Is Daycare Harmful to the Development of Infants Essay

There have been many concerns over the past several years on whether or not early daycare causes negative or positive effects on the development of children. These fears are influenced by the fact that the early separation of a baby from his mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. Studies continue to research the effects of early daycare on children The cost of living has made it nearly impossible for mothers to stay at home even in the very beginning of their newborn’s life. This means that someone else will be responsible for ensuring that the baby is cared for while their mother is at work. Each and every day well-meaning and loving parents are forced by economic pressure to place infants, even as young as two weeks old in daycare. Studies have shown that the beginning of a baby’s life, especially the first year is a critical period in the attachment process. The question is â€Å"Is childcare harmful to the emotional developm ent of infants†? There have been many concerns over the past several years on whether or not early daycare causes negative or positive effects on the development of children. These fears are influenced by the fact that the early separation of a baby from his mother may cause emotional harm to the child or disrupt the mother-infant bond. Studies continue to research the effects of early daycare on children. If a mother is forced economically to work during her child’s early stages of development that means that during the child’s waking hours, he will have no contact at all with the person/persons with whom he must develop a strong and stable emotional bond (usually, his parents). This fact has to interfere with the attachment process of infants. In an article I read it stated that the results when mothers of infants work outside the home are completely neutral, but further on in the article (page 63) we learn that child behaviors after the mother works full-time outside the home in the first year of life, together with consideration for the timing of the start of that work, be it at three, six, or nine months after birth: At age 4.5, children whose mothers had worked (full-time) at three months, six months, or nine months have significantly more externalizing behavior problems than children whose mothers did not work in the first year and this also was the case when the children reached first grade. (MROZEK, A, 2010) I) Effects of Childcare on Emotional Development The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) conducted a comprehensive study between 1991- 2007 to observe and document the effects of daycare on over 1,000 preschool age children. The â€Å"Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development,† revealed key areas of child development that were influenced by day care providers and experiences. In some instances when a young child was left with a day care provider, the child exhibited a range of negative emotions and behaviors which included crying and clinging to parents, and screaming or hiding from the daycare provider after their parents had left. These children frequently developed insecure attachment issues and separation anxiety however other children adjusted more readily and eagerly joined their peers, barely acknowledging when their parents had left the room. These children demonstrated more security, less separation anxiety and greater preparedness for eventually entering school. II) Effects of Daycare on Behavioral Development Children who attended daycare at an early age were more likely to develop negative behavioral issues, which included aggression and noncompliance. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health (NIH) they demonstrated a connection between children’s poor behavior and the amount of time spent in day care settings. According to the NIH study, elementary school teachers reported that students who regularly spent ten or more hours per week in day care tended to be more argumentative, disobedient and unruly in class. However in regards to a high quality daycare the NIH found that these attentive, stimulating day care environments produced children who were overall more cooperative and positive in their interactions with caregivers, peers and parents. III) Effect of Daycare on Cognitive Development School age children who spent significant time in daycare as infants frequently have better verbal, reading and math skills throughout the elementary school years. This is often the case in children from disadvantaged families wherein they excel more in academic development if they had spent time in daycare during their infancy and the early childhood years. This may be because the daycare setting may offer more opportunities for them to improve their skills. Children who participated in daycare during early childhood tend to have a larger vocabulary which enhanced their language development. Research conducted by the National Institutes of Health published in Child Development suggests that children frequently benefit from daycare in terms of cognitive development. The study showed that children who spent time in daycare during their early childhood continued to score higher on academic achievements even into the high school years. IV) Effects on Social Development Children in daycare settings at an early age had a greater ability to form relationships with peers and adults than children who did not attend daycare. This is because there are instances when aside from daycare the child would not be in consistent contact with other children their age, therefore daycare provides them with that opportunity. Conclusions and Findings After reviewing the research concerning the effects of daycare attendance on the emotional, cognitive, and social development of infants a wide spectrum of results can be noted. I believe that if the parent’s commit themselves to finding a high quality daycare the effects on these areas of development could even be considered positive especially in terms of an infant’s social and cognitive development. References MROZEK, A. (2010, Aug 19). Research unclear on how daycare affects child development. The Gazette. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/746423295?accountid=32521 Pritchett, J. (2009, Dec 29). Daycare opens doors of opportunity; proposed early learning and child care act seen as positive step for young mothers, children. Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/423338000?accountid=32521 http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/upload/seccyd_06.pdf http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20070404.html

Game: Online Games Online Essay

Nowadays, online games are famous. People prefer to play online games during their leisure time. They are attracted by high resolution of graphic, story plots, and accessibility of the games. These features would definitely amuse them. But, there are lots of disadvantages of online games. Playing online games is a waste if time, You may say, â€Å"Playing online games is an entertainment. † Yes, I agree with you, but, most of the online gamers would spend a plenty of time in playing online games. Sometime, they are playing the games while they are working. They are wasting their time, aren’t they? Their productivity would decrease. Some students may skip their class and go to cybercafe to play online games too. They are supposed to go to school, but they don’t do so. They waste their money to play online games. Most online games are free to be played. But, gamers could buy virtual equipments and items that only can be used in the games. Their characters in the games would be stronger with these items. Beside that, if they play online games in cybercafe, they have to pay the charge for internet services. Playing online games may harm your health. According to an investigation, more and more teenagers have short-sightedness. It is the consequence of playing online games for a long time. In addition, it is also very harmful to your backbones. Online games are harmful to brain development, cause children neglect reading, and encourage violent behaviour. Health is wealth. We mustn’t play online games for long time to avoid health problems. Online gamers would have less time to communicate with friends and family members. Even though some online games allow you to chat with other gamers, it is simply not the same as we communicate with others when we are doing sport activities. Gamers may have anti-social behaviour. In conclusion, online games can alter the way people spend their leisure time positively or negatively. The gamers ought to have enough self control. Being fully aware of the benefits and drawbacks of online games, the gamers can maximize their advantages and avoid the addiction. 1. The Disadvantages of Playing Online Games Thanks for the Internet’s help; people can deal with things much more efficiently. For instance, sending E-mail to other countries for business, auctioning off anything which they do not need anymore, and searching for the information, and so on. There are too many functions of the Internet to count clearly at a time. However, there is one of the functions of the Internet—–Playing online games. I believe that most people have played them, especially children or teenagers. They enjoy playing online games very much. Online games offer not only entertainment but also visual effect. Most parents object their children to play online games, because they are afraid that children will be addicted to it. Actually yes, being addicted to online games may cause many terrible things. The first one, it will affect your learning attitude. Once you played overhead, you would have to skip the class or be unable to concentrate on your studies. Second, it may affect your relationship. At this time, the relationship between you and your family or friends must get worse. You do not have the same topics o chat with each other. Third, the most important one, it may harm your health. According to investigation, there are more and more teenagers wearing glasses. It is the consequence of playing online games for a very long time. Besides, it is also very harmful for your backbones. Seriously, it can cause many terrible diseases. As a result, it is important to control the time on playing online games. 2. Disadvantages of Online Games †Online games offer not only entertainment but also visual effect. Most parents object their children to play online games, because they are afraid that children will be addicted to it. Actually yes, being addicted to online games may cause many terrible things. The first one, it will affect your learning attitude. Once you played overhead, you would have to skip the class or be unable to concentrate on your studies. Second, it may affect your relationship. At this time, the relationship between you and your family or friends must get worse. You do not have the same topics o chat with each other. Third, the most important one, it may harm your health. According to investigation, there are more and more teenagers wearing glasses. It is the consequence of playing online games for a very long time. Besides, it is also very harmful for your backbones. Seriously, it can cause many terrible diseases. As a result, it is important to control the time on playing online games. † Source: http://isayenglish. blogspot.com/2010/01/disadvantages-of-playing-online-games. html Disadvantages of online educational games are: Students can become brainwashed, causing severe memory loss and students can become too reliant or addicted to online learning and not seek other sources for learning/study. Disadvantages of recreational online games are: brainwash children with result in severe memory loss and an addiction to these games can cause bad health for children, causing laziness and poor eyesight. They often contain or encourage a lot of violence in their games, especially if they are free online recreational games. 3. http://www. teach-ict. com/gcse_new/entertainment/games/miniweb/pg8. htm 4. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Gaming You don’t need me to tell you that the Internet is expanding all the time, giving users more and more information, resources and entertainment than ever before and it’s only ever going to get bigger. Thanks to this constant development, the gaming industry is able to spread its wings away from the traditional platforms – consoles and handheld computers – even those confined to history like the GameBoy – and reach new audiences around the world via the net. Many of the sites offering the chance to play game over the web require very little input from the user in terms of finance or registration, meaning you could be playing in a matter of moments. Sure, you might have to pay a small sum for access to the more recent releases or for access to gambling sites but there are still plenty of sites that offer free gaming experiences. So we all understand that the Internet offers users a wide variety of opportunities to play games, right? Cool, in that case it makes sense to discuss a few of the advantages and disadvantages of online gaming. You might be set in your ways as a PlayStation fan who loves a shoot-em up, or you might be just finding your feet on the web playing a classic game and looking to broaden your horizons. Here are three of each to help you decide whether or not you make the move online: Advantages The first major advantage to any game that utilizes the Internet – either played on a PC or Mac, or using a tablet or smartphone – is that they are regularly refreshed and updated, with any bugs fixed quickly. As any gamer who uses â€Å"apps† on their phone or tablet will know, there are always new updates being released and this can help you to play more levels or play more smoothly. With a console, however, you can only play the game you’ve bought in whatever condition and once you reach the end, that’s the end! Online the possibilities are endless. Also, PCs and Macs are known for their high quality displays making for a much better gaming experience. Playing any game – no matter how new or how good – on a television hooked up to a console is dependent entirely on the quality of the television. But with computer monitors, you get much higher resolutions than the majority of household or bedroom televisions. You also get the variety of genres online. With a console game that you have to pay for in-store, you never really know what you’re getting until you get it out and play and you may realise it’s not for you. Disaster. Playing online, however, if you don’t like the game you’re on you just close the window and find another game, genre or site until you find one. It also offers you the chance to try new games – especially on free sites – that you may not have considered for the console. Disadvantages Unfortunately some of the most high-end gaming computers are very expensive and out of the price range of many gamers. Unless you have the money to spend, you may have to resort to using a standard PC and upgrade where possible. The size of the processor or your broadband connection may also cause you several issues relating to your gaming experience. If you live in a rural area, for instance, you might find that your Internet speed is very slow meaning that the gameplay isn’t as smooth as it could be; and the size of your processor could also play havoc with the speed causing the game to buffer. As technology advances and your passion for gaming grows, however, you could look into better processors or computers as a whole; or, look into a different Internet package with better connectivity. Finally, games played on a PC are often much more complicated than console alternatives. When you have to use several keys at once, and click the mouse, or tap the screen just to do one job, you start to wish you were playing on a EXAMPLE 1. A tragic story happened in southern Russia, where a 14-year-old boy killed his father with a sledgehammer. This reportedly happened after the boy’s parents had taken away his keyboard as punishment after he spent a week playing computer games. â€Å"At around 1am (local time) on April 12, the suspect dealt his sleeping father at least two blows on the head with a sledgehammer,† the region’s investigative committee said, according to News. com. au. â€Å"The man died on the spot from a head injury. † After killing his father, the boy’s uninjured but frightened mother gave the keyboard back. The boy then continued to play computer games for several more hours before he fell asleep, at which point the mother contacted relatives who called the authorities. Russian law dictates that the 14-year-old boy is eligible to be charged for murder. 2. Chinese online gamer dies after three-day session Online gaming is becoming increasingly popular with young Chinese internet users A Chinese man has died after a three-day online gaming session in which he did not sleep and barely ate, reports say. The man reportedly lost consciousness at an internet cafe on the outskirts of the Chinese capital, Beijing. He was rushed to a clinic but could not be revived, the Beijing Times said. The 30-year-old man, who was not identified, was said to have spent more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500; ?928) on gaming in the month before his death. China has more than 450 million internet users, and online games – which can involve multiple users role-playing in a virtual world – are particularly popular with young men. Researchers say tens of millions of Chinese people – many of them teenagers – are addicted to internet gaming, despite curbs introduced by the authorities aimed at tackling the problem. Similar deaths have occurred in other nations. In 2005 a 28-year-old man died in South Korea after playing online games for 50 hours without a break.

Odysseus Essay

In the poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, 3 strong character traits of Odysseus, the main character, are demonstrated. Homer makes all of these traits very clear, they can be qualified as good or bad traits. Homer displays these traits constantly but in different ways. In other words, his weakness hurt him but his quick thinking would help him. Odysseus’ arrogant attitude could either be considered a good trait or a bad trait. Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates weak leadership, quick thinking, and an arrogant attitude throughout his journey. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus often shows a very weak side of himself. Not physically weak but emotionally weak, thus Odysseus is always caught in the corner weeping. Calypso was the first to admit â€Å"Off he sat off a headland weeping there as always† (Homer 155) which shows he is over dramatic considering the fact that Calypso says he is weeping, as always. Since this is a normal thing for Odysseus, another example of this is when he â€Å"buried his handsome face, ashamed his hosts might see him shedding tears† (Homer 195). Not only is Odysseus often caught in the corner crying but he always seems ashamed of himself. He knows when he shows signs of weakness and he doesn’t want his men to think of him as anything less than the powerful man he is. Another character trait Odysseus demonstrates throughout the story is his ability to react quickly in tough situations. On page 317 the men are struggling to stay warm. They admit that the cold will do them in. But as for Odysseus, he has a plan. a thought flashed in his mind; no one can touch a man at plots or battle–Odysseus had a plan†(Homer 317). Odysseus always has a plan, a quick plan because he is a quicker thinker. Later in the book when Odysseus distracts his people while he hides the slaughters of the suitors. He quickly realizes he can have his minstrel play his music while Telemachus drags the suitors outside. Because of Odysseus’ ability to react quickly to his many obstacles he is always able to get himself out of the sticky situations he is dragged into. If it wasn’t for this trait, he most likely wouldn’t have made it half as far as he did. Odysseus was always very confident of himself in each problem he came across. So confident that I would consider him to be conceited. Some of the things he thought of himself were very true but others were what he thought to be true. Odysseus himself admits, â€Å"my wits kept weaving- weaving cunning schemes† (Homer 224). Yes, Odysseus is a very cunning person but he also isn’t afraid to admit it, which is where his cockiness came into play. Another one of the many examples is when he is so confident he could win the challenge against Phaecia’s best. Odysseus is challenging the Phaecians to â€Å"go match that, you young pups, and straightaway– I’ll hurl you another just as far, I swear, or even father† (Homer 198) which is very confident of him.. They aren’t just any of the Phaecian’s but they are the best. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing he is so confident because it shows that he is brave and willing, but sometimes it can come off as him being overly cocky which irks his men and makes it difficult to get along. During The Odyssey, Homer portrays Odysseus to be dramatic, arrogant, and a quick thinker. He is such a strong leader but he always brings out the worst in himself but he definitely knows what to do in every situation considering he makes it home safely. Although he came across many life threatening obstacles throughout his journey home, his quick thinking often helps but his arrogant attitude sometimes ruins things for him.

Perspectives in HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Perspectives in HRM - Essay Example One of the goals human resources is to retain the aging workforce to minimize the effect of labor shortage. According to Human Capital Theory this is a viable alternative. Age and performance have been known to be unrelated, thus aging and the lost of ability to function that accompanies it are not are not factors with older workers (University of Vermont). There are three HRM theories that can help professionals in this human resource field deal with the aging workforce dilemma. The three theories are contingency perspective, best practices approach and resourced-based. Contingency perspective says that organizations will be most successful when HR strategies fit their organizational strategy (Clarkson, 2006). There different ways for companies to deal with the problem of aging workforce, but in order for any approach to work in a particular company the HR must consider the organization culture and options that are aligned with the business. For example if an organization has a lot low tech people that like human interaction a training initiative to develop in house talent utilizing e-learning techniques would go against the principles of the contingency perspective. The best practice approach says that firms should imitate HRM leaders and some practices work better than others (Clarkson, 2006). Companies in the UK should keep a close eye on what other firms are doing to deal with the shortage of workers due to an aging workforce. The resourced-based theory is similar to the best practices approach but the theory encourages companies to utilize multiple approaches when dealing with human resource issues. The turnover of workers is an issue human resources have been dealing with for years. The aging workforce created a new type of involuntary turnover which is affecting enterprises. The top involuntary turnover category used to be dismissals, but the new aging

Legal Immigrants and their Influence on United States of America Research Paper

Legal Immigrants and their Influence on United States of America - Research Paper Example Economy, Social Security, Culture and Education are four sectors which are being impacted positively by these immigrants. This essay would further provide the advantages of legal immigration to the United States of America. It would also provide with the arguments that the opponents propose in response to the positive impacts that these immigrants bring along with them. Impact on Economy Several studies have been conducted to find out the effect of legal immigrants on the economy of the United States. A report â€Å"Raising the floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform† proposes that if the legal workers are allowed to enter the territory of United States then the GDP of the country can be increased by an estimated $1.5 trillion. The legal immigrants are helping to improve the economy of the United States from a rational perspective. Studies done in different states have showed that the immigrants have paid great amount of taxes to the government and this has improved the economy of the United States. The legal immigrants also work in departments of the United States where the natives do not want to work. These legal immigrants bring skills along with them and work in different sectors. These immigrants take over different jobs and help the economies of scale to build up so that the cost of the production is decrea sed. In other words these immigrants are bringing a positive influence on the whole economy of United States (Immigration Policy Center 2011). Impact on Social Security The impact of immigrants on the social security can only be analyzed if the roots of the system are understood. The Social Security System is a type of system which works to benefit the retirees. The system works on the money which is being received through the taxes paid by the workers. It is here that the role of immigrants comes into play. As the immigrants tend to take up jobs they form an enormous portion of the workforce and hence these immigrants help to pay for the taxes which add up to the social securities. The immigrants enter into the United States when they are the peak of their working years hence these immigrants cannot benefit from the Social Security System for at least three to four decades. However they start paying for the taxes as soon as they take up the jobs which mean that they are providing t he benefits to the retirees. The 2004 Trustees report puts forward that â€Å": â€Å"The cost rate decreases with increasing rates of net immigration because immigration occurs at relatively young ages, thereby increasing the numbers of covered workers earlier than the numbers of beneficiaries† (Trustees Report 2004). The United States of America consists of an ageing population who take benefits from the Social Security System. It is these immigrants who help to cater to the demands of the ageing population of America by providing the taxes to the social security (Fienleb & Warner 2005). Thus it can be said that immigration is greatly helping the social security funds and the ageing population of the United States. Impact on Culture Immigrants are also believed to benefit the culture of

Economic event ( read steps down ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economic event ( read steps down ) - Essay Example In brief, the Reagan Tax Reform Act of 1986 was passed by a bi-partisan majority in both house and senate and signed into law by the President. What this affected was lowering the top individual income tax rate from 50% to 28% (Cebula 132). Although this was a vast reduction, it was in fact revenue â€Å"neutral† as the tax burden that was created from the savings was merely passed off onto businesses. President Bush further passed legislation that reduced the tax burden down from 28% to 20%. This has caused an ever increasing budget deficit as Washington is both unable to curtail spending and seemingly obsessed with further tax cuts. It is this cycle of ever increasing budgets and the inability to raise taxes on any group due to the political pressures that have evolved into the unique situation that both political candidates face. Further complicating the issue is the fact that Mitt Romney’s plan intends on keeping the Bush era tax cuts and extending them indefinitely. Similarly, his tax plan claims that although no additional percentage tax increases will be affected, additional revenue will be generated by reducing itemized deductions and other special benefits that the wealthy typically enjoy on their taxes. Analysis by independent think tanks and tax analysts have proven that this particular maneuver will not even come close to closing the revenue gap that further reduction in the highest individual rates will have (William 4). Furthermore, if Mr. Romney will be able to meet the same level of tax revenues while reducing the tax revenues generated from the wealthy, this will invariably be dependent upon the plan’s ability to cover the shortfalls of tax revenue/generation. Likewise, a primary issue that one quickly realizes when analyzing Mitt Romney’s tax plan is the fact that he is interested in: cutting the

PROJECT MANAGEMENT and HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PROJECT MANAGEMENT and HRM - Essay Example The HRM practices and processes of project-oriented organizations require additional and different procedures from the traditional approaches employed for other organizations. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of human resource management, and communications management for a project team. Importance of HRM in a Project Team and its Implications for Success Human resource management (HRM) is of strategic significance to all organizations, contributing to the success of the organization and promoting the firm’s competitive advantage. The project-oriented organization works on projects, programs and associated temporary work processes forming ‘temporary organizations’, for creating the products and services required by the customers. This leads to a dynamic work environment. â€Å"Every time a new project or program starts, or an old one finishes, the HRM configuration of the organization needs to change† (Turner et a l 3). Human resources has to make the most efficient use of all the people involved in the project. This includes â€Å"the stakeholders of the projects, sponsors, customers, other departments, the project team, subcontractors an d all others† states Parsaie (172). ... HRM practices and processes should be designed specifically to meet the goals of project-oriented organizations which adopt HRM procedures that support both vertically and horizontally their strategic choice of project-based working. They require additional and different processes specific to the project and programs they adopt to undertake their work. Projects and programs are termed as ‘temporary organizations’ that require HRM practices and processes developed for those organizations. Turner et al (3) add that the project teams will require different human resource practices to effectively address the dynamic nature of the working environment in which they function. ] There are specific requirements for human resource management in the ‘project-oriented company’. People of the organization define management by projects as their organizational strategy. The employees apply projects and programs for the performance of complex processes. Further, they manage a project portfolio of different internal and external project types. Human resources have specific permanent organizations like a project portfolio group, or a project management office to provide integrative functions, and they perceive the organization as being project-oriented. Huemann, Keegan and Turner (316) state that the ideal project oriented company is frequently identified as a flat organization, with a strong culture of project management. It is thus evident that a company is defined as project-oriented because they see themselves as being project-oriented and accordingly form their â€Å"policies and practices for working, for organizational culture and for strategy towards the challenge presented by managing projects† (Huemann et al 316).

Common Law Duty of Care and the Liability of Employers for References Essay

Common Law Duty of Care and the Liability of Employers for References - Essay Example At the same time, the university has a duty of care for even the students they do not know in person. It is the first element of duty when it comes to negligence, and must be established by the claimant that it was breeched as a duty of care. In this case, negligence can be the failure of the University to act in a reasonable way that it would have acted in any circumstances. The university has the duty to take liability in case of any violation of the common law duty of care. The law can between the universities and students or employees with no direct relationship, and can be formalized as a social contract. This is the responsibility held by the University to the society. The care of duty arises in cases where an employee is harmed mentally, physically, or economically. A duty care is a duty of taking care, to avoid actions which one can foresee to cause injury to persons who are close and directly affected by the act (Climenson 2010, 30). The University is expected that they carr y their responsibility and that of employees with care. This duty care can be breached through an individual action or failure by the University to act through the activities of the institution. ... Â  A duty of care exists when there is an existing relationship between two parties, the University and the students had a relationship is built on trust. The University students and employees should be qualified when they leave the institution to face potential employees. The breach of conduct comes into perspective when, the standard of care ought to have been taken falls below the standards set. This can be negligence of duty if the students not given the proper training as expected (Efstathios 2006, 49). It is the duty of the University of making sure that the organizations activities are met and the standards of ethical practices followed. The University should make sure that there is a strategy that is reviewed and updated so that necessary actions are taken in the likelihood of a risk. The institution should be aware of the duty of care that collectively or individually they take in relation to the employer and care to the assets and reputation of the employees. The Universit y must act in the interest of the institution, and not for their personal interest or another organization. When the University works and acts conscientiously in carrying out their duties this way, they limit their personal liability in cases of any loss, harm or damage caused through the breach of duty of care (Ian 2007, p 37). An employer’s duty toward their employee’s, in this aspect, the University’s duty to the current students and employees is to provide and maintain; a safe environment for learning of work, a safe system of both learning and working, and provision of fellow competent fellow employees. The university can delegate his duties or functions to nominated employers but can not delegate legal responsibility (James 2006, p 75). Employers can be liable for

Quantitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative Research - Essay Example This paper tries to analyze critically of two academic papers published in the European Journal of Business Management. One paper is titled â€Å"The Impact of Structural Capital on Business Performance in Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Companies.† The other is titled â€Å"The Effects of Customer Prospecting Methods on Sales Force Performance.† The papers have been selected to consider how they have approached their respective research methodologies to deal adequately with the research questions, but are analyzed separately. Both methods of research analysis will be considered; quantitative and qualitative, on how much they were used. The objective of the analysis is that it will try to highlight both the advantages and disadvantages of the research methodology used to arrive at the aims, objectives, and design and to propose an alternative strategy. This will result in either agreeing with the methodology or proposing a better methodology which could have adeq uately delivered on the research question. ... He sought to determine the influence of Structural Capital (SC) on Jordanian Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (JPM) Companies’ Business Performance. The study surveyed 132 managers by administering a questionnaire. Statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics and correlation were used. According to the paper, to confirm the suitability of the data collection instrument, a Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test, Cronbach’s Alpha and factor analysis as they were used. The findings were that there were significant positive relationship between SC and JMP Companies’ BP. This indicates that, SC performance can be clearly explained productivity and profitability more than market valuation. Objectives and rationale As a major research question of the study is to find out, â€Å"if there is a relationship between the direct impact of SC and JPM organization’s business performance.† The main objective is to provide useful recommendations about performance measur ement within SC context by identifying and trying to define the main attributes of productivity. This will extend to the quality of SC by pointing out critical factors of SC and to find out suitable ways for measurement and management context. The study developed a hypothesis which states that there is no significant impact SC on JPM organization’s BP. It went further to divide the hypothesis into three mini hypotheses. The first states that there is no significant impact of systems and programs (S&P) on JPM Company’s BP. The second hypothesis states that â€Å"there is no significant impact of research and development (R&D) on JPM Company’s BP.† The last is that, there I no significant

Urban air pollution and the automobile Research Paper

Urban air pollution and the automobile - Research Paper Example The atmosphere of the earth is a thin cover composed of different gases and water vapors and is a great blessing for mankind as it surrounds the whole earth and sustains the human life on this planet. The vertical thickness and density of the atmosphere depends upon different ecosystems. The atmosphere along with its different ecosystems plays a significant role to maintain the overall planet’s temperature and in provision of coal, oil, food crops, and drinking water to human society. Man has exploited endlessly the available resources and has always assumed that they are inexhaustible. Today human has realized that he has been constantly disturbing the ecological balance and fast finishing the life-supporting systems on the earth. Urban pollution is caused by many factors like industrial and thermal power plants, but more importantly by vehicular emissions. As a result, the outdoor air quality in urban areas has deteriorated significantly. Statistics reveals that in last 30 t o 40 years, the concentrations of suspended particulate matter in huge cities like Mexico, New York, Tokyo, Mumbai, Karachi, Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, and New Delhi etc were four to five times higher than levels recommended by world health organization (Brown, 1999). A substantial increase in the number of vehicles on urban roads continues to drive up levels of urban air pollution. Common gases emitted by vehicles include carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and ozone. These all gases are dangerous to human health beyond certain levels of concentration. Poly-aromatic hydrocarbons released by diesel-powered vehicles are known carcinogens, while smoke from diesel engines has aggravated already elevated levels of airborne soot. Nitrous oxides are emerging air pollutants with the highest concentrations recorded in metropolitans. Thesis Statement. People have right to use car, but there are many solution to save our environment; such as, public transportation and government should make rules to use car. The following paragraphs will deal this statement by describing the beneficiary management and role of public transportation, fuel used by different types of cars, and the corrective preventive measures to control the urban pollution produced by automobiles. II. Public Transportation As compared to 100 years ago, no doubt today human being is enjoying much better mode of travelling throughout the world like presently cars, buses, trams, trains, and subways are facilitating millions of human being daily. According to World Resource Institute (2008), all these transportations contribute to almost 25% of the overall global energy consumption while cars are responsible for about 80%. Since automobiles are major cause of emission of greenhouse gases in atmosphere (Fenger et al, 1999), therefore in respect of urban pollution, the use of public transport is very beneficial because per head it produces less greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere than cars. Secondly, the us e of public transportation is cost effective both at individual and national level. Although the use of public transportation is less glamorous, however, it keeps the individual free of searching the parking, fuel, and maintenance of personal vehicle. An integrated and well-planned network of public transportation have shown much better results in reduction of greenhouses gases and other pollutant material into air. For example in United States, there were almost 1.6 cars for every two Americans in 2005 while at the same time 160 Americans were entertained by a single trolleybus. By the advent of trams in Europe, great results have been observed. Trams and trains carry millions of people inside the city on regular basis and thus prevent the society from further automobile pollution which could have been occurred by the use of their passengers. III. Fuel of Vehicles Numbers of fuel options are available now days for the owners to use in their vehicles. However,

An Inconvenient Truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Inconvenient Truth - Essay Example The author of the paper tells that in the video â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth†, it shows how the world’s temperature has skyrocketed in the last decade, 2005 being the hottest. The dramatic rise in temperature in several places in the world has caused numerous devastating environmental disasters and catastrophes. Places all over the world have desiccated and dried up, such as Patagonia and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Multiple storms have exacerbated and have gotten worse and worse. The Arctic’s ice and snow have melted significantly, causing an increase in the sea level. When the height of the seawater increases, a great number of lives will be affected. States such as Florida and major cities such as Shanghai in China, Kolkata in India and Manhattan in New York will drown and be buried by underwater. The community of scientists has collectively given their opinion and judgment on global warming and they believe that we are the main cause of global warming. Through Al Goreâ⠂¬â„¢s presentation, he persuades and tells us that if the immediate course of action will be taken by citizens globally, then we might all still have a chance in saving the Earth from global warming, and saving ourselves. From the trailer of this documentary film, it definitely concerns me regarding the future of the Earth and the future of the people.

Cultural Influences on Eating Out Habits in the Uk Essay Example for Free

Cultural Influences on Eating Out Habits in the Uk Essay Society today has become accustomed to dining out. It has become a large part of British culture according to a survey carried out by Mintel entitled ‘Evening Eating Habits in the UK’ (2005). Dining out at ethnically themed restaurants and takeaways has increased in recent years due to many different economic, social, and cultural forces. These forces vary from the presence of a more affluent society with higher expendable incomes to the increased ability to travel to exotic far away places around the world creating a consumer want for recreation in the UK of their holiday experiences which include dining out. The report also highlighted the fact that 75% of the eating out market is dominated by those eating out in the evening which equates to ? 20. 7 billion a year. This market is one that can not be ignored by those within the hospitality industry and those businesses that already experiment with exotic foods will gain the opportunity to experiment further with their menus, using higher priced ingredients to increase profit margins. Although there are many possibilities available as the trend widens it is suggested by the author that a trend alone cannot allow for increased business. Higher profit margins for more expensive ingredients will mean that the consumer will start to expect more from the restaurant or takeaway in question. Such qualities as ambience, service, food standards, variety of menu, and recreation of an experience the consumer may have had whilst on holiday may also come into the equation. Large brands such as YOsushi! are cashing in on the market trends by serving a variety of sushi dishes in a fun and friendly way. Japanese food such as sushi is often deemed as a much healthier option to over take in popularity other ethnically themed cuisine such as indian and chinese dishes (Martin, 2007). Sushi is based primarily around raw fish, rice, and vegetables (YOsushi! 2007) and therefore the author suggests that due to a more multicultural society in the UK this has lead to different ideals being set for healthier eating however it is noted by the author that although the ingredients used to make the western ideal of sushi are deemed as healthy the preparation and cooking methods may not result in an end product that is altogether free of those things seen as unhealthy due to the inauthenticity of production. Although large companies such as YOsushi!are succeeding in a very competitive business environment, how will such a shift in eating habits affect the smaller local businesses? According to Mintel (2002) one of the main reasons smaller businesses within the ethnically themed cuisine market are suffering lower profit margins is due to the lack of branded outlets, but the author suggests that this could be due to other issues such as the recent healthy eating trend which has caused many consumers to re-evaluate the content of the takeaway food that they consume therefore choosing healthier options instead. This essay will attempt to identify the reasons why a consumer will choose to dine out over eating at home, and then their reasons for choosing one hospitality venue over another. This should help to understand the growing market for ethnically themed restaurants and takeaways. The contributing economical, social, and cultural factors of increased consumption of ethnic cuisine will be explored further making suggestions to the hospitality manager on how to understand their target market therefore aiding a more profitable business. It is important for any business to understand a consumers’ motivation to buy or use a service â€Å"A motive is an internal energy giving force that directs a persons activities towards satisfying a need or achieving a goal† Dibb et al (2001, pg. 121). Before a consumer enters any hospitality venue there may be many different factors that have affected their motivation to choose that particular restaurant or takeaway over another. It may be such basic factors as location, price, and the service they are provided with once inside the establishment, choosing on this basis is known as ‘patronage motives’. For an ethnically themed restaurant or takeaway to make the most of these motives they should be aware they are around them and attempt to emphasize said factors within their personalized marketing mix. It is suggested by the author that this can be achieved with simple marketing ploys such as 2 course lunch menus, or a drink and a main course at a set price. By strategically placing the offers where the consumer will see them is more likely to attract them to try the service that is provided, and possibly provide return custom when the special offers are not available and they will choose from the full price menu instead. It is suggested by the author that this form of marketing can be applied anthropologically as the consumer will not only judge the food outlet based on the price but also on how that price fits in with the image of the food product and its connection to the time and culture it represents. A good example of strategic marketing for ethnic food is that of ‘China Town’ in London, many of the restaurants offer all you can eat buffets at low prices, and set menus that will attract many types of customers from those people wanting a quick lunch away from the office to tourists who have been attracted by the hearsay and theme of such a place (Anon, 2007). 60,000 Chinese people of diverse origins live in London there is a large network of Chinese schools and charity based community centres that offer support so that a sense of cultural identity can be passed down from one generation to the next. This sense of cultural identity may be passed down for several reasons, Auge (1995) suggests that there is some sense of fantasy where as the environment they live in was founded a long time ago expressing a group identity that they feel should at all times be defended from external and internal threats and not forgotten through the generations. Although ‘China Town’ is now seen by the local council as a tourist attraction (Anon, 2007), it was originally a safe haven for the many migrants coming to the UK in the 1960’s, many of the british soldiers that returned from war in the Far East having enjoyed Chinese cuisine founded a new loyal customer base for the cuisine in the UK and this is how that particular area of London became known as ‘China Town’ (BBC. 2007) Although China Town is now a tourist attraction it should be noted that it is also a meeting place for many Chinese people who feel a sense of community and cultural identity. Unfortunately since Westminster council started a multi million pound re-development of the area this has seen the closure of many of the smaller authentic chinese restaurants in favor of more chinese ‘themed’ restaurants that will appeal to the average tourist (Anon, 2007). It is suggested by the author that this could cause many negative issues for the cultural identity and sense of community that exists within China Town where as the authenticity and history behind such an area of London are forgotten in favor of providing the tourists with an unrealistic representation in hopes of higher profits and visitor statistics. However it is noted by the author that there has always been an element of staged authenticity in China Town because the original cultural background was replicated in the first place. Although ‘patronage’ motives play a key part in the consumer decision making process there are many other motives to consider such as the suggestion that food choices are actually part of a person’s identity for example a consumer who chooses to dine at restaurants that only use local produce is likely to be seen by other consumers as someone who is not only concerned with the food that they eat, but also where it has come from and whether it benefits their local communities economy and local identity. Local produce has over the past decade been linked to geographical, historical, political, legal, economical, social and cultural issues therefore allowing the consumer to view it as a multi faceted cultural entity. Those consumers who are concerned with choosing only local produce relates to the idea of territory, and the limitation of space while respecting the environment around them. (Auge, 1995) There are two key theorists in relation to consumer motivation Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg. Maslow believed that a persons needs are based on a hierarchy arranged with the least important factors at the bottom and the most important at the top. This arrangement starts with physiological needs followed by safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and finally self actualization. Once part of the Triangle (see appendix I) is satisfied then the consumer will move onto a fulfillment of the next level for example a man enters a chinese restaurant and eats because he is hungry then the physiological need is fulfilled, he may then go on to have a drink with friends to fulfill his esteem needs. â€Å"When that important need is satisfied, it will stop becoming a motivator, and the person will try to satisfy the next most important need† Kotler et al (2003, pg. 354). Frederick Herzberg developed Maslow’s theory and separated a persons motivators in to potential satisfiers and dissatisfiers. In Terms of Maslow and Herzberg’s theories being applied in an anthropological sense the author suggests that this refers to culture, identity and symbolism of food consumption as part of the needs felt by the consumer, furthermore esteem needs, social needs and even self-actualisation are all part of what the consumer deems part of their individual or cultural identity. For this to work a person must have enough factors that are going to satisfy them into choosing one ethnically themed restaurant over another. For a hospitality operation to put this theory to use they would need to avoid as many potential dissatisfiers as possible and concentrate on what the major satisfiers of their target market are, this may just cause the difference between a consumer choosing one restaurant over another that is just around the corner. Therefore it is suggested by the author that given the large number of decisions a consumer has to make when choosing an ethnically themed restaurant or takeaway, and the impacts that a multicultural society has on the consumer as an individual it is necessary to explore how and why consumers might influence one another to make a purchase decision based on food consumption. Firstly religious aspects of an individual within a group will play a key part in determining what food type they can consume. A child born into a family with strong religious beliefs will often take these beliefs as part of their individual identity, A good example of this is that of the consumption of ‘halal’ meat products by many muslim families throughout the UK. According to the Halal Food Authority (2007) the worship of Zibah means that animals have to be alive and healthy at the time that they are to be slaughtered, as little pain as possible must be endured by the animal during slaughter therefore a single cut is made with a sharp knife to the jugular vein. The Islamic Shari’ah religion also forbids the consumption of pork, and Halal meat must be prepared only in a situation where no pork products have been. Although there are many ethnic takeaways and smaller businesses providing halal or ‘kosher’ food, there are not many big brand names within the industry. Nando’s restaurant, a Portuguese themed food outlet, provides halal chicken in what they have branded world famous peri peri sauce. Nando’s have eased themselves into the local communities in which they reside by using the slogan â€Å"we believe in trying to make life better for all† (Nando’s, 2007). Offering local sponsorships of sports teams and supporting local charities has included the brand in a sense of community and cultural identity, it is noted by the author that the sense of community and cultural identity is referred to in a general sense rather than that of a particular local community. To continue the idea that consumers can influence one another the concept of traditional family mealtimes should be explored. Family mealtimes in the past decade would have been a time for the family to sit down, relax and enjoy each others company with a home cooked meal. In society today mealtimes are changing to meet new priorities and work patterns, and flexible eating patterns are becoming more popular as people base when they eat around their lifestyle rather than a structured day to day meal time for the whole family to adhere too. (Wright et al, 2001) It is suggested by the author that due to this shift in family unity at mealtimes less influence is being had over family group identity and a more decisive individualistic consumer will emerge instead with their own food choice preferences. However it is suggested by the author that the idea of a more individualistic consumer is more relevant to British culture and many other cultures residing within the UK may still enjoy unified meal times together as a family. In many ways it is a move forward in terms of identity and consumption of the consumer, one that the hospitality needs to be aware of to maintain a successful business. Friends and social groups can also influence one another in the food choices that they make, for example a group of friends who regularly meet up at coffee houses such as ‘Starbucks’ will adopt a coffee culture the same as that represented on popular television shows such as ‘friends’. This happens because of the regular use and social identity that is created (Food Institute, 2005). It is noted by the author that social groups that contain consumers of different cultures and backgrounds, may influence one another to desire the need to experience each others cultural identity. There are many reasons why a consumer may choose to eat out in the first place according to Cousins et al (2002, pg. 251) â€Å"If people have decided to eat out then it follows that there has been a conscious choice to do this in preference to some other course of action, in other words the food service operator has attracted a customer to buy their product as against some other product for example theatre, cinema, or simply staying at home†. Often the convenience of eating out over cooking at home will help make the decision for a consumer. Eating out means more time for relaxation, quality time with family or friends, or just a change from the norm of returning from work and cooking dinner. The increase in the number of consumers choosing to dine out follows changes that have happened over the last decade where as family identity and roles have changed, with most households having two incomes and often the women will be the primary earner whereas before the women would stay at home and perform the role of ‘housewife’. According to a recent survey (eating out and the consumer, 2007) only 8% of women see their main role as ‘family care’ compared to 15% just a decade ago, the survey also highlighted the fact that women are more concerned with healthy eating when dining out, with 76% of women agreeing compared to 41% of men. This could have an effect on the number of consumers choosing to dine at ethnically themed restaurants and takeaways as it is suggested by the author that as women are more concerned with healthy lifestyles for their families and will aim to choose an operation that can provide healthy nutrition, value for money, and good service as well as a sense of culture that is relevant to that particular family according to Mintel (2007) this will continue to be a growing factor in the choice of dining out establishments as more women seek full-time employment over the next five years. The change of roles in family lifestyles follows onto that of demographics. According to the Office for National statistics (2006) London consumers spend an average 60% more on dining out than consumers from other parts of the country such as in the North East of England. This can be seen in London with the success of ethnically themed restaurants and takeaways such as Belle Italia, Cafe Rouge, Pizza Express, and Franky and Benny’s (Tragus, 2007). Many of these franchisees can be seen throughout the country but the survey carried out by the Office for National statistics (2006) also showed that those companies who left high profit areas such as London to nationalise their brands got their ‘fingers burned’. The author suggests that this inability to mobilise a new brand into an area of the country may stem back to the area’s cultural identity based on the general perception of that culture, where as the consumer does not feel that the new brand is part of their personal identity and therefore is not part of the communities identity either. Identity can be associated with the repeat consumption of a particular restaurant or takeaway, for example a consumer who constantly eats at Chinese, Indian, and Greek takeaways may eventually adopt a fast food culture. The fact that so many people are choosing to dine out comes back to the notion that today’s society is more affluent, higher expendable incomes and more leisure time leading to a consumer that enjoys dining out on a regular basis. It is however noted that by the author that the trend for increased dining out may also relate to a new culture of ‘malaise’ whereas people are just too lazy to cook at home and therefore choose to dine out. According to Martin (2007, pg.3) â€Å"people will pay more for what they think is important, but the question for the eating-out market is what is going to be classed as really discretionary and what virtually essential? There is no sign that people will start cooking at home again, they will however most likely want better value†. The author suggests that better value can mean numerous factors such as better quality and service rather than just providing a less expensive dining experience. Therefore those ethnically themed restaurants using high quality ingredients and experimenting with menu changes towards the more exotic may find an increased custom due to the perceived ‘value’ in the consumers ideals. Many people want variety within their lifestyle, there are so many venues within the hospitality industry that offer something that a consumer may never have tried before or only experienced on holiday in a far away exotic place, this relates directly to the increased consumption of ethnically themed foods and plays a key part in attracting new customers and maintaining a loyal customer base. As mentioned earlier YOsushi! is one of the worlds most famous conveyor belt restaurants, the food is all freshly made to order and is prepared in full view of the customers. It is interesting to note that the conveyor belt restaurants in Japan are nothing more than a basic food outlet where customers can get a quick bite to eat on their way to do something else as stated by owner of London sushi bar ‘Itsu’ Mr Metcalfe (2007) also stating that the conveyor belt is a great way to get food to customers whilst saving money on staffing costs. It is suggested by the author that this shows the cultural changes that have taken place in providing the same concept in two different countries so that they both remain profitable. Japan on one hand prefer the sushi conveyor belt restaurants to be quick no fuss food where as in the UK they are somewhat staged, bringing a little piece of what the British believe to be how Japan prepare, and eat their food almost ritualistically (Metcalfe, 2007). Since opening in 1996 YOsushi!has become extremely popular, their no fuss attitude to service and the customers freedom of choice within the venue has produced a global brand â€Å"Since the first year of business (1996) YOsushi! has received approximately 300 applications per year from potential franchisees from Australia to Zurich. We realized we were on to a winning formula and that we could replicate the outstanding YOsushi! success story around the world†. Vickers (2005). It is suggested by the author that the success of ethnic brands such as YOsushi!is the effective use of consumer motivation combined with the provision of a market trend that integrates both healthy yet exotic ethnic food types. Although brands such as YOsushi! have become globalised many of the dishes that are recreated from one country to another tend to have a very different end result to its original form. This will happen for several reasons starting from simple facts as seasonality of produce to the availability of certain ingredients. for example a curry had in India is likely to look, taste, and even smell different to that of a curry in the UK such as the ‘Balti’ which is believed to have been invented in Birmingham. (Anon, 2007). Birmingham is renowned for the production of curries with around 500 venues to choose from (Anon, 2005) and has provided a steady economy for the ethnic food industry, the word ‘Balti’ when translated actually means ‘bucket’ which in earlier days would have meant an earthen dish with handles on. The Balti will identify culturally with a specific set of migrants, even though it is not an ‘authentic’ Indian dish, and residents of Birmingham and the surrounding region, therefore the author suggests that the dish has been redefined from a traditional dish to one that combines not only the ethnic roots of the inventor but also the environment that is now lived in within western society. Although the cultural identity of foods such as the Balti appear to create an economical advantage for Birmingham it has been noted that many Balti-house owners and managers spend their time constantly undercutting each other in a price war (Ram et al, 2000) making it difficult for each individual business to survive. The cultural identity of Birmingham is very much tied to the popularity of dishes such as the curry the author suggests that this may be because of the stereotypical cultural image of the traditional British friday night out, but according to Stewart (1989) less well known is that of the fish and chip shops that are Greek-Cypriot owned and add up to over 25% of Birmingham’s fish and chip shops therefore showing that Birmingham is a good example of a multicultural environment within the UK, even though it is often not perceived to be a ‘global city’ its economy is evolving in many ways through the ethnic food industry that is related to its â€Å"multiculturalism, post colonialism and the transnationalism of many of its residents† (McEwan et al, 2005) , as suggested by Bryson et al (1996) it is a â€Å"workshop of the world† that through its migratory and post colonial past is by all means a multicultural city within the UK. It is noted by the author that although Birmingham is a good example of a multicultural city within the UK there are many other cities that also benefit from a multicultural society such as Manchester and Nottingham. In conclusion there are many different factors that affect the way consumers are motivated to choose where to dine out, these have varied from patronage motives to those of cultural identity and a sense of community. Religion, Income, increased leisure time, and demographics have all played a key part in influencing consumers on their food choices, leading to a society that is more informed about what is available to them and what they want from their dining out experience. The changing roles of family life, eating patterns and the increased number of women working full time has also contributed to a society that want to enjoy their leisure time with friends and family rather than adhering to the role of women in the home that may have been present a decade ago. Ethnically themed restaurants and takeaways have enjoyed the trends that have increased the number of people dining out in the UK dramatically in the last decade, with consumers including their food choices as part of their cultural identity and also wanting to experience other cultures that are residing alongside one another within many cities in the UK. Ethnic cuisine is influencing the consumer more and more, with choices available from world wide destinations that remind the consumer of holiday experiences, alongside the perception of a ‘healthier’ food option within the rise of a much more multi-cultural society, the service of ethnically themed cuisine should continue to remain profitable to both large brands and smaller businesses within the industry as long as the hospitality managers understand their target markets motivation for buying and consumer demand remains constant.

Impact Of Tourism On Penang Island Tourism Essay

Impact Of Tourism On Penang Island Tourism Essay Introduction The students of International Tourism and Hospitality Management from SEGi University College went on a case study research at Penang Island from the 12th November to the 15th November. In these 3 three days and two nights study, the students managed to interviewed as many as 60 local residents of the state to probe and investigate on the impact of tourism towards Penang Island. Literature Review- Penang Island, A Place for Tourism and Heritage! The main reason why our study trip chose Penang Island is because of the historical sites and heritage places. Penang incorporates modernity with a touch of traditions and old world charm that is sure to captivates the heart of many tourists and travelers alike. With George Town which was recently listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site makes visiting Penang an even more eventful trip. Penang also entices the tourists with its rich and plentiful scrumptious cuisines and mouth-watering food. Home to the Baba Nyonya descendants, this beautiful state is also rich with cultures and traditions all living harmoniously under the one same roof! Penang is located at the Northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Straits of Malacca. It is the second smallest state in Malaysia right after Perlis. The name Penang is actually derived from a tree called Pokok Pinang that is widely found along the sea side of Penang Island. Generally the state of Penang could be sub divided into two geographies; the Penang Island and also the Seberang Perai. Penang which is widely made out of hilly topography has a limited low land area for development hence the land reclamation project near the coastal area. In an average day, the temperature at this place varies from 27 degree Celsius to 30 degree during the day time while the night time promises a temperature from 22 degree Celsius to 24. Since Malaysia is located on the Equator line, this place has a very high humidity and the average annual rainfall is approximately 2670 mm. All in all, the students of ITHM find that Penang Island is indeed filled with abundant of cultures and traditions that many other places in Malaysia is definitely lack off. The culture and heritage sites at these beautiful places are still intact and maintained to perfection. Tourism undeniably has change the way of life for the Penangites vastly. Here I enclosed in the Itinerary of the whole 3D2N study trip of ITHM students. (*Refer to Appendix IV) Methodology Questionnaire- Method of Data Collection During the fieldtrip to Penang on the month of November, the students of ITHM manage to compile a total of 60 pieces of questionnaires per group on the impacts of tourism on Penang Island. Local residents of Penang were informed of the survey and requested to answer 10 simple questions regarding on the issue. The questionnaire consisted of 10 questions divided into three parts: Impacts of tourism on local environment, impact of tourism on local people- socio-cultural, and impact of tourism on local economy. The answers to the questions are in the form of Yes or No and could be ticked in boxes. A total of 60 respondents were found and they agreed wholeheartedly to help us out on the mission to uncover the facts about tourism in Penang. Of the 60 respondents, the highest number of responses agreed that Tourism Penang has indeed brought about positive feedback on the economics of the state. Even though some respondents had difficulty understanding the questions given, but we manage to sort it out by slowly explaining to them on what the questions are all about. The analysis of the response was done in two ways. We divided our group member into two units, where one unit is assigned to complete the (i) 30 pieces of questionnaire by asking local hawker peoples opinion, whereas the remaining (ii) 30 pieces are distributed among the local residents whom are not working at the current moment. Nonetheless all of whom answered the questionnaire were from the local people of Penang Island. Discussion Tourism Development- Infrastructures   Unlike any other states in Malaysia, Penang is labelled as one of the leading destination in the country today and many tourists who visited Malaysia would definitely anticipate the visit to this very heritage site. The main reason why Penang has been where it is today is mainly because it also has a better and more developed infrastructure than most of the other places in the country.    Generally there are two stadiums located at Penang for the convenience of the locals as well as to attract tourists and outsiders to take part in any sports event over here. The City Stadium or more commonly known as Stadium Bandaraya Pulau Pinang is the first and oldest stadium which is still in use up till today. It was built by the British in 1932 and ever since then had become a popular spot for any football matches. The other stadium mentioned is the Penang State Stadium. This newly completed stadium back at the year 2000 has a capacity of 40, 000 spectators.    The next cutting edge design infrastructure built in Penang is none other than the Geodesic Dome located at Komtar.   This progressive and advance looking dome is a multipurpose hall used for official functions, performances, states events and many other event purposes. The design of this dome comes from the concept study by R. Buckminster Fuller who is the master mind behind this partial-spherical structure. The main entrance to this dome is through the level five roof top which only makes it even more appealing to the tourists and visitors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In terms of highways infrastructure, Penang is certainly quite commendable as well. Highways such as the Bayan Lepas Elevated Highway, Jelutong Expressway and Butterworth Outer Ring Road are the few expressways constructed for the convenience of the automobile users. And let us not forget about the advanced-looking Penang international airport. The Penang International Airport (PEN) is the main airport for the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. At present, the airlines flying to the Penang International Airport includes AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Firefly, Jetstar Asia, China Southern Airlines, Kartika Airlines, Lion Air, Malaysia Airlines, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Sriwijaya Air, Thai Airways and Tiger Airways. This airport is also known as the fourth biggest airport in Malaysia after KLIA, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Kuching International Airport. It has also been awarded as the Airport of the Year for 20 09 Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defence for airports for the category of below 15-million-passenger. Economic Impact of Tourism The main economic development in Penang would most certainly relies on the tourism sector as it turns out that this sector yield major contribution towards the income and financial growth of the state. Based on the record by the Tourism Ministry, Penang has recorded a 40 per cent increase in the number of international tourist arrivals between January and June this year (2010). There were 405,932 tourists up till June, as compared to 244,146 in the same period last year. Of the tourist arrivals, Indonesians topped the list at over 92,000, followed by Singaporeans (51,392), China (16,000), Australia, Japan, Latin America and India (12,000 each), United States (10,000) and Middle East countries (1,360). The economic benefits of tourism were readily acknowledged by research participants in this study. Nearly everyone interviewed agreed that tourism led to the creation of jobs and it somewhat turns out to be the main source of income for most of the family as well. Residents of the communities commented that tourism often brings about positive feedbacks on the economics of the state and the standard of living too. A resident of the local neighbouring town said that, Without tourism, the economy would be stagnant. Another resident also noted, With the existence of tourism in Penang, we get to enjoy many top notch facilities and infrastructures such as the better public transportation system and the Penang stadium. For some there was a sense of certainty about the likelihood of tourism flourishing in this state. With so many demands from tourists all over the world, regardless of domestic or international, many believed that tourism was expected to take place whether or not local reside nts desired it. The Swettenham Cruise Terminal which was recently redevelopment has added an extra entry point into the island. Based on the statistic from Penang Economics Monthly April 2010 Issue 4.10, it states that in year 2009, a total of 680, 000 cruise passengers are recorded to have arrived in Penang. It has been estimated that this year at least 890, 000 numbers of tourists will turn up. The average cruise passenger spends anywhere between US$85 (rm280) to US$115 (rm350) a day when they come on land. Thats not bad considering they are in Penang for less than 12 hours. Penangs the perfect destination for cruise passengers with limited time, the minute they step off the pier, theyre already in a World Heritage Site, said Battistotti, PGT director, who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (Penang chapter) and the General Manager of G Hotel. Another factor that contributes to Penangs thriving economic from the tourism sector is no doubt the Tourism Malaysias active courtship of the Middle Eastern market. It has been clear that 11th September incidence is a significant factor influencing the increase of Middle Eastern tourist arrivals to Malaysia. There are however other factors such as tourist expenses in Malaysia, tourist income, travelling expenses and the standard of living in this country that affect vastly on the number of tourists arrivals as well. Based on the work done by Norlida Hanim Mohd Salleh (2010, pp. 37-52), she mention that, The importance of the Middle East tourists to the Malaysian tourism industry can be viewed from several indicators such as number of tourist arrivals, tourism receipts, the average length of stay and potential of future tourism market. She also mentioned that the average spending of the Middle Easterners have a higher purchasing power than other tourists over here. According to the c ase study, the average expenditure of the Middle Easterners was RM3, 503 during the year 2003 whereas tourists from other places only spent RM2, 013. In general, tourism has a variety of economic impact on the Penang Island. All these could be explained using the Multiplier Effects Theory. From the work done by Daniel J. Stynes (1997, pp. 11-14), he mentioned that; The most direct effects occur within the primary tourism sectors lodging, restaurants, transportation, amusements, and retail trade. Through secondary effects, tourism affects most sectors of the economy The study might use a sales multiplier of 2.0 to indicate that each dollar of direct sales generates another dollar in secondary sales in this region. This clearly shows us that tourism the main the effect of this Multiplier theory where with tourism it brings about the development of other industries as well such as restaurants, shopping malls, and theme parks. However there are still numerous negative impacts of tourism for Penang Island. For one, a country that relies on tourism industry alone as their main source of revenue could be risky and dangerous. Economic dependence should always be versatile and all-rounded in order for a state to prosper and flourish. This is because tourism business is very seasonal. During peak season, tourist arrivals will increase tremendously especially during the year end period. Conversely the number of tourist will dropped drastically during off-peak season. And this can post immerse danger to the states wellbeing as it might create a high rate of unemployment. Environment Impacts of Tourism    It is important to understand that although tourism has boosted the economics of Penang vastly but one shall never forget on the value of the environment and natural habitat of the very island. For what we know, land is a very scarce resource in Penang Island. This is mainly due to the fact that Penang is largely made up of hilly topography and most of the low land area has already been accommodated and developed.    Based on the research done by Ngai Weng Chan (1998, pp: 305-318), he also mentioned that the efforts at industrialization and the development of other economic sectors had bring about the improvement of the states urbanization. Unfortunately this had also caused greater pressure on the land usage. As a result, the Government act upon on the land reclamation as a solution but it is still not enough to satisfy the high demand for land in the island. At present, many developers have already resort to the remaining hill land and also the reclamation area on the island for their next huge projects. Example of such project would be the Waterfront City Project (*refer to appendix I), which represents one of the highest proportions of leisure-based services anywhere in South East Asia. Promising as it may seem, this project which is to be built on the 338 acres of reclaimed land along Penangs eastern coastline will majorly impact on the condition and status of the islands wellbeing. To begin with, placing fill in a reclamation area could disturb the water quality of the adjoining sea as well as threatening the flourishing existence of fish stocks and habitats found in coastal seas and connecting lochs and lagoons. Another example of project built without the heed and consideration of the environmental issues would be the Tanjung Bungah suburb which is situated between Georgetown and Batu Ferringhi. This village was built at the hill land areas which could post many dangers to the environment and also on the inhabitants over there. Based on the journal written by Adrian M. Steinberg (2010, pp. 318-340), he mentioned that, There are many environment risk by project at hill site areas in Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi. Tanjung Bungah used to be a peaceful village only lodged by small groups of families and fishermen. However over the years, many huge corporate chose this very spot to build commercial buildings for tourism purposes. Example of these recreational structures includes the Tanjung Bungah Floating Mosque and also the Penang Water Sport Centres. Hence, the quality of the sea water deteriorates due to the discharge of raw sewage and the resulting pollution makes it a breeding ground for jelly fish. As a result, the sea all along the northern belt is no longer suitable for swimming anymore.   Penang Hill which is another famous tourist destination spot is an example of tourism development at hill land area. Located high above the land, Penang Hill is perfect as a holiday sanctuary due to the breezy and cooler environment. The state Government permitted this development because it brings forth higher monetary and fiscal policy to the states economy. Based on another case study by Ngai Weng Chan (1998, pp. 14-27), he mentioned that, Massive hill development, especially the clearing of vegetation and the cutting of hill slopes will bring about increased and accelerated run-off, increased soil erosion and a high probability of landslips and landslides. In the event of heavy rainfall, such as that which coincided with Tropical Storm Ryan on 18 September 1995, landslips and landslides would occur. In fact, a total of about 60 landslides were reported along roads on Penang Hill and its vicinity after the heavy rainfall during the above storm. This clearly shows that without a proper planning and preparation, many inadvertent events might occur. Paya Terubong used to be a predominantly agriculture area. As the years gone by, it slowly turns into a working-class neighbourhood in the central part of Penang Island. Based on a case study by Ngai Weng Chan (1998, pp. 14-27), he found that there is a total of 60 landslides reported along the roads of Penang Hill after the destructive Tropical Storm Ryan which happened back at 18 September 1995. Landslides not only harm the residents of an area but, in fact, it post tremendous dangers to motorists as well. In addition, it might pollute the river and in long-term run, may results in flood at low land area. The massive expansion project at Paya Terubong is the most apparent example of hill land development at Penang which is rather an impulsive and foolish action. The project which mostly accentuate on housing, infrastructure and a new township is actually one of the main tourist attraction at Penang Island at current. According to the Malaysian Law however, hill land with slopes of more than 20 degrees should be safeguard and conserved in its natural state, generally as a forest reserves. Ngai also stated in his case study that the Paya Terubong hill land development is a major failure of the state island by saying, According to the Consumer Association of Penang (in its April 1996 issue), the Paya Terubong housing project is an invitation to a disaster, possibly comparing the Majestic Heights as similar to the Highland Towers which collapsed in 1993. Soon after this report, the extensive mudflows occurred in early May 1996. Chan (1997) has demonstrated how rapid development on the hill slopes of the Paya Terubong valley in Penang has given rise to landslides, mudflows, sedimentation of rivers and downstream flooding. (*refer to Appendix II) Culture and Heritage Impacts of Tourism Even though the official religion of the country and state is Islam, the residents in Penang are all given the freedom and rights to follow on their personal beliefs. Buddhism is still the main religion over here. As such, the Peranakan or more commonly known as the Baba Nyonyas made 5% out of the 2 million residents of Penang. The Baba Nyonya is actually a descendent of the Chinese immigrants who partially adopt Malay customs with a touch of Chinese as well. This made the Penang Island rich with an abundant of cultures and traditions. For Penang Global Tourisms (PGT) new managing director Ooi Geok Ling, she exclaimed that if she were to describe Penang as a dish, she would go for the Rojak; All the individual fruits and veggies retain their individualism, and the rojak sauce brings everything together. This is what makes Penang so unique, our diversity and our pride in being Penangites. This clearly indicates that Penang has a presence of people from so many ethnicities and religions living together in harmony. All these could be reflected in the many festivities that are being celebrated throughout the year, ranging from the Chinese New Year to the Indian Festival, Thaipusam. Besides, Pesta Pulau Penang which is an annual carnival event makes the city all vibrant and vivacious. Besides that, Penang is also famous with the Dragon Boat Festival. Since 1979, it has been a culture to hold the International Dragon Boat Festival over the Teluk Bahang Dam. Besides attracting international tourists during the period of this event, this amazing festival also strengthens and tightens the bonds between the each and every citizen. Another remarkable festival held yearly over this state would none other be the Chingay Festival. This interesting event which all started back at 1919 to celebrate on the birthday of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy displays a wonderful act of skill in the form of a procession. (*refer to Appendix III) George Towns entry into the Unesco World Heritage Sites listing is a big recognition of Penangs unique history. This big recognition was declared back at July 2008. George Town which was one if the first British colonies to be established back many years ago is indeed filled with many historical sites. Besides that, Penang is also famous for many other historical sites that some even dated back at centuries ago. All these factors contributed to the rising numbers of tourist arrivals into the state regardless of domestic or non-domestic. Conclusion After all the investigations done on the impact of tourism on Penang Island, we found that tourism has indefinitely brought about many changes to the used-to-be-peaceful island. The most apparent changes would definitely be on the environment of the island. Noted as one of the best and most relaxing destination in Malaysia, Penang was once a very serene and calming place to holiday at. Currently however, many unplanned and unorganized development had cause many environment degradation. In terms of states economic, there is no doubt that tourism plays a major role in sustaining the monetary of the country. Tourism brings positive impact on economy by providing more job employment for the local peoples. With proper action and care from the Government and the residents of the state. Penang will definitely continue to flourish and blossom into a more majestic and magnificent state in Malaysia!

Marketing Management of Nokia

Marketing Management of Nokia Dr. Jim McCleskey Introduction    Nokia is a Finnish corporation, which is founded in 1865. At beginning they started as a ground wood pulp mill. In 1967 this Corporation was founded by merging the companies. In 1978 it has started to explore digital phone network. Mobile network was founded in Scandinavia in 1981; which was initially for car phones. In 1994 Nokia introduce the 2100 series, whose sell 20million phones around world. Up to 1998 Nokia became world leader in mobile phones market. From 1996 to 2001 Nokias turnover increases from  £6.5bn to  £31bn. Nokia introduces first mobile phone with a built-in camera in 2001, called Nokia 7650. After a year Nokia launches its first 3G phones, Nokia 6650. 3G technology phones can be used for browsing web, download music, watch TV and much more. Overview of the Case Nokia entered India market with services of mobile phones in 1995. It was leading name for cell phones in India working with an aim to connect people. Indias telecom sector opened up to private companies after a year Nokia entered to the market. Nokia made giant assembly plant of Vis and component suppliers, by hand with cheap labor, 8000 full time jobs out of a figure of 30.000 mostly women were hired (MNSambit, 2010). First Indian ringtone Saare Jahan Se Accha- was on the phones in 1998. As we all know India is the 2nd most populated country in the world so we can understand why Nokia choose to be in that market. In 2000 Nokia introduced its first phone with a user menu in Hindi, in Nokia 3210. In 2002 Nokia introduced their first camera phone for Indian customers. So Nokia was absolutely determined about dominating the telephone sector in India. For the latest information about the mobile subscribers that we can find out is that there were 500 million subscribers in India. Mobile phone sector in India is gigantic with 118 million mobile users and 85 million of this users are Nokia users. While reaching this amount of users Nokia didnt just stay in only one sector they did wire cables, rubber works, in-house electrical device and etc. this helped them to extend all-over the world. Marketing Issues and Concepts Nokia was directly concentrating on the Rural India. The total targeted population they estimated were almost 100 million. The users were commonly males. But female users were also not commonly less. The users of the Nokia phone was aged between 25 and 50, which is the segment that makes up 80% of the Nokia mobile phone market. Nokia targeted to stay in the market for more than 30 years. But as we know the era of Smartphones appeared. So teenagers and mostly business class people start to ask for something different and something new. Nokias decline starts when its rivals arrives in 2004 on arrival of smartphones, Nokia 9210 was the first mobile phone with an organizer. Nokia developed the mobile phones with Symbian OS, with which capabilities were expended. But Apple came up with IOS on their IPhones; which brought new definition to smartphone. Apple introduced iPhone in a way like minicomputer that could make phone calls. Nokia didnt upgrade their phones like the iPhone and still u sing Symbian OS. Nokias market shares move more downwards when Samsung came into market with their smartphones. At that period Nokia didnt do anything to change itself. Nokia was sticking with the old version of mobile phones that were mainly about calling people. Nokia was unable to notice that they were just making some updates about checking e-mail, surfing and on messaging. In 2011 Nokia has united with Microsoft. The new Windows Phone was going to replace the Symbian OS with smartphones. It was estimated that the union would make Microsofts Windows Phone a stronger rival against iOS and Android. This new phone by Nokia was called Lumia line. Lumia line sale was increased more than 1 million before 26 January 2012. Continuously in second quarter sales reached up to 5.4 million Windows Phones. The sales of the Lumia line went up, in the second quarter of 2013 Nokia announced that Lumia sales were 7.4 million, which was a new record for Nokia. In 2013 Nokia get back to profit afte r a series of losses, Microsoft buys Nokias handset business for  £5.44bn. Nokia not only failed to realize competition from Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Blackberry in high end smartphones, they also failed to notice the stiff competition in the lower segments of phone (KaranKamboj, 2014). We can easily say that, Nokia dramatically lost its place on market share. The less you keep up with the case the less you live. Even if they had the slogan of Know our Past, Create the Future they couldnt figure-out the consequences of ignoring the Smartphones and they couldnt create their future. Questions Should Nokia pursue full market coverage, market specialization, product specialization, selective specialization, or single-segment concentration? Why? According to Forbes newspaper Nokia has been losing its market share in a faster rate. In 2009 Nokias market share in India was 54% and it declined to 36.3 % in middle of 2010. With this decline the market share dropped to 20% in 2016 (Trefis Team, 2016). Nokia has tried to keep its market share by a product specialization inventing dual SIM card system. As a result, cell phones with dual SIM card become very popular till the smart phone invention. Nokia had limited social networking system or smart phone industry system which caused rivals to increase their market share in India. Therefore, Nokia should concentrate more on below marketing. Single-segment concentration will not be enough to compete with others. Product specialization, selective specialization- in order compete with other carrier Nokia needs to increase social networking feature. Market specialization- Nokia has been inventing its tools to different demographic groups. Providing icon-based menu consisting of pictures and Hindi SMS Saral Mobile Sandesh. Full market coverage- since entrance to Indian market Nokia has been widely working with telecommunication to use the network. Should Nokia provide post-purchase service by identifying the service that consumers value the most, and the relative importance of each? Any marketing need to provide post-purchase service/s in order to know what consumers value. Nokia has been opened Nokia Priority Dealers across the country and Nokia Concept Stores. Would technological convergence lead to technological obsolescence? Any technological convergence lead to technological improvement to Nokia. Since other competitors/rivals Samsung and Apple by adding a new and improved technological convergence tools they have been increasing their market shares. For instance, social networking system. Will responding to heightened competition with a number of models lead to product cannibalization in Nokia? Since day by day a competition is increasing tremendously, therefore Nokia has been introducing new models of handsets such as Lumia, Asha, Nokia X, Nokia E series to respond to high demand of consumers. However, all series have their different profit margin. In order to compete and increase its market share Nokia needs a technologic cannibalization more often and balanced. Conclusion Nokia has been an industry leader for many years however the market has changed quickly and Nokia must right itself. There is a significant risk for Microsoft it should deliver a world class OS or otherwise the customers will turn to Apple and Android.(MNSumbit,2010) When Nokia had a scenario and tried to increase their market share on a Lumia series they aimed to stand on market for a long duration. And Lumia series was Nokias appliance to challenge with smartphone market. But Nokia didnt respond on time and get late to introduce Lumia series, if they would respond on time, in 2007 or 2008, they would have a greater market share as compared to its existing position. But Nokias market share will grow because Nokia is introducing smartphones of substantial quality for almost every budget. e.g. Nokia Lumia 520 is a cheap smartphone, which can do everything unlike expensive Lumia. But its features are of less quality. Samsung brings a wide range of smartphones in market to increase their market share. Samsung is going to capture market with their different models. Nokia is also supposed to use that strategy to increase their market share; produce every budget Lumia versions of the consumer. Nokia still needs to compete with the recent and future tre nds. If not they are not going to adjust with the market they will make loses as we learned from the history. References Mishra,S. (2010). Nokia Case Study [PPT format]. Retrieved from http:// http://www.slideshare.net/mnsambit/nokia-case-study-52866723?next_slideshow=1 Kamboj,K. (2014). Failure of Nokia [PPT format]. Retrieved from http:// http://www.slideshare.net/karankamboj313/failure-of-nokia Raghavan Srinivasan, S., Ramakrishnan, S., & Grasman, S. E. (2005). Marketing intelligence. Kapil Nayan, K., Mukherjee, J. (2011). Case Studies in Marketing. Team T., (2016). Great Speculations.

Essay --

Richard Wright and William Faulkner both examine the psychologies of excluded members of society. While in Native Son, Wright studies someone oppressed and downtrodden beneath society, Faulkner looks at a family of outsiders cast far away from a common community in As I Lay Dying. For both, a central question becomes the function of their characters’ minds in relation to one another, and to reality. Through different approaches, both Wright and Faulkner conduct modernist explorations of the social outcast’s interiority. To accomplish this, each author’s narrative voice traverses the gradient from realism to experimental fragmentation, Wright constructing a vertical consciousness, articulate and omniscient regarding Bigger’s psychological world, and Faulkner accessing a horizontal one, mostly illustrating the Bundren’s surface thoughts and emotions. In Native Son, Wright’s principally naturalistic style, momentarily interrupted by rebellious points of fragmented, modernist language, reflects in form Bigger’s overwhelming repression throughout the novel and his liberating moments of agency. The naturalism contributes to a narrative voice that can articulate Bigger’s fears, impulses, and desires with much greater sophistication than Bigger himself is capable of. This allows Wright to explore Bigger’s consciousness in a vertical manner, omnisciently understanding emotional mechanisms not apparent to Bigger. It is as though we are looking narrowly down at Bigger, and through him. While the narrative voice sees that Bigger’s violent mood swings are the result of his frustrated potential in a segregated society, Bigger only knows these moods as â€Å"the rhythms of his life... ebbing and flowing from the tug of a far-away, invisible force† (... ...ngs their interior lives into such vivid relief that it suggests inadequate or meaningless external existences. For the Bundren’s, such vivid interiors, without constrictions, seem to suffer from lack of compression, while for Bigger, extreme downward pressure on his psyche makes him a volatile character. By exploring this outcast’s interiority through a vertical consciousness, Wright has proven the dangerous lack of agency a young black man has, in segregated Chicago, even over his own actions. Faulkner, by exploring the Bundren’s interior life through a horizontal consciousness, has proven their lack of agency in a different way. They have control over their actions, but their actions, overshadowed, seem to have no affects. By either being oppressed or ignored, both groups of people have damaged consciousnesses, in which they nevertheless discover some relief.