The Verification Principle Essay Example for Free

The Verification Principle Essay Throughout the years, science has been a very productive practice. From explaining why and how things happen to sending people to the moon. Not only do we see its benefits every day, but also new discoveries are being made constantly. Science has proven its success. By using the scientific method and critical thinking, a wide range of things have been discovered. One cannot say the same for philosophy. Many of the questions that were asked by the very first philosophers are still being contemplated and debated over today. Some philosophers thought that in order to make philosophy as successful as science that they would need to adopt a method such as the scientific method. Thus, the Verification Principle came to be. The philosophers with this idea that philosophy needs to be successful, like science, were the logical positivists. These philosophers had a â€Å"scientific envy,† wanting to make philosophy more scientific. Their method to become more â€Å"scientific† was to create the Verification Principle. It states that â€Å"A statement is cognitively meaningful if and only if it is either analytic or in principle empirically verified. They thought that if something cannot be verified analytically or by experiment, then there is no need to debate about it. To understand this principle, one must understand some of the key terms and concepts in it. Something can be described as cognitively meaningful if it can be found to be true or false. Therefore, a statement must have a truth-value. According to the Verification Principle, in order to find if something is true or false, it must be analytic or in principle empirically verified. Something is analytic if it can be found by mathematical means or by using logic. Twenty divided by two equals twenty-two is an example of an analytical statement. Whether the statement that twenty divided by two equals twenty-two is correct, or not, by using mathematical reasoning, the answer can be found to be true or false. Another example of an analytical statement would be as follows: â€Å"A guitar is a musical instrument, and musical instruments sound beautiful. Thus, a guitar sounds beautiful. † Since the argument flows in a logical pattern, the statement is said to be analytic, and therefore, also cognitively meaningful. The last part of the Verification Principle states that a cognitively meaningful statement must be in principle empirically verified. For something to be in principle empirically verified, it must be able to be, in theory, proven experimentally. For instance, the statement, â€Å"Hell is located in the core of Earth,† can be empirically verified. Although it has not yet been proven or disproven, theoretically it could be. Although challenging, I am sure, but eventually we could somehow get a person, or group of people, to dig deep enough and then see if our core is in fact â€Å"Hell. A new and revised Verification Principle would be as follows: A statement can be found to be true or false if and only if it can be found using mathematical reasoning, logic, or if it can be found in principle experimentally. If a statement is not found to have a truth-value using any of these methods, then it is said to be cognitively meaningless, and consequently, does not need to be discussed. The statement that â€Å"God exists† would be considered cognitively meaningless. It cannot be proven mathematically, or logically, that God exists. Nor can it be proven with any type of experiment. Since it is cognitively meaningless, there is no need to debate God’s existence. According to the Verification Principle, many philosophical concepts and questions no longer need to be discussed. One relevant subject, that would be deemed cognitively meaningless, is Ethics. Many if not all statements, or questions, in Ethics cannot be determined analytically or empirically verified. As such, Ethics should no longer be discussed. Whether a person murdering in the name of patriotism or defending one’s own life is ethical, is pointless to debate because it has no truth-value. A mathematician cannot figure out using a formula whether these acts of murder are ethical. Neither can a person use logic to find the answer. It would be absurd to think that a person could determine the answer to the question using an experimental method. Ethics in general, becomes pointless to discuss. Many have objected to the Verification Principle since many things, are considered cognitively meaningless, but do require attention and discussion. Axiology, which asks the question â€Å"What are values,† is completely â€Å"cognitively meaningless† under the principle. Some would say that this could not be correct since values are imperative. Values create a sense of character, personality, and meaning. Surely, we should not just throw out the whole study of what our values are because the answer to the questions cannot be found analytically or by experiment. David Hume brings up a valid point that contradicts the Verification Principle, stating that the principle itself is self-contradicting. Hume points out that science relies on principles that cannot pass the Verification Principle. By the logical positivists trying to mirror the success of science, they created a principle that even the principles of science do not pass. One such principle is the Principle of Induction. This principle, in crude terms, states that the future will resemble the past. According to the Verification Principle, this statement is cognitively meaningless. Once again, neither mathematics nor logic can be used to determine a truth-value to this statement. It also cannot be proven in principle by experiment. Since we are always in the present or looking back into the past, we cannot say that the future will resemble the past, but science bases its rules, theories, and discoveries on this principle. Another scientific principle that does not pass the Verification Principle is the Principle of Universal Causation. It states, also crudely, that every event has a cause. Since there is no way to experimentally determine that every event that has ever happened, or will happen, has a cause, it is cognitively meaningless. Hence, if the Verification Principle is correct, then science itself is cognitively meaningless and does not need to be debated nor discussed. In my opinion, the Verification Principle is not a valid basis on which to determine whether a subject should be discussed or not. Many things, such as ethics, need to be discussed. If we chose to follow the guidelines of the principle, there would be no need to discuss ethics. This would in turn eventually cause people to forget what ethics or an ethical judgment is. There would be no sense of what is good or bad; only who has the bigger gun. Society would be reduced to animals, though we are already close to that point. By people discussing ethics, and ethical judgments, though we may never reach a conclusion or agreement on some aspects of the subject, we choose to not forget about what is just and that there is a difference between right and wrong. Though philosophy may not have all too much to show for all of its work, at least if compared to science, then at the very least it causes people to think for themselves and to not forget about things which are important to human nature. Such things as religion, ethics, values, and creativity are all important to us as humans. If using the Verification Principle, all such things would be â€Å"cognitively meaningless. † In a way, it is the things that are â€Å"cognitively meaningless† that are more important than the â€Å"cognitively meaningful. They are what define us and not only set us apart from all other species, but also from each other. In conclusion, the Verification Principle was a way for some philosophers to make philosophy successful much like science. The principle states that â€Å"A statement is cognitively meaningful if and only if it is either analytical or in principle empirically verified. † Many things in philosophy, such as Ethics, in this sense are â€Å"cognitively meaningless† and should not be discussed. David Hume pointed out that science is based on principles that do not pass the Verification Principle and is therefore â€Å"cognitively meaningless. To be fair, the Verification Principle was a poor attempt to try to put a value on the success of philosophy. The greatness of philosophy though, is that it is not based solely on numbers, logic, and experiments, but also on critical thinking. It is that aspect of philosophy that sets humankind apart from the rest of the animals on Earth. Although some of the questions of philosophy may never be solved, the true success of philosophy is that it causes people to think and to search for answers instead of accepting what they have always â€Å"known† as truth.

Post-War Changes to British Society

Post-War Changes to British Society Life is more uncertain now than it was in the early 1950s. Discuss this claim. Introduction The welfare state, which was a feature of 1950s Britain was predicated on an optimistic view of the world, and one which anticipated that British social institutions such as the family would remain the same. However, increased technological change, post-war immigration policy and a fluctuating world market brought such certainties into question. Britain rapidly became a more liberal and culturally diverse society and this had implications in almost every area of social life. This paper will examine the view that life is more uncertain now than it was in the early 1950s. In doing so it will examine knowledge, particularly religious knowledge, the concept of the family, and the processes of globalization. The Family In the 1950s the institution of the family was seen as one of the best ways of ordering our lives. It was the primary instrument of socialization where children learned the norms and values of the society in which they lived. The transformation of family life and of family forms has been unprecedented in the last thirty years the traditional nuclear family of father, mother and children, has been challenged and in some cases abandoned in favour of other ways of living.[1]Some of these changes have come about as the result of the feminist challenge to patriarchal power and the patriarchal nature of the traditional family. Prior to the Second World War men were the family breadwinners and women stayed at home to look after the children and to tend to the husband’s needs. From the mid-nineteen fifties onwards women started to re-enter the workplace in increasing numbers. This gave women more choices about how they would live their lives, such choices were not available in the ear ly nineteen fifties but the late twentieth century and twenty first centuries are characterized by a diversity of family forms. The nuclear family no longer dominates, now we have step families, lone parent families and cohabiting same sex couples, all existing alongside the nuclear family. Statistics on these different family forms have been used by Conservative Governments to claim that there is a breakdown of the traditional family and this has led to a much wider moral decay in society.[2] There has also been concern over men’s power and role in family life and the implications this may have for social order (Phillips, 1997).[3] Phillips argues that the decline in the family may lead to the death of fatherhood and could have implications for men’s health and their son’s development. It refers not only to changes in the family but to the fact that these changes could also bring about the destruction of the things which hold society together. Feminists on the other hand welcome the change in family forms because they have challenged the patriarchal nature of the nuclear family in the same way as they have challenged the patriarchal nature of religion. Religious Knowledge Prior to the Enlightenment religious knowledge was regarded as authoritative. Religious knowledge is knowledge that is based on revealed truths rather than empirical data or scientific experimentation. Although sometimes science and religion are interested in the same questions such as the history of the world and the nature of humnity[4] The rise in scientific knowledge called the claims of religion into question and the late twentieth century has seen this questioning in the form of a massive decline in Church attendance.[5] In spite of this Armstrong (1999)[6] has said that since the 1970s religion has been high on the agenda in the forms of the Christian Right in America and the tensions between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East. Marx, Durkheim and Weber, the acknowledged fathers of the social sciences, predicted that increased industrialization and new technologies would bring massive social change and that this would result in secularization.[7] Certainly on the surface this appears to be occurring, Church attendance has declined since the 1950s and education and welfare, which were once functions performed by the Church, have been taken over by the state. In addition to this, other forms of knowledge, such as science, appear to have more credibility than religious knowledge.[8] It might be said that religious knowledge remains to the extent that it provides some kind of answers to questions that science has so far failed to answer, such as where we go when we die. Social scientists have defined religion in two ways, the substantive definitions say what religion is while functionalist definitions say what religion does. Emile Durkheim (1912/1965) for example described religion as a sort of social glue which held society together. Durkheim believed that although religion would remain, it would, over time, change its form[9] Thus, because religion served a social function, traditional religious services might be replaced by other traditional gatherings su ch as Thanksgiving in America (Bellah, 1970).[10] Max Weber (1904/1930) on the other hand said that religion gave meaning to people’s actions eg. the Protestant work ethic Weber[11] Weber believed that when people became disenchanted with the supernatural content of religion then religion would die out. Peter Berger (1967) has said of religion that: †¦religion is the audacious attempt to conceive of the entire universe as being humanly significant (Berger, 1967:28).[12] The search for significance spreads across cultures. In the 1950s Britain was still seen as a largely Christian country and the Church of England was the established Church, the official religion. Mass immigration from 1948 onwards has meant that Britain is now a multi-cultural and multi-faith society. At the same time feminists have challenged the masculine bias contained within traditional religious knowledge and say that women’s experiences of religion have been ignored. The secularization thesis holds that religion is dying out but the situation with religious knowledge is not as simple as that, rather the situation is changing, and so traditional beliefs are called into question. This questioning tends to make people more uncertain of the beliefs they hold than might previously have been the case. Such changes are not confined to Britain but appear to be taking place on a global scale. Globalisation Since the 1950s the world has witnessed vast changes in transportation, in technology, communications and agriculture. Increased trade flow between different countries and the spread of capitalism has meant that the borders between nations are not as fixed as they once were and diverse societies are moving closer together.[13] There are differing views on globalization and these can be broadly defined in the following ways. Globalists, argue that we are witnessing changes that are being felt across the world and that increasingly nation states are becoming less autonomous. Internationalists on the other hand do not hold this view, they believe that the global movements we are seeing are not a new phenomenon. Although international activity may appear to have intensified in recent years they argue that in some areas this has strengthened state powers.[14] The third view is that of the transformationalists who say that globalization has created new circumstances which are transforming state powers. Transformationalists say that although the outcome may be uncertain politics can no longer be the preserve of individual nation states. This is because the social and political contexts are changing and this has implications for the way states operate.[15] The information age as personified by the internet, satellite television and mobile phones means that people can communicate across the globe in almost an instant. Global economic changes can affect many different societies, some benefit from this and some end up worse than they were before. This has led Giddens (1999) to say that we are living in a runaway world that is propelled by forces that are beyond our understanding.[16] Held (1995) has argued that nation states are defined by their borders and the forces of globalization are breaching those borders and threatening the autonomy of individual states. Large corporations such as Microsoft control global markets hold considerable power, such power could end up in the hands of a few individuals and would thus become domination (Allen, 2004). Technology has the power to influence the way we see people and places, for example we may no longer have to visit a bank to pay our bills but can do it online. In this way the physical distances between people become unimportant.[17] Globalisation means that wherever we live our lives may be determined by forces that are outside our control. Theorists who take this position see globalization as a threat to different social and cultural histories and to collective and individual action.[18] Globalists argue that attempts to resist the forces of globalization are doomed to failure, rather we should welcome changes such as new technologies which may help to reduce pollution in the world. Internationalists are skeptical about these changes and argue against the idea that there has been a fundamental shift in social relations. They believe that nation states still have the power to order their own economies and determine their own welfare regimes. They do however point to the inequalities that women and unskilled workers may face due to the forces of big business and global capitalism. Transformationalists agree that to some extent nation states have remained autonomous but they also say that the effects of globalization cannot be dismissed. The effects of globalization are uncertain and uneven, they have produced changes in the way we live and these changes need to be studied. They argue that the forms of globalization are not necessarily irreversible but may call for new structures and forms of governance. Conclusion The late twentieth and early twenty first centuries have brought with them vast changes to life in Britain. In the early nineteen fifties people’s futures seemed secure and this security was bolstered by Government claims that the introduction of the welfare state meant that people would be looked after from the cradle to the grave. History shows that this was an over optimistic claim and the notion of full employment on which the welfare state was based has not been realized. In the last thirty years advances in many different areas have drastically changed life for a large percentage of the population. Religion is no longer so authoritative as it once was, and many children are not growing up in traditional families. In addition to these things Britain is now part of the European Union and contact with people of other nations is becoming a normal part of life. The notion of security that existed in the years following the war were based on idealistic visions of the future an d this may be why we now view life as more uncertain. Bibliography Book 3 v2 Book 4 v.2 Book 5 v.2 Armstrong, K 1999 â€Å"Where has God gone† Newsweek 12th July pp 56-7 Bellah, R 1970 Beyond Belief New York, Harper and Row Berger, P. 1967 The Sacred Canopy New York, Doubleday Giddens, A 1999 Runaway World, The BBC Reith Lectures London, BBC Radio 4, BBC Education Phillips, M.. 1997 â€Å"Death of the Dad† The Observer 2nd November 1997 1 Footnotes [1] Book 3 v.2 [2] Book 3 v2 page 68 [3] Phillips, M.. 1997 â€Å"Death of the Dad† The Observer 2nd November 1997 [4] Book 5 vs p.53 [5] Book 5 v.2 [6] Armstrong, K 1999 â€Å"Where has God gone† Newsweek 12th July pp 56-7 [7] The removal of the public functions of religion to the private sphere [8] Book 5 v2 p.52 [9] Ibid p, 57 [10] Bellah, R 1970 Beyond Belief New York, Harper and Row [11]ibid [12] Berger, P. 1967 The Sacred Canopy New York, Doubleday [13] Book 4 v.2 see page 9 [14] Ibid see page 11 [15] ibid [16] Giddens, A 1999 Runaway World, The BBC Reith Lectures London, BBC Radio 4, BBC Education [17] Ibid page 18 [18] Ibid page 21

Family Travel and Tours Company Analysis

Family Travel and Tours Company Analysis SECTION ONE Family Travel and Tours has specialised in affordable, inclusive summer and winter sun travel packages for nearly forty years. The two base of our travel offerings have been price and predictability. Our prices were highly competitive, although they are less so now, and our customers want to know ahead of time exactly what they can expect from their travel experience. However, changes in the tourism market have caused our sales to stagnate, and we currently have zero growth in our customer numbers and fewer repeat customers. Although according to the National Travel Survey, the number of tourists taking inclusive packages have increased significantly in the past twenty years, so has the number of outlets through which customers can purchase their holiday travel (Shaw and Williams 2004). The primary reason for our lack of growth is this increased competition. In price, we have been adversely affected by a sharp increase in the number of discount travel companies available to price-conscious consumers, particularly over the internet. Whereas we once had only competition from a limited number of local agencies, some of those who would have been our customer base are beginning to experiment with online bookings. This opens our market up not only to other UK competitors, but also to agencies from other countries. For example, the American company Cheap Tickets offers international flights, tours and cruises at highly competitive rates. One has only to run a simple search under â€Å"discount travel packages† to reveal literally hundreds of competitors where our customers could take their holiday spend. Many of these competitors also do not maintain brick-and-mortar branches, allowing them to offer even more competitive prices as they have lower overhead costs. Additionally, each year as a greater percentage of the population becomes comfortable purchasing over the computer and more and more people try out online spending, FTTs competitiveness on the basis of price is reduced. Customers are also finding they can create their own packages, as they can now research hotels, transport and activities online and make their own reservations for all of them. More family-oriented travel destinations are also now providing inclusive packages on their own, and are able to offer these through online marketing. Whereas once our contacts with local travel companies allowed us to provide all-inclusive packages available to the consumer only through a travel agency, now there are a number of places the typical traveler can book their desired holiday. For example, Disneyland Paris has its own hotels, restaurants and transportation. As such it can market directly to the customer without need of a middle-man travel agency. Many other popular family tourist destinations have similar offerings. Cruises are another all-inclusive alternative that can now be booked directly without use of a travel agency. We have not reacted quickly or substantially enough changes in the market and in customers themselves, leaving us in a vulnerable position. FTT therefore needs to make changes to its products and marketing strategies quickly to retain its market position in the future. SECTION TWO FTT has benefited from catering to two distinct customer groups, although both on the basis of predictability and price. During the winter period, FTTs customer base tends to be older people escaping the winter cold. The repeat business in this niche is substantial and breaks down further into two groups. The first wants to return to the same location each year, often even requesting the same room. The second group prefers packaged tours, typically taking a tour of a different location each year. Both highly value predictability; that is, they want to eat the foods they are used to and stay inside their comfort zone even when traveling, rather than experience any kind of local culture. They also want to know when booking the details of their holiday, such as daily schedules, and want to spend their winter holiday in warm, sunny locations. This customer group has shown less stagnation, as the increase in competitors from online travel brokers has not penetrated this market group subst antially as of yet. It is likely that it will in the near future, however, particularly as the computer-friendly segment of the population expands and ages. Summer customers are typically middle-class families looking for a convenient and affordable holiday experience. They also want to know ahead of time the details of their holiday, but more to ensure activities and proper accommodations are available for their children than for any deep-seeded need for sameness. Destinations with child-friendly attractions such as beaches and theme parks are foundational in sales to this group. This segment of our customer base has suffered the most from increased competition. Where we or agencies like FTT were once the only place families could go to have their entire travel needs satisfied, online travel agencies and the attractions themselves are now providing equally planned holidays at prices at or below ours. As we examine what changes need to be made, it is helpful to consider tourist motivation from both reductionist and structuralist perspectives regarding our stagnant customer base. Reductionism views tourist motivation as â€Å"a tension between the search for the new or novel experience and the requirement for some degree of familiarity† (Shaw and Williams 2004, 140). This is true of both winter and summer customers. They wish to experience a holiday outside their current existence whilst maintaining a predictability that will allow them, whether older people or children, to be sure of a certain level of comfortability. It is unlikely that we will be able to compete strictly on price, as was the case many times in the past. Therefore expanding the balance of novelty and predictability in our current products is likely to be our strongest marketing asset for future growth. The question then becomes how to address these customer motivations in the changing and more competitive market. SECTION THREE Todays postmodern society is now consumer led, with the consumer dictating the location and activities they expect rather than simply choosing from a limited assortment of package options (Sharpley 2003). Customers can now choose not only travel options we have available, but also those provided by remote travel operators and attractions themselves. Further, customers are more and more likely to create their own travel packages, as they now have access to information on local attractions, lodging and transport for a given area. Their expectations are higher as far as flexibility and options are concerned, making it more difficult for FTT to plan or provide all-inclusive packages, particularly at any significant reduction in price. In addition, as the divide between work and leisure has been reduced, and recreational avenues are more available throughout the year, the novelty of taking the family to the beach or theme park has diminished. Consumers are more likely to seek a holiday experience that allows them to escape from their day-to-day reality rather than simply play instead of work (Sharpley 2003). Todays mass tourist â€Å"desires to be in a place which is both real and yet fantastic at the same time, and to encounter people who are both authentically other yet also fun and fictional† (Coleman and Crang 2002, 157). As such, our customers are beginning to demand travel packages that go beyond simply being at the beach or a certain location, but also offer some type of fantasy or adventurous opportunity. The immediate gratification and visually-based information preferences of the postmodern society also lend themselves strongly to the convenience of internet booking provided by our competitors (Sharpley 2003). Now customers can actually see the room where they will stay, satisfying their predictability needs, yet independently reserve it in an instant, with the simple click of a mouse. The entire transaction is charged effortlessly to their credit card, almost making it seem as though the holiday was free. This signals a change in our customer, especially those in the summer/family group. Whilst they still have a need for predictability so they can plan for their children and the children feel comfortable, there is an increased desire for new experiences, visually-based marketing, and easy, quick booking. SECTION FOUR One difficulty we are currently experiencing is the change in customers perceptions of our services and their attributes, an event common over time in service-based sectors (Palmer 1994). Whilst they are still strongly motivated by predictability, they seek at the same time authenticity in their holiday experience. Authenticity can be viewed from the perspective of the place visited, or from the perspective of the tourist doing the visiting. According to Handler and Saxton, the meaning of the term authenticity â€Å"refers to experiences through which tourists feel themselves to be in touch with both the real world and their real selves† (Shaw and Williams 2004). There are three kinds of authenticity in the tourist experience. Two, objective and constructive authenticity, are object-related. The third, activity-related authenticity, â€Å"refers to a state of being that is to be activated by tourist activities† (Shaw and Williams 2004). It is that place where â€Å"one is true to oneself† (Shaw and Williams 2004). For example, beach holidays may be seen as providing a relaxed, playful environment where people can be their true selves like they were as children, without the sometimes-false pretenses maintained at work or in the community. As our world becomes increasingly more connected, a certain homogeneity is affecting the authenticity of place. McDonalds restaurants provide an example. Although there is some regional adaptation (one can order wine in France or get kosher sandwiches in Israel), the chains product mix of a hamburger, fries, and a coke is constant throughout its restaurants in over 100 countries (Vignali 2001). Every time a Tesco moves into a town, a number of the areas local merchants are likely to go out of business, reducing the regional differences of that area as opposed to the rest of the country. Shaw and Williams (2004) report â€Å"Boorstin saw mass tourism producing a homogenization and standardization of the tourist experience through the commodification of culture† (135). The â€Å"developing global culture of tourism accepts anything or any place being produced and reproduced, moved and recontextualised in any place whatsoever this process marks the proliferation and increased co nsumption of experiences† that are depthless simulations, separated from tradition and history (Coleman and Crang 2002, 156). This makes it harder for FTT to provide unique travel packages. SECTION FIVE FTT needs to meet these changes in society and in the level of competition head on, addressing issues related to both our products and our target markets. First, we need to stop viewing the internet as our completion and begin to view it as a means of increasing our customer base. Although we have a website, it is not as user friendly as it could be, and does not offer a wide range of holidays. We could expand our travel product available online. Instead of simply listing our set packages with prices, as our current website offers, we could experiment with creating an a la carte method of creating packages. With the correct software, this would be possible to do completely online, and agents wanting to make a booking could even use the same online system when dealing with customers. In this scenario, a customer could access our website and choose the components of their holiday, appealing simultaneously to the postmodern desire for novelty and our established customer need for predic tability. For example, one family may want to have a less expensive lodging but hire a larger car. They would be able to do this on the website, and after all their bookings would have created their own package, as inclusive as they desire. This would also provide a price incentive as customers could pay for only the level of or types of provision they really desire. In addition to increasing the number of customers purchasing holidays from us, such flexibility and convenience in booking is also likely to increase the spend of our existing customer base. Whereas once one of our established customers might use us only for holiday travel, a convenient website might also lead to other bookings by the same customer, such as business travel, expanding our product base. We would also be able to attract more customers from outside the UK, or from areas inside the country where we do not have strong branch presence. We also need to change the product mix of our fixed-package offerings to include more novelty and fantasy. For example, we might add adventure activities to a beach holiday in such a way that they meet the safety needs of parents. Including water-skiing lessons as part of a beach holiday provides some adventure, but because it includes instruction and a supervised environment it retains the safety and predictability our customers value. The entire family can together enter into an activity outside their normal circumstances. For our winter/older customer group, changing the type of tour or travel available would probably not be popular, but adding additional and more adventuresome locations where a level of comfort and predictability could be guaranteed would be advantageous. For example, as Turkey seeks entrance into the European Union, it has become a country more open to tourism, providing a wealth of new places for tours, and usually at competitive prices. Increased availability and reduced price of air travel also now allow us to offer tours farther abroad, and we need to look into areas of the world such as India and Mexico, which were typically too far and too costly to be considered by our customers for a holiday. We would need to work closely with local lodging, transport and other providers to ensure the level of comfort our customers require, but these locations provide an opportunity to introduce adventure and fantasy in an appealing way to our older customer group. FTT should also expand our marketing via the internet, particularly to repeat customers and potential customers who have already initiated contact with us, such as those who stop by a branch to discuss travel options, but do not purchase right away. Email is a simple and extremely inexpensive way to contact customers with various offerings. This would also allow us to increase our target markets. For example, the UK Tourism Survey shows that an increasing number of young working-class families are taking holiday abroad. As younger people are more likely to have computer access and be knowledgeable in computer operation, it figures that this is a potential market where FTT may increase market share. Working class families without computers could still be included in the target market, but through other means of penetration. Over forty million loyalty cards were in circulation in the UK in 1999, and that number has undoubtedly increased substantially since (Evans 1999). Most cost-conscious Brits now have several such cards, and those motivated by price are particularly keen on using them. Partnering with several major cards could not only increase our visibility and presence, but attract customers that might not consider holiday travel. For example, we could offer a discounted package as a reward for points earned by a major loyalty card scheme, such as Tesco. Alternatively, we could join the scheme itself and offer points for a customers spend with us. In any case, being included in a scheme with extensive emails, newspaper inserts, and other advertising would reach cost-conscious consumers, a characteristic of our traditional customer base, who might not have considered package holidays before. We may also attract those who had purchased their packages elsewhere, at least to the point that they might inquire about our offerings, either in person or online. Some in this market will be surprised at the affordability of many packages. It is also likely that since customers attracted from this target market have never had a holiday abroad before, they would be nervous about both planning and going. As such they would find our servcies as a travel agency both convenient and comforting. Once they went once on a holiday package from us, we could make them part of our database, and provide various marketing endeavors to encourage their repeat patronage. The marketing changes discussed above give FTT the opportunity to once again dominate the travel package sector of our industry, to attract and retain customers from a wider customer base, and to ensure future growth and profitability. Our society is changing, but if we change with it we can continue for another forty years of travel excellence. REFERENCES Coleman, S. and Crang, M. (ed) (2002) Tourism: Between Place and Performance. Oxford: Berghahn. Evans, M. (1999) Loyalty schemes and the Orwellian Millennium. British Food Journal, 101(2): 132-147. Palmer, A. (1994) Principles of Service Marketing. London: McGraw-Hill. Sharpley, R. (2003) Tourism, Tourists and Society. Elm Publishing. Shaw, G. and Williams, A.M. (2004) Tourism, Tourists and Tourist Spaces. London: Sage. Vignali, C. (2001) McDonald’s: â€Å"think global, act local† the marketing mix. British Food Journal, 103(2): 97. WEBSITES www.cheaptickets.com www.cooptravelshop.co.uk www.expedia.co.uk www.gate1travel.com www.travelbag.co.uk

The Persian Letters by Montesquieu :: Persian Letters Montesquieu

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book The Persian Letters by Montesquieu is a fictional novel that was written by the author so he could comment on the society in which he was living. This novel has served as a good example of the ideas that were present during the early Enlightenment. There are many ideas and themes that Montesquieu discusses by using the point of view of two Persian travelers in Europe that correspond with letters to each other and others back in Persia. By using a foreigner's perspective, Montesquieu was able to present things in a way that gave a much more lasting effect then if he had used two Frenchman commenting on their own country. Through the many themes in the book, one that is prevalent is Montesquieu's attitude and ideas towards religion. The use of a Muslim Persian is quite effective in commenting on Christianity because the religions are alike in that they are both monotheistic, which can be good for drawing comparisons. Montesquieu believes that God is just an d obedience to his laws is crucial. He does not see anything wrong with having different religions because all of them have precepts that are useful to society. All the different religions promote obedience to the law and require their followers to be good and just. He believes that even if there was no God these ideas can still help society function correctly. Montesquieu also criticizes numerous aspects of established religion and shows that he sees it as useless and so he responds to it with indifference. He feels God's precepts are of the greatest importance and that is exactly what has been lost from the established church. Montesquieu's beliefs were also similar to many of the other philosophes. They criticized the established church and 'certainly opposed the ritual forms of both Catholic and Protestant worship'; (O'Brien et al 631).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of Montesquieu's key arguments throughout the novel when dealing with religion is that God's precepts are more important then anything else. He says 'for, whatever religion one may have, obedience to the laws, love of mankind, and respect for one's parents are always the principal acts of religion'; and no matter what your religion is, you should acknowledge 'God loves mankind, since he founded a religion to make them happy; †¦ and you are certain to please him by loving them also; that is to say performing all the duties of charity and humanity towards them, and in not violating the laws under which they live'; (101).

A New Road to Transportation Essay -- Hybrid Electric Car, Smart Car

The United States goes through about 19,600,000 barrels of oil a day, and a barrel of oil is around a $100. In a day, just for oil, we spend $1.96 billion dollars worth of oil, and yes that was with a â€Å"b†. Gas is now up to $3.65 per gallon and is rising. I pay $120 for insurance for one month and I use 8 gallons of gas a week average. That means I spend almost $3,000 a year! I’m only sixteen and that is not even adding all the costs. I could add oil, tires, air filters, battery, and windshield wiper fluid. The list could continue on forever. A person who is auto dependent spends 25% of their income on their transportation (Boelte 2). This shows we need to cut our spending on transportation. On the news I saw that people were buying electric cars and cars that get 40mpg. What people need to do is find a transportation that is suitable for them. When a traveler is traveling a far distance, it gets really pricey. I could pay $600 for a round trip flight and be there in an hour or drive 600miles. In a car with 40mpg, that would only be only $146. More people would rather fly though because they will get there and back. What we really need is something cheap, suitable, and fast. Having bullet trains, car pools, and bike lanes will provide cheaper transportation. People seem to be amazed when they see a high performance car roar down a street. Yes, it may seem like the car is amazing, but when the price comes at hand a driver wouldn’t want to pay for it. I paid $800 for my car because it was reposed. It’s a 1996 dodge neon with only 70,000 miles on it, and gets 32.9 mpg highway at 75mph. Not everyone can get a deal like that, but we need to make a way for transportation to be like the deal I got. A hybrid, electric car, and cars that ... ...th a carpool lane at hand these cars would be saving a ridiculous amount of money. By adding just one lane to the highway Americans will cut spending in half by taking someone with them. Another way to cut spending is by creating a system of super trains. The system would run through each capital. The price of this would be hefty but in time it would pay for itself. Super trains are extremely same and never have had any fatal accidents ever. Speaking of safety, biking on the road isn’t very safe. By adding a bike lane to separate a rider from the road will be safe. A person can ride a bike to any place close and still save money. If a rider rides their bike 5miles a day they can save $600 or more on gas. The rider will stay in shape and save money at the same time. There are many ways to save money and help the environment. So stop wasting money and get to saving.

Hitler: in His Mind

Adolf Hitler was known to be a somewhat of monster, and a villian, which is true in the opinions of quite a few throughout history. What Hitler accomplished is astonishing, he was a brilliant man who knew how manipulate people and their way of thinking. But, what is most intriguing about Hitler is his personality and disturbed mind. Robert G. L. Wiate and his book titled The Psychopathis God: Adolf Hitler discusses Hitler and his personality triats that led to his outrageous ideas and actions.Waite as a author is able to not create a judgement of Hitler and his and write more about Hitler as a person and why he was the way he was. Hitler had many issues that disturbed his mind, such as, his past and childhood experiences, his enourmous amount of phobias and obsessions that consumed his mind, his sexual experiences and his behavior toward sex, and of course the most well known personal hatred toward Jews. Skipping around a little bit in Waite’s book, in Chapter 3, Waite discuss ed Hitler’s childhood and family history.Hitler’s childhood experiences led to his later on in life obsessions and phobias that were to consume his thinking. Waite is able to find the facts about his childhood to help explain how Hitler’s mind became warped into his way of thinking. Hitler’s childhood was full of death and, abandonment and bad habits. These experiences help explain why he became a vegetarian, his fascination with death and suicide as well as his phobia of being alone. All of these personality triats he became known for were due to his childhood experiences and lifestyle. In my opinion, Hitler’s psychological traits were due to his past.While a boy in Vienna, he was mocked and riduculed. As a child he was strickened with the death of his mother. These types of experiences can create major personality malfunctions later in life. In the first chapter, Waite discusses Hitler’s personality traits and his odd obsessions and daily way of living. One issue that would amaze any reader of Waite’s book is learning about Hitler and his actual ways of thinking rather than just what his factual actions as one of the greatest leaders and manipulator of all time. What is so astonishing is how someone ith such odd obsessions, such as the exact measurements of a body and proportion and positioning of the body, or his obsession with blood and his childish behavior as an adult. Wait’s evidence on Hitler’s manipulating skills is impressive. Waite decribes Hitler as being a man who would use â€Å"brotherhood† and shared experiences to convince people that what they were doing to the Jewish population was alright. In my opinion, Hitler’s psychological explanations for his behavoir is simple. He was a man who was set in his ways and when his way of how life should be ran and lived, he created another obsession in his mind to conquer that obstacle.Unfortunately for Hitler, his past experienc es led to his thinking to be irrational and almost manic like. He would use his hatred for his fathers death caused by use of tabacco, as a way to lead a clean life, which in reality is a habit to form, but unfortunately for Hitler, this â€Å"clean† way of living, lead to a more toxic and harmful environment for himself. Waite describes Hitler as using his bad memories as a child to fix what he felt was wrong with society, unfortunately for Hitler, his mind went out of control to be controlling, and â€Å"perfect†.As far as Hitler and women, he looked at them as their primary purpose to be looked at like a pet. He is quoted to have said â€Å"A woman must be a cute, cuddly, naive little thing—tender, sweet and stupid†, if you read into this statement Hitler made, he expected women to be like trained animals. His sexual experiences were very limited. He was intimate with six different women in his life five of which committed suicide. Hitler had a way of making the women feel inferior and if Adolf was not in their lives then they should not be living their lives at all.Waite describes his sexual and intimate life in contrast with his lack of a motherly figure throughout his entire life. Hitler felt that women were irrational and not capable of being a leader because of women having more of emotional personalities. Hitler’s sexual behavior toward women and sex in general does indicate that this side of his personality wa disturbed. Since reading Waite’s book about Adolf Hitler and his personality and psychological state, a perspective has been put into place for myself concerning Hitler and his terrible actions later in life. This book, puts into perspective just how disturbed and unstable Hitler really was.The question that comes to mind is how can such a manic, unstable, psychologically disturbed man, create such a following of people. The only conclusion that comes to my mind is sheer ignornace of Hitler’s cap abilities as leader. The people who supported and followed Hitler were people who benefitted from his actions and power. Waite is able to write a book about Hitler that is interesting and informative about Hitler’s psychological standpoint, which helps make you as the reader understand Hitler’s thinking and exactly how much of his decision making was based on his insanity and obsessions that consumed him.

Differences Between Fact and Value

The words fact and value have always been used interchangeably. The disputes between these two words have always been an issue, sometimes unresolved. Even though, these two words are different, they are still often used to have the same meaning. Due to the differences that existed between these words they often creates some problems, which require clarity. The word fact simply means truth about a statement, life, the world in which we live.In addition, it could mean an objective actuality, which can be subjected to test, verified by appealing to authority (science, books). For instance, in economics it is believed that the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded. In addition, according to the law of gravity â€Å"everything that goes up must come down†. These two statements are fact. The answer to these is either wrong or right. If proved right then it is a fact. Fact is basically, what is. While, value refers to word that have some features of subjective statement.T hese are statement, which ask questions, this usually comes in the form of what should to be or ought to be and not what is. For instance, this statement gives a clear picture of the word value. Who is the better president, George Bush or Bill Clinton? This study is important to the sociologist because they research and they have to be able to differentiate between issues like this. They should be inclined and therefore, they should be up to date. In conclusion, this study is important to the sociologist.