Saturday, August 31, 2019

Issues with Social Development in Adults

In my research on issues of social development in adults, I found change and consistency in social participation plays a key role in early adulthood. I felt the need to choose and touch on this topic because I have the tendency to be a social butterfly and I also lost a dear friend that committed suicide from social isolation. I chose this article because after reading it I felt as if the information was solid and backed up with surveys and facts. I also felt as if the topic was thoroughly examined and the article gave a lot of helpful information about this particular issue with social development in adults. Social interactions and activities play a key role in the physical health and well being in adulthood. It is healthy and fun to be around friends, loved ones, and even relationship partners. Making plans, going out, and being social gives one the since of self worth. Further more, the lack of desire and absence of social contact and participation can cause one, such as in the incident of my friend, to become depressed, self-isolated, and have suicidal thoughts and/or even commit suicide. In the event that I would need to write a research paper on this topic, I would use this article. I would use the article because it has a lot of information about the topic and has many different details and survey information. This would all help my research and provide me with information to include in my paper. The authors, Harry Reis and Yi-Cheng Lin, research was to determine if age-related changes in social relationships and to see if interaction patterns would stay the same from college years to adult- hood. They researched a variety of different things like opposite-sex socializing, intimacy and satisfaction in adulthood, and implications for social development during early adulthood.

Friday, August 30, 2019

A Study of Consumer Perception of “Ready to Eat” Products Among Working Class Women

A Report on A Study Of Consumer Perception Of â€Å"Ready To Eat† Products Among Working Class Women In Erandwane Area In Pune City MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Introduction Ready to eat food items has already gained wide scope in western world and in recent years it gaining popularity in India. A busy lifestyle has made Indian women very hectic to cook and eat thus â€Å"ready to eat food† items are gaining wide interest. On account of this many firms are seeing this, a golden opportunity. Companies like Haldiram, Nestle, and ITC are already working in this area.In today’s scenario, first came canned foods, frozen foods, and ready to cook and now the era of ready to eat food . Considering the time value for the working women and also looking towards market needs firms started manufacturing it. There are peoples, who are migrating to cities for job and education and these people have find the Ready-to-eat products are comfortable to eat rather than depending on restaurants. Most of the dual income (both husband and wife are office goers) families want to spend much less time on cooking because of less availability of time.During weekends they want to spend time with their kids and outing, whereas in weekdays the office duration is large and these factors forced them to go for buying such products. Other factors influences this products is availability of different flavors and dishes. Consumers who are looking for different dishes and flavors now depend on these products. This products brings variety to their eating’s and palatable too. There is no conclusion which one precedes-whether the availability or taste or time constraint, all these factors complement each other in driving these products.Ready to eat items are providing a boon for working women. Literature Review Here are some facts drawn out by different survey carried out by different agencies. * The CFA commissioned a consumer survey to better understand consumers' att itudes and perceptions of ready to eat foods to help inform those efforts. According to the survey, more than half of Indians disagree that ready to eat food is as nutritious a fresh and more than one-third disagree that ready to eat food is as nutritious as frozen.Ready to eat foods and Lower Sodium Are Compatible – Only half of those surveyed know that ready to eat foods can be low in sodium, despite the multitude of no salt, low sodium and reduced sodium options available on grocery shelves. Thus conclusion can be drawn out from this that many people are with ready to cook food but some people are not so supportive. To find out where is real market for ready to cook food. *   A survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) secretary general D. S. Rawat said the consumer spending rate on processed food has increased at an average rate of 7. per cent annually from 2008 to 2010. And this is expected to rise at an average of around 8. 6 per cent until 2012. * In any commercial context, such as new product development, positioning and marketing, to understand consumer perceptions and their needs is a fundamental activity for food producers (Van Kleef et al. , 2005, Oude Ophuis and Van Trijp, 1995). * The study of consumer behaviour focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, effort) on consumption-related items (Schiffman ; Kanuk,1997). Statement of Research A study of consumer perception of ready to eat products.Objective The research paper was under taken with the following objectives. i. To study the effective use of time by the use of RTE products. ii. The awareness of consumers towards ready-to-eat food iii. The factors responsible for buying RTE products by working women. Research Methodology: Research methodology is the procedures used in systematic observations or otherwise obtaining data, evidence, and information as a part of research project or study. Da ta collection: The  process  used to  collect  information  and  data  for the purpose of  making  business  decisions. 1. Primary: Primary data is the first hand collection of data.In this study we have used Questionnaire as our instrument for primary data collection. 2. Secondary: Secondary data is the data which is already available and published somewhere. For this study we have used journals, Magazines, related websites. Type of research: Descriptive: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. So we are using this method as there is no control over the variables; we can only report what has happened or what is happening.Sampling: It is the statistical method of representative data or observations in a group(lot, batch, population, etc. ) * Technique : Simple Random Sampling * Sample Size : 50 * Total population : 50,000*(www. wikiprdia. org) Scope of research: 1. The study was based on primary data collected from sample consumers by survey method. 2. The research is done in Erandwane area. 3. The target is for working women in this area. 4. Research location is in Pune city. Limitations: 1. The sample may not totally represent the whole section of the population because of different backgrounds. . The reluctancy of the responses from the population. 3. Invalid information . 4. Being college student, we faced time constraint for data collection Significance: 1. Awareness about â€Å"Ready-to-eat† products. 2. Acceptability of Ready-To-Eat products. 3. Openness of the market for new â€Å"Ready-to-eat† products. 4. Marketing strategies for RTE products. 5. Influence of media in promoting RTE. 6. New growing industry. Analysis : 1. Age Fig 1. Age Percentage Above fig shows that the maximum number of women are from 30-40 age group and they prefer RTE. 2. OccupationFig 2. Occupatio n Percentage From the above graph, it is cleared that the maximum i. e. 52% women are salaried. 3. Income Fig 3. Income Percentage Maximum of the women are having income in between 20000-30000. 4. Awareness Fig. 4 Awareness about the RTE From the analysis it shows that, out of total population, 52% prefer RTE for meals, which is highest. 5. Time Constraint Fig. 3 Time constraints The above pie chart reveals that, the maximum number of women prefer RTE as they face time constraints in the kitchen. 6. Buying perception Fig. 3 Buying PerceptionFrom the analysis, it concludes that more number of working women go for RTE because it is convenience. Following data interpretations were obtained:- 1) 52. 27% women are salaried. 2) 80%women have income above 10,000-20,000. 3) Almost 100% women have working hour more than 9-10 hours. 4) 60% didn’t get time to cook food themselves. 5) 80% people are aware of the Ready To Eat products. a) 25% or more, knows about the ready To Eat products . b) 36. 36% people prefer Ready To Eat items more than once. c) 34. 09% people prefer because it is very convenient to use. d) 20. 45% prefer because of the availability of products. ) 77. 27% think that ready To Eat products are not healthy. a) As it has preservatives, sometimes bad packaging, comes with expiry date, it is not fresh and also we get less variety. 7) 11. 36% consumes on daily basis. 8) 55% of population thinks it makes life easy. Conclusion: As per our findings, Ready To Eat are on growing stage. 1. Ready To Eat companies should change their marketing strategies as people have the typical mindset that the Ready To Eat products are not healthy to consume. 2. In the aspect of Time, Taste and Easy to make the Ready To Eat are proving to be good. . The analysis shows that most of the working women prefer Ready to Eat rather than cooking as it reduces their efforts. Bibliography: 1. Goyal Anita and Singh,N. P. (2007), â€Å"Consumer perception about Ready-to-eat in Indi a: anexploratory study†,British Food Journal,Vol. 109, Iss. 2,p. 182-195. Information, 26 (9): 8-14. 2. Hirekencchanagoudar Renuka , 2008,â€Å"Consumer Behaviour Towards Ready To Eat Food Products† . housewives in Dharwad. MHSc. Thesis, Univ. Agric. Sci, Dharwad. 3. Jorin, R. , 1987, Consumer behaviour is changing and offering new opportunities.Berater- 4. Joshi, M. S. , 1993, Food purchase habits and consumer awareness of rural and urban 5. Kamalaveni, D. and Nirmala, 2000, Consumer behaviour in instant food products. Ind. J. 6. Kamenidou, L. , Zimitra-Kalogianni, L. , Zotos, Y. and Mattas, K. , 2002, Household purchasing and consumption behaviour towards processed peach products. New Medit,. 1 (1) : 45-49. Mktg, 30 (5-7) : 12-18. 7. Makatouni,Aikaterini (2002), â€Å"What motivates consumers to buy organic food in the UK? Results frm a qualitative study†,British Food Journal,Vol. 104,Iss. 3/4/5,pp. 345-352. 8.Nichanj,Meena(2005),â€Å"Urbanities in India junk health,turn Ready-to-eaties,†Knight ridder Tribune business news,Washington,pp. 1. Nayga, Rodolfo M. and Capps,Oral (1992)â€Å"Determinants of Food Away from Home Consumption: An Update†, Agribusiness,Vol. 8,Iss. 6,pp. 549-559. 9. R. Meenambekai, P. Selvarajan, â€Å"Consumer Attitudes toward Ready-To-Eat Packed Food Items (With Special Reference To Jaffna Divisional Secretariat Division)†. The Seventh International Research Conference on Management and Finance (IRCMF 2012) 10. Ramasamy, K. , Kalaivanan, G. and Sukumar, S. , 2005, Consumer behaviour towards instant food products.Ind. J. Mktg. , 24 (2-3) : 55-59. 11. Rana Muhammad Ayyub, Muhammad Bilal and Muhammad Rameez Akram, â€Å"EXPLORING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR REGARDING READY TO EAT MEAT QUAIL MEAT PRODUCT IN PAKISTAN†,University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pkaistan. 12. Rees, A. M. , 1992, Factors influencing consumer choice. J. Soc. of Dairy Tech. , 45 (4): 112-116. 13. Sharma,Gaurav, (2011), â€Å"A STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF CUSTOMERS FOR READY TO EAT FOOD ITEMS†. Report, FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR 14. Srinivasan, N. and Elangovan, D. 2000, Consumer perception towards processed fruits and vegetable products. Ind. J. Mktg, 30 (11-12): 22-25. 15. T. Sarathy and Shilpa Gopal, â€Å"Managing the Diffusion of innovation in Ready-To-Eat Food Products in India† 16. Vijayabhaskar and Dr. N Sunderam, â€Å"Market Study on Key Determinants Of Ready To Eat Products With Respect To Tier I Cities In Southern Area†, International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research Volume II Issue VI, June 2012, ISSN-2231 5780. 17. Erandwane-Pune. jpg – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia www. en. wikipedia. org 18. www. google. com AbstractThe present investigation made an attempt to study the perception of consumers towards ready-to-eat food products by the working class women in Erandwane area in Pune city. A total sa mple of 50 respondents was selected for the study. Majority of the respondents were aware of RTE products. Also television works as major source for getting information about such products. The purpose of the study is to find out what are the responsible factors for consumption of such products in working class women. Their income level, time variable, product awareness are taken into consideration to arrive at the conclusion.The main aim for this study is to explore consumer perception for ready-to-eat products and the major forces determining such segment to grow and the future potential of the same. This research will give us potential information about the working women preference for such products. There is a tremendous change in the last ten years in our country of people consuming habits, working style. Other than convenience there are many hidden forces and upcoming forces. Rather than availability of western eatables products, our own products are come into packaged items f or sales in this market. This study will throw some light on A Study of Consumer Perception of â€Å"Ready to Eat† Products Among Working Class Women A Report on A Study Of Consumer Perception Of â€Å"Ready To Eat† Products Among Working Class Women In Erandwane Area In Pune City MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Introduction Ready to eat food items has already gained wide scope in western world and in recent years it gaining popularity in India. A busy lifestyle has made Indian women very hectic to cook and eat thus â€Å"ready to eat food† items are gaining wide interest. On account of this many firms are seeing this, a golden opportunity. Companies like Haldiram, Nestle, and ITC are already working in this area.In today’s scenario, first came canned foods, frozen foods, and ready to cook and now the era of ready to eat food . Considering the time value for the working women and also looking towards market needs firms started manufacturing it. There are peoples, who are migrating to cities for job and education and these people have find the Ready-to-eat products are comfortable to eat rather than depending on restaurants. Most of the dual income (both husband and wife are office goers) families want to spend much less time on cooking because of less availability of time.During weekends they want to spend time with their kids and outing, whereas in weekdays the office duration is large and these factors forced them to go for buying such products. Other factors influences this products is availability of different flavors and dishes. Consumers who are looking for different dishes and flavors now depend on these products. This products brings variety to their eating’s and palatable too. There is no conclusion which one precedes-whether the availability or taste or time constraint, all these factors complement each other in driving these products.Ready to eat items are providing a boon for working women. Literature Review Here are some facts drawn out by different survey carried out by different agencies. * The CFA commissioned a consumer survey to better understand consumers' att itudes and perceptions of ready to eat foods to help inform those efforts. According to the survey, more than half of Indians disagree that ready to eat food is as nutritious a fresh and more than one-third disagree that ready to eat food is as nutritious as frozen.Ready to eat foods and Lower Sodium Are Compatible – Only half of those surveyed know that ready to eat foods can be low in sodium, despite the multitude of no salt, low sodium and reduced sodium options available on grocery shelves. Thus conclusion can be drawn out from this that many people are with ready to cook food but some people are not so supportive. To find out where is real market for ready to cook food. *   A survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) secretary general D. S. Rawat said the consumer spending rate on processed food has increased at an average rate of 7. per cent annually from 2008 to 2010. And this is expected to rise at an average of around 8. 6 per cent until 2012. * In any commercial context, such as new product development, positioning and marketing, to understand consumer perceptions and their needs is a fundamental activity for food producers (Van Kleef et al. , 2005, Oude Ophuis and Van Trijp, 1995). * The study of consumer behaviour focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, effort) on consumption-related items (Schiffman ; Kanuk,1997). Statement of Research A study of consumer perception of ready to eat products.Objective The research paper was under taken with the following objectives. i. To study the effective use of time by the use of RTE products. ii. The awareness of consumers towards ready-to-eat food iii. The factors responsible for buying RTE products by working women. Research Methodology: Research methodology is the procedures used in systematic observations or otherwise obtaining data, evidence, and information as a part of research project or study. Da ta collection: The  process  used to  collect  information  and  data  for the purpose of  making  business  decisions. 1. Primary: Primary data is the first hand collection of data.In this study we have used Questionnaire as our instrument for primary data collection. 2. Secondary: Secondary data is the data which is already available and published somewhere. For this study we have used journals, Magazines, related websites. Type of research: Descriptive: Descriptive research includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. So we are using this method as there is no control over the variables; we can only report what has happened or what is happening.Sampling: It is the statistical method of representative data or observations in a group(lot, batch, population, etc. ) * Technique : Simple Random Sampling * Sample Size : 50 * Total population : 50,000*(www. wikiprdia. org) Scope of research: 1. The study was based on primary data collected from sample consumers by survey method. 2. The research is done in Erandwane area. 3. The target is for working women in this area. 4. Research location is in Pune city. Limitations: 1. The sample may not totally represent the whole section of the population because of different backgrounds. . The reluctancy of the responses from the population. 3. Invalid information . 4. Being college student, we faced time constraint for data collection Significance: 1. Awareness about â€Å"Ready-to-eat† products. 2. Acceptability of Ready-To-Eat products. 3. Openness of the market for new â€Å"Ready-to-eat† products. 4. Marketing strategies for RTE products. 5. Influence of media in promoting RTE. 6. New growing industry. Analysis : 1. Age Fig 1. Age Percentage Above fig shows that the maximum number of women are from 30-40 age group and they prefer RTE. 2. OccupationFig 2. Occupatio n Percentage From the above graph, it is cleared that the maximum i. e. 52% women are salaried. 3. Income Fig 3. Income Percentage Maximum of the women are having income in between 20000-30000. 4. Awareness Fig. 4 Awareness about the RTE From the analysis it shows that, out of total population, 52% prefer RTE for meals, which is highest. 5. Time Constraint Fig. 3 Time constraints The above pie chart reveals that, the maximum number of women prefer RTE as they face time constraints in the kitchen. 6. Buying perception Fig. 3 Buying PerceptionFrom the analysis, it concludes that more number of working women go for RTE because it is convenience. Following data interpretations were obtained:- 1) 52. 27% women are salaried. 2) 80%women have income above 10,000-20,000. 3) Almost 100% women have working hour more than 9-10 hours. 4) 60% didn’t get time to cook food themselves. 5) 80% people are aware of the Ready To Eat products. a) 25% or more, knows about the ready To Eat products . b) 36. 36% people prefer Ready To Eat items more than once. c) 34. 09% people prefer because it is very convenient to use. d) 20. 45% prefer because of the availability of products. ) 77. 27% think that ready To Eat products are not healthy. a) As it has preservatives, sometimes bad packaging, comes with expiry date, it is not fresh and also we get less variety. 7) 11. 36% consumes on daily basis. 8) 55% of population thinks it makes life easy. Conclusion: As per our findings, Ready To Eat are on growing stage. 1. Ready To Eat companies should change their marketing strategies as people have the typical mindset that the Ready To Eat products are not healthy to consume. 2. In the aspect of Time, Taste and Easy to make the Ready To Eat are proving to be good. . The analysis shows that most of the working women prefer Ready to Eat rather than cooking as it reduces their efforts. Bibliography: 1. Goyal Anita and Singh,N. P. (2007), â€Å"Consumer perception about Ready-to-eat in Indi a: anexploratory study†,British Food Journal,Vol. 109, Iss. 2,p. 182-195. Information, 26 (9): 8-14. 2. Hirekencchanagoudar Renuka , 2008,â€Å"Consumer Behaviour Towards Ready To Eat Food Products† . housewives in Dharwad. MHSc. Thesis, Univ. Agric. Sci, Dharwad. 3. Jorin, R. , 1987, Consumer behaviour is changing and offering new opportunities.Berater- 4. Joshi, M. S. , 1993, Food purchase habits and consumer awareness of rural and urban 5. Kamalaveni, D. and Nirmala, 2000, Consumer behaviour in instant food products. Ind. J. 6. Kamenidou, L. , Zimitra-Kalogianni, L. , Zotos, Y. and Mattas, K. , 2002, Household purchasing and consumption behaviour towards processed peach products. New Medit,. 1 (1) : 45-49. Mktg, 30 (5-7) : 12-18. 7. Makatouni,Aikaterini (2002), â€Å"What motivates consumers to buy organic food in the UK? Results frm a qualitative study†,British Food Journal,Vol. 104,Iss. 3/4/5,pp. 345-352. 8.Nichanj,Meena(2005),â€Å"Urbanities in India junk health,turn Ready-to-eaties,†Knight ridder Tribune business news,Washington,pp. 1. Nayga, Rodolfo M. and Capps,Oral (1992)â€Å"Determinants of Food Away from Home Consumption: An Update†, Agribusiness,Vol. 8,Iss. 6,pp. 549-559. 9. R. Meenambekai, P. Selvarajan, â€Å"Consumer Attitudes toward Ready-To-Eat Packed Food Items (With Special Reference To Jaffna Divisional Secretariat Division)†. The Seventh International Research Conference on Management and Finance (IRCMF 2012) 10. Ramasamy, K. , Kalaivanan, G. and Sukumar, S. , 2005, Consumer behaviour towards instant food products.Ind. J. Mktg. , 24 (2-3) : 55-59. 11. Rana Muhammad Ayyub, Muhammad Bilal and Muhammad Rameez Akram, â€Å"EXPLORING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR REGARDING READY TO EAT MEAT QUAIL MEAT PRODUCT IN PAKISTAN†,University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pkaistan. 12. Rees, A. M. , 1992, Factors influencing consumer choice. J. Soc. of Dairy Tech. , 45 (4): 112-116. 13. Sharma,Gaurav, (2011), â€Å"A STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF CUSTOMERS FOR READY TO EAT FOOD ITEMS†. Report, FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR 14. Srinivasan, N. and Elangovan, D. 2000, Consumer perception towards processed fruits and vegetable products. Ind. J. Mktg, 30 (11-12): 22-25. 15. T. Sarathy and Shilpa Gopal, â€Å"Managing the Diffusion of innovation in Ready-To-Eat Food Products in India† 16. Vijayabhaskar and Dr. N Sunderam, â€Å"Market Study on Key Determinants Of Ready To Eat Products With Respect To Tier I Cities In Southern Area†, International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research Volume II Issue VI, June 2012, ISSN-2231 5780. 17. Erandwane-Pune. jpg – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia www. en. wikipedia. org 18. www. google. com AbstractThe present investigation made an attempt to study the perception of consumers towards ready-to-eat food products by the working class women in Erandwane area in Pune city. A total sa mple of 50 respondents was selected for the study. Majority of the respondents were aware of RTE products. Also television works as major source for getting information about such products. The purpose of the study is to find out what are the responsible factors for consumption of such products in working class women. Their income level, time variable, product awareness are taken into consideration to arrive at the conclusion.The main aim for this study is to explore consumer perception for ready-to-eat products and the major forces determining such segment to grow and the future potential of the same. This research will give us potential information about the working women preference for such products. There is a tremendous change in the last ten years in our country of people consuming habits, working style. Other than convenience there are many hidden forces and upcoming forces. Rather than availability of western eatables products, our own products are come into packaged items f or sales in this market. This study will throw some light on

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Leaving Summary

This is a short story written by Budge Wilson name â€Å"The Leaving†. At the beginning of the story, the narrator of the story who is a 12 year old little girl named Sylvie is suddenly woken up in the early in the morning by her mom. On the other hand, her mom who is a housewife named Elizabeth asked her to get ready for a trip but she is too lazy to wake up since it's a Sunday morning. So her mother forces her to wake up and get some clothes together. Once she is ready they leave and begin walking towards town, Sylvie was very curious and began to ask questions about where they were going but her mother did not answer.They then hopped on a train and made their way to Halifax, but Sylvie had not known yet. On the train she was still asking questions and Elizabeth was still not answering. They finally arrived in Halifax and they first went to a cheap hotel room, Sylvie thought that the place was amazing just because of the simple things like running water. Elizabeth had alread y planned what they were going to do here in the big city, so they set off. They went around town, and wound up at the university Elizabeth told Sylvie all about it.They returned to a dirty house filled with dirty dishes, as soon as they walked in the door Lester Elizabeth’s husband demanded she do the dishes, not calling her Elizabeth but only calling her women. Once she was fed up with it she stood up for her self demanding that she be called her name and that the boys help with cleaning, and also to be respected. Sylvie saw all this and knew there is a better way to live your life so she went on to university, and is living a good life.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Does Global Marketing Exist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Does Global Marketing Exist - Essay Example The best thing is that the benefits and disadvantages are determined even before the organization goes the global way and thus it saves itself from embarrassment which it might face without having proper knowledge and adequate research within it. The significant thing here is to get prepared and be ready for what is to come in the future as concerns to the organization that one is talking about here. The ways and means that are usually taken care of whilst managing a business are aplenty and it is only up to the top management within a company that the same can be handled in a several different methods. They are the ones to decide as to what is the real manner in which the firm’s operations would be handled as well as who will head the respective departments, lead the business strategic units and act as legal and media representatives of the said business. The business, as marketers say, exists to satisfy its target audience through fulfilling a need courtesy its products and/or services or a combination of the both, the same being true in case of a retail outlet which sells gasoline to local consumers, thus giving in petrol plus extra services in the form of window cleaning, fuel gauge checks and so on and so forth. A company or an organization needs sound management framework at its top so that the staff and the employees working at different levels feel at ease with th e job as well as the working environment. This indeed is very important as it builds long-term credibility of the organization that it cares about its employees and not just the customers and in cases profits and revenues only. (Knight, 2004) A formal organization takes into account the role of leadership at the top and the manner in which this leadership is basically carried about, both in the interests of the people within the company as well as the company itself so that the end result is one on which everyone solemnly agree,

ACC501 - Accounting for Decision Making, Mod 3 SLP Essay

ACC501 - Accounting for Decision Making, Mod 3 SLP - Essay Example In this paper we are going to discuss a decision that has recently been made by the ASPCA and its financial implications. The ASPCA is a non-profit organization that is based in New York. It was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866. As the first animal welfare organization in the USA, it took on the humanitarian role of protecting animals by rescuing them from abuse, developing humane laws and establishing a network of countrywide shelters to help carry out a collaboration with animal lovers (www.aspca.org). One of the decisions that was recently made by the ASPCA was a collaboration with Bank of America in terms of issuing a special ASPCA credit card. This card functions very much like an ordinary credit card, but with a lot of benefits and privileges attached. For instance, every time a cardholder uses his or her ASPCA credit card to make a purchase, they will be helping fight cruelty to animals. Every dollar spent in net retail terms gathers points towards discounts, allowances and other privileges in hotel travel and accommodation- and may also result in cash and merchandise redemptions. The ASPCA credit card is being offered at a low Annual Percentage interest rate (APR) in order to attract customers. To apply one must be a Bank of America customer and have applied for online banking services or already own a debit or credit card issued by the bank. Relevant costs related to the decision to issue the ASPCA special credit card are the cost of issue to the Bank, the business expected to be generated by the use of this card and the general acceptability among American users. The low APR seems to be appealing, as well as the plea to contribute to the safety and protection of animals all across the USA. Few people would find themselves resisting applying for this credit card. It not only allows them certain privileges, but also benefits in terms of cash discounts and allowances gained while shopping. In the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Obesity is seen more in Americans than other cultures Essay

Obesity is seen more in Americans than other cultures - Essay Example Because of this, people opt for eating meat. Raw meat is too expensive in America for most people with average monthly income to afford. Its price is too high, so it usually remains beyond the approach of most Americans. On the contrary, fast food is something that complies with the standards of the modernistic life style. Not only is it fairly easily affordable for most Americans, but also it feels extremely nice to the taste and tempting to the touch and the sight. Fast food culture has readily grown in America in the recent years. In addition to the fact that healthy food is expensive in America, Americans generally remain too busy to find time to make food in home for themselves. Life has become more and more mechanical over the years. In order to manage the expenses, people have to work as much and as often as they can. Therefore, they largely rely on junk food. These traits of the American culture make them fatter than non-American people.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Gun control (Self defence low) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gun control (Self defence low) - Essay Example The argument over the right to own a gun and be armed within the home is centralized against a statistically failed premise that to be armed is to be protected. The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is written to say â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† (Harpre 80). The language of this Amendment is convoluted and is not clear on the actual intent of this addition to the Constitution. The problem with the way it is stated is that it can be interpreted to read that the people are entitled to a free militia that may arm themselves, or that the people are entitled to be armed. Regardless to the way the amendment is read, the historical relevancy of the Amendment must be taken into account before deciding if it is contemporarily necessary to allow anyone who can pass through a Historically, the Amendment arose from an issue that the colonies were having with the English monarchy attempting to disarm the citizens. In the period of time surrounding 1768 - 1775, the British government had occupied the colonies with troops loyal to the monarchy. One of the many attempts to assert control over the colonists was to declare in certain areas that personal firearms would not be allowed (Halbrook 21). The collection of personal firearms by the military was undertaken on occasion, denying the colonists the freedom of owning their own guns. In the world of 1768, the necessity of a gun was quite different than it might be in the current culture. As well, the colonists were arming themselves in anticipation of a revolution and the occupying government was aware of this threat. The tension between the monarchy’s needs and the needs of the colonists incited the framers of the Constitution to give this right back to the people. Owning a

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Clean Air Act Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Clean Air Act - Term Paper Example The 1990 amendment also addressed requirements for gasoline reformulation to control its evaporative emissions (Jacobson 2). This paper will discuss the emission regulations contained in the Clean Air Act and how it has helped the environment. The Act contains several emission regulations as listed in the below description. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) These are regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Act to set up primary and secondary NAAQS which define the standards of air quality permitted (Martineau and Novello 12). The primary standards aim at providing public health protection, which include protecting the sensitive population like the elderly, children and asthmatics. On the other hand, secondary standards provide protection to public welfare such as crop, buildings and animal damage, and poor visibility (Jacobson 4). New Source Review (NSR) Permits They govern regulations requiring new stationary sources of emissions of air pollutants to be permi tted prior to construction (Turner 36). It incorporates three types of permits, which are Nonattainment NSR, Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and Minor NSR permits. The Nonattainment NSR permits apply to new sources or modifications of sources that already exist in areas that do not meet the attainment requirements of NAAQS. The PSD permits apply to significant sources or modifications of sources in areas meeting attainment requirement and also areas unclassifiable by the NAAQS. Thirdly, Minor NSR permits apply to sources that do not require a PSD or Nonattainment permit (Martineau and Novello 12). New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) They are regulations issued by the EPA that establish air pollution standards to be met by new stationary sources (Turner 40). They encompass categories related to development of energy like gas and oil producing facilities, petroleum refineries and onshore processing plants for natural gases, coal preparation plants and bulk gasoline t erminals. The NSPS regulations have two elements, the Clean Air Interstate Rule that caps nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions in the eastern part of the United States, and the Clean Air Mercury Rule that reduces emissions of mercury from power plants powered by coal (Martineau and Novello 14). National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) These are regulations that govern emissions of hazardous air pollutants that are not covered under the NAAQS, and they are issued by the EPA. They contain standards for categories of sources that emit significant quantities of air pollutants (Martineau and Novello 14). The environment has benefited from the Clean Air Act in various ways. There has been a 25 percent reduction in ground level ozone, a hazardous component of smog, from 1980 to 2011 (Turner 39). Mercury emissions into the environment have also gone down by 45 percent within the past two decades. In the same period, rules enforced by law have facilitated a reduction in emissions of sulfur and nitrogen dioxide, the key pollutants that cause acid rain, by 71 percent and 46 percent respectively (Sperling and Deborah 191). The ozone layer has also seen the phasing out of production and use of chemicals contributing to its depletion. The reduction of acid rain due to a cut of emissions that cause it has led

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Sources of Law in the European Union Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sources of Law in the European Union - Thesis Example e European Union, particularly the Council of Ministers, the Commission, the European Parliament, and Court of Justice, can be studied in terms of their decision-making processes, which are governed by well laid laws and guidelines. This paper seeks to highlight the sources of EU laws and their integration to guide the union’s objectives. The sources of European Union law are crucial elements to foster cohesion and equality among member states. As such, laws are pooled from within member states and presented in a harmonized manner to govern the proceeding of the organization. The law is applied in courts within members as well as in territories held by the states and such they should be maintain the integrity of member states. The key sources of law are treaties, which are regarded as primary sources while legislation enacted by union organs by virtue of the powers given by member states is termed as secondary community law (Foster, 2007). Primary sources of the EU law are defined by the founding treaties stated as the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the functioning of the EU; thus illustrating their dominance as reference. To this effect, the primary sources top the hierarchy of sources of EU law and their supremacy indicate that other sources remain subordinate. This superiority is strengthened by the prohibition of any revision on the treaties outside the set procedures of the treaties themselves (Kaczorowska, 2009). The treaties are aimed at dispensing competences between the organization and member states, which establish the powers assumed by institutions within the EU structure. In essence, the treaties serve to lay out the legal framework on which the union’s mandate is implemented; moreover, primary law also incorporates amended EU treaties and protocols annexed to the founding treaties as well as the amended treaties. For instance, amendments to the EU treaties were signed to establish an internal market within the union in 1986. In

Friday, August 23, 2019

Product plcmnt s nw trnd n th UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 14500 words

Product plcmnt s nw trnd n th UK - Essay Example Two of thÐ µ Ð µxponÐ µntÃ'â€"Ð °l growth of dÃ'â€"gÃ'â€"tÐ °l-onlÃ'â€"nÐ µ modÐ µs, such Ð °s wÐ µbsÃ'â€"tÐ µ, Ð µ-mÐ °Ã'â€"l, cÐ µll phonÐ µ modÐ µs Ð °nd product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt. Product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ã'â€"s, Ã'â€"n Ð ° mÐ °nnÐ µr dÐ µpÐ µndÐ µnt on "InsÃ'â€"dÐ µr" rÐ µsÐ µÃ °rch. AspÐ µct hÐ °s not bÐ µÃ µn formÐ °lly Ã'â€"dÐ µntÃ'â€"fÃ'â€"Ð µd Ã'â€"n thÐ µsÐ µ studÃ'â€"Ð µs, thÐ µ rÐ µspondÐ µnts undÐ µrstÐ °nd thÐ µ concÐ µpt of product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt. ThÃ'â€"s suggÐ µsts thÐ °t rÐ µspondÐ µnts Ã'â€"n Al KÐ °rrh ET. study wÃ'â€"ll bÐ µ rÐ µquÐ µstÐ µd to Ð °ddrÐ µss product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ð °s "pÐ °Ã'â€"d to thÐ µ lÐ °bÐ µlÐ µd products, or Ð µmblÐ µm of Ã'â€"dÐ µntÃ'â€"ty, usÃ'â€"ng Ð °udÃ'â€"o Ð °nd / or vÃ'â€"suÐ °l Ð µntÐ °Ã'â€"ls progrÐ °mmÃ'â€"ng wÃ'â€"thÃ'â€"n thÐ µ mÐ °ss of thÐ µ nÐ µwspÐ °pÐ µrs" (KÐ °rrh, 1998, p. 33). RussÐ µll Ð °nd BÐ µlch (2005) ThÐ µ usÐ µ of hybrÃ'â €"d pÐ µrÃ'â€"ods of promotÃ'â€"on Ð °nd sponsorshÃ'â€"p wÃ'â€"thÃ'â€"n thÐ µ contÐ µxt of product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ð °nd sponsor-ownÐ µd clÐ °ssÃ'â€"fÃ'â€"Ð µd dÃ'â€"splÐ °ys (such Ð °s Ð µÃ °rly wÃ'â€"rÐ µlÐ µss "soÐ °p opÐ µrÐ °") Ð °s Ð °n Ð µxÐ °mplÐ µ of Product PlÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt. VolumÐ µ numÐ µrous dÃ'â€"stÃ'â€"nctÃ'â€"ons, whÃ'â€"ch lÃ'â€"vÐ µ for product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt (FÃ'â€"g. 1) suggÐ µsts thÐ °t product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ã'â€"ncludÐ µs Ð ° progrÐ °m dÐ µsÃ'â€"gnÐ µd to support thÐ µ logo Ð °nd thÐ µ plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ã'â€"s dÐ µsÃ'â€"gnÐ µd to support thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnt contÐ µnt, Ð °nd possÃ'â€"bly Ð ° pÃ'â€"cturÐ µ of sponsorshÃ'â€"p. If thÃ'â€"nkÃ'â€"ng Ð °bout product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt Ð °s "brÐ °ndÐ µd Ð µntÐ µrtÐ °Ã'â€"nmÐ µnt", Ð °s proposÐ µd by Hudson Ð °nd Hudson (2006), covÐ µrs Ð °ll thÐ µ followÃ'â€"ng sÃ'â€"tuÐ °tÃ'â€"on mÐ °y dÐ µsÃ'â€"gnÐ °tÐ µ Ð °s thÐ µ product plÐ °cÐ µmÐ µnt: †¢ thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnt Ã'â€"s ownÐ µd Ð °nd / or strongly Ð °pprovÐ µd thÐ µ logo, whÐ µrÐ µ only onÐ µ Ð µmblÐ µm Ã'â€"s Ð ° pÐ °rtnÐ µr of thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnt (dÐ µmonstrÐ °tÃ'â€"on, Ð µÃ °rly wÃ'â€"rÐ µlÐ µss dÃ'â€"splÐ °ys such Ð °s Lux ThÐ µÃ °trÐ µ Ð °nd Lucky StrÃ'â€"kÐ µ ProgrÐ °m wÃ'â€"th JÐ °ck... ThÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnt hÐ °s Ð µvolvÐ µd to support thÐ µ logo, Ð °lthough Ð ° fÐ µw pÐ µrÃ'â€"ods of plÐ µnty, tÃ'â€"mÐ µs of "AdvÐ µrtÃ'â€"sÃ'â€"ng" Ð °nd "Ð °dvÐ µrgÐ °mÃ'â€"ng" Ð °rÐ µ most rÐ µlÐ µvÐ °nt to thÐ °t concÐ µpt Ð °nd thÐ µ bÐ µst known. AdvÐ µrgÐ °mÃ'â€"ng sÐ µÃ µs thÐ µ logo Ã'â€"ntroducÐ µd Ã'â€"n sports computÐ µr Ð °nd dÐ µmonstrÐ °tÃ'â€"ons Ã'â€"ncludÐ µ NÐ µstlÐ µ NÐ µsquÃ'â€"ck Ð °nd KÐ µllogg's CocoPops sÃ'â€"tÐ µs, BÐ °skÐ µtbÐ °ll Ð °dvÐ µrgÐ °mÐ µ for SprÃ'â€"tÐ µ Ã'â€"s Ð °ssocÃ'â€"Ð °tÐ µd wÃ'â€"th thÐ µ lÐ °st FIBA World ChÐ °mpÃ'â€"onshÃ'â€"p Ã'â€"n bÐ °skÐ µtbÐ °ll, whÃ'â€"lÐ µ BÐ °rclÐ °ys communÐ °l Ð °dvÐ µrgÐ °mÐ µ TrÐ °nsÐ °Ã'â€"d ChÐ °llÐ µngÐ µ, to support thÐ µ bÐ µnÐ µvolÐ µnt humÐ °nÃ'â€"ty Ð °ssÐ µmbly TrÐ °nsÐ °Ã'â€"d, whÃ'â€"ch works (pÐ °rtÃ'â€"culÐ °rly Ã'â€"n AfrÃ'â€"cÐ °) to Ð °dvÐ °ncÐ µ through thÐ µ trÐ °nsport Ã'â€"s orgÐ °nÃ'â€"zÐ µd Ð °nd gà 'â€"vÐ µ pÐ µoplÐ µ bÐ µttÐ µr Ð °ccÐ µss to bÐ °sÃ'â€"c sÐ µrvÃ'â€"cÐ µs such Ð °s hÐ µÃ °lth Ð °nd lÃ'â€"vÐ µlÃ'â€"hoods. AdvÐ µrtÃ'â€"sÃ'â€"ng rÐ µfÐ µrs to thÐ µ contÐ µnt or thÐ µ Ð µmblÐ µm of clÃ'â€"ps supplÃ'â€"Ð µd Ð °s mÃ'â€"nÃ'â€"-movÃ'â€"Ð µs, whÐ µn thÐ µ clÐ °ss of thÐ µ nÐ °mÐ µ of thÐ µ Ð °dvÐ µrtÃ'â€"sÐ µr. ExÐ °mplÐ µs Ã'â€"ncludÐ µ thÐ µ BMW lÐ µÃ °sÐ µ, stÐ °rrÃ'â€"ng ClÃ'â€"vÐ µ OwÐ µn, Ð ° BrÃ'â€"tÃ'â€"sh plÐ °yÐ µr, Ð °nd thÐ µ dÐ µvÐ µlopmÐ µnt of Skyy vodkÐ ° from www.skyy.com whÃ'â€"ch housÐ µs somÐ µ of thÐ µ mÃ'â€"nÃ'â€"-movÃ'â€"Ð µs.†¢ Ð °ctÃ'â€"vÃ'â€"tÃ'â€"Ð µs Ã'â€"n whÃ'â€"ch thÐ µ Ð µmblÐ µm usÐ µd Ð °s props to Ð µnhÐ °ncÐ µ / support thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnt contÐ µnt (Ð °t thÐ µ dÃ'â€"scrÐ µtÃ'â€"on of thÐ µ crÐ µÃ °tor of thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnts). BrÐ °nds usÐ µ thÃ'â€"s pÐ °th cÐ °n bÐ µ chosÐ µn Ã'â€"n rÐ µlÐ °tÃ'â€"on to thÐ µ Ð µvÐ µnts crÐ µÃ °tor for pÐ °y or wÃ'â€"thout pÐ °y, whÃ'â€"lÐ µ thÐ µ prÐ µvÃ'â€"ous Ã'â€"s morÐ µ common.RussÐ µll Ð °nd BÐ µlch (2005) ThÐ µ usÐ µ of hybrÃ'â€"d Ð °rrÐ °ngÐ µmÐ µnts bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn promotÃ'â€"on to thÐ µ fÃ'â€"rst stÐ °tus, Ð °nd Hudson Ð °nd Hudson (2006) mÐ °rkÐ µd Ð ° pÐ µrÃ'â€"od of Ð µntÐ µrtÐ °Ã'â€"nmÐ µnt Ð °rrÐ °ngÐ µmÐ µnts wÃ'â€"th Ð °ll thrÐ µÃ µ. TrÐ °dÃ'â€"tÃ'â€"onÐ °l pÐ µrformÐ °ncÐ µ Ð µvÐ °luÐ °tÃ'â€"on for Ð °ny kÃ'â€"nd of Ã'â€"nvÐ µstmÐ µnt Ã'â€"t wÐ °s rÐ µcollÐ µctÃ'â€"on Ð µstÃ'â€"mÐ °tÐ µs.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The history of video games Essay Example for Free

The history of video games Essay The world of video games has played a part in several generations and they have always been entertaining for everyone. They have consistently evolved over the years keeping up with the times always offering gamers the best quality that is available. What started as mainly being played on televisions now is being played in hand held versions in addition to cell phones. Video games are evolving again with the games allowing the chance for everyone to get involved with the fun. From little toddlers to grandparents, there is a game out there all genres. I will explain each next-gen platform and its differences. The first system is the Nintendo Wii, Wii standing for we meaning that this console was built for everybody to play. This is the smallest console to date weighing in at only less than three pounds, over six inches tall, and it plays 12† inch discs in addition to eight inch discs from its predecessor the Nintendo GameCube. This console is motion censored based meaning that you have to move your body with the controller. This is the only that requires a memory card since there is not a lot of internal memory. This console is for everybody and it became instant hit and sold millions of units in a few short months. Next console is the X-Box 360, the second system released by Microsoft offering a more detailed online experience. With the ability to play others online the 360 has a social networking feel where you interact through your game. This console is fairly heavy weighing in at almost six pounds and with the older models the hard drives are detachable offered in 60 and 120 GB. The current model now has a 250GB hard drive and it slimmer lighter model and now it affordable as opposed to release in 2006 and starting price at $400. Then there is the PlayStation 3 perhaps the best console out of three offers their gamers the ability to play blue-ray discs in addition to having web browser option to connect to your internet service through Ethernet connection. With other features like the PlayStation Store where you can purchase your games and download it to your console, and the PlayStation Home where you can interact with others through an avatar. It began with consoles 20 and 60 GB and now it is offered in 160 and 320 GB since its launch in 2006. Each of these video games is unique in their own way but yet it offers the level entertainment that gamers always come to expect. However, they have evolved to target more guys there are games for everybody now. It is amazing how far these video games have come.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Ford Focus and Ford Motor Company Essay Example for Free

Ford Focus and Ford Motor Company Essay When Alan Mulally took over as Chief Executive Officer at Ford Motor Company in 2006 the organization was losing billions of dollars. According to Tony Schwartz (2010), â€Å"It had just come off reporting a $14. 6 billion loss for 2008, its fourth losing year in a row† (para. 1). The article Alan Mulally-Making Ford a Model for the Future illustrates the progress of Alan Mulally and the four simple principles that are making the company become profitable. Principles are important in any organization and an employee needs to feel important and motivated to come to work. These are a few of the principles that Alan Mulally have implemented since 2006: Stand for something beyond profit. Rally your employees around a shared mission. Practice a realistic optimism. Tell the truth without fear (Schwartz, 2010). The turnaround at Ford Motor Company was not overnight. He invested in the vision â€Å"One Ford† which has the idea of creating vehicles that will appeal to both American and European consumers by utilizing a common design theme that would move beyond the three-bar infatuation of the United States (Lavrinc, 2007). The transformation of the American icon was due to the One Ford vision and one year after 2008, Ford Motor Company reported a profit of $2. 7 billion. This transformation would not have happened if Alan Mulally did not take over in 2006. The ethical behavior by Ford Motor Company’s Chief Executive Officer has shown to be a true testament to future CEO’s in the global market. When the company raised $23. 5 billion to finance the restructuring and accelerate the investment in new products it shows great leadership during the Great Recession (Bartiromo, 2011). This American icon is 110 years old and recently had the strongest third quarter profit in history in 2012. This would not have happened without Alan Mulally reducing the brands of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Mazda, Land Rover, and Volvo into the two main components that a person would vision on the road today Ford and Lincoln. The leadership is beyond extraordinary and models like the Ford Focus is now one of the country’s best selling cars (Schwartz, 2010). The business environment is multifaceted with enormous challenges that face the global market. By focusing attention on a vision, the leader operates on the emotional and spiritual resources of the organization, on its values, commitment, and aspirations. The manager, by contrast, operates on the physical resources of the organization, on its capital, human skills, raw materials, and technology. The results that an individual observes currently are in direct correlation of the actions over the last five years. Ford has now paid back the $23. 5 billion that was taken out in 2006 to finance the restructuring and investment of new products. The company has started to hire and bring jobs back to the United States. According to Schwartz (2010), â€Å"Mulally is taking an old-school industrial company and turning it into a model of how modern company ought to be run† (para. 3). Using the PESTEL Analysis to capture macro-environmental forces and including part of the Ansoff Product/Market Opportunity Matrix Ford Motor Company can thrive on market penetration strategies. The following PESTEL Analysis shows the six factors that are the biggest weaknesses and strengths perceived to be the primary data in the next five years for the automotive giant.

Factors Affecting Reading Habits

Factors Affecting Reading Habits Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson, 1980; Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998. Reading has numerous benefits that improve a persons language acquisition, cultural enrichment, critical thinking and social skills. However, literature has shown that young adults in Malaysia seem to have poor reading habits. Kaur and Thivagarajah, 1999 confirmed that most of their Malaysian undergraduate respondents read very little and this showed a major decline in reading English Materials. Another researcher, Pandian (2000) found that majority of university students stated that they were not willing to read English Language Material or any other second language. There are many problems faced by undergraduates in reading such as lack of interest, undergraduates are forced to read and insufficient time to read. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. The respondents of this study are undergraduates from different faculties in University of Malaya. The objective of the study is twofold; The first is investigate the reading habits of undergraduates in University of Malaya and the second is to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. The instruments used in this study is a questionnaire consisting of 30 items adopted from various instruments including instruments from of Christina Clark and Amelia Foster from the National Literacy Trust (2003), Kumar Ansari (2010), Oyeronke (2009) and Lone (2011). Twenty University Malaya undergraduates were selected to participate in this study. After the data was analysed it was found that there were four factors that affected the reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. There four factors are enjoyment of reading, reading interest, time factor and influence of media and peers. INTRODUCTION Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters (Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson 1980, Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998).This process has been around since humans started interacting with each other. Reading is also seen as a process of communicating between the writer and the reader. Reading started as interpretation symbols and picture as this can be proven by the vast drawings found in ancient artefacts and in caves. As humans evolved so did language and this brought to the development of the alphabets. By recognising individual alphabets, humans were able to read. One the oldest definition can be found from Leedy (1956) who mentioned that reading is an attempt to absorb the thought of the author and know what the author is conveying. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning. Devarajan (1989) defined reading as the art of interoperating printed and written words. According to Goodman (1995), reading begins with a linguistic surface expression encoded by a writer and ends with meaning which the reader decoded. In other words, Goodman says reading is seen as the receptive process of written communication. In 1998, Allen and Burton cited in Goodman mentioned that reading is a complex process of making meaning from pictures, diagrams or written text and finally interoperating it by its context. Irwin (1998) said that reading is the ability to recognise words, understand its meaning and interoperating the meaning base on our comprehension and background knowledge. There are man y definitions of reading from many researchers, yet the simplest definition agree by many is reading is a complex process of understanding and interoperating a text composed of written signs. Readers make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand a written text Reading not only improves the reading achievements and language acquisition but also improves social skills. Reading improves general knowledge and communication skills and this leads to more participation in the community. A person is able to share the ideas, opinions and feeling with those around him especially with the other gender (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1997) However, literature has shown that young adults in Malaysia seem to have poor reading habits. Kaur and Thivagarajah, 1999 confirmed that most of their Malaysian Undergraduate respondents read very little and this showed a major decline in reading English Materials. Another researcher, Pandian (2000) found that majority of university students stated that they were not willing to read English Language Material or any other second language Problem Statement Reading is a necessary skill when it comes to acquiring a second language. Reading has a lot of benefits including improving the language acquisition, improving the structure of the knowledge and grammar and improving fluency and accuracy. The benefits of reading are well known but there are still a large number of people with poor reading habits especially undergraduate students. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting reading habits among undergraduate in University of Malaya. The respondents of this study are undergraduates from different faculties in University of Malaya. It is hoped that with this study, a better understanding of reading habits will be obtained and will help in the pedagogy of teaching reading to undergraduates. Research Objective The objective of the study is twofold; The first is investigate the reading habits of undergraduates in University of Malaya and the second is to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. Significant of the Study This research will be carried out to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in UM. This is important as it tells us the different factors affecting reading habits. By understanding the factors, appropriate measures can be taken to increase reading habits of the next generation of undergraduates. The information obtained through this study can benefit various parties who are involved in tertiary level reading. Such parties are the parents, teachers of primary and secondary schools, teachers in Pre University, lecturers in undergraduates, students and the curriculum developers. The first party to benefit from this study would be the parents of the child. By knowing the childs reading habits, parents are able to introduce the benefits of reading at an early stage of life, change the ways of encouraging the childs reading. Parents can increase the level of the childs reading by providing rewards. A correct reading habit exposure may lead to better acquisition of the second language. Teachers from both primary and secondary schools can use the information gathered to strengthen reading among their students. Since reading starts from young it is hoped that the findings of this study could help incubate good reading habits from a young age as good reading habits are important tools for the development of personalities and mental capacities LITERATURE REVIEW Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters (Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson 1980, Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998).This process has been around since humans started interacting with each other One the oldest definition can be found from Leedy (1956) who mentioned that reading is an attempt to absorb the thought of the author and know what the author is conveying. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning. Devarajan (1989) defined reading as the art of interoperating printed and written words. According to Goodman (1995), reading begins with a linguistic surface expression encoded by a writer and ends with meaning which the reader decoded. In other words, Goodman says reading is seen as the receptive process of written communication. In 1998, Allen and Burton cited Goodman and mentioned that reading is a complex process of making meaning from pictures, diagrams or written text and finally interoperating it by its. Irwin (1998) said that reading is the ability to recognise words, understand its meaning and interoperating the meaning base on our comprehension and background knowledge. There are many defin itions of reading from many researchers, yet the simplest definition agree by many is reading is a complex process of understanding and interoperating a text composed of written signs. Readers make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand a written text Reading has numerous benefits to young adults who are pursuing the degree. According to Cunningham and Stanovich (1998), reading improves ones ability to improve vocabulary, and, writing skills. Elley (1992) mentioned from her study that the more frequent a young adult independently reads, the reading achievement of that person increases. Elley also explained that the persons health improves as reading leads to lower stress levels and thus the happier the person gets. In their research, Magubhai Elley (1983) concluded that the more ESL books read leads to better understanding of second language usage and improves the first language. Reading ESL books frequently help to further strengthen fluency, pronunciation, word choices and linkage of ideas. Reading not only improves the reading achievements and language acquisition but also improves in social skills. Reading improves general knowledge and communication skills and this leads to more participation in the community. A person is able to share the ideas, opinions and feeling with those around him especially with the other gender (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1997) Listed below are explanations on how readings are beneficial to the readers. Reading helps to improve a persons vocabulary, spelling, writing skills, fluency, proficiency, language enrichment, cultural enrichment, critical thinking, personal involvement, sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge and emotional intelligent Vocabulary According to the studies carried out by Magubhai and Elley (1983), Cunningham and Stanovich (1998), and Elley (1992), reading helps to improve an ESL learners vocabulary list. By reading a book or any printed text, a person is exposure to new words he has not encounter before. The reader will be tempted to know the meaning of the word by referring to the context of the text or by referring to a dictionary. The reader will then be tempted to use the particular word in his oral or written communication. Saragi et al. (1978) carried out research on the merits of reading in acquiring second language. They found that extensive reading results in a substantial increase in the vocabulary of the learner which is acquired by grasping the meanings of words in context. They mentioned reading is vital for increasing learners selection of vocabulary in context, which cannot be acquired even by referring to the dictionary. Classroom activities do not provide enough scope for the acquiring of vocab ulary in context, therefore the reader has to read extensively to acquire a usable level of vocabulary in context. Spelling According to Walpole (2009), reading improves ones phonological awareness, knowledge of phonology, grapheme, phoneme and morpheme. By reading a person can blend the word sound together, matching other sound together and then categorise the two sounds together to form meaning. This means the person is aware how the grapheme, morpheme and phoneme are combined phonologically. This leads to understanding the word, knowledge of the meaning from the contexts and the spelling of the word. The more frequent that particular word appears, the more familiarised the person be with the spelling Writing Skills Reading has a special relationship with writing. Whatever is read is remembered and this helps in writing. Reading has many genres that help us to learn the structure of a particular language. By reading a lot, the reader will be more familiar with the targeted language. Vocabulary will be expended and so will the grammatical structures. Rules of grammar wil be automatically acquired. Reading again and again will lead to the curiosity of trying to combine sentences of words together and writing them down Fluency Wolfe and Katzir-Cohen (2001) mentioned that fluency is an important part of reading comprehension. Samuel (2002) defined fluency as the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little attention to the mechanics of reading. Dowhower (1987) has proven through his research that fluent readers are able to read a text faster, more accurately, and better understanding. In another word, fluent reading allows readers to make connections among the ideas in the text and between the text and their background knowledge. In the end, fluent readers can recognise words and comprehend at the same time. By fluently reading, the readers can automatically recognise the meaning of the word with the help of the background knowledge and link it to the context of the text. Proficiency By frequently reading books in a target language, a person can improve his proficiency. Reading again and again helps a reader to be familiar with the language structure and the rules of the grammar. Reading materials from other genres, helps the reader to comprehend the situations from different contexts. For example what do you say during a funeral or what to say in a shopping complex? The reader will be tempted to use the phrases found in the books or reading materials, and when the phrase is repeated, the reader will then be proficient. Language Enrichment Reading provides learners with a huge range of the various lexical or syntactic items. Readers will become familiar with the features of the written language. They learn about the syntax and discourse functions of sentences, the target language structures, the different ways of connecting ideas, which develop and enrich their own writing skills. Readers also become more productive and adventurous when they begin to perceive the richness and diversity of the language they are trying to learn and begin to make use of some of that potential themselves. Thus, they improve their communicative and cultural competence in the authentic richness, naturalness of the authentic texts. On top of that, reading helps to develop the grammatical aspects of the language. Literature involves a profound range of vocabulary, dialogues and prose (Truong Thi My Van, 2009). Though poetry is usually criticized for its complex and far-fetched syntactic structures, it can simultaneously be a good source for pr acticing grammatical structures. Cultural Enrichment Literary texts such as poems, short stories, plays and novels facilitate understanding on how communication takes place in certain cultures in different parts of the world. Although the worlds of literary texts are imaginary one, it presents a full and colourful setting in which characters from many social and regional backgrounds can be described (Collie, and Slater. 1990). By reading, the reader will be able to experience the characters feelings, thoughts, customs and behaviours. This colourful created world can quickly help Malaysian Undergraduates to feel for the norms that shape a society through written forms. Literature can complement other materials used to develop the Malaysian learners understanding into the English language. As a conclusion literature can provide students with access to the culture of the people whose language they are studying. Critical Thinking In his 2009 paper Truong Thi My Van, literature is a good medium for critical thinking enhancement among language learners. The author also states that reading can bring about changes in the attitudes of the learners. According to Langer (1997), reading allows SLA readers to reflect on their lives, learning, and language. In page 607, Langer said that by reading literature text it helps to open horizons of possibility. This allows students to question, interpret, connect, and explore. Literature therefore helps in the development of higher order thinking skills. Today, critical thinking is extremely important for education especially at advanced levels of education or in order words Undergraduates. Critical thinking prepares us not to take things for granted and to attempt to unravel the hidden agenda of texts. Personal Involvement Reading can be useful in the acquisition of second language as it actively involves the reader to the text. Once any SLA reader begins to read, he or she will be drawn to the text. The longer the reader reads the more captive he or she becomes and when this happens, the purpose of reading changes from understanding the meaning to finding out what happens next in the plot (Hismanoglu 2005). The reader then becomes so involved that nothing else matter. When this happens, the reader the reader feels closer to the characters or a particular character and shares their emotional responses. This is beneficial to language acquisition. At this juncture, the prominence of the selection of a reading text in relation to the needs, expectations, and interests, language level of the students is evident (Elliot, 1990). Sociolinguistic and Pragmatic Knowledge As mentioned by Hismanoglu (2005), literature is an example of authentic material land this can help with the development of the English Language among Malaysian Secondary School Students. Due to its authenticity, literature can develop sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge as manifested in communicative competence models (McKay, 2001). Sociolinguistic and Pragmatic competence are two of the main components of the communicative language. Literature due to its authenticity is equipped with sociolinguistic and pragmatic information. These two features are more related to appropriateness in language which can be found only in contextualized language such as literary texts especially dramas and plays. Readers can get firsthand experience as how to use the real language situations. Emotional Intelligent Reading literary texts foster emotional intelligence. Emotional Quotient is specifically related to human ability to control and manage their emotions and feelings in difficult situations. Students learn to control their anxiety affection, feeling and emotion through reading (Gajdusek, and van Dommelen, 1993). Therefore literature is a good source for nurturing Emotional Quotient. Problems in Reading among Undergraduates of a Second Language There are many problems in reading faced by undergraduate readers of a second language. The main problem is the lack of interest in reading books in English or other second language. Readers prefer to read book or any printed or online material in their mother tongue. They are familiar with the language structure and have been reading in their mother tongue since young. Many readers have difficulties in understanding what they read as the words are alienated to them. This may be caused by their unfamiliarity with the spelling of the word and sometimes the word may have two different meanings. They are no able to understand the context of the text and therefore lose interest in the book. Another major problem is readers are forced to read. Dowhower (1987) has proven through his research that when a person is forced to read something, then the person will not enjoy the book and this leads to hating the book. The information from the book will not be absorbed into the persons mind. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning and when you are forced to read nothing is understood. Reading for pleasure or in other words reading for the fun of it will improves ones language acquisition, critical thinking skills and pragmatic knowledge. Frustration of readers towards text is frequent problem to reading. Frustration happens when the reader is unable to understand the meaning of the sentence in the first two times of reading Hismanoglu (2005). Readers will then take time to decode the text and if they still cant understand they will leave the book. Another reason according to Hismanoglu is the reader is unable to connect with the context of the test. Readers of academic books find it difficult to comprehend the meaning because of the long explanations and the blend mood of the text. When there are too many unknown words, reader tend to skip those unknown words and this leads to not understanding the context of the reading material. Time is another problem faced by undergraduates. With a hectic schedule, undergraduates are able to spend sufficient time reading. Hismanoglu 2005 stated that the reader will be more familiar with the language structure as reading material are authentic material and this can help with the development of the English Language or other second language. Due to its authenticity, literature can develop sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge as manifested in communicative competence models (McKay, 2001) If a reader doesnt have enough time to read, he or she will miss out in improving themselves. METHODOLOGY Research Design This study uses a quantitative research approach. Quantitative research is the precise count of behaviour, knowledge, opinions, or attitudes (Cooper and Schindler, 2006, p.716). There are several reasons why a quantitative questionnaire survey was chosen. According to Sekaran (2003), a questionnaire survey will ensure comparability of data, increase speed and accuracy of recording and facilitating data processing. Many relevant studies relating to perceptions have used the quantitative survey approach. Quantitative method can elicit information from a larger number of subjects in a short period time and it is cost effective Research Instrument The instruments used in this study is a questionnaire consisting of 30 items adopted from various instruments including instruments from of Christina Clark and Amelia Foster from the National Literacy Trust (2003), Kumar and Ansari (2010), Oyeronke (2009) and Lone (2011). The questionnaire has three sections. The first section had 8 questions regarding the respondents personal information, questions in this section ranged from gender to the spoken language at home. Section B consists of 10 questions regarding the respondents reading preferences. The final section consisted of 10 questions that focused on reading and two questions on problems in reading. The questions in all three sections were choice base questions. Sampling Twenty undergraduates from five faculties which are Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics and Faculty of Science participated in this study. They were conveniently selected. The researcher administered the questionnaire to those who were in University of Malaya Main Library and the parking lot Data Analysis The questionnaires were collected and the data was entered in a template using Microsoft Office Excel 2007.The data was cleaned and analysed. As this is a pilot study with 20 subjects, it was easier and faster to analyse the data without using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the undergraduate students responses. RESULTS The Demography of the Respondents The demographic profile of the respondents is given in Table 1 Table 1 Demography of the Respondents Variable Frequency Percentage Gender Male 6 30% Female 14 70% Age 18-20 3 15% 21-23 13 65% 23 above 4 20% MUET Band 1 1 6% 2 13 76% 3 0 0% 4 3 18% Undergraduate Year 1 5 25% 2 10 50% 3 4 20% 4 1 5% Mother Tongue Malay 7 35% Mandarin 5 25% Tamil 7 35% Arabic 1 5% Spoken Language Malay 7 35% Mandarin 5 25% Tamil 7 35% Arabic 1 5% Base on Table 1, majority of the students are females (70%), aged 21-23 (65%), have obtained Band 2 in MUET (76%) and are in the second year of study (50%). The percentage of students with the Mother Tongue and their Spoken language correspond to each other. Reading Preferences The reading preferences among undergraduates in University of Malaya are summarized in Table 2 Table 2 The Reading Preferences Variable Frequency Percentage Enjoy Reading Books Yes 16 80% No 4 20% Read Books In? English 5 25% Mother Tongue 15 75% Number Of Books Read In The Past 6 Months One 2 10% Two 3 15% Three 3 15% Four 3 15% Five 1 5% Six And Above 8 40% Frequently Of Reading In A Month Once A Week 4 20% Two To Three Times A Week 8 40% Four Times A Week 2 10% Everyday 6 30% Time Spend Reading In One Session Less Than 30 Minutes 1 5% 30 Minutes To One Hour 4 20% One And A Half Hour 2 10% Two Hours 2 10% More Than Three Hours 4 20% Time Of The Day Morning 4 20% Afternoon 2 10% Evening 4 20% Night 14 40% Table 2 shows majority of the students (80%) enjoy reading books while most of them (75%) prefer to read in their own Mother Tongue. 40% of the students read more than five books in the past six months. Eight of the students (40%), read two to three times per week. The time spent per reading session is distributed evenly over less than 30 minutes and more than three hours where both are 20%. Out of 20 students, only 40% or 14 students prefer to read at night Reading Materials The reading materials of undergraduates in University of Malaya is given in Table 3 Table 3 Reading Materials Variable Frequency Percentage Reading Material Printed Material 7 35% On-Line Material 4 20% Both 11 55% On-Line Devices Computer 2 10% Laptop 17 85% Tablet 3 15% Smart Phone 2 10% Reading Genres Thriller 7 35% Classic 3 15% Horror 4 20% Crime 5 25% Romance 9 45% Fantasy 7 35% History 6 30% Biography 2 10% Sports 4 20% Politics 1 5% Education 7 35% Academic 3 15% Religious 7 35% Magazine 6 30% Health 7 35% Cookery 5 25% Science Fiction 6 30% Source Of Material Bookstore 14 70% Library 11 55% Friends 7 35% Photostatted 3 15% Free On-Line 14 70% Amazon 1 5% Other On-line Store 1 5% Table 3 describes that 11 students (55%) like to read both printed and on-line material. The most often used on-line device for reading on-line material is the laptop (85%). The Romance Genre was reported to be the most preferred reading genre with a total of 11 students (45%). Only one student (5%) preferred the political genre. The major source for printed material was the bookstore. This can be seen with 70% of the students said they bought they reading material from the bookstore. For on-line materials, 70% of the students mentioned that they read the material on-line for free Reading Influence The current reading influence of the undergraduates in University of Malaya is given in Table 4 Table 4 Reading Habit Variable Frequency Percentage Current Influence Parents 4 20% Siblings 2 10% Friends 8 40% Lectures 8 40% Media 7 35% Prefer To Read At: Home 12 60% Library 8 40% Alone 17 85% Selection Of Reading Material Author 6 30% Title 11 55% Summary 8 40% Price 2 10% Illustration 3 15% Genre 6 30% Pages 4 20% Cover 2 10% Suggestion From Others 3 15% Base on Table 4, most of the students cited that their friends (40%), their lectures (40%) and the media (35%) influence their current reading. 85% of the students (17) reported that they prefer to read alone and their preferred place to read is either at home (60%) or in the library (40%) 11 students or 55% select their reading material based on the title, while only 2 students, 10% choose their material based on the price of cover. Reading Purpose of undergraduates The reading purpose among undergraduates in University of Malaya is provided in Table 5. Table 5 Reading Purpose of undergraduates in University of Malaya Variable Frequency Percentage Purpose Of Reading Get Information 16 80% Reference 6 30% To Pass The Time 6 30% To Complete A Course 3

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

Of Mice And Men In the masterful story Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck there is a looming theme of loneliness. This theme is told to you through the words and actions of the characters in the story . This story is told through two characters Lennie and George. The setting is 1930’s America. The story involves traveling ranch workers that live only for the one purpose to get paid and waste their money on a few drinks and some pleasure. These men are consumed with loneliness. The care for nothing but themselves. They are very unlike George and Lennie who have each other and a dream. Lennie is a big man with the brain of a child. Lennie never meant to hurt anybody but managed to get himself and his only true friend George into trouble. George is a small smart man who has known Lennie all his life and knows to well that Lennie could not survive on his own lets him travel with him as a favor too Lennie’s aunt Loneliness is defined as Without companions; lone. I will use this definition to describe different aspects of Steinbeck’s treatment of loneliness in this novel. Steinbeck’s use of loneliness is in this novel is very noticeable in some of the dialogue like when Lennie accidentally stumbles into Crook’s home in the stable and they talk. "You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go to the bunk-house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. Sure you could play horse shoes til it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. ‘He whined : ‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long he& amp;#8217;s with you. I tell ya,’ he cried , I tell you a guy gets lonely an’ he gets sick." This shows Crook’s view of the world and how he feels about what his life is about. He feels as though nobody cares for him which is probably true from the quote above. George and Lennie feel they are not alone they have a dream. This dream is what pushes them on. They are often talking of the land they dream of.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Of Mice and Men and Steinbeck’s Life Essay -- Biography Biographies Es

Of Mice and Men and Steinbeck’s Life      Ã‚   "If an author does not have at least one great popular success, he or she may well be ignored by the media, but if he or she is constantly popular, then the critics become suspicious of the writer's serious intentions" (Benson Introduction). What do critics from the literary world have to say about Steinbeck's writings? Critics have much to say, both positive and negative. What link exists between Steinbeck and his writings? Perhaps the most noteworthy biographical link between Steinbeck and his writings is that he was born and came to maturity in the Salinas Valley. In this area of California, bounded on the north and south by the Pajaro and Jolon valleys on the west and east by the Pacific Ocean and the Gabilan Mountains, Steinbeck found the materials for his fiction (Tedlock 3). John Steinbeck's agricultural upbringing in the California area vibrantly shines through in the settings and story lines of the majority of his works.    John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father's family, originally called Grossteinbeck, had come from Wuppertal, about twenty miles east of the German city of Dà ¼sseldorf. During summers he worked as a hired hand on nearby ranches, "nourishing" his impression of the California countryside and its people (Lisca 32). He made occasional exciting trips to San Francisco with his family and more frequent trips to the Monterey peninsula (Fontenrose 2). In 1918, he became ill with pneumonia and almost died, but he was able to recover. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford University, taking courses in English and Marine Science (Bloom 11). He was always an excellent stude... ...he knowledge he gained and the images he conceived of California in his writings.    Works Cited Benson, Jackson J. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1990. Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Davis, Robert Murray. Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1972. Fontenrose, Joseph. John Steinbeck: An Introduction and Interpretation. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1964. French, Warren. John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Lisca, Peter. The Wide World of John Steinbeck. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1958. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books USA Incorporated, 1978. Tedlock, E.W. Steinbeck and His Critics. Albuquerque: The University of New Mexico Press, 1957.   

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Kidney Thieves Urban Legend :: Urban Legends

Losing Organs at a Party: The "Kidney Thieves" Legend and the Immigrant Experience My family, most being first generation immigrants, has at times a slightly negative view of American culture. Because of this, many of the family dinner conversations are about the differences between American and Iranian cultures and often how the Iranian culture is better in some ways. To support this theory many urban legends are brought up that show the â€Å"dark side† of the American culture. For example, when the family was gathered together for the Iranian new year, a version of the famous legend about the traveler who was drugged and robbed of his organs in a hotel room was told by a family member. It is important to note that he told the story in Farsi, which means that I am translating and not merely re-telling the story verbatim. The storyteller's version of the story was about an Iranian foreign exchange student who had recently come to the US. The story begins with the student, being alone in this country, going to a party he had heard of from other students. In the party, having had a few drinks, another â€Å"American thing† my family is against, he met a beautiful innocent girl who offered him a drink and asked to go to his place at the end of the night. The tone with which he described the girl was specially interesting, noting that even the innocent looking girls cannot be trusted. The story goes that the Iranian student did not remember anything from that point on until he woke up the next day in his bathtub covered with ice. There was also a note next to him telling him not to move and call 911. When the ambulance arrived at his apartment he was told that his kidney was removed and that he was not the first person this has happened to. To add to the accuracy and suspense of the story, the stor yteller, a physician, mentioned how the ice was used to keep the student’s body cold to prevent excessive blood loss and inflammation, which was essentially what kept him alive. After being discharged from the hospital for a few weeks with a missing kidney, a big hospital bill, and having fallen behind his studies, the student found out that there is an organized ring of organ thieves who specialize in lonely foreign students, who are as the storyteller sees it, more susceptible to being seduced by girls.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

National Institute of Business Management Essay

1. Describe the basic assumptions of Economics. 2. Discuss the vital functions of an economy. 3. Write an essay on the features of capitalist economy. 4. Explain the various assumptions on which all demand schedules are prepared. 5. Write an essay on Localization of Industries. 6. Describe the kinds of price elasticity of demand. 25 x 4=100 marks Answer of Question 1- Basic assumption of econimoics Economists have generally looked for some fundamental assumption about human behaviour from which most of the principles of economics can be ultimately deduced. Every decision maker in an economic systems-wheter he is a consument or producer, whethre is a house hold or a firm is assumed to have in a rational manner and go in for maximum gain. Economic rationality presupposed that every person knows his interest and selects that course of action, which promises him the greatest amount of statisfaction. The economists have, generally assumed that human beings are rational and that they are influenced by maximization principle for example every consumer is said to maximize his satisfaction with a given amount of expenditure, every producer maximizes his output and mizimizes his cost. Every seller minimizes his profit, as so on. But reationality and maximization principles are based on the further assumption of perfect knowledge, every rational consumenr for example knows  the differnent possiable alternative open to him and will choose that alrernative that promises maximum satisfaction. However, rationality is conditioned and influenced by habits and social. Habits acquired over a number of years influence the consumers in the choice of goods. Likewise, social customs infulence guide and modify economic behaviour of individuals. The assumption of economic rationality does not carry and moral or ethical implication. Rationality implies that is a period of acute shoratege, producers and distributors would raise the price and secure higher profit marigns. Such a behaivor may be condemned from the social point of view. But economically it is justified. At the same time, it is neccesasary to distinguish between individual rationality and social rationlaity. But from the social point of view, this may not be rational and proper, for bombay is already overcroweded with a high density of population, besides there are so many backward areas, which need industrialization from the social point of view it would have been better that the new factory is set up away from bombay, there is thus a possibility of clash between individual rationally and social rationalily. Anwer of Question no :- 2 Economy An economy refers to the financial system of the region, province or nation. â€Å"It is a system by which folks get a livelihood.† For instance the â€Å"Economy includes farms, factories, mines, shops, banks, roads, railways, aircrafts, offices, schools, cinemas etc., which grants the people with the goods and services which they also use themselves or sell overseas in order to be able to buy imports.† Sir John Hicks â€Å"An economy consists of nothing else but an enormous cooperation of workers or manufacturer to make things and do things which clients want.† The Vital Processes of An Economy Production, consumption and growth are vital factors of economics. Economies might differ in the organisation but all perform these three functions which  are discussed below. 1. Production -The First vital process of an economy is manufacture which must go on incessantly. â€Å"Production comprises any action, and the stipulation of any service, which satisfies and is likely to satisfy a want.† In this wider sense, production includes products produced on farms like rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables and those manufactured in the factories like clothes, electronic goods, electrical items etc. It also includes the services of shopkeepers, traders, transporters, actors, doctors, civil servants, teachers, engineers and akin to who help in fulfilling the needs of the people in the economy through their services. But production eliminates certain goods and services though they satisfy human needs. It includes, domestic work done within the family by the housewives, husband and children, production of hobby articles like paintings, production of vegetables in the kitchen garden. The last is voluntary work. John Hicks defines â€Å"Production is any acti vity directed to satisfaction of other people’s wants through exchange.† Thus production means exchange of goods for consideration of money. 2. Consumption -The second vital process of economy is consumption. It means the use of financial goods and services in the pleasure of human needs. The consumption that goes on in the fiscal may be of different types. Prof. Hicks organized it into two grouping – single-use goods and durable-use goods. Single goods are those which are used in a single act. Such goods are food stuffs, cigarettes, matches, fuel etc. durable use goods are those which can be used for a substantial period of time. It is unimportant whether the time is short or long. Such goods are pens, bicycles, clothes, fans, furniture etc. Prof. Brown defines as â€Å"For every kind of completed goods, in reality there is a kind of channel or rather a system of pipeline, elongating from the unique sources of resources used to the consumer.† The accretion of stock of such goods is called inventory investment. 3. Growth -Economic growth is â€Å"the process whereby the real per capita income of a country increases over a long period of time.† We itemise the factors which lead to the growth of an economy.† Growth of population predominantly  working population is the first cause of growth. A rapidly growing population in relation to the growth of the national product keeps the output per head at a low level. On the other hand, the enhancement in the productivity per head of developed economies like United States has been much higher because of their low rates of their national product. Technical acquaintance and development are the twin features in mounting productivity per head. Technical knowledge and development are autonomous It is technical knowledge which brings about new means of production, leads to innovation and growth of new equipment. The supply of savings is another factor that determines the growth rate of economy. Borrowing from abroad is another source of capital for the growth of economies. External borrowing is resorted to for two reasons. To supplement low domestic savings and to get foreign currency for the purpose of importing capital for development purposes. Thus all economies whether they are capitalist, socialist or mixed perform these important functions of production, consumption and growth. Central Problems of Economy There are five fundamental questions relating to the problem of economy and they are discussed below. 1. What to Produce and in What Quantities? To make a decision of what goods and services are to be created and the volume of productivity has to be determined and this is the first problem relating to economy. This involves allotment of scarce resources in relation to the composition of total productivity in the economy. Since resources are inadequate the society has to decide about the goods to be produced. If the society gives significance to the production of more consumption goods now, it will have less in future. A high precedence on capital goods implies consumer goods now and more in future. But since resources are inadequate, if some goods are produced in abundance, some other goods will have to be produced in smaller quantities. It will therefore have to choose among mixture which will give higher level of satisfaction. 2. How to Produce these goods? The next problem is how to fabricate these goods. That is the techniques and  methods to be applied in the production of the necessary goods. This problem is principally dependent on the accessibility of resources within the economy. If land is available in abundance, it may have widespread cultivation. If the labour is in abundance, it may use labour demanding techniques while in case of labour shortage, capital intensive techniques may be used. On the other hand easy consumer goods and small outputs necessitate small and less costly machines. Further it has to make a decision of what goods and services are to be created in the public sector and that in private sector. 3. For Whom are the Goods Produced? The third basic problem is for whom the goods and services are to be produced. That is the allotment of goods among the members of the society. The allotment of basic customer goods or supplies and lavish comforts and among the household takes place on the basis of among the allocation of country’s income. A rich person may have a large share of the lavish goods and a poor person may have more amounts of the basic consumer goods he needs. 4. How efficiently are the resources being utilised? This is one of the significant basic problems because of having made the three earlier decisions, the society has to see whether the capital it owns are being utilised fully or not. In case the resources of the financial system are lying idle. It has to find out ways and means to use them fully. If the idleness of resources, say man power, land or capital is due to their male allocation, the society has to adopt such monetary, fiscal or physical measures where this is corrected. In an economy where the available resources are being fully utilised, it is characterised by technical competence or full employment. To maintain it at this level, the economy must always be increasing the productivity of some goods and services by giving up something of others. 5. Is the Economy Growing? The last and the most imperative problem is to find out whether the economy is growing through time or is it sluggish. Economic growth takes place  through a superior rate of capital configuration which consists of restoring existing capital goods with new and more productive ones by adopting more well-organized production techniques or through modernization. Economic growth enables the economy to have more of both the goods. Answer of Question no: – 5 Manufacturing is the second largest type of production after primary production activity ‘of hunting, fishing, mining, lumbering, farming etc. Manufacturing has undergone a big change as a result of advancement of science and technology. From the making of few simple items, like hand made cloth, khandsari, mustard oil, agricultural implements etc. manufacturing to-day involves highly technical and complex machines, equipments and tools for the assembly of automobiles, ships, aircrafts, space ships, agricultural machines, computers and so on. For centuries, manufacturing had been a household work and items like agricultural implements; weapons etc. were produced on a small-scale. But with the increasing demand due to increase in population, it took the form of cottage industry and later, large scale manufacturing industries. Manufacturing is related to processing and altering the raw materials of agriculture, forests and that of minerals into finished or partially finished products. The agro raw materials which are transformed into finished products are cotton, wool, jute, sugarcane etc. and that of minerals are iron ore, copper, manganese, mica etc. Presently, the most important manufacturing industries are those which bring together manufactured items of different industries to make complicated machines and equipments required in means of transportation, agriculture, mining, military warfare etc. Development of industries is of utmost importance to man. In fact, their development is considered to be an index of a country’s economic prosperity and strength. The location of manufacturing industries depends upon a number of geographical and economic factors. These factors are known as factors of localization of industries or agglomeration of industries. The most important factors are: (i) Raw material. (ii) Source of Power. (iii) Labour. (iv) Means of transportation. (v) Market. (vi) Other factors like climate, Government Policies, capital, water, land etc. (i) Raw Material. Among the factors influencing location of an industry, close proximity to raw material availability of regular supply of cheap raw material are of utmost significance. Therefore, industries are set up close to or in the regions where raw material is available in plenty. This speaks for the localization of jute industry in West Bengal, Sugar industry in U.P and concentration of heavy industries in the states of Chattisgarh and West Bengal. If the raw material is heavy and of small value, the industries are set up in the regions of raw material. Iron smelting, brick making, cement manufacturing are best examples. Iron and Steel Plants at Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Rourkela (Orissa), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh) and Durgapur (West Bengal) have been set up near the sources of raw material i.e., Iron ore. (ii) Source of Power. All types of manufacturing industries depend upon one or the other sources of power. It may be coal, oil, electricity, gas etc. In the industries, especially those of ferrous metallurgy, coal is the main source of power; therefore, these heavy industries are closely tied down to coal fields. The iron and steel industry of India in the Damodar Valley of Chattisgarh at Jamshedpur is located near the coal fields of Raniganj and Jharia. (iii) Labour. Modern industry requires large labour force, both skilled and unskilled. The availability of cheap labour in a region is an important factor determining the localization of industries. Different types of industries require different types of labour force. For example, watch-making, electronics, aeronautics, computers etc. require highly skilled labour, whereas, on the other hand, cotton textile manufacturing, sugar making, jute textile etc. employ more of unskilled labour. The development of the plantations in Assam and cotton textiles in Maharashtra are attributed to the availability of cheap efficient labour. In these regions it has also been seen that industrial centres tend to attract more industries, because plenty of labour is available in these centres, for example, Mumbai and Kolkata have become industrial cities of the country mainly because of availability of plenty of  labour in and around these mega cities. (iv) Means of Transportation. Industries depend upon efficient and cheap transportation system, which is essential for the movement of raw material as well as the finished products. They may be rail, road or water. Railway junctions are considered to be the most suitable sites for the localization of industries. These enjoy benefits of easy transportation from different directions. Similarly sea ports also develop as industrial centres because of availability of facilities of water transportation for export and import of products. (v) Market. Market is an important factor in determining localization of industries. Goods are manufactured to be sold in the market. Industries are generally set up close to urban centres. Sometimes, dense population may not prove to be solid market for the disposal of the different industrial products. If the people are poor, the purchasing capacity also becomes poor. In some of the Asian countries, where people are poor, industries which are engaged in the manufacturing of cheap and essential goods like coarse cloth find an adequate market. This explains why under-developed countries, though densely populated are poor in manufacturing industries. (vi) Other Factors. (a) Climate Climate also plays a part in the location of industries. The stimulating cool temperate climate is more suitable for the development of industries because this type of climate adds to the work efficiency of the labour force. This is one of the major reasons why temperate latitudes have well-developed manufacturing industries rather than the tropics or the desert or the Tundra regions. Climate plays a significant role in location of cotton textile manufacturing industries. The cool and humid climate helps in spinning of yarn and weaving of cloth processes. Development of film industry at Mumbai is due to favourable climate. (b)Capital. Development of industries requires a large capital investment. It may come from any source, local or foreign. Banks and other financial institutions play an important role in the growth of industries from time to time. (b) Government Policy. In order to give boost to industries in the country, the government gives certain guidelines, tax exemptions, electricity at concessional rates, subsidies, rail link etc., if these are set up as per government plan. Mohali, an industrial town near Chandigarh has come up on the industrial map of India because of Government policies. Thus Government Policy plays a significant role in determining place of location of an industry. If the Government bans import of foreign cars, the automobile industry is bound to flourish in that country. (d)Early Start. There is a tendency to set up new units in the area, where that industry is already much developed. It is because the area has been enjoying benefits of developed means of transport, financial institutions, banking facilities, availability of skilled labour and marketing ease. Hosiery industry got concentrated at Ludhiana can be cited as one example of role of early start. (e) Personal Preferences. Personal whims, prejudices of an entrepreneur and preferences also matter sometimes in the setting up of an industry in an area, ignoring all the economic and commercial considerations. In a democratic set up, sometimes political matters also initiate the establishment of certain heavy industries in certain regions. The setting of a Railway Coach Factory at Kapurthala in Punjab has been set up due to political interests rather than economic considerations. Construction of oil refinery at Bhatinda is another example of a political decision. Localization of industries at a place gives rise to a number of problems also. These are: (i) High cost of living. (ii) Shortage of living space. (iii) Sky high land prices. (iv) Traffic jams. (v) Pollution. (vi) Growth of slums. Some of the industries are highly localized in the country. These are due to combination of a number of geographical and socio-economic factors already discussed above. The examples are: 1. Sugar Manufacturing: U.P. and Bihar. 2. Jute Textiles: West Bengal. 3. Cotton Textiles: Maharashtra and Gujarat. 4. Cement Industry : M.P. and Rajasthan. 5. Iron and Steel: Jharkhand and Orissa. 6. Cinematography Mumbai 7. Leather goods: Kanpur, Agra. 8. Hosiery: Ludhiana. 9. Sports goods: Jalandhar. 10. Computers: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgao Answer of Question no :- 6 Different types of Elasticity of Demand After knowing what is demand and what is law of demand, we can now come to elasticity of demand. Law of demand will tell you the direction i.e. it tells you which way the demand goes when the price changes. But the elasticity of demand tells you how much the demand will change with the change in price to demand to the change in any factor. Different types of Elasticity of Demand: 1. Price Elasticity of Demand 2. Income Elasticity of Demand 3. Cross Elasticity of Demand 4. Advertisement Elasticity of Demand 1. Price Elasticity of Demand: We will discuss how sensitive the change in demand is to the change in price. The measurement of this sensitivity in terms of percentage is called price Elasticity of Demand. According to Marshall, Price Elasticity of Demand is the degree of responsiveness of demand to the change in price of that commodity. Types of Price Elasticity of Demands: a) Perfectly Elastic b) Perfectly Inelastic c) Relatively Elastic d) Relatively Inelastic e) Unit Elasticity Factors influencing Price Elasticity of Demand: a) Nature of Commodity b) Availability of Substitutes c) Number of Uses d) Durability of commodity e) Consumer’s income Practical significance of Price Elasticity of Demand: a) Importance to the business b) Important to Government 2. Income elasticity of demand: In economics, the income elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to the change in the income of the people demanding the good. It is calculated as the ratio of the percent change in quantity demanded to the percent change in income. For example, if, in response to a 10% increase in income, the quantity of a good demanded increased by 20%, the income elasticity of demand would be 20%/10% = 2. 3. Cross elasticity of demand: In economics, the cross elasticity of demand and cross price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness of the quantity demand of a good to a change in the price of another good. It is measured as the percentage change in quantity demanded for the first good that occurs in response to a percentage change in price of the second good. For example, if, in response to a 10% increase in the price of fuel, the quantity of new cars that are fuel inefficient demanded decreased by 20%, the cross elasticity of demand would be -20%/10% = -2. 4. Advertisement Elasticity of Demand: The degree of responsiveness of quantity demanded to the change in the advertisement expense of expenditure. Ea= Change in quantity demanded x original advertisement expenses Change in advertisement expenses original quantity demanded Important factors influencing Advertisement: 1. Promotional elasticity of demand will be affected, depending on whether it  is a new product or the product with a growing market. 2. The amount a competitor reacts to the firm’s advertisement. 3. The time interval between the advertisement expensed or expenditure and the unresponsiveness of the sales. 4. The influence of non-advertisement determinants of demands such as trends, price, income etc. Uses of Advertisement Elasticity of Demands: 1. It helps the manager to decide the advertisement expense. If the advertisement is more than one, which means incremental revenue exceeds incremental expenses, then increased expenditure on advertisement can be justified. 2. The fire should observe the saturation point, where advertisement pays nothing or does not help in increasing sales revenue