Death Camp

It all began when a group of old friends decided they wanted to go camping for the weekend. All they wanted was to have a laugh, get drunk and have good last memories of their time together before they went to university in different parts of the country. Camping seemed like a perfect way to say goodbye, or so they thought. Sitting around a warm campfire, toasting marshmellows and sharing memories, they would remember the good times and leave on a good note, the troubles of the past forgotten. Jack and Mike decided to organise a weekend in the New Forest and collected a i30 contribution from their friends to pay for food, drink, fuel and the hire of a minibus. So it was that, one crisp morning in late August, the group of friends met at The Three Compasses in Luton and set off, talking and laughing, for their perfect weekend away. The journey took a few hours due to the volume of traffic on the roads and by the time they reached base camp they were hot, tired and irritable. Determined not to let the weekend get off to a bad start, Jack suggested that they set up camp in the woods then go their separate ways before the barbeque later in the evening. Jack led the group from the carpark to a clearing about half a mile into the dense trees and they began to set up the large ten-man tents. After agreeing to meet back at seven, they split into twos and threes and went off to explore the forest. Everyone was back by half past and got a fire going, crackling merrily as they toasted marshmellows. As the drink was brought out the talking and laughing grew louder and more raucous until most were either asleep or dancing outrageously to Mike's CD collection. The fire flickered, its embers glowing and cinders scattering about the clearing. The deep shadows between the trees were broken by its golden light and different hues of yellow danced across the canvas tents. A wonderful aroma of sweet pinewood burning filled the clearing, mingling with the pungent perfume of wild grasses and flowers. The stars overhead were glittering like diamonds in the velvety night sky. Jack was dancing near to the fire but he was one of the last ones, everyone else had gone into the tents to sleep off the vodka and beer. As his friends decided that they too were ready for bed, Jack went to put out the fire with a bottle of water. In his disorientated state he accidentally picked up a half-drunk bottle of vodka and threw its contents onto the fire. There was a roar and the flames sprang up, licking the night air like a predator hungry for prey. Tongues of flame caught low-hanging branches and they were swallowed up, the pine resin spitting and jumping. Jerked out of his drunkeness, Jack ran to the tents and shouted for everyone to get out and follow him. The ones who listened ran outside, dragging their semi-conscious friends with them. Crashing through the dense undergrowth they headed in the direction of the minibus and clambered aboard. Mike, who had stayed sober enough to drive, sprang into the drivers seat and they sped off down the road. At a nearby laybay they stopped and called the fire brigade from a phonebox. It was only then that they realised several of their friends behind at the mercy of the raging flames. The forest was alight, the trees catching like dry tinder and pillars of orange flame rocketing into the night sky, the pines burning like torches. The people left behind ran drunkenly away from the flames but the fire was spreading at an incredible rate, springing from tree to tree like rampaging tigers. Smoke filled the forest and they choked as they ran, stumbling and falling. Overcome by tiredness and lack of oxygen, they sank down in a clearing by a road, hoping the fire could be stopped before it was too late†¦

Methods of Writing Paragraph Essay

There are different writing methods use to be able to developed a good paragraph. These are the use of the various types of paragraph development. The most frequently methods use includes Definition, Classification, Comparison and Contrast, Process Description, Cause and Effect and Narration. The idea in the paragraph can be expanded through the use of Definition. In here, the writer can be able to explain the meaning of an idea or a concept. It could be done by showing the details, describing, giving examples or analyzing using symbols and more. The next one is through the use of Classification method. Classification method can be done if you are going to breakdown information into smaller parts in simplifying a concept or in explaining something such as a series of things. The next methodology is the Description of Process. It is usually done in describing a series of connected actions in chronological manner. The process of description might be in the form of natural, mechanical o r historical processes. Like the other methods, it can also be use to expand the idea in the paragraph. Another method is through Comparison and Contrast. The writer can use comparison if he/she want to show some similarities with the given ideas. On the other hand, the writer can use contrast if he/she wants to point out differences in ideas. It also possible to use the combination of both comparison and contrast in establishing both the similarities and differences of ideas in the given paragraph. The next is the use of Cause and Effect. Cause and effect method can be used to expand the idea in the paragraph by establishing or explaining what happens as a result of something. In here, the writer can use signal words such as the words; because, cause, due to, for the reason and other words for the cause. The signal words for the cause are the words; as a result, consequently,in effect, therefore, thus and more. The next one is through the use of Narration. In here, the write could expand the concept of an idea in the paragraph by arranging the ideas in order; in chronological, or in place, or in the level of importance telling what happened first and what will be in the next. For chronological or time order, the write can use the words that tell time such as; such as first, second then,after,later and more. For place order, the writer can use the words that locate, such words like; below, beneath, behind, behind, near, and more. For the order of importance, the writer can use the words that judge importance, such words like; next, last, must, greatest, in the first place and more.

Dutchman – Thematic Analysis Paper

Williams, Jae`da June 19, 2012 ENC 1102 Dutchman Thematic Analysis The phrase â€Å"racial tension† is a small description of the main theme in Dutchman by Amiri Baraka. While race is a vital part of the underlying messages in the play, it stems to a much broader term. In Dutchman Amiri Baraka attempts to grasp the attention of the African American society. Baraka uses Clay’s character to show readers that complete assimilation into another culture is wrong. He wants to awaken the African American men and women in a predominately Caucasian American culture to subconsciously kill the person that is portrayed by Clay in the play.Not only does Baraka want readers and audience members to kill their inner Clay, but refuse to conform to what is known as the â€Å"Average African American man /woman†. The post-thought process that takes place after reading or seeing the play is what triggers the desire to re-evaluate oneself in who they are and how they are portrayed in society. In the article Dutchman Reconsidered by Thaddeus Martin, it is said that Lula’s whimsical and formless personality is Baraka’s way of saying that the freedom of whites is boundless, and Clays â€Å"Puritanical and Victorian† ways shows how blacks are condemned to suffer the furies of that freedom. Martin 62) For example Clay and Lula’s dialogue in scene one: â€Å"Clay: Wow. All these people, so suddenly. They must all come from the same place. Lula:Right. That they do. Clay: Oh? You know about them too? Lula: Oh yeah. About them more than I know about you. Do they frighten you? Clay: Frighten me? Why should they frighten me? Lula: ‘Cause you’re an escaped nigger. Clay: Yeah? Lula: ‘Cause you crawled through the wire and made tracks to my side? Clay: Wire? Lula: Don’t they have wire around plantations? Clay: You must be Jewish. All you can think about is wire.Plantations didn’t have any wire. Plantations were bi g open whitewashed places like heaven, and everybody on ‘em was grooved to be there. Just strummin’ and hummin’ all day. Lula: Yes, yes. † (Baraka 2754) Lula refers to Clay as an escaped nigger because he crawled through the wire and made tracks to her side. Lula’s reason for saying such a statement shows the common assumption that all black people admire white style. With Clay giving such an apathetic response to Lula’s comment, it is an example of the suggested submissiveness to white authority from an African American.This kind of behavior from Clay is used as a reminder to African Americans to idolize the thoughts and ideas of Caucasians. (Martin 62) There is a power struggle between black and white in Dutchman. When Clay was the more dominant character as an African American man he had a sense of confidence and assurance about himself, but once he is killed, his character is seen as the person you don’t want to be. Baraka’s idea is that if you take on the ways of Clay eventually you will end up someone you’re not, losing your true self.On the contrary when Lula was the more dominant person she had a sense of esteem that overpowered Clays. Her overpowering attitude is to symbolize the dominating cultural presence white people have over blacks. Even with all of the sarcastic comments Clay made as comebacks to Lula, her ingenious way of insulting him still left her with the upper hand. Clays laid back attitude toward Lula is admirable, almost as if he looks up to her wanting to be her. Clay’s admiration for Lula did not begin when she stepped on the train but originated in his upbringing.His yearning to fit into the white culture that seemed to be much better off than he was is what established his appreciation for the white society. (Kumar 277-278) At first he tolerates her comments and attempts to take them lightheartedly, because he has hopes at being intimate with Lula. Willing to listen to a white woman strip him of his pride and manhood just for a night of pleasure, Clay is submitting to the dominant character of Lula. In scene two Lula’s insulting comments progress: â€Å"Lula: Uhh! Uhh! Clay! Clay! You middle-class black bastard.Forget your social-working mother for a few seconds and let’s knock stomachs. Clay, you liver-lipped white man. You would-be Christian. You ain’t no nigger, you’re just a dirty white man. Get up. Clay. Dance, with me, Clay. Clay: Lula! Sit down, now. Be cool. † Even through Lula insulted him and spoke badly about his mother clay still responded in an apprehensive way. Lula’s aggressiveness in her speech angers Clay to the point where he curses at her, that is after she calls him an Uncle Tom Wooly Head. (Martin 62)(Kumar 276) At the end of scene one Lula says â€Å"You’re a murderer, Clay, and you know it. (Baraka 2751)This quote could be thought of as a subliminal way of saying that Cla y killed the black man inside of him. All throughout the first scene Lula has the more aggressive and dominant role, but in scene two Clay takes on the more authoritative role, while Lula ends up being the actual murderer at the end of the play. Lula’s plot to kill Clay is in some way foreshadowed when the other passengers board the train and she says â€Å"we’ll pretend that people cannot see you†. (Baraka 2751) Clay tries to defend himself all throughout the play but doesn’t succeed because he can’t defend something that he is not.While Lula is insulting the stereotypes and behavior of black men, Clay cannot fully defend them because he himself isn’t truly â€Å"black†. (Klinkowitz 123-124) Baraka used a sense of satire because instead of directly inputting his opinion about Clay he played off of Lula’s character, which provoked Clay to portray through his actions the person readers don’t want to be. This kind of appro ach causes readers to think about whom they are and their role in society. Dutchman raises the attention of readers black or white and makes each think of who they really are.Even through the personalities of each character, any reader can apply themselves to the situation. With America becoming so diverse in the last decades assimilating ourselves into different cultures has become almost second nature, so adapting to other cultures has not caused us to loose who we really are but to accustom ourselves to change. Baraka didn’t want readers to internally kill the person they were inside, but to do away with the person that they weren’t. Complete and total assimilation into another culture is what Clay did to himself and is what Baraka wants Blacks to not do.Instead, he wants Blacks to never forget who they are, but to not be so narrow minded that they are blind to the world around them. Jae`da WilliamsAnnotated Bibilography Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Baraka. Drama For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Drama for Students gives readers different outlooks on a variety of texts. The approach taken to analyze the piece Dutchman is unique, because instead of offering one theme there are multiple.This allows readers to take it upon themselves to decide what they think about the play. By providing plot summaries it allows readers to take what they thought about the text and apply it to a more condensed version. Drama for Students would work best in a classroom, considering it’s written for students. Since it is written in a form for students to learn and comprehend, it would be no challenge to grasp the concepts presented. This non-complex approach to the play will help the clearness of my research. The direct approach should help anyone who uses this resource.Understanding the background of the play is not difficult, because of the short author biography provided. This makes the Dutchman than just a piece of literature, but rather a piece of the author. Piggford, George. â€Å"Looking into Black Skulls : American Gothic, the Revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman. †Ã‚  American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Piggfords approach in comparing Dutchman to African-American Gothic literature is different from the other resources that I have come across.The social and political events that were taking place while the play was written have a lot to do with Piggfords ideas on the underlying issues Baraka implemented into the play. It is aid that Dutchman marked the end of a certain type of theater, the kind that uses social structures as the gateway to examining the black psyche. This book is very helpful because it not only addresses the things that are usually looked for in a piece of work such as theme, characters motivation, outside influences and the authors influence.The title and the way the text makes others feel is a part of the meaning of the play in its entirety. Martin, Thaddeus. â€Å"Dutchman Reconsidered. †Ã‚  Black American Literature Forum  2nd ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. In this review Martin gives an analysis of the characters in Dutchman, mainly Clay and Lula. By using quotes from the text, his ideas about the play seem to have a great amount of relevance and validity. Although the article is short it brings much insight to my research because of its strong argument.It presents an idea, and then runs with it. Martin doesn't waver in what he believes is the message that is in Dutchman. Even though his ideas are similar to other journal reviews, Martin includes more of his opinion rather than relying on past events and political issues that were that were prominent in that time. It's almost as if Martin is taking into considerati on the feelings of the characters of this play. He relates the feelings of average Americans to the characters of the play; this gives a more personal feel to the research. Kumar, Nita. The Logic of Retribution: Amiri Baraka's â€Å"Dutchman†Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  African American Review  37. 2/3 (2003): 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Nita Kumar's response to the Dutchman is very useful in my research because its examples are from other reviews of the work. This type of literary construction gives Kumar’s work more versatility. It is able to suit different opinions without insulting anyone’s views. In Dutchman, the use of language plays an important role, and Kumar recognizes that. Examining the language used and how it helps the characters feed off of one another is important.This will help anyone who reads the review grasp an understanding on why some things were said and exactly what they mean. Putting her ideas into categories, Kumar’s' review is very well organized which makes it beneficial to my research. The organization of the article makes it a lot easier for readers to follow along and allow time for things to process, which is why it is so ideal for research. Klinkowitz, Jerome. â€Å"LeRoi Jones: Dutchman as Drama. †Ã‚  Negro American Literature Forum  7. 4 (1973): 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.This text offers a great layout of information. Klinkowitz takes pages of text in the play and evaluates it, instead of the entire play as a whole. This approach literally breaks down the quotes and thoughts of the characters. This piece even analyzes the position that LeRoi Jones was in when he wrote the Dutchman. Not only does he break down the pages of the script, but still does not fail to incorporate other writers ideas and opinions in his work, Instead of taking away from the point that Klinkowitz is trying to make, the examples make his writing more relatable and personal.The continual flo w of criticism allows for the author to be very static in his opinions. Just as a teacher would teach their students a lesson, allowing room for opinions and ideas, Klinkowitz allows readers to input their own thoughts and ideas on the play. Works Cited Galens, David M. Dutchman-Amiri,Baraka. Drama For Students. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 141-59. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Cengage Learning. Web. 31 May 2012. Electronic Book. Piggford, George. â€Å"Looking into Black Skulls : American Gothic, the Revolutionary Theatre, and Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman.   American Gothic: New Interventions in a National Narrative. Iowa: University of Iowa, 1998. 143-59. EBSCO Host. Web. 30 June 2012. Electronic Book. Martin, Thaddeus. â€Å"Dutchman Reconsidered. †Ã‚  Black American Literature Forum  2nd ser. 11 (1977). Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Kumar, Nita. â€Å"The Logic of Retribution: Amiri Baraka's â€Å"Dutchman†Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  African American Review  37. 2/3 (2003): 271-79. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article. Klinkowitz, Jerome. â€Å"LeRoi Jones: Dutchman as Drama. †Ã‚  Negro American Literature Forum  7. 4 (1973): 123-26. JSTOR. Web. 23 May 2012. Online Article.

Leisure travel and tourism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leisure travel and tourism - Assignment Example Local tavern is an inn for travelers. Tourist from all over the world requires a place for chilling and hangout. The history of local tavern has influenced the growth of travel industry. Cruising is the faster growing segment of adventure travel. Since 1980, the annual growth rate of the cruise industry has increased to 8%. The cruise itinerary, facilities and the onboard service are main elements of cruise experience. American Society of travel Agents is a trade association and leading global advocate for the travel industry. It is the world’s largest association which provides enhanced professionalism and effective representation for selling travel products. Examples of hotel amenities are internet access, kitchen facilitates, towels, personal items, dining, etc. hotel services is the service provided to the customer by staffs. It can also be regarded as the maintenance of hospitality with guests. Exhibition is the organization presentation which denotes the idea of display and showing of selected items. Fair is the display of goods or trade produce to the gathered people. It denotes the idea of selling, displaying and entertainment. Sustainability is how forests and healthy wetlands remain productive and diverse. It is something to take initiatives instantly without thinking the future potential for people. Sustainable activity can continue forever. Wine tasting is the sensory examination of perceiving the aroma and flavors of a wine. This increases sensory senses and lead to healthy and fit body. Safari is a journey to hunt or observe animals. The increase of fitness and healthy emotional balance is due to long

Inventory Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Inventory Management - Research Paper Example This means that the employees order new stock as soon as the existing one is depleted. Full maximization of employee use is essential in times of failure of the system. Many businesses have employed the use of self-checkout machines in retailing to enhance productivity. Among the major advantages of these machines is the improvement of efficiency in that they reduce the checkout time. A store can run six self-check units all controlled by one employee who tracks the progress of all customers in all the machines as opposed to one cashier and thus reduce time. The customer also gets a false sense of privacy thus improving satisfaction and productivity. For a retailer, there is reduced staffing and therefore reduced cost of management due to less administration costs. The machines enhance efficiency in the payment as they accept many methods of payment such as the debit and credit cards, cash through coin slots and electronic food assistance cards. However, the system is vulnerable to theft from shoplifters. The trustworthiness of customers is questionable but the machines may detect incidences of theft and cause the customer to change attitude toward s

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care-Phase 1 Essay

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care-Phase 1 Individual Project - Essay Example In the United States, about 94% of the nurses are female out of the nations 2.7 million workers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. The reason for the shortage is described to be the added taxes they have to pay and the added pressure on health care facilities to cut corners by letting nurses go. The shortages created by these put extra pressure on the remaining nurses. According to the survey conducted by the American Nurses Association, nurses feel burnt out, stressed and unable to provide quality healthcare. (Uretsky, 2005) (Ginty, 2004) The solution to increase the supply of nurses lies basically with the government by adopting policies for funding. However at an organizational level, the managers should try to treat the nurses more professionally. Limiting mandatory overtime can be another way to reduce burnout of nurses hence increasing the standard of nursing which would lead to more students to come towards the nursing field. Offering high rewards and peace of mind as job characteristics would further attract nurses to join JPS rather than other hospitals. (Ginty, 2004) The American Medical Association in its newspaper (Jan. 5, 2004) claimed that there was a looming crisis of physician shortage which will inevitably increase. The reason for the shortfall is some cases isn’t really because of the unavailability or supply of physicians but because of an unequal geographic distribution. Due to the trends in urbanization, the distribution of physicians in certain areas of US has become asymmetric. The lack of appeal in certain regions of the country, lower pays as well as the inability of disadvantaged communities to support specialist care monetarily lead to a tendency for physicians to set themselves up in major cities where at least their income is satisfactory.

Is the Marxist critique of capitalism still relevant in the Essay

Is the Marxist critique of capitalism still relevant in the contemporary global political economy - Essay Example This system argues that many businesses would ensure the presence of diverse products and services of topmost quality at a minimal cost. (1) Probably, the biggest criticism leveled by Marxism is that, Capitalism does not ensure equitable distribution of resources as the economy is primarily controlled by few powerful entities in the market, rather than any authority of the state. This leads to a scenario where the less powerful are subjected to exploitation by the mighty market forces. (2) In capitalistic economy, a substantial chunk of the manufacturers and producers pertain to the private sector, and are propelled by the major objective of enhancing profit. In this quest of theirs’, there is every possibility of the interests of the weak market entities getting jeopardized. (2) Over the past two decades, there has been a phenomenal surge in growth of technology and telecommunications. The advent of Internet has made the globe a very small place, with the geographical distances being of almost no relevance. As a matter of fact, this technological surge played a pivotal role in speeding up the process of globalization. Interactions, both commercial and political, among various countries have now become the order of the day. The rapid strides taken by the sphere of telecommunications led to the advent of many business entities, which are being enabled to carry on operations in many economies in a highly amicable environment. These state of affairs led to a scenario conforming to the tenets of Capitalism – countless business conglomerates have emerged, and which are now wielding tremendous economic power. Capital in the market is now being controlled by numerous forces. An extensive range of products and services are now being offered to consumers, especially in relation to the scenario of the past era where choices for consumers were limited. At

Situation Analysis, Target Market Identification Report Essay

Situation Analysis, Target Market Identification Report - Essay Example This makes them feel more masculine. This report undertakes a comprehensive study of marketing analysis of the luxury wrist watch line of products. It will provide an opportunity to study client’s psychographic needs. This is very vital information as it provides an opportunity for Swatch Group to develop a plan for satisfying customer’s unique needs. A comprehensive analysis report gives information about challenges and opportunities in this market that can be explored by Swatch Group, through its Omega brand, to increase Ladymatic’s market presence. This also helps the company make adjustments on short and long term marketing initiatives and other promotional activities to ensure company resources are utilized in the most cost effective manner. Introduction Ladymatic wrist watch was first released to the market in 1955. Its sales has had a steady growth through the years; only affected by economic slumps experienced in 1970 and 2008. Increased income levels mea nt a higher chunk of its market could afford acquiring this high end device. It was Omega Company’s first brand of self-winding devices for the modern lady; it is also small and light hence the wearer can easily move around having it on. Its design was revolutionized after Swatch Group acquired Omega brand in the late 20th century. Continuous development of this brand as the company responds to consumer needs has led to improved sales. In 2010, the original design was improved by giving it a chic feel to make it more feminine. It was also fitted with a new hand movement with a co-axial escapement. The findings of a market evaluation were that there are several other company brands that pose as a challenge to Omega Ladymatic’s penetration to other markets; at the same time, they are capable of eating into its market. These brands include: Chopard, Citizen, Rolex and Guess. Market intelligence This is developed using three main sources of information: conducting a scruti ny of the company’s internal records and other external sources of information to establish a linkage between marketing initiatives and overall brand performance. Secondly, having a study on market intelligence gives information on changes and developments within the market in terms of consumer tastes and preferences that aid Omega managers plan their marketing drives. Lastly, marketing research is conducted to monitor problems and opportunities within the marketplace; this helps in improving performance after having an understanding of its characteristics. Swatch Group and other major wrist watch manufacturers have weak distribution networks which hinders penetration to new markets. This is according to information received from clients through customer service reports complaining about late deliveries. Market penetration is difficult for smaller manufacturers due to minimal capital might. Huge investment in distribution is needed to attract the right expertise and conduct m arket surveys for a particular market. This however forms a good competitive advantage for bigger industry players like Swatch Group whose Omega brand has remained big on the global scene. The returns on investment (ROI) realised so far has improved its capital base substantially. 1.0 Situational analysis/Current Marketing Mix This gives a brief on both market analysis and

Environmental Law, The regulation of Air Quality Essay

Environmental Law, The regulation of Air Quality - Essay Example These are important in order to find out any weak points in the regulations, to check for possible improvements in laws, and to obtain sufficient data to support or debunk regulations as needed.As such, initiating test runs for these policies and regulations can contribute to long-term solutions to air quality issues by supporting efforts to implement these at the earliest possible time. For the last four decades, sources of large-scale air pollutants such as cement factories and petroleum drilling sites were identified to pose high hazards in greatly-affecting air quality for large areas. However, in recent decades the contribution of automobile emissions were also seen as sources of particulate matter and greenhouse gases due to the gasoline combustion process in these vehicles. These results prompted the US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA to create regulations for the reduction of toxic pollutants and the release of particulate matter into the atmosphere. The successful reduction of air pollutants were tied with the implementation of the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1970, and at present has reduced emissions by up to two-thirds of emission rates during the 1960’s (Costa, 2011). However, the EPA still recognizes the need to further reduce vehicle emission rates through the generation of greener automobile technologies, thus the initiation of the National Program to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for cars to be released in the years 2017-2025, which are based on the standards under the Clean Air Act (US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, 2013). It is expected that through the implementation of these new emission standards, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced to an average of 163g/mile, there will be lesser dependence on oil due to higher efficiency rates, and in turn will benefit consumers a net of $3,400 to $5,000 worth of fuel

Marketing Energy Drinks to Americas Youth Essay Example for Free

Marketing Energy Drinks to Americas Youth Essay As I started collecting information for this paper, I soon realized that the energy drink industry is a very small (18 percent) part of the beverage industry, but a very dominant part to say the least. Interestingly, the major players in the industry, Monster Energy, Red Bull, and Rockstar, have intentionally veered away from the conventional mediums used to promote products. They instead have chosen marketing mediums that appeal more to their target markets and the â€Å"live life on the edge† lifestyles that they live. Monster for example, shies away from mass market advertising; instead they focus all of their sales efforts and marketing muscle on sponsoring action sports athletes, artists and musical, events and tours. All of this ties in with the company’s overall philosophy that Monster isn’t just a beverage, but a lifestyle brand (Landi). â€Å"The key is for us (Monster) to retain what we do best, which is marketing in an unconventional way and keep that feel for the brand,† said Rodney Sacks, CEO of Hansen Natural Corp. â€Å"Monster is all about action sports, punk rock music, partying, girls, and living life on the edge† (Landi). The companies that produce energy drinks are using the current popularity of action sports such as motocross, skateboarding, BMX, etc. , to showcase their products and to further brand awareness. It’s not coincidental that the demographic that participates in these sports and idolizes its professional athletes are also the same demographic that consumes energy drinks. You’ll see very few TV commercials or print ads promoting energy drinks but when you turn on the ESPN produced X-Games, just about every athlete participating is sponsored by Red Bull, Monster, or Rockstar. John Lee, director of sports marketing for Monster Energy Drink says, â€Å"We don’t do print ads or television. We strictly have promoted our brand through athletes and the events that the athletes compete in. † With our current generation (Gen – Y) of young Americans being the first to really grow up with the Web, it is important for marketeers to embrace the use of the internet as a vital marketing tool and communication medium (Ness). â€Å"This group has a lot of lifetime ahead of them and that makes their Lifetime Value (LTV) high for marketers,† says Greg Ness, Chief Strategy Officer, Burst Media. Ness was also quick to point out that, â€Å"one-third of current college students spend 10 or more hours online per week and one-fifth spend 20 hours or more online. † Ness concludes, â€Å"Their time online exceeds the amount of time they are spending watching TV or listening to the radio. † Monster has recently starting using the internet as a recruiting / marketing tool of sorts when they introduced the â€Å"Monster Army. † The Army is a â€Å"grassroots marketing outreach community that also locates up-and-coming athletes seeking sponsorship opportunities† (Campanelli). In the past few years, more than 50,000 athletes (recruits) have signed up as members of the Monster Army where more than 1,000 of them are currently sponsored through the program. â€Å"It’s been a very successful program, our Army members are out there spreading the word about our products, telling ten of their friends who in turn tell ten of their friends, it’s a snowball effect† (Lee). In addition Monster has also recently announced an exclusive relationship with the Loop’d Network, a social media platform exclusively for online sports communities. The Loop’d Network currently boasts more than 200,000 members worldwide (Campanelli). The history of energy drinks is much deeper than most would imagine. Japan is credited for pioneering the energy drink phenomenon, but the first mass produced energy drink was called Lucozade, and was launched in 1929, in the UK (Research Wikis). It wasn’t until Red Bull, which was first launched in 1987, and introduced the United States to the world of energy drinks a decade later that the energy drink industry really took off (Reuters). Red Bull might have had the first big impact on the market in 1997, but Monster, launched in 2002, by Hansen Natural Corp. has clearly made a strong impression on the market. With its initial market share of 12 percent in 2003, Monster now has a 30 percent hold on the market while Red Bull maintains 25 percent (Reuters). Past portrayals of energy drinks were for the most part all negative as energy drinks are not regulated by the FDA and most contain large amounts of sugar, sodium, and caffeine, among other things. Some brands and flavors have a caffeine content that can range from a modest 50 mg. to an alarming 505 mg. per can (Reissig). For example, an 8. 3 oz. can of Red Bull contains 76 mg. of caffeine which is about twice what a 12 oz.can of Coke contains (LeBlanc). A 16 oz. can of Monster contains about 14 teaspoons of sugar and 200 calories (LeBlanc). So what are all of these â€Å"negative† energy boosting drinks doing to our bodies? A recent study done by Wayne State University in Detroit showed that consumption of energy drinks increased blood pressure and heart rate levels in healthy adults that drank two cans a day (LeBlanc). With all of those negative aspects there must be something good in energy drinks. There is a long list of beneficial ingredients that can be found in most of the energy drinks on the market today. They include; vitamin B-complex, antioxidant vitamins C and E, the amino acid taurine, bee pollen, inositol, glucuronolactone, and herbal extracts from ginseng, guarana, ginkgo biloba, horny goat weed, milk thistle, yerba mate, damiana, rosemary, skullcap, black seed, royal jelly, and white willow, among others (Berry). The overall benefits that energy drinks are said to produce include stress relief, sobering effects, an improved love life, increased stamina, sharper reflexes, heightened alertness, virility, and they’ll stimulate your metabolism (Berry). The demographic that energy drink companies are after is rather broad. While their number one consumer fits the description of a young white male between the ages of 16 to 25, energy drink companies are broadening their marketing horizons and are now looking at men, women, and children between the ages of 12 and 40 (LeBlanc). â€Å"Younger kids see drinking energy drinks as something their parents might disapprove of,† says Jim Karwowski of Power Brands. A market that has yet to be fully tapped into is the female consumer. While the number of female consumers has grown 74 percent over the last five years, women are still considered the minority population when it comes to energy drinkers. Almost 20 percent of men say they drink energy drinks while only 10 percent of women say they do (Francella). I’ll be using information gathered from a number of different research papers as well as reports produced from beverage industry insiders to substantiate my findings on the marketing techniques being used to lure America’s youth into becoming loyal consumers. Method: During this study I coded 60 magazines. I reviewed issues of Racer X Illustrated and Motocross Action Magazine looking for ads from energy drink companies. My goal was to find print ads directly from the energy drink companies themselves that promoted their product. Once found (if found), I would evaluate what the ad was about and what demographic the ad was targeting. I watched and coded 10 TV commercials (via YouTube) in an attempt to figure out if the messages shown were directed towards a particular market. The only â€Å"corporate made† TV commercials I was able to find were from Red Bull and Rockstar. I found a variety of homemade Monster commercials but none that would have been endorsed by the corporate office. With Red Bull, four of the ads were animated and four were of Red Bull sponsored athletes. The two Rockstar commercials were based around music, one having a more psychedelic look while the other had a guitar player helping a stranded woman. My goal here was to evaluate what the ads were about and what demographic the ads was intended for. I reviewed and coded four web sites, three from energy drink companies and one from an action sports promotion company. My objective while evaluating these sites was to see what groups of people, whether it was men or women, and what age range was the information intended for. I found a vast amount of information to dissect and code from companies that are within the beverage industry. These are companies that do product reviews, market analysis, and product introductions, among other things. Two common messages that I repeatedly found in these articles revolved around college kids using energy drinks to mix with alcohol and the overall abuse of energy drinks. My objective here was to get an idea of how many college kids fall into one of these two groups. Although my options were limited due to a lack of documentation from other academic researchers, I was able to find, evaluate, and code information from four other academic research papers. I was able to find these documents after an exhaustive search using Lexis Nexis, Psychinfo, and the Social Science Citation Index via the Joyner Library. I came across a huge inventory of other academic research papers that were based on similar subjects, but to gain access to more than the first paragraph I would have had to sign up for subscriptions and pay fees. I’m hoping that my frugalness will not negatively impact my grade and hope the information that I was able to obtain and evaluate will satisfy the requirements of this paper. While evaluating and coding the different mediums I looked at the overall tone of the material. Was the tone very harsh and bold, which would possibly be directed more towards college aged males? Was the tone very light hearted and fun which would be more appealing to a younger population and/or women? Or lastly, did the ad have some sexual overtones and innuendos which could either be directed at young men or women? Results: Being a subscriber of Racer X Illustrated and/or Motocross Action Magazine for the last 30 years, I have found that I look at many of the ads in those magazines in a rather numb, non-consuming state of mind. I’ve seen the ads so many times that I know all about the companies and their products so I don’t pay much attention to them. To my surprise, after looking at 60 different magazines that were printed over a span of five years, I didn’t find a single ad that was specifically advertising the actual energy drink. I found a large variety of ads that were promoting energy drink sponsored events, but none for the drinks themselves. The majority of the sponsored events were either motocross races, action sports events, or alternative rock concerts (the Vans Warped Tour) and bands (Linkin Park). If I was to describe the age, sex, and race of the attendees of these events it would probably be predominantly 16 – 25 year old, white, males. Although I didn’t find any product ads in the magazines it was nearly impossible to turn a page and not find pictures of riders or motorcycles that didn’t have the name or logo of an energy drink showing. I felt the four animated Red Bull commercials could be perceived as trying to target the very young viewers and the female market as much as anything else. They were light hearted, funny cartoons that weren’t big, bold, and overbearing. The four Red Bull commercials featuring their sponsored athletes were very action packed and intense. They included Robbie â€Å"Mado† Madison jumping his motorcycle onto the roof of a building in Las Vegas, â€Å"B-boy Ronnie† freestyle break dancing, big wave surfer Ian Walsh, and stunt plane pilot Kirby Chambliss. While the animated commercials carried the pitch, â€Å"Red Bull Gives You Wings,† the commercials with the athletes concluded with the athlete saying, â€Å"Welcome to my World, the World of Red Bull. † These action driven commercials were in my opinion made for the thrill seeking male consumer between the ages of 16 to 25. I also found that Red Bull’s marketing plan has the brand pursuing traditional advertising such as TV commercials as its last phase of product market development (Hein). â€Å"Media is not a tool that we use to establish the market,† says Red Bull’s Vice President of Marketing, David Rohdy. â€Å"The idea is to reinforce, not introduce the brand. Only when a market is deemed mature does the company begin a media push,† concluded Rohdy. Red Bull typically creates two new TV spots each year and runs them in their â€Å"mature markets† (Hein). The four web sites that I reviewed and coded were the corporate web sites of Red Bull: http://www. redbull. com/ , Rockstar Energy Drink: http://www. rockstar69. com/ , Monster Energy: http://www. monsterenergy. com/. In addition to the three top selling energy drink brands I also looked at Alli Sports: http://www. allisports. com/ the promoter of some of the biggest action sports series and events in the world. Themes that were consistent with all four of the sites were action, youth, and energy, energy, energy. The Red Bull site was the most clean cut and professional looking site out of the three beverage sites. I’m not saying that the Rockstar and Monster sites were cheaply made, or have an unprofessional appearance, but the Red Bull site looks like something you would present to share holders of the company. It has the least amount of â€Å"boldness† of the three beverage sites, but is packed full of well filmed video clips showing off their sponsored athletes. I don’t know if the fact that the corporate base for Red Bull is in Austria has anything to do with the web sites visual appeal, but it’s definitely a different approach than its competition took. With the look and accessibility of this site and its features I felt like it was geared for an older more mature audience. I didn’t see the sight selling the sexual appeal of women as much as I did on the Rockstar site. I think Red Bull’s site would appeal to both men and women ages 15 to 40. The Rockstar site was definitely the edgiest of the three beverage sites. Just on the home page alone you see ads for mixed martial arts fights and heavy metal concerts that the brand is sponsoring. If you look further down you can watch a short video clip of five beautiful, big breasted women posing on motorcycles and race cars. There’s also links that talk about the variety of products they offer as well as links to the various music and sports events that they sponsor to include the sponsored bands and athletes that participate in those events. I felt that the Rockstar site was definitely geared for young, white, males, ages 15 to 30. Overall I thought that the site had a very harsh tone to it and women probably wouldn’t appreciate it. With a mix of the fighters and rock concert promotions flashing on the screen a viewer might even feel some rage building inside while viewing the site. The Monster site was all about speed. The home page had a constantly changing look that showcased many Monster sponsored racers. The site overall was neatly laid out. It didn’t have as clean and crisp of a look as Red Bull had but it wasn’t as busy as the Rockstar site was. The site was easy to navigate and was very appealing to the eye. I feel the overall look of the site and the message that it gives was directed more towards the young, white, male between the ages of 15 and 35. The site is very dark, as the background is black, and has a hardcore feel and tone. I think women might be turned off by that. One feature on the Monster site that is inviting to a broader fan / consumer base is the Monster Army. I think the idea of being a part of something is a selling point for many of today’s youth. I think the Monster Army is an appealing environment for both sexes with an age range of 12 to 40. The Alli Sports web site focuses on the promotion of the action sports events that they promote. Although Alli Sports doesn’t have direct sponsorship deals with any of the leading energy drink companies, all of the athletes that are sponsored by those companies participate in Alli Sports produced events. The same demographic that participates in BMX, motocross, wakeboarding, skateboarding, and other alternative action sports that Alli promotes also consume energy drinks. I feel the Alli site is geared more towards the fans of action sports which could be male or female between the ages of 12 and 40. It’s a very bright web site and has a low key and fun overall tone to it. Both the articles I found from industry insiders as well as the academic research papers that I found voiced similar issues and concerns. One issue of concern and importance addressed the use of energy drinks by college students. I was unaware of the fact that many energy drinks are on the list of nutritional supplements banned by the NCAA. Caffeine is a stimulant and college athletes will fail a drug test if the concentration of caffeine in their sample is 15 micrograms per milliliter. That would be the equivalent of slamming five to 10 cups of coffee before a game (Moritz). Another concern that researchers have is the increasing number of college students that are consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks. In the fall of 2006, 4,271 college students from 10 universities in North Carolina were surveyed about their consumption of energy drinks, alcohol, and the combination of the two. The results of the survey showed that 697 of the students had consumed one or more energy drinks within the last 30 days, and one-quarter of the students said that they mixed alcohol and energy drinks. Looking at the amount of energy drinks consumed by the two sexes it was discovered that men drank on average 2. 49 energy drinks per month while women drank 1. 22 drinks per month. Students who were young, male, white, intramural athletes, and fraternity members or pledges, were significantly more likely to drink energy drinks that those in other demographics (O’Brien, Miller). With college students’ taking heavier class loads and the ever present concern of one’s grades, caffeine abuse has been on the rise on college campuses. There has been an increase in reports of caffeine intoxication from the mass consumption of energy drinks as well as an overall an increase in the number of students that are dealing with caffeine dependence and withdrawal issues (Reissig). The poison control center in Chicago has handled 265 cases of caffeine abuse involving energy drinks in the last three years. The users’ average age was under 21 (LeBlanc). Interpretation: Based on information I reviewed, I feel that the energy drink industry is very strong and will continue to grow. I think the marketeers of the energy drinks are doing a great job at getting visibility for their products and they’re focusing on a set consumer demographic that has huge spending power. The youth and college students today are easily influenced and have a strong influence on the products their peers buy. The studies show that because these energy drink companies are gaining brand loyalty from their consumers at a young age that the odds are in their favor that they will become lifelong consumers. Taking the unconventional route to marketing may or may not be any cheaper than doing normal TV spots that Coke and Pepsi do. Either way, the leaders of the energy drink market are making it work for them. From a financial standpoint, I think the return on investment will come faster in the energy drink industry than it ever has in any other aspect of the beverage industry. Selling 8 oz. cans for over $2 a can is a quick way to make money. Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar are dominating the energy drink industry when it comes to consumer preference with white male’s ages 12 to 40, but what about the ladies? The industry has yet to scratch the surface of the young female consumer market. Granted, there aren’t too many professional female athletes participating in alternative sports yet, but there are other lines of approach that the industry needs to consider. I remember seeing a bumper sticker once that said, â€Å"Girls Kick Ass. † It is that same kick ass mentality that has made energy drinks as popular as they are today. I think it will only be a matter of time before we see one of the power players in the energy drink industry come out with a product specifically marketed towards women. Maybe a black Monster can with a hot pink claw mark rather than the green one, who knows?! I foresee the FDA getting involved sooner than later with regulations on how much sugar, sodium, and caffeine can be in each product. I don’t feel that mixing energy drinks and alcohol is that big of a problem and personally hope laws don’t get created to prohibit such mixes. I think that if an individual is going to consume alcohol irresponsibly, they are going to do it regardless on the fact that an energy drink is or isn’t part of their drink selection. Bibliography: Campanelli, M. and Lee, J. , eMarketingandCommerce. com (2007). â€Å"Social Media Tips from Monster Energy† (accessed June 9, 2009). Available at: http://www. emarketingandcommerce. com/view/106 Landi, H. , Hall, M. , and Sacks, R. , Beverage World (2009) â€Å"Monster Energy: A Mighty Force† (accessed June 9, 2009) Available at: http://www. beverageworld. com/content/view/35687/ Scribd, BevNet, Research Wikis (2006) â€Å"Research Wikis Energy Drink marketing Research† (accessed June 10, 2009) Available at: http://www. scribd. com/doc/3259151/ResearchWikis-Energy-Drinks-Marketing-Research Rajan, A. , Reuters (2009) â€Å"Hansen’s Monster Takes the Fight to Red Bull’s Turf† (accessed June 10, 2009) Available at: http://www. reuters. com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE5313N320090402 Francella, B. , CS News Online (2008) â€Å"Energy Drink Sales Growth Running Out of Steam? † (accessed June 10, 2009). Available at: http://www. csnews. com/csn/index. jsp Search: â€Å"Energy Drink Sales† Berry, B., Agri-Food Trade Service (2008) â€Å"The Energy Drink Segment in North America† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://www. ats. agr. gc. ca/us/4387_e. htm LeBlanc, P. , Austin American Statesman (2008). â€Å"The Buzz on Energy Drinks – Energy Drinks Booming in Popularity† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://www. statesman. com/ Search: â€Å"The Buzz on Energy Drinks† Hein, K. , and Rohdy, D. , Brandweek (2001) â€Å"A Bull’s Market – the Marketing of Red Bull Energy Drink† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_22_42/ai_75286777/?tag=content;col1 Moritz, A. , Tribune Business News (2008). â€Å"Think Before Using an Energy Drink: Colleges† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://proquest. umi. com. jproxy. lib. ecu. edu/login? COPT=REJTPUc2 Search in the ProQuest Research Library database: â€Å"Think Before Using an Energy Drink: Colleges† Reissig, C. J. , Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (2009) â€Å"Caffeinated Energy Drinks – A Growing Problem† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://web. ebscohost. com. jproxy. lib.ecu. edu/ehost/search? vid=1hid=6sid=5b788385-77d0-43c3-8372-037638da0fc6%40SRCSM2 Search in the PsycINFO database: â€Å"Caffeinated Energy Drinks – A Growing Problem† O’Brien, M. C. , Wake Forest Univ, Bowman Gray Sch Med, Dept Emergency Med, Winston Salem, NC (2008) â€Å"Caffeinated Cocktails: Energy Drink Consumption, High-Risk Drinking, and Alcohol- Related Consequences Among College Students† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://apps. isiknowledge. com. jproxy. lib. ecu. edu/summary. do? qid=2product=WOSSID=1BONI6HlgO3hemOl6fPsearch_mode=GeneralSearch. Miller, K. E. , SUNY Coll Buffalo, Res Inst Addict, Buffalo, NY – Journal of American College Health (2008) â€Å"Wired: Energy Drinks, Jock Identity, Masculine Norms, and Risk Taking† (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://apps. isiknowledge. com. jproxy. lib. ecu. edu/summary. do? qid=5product=WOSSID=1BONI6HlgO3hemOl6fPsearch_mode=GeneralSearch Ness, G. , Chief Strategy Officer, Sundog. net (2006) â€Å"Marketing to College Students 101 (accessed June 11, 2009) Available at: http://www. sundog. net/sunblog/posts/marketing-to-college-students-101/.

Promoting Tourism in Tanzania

Promoting Tourism in Tanzania Tanzania is situated just south of the equator in East Africa. The mainland lies between the areas of the great lakes: Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi, with the Indian Ocean on its coastline to the east (Africa Guide Online 1). Tanzania has frontiers with the following countries; to the North; Kenya and Uganda, to the West: Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, to the South: Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, to the East: Indian Ocean (Tanzanian Government Online1). The country is also the home to the Kilimanjaro which is with its 19,340ft, the highest mountain in Africa (Africa Guide Online 1). Dodoma is the political capital with a population of 300,000, while Dares Salaam is the countries commercial capital (Tanzanian GovernmentOnline 1). Tanzania has three main climatic areas; the coastal area and immediate hinterland, with tropical conditions and an average of 26.6 °C(80 °) and which is high in humidity; the central plateau, which is hotand dry and the third region is the semi-temperate highland areas, witha healthy and cool climate (Africa Guide Online 2). The hot periods arebetween November and February and the coldest areas between May andAugust (Tanzanian Government Online 1). In regards to when the bestseason for tourists to visit is, writers seem not to have found aconsensus; some suggest the standard tourist season is January andFebruary, as the hot dry weather at this time of the year is generallyconsidered to be the most pleasant (Lonely Planet Online). While othersargue that the best times to travel is between July through to Marchfor the Northern and Southern parts of Tanzania as well as Zanzibar.And for the Western area the months from May through to March are mostsuitable for tourist activities (Tan zania Online). Tanzania belongs to the poorest countries in the world. In 2005 thecountry has a population of 36,766,356 and a population growth rate of1.83% (2005 est.), while 36% (in 2002 est.) of the population is belowpoverty line (CIA Online). However, there are various numbers inregards to this subject, and some of them even claim that it is 50% ofthe population which lives below the poverty line (Tanzanian GovernmentOnline 1). And although the numbers are still shocking, there seems tohave been some improvement in terms of the poverty in Tanzania in thepast 20 or so years. Since in 1988, according to IFDA, there werenearly 12 million rural Tanzanians, or 60 per cent of the ruralpopulation, living below the poverty line (IFDA, 1992, Cooksey, citedin Bierman and Moshi, 1997:77). The population in the mainland consist of 99% native Africans (of which95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes). And the other 1%consists of Asians, Europeans and Arabs. However, in Zanzibar the mixof populations differs, there are much more Arabs, some native African,and then mixes between the two (CIA Online).   This again is mirrored in the religion represented, in the mainland its30% Christians, 35% Muslims and 35% indigenous beliefs, where as inZanzibar it’s more than 99% Muslim (CIA Online). The official language is Kiswahili or Swahili (called Kiunguja inZanzibar). English is the official primary language of commerce,administration and higher education. But Arabic is naturally widelyspoken in Zanzibar, and on top there are various further locallanguages all over Tanzania, naturally with more than 130 differenttribes (CIA Online). The GDP composition by sector looks as followed: agriculture: 43.2%, industry: 17.2%, services: 39.6% (2004 est.). The economy heavily depends on agriculture(coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum, cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves,corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle,sheep and goats), accounting for almost half of GDP (85% of exports,employing 80% of work force). The official aid flow in 2000 was1,044.6million USD, which was 11.6% share of GDP in the year 2000.(Ellis and Freeman, 2005) Tanzania seems stable under the Mkapa president leadership, however,political paralysis and deep rifts between minorities seem to havemanifested themselves and are unlikely to disappear within the nearfuture. Also is the support of the opposition (against Mkapa) growing,leading in 2001 to massive rallies and sometimes even violence. The economy received massive boosts in 2001 with the opening of theBulyanuhu gold mine and in 2004 with the opening of the Songosongonatural gas field. Tanzania was also one of the countries affected by the recent December2004 Tsunami. However, thankfully the government had enough time toreact to the warnings, and thus evacuate most of the area, leavingâ€Å"only† 13 killed (Lonely Planet Online). Please see Appendix I on page 3233 for a brief outline of the earlier history of Tanzania. The following dissertation will begin by looking at the current statusand issues in Tanzania’s tourism industry. The second chapter will lookat the very timely issue of sustainability in tourism and in regards toTanzania and the also the UK consumers attitude towards it. The thirdchapter will examine the role of governments in the tourism process. Inthe fourth chapter the marketing tools for a tourism destination willbe analysed. This is then followed by the methodology, which willexplain the methods and methodology used for this dissertation. Thenthe findings are presented, and interpreted. Finally a conclusion willbring to a close the dissertation. Furthermore, naturally, there arethe references, bibliography and some appendices. The dissertation will by no means be exhaustive, due to the time, word,monetary and access restraints. It is merely designed to give someideas towards a possible way of a better promotion of Tanzania inregards to the UK market.  Ã‚   Literature Review Chapter 1: Tanzania and Tourism Before looking at what the means for promoting tourism are, firstly ananalysis of the current state of tourism and its problems in Tanzaniais necessary. Wangwe et al. (1998:67) write on tourism possibilities: â€Å"Tanzania isblessed with many attractions for tourism including wildlife, MountKilimanjaro, and beautiful beaches. There are also many cultural andhistorical attractions as well, such as traditional ngomas, andZanzibar and other coastal towns whose sights show the interaction ofEast Africa with many ancient civilizations including the Romans, theIndians and the Middle East†. Tourism in Tanzania is a fairly new development. In fact â€Å"for nearlythree decades after Tanzania’s independence, tourism kept a very lowprofile. However, the National Tourism Policy, which was put in placein 1991, and the government policy of trade and economic liberalizationhave had a positive impact on the acceleration of tourism development†.And â€Å"As of 1994, the National Park system had expanded to eleven,namely, Serengeti, Ruaha, Ngorongoro, Mikumi, Tarangire, Katavi,Kilimanjaro, Rubondo, Manyara, Arusha and Gombe Stream†. Also â€Å" In 1994about 262,000 tourists visited Tanzania† (Wangwe et al. 1998:67)†. In fact, tourism is Tanzania’s fastest growing sector, however stillcounting for less than 10% of GDP (Author Unknown, Nov.2002). Andtourism is also Tanzania’s second largest foreign exchange earner(Author Unknown, 01/02/1998). Pollock (cited in Fennell, 2003) writesthat tourism has started to be an important part in the economy ofTanzania. However, the importance of game conservations has beenrecognized nationally as well as internationally, standing in directcontrast to tourism development. And also although tourism may help tofund conservation and development, the reliance on it can beproblematic due to the fickle nature of the market (Smith and Duffy,2003). However, the tourism industries mission statement which forms the basisof the tourism planning policy is to: â€Å"†¦.develop quality tourism thatis ecologically friendly to the conservation and restoration of theenvironment and its people’s culture† (Author Unknown, TanzaniaGovernment Online 2). Nevertheless, National Parks are already often overcrowded, and this isdeveloping into a serious problem (Hein, 1997). The Sopa Lodges inTanzania are fully booked throughout the summer, and Agent NinaWennersten of Woodcliff Lake says that Tanzania’s tourism has doubledin each of the last two years (Ruggia, 2004). Also the Africa SafariCo’s chief executive Susie Potter said that the year 2005 was shapingup to be a great year for them (Travel trade, 17/11/2004). Smulian(2005) writes that â€Å"agents should advise visitors hoping to see thestunning wildlife of Tanzania’s national parks to book early this year,after the countries best-ever season saw overbooking at lodges lastsummer†. All in all it seems that Tanzanians tourism market is booming.The UK is in fact the largest tourism market for Tanzania, saysdirector of the Tanzania Tourist Board, Peter Mwenguo. He also notes in2004 that the tourism industry in Tanzania is booming now (Ruggia,2004). And although environmental efforts seem to be taken seriously, such asthe Serena Hotel Chain in Tanzania, which operates to environmentalstandards that are among the world’s best (Middleton and Hawkins,1998). Nevertheless, the country is lacking in adequate infrastructureand there seems to be no multi-sectoral approach, nor has thedevelopment of tourism been very coordinated (Wangwe et al. 1998:68). This then leaves the government with various difficulties in developinga sustainable tourism policy, and writers such as Schmale (1993) giveexamples of Tanzania in regards to the socio-political and economicalenvironment and the challenges local organizations face. For examplethere is the problem of the socio-cultural impact on the Maasai peoplewhose traditional territory includes the National Parks. â€Å"Employmentfor the Maasai living around these parks was limited to posing forphotographs and selling craft souvenirs (Bachman, 1988, cite in Halland Lew 1998:63)†.   Tanzania targets high-spending tourists and the steep rise in touristnumbers have increased the pressure on services (Author Unknown,Nov.2002). The country is thus opening up opportunities along theIndian Ocean shoreline (Author Unknown, Nov.2002) namely the CC Africalodges on less-visited parts of Tanzania (Dunford, 2004). However, Vesely (2000) comments that there are also plenty ofpossibilities for not so wealthy visitors to go to Tanzania, and thatthere are well developed camp-sites, tented camps and motel stylefacilities. However, in the past eight years, there also has been some negativenews on Tanzania. Just recently there were two British students shot ina violent ambush on the Island of Pemba in Tanzania (Dennis, 2004). TheForeign and the Commonwealth Office immediately updated the traveladvice, since last month there was already a fatal shooting of aBritish tourist and a fatal shooting of a British businessman inTanzania. And tour operators do believe that this will hit touristnumbers in a negative way (Dennis, 2004). Unfortunately, theseincidents have not been the first once, and there have been eventsalready in earlier years. In 1998, US embassies in Kenya and Tanzaniawere bombed by terrorists, naturally resulting in heavy cancellationsfrom US tourists at the time (Berger, 1998). Furthermore were theresome political violence incidents in Zanzibar in 2001, which spoiledthe reputation of Tanzania as a stable and progressive democracy(Vesely, 2001). One could expect and argue that all of these in cidentshad negative impacts on the tourism in Tanzania, and thus a specialpart in Chapter 4: Tourism and Marketing will be allocated toward themarketing of a destination in crisis.   The above chapter has outlined that Tanzania’s tourism industry isperforming very well, and that indeed the UK tourists are their primemarket. In fact, there were even overbooking last year, due to suchhigh demand. Consequently, there are new resorts opening up and it isquestionable to whether one should further exploit the tourismopportunities, in the light of sustainable development and tourism.  Ã‚   Although modern mass tourism only appeared post war 1950’s (Weaver andOppermann, 2000 and Winpenny, 1991), the results that uncontrolledexploitation of tourism opportunities has shown is catastrophic, as canbe seen on examples such as the Spanish coast (Richards and Hall,2000). Thus unsurprisingly, sustainability is arguably the new fad wordin the tourism industry, since many destinations now faceenvironmental, socio-cultural and even economical damages caused by thechaotic growth of (mass) tourism. In fact; â€Å"There are examples fromalmost every country in the world, where tourism development has beenidentified as being the main cause of environmental degradation†(Lickorish and Jenkins, 1999:85).   Therefore, the practice of sustainable development is of crucialimportance. The definition offered at the Globe ’90 Conference inVancouver for sustainable tourism and development was as followed;â€Å"Sustainable tourism development is envisaged as leading to managementof all resources in such a way that we can fulfil economic, social andaesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity, essentialecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems†(Tourism Stream Action Committee 1990, Ledbury cited in Hein, 1997:30). Tourism’s impacts can be divided into three elements; economical,environmental and socio-cultural (Coltman, 1989). Thus, those are thethree headings that not only the sustainable debate, but also otheroutcomes should be measured at. Therefore, according to sustainabletourism, three points have to be achieved through tourism development: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Increasing economic value of tourism 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   An improvement in the life quality of people 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Protection and responsible use of natural resources (Keyser, 2002)    And also consumers are responding to this new sustainability â€Å"trend.In fact, mainstream consumer preferences are being influenced by thismovement for responsible forms of tourism (Goodwin cited in Jenkins etal. 2002).   And Butcher (2003) notes on an important shift to a growthin ethical consumption. Thus, sustainability also indirectly influencesthe economic impact, in terms of consumer choices for sustainability.   Especially our target market, the UK, seems to show an interest incriticism of tourism development and â€Å"bad tourism and tourists† (Allenand Brennan, 2005). Therefore, sustainability development and tourismshould be practiced by the Tanzania government and tourism industry.Not only because it will help to ensure that the environment will notget too spoi led and thus leave good prospects for future tourismbusiness, but also because it might arguably be seen as favourable bythe UK target market.   The involvement of governments in the process of tourism promotionarguably varies in levels depending on the country. And thus thequestion arises whether and when governments should be involved, notonly in the marketing, but in the business of tourism. Jeffries (2001) argues that due to the cooperation and coordinationrequired, due to the complexity of the industry and its products,debatably only the government has the authority and apparatus toorganize such successfully. Furthermore does he outline that â€Å"in verypoor developing countries (such as Tanzania) governments are encouragedby aid programmes to use tourism not only as a tool to combat povertybut as a means for encouraging and financing biodiversity and natureconservation, a matter of considerable interest in donor communities†(Jeffries, 2001:106). Therefore, it could be suggested that the governments involvement seemsof crucial importance to the success of Tanzania’s tourism future, butalso to the country in itself in terms of sustainability on theeconomic, environmental and socio-cultural aspect. In fact, the Tanzanian government seems to have recognized such, andis highly concerned with improving the infrastructure quality anddiversity, ease of destination entry formalities, revision ofapplicable taxes and maintenance of peace, stability and security,regulation of foreign exchange regulations and controls (TanzaniaGovernment Online 2). â€Å"†¦. marketing is a strategic process that aims to fit the resources ofa destination to the opportunities existing in the market† (Godfrey andClarke, 2000:125). Following the thought of this quote, one couldpostulate that marketing is finding a way to identify the market whichwill be interested in the resources available. Before the promotion of the destination starts, a marketing plan should be established. The marketing process which results in a marketing plan should focus on answering four questions: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where are we now? [situation analysis; PEST and Porter’s 5forces and SWOT]; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Where do we want to be? [marketing objectives]; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do we get there? [strategies and tactics]; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do we know if we’ve got there? [monitoring; before-and-afterresearch, marketing productivity ratios, evaluation and control]. (Godfrey and Clarke, 2000) This should then lead to 2 different marketing plans, a 3-5 yearstrategic marketing plan, setting the outlines for the activities andthe directions for the annual plans. And the annual or the tacticalmarketing plan which should have detailed actions and methods formonitoring achievement (Godfrey and Clarke, 2000). Then it is important to look at the consumer behaviour. The consumerbuying process can be broken down into five steps: Problem Recognition,Information Search, Evaluation of Alternatives, Purchase, Post-PurchaseEvaluation or behaviour (Dibb et al., 2001 and Kotler et al. 1993:47).It is debatably of crucial importance to understand the behaviour ofthe consumers, as especially during the information search and theevaluation of alternatives stages they are faced with so many possibletourism destinations. Pike (2004) argues that consumers nowadays havemore product choices but less decision making time than ever before.Therefore underlining that the means in which the consumer comes incontact with the marketing effort of Tanzania, arguably needs to bememorable and favourable. Pike (2004) further outlines this by arguingthat the size of a consumer’s decision set of destinations will belimited to approximately four, and destinations not included in thatset, are much less likely to be chosen.   Next the market segment for Tanzania needs to be identified. â€Å"A marketsegment can be defined as ‘a subgroup of the total consumer marketwhose members share common characteristics relevant to the purchase oruse of the product’† (Holloway, 2004: 116). There are different types of segmentation; geographic segmentation,demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and behaviouralsegmentation (Kotler et al. 1999). Due to the given constraints, it isimpossible to undertake serious market segmentation in thisdissertation. After the segmentation has been decided upon, the destination needspositioning. The successful implementation needs to follow these sevensteps. 1. Identify the target market in travel context 2. Identify the competitive set of destinations in the target market and travel context. 3. Identify the motivation/benefits sought by previous visitors and non-visitors. 4. Identify perception of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the competitive set of destinations. 5. Identify opportunities for differentiated positioning. 6. Select and implement the position. 7. Monitor the performance of the positioning strategy over time.   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   (Pike, 2004:117) The positioning elements consist of the destination name, a symbol anda slogan (Pike, 2004). The name, in a case for a tourist destination isnaturally already given, However, the Tanzanian government should thinkof a creative symbol that will stay in people’s mind. Also (accordingto Pike, 2004) does Tanzania not have a slogan yet, therefore a catchyslogan such as â€Å"I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New York† should be developed. All of those efforts will help in creating a brand image. A brand ismore than a symbol; it’s a promise to the consumer, and thus representsmore than a logo (Pike, 2004). And since holidays are a high-riskpurchase, due to the fact that the tourist can neither directly observewhat is being bought nor try it out (Goodall and Ashworth, 1988), itseems of vital importance that a strong brand image is developed. Andbrand loyalty can be easily measured by repeat and referral customers(Pike, 2004). There are three marketing strategies that lead to commercial success;low cost leadership, differentiation (high added value) and focus(specialization to uniqueness) (Holloway, 2004). From the aboveanalysis it could be argued that Tanzania does not rely on low costleadership, but rather on a differentiation strategy. In fact;â€Å"Differentiation is the path chosen by most brand leaders in anyindustry† (Holloway, 2004:270). The next step should be to communicate information and messages to thepublic, which can be done through four different ways; advertising,personal selling, sales promotion and publicity (Holloway, 2004). The advertising can take numerous forms and can vary from persuasive toreminder advertising, variations from high to low budget, from a moodor image to a fantasy or a lifestyle message, from newspaper totelevision, direct mail to radio and magazines to the timing of themedia (and many more) (Kotler et al., 1999). The success can be measured in the communication effect through copytesting. The pre-testing through the direct rating should naturally bedone prior to the release of the advertising. And for post-testing anadvertisement, recall tests or recognition tests can be used (ibid.).The sales effect should be measured, which however proves a ratherdifficult task. Although there often is a relationship betweenpromotional spend on sales, the exact correlation is almost impossibleto establish, due to so many other influences (Holloway, 2004). The RETOSA (Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa) marketingresearch and promotions manager Francis Mfune says that they need totarget the trade, especially wholesalers if they want to promote theirtourist destinations well (Ruggia, 2004, II). Therefore, it could beadvised that the government tries and establish good relations withwholesalers in the UK.   The public relation is another promotional tool for the government ofTanzania. However, arguably not always are the public relationscontrollable. As can be demonstrated on the case were some tourismofficials of Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia blaming the negative mediapublicity which portrays Africa as a terrorist continent, for thebusiness loss in their tourism industries (Verde, 2003). The PR activities vary from press relations to product publicity,corporate communication, lobbying and counselling (Kotler et al. 1999).The Tanzanian government could use PR promotion in the form ofpublications, special events, news, and speeches (ibid.) And as for promoting Tanzania under the current problems with crime andterrorism, there are some steps to marketing of a destination in crisis: Step 1: Identify the event/problem as either a crisis or a hazard Step 2: Establish a crisis management team (Media and PR, relationswith the travel industry in source markets, destination responsecoordination with the local tourism industry, liaison with local andregional tourism authorities and foreign governments, governmentsadvisories and travel insurance and alliances with tour operators,airlines and hospitality industry representatives servicing thedestination in source markets) Step 3: Promoting the destination during and after a crisis Step 4: Monitoring recovery and analysing the crisis experience (Beirman, 2003).    In the methodology, it will be outlined how theresearch was conducted, which designs and methods were used as well ashow the data was collected and an explanation of why the particularmethods were used. The research process onion (please see Appendix IIon page 34) developed by Saunders et al. (2003; 83) was used asguidance and hopefully helps elucidate resea rch method and methodologyused to the reader.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. Research philosophy The research philosophy is represented by two different corners ofthought; the realist (objectivist) and the relativist (subjectivist)(Saunders et al., 2003). Realist: positivistic, a stance of a natural scientist, believes inquantitative data and external realities. Relativist: interpretivism,believes in qualitative research and the social construction of reality(Saunders et al., 2003). It places a rather difficult task to identify which philosophy theresearch was based on, as there are parts of both corners apparent.However, the realist corner arguably was more present. To furtherexamine the different philosophies, it would be advisable to look atrealism and relativism in the view of ontology and epistemology.Ontology is described as the â€Å"assumptions we make about the nature ofreality† (Easterby-Smith et al. 2002: 31), while epistemology is theâ€Å"general set of assumptions about the best ways of inquiring into thenature of the world† (Easterby-Smith et al. 2002: 31). 1.1 How do we know what is valid During the first part of the dissertation, the research was focused onsecondary research, including some quantitative data. The disparitybetween some of the research makes it difficult to depict a clearpicture. The realist perspective sees validity in whether the researchprocedures can supply an accurate illustration of reality(Easterby-Smith, 2002). Arguably this proves almost impossible in the country of Tanzania, dueto the differences between Tribes, as well as due to the lack offormally conducted research, and the disparity of locations andconditions of living standards of people. However, for the secondaryresearch conducted about the theories of tourism, sustainability andmarketing, a reliable picture should have been depicted on the varioustheories and concepts. All the secondary data was gathered from books,academic journals, online databases such as Ebscohost.com, newspaperarticles and online resources. As for the primary research, only a small sample of research wasconducted, making the reliability of this preposterous. However, theprimary research was mainly used to tests some of the marketingtheories, to elucidate which efforts would be worth furtherconsidering. The reliability of the research is arguably more positive,as it is unlikely that the respondents would have given differentanswers to a different person. The generalizability of the research islimited however, although it might give insights into countries with asimilar tourism package, the research was made solely with Tanzania inmind.   2. Research Approach There are two different research approaches, one is theory testing,namely the deductive approach, and one is theory building, namely theinductive approach (Saunders et al., 2003). Again, it is most difficultto apply one approach only to the research. In the first part, thetheory is outlined, and in the primary research, it is tested. However,by no means can it be claimed that this dissertation has build atheory, and thus it is arguably more of a deductive research approach. 3. Research Strategies â€Å"By a research strategy, we simply mean a general orientation to theconduct of business research† (Bryman and Bell, 2003:25). Bryman andBell however focused the research strategy on the distinction betweenresearches being conducted through quantitative or qualitative data.Whereas Saunders et al. (2003) see the research strategy more as ageneral plan of how one goes about answering the research question. 3.1 Case Study Daymon and Holloway (2002) describe the case study research as arigorous examination which uses multiple sources of evidence of asingle entity, which is fixed by time and place. It is best used wheninvestigations into the how and why are done. Saunders et al. (2003)see case studies as investigations into a timely topic, using numeroussources of evidence and collection methods including; questionnaires,observations, interviews and documentary analysis. In the first part of the dissertation, the focus was on giving aclearer picture of the product to be marketed. Because arguably, if onedoes not know what it is that has to be marketed, one can not identifythe means required to market the destination successfully. Therefore, firstly the country Tanzania was introduced, then the stateof tourism in Tanzania, followed by a brief outline of the timely issueof sustainability in tourism. Furthermore there is the chapter abouttourism and the government. Then the marketing means were identified,which could possibly yield a good result in attracting UK customers toTanzania, however, to tests whether those means had any ground to standon, the questionnaires were conducted, to analyse the peoples responseto the suggested means. Therefore, the how is attempted to be answered,and sometimes also the why.   4. Time horizons Again there was a mixed approach. For the first part of thedissertation, there was a longitudinal time horizon in some aspects, asthere were some historical facts. However, the main focus of timehorizon for this dissertation will be the cross-sectional, as it isfocused on what are the means nowadays, to attract UK tourists toTanzania (Saunders et al. 2003). 5. Data collection methods 5.1 Sampling Non-probability sampling was used in line with the case study approach(Saunders et al., 2003). Only 20 face to face interviews wereundertaken, which actually represents a very small sample from thenumerous possible UK tourists. This was done using purposive samplingin a homogenous way (Saunders et al., 2003). People who came outside ofa travel agent were asked to complete the face-to-face interviews withquestionnaire which consisted of specific questions 5.2 Market Research Questionnaires The questionnaire was constructed for the use of face-to-facesemi-structured interviews (Birn, 2000). The questionnaire had somestructured questions, being fixed-choice and pre-coded, and somestructured questions without fixed-choice (ibid.). To capture the data,note taking on the inquirers side was undertaken. 5.3 Questionnaire design Following is a brief outline of the various issues considered when designing a questionnaire:    Wording; tiny changes in the wording can lead to completely different responses (Foddy, 1993).   Design; as well as layout is of vital importance to avoid confusion (Sanchez cited in Bulmer, 2004). Sequence; the answer the respondents gives to one question, mightaffect the answer to the next question, thus paying attention tosequencing is important (Foddy, 1993). Sensitivity; especially when formulating sensible questions (Foddy, 1993). Memory; unfortunately, there are limits to the human memory (Foddy, 1993). In order to avoid ambiguity in the interpretation of the questions, thequestionnaire was pre-tested to ensure only one possible interpretationof the questions was possible (Noelle-Neumann, cited in Bulmer, 2004).But one has to take into account, that even if the questions areclearly understood by the respondents, there may still be variations inwhat respondent’s say, as to what they actually mean or do (Lave et al.1977 Clement, 1982, cited in Machin, 2002). 6. Data Analysis The data from the face-to-face questionnaires was analyzed in a simplebasic way. Each question was analyzed by itself. The number of times acertain answer was given was counted and shown as findings. The answersin conjunction with the literature, mainly from chapter 4, were thenfurther interpreted in the interpretation of findings 7. Research Ethics The questionnaires were designed (hopefully) in a sensible way so thatpeople should not have felt uncomfortable answering the questions. 8. Politics of access There were no issues in regards to politi

How Off Site Construction Construction Essay

How Off Site Construction Construction Essay This dissertation will discuss the effect of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and particularly the Off-Site Construction (OSC), on the building sector today, and how these methods will contribute to help and resolve social, financial, and environmental difficulties that facing the UK. Off-site construction is an application of modern methods of construction MMC where building sector meets the industrial sector, or by other word, a fusion between building and manufacturing. Off-site construction is where any of building components, or even a whole building, manufactured in factories away from the actual site where the building will be sited, or simply is where the construction site is different from the building site. Off-site construction has different terms, terms like (prefabrication, off-site assembly, factory assembly, pre-assembly, off-site manufacture, etc.). The term off-site construction is generally used nowadays to any part of the construction process that takes place in factories. Off-site construction is not new, in the 20th century specifically in the post wartime, off-site construction (that time the term used probably was factory assembly or prefabrication construction) were needed to replace rapidly buildings which were destroyed or damaged during the war, But due to the lack of technology and modern production techniques, development in lightweights, high-strength materials, and new modern methods of construction that today is available, it gained unfortunately negative significance. The time of the wheelbarrow is finished, announced Jean Prouvà © in 1947, echoing Le Corbusier.We need usinà ©es maisons, homes produced in the factories Since then, a further sixty years have passed: the manufacturing industry has come with story of success of the mechanization, has enhanced electronics and grafting. Today industrial automation and manufactures from shoes to personal computers, and from planes to crackers, all now machine-made, in Seattle as a small village in China. The building construction is still the same. With very few exceptions, the building remains largely an object made by hand with traditional techniques. And the only construction industry still relies to logical and largely pre-industrial processes. With known effects: low productivity, forecast time and cost much more random, exposed to all levels of quality and possibilities and approximations of production conditions are vary widely, backward technologies and unskilled work. Why choose off-site construction now? What is so different from the traditional way of construction? Why is sustainability constantly being brought up? Before I examine these points, I have to mention some important facts that have already occurred. Since the beginning of the century, it is increasingly being talked about and discussed, the world and its climate changing. United Nations ask for action on it. The world met in a summit in Copenhagen to discuss how they can resolve the raising temperature that might cause damages and risks to the global, and how to reduce energy and CO2 emission. Why I mentioned climate change and we are talking about off-site construction? The answer is surprisingly, buildings are responsible for about one third of global energy consumption and if we add the energy used for construction the amount can easily be increased to the half. All of this means that we need to build very efficient houses and in an efficient way, and thats can be achievable only by off-site construction. There is a severe accommodation shortage in the UK. The Government has announced plans for the construction of 200,000 new houses per year, but that target has never achieved yet. Off-site construction can help the accommodation industry to achieve that target where fast delivery is needed. Speedier delivery in construction is one of the potential advantages of off-site construction and research showed that it can reduce the time of construction process to the half because it takes place in a desirable condition away from the unpredictable weather that can affect and delay the process on-site. And research showed that it can reduce the time of construction process to the half because it takes place in a desirable condition away from the unpredictable weather, factory built accommodation. Offsite construction already features in the production of social accommodation.elderly.jpg Skill shortages in the UK construction industry are a severe problem. In 2001 the UK construction industry estimated it needed to train an extra 74,000 skilled workers every year for five years just to make up for the shortages of bricklayers, plumbers and electricians (Verbus System, 2006). In 2009, the chartered institute of building (CIOB) concluded a third research on skill shortages, and the result again showed that the construction industry is still suffering a skills shortage, which is likely to continue to be a challenge for the building sector. Off-site construction can play an important role to resolve this issue. The research showed, compared to more traditional techniques, off-site construction can reduce on-site labour requirements to less than a quarter. This result achieved from some work took place off-site. Off-site work involves different labour that is not under pressure as the on-site workforce. Off-site construction and modern methods of construction (MMC) can therefore make better use of scarce labour. 1.5 DISSERTATION STRUCTURE The dissertation consists of an introduction chapter, three main chapters and conclusion chapter; Chapter two discuss the advantages of off-site construction for the building sector, society, and the environment. The chapter also will discuss the conditions in order to gain the full advantages of off-site construction. Chapter three explain the types and forms of off-site construction, and where off-site construction takes place in the building and in the construction process. Off-site construction takes place in different areas of the building, so how off-site construction will incorporate with the mainstream construction process. Chapter four show and examine some of off-site construction case studies and in which type of building it takes place. CHAPTER TWO: ADVANTAGES OF OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION 2.1 INTRODUCTION Off-site construction, as I mentioned, is part of modern methods of construction (MMC) and is referred to as any of the components of the building built in a high quality controlled factories where they use advanced techniques to manufacture highly specialised doors, windows, stairs, wall panels, frame structure, and complete volumetric pods and then transport them to the location where it will be used and to be assembled on-site. Off-site construction has many advantages that are why nowadays there are more companies and contractors using this method rather than the traditional way of construction, even governments make more pressure to use this method to speed up housing delivery. Modern methods of construction can provide good quality homes with less on-site labour, in a shorter time, with at least the same building performance and at similar cost when compared to more established techniques. Off-site manufacturing and partnering processes increasingly play a part in solving todays problem of moving towards a sustainable housing industry. The advantages of off-site construction can be classified into two types; Business advantages, social environmental advantages Modern construction methods can produce important benefits for housing authorities and developers, not the least of which is the reduced emphasis on on-site activity. This is particularly important in a time of increasing demands on an already stretched labour force. As with any new way of doing things there are risks, but these can be mitigated through good project planning and management (Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, 2005). 2.2 ADVANTAGES Less time in construction process, cost predictability, higher quality,helping the society and the environment, resolving skilled labour shortage, reduce health safety risks,and helping the business the economy. These are key advantages of off-site construction. 2.2.1 Reduced construction time Business advantages give a huge encouragement to the contractors and designers to use more off-site construction components with their design and building processes. The greater speed of manufacturing and on-site assembling is an important factor for business gain. Earlier the delivery of the building means earlier the return of the investment. Modular construction for example, that is an off-site construction, is up to 40-60% quicker than traditional building methods. The predictability of the delivery also is very important for the financial calculation of the business in terms of cost and revenue. The manufacturing process of the components in quality controlled factories is nearly accurately estimated as well as the delivery to the site and the assembly operation. 2.2.2 Cost Predictability Cost-effectiveness is an important factor to show the difference between the off-site construction method and the conventional one. Approximately, around 80% of the construction costs are fixed within the first 20% of the design process. The graph below highlights the potential for cost reduction and alternatively the resistance to the cost of change during the project life. As the project progresses, the opportunities for implementing variation or change reduce and the consequent costs associated with these variations rise substantially, Where off-site production techniques are to be used, these should be introduced early in the process. While off-site construction has tended in the past to be more expensive than brick block, now is being reduced to the same level due to the innovation of more techniques and to the variety of the components, and these bringing even greater economies. 2.2.3 Superior Quality Off-site manufacture for building components significantly improves the quality and the efficiency of the building due to high standard of quality control and test. Buildings exceed requirements on sound and thermal insulation levels, so this means that are more sustainable. 2.2.4 Help the society and the environment Off-site construction has also can help the society and the environment. Millions of affordable homes are required to meet growing demand, and there is increasing pressure to further improve efficiency and sustainability performance during construction and throughout the lifetime of the buildings. Off-site construction is environmentally friendly if it is planned well from the early stages of design and by integrating all the supply chain together. Less energy is generally required to develop the modules or off-site manufactured components. With improved process control ,buildings are pre-engineered each exactly the same and so can be adapted for ease of tiling and this should lead to reduced levels of waste on site of up to 70% and subsequent costs. In addition, with improved control of materials flow, raw materials can be recycled rather than skipped as often happens on site. The advantage of using OSC methods related to the reduction of waste to landfill are that the material usage in the factory is reduced up to 90% by the  careful design and procurement of materials, reducing the  amount of waste generated  both on-site and off-site. Offsite manufacturing was identified as a key potential method for promoting sustainability within the construction industry. Sustainability is increased as sound and thermal insulation are improved. Reduced time on site means less disruption to neighbouring residents or businesses. 2.2.5Reducing reliance on skilled labour While there is a significant shortage of housing in the UK, and the government plans to build more accommodation houses, there is another problem facing to achieve these plans as well the building industry a whole which is the skills shortages bricklayers, plumbers and electricians. Off-site construction helps to build more houses by reducing reliance on increasingly scarce skilled labour by reducing the number of labour where semi-skilled factory labour can be used during the construction of modules. 2.2.6 Improve Health and safety Health and safety issue also give off-site construction an advantage, it has been proven to be a safer method of construction because there are fewer components involved than traditional methods and there is no need for high quantity of labour on-site for the assembly process. 2.2.7 Business integration and economy development Off-site construction helps to integrate the supply chain. When executed effectively, the off-site construction process involves key manufacturers and suppliers early in the feasibility and design stages of the project. This ensures that the specialist skills and knowledge of these key suppliers are embedded within the project and can influence the design and construction phases of the project. Where appropriate these key suppliers should be given ownership of the design and involved fully in the execution of delivery, storage and movements of materials and components. CHAPTER THREE: OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION! WHERE IT TAKES PLACE? 3.1Forms of off-site construction Off-site construction can take a number of forms. The form and extent of acceptance within the projects will depend on:the type of project: Is there a large proportion of duplication or replication? for example; in hotels and hostels, the type of client: Is the client a one-off or repeat client?, and the relationships and the arrangements between the project members. Off-site buildings and components systems range from small bolt-together sections to virtually complete buildings. Systems can be categorised as: Sub-assemblies Frames Panels (open or closed) Volumetric system Hybrids system 3.1.1 Sub-assemblies Sub-assemblies are the most traditional and widely used system in off-site manufacturing which is being used for many generations. Thistype of off-site construction can include elements using different type of materials such as concrete beams, block floors, and foundations. Prefabricated foundation systems can consist of precast, post-tensioned, concrete beams. Prefabricated beam installation in progress on piles. The beams can be omittedand modular structures can be installed to span directly onto piles and pile caps Photograph courtesy of Van Elle An additional examples for sub- assemblies systems are the glass reinforced plastic for chimneys, steel for curtain walling, and timber stairs. 3.1.2 Frames Framed structures, which are pre-assembled in factories, supply the structural support to buildings and are not something new feature in construction. Lightweight pre-assembled frames which can be delivered promptly to the site, speeding up the construction times for the main structural elements. The benefit of pre-assembled framed structures, that can help of reducing site cutting and the inaccuracies that can arise from it.Untitled-1.jpg Insulated steel frame building system Photograph courtesy of Fusion An example of framed structure is the steel frame module. Steel works in off-site construction are taking the most important part of the factory controlled construction due to the characteristics of the steel itself that can be shaped and moulded in any form; the result is light strong steel modules structures. The UK construction market is one of the most steel intensive in the world, with steel proving to be the material of choice for UK architects and structural engineers in the multi-storey building market. The 2007 Market Shares Survey figures show steel construction consistently takes in excess of 70 per cent over double the market share compared to when the survey was first carried out in the early 1980s.(Housebuilder Developer. 2008). The Steel Construction Institute has carried out a study of different construction projects using various levels of off-site steel construction technologies in busy urban sites. The goal of the study was to recognize the benefits of off-site construction relating to the reduction of the disruption caused to local residents by the construction operations. The study also aimed to quantify these benefits in terms of the reduction in dust, noise, vehicle circulation and the impact of site-generated waste on the environment. 3.1.3 Panels Panels are two dimensional frame that consist both the structural and the infill element, are sealed together on site. Example of panels are pre-assembled floor, wall, and roof panels. Using the right sealants are very important to gain the benefit of off-site manufactured panels in order to stand up the frames rapidly. The simplest form of off-site manufactured panel system is lightweight infill panels that are fixed to the structural frame, where the most complex form are the prefabricated sandwich panels which consist of both, the structural element, internal and external finishes. 3.1.4 Volumetric System Volumetric system is the frame and panel systems, and when the building is assembled and built from a series of volumetric steel or timber modules, connected together to form a room or groups of rooms to form complete structure. Modular construction is also a term used to refer the volumetric assemblies. While the foundations are being prepared under factory conditions, the modules are manufactured and finished (or partially finished) off-site, under factory conditions, then transported to the building site and assembled and connected to the foundations, then added the exterior cladding and the roof. Modular construction is more sustainable than traditional techniques because of the minimum foundations that required and because it is built under factory conditions, the modules are in better quality and defects are minimized. Modular construction uses the same techniques from the industrial sector but the result does not look like mass production product. Sophisticated modules and panels can be produced and can be easily customised by the clients requirements, and with new advanced techniques finishes: cladding and roofing, give the building its natural skin that suites the surrounding. 3.1.5 Hybrids System Plant rooms Plant room is a room or space in a building dedicated to the mechanical and electrical equipments and then they need an intensive labour. If plant rooms built off-site where there is cheaper labour, this can be more economically. Other advantage of plant rooms built in factory is if a project in time difficulties, always the installation of the services is squeezed, so using modular plant rooms certainly will help to avoid this problem. Using system-engineering principles, the resulting prototype has been developed principally for use in the construction of two and seven storey residential developments. It is a hybrid of frame and infill panels, the prototype enables construction in stick form, panels or 3D volumetric units, and works on the principle of a frame and infill system. The mainframe is hot-rolled steel and typically uses regular or square hollow sections with a width of 100mm for both columns and beams to provide a standard interface that can be in filled with floor and non-load bearing wall panels to complete the building. The prototype is based on currently available main components, which can be connected in a variety of ways to suit the individual project to allow flexibility in the level of work carried out off-site. Connections include innovative bolt connections to allow complete demountability, location systems and welded connections, all of which can be used in isolation or as part of a combined system. Bathrooms Pods Bathroom construction process can use Off-site construction technology, which in compare to the traditional way, would normally be carried out on-site. If we remove the construction process of the bathrooms to a controlled factory environment, bathrooms will become more ecological, functional, and with lower building costs. Bathrooms that we call them smart will also become more common with highly environmentally toilets and showers systems and with more advanced technology like tapes with sensors. The quality of bathrooms pods is far superior to the traditional on-site construction, more stylish, with high quality materials, and better for the environment in terms of a lower carbon footprint, lower levels of waste and reduced transportation of components. Bathroom pods are a very economically solution when it integrate with the whole construction process in large quantities such as; student accommodations, hotels, hostels, hospitals, and prisons.3.jpg Walker Modular CHAPTER FOUR: CASE STUDIES 4.1 British Land Ropemaker site, London Ropemaker is a commercial building for British Land, one of the UKs largest Real Estate Investment Trust. It is built in an eminent site in London. The 21 storey and three basement levels has 55,000 square metres net lettable space. The high profile building has impressive green certifications achievement including a BREEAM excellent rating. The development has been realised using off-site construction technologies in a large number of parts in the building. This study aimed to evaluate two products manufactured off-site; a modular walling system Podwall from Swift Horseman, and Technik flooring system supplied by Grants LTD. The research aimed to compare in deep analysis off-site construction techniques products to the traditional way of construction in terms of; waste on-site and off-site, resources needed on site, efficiency and productivity, cost, environmental impact analysis and end of life assessment, health and safety, and installation time. Features of the Podwall system (Swift Horsman. 2010) A flexible modular walling system incorporating finishes and services. All elements manufactured off site in a controlled environment. Innovative fit out solution providing high quality female, male, and disabled toilet units throughout the development. PODWALL research results Performance breakdown (man hours on site) Podwall saved approximately 40% to programme. Each floor at Ropemaker had an 11 week programme to install the Podwall (3 blocks per floor one ladies, one gentlemen and one disabled toilet), which would be equivalent to 15 ½ weeks for traditional fit out. Podwall waste Because the Podwall is manufactured off-site the waste on site is reduced. The largest proportion of waste generated is in the packaging, which ensures the product is protected between factory and site. Across the Ropemaker site a total of approximately 213m3 of waste was produced for all Podwall washrooms. Given the low levels of waste observed during the monitoring of the Podwall, traditional waste would considerably exceed the Podwall waste volumes. The percentage of materials recycled from Ropemaker frequently exceeds 85%. At Ropemaker the Podwall washroom package has a value of approximately  £6m, with 54 toilet blocks being delivered across 1969m2 The main differences in cost between the Podwall and the traditional system are in services installation and cubicles. This is because services are integrated off site into the walls and cubicles for the Podwall which explains the greater cost of these elements, whereas with traditional build the cost of installing services on site is higher. The traditional costs do not account for indirect costs such as the increased cost of waste and removal thereof and the increased programme time to install the traditional product. 4.2 Case Study: Bewdley High School and Sixth Form, Worcestershire This case study involves a school and sixth form building based in Bewdley, Worcestershire. A new building which can meet the needs and expectations of this school is to be proposed, designed and implemented. The requirements are said to be a building which offers flexibility for the school and its occupiers as well as being a low-energy solution. The changing needs of the school means space needs to be provided to accommodate the new influx of around 360 pupils. Yorkon manufacturers, who are based in the city of York, have created a two-storey high building at their off-site location. Due to the nature of the build taking place away at York as an off-site project, the building only took a mere 22 weeks to put together compared to an on-site project which would take longer. This new building has become a project now boasting a title as not only one of the most sustainable modular buildings within the UK, but offers heating via biomass fuel and holds a complex passive and low energy ventilation system. The building comprises of 60 steel-framed modules and has clear internal spans measuring up to 12m for space planning flexibility within. The parts were brought in using cranes and windows and partitions were put into place. The effectiveness of pre-installing the windows and partitions off-site show the efficiency and speed of this new phenomenon. It is a desired and sought after concept to still incorporate off-site construction into the regular and more traditional building techniques. The fact the building has integrated off-site technology into its production whilst still being themed around a conventional and traditional design for a drama and dance studio, ultimately shows the two somewhat diverse approaches to construction working in harmony together. The building comprises a 12 classroom facility which may accommodate the schools Modern Languages, Humanities as well as English Departments. Furthermore, a designated creative-area is also catered for within the design concept as well as an area for an administrative centre. Its design features boast central-heating fuelled by biomass fuel thus being environmentally friendly by minimising harmful carbon emissions. Not only this, but the new building can offer all timber cladding from sources that are confirmed sustainable, a highly-glazed activity studio offering a plentiful amount of natural light and an appealing bespoke roof structure thats pleasing to the eye. Looking further into the buildings design concept in offering a complex passive ventilation system, we can see that the clever idea of well-ventilated rooms provide a more comforting area for study and teaching. This additional air-flow is thus providing better concentration and performance for all those working within the new building. This is achieved through something recognised as passive air-stacking. The sensors installed are there to monitor levels of both carbon dioxide as well as temperature. This enables fresher air to be drawn in accordingly when detected as too low. This is fed diagonally over radiators which prevent the possibility of unwelcome cold draughts. Any stale air from the room is passed out from the room via high capacity discharge terminals found on the roof. This ultimately creates a continuous regulation of new air flow replacing older air providing optimum air composition levels in each room. Professionals working at Yorkon have expressed their views in using off-site construction in this project amongst others. They voiced that the main decision to go for off-site production was speed in completing the project which was highly important in making sure the facility would be ready on time for the new quantity of pupils to be joining the school. Furthermore, Yorkon is keen to be recognised as a reputable name in supplying superior quality along with an eye for sophisticated and precise detail in the designs and bringing revolutionary new techniques to building which can change attitudes towards regular modular construction. This is all despite any challenging timescale. Yorkonis adamant their team has provided the required building which can boast quality, bespoke elements and flexibility along with highly favoured low energy, environmentally friendly and speedy results. (The new building has provided us with spacious accommodation and room sizes that are appropriate for our learning and teaching needs. It is visually pleasing from the outside and fits in well with the locality. Our students have been impressed with the design of the building and it has helped to develop a strong sense of pride in our school and working environment. The modular approach is a very good method of construction for schools as it limits the disruption to learning because of the speed of assembly. The building will be easy to expand and the design is sufficiently flexible to meet the changing needs of our students and curriculum development.-Julie Reilly, Head Teacher and Sixth Form centre.) 4.3 Case Study-Emergency Assessment Unit, University Hospital of North Tees. In this case study we are looking at the new revolutionary building which was designed to fulfil the needs of Interserve Project Services/North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. The building will be located at the University Hospital of North Tees. The purpose-designed and built Emergency Assessment Unit has been required in order to reduce waiting times for much demanded emergency treatment. This is something the Government has planned as to drive down waiting times for patients. The amount of beds are needed to be increased at the Stockton site as well as the site needing to be able to provide a service to those needing emergency surgical care, based centrally on location rather than some distance away. The unit has promised to feature up-to-date emergency care and include specialist staff who can deal quickly and efficiently with a high number of patients thus increasing patient turnover. The solution to these needs was met through a  £2.8m Procure 21 project which was awarded to Yorkon manufacturers, based in York, by Interserve Project Services. Off-site construction and the installing of a 42-bed Emergency Assessment Unit was the aim for the new building as its production. The building included 42 steel-framed modules manufactured off-site at York and installed on-site in as little as a few days. Disruption was therefore limited and patients could rest unaware of any commotion. The 1,710m square single storey extension to the pre-existing department was astonishingly and impressively erected in just over six months from beginning to end. The building also can boast a full range of modern well-equipped facilities for any acute medical emergencies. Features are listed as including four-bed wards, single en-suite bedrooms, an isolation ward, high-dependency beds, consulting rooms, ward managers office, waiting area, Quiet room, staff changing facilities and rest room and also an interview room. Incorporated into the design were roof lights to increase any natural light in the centre of the unit and furthermore holds latest technology equipment. The installation of workstations are readily available and can be used at a patients bedside. This building proudly boasts to be one of the first units in the country to offer an electronic information board too. Looking to the comments of professionals working within the construction of this new high-tech building, we can see the positive influence of off-site technology in providing rapid, quality solutions to much needy clients