Internet Gambling Essay Example for Free

Internet Gambling Essay The technoculture related topic that I am going to explore is the phenomenon of Internet gambling. With the emergence and explosion of gambling on television such as the World Series of Poker of ESPN or The World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, online gaming has quickly become a major player in the technoculture of contemporary society. I feel it is important to explore this issue because of American societys fascination and obsession with gambling. Gambling can and has become a very serious and damaging activity to many people in this country. According to CNN. com, studies have shown that people who gamble on the Internet tend to have more serious addictions than people who wager through more traditional venues. Through my research, I hope to further explore why Internet gambling has the potential to be more dangerous than traditional casinos and how younger generations of Americans and the government are responding to this ever-growing phenomenon. Literature Review The research I discovered on Internet gambling is fairly recent and comprehensive. Since online gaming is a reasonably new trend, the material written on the matter was rather current. Furthermore, there was a substantial amount of information within these three sources. It was evident that the three authors conducted high-quality research, and it showed with the use of graphs, charts, and case studies. Also, the three sources had a very similar outlook on the present and future situation of online gaming. With that being said, given that online gaming is at the peak of its existence, it is imperative that further exploration and examination within the subject be carried out. Because of the instant access one has to a gambling venue and the privacy factor of the Internet, online gaming has become a risky undertaking for many. According to David Schwartz (2003), Internet gambling presents new problems for individuals and society (p. 214). Instead of driving to an actual physical casino, problem gamblers can enjoy betting in the comforts of their own home. At home, they are not monitored by other gamblers and/or casino personnel which results in the ability to set their own limit. The Internet also allows the gambler to maintain a level of privacy not found in real casinos. If there are no friends or family around to supervise, then the gambler can engage in irresponsible betting without any time constraints. Finally, unlike real casinos, Internet casinos are readily available at the click of a button. If an online gaming organization will not accept ones money, one can bet that there are thousands of others that will be happy to take ones funds. The demographics of gambling are interesting to investigate within the subject. According to Rachel Volberg (2001), adults ages 18 to 29 are substantially more likely than older adults to have gambled privately (p. 34). Young adults are also more likely to gamble for excitement compared to older adults (Volberg, 2001). This is not a difficult concept to grasp. Normally, young adults have a less appreciative concept of money because they do not have as great of a responsibility as older people in regards to providing for family, paying bills, and spending money on expenses that are traditionally not familiar to a younger person. Furthermore, young people are usually unsupervised, especially in the collegiate demographic. Without the approval from mommy and daddy, young adults all across America are enjoying the financial freedom to do whatever they want with the money they have. In addition, according to Thomas Barker and Marjie Britz (2000), many college students have deep pockets ? Mom and Dads (p. 139). With this new found autonomy and fiscal assistance from parents, college kids are engaging in online gaming for fun and excitement. However, if left untreated and unsupervised, the fun and excitement can soon turn into a dangerous addiction with serious consequences and ramifications. With the possibility of Internet gambling becoming a serious problem, the government has been asked to step in and legislate the situation. According to Volberg (2001), The fact that Internet gambling is conducted in a networked, data-intensive environment offers opportunities for regulation and oversight in several critical areas, including licensure, testing for game integrity and site security, auditing and oversight, taxation, and consumer protection (p 97). Basically, Volberg is supporting a regulatory system that will be able to monitor the activities not only of the individual gambler, but of the gambling website as well. If the government actually does get involved, certain problems can be remedied. For example, every transaction made by a player can be closely followed and tracked. If a player indicates behaviors that suggest irresponsible decision-making, the player can be flagged and possibly suspended from a gambling website. However, all in all, Internet gambling will most likely always have its problems. Just like alcohols are with minors, people will get their hands on something they probably should not be touching. Internet gambling is an intensifying activity in American culture. With all the limitless possibility and endless potential of the Internet, online gaming will continue to be a major player in the world of technoculture and the information society. Nevertheless, what is important within this public sphere is to be able to responsibly deal with the world of Internet casinos. We need to come to a positive middle ground between the two sides of the spectrum; the fun and excitement of gambling and the spiraling addiction. Current Trends Like anything in life, when you create stimulus you are going to yield a response. In regards to online gaming, the stimulus that was created was the buzz generated by the constant bombardment of gambling programs on television. ESPN annually televises The World Series of Poker during the summer in which thousands of people descend upon Las Vegas to gamble in all types of events including poker, blackjack, craps, etc Many times they tell the story of some average Joe who enters a tournament and eventually ends up winning thousands of dollars. This false sense of hope has grabbed millions of Americans into thinking that they too, have the ability to win a substantial amount of money. The response to this stimulus has been the emergence of online casinos. However, instead of people winning money, crime has actually been the fallout of this risky behavior. According to ABCnews. com (2006), a Lehigh University student by the name of Greg Hogan Jr. attempted to rob a local bank in order to pay off his gambling debts. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the offense and now faces up to three years in jail. During his interview with Good Morning America, Mr. Hogan blamed his addiction to online gambling websites for his setback, and cautioned the American public to the dangerous power of Internet gaming. In addition to his story, according to ABCnews. com (2006), 2. 9 million Americans between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two gamble with cards online at least once a week, and fifty percent of male college students and twenty-six percent of female college students gamble on cards at least once a month. To combat this growing epidemic, the House of Representatives took a proactive stance on the matter by passing legislation that would make it illegal to use credit cards on gambling websites and make it significantly more difficult to access these sites. Whether it gets passed by the Senate and the Executive Branch is another matter, however, at least the government is recognizing the problem sooner rather than later. In conjunction with this theory of crime, many Internet scammers have found opportunity within this growing trend. An article on ABCnews. com (2006) describes an elaborate scheme where bookies took sports bets through an Internet gambling site. The insecurity of the website allowed these thieves to launder millions of dollars and corrupt the free enterprise system of the Internet gaming business. Fortunately, these criminals were caught. Nevertheless, it makes you wonder how frequent this sort of thing exists in the online world. Some have argued, nonetheless, that Internet gambling has its benefits. According to Tom W. Bell (1998), the inclusion of the Internet has fostered competition to a business that has long enjoyed the sanctuary of restraining licensing practices. Rather than having to fly out to isolated casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, you can enjoy the experience of gambling in the comforts of your own home. Bell (1998) also supports the belief that gambling in your home allows an individual to escape the traps found in real, physical casinos. A person does not have to be surrounded in a windowless structure while being harassed by cocktail waitresses carrying a tray of free booze. Because of online gaming, the business world has more free enterprise and has given the individual a sense of security not found in traditional locales. In terms of my own personal experience, I actually signed up to one of these gambling websites to investigate how they attract and seize the public. The website was www. gambling. com and in order to register, all I had to give them was a current e-mail address. I found it sort of comforting to know that they pledged that they would not pass any of my information on to any other company and/or website because I did not want my stagweb to become flooded with junkmail from these websites. Immediately after becoming a member, I was granted 400 Ludos. I had no clue as to what Ludos were, but after some probing, I discovered that they were basically a form of Internet currency. For every twenty five Ludos, I received a dollar. That equals sixteen dollars. But, heres the catch. For me to actually receive the Ludos and use them to gamble, I would have to give them my credit card information and pay a montly fee which was actually just about as expensive as the Ludos themselves. Brilliant. Moreover, the website contained links in which I could learn how to play games by reading tutorials, and then, actually play those games. I conducted a little experiment of my own to see how many times I won during one of the games. Out of twenty-five spins on one of the slot machines, I ended up winning sixteen times. That is a sixty-four percent average of winning. Now, anyone who understands anything about gambling knows that the absolute best percentage of winning is fifty percent. However, most of the games are not even close to that percentage. My suspicion leads me to believe that these websites give a false sense of hope to their members. If they succeed in tempting people to try these games, and these games yield a winning percentage better than fifty percent, more often than not, someone is going to believe that they actually have a great chance of making money. It actually is a genius scheme to lure in the public. Make them believe. Once they have accomplished that, these websites have them right where they want them. Conclusions The effects of online gaming are now becoming more clear and transparent to technoculture and the information society. It is apparent that online gaming has become a microcosm of the digital divide that exists within society. According to one of our readings during the semester written by Oscar H. Gandy, Jr. (2002), the differences that make up the digital divide are more than just social constructions. The actual construction is molded due to the new systems of communication that have surfaced within the last twenty years. In relation to online gaming, Internet gaming websites are now competing to display the flashiest, most hypertextual sites in order to attract customers. Due to this competition, better bandwidth and enhanced software will result, thus highlighting the digital divide. Data mining and this notion of surveillance has also entered the conversation regarding online gaming. Because an individual has to present private information about ones self on a website to facilitate gambling, the possibility of gambling website selling personal information in return for financial gain is a distinct possibility. As aforementioned, the site I visited before pledged that they did not engage in data mining. Yet, this seems to suggest that other sites do exercise this right which effectively gives companies useful information about yourself. Moreover, whenever someone uses the Internet, especially in a situation where one willingly submits personal information such as credit card and phone numbers, the possibility of third party surveillance is always present. It really conveys the authentic risks one undertakes when participating in the latest innovation. Another theory that online gaming illustrates is the constant tension between structure and agency. The government represents structure. As a stable entity, it looks to control the path of Internet gambling by establishing rules and regulations in hopes of creating some order. Internet gambling, on the other hand, is the perfect example of agency. Gambling, in and of itself, is the exact definition of what agency represents: the ability of uncertainty and chaos to influence the parameters through which we live. However, as much as these two concepts seem unrelated, there is an interdependence that spurs the creation of new technologies, not only in the world of online gaming, but throughout the technological landscape. Annotated List of Relevant URLS 1. http://www. playwinningpoker. com/resources/sites2. html : This website is a resource for gamblers.It allows the user to learn new games, find new games, and contact certain people involved with gambling. 2. http://www. gambling. com/best/online-gambling-sites. htm : This website directs users to the best gambling websites on the Internet. It has a list on the left hand side with about sixty different links to other gambling sites. 3. http://www. out-law. com/page-6655 : This website is about illegal activities on the Internet. It contains a few articles on illegal mishaps that have occurred through Internet gambling websites. 4. http://www. becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/08/on_internet_gam. html : Blog that contains articles about Internet gambling. Website constructed by Gary Becker and Richard Posner. 5. http://www. cardplayer. com/blog/entry/179 : Blog that is pro-Internet gambling. Players write their feelings on why they think Internet casinos are fun and exciting. 6. http://www. istoppedgambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with gambling problems. Includes personal stories, how-to instructions, and negative articles about gambling. 7. http://www. nomoregambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with Internet gambling problems. Has a hotline and other medias to help combat irresponsible Internet betting. Works Cited Barker, Thomas Britz, Marjie (2000). Jokers Wild: Legalized Gambling in the Twenty-first Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Schwartz G. , David (2003). Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Books, Inc. Volberg A. , Rachel (2001). When the Chips Are Down: Problem Gambling in America. New York, NY: The Century Foundation, Inc. http://www. cato. org/testimony/ct-tb052198. html.

Existentialism and Choices Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Choices Essay Existentialists are commonly seen as being distressed with human degradation. Something seen as ugly and negative or as related to naturalists. However existentialists are more than that. In fact, existentialism is the works of a musician or a poet. The clear definition of existentialism is not what is commonly seen as negativity or as naturalists. Sartre tells us ‘it can be defined easily. ’ Existentialism aims at emphasizing ‘the individual character they are philosophizing. ’ There are two different types of existentialists that are confused with each other. The first of the two types is the existentialists who are Christian and the second is the atheistic existentialists. Atheistic existentialists make more sense because they are not Christians, nature, or God centered. Existentialism prefers hominocentric that is centered on humans not God. As the lecturer said, they are tired of people talking about metaphysics. Yet both share one similar thing in common, they both think that existence precedes essence. Essence is a particular object, it is all around us. Yet as humans, our existence precedes essence because we are not objects in the world. The way we identify ourselves is different from the way other things are identified. The way we identify ourselves from objects and animals differently is the choices we make that defines us. Freedom is what enables us to make choices and is also what sets humans apart from ordinary things and animals. Humans are always constantly becoming who they are for their self definition is never complete. Sartre believes that ‘a man is nothing but what he makes himself. ’ That is the first principle of existentialism. The man must be aware of the state of being indefinable as the first step because he is nothing at first. â€Å"‘I think, therefore I exist’ is the absolute truth of consciousness becoming aware of itself. † Only then will that man become something, his actions sets his life. His choices are making himself a part of who he will be in his future. These choices can be overwhelming because these choices come with great responsibility. Here Sartre tells us that a ‘man has a human nature, the concept of the human, is found in all which means that each man is a particular example of a universal concept. ’ There is more to a man’s responsibility than to its own individual self for it also applies to all men. There are those, called cowards and stinkers, who do not accept this responsibility by their decision because they are either hiding from it or just refuse to take it. When cowards make choices they raise excuses such as they were influence by others to choose this way. Cowards lets others choose for them and therefore cowards let others identify them the way the others want to. Sartre says that ‘cowardice is the act of renouncing or yielding. ’ Cowards are those with an uneasy conscience. However the stinkers do not want this responsibility. They make choices as for their own individual and not for all men. Then there are those who choose responsibility for themselves and for everyone else known as authenticity. They are creating a certain image of man that seems fit to all men. Authenticity is the existentialist value. It does not let others define them but hold them responsible in choosing themselves and they choose men. Humans are condemned with freedom because we are left forlorn and abandon. Yet who is making us feeling this way? In this hominocentric belief, the death of God does, his purpose does not serve here. This is why we make choices freely with no principles to bind us. Sartre says there is nothing written of the existence of God and we live in a world filled with men. Humans live in anxiety because there really is no guide to their choices. They live in anxiety because of the fear they are not being right. Men are abandoned and left in human condition. The uncertainty is the reason why life is dreadful. Since there is no God, there are universal responsibilities. The feeling of being alone with no God and no rules to help us with our universal responsibilities; we are constantly faced with some easy and hard situations in our everyday life. Every situation is different every time. easy situations, you are choosing either the good choices or the bad choices, as human you normally will choose the good choices. On the other hand, hard choices are dealing with two good choices. Despite the difficult choices, there are no wrong choices you can easily cancel out and the bigger issue is there is no basis for choices. No one can tell you how to make your own decision except yourself. ‘Reality alone is what really counts, that dreams, expectations, and hopes warrant no more than to define a man as a disappointed dream, as miscarried hopes, as vain expectations. ’ This is where the value system is formed. Your priorities help you isolate the choice that is not a higher value than the other choice. Yet when the priorities are not clear, anxiety rises and the pressure can sometimes be overbearing. When feelings interfere with decisions, it can turn into one big circle. You don’t know what you are doing unless you precisely feel it, on the other hand, you don’t know what you are precisely feeling unless you are doing it. Feelings will get in the way of our judgment of choosing. Existentialists place passion as an excuse and a man’s responsibility. Luckily, our moral character eases our decisions for we will rule out choices that seem unfit. We always tend to choose the good as we are choosing the good for all. Sartre is an atheistic existentialist who does not believe in God. Sartre believes that if he was mistaken about the existence of God then life would still be the same as if there was no God. We still will face the great responsibility and be alone with our freedom. There would be no difference, we still have to make our choices alone. No matter if we are a coward, a stinker, or authentic, our future relies heavily on our actions that is forming it. At any moment we don’t realize which one can change our life. That is what makes life exciting.

The Change Integrated Resorts Industry Tourism Essay

The Change Integrated Resorts Industry Tourism Essay To find out the change that has been created by integrated resorts like Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa on Singapore from a tourism perspective To analyse the change created by integrated resorts like Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa on the Singapore economy To investigate how Integrated Resorts help Singapore compete as a brand with other countries To understand how in a short span of time since its opening has Marina Bay Sands become the face of Singapore. To analyse the challenges that Integrated resorts are providing to conventional hotels. HYPOTHESIS NULL HYPOTHESIS The entry of integrated resorts has created no impact on the Singapore hospitality industry. ALTERNATE HYPOTHESIS The entry of integrated resorts has created an impact on the Singapore hospitality industry. BACKGROUND OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH BRIEF INTRODUCTION Any country that is emphasising on tourism has to focus till a great extent on hospitality and on hotels per say. The world hotel scenario has been changing rapidly and the countries are now starting to develop a competitive spirit so as to create a higher brand name for themselves as compared to other countries. In Singapore itself the hotel industry has a market size of US $ 4,047.9 mn. Now with the rise in global trends for both gaming and tourism the two industries have merged together and come out as one unit. This unit known as integrated resorts are holding on to the interest of many investors. Countries across the globe are investing in these projects. In the Asian market, integrated resorts have already entered areas like Hong-Kong, Macau, Thailand, Bali, Singapore, Vietnam etc. Singapore and all the other countries are in strong competition with cities like Macau which currently holds the maximum number of integrated gaming resorts. Singapore however is lagging behind with only two integrated resorts and is on par with Vietnam but behind major players like Macau, Cambodia and South Korea. In the year 2010 Singapore came up with two of its integrated resorts which were expected to create a change in the market scenario for Singapore in the future. These resorts were Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa. The reasons for them to come up with these resorts were as follows:- Since 1991 a change had been observed. Singapore which is a major tourist destination has seen a decline in tourist activities. Where on an average a tourist use to spend 4 days in Singapore before, it had now dropped down to 3days. While other major competitors had not seen the same fall. Like in the case of Hong-Kong that still showed an average of 4 days Other cities were growing their customer attractions like Kaula Lumpur got the Kaula Lumpur city center and Hong-Kong had Disneyland. The need to tap the rising middle class community in growing markets such as China and India. With growing levels of disposable income the global tourism rate had also seen a rise. Thus, the Singapore government decided to open two integrated resorts one at the bay sands area and one in Sentosa. For both these resorts they received a lot of bids. And finally the bids were narrowed down to Las Vegas Sands company for Marina Bay Sands and Genting group for Resort World Sentosa. Marina Bay Sands is a luxurious in all its aspects. It consists of 2600 hotel rooms, a four floor casino, a sky park consisting of infinity pool, gardens and spa and 250 meeting rooms which can accommodate upto 45,000 delegates. It also boasts of excellent restaurants and branded stores like Louis Vuitton to Chanel in their floating crystal pavilion. It also has a 200 seater theatre and an arts and science museum. On the other hand, the other integrated resort of Singapore- Resort World Sentosa is more family oriented. It comprises of six hotels- the festive hotel, hard rock hotel, Equarius hotel, Crockfords hotel, hotel Michael and spa villas. All these together make upto 1750 rooms. They also boast of 10 restaurants. It also has a spa, a water park, Universal studios and meeting rooms that can accommodate around 35,000 people. With both these resorts government hoped for an increase in investments and 0.3% to 1.8% increase in GDP by 2015. With this a rise in tourist activities was also expected. It was also expected to increase the job market in Singapore proving more employment opportunities. RATIONALE FOR THE CHOICE OF RESEARCH TOPIC The impact of integrated resorts after they have been opened to the tourists on Singapore has not been delved into extensively. The resorts have created a name for itself and become the recognition point for Singapore in a very short period of time. Marina Bay Sands has become the face of Singapore along with the Merlion and Singapore Flyer. Thus, we have chosen this topic as it has further scope of research. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK IDENTIFICATION OF KEY CONCEPTS The project extensively belongs to the hospitality industrys hotel sector. We have further narrowed this topic down to integrated resorts. The basic topic of research is integrated resorts and its impact on Singapore. The two integrated resorts present in Singapore- Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa, have created a name for itself. They have become major tourist destination and sight-seeing spots for both the localities as well as foreigners. These resorts have won awards and have become brand icon for Singapore. The factors that have caused them to create such a change in the hotel sector of Singapore is what we want to understand. Further we want to understand, in detail, the expectations that were levied on this resort and what they have been able to achieve. Thus the key concepts that are relevant to this research topic are:- Introduction of Marina Bay sands and facilities provided by it: Marina Bay Sands is one of the most exquisite hotels in Singapore and it is well renowned for the variety of facilities that it provides. From a hospitality perspective, these facilities tend to make the place a very compelling one from the perspective of tourists. Some of these facilities include but are not limited to the Sands Sky Park which is an awe inspiring place that seems like an absolute paradise in the sky. Then there are banyan tree spas, club facilities as well as its well-equipped fitness centre. The airports pick up and drop service is very convenient for local as well as international tourists. A variety of brands make shopping at Marina Bay Sands an experience in itself. Last but not the least is the light show called Wonder Full which is a nice addition to what is already a terrific experience overall. Introduction of Resort World and facilities provided by it Business centre A unique blend of style and innovation is what describes the Business centre at the Resort World. The Business centre provides the following amenities Corporate meetings Press Conference Product launches Inmate dinner parties Banquets Swimming world The free form pool along with beach bar concepts decorated along the lines with the swaying palms provides a top of the line amenity system top notching standards of ordinary swimming experience in hotels. Additional features like volleyball court, vibrant music, and different choices of drinks and cocktails just bring the icing with the cherry. Gym A 24hr gym with glass and mirrored wall brings a vibrant change in the feeling of the working out. State of the art equipments makes the feeling of gym as fun rather than a task. Rock shop For all the rock lovers, the hard rock hotel provides band t-shirts, souvenirs that people can take back home, caps and pins. Compass ballroom With a seating arrangement of 7300 people and 26 conference rooms, the compass ballroom below the underneath the Hard Rock hotel is diamonds worth in every way. For a hotel to allocate such large space only for entertainment of the customers truly states how integration has truly coming into Resort world group of hotels. Kids Club Business Executives are not just the traditional males anymore. More and more females have started occupying space at the top of the level in the pyramid. The task of handling kids and attending business meets have always been a challenge for female executives or single fathers. Gaming zone State of the art gaming zone for game lovers to enjoy and play latest single player games, simulator based games. Casino Something that attracts more customers and brings the highest revenue to a hotel is the casino. Resort world provides one of the best and the latest structure casino floors. As the belief goes a game does not drive the player to gamble its the ambience that pulls them towards the table. Hotel scenario in Singapore before and after the entry of integrated resorts: As stated earlier, the entry of integrated resorts had made a major difference to the tourist experience at Singapore. The concentrated efforts of the Singapore Tourism Board have added a completely new dimension to the industry as a whole. Where at first there used to be single hotels and tourism was stagnant, now there exists a boutique of experiences that have magnified the beauty of Singapore. This transformation can be well indicated by the fact that the Singapore hotel industry wasnt even affected remotely by the global economic crisis. Economic impact created by integrated resorts With the opening of the Integrated Resorts in the year 2010, the yearly tourist arrivals hit an all-time high of 11 Million, with even monthly arrivals from January to December recording record highs. As of now, the MBS casino sees at an average 25000 customers a day, with only a third of them comprising of locals. Singapore managed to rake in 18.8 Billion Dollars via tourism receipts in the year 2010, which was its highest collection in 10 years. This was a 49% increase from the previous forecasts, a stupendous rise indeed. These receipts included the tourist expenses in the admission, dining and shopping areas. There has been an increase in visitors especially from countries like China, Indonesia and India. To conclude, one may say that the arrival of tourists has greatly affected Singapore and increased its revenues greatly. 60,000 jobs have been created in the integrated resorts industry leading to a 1 to 1.5% increase of the gross domestic product. Creation of brand image and adding value to Singapore brand The tourism industry has become a brand in itself over the years, and has played a critical role in the development of Singapore. Integrated Resorts have played a major role in this process, as the variety of services that they provide add to making Singapore a huge attraction to tourists across the world. It has become a thriving cosmopolitan brand that influxes a variety of people hailing from a variety of cultures. Singapore is an enriching an unforgettable destination. As the Singapore Tourism Board puts it, Singapore has become an experience to call your own. Challenges they are providing to conventional hotels The term Integrated Resort has become popular since the Singaporean Government liberalized their casino licenses and indicated that they want more than just a casino. Singapore envisioned integrated resorts with facilities such as hotels, theatres, convention centres, theme parks, museums, retail, and food and beverage in addition to a casino (MacDonald Eadington, 2008). The goal was to attract visitors to come to Singapore not just for gambling but also for other leisure travel experiences. Hence integrated resorts such as Marina Bay Sands and Sentosa have brought about a revolutionary change bringing everything under one roof. This has posed a problem to the conventional hotels in Singapore as they have not been able to generate business because of these resorts as customers would prefer the resorts with everything under one roof. The integrated resorts pose a major problem to the 5 stars in the same price range as these hotels have world class facilities which have contributed to the Singapore Travel and Tourism Industry. This is one of the main reasons because of which not many deluxe hotels are existent especially in Singapore as they know they would not be able to compete to these resorts. Integrated Resorts have been adopted from the Resort concept in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Sands, the extremely renowned company based in Las Vegas has built the Marina Bay Sands, hence the architecture, the infinity pool and the sky park are the main attractions which has not only helped to increase the number of guests checking in but also the footfalls in the casino, the sky walk area making Singapore one of the attractive tourism spots. It is directly contributing to a large extent to the economy. Hence the conventional hotels are not only in danger in Singapore but across the world and have to put in efforts to compete with the integrated resorts tactfully. Technological innovations that have entered along with integrated resorts The technological innovations that have made their entry via integrated resorts have been at the heart of the development of Singapore. These innovations such as the introduction of fitness centres, clubs, casinos and restaurants to the conventional hotels have made a major difference. These facilities were very popular even when they were available standalone, but their presence all together has added to the experience as a whole. The tourists have been attracted and they have truly made Singapore their own. DEBATES RELEVANT TO THE TOPIC Through our literature review that we have undertaken, we came across several counter arguments against the concept of integrated resorts. Both these resorts have casinos in them and there were a group of people who were very worried about the implications that would come up. They believed that this could cause gambling addictions which in turn could ruin families. Further the presence of casinos could cause an increase in crime rates. thus to counter this the casino owners created a rule in which Singapore citizens have to pay $100 for entry into the casino while for every other customer it is free. This has helped them counter the problem of gambling addiction and did not even increase the crime rates till a great extent. Another argument that we came across was that with the entry of integrated resorts traditional hotels will lose its charm. And the authenticity of hotels will be lost. The purpose will change and the traditional beliefs will no longer hold true. They did not view it as a new era in the hotel business but as a negative change. COMPONENTS OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP The components of this research topic that we have identified so far include: Number of tourists Length of stay of the tourists Political factors such as the relevant stability existent in the country Types of tourists Technological growth in the e-commerce sector Types of facilities available IDENTIFICATION OF LITERATURE TO BE REVIEWED The literature reviewed ranges from the time period of when the concept of integrated resorts was initialised and the factors that led to it to when it was being built and what was expected from it to the after effects of it. The literature review also comprises the global trends in hotel industry, the tourism statistics and some acts about integrated resorts in general. The review comprises of all these as they are apt with the research topic and help us gain insights as well as better our understanding. they will give us a base to conduct our further research and not do what has already been done. INITIAL DESIGN OF STRUCTURE The design of structure or the outline that we are going to follow while going ahead with our project is as follows Introduction to industry Introduction to integrated resorts Introduction to Marina Bay Sands Introduction to Resort World Sentosa Literature review Survey and questionnaire to tourist and citizens Personal interview with management of both the resorts Personal interview with industry experts Factor analysis and detailed study on factors Data compilation and analysis Regression analysis Hypothesis testing Conclusion IDENTIFICATION OF METHODOLOGY PURPOSE OF STUDY The project will initially be exploratory in nature with extensive review of literature and available data followed by certain amount of data collection. However, after which we will move towards descriptive research to get more conclusive results. This is because exploratory research will help us create a strong secondary research background and also help us understand the previously proven and explored data in this topic area.it will help us become more familiar with the area of interest and gain more knowledge on the same. It will help us understand the working of hospitality industry in Singapore which has a very unique working style and has created a name for itself with respect to tourism. As well understand the impact that the introduction of integrated resorts caused on this countrys economy and popularity. With the help of descriptive research we will be able to achieve definite conclusions on the impact that the integrated resorts has on the tourism of Singapore. Primary data collection will be undertaken here. This way we will be able to get factual data in order to provide proof for our conclusion. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION The methods of data collection that we are using are:- COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA We are collecting secondary data from various sources which involve both libraries as well as online data bases such as EBSCO, Euromonitor and Google Scholar. We are going through previous research paper, published articles, academic articles etc. with the help of these we have been able to find trends in the hotel industry globally as well as in Singapore, We now have insights into how integrated resorts have impacted not only Singapore but the rest of the world as well. We have even been able to understand why Singapore decided to come up with the concept of integrated resorts and the various factors that were considered. We came across datas that showed us what was aimed to be achieved with the help of integrated resorts and what has been achieved as well. With further secondary data collection we hope to find deeper insights into our topic as well discover how Marina bay sands became the face of Singapore within such a short span of time. The advantages of this method are:- It will help us improve our understanding of the impact integrated resorts ad on Singapore It will help us gin insights into this topic It will help fill out all unnecessary gaps that will arise in our research It will provide us with a base to further our research on The disadvantages of this method will be:- It is a very extensive and time consuming work Data found is generally not very apt or relevant Data found can be outdated INTERVIEW METHOD With the help of following the interview method we are going to personally speak to some industry experts as well try to get in touch with the staff and management of the two integrated resorts of Singapore- Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa. We will also Interview a few customers staying at both these hotels, members of travel agencies as well as a few Singapore residents. With this we aim to get first hand information on the integrated resorts and Singapore. We will know what are the point of views of different people who are affected by the introduction of these resorts so as to gather a full proof analysis on the different impacts created positive as well as negative. The advantages of this method are:- Accuracy level increases Likely to get more response Opportunity to judge non-verbal communications as well Will be able to tap the spontaneous responses. The disadvantages are:- Cannot be undertaken for a large number of respondents Can turn out to be very expensive and time consuming There may be restrictions in terms of information revealing and responding from the respondents end QUESTIONNAIRES We are going to create questionnaires consisting of 10-15 questions that will be distributed amongst tourists and localities in order to gather their view point on the arrival of integrated resorts in Singapore and its impact on the country in order to find out how they view this change which has come up in the past 5 years. The advantages of this method are:- Large amount of data can be collected from a lot of people within a short span of time. Easily quantifiable results The validity and reliability is retained no matter who conducts it. The disadvantages are:- Can lead to the collection of a very large un-manageable amount of data. Honesty of the respondent cannot be determined A question has to be framed in such a way that it is not misinterpreted by others. PROCESS INVOLVED IN THE RESEARCH STEP 1 LITERATURE REVIEW The first step is going to be to review the literature that has been previously been conducted which is relevant to our topic and which both support and counter our hypothesis. We also want to review the literature that shows us the positive and negative impacts that integrated resorts have on the hospitality industry of Singapore. This has been discussed in more detail in the identification of literature to be reviewed section of this proposal. STEP 2 DATA COLLECTION The data for literature review is basically being sourced from National Library of Singapore, other libraries, EBSCO database and Google Scholar. At this step a base will be created for our project and will thus help us create a framework. After which we will be collecting data directly from sources by taking and interacting with individuals associated with entry of integrated resorts. Further we will also try to gather view points on how the entry has changed the face of hospitality in senses like amenities, technologies etc. we will also try to understand from these people what are the changes that have been taking place since the entry of integrated resorts. Then we will try to collect data from sources from industry specialist in order to get statistics, figures and numbers. STEP 3 SAMPLE SELECTION The primary focus for interview and questionnaires are going to be to the employees and management of the integrated resorts, industry experts and members of hospitality industry. However we even want to gather information from general public. This shall comprise of a) tourists and b) Singapore residents. Tourists the tourist will be selected in two parts, customers of the hotel and other tourists. The respondents in each category will be selected using the cluster method of sample where members with similar characteristics are grouped together. Singapore Residents the respondents will be selected with the help of cluster analysis. The minimum no of respondents that will be taken into consideration is 70. TIME SCALE December 2012- submission of literature review and review of atleast 20 articles Jan 2013 starting of field work and further literature review Feb 2013 compilation of interview and questionnaires March 2013 preparation of final document and covering objectives April 2013 presentation and defence of resear LIMITATIONS IN THE METHODOLOGY The limitations that are present in the methodology are:- Accessibility to the management of Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa. Accessibility to the industry experts Low knowledge of respondents Likelihood of low response rate Limited availability of literature review ETHICAL ISSUES Objectivity from the researchers perspective. The interviewer and researcher should not be bias about the respondent or the answers provided. Maintenance of integrity and confidentiality of the data provided by the management and industry experts. Respect for intellectual property right like patents and copyrights. DATA ANALYSIS METHODS USED There are a variety of methods that can be used in order to carry out a detailed data analysis of our proposed project: Regression modelling We can use this model in order to establish a relationship between a dependent and an independent variable. This model is being applied mainly due to the decline in the tourism industry in the years 2005 and 2006. To create this model, the dependent variable in this case will be the number of tourists entering Singapore in a particular year and the independent variables will be a variety of factors affecting these tourists such as the amenities provided, sightseeing locations, and cultural diversity. Hypothesis Testing The null and the alternate hypothesis have already been stated in the previous sections of this proposal. Hypothesis testing will help us determine whether the integrated resorts development has played a critical part in increasing the number of tourists in Singapore. Factor Analysis Factor analysis basically involves combining a variety of factors in order to shorten down the number of factors affecting the tourism industry in Singapore. The Regression analysis will help us analyse the relationship between these factors and the number of tourists, whereas the Factor Analysis will help us to identify these factors in the first place. The factors in this case will probably be limited to 5 or 6 in order to get a generalized viewpoint. The number of factors may be shortened down from as many as 30, which we will generate from our own knowledge, our primary as well as our secondary research. CONCLUSION We took up this project expecting to find a significant change in consumer behaviour and interest generated in Singapore as a tourist destination created by these two brands Marina Bay Sands and Resort World Sentosa. We believe the concept of an integrated resort will appeal more to the growing number of upper middle class masses in quickly growing economies like India, Singapore and many other Asian countries. While neighbouring cities like Macau, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Thailand have long since invested in contemporary tourist destinations, Singapore has consistently lost ground to these competitors due to lack of innovation in the tourism industry. We believe these two integrated resort projects will put Singapore back on a level playing field with its competing tourist destinations and we hope to prove that through this project. Additionally, we also believe the collaboration between the hospitality and gaming sector will have a major impact on the citys economy. The resorts are likely to open up several new auxiliary industries and benefit the country in several indirect ways. We hope to prove how these integrated projects will create several new employment options and also allow the locals to develop a certain degree of specialized skill set which will make their value grow in the global market. This in turn is expected to increase the national GDP as more employment will eventually lead to a higher per-capita income which in turn will raise the standard of living amidst the locals and increase the sense of belonging and create a better lifestyle. We also believe that this collaboration between the gaming (Casino, Universal, etc.) and the hospitality industry will lead to an increased level of interest from a wider category of tourists. While so far Singapore was known more for its shopping avenues and tourist spots like Orchard road and Bugis street, people will also start perceiving the city as a gaming destination.

OXFAMs Global Reach :: Essays Papers

OXFAM's Global Reach "Consequences of the New Economy" was the theme for St. Olaf College's Globalization and Social Responsibility conference. The conference explored the social and economic effects of the globalization of capitalism. One of the speakers for this event was Raymond Offenheiser, a leader in international development and philanthropy, and president of OXFAM America. OXFAM America, an international nonprofit agency, is recognized for its human rights and national public education program on issues of hunger and injustice throughout the world. Offenheiser's lecture, OXFAM's Global Reach , addressed the increasing interdependence in global markets and its effects on agriculture, coffee, and fair trade. World trade has the potential to reduce poverty, if poor people could sell their products at a reasonable price. However, the injustices of the world trade system are stopping them. Unfair trade agreements and agricultural subsides hinder efforts to reduce poverty in poor countries. In particular, farm and trade policies in the United States and the European Union are creating adversities for family farmers worldwide. The world's wealthy countries provide a substantial amount of money to support agriculture, enabling corporate and large-scale farmers in these countries to grow more than is needed. The access is dumped on international markets, where it is sold for less than it costs to grow. This dumping drives down prices and destroys the livelihood of farmers in countries that do not subsidize farmers and are forced to open their markets to foreign commodities. Unfair trade and farm policies that allow dumping are a major cause of poverty, since many poor communities rely on agriculture as a major source of income. If farmers can't sell their crops for a fair price, they must leave their lands, their families, and migrate in search of jobs. American cotton subsidies are a prime example of how US agriculture and trade policies worsen poverty in Africa. These American subsides have greatly reduced world cotton prices, generating losses to African producers. Although West African cotton farmers are more efficient, low-cost producers they cannot compete with the US producers' access to huge subsidies. Consequently, the cotton price crisis is contributing to the poverty for millions of African farmers. Unfortunately, farm and trade policies do not help most small farmers in the United States either. Low world prices are quickly forcing US family farmers out of business, while large-scale, corporate agriculture benefits from government payments. The global coffee crisis is also creating hardships for families around the world.

Hormonal Replacement Essay -- essays research papers

THE PRO’S AND CON’S OF HORMONAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY The Pro’s and Con’s of Hormonal Replacement Therapy LaSalle University   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper I will be focusing on the positive and negative aspects of hormonal replacement therapy. To understand replacement therapy we first need to look at what occurs in a women’s body during menopause. As a woman is my 40’s like so many others, I will be in need of this information in the not so distant future, and as such this topic serves a considerable purpose. Awareness and education in this area can alleviate problems and make what could be a traumatic experience more manageable thereby raising the quality of ones life. Hopefully, women today will no longer have to suffer through menopause, as most of our mother’s did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All women experience menopause. There are periods of pre-menopause, peri-menopause and post-menopause. The period from pre-menopause to post-menopause can be as longer a 30 years. Premenopause is the stage in a women’s life when menstrual cycles are normal, or the reproductive years before the change of life. Perimenopause can be as long as ten years. This is the period when women go through what is sometimes called the change of life. This is the period when the signs and symptoms of menopause occur. Menopause is when you have had your final period and have been amenorrhea for one full year. Post menopause overlaps with perimenopause. It is the years after you have your last menstrual period. The pattern of menopause is similar in all women, but there are considerable individual differences. All women have a drop in their hormone levels. How their bodies react to these drops can vary significantly. Until fairly recently women have been made to suffer in si lence.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several disease processes associated with menopause. One of these diseases is osteoporosis. A bone density test can be ordered to help in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Estrogen helps bones absorb and hold calcium to keep the bones strong. Due to low estrogen levels in menopausal women the bones are unable to absorb calcium as well. A women’s bones can become brittle. They can experience an increase in fractures. Bone is lost quickly in the 10 years after estrogen levels fall. Women who do not take hormones or osteoporosis medication can lose ... ...;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estring 2.0 mg 1 ring $110.99 Ogen cream $68.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estrace cream &68.99 Provera 5.0 mg 30 tablets $40.79  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Generic Provera (medroxyprogesterone) $14.59 These drugs can be brought on line at higher quantities for slightly less in price. For example you can get Estraderm, 8 patches, for $21.00. Premarin 0.625mg for $20.00 for 28 tablets. Provera 5mg is $45.00 for 100 tablets. Women need to be prepared to do their homework when it comes to finding out the best price for HRT. Some of the other expenses women can incur are loss of time at work for sick days due to the side effects of menopause. Doctors visits and laboratory testing to examine if the women is goig through menopause. Also, if they are not sure what is happening to them or if depression from a previous time in their lives reoccurs women may need phyciatric care to help them to realize what is occurring.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

How to Solve the Foreclosure Crisis Essay -- Economics

There should be a bifurcated targeting of the housing market. The first and main target of the housing recovery needs to be the cautious restructuring of the government sponsored entities—GSE’s—Fannie Mae (FNM), Freddie Mac (FRE) and to a lesser extent FHA. Recent news headlines put the combined total mortgage market share for the FNM, FRE and FHA at seventy-two percent (72%) [i] of the entire industry. The restructuring of those three entities will be a process of dividing their combined debt into at least ten smaller portfolios which individual investors can either incorporate into the existing businesses or form entirely new businesses made up of all or any part of the portfolio(s) they purchase. Each portfolio ideally will represent no more than a 5% to 7% share of the mortgage market so that we no longer have behemoths that are â€Å"too large to fail†. Further, the government will in all likelihood have to guarantee—for a limited period of time and with expectations of profit sharing similar to that of the banking bailouts and in fact the funds the banks are now paying back could be used for the purpose of guaranteeing so as not to offend the public—part of the initial funding that the private enterprises will need and want in order to get their respective pieces of the mortgage market launched. The breakup of these three GSE’s into numerous pieces will help manage the ability of success as it is not likely that all ten pieces will fail and as smaller players are easier to manage this will help increase the likelihood for success. In order for the government to get both the best price/value for each portfolio created from the breakup each of these portfolios should have different levels of mortgage debt risk. This will incr... ...o handle or avert another crisis should one come our way in the future and to return to the tax payer the monies it has already paid to bailing out these institutions. Works Cited [i] A combined market share of 72% for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA as indicated by Mortgage Market Note—CIRE Magazine: http://www.ciremagazine.com/article.php?article_id=307 (04/01/2009; 09/14/2009) also see the NPR report at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98285028 (12/17/2008; 09/14/2009) [ii] BretWhissel Mortgage Calculator http://www.bretwhissel.net/cgi-bin/amortize (09/14/2009) [iii] American Institute for Economic Research report http://www.aier.org/research/commentaries/583-update-on-the-house-price-trends (10/16/2008; 09/14/2009) also see the iTulip report http://www.itulip.com/housingbubblecorrection.htm (01/20/2005; 09/14/2009)

The Rise of the Aztec Empire

The Rise of the Aztec Empire Aztec empire was one the most successful empire during the 14th and 15th centuries it is said to be the most lucrative and powerful Mesoamerican kingdoms at that time. The Aztec community began in the middle of a lake but later became the capital of an empire. Aztec was consisting of a diversity ethic group that lived in the area which stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf coast. The Rise of the Aztec Empire and its aptitude to be so successful and powerful dominance and their quest was founded on their religious beliefs that were embedded within everyone.These teaching drove them to conquest, to develop regions and building into temples. The Aztecs also called themselves, the Mexicans, but rose to power in a very short time as they searched for their promise land. The cities trade, agriculture, religion and societies were one of the major factors in the ability to survive and build a strong foundation for their leadership and livelihood. During th e fall of the Teotihuacan and the Mayan civilization was full of grate expectation in every aspect. This is said to be one of the most advanced group of ancient American as they proved the system of the calendar and the system writing.History reiterated that the Aztec came from the north which is called Aztian. The Aztecs built their city of Tenochtitlan on the site, which is now located in the center of Mexico. The Aztecs Empire comprised of two social classes. The lower classes were called Macehalli and the upper classes were called Pilli. These social classes were not defined by birth because a person could rise of the Pilli if they had great skills. All male children in the Aztec Empire were called Telpachalli. The women regard as subordinate to their man.Above everything else, they were required to behave with sexual abstinence and high moral. The religion of the Aztecs was very in distance downwards which was partially due to the fact that they had inherited many religious bel iefs from people they previously conquered. The Aztecs believed that the sun and the earth had been destroyed in a cataclysm and recreated four times. The Aztec laws were simple be harsh. They were very few times that result of a crime resulting from adultery to stealing was not punished by death. Other major offences were handling by the courts.In 1426, the old ruler Tezozomoc died and was replaced by his son Maxlatzin. He was fretful that the Aztecs had been growing too strong under the Tepanec’s protection. He therefore sought to reduce the Aztec’s power in 1427. At this time, the Aztec’s third king died and was replaced by Itzcoatl, who chose Tlacaelel, a brilliant military strategist, as his chief adviser. The two of them decided to resist and fight rather than submit to Maxlatzin’s threats and pressure. Within a year, the Aztecs had crushed the Tepanec and destroyed their imperial city. So now the Aztec had become the greatest state in Mexico.