destination marketing plan

destination marketing plan 1. Background (270) China has become one of the worlds most important tourist destinations since China adopted its open door policy in 1978. And the self-financed international leisure travel has been made possible since the early-1990s. Chinese outbound travel grows fast after that and jumped to 31 million by 2005 (Breakey, Ding Lee 2008). The current growth and future predictions of outbound travel from China had impacts on global travel for numerous countries, including Australia. Whilst North Queensland (QLD) region has been one of the fastest growing tourist destinations for both domestic and international travel markets and the industry environment has been recognized as a dynamic business system subject to the influences of global circumstances, government and business priorities, changing communities and market trends. In recent years, international marketing has become an important issue in tourism industry. The Tourism White Paper, which was released by Australia Government in 2003, emphasize d the importance of international marketing. To ensure an effective and successful international campaign to attract international tourists, governments have invested significantly in international marketing. Funding for the improving the international marketing has averaged around $92 million per annum for Australian Tourist Commission over the past 5 years, and the Australian Government commits significant additional funds to tourism through the Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources regional development and business assistance programs (Tourism White Paper 2003, p: 4). In response to this travelling potential of China and the increasing competition of the tourism industry, this marketing plan developed to improve international marketing strategies and effectiveness, increase North Queenslands international competitiveness as a tourism destination and increase Chinese visitation across North Queensland. 2. Goal Setting _ Mission (47) This strategy is developed as a destination marketing plan aiming at attracting Chinese tourists to North Queensland. The plan is a market segment strategy that delivers on the vision and actions and provides marketing advice to tourism bodies across South East Asia. 3. Marketing Audit (1374) 3.1 North Queensland Tourism Audit In tourism industry, the comparative strengths or weaknesses for destination are the products, services and amenities available to the tourism visitor. It is therefore necessary to consider what range of products and services are currently available to visitors within the North Queensland region so that gaps can be identified and strategies developed to fill these gaps. The tourism audit process has been undertaken using a combination of sources including data of Tourism Research Australia as well as searches of tourism literature. 3.1.1 Accommodation Profile There is a wide range of accommodation available in the North Queensland including hotels, motels, backpacker/hostel, luxury, resorts and apartment accommodation, self-catering, caravan parks and camping grounds. Smits (2004) reported that almost 25% of all accommodation establishments in Australia are in Queensland and around 17% of Queenslands stock is held within Tropical North Queensland, with no less than 78% of this is located in either Cairns or Port Douglas. There are over 10,000 available guest rooms in North Queensland which vary from serviced apartments and short-term hire residential villas, as well as a limited complement of luxury resorts and several new luxury resorts currently under development. Serviced apartments and holiday flats and units are continued increase in room supply; however, the boost in available hotel rooms was not met by growth in room nights sold, which remained stable in 2007. Consequently, the room occupancy was declined by 3 percentage point in the year 2007. While the room occupancy for serviced apartments was falling, those kind of apartments were the only form of accommodation in Tropical North Queensland to have strong growth in room nights sold, with an increase of more than 5 percent. The average daily room rate for the Tropical North Queensland region remains above the Queensland average, ranging from $109.25 to $172.04. However, the occupancy rates of Tropical North Queensland in 2007 were below the rates of rest in Queensland. 3.1.2 Transport and Tours Like the accommodation, there are a number of varying and different types of transport and tour can be utilised through the North Queensland, which include coach, coach, varying water-based options and aviation. Major access to the area for international tourists is aviation services. The international seats to cairns downs 21 percent on last year with 9 percent average annual decline from 2004 to 2009. In the year 1985, the Cairns Airport has developed as an international airport based on the tourism attractions of Tropical North Queensland, which is the second most visited destination by international holiday visitors to Australia (Prideaux 1999). However, until now no direct international services are available between mainland China and North Queensland. Chinese visitors are presently required to either transfer flights at Hong Kong or transfer upon arrival to Sydney, with several hours of undesirable backtracking. Getting about Tropical North Queensland is easy, with varying mode of transport including rental cars, bus services, taxis, limousines, aircraft, boats and trains. Bus shuttle services are regularly available to pick up and set down travellers at most hotels and accommodation establishments. Besides, private transfer buses are offered in many hotels and motels. The Limousine Fleets is unique in North Queensland, with excellent service and sight seeing. Major Car Rental companies are represented at the airport and many additional rental companies have offices in Cairns and other major towns around North Queensland. 3.1.3 Attractions and Natural Resources Attractions and Natural Resources are an integral part of the tourism product for any destination, including North Queensland. There is a diverse range available for the tourist spread throughout the North Queensland, including the Cassowary Coast, the Tablelands, Cairns and surrounds, Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation, and, of course, excursions to the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage listed rainforests. These attractions provide a blend of activities such as the opportunity to relax and to do heaps of activities in spectacular natural settings as well, which encourage tourists to increase their length of stay or act as a motivation in drawing visitors to the region. The attractions are mainly based around the attributes including: World Heritage reef and leading reef experiences, Tropical splendour and climate, World Heritage rainforests, national parks and wildlife, Savannah, Tablelands/highlands, Islands, Luxury resorts and service, Local tropic al cuisine, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island, which will be discussed later in this report. 3.1.4 Summary of Activities Following the audit of the tourism assets in North Queensland, it is identified that the region provides the following activities: 3.1.5 Visitor Information Centres Visitor Information Centres (VICs) is an important issue in the contemporary tourism industry which plays a significant role in the dissemination of information to visitors travelling within the local area. A key goal of tourism marketing is to encourage visitation by tourists to local operators, including accommodations, tours and attractions and to facilitate longers stays within the region. Fesenmaier (1994) stated that the tourist information center acts as one of the most important communication channels with which to modify travellers behaviour and to educate travellers about the benefits of visiting the state, and consequently attracts them to increase the number of days spent in the regions as well as the level of visitor expenditures. There are a number of significant VICs in major tourism areas throughout North Queensland such as Cairns, Cairns Beaches Palm Cove, Port Douglas Daintree, The Cairns Highlands, The Reef Tropical Islands, The Tropical Gulf Savannah, Mission B each The Great Green Way, Cooktown Cape York Peninsula, and Australias Tropical Rainforest that have large visitor volume. 3.2 China Outbound Tourism Overview 3.2.1 China: Outbound Tourism Trend and Visitors to North Queensland According to the research conducted by Graff and Hu (2008), with more than 13 billion people, at least 159 million people have an enough income level to afford travel abroad. China registered 28.85 million outbound travellers in 2004, 34 million in 2006 and 41 million in 2007 (CNTA 2007). According to the statistical analysis of Tourism Research Australia (2008), China is Australias fourth largest inbound market, with 356,428 visitors from China traveling Australia in 2008. Main purpose of Chinese visitors traveling Australia is holiday, visiting friends or relatives, business and education. In fact, China is forecast to be Australias largest source market by 2017 (DITR 2006), with almost one million expected arrivals by 2015 (TA 2006) and over two and a half million predicted for 2025 (DITR 2006). The top five destinations for Chinese passengers in 2001 were Asia, Europe, Americas, Oceania and Africa. Among them, there were 56,000 Chinese visitors traveled to North Queensland, accou nting for 7% of international visitors to the region (Tropical North Queensland Regional Update 2007). New Zealand, Japan, UK, USA, China and Europe account for 86 percent of international visitors to North Queensland. In contrast to the decline in Japanese visitors to North Queensland, there was a significant increase in visitors from China traveling North Queensland, up 30 percent trend, from 2006 to 2007. 3.2.2 The New Holiday System from 2008 The School vacations take place around winter, 4 weeks in February, and in summer, July and August. From May 2008, new public holidays were introduced. Following the list of new holiday system from 2008: 3.3 International Promotion Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) and Tourism Queensland (TQ), in partnership with the local tourism industry, are currently responsible and undertake marketing activities for Tropical North Queensland (TNQ). Tourism Australia (TA) is seen as the key players in international marketing, it is important that TQ, TTNQ and tourism operators contribute to the promotion of the destination in Chinese tourism market. The international marketing activities are focused on the major agencies in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and marketing aspects including the development of a unique brand based on nature and wildlife; advertising on television and print, online campaigns, television programme and film such as The Australia. The media in China is not fully privatised and is usually controlled by government. All legal television, radios and new agencies are owned by state and controlled by government. The internet usage has been booming in the past decade. The internet content is under a high degree of censorship and restriction from government. The main internet portals in China are sina.com, sohu.com, 163.com, online.sh.cn, tom.com and 21cn.com. 4. SWOT Analysis (534) The following situational (SWOT) analysis is a summary of the perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the North Queensland. McDonald (2002) argued that a SWOT analysis is a useful way to organize the major findings since as provides an opportunity to impartially assess the competing business environment. It is important to clearly identify these elements since they formulate the platform for the marketing strategies to be achieved based on equipped with the regions capabilities relating to the market. Key Discussions in SWOT North Queensland has diverse landscape and unique World Heritage Areas including the strengths of a sense of security, sightseeing opportunities, beautiful beaches, and opportunities to visit the Reef, adventure opportunities, the option of seclusion, rainforests, and untouched natural environment. Moreover, internationally recognized icon the Great Barrier Reef, world Heritage listed, enjoys a strong reputation in China and excellent word-of-mouth, which is important factor in Chinese decision-making. International Competitors: Regarding with Chinese target market, the major competitors of Australia are European Union and America, which representing western culture like Australia. The official count of Chinese traveling to Europe from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) was 1.8 million in 2005, comparing only 0.25 million for Australia in the same year. USA is always the list of top ten destinations for Chinese, with the advent of a bilateral agreement signed between the US and China in 2007. Chinese visitors traveling to America can be mainly attributed to multi-culture society, diverse civilization as well as its good price of luxuries. However, the growing Chinese community in Australia, due to the increase of immigrants and international students, provides the opportunity for Visiting Friends and Relatives travel and helps to ensure Chinese visitors feel at ease in Australia. America is considered one of the favorite destinations for Chinese, regarded as its diversity culture and exciting nightlife as Ever Bright City. Graff and Hu (2008) pointed out in their report that Chinese visitors gain positive experience in Hawaii from such things as access to casinos, to luxury goods and to its exciting nightlife. Compared with America, Chinese people thought Australia as a destination with less exciting things. However, Australia is regarded as more safety than America and the positive image continues to grow. National Competitors: Sydney Opera House, the Great Barriers Reef, and the beaches of the Gold Coast are registered as the main attractions of Australia. Consequently, the Gold Coast is regarded as the main national competitors of North Queensland, considering its similarity of destinations with beaches, and both of them are thought as coastal tourism, which providing tourists with beaches, diving and surfing. Gold Coast offers Australia best theme parks, such as Dream World, Sea World and Movie World. In contrast, North Queensland has its strengths, offering more combinations of nature and wildlife. Opportunity: The aviation development of Cairns international airport increases the access, which means more opportunities. Threaten: Americas weakened currency against the dollar attracts more Chinese tourists, considering its lower price of the inclusive package as well as the good price of products shopping in America. The New holiday systems, which changed two long-haul holidays into short break, encourage Chinese people traveling closely to their home instead of outbound tourism. 5. Planning Assumptions (177) Whilst there are some external factors that beyond control, in this report a number of points have been identified disclosing any assumptions made. These are listed as following: There are no significant political conflict between China and Australia government. It is the fact that there has been a gradual liberalization of the travel market. However, the Chinese government still maintains a high degree of power in term of controlling over outbound travel by its citizens. The economic environment is favorable in China, no serious financial crisis in recent years. Australia is seen as a safe destination to travel to by Chinese tourists. There is no significant increase of Chinese dollar exchange rate against Australian dollar. The comfortable climate, stable politics, clean water and unique tropical resources are not changed duo to undesirable reasons such as climate change. The importance of the Chinese outbound travel market and the continued growth forecasts has not changed, with increasing attention focused on the characteristics and travel behavior of outbound Chinese tourists by government and academia. 6. Strategy Formulation (1656) Market Evaluation/Market Research Since Australia was the first western country to be granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) in 1999, the visitor numbers have been continued increase, consequently China entering the Top Five visitor source markets in 2004. Commonly travellers can be segmented by the two main purposes of travel which are official, business and leisure travel and three main markets including Seniors, Families and Young People (Du Dai 2005). 6.1 Leisure travel 6.1.1 Seniors The Seniors market accounts for about 15 percentage of the total population of China and growing in number. Since the retirement age of China is 60 for men, 55 for women, which is fairly early, seniors are still healthy and have time to travel, with good savings levels to finance their travel. This market segmentation is likely to traveling on inclusive packages and during the off-peak seasons due to their limited English and appreciated tour guides. Cooperation with travel agency in China is very important when marketing targeted in this segments. Travel Agency in China According to the survey conducted by Du and Dai (2005), more than 80 percent of Chinese outbound tourists travel Australia on inclusive packages during their long-haul holidays. By 2006, there had been more than 15300 travel agencies in China, among which 672 are permitted to handle outbound travel (CNTA 2007). Key issues: TNQ has been packaged with a number of different destinations including the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Northern Territory and Melbourne. Based on the analysis above, North Queensland needs to continue to develop its packages and marketing to the Chinese travel agencies, considering the feature of Seniors market that they prefer traveling in group and are usually organized by travel agency. Besides, this age of Chinese is more likely to watching television program. It will be great if a television program or advertisement relating to North Queensland is announced during the period of their TV time, 8 to 10 oclock in the evening. Recalling in the year of 2003, there was a television program, Triumph in the Skies, contributes to the good reputation of Australia, especially Adelaide because of its nature beauty in the program. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_in_the_Skies) Furthermore, the Seniors market always subsidized or suggested by their children who want their parents to see the world. Achieving recognitions of their children is also helpful in attracting Seniors to North Queensland. Product: The Seniors group is usually interested in sightseeing, shopping (gifts for friends), meals, services, and amenities related to their home country. The product developed should concentrate on these aspects aiming at increasing satisfaction with North Queensland holiday; moreover, these factors should be promoted among marketing in Seniors. Pricing: The good price of package is vital in Senios market decision-making of destination. Since the major competitors within this group are Europe and North American, the price of the package tour would better lower than Europe and North Americans. Promotion: Key Brand/Positioning Message: 1) Gateway to one of the seven wonders and World Heritage-listed rainforest; 2) North Queensland offers a range of nature-based and soft-adventure holiday options, providing life-enhancing tropical moments; 3) Good price comparing to Europe and North America. Marketing Methods: Campaigns, Television Programs, Advertisement Promotion through travel agencies in China 6.1.2 Families Families market is the group with some high income families traveling abroad annually, or even twice a year. Du and Dai (2005) reported that family travel is growing and Southeast Asia such as Japan is a popular destination for family travel because of the good prices, close to home and convenient for shopping. The opportunity of North Queensland to this target market is to lifting the profile for shopping of luxury and business tourism combined to the key brand of North Queensland, considering the features of this target market. The new holiday system mentioned above should be taken into account since traveling with families during the holiday is considered a popular choice for spending time together and an educational experience for child as well. Shopping is one of the highlights of traveling abroad, since the prices of luxury of commodities are usually at least 20 to 30 per cent higher in the mainland compared to Hong Kong or Europe due to the high import tariffs and consumption taxes. Chinese consumers are generally price conscious and pretty likely to seek the lowest price when they consuming luxury goods. Graff and Hu (2008) pointed out that Europe is considered one of the favorite destinations for Chinese, regarded as a multi-culture society and diverse civilization, and of course its good price of luxuries contributing to the popularity among groups with high income. Shopping of luxury goods is an important aspect of Families market, especially the females. Since the price and variety of luxury price is hard to compete with Europe, the cooperation with Hong Kong makes the goal possible. North Queensland can promote the campaign of traveling package including North Queensland and Hong Kong. Firstly, most Chinese have to transfer from Hong Kong or Sydney, because there are not direct accesses from mainland China. If they are permitted to shopping for several days during their transfer, the inconvenience of lack of direct access is properly declined and more important, it increases the desirability of traveling North Queensland. While the males from Families group usually are successful business men, boosting the number of business events and providing business opportunities and views ill increase the pull factors of North Queensland, regarding to the males of Families group. Key Brand/Positioning Message: 1) Gateway to one of the seven wonders and World Heritage-listed rainforest; 2) North Queensland offers a range of nature-based and soft-adventure holiday options, providing life-enhancing tropical moments; 3) Luxury Shopping and Business events, opportunities and views. 6.1.3 Young People: The youth market, aged 25 to 35, is also on the rise. This segment may include students who go overseas during their summer holidays, honeymoon couples and others who travel overseers during their long-haul holidays. According to the research which conducted by Du and Dai (2005) analyses that this kind of group usually prefers adventure tourism and enjoys Free Independent Travel. Queensland offers significant opportunities for adventure tourism development and is Strategy has been developed. Queensland Adventure Tourism Action Plan 2008-2010 has been proposed aims to provide industry stakeholders, government and Tourism Queensland with a clear direction for the future development and marketing of the adventure tourism segment over the year 2008 to 2010. The product of adventure tourism in North Queensland is variety including Aviation (scenic/joy flights), Ballooning, Bungy Jumping, Scuba Diving and many more. By the late-1980s, Australia had become the number one honeymoon destinations in Japan and the position still remains until now (Australia-Japan Research Centre, 1992). And now China is forecast to be Australias largest source market by 2017 (DITR, 2006), the honeymoon tourism will be an great opportunity for North Queensland, considering its good reputation among the youth which recognized it as pure, natural and unpolluted destination. Since the word-of-mouth and social media are considered an important information source for the youth, they should be seen as the major sources when promoting North Queensland. Travel research consistently shows the importance of word-of-mouth (WOM) information sources in the process of destination selection, such as Murphy, Mascardo and Benckendorff (2007). The information from friends, relatives or other travelers will influence and determine consumer behavior. So it is important to increase the visitors satisfaction with North Queensland holiday. On the other hand, the promotion of travelers good experience can lift the perceptions of the North Queensland and aims to attract more visitors. The popular social media in Chinese young people include MSN, KaiXin, Tianya and Sohu, where are considered as important channels to marketing North Queensland and dissemination of information.

Fraternities/Sororities Essay

Fraternities/Sororities are generally considered as a bad organization or brotherhood nowadays. It affects the academic performance of many students especially some of BSIT (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology) freshmen who tried to join. Many students find that membership in a chapter gives them opportunities to develop valuable skills they have not been able to find elsewhere. Sometimes, joining a fraternity/sorority is an excellent way for some students to meet people, get more acclimated to campus life, gain important leadership skills have fun, contribute to the community, and/or establish life-long friendships. Exact figures for the number of college students nationally involved in these organizations are hard to pin down. Positive examples of fraternities exemplifying their founding principles of brotherhood, scholarship and service are easily available. However, negative images centered on alcohol, hazing and hegemonic masculine behavior garner far more public attention: just like Guillo Servando — An 18-year-old Benilde sophomore who died recently after suffering severe beating and died after the initiation rites under the Tau Gamma fraternity. (ww.philstar.com/news-feature/). That’s why we conduct this study to find out what are really the reasons or factors that motivates students to join organizations in school in spite of these accidents that happening nowadays. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to determine the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities of BS Information Technology freshmen enrolled in West Negros University, S.Y. 2014-2015. Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of WNU BSIT freshmen in terms of: a. age b. gender c. monthly income d. place of residency 2. What are the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities of BSIT students? 3. What are the major reasons of BSIT students in joining fraternities/sororities when they are classified according to: a. age b. gender c. monthly income d. place of residence Significance of the Study The findings of this research study were beneficial or significant to the following people: BS Information Technology students. This findings of the study would help them know and understand the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities and be able to find other ways to help them cope with their individual problems or concerns. Professors. The findings of this research study would provide ideas about the behavior of the students. Parents. This would give insights on how they can exhibit responsibilities to their children and how they can avoid their children in joining these organizations. Present researchers. This will help them to identify the different insights of each student regarding reasons for joining fraternities/sororities. Future researchers. The findings in this research study would provide basis for the conduct of future research about the reasons of joining fraternities/sororities and possibly on a wider involving other areas or variables. Scope and Limitation This study primarily deals with the reasons for joining fraternities or sororities of BS Information Technology Freshmen enrolled in West Negros University, first semester, S.Y. 2014-2015. Variables included are: age, sex, family monthly income and place of residency. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following terms have been defined conceptually and operationally. Age. Conceptually, it refers to the amount of time during which the person or animal has lived. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to the amount of time in which the person exists. Alumnus/alumna. Conceptually, this term refers to a member who has graduated. Alumnus is the masculine, alumna the feminine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/). Operationally, this refers to a member of the fraternity who fgraduated from an institution. Family Monthly Income. Conceptually, it refers to the total compensation received by all family members age 15 or older living in the same household. Compensation may include wages, social security, child support, pensions capital gains, and dividends. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/family-income.html). Operationally it refers to the amount of money receives from the family member/s who is/are working. Fraternity. Conceptually, it refers a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers exclusively to men’s groups, many women’s groups officially call themselves fraternities, and the most proper term for them is Women’s Fraternities. Hazing. Conceptually, it refers to the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation rites. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to a mental or physical harm done to a new member of an organization. Sex. Conceptually, it refers to male or female based of their reproductive organs and structures. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally it refers to a state of being male or female. Sorority. Conceptually, it refers to a Greek letter organization, which admits only women. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to a society for female students in a university or college, typically for social purposes

Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Decision Making Essay

In the corporate environment critical decisions must be made, sometimes quickly, whether because of changes in market conditions, corporate profits, or corporate performances. The decision-making process is vital to good management in today’s work environment. This paper will examine the relationship between critical thinking and the decision making process, explain what the textbook authors believe, and relate how both apply to today’s workplace. Critical thinking involves the ability to weigh evidence, examine arguments, and construct rational bases for generally accepted beliefs. In order to establish a theoretical basis for studying critical thinking, a great quantity of research has been done. Critical thinking is not only the ability to reason and construct arguments, but also the ability to examine the reasoning processes involved and being able to evaluate their appropriateness and effectiveness. This â€Å"judgment† aspect is what makes critical thinking more than just problem solving. It is not sufficient to be able to apply problem-solving strategies to a particular problem; a true critical thinker must be able to choose appropriate strategies and even create new ones when necessary. In dealing with most complex problems in today’s work environment, there may be more than one good answer to a problem. The question then becomes one of picking the best answer; this is called decision-making. Weighing the consequences of these possible solutions based on our understanding of their potential outcomes is the job of the manager. A good manager does not distinguish between â€Å"critical thinking† and â€Å"decision-making† when working. He uses both to arrive at a solution. It is only when analyzing how to come to a specific decision that he must employ critical thinking skills so that he does not allow personal prejudices, emotions, or stress to affect his thinking processes. According to the authors of Whatever It Takes – The Realities of Managerial Decision Making, the six steps to critical thinking and decision making are:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"1) a problem is defined and isolated, 2) information is gathered, 3) alternatives are set forth, 4) an end is established, 5) means are created to achieve the end, and 6) a choice is made.† The authors say when applied in today’s business environment, the six steps are mostly ineffective because â€Å"executive decision-making is not a series of single linier acts.† It is the interference of many other factors (such as murky information, poor information input, and multiple problems intersecting) that makes scientific study of real-life decision-making difficult. (McCall & Kaplan, 1990, pg xvii – xviii) Therefore, the authors suggest case study and specific dissection of past decisions is the best way to learn how to make future decisions. In my field of work (currently training of teaching personnel), decisions must be made as to time management, importance of curriculum vs. methodology, and allocation of skill acquisition importance. In addition, two corporations are my superiors; each with different hierarchies as to who tells me which jobs should be done. My decisions, therefore, must not only be politically correct, but must be ones that make the most people happy. When three different departments from three different divisions ask me to begin a project, someone has to be told to wait. It is at times like these that critical thinking becomes important to justify my decisions when responding to their requests. Critical thinking is used both to justify my decisions and to clarify my thinking. Reference McCall, M. W., & Kaplan, R. E. (1990). Whatever It Takes – The Realities of Managerial Decision Making (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Commonly Confused Words Anxious and Eager

Although anxious has been used as a synonym for eager since the 18th century, many usage guides insist that anxious should be used only when a person is worried or uneasy about an anticipated event. Definitions The adjective anxious means uneasy, nervous, or fearful, especially about something that is about to happen. Anxious may also mean desiring something very much, often with a sense of unease.The adjective eager means interested and excited--impatient to have or do something.Both words convey the notion of being desirous, says Theodore Bernstein, but anxious has an underlay of faint apprehension (The Careful Writer, 1998). See the usage notes below. Examples True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.(Seneca)I knew Father Malt would be off that evening for a convention in Chicago. The missionaries, who would fill in for him and conduct a forty hours devotion on the side, belonged to an order just getting started in the diocese and were anxious to make a good impression.(J.F. Powers, Death of a Favorite. The New Yorker, 1951)I have never read for entertainment, but rather for understanding and to satisfy my eager curiosity.(Bryant H. McGill)We had been told that Belgrade  was a city that was reasonably cosmopolitan, and we were all eager for the bright lights.(Maya Angelou,  Singin and Swingin and Gettin Merry Like Christmas. Random House, 1997) Usage Notes I prefer to avoid using anxious when I mean eager. Anxious is related to the word anxiety; it traditionally means worried, uneasy. Its often used, though, where eager or keen would be more appropriate. You can be anxious about an upcoming exam, but you probably shouldnt tell friends youre anxious to see them this weekend. Its not that its wrong, but it runs the risk of confusion.(Jack Lynch, Anxious versus Eager, The English Language: A Users Guide. R. Pullins Company, 2008)The discovery that anxious should not be used to mean eager seems to have been made in the U.S. in the early 20th century. It has since risen rapidly to become a shibboleth in American usage, appearing in books from Bierce 1909 to Garner 1998. Although Garner uses Fowlers term slipshod extension to describe the sense, Fowler himself (1926) called it a natural development. . . .The objection to anxious in its eager sense is an invention; the sense has long been standard.(Merriam-Websters Concise Dictionary of Engli sh Usage, 2002)Anxious meaning eager is unquestionably Standard English, even though some purists have long urged that we use anxious to mean only nervous, apprehensive, or fearful.(Kenneth George Wilson,  The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Columbia University Press, 1993)To use the word [anxious] merely as a synonym for eager is to give in to SLIPSHOD EXTENSION--e.g., He knows that motorists are anxious (read eager) to save on suspension parts and will give generously (Christian Science Monitor).(Bryan A. Garner, Anxious. The Oxford Dictionary of American Style and Usage.  Oxford University Press, 2000) Practice (a) My daughter is just beginning the piano.  These are her first lessons,  she is eight, she is _____  and hopeful. Silently she sits beside me as we drive the nine miles to the town where the lessons are given; silently she sits beside me, in the dark, as we drive home.(John Updike, The Music School.  The Early Stories: 1953-1975. Knopf, 2003)(b) The stewardess flung open the door, and someone opened an emergency door at the back, letting in the sweet noise of their continuing mortality—the idle splash and smell of heavy rain. _____ for their lives, they filed out of the doors and scattered over the cornfield in all directions, praying that the thread would hold.​(John Cheever, The Country Husband.  The Stories of John Cheever. Knopf, 1978) Answers to Practice Exercises:Anxious and Eager (a)  My daughter is just beginning the piano.  These are her first lessons,  she is eight, she is  eager  and hopeful. Silently she sits beside me as we drive the nine miles to the town where the lessons are given; silently she sits beside me, in the dark, as we drive home.(John Updike, The Music School.  The Early Stories: 1953-1975. Knopf, 2003)(b)  The stewardess flung open the door, and someone opened an emergency door at the back, letting in the sweet noise of their continuing mortality—the idle splash and smell of heavy rain.  Anxious  for their lives, they filed out of the doors and scattered over the cornfield in all directions, praying that the thread would hold.(John Cheever, The Country Husband.  The Stories of John Cheever. Knopf, 1978)