford: Pergamon. Footnotes [1] See McKercher (1993) [2] 1961 reprinted 1985

Teaching Essay -- Pedagogy

Thus suggesting practitioners should embrace and accept the approach enabling them to â€Å"adopt learning strategies that embed the acquisition of knowledge and skills into meaningful context† (Macleod-Brudenell and Kay, 2008, p.311). Moss and Petrie (2002) support this concept by stating â€Å"pedagogy can be used to refer to whole domain of social responsibility for children, for their well-being, learning and competence† (p.138). Pugh and Duffy (2006) suggest a pedagogue is the one who leads and educates children’s learning. This effectively impacts upon children’s learning and enables them to become confident learners. As well as encouraging children to be in control of their own interests and learning (Every child matters, 2004). Allen and Whalley (2010) adopt Whalley, Allen and Wilson’s (2008) notion that the role of the practitioner is extremely significant and address the idea that effective pedagogy is about improving outcomes for children’s learning. Therefore in order to provide an effective provision for children to learn and grow in practitioners must be able to maintain positive interactions with the children. Allen and Whalley (2009) adopt Curtis and O’Hagan’s (2009, p. 156) concept that theorists such as Bruner and Vygotsky have influenced pedagogy by placing â€Å"emphasis upon the importance of the adult in facilitating children’s learning†. This promotes children’s learning. Good practice would be for the practitioners to try to extend and build upon the child’s knowledge by scaffolding their learning through ideas and questions (Bee and Boyd, 2007). Additionally, Allen and Whalley (2010, p.7) highlight the forth theme of the EYFS as â€Å"positive relationships†. Bruce (2008) resonates with the National strategies (2009) no... ...one year. Partnership with parents provides the teachers to be able to get to understand the child’s family to gain a greater knowledge basis of the child’s needs. Curtis and O’Hagan (2009) illustrate that parents and teachers meet up throughout the school year to discuss any problems they or the children may be having. This is good practice as it ensures the practitioners are receiving all the information they can to help support the children within their care to reach their full potential. Reggio Emilia however, believes in continual assessment. This concept expects practitioners to record and review what children say and do on a regular basis. This system is viewed by parents at any point. Reggio Emilia values this system very highly and ensures parents know they are completing a reflective and extensive process that can help contribute to children’s learning.