Reasons Why Students Use the Internet for Education

THE REASONS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENT ON USING INTERNET FOR EDUCATION Dicky Urianto Halimawan  ¡V 03320030075 Industrial Engineering of Pelita Harapan University, Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang Abstract In the past few years, Indonesia has experienced the integration of the internet into society. This situation has created their presence in the market with taking us to the aim of this study that for know the reasons of university student on using internet for education. The data of benefits of using Internet for Education were collected and analyzed by using questioner comprised of 400 papers were collected and compared, it was performed by spreading the questionnaires to the two specific area at exact time in Pelita Harapan University,†¦show more content†¦Hardjito. M.Si, 2002), It consists of a set of 400 questioners, each of which contains one pages questioner, one black pen. The data collected representing fluctuation of answers about the benefits using internet for education. The questionnaires were arranged by multiple choices. The first question were only have two answers between  ¡Ã‚ §yes ¡Ã‚ ¨ or  ¡Ã‚ §no ¡Ã‚ ¨ in ever using internet for education or not . This question were to know whether people knew about the benefit of internet for education that became more popular in Indonesia lately. If this question were answered by  ¡Ã‚ §no ¡Ã‚ ¨, they couldn ¡Ã‚ ¦t answer the next question. The sampling of those who answered  ¡Ã‚ §no ¡Ã‚ ¨ would be taken if they picked one of the answers in second question because even they had never using internet, they never knew the advantage of using internet for education. Otherwise, they were assumed to be not valid. The second question had four choices that were particularly answering this research. The four choices were four majors activity student using internet. This were also able to compare all of it. If the respondents did not pick answer  ¡Ã‚ §Educational Browsing ¡Ã‚ ¨ from the choices in second question, their data were not taken to the sampling and also they could not answer the third question. The third question had three choices for the reason of using internet for educa tional need that answered in the second question. They were  ¡Ã‚ §Low price ¡Ã‚ ¨,Show MoreRelatedHow Does Internet Affects Student Study Habits738 Words   |  3 Pagesdoes the internet affects the study habits of students. Introduction In todays era internet are just around the corner. Almost all people have internet connections through the use of their mobile phones, tablets and laptops whether they are kids, teens or adult. Before, people use snail mail to send letters to others but today it’s just a one click away from the internet. For educational purposes, others usually go to the library to search for something. But, today internet has many uses. TheyRead MoreImportance Of Internet Education Essay1749 Words   |  7 Pagesimportance of Internet Education and how does the Internet affect our lives? The importance of Internet Education is that it has changed the way students are being taught in schools. It also helps Teachers and Students learn with better and easy learning styles. According to James Wright, â€Å"Teachers use the Internet to supplement their lessons, and a number of prestigious universities have opened up free online lectures and courses to everyone.† (Wright, 2015, para.1). It is easier for students becauseRead MoreThe Impact Of Internet On Education1517 Words   |  7 PagesThe Impacts of Internet on Education The Internet is modern technologies that people just invented in recent decades. Since computers became more popular in the 1980s, the Internet was followed and was created in the 1990s. The invention of this technology affects everyone in many countries. It is changing how people live, how people entertain, how people communicate, and especially how people educate. In addition, in recent years, the Internet is improving very quickly, and the colleges and universitiesRead MoreThe Internet And Its Effect On Education1642 Words   |  7 PagesThe internet is a global communication network that connects most computers and digital devices together to exchange information. Internet access has changed the process of learning in many ways. Some may ask if the access to the internet diminishes the quality of education in what high school students receive? While some studies have shown that the increase of internet usage has led to shortened attention span in today’s youth. The excess use of the internet can create more opportunities for studentsRead MoreReasons For Trust Or Distrust Universities1647 Words   |  7 PagesSamin Saju (Sam) Eng Acad Discourse I 12 October 2015 Paper 2 Draft 2 Prof. Cusumano Reasons to Trust or Distrust Universities to Provide Effective Ethical Education All the college students are expected to know the principles of ethics and morals without a lecture. Students should not expect someone to teach them the ethics and morals at college, even though there are people who could help them. David A. Hoekema is the chair of the philosophy department and a philosophy professor at Calvin collegeRead MoreHow Technology Has Made It Easier For Students?1269 Words   |  6 PagesEducation in a Technological World Technology is evolving and is becoming a central need in everyone’s life. It is even being integrated into the education system, changing the way one learns and teaches. An increased reliance on technology as a means to enhance knowledge has decreased the ability to acquire thorough knowledge and develop the power to reason or judge. This is evident in the way technology has made it easier for students to cheat, in how the internet provides wrong learning opportunitiesRead MoreShould the Internet Replace the Book As the Chief Tool of Learning?1213 Words   |  5 PagesAt present, the Internet and other technology are well-developed and keep improving. People use those new tools to do everything, and try hard to make human life easier and more perfect. From business to finances; industry to entertainment; services to education, the use of the Internet has increased and become more mainstream. Some people believe that the Internet and other electronic technology can replace all kind of jobs that humans do, including teaching students with screens and keyboards insteadRead MoreThe Internet Has Made Education Better For Teachers, Student And Parents851 Words   |  4 PagesThe internet has made education better for teachers, student and parents however the use of the â€Å"information super highway† does not have its faults. What are some solutions to problems such as cheating, plagiarism and the validity of the information online? Ethics, honesty, and fairness in online education are always concerns because of the quick internet transferring of information available to our students. There are numerous ways that educators can help minimize this problem. Some action stepsRead MoreEssay on Distance Learning vs. the Traditional Classroom1550 Words   |  7 PagesLearning vs. the Traditional Classroom Non-traditional students are finding it easier and easier to maintain a job, a family, and pursuing a college career at the same time. This is possible because more and more non-traditional students are receiving an education using distance learning, as opposed to traditional, in-the-classroom teaching. Distance learning is basically taking college level, credit-bearing courses via the Internet. One of the most obvious advantages of distance learning isRead MoreEssay on Distance Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Comparative1573 Words   |  7 PagesLearning vs. the Traditional Classroom Non-traditional students are finding it easier and easier to maintain a job, a family, and pursuing a college career at the same time. This is possible because more and more non-traditional students are receiving an education using distance learning, as opposed to traditional, in-the-classroom teaching. Distance learning is basically taking college level, credit-bearing courses via the Internet. One of the most obvious advantages of distance learning is

Isla Holbox As A Cultural Destination Essay - 1218 Words

Isla Holbox Just like modern day tourists, the tourism industry has been on a steady, fast paced journey due to technological evolution. With the affordability and easy accessibility, traveling potential has greatly increased. Sometimes, it is the destination that matters along with the people you go on the voyage with. This paper will analyze Isla Holbox as a cultural destination. Isla Holbox, an island just northwest of Cancun, Mexico, has always sustained human life; the Mayans and other indigenous people of Central America and Mexico steadily populated the islands of Quintana Roo. However, During the 17th and 18th centuries Isla Holbox was pirated due to the strategic location. In 1873, European buccaneers fell in love with the beauty of Isla Holbox and decided to settle down on the island. At the end of the 19th century, Yucatan entrepreneurs began the colonization of the mainland. In the 1960’s Isla Holbox had dwindled down to a population of around 500 inhabitants; today, the the 26 mile long and .9 mile long island has around 1800 inhabitants and has a potential for tourist development. Although the ability to profit off of tourism, Isla Holbox is still not heavily toured. Tourism has become a commercial business, which has obvious benefits to the said economy, the environment and society. Often, the positive economic impacts persuade governments, companies and individuals to get involved with the development of tourism. Tourism creates jobs, both

Tourism in Thailand

Question: Describe about the Thai food experience of the international tourists in Bangkok, Thailand? Answer: Background of the project Urbanization is one of the most important processes that have taken place. Urban areas are the area were most off the population has started residing and were must of the economic and social activities takes place, these activities offer opportunities for tourism. Large cities have now become tourist destinations for the tourists. Urban tourism is vital because in todays time urban areas have become very important for employment in tourism, investment and money. Urban tourism is also a way of supporting urban renewal. Cities that have high urban tourism show highest rate of urban growth (Driver, Brown, Peterson, 1991). Thailand, formally theKingdom of Thailand, previously known asSiam, is a country which is located at the centre of theIndochinapeninsula in Southeast Asia (Dowling, 1986). Thailand is the world's51st-largest country in terms of area and has a total area of about 514,000km. It has a population of approximately 65 million people and is ranked 20th most crowded countryin the world in terms of population. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok which is also the largest city in Thailand (Deci, 1985). Tourists visit Thailand to see its exceptional culture, inheritance and social customs. They take pleasure in Thai food; get pleasure from the customary warmth of the people and like shopping for Thai crafts, no matter where these tourists come from. International tourism is greatest source of International revenue for Thailand; it plays a very important role in connecting Thailand to the rest of the World. Thailand has lately acknowledged a sudden increase in revenues because of tourism, these revenues in 1996 increased to US $ 8.8 billion and tourists exceeded to around 7.5 million. The four Ss of tourism that can be found in Thailand are sex, sea, sand and sun. Concepts and relevant theories 1. Theories of tourist motivation Needs-based Motivation That the notions of filling wants or requirements and the balance that consequences from meeting desires are basic to most theories of motivation, is broadly acknowledged in the tourist literature. There is an implied hypothesis in all tourist studies, that the customer will opt the type of vacation or holiday that will best suit his/her needs or requirements (Dann, 1977). Values-based Motivation Even though intangible in nature, suitable and dependable procedures for individual values have been made. One of the most frequently used procedures is the Rokeach Value Survey, that consists of 18 instrumental values and18 terminal values (Dann, 1981). Benefits Sought or Realized From the beginning in 1961, payback required research was used by many of Americas major corporations as a bigger move towards market segmentation with the power being that it depended on fundamental issues than eloquent issues and consequently was a high-quality forecaster of prospect consumer behavior (Ekinci, Chen, 2002). Expectancy Theory Forecasting the results of motivation on behavior also needs an perceptive of the procedures whereby wants are changed into aggravated behavior and, in fastidious, of the way peoples outlook give aggravated behavior its track. Other Approaches to Tourist Motivation A recurrently talked about advance, in accumulation to the four chief approach previously argued, is pull and push factors, which have been referred in the previous discussion. The push-pull structure is measured by some as a helpful advance for investigating the incentives essential in tourist behavior. There are nine reasons for travel: seven of which were push motives and two of which were pull motives being innovation and learning (Feather, 1975). 2. Tourist typologies Adventurous Traveler:A type of natural historysupported tourism that includes a constituent of danger, advanced levels of bodily hard work, and the requirement for particular ability (Frochot, Morrison, 2000). Ecotourism:In charge of itinerant to natural places that preserve the surroundings and develop the wellbeing of neighboring people (Gitelson, Kerstetter, 1990). Geo - tourism:Tourism that upholds or improves the geographical temperament of consign, its surroundings, inheritance, aesthetics, civilization, and the comfort of its inhabitants. Mass tourism:Extensive tourism characteristically linked with SUN, SAND, and SEA choices and distinctiveness such as intercontinental possession, nominal direct financial profit to target group of people, season ability, and package tours (Gnoth, 1997). Nature-based tourism:Any type of tourism that depends mainly on the usual atmosphere for its magnetism or surroundings (Engel, Fiorillo Cayley, 2005). Pro-poor tourism:Tourism that consequences in augmented net profit for the poor (Haley, 1968). Responsible tourism:Tourism that makes the most of the profit to local group of people, reduce unconstructive societal or ecological results, and helps neighboring people preserve delicate traditions, customs and species (Hirschman, Holbrook, 1982). 3. Enclave Tourism Enclave tourism is a tourism that is resolute in isolated areas in which the categories of amenities and their material site are unsuccessful to take into contemplation the wants and needs of adjacent societies. Furthermore, the goods and services accessible at these amenities are further than the fiscal means of the local group of people and any foreign money produced may have only a negligible consequence upon the financial system of the host area. Enclave tourism is a type of inner colonialism. The reliance model is one of the structures that have been used to explain tourism in budding Countries. The model comments that tourism in budding countries is mainly dependent on demand from, and is organized from urbanized countries. This agreement generates a type of tourism known as enclave tourism. In enclave tourism, tourists advent points in the side-line are characteristically the main urban centers performing as economic and political centers of previous colonies, now operating as economic and political centers of self-governing states may have only a negligible result upon the financial system of the host area (Jang, Morrison, OLeary, 2002). 4. Food and Economy Food is one of the important components of a tourists experience as it does not only add value to the destination, present its authenticity, but also contribute to the local economy (Kahle, 11986). As food is a must during a trip and thus food has become an essential part of the tourist expenditure. A study showed that the international tourists in South Africa spend around 8 per cent of total spending on food and dining out, whereas the spending on food by the domestic tourists takes up 24 per cent out of the total spending. Furthermore, in a study that aimed to determine the activities of the US resident travelers to overseas destinations, dining was the top chosen activity with 87%, followed by shopping, visit historical places, etc. It is doubtless that food acts an important role in contributing to the growth of economy of a tourism destination (Daghfous, Petrof, Pons, 1999). Proposed research methodology and analysis Aim objective of the report The aim of the report is to study about tourism in Thailand, mainly food tourism. This research is done to know about preferences of people in Thai food, how do they find the Thai food and do they wish to visit again to Thailand for its food. Method to be used Questionnaire method is used to create this research, we have chosen because a questionnaire is inexpensive and less time consuming when compared to other methods of research. Moreover, questionnaires are required to be filled directly by the customer. This ensures that we get first hand information and the information provided is correct in most of the cases. We have also used enough secondary information for this research. Some of the other methods that could have been used are interviews, using social media, surveys etc. For the given survey we have prepared a questionnaire of 16 questions to collect data from the respondents. Some of the questions in the questionnaire are chosen to meet the research objectives mentioned earlier whereas the remaining questions are set to identify the demographic profiles of the respondents. Besides multiple-choice and dichotomous questions, open-ended questions are also chosen to determine the perception of the tourists on Thai food. Furthermore, Likert Scale is also used to measure the eating experience of the tourists on Thai food (Bettman, 1975). Data Collection The data collection point for this research was the public area under the Bangkok BTS Sky train National Stadium Station where many tourists are found passing by to take the sky train. The survey was conducted on 12 January 2015 from 11.30am to 6.00pm. 97 questionnaires are distributed and 90 of them are returned with complete answer. Non-probability sampling method is used during the survey as the target respondents for this survey were international tourists that travel to Bangkok (Crask, 1981). Limitations The weather was not pleasing on the data collection day as there was thundering rain at around 12.30pm to 2.00pm. Some of the respondents are found to be impatient to answer the questionnaires as they wanted to leave faster to avoid the strong winds and thunders. The data collected under such situation might not be accurate and true enough to represent the real opinions and feelings of the respondents to the research topic (Crompton, 1979). Hypothesis It is hypothesized that tourists coming to Bangkok are in love with Thai food. Questionnaire1. Gender .2. Age3. Education4. Marital Status..5. How often do you visit Bangkok?a. this is first time b. visit once in a year c. visit twice a year d. visit more often6. How long do you plan to stay in Bangkok?a. less than a week b. 7-14 days c. 14-30 days d. more than a month7. What brings you to Bangkok?a. holiday b. family staying here c. business8. What do you like most in Bangkok?a. food b. shopping c. sightseeing9. What is your favorite Thai food in Bangkok?a. Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Seafood Soup) b. Pad Thai (Thai Style Fried Noodles) c. Khao Pad (Thai Style Fried Rice) d.Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Soup) e. other 10. How do you choose Thai food restaurants in Bangkok?a. through internet b. advertisements on television c. through newspaper d. take recommendation from travel agents e. take recommendation from their relatives f. other 11. How much on an average do you spend per Thai meal?a. less than 30 THB b.31 70 THB c. 71 100 THB d. 101-300 THB e. 301-500 f. 501THB or more than that12. Where do you prefer to go for Thai food?12. a. restaurants b. street food that c. food courts d. hotels e. other places 13. How do you find Thai food?a. spicy b. filled with herbs c. good in taste d. did not like the Thai food 14. How was your experience with Thai food in Bangkok?I. authentic in terms of taste.a. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagreeII. I. authentic in terms of appearance.a. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagreeIII. Satisfied a. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagreeIV. Bangkok is an ideal food destination for touristsa. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagreeV. will visit Bangkok for Thai fooda. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagreeVI. recommend Thai food of Bangkok to family and friendsa. strongly agree b. agree c. neutral d. disagree e. strongly disagree15. Which country do you belong to? . .16. With whom are you travelling?a. partner, 27 b. friends c. family or relatives d. colleagues e. alone Results withfindings1. Gender Question 1 was about the gender of the respondents, this is the basic question that is asked before starting with other more important questions. According to the data 52 (57.8%) of the respondents were males and remaining 38 (42.2%) were females. It should also be noted that most of the respondents for this research were couples.2. Age 2. Age is also an important question, which is asked in almost all the questionnaire, as this question helps us with subsequent research work. This research showed that a mere 2.2 % of the respondents were below 18 years of age, a large number of people 39 (43.3%) fell under the age group of 18-28 years, 29 (32.2%) were in the age group of (29-40), (41-60) and (61 above) were the age groups having minimum numbers of respondents that is 13 (14.4%) and 7 (7.7%) respectively (Kahle, Kennedy, 1989).3. Education 3. Like gender, highest education qualification is also a basic question that is asked in any questionnaire, and this question was asked in question number 3 of our questionnaire. From the result we come to know that (42)46.6% of our respondents were graduates, followed by (26)28.8% post graduates, (15)16.6% high school pass outs, mere (5)5.5% PHDs and only (2) 2.2% of the respondents had primary school their highest education level.4. Marital Status 4. Like gender, age and education level Marital Status is also a basic question asked in questionnaires, and this question is asked in question number 4 of our questionnaire. From the information we come to know that 38 (42.2%) are married, 49 (54%) are unmarried, 2 (2.2%) are divorced and only 1 (1.1%) is widow (Cohen, 1979). 5. This question is about the frequency by which the respondents visit Bangkok. From the answer of this question we come to know about the frequency of respondents to visit Bangkok. We can see from this data of the total 82 respondents, for 35 (38.8%) people it was their first trip to Bangkok, 27 (30%) visit once in a year, 17 (18.8%) people visit Bangkok twice in a year and 11 (12.2%) visit Bangkok more frequently (McCool, Reilly, 1993).6. How long do you plan to stay in Bangkok? 6. This question is about the trip duration of the respondents. From the above graph we come to know that 34 (37%) of the respondents plan to stay in Bangkok for less than a week, 29 (32.2%) respondents have trip duration of 7-14 days, 20 (22.2%) respondents have trip duration of 15-30 days and only 7 (7.7%) respondents have plans to stay for more than a month (Cohen, 1974).7. What brings you to Bangkok? 7. From this question we come to know the reason because off which respondents have come to Bangkok. From this graph we come to know that most of the respondents (62 i.e. 68.8%) have come to Bangkok for holidays, 9 (1%) have come to visit some family member staying in Bangkok and 19 (2.1%) have come to Bangkok for business trip (Madrigal, 1995).8. What do you like most in Bangkok? 8. This question is asked to know the favorite pass time of respondents in Bangkok, 48 (53.3%) like Bangkok for its food, a mere 5 (5.5%) respondents like shopping in Bangkok, while 37 (41.1%) prefer sigh seeing in Bangkok.9. What is your favorite Thai food in Bangkok? 9. This question is asked to know about the favorite dish of the respondents, from the above chart we come to know that 39 (43.3%) like Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Seafood Soup), 24 (26.6%) love Pad Thai (Thai Style Fried Noodles), Khao Pad (Thai Style Fried Rice) is the favorite dish of 10 (11.1%) respondents, another 10 (11.1%) like Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Soup) remaining 3 (3.3%) like other Thai dishes.10. How do you choose Thai food restaurants in Bangkok? 10. This question is asked to know how the respondents choose the Thai food restaurant to visit. From the data collected we come to know that 39 (43.3%) come to know about the restaurant through internet, 16 (17.7%) choose restaurants from the advertisements that they see on television, 7 (7.7%) come to know about the restaurants through newspaper, 3 (3.3%) take recommendation from travel agents, 23 (25.5%) take recommendation from their relatives, who have already visited Bangkok or are staying in Bangkok, another 2 (2.2%) choose other resources to know about good restaurants (McClelland, 1965).11. How much on an average do you spend per Thai meal? 11. This question is asked to know how much respondents spend on Thai food on an average. From the chart we come to know that most of the respondents i.e. 39 (43.3%) spend 101-300 THB on Thai food, followed by 22 (24.4%) people who spend 31 70 THB on food, 16 (17.7%) spend average 71 100 THB on Thai food, 9 (10%) spend 301-500 THB on Thai food at a particular time, 3 (3.3%) spend less than 30 THB at a particular time while dinning at a Thai restaurant and only 1 (1.1%) spends 501THB or more than that while on his single to a Thai restaurant (Lewis, 1981).12. Where do you prefer to go for Thai food? 12. This question was asked to know the preference of food joints when it comes to Thai food. From the answers we come to know that 39 (43.3%) respondents prefer restaurants when it comes to having Thai food outside, 25 (27.7%) prefer street food that is available on roadside, 20 (22.2%) prefer having Thai food in food courts, only 4 (4.4%) respondents prefer hotels, as they are costlier than other available options and 2 (2.2%) having Thai food on other places that were not mentioned in the questionnaire.13. How do you find Thai food? 13. Question number 13 is asked to know how the respondents liked the Thai food. From the data collected we come to know that a large number of i.e. 38 (42.2%) respondents found Thai food very spice, 17 (18.8%) respondents felt that the Thai food is filled with herbs, 27 (30%) found the Thai food is good in taste, there was also a small number of people i.e. 8 (8.8%) who did not like the Thai food at all.14. How was your experience with Thai food in Bangkok? 14. In question 14 we have made a set of 7 questions to know about the experience of respondents with Thai food and weather will they recommend Bangkok to their family and friends and whether they will want to visit Bangkok again for Thai food or not. We have chosen Liket scale in place of simple option off yes or no so that the answers of the respondents can be a bit detailed and we can know about the degree to which they agree or disagree with the statement. The first statement was that the Thai food is authentic in terms of taste, 23 (25.5%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement; half o the respondents i.e. 50% responded that they agree with the statement, 18 (20%) respondents stood neutral. Only 3 (3.3%) respondents disagreed with the statement and only one person (1.1%) strongly disagreed with the statement that the taste of Thai food in Bangkok was authentic in terms of its taste. Like the first statement, the second statement was about the authenticity of Thai food i n term of its appearance, 14 respondents (15.5%) strongly agreed with the statement that the appearance of Thai food in Bangkok was authentic, more than half of the respondents (54.4%) agreed with the statement, while 25 (27.7%) of the 90 respondents stood neutral on the statement. Only 2 (2.2%) respondents disagreed with the statement and only no respondent strongly disagreed with the statement that the taste of Thai food in Bangkok was authentic in terms of its appearance (Krippendorf, 1984). The third statement was asking the respondents about their satisfaction level in eating Thai food in Bangkok, we came to know that 25 respondents (27.7%) were strongly satisfied with their Thai food eating experience, 39 respondents (43.3%) were satisfied with the food experience, 18 of the 90 (20%) respondents were neutral, 6 (6.6%) respondents were dissatisfied with Thai food in Bangkok, while 2 (2.2%) respondents were strongly dissatisfied with the Thai food. The forth was to know whether the respondents agreed that Bangkok is an ideal food destination for tourists or not, 19 (21.1%) respondents strongly agreed with this statement, 35 (38.8%) respondents agreed with the statement, 29 respondents (32.2%) respondents were neutral, 5 (5.5%) respondents disagreed, while 2 (2.2%) strongly disagreed with the statement. In the fifth question the respondents were required to answer whether they will visit Bangkok for Thai food or not, 15 (16.6%) respondents strongly agreed with the statement, 27 (30%) respondents agreed with the statement, 30 (33.3%) respondents stood neutral on the issue, 16 (17.7%) respondents disagreed with the statement and 4 (4.4%) respondents strongly disagreed with this statement. The sixth sub-question was asking about the willingness of the respondents to recommend Thai food of Bangkok to their family and friends. 20 (22.2%) respondents strongly agreed that they will recommend to their family/friends, 35 respondents (38.8%) agreed with the statement , 20 (22.2%) respondents stood neutral on the statement, 13 (14.4%) respondents disagreed to the statement and 2 (2.2%) respondents strongly disagreed that they will make any recommendation about Thai food.15. Which country do you belong to? 15. Question 15 was about the country to which the respondents belonged. Results show that most of the respondents(three fourth of the total 90 respondents) were from USA i.e. 22 (24.4%), followed by 13 (14.4%) respondents from UK, 12 (13.3%) respondents were from Spain, 9 (10%) respondents were from China, 6 (6.6%) of the total respondents were from Malaysia and New Zealand each, (4.4%) respondents were from Singapore, 3 (3.3%) of the total respondents were from Australia and Germany each , 2 (2.2%) respondents were from South Korea, India and other countries, whereas 1 (1.1%) respondent each was from Sweden, Belgium, France, Netherland, Canada and Turkey.16. With whom are you travelling? 16. Question 16 was asked with whom the respondents were travelling. Results showed that 37 (41%) of the total respondents visited Bangkok with their partner, 27 (30%) of the respondents were accompanied by their friends, 13 (14.4%) respondents travelled with their family or relatives, 5 (5%) respondents were travelling alone and 8 (8.8%) respondents were recorded to be travelling with their colleagues. Conclusions From the report we can conclude that Bangkok, Thailand is an ideal food destination for food tourists as this city and its food are full with its local uniqueness and authenticity. It has been found out that most of the tourists prefer to have street food as opposed to dining in hotels, and people usually use internet to find about the eating outlets near them. From the research it has also been found out that Tom Young Goong is the most favorite dish of the people and many of the people find Thai food spicy. It can also be concluded in the end that most people like Thai food and will recommend it to their family and friends and will also come again to visit Bangkok. Bibliography Bettman, J. (1975). Information Integration in Consumer Risk Perception: A Comparison of Two Models of Component Conceptualisation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, pp.381-385. Cohen, E. (1974). Who is a Tourist? A Conceptual Clarification. Sociological Review, 22(4), 527-555. Cohen, E. (1979). A Phenomenology of Tourist Experiences. Sociology, 13, 179-201. Crask, M.R. (1981). Segmenting the Vacationer Market: Identifying the Vacationer Preferences, Demographics, and Magazine Readership of Each Group. Journal of Travel Research, 20(2), 29-34. Crompton, J.L. (1979). Motivations for Pleasure Vacation. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(4), 408-424. Daghfous, N., Petrof, J., Pons, F. (1999). Values and Adoption of Innovations: A Cross-Cultural Study. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16(4), 314-331. Dann, G.M.S. (1977). Anomie, Ego-Enhancement and Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 4(4) 184-194. Dann, G.M.S. (1981). Tourist Motivation: An Appraisal. Annals of Tourism Research, 8(2), 187-219. Deci, E.L. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behaviour. New York: Plenum. Dowling,G.R. (1986). Perceived Risk: the Concept and Its Measurement. Psychology and Marketing, 3(Fall), pp.193-210. Driver, B.L., Brown, P.J., Peterson, G.L. (1991). Benefits of Leisure. State College, PA: Venture Publishing. Ekinci, Y., Chen, J.S. (2002). Segmenting Overseas British Holidaymakers by Personal Values. Journal of Hospitality Leisure Marketing, 9(3/4), 5-15. Feather, N.T. (1975). Values in Education and Society. New York: The Free Press. Frochot, I., Morrison, A.M. (2000). Benefit Segmentation: A Review of Is Applications to Travel and Tourism Research. Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing, 9(4), 21-45. Gitelson, R.J., Kerstetter, D.L. (1990). The Relationship Between Socio-Demographic Variables, Benefits Sought and Subsequent Vacation Behavior: A Case Study. Journal of Travel Research, 28(3), 24-29. Gnoth, J. (1997). Tourism Motivation and Expectation Formation. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(2), 283-304. Haley, R. (1968). Benefit Segmentation: A Decision Oriented Research Tool. Journal of Marketing, 23(July), 30-35. Haley, R. (1971) Benefit segmentation: A Decision Oriented Research Tool. In J.F. Engel, H.F. Fiorillo M.A. Cayley. Market Segmentation: Concepts and Applications (pp. 196-205), New York: Reinehart Winston. Hirschman, E., Holbrook, M. (1982). Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods, and Propositions. Journal of Marketing, 46(Summer), pp.92-101. Holbrook, M., Hirschman, E. (1982). The Experiential Aspects of Consumption Consumer Fantasies, Feelings, and Fun. Journal of Consumer Research. 9(Sept), pp.132-140. Iso-Ahola, S.E. (1982). Towards a Sociol Psychology Theory of Tourism Motivation: A Rejoinder. Annals of Tourism Research, 9(2), 256-262. Jang S.C., Morrison, A.M., OLeary, J.T. (2002). Benefit Segmentation of Japanese Pleasure Travelers to the USA and Canada: Selecting Target Markets Based on the Profitability and Risk of Individual Market Segments. Tourism Management, 23, 367- 378. Kahle, L.R. (1986). The Nine Nations of North America and the Value Basis of Geographic Segmentation. Journal of Marketing, 50(April), 37-47. Kahle, L.R., Kennedy, P. (1989). Using the List of Values (LOV) to Understand Consumers. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 6(3), 5-12. Kamakura, W.A., Novak, T. (1992). Value System Segmentation: Exploring the Meaning of LOV. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(June), 119-132. Kim, S.S., Lee, C-K., Klenosky, D.B. (2003). The Influence of Push and Pull Factors at Korean National Parks. Tourism Management. 24(2), 169-180. Krippendorf, J. (1984). The Holiday Makers: Understanding the Impact of Leisure and Travel. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. ANZMAC 2003 Conference Proceedings Adelaide 1-3 December 2003 611. Lang, C-T., OLeary, J.T. (1997). Motivation, Participation, and Preference: A Multi-Segmentation Approach of the Australian Nature Travel Market. Journal of Travel Tourism Marketing, 6(3/4), pp.159-180. Lewis, R.C. (1981). Marketing for Full Service Restaurant An Analysis of Demographic and Benefit Segmentation. In J.H. Donnelly and W.R. George, Marketing of Services (pp.43-46), Chicago: American Marketing Association. Loker, L.E., Perdue, R.R. (1992). A Benefit-Based Segmentation of a Nonresident Summer Travel Market. Journal of Travel Research, 31(1), 30-35. Lundberg, D.E. (1971). Why Tourists Travel. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 26(February), 75-81. Lundberg, D.E. (1972). The Tourist Business. Chicago: Institutions/Volume Feeding Management Magazine. MacCannell, D. (1976). The Tourist. New York: Schocken. McClelland, D. (1965). Achievement and Entrepreneurship: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, April, pp.1,389-392. McClelland, D.C. (1955). Studies in Motivation. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. McCool, S.F., Reilly, M. (1993). Benefit Segmentation Analysis of State Park Visitor Setting Preferences and Behavior. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 11(4), pp.1-14. Madrigal, R. (1995). Personal Values, Traveller Personality Type and Leisure Travel Style. Journal of Leisure Research, 27(2). 125-42. Madrigal, R., Kahle, L.R. (1994). Predicting Vacation Activity Preferences on the Basis of Value-System Segmentation. Journal of Travel Tourism Research, 32(3), 22- 28. Maslow, A.H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370- 396. Maslow, A.H. (1954). Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper.

Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts and the Lie Essay Example

Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts and the Lie Essay GCSE other cultures poetry coursework compare and contrast â€Å"the lie† by Maya angelou and â€Å"Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts† by Alice walker, paying close attention to love. We have been studying two poems by poets from other cultures. One of the poets is Maya angelou she wrote a poem called â€Å"The Lie†. The other poem we are studying is â€Å"never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts† by Alice walker. Both of these poets were alive during the civil rights movement, they were highly political and were both feminists; they also both suffered a trauma at the age of 8. Maya angelou was sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend Mr Freeman. She wrote about this in her autobiography â€Å"I know why the caged birds sing†. Alice walker was shot in the eye by her brother with a BB gun. Their literature had similar themes, they both wrote about gender, relationship, and kinship, in this essay I’m going to be comparing and contrasting the two poems, paying close attention to love. Both of these poems are about romantic love, rather than filial love. Both the poems are written about being hurt by love, being betrayed, and about having your trust abused. â€Å"The lie† is written about a woman. Describing how she feels because someone has threatened to leave her. She says â€Å"I hold curses in my mouth which could flood your path, sear bottomless chasms in your road† she is saying that she could curse, stop him from going anywhere and hurt him too, but she won’t. â€Å"Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts† is about a woman advising us not to give our heart to someone who will hurt us. We will write a custom essay sample on Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts and the Lie specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts and the Lie specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts and the Lie specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This poem is more wise then Walker’s â€Å"The Lie† and is not so emotionally involved. When looking at the mood of the poems, we can see that both of the poems have a bitter sad mood, but â€Å"never offer your heart to someone who eats hearts† has a more frightening mood. Words like â€Å"blood-chinned†, â€Å"sucks† and â€Å"shuttling† are used in this poem to create this mood.

The Line is for the Toe

The Line is for the Toe The Line is for the Toe The Line is for the Toe By Simon Kewin The Washington Times recently printed an editorial about H1N1 flu calling the disease tow-the-line flu. The use of the phrase tow the line is a common mistake; what the paper should have written was toe the line. To toe the line means to conform to some rule or standard, to fall into line. Politicians, for example, often have to toe their party lines. People may imagine that the spelling tow the line is correct as it perhaps derives from some nautical activity. Ropes are often called lines aboard ship and a tow-line is just a line used to tow something on the water. But the phrase is probably nothing to do with ropes. In fact, the exact source is unclear but the phrase is generally taken to derive from the idea of lining up for a sporting activity, i.e. to place your toe on the line for the start of a race. By doing so you are following the rules set out for the activity. There are other theories as to the origins of the phrase. It may derive from boxing, with early prize-fighters having to stand with one foot on a scratched line on the ground to fight. Others have claimed that it derives from the British House of Commons, where lines are marked on the ground to prevent more adversarial debates from getting out of hand. Whatever the true origin of the phrase, the spelling should be toe and not tow. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsHow to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO

20 Big Fat Lies College Professors Tell Us

20 Big Fat Lies College Professors Tell Us Grab a tub of popcorn, sit back and relax because you’re about to go through the top 20 big fat lies that college professors tell their students in colleges from sea to shining sea. You’ll be hard pressed to think of any others. This list pretty much covers every base. Enjoy! 1. â€Å"You can’t wait until the night before the exam to study and hope to pass it.† Not true. There are many different little details and variables to consider here. It’s actually quite possible to procrastinate and still get good grades. 2. â€Å"I’ll have the tests/exams/homework graded and back to you by the end of the week.† Yeah right. Some professors are pretty good about this, while others aren’t because they’re so bogged down with classes. They’ve got hundreds of tests to grade and papers to inscribe in their ledger. Don’t count on it. 3. â€Å"What you’re learning in this class will prepare you for the real world.† Absolutely not true. That’s like saying that working out will prepare a gladiator for battle. Knowledge is helpful, but there’s a big difference between the classroom and the world off campus. 4. â€Å"If you fail 101, you should probably choose a different major.† Huh? If you have your heart set on a major but bomb 101 that just means you need to try harder. For example, just because a music student struggles with reading and writing music theory doesn’t mean they’re not gifted musicians. 5. â€Å"I take each one of your papers and read through them thoroughly.† Really? That is almost never true. There simply isn’t enough time. 6. â€Å"I can spot an A-student from a mile off.† Maybe they can and maybe they can’t. They’re likely just trying to come off as superior or trying to intimidate students to try and scare off the rabble. A-students are made, not born. 7. â€Å"I do give extensions and I consider exceptions to conventional rules.† If they need to announce this then there’s probably some strings attached. Extensions typically come with a certain type of price tag. 8. â€Å"This is a fabulous field to focus on, with plentiful employment opportunities.† With only a tiny few exceptions, a college degree in any major doesn’t mean a job at all. Period. You’re heading into the 21st century online globalized workforce. 9. â€Å"I’m not paid enough to be biased.† Everyone is biased, especially a professor. 10. â€Å"I care deeply about your success in this major.† How is it possible for a professor to care about hundreds of incoming and outgoing students year over year? Maybe if you establish a strong relationship with them, otherwise this is a stretch. 11. â€Å"This is by far the very best class I’ve ever taught.† How clichà ©. Unless you’re in a truly legendary class for some reason then what’s the point of that statement? 12. â€Å"Oh yes, I always knew I was going to become a college professor.† Could be true, but in most cases it’s not. Remember the old saying, â€Å"Those that can’t do, teach.† 13. â€Å"This is the first time I’ve had to do this but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Teachers say this to their classes from 1st grade to graduate year Senior Seminar. 14. â€Å"Your final GPA will make a huge impact on the rest of your life.† Not true. The GPA is just a number and has no direct bearing on what you are or are not capable of accomplishing in life. 15. â€Å"I expect the best out of my students.† No, they probably don’t. The longer they’ve been teachers the less true this statement is likely to be. 16. â€Å"The tests aren’t what’s most important here.† At the end of the day that’s simply not true. Take away the need to pass tests and exams, and what’s left? 17. â€Å"I don’t accept excuses.† Maybe not excuses, but there are always extenuating circumstances that all professors must take into account. 18. â€Å"Oh sure, you can stop by my office anytime you need and my door’s always open.† This is so not true, especially if they teach a common elective course or core required course within a popular major. When they’re door is open there’s probably a line and someone already inside. 19. â€Å"If you show up to each lecture, you’ll pass my class.† This isn’t true. There’s a fair amount to be said with exposure, listening intently and taking notes but just showing up doesn’t guarantee anything. 20. â€Å"Just be honest, don’t write what you know I want to hear.† Don’t ever fall for this one. Aim to strike a balance between stretching your limits and the limits of the class/instructions, and being honest. What other lies have you heard from your professors? Share in comments!

Global marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Global marketing management - Essay Example Marketers take in to account various strategies that they feel better and effective to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in today’s competitive markets. Maintaining stronger relationship with consumers is undoubtedly a very effective marketing tactic that can certainly help a firm stay stronger for quite a long term in the market. I would suggest my friend to think about relationship marketing and he therefore needs to treat his customers always welcomed to the business and to maintain friendly relationship. Consumers are to be treated as business partners both inside and outside the firm. Relationship marketing begins with identifying and understanding the needs and wants of customers and recognizing how to satisfy their requirements and preferences (Cravens, 2002, p. 205). In order to stay very relevant and to compete with new small strips and Wal-Mart stores in the area, it is critically important that he should build stronger partner-relation with consumers by taki ng in to account the following strategic steps. Make relationship marketing and customer-contact as an important part of corporate objective of the business. Train employees and all other service-providers about how effectively and friendly they need to treat customers. Keep constantly contacting customers for better services, before as well as after sales services, customers’ feedback and analyzing the words-of-mouth from the customers. Ensure that the goods and services meet their preferences by maintaining on-going quality improvement and quality management systems, and Evaluate how potential customers think about the company in relation to the competitors with a view to implement newer ideas or strategies to achieve competitive advantages. Answer- 2 For international marketing, firms are using different types of cooperative relationships such as strategic alliance, licensing, joint ventures, R&D partnering etc. Strategic alliance is a coalition between two or more firms w ith a view to achieve strategically significant goals that are beneficial to both or all the companies partnered in alliance (Kotabe and Helsen, 2008, p.305). Strategic alliance at international level is typically a collaborative arrangement between two or more firms working across borders. In simple words, cross border alliance is a strategic alliance arrangement between firms across borders (Johansson, 2009, p. 163). Cross border alliance is based on sharing of vital information, business ideas, assets, technology and managerial functioning between partner firms. Cross border alliance can be formed in different structures. It can either be based on a simple licensing agreement or it may consist of quite rigid ties between them. High tech companies often come in alliance with others based on technology swaps. Kotabe and Helsen (2008, p. 306) described the logic behind cross border alliance to explain why companies while going global enter in to alliance with other companies with th eir core businesses. With such alliance, companies want to create a defensive position so that the firm will be able to maintain the leadership position by learning newer skills, access to new markets and by developing new technologies. With cross border alliance, the marketer wants to catch up new marketing domains, or to remain simply in the business or to restructure the market with help of others’ marketing ideas and strategies. Answer- 3 Direct marketing has emerged to be a very successful marketing strategy as many world class companies like Dell and small scale businesses across the world have achieved greater success and unique marketing stance by going directly to the customers. Segmentation is a key marketing dimension that a marketer can set strategic framework to identify the right customers of a company to design and develop products or services to ensure that their specific as well as common preferences are met

My Cultural Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Cultural Identity - Essay Example Culture on the other hand refers to the beliefs, language, norms, values, customs, diet, roles, dress, knowledge, and skills and other things that individuals learn that forms the way of life of any given community or society (Browne 31).The objective of this paper is to explore my personal cultural identity. Below is a diagram representing the elements of my cultural identity. I am a Caucasian Jews, who hails from the Jews community on the shores of Deal, New Jersey. All my family members are all Jews, and as such practice Judaism as a religion. What makes me a Jews is the fact that I was born to a Jewish family that is very religious and believe in the existence of one God. My family at all times has kept teaching me to emulate and practice Judaism as a religion. As a Jewish, I believe in Torah, a text which was given to the Israelites though Prophet Moses. At our place of worship, which is the known as the synagogue, one thing that one can never miss to find is the Hebrew Bible an d the Talmud. These are the two types of bibles that leaders (rabbis) read to the people. In fact, I have both the Talmud and a Hebrew Bible that was given to me by my parents to assist me follow the way of God. In terms of language, I am bilingual and as such speak both Hebrew and English. Hebrew in this case is the language usually spoken by my parents and grandparents who speak it very fluently. This is because this is the distinct dialects that a majority of us, as Jews speak, which we borrowed from our ancestors in Israel. Nevertheless, I have learnt how to speak English from my friends and at school where English is the dominant language used in teaching and social interaction based on the fact that US is a diverse country. In fact, at one time, I was at the verge of forgetting the Hebrew language but any time I come home or go for Sabbath, it is the Hebrew language that is mainly used something that has made me continue to learn of the language. For example, at Sabbath, all t he bibles used are written in Hebrew as our religion dictates. This implies that failure to understand the language is seen as a disobedience to our ancestors and cultural heritage. Nevertheless, some of my colleagues, who are also Jews, speak Russian fluently, probably because they originated from Russia. The fact that I speak Hebrew indeed distinguishes me from other Americans who speak a different language from Hebrew. My family is also very rich, something th at I see has made me whom I am today. Using the vast resources and wealth they posses, they were able to take me to a Jewish private school. At school, only the Hebrews that formed a majority of the students. Also, it was clear to me that almost every one of us came from a wealthy family something which is common among the Jewish people. In fact, after that, my parents decided to register me for a degree course, which I am currently pursuing. It is not only me who has attained this level of education but many people from th e Jewish community implying how much Jewish people value education. I believe that the first appearance that one sees of me are the cloths I wear on daily basis. As a Jews, my tradition spells out the kind of clothing that we are supposed to be wearing depending on different occasions such as Shabbat,

Ambition to Become a Doctor Essay Example for Free

Ambition to Become a Doctor Essay Everybody has an aim in life. Aim or ambition is the inner desire of man. No man can do anything in the world if his aim is not fixed. So, all of us should be very clear about our aim in life. We may face many difficulties in reaching our desired target, but we have to go ahead at any cost. Ambitiousness is a dynamic make. Desire is your psychical susceptibleness to apply your knowledge, surround, relationships, and personality to accomplish happiness. What is felicity? Compartment that can only be driven by the someone and there are a countywide ranging scenarios and ideals that delimit felicity. We as humans want healthiness. Many dream on being rich, noesis and resplendence among their ambitions, but for me, to deliver humankind through treat is the maximal ambition of all. Aspiration is that desire that pushes us to usefulness at maximum level in the confronting of obstacles or challenges. I have already fixed the aim of my life and I want to be a doctor. A doctor lives a noble life.He is always at the service of suffering people.A sick man looks at him with the only hope of getting cured.The smiling face of a doctor makes the patient cheerful. A good doctor is respected everywhere. If I become a doctor I will be kind to the poor and the needy people. I will not charge any fee from them.Helping the helpless will be my duty and practice. I have studied biology and I will seat for the competitive tests for admission to a good and reputed medical college.I shall try to be a good and sincere student and then a qualified doctor. I will do whatever it takes to be a good doctor and and will be sincere to it. After becoming a successful doctor, I have plans of setting up a clinic in a village. I never had any desire to narrow and to metamorphose as a specialist, a physician, a gynecologist or an ear, search and throat specialiser. To be a intellectual unspecialised practitioner here, in my own base is the end of my imagination and, though not a specialiser in any peculiar area, I shall bang enough to raft with the ordinary ailments of vivification and to play in the ethical specialists formerly if they are required. Although knowing the fact, the income from here would be pretty less, but making money will not be my main aim. Also interpretation all these consequential services, I shall also  acquire the capital of subsistence. I vow that I would be loyal to my duty and will give full respect to my job. Days are not far off, I am trying hard to realize my ambition and I wish this dream of mine would be fulfilled.

A Study of Modern and Classical Fencing :: Expository Essays Research Papers

A Study of Modern and Classical Fencing Fencing is a method of personal expression and release. It is ultimatly a way of life for some. Nevertheless, this noble lifestyle is dying out. There are those who would convince others that classical fencing is a way of the past. In its place they would promote a sport that uses the same equipment and yet, is so different, that one cannot think of it in the same light. The controversy between these two poses the question "is Olympic fencing better than classical?"; A question that will require some research. According to information from the web document "The Worlds oldest Modern Sport," fencing as we know it was developed by the Egyptians sometime around 1200 BC. "The earliest depiction of a fencing match is a relief in the temple of Medin at Habu, near Luxor in Egypt, built by Ramses III about 1190 BC. This relief depicts a practice bout or match, because the sword points are covered and the swordsmen are parrying with shields strapped to their left arms and are wearing masks (tied to their wigs), large bibs, and padding over their ears" (Beumont). Swordsmanship, as a pastime and in single combat and war, was also practiced widely by the ancient Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, as well as by some Germanic tribes. They used protective tips on their weapons and even a crude form of facial protection. This is depicted on a carving in Egypt, along with the fact that judges were used to score and oversee the matches. The author of "A History of Fencing" wrote that the Roman and Greek civilizations continued the fencing tradition with short swords. This continued until the fall of Rome in 476 AD. The barbarians who defeated Rome used crude heavy swords, which could break the lighter short swords. These massive weapons rendered smaller swords ineffective, and suppressed fencing for the time ("A history..."). An entry in "A Timeline of Fencing History" states that it wasn't until the 14th century AD that fencing made a comeback. Suprisingly it was the invention of gunpowder that marked the return of fencing swords. Gunpowder made heavy armor and swords obsolete ("The Worlds..."). Mobility became more important because firearms rendered the protection previously available through armor ineffective. Many officers and "gentlemen" then adopted the light rapier as a sidearm. Fencing quickly became the rage of the ages. Due to the sudden increase in the popularity of fencing, fencing guilds, such as the Marxbruder in Germany, sprang up across Europe ("A Timeline. A Study of Modern and Classical Fencing :: Expository Essays Research Papers A Study of Modern and Classical Fencing Fencing is a method of personal expression and release. It is ultimatly a way of life for some. Nevertheless, this noble lifestyle is dying out. There are those who would convince others that classical fencing is a way of the past. In its place they would promote a sport that uses the same equipment and yet, is so different, that one cannot think of it in the same light. The controversy between these two poses the question "is Olympic fencing better than classical?"; A question that will require some research. According to information from the web document "The Worlds oldest Modern Sport," fencing as we know it was developed by the Egyptians sometime around 1200 BC. "The earliest depiction of a fencing match is a relief in the temple of Medin at Habu, near Luxor in Egypt, built by Ramses III about 1190 BC. This relief depicts a practice bout or match, because the sword points are covered and the swordsmen are parrying with shields strapped to their left arms and are wearing masks (tied to their wigs), large bibs, and padding over their ears" (Beumont). Swordsmanship, as a pastime and in single combat and war, was also practiced widely by the ancient Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans, as well as by some Germanic tribes. They used protective tips on their weapons and even a crude form of facial protection. This is depicted on a carving in Egypt, along with the fact that judges were used to score and oversee the matches. The author of "A History of Fencing" wrote that the Roman and Greek civilizations continued the fencing tradition with short swords. This continued until the fall of Rome in 476 AD. The barbarians who defeated Rome used crude heavy swords, which could break the lighter short swords. These massive weapons rendered smaller swords ineffective, and suppressed fencing for the time ("A history..."). An entry in "A Timeline of Fencing History" states that it wasn't until the 14th century AD that fencing made a comeback. Suprisingly it was the invention of gunpowder that marked the return of fencing swords. Gunpowder made heavy armor and swords obsolete ("The Worlds..."). Mobility became more important because firearms rendered the protection previously available through armor ineffective. Many officers and "gentlemen" then adopted the light rapier as a sidearm. Fencing quickly became the rage of the ages. Due to the sudden increase in the popularity of fencing, fencing guilds, such as the Marxbruder in Germany, sprang up across Europe ("A Timeline.

Age Segregation in Pakistan

Richard and Gill walker, looks into the social context of housing for aged ones. It covers the demographic material, facts about social framework of housing for older people. This includes a review of demographic information, evidence relating to the needs, perspectives and choices of the aged people with respect to this housing, along the problems of segregation and marginalization and their impact on their livings.Attitudes towards Old Age: A Study of the Self-Image of Aged is another article by Philip O. SiJuwade, which looks into the ifferent approaches , stereotypes, and age factors which regulates suitable behaviors for the older ones(social image). It states that, old ones have developed their self-image too, which depicts the way they think of themselves and the way ‘others' think of them. This article is based on primary research states that stereotypes have been built about the aged people of the society and they are not treated in the way they deserve to be.Residenti al satisfaction of the older adults in age-segregated facilities is an article by Sandra G. Reynolds and Julia O. Beamish hich looks into the housing satisfaction of old home people with liberated living services. Twenty one residents contributed as a focus group and results showed that these old people liked safe and secure atmosphere and value good design, friendly neighborhood, privacy and residential characteristics. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Old Age: Review and Model Refinemnt is an article by G.Clare Wenger and Richard Davis, presents an empirical literature on social isolation and marginalization and links it with an existing publication. He indicates that main factors of social solation includes marital status, social interaction, health conditions, behavior of ‘others', type ot networking and loss ot mobility One ot the tamous sociologists Livson conducted a research ,'The Transition into Retirement and Old Age' in 1962 and found that survival of family, econ omic condition and health condition along with other factors plays important role as individuals adopts to grow old.She is of the view that changes in economic and health status are not only the issues which require our attention. Most important issue is the adjustment of that particular person into the current situation according to the increasing age. Methodology: My research methodology constitutes both primary and secondary research. My primary research was basically a qualitative one, and I choose to visit an old house situated near Bhhatta Chowk. In old house, I interviewed a total of 15 people in two visits to old house. In those 15 people, 12 were the residents of old house, 7 of them were male and 5 were female.Other than these 12 people I interviewed three more ladies who were there to visit their friends. My interviews were structured and semi structured and I asked question according to the situation and personality of the erson. The focus of my questions generally revol ved around their perspective about this residential segregation and the bonds they have developed within themselves in the old house. So extract the proper information I had discussions about their family background and the reasons for which they preferred or forced to live in old house.

Individuals with dementia Essay

Together these legislations formed the fundamental rights and freedom of an individual. These affect the rights of everyday life of an individual including what they can say and do, their beliefs, right not to be tortured and right to a fair trial. These rights have limits to ensure that it does not damage other people’s rights. 1.2 – evaluate agreed ways of working that relate to rights and choices of an individual with dementia Policies and procedures in the care home including: Mission Statement Health and Safety Risk Assessment Safeguarding Person Centered Care Planning Equality Policy Complaints Procedure Safety and Security Anti-Discrimination Moving and Handling see more:enable rights and choices of individuals with dementia whilst minimising risks 1.3 – explain how and when personal information may be shared with carers and others, taking into account legislative frameworks and agreed ways of working The law of confidence protects people from having their personal information shared against their wishes. If a person gives private information to another person or organisation and reasonably expects that information to be kept confidential, they can take legal action if  information is passed on without their consent. The threat of legal action may cause staff about disclosing personal guidance states that personal information given to social workers by a service user should be kept confidential and only disclosed where this could be in the public interest, where there is risk or where there is a legal obligation to disclose information about a service user. Doctors have a duty of confidentiality to their patients. Generally personal information may only be disclosed, even to a persons close family, if he or she consents. This duty of confidentiality can be breached if there is a strong need to do so in the â€Å"public interest† or in the interest of the patient. A doctor may choose to breach confidentiality if they foresee harm to a patient or others. The British Association of Social Workers ethical guidance states that personal information given to social workers by a service user should be kept confidential and only disclosed where this could be in the public interest, where there is risk or where there is a legal obligation to disclose. 2.1 – demonstrate that the best interests of an individual with dementia are considered when planning and delivering care and support This is a tricky thing to provide as the individuals wishes may not be the same as what is in their best interest. This is a system that can be used which usually involves a best interest meeting which should involve the individuals family, carers, Dr or any specialists involved, in this meeting decisions can be made when everyone agrees on what is best for the individual. 2.2 – demonstrate how an individual with dementia can be enabled to exercise their rights and choices even when a decision has not been deemed to be in their best interests 2.3 – explain why it is important not to assume that an individual with dementia cannot make their own decisions 2.4 – describe how the ability of an individual with dementia to make decisions may fluctuate 3.2 – describe how a conflict of interest can be addressed between the carer and an individual with dementia whilst balancing rights, choices and risk 3.3 – describe how to ensure an individual with dementia, carers and others feel able to complain without fear of retribution 4.1 – describe how to maintain privacy and dignity when providing personal  support for intimate care to an individual with dementia

Rulers from Asia essays

Rulers from Asia essays After the fall of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt a group of nomadic people from Asia invaded and captured Lower Egypt. These people were called the Hyksos. Egypt lacked a standing army and their weapons were far inferior to that of the invaders. The weak rulers of the Thirteenth Dynasty led to an internal struggle within the government, thus ripping the empire into many small factions and leaving it open to attack. During this time a group of peoples from Asia immigrated to Egypt and slowly began to take-over the now divided government. This led to the separation of Upper and Lower Egypt. Though the Egyptians learned many new technologies, they still did not want the Hyksos in their lands. The Egyptian Pharaohs vowed to lead their armies to regain control of their lands, and expand their empire. Egypt, having a series of weak rulers, led to internal fighting which weakened the country. Egypt also had no standing army and its protective borders no longer a threat to invaders, a group of people from Asia the Hyksos, immigrated to Egypt, using their superior weaponry they took power and ruled Egypt for about one-hundred and fifty years. The Pre-Dynastic period, pre 3150 BCE was a period of time when the nomads of Egypt started to settle, become farmers and build towns. Around 3150 BCE, Egypt was joined together under the rule of one pharaoh, Narmer, who for the first time in Egypts history ruled both upper and lower Egypt as one. Between the years 2700-2190 BCE, referred to as the Old Kingdom or as the Pyramid Age, was a time in which strong ruling families or dynasties were in power and ruled the land jointly. This was a time when the construction of the Great Pyramids on the Giza Plateau took place, including the Step Pyramid for King Zoser and the three large pyramids for the Kings Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu. With the fall of the Old Kingdom around 2190 BCE, began a series of five dynasties that were mostly weak rulers....

How to Make Bubble Print Pictures

How to Make Bubble Print Pictures Bubble prints are like fingerprints, except made with bubbles. You can make bubble prints and learn about how bubbles are shaped and how pigments combine to make different colors. Bubble Print Materials Bubble prints are made by coloring bubble solution, blowing bubbles, and pressing paper onto the bubbles. You need brightly-colored bubbles in order to get a good picture. Tempera paint powder works really well, but you can substitute other water-soluble paints if you like. bubble solution (buy it or make your own)tempera paint powderpaperstrawssmall plates Make Colored Bubble Solution Pour a little bubble solution onto the bottom of a plate.Stir in paint powder until you have a thick paint. You want the thickest paint you can get, yet still be able to make bubbles using it. If you get the three primary colors of tempera paint then you can mix them in order to make other colors. You can add black or white paint, too. Primary Colors BlueRedYellow Secondary Colors - Made by mixing two primary colors together. Green Blue YellowOrange Yellow RedPurple Red Blue Make Bubble Prints Put the straw into the paint and blow bubbles. It may help to tilt the dish slightly. You can experiment with a few large bubbles versus many small bubbles.Touch the bubbles with a sheet of paper. Dont press the paper down into the paint - just catch the impressions of the bubbles.You can switch between colors. For multicolored bubbles, add two colors together but dont mix them. Blow bubbles into the un-mixed paints. Learn About Bubbles Bubbles consist of a thin film of soapy water filled with air. When you blow a bubble, the film expands outward. The forces acting between the molecules of the bubble cause it to form the shape that encloses the most volume with the least surface area a sphere. Look at the bubble prints that you have made. When bubbles stack, do they remain spheres? No, when two bubbles meet, they will merge walls to minimize their surface area. If bubbles that are the same size meet, then the wall that separates them will be flat. If bubbles that are different sizes meet, then the smaller bubble will bulge into the large bubble. Bubbles meet to form walls at an angle of 120Â °. If enough bubbles meet, the cells will form hexagons. You can see this structure in the images you make in this project.

Nursing Occupational Stress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Nursing Occupational Stress - Research Paper Example In recent years, humans are experiencing increased pressure not only in their everyday life but also at their work place due to the multifarious nature of their roles in the current society. The complexity and multiplicity of people's role and the ensuing stress that they are subjected to, have evoked the interest of researchers, and a considerable body of studies have accumulated on 'stress'. In the process of trying to explain the exact meaning of the word stress, scientists have offered a variety of differing definitions. Willner (1993) finds that "giving one definition to stress is rather problematic." If people are asked to define the word stress, they will all tend to give varying definitions of the same. This is because each individual experiences stress in a different way. Consequently, researchers who conducted studies on the subject offered different explanations of stress. According to Abouderie (1996), stress is "a complex experience, which has been explained and investig ated in various different ways and in general terms, and it originates from over-demanding situations." On the other hand, Hans Seleys (1936) defines stress as "an unspecified reaction of the body to the everyday pressure and needs which results in pleasant or painful outcomes." According to Richard (Please indicate the year of publication), the term stress is defined as "the state of anxiety constructed from an event or responsibility that someone cannot deal with." A more exhaustive explanation of the term can be found in the definition that "stress is commonly accepted as a mental, emotional, psychological or physiological disruptive condition resulting from excessive pressure being placed on an individual." (Deane, Chummun and Prashad 2001 and Occupational Hazards 2004). Stress can be the outcome of an anxious day at work or a terrible flight to New York. Hans Selye (1936) concludes that stress is "a way of life" and he goes beyond by saying that: "Everyone knows what stress is, but nobody really knows." What is work stress One of the most important types of stress common to the modern world is work stress. A study by Lehtinen, Haditaja and Hinkkanen (2003) concludes that "occupational stress was found to be the second most frequent occupational health problem which is affecting 28% of employees in the European Union." Consequently, occupational psychologists researched the field of occupational stress in order to prevent the negative impacts that stress causes at the workplace environment as well as to the individuals. In addition, researchers who examined the field of occupational stress identified the factors that cause it. Psychologists, after exhaustive research, find that "occupational stress was the psychological and emotional reactions that arise when employees experience an imbalance between their occupation demands and their capability and/or resources to congregate these demands." (Deane et al, 2001 and Bekker, Jong , Zijlstra and Van Landeghem 2000). In more simplistic terms, occupational st ress can be discerned as the pressure which an individual experiences in the workplace environment. PMI- measure of occupational stress There are also many synonyms used to replace the word

Theoretical concepts of Risk Management in relation to projects Coursework

Theoretical concepts of Risk Management in relation to projects - Coursework Example Thus, the study is focused on presenting a view on risk management. Objectives of the Study The risk management is necessary to be able to survive and plan the different problems and trials facing the organisations. The study is aimed to review the theoretical concepts of risk management specifically related to projects and practical implementation of strategies, plans and procedures. In addition, relevant corporate governance aspects of organisations are also included. Included in the specific topics covered in the research are the key challenges and applications in risk management, risks associated in research and development, risks in new product development, change management, technology transfer, and system integration of technology and the manpower. The needs for team working skills appropriate to risk management and the methods for formulating risk management strategies such as project risk models, migration, and contingency plans for appropriate action. Background of the Stud y Risk is the â€Å"combination of the probability of an event and the consequences which can either be beneficial or detrimental to the organisation or particular project. Due to the implications of the risks involved, the need to prepare for the risks is essential (Institute of Risk Management, 2002, p.2). Risks are inevitable in any type of activities, projects or organisational operation, thus, methods and techniques in recognising, resolving and working the risk as opportunities and chances of growth and excellence are being established (Loosemore and Raftery, 2006, p.1). One example of risks considered is in the safety field wherein the main concentration is the preparation for the negative risks to be able to ensure safety (Institute of Risk Management, 2002, p.2). The risks can affect different aspects of an organisation or project including physical, monetary, cultural, and social dimensions (Loosemore and Raftery, 2006, p.1). In addition to the complex effects of risk tha t serves as stimulus for action undertaken by organisations, risk can either serve as threat or opportunity which lead to essential benefits such as exploits more opportunities, enables trade-offs, increases the chances of success, sustains creative exploration and innovation, increases efficiency, and promotes motivation within teams (Hillson, 2009, p.9). There are different types of key risks that can affect risk management. These can be classified into the external and internal factors that are categorised as financial risks, strategic risks, operational risks and hazard risks. External financial risks are composed of factors related to interest rates, foreign exchange, and credit. External strategic risks include competition, customer or stakeholder changes, industry changes, customer or stakeholder demand, and M & A integration, which is also an internally driven risk. External operational risks include factor such as regulations, culture, board composition, and the recruitment and supply chain which are also considered as internally driven risk factors. Contracts, natural events, suppliers, and factors related to the environment are classified as the externally driven hazard risks. Other types of external hazard risks are the public access, employees, properties, product and services which are also classified as internally

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Marketing - Assignment Example ISO works process framework would be used to show how SIX Sigma might be laid out and what information will be needed to implement this tool. There are many tools that make up this collective and they need to be fully researched in the first instance for early stages and consultants/experts in the implementation of these tools are required to avoid pitfalls caused by redundant data. One problem that is required to be addressed with these tools is that of measuring potential work flows and bottle necks in the production process. "Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing  variability  in manufacturing  and  business processes." (one six sigma web) The 'Qualicoat' status requires us to do much of the processes of Six Sigma would and we run a zero defects policy with any defects being reworked. New innovation such as Quality control measures before the Powder coating process will mean that many of the issues will be taken care of on the production line. Where Six Sigma and learn thinking tools will come into their own will be more visible in our data processing and customer liaising as well as in our order processing and sales activities. Sales personnel will be able to predict work flows with new centralised communications and above mentioned tools will assist in that role facilitating negotiations at first contact with customer queries. Six Sigma and Total Quality Management (TQM) are tools that are going to be used to push the changes forward and improve on employee participation towards a culture of due diligence. Various tools are now being introduced to engage the workforce in dialogue to identify problem areas, provide training and walk-through them in meeting new goals while actually improving their working environment. Brief look would be given to the questionnaires and language that are going to be used to encourage change. One problem is the resistance to c hange that has been experienced in the past because of people being stuck in the old ways of carrying out processes thus introduction of Six Sigma terminology will create confusion and animosity. These terminologies would only be used within management to avoid unnecessary chaos. It is to be assured that there is the balance of communication therefore new responsibilities are properly defined along with the changes in processes. In order to enhance data collection and processing new management positions would be introduced. There are several objectives of TQM that include process improvement, observing behaviour changes over a time period, defect prevention, developing operational definitions, priority of effort, developing improvement check forms and check lists, developing relationships of cause-effect, measuring capacity of the system, assisting teams in making better decisions and separating trivial from significant needs. TQM on the whole revolves around a few main things that include systems for facilitating improvement, techniques and tools for improvement, Senior Management and all employees’ commitment, team work, customers - Supplier relationships, effective vision, mission, strategy and goals, communication and trust. A systematic approach towards quality management involves components like modification of the processes and the inputs, examining of the processes performance, planning of the inputs

The Future of Japans Economy

The Future of Japans Economy Where will Japan be in 20 years? SUMMARY Long-term economic forecasting is still as difficult as ever. Typical previous long-term forecasts have proved to be on average out by as much as 33%. In the present day unsettled political and economic climate forecasting economic future of a country has become even more difficult. Japan‘s economy declined during 1998-2003 period, making the economic pundits wonder if Japan would be able to revive its economy. Significant growth during the last two years shows that Japan’s economy cannot be written off that easily. Japan has many economic factors supporting the likely hood of Japan’s continued economic growth over the next 20 years. On the other hand emergence of China as the third largest economic power, its increasing share in world economy, Japan’s declining working population, huge domestic debt, rising energy prices and unstable world politics could jeopardize the economic growth. Japan need to modify its tax structure and reduce the burden of debts. Recent elections over the decision on privatization of the postal system shows that Japan is prepared to make tough decisions to keep its economy on track. It appears that Japan is already preparing to be a part of the success of the newly emerging economic superpowers. The inter-dependence of the economies will ensure that Japan will continue to make economic progress. An economic development rate of 1.8% over the next 20 years appears to be certainly achievable for Japan. INTRODUCTION The post war years allowed Japan to concentrate on economic development. With nearly no defense expenditure, Japan was able to devote nearly one third of its GNP to investments during 1953-63 [Angus Madison, 2005]. The government policies of investment in education, industry and research and development started bearing fruit and the average annual growth rate during 1960s remained around 11% per annum. The government policies favored encouraging savings, promoting investments, supporting newly emerging industry and promoting exports. Between 1965 and 1970 average growth rate was 11.1% (Financial statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance, 2005) GDP Growth in real terms** GDP Growth % 1960 8.8 1965 9.2 1970 11.1 1975 4.5 1980 2.8 The steady growth rate of almost 10% per annum helped Japan overtake Federal Republic of Germany in terms of GNP by 1968 to become 2nd only to United States of America. The 1973 oil crisis came as an economic shock to Japan. The second oil price increase of 1979 meant that the oil prices which were around $12.75 a barrel in 1974 increased nearly by 300% to $34 a barrel in 1981 [Nakamura, 2005]. Japan, being almost totally dependent on imported oil reacted quickly by adopting a policy of monetary constraints and improved its energy efficiency to stay competitive and the decline in exports in 1980-2 were recovered by 1984 proving that Japan has the ability to bounce back. The two decades following the Japan’s meteoric rise were the years of globalization. 1980-2000 were the years when the economic development suffered a slow down all over the world. [Weisbrot et al, 2001] call it the period of diminished progress. The 2nd oil price increase of 1979, globalization and flow of capital to third world countries and economic mismanagement have all been blamed for the decline [Weisbrot et al, 2001]. The IMF figures of real per capita GDP (in constant 2000 US$) shows that when compared to 1960-80, almost in all cases per capita GDP declined during the two decades 0f 1980-2000. For the top GDP bracket (which includes Japan), the annual rate of GDP growth fell by 1%. Reference: [Weisbrot et al, 2001] In this global period of economic decline, Japan’s economic also went through a period of recession. When everyone was expanding Japan to continue the economic miracle, Japan’s economy had to face a number of financial crises, some of which in the hindsight appear to be of their own making. [Agarwal, 2004] believes that the liberalization of financial system, the deregulation of banking sector, interests and capital flows were carried out without proper assessment of their impact on the domestic financial markets. Many financial institutions came to the verge of bankruptcy and most of these had to be bailed out to prevent an economic crisis. Some analysts [in Agarwal Agarwal, 2001] believe that unlike United States which stepped into to save the economy from ‘Savings and Loan’, Japan’s Ministry of Finance failure to intervene and making the financial institutions sell their assets to account for hundreds of billion dollars worth of non performing loans is responsible for the economic crisis of Japan during the 1990s. In addition to the financial problems and banking sector near insolvency, the economic experts identified Weak economic activity, low productivity and high prices as some of the reasons for stagnation of economy. Japan’s dwindling working age population means that there will be fewer workers available for economic activity. The domestic financial policies, a reduction in exports due to a global economic down trend resulted in an average growth rate of 1.7% during 1990s [CIA Economic Report, 2005]. In the aftermath of September 11 crisis, the slowing down of US, European and Asian economies has not helped the export based Japanese economy and during 2000-3 Japan’s economy stagnated during this period. During the first half of 2004 Japan’s economy began to show the sign of recovery. It was the first time that the economic figure gave reason for optimism for Japan’s economy during almost a decade; Japan declared a growth rate of 5.25% (seasonally adjusted annual figure). This figure was largely due to the new economic factors now emerging in the world economy, the fast growing Chinese economy. Slower growth in domestic machinery demand and reduction in orders from China resulted in an overall growth rate of 2.25%. Suddenly the economic pundits have become extremely optimistic about Japan’s economic growth in the forthcoming years. The earlier estimates of 3.4% growth for 2005 have now been upgraded by International Monetary Fund (IMF) to 4.5% [IMF Predicts, 2005]. Economics believe that due to pressures of being a democracy, Japan chose not to make hard choices; the banks were forced to hide the non recoverable loans and were obliged to throw good money after bad to appear to be solvent. The government borrowed heavily from the public and now the debt stands at 160% of GDP [CIA Economic Report, 2005]. Japan opted to ignore the option of writing off bad debts and using inflation to overcome the problem and used monetary tactics of accumulation of capital, which to most economist has cost them a longer than expected period of economic decline. The position now is that the banks are in a strong financial position and are generally solvent. The economic recovery from now on can be expected to be on a sound footing [Jerram, 2004]. ECONOMIC FORECASTING The science (or Art) of forecasting the economic future of a country especially a long term forecast is still an uncertain art. The parameters required for the input can and do change over the forecast period. [Artis, 1996] analyzed the economic forecasts error in pre-1983 and post-1983 period to show that the forecasting has not significantly improved during the two periods. While the economic parameters for most of the developing countries are not available in the required detail, for the developed countries it is normally not a major problem, yet the accuracy of the forecast varies by about 1% which is almost 30% out when we recognize that actual growth rate is around 2.75% [The difficult Art of Forecasting, 1996]. It has to be appreciated that some of the factors involved in economic growth are so unpredictable that they cannot be possibly included in economic forecasting, factors such as oil price shocks, unification of two Germany, September 11 terrorist attack, natural disaste rs like floods in New Orleans and Kashmir earthquakes cannot be factored into economic forecasts. The error of 1% in predicting economic trends is an average, in many cases IMF and OECD have been quite accurate in their predictions and the economic forecasting continues to have the confidence of economic planners to use it as a basis of international business as well as for providing planning information to the national economies. METHODOLOGIES OF ECONOMIC FORECASTING [Clements and Henry, 2002] and [Mizon, 2002] present excellent reviews of economic forecasting techniques. [Clements and Henry, 2002] give a detailed explanation of statistical modeling and techniques for generating forecasts. Reasons for errors in macroeconomic forecasts are also covered as also are methods of evaluating forecasts generated by different methods. The reasons for forecast failure are explained in a non-technical language by [Hendry Ericsson, 2001]. [Arsham, 2005] is an excellent reference manual available online for economic forecast modeling. The Forecasting method covered by [Arsham, 2005] include Economic Indicators, Economic Projections, Compound Growth Rate, Time Series Projection, Time Series using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) Method, Visual Time Series Projections, Forecasting with Smoothing Techniques and Forecasting with Econometric Models. JAPAN ECONOMY IN 20 YEARS Japan’s economy has overcome the difficulties of the last decade. The growth rate from 2004 is expected to be a healthy 3%. In 2004 Japan achieved a growth rate of 2.25%. The IMF forecast for 2005 and 2006 is an economic growth rate of 4.5%. The worse appears to be over but for future economic growth, Japan has to ensure that its national debt is reduced, the impact of demographic factors is minimized and its exports and overseas production interest are maintained. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS One of the major factors being identified as potential hazard to future economic development of Japan is its aging population. Japan has an excellent health care system. The life expectancy in Japan is among one of the highest in the developing countries. According to the population statistics 20% of Japan’s population is now 65 years or over. The problem is that the Japan’s population is not being replenished by the new births at the required rate. The fertility rate has dropped to 1.3 children per woman which is well below the replacement level. The concern that Japan’s economy weakened by the recession of more than a decade may be overburdened by the problems of manpower shortage, paying old age benefits to the high percentage of senior citizens. The labor force is likely to shrink by 0.7% [Campbell, 2003] a year between 2000 and 2025 and may well seriously effect the economic development during the next 20 years. The problem is that the life style Japanese have got accustomed to does not encourage child bearing to have the hope of making up the present shortfall in foreseeable future. A survey of Japanese women showed that only 7% of Japanese women saw child bearing is a satisfying experience compared to 60-70% women in other countries [Campbell, 2003]. This means that Japan’s population is likely to continue its trend of declining working age group and an increasing population of 65 years and over. The fiscal implication of the aging population would require a change in the pension system. The present system of pay-as-you-go would mean that â€Å"pure aging effect on public finances for 2000 to 2030 could be debt equal to 190% of 2000 GDP [ ] The United Nation Population Development calculations estimate that if the present situation does not improve, by 2025 Japan will have an average age of 50 years. The population of 65 years and over will be 30% of the total population. The NUPD paints a bleak picture where due to decline in birth rate the proportion of children under 15 will be the same as those of people 80 years and over. This is stark statistics indeed and there is no doubt that Japan will have to take steps to encourage population growth rate to around 3% per annum. However, most social scientists believe that this doom day forecast can be avoided. In the near term Campbell [ ] argues that the gradual decline rate of 0.7% is manageable and the economy can cope with this without undue strain. Campbell [ ] contends that older people will not be a burden on state, the pension premium for the working population may have to be increased to support the pension schemes but it is unlikely to impede the economy. He points out that United States spend 13% of GDP on health care while Japan spent 7.8% for providing a better degree of health care to its population. Usui [ ] believes that women are still not participating in the economy to the extent they could and in case of labor shortage they would play a more active role in the labor market to remove the labor shortage. She also points out to the useful role senior citizens play in upbringing of their grand children releasing parents for a more active economic role. The population growth rates can thus be achieved without removing women from the workforce for an extended period. The demographic dilemma is certainly a cause for concern for Japan’s economy but it appears that Japan will be able to cope with the shortage during the next 20 years. Japan has not been very receptive to the ‘guest workers’ for meeting its manpower requirements but a future shortage may change that situation. Increased productivity, late retirement, more participant of women in work force and possibility of using foreign workers are some of the options that can be used to meet the manpower requirement of the economy. Japan has the highest number of robots in use in the world [CIA Report on Japan Economy, 2005, the automation is another solution to the manpower shortage. However, the real solution in the long term is to encourage population growth through incentives and child support. Negative population growth is a problem in many developed countries and solutions are being found to prevent it from holding the economic development. CHINA AS AN ENGINE FOR JAPAN’S ECONOMY Japan’s economic miracle was greatly helped by the exports to United States. As Japan’s economy developed it was able to find additional partners in Middle East, Europe and in developing countries. The global economic decline during 1980-2000 reduced the pace of economic development in Japan. China’s ‘economic miracle’ during the last few years has been largely responsible for the revival of Japan’s economy. India is also posting impressive economic growth rate during the last few years. Japan’s technological advantage, its competitiveness and its participation in ASEAN places Japan in an advantageous position in helping develop these economies [News Item, 2004]. The recent revival of Japan’s economy has in part been attributed to its exports to China. At present the main exports to China are of high-tech parts. Many of the Japan’s giant corporations are building new facilities in Japan to make products for China and other markets. China has made tremendous progress since a change in its political system. Its foreign trade has grown by double digits for many years. China is now the third largest trading country in the world and its exports to United States were around $150 billion last year putting China ahead of Japan in the list of countries exporting to USA [Herman, 2005]. Many observers believe that this might be a threat to Japan’s economy. But China and Japan, at least for now see this as a window of opportunity for developing their economies. China needs Japan’s technology and Japan recognizes China as an opportunity to reduce its production costs by using cheap labor available in China. China will perhaps welcome Japan’s investment even more than investment from US as Japanese investment does not come with a dose of speeches urging China to reform its political system! China is encouraging direct investment from developed countries and Japan has already built plants in Japan to lower its labor costs and stay competitive in the international markets. Japan-China cooperation in the economic filed appears to be in the interest of both countries. China has an advantage in labor costs and for the foreseeable future China will need the advance Japanese technology to meet its development goals. China is now the second largest market for Japan’s export and it appears that for the next decade or two China- Japan trade will continue to grow for their mutual benefit. China’s GDP of $1.7 trillion is only 13% of that of United States and about one third of that of Japan [Wang, 2005]. China has a population of more than a billion and it is clear that the scope of development in China is enormous. After China agreed to the one-country two-system policy and Hong Kong came under its political control, countries like Singapore, Korea and Japan built considerable production facilities to China to benefit from the cheap labor costs. Hong Kong, of course being a political part of China moved many of its labor intensive industries to China. This has benefited China in boosting its exports. It has been estimated that 60% of Chinese export in 2004 came from the foreign invested enterprises. The profits of Japanese enterprises in China, of course benefit Japan too. It is clear that both China and Japan are using trade to each other’s advantage. What is not well known is that China is not only the fastest growing market for Japan but also for the United States. The Kyoto protocol agreed to keep India and China out of the developed countries list and as such they are not expected to limit green house gases. Although United States has also not agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, it appears that Chinese economy can continue to develop, at least for the time being without the worries for limiting green house gases. Absence of application of Kyoto Protocol would also be advantageous for Japanese companies working in China. JAPAN’S DEBT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT The total debt of Japan is nearly 160% of its GDP [CIA Economic Report on Japan, 2005]. Most of Japanese debt is however internal. Us Foreign debt is already approaching the internal debt of Japan and it has been estimated that by 2010 US will owe as much to the international lenders as Japan owes to its internal lenders, Japanese people. Although the difference in economic sizes of the two countries is enormous and it is not correct to compare Japan and US on the same economic scale but it does give us an idea that the debt that Japan built during the recession years may not hold it from future development. The demography, the huge debt problem and rise of competitive China are some of the factors Japan will have to contend to make economic progress. As the editorial in Rediscovering Japan Dec 2003 said that with the revival of Japan’s economy economic pundits are once again discovering that Japan has the competitive strength to bounce back. The editorial said that that Japan is still the world second largest economy and it has streamlined itself to meet the emerging challenges from Korea and Japan. It urges US CEOs to be not influenced by media misperception and to take Japan seriously. Japan is far too important to be ignored, it said. THE ECONOMIC FORECAST FOR NEXT 20 YEARS The Editorial from Rediscovering Japan is perhaps the best note to conclude this article. Japan has the potential to develop and compete with the new emerging economies; it had the ability to become energy efficient to stay competitive after the energy crisis of 1973 and 1979 and the new energy prices will probably be more of a headache for gas guzzling economies of the west. Japan has invested in its people and while other countries might build plants to manufacture Japanese cars for the present, Japan has the foresight to invest in the research and development for energy efficient vehicles possibly electric to stay ahead of the competition. [Suzuki, 2004] presented medium term economic forecast for Japan (2004-2010), estimating the economic development rate to remain in the range of 2% per annum. Their forecast is however based on an oil price estimate of $28 per barrel, which we now know is more than twice that. Their assumption regarding improvement in export was also rather conservative. The economic forecasting is poor in estimating up and down turns. Suzuki analysis had projected 2% growth rate for 2004 and 2005, which was actually 2.25% for 2004 and 4.5% estimated for 2005. [Kosai and Ito, 1999] estimate that the economy growth rate for the period 2000-2025 will be 1.8% and as the economic forecast for such a long period of a habit of being out by an average 1% we can safely expect Japan to develop during the next 20 years. Japanese have proved themselves capable of meeting economic challenges presented to them. No one would have believed that Japan had the capability of bouncing back from the ravages of the 2nd World War and develop to an extent where it is seen as a threat to the other economies. One thing is certain Japan is too important to be ignored and is likely to remain so for the next 20 years and beyond. WORK CITED Agarwal, J. D., Globalization and International Capital Flows, Keynote Address at the National Conference on Globalization Decadal Indian Experience, Kannur University, Kerela, India, 17th January 2004 Agarwal, J.D. and Agarwal, A. (2001), Liberalization of Capital Flows, Banking System Trade: Focus on Crisis Situations, International Review of Comparative Public Policy Volume 13, pp. 151-212. Angus Madison, Economic Growth in Japan and the USSR, 2005, http://www.mail-archive.com/[emailprotected]/msg06027.html Arsham, H., Time-Critical Decision Making for Business Administration, http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/stat-data/Forecast.htm Artis, M. J., How Accurate Are the IMFs Short-Term Forecasts? Another Examination of the World Economic Outlook, IMF Working Paper 96/89 (August 1996) Campbell, J. C., Population Aging: Hardly Japan’s Biggest Problem, Asia Program Special Report No 107, January 2003, Woodrow Wilson Asia Center for Scholars. CIA Report on Japan Economy, retrieved from Internet on 16 November 2005, http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ja.html#Econ Clements, M.P. and Hendry, D.F., (eds.) Companion to Economic Forecasting, Basil Blackwell, 2002 Eberstadt, N., Power and Population in Asia, retrieved from Internet on 16 Nov 2005, http://www.policyreview.org/feb04/eberstadt.html Financial Statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance, 2005, http://www.mail-archive.com/[emailprotected]/msg06027.html Hendry, D.F. and N.R. Ericsson (eds.) Understanding Economic Forecasts, MIT Press, 2001. Herman, S., Chinas Economic Might Makes Japan Nervous, retrieved from Internet on 16 Nov 2005, http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-01/2005-01-17-voa7.cfm?CFID=8078384CFTOKEN=86056847 IMF Predicts Rosy Economic Growth for Japan, retrieved from Internet on 16 November 2005, http://www.bizasia.com/economy_/becd7/imf_predicts_rosy_economic.htm Jerram, R., This Time it’s Different: Japan Poised for Growth, The International Economy, Spring 2004 Kosai, Y., and Ito, Y., A New Start for Japan’s Economy: The Path Towards Balanced Growth to the Year 2025, Jan 1999, http://www.jcer.or.jp/eng/eco/98long.html Mizon, G.E., (2002) `Review of Probability Theory and Statistical Inference: Econometric Modeling with Observational Data by Aris Spanos, Economic Journal, 112, F164F166 Nakamura, T., The Postwar Japanese Economy, http://www.mail-archive.com/[emailprotected]/msg06027.html News Item, Chinese scholar suggests axis with India, Japan, May 19, 2004, retrieved from Internet on 16 Nov 2005, http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/may/19axis.htm Suzuki, H., Japan’s Economy through 2010, Daiwa Institute of Research Limited, March 2004 The Difficult Art of Forecasting, World Economic Review, International Monetary Fund, 1996 Usui, C., Japan Aging Dilemma? Asia Program Special Report No 107, January 2003, Woodrow Wilson Asia Center for Scholars. Wang, R., China’s Economic Growth: Source of Disorder? Foreign Service Journal, May 2005 Weisbrot, M., Baker, D., Krav, E.and Chen, J., The Scorecard on Globalization 1980-2000, Twenty Years of Diminished Progress, Center for Economic and Policy Research, July 2001