Leisure and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leisure and technology - Essay Example In the contemporary world, things have taken a different direction especially after industrialization. The aspect of leisure time activities has been intertwined with technology. In most cases, the leisure-time mobility and activities have tended to develop through technology use (Castle, 2006). The technological aspects, which had previously been developed for military, scientific and commercial purposes, have shifted towards leisure-time use. Currently, new technologies concepts have a leisure-time use phase. Alternatively, technological devices tend to serve as prototypes for various models which are then adapted for leisure time use. New researches suggest that pervasive technological tools tend to be killing off leisure activities. The younger generation is the mostly affected by the aspect of technology and leisure. In most cases, students and the younger workers tend to work for longer hours hence taking shorter vacations. If they decide to go for the vacation, all they do is take their laptops, tabs and cell phones along. Most organizations also tend to encourage this aspect by recommending the use of internet to do organizational chores while on holiday. Examples of leisure activities, which have been affected by technology, include games, book reading among others. In the contemporary world, children and even the young adults prefer computer games during their leisure and not the real game on the ground (Castle, 2006). Football is nowadays played over the internet. Alternatively, people prefer to watch football or any other game on the television instead of going to the stadium to watch it live. Nowadays people do not spend their free time reading novels and magazines. With the introduction of the internet, most people prefer reading online articles and books. With modernization, traditional forms of leisure have been replaced

Boutique Hotels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Boutique Hotels - Essay Example It will also explore how the notion of the boutique hotel has evolved over time but still remains an important mainstay within the market. In particular, it will consider the factors that have influenced the growth in the boutique hotel sector. Swig (2000) examined the boutique hotel in more detail, suggesting that, whilst the major hotel chains are not suffering in any meaningful way, the boutique hotel never-the-less presents the consumer with a new and interesting option within the accommodation market. Swig (2000) suggests that an important characteristic of a boutique hotel is that the theme of the accommodation is somehow linked to the destination or neighbourhood in which it is situated, as well as taking into account the personality of the intended consumer. The article also uncovers the characteristics of this consumer, quoting Chip Conley (of Joie de Vivre Hotels); â€Å"sophisticated, artistic, literary and conscious† (Swig, 2000, p2). The boutique hotel may be hard to define in any definite terms, but essentially this is the purpose of the boutique hotel – it represents the personality of the individual consumer, in opposition to the chain hotels (Mcintosh & Siggs, 2005). Wilson (2004) covered in more detail what she termed ‘the boutique mystique’, stating that ‘not every distinctive property is a â€Å"boutique hotel† (p54). The emphasis on properly defining a boutique hotel suggests that it must be â€Å"trendy† (p55) in a similar way to the 1960s fashion boutiques. This means that the boutique hotel is not limited to traditional standards of beautiful architecture; indeed, many boutique hotels are located within urban areas and utilise refurbished â€Å"ex-factories and warehouses† (McNiell, 2008, p383). Thompson & Thompson (1995) suggest that this variety is a contrast to the anonymous larger chains, which is part of the reason why boutique appeals hold such an appeal. McNiell goes onto sugge st that the boutique hotel may not be a separate concept from the traditional B&B (McNiell, 2008, p384). In this case, we can see that some scholars believe that the boutique hotel may not be different to previous choices within the accommodation market. The difficulty in defining a boutique hotel is part of the reason that they appeal to such a wide variety of consumers. McManus (2001) suggests that the hotel consumer is now â€Å"turning to boutique hotels to give them the same services, but with greater intimacy† (p103), and the only applicable term for the boutique hotel user is â€Å"sophisticated† (p104). Fanning (2006) uses the term â€Å"cultural† to describe the consumer. These are both umbrella terms, with the precise demographic and tastes of the boutique user being hard to ascertain precisely because different hotels appeal to different consumers (Lim & Endean, 2009). Iwata (2006) proposed that the boutique hotel appeals more to the homosexual male t han the heterosexual. This literature seems to be in agreement that the boutique hotel offers something different, which contrasts with the opinion of McNiell (2008) above. More evidence that the boutique hotel can be considered different to the standard offerings is the literature exploring the global chains like Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (Chang & Teo, 2009). There are even chains which

The Exodus and Yahwehs Relationship with the Hebrews Essay

The Exodus and Yahwehs Relationship with the Hebrews - Essay Example This was instrumental in the creation of the country of Israel. The Zionist movement derived its inspiration from the Exodus that is described in the Old Testament of The Holy Bible. This then becomes the point in history that provided the Jews with an incident to look up to and a precedent to live up to. This paper shall look at the different aspects of this historical connection and the relationship that Yahweh had with the Hebrews. According to Rabbi Irving Greenberg, the main aspect of the importance of the Exodus is the fact that it can be connected to the modern secular concept of upliftment. The Jewish idea of liberation from Exodus can be applied, according to him, to the modern concepts of economics that seek to look at development and justice for the poor and the weak. This is exactly what God had attempted to do during the Exodus. The Exodus had provided an opportunity for the poor and the weak to migrate from a tyrannical Egypt to the Promised Land where they could then a ttain a standard of living that would be humane and just. The idea of justice is thus, what God promises in return for faith. Greenberg’s ideas are a bit far-fetched in as much as they equate faith and economics. However, it is also true that the ideas of empowerment of the weak are present in both modern economics and the ideas of religious justice. The Exodus is remembered in present times through acting out the exodus in one’s own life.... In this sense, the exodus has a greater significance. It can also be seen in a metaphorical sense whereby the exodus becomes a movement for personal fulfillment and personal empowerment. This then also becomes for the Jews of the present, a call to create a better world. It becomes a call to utopia in the world, in the way that the God of the Old Testament envisaged it. The collective action of the Exodus is then looked upon using the lens of personal religious involvement. The conflation of the personal and the religious then becomes an important part of the observance of the remembrance of the Exodus. Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, during the Exodus, made it clear that he would provide protection to them during their movement from Egypt to the land that he had promised them (Berit). This concept of the protection of Yahweh always being present is then an important part of the life of a Jew even in present times. The basis of the Zionist movement has remained this implicit faith in the protection that would be offered by god to the people who have faith in him. The people who migrated to what is today known as Israel too had in them this faith. They were confident of the promise that Yahweh had made to them. Their identity was based largely upon this promise and this bound all Jews into one group. This then has been instrumental in the creation of an identity for the Jews of modern times in different parts of the world. The importance of this lies in the fact that a moment in history that had passed much earlier is held up as important for the creation of the identity of a later generation. The religious significance of the Exodus and the relationship between the Hebrews and Yahweh lies in the bond that is created between

Case Study on Organisational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study on Organisational Change - Essay Example Case issues While analysing the given case scenario, it is clear that the takeover of the ‘Star’ by the ‘Iron Cage’ caused the Star to move from a highly profitable company to an underperforming company. The major identified issue is that the business acquisition raised severe challenges to the Star’s innovativeness as the resulted organisational change prevented the company from effectively dealing with experimentation. Undoubtedly, this adverse situation negatively affected the Star’s market competitiveness since thoughtful experimentation and frequent innovations are essential for the sustainability of a chemical company operating in a progressive niche-market. Declining employee loyalty was one of the main reasons for the Star’s failure. According to the author, the business takeover led to the formation of a coercive worksite environment and hence this excessive bureaucracy by Iron Cage top management persuaded Star employees to cha nge their view from â€Å"it is my company† to â€Å"it is just the company I work for† (Grieves, 2004, p.233). In addition, Star employees did not get extensive exposures to demonstrate their creativity due to the parent company’s over-involvement. ... Such a situation adversely affected the formed organisation’s managerial activities and ultimately operational efficiency. The most potential reason for Iron Cage’s break up is that the organisation failed to ensure the active involvement of Star employees. In short, it can be asserted that over-dominance of Iron Cage management over Star employees ended up in the Iron Cage’s break up and sell off. Case study analysis The company’s failure could have been avoided if the Iron Cage had efficiently dealt with the change management subsequent to the Star acquisition. The case study clearly indicates that the Ice Cage management was not thoughtful in integrating two entirely different organisational cultures. The Iron Cage tried to coordinate quality assurance systems and achieve cultural integration by installing a managing director from its own ranks. The organisation did not consider any of the Star’s top executives for this change management process. In addition, the parent company had done nothing proactive in preparing Star employees to adapt to a new organisational environment. The Ice Cage’s business integration strategy was against the business ethics of change. According to Audi (2012, pp.46-50), the idea of business ethics is of greater significance in ensuring an organisation’s sustainability as this concept is a key to tool to achieve employee loyalty and reputation. Similarly, the Iron Cage management did not give any importance to Star employees’ problems and opinions. In contrast, the parent company tried to suppress the ideas and suggestions of Star employees. The case study clearly indicates that Star’s managers were not satisfied with the language of the

Answer Case Study Question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer Case Study Question - Assignment Example It would also be appropriate for the firm to reserve enough funds for speculative purposes so as to grab any investment opportunities that may come up the countries where they start up their new branches. Funds to cover any calamities that may arise are also vital for the firm. The company should put into consideration the cost of labour in the countries where they plan to start branches. There are countries where the trade unions and government policies place very high minimum wages for labourers making the cost of labour high. There are also countries where the governments provide some amount of money for the unemployed. In such countries, people tend to only accept jobs that pay beyond certain amounts. These issues make cost of labour relatively high and the company should not invest in such countries. Availability of raw materials required by the firm for its production process is also an important factor. In countries where the raw materials are readily available, production will be much cheaper compared to countries where the raw materials have to be outsourced from elsewhere. In outsourcing raw materials, transportation costs and custom duty are incurred thereby increasing the cost of production. Where the resources are relatively scarce, the forces of demand and supply tend to raise their prices increasing the cost of production. The firm should also consider the economic status of the countries where they plan to start new branches. Countries facing recessions have low per capita income translating to lower purchasing power of its citizens. This may bring about low demand for goods and services leading to the company making losses due to poor sales of its products. In counties with stable economies, the chances of making profits are much higher hence more attractive for firms planning to go global. The company should also consider the level of technology in the various countries.

Workplace Motivation Essay Example for Free

Workplace Motivation Essay In this paper, I will examine many motivational strategies that affect productivity in a workplace. Another will include an explanation of organizational efforts to improve performance, employees’ resistance to increasing productivity and satisfaction, and management’s philosophy of motivation and its practices in the workplace. Motivation is one of the single driving factors in one’s work performance. Organizations take this very seriously and to waste time, and energy and the expense into training someone who is not motivated. Needs Theories, Goal-Setting Theory, Equity Theory and Expectancy Theory are the four specific theories that are used in motivational practice. In addition, I will identify and analyze the implications of applying any two motivational theories not currently used in my selected workplace and how they will influence both management and employees. Organizations are always looking for ways to increase productivity, especially in the growing competitive environment. It is a known fact that when employees are unsatisfied with their current job, productivity decreases, tension builds up in the work environment, and morale is low. Most organizations have motivational programs that provide useful tools to increase motivation, and reduce employee turnover. There are many strategies that are used to influence employee loyalty and these are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is one’s personal development, self-control over their work without reward. Whereas, extrinsic motivation is having external incentives, pay bonuses, time off, these are some common strategies used to motivate and individual to complete or do a task. I work for a organization mostly based on customer service and to provide nursing care for long-term residents and rehabilitation following a hospital stay; and assisted living communities. As an employee, I am a member of the nursing staff department. Some of the motivational strategies used at Trisun are competitive salaries, health benefits, sign on bonuses, and employee perks. Recently, their census has been very low, so now employees have to take longer lunches or downsized. Thus, they want employees to work shorthanded but at the same time still have the same responsibilities. This tactic only makes employees frustrated and unmotivated to be productive. Only when you reward employees, they become happier, stay longer, and become more productive at the workplace. Many organizations fail to recognize that money is not the biggest factor in motivating employees. An engaged employee comes in early, reaches out to other employees, smiles, and has great customer service. On the other had you have an disengaged employee and they come in late or absent, and doesn’t want to be bothered with and most always leaves right at five. Successful business should have only one kind of employee, engaged. The process is to reward, recognize, and keep those behaviors among employees. If you don’t recognize those behaviors, you won’t get them back. People think that more money is better than a closer parking space. That is not always true. Depending on what you do, even the smallest perk can be bigger than a bonus and would be more valued. There are whole ranges of factors that motivate people. Many organizations have surveys to find out what really motivates employees and learning their values. Are they motivated in intrinsic or extrinsic theories, do they like more money, status, rewards, or do they value what people think of their work instead. Management can sometimes be pulled in different directions, so it is good that other employees see you working hard and are recognized by your supervisors. The two motivational theories that are not used in practice in this workplace were the Goal-setting Theory and the Cognitive Evaluation Theory. Cognitive evaluation theory is the event in which affects individuals’ feelings and self-determination will affect their intrinsic motivation. By using this theory, it will help employees feel self-determined, competent, and intrinsically motivated. Secondly, Goal-setting Theory was not used in the workplace. This theory explains that individuals are able to reach a defined objective. Sometimes this is a reward in itself and primarily a goal’s ffectiveness is implemented by three factors; specificity, proximity, and difficulty. Another theory self-efficacy will enhance an individual’s to achieve the goal. By using the self-efficacy, it will give positive feedback and have impact on applying the goal-setting theory in management and increase productivity. The most noted theory would be Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The Needs model is where each need is set on a basis of the strength of need. The human needs are physiological, Safety, Social, Esteem, and Actualization. Physiological need is the highest strength and is essential for survival. These form every human motivation and fulfilled more than any other human need. Motivation Strategies The highest levels of motivation for employees are individuals who empower workers, have an effective rewards system, redesign jobs, and create a more flexible work environment. Empowerment is to design the worker to become more responsible and encourage accomplishing a given task. Providing an effective rewards system is to reinforce employee behavior and the reward is when outcome is positive for the individual. There are two ways to receive rewards: Extrinsic rewards are common in the workplace, which are pay bonuses, promotions, time off, and verbal praises. Intrinsic rewards gives people a â€Å"natural high† when completing a job. It gives them a certain personal development and self-control over their work. Managers need to realize that all people are different; managers must provide a range of rewards, time off, recognition, and promotion. Redesigning jobs is a concept that will help employees not get bored with their everyday routine. One attempt would be job enlargement, which increases the job tasks decreases boredom. Job rotation is a practice which people can do different tasks and at the same time be exposed to new interest in the workplace. Job enrichment also includes tasks with more responsibility and authority. In today’s busy world employees value their personal time. Therefore, having a flexible schedule always helps employee’s needs. A full-time job is 40-hour workweek, so most employees get three days off which benefits the individuals lifestyle and give more leisure time and lowers commuting cost. Lastly, job sharing and twinning is when one full-time job is split between two or more people. Job sharing involves working only half a day, thus organizations benefit by employing people who wouldn’t otherwise be a unable to work full-time. In this paper, I explained different motivational strategies that affect productivity in the workplace, and analyzed two theories that are not in affect at my job. I explained organizational efforts to improve performance. By applying these theories and strategies will influence both management and employees to be motivated and be more productive at the workplace.

The Agrotourism In Malaysia Tourism Essay

The Agrotourism In Malaysia Tourism Essay Agrotourism is also known as agritourism and farm-based tourism. Agrotourism is actually the collaborations between tourism and agriculture since the visitor go to travelling as tourist to enjoy, relaxation, spend time and money for joyfullness and happiness in addition to visiting agricultural area, doing agricultural-related activities like harvesting, planting, fishing, and etc. It is a form of tourism in agricultural areas such as orchards, agroforestry farms, herbal farms and animal farms. According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO, 2002) that agrotourism is part of rural tourism and relates to tourism on farms. It gives farmers the opportunities to expand their activities and also to increase their income. Agrotourism is just a small part of rural tourism and agricultural practice worldwide, excluding in some European countries such as Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, where the number of farms that offer some form of tourism is remarkably large. Agrotourism has differe nt definitions in different parts of the world. In Italy, it refers to farmstays. However in other parts of the world, agrotourism includes a wide range of activities which comprises of buying produce direct from a farm stand, navigating a corn maze, picking fruits, feeding animals or staying at a BB (bed and breakfast inn) on a farm. Agrotourism covers a wide range of agriculture-related activities about which visitors learn and can try them out by themselves. In ASEAN countries like Thailand, rice farming, flower growing, vegetable and herb cultivation and livestock farming are some common examples of agrotourism. Agrotourists or visitors are exposed to agricultural practices in a more leisure fashion, such as by joining picturesque canal tours or strolling through shady fruit orchards (tasting the fruits right from the trees) and working in rice farms. Almost all the agricultural research and study centres scattered throughout the country are supporting the agrotourism. Visitors are allowed to tour the centres, watch the demonstrations or take part in the hands on activities. Agrotourism and ecotourism are also closely-related. Agrotourism is when a native person or locals of the area offer the tours to their agriculture farm to allow a person to view them growing, harvesting and processing locally grown foods such as coconuts, pineapple, sugar cane, corn or any produce the person would not encounter in their home country. The farmers would also offer a homestay programme and education for the visitors. Activities that usually be offered to agrotourists or visitors: Opportunities for interaction between hosts and guests (visitors) Horseback riding Demonstrating and participating in daily farm work Providing courses in organic farming and gardening Demonstrating or offering classes in making traditional local crafts Demonstrating food processing, serving typical local dishes and offering cooking lessons Organising cultural events Offering excursions to natural and cultural attractions in the surroundings Exhibitions of agrotourist products Agrotourism in many European countries consists primarily of lodging and meals on the farm. Farm buildings are often remodeled by the farm families into rustic lodging facilities, and operate them as a type of bed and breakfast (BB) inn. Some farms especially in Switzerland, do little more than clean out a barn and spread straw on the floor, upon which people roll out sleeping bags. Other farms will provide fairly upscale accommodations for the visitors. Visitors are also able to tour the farms, help out with some farm chores and have meals with the farm family. Invariably, they experience life on the farm genuinely. In England, 23% of farms provide some type of commercial leisure service enterprise such as fishing, nature trails, picnic sites and so forth whereas 24% of English farms provide overnight accommodation and/or catering (Turner and Winter, 2003). In countries like France, hikers and cyclists can follow a network of trails around the country that leads from farm to farm. In the Netherlands and some other European countries, the farmers have centralized clearinghouses for contacting and booking stays services on working farms. Agrotourism, while new to many types of American agriculture, has been a major part of the development of the American wine industry for decades. Many wineries are part of organized regional wine tours, and some special events such as concerts, festivals, and weddings are also held for attractions. And another form of agrotourism that has been around for decades is dude ranches. Dude ranches are more common in the United States and Australian Outback. It offers vi sitors the opportunity to work on cattle ranches and the chance to take part in the cattle drives. In Australia, Canada and the Philippines, agrotourism is deemed as a growth industry. Reynolds (2005) mentions that agrotourism is a type of businesses conducted by farmers whose working agricultural operations for the enjoyment and education of visitors. Since it can complement farmers income and contribute to local economic development, agrotourism is being conceptualized as a business model in terms of product diversification. Referred to as agriturismo in Italy, sleeping in the straw in Switzerland, farmstays in New Zealand, and farm holidays in England, agrotourism is well established throughout Europe and in many other countries (Rilla, 1999a). Agrotourism enterprise as a business conducted by a farm operator or farmer for the enjoyment and education of the public beside promoting the products of the farm, and generating additional farm income (Hilchey, 1993:4). Although the farmers may not always have the time, moneys and necessary skills and expertise to develop the tourism p otential of their business, agriculture and public sector tourism organizations are always promoting agrotourism (Stephen J. and Getz, Don (eds)). Trends of Agrotourism Agrotourism was recognized as a part of ecotourism formerly as both have similar principles to conduct nature attractions (Rilla 1999). Both have been identified as the fastest tourism development model in the world. They have been widely developed in developing countries as a potential development models as natural resources and support of local society economically (OTA, 1992). At the moment, agrotourism has successfully developed in many countries, for instance Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Netherlands, Australia, and Austria (Rilla 1999). In Indonesia, there are eight provinces trying to develop agrotourism such as North Sumatera with rubber and palm plantations, Riau with cacao plantations, West Java by botanical gardens, Central Java and Daerah Istimewa Yogjakarta by salak pondoh agrotourism in Sleman, East Java by sugar plantations, Nusa Tenggara Barat by Rinjani ecotourism, Middle of Kalimantan and West of Kalimantan by palm plantations. Currently, they are still simply managed with limited facilities and are not developed on community-based model, and have not been well promoted (Indonesian Agriculture Department, 2005). Previously, agrotourism attraction was only interpreted as panorama attractions and plantations area, but now agrotourism has been interpreted as a linkage system between tourism and agriculture sectors as well as a model of region development (Indonesia Agriculture Department, 2005). Application of Agrotourism Agrotourism is highly dependent on the type of agricultural activity that is practiced in that particular area. In other words, this means that not all agrotourism destinations in the world provide the same agricultural activities. So in this subtopic, we are going to introduce and discuss about some famous agrotourism destinations in our country, Malaysia. This will definitely exposed us the similarities and differences among the agrotourism destinations throughout the world. First of all, let us look at Malaysias agrotourism spots. There are some famous examples of destinations such as: (i) Cameron Highland (ii) Taman Pertanian Sabah (iii) Parit Jawa Johor (i) Cameron Highland Cameron Highlands is Malaysias premier hill resort. Located in the state of Pahang, on the Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia, at 1524m above sea level, it is the largest of the Malaysian hill resorts. Much of its appeal lies in the net sprawling tea plantations which date back to 1929, as well as terraced flower gardens, strawberry farms, orchard and vegetable gardens. Being a popular hill resort, Cameron Highlands is well-developed with visitor amenities, tourist attractions, activities and a range of accommodation for a comfortable, leisurely holiday in cool invigorating climate. The cool climate which never ranged more than 20 degree Celsius, along with its fertile soil also attracts tourist from various places. Initially, the virgin jungle cleared for cultivation of tea bushes. Thus began Boh Estate, the first highland tea plantation in the country. Subsequently, other tea estates were opened, among them, the Blue Valley and Bharat plantations. The highland was also found to be conducive for the commercial cultivation of vegetables, flowers and fruits such as oranges and strawberries. The increasing popularity of Cameron Highlands in recent years has attracted the development of more tourism facilities and spots to cater to the growing number of visitors. The practice of agrotourism can be observed in various agricultural places which is well equipped with facilities in Cameron Highlands. This is important as the combination of both agriculture and tourist attraction forms agrotourism. There are many activities and places to be visited in Cameron Highlands in the context of agrotourism such as: (a) Sungai Palas Tea Estate It is one of the four tea states on the highlands, also produces the world famous BOH TEA. Tourists may travel 1 km into this estate where the factory is located. Resident guides will introduce the complex processes involved in the production of fragrant tea. These include the picking of tea leaves and the intricate art of brewing a good cup of tea. Tourists can even purchase some tea, the main produce of the highland, as a souvenir. (b) Apiary- Honeybee Farm Apiary- Honeybee farm is a small cottage industry for the production of honey. It is a garden ere some 25 varieties of flowers have been cultivated not for sale, but as a food supply for honey bees in search of nectar and pollen. Honey, believe it contain amazing ingredients for treating ailments such as insomnia, lethargy, skin diseases and even impotence. (c) Strawberry Farm Strawberries are another unique and proud product of the Highlands, seen as a trademark of the hill resort. The variety is known as FRESNO. Tourist will not leave the farm without a jar of strawberry jam. (d) Flower Nurseries Fresh flowers are cultivated in the highlands and are a leading export. Most of the flowers are grown in Brinchang. Bloom like roses, chrysanthemum, carnations, dahlia, geranium and everlasting flowers are grown in the nurseries. No visit to the highlands is complete without purchasing some of these colourful cuts to take back home. (e) Vegetable Farm Cameron Highlands is the nations prime producer of fresh vegetables, with some of the produce exported to neighbouring countries. Most of the vegetable farms can be spotted from the road along Brinchang to Tringkap. Cabbages, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, leeks, parsley and pepper are grown here. Purchases can be made at the vegetable stalls. (ii) Taman Pertanian Sabah Taman Pertanian Sabah is part of the 1500 acres of the Agriculture Research Station, Lagud Sebrang Tenom which is administered and owned by the Agriculture Department Sabah. It is a complex consisting of the Agriculture Research Station, Seed production Centre for Cash Crop, Farmers Training Centre and Taman Pertanian Sabah itself. The Park sprawled over an area of 500 acres. The park was first opened to visitors in October 2000, and was officially launched by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on the 25 March, 2001. With its rich biodiversity, the Park has a magnificent collection for indigenous and introduced plants species. It is also a conservation centre for native Orchids of Borneo. This park would become a heritage for the next generation and this will help to educate people in nature conservation and the preservation of natural rainforest through cultivation of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers. The lush greenery, multitude species of plants or flowers of endemic to Borneo Island and very rare, panoramic view of the lakes, captivating landscaped gardens provide an excellent base to expand your knowledge and ideal environment for those who seek peace, quiet and tranquility away from stressed and urban noise. This park also provides a great trekking ground as well as nature walks and jungle activities. The park is blessed with Mother Natures treasures. The park is a showcase of integrated activities carried out by all the Departments and Agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Industry. It also serves as a training and education centre for agriculture, horticulture, apiculture, seed production, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry. It is divided into four key areas: (a) Agriculture This included Living Crop Museum, Demonstration Farms, Agro forestry, Bee Centre and Germplasm collection. (b) Horticulture This include Native Orchid Centre, Hybrid Orchid, Evolution garden, Model Garden and Ornamental Garden (c) Animal Husbandry This included Animal Park and Animal Farm. (d) Fisheries This included Freshwater Fishing. Objectives of Taman Pertanian Sabah are firstly, as a major Agrotourism centre in the state. Secondly, to provide demonstration farms for Agricultural activities, Animal breeding and Fisheries. Thirdly, to serve as a centre for training and demonstration on Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery, Apiculture, Seed Technology, Forestry and Animal Husbandry. Next is to provide facilities for nature-based recreational activities and the final objective is to promote awareness and love for nature. (iii) Parit Jawa Johor The following agrotourism destination that i recommended is a place which situated On the western coast of Johor, lies a small town called Parit Jawa. The main attraction here especially during the October-March migration season, is the birdlife. Despite the busy river mouth near the jetty the bird fauna seems unperturbed. The most noticeable of the birds are the Lesser Adjutants of the family of Storks, by sheer virtue of their endangered status and size. Standing at 120 cm tall, with a white body and dark grey wings this species is unmistakable. Its head is virtually bald, apart from a sparse covering of fine hair-like feathers. There are only 2000 odd numbers left in the world and its cousin, the Greater Adjutant, not found in Malaysia, is critically endangered with only 500 odd left in the wild. To be able to sight these amazing prehistoric looking birds is worth the weekend to this classic, pre-war-looking town of Parit Jawa. Birdlife The main attraction of Parit Jawa, especially during the October-March migration season, is the birdlife.  Though there is a regular traffic of fishing boats winding its way through the muddy channels, and though there are local people going about their business near the jetty the bird fauna seems unperturbed.  The most noticeable of the birds are the Lesser Adjutants, by sheer virtue of their size.  Standing at 120 cm tall, with a white body and dark grey wings this species is unmistakable. Comically, its head is virtually bald, apart from a sparse covering of fine hair-like feathers.  Ã‚   Active during the day, these storks feed on fish and amphibians such as the Crab-eating Frog. Once seized, the prey is subjected to a series of stabs with its powerful beak, before being swallowed whole.  At nights the storks roost in mangrove trees along the coast.   Nesting occurs mainly during the dry season, either in small colonies or as single nests.     Ã‚  Other shorebirds not commonly seen in Malaysia but which may be sighted at Parit Jawa include the Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata and the Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes.  Ã‚   Egrets and smaller herons are easily seen, including the Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus.  The Striated Heron Butorides striatus is very common, and is often seen perched close to the jetty or stalking small fish around the moored fishing boats.   Flocks of terns are often seen following fishing vessels back to harbour, swooping down to pluck small fish from the waters churned up by the boats propellers.   Kingfishers are common too, including migrants such as the Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis and the Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata; there are numerous sticks or posts close to the jetty where they like to perch.  Ã‚   Fishing Village For visitors unfamiliar with the laid-back charms of rural Malaysia the fishing village of Kuala Parit Jawa serves as a fine example.   The tidal inlet is crowded with wooden vessels which fish the muddy waters of the Straits of Malacca, and there are a number of open-air seafood restaurants specialising in spicy fish recipes.   Add to that a couple of brightly coloured Chinese temples and modest Malay kampung houses surrounded by banana, papaya and durian orchards and you have a scene of rural tranquility. Mud and Mangroves Beyond the rickety wooden jetty at the mouth of Kuala Parit Jawa is a wide expanse of mud, which is  exposed at low tide.   The coastal mudflats of the Straits of Malacca are rich in organic content, supporting an abundance of invertebrate life including worms, snails, bivalves, crabs and prawns.   In turn these food groups support a rich web of higher species including fish such as mudskippers, reptiles such as water snakes and monitors, and a wide range of bird species.  Ã‚  Mammals too live in the adjacent mangroves; groups of  Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis regularly venture out of the mangroves and onto the mudflats, probably to feed upon crabs hence their other name Crab-eating Macaque.   The Oriental Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea can also be sighted here.   Implications of Agrotourism Agrotourism has contributed much to both the economic and social sector in our country development. However, there are positive and negative implications of agrotourism. First of all, agrotourism contributes lots in improving the economy of the local communities. When we are promoting about agrotourism, we are actually promoting both the agriculture and tourism as they are combined in this sector. Places of agriculture will sell the products and induce the tourism of the place at the same time. As a result, tourists will buy the agriculture products and spending for tour cost such as accommodation as well. Besides, agrotourism will help to increase the value of the village. For instance, the residents can provide home stay-themed-accommodation for the tourists. Home stay is a form of program that allows the tourists to live with a local family to experience their lifestyle. Besides this program, by spending on the service provided or products bought, the tourists can increase the incomes of the residents in rural area. This additional income will help to raise the status of the residents. Thus, the poverty rate in rural area can be decreased. Other  opportunity  generated from agrotourism is providing local employments. The residents of rural area, especially the youths, can work on accommodation service, tour guide service, restaurant or handicraft industry. This will decrease the migration of youths to cities. Thus, agrotourism helps improving the social situations, particularly poverty alleviation, decreasing unemployment and declining urbanization. Generating agrotourism-related businesses  is the most potential opportunity of agrotourism development. Due to the increasing amount of the tourists, traditional cakes or chips are produced in order to introduce the local food to them. In the handicraft industry, souvenir such as batik and canes products are made to sell to the tourists. To maintain the amount of visitors, agricultural product improvements and stimulations of tourism-related  enterprises are done. Last but not least, abandoned land can be developed in the practice of agrotourism. The development of agrotourism brings about the utilization of lands. These lands can turn out to be a new tourist attraction spot. They can be used as aquaculture rearing, orchard farm or recreational park. Nevertheless, agrotourism has its negative effects towards the environment when it is over-developed. Climatic change is one of the major problems which the agrotourism sector caused. Recently, we can see the global temperature is increasing drastically from year to year. The best example is Cameron Highland, a place that practice agrotourism. It was known as a cold place but now, the temperature is actually increasing. This has caused the crop yield of the agriculture products such as vegetable and fruits to decrease because these plants are only suitable in temperate condition. Another negative effect that we can see is the pollution problem. Extensive agrotourism activities have released polluting by-products which results in environmental problems. The increasing number of tourists causes air pollution in a particular area as they using vehicles which release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These polluting gases are emitted into the atmosphere and translate into the acid rain. Acid rain has adverse affect on the plants, fresh water and soil because it can kills some of the living organisms. Besides, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also result in soil pollution. Excessive use of chemical pesticides which exceed permissible limit causes undesirable health effects and reduces biodiversity. Continuous use of fertilizer that contains heavy metals such as cadmium in phosphate rocks will pollute the soil and render the crops to be toxic. When the rain falls, the pollutants in soil will be brought to the river along with the rain, which will then cause water pollution. In addition, increases in use of chemical fertilizer results in higher level of nitrates being washed from the soil into the water ecosystem. This causes an excessive enrichment of the water, eutrophicaton, leading to rapid algal growth that creates oxygen deficit and killing of aquatic life. This chain reaction will further affect our ecosystem and biodiversity. When agrotourism is allowed to develop without proper planning, deforestation might happen. As this sector is growing rapidly, more and more land is required. So, the limited availability of land will lead to deforestation. Deforestation will brings to decrease in the wildlife population and at a more critical state, the biodiversity of the area will be affected. Consequently, there will be agricultural mismanagement which results in less arable land for agriculture and at the meantime, affect the agrotourism sector. Constraints of Agrotourism Lack of promotion is another constraint of agrotourism. Advertisement related to agrotourism is not established to a wider range of places. People will not have much information about the agrotourism places. Besides, the pamphlets that provide incomplete information will confuse the tourists. The information given may not be interesting or fascinating enough to attract the tourists. Furthermore, many places are lack of tour guides to introduce the places to the tourists. These will deter them from visiting the agrotourism spot. The authorities should promote the uniqueness of each village to strengthen the destination by combining with other related activities to reach the goals of agrotourism. Facilities also play an important role in the development of agrotourism. The hardest barriers of agrotourism development are inadequate infrastructures, limited public facilities and imperfect human resource skills. It will be a trouble when the facilities such as transportation, hotel and toilet do not fulfill the tourists demands. Another problem in agrotourism is insufficient government supports. Due to the small amount of governmental expenditure on research and development of agrotourism, technical assistance and support, as well as agro-marketing, agrotourism always faces problems in developing. Government empowerment, investment in agricultural sectors, infrastructure development, human skill improvement, public facilities development, and local communities empowerment and involvement need to be immediately committed to apply an ideal agrotourism. Besides, the younger generation is the important factor in the development of agrotourism. However, they are not concerned and interested about the greenery. From their point of view, agrotourism spot is not an interesting place to travel and it is not worth to go for such an unmemorable and uncomfortable trip. Water World or Extreme Park will draw more attention from them. Also, they are not interested to work in the agrotourism sector. Fresh graduates are not enthusiastic about the job in agrotourism as they thought it is not well-paid compared to the professional sector. As a consequence, there is no new generation to take over this sector. Lastly, scarce investment is a big problem for agrotourism sector. It is more risky to invest in this sector compared to the other sectors which are stable in development. Investors are less likely to invest in agrotourism as this sector is not a popular trend in the world yet. All in all, the government, non-governmental organizations, and even the people of our country should do their best to contribute to agrotourism. The government should not just fork out money in maintenance. Instead, they should find alternatives in supporting the development of agrotourism. Solutions to solve the constraints and implement to improve this sector should be their priority concern. Ways to Improve Agrotourism In Malaysia Agrotourism and homestay programmes provided opportunities for local involvement and additional sources of income. A total of 19 agro-tourism locations were developed with the participation of farmers and fishermen during the Seventh Plan period. The products included day visits, farm-stay and agro-tourism packages. Agrotourism is rapidly carving a niche in Malaysia, especially as the country has a wealth of products to offer locals and visitors alike. Agricultural tourism, as it is formally known, helps by improving incomes and economic potentials of small farms, rural communities and agro-based ventures throughout the country. Visitors can also help with the locals daily chores, feeding the ducks, tending to the vegetables and see how the local communities thrive in todays fast-paced world. There are also homestays where visitors can discover more of local agrotourism practices. There are also fruit farms and parks where locals and visitors can learn more of agroutourism in Malaysia. In Malaysia, an agriculture park measuring over 10000 hectares has been opened, showing visitors how Malaysian agriculture has developed. For example, Cameron Highland located at Pahang and Dusun d Paradise that is situated in Melaka. These places have become tourist hotspot as it offer variety of activity and different experience for tourist. Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism ( MAHA ) is the main organization that promotes the practice of agrotourism. Today, the industry is still growing and need a lot of improvement to achieve optimum benefit. Supportive government policies are one of the ways of improvement. It maintains a business environment with oppurtunities for growth and profits have made agrotourism in Malaysia an attractive sector. The private sector in Malaysia is encouraged to become partners with the public sector in achieving the nations development objectives. Governments commitment to maintain a business environment should be the main objective that provides companies with the opportunities for growth and profits. Government can also pay constant feedback from the business community through channels of consultation such as regular government- private sector dialogues. These allow the various business communities to air their views and to contribute towards the formulation of better agrotourism. Air, land and sea transportation will be continuously upgraded to facilitate accessibility and the growth of the tourism industry. The comfort, safety and security of tourists are crucial for the success of the agrotourism industry. The government will increase security patrols, especially in remote tourist resorts, to ensure the safety of tourists. At the same time, adherence to safety measures in the transportation of passengers by road, rail, sea and air will remain a top priority. Operators, guides and instructors in the tourism business will need to be more conscious of the well-being of tourists and strive to ensure their comfort and safety. In addition, further efforts will be made to provide tourists with quality goods and services at reasonable prices. Over the years, extensive promotional campaigns have been engineered both locally and overseas to attract tourists from around the world. Despite the economic slowdown, the tourism industry remains strong. Today, Malaysia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. This will allow the agrotourism industry to continuously expanding. Government must take initiative, which are undertaken by its official tourism promotional board, Tourism Malaysia. This will create potential investment opportunities in many areas. Tourism Malaysia has established video clips in local television programme to promote agrotourism. Stable political condition is also essential for marketing in agrotourism even for major tourist attractions. Government should ensure the political condition is always stable so as to allow the continuous of tourist flowing into the country, thus promoting agrotourism. Besides that, this will make investor feel secure and allow them to expand the field safely. Malaysia government should offers investors a young, educated and productive workforce at costs competitive with the other countries in Asia. This will allow the investors to develop and practice agrotourism in a more convenient way. Thus, this will attract more investors to develop in Malaysia and directly contribute to the countrys economy. The investors also need to play their role to improve the practice of agrotourism. They should provide better infrastructure for their customers such as transports, accommodations and catering facilities. They must provide good transport links because even attractive regions can be almost impossible to market for tourism if they are not accessible from the population centres. Investors should ensure that the agriculture they planted must be in healthy condition and always fresh to attract more people to come and have a tour. Investors can cooperate with government to create partnership with travel agency of other country to promote local agrotourism. Tour agency can provide attractive tour packages and promotion for the tourist where is the investor will give cheaper price for the agent. This is a form of symbiosis interaction between the tour agent and investor. Both parties will get benefit from the interaction. Investor must provide wide d