Best/Worst Experience in Modern Communication Essay

l rather than physical presence or written/printed channel. The best experience I’ve had communicating electronically was via e-mail. Last year in March, I went back to Israel to visit my family for a few weeks. Doing so each year is very hard on the family I leave behind, taking care of the everyday life without me around. My husband and I got to talk on the phone once or twice a day, but never too long due to the facts of the surrounding aspects (such as: noise, people that came to see me, and so on). Our landlord decided to sell his house and gave us one month notice as was written in the contract. We only had one month to find another place to live with 3 kids, while I was in Israel for the next 2 weeks. This was a very positive experience for my husband and I. It enabled us to communicate with each other and our realtor via the e-mail. If not for the e-mail options, I couldn’t have done what I succeed to do. I e-mailed each day to our realtor, knowing I can’t communicate with him with the 10 hours difference between us. He sent me houses to look for in the e-mails, and I e-mailed him what I liked and what not. The e-mail availability gave us the option to manage the issue from a distance, without being scared and cancel the visit with my extended family. Channels are the mediums that carry messages between communicators. (Dobkin-Pace, 2006). Worst experience I have had communicating in an electronic/computer communication channel rather than physical presence or written/printed channel. It happened in Canada 5 years ago. I was working in the Jewish community center as an event planner for the center. I was doing my daily tasks when suddenly I looked at my inbox and saw that I have an e-mail from the CEO. I looked at the e-mail and saw that she decided to cancel an event that I worked so hard on, with no reason. To me it felt so wrong and with no feelings. I felt so upset and thought to myself that this should have been done face to face and not through e-mail. She might have had her own reasons to why she did it, and she might have done the right decision.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (United States) In the U. S. , generally accepted accounting principles, commonly abbreviated as US GAAP or simply GAAP, are accounting rules used to prepare, present, and report financial statements for a wide variety of entities, including publicly-traded and privately-held companies, non-profit organizations, and governments. Generally GAAP includes local applicable Accounting Framework, related accounting law, rules and Accounting Standard.Similar to many other countries practicing under the common law system, the United States government does not directly set accounting standards, in the belief that the private sector has better knowledge and resources. US GAAP is not written in law, although the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that it be followed in financial reporting by publicly-traded companies. Currently, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the highest authority in establishing generally accepte d accounting principles for public and private companies, as well as non-profit entities.For local and state governments, GAAP is determined by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), which operates under a set of assumptions, principles, and constraints, different from those of standard private-sector GAAP. Financial reporting in federal government entities is regulated by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). The US GAAP provisions differ somewhat from International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), though former SEC Chairman Chris Cox set out a timetable for all U. S. ompanies to drop GAAP by 2016, with the largest companies switching to IFRS as early as 2009 Basic objectives Financial reporting should provide information that is: †¢useful to present to potential investors and creditors and other users in making rational investment, credit, and other financial decisions. †¢helpful to present to potential investors and creditors and oth er users in assessing the amounts, timing, and uncertainty of prospective cash receipts. †¢about economic resources, the claims to those resources, and the changes in them. [edit] Basic conceptsTo achieve basic objectives and implement fundamental qualities GAAP has four basic assumptions, four basic principles, and four basic constraints. [edit] Assumptions †¢Accounting Entity: assumes that the business is separate from its owners or other businesses. Revenue and expense should be kept separate from personal expenses. †¢Going Concern: assumes that the business will be in operation indefinitely. This validates the methods of asset capitalization, depreciation, and amortization. Only when liquidation is certain this assumption is not applicable. †¢Monetary Unit principle: assumes a stable currency is going to be the unit of record.The FASB accepts the nominal value of the US Dollar as the monetary unit of record unadjusted for inflation. †¢The Time-period pri nciple implies that the economic activities of an enterprise can be divided into artificial time periods. [edit] Principles †¢Cost principle requires companies to account and report based on acquisition costs rather than fair market value for most assets and liabilities. This principle provides information that is reliable (removing opportunity to provide subjective and potentially biased market values), but not very relevant.Thus there is a trend to use fair values. Most debts and securities are now reported at market values. †¢Revenue principle requires companies to record when revenue is (1) realized or realizable and (2) earned, not when cash is received. This way of accounting is called accrual basis accounting. †¢Matching principle. Expenses have to be matched with revenues as long as it is reasonable to do so. Expenses are recognized not when the work is performed, or when a product is produced, but when the work or the product actually makes its contribution t o revenue.Only if no connection with revenue can be established, cost may be charged as expenses to the current period (e. g. office salaries and other administrative expenses). This principle allows greater evaluation of actual profitability and performance (shows how much was spent to earn revenue). Depreciation and Cost of Goods Sold are good examples of application of this principle. †¢Disclosure principle. Amount and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on trade-off analysis as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare and use.Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. Information is presented in the main body of financial statements, in the notes or as supplementary information [edit] Constraints †¢Objectivity principle: the company financial statements provided by the accountants should be based on objective evidence. †¢Materiality principle: the significance of an item should be consid ered when it is reported. An item is considered significant when it would affect the decision of a reasonable individual. Consistency principle: It means that the company uses the same accounting principles and methods from year to year. †¢Prudence principle: when choosing between two solutions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be picked (see convention of conservatism). Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (UK) The Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in the UK, or UK GAAP, are the overall body of regulation establishing how company accounts must be prepared in the United Kingdom. This includes not only accounting standards, but also UK company law.What is referred to elsewhere as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is in the UK referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. [edit] History Accounting standards derive from a number of sources. The chief standard-setter is the Accounting Standards Board (ASB), which issue s standards called Financial Reporting Standards (FRS). The ASB is part of the Financial Reporting Council, an independent regulator funded by a levy on listed companies[1], and it replaced the Accounting Standards Committee (ASC), which was disbanded in 1990 following a number of criticisms of its work.To the extent that the ASC's pronouncements, known as Statements of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs), have not been replaced by FRS, they remain in force. [edit] Creation/Revision of Standards The ASB has a formal exposure process for proposed standards. Early concepts are issued as Discussion Papers. These are released to the public and comments invited. Where a new standard is to be proposed, a Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (FRED) is released for comment. The standard in final form is only issued when comments have been incorporated or addressed.This aims to address the criticisms levelled at the ASC, whose comment process was less rigorous. Issues that require an immediat e solution are considered by the Urgent Issues Task Force (UITF). The UITF comprises a number of senior figures from industry and accounting firms. It meets as necessary to consider pressing issues and issues Abstracts which become binding immediately. [edit] Legislation The principal legislation governing reporting in the UK is laid down in the Companies Act 2006, which incorporates the requirements of European law.The Companies Act sets out certain minimum reporting requirements for companies and, for example, requires limited companies to file their accounts with the Registrar of Companies who makes them available to the general public. From 2005, this framework changed as a result of European law requiring that all listed European companies report under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). In the UK, companies which are not listed have the option to report either under IFRSs or under UK GAAP[2].Recently issued UK FRSs have, in any case replicated the wording of c orresponding IFRSs, reducing the differences between the two sets of standards significantly. China Accounting Standards From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Chinese Accounting Standards) Jump to: navigation, search Chinese accounting standards are the accounting rules used in Chinese state owned corporations in mainland China. They are currently being phased out in favour of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or International Accounting Standards.As of February 2010, the Chinese Accounting Standard Systems is composed of Basic Standard, 38 specific standards and Application Guidance. Chinese accounting standards are unique because they originated in a socialist period in which the state was the sole owner of industry. Therefore unlike Western accounting standards, they are less a tool of profit and loss and an inventory of assets available to a company. In contrast to a Western balance sheet, Chinese accounting standards do not include an accounting of the d ebts that a corporation holds, and are less suitable for management control than for accounting for tax purposes.This system of accounting is widely considered to be unsuitable for managing corporations in a market economy. As a result, Chinese corporations are gradually moving toward International Financial Reporting Standards. This has proven to be a massive undertaking. As a consequence Chinese companies who offer shares for sale in the United States used to be required to prepare three sets of statements, one using Chinese accounting standards (China GAAP), one using international standards (IFRS), and one using North American GAAP standards (US GAAP).However, since 2008 the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allows foreign private issuers to use financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. [1] However, in recent years, The Finance Department of Chinese Government has issued new Chinese Accounting Standards which converge into IFRS and the similarity is alm ost 90-95%. The translation cost has been reduced greatly because of this measure Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (United States) In the U. S. , generally accepted accounting principles, commonly abbreviated as US GAAP or simply GAAP, are accounting rules used to prepare, present, and report financial statements for a wide variety of entities, including publicly-traded and privately-held companies, non-profit organizations, and governments. Generally GAAP includes local applicable Accounting Framework, related accounting law, rules and Accounting Standard.Similar to many other countries practicing under the common law system, the United States government does not directly set accounting standards, in the belief that the private sector has better knowledge and resources. US GAAP is not written in law, although the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that it be followed in financial reporting by publicly-traded companies. Currently, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is the highest authority in establishing generally accepte d accounting principles for public and private companies, as well as non-profit entities.For local and state governments, GAAP is determined by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), which operates under a set of assumptions, principles, and constraints, different from those of standard private-sector GAAP. Financial reporting in federal government entities is regulated by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). The US GAAP provisions differ somewhat from International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), though former SEC Chairman Chris Cox set out a timetable for all U. S. ompanies to drop GAAP by 2016, with the largest companies switching to IFRS as early as 2009 Basic objectives Financial reporting should provide information that is: †¢useful to present to potential investors and creditors and other users in making rational investment, credit, and other financial decisions. †¢helpful to present to potential investors and creditors and oth er users in assessing the amounts, timing, and uncertainty of prospective cash receipts. †¢about economic resources, the claims to those resources, and the changes in them. [edit] Basic conceptsTo achieve basic objectives and implement fundamental qualities GAAP has four basic assumptions, four basic principles, and four basic constraints. [edit] Assumptions †¢Accounting Entity: assumes that the business is separate from its owners or other businesses. Revenue and expense should be kept separate from personal expenses. †¢Going Concern: assumes that the business will be in operation indefinitely. This validates the methods of asset capitalization, depreciation, and amortization. Only when liquidation is certain this assumption is not applicable. †¢Monetary Unit principle: assumes a stable currency is going to be the unit of record.The FASB accepts the nominal value of the US Dollar as the monetary unit of record unadjusted for inflation. †¢The Time-period pri nciple implies that the economic activities of an enterprise can be divided into artificial time periods. [edit] Principles †¢Cost principle requires companies to account and report based on acquisition costs rather than fair market value for most assets and liabilities. This principle provides information that is reliable (removing opportunity to provide subjective and potentially biased market values), but not very relevant.Thus there is a trend to use fair values. Most debts and securities are now reported at market values. †¢Revenue principle requires companies to record when revenue is (1) realized or realizable and (2) earned, not when cash is received. This way of accounting is called accrual basis accounting. †¢Matching principle. Expenses have to be matched with revenues as long as it is reasonable to do so. Expenses are recognized not when the work is performed, or when a product is produced, but when the work or the product actually makes its contribution t o revenue.Only if no connection with revenue can be established, cost may be charged as expenses to the current period (e. g. office salaries and other administrative expenses). This principle allows greater evaluation of actual profitability and performance (shows how much was spent to earn revenue). Depreciation and Cost of Goods Sold are good examples of application of this principle. †¢Disclosure principle. Amount and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on trade-off analysis as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare and use.Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. Information is presented in the main body of financial statements, in the notes or as supplementary information [edit] Constraints †¢Objectivity principle: the company financial statements provided by the accountants should be based on objective evidence. †¢Materiality principle: the significance of an item should be consid ered when it is reported. An item is considered significant when it would affect the decision of a reasonable individual. Consistency principle: It means that the company uses the same accounting principles and methods from year to year. †¢Prudence principle: when choosing between two solutions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be picked (see convention of conservatism). Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (UK) The Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in the UK, or UK GAAP, are the overall body of regulation establishing how company accounts must be prepared in the United Kingdom. This includes not only accounting standards, but also UK company law.What is referred to elsewhere as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is in the UK referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. [edit] History Accounting standards derive from a number of sources. The chief standard-setter is the Accounting Standards Board (ASB), which issue s standards called Financial Reporting Standards (FRS). The ASB is part of the Financial Reporting Council, an independent regulator funded by a levy on listed companies[1], and it replaced the Accounting Standards Committee (ASC), which was disbanded in 1990 following a number of criticisms of its work.To the extent that the ASC's pronouncements, known as Statements of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs), have not been replaced by FRS, they remain in force. [edit] Creation/Revision of Standards The ASB has a formal exposure process for proposed standards. Early concepts are issued as Discussion Papers. These are released to the public and comments invited. Where a new standard is to be proposed, a Financial Reporting Exposure Draft (FRED) is released for comment. The standard in final form is only issued when comments have been incorporated or addressed.This aims to address the criticisms levelled at the ASC, whose comment process was less rigorous. Issues that require an immediat e solution are considered by the Urgent Issues Task Force (UITF). The UITF comprises a number of senior figures from industry and accounting firms. It meets as necessary to consider pressing issues and issues Abstracts which become binding immediately. [edit] Legislation The principal legislation governing reporting in the UK is laid down in the Companies Act 2006, which incorporates the requirements of European law.The Companies Act sets out certain minimum reporting requirements for companies and, for example, requires limited companies to file their accounts with the Registrar of Companies who makes them available to the general public. From 2005, this framework changed as a result of European law requiring that all listed European companies report under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). In the UK, companies which are not listed have the option to report either under IFRSs or under UK GAAP[2].Recently issued UK FRSs have, in any case replicated the wording of c orresponding IFRSs, reducing the differences between the two sets of standards significantly. China Accounting Standards From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Chinese Accounting Standards) Jump to: navigation, search Chinese accounting standards are the accounting rules used in Chinese state owned corporations in mainland China. They are currently being phased out in favour of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or International Accounting Standards.As of February 2010, the Chinese Accounting Standard Systems is composed of Basic Standard, 38 specific standards and Application Guidance. Chinese accounting standards are unique because they originated in a socialist period in which the state was the sole owner of industry. Therefore unlike Western accounting standards, they are less a tool of profit and loss and an inventory of assets available to a company. In contrast to a Western balance sheet, Chinese accounting standards do not include an accounting of the d ebts that a corporation holds, and are less suitable for management control than for accounting for tax purposes.This system of accounting is widely considered to be unsuitable for managing corporations in a market economy. As a result, Chinese corporations are gradually moving toward International Financial Reporting Standards. This has proven to be a massive undertaking. As a consequence Chinese companies who offer shares for sale in the United States used to be required to prepare three sets of statements, one using Chinese accounting standards (China GAAP), one using international standards (IFRS), and one using North American GAAP standards (US GAAP).However, since 2008 the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allows foreign private issuers to use financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. [1] However, in recent years, The Finance Department of Chinese Government has issued new Chinese Accounting Standards which converge into IFRS and the similarity is alm ost 90-95%. The translation cost has been reduced greatly because of this measure Generally Accepted Accounting Principles A corporation must use the same depreciation method for tax and financial reporting purposes. Must use different depreciation methods for tax and financial reporting may use different depreciation methods for tax and financial reporting must use different (than for tax purposes), but strictly mandated, depreciation methods for financial reporting purposes. 1 points Question 2 1 . Allocation of the historic costs of fixed assets against the annual revenue they generate is called net profits. Gross profits. Depreciation. Amortization. 1 points Question 3 1 .Given the financial manager's preference for faster receipt of cash flows, a longer depreciable life is preferred to a shorter one. A shorter depreciable life is preferred to a longer one. The manager is not concerned with depreciable lives, because depreciation is a non-cash expense. The manager is not concerned with depreciable lives, because once purchased, depreciation is considered a sunk cost. 1 points Question 4 1 . The Modif ied Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACROS) is a depreciation method used for tax financial reporting managerial cost accounting Question 5 .The depreciable life of an asset is of concern to the financial manager. In general, a longer depreciable life is preferred, because it will result in a faster receipt Of cash flows. A shorter depreciable life is preferred, because it will result in a faster receipt of cash flows. A shorter depreciable life is preferred, because management can then purchase new assets, as the old assets are written off. A longer depreciable life is preferred, because management can postpone purchasing new assets, since the Old assets still have a useful life. 1 points Question 6 1 . A corporation sold a fixed asset for $100,000.This is an investment cash flow and a source of funds. An operating cash flow and a source of funds. An operating cash flow and a use of funds. An investment cash flow and a use of funds. Question 7 1 . A corporation raises $500,000 in long-term debt to acquire additional plant capacity. This is considered an investment cash flow. A financing cash flow. A financing cash flow and investment cash flow, respectively. A financing cash flow and operating cash flow, respectively. 1 points Question 8 1 . A firm's operating cash flow (SCOFF) is defined as Ross profit minus operating expenses. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Introduction The purpose of this report is to identify the items that may result in adjusting entries for both prepayments and accrual by looking at the trial balance and Income statement. Furthermore, analyzing the historical summary of financial Is to know the trend for profit or loss of the company assets.Fundamental First of all, why we have to make BAD? Balance day adjustments are therefore required to ensure the financial statements portray a correct picture on the firm's financial performance and financial position. We have to recognize all transaction occurring in that accounting period, irrespective of whether cash has been received or paid. The ultimate objective of adjusting entries Is to ensure that the revenues (income) earned In the accounting period are matched by all costs Incurred for that name accounting period (Monish College, 2011).Prepayment There are two types of adjusting entries, prepayments and accruals. Prepayment is a payment in advance of the period to whi ch it pertains. What this mean is, this category of adjustments aligns recorded revenues (income) and costs with appropriate accounting periods. For example, there are situations where cash Is received before goods and services are provided to customers or situations where cash has been paid In advance for costs of operation and which relate to future counting periods.Prepayments divided into two sections, which are prepaid expenses and unearned revenue. Prepaid expenses is type of assets that shown on a balance sheet as a result of business payments for goods and services to be received in the near future. While prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, their value Is expensed over time as the benefit Is receive something of value in the near future. Prepayments often occur In regard to Insurance, supplies, advertising, and rent. Earned revenue is also known as prepaid revenue. It means payment, which is received in advance of providing a good or service. Since an obligati on exists on the part of the company to provide goods or services for which the advance payment was received, unearned revenue is a liability. An example is a retainer received by an attorney. When the services are performed, revenue is the earned. Another examples are pre-booked airline ticket, rent received In advance and magazine subscription Generally Accepted Accounting Principles A corporation must use the same depreciation method for tax and financial reporting purposes. Must use different depreciation methods for tax and financial reporting may use different depreciation methods for tax and financial reporting must use different (than for tax purposes), but strictly mandated, depreciation methods for financial reporting purposes. 1 points Question 2 1 . Allocation of the historic costs of fixed assets against the annual revenue they generate is called net profits. Gross profits. Depreciation. Amortization. 1 points Question 3 1 .Given the financial manager's preference for faster receipt of cash flows, a longer depreciable life is preferred to a shorter one. A shorter depreciable life is preferred to a longer one. The manager is not concerned with depreciable lives, because depreciation is a non-cash expense. The manager is not concerned with depreciable lives, because once purchased, depreciation is considered a sunk cost. 1 points Question 4 1 . The Modif ied Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACROS) is a depreciation method used for tax financial reporting managerial cost accounting Question 5 .The depreciable life of an asset is of concern to the financial manager. In general, a longer depreciable life is preferred, because it will result in a faster receipt Of cash flows. A shorter depreciable life is preferred, because it will result in a faster receipt of cash flows. A shorter depreciable life is preferred, because management can then purchase new assets, as the old assets are written off. A longer depreciable life is preferred, because management can postpone purchasing new assets, since the Old assets still have a useful life. 1 points Question 6 1 . A corporation sold a fixed asset for $100,000.This is an investment cash flow and a source of funds. An operating cash flow and a source of funds. An operating cash flow and a use of funds. An investment cash flow and a use of funds. Question 7 1 . A corporation raises $500,000 in long-term debt to acquire additional plant capacity. This is considered an investment cash flow. A financing cash flow. A financing cash flow and investment cash flow, respectively. A financing cash flow and operating cash flow, respectively. 1 points Question 8 1 . A firm's operating cash flow (SCOFF) is defined as Ross profit minus operating expenses. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Introduction The purpose of this report is to identify the items that may result in adjusting entries for both prepayments and accrual by looking at the trial balance and Income statement. Furthermore, analyzing the historical summary of financial Is to know the trend for profit or loss of the company assets.Fundamental First of all, why we have to make BAD? Balance day adjustments are therefore required to ensure the financial statements portray a correct picture on the firm's financial performance and financial position. We have to recognize all transaction occurring in that accounting period, irrespective of whether cash has been received or paid. The ultimate objective of adjusting entries Is to ensure that the revenues (income) earned In the accounting period are matched by all costs Incurred for that name accounting period (Monish College, 2011).Prepayment There are two types of adjusting entries, prepayments and accruals. Prepayment is a payment in advance of the period to whi ch it pertains. What this mean is, this category of adjustments aligns recorded revenues (income) and costs with appropriate accounting periods. For example, there are situations where cash Is received before goods and services are provided to customers or situations where cash has been paid In advance for costs of operation and which relate to future counting periods.Prepayments divided into two sections, which are prepaid expenses and unearned revenue. Prepaid expenses is type of assets that shown on a balance sheet as a result of business payments for goods and services to be received in the near future. While prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, their value Is expensed over time as the benefit Is receive something of value in the near future. Prepayments often occur In regard to Insurance, supplies, advertising, and rent. Earned revenue is also known as prepaid revenue. It means payment, which is received in advance of providing a good or service. Since an obligati on exists on the part of the company to provide goods or services for which the advance payment was received, unearned revenue is a liability. An example is a retainer received by an attorney. When the services are performed, revenue is the earned. Another examples are pre-booked airline ticket, rent received In advance and magazine subscription

Bilingualism is a natural phenomenon worldwide

Bilingualism is a natural phenomenon worldwide Bilingualism is a natural phenomenon worldwide. Unwittingly, however, monolingualism has been used as a standard to characterize and define bilingualism and multilingualism in linguistic research. Such a conception led to a â€Å"fractional† â€Å"irregular† and â€Å"distorted† view of bilingualism, which is becoming rapidly outmoded in the light of multipronged, rapidly growing interdisciplinary research. Other central concepts such as individuals† bilingual language attitudes, language choices, and consequences are addressed, which set bilinguals apart from monolinguals. Language acquisition is as much an innate, biological, as social phenomenon. Political bilingualism refers to the language policies of a country. Unlike individual bilingualism, categories such as monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual nations do not reflect the actual linguistic situation in a particular country (Edwards, 2004/2006; Romaine, 1989/1995). Hong Kong, for instance, is officially recognized as a bilingual country. This means that Hong Kong promotes bilingualism as a language policy of the country as well as in its society as a whole. English and Chinese are official languages. By no means does it imply that most speakers in Hong Kong are bilinguals. In fact, monolingual countries may reflect a high degree of bilingualism. Multilingual countries such as South Africa, Switzerland, Finland and Canada often use one of the two approaches—â€Å"Personality† and â€Å"Territorial†Ã¢â‚¬â€to ensure bilingualism. The Personality principle aims to preserve individual rights (Extra Gorter, 2008) while the Territorial principle ensure s bilingualism or multilingual within a particular area to a variable degree, as in the case of Belgium. In India, where 23 languages are officially recognized, the government’s language policies are very receptive to multilingualism. The â€Å"three-language formula† is the official language policy of the country (Annamalai, 2001). In addition to learning Hindi and English, the co-national languages, school children can learn a third language spoken within or outside their state. To my personal opinion, bilinguals can move between one or more language models as required for the production, comprehension, and processing of verbal messages in a most cost-effective and efficient way. Bilingualism is a natural phenomenon worldwide. Unwittingly, however, monolingualism has been used as a standard to characterize and define bilingualism and multilingualism in linguistic research. Such a conception led to a â€Å"fractional† â€Å"irregular† and â€Å"distorted† view of bilingualism, which is becoming rapidly outmoded in the light of multipronged, rapidly growing interdisciplinary research. Other central concepts such as individuals† bilingual language attitudes, language choices, and consequences are addressed, which set bilinguals apart from monolinguals. Language acquisition is as much an innate, biological, as social phenomenon.

Create a new positioning statement for your product, and provide Essay

Create a new positioning statement for your product, and provide justification for your new positioning strategy - Essay Example We value your comfort. For today’s increased need for outsourced call, our tutoring services are readily available. We are there to provide high quality training in English language and skills in computer. We are well established with highly qualified tutors and flexible to adjust to the needs, tastes, and preferences of our customers. A call center is a call centre, you may think, nevertheless, our call centre for training English language and computer skills differentiates itself from other call centers. They offer different training options as the trainees’ demands and the likes of the parents as well. There are a variety of options for both the trainee and the guardian their wish is our command and we are here for you (Moore, 1999). In Philippines and India we are the only fast-and efficient call centre to train diverse races speaking diverse languages (Moore, 1999).. We have enough, qualified and determined trainers in diverse language experience and expertise in computer skills to train our clients in the way the trainee wishes. We do this for the purposes of meeting our clients’ tastes and preferences. Therefore, come one come

Improving Construction Safety in Saudi Arabia Dissertation - 1

Improving Construction Safety in Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example However, based on a premise of sustained and continuous improvement, it is desirable to find ways and means for improving construction health and safety in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a nation that presents certain constraints. A laxity in implementation of commercial and contractual laws and a traditional approach to solving problems related to labour shortage by recruitment of fixed-term contract labour as cheaply as possible from underdeveloped nations rather than efforts aimed at creating a permanent pool of labour through permanent immigration characterise most GCC countries. This study concludes that it is possible to improve construction health and safety in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by effective enforcement of existing health and safety laws, enacting legislation for off-site health and safety for migrant workers, maintaining a fund for social security and improving regulation of commercial and contractual transactions. ... 3.1 Research Approach for the Dissertation Project 46 3.3 Design and Administration of the Survey 49 3.4 Sample Selection and Sample Size 52 3.5 Analysis of the Survey Data 53 4 Results 58 5 Analysis and Interpretation 78 6 Conclusions and Recommendations 86 Appendix A – Survey Questionnaire 88 Appendix B – Consent Form 105 Bibliography / References 107 List of Figures Figure 1: Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research 42 Figure 2: Suggested Research Process for Construction Management Research 43 Figure 3: The Research Process for Construction Research 45 (This page intentionally left blank) 1 Introduction It is rather unfortunate, but true, that the construction industry around the world had developed a reputation for being the industrial sector that presents higher statistics for industrial accidents, fatalities and deaths than any other (Coble, 2000, Pp. vii - viii). United States Department of Labour for the year 2006 indicated that construction fatalities represented about 21% of the total work force fatalities (Lambeck, 2009, Pp. 72 – 74). However, efforts directed towards continuous improvement in construction safety in many countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, etc. demonstrate that it is possible to reduce the incidence of occupational injury, serious accidents or deaths (Poon, 2008, Chapter 1). Statistics for construction industry accident frequency rates per million of men hour worked for Singapore suggest that with an accident frequency rate per million man hours of 3.5 for the construction sector in comparison to 1.9 for all other industries help to illustrate the notoriety of the construction sector (Poon, 2008, Chapter 1). However, results for Japan, Korea and Hong Kong demonstrate improvement with effort. Reports about the construction

The Civil War in Sierra Leone Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Civil War in Sierra Leone - Research Paper Example Marked with occasional military coups, the weak governments installed (mainly through international intervention) did not last long enough to oversee meaningful development or even stabilization, which has left a mark of continued failure and backwardness in the country. Several factors have been attributed to the onset of the civil war. Many researchers appear to settle for the more widely known reason: the independence government and other governments that followed did not attend to the grievances of the growing marginalized population. As a result, inaction created a very large group of aggrieved young men, who could not get decent employment since they were either semiliterate or completely illiterate. The government of the day had adopted a new system that promoted education as an exclusive preserve of the privileged. The marginalized population resorted to guerrilla warfare to ascend to power. This paper provides an analysis of the lack of authority that the government showed during the war. Several fights have involved children below the age of eighteen years, including the one in Southern Sudan. However, there was no direct involvement of children in their masses as witnessed when the Revolutionary United Front began its anti-government operations in Sierra Leone. The appalling picture of thousands of underage fighters engaging military officers with better equipment led to a lack of trust in the government. The government was viewed as one unable to uphold the rights of children and refugees at the general. The perception soon transformed into one of feeling betrayed and unprotected, especially when the nation witnessed the fast speed at which the militia was capturing provinces.

Anything to do with Microbology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anything to do with Microbology - Article Example Disease causes by this bacteria, tuberculosis is a major public health challenge and is currently in an epidemic state in several parts of the world. According to the World Health Organisation, 139 per 100,000 population through out the world suffer from tuberculosis. The highest number of cases are seen in Asia, followed by Africa. Two important contributing factors are human immunodeficiency virus and development of resistance of the bacteria to first line drugs. The main source of infection to the community are sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Only 10 percent of individuals develop the clinical disease and the rest arrest the growth of the bacteria through adequate immune response. Some population-based studies have shown that some individuals are at increased risk of acquiring the infection when compared to others. Active transmission is mainly seen in crowded and household contacts. Acquisition is most common in young people. More than 85 percent of tuberculosis is pulmon ary tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is communicable and patients with pulmonary tuberculosis are the most important source of infection. When the tuberculosis bacillus presents in the body, it is phagocytosed by antigen presenting cells in the alveoli of human lungs. This initiates a protective immune response by the host. The genome of the bacillus helps in establishing latent or progressive infection in the host.

International business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International business - Case Study Example In this mode, the statement reporting books are translated so as the proceeding activity will be taken over by the legal bodies. The importance of this type of translation is it makes sense to the financial statements and to show the position of the company’s date of home currency. It forms the simplest currency exposure that can be understood by the ordinary learners. It pertains the duration of the exposure while taking place and it involves a foreign exchange in the business. It also targets the monetary process for the profit generation. The management can initiate some strategies to control these exposures. The use of money markets, foreign exchange derivative such as future contracts and forward contracts (Levi 24). The opted strategy is the company carefully selection of production sites with the aim of reducing cost. The businesses that rely on the domestic market vary from because the profit produced by the dependent firms is high. The policies that have been implemented by the IMF will not work well with the developing countries having a young economy. The policy states that, â€Å"Since the debt crisis of 1980’s, the IMF has assumed the role of bailing out countries in case of the financial crisis. (caused in a large part by the currency speculation in the global casino economy). With the emergency loan packages tied to certain conditions, often referred to as structure adjustment policies† (Levi 24). From these policies, IMF was opposed because of some reasons. Among the reason was that from the structured adjustment policies, IMF created an immoral system of modern day colonialism. The collaboration of IMF with World Bank and WTO, it exposed the economy to inequality and destruction of the environment. Cutting expenditure on health and educations was their advice to countries so that they can pay their debt. When this is performed, elimination of necessary food and putting aside, transportation

J.B Priestly's An Inspector Calls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

J.B Priestly's An Inspector Calls - Essay Example Priestly uses a number of dramatic devices to express these ideas, among others, to the audience, whilst still keeping them involved and interested in the plot. This play is very tightly structured as Priestly wanted to achieve a very quick and smooth running play where all the parts seemed to fit into one another. Therefore all the action takes place in the dining room and even when there is a break between acts the start of the next act takes us to the same point in time at which we had left the action. The play is structured as a series of episodes in which the focus is mainly on one particular character. In this way a picture is gradually built up of all the main characters in the play. The Play, 'An Inspector Calls' is all about the mystery surrounding the suicidal death of Eva Smith, a worker, and the moral values of a superior social class family, The Birlings. Each member of the Birling family has had a connection to the dead girl. No one has directly caused her death, nor even wished her dead, yet everyone present has contributed in some way to her demise. Patriarch Arthur Birling started it all when he fired the girl from his factory, but all the other family members contributed in their own ways to Eva's downfall. Birling's wife Sybil, future son-in-law Gerald Croft, son Eric and daughter Sheila: All contributed, independently of one another and without a second thought or remorse to Eva's demise. How is Tension created in the Play: During Act one, the playwright uses a lot of dramatic devices to change our opinions of the Birlings. We start off feeling happy for the Birlings as Shelia and Gerald are getting married. It is all quite relaxed but with the use of dramatic irony we start to think that actually the Birlings are quite foolish, stuck up and self obsessed, especially the character of Mr.Birling. The methods that Priestly uses to interest and involve the audience are the use of dramatic irony, tension and building up the story in chronological order, meaning he builds up the story in order, one person after another, in order of the times people that met Eva Smith which always keeps the audience on their toes. The build up of tension keeps the audience guessing, wondering who is involved in the death and who is really to blame. The use of dramatic irony is a key point to the play and without it Priestly wouldn't be able to get his point across. Priestly used the Lighting effects to cast a symbolic and expressive feel of the characters. This is reflected when the lights focus .Pink and intimate, until the inspector arrives. The pink and intimate setting/lighting show the relaxation the characters are feeling. Everyone is happy and there is romance in the air for Shelia and Gerald. But when the inspector arrives, the lighting changes from pink to hard and bright. This type of lighting wakes up the audience and shows something is about to happen. It is almost like an interrogation, being under the bright spotlight, it makes the audience

Recommendations and Conclusions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Recommendations and Conclusions - Essay Example The high rates of consumption in the world give the product higher chances of survival and even beating other products in the market and therefore should be taken into consideration in the future planning On the factors that that influence the consumption, there is need to do thorough research on the psychological and cultural factors as they influence the attitude which directly affect the sale. The perception and attitude towards the product begin in the mind and transfer on the belief systems, values and culture. It is these factors that affect most the consumptions and therefore the company should spend most of their effort and energy to investigate and find out the actual fact underlying them in order to reduce negative impact. In conclusion the Dasani water as a product has a future prosperity in the market if the challenges associated with marketing and advertisement is overcome. The consumers will continue to develop positive attitude if their complaints are identified and appropriate measures are taken in place

Hot Zone Book vs. Movie Essay Example for Free

Hot Zone Book vs. Movie Essay †¢In the book, we have Nancy and Jerry, and they are very important characters who deal with Ebola. Also they are married. In the movie, Sam and his ex-wife shares similar rolls like Nancy and Jerry. They try to stop the outbreak of Ebola virus in the monkey house. In the movie Sam and his ex-wife is divorced and still have problems between them. †¢movie changed Ebola to an Ebola-like virus called Motaba, the conditions of both diseases proved to be similar †¢The army took strong precautions in both cases, wearing Level 4 body-suits in the presence of the virus †¢They tried to contain a town and bomb it, and that made it so surreal that it eventually became difficult to take anything the movie says seriously. This made the movie fictional, and took away from the threat and danger of this deadly disease. †¢Robbie and Sam in the movie. It made it somewhat of a romantic love story †¢Daniels- equivalent to Jaaxs †¢movie didn’t focus on the monkey house at all †¢The pet store kind of took the place of the monkey house in that the host infected others at the pet store. †¢both have a laboratory monkey escaping from its cage †¢In the movie, the host monkey that was smuggled gets loose and threatens the lives of human race. In the book, one of the sick monkey in Reston escapes from its cage and Jerry spends days trying to catch it †¢similar is the potential rip in the space suits †¢Both Sammy Daniels and Jerry Jaax share a strong concern over his wife or ex-wife working with in the hot zone with the virus †¢Finally, the doctors in the book tried to help the villagers the best that they could, and eventually ended up leaving the village and the people behind. In the movie, the village, that had many people infected with the virus, was obliterated by a bomb †¢In movie, they catch the monkey responsible for everything

Quality Management Systems And Restaurant Customer Service

Quality Management Systems And Restaurant Customer Service The purpose of this study is to emphasize on how having a Quality Management System (QMS) can assist restaurants to enhance their services. This involves creating a QMS for local restaurants based on standards and criteria, that respond to customers requirements, derived from the ISO 9001 standards. This implies that management will go thru training to learn how to work with the system, how to implement and how to evaluate the system. Management should then be the ones giving training and advice on how to treat customers. Employees will also go thru trainings and procedures that a restaurant should comply with, in order to be considered a quality restaurant. Implementing a QMS is expensive. You will have to invest in your employees. On the other hand by implementing a QMS can save you money, you have less cost and you can be more productive and efficient. This can make not only restaurants, but also the Island gain a competitive advantage on others and get economic return. The intention is to make restaurants aware of this and so help them improve their service, satisfy needs, be more productive and have more motivated employees. Curaà §ao Restaurants Association (CRA) can be the institute who controls that the restaurants comply with criterias and standards. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY According to Swiss Tourism Board, from a guests point of view, tourism services are always the product of a whole package of individual services. Like a chain, these services are all linked: advance information from a Tourist Centre, the journey to the destination, stay in vacation hotel, eating in a restaurant, and lastly the trip home. Each individual service leaves its mark on and influences the holiday experience. Also at the level of the individual restaurant, a guest experiences some of this Service: welcome, seating, providing information, taking order, eating in the restaurant. These service chains which are specific to customers provide an aid for systematic checking of a restaurants services and processes, showing where practical quality improvements can be made and promoting the introduction of appropriate measures. Providing services and direct contact with customers are exacting tasks because each customer has his specific expectations, needs and opinions. On Curacao we have CRS. The Curacao Restaurant Associations (CRA) (http://www.curacaorestaurants.org/cra/index.php) mission is to represent, promote and educate their members and their employees for the improvement of the restaurant and foodservice industry of Curacao, a rapidly growing industry that is becoming the nations second largest employer. We leverage those numbers to get the best pricing and discounts for our members. Helping members succeed and remain profitable is on the forefront of the Curacao Restaurant Associations agenda. As they strive to work together with the governmental departments on health, safety, service and education, members of their association get inspections and a team consisting of these departments, together with members of the board; will on a regular basis, do an assessment of their members so they will remain accepted as a member. This will guarantee customer visit to these restaurants. An analysis of the situation will be done. An overview and definition of Quality Management System will be given, also why quality is important and what are the characteristics of the system. The service chains will be analyze and used as a tool for tracking down potential critical incidents and deriving good service from them in the shape of in-house quality standards. Furthermore the needs of the customers, employees and employer will be address. To see what will be required to satisfy their need and incorporate this in the system and what each customers specific expectations, needs and opinions are. Strategies and requirements will be presented. The program may include among other topic: The business culture QMS in detail Employees motivation Product Customer Service Curaà §ao Hospitality Training Foundation will be approached to see if some of the training needed can by integrated in their program. Results of the research and interviews carried out will be detailed. In the forth chapter the Restaurants Quality System program will be discussed. Practical tools will be developed to help restaurants managers to tackle quality management and taking targeted action to optimize service. The QMS will detailed the service chains and provide an aid for systematic checking of a restaurants services and processes, showing where practical quality improvements can be made and promoting the introduction of appropriate measures. Advice and conclusion will be given. 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT In which way can a Quality Management System (QMS) enhance customer service in restaurants? 1.3 SUB PROBLEM STATEMENTS To answer the problem statement, the following sub-questions will be addressed during this study: 1) How can QMS be defined? 2) What are the advantages and disadvantages of QMS? 3) What are the aspects for the development process of a quality management system for restaurants? 4) Will the needs of customers, employer and employees be satisfy? 5) How should QMS and the restaurant quality management system be implemented? 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1.4.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of this study is to assist restaurants on Curaà §ao to enhance their service. In this study several methods, like interviews, questionnaire, observation and literature will be use to answer the sub problems. 1.4.2 SUB PROBLEMS Sub problem 1. How can QMS be defined? and 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of QMS? will be dealt with theoretically. For these sub problems website http://www.praxiom.com/iso-definition.htm, research paper and articles concerning ISO 9001 and QMS will be applied. The methods that will give an explanation of these subjects are Crosby, P.B, (1984) Quality without tears: The art of hassle-free management, McGraw-Hill, Inc Hoyle, D, (2006), ISO 9000 quality systems handbook, Butterworth-Heinemann www.praxiom.com/iso-definition.htm www.dti.gov.uk/quality/qms Sub problem 3. What are the aspects for the development process of a quality certification program for restaurants? a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis will be conducted. The SWOT analysis examines the internal and external environment giving a view of the implementation of a QMS for restaurants regarding. Also at least six restaurants will be observed and judge on the service they are giving. Curaà §ao Quality Foundation and the president Mr. Marugg or Mr. Neuman, the Event Coordinator of Curacao Restaurants Association (CRA) will be approach for information. Some of the questions that will be asked are: What is the support CRA offers their members? How those CRA control the quality service their members offer? How does CRA get its members? Why the membership is so low compared to the number of establishment on the Island? The readings that will be used are: Hair, J.F, (2003), Essentials of Business Research Methods, Leyh Publishing, LLC Brink, A, Berndt, A, (2009), Relationship Marketing and Customer Relationship Management, Juta Co LTD Honebein, P.C., Cammarano, R.F., (2005), Creating do-it-yourself customers: how great customer experiences build great companies, South-Western Educational Pub Schieffer, R., (2005), Ten Key Customer Insights: Unlocking the Mind of the Market, South-Western Educational Pub www.cbs.an/establishments/establishments_i5.asp Sub problem 4. Will the needs of customers, employer and employees be satisfy? To answer this question surveys among consumer will be conducted regarding the quality service they receive at a restaurant. Also interviews to sales managers and supervisors of restaurants will be conducted. Employees of restaurants will be interviewed to see what their needs are. Books on among others on customer service, motivation and quality service will be used. Among others: Jagdish N. Shainesh, S., (2001) Customer relationship management: emerging concepts, tools, and applications, McGraw-Hill Professional Jones, P., Merricks, P., (1994), The management of foodservice operations, Cengage Learning Business Press Parsa, H.G., Kwansa, F., (2002), Quick Service Restaurants, Franchising, and Multi-Unit Chain Management, Routledge Shankar, R., (2009), Process improvement using Six Sigma: a DMAIC guide, ASQ Quality Pres Question can be asked a.o. is: What are the companys strengths and weaknesses compared to its competition? Are you happy with the service you are providing Do you care about reaction of comments of your customers? Are you happy with your employees? If not what are you doing to improve it? Is the restaurant plan to come with new services? Sub problem 5. How should QMS and the restaurant quality management system be implemented? In order to answer this sub problem, books on standardization and quality management systems, employee training manuals will be used. Suggestions and guidelines for training for Management and employees will be address. Design of the quality management system will be presented. Reading used is: Beecroft, D.G., Duffy, G.L., Moran, J.W., (2001), The Executive Guide to Improvement and Change, ASQ Quality Press Jackson, Susan E., Schuler, Randall S, Werner, Steve, (2008), Managing Human Resources, South Western, a part of Cengage Learning Lohman, C., et al. (2004) Designing a performance measurement system: A case study. European Journal of Operational Research, Martinich, J.S., (2009), Production and Operations Management: An Applied Modern Approach, Wiley India Pvt. Ltd. Maskell, B. H. (1991) Performance measurement for world class manufacturing: a model for American companies, Cambridge, Mass., Productivity Press. 1.5 DELIMITATIONS The study will be conducted among consumers, restaurants from all sector, restaurants managers/supervisors, restaurants employees and establishment associated to tourism sectors on the Island of Curaà §ao. 1.6 THESIS OUTLINE The structure of this study will be as follow: 1. Introduction Background Information Problem Statement and Sub Problems Research Methodology Content Thesis Quality Management System (QMS) Introduction Elements of QMS Introduction to quality and service Importance of quality Measuring service quality Characteristics of QMS Conclusion Customers, employee and employers needs Introduction Customer and their needs Consumer decision process Employee and employers needs Defining and measuring service satisfaction Conclusion Restaurants Quality Management System Introduction Aspect of the Quality system Key Indicators of the Quality system Process development of the Quality management system Restaurant Quality System Implementation, Control and Evaluation Conclusion Conclusion and Recommendations Bibliography Appendixes List of tables

Post Cold War Era China and US: Strategic Balancing

Post Cold War Era China and US: Strategic Balancing CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Modern international political arena is highly wired and dynamic in many dimensions. In the contemporary international system and power politics, a stable hierarchic order no longer exists as interdependence and globalisation increases their roles on decision making processes both in internal and external relations of political actors. The political theater China and United States play and the metamorphosis of China and United States relations in an ever changing world with its political instability and unpredictability is one of the most remarkable and consequential processes in post-Cold War era. Certain significant factors began to affect directly the power politics between China and United States as the cumulative effects of their long-lasting historical interactions. 9/11 attacks and United States’s invasion of Afghanistan its aftermath, United States’ another possible intervention over the region with its global war against terror doctrine as an instrument of its foreign policy, China’s distinctive and significant involvement in power politics and its increasing influence both in the region and global order, bilateral economic relations, domestic political processes and the consequential actions of the key individuals can unquestionably be mentioned within the leading factors that set up the current political structures and contributed to the momentum of the relations between China and United States. The ability to recognize a potential conflict or cooperation among China and United States and to be able to decide and develop an appropriate policy analyze requires an informed understanding of their international political behaviour. In conducting its international relations, modern China acknowledges its enormous potential to be the new, global rivalry for power and influence, to be the new economic competitor against United States and recognizes the importance of globalisation hence, started to play a more significant and distinctive role in the global organizations. China and United States must mutually and carefully consider the consequences of their judgments before taking action as the impact of a possible clash will be immense on international politics. If conflict arises, parts of Eurasia might be divided at the dawn of a possible Cold War, while a deepening China and United States cooperation will bring with it many beneficial outcomes. To name a few, increased chances fo r the peaceful resolution and the successful management of pressuring global and regional disputes as well as rising economic growth and global wealth. Before proceeding further to post-Cold War analysis, it is vital to explain the China and United States historical background during the Cold War to be able to understand the circumstances better that today’s interactions are built on. INSIGHT TO PAST Since 1949 to present, China and United States relations evolved on a line that included tense deadlocks, intensifying diplomacy, increasingly interconnected economies and noticable growing international rivalry. In October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China after Communists defeated the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, caused Nationalists to fled to Taiwan. United States did not recognize Mao’s regime. These incidents set the stage for several decades of limited China and United States relations due to Mao’s intention on leaning towards the side of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and United States’ support on Chiang Kai-shek’s newly formed Nationalist government in Taipei. Start of the 1950 Korean War brought China into the conflict and triggered the first military clash between the People’s Republic of China and United States, as China supported the Soviet-backed North Korea while United States and the United Nations counter supported South Korea. In August 1954, First Taiwan Strait Crisis occurred. Chiang Kai-shek forces deployed troops and unload military equipment in Quemoy and Matsu, islands in the strait between China and Taiwan. As a respond, China threatened the Nationalist forces off-shore and United States responded by actively intervening on behalf of the Chiang Kai-shek Nationalist Government and threatened China back via nuclear blackmail. In 1955, the United States Government confirmed its commitment to defend Taiwan by enacting the Formosa Resolution. During 1959 Tibetan uprisings, United States along with the United Nations condemned China for human right abuses in Tibet. During 1964 Vietnam War, the large and growing United States presence in Vietnam posed a potential threat to China in which resulted China to send more military and technical assistance to support North Vietnamese. Within same year, China also conducted its first test of an atomic bomb, increasing tensions over the escalating conflict in Vietnam. In 1969, a long-standing dispute contained differences over security, ideology and choice of development between China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics broke into localized armed conflict. While Chinese – Soviet relations worsen, United States took advantage of the conflict and took initiative to improve its relations with China in order to pressure and isolate the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics further. In 1971, the term Ping-Pong Diplomacy was created after the Chinese ping-pong team invites members of the United States’ team, which signaled the initial signs of the warming relations between China and United States. Shortly after, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made a secret trip to China in order to meet Chinese leaders and pave the way for an incoming visit by President Richard Nixon. Under the influence of these events, by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly, the Chinese seat in the United Nations was transferred from the Nationalist Government in Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China. On February 21, 1972, President Nixon was arrived in Beijing as the first United States President whom ever to set foot on China. Nixon, Kissinger and other United States officials met Chinese leaders and Shanghai Communiquà © was signed to improve relations deeper and further. In the document, Chinese and United States stated their positions on a number of issues including joint opposition to the Soviet Union and United States’ intention to withdraw its military from Taiwan. Process of normalization of formal diplomatic relations and reopening of communication channels began after more than twenty years of non-recognition. It is quite challenging to predict accurate statements regarding the future of China and United States relations in post-Cold War period due to the dynamic flow of interactions. At any given time in the future, the route of affairs may change in a spectrum that extends from a high level of cooperation to a high level of competition and conflict. The future can be marked by either convergence towards a strengthening alliance, stability and peace or deterioration, increased conflict, perhaps even war. To explain further some of the possible pathways that are being offered, I will limit my research of analyzing the longer-term future of China’s foreign policies on the theoretical basis of two main International Relations theories, Realism and Liberalism, in comparison with Confucianism and how their synergy might lead China’s involvement and influence in global order. Incoming chapters will separetely focus on distinctive factors that will help me to develop the structure of this study. I will start the following chapter by explaining the theoretical frameworks of Realism, Liberalism and Confucianism. In each theoretical background, its leading perspectives will be analyzed seperately. Following chapter will explain the post-Cold War social and political development process in China in order to get a better grasp of the current circumstances which China and United States relations are building on. As for my final chapter before my final critic, in accordance with China’s foreign policy decision-making, dependable examples within world politics and international relations will be given to explain each theoretical backgrounds’ influence on Chinese foreign policies in post-Cold War era.

Examine how Heaney presents his relationship with his father in :: English Literature

Examine how Heaney presents his relationship with his father in Digging and Follower. In the poem the Follower, the poet admires his father with all factions. The poet, Heaney, describes his father on verse 2, stanza 1 as being a very strong, well built man and classifies him as an "expert" (verse 5, stanza 2) when it comes to working in the field. In verse 10-12, stanza 3, Heaney describes his father's eye as "his eye narrowed and angled at the ground mapping the furrow exactly", this verse describes his father as if he was a sailor, carefully, watching the field as a map with a close eye making sure that everything is moving or growing the way they should be. In the poem digging, the reader begins to get a sense that time has moved on, and that the young boy has now become older as so did his father. The poet, Heaney, says on verse 7, stanza 3, "till his straining rump along the flowerbeds", this verse indicates that his father is old, and strains as he bends over to the flowerbeds, but even though the father is aging, he is still a strong man who can still hold a spade. Also, in the poem digging, it mentions about the grandfather of the poet. Heaney describes his grandfather through a series of recollections he had with him. In stanza 6 of the poem Digging, it is there the reader, reads about the poets past with his grandfather. From, the memories the poet recalls, the reader can see that the grandfather was like the father, careful and we also catch from verse 19 -21, stanza 6, which is a memory Heaney recalls of giving milk to his grandfather, he drinks it but than falls right away to work. From these verses the reader sees that he is extremely dedicated to his work and feels very strongly about it. In the end of the poem the Follower, the poet ends it very sudden, and leaves the reader puzzled. The end of the poem the poet says, "à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is my father who keeps stumbling behind me, and will not go away" (verse 23-24, stanza 6). These last two statements speak about the poet, as he is older. He is now taken on the tradition of continuing the legacy of farming as his father had done when he was young. When Heaney says he now stumbles behind me, the poet does not literally mean that his father is, but metaphorically instead is. In the past the son has admired his father's abilities to be able to farm with such elegancy,

The Repetitive, Meditative Style of Lawrences Birds, Beasts, and Flowe

The Repetitive, Meditative Style of Lawrence's Birds, Beasts, and Flowers D. H. Lawrence is not a formalist. He derives his free verse style from prolonged experience with imaginative essays in which he objectively and vividly contemplates things, people, and places in their singleness rather than in their relationship to each other. Lawrence's purpose, according to Gilbert, is "knowledge through meditation": he essays "to know something . . . intuitively . . . obliquely . . . fragmentarily; not through orderly ratiocination, but through emotional perception." As his style developed, Lawrence's essays became "increasingly idiosyncratic, increasingly elliptical, spontaneous and jazzy, as though reflecting the process rather than the product of thought." Gilbert finds Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, Lawrence's sixth volume of poetry, written in a "casual, improvisational, unfinished style" that "functions not only as a means of communication but [also] as a process of discovery" (131-32). Building on Gilbert's studies, an examination of "Fruits," the first sequence of the nine-part Birds, Beasts, and Flowers, reveals that Lawrence's repetitive, meditative style employs three types of repetition. "Fruits," an archetypal sequence about eating fruit and being changed by its magical properties, admits readers into Lawrence's meditations and his Blakeian journey to the natural world (Gilbert 333). The poet/narrator tantalizes his prissy countrymen by suggestively dangling fruits that hold "a secret that can be experienced with the senses, but cannot be grasped intellectually" (Lockwood 105). Lawrence accomplishes his poetic journey through revisions of myths. The opening poem, "Pomegranate," which alludes to the myth of Pers... ...h life with "family and friends" (Unterecker 241). Works Cited French, Roberts W. "Lawrence and American Poetry." The Legacy of D. H. Lawrence, Jeffrey Meyers, ed. New York: St. Martin's P, 1987. 109-34. Gilbert, Sandra M. Acts of Attention: The Poems of D. H. Lawrence. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1990. Lawrence, D. H. Birds, Beasts, and Flowers. New York: Thomas Seltzer, 1923. Lockwood, M. J. A Study of the Poems of D. H. Lawrence: Thinking in Poetry. Houndsmills, England: MacMillan P, 1987. Murfin, Ross C. The Poetry of D. H. Lawrence: Texts and Contexts. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1983. Unterecker, John. "Of Father, of Son: On "Fergus Falling," "After Making Love We Hear Footsteps," and Angling, a Day." On the Poetry of Galway Kinnell: The Wages of Dying, Howard Nelson, ed. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1987. 227-41.

Hypogravitational Osteoporosis :: essays research papers

Osteoporosis: a condition characterized by an absolute decrease in the amount of bone present to a level below which it is capable of maintaining the structural integrity of the skeleton. To state the obvious, Human beings have evolved under Earth's gravity "1G". Our musculoskeleton system have developed to help us navigate in this gravitational field, endowed with ability to adapt as needed under various stress, strains and available energy requirement. The system consists of Bone a highly specialized and dynamic supporting tissue which provides the vertebrates its rigid infrastructure. It consists of specialized connective tissue cells called osteocytes and a matrix consisting of organic fibers held together by an organic cement which gives bone its tenacity, elasticity and its resilience. It also has an inorganic component located in the cement between the fibers consisting of calcium phosphate [85%]; Calcium carbonate [10%] ; others [5%] which give it the hardness and rigidity. Other than providing the rigid infrastructure, it protects vital organs like the brain], serves as a complex lever system, acts as a storage area for calcium which is vital for human metabolism, houses the bone marrow within its mid cavity and to top it all it is capable of changing its architecture and mass in response to outside and inner stress. It is this dynamic remodeling of bone which is of primary interest in microgravity. To feel the impact of this dynamicity it should be noted that a bone remodeling unit [a coupled phenomena of bone reabsorption and bone formation] is initiated and another finished about every ten seconds in a healthy adult. This dynamic system responds to mechanical stress or lack of it by increasing the bone mass/density or decreasing it as per the demand on the system. -eg; a person dealing with increased mechanical stress will respond with increased mass / density of the bone and a person who leads a sedentary life will have decreased mass/density of bone but the right amount to support his structure against the mechanical stresses she/she exists in. Hormones also play a major role as seen in postmenopausal females osteoporosis (lack of estrogens) in which the rate of bone reformation is usually normal with the rate of bone re-absorption increased. In Skeletal system whose mass represent a dynamic homeostasis in 1g weight- bearing,when placed in microgravity for any extended period of time requiring practically no weight bearing, the regulatory system of bone/calcium reacts by decreasing its mass. After all, why carry all that extra mass and use all that energy to maintain what is not needed? Logically the greatest loss -demineralization- occurs in the weight bearing bones of the leg [Os Calcis] and spine. Bone loss has been estimated by calcium-balance studies and excretion studies. An increased urinary

Starbucks Going Global

â€Å"Starbucks – Going Global Fast. † I. Saturation of Home market and existence of Foreign Untapped markets Starbucks is a well respected brand of coffee that is known globally. As they dominate the market in United States, they have realized the potential growth in overseas markets and open its doors to going global. However, competing internationally is not easy for every company that’s why Starbucks has encountered certain challenges and issues as it enters foreign markets and grows globally. II. Problems Major Problems: Employee DiscontentEmployee discontent is very far from the image that Starbucks obtains or would like to uphold. Dissatisfied employees could greatly affect the service that they provide to the customers. The company is focused on enthusiastic, happy baristas and friendly service. If employee morale dropped it could have an extremely negative effect on Starbucks’ image and sales as well. As stated in the case, 470 California stores s ued Starbucks for refusing to pay legally mandated overtime pay. This is due to overworked and underappreciated workers. The salary Starbucks provide doesn’t match the workload that is required by the company.The employees, especially the store managers feel exhausted and employee morale goes down. The employees are feeling less connected with the company mission and it affects the quality of service and products that they provide. Local challenges in Foreign Market Entry The influence of economic and political environment to its entry and operation in foreign countries is one of the challenges it faces. As Starbucks continue to open up stores in foreign markets, it also faces different challenges as local imitators try to steal market share.In Japan, they expect loss for the full year. Aside from local competitors offering products with the same price, the economic depression in Japan affected the customer’s income and buying behaviour. As a result the company is losi ng rather than gaining profit due to coffee pricing. In addition to political environment, Starbucks need to adapt into France’s regulations and generous labour benefits which is legal and compulsory for them to enter the market. Another problem is the entry to foreign markets that has strong local coffee culture.The company is still in its stage of assessing the right strategy to enter markets like Italy. Since it is struggling on its food and non food items, the competition in this market will be difficult due to the existence of anti-globalization movement and strong national responsiveness of local consumers to its own products. Minor Problems: Specified Target Audience Starbucks used the â€Å"Youth appeal† as a strategy to enter foreign markets and gained success, but in the home market attracting the next generation of customers seems to be an issue.The result of the market study made the company aware about the image that it has with its target customers. Young er coffee drinkers can’t afford to buy coffee at Starbucks or the reason they go there is not mainly because of coffee or its products but their peers working. The value associated with brand at some point doesn’t convince the young people in embracing the brand itself. It depicts a pretentious environment for social climbers or yuppies. Aside from trying to reach a specific target market, the company eventually ended up in different markets as it grows rapidly.Venture to Food and Non food items To keep up with competition and increase sales, Starbucks should not solely rely on coffee as its main product but other products they can take advantage of as well. As Starbucks wants to continually increase sales, it started offering food and other non food items to sell inside their stores during the late 90’s but it seems to be a challenge because it still struggles in this area. The company started offering sandwiches and desserts, CD’s and packaged coffees b ut growth rate doesn’t seem to rise.The company still has to work on the right approach as it continues to improve in this area. III. Solutions: A. Employee Discontent Employees are very important in the success of any company. They are considered as the first customer in every business. Satisfying employee needs is essential so that the company can achieve its goals and deliver proper service. Starbucks needs to be sensitive to their employee needs. They must equally match the compensation to the workload of the employees. Since the company is also going global, there are challenges in human resource that they need to focus on.They have to be aware of the employees’ local culture and needs to satisfy them. They should also conduct a survey internally to be aware about the employees’ needs, wants and feelings towards the company. This will help them properly design employee compensation and benefits. There will be adaptation towards the company’s approach in managing employees in overseas branches. They should take into consideration the legal environment of each local branch so that they can address specific needs and concerns as they manage the business across different cultures.Happy and satisfied employees will result to quality in service and products. B. Local Challenges in Foreign Market Entry Starbucks should conduct marketing research and environmental scanning as it enters foreign markets. They have to take into account the importance of economic and political environment and how it can greatly influence the operation of its business. They should be aware of the economic situation of the market and assess how it can affect the purchasing power of the market. They must be aware of the legal factors that would affect the way it operates its business overseas.They should also conduct a different marketing strategy for different markets since one strategy in one market will not guarantee the success in another. There will be a daptation in marketing approach and local operations to cope up with the foreign market’s needs and external environment. C. Specific Target Audience Since the company intended to reach a specific target market, it ended up catering to different markets as it grows rapidly. As they continually use the â€Å"Youth Appeal† because it gained success as they enter foreign markets, it cannot still be considered as a global strategy to enter the market to other countries.Starbucks should make a study about coffee culture before it enters the market and formulate a strategy that would simply meet the demands of the potential market. They should carefully position the brand in accordance to what they want the market to perceive. As with the case of Starbucks to its home market, the brand was associated with being pretentious. They should associate positive and sophisticated value with the brand. D. Venture to Food and Non Food Items Limitation to product choices restricted the business growth of Starbucks and there is a tendency that customers might get bored and switch to other others.As Starbucks is going abroad they should not focus only to their core products but also find ways on how to improve the quality of their coffee, the services and their environment. This will be very helpful especially if they want to capture the market in France and Italy. They can also venture into bringing some new products especially food and non food items to its menu that would help fulfil the current and local demand of the market. IV. Recommendations A. Employee Discontent * Employee Survey Starbucks needs to conduct an internal employee survey to know the needs of their employees and what makes them content.They should also initiate personality test to all employees especially with their branches abroad. This may be costly but if the results will be interpreted in the right way then the company could address the needs of the employees. This will also help them mana ge human resource despite the difference in culture and will help them appropriately design compensation and benefits to the employees. * Corporate Communication of Company Vision and Mission Since the employees feel less connected with company mission, Starbucks should promote awareness within the employees about the company’s Vision and Mission.This will make the value the corporate values set by the company. The importance of achieving the company Vision as it delivers quality service and product. This will make them brand hearted and will have this sense of connection with the mission of the company. B. Local challenges to Foreign Market Entry * In-depth Marketing Research and Environmental Scanning The company should be knowledgeable to all the factors in Macro and Micro Environment that could affect, influence and help them in their business operations. The company should always be updated with the data so that they could be prepared with the changes that may happen. Do mestically designed Marketing Mix To avoid the errors to Ethnocentrism, the company should adapt to local cultures and needs of their foreign market. They should be able to use the approach as they communicate with their customers while implementing their market strategies. As for the case in France and Italy, the company should also create products that would suite the local taste of the market and recognize the market’s own unique culture. C. Specified Target Audience * Marketing Research Starbucks should be able to properly address the demands of the local market they have in various countries.The company should not only focus one approach as it enters foreign markets. In some countries, â€Å"Youth appeal† worked, but in other countries the target market of Starbucks are adults. They have to sensitive with the target market that they serve in every country because for some Starbucks is unaffordable and pretentious. They should know more about what attracts the loca l market, purchasing power, buying behaviour. In other countries, pricing is not a barrier but they are more on value, ambience and status. Others are more on practicality and benefits. D.Venture to Food and Non Food Items * Adaptation to local culture, demands and tastes Starbucks should introduce new products either food or non food items that would cater to the local demands of the market. They should blend with the local taste of the market. They could also recognize the culture of the market and include it on its menu. One example is in Italy, they could launch one product like a local espresso as part of the menu so that local customers would feel that it’s not just an American coffee, Starbucks are also sensitive to their local taste.

Penelope Lively & Going Back Essay

Jane retells the book ‘Going Back’ for us, and how she, now an adult with a family of her own, is looking back into her childhood memories, she has had to revisit Medleycott, as now her child home is being sold. She recalls her childhood memories of Medleycott, where â€Å"all summers are one hay making and raspberry time† and â€Å"all winters are one scramble across glass-cold lino to dress quickly. † Jane and her elder brother, Edward, live a peaceful life in the country. Their misunderstood father has been sent away to fight in the war and they are loved and cared for by Betty, their motherly figure. The children’s mother died whilst they were young and their father finds it difficult to understand their innocent childish ways. This shows us a strong border between the adult and children world. Lively has also displayed this border through Jane’s different perspective, how her images of live have changed now she is an adult. Lively has expressed this by describing the different characteristics belonging to child and adult, the different ways in which they speak, the differences in their languages and how adults and children both enjoy different surrounds. â€Å"We lived in the playroom and in the Garden† The way in which Lively uses different territories belonging to different characters, represents a strong border between the Adult and Child worlds. The children like to spend most of their time, when at Medleycott, in the garden. It is a place where they can retreat and live a world of their own. To Jane and Edward their garden is their paradise. Their innocence and naivety makes it seem like the perfect haven, The Garden of Eden. It is a safe place, where they have everything they need and they are free to do what they wish, within the garden borders. The adults within the book also have their territory. Betty has her kitchen, which is where she spends her time cooking, cleaning, washing and other household chores. Lively describes the Father’s territory in terms of the furniture within it. â€Å"His part of the house, beyond the glass door on the upstairs landing, had thick carpets and smelt of polish, you had to be careful not the knock over flowers† There is a substantial difference between his area and the children’s area compared to Betty’s kitchen and the children’s territory. The children find it easy to relax when they are in the Kitchen, but they have to be careful and smart when around their father. Lively has done this to show that there is a closer bond between Jane, Edward and Betty than with the Father and his children. This may be due to the death of the children’s mother, but Jane and Edwards father finds it difficult to communicate with them. With the war on, all of the adults are worried and careful, yet the children only see it as a game. â€Å"Standing on the lawn, staring up at those blue and white skies out of which Germans would come. We would misdirect them. Ah, we’d scupper them – London – pointing west, and send them storming. † The children see the war in the one-dimensional view that children do. They take every thing they hear literally, basically believing anything that they have been told. Jane and Edward do not understand the seriousness of the situation around them; all they have noticed is that â€Å"the war put an end to Betty’s Saturdays at the cinema. There was a war on, so you couldn’t have lots of sweets anymore, just one sixpenny bar of chocolate a week, and no more oranges or bananas. † Jane and Edward are not worried if they get a chocolate bar or not, they have their garden to play in, it is natural and simple, they don’t understand why the Adults are worried. The adult world is a very materialistic and ordered world, and they care about what will happen and that everything has to be right.

Religion in the Workplace Essay

Introduction Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Under the First Amendment, Americans enjoy two freedoms with respect to religion: the right to be free from a government-imposed religion, and the right to practice any religion. While private employers are not bound by the Constitution’s restrictions on government, they are subject to federal and state laws that ban religious discrimination in employment. Given the number of employed persons, the diversity of religious faiths in this country, and the freedom we enjoy to express our views, the subject of religious discrimination continues to pose tough questions for employers and the courts. The Workplace Because of our country’s great diversity, employers may hire employees from a great variety of countries and religious backgrounds. In an ideal work environment, the religious beliefs of a given employee, or of the employer, do not create conflicts. Either is free to believe as he or she chooses and, as long as the work gets done satisfactorily, neither will encounter difficulty on the basis of religion. Yet, in the world we live in, a number of issues can arise to create friction. An employer and employee may discuss, or even argue over, religious principles. Religion is not simply a matter of belief. The faithful practice their religion through various actions to include; styles of dress, manner of keeping or wearing one’s hair, trying to recruit others to their faith, following certain diets, praying, fasting, avoiding certain language or behavior, and observing  certain religious holidays. Put simply, the many characteristics of different religions provide ample ground for disagreement, conflict, or even harassment among employers and employees on the job. In deontology, the golden rule is to treat others as you would have the treat you. I know that if I respected someone’s beliefs to be Muslim, I expect them to have the same respect for me and my belief in God or whatever religion I choose to place my faith in. Deontologist insists that actions should not be evaluated on the basis of the action’s consequences. Utilitarianism and Discrimination A utilitarian might argue that in a given company, the majority of its members belong to a certain faith tradition. The greatest good for the greatest number would seem to allow that majority to pray and participate in religious activities in the way they desire (Mosser, 2013). Rule utilitarianism argues that participating in something that causes harm decreases the happiness of those who participate, even passively, in that harm. For example, discrimination occurs when the employer maintains (or allows) a hostile environment for employees of particular faiths. Typically, this arises where co-workers harass an employee on the basis of his or her faith, to the point of creating an abusive or intimidating work environment. The harassment must be severe or pervasive in order to constitute discrimination under a hostile work environment theory. Thus, a simple disagreement over religious principles would probably not constitute unlawful harassment. Severe insults or threats, or continuing words and actions meant to harass or intimidate an employee on the basis of religion; however, it may cross the line of lawful conduct. Relativist Relativist believe that different cultures have different attitudes towards life, as well as when it begins and ends. They say the same about religion. Many believe that God created life and God ends life. Take a survey in the workplace and you will probably get a more diverse answer. Different cultures have different religions. But who is to say which religion is right? Some companies believe that the workplace is not a place for religion. Their attitude towards life is basically work is work and your  personal life (which includes your religion) is simply that. Your personal life should not conflict with your job. Leave your religion at home. Little do they know, religion is what’s keeping majority of their employees. Accommodating Religion in the Workplace While employers have a duty to accommodate the religious beliefs of their employees, the employer does have some leeway in how it conducts its business. There is a point where the changes that are required to accommodate an employee become a burden on the employer. Most likely, a request by an employee to trade shifts when his or her faith prevents working on Saturdays is likely to be reasonable. However, less reasonable might be a request that an employee have a particular holy month off each year. Whether an employer’s policy that limits the conduct of members of a particular faith is unreasonable depends on the circumstances. For example, a restaurant owner may require its cooks to wear hairnets or short hair, even if this creates an inconvenience for members of a faith that does not allow them to cut their hair. A job may also have certain qualifications or requirements that have the effect of limiting participation by a particular religious faith. A radio station that pla yed rock and roll music, for example, would be allowed to fire a disc jockey that refused to play rock and roll because it was against his religion. Deontology Deontology tells us to act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other. All human beings deserve dignity and respect and to treat a human being solely as a means to an end, to treat a human being instrumentally is to violate the categorical imperative and, thus, to act in a fundamentally immoral way. Regarding the workplace, we should treat each other’s religion as we would want our religion treated. Someone might need their religion at their job to keep them calm and sane. Some may need their religion at their job to keep peace and love between the employer and employees. In conclusion, the law gives broad protections to employees and managers when it comes to religious beliefs, â€Å"but once an employee’s conduct in the workplace creates problems because of their beliefs, it is problematic  (Tahmincioglu, 2012). Maybe religion should be accepted at work but at a distance. Use it to the point where it is accepted and once it gets out of hand, remove it. REFERENCES Mooser, K. 2013. Ethics and Social Responsibility, Second Edition. Tahmincioglu, E. 2012. Religion at work can bring fire and brimstone. From http://www.today.com/money/religion-work-can-bring-fire-brimstone-460844

An Evaluation of the Factors Affecting the Online Shopping

Abstract Online shopping has grown rapidly in China over the last decade, yet there are only a few studies in Chinese context. This research focuses on B2C (Business to Customer) and C2C (Customer to Customer) to identify the factors that affect online shopping intention of consumers in both positive and negative aspects. However, there are some differences exist that influence online shopping intention among different countries.As a result, this essay evaluates the determinants of online shopping intention of Chinese consumers by comparing consumers in other countries, which will give an insight for online sellers to develop more competitive strategies in China. Contents Abstract Introduction1 Literature Review3 1. Global consumers6 1. 1 Main factors: price, convenience and risks6 1. 2 Additional factors7 2. Chinese consumers8 2. 1 Main factors: quality, delivery and payment security8 2. 2 Additional factors: social influence9 Conclusion11 Bibliography14 IntroductionThere are a grow ing number of people choosing online shopping and this growing trend has emerged all over the world over the last few decades. Online shopping is defined as â€Å"The act of purchasing products or services over the Internet† (Business dictionary, 2012). Similarly, iResearch (2011) defines it as â€Å"The process of transferring commodities or services from the merchant/seller to individual users (consumers) via the Internet. Such a process is called online shopping if any of its capital flow, logistics, or information flow involves the Internet. Benefiting from the rapid economic growth and the development of the Internet, online shopping has become increasingly prevalent in China. The amount of transactions in online shopping, accounts for 1. 1% in 2008 rising to 3. 3% in 2010 of China’s total retail sales of consumer goods (CNNIC, 2011). Moreover, the latest report illustrates that up to December 2012, the number of net citizens in China reached 513 million, of whic h online shoppers are 194 million and the figure has kept a steady development trend with an increase of 20. % compared to the end of 2011 (CNNIC, 2012). It can be seen that online shopping in China has experienced a robust growth and demonstrates a great potential when compared to mature online shopping markets, such as the USA, UK and Japan. However, the development of China’s online shopping has encountered some obstacles, such as the limitations found within delivery and payment systems (Liu, He, Gao, & Xie, 2008, p. 925 & p. 932).Moreover, most research into online shopping has focused on western countries, but very little research has been done in the Chinese context (Kau, Tang, & Ghose, 2003, p. 140; Liu, et al. , 2008, p. 921; So, Wong, & Sculli, 2005, p. 1225). Therefore, in order to reach its potential and to maintain the steady growth tendency of online shopping market in China, it is important to attempt to comprehend the issues influencing the online purchase int entions of Chinese consumers.Thus, the purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate factors that signify the differences between online purchase intentions of Chinese and global online shoppers. This paper is structured as follows. The next section reviews the related literature about the issues relating to online shopping. Section 1 will identify which factors are prominent or auxiliary and may affect online shopping intention of global consumers while section 2 will compare Chinese consumers with global consumers and evaluate the significance of the differences.Literature Review The e-commerce industry has developed rapidly worldwide over the last few decades including the online shopping market in China which has experienced steady growth. Much research has tried to identify what the factors are and how they affect the online shopping purchase intention; however, a large proportion of these studies have been concerned about the West while only a few studies have focused on C hinese online shoppers and take into account the cultural impact (Kau, et al. , 2003, p. 140; Liu, et al. , 2008, p. 21; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1225). To allow the reader to better understand the factors affecting online shopping intention in China, this section will offer academic research reviews regarding this subject, including different theories, influential factors, and concerns relating to cultural differences. Since online shopping has become more popular, it has attracted widespread attention. Different models and theories have been adopted by many researchers to identify and examine the factors affecting online shopping intention or behaviours. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)† have been frequently used (So, et al. , 2005, pp. 1226-1228). Chiu, Chang, Cheng and Fang (2009, p. 761) extended TAM â€Å"by introducing e-service quality dimensions, trust and enjoyment in the development of a theoretical model to study customers’ repurchase intentions of online shopping†. Similarly, Liao and Shi (2009, p. 5) conducted the related research which is also based on the TAM framework, but combined it with â€Å"environmental and social constructs to elucidate consumers’ attitude and behavioural intention to use e-retailing†. A number of studies have extensively discussed the factors influencing online shopping intention over many years. â€Å"Convenience, price savings, extensive information, enjoyment, and broad product selection are considered as major benefits of online shopping† (Fang, Chiu, & Wang, 2011 cited Childers et al. , 2001, p. 82). In addition, another research (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 28) reveals that social influence, such as online consumer reviews or word of mouth play a significant role in affecting individual behavioural intention to shop online, which is consistent with the result of the research done by Chung and Shin (2 010, p. 473) and Lee, Park and Han (2011, p. 187-188). Moreover, many researchers suggest that â€Å"perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness† of shopping through the Internet are important antecedents of intentions (Chiu, et al. 2009, p. 763; Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 486; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1238). Even though online shopping brings some benefits to consumers which attract them to shop online, some factors have a negative effect on consumers’ purchase decision. For example, poor quality products and underdeveloped payment system; in particular, many researchers demonstrate that trust is a vital factor for online consumers to make purchase decisions. Xu, Zou and Wang (2006, p. 202) also point out that trust is considered to be the most important factor.In contrast, an earlier study suggests that in some countries the most important factor is price while trust is not as important as price (Kim, Xu, & Gupta, 2011 cited in Reibstein, 2002, p. 8). Recently, some res earchers have started paying more attention to the Chinese online shopping market and some comparative studies have been conducted in the context of online shopping in China due to the fast development of the Internet and rapid growth sales in online shopping. Areas covered include China and Japan (Atchariyachanvanich & Okada, 2006) and China and America (Ou, Sia, & Banerjee, 2007).It has been demonstrated that the differences between consumers in China and those in other countries, and namely issues dealing with product quality, logistic infrastructure, payment systems and social influence. This section has reviewed literature about the major theories used in research and some factors that research has suggested including the difference between China and other countries. In the following sections, this research will classify and evaluate the dynamic factors and related issues regarding consumers’ online shopping intentions by comparing China to some other countries. . Global consumers With the increasing intensified competition in online shopping, it is more essential than ever for online retailers to understand the factors affecting consumers’ intention in online shopping, which is critical to success. Therefore, a number of studies focusing on influential factors of online shopping appear in many published conference proceedings and journals. This section will categorize the issues influencing global consumers’ online shopping intentions. 1. 1 Main factors: price, convenience and risksThere are some factors which attract consumers to choose online shopping. Firstly, price has long been considered as a significant predictor when customer making a decision and e-commerce allows consumers to compare the prices across different online shops to find out the cheapest product easily (Kim, et al. , 2011, P. 1). Moreover, compared to traditional retail shops, internet-based shops have a cost advantage; as a result, they are able to offer their p roducts at a cheaper price than are available in traditional shops (Atchariyachanvanich & Okada, 2006, p. 281; Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 27). Secondly, many researchers also point out that as well as price the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are important factors to attract consumers to engage in online shopping (Chiu, et al. , 2009, p. 763; Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 486; So, et al. , 2005, p. 1238). For example, online shopping provides the opportunity for consumers to easily locate shops and products, especially convenient for target-oriented consumers who have already decided what they want to buy. (Fang, et al. , 2011, p. 485).On the other hand, even though online shopping brings some benefits and attracts some consumers, there are those that are aware of the risks involved and so this may lead to them rejecting it. Kau, Tang and Ghose (2003, p. 141) argue that those risks include: lack of security, the possibility of credit card fraud, uncertainty about the quality of p roducts, and return issues when the products are failed to meet consumers’ expectation. Moreover, due to the distances involved with online shopping and the fact that consumers are unable to touch or see the products seems to be an inherent perception of risk in shopping online (Kim, et al. 2011, p. 1; Kuhlmeier & Knight, 2005, p. 463). 1. 2 Additional factors Apart from the major factors mentioned above, some additional factors influence the intention of online shopping as well. First of all, the amount of availability of extensive information and choices in online shops which the traditional stores are unable to compete with. Therefore, the options of products available in conjunction with the very latest information being available are a relatively important attractant to online shopping over the traditional retail store (So, Wong and Sculli, 2005, p. 235). In addition, some other influential factors were identified by Kau, Tang and Ghose (2003, p. 140), Atchariyachanvanic h and Okada (2006, p. 2281) , and Fang, Chiu and Wang (2011, p. 482), such as time saving, time flexibility, real-time marketing offers, sharing other online customer reviews and enjoyment. Furthermore, Kuhlmeier and Knight (2005, p. 463) suggest that the more experience of using internet the more likelihood of the consumer to become an online shopper. 2. Chinese consumersSince neither can the existing knowledge of Chinese consumers’ behaviour on traditional shopping nor the reported findings about online shopping in other countries can be directly applied to the online shopping market in China; therefore, marketing strategies need to be tailored to the specific market (So, et al. , 2005, p. 1225). This section will highlight and address any differing issues influencing online shopping intention of Chinese consumers by conducting a comparison between Chinese consumers and consumers in other countries. 2. 1 Main factors: quality, delivery and payment security Liu, He, Gao and Xie (2008, p. 31) state that Chinese people are quite sensitive to price and like negotiating with sellers to achieve a satisfactory deal. Similarly, Atchariyachanvanich and Okada (2006, p. 2283-2285) believe that the main reason why Japanese and Chinese consumers shop online is for cheaper price; however, they add that cheaper price is not the most important reason affecting Chinese consumers’ online purchase intention, Chinese consumers rank the security of the website and the ability to read previous customers’ reviews at the top. It seems to highlight Chinese online shoppers’ uncertainty whether the products they buy re genuine and have good quality or not. Beside quality of products, delivery as another essential factor was concerned by Chinese consumers. Just as CNNIC (2012) shows in the 29th report that delivery is one of the main aspects causing consumer dissatisfaction of online shopping; more specifically, 12. 3%, 5% and 3. 6% of Chinese consumers were not satisfied due to delayed delivery, lost or damaged products and bad attitude of delivery staff respectively. As a matter of fact, Chinese logistic infrastructure lags behind some countries; particularly in terms of limited choices of delivery companies and long delivery time.In contrast, the US has a mature and efficient distribution network supporting online shopping, because outsourced third parties can provide professional services, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. (Ou, et al. , 2007, p. 23). Research carried out by Xu, Zou and Wang (2006, p. 206) shows that online payment security is the most important factor which should be strengthened by e-commerce companies because online shoppers pay more attention to it. Additionally, unsound credit card payment system is more likely to cause financial risk and privacy leakage.In the US, using credit card is the most popular way to pay for online shopping, while in China is still cash payment due to the cash-based culture and immature cr edit card payment system (Ou, et al. , 2007, pp. 21-22). This results from the immature Internet technology which to a large extent impedes the development of online payment system in China. Consequently, the financial risk might be caused by underdevelopment online payment system, which is a significant reason leading to a decision to reject online shopping (Zhou, Dai, & Zhang, 2007, pp. 49 & 55). 2. 2 Additional factors: social influenceBased on Hofstede’s cultural model, online consumer behaviour can be predicted by five cultural difference dimensions, one of them is individualism – collectivism, for instance, America and New Zealand belong to individualism while China belongs to collectivism. This, in turn, has led to different online shopping behaviour among consumers belonging to Eastern and Western cultures (Zhou, et al. , 2007, p. 46). Several studies have revealed that people from a collectivist culture should be more easily influenced by people within their s ocial circles (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 5). Consequently, social influence should not be ignored in the context of online shopping in China. On the one hand, human interaction cannot be fully satisfied in Internet-based shopping; therefore, it may not be easily accepted by Chinese which are more likely to enjoy interacting with others when shopping (So, et al. , 2005, p. 1237). In addition, it is very common in China that one tends to follow if friends or relatives are interested in online shopping (Liao & Shi, 2009, p. 27).Furthermore, online consumer reviews or electronic word of mouth as a specific way of social influence in the context of online shopping plays an important role in affecting online consumers to make purchase decision (Chung & Shin, 2010, p. 473; Lee, et al. , 2011, p. 188). It seems that social influence is an importance factor affecting online shopping intention of Chinese consumers. Conclusion This project reviewed literature regarding online shopping issues firstl y. It then classified some main factors and additional factors which influence global consumers to choose or not choose Internet-based shopping.Specifically, cheaper price and convenience of online shopping have positive effect in affecting global consumers’ online shopping intentions; however, some risks in terms of products, financial and private information are likely to cause the rejection of online shopping. Finally, it acknowledged and assessed the divergent issues affecting Chinese consumers’ online shopping intention with a comparative approach. Chinese consumers are quite different to global ones due to culture difference and deficiencies within payment and delivery sytems.For example, perheaps because of the high rate of counterfeit and inferior products, Chinese online shoppers pay more attention to the product quality than price. Moreover, in China the logistic infrastructure and payment system are less developed and less mature than in other developed coun tries and this brings greater fear to Chinese consumers to conduct online shopping. Additionally, social influence and associated information from previous consumers who express their opinions online about products and sellers are essential for the Chinese online consumers.As noted above, online shop retailers should not simply apply the existing knowledge about global online consumers to Chinese online shoppers, cultural differences must be taken into account, which is critical to their success and will benefit the development of online shopping market in China. (Words: 2507) Bibliography Atchariyachanvanich, K. , & Okada, H. (2006, 17-20 December 2006). A Study on Factors Affecting the Purchasing Process of Online Shopping: A Survey in China & Japan. 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